2012 March | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Kaman, Gee, Arenas

March 21st, 2012 at 8:23pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

NBA.com's David Aldridge reports (via Twitter) that the Hornets' stated plan to finish out the season with Chris Kaman, rather than pursuing a buyout, has not changed.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott told the Plain-Dealer's Tom Reed (Twitter link) that the team views Alonzo Gee as a long-term piece going forward. Gee is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace told radio host Chris Vernon (Twitter link) that the seed for his signing of Gilbert Arenas was planted by a blog post that was sent to him.

Thunder Sign Derek Fisher

March 21st, 2012 at 6:40pm CST by Luke Adams

6:40pm: The signing is official, the team has announced. Forward Ryan Reid has been waived to clear a roster spot for Fisher.

4:13pm: Derek Fisher and the Thunder have agreed to terms on a contract that will bring the point guard to Oklahoma City for the rest of the season, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Fisher is due to clear waivers within an hour, at which point the two sides are expected to finalize the deal.

According to Stein, Oklahoma City's financial flexibility was a factor in giving them the edge over the Heat for Fisher's services. The Thunder still have a good portion of their mid-level exception remaining, and can offer Fisher part of that amount. The Heat could only have offered the 37-year-old a pro-rated portion of the veteran's minimum.

Fisher joins the Thunder after having been traded by the Lakers and then bought out by the Rockets. In 43 games for the Lakers this season, he averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.3 APG in 25.6 MPG, but became expendable when Los Angeles acquired Ramon Sessions.

The Thunder are scheduled to travel to the Staples Center to face the Lakers on March 29th and April 22nd, so Fisher will get multiple opportunities to face his former team, even if the two clubs don't meet in the postseason.

Blazers Claim J.J. Hickson Off Waivers

March 21st, 2012 at 5:44pm CST by Sean Highkin

5:44pm: The Oregonian's Joe Freeman claims (via Twitter) that the Blazers will waive Mehmet Okur to clear a roster spot for Hickson. The forward is in the final year of his contract and is making $2.3MM this season, meaning he fits into the trade exception the Blazers acquired from Houston in the Marcus Camby trade last week. Hickson will be a restricted free agent this summer.

5:15pm: SI.com's Sam Amick tweets that the Trail Blazers have been awarded free agent forward J.J. Hickson through the waiver process.

Hickson, who was bought out by the Kings on Monday, was previously expected to sign with the Warriors provided he cleared waivers.

The Blazers have a full 15-man roster, meaning they will have to cut a player to make room for Hickson.

Largest Long-Term Contracts

March 21st, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The trade deadline often means expiring contracts receive increased attention, and we listed the largest expiring contracts of 2011/12 last month. With the deadline behind us and the focus eventually shifting to the summer, it's worth taking a look at which teams may have their cap flexibility handicapped by expensive long-term deals.

In many cases, these contracts are ones teams are happy to pay, if it means locking up a top-10 or top-15 NBA player. But some of these deals have the potential to become albatrosses before they expire, if they aren't already. Here's a look at the contracts with the most money remaining on them after this season (minimum $40MM):

* Derrick Rose (Bulls): Five years, $94MM
Joe Johnson (Hawks): Four years, $89.3MM
LeBron James (Heat): Four years, $79.32MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
Chris Bosh (Heat): Four years, $79.32MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
Dwyane Wade (Heat): Four years, $77.67MM (third-year ETO; fourth-year player option)
* Russell Westbrook (Thunder): Five years, $78MM
Kevin Durant (Thunder): Four years, $73.69MM
Carmelo Anthony (Knicks): Three years, $67.22MM (third-year ETO)
Amare Stoudemire (Knicks): Three years, $65.04MM (third-year ETO)
Kobe Bryant (Lakers): Two years, $58.3MM
* Kevin Love (Timberwolves): Four years, $58MM (fourth-year ETO)
David Lee (Warriors): Four years, $57.13MM
Rudy Gay (Grizzlies): Three years, $53.67MM (third-year player option)
Nene (Wizards): Four years, $52MM
Zach Randolph (Grizzlies): Three years, $50.8MM (third-year player option)
Al Horford (Hawks): Four years, $48MM
Joakim Noah (Bulls): Four years, $48MM
Carlos Boozer (Bulls): Three years, $47.1MM
LaMarcus Aldridge (Trail Blazers): Three years, $45.38MM
Marc Gasol (Grizzlies): Three years, $44.58MM
Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks): Two years, $43.63MM
Tyson Chandler (Knicks): Three years, $42.3MM
Danilo Gallinari (Nuggets): Four years, $42MM

Note: Players marked with an asterisk signed extensions that will go into effect next season. Their exact contract figures have yet to be determined, so the totals listed are based on various reports.

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

Categories:
Uncategorized

Heat Sign Ronny Turiaf

March 21st, 2012 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Ronny Turiaf has signed with the Heat, team owner Micky Arison confirmed today (via Twitter). The deal will be for the league minimum and will include a player option as an "insurance policy" for next season, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.

