2016/17 NBA Free Agents Rumors

Eastern Notes: Udrih, J.R. Smith, Sixers, Butler

August 19th, 2016 at 9:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

Beno Udrih has no assurances of playing time despite re-signing with the Heat, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Udrih gives the club a natural point guard behind starter Goran Dragic, but combo guards Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson will also see action at that position, Jackson continues. Udrih signed a one-year guaranteed deal at the veteran’s minimum of $1.4MM. Udrih had a standing offer from the Heat for more than a month, sources told Jackson, and turned down some other options because of his comfort level with the organization.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Free agent J.R. Smith doesn’t appear to be close to signing a contract, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Cavs’ shooting guard is deferring all questions about his free agency to agent Rich Paul. Smith is expected to rejoin Cleveland and is believed to be seeking a multi-year deal worth approximately $15MM per season, Fedor continues. There’s been little interest from other teams because of Smith’s past antics, Fedor adds.
The Sixers will play three nationally televised games, and coach Brett Brown believes that’s a sign of progress, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com reports. Philadelphia hasn’t had a game broadcast nationally since the 2012/13 season. “It’s really I think a statement to the way the public views our young, exciting team,” Brown said in a podcast on the team’s website.
Caron Butler would be interested in signing with the Knicks, tweets Anthony Donahue of SNY. During an appearance on Donahue’s “33rd and 7th” podcast, Butler said he likes the moves that New York made during the offseason. Butler, 36, spent last season with the Kings and appeared in just 17 games.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Stackhouse, Labor, Olympics, Garnett

August 1st, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are expected to name former All-Star Jerry Stackhouse as head coach of their D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, sources told Chris Reichert of UpsideMotor.com. Stackhouse, who played for eight teams during a career that lasted from 1995-2013, spent last season on Dwane Casey’s staff. He would replace Jesse Mermuys, who is now an assistant to new Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton. Stackhouse coached the Raptors’ Summer League team in Las Vegas last month. Raptors 905 was an expansion team last season and had several players that also saw action in the NBA, including Anthony Bennett, Bruno Caboclo, Delon Wright and Lucas Nogueira, Reichert adds.

In other news around the league:

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is optimistic a new labor agreement will be reached before a potential lockout, she told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “Our teams have been in discussions for some months now and we have made progress and we’re inclined to continue along those lines,” she said. “We have meetings this summer and we’re meeting next week and [consistently] after that. We’re trying to get a deal as quickly as we can, ideally before the start of the season.” Roberts added that if an agreement isn’t reached by the Dec. 15th deadline, the union would likely opt out, triggering the possible lockout following the season.
American fans will get their first look at a lot of foreign players during the Summer Olympics, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. There will be many players whose names are familiar because teams hold their draft rights, such as Croatian star Dario Saric, who recently signed to play for the Sixers next season. Other prominent names include Lithuania’s Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Spain’s Willy Hernangomez, who will both be part of the Knicks; Nigeria’s Michael Gbinije, a second-round pick of the Pistons; China’s Zhou Qi, a Rockets’ second-rounder; Spain’s Sergio Llull, who the Rockets have been trying to convince to come to the NBA, Lithuania’s Domantas Sabonis, who was traded to the Thunder on draft night; and Spain’s Alex Abrines, who recently signed with the Thunder.
Kevin Garnett met with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor but no final decision materialized regarding Garnett’s future, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The 40-year-old Garnett, who appeared in 38 games last season, has one year and $8MM remaining on his contract.
CAA Sports signed NBA free agent guards Sergio Rodriguez and Ish Smith and negotiated deals with their new clubs, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The Sixers signed the 30-year-old Rodriguez to a one-year, $8MM contract. Smith received a three-year, $18MM deal from the Pistons.

Warriors, Elliot Williams Agree To One-Year Deal

August 1st, 2016 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have agreed to a one-year contract with 27-year-old combo guard Elliot Williams, sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The contract has a “strong” partial guarantee, Charania adds. Impact Sports, which represents Williams, tweeted out a congratulations to Williams.

Williams appeared in five games with the Grizzlies last season, averaging 1.6 points in 9.0 minutes. In 2014/15, he played a combined 13 games with the Pelicans and Jazz.

The 6’5” Williams made his league debut with the Trail Blazers in 2011/12, appearing in 24 games. His career was sidetracked by an Achilles injury, forcing him to miss the following season.

