2015 July | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Sign Jeremy Evans

July 31st, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

JULY 31ST, 2:13pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 5TH, 4:06pm: The Mavs have agreed to sign Jeremy Evans to a two-year deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’ll be for the league minimum.

Evans, 27, didn’t see a ton of burn last season with Utah, averaging 7.0 minutes per contest. In 2014/15, Evans put up 2.4 PPG with 1.9 RPG. For his career, the entirety of which has been spent with the Jazz, Evans has put up 3.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 10.8 minutes per night. Evans made it known that he wanted to return to Utah this summer, but a reunion just wasn’t in the cards.

“I feel like they have the confidence in me and I trust them that they’re going to make the right decision. That’s what they’re here for,” Evans said about Utah’s front office. “If I’m here, I’m gonna be so happy; I feel like this is my home. If not, I know it’s still going to be a bright future and I wish everybody the best.”

Evans is represented by Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment, as the Hoops Rumors Agency Database shows. His greatest claim to fame in the NBA might be having won the slam dunk contest at the 2012 All-Star Game.

Central Notes: Monroe, Allen, Christmas

July 31st, 2015 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks GM John Hammond was elated to sign big man Greg Monroe this summer, and not just because of his talent, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Milwaukee scored the former Pistons mainstay with a three-year max deal.

“Just such a great opportunity for us, we felt,” Hammond said of Monroe. “We need a player of that caliber. We need a player that we can throw the ball to in the post. But it’s just as important that we continue to try to build and build this the right way, that we can build with the right kind of people.”

Milwaukee’s playoff-ready roster was a key reason behind Monroe’s decision to sign there, as agent David Falk said earlier this month, but the Bucks aren’t in a rush to become a championship contender, as GM John Hammond explains to Lee. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Lavoy Allen new three-year, $12.05MM contract with the Pacers includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). That bonus is spread evenly across his cap hits for each season, so the net effect is that if the Pacers trade him, the team acquiring him would pay him $500K less per season, though his cap number would stay the same, as Pincus explains.
The third season of of the three-year deal Rakeem Christmas signed with the Pacers is partially guaranteed for $50K, and the fourth season contains both a team option and a partial guarantee of $52,064, Pincus tweets. The precise value of the deal is $4.3MM, as Pincus shows on the Pacers salary page, resolving conflicting reports from earlier.
Shayne Whittington will see the minimum salary on both years of his new deal with the Pacers, Pincus adds (Twitter link).
The Pistons traded Quincy Miller to the Nets this month because of a roster crunch in the frontcourt, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes in a mailbag column. Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy opted to parlay him for Steve Blake to reinforce the point guard position, given the uncertainty over whether Brandon Jennings, still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, will be ready to start the season. Miller was far from a lock to make the opening night roster in Detroit, Langlois adds.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Sixers Sign Richaun Holmes

July 31st, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 12:02pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

6:03pm: The total value of the deal is about $4.2MM, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops hears (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 5:54pm: The contract will run four years, with a team option on the final season, Fischer tweets. The first two seasons are guaranteed for a total of $2.1MM, according to Fischer.

WEDNESDAY, 1:44pm: The Sixers have agreed to a deal with 37th overall pick Richaun Holmes, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The power forward from Bowling Green will see a “significant” amount of guaranteed money over the next two seasons, a league source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). It’s unclear just how much he’s getting, but the deal will probably be similar to the four-year contract for more than $4MM that No. 36 pick Rakeem Christmas recently signed with the Pacers.

The 21-year-old, who’ll turn 22 in October, was a late bloomer who caught the eye of scouts out of the Mid-American Conference. He didn’t put up particularly eye-popping numbers this past season, averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game, aside from his 41.9% three-point shooting, an especially valuable asset given his 6’10” height. Holmes spoke about the development of his shot and more in an April interview with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. At that point, the Keith Kreiter client seemed like a late second-rounder, but he climbed into the top end of the round and ultimately didn’t seem like a reach, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him the 34th-best prospect in his final listings for this season while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegged him 44th.

Holmes is one of three 2015 draftees to which the Sixers hold the rights, including No. 3 pick Jahlil Okafor and J.P. Tokoto, the 58th selection. Philadelphia avoids the scenario it was in with K.J. McDaniels, last year’s No. 32 overall pick, who remained unsigned right up until the end of training camp as he balked at a long-term deal. McDaniels instead penned a one-year, non-guaranteed tender for the minimum-salary, helping hasten his way off the Sixers at this year’s trade deadline and into a three-year, $10MM deal with the Rockets this summer.

What do you think of the chances that Holmes turns into a rotation-caliber player in the NBA? Leave a comment to give us your thoughts.

