Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Gasol, Randolph, Boozer, Heat, Perkins

August 28th, 2012 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler examines a few players that may not be a part of their respective teams' long-term plans. Let's round up the highlights from Kyler's piece….

According to Kyler, 2012/13 is "likely [Pau] Gasol's last season with the Lakers," and some people even believe he'll be dealt by the trade deadline if Dwight Howard is healthy and dominant. However, it's more likely that the team commits to the current roster for the full season and re-evaluates things next July. Given the $19MM+ Gasol is owed in 2013/14, along with the CBA's more punitive luxury tax penalties, the odds Pau remains with the team until the end of his contract are "astronomically small," says Kyler.
The Grizzlies shopped Zach Randolph around the time of the draft, but didn't find a suitor with serious interest. Of the Memphis players with big, long-term deals, Randolph is probably the one the team is most open to moving, says Kyler.
Bulls sources maintained this summer that amnestying Carlos Boozer has "never been a real consideration," but the team figures to revisit that issue in future offseasons.
Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem are both future amnesty candidates for the Heat, though Miller could end up eventually retiring for medical reasons.
If one or more of the Thunder's big-man projects (Cole Aldrich, Hasheem Thabeet, Daniel Orton) shows promise and consistency this season, Oklahoma City could be faced with a decision on Kendrick Perkins. His contract and health questions may make him a trade or amnesty candidate, particularly if the team locks up James Harden to a big contract.

Pincus On NBA Spending Power

August 23rd, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Michael Pina

We've gone over team spending here on Hoops Rumors before, but today, Hoopsworld.com's Eric Pincus broke down the remaining cap space that teams have across the league, including how much they've already spent and their current situation with regards to various exception levels. Some interesting notes from his piece:

Before their reported agreement with Martell Webster, the Wizards were the only team left with their full $5MM mid-level exception. The Bucks have nearly all to spend, but fall just short with $4.35MM.
Despite what appears to be a never ending spending spree that's lasted the entire summer, the Lakers still have $1.59MM left on their mini mid-level exception. They're also nearly $30MM over the tax line.
The Hawks still have their Bi-Annual Exception, but should they choose to re-sign Ivan Johnson, will need to spend it on him.
The Celtics, Nets, Knicks, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Heat are unable to add any players unless it's through a trade or signing someone to the veteran's minimum.
The Rockets have 20 players on their current roster, but could get between $6 and 7MM underneath the cap after waiving a few non-guaranteed players, as they recently did with Josh Harrellson. (The limit is 15 players by opening night.)
The Cavaliers boast $11.1MM of cap space, the most in the league.

Southwest Rumors: Rookies, Mavs, Lopez, Duncan

August 23rd, 2012 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA.com conducted a survey of 39 rookies, and to no one's surprise, Anthony Davis was the pick for Rookie of the Year, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes. The No. 1 overall pick by the Hornets also topped the list of rookies who'll have the best career, but lost the best defensive honors to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats. Perhaps most revelatory is the ranking of players who are most overlooked. Tony Wroten of the Grizzlies tied for first with Draymond Green of the Warriors, Perry Jones of the Thunder and Andrew Nicholson of the Magic. Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com takes a look at how Mavericks rookies fared in the survey, and we have plenty more from Dallas and the rest of the Southwest Division:

Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders whether the Mavericks might shift their focus for next summer from pursuing marquee free agents to a plan that involves re-signing their own players and going after second-tier stars, a la Josh Smith.
Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com takes a stab at guessing the framework of the aborted Mavs–Lakers deal from 2007 that would have brought Kobe Bryant to Dallas, which Mavs owner Mark Cuban made public earlier this week. Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Devin Harris seem the most likely players to have been headed to L.A. in that near-deal, Kamenetzky says.
We heard a little from Robin Lopez earlier, but the 7'0" center had more to say Thursday as he met with New Orleans media for the first time. He said he hopes to bring some intensity, fire and toughness to the Hornets, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com chronicles, and had high praise for Anthony Davis, saying, "From what I’ve seen, he looks like a great player, with great instincts, and he’s freakishly athletic. I’m especially looking forward to playing with him on the defensive end. I think we both can definitely make a strong impact there."
Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News notes that Tim Duncan's per-36-minute stats last season were remarkably similar to those from his rookie year, one possible reason the Spurs were willing to offer Duncan the three-year, $30MM deal he signed last month.

Pera Brings Locals Aboard In Bid To Buy Grizzlies

August 22nd, 2012 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Prospective Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has reached an agreement with local investors that will likely keep the team in Memphis for at least the next 15 seasons, report Geoff Calkins and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The partners will account for between 30% and 35% of the team's ownership. As part of the deal to bring them aboard, Pera has agreed to give them the right to match any offer Pera receives for his majority stake. The local investors will also be able to buy out Pera's share at its current worth if he wants to move the team, or force Pera to pay a $100MM penalty.

