Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Gigi Datome To Play In Turkey

July 14th, 2015 at 9:35am CST by Chuck Myron

Gigi Datome is leaving the NBA and has signed a two-year deal with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker, the team announced. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia first reported the sides were finalizing a deal (Twitter link). It’s worth 1.7 million euros a year, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter), and that’s the equivalent of more than $1.876MM. The Celtics last month elected not to make a qualifying offer to Datome that would have been worth $2,187,500.

It’s no surprise to see the Italian forward head back overseas, as Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported early this month that he was torn as he considered whether or not to stay in the NBA. The most recent rumors connected him to European teams, and clubs from overseas began lining up for him months ago.

The two-year NBA veteran made playing time a priority as he pondered his future, Himmelsbach wrote. Datome saw much more burn with the Celtics than he did this season in Detroit, where he made it into only three games before the midseason trade that took him to Boston. Still, he averaged only 10.7 minutes per contest for the C’s, and while coach Brad Stevens was a fan, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge had only measured interest.

Latest On Danilo Gallinari

July 13th, 2015 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:44pm: Multiple sources who spoke with Bulpett raised the possibility that the Celtics and Nuggets will revive the talks, and the sense among many executives from around the league is that teams are more willing to talk trade now that most top-tier free agents have committed to teams, as Bulpett writes.

2:53pm: The Celtics and Nuggets had talks about a Danilo Gallinari deal, but that discussion is no longer active, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who cautions that conflicting information is swirling around the seven-year veteran. Some say that the Nuggets aren’t looking to trade him, while others insist that Denver is at least open to the idea, Bulpett adds (on Twitter). It’s unclear just how recently the Celtics and Nuggets talked.

The Nuggets were reportedly shopping Gallinari shortly before the draft, and while it’s seemed as though Gallinari has been among the least likely Nuggets to be subject to trade, little is certain in Denver. The Grizzlies were apparently one of the teams in pursuit of the sharpshooting small forward in advance of the draft. Gallinari is entering the final season of his contract with a salary worth more than $11.559MM.

Boston doesn’t have the cap flexibility to absorb him into cap space or any of the trade exceptions that the Celtics forfeited when they dipped under the cap for the first time in several years, so the Celtics would almost certainly have to send salary back to Denver. The Nuggets have been active in recent days after a slow start to free agency, reaching agreements with Will Barton and Jameer Nelson and pulling off a rare renegotiation/extension of Wilson Chandler‘s contract. Nelson’s deal, and the one for draft-and-stash prospect Nikola Jokic, will make it a tight squeeze to fit Chandler’s new deal under the cap without some more salary clearing moves, even in the wake of the team’s release of Jamaal Franklin.

Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Afflalo, Nets

July 12th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Amir Johnson signed a two-year, $24MM deal with the Celtics because Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was the first person to phone him at midnight on July 1st. Johnson also was lured because he learned how much of a good fit the team believes he will be in the offense, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.

“I love the way they approached me during [free agency],” Johnson said. “Nine o’clock, Pacific Time, Boston was the first one to call. Danny Ainge called me first then coach [Brad] Stevens. They approached me well. They respect the type of player I am. And they gave me a number and it was a no-brainer from there.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Johnson also told Forsberg how much he liked the idea of the Celtics adding David Lee, who the team is set to acquire. “Very versatile big, kind of like me, runs the floor, great pick-and-roll guy,” said Johnson. “I definitely think he’ll fit into the system, just like me. I think it’ll be a more fast-paced team.”
Arron Afflalo made it clear to the Nuggets at the trade deadline that he preferred to play with the Knicks and is very happy to be with New York now, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Despite his preference, Afflalo was dealt to the Blazers. He opted out from the Blazers in June and later signed a two-year, $16MM deal with the Knicks. “We told Denver the Knicks were where he wanted to be,’’ said Afflalo’s agent Sam Goldfeder. “Portland was never mentioned.’’
Deron Williams leaves the Nets as perhaps the single-most forgettable would-be superstar in the history of New York sports, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post opines. Brooklyn waived the former All-Star Saturday after years of declining performance. Williams differs from other failed stars, Vaccaro writes, because it seemed like the Dallas-native never truly wanted to play for the Nets, even when the team signed him to a $99MM max extension in July 2012.
Nets guard Jarrett Jack told reporters, including Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News, that he is ready to step in and start at point guard in place of Williams. “If that’s the position they want me to fill, I’m definitely very ready to do so,” Jack said. “It’s not my first rodeo as far as being thrust into the [starter’s] role if that were to be the case. So it’s something that’s not foreign to me and [I’m] definitely ready for the challenge.”

