2:57pm: Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel confirms (via Twitter) that Vaughn, Curry, and Hunter are indeed the three finalists for the Magic coaching job.
12:59pm: A day after we heard that Brian Shaw and Michael Malone are no longer candidates to coach the Magic, Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that another name is out of the running. Jeff Hornacek was informed by the team that he's no longer being considered for the head coaching job, according to Luhm.
The Rockets have arguably been the Southwest team in the news most often this month, as they've pursued restricted free agents and continued to try to land a superstar like Dwight Howard via trade. For now though, Daryl Morey and the Rockets are playing the waiting game, as they wait to see whether the Knicks will match their offer sheet for Jeremy Lin. In the meantime, here are a few updates on Houston's division rivals….
The Knicks have officially signed Chris Copeland, the team announced today. Formerly of the University of Colorado, Copeland receives a non-guaranteed deal from the Knicks and will be invited to training camp, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. HoopsHype first reported that the two sides had reached an agreement.
Copeland, a 6'8" forward, has spent the last several years overseas, including this past season playing in Belgium, where he averaged 21.8 points per game.
MONDAY, 2:01pm: The Nets have officially signed Stackhouse, the team announced (Twitter link). Stackhouse himself first tweeted the news: "Officially a member of The Brooklyn Nets… NYC here we come!!!"
WEDNESDAY, 9:38am: The Nets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract for Jerry Stackhouse, reports ESPN.com's Chad Ford (via Twitter). The deal will pay Stackhouse the veteran's minimum, approximately $1.35MM.
"Though he sure didn't act like it," writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, "Jeremy Lin still wants to be a Knick." Berman cites a source close to Lin who says that the young point guard is hoping the Knicks match Houston's offer sheet. Berman's apparent critique of Lin's handling of free agency is somewhat bizarre, considering the Post scribe reported two weeks ago that the Knicks intended to sit back and wait while Lin went out and let the market set his price tag.
As we wait to see whether the Knicks will truly let Lin walk, here are a few more items out of the Atlantic Division:
Earlier updates:
The Suns have officially signed first-rounder Kendall Marshall to a rookie scale contract, according to Scott Bodrow of the Arizona Republic. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Marshall will almost certainly receive the full 120% of his rookie scale amount, giving him a first-year salary of $1,919,160.
Marshall, the 13th overall pick in June's draft, averaged 8.1 points and 9.8 assists per game in his sophomore season at North Carolina, and was considered the second-best point guard in the draft, behind Damian Lillard. Marshall is expected to back up Goran Dragic in Phoenix in his rookie year.
JULY 16TH, 12:18pm: The Nets have officially signed Teletovic, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 4TH, 4:13pm: Larry Coon of ESPN.com and HoopsWorld confirms via Twitter that the Nets were able to agree with Teletovic for the $3.09MM mid-level. Assuming the maximum 4.5% raise, this would put the total of Teletovic's three-year deal at $9,687,150. Besides saving a few million dollars on Teletovic, this gives the Nets significantly more financial flexibility this season, as they're now free to exceed the $74.31MM "tax apron."
12:14pm: The deal is now official, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Sulia link).
7:28am: The Kings and Raptors have agreed to a trade that will send James Johnson to Sacramento in exchange for a future second-round pick, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The second-rounder heading to Toronto is for 2014, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (via Twitter). Stein adds that the deal could be made official as soon as today.
Under the league's new Collective Bargaining Agreement, free agents can be offered up to five years by a team holding their Bird Rights, or four years by any other team. It's not often that we see a free agent receive that maximum number of years, as long-term deals are generally reserved for elite or near-elite players. However, so far in July 2012, we've seen nine free agents signed for as many years as possible. Let's check out the list, with the help of Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker….
The Raptors officially signed Quincy Acy on Sunday, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter). The terms of Acy's deal aren't known, but a multiyear, partially-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal seems likely.
Acy, a 6'6" wing, was selected 37th overall by Toronto in June's draft. The 21-year-old averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior year at Baylor.