The locals include J.R. "Pitt" Hyde, Staley Cates, Ed Dobbs, Duncan Williams and Billy Orgel. Others are expected to join them. Some have been part of a minority ownership group with current owner Michael Heisley, but that group's share of the team has dropped from 30% to 2% in recent years.

Pera agreed to purchase the team from Heisley in June, but the falling stock of Pera's Ubiquiti Networks has called into question his ability to meet the $350MM purchase price. Pera said in July he was looking for local partners, though he insisted finances weren't the reason. The NBA is vetting Pera's bid as it awaits approval from the Board of Governors. Heisley made it clear that Pera, who lives in northern California, was unlikely to move the team upon buying it, but the addition of the local minority investors and the terms of their involvement solidifies the notion that the Grizzlies aren't going anywhere soon.

Categories:
Memphis Grizzlies

Latest On Michael Redd

August 22nd, 2012 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

After seeing his playing time and production decline significantly due to injuries during his previous three seasons, Michael Redd had a bit of a bounceback year in Phoenix in 2011/12, averaging 8.2 points in just 15.1 minutes per game. Those numbers should be enough to earn him another NBA contract, and according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, there are a number of potential suitors in play. While Amico says the Cavs don't have interest, he lists the Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Bulls, and Thunder as possible fits (Sulia link).

I outlined yesterday why the Nuggets could use a shooter, and I could see the Wizards and Grizzlies wanting to add a little more size at the two. While we heard of the Bulls' interest earlier in the summer, I can't see them as a real possibility at this point, considering their cap situation — they'd have to trade away a player before they'd even have room to sign Redd. As for the Thunder, they could add one more backcourt player to replace Derek Fisher, as Amico notes, adding that he wouldn't be surprised to see Fisher end up in San Antonio.

Redd is probably unlikely to land more than a minimum-salary deal this offseason, which may limit his earnings, but should open up plenty of options. While a number of teams no longer have cap space or mid-level exceptions available, clubs can use the minimum salary exception as many times as they like.

Free Agent Spending By Division: Southwest

August 16th, 2012 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Our look at offseason spending continues today as we examine the fifth of six NBA divisions. So far, we've covered free agent expenditures in the Atlantic, Central and Southeast, and Northwest divisions, using Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker. The Southwest division is up next, and it includes a surprising pair of teams at the top and bottom.

Once again, these figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are this summer's Southwest Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:

New Orleans Hornets: $108.948MM (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Robin Lopez, Roger Mason)
It wasn't a surprise to see the Hornets match the Suns' max offer sheet for Gordon and bring him back on a four-year deal worth $58MM+. But I wasn't expecting the Hornets to splurge on a couple more free agents, as they did with Anderson and Lopez. To be fair, it appears only the first year of Lopez's three-year, $15MM+ contract is guaranteed, but Anderson's four-year, $34MM deal is fully guaranteed. With Gordon, Anderson, Anthony Davis, and Austin Rivers signing four-year deals this summer, the Hornets' core appears to be in place through at least 2016.

Houston Rockets: $56.248MM (Omer Asik, Carlos Delfino, Jeremy Lin)
It appeared for some time as if the Rockets would use their cap space to absorb salary in a major trade. Instead, they used it to sign a pair of players to offer sheets they may have thought would be matched. The "poison pill" included in both Asik's and Lin's offer sheets won't apply to Houston, since the Rockets have the ability to spread the two players' annual salaries out more evenly (about $8.3MM per year each). Still, the $25.1MM they'll spend on each player is a risky investment.

San Antonio Spurs: $52.697MM (Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Patty Mills)
The Spurs' offseason was fairly quiet, as the team simply re-signed its own free agents rather than exploring the market too extensively. All of these contracts except Green's include a player option in the final year, and all four of them are fully guaranteed, with Duncan's $30MM representing by far the largest commitment.

Memphis Grizzlies: $26.832MM (Darrell Arthur, Jerryd Bayless, Hamed Haddadi, Marreese Speights)
Like the Spurs, the Grizzlies focused primarily on re-signing their own free agents, with one notable exception: Memphis replaced the departing O.J. Mayo with Bayless. Mayo ended up signing for not much more than the two-year, $6.135MM deal Bayless inked with the Grizzlies, so it will be interesting to see if the minor savings are worth it.

Dallas Mavericks: $17.444MM (Chris Kaman, O.J. Mayo, Delonte West)
The Mavericks appeared prepared to offer Deron Williams a four-year, $73MM+ contract, which would have significantly altered their place on this list. But when D-Will opted to return to the Nets, the Mavs took a more cautious approach to free agency, committing to Kaman, Mayo, and West on short-term deals. Given the possibility that Mayo will opt out of his second year and the fact that West is on a minimum-salary deal, the total amount the Mavs spend on this summer's free agents could end up being less than $13MM.