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Heat, Thomas, Mickey

July 12th, 2015 at 2:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Seraphin has drawn interest from the Wizards, Lakers and Mavericks, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The 6’10” center, who has played all five of his seasons in Washington, appeared in 79 games last season and averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.

There’s more news from the Eastern Conference:

This week’s signings of Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green will lead to some difficult roster decisions for Miami, writes Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald. The Heat now have 17 players on their roster and are looking at a tax penalty in the neighborhood of $30MM. At least two players must be shipped out, and the most commonly mentioned candidates are Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen, Shabazz Napier and Josh McRoberts.
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas had surgery four weeks ago to remove a cyst in his left hand, according to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. Thomas also had some minor work done during the procedure on his wrist, which was surgically repaired last summer, Himmelsbach continues. Thomas, who is a left-handed shooter, expects to be fully recovered within a month, Himmselsbach adds.
LSU’s Jordan Mickey is using summer league to prove to the Celtics that he should have been a first-round draft pick, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Celtics considered Mickey with the 28th pick before opting for R.J. Hunter, and Mickey, whom the Celtics took at No. 33, is using his slide as motivation. He is averaging 11 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in four summer league games. “I definitely want to show that I have the capability of scoring the ball,” Mickey said. “I hang my hat on defense, rebounding and blocking shots. But I have to show I can score some too, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.

Free Agent Roundup: Thompson, Sloan, Datome

July 12th, 2015 at 12:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers GM David Griffin remains optimistic the team will retain restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports. “I think we’ll wind up getting something done,” Griffin told the Cleveland media. Amico opines that Thompson should take the reported five-year, $80MM contract that Cleveland has offered him, given that the club already has three max-level players in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. It may come down to the Cavs having to match an offer sheet for the power forward, Amico adds.

In other free agent news:

Donald Sloan is discussing a contract with the Spurs, Bulls and Mavericks, league sources told RealGM’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Sloan spent the past two seasons with the Pacers and averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 53 games last season, including 21 starts.
The Pistons are looking to re-sign point guard John Lucas III, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Magic, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers are also interested, Stein adds. Lucas would give the Pistons four point guards along with Reggie Jackson, Brandon Jennings and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Luigi Datome‘s Eurobasket profile has the free agent forward signing with Khimki Moscow but Eurobasket.com’s David Pick is skeptical, adding that Datome might wind up with CSKA Moscow if he plays overseas (Twitter links). Datome played for the Pistons and Celtics last season.
Fuquan Edwin drew interest from three NBA teams after he scored 16 points and made two steals for the Pelicans’ summer league team, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV tweets. The former Seton Hall shooting guard played for Guaros de Lara in the Venezuelan league last season.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Johnson, Williams, Knicks

July 11th, 2015 at 11:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite today’s dire news about Joel Embiid, the Sixers will probably pick up his third-year option, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Philadelphia has to make the decision by the end of October, and Mannix believes the team has too much invested to bail out now. The fourth year option isn’t as certain, Mannix cautions. Embiid will have bone-graft surgery on his foot and is expected to miss the 2015/16 season.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Amir Johnson didn’t expect a call from the Celtics when free agency began, but when it came he couldn’t refuse the offer, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. GM Danny Ainge made an early overture to Johnson, who agreed to a two-year, $24MM contract with the second year non-guaranteed. “They knew the kind of player I am and they had a lot of respect for my game,” the 28-year-old said. “For me, it was a no-brainer. I was going to become a Boston Celtic.”
Nets GM Billy King and coach Lionel Hollins deny that a lingering rift led to the decision to waive Deron Williams, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. “You do not coach in the NBA and have confrontation,” Hollins said. “… And so ‘clash’ is a wrong word, and if people think Deron Williams was let go because something happened between us, then I should have let Zach Randolph go, I should have let Tony Allen go, I should have let Marc Gasol go, I should have let Rudy Gay go.”
Knicks president Phil Jackson believes the team will improve enough this season to get the attention of top-tier free agents next summer, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Next year’s free agent class will include be headlined by Kevin Durant and Mike Conley. “I think he had to build a competitive roster that could draw players the next time free agency comes around,’’ said an unidentified general manager. “And he has pieces to make a trade in midseason.’’