Timberwolves To Keep Lorenzo Brown For Camp

July 31st, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves plan to keep Lorenzo Brown on the roster for training camp in the wake of an agreement to change the guarantee structure on his contract, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Brown’s two-year veteran’s minimum salary of $947,276 had become partially guaranteed for $25K on July 1st, and the contract called for the partial guarantee to go up to $200K if he remained on the roster through Saturday, with a further rise to $375K on October 1st, a source tells Hoops Rumors. Those dates have shifted, according to Wolfson. It’s unclear exactly what the new terms look like, but it nonetheless appears as though Brown is still in Minnesota’s plans even after the team’s reported agreement to sign Andre Miller.

Brown joined the Wolves this past season on a pair of 10-day contracts that led to his existing multiseason arrangement. The point guard was a part of the rotation for rebuilding Minnesota across 29 appearances, seven of them starts. He averaged just 4.2 points in 18.9 minutes per game, but his 3.1 assists against 1.0 turnovers per contest demonstrated strong ball-distribution skills. The Timberwolves drafted him 52nd overall in 2013, but they cut him at the end of training camp, forfeiting his draft rights, and watched him play his rookie year with the Sixers and sign a camp deal with the Pistons last fall before reacquiring him.

Minnesota is carrying 14 fully guaranteed contracts, not counting Miller, so Brown will face a tough path to the opening night roster. Still, a trade could change the math, and if not, it looks like Brown will at least have the opportunity to beat out another Wolves player for a regular season spot.

Do you think Brown deserves a spot on an NBA roster? Leave a comment to tell us.

Blazers To Guarantee Allen Crabbe’s Salary

July 31st, 2015 at 11:19am CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers have let Allen Crabbe know they won’t be waiving him today, the last day the team can let him go before a full guarantee kicks in on his two-year veteran’s minimum salary of $947,276, sources tell Jabari Young of CSNNW.com. Crabbe is on the mend from a severe left ankle sprain he suffered during summer league, but the team expects he’ll be ready for training camp, Young writes. The season is the last on his deal, and he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

The decision isn’t altogether surprising, since the 23-year-old is just two years removed from having been the first pick of the second round of the draft, and Portland is retooling this summer following the exodus of four-fifths of its starting lineup. Crabbe saw an increased role last season after sparse playing time in his rookie year, even starting one game in the playoffs in place of the injured Wesley Matthews and Arron Afflalo. The proficient outside shooter from the University of California averaged 15.5 points in 23.8 minutes per game during four summer league appearances.

The guarantee will have little impact on Portland’s financial flexibility. The team is still some $20MM beneath the cap. It will be the 14th fully guaranteed contract on the books for the Blazers, though they appear likely to let go of Mike Miller.

Atlantic Notes: Biyombo, Nets, Jones, Ledo

July 31st, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Chuck Myron

A relationship that goes back a while and a shared cultural heritage with GM Masai Ujiri paved the way for Bismack Biyombo to accept an offer from the Raptors after Ujiri called him three minutes into the free agent negotiating period, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. Both Biyombo and Ujiri are natives of Africa. Ujiri is excited about the center he signed using the room exception, citing Biyombo’s passion for the game, offensive rebounding, shot blocking, defense, physicality and more, Wolstat relays. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets insiders tell NetsDaily that the team would be OK with paying a small amount of luxury tax, but one source says it’ll be a long time before Brooklyn becomes a taxpayer again, if it ever does. The guaranteed salaries for the Nets this season total less than the $84.74MM tax threshold, though taxes are based on the roster as of the final day of the regular season.
The Nets had long preferred to rid themselves of Deron Williams instead of Joe Johnson, in part because of Johnson’s veteran presence and knack for scoring, as NetsDaily examines in a separate piece, hearing from sources who suggest Williams’ departure will ease Johnson’s mind, since they didn’t get along.
It’s not certain that Perry Jones III will be on the Celtics roster come opening night, as the team has 17 fully guaranteed contracts, but Boston intends to give the former 28th overall pick every opportunity to stick, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “With OKC, there hasn’t been as much of an opportunity for him to play as much as he would like as a youngster on a team trying to compete for a championship,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said earlier this week. “But [he is] very athletic, a different type of player than we have in the frontcourt right now with his athleticism and length.”
The Knicks front office was higher on Ricky Ledo than the coaching staff was, sources indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The team waived Ledo on Thursday rather than guarantee a portion of his salary.
It’s been nearly three weeks since the Sixers said Joel Embiid would have surgery on his foot within seven to 10 days, and the team’s silence in that time raises no shortage of questions, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines.