His most extensive playing time came with the Sixers in 2013/14, when he saw action in 67 games, including the only two starts of his career. He averaged 6.0 points in 17.3 minutes that season.

The Warriors are quite familiar with Williams, as he played for their D-League team in Santa Cruz last season. Williams averaged 28.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 21 games.

Williams has a shot to earn rotation minutes behind Stephen Curry, Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson. The other guard options are Ian Clark and Pat McCaw.

Mavericks Finalize Contract With Seth Curry

July 15th, 2016 at 6:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 15: The Mavericks have officially signed Curry, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 4: The Mavericks are nearing a two-year, $6MM agreement with free agent guard Seth Curry, league sources informed Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The 6’2” combo guard played in 44 games with the Kings last season, including nine starts, and averaged 6.8 points in 15.7 minutes. He shot 45% on his 3-point tries.

Stephen Curry‘s brother appeared in just four NBA games with three different teams prior to his breakthrough season with Sacramento. The 6’2” shooting guard had his qualifying offer of approximately $1.2MM rescinded by the Kings on Sunday. He made $947,276 during 2015/16.

The Kings considered Curry expendable after they agreed to terms with free agent guard Garrett Temple. Curry hit the free agent market after declining his player option of $1MM for next season. That decision has apparently paid off with Dallas offering a bigger salary and an additional year.

Dallas already had a busy Monday, with the Warriors declining to match its four-year, $94MM offer sheet for restricted small forward Harrison Barnes. Golden State also agreed to trade starting center Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks.

While Curry can play the point, it’s more likely he’ll back up Wesley Matthews at shooting guard.

Hawks Sign Kris Humphries To One-Year Deal

July 15th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 15: The Hawks have issued a press release officially announcing Humphries’ deal.

JULY 11: Free agent power forward Kris Humphries has agreed to a one-year, $4MM contract to remain with the Hawks, league sources informed Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).

Humphries drew quite a bit of interest during the free agent process, with the Wizards, Suns, Celtics, Nets, Wolves, Spurs and Hornets reportedly in the mix. In the end, he chose the team for which he played 21 games last season, averaging 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes. He also appeared in 28 games with the Wizards and four games with the Suns last season. The 6’9” Humphries will be entering his 13th season.

Humphries figures to be the main backup to Paul Millsap, though he’ll have to compete for minutes with Mike Scott and Mike Muscala.

Warriors Sign Zaza Pachulia

July 12th, 2016 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 12: More than a week after agreeing to terms with him, the Warriors have officially announced their new deal with Pachulia, via a team release.

JULY 4: The Warriors have reached a one-year contract agreement with Mavericks free agent center Zaza Pachulia, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Pachulia will receive $2.9MM, Charania adds. That puts him in line for Golden State’s mini mid-level exception.

The addition of Pachulia contributes to an already historic day for the franchise, which reached an agreement with top free agent Kevin Durant. Pachulia takes over the starting spot previously held by Andrew Bogut, who was dealt to the Mavs once Durant chose the two-time defending Western Conference champions.

Pachulia could have taken a much bigger offer in this free agent climate. The lure of playing for a team that will be heavily favored to regain the crown next season was too great for him to pass up. The Hornets were reportedly in hot pursuit for Pachulia’s services. The 32-year-old Pachulia had a very productive season with Dallas, averaging 8.6 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds in 76 games.

Bogut will make $12.68MM next season, so Pachulia’s decision to take a pay cut — he made $5.2MM a year ago — gives them a huge bargain for a rotation player. The biggest downgrade for the Warriors is that Pachulia, unlike Bogut, is not a shot blocker. He has averaged 0.3 blocks per game during his career.

And-Ones: Gobert, Harkless, Pierce

July 11th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz center Rudy Gobert will play for Team France in the Rio Olympics, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports. He’ll join new Jazz teammate, Boris Diaw, on the squad. Utah swingman Joe Ingles will play for Team Australia and point guard Raul Neto will play for host Brazil, Genessy adds. Gobert did not participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament, when France nabbed the final spot in the field of 12.