Celtics Rumors: Pressey, Faverani, Iverson, Allen

July 11th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Phil Pressey‘s plan to impress Celtics’ brass during summer league didn’t work out the way he hoped, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Pressey left Las Vegas before the team’s first game, and Murphy speculates that his time with the Celtics may be ending soon. Boston assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry said the organization never intended to use Pressey in summer league games. “With Marcus [Smart] playing, and just being able to get Terry [Rozier] a lot of reps in his first couple of games, try him out with a lot of reps at the one, we were able to see what we had, too,” Shrewsberry said. “Phil was there in case anything happened, to give us an extra body. Fortunately nothing happened.” The Celtics have a wealth of guards under contract, and Pressey may be the odd man out. His contract becomes guaranteed for $947,276 on Wednesday.

There’s more news from Boston this evening:

Vitor Faverani, who was waived by the Celtics in December, has reached a two-year agreement to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The 6’11” center will reportedly receive more than $669K per season. Faverani started eight games for the Celtics as a rookie in 2013/14, but a torn meniscus in his left knee cut his season short after 37 games. He was still on the roster early last season, but didn’t see any game action.
Colton Iverson, whose rights are owned by the Celtics, has signed with Pinar Karsiyaka of the Turkish Basketball League, Blakely writes in a separate story. The Pacers made Iverson the 53rd choice in the 2013 draft and immediately traded him to Boston for cash. He was expected to play for the Celtics’ summer league team, but left to pursue opportunities outside the United States. The Celtics are encouraging him to keep playing overseas to improve his game, according to Blakely.
Former Penn coach Jerome Allen will become an associate head coach with the Celtics, according to Garrett Miley of Cityofbasketballlove.com.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Hackett, Nets

July 9th, 2015 at 9:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics‘ primary goal this season will be to make he franchise as attractive as possible to free agents hitting the market during next Summer, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. With the team expected to have approximately $40MM to spend on free agents in 2016, the team has to develop its young core enough to convince big names like Kevin Durant that they can win in Beantown, Blakely adds.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Euro guard Daniel Hackett will work out for the Knicks in Las Vegas, David Pick of Eurobasket relays (Twitter links). Hackett, who is also on the radar of the Mavs and Rockets, was offered a contract by the Greek club Olympiacos, but the 27-year-old wants to explore his NBA opportunities before heading back overseas, Pick adds.
Nets GM Billy King‘s first two calls when the free agent signing period began were to Shane Larkin and Thomas Robinson, Rod Boone of Newsday tweets. Both players officially signed with Brooklyn today.
When King was asked if he expected Deron Williams and Joe Johnson to remain on the Nets‘ roster, he responded, “at this point, yes,” Boone tweets. King also indicated that the reports of the team trying to deal Johnson have been exaggerated, Boone adds.
The Knicks are still in contact with the representatives for Alexey Shved, Cole Aldrich and Louis Amundson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
The Nets will still look to add another big man to the roster, King indicated, but the team wants to get as close to, if not under, the luxury tax line as it can, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).

Celtics Re-Sign Jonas Jerebko

July 9th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 8:01pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

3:48pm: Year two is non-guaranteed, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears (Twitter link).

JULY 1ST, 2:49pm: The Celtics will re-sign Jonas Jerebko, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). It’ll be a two-year, $10MM deal, Amick hears. A source earlier today told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Boston was making a strong push to retain the former Piston who came over in a midseason trade (on Twitter).

Boston can use the Bill Duffy’s client’s Bird rights to make the deal official. He’ll join Amir Johnson, with whom the Celtics have also reportedly struck a deal, in the Celtics frontcourt.

Celtics Sign Amir Johnson

July 9th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA: Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 7:58pm: The signing is official, the Celtics announced. Since it’s not a sign-and-trade, and the amount is too large to fit within the mid-level exception, that means Boston is using cap space and has lost its long list of trade exceptions, including one worth $12,909,090 left over from the Rajon Rondo trade.

3:47pm: The second year is non-guaranteed, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).

JULY 1ST, 2:36pm: The Celtics and Amir Johnson have agreed to a deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). It’ll be worth $24MM over two years, a fairly significant outlay. The incumbent Raptors, as well as the Knicks, Celtics, Mavericks, Pacers, Lakers and Spurs also expressed interest in the Kevin Bradbury client, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reported earlier (on Twitter).

Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Tuesday that Boston was expected to show interest. Johnson said in 2013 that he wanted to play for Toronto the rest of his career, but declining numbers this past season seemed to make that proposition less likely.