Latest On Glen Davis

July 31st, 2015 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 31ST: 10:35am: Davis and the Clippers spoke this week, and there’s optimism a deal will get done between them, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Bucks have signed Copeland since the initial report of interest in Davis from Milwaukee (below), so it’s unclear if the Bucks are still in the mix for Big Baby.

JULY 22ND: 2:44pm: The Clippers maintain “high interest” in re-signing Glen Davis, but no deal is close, and the Bucks loom as another interested team, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Clips reportedly expected to re-sign Big Baby as of two weeks ago, but there hasn’t been much chatter surrounding the John Hamilton client since.

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reached out to Davis on the opening day of free agency, and they share a lengthy history dating back to their time with the Celtics. The Bucks appeared close to a deal with Chris Copeland on Tuesday, but the Spurs and Thunder are still competing for the former Pacers forward, so perhaps Milwaukee sees Davis as an alternative.

Davis has Early Bird rights with the Clippers to sign for up to $5.739MM, giving the Clips a financial edge over the Bucks, who are limited to the $2.814MM room exception. Still, Davis made the minimum salary last year, so it would be surprising to see him end up with a significant raise, even though he was one of only eight players to average more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs for the Clippers this past season.

Which team do you think is the best fit for Davis? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Jerel McNeal Signs To Play In Greece

July 31st, 2015 at 9:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Jerel McNeal has signed to play for Aris Thessaloniki following his release from the Suns earlier this month, the Greek team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The former Marquette standout who went undrafted in 2009 is a three-year NBA veteran, though his only official action came this past season with Phoenix.

The Pelicans and Jazz have carried McNeal on their respective rosters during the regular season in the past, but he didn’t appear in a game for either of them. The shooting guard scored nine points in a total of 36 minutes for the Suns this spring after signing a 10-day contract and later a deal for the rest of 2014/15 with a non-guaranteed 2015/16 salary tacked on. That minimum salary was to have become fully guaranteed earlier this month, prompting Phoenix to let him go.

McNeal, 28, has remained stateside in recent years, playing in the D-League in each of the past three seasons, so it would appear that at this point that he’s switched gears and is prioritizing superior money in Europe over a better chance to stay on the NBA radar. It’s unclear just how much McNeal will make with his new Greek team, however.

Shavlik Randolph To Play In China

July 31st, 2015 at 9:18am CST by Chuck Myron

Eight-year NBA veteran Shavlik Randolph has signed with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Sportando’s Enea Trapani. Randolph played this past season with the Suns, Celtics and Nuggets but spent parts of the previous three seasons in China.

The 31-year-old power forward, who’ll turn 32 in November, saw little action in his three NBA stops during 2014/15. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.0 minutes per game across 21 appearances, none of which came during his brief Nuggets stint. Denver claimed him off waivers from the Celtics in April in large measure to defray the shortfall payment that the Nuggets had to make to their players for failing to reach the minimum team salary. Boston had acquired him as part of the trade that sent Austin Rivers to the Clippers, and the Celtics let Randolph go to sign Chris Babb, who later wound up in the David Lee trade.

Randolph never averaged as many as 20 minutes per game in college at Duke, but he’s nonetheless continued to hang on the fringe of the NBA picture since going undrafted in 2005. His numbers in China have helped his cause, as he averaged a whopping 32.0 PPG and 14.5 RPG in 36.9 MPG for Guangdong Foshan in 2012/13, his last full season there.

Do you think we’ll see Randolph in the NBA again? Leave a comment to give your opinion.

Shavlik Randolph

Knicks Expected To Sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo

July 31st, 2015 at 8:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are expected to sign 2014 No. 51 pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo, sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post. Thursday’s release of Ricky Ledo opened the door for the move, according to Berman. The team told Antetokoumpo’s camp this spring that it would likely sign him to the NBA roster after he spent this past season playing for New York’s D-League affiliate, but agent Tim Lotsos later raised the specter of the small forward playing overseas this year if the Knicks didn’t follow through.

Antetokounmpo, now 23, had an up-and-down performance for the Knicks summer league squad, but his final game, in which he went 7 for 7 and scored 17 points, sent him out on a high note, as Berman details. The brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game in the D-League this past season.

The Knicks have also reportedly spoken with former Phil Jackson pupil Sasha Vujacic. New York has 11 fully guaranteed contracts, presuming that the team’s deal with Louis Amundson is one of them, and three partially guaranteed arrangements. That leaves room for Antetokoumpo, Vujacic, and a big man like Kevin Seraphin and Carlos Boozer, whom the Knicks are reportedly targeting. Teams can carry as many as 20 players during the offseason before cutting down to the 15-man regular season limit.

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