In other news around the league:

Technology industry leaders are urging commissioner Adam Silver to move next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte unless a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people is repealed, according to Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. The executives told Silver in a letter obtained by the AP that putting fans at risk of discrimination would “send a terrible message about who the NBA is and what it values as an organization.” Silver has made it clear the league needs changes to the HB2 law in order to stage the All-Star game but has not set any deadlines for when he might act, Mahoney adds.
Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless is in “no rush” to sign a contract, but the restricted free agent should make a decision in the next couple of days, his agent told Jason Quick of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). Harkless might accept the Blazers’ qualifying offer of just over $4MM, Quick adds. Several teams were reportedly interested in Harkless early in the free agent process, including the Wizards, Pistons, Lakers, Mavericks and Jazz, but some of those clubs have already made other commitments.
Clippers small forward Paul Pierce intends to play next season, a source close to Pierce informed Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 38-year-old Pierce appeared in 68 regular-season games with them last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. He also played in five postseason games.
Point guard Flip Murray is attempting an NBA comeback, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 36-year-old Murray, who has been playing overseas, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/10 season.

Free Agent Notes: Timberwolves, Wizards, Randolph

July 7th, 2016 at 1:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves offered veteran small forward Luol Deng a three-year contract at $12MM per season, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP Radio (Twitter link). Head coach and president of basketball operations Tim Thobideau refused to fully guarantee the third year, Wolfson adds. In the end, the Timberwolves didn’t come close to signing Deng, as the former Heat starter agreed to a four-year, $72MM contract with the Lakers.

In other news regarding free agency:

The Wizards have interest in re-signing shooting guard Alan Anderson and will meet with him this weekend, league sources told J. Michael of CSNmidlatlantic.com (Twitter links). The meeting is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Michael adds. Anderson, who made $4MM last season, appeared in just 13 games with the Wizards after undergoing a second surgery on his left ankle. The previous season, he played in 74 games with the Nets and averaged 7.4 points in 23.6 minutes.
Shooting guard Brandon Paul is drawing major interest around the league after some strong performances for the Hornets’ summer-league team, Sportando tweets. He’s averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds through four games in the Orlando Summer League. The 6’4” Paul went undrafted in 2013 out of the University of Illinois and has been playing for a Spanish league team, FIATC Joventut.
Forward Anthony Randolph will remain in Europe and sign a one-year deal with Spain’s Real Madrid, a source told Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Randolph received interest from the Mavericks this summer, Spears adds. The contract will be the $1.5MM-$2MM range, international journalist David Pick tweets. The 6’11” Randolph hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, when he appeared in 43 games with the Nuggets.
Power forward Willie Reed has drawn interest from the Warriors, Spurs, Heat, Thunder, Timberwolves and Pacers, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Reed, an unrestricted free agent, averaged 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes over 39 games with the Nets last season.
Free agent center Robert Sacre, who played the last four seasons with the Lakers, has drawn interest from the Timberwolves and Rockets, Wolfson reports in a separate tweet.

Hornets Sign Roy Hibbert To One-Year Deal

July 4th, 2016 at 7:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

THURSDAY, 11:22am: The Hornets have formally issued a press release to announce the signing of Hibbert.

MONDAY, 7:51pm: The Hornets and free agent center Roy Hibbert have agreed to a one-year, $5MM contract, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Hibbert averaged 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks with the Lakers last season. The former All-Star for the Pacers essentially replaces Al Jefferson, who agreed to a three-year deal with Indiana. The Lakers secured their starting center in the early hours of free agency by agreeing to a four-year, $64MM contract with Timofey Mozgov.

The Hornets have also been trying to trade Spencer Hawes and the remaining $11.7MM on his contract to clear salary-cap space, which will likely require them to include a future draft pick, league sources informed Wojnarowski.

Hibbert’s ability to protect the rim was the deciding factor in Charlotte’s decision to offer him a contract, Wojnarowski adds.

Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas To Four-Year Deal

July 4th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FRIDAY, 2:16pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Thomas, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 7:10pm: The Knicks have reached a multi-year agreement with their restricted free agent forward Lance Thomas, a league source informed Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The contract is a four-year deal starting at around $6.1MM, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. That would make the contract worth approximately $27.3MM.

The 6’8” small forward, who has played five NBA seasons, averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes last season for New York while appearing in 59 games. He has also played for the Pelicans franchise and Thunder in his NBA career.

Thomas had received interest from the Thunder as well as the Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans in the free agent market.