The Nuggets acquired Turiaf in the trade that sent Nene to Washington and JaVale McGee to Denver. Since Turiaf was included in the deal primarily for salary-matching purposes, he was waived by the Nuggets this weekend, and reportedly drew interest from more than ten teams upon his release.

Turiaf, 29, only appeared in four games for the Wizards this season due to a broken hand, but appears to be healthy enough to return to the floor. He'll join a Heat team that has had to rely on bigs like Dexter Pittman and Mickell Gladness this season. Miami has an open roster spot and won't need to make a corresponding move.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Turiaf and the Heat were finalizing terms on a contract.

Buyout Updates: Hickson, Hollins, Cook

March 21st, 2012 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Boris Diaw is the latest player to be bought out by his team, as he and the Bobcats parted ways today. Rumors continue to swirl about where he and other free-agents-to-be could land, with the latest report suggesting Diaw could be headed for San Antonio. Here are the most recent updates on where bought-out players could sign, and who might receive a buyout next:

J.J. Hickson is still expected to sign with the Warriors if and when he clears waivers, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.
In addition to sharing a few notes on what the Cavaliers' offseason could bring, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio provides an update on Ryan Hollins in his weekly chat — the big man is drawing interest from the Celtics and Mavericks, according to Amico.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star adds the Pacers to the list of potential suitors for Hollins (Twitter link).
Brian Cook is unlikely to pursue a buyout from the Wizards, his agent tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

Jeff Foster Announces Retirement

March 21st, 2012 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Pacer Jeff Foster has announced his retirement due to chronic back problems, according to a team press release.

"It’s with deep regret that I have to conclude my basketball career," Foster said. "I’ve given my all to the Pacers and the community the last 13 years. I had hoped to be able to finish the season, but unfortunately my back problems prevented that from occurring. I want to thank the Simon family and the Pacers’ organization for 13 memorable years."

Foster, 35, was traded from the Warriors to the Pacers on draft night in 1999, and played 764 games for the franchise over the next 13 seasons. The 6'11" big man averaged 4.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game for his career. His back issues limited him to just 11 games for Indiana this season.

Foster earned over $50MM in his NBA career, according to Basketball-Reference.

Spurs Pushing For Boris Diaw

March 21st, 2012 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Boris Diaw once he passes through waivers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Diaw was bought out by the Bobcats today and is expected to clear waivers on Friday.

San Antonio is also waiting on visa issues to finalize its deal with Patrick Mills, but the team has two open roster spots, so it wouldn't need to make a move to add both Mills and Diaw. Both players would be eligible for the postseason if they were to sign with the Spurs.

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News wrote earlier today that the Spurs would be interested in signing Diaw. Fellow Frenchman Tony Parker spoke prior to the trade deadline about his desire to have the forward join him in San Antonio. Diaw also has a fan in Steve Nash, but Phoenix will likely pass on the former Sun, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Kings Sign Terrence Williams To 10-Day Contract

March 21st, 2012 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have officially signed Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. Williams was waived by the Rockets last Friday.

Williams chose to sign in Sacramento because he prefers the opportunity to play rather than sit on a contender's bench, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today (via Twitter). Falgoust adds that Keith Smart's open-court style also appeals to the former lottery pick (Twitter link).

Williams, 24, was drafted by the Nets in 2009 and traded to the Rockets last season. In his three seasons, the former Louisville Cardinal has averaged 7.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 111 career games (20.1 MPG).

The Kings already had an open roster spot, and cleared another by buying out J.J. Hickson, so they won't need to make a move to clear room for Williams. SI.com's Sam Amick first tweeted that the Kings would sign the ex-Rocket.

Draft Notes: White, Rivers, Jones, Drummond

March 21st, 2012 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) looks back to June 2011 and re-drafts the top 20 based on what we know now, we'll look ahead to this June, with the latest updates on the upcoming NBA draft:

Iowa State's Royce White has hired an agent and will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman hears from several NBA execs that White has likely worked his way into the first round of the draft, though only one of the three mocks we looked at yesterday had White coming off the board in the top 30.
One of those mock drafts came from ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who has received feedback from NBA GMs on his top 30 (Insider link).
This draft may not be as deep as it looks, since many of the underclassmen who would go in the first round aren't locks to come out of school, says Ford.
Multiple GMs told Ford they have Austin Rivers ranked considerably higher than where Ford had him in his mock (21st).
Point guards may end up going a few spots higher than they should this year, since it appears there'll be a dearth of point guards in the 2013 draft, says Ford.
Perry Jones III and Andre Drummond are viewed as high-risk, high-reward picks. "They get you fired either way," one GM told Ford. "Don't take them and they blow up, everyone asks you what you were thinking. Do take them and they underachieve and everyone says you shouldn't have taken the risk. It's a no-win situation so … you just take them. It's better to swing for the fences and miss than to bunt and miss the chance to hit a home run."
Ford also answered plenty of draft-related questions in his ESPN.com chat today.

Month: November 2024