Latest On Robert Pera’s Bid For Grizzlies

August 15th, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Robert Pera's bid to become the new majority of the owner of the Grizzlies hasn't exactly been smooth sailing, with the prospective owner seeing stock in his tech company continue to slip in recent weeks. In late July, we heard that Pera was seeking local business owners in Memphis to add to his bid as partners, and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that as much up to one-third of Grizzlies' ownership could end up being in the hands of local partners.

Veazey reiterates, as we heard last month, that Pera isn't pushing for local ownership because he needs to, but rather because he wants to collaborate with local business and community leaders for the good of the franchise. Whether that's true or not, Pera's representatives have been in Memphis over the last few weeks, meeting with "dozens" of prospective minority owners. Veazey also hears that out-of-town partners could be included in Pera's bid.

If local partners ended up with a 33% stake in the franchise, it would exceed the amount they owned under Michael Heisley. Heisley's initial agreement called for locals to own 30% of the team, but that portion was diluted significantly over the years. According to Veazey, local business owners have concerns that the same thing could happen under Pera, and also want to be sure of the Ubiquiti CEO's commitment to the city.

Pera's bid for the Grizzlies continues to be vetted by the NBA, and eventually must be approved by the league's board of governors.

Categories:
Memphis Grizzlies

Southwest Notes: Wright, Grizzlies, Jordan

August 14th, 2012 at 6:25pm CST by Alex Lee

When the "Dwightmare" was in full swing, perhaps no division in the NBA seemed a more likely landing spot for Dwight Howard than the Southwest. The Rockets made no secret about their relentless pursuit of the former Defensive Player of the Year, a position that general manager Daryl Morey has continued to embrace even with Howard now in purple and gold. The Mavericks were in the same boat, clearing out cap space last offseason in preparation of their pursuit of multiple free agent superstars. Both teams struck out and for now, the only team in the division that appears to have significantly improved is the Hornets. Lets take a look at some other links from the Southwest division:

Last week we took a look at some of the issues holding up the Grizzlies' ownership transition from current owner Michael Heisley to tech industry billionaire Robert Pera. Matt Moore hits on many of the same points in a post today, pulling out several quotes from a piece in the Sporting News. It looks like there may be more than just stock price obstacles in this deal for Pera.
Jeff Caplan from ESPN Dallas analyzes how Brandan Wright will fit in with the Mavericks this season in what is a contract year for the center. Caplan said that Wright's athleticism was an asset on offense for Dallas, but that wiry 7-footer was a liability on the defensive end. With a salary less than $1MM, the Mavericks will live with his ups and downs, but Wright is only 24 and it will be interesting to see how he performs approaching free agency and with veteran Chris Kaman eating up most of the minutes in the middle in Dallas.
After being shipped from New York to Houston in the Marcus Camby deal, Jerome Jordan was promptly cut by the Rockets. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld caught up with Jordan, now an unrestricted free agent, in Los Angeles where the Tulsa product is working out in hopes of landing a back-up role.

Potential Grizzlies Owner Sees Stock Slip Again

August 9th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The stock price for the company owned by the man who's agreed to purchase the Grizzlies plummeted Thursday after the company warned investors of impact from a counterfeiting scheme, reports Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Robert Pera's Ubiquiti Networks was down to $9.55 per share this evening after closing at $15.01 prior to the release of its earnings report. The company was trading at more than $30 a share in April.

Pera declined comment about the Grizzlies in a conference call discussing the company's report. Pera is reportedly seeking local investors to join his bid. An New York Daily News story in June said a rapid decline of Pera's net worth was endangering his deal with current owner Michael Heisley, but Heisley said shortly thereafter he had no reason to expect Pera would not meet the $335MM purchase price. NBA commissioner David Stern said last month the league's vetting of Pera was on schedule and that he hopes the sale will be finalized in the next couple of months.

Ubiquiti is pursuing legal action against the counterfeiters who are affecting the company's sales. The company said it's likely to continue to feel the effects for the next two quarters. Ubiquiti juxtaposed the news with an otherwise positive sales report, saying revenue in the last quarter was up 40 percent over the same quarter a year ago.

Categories:
Memphis Grizzlies

Grizzlies Sign Hamed Haddadi

July 28th, 2012 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have officially announced the re-signing of center Hamed Haddadi, tweets Chris Herrington of The Memphis Flyer (hat tip to Zach Lowe of SI.com). Terms are not known, but the deal is likely no greater than the one-year, $1.3MM contract Haddadi got from the team last year.

The 7'2" Haddadi, the NBA's first Iranian-born player, averaged 2.o points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes of play, chipping in 0.7 blocks. Those figures closely mirror the four-year veteran's career numbers since Memphis signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Thursday that Haddadi and the team were expected to come to terms soon, predicting the deal would be for close to the veteran's minimum of $915,852 for a fifth-year player. The Grizzlies hold Haddadi's Bird rights, but the team is over the tax threshold, so it's unlikely the 27-year-old gets a signficant raise.