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Lowe’s Latest: Clippers, Gay, Pekovic, Heat

July 23rd, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest lengthy piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe evaluates the offseason so far for all 30 NBA teams, writing that the Rockets stand alone as the only club to significantly improve without sacrificing future assets or flexibility. It's worth reading Lowe's entire piece, especially if you're curious to find out what he had to say about your favorite team. But here are a few notable tidbits from the story:

  • The Clippers recognize that even after adding free agents Ryan Hollins and Byron Mullens, the team needs another big man, and will likely sign one soon.
  • Lowe notes that the Raptors could be in position to clear a chunk of cap space next summer, when Rudy Gay's and Kyle Lowry's contracts could expire. According to Lowe, the Raps privately expressed a belief when they traded for Gay last season that he'd likely opt out next summer in search of a longer-term deal, rather than exercising his 2014/15 player option.
  • While the Jazz have taken some criticism for letting Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap walk rather than trying to flip them at the trade deadline for something of value, Lowe says Utah would have been willing to move either player last February if the club could have landed a first-round pick and avoided taking on long-term money.
  • There's some confusion among rival executives about why the Lakers are bothering with players like Chris Kaman and Nick Young, rather than going into full-blown tank mode, says Lowe.
  • Among the executives Lowe spoke to in Las Vegas, a couple of the most common questions involved what the Mavericks' and Bucks' plans are, since neither team seems to have a clear-cut direction.
  • The Timberwolves are a "99.9999% bet" to re-sign Nikola Pekovic at a fair number, according to Lowe.
  • Don't expect the Heat to be passive about LeBron James' potential 2014 free agency, says Lowe, adding that Pat Riley and the front office "won't promise him the same aging and top-heavy roster."
  • The Spurs are likely one of the teams unhappy about Andrei Kirilenko's new deal with the Nets, since San Antonio tried to acquire the Russian via sign-and-trade after being told he wouldn't sign for mid-level money.
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Northwest Notes: Pekovic, Robinson, Jazz

July 22nd, 2013 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves have made it known that they intend to match any offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic, but surprisingly no one has been willing to test their willingness to do so, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.  Ingram argues that the Wolves already have a couple of players in Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio who expect to be max players in the near future, so it would at least be worth a try for a rival club.  Here's more out of the Northwest Division..

  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities speculates (via Twitter) that Pekovic's camp may be seeking a fifth year in negotiations with the Timberwolves.  Flip Saunders is unlikely to go higher than four years though, according to Wolfson.
  • More from Ingram, who writes that even though Nate Robinson isn't the type of player that is going to lead his team to the NBA Finals, he can still be a relentless spark plug for the Nuggets off of the bench.  Robinson also comes at a bargain price, getting a two-year deal worth a little over $4MM.
  • Guard John Lucas III told reporters, including Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), that he has known GM Dennis Lindsey since he was "eight or nine", which helped steer him to Utah.  The guard added (link) that his father sees Utah as an ideal place for him at this point in his career and he agrees.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Western Notes: Odom, Kevin Martin, Adelman

July 20th, 2013 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque
ESPN LA's Arash Markazi (via Twitter) wonders who will sign with the Clippers next, noting that Lamar Odom is still on the team's radar. A week ago, we noted that the team had maintained interest in both Odom and Antawn Jamison and were taking their time to determine who would be the better fit. As for other potential suitors, we've heard of the Lakers' interest in the 6'10 combo forward earlier this month. You can find several of tonight's notable Western Conference links below:  
  • After spending a season in Oklahoma City, Kevin Martin believes he can bring a "championship tone" to the Timberwolves' locker room next season, writes Alex M. Smith of the Pioneer Press. 
  • When asked if he was convinced that coach Rick Adelman would be returning to the sidelines in Minnesota, Martin replied "that's the story I've heard" (Yahoo's Marc J. Spears tweets). 
  • Moments after his press conference in Los Angeles, Jordan Farmar sat down with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com to discuss his return to the team that drafted him, how he's progressed since he's been overseas, and what he brings to the table now.
  • Ty Lawson spoke with Hoopsworld about the Nuggets' offseason changes, giving his thoughts on the team's young players, how he'll fit with new head coach Brian Shaw, and what his expectations are for next season (video link). 
  • Pelicans guard Eric Gordon briefly talked to Hoopsworld about how he sees himself fitting next to Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, saying that it's "all about getting the chemistry down" (video link). 
  • Doug Robinson of the Deseret News discusses how the Jazz franchise has been able to keep leaks and rumor mill discussions to a minimum. 
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Southwest Rumors: Barbosa, Oden, James

July 20th, 2013 at 3:06pm CST by Chuck Myron
The news today has had a distinctly Southwestern feel, and we've already rounded up a few items from Texas teams. There's still more news from the Lone Star State amid our broader look at the Southwest Division:
  • Artur Barbosa, who doubles as the brother and agent of Leandro Barbosa, tells Terra Brasil that the Mavs have offered the veteran guard a contract, and that the Dallas option is preferable to the Bulls, who've also shown interest (translation via HoopsHype). The agent says he's also engaged in talks with the Rockets. The Mavs wouldn't comment last night about a Brazilian report linking them to Barbosa, so perhaps this is the report in question.
  • Greg Oden is the top big man on the Mavs' radar following the team's signing of Samuel Dalembert and the release of Bernard James, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who names the Heat, Spurs and Pelicans as the other teams still in the mix for Oden (Twitter link).
  • There's a legitimate chance that a team claims James off waivers from the Mavs, Stein writes in the same piece. A source close to James tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he's heard teams are eyeing the big man. The Wolves haven't expressed interest yet, but Minnesota is prepared to waive center Chris Johnson if necessary to make way for a better option, Wolfson reports (Twitter links).
  • Spanish club FC Barcelona announced the signing of Kostas Papanikolaou to a four-year deal (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). The Rockets hold the power forward's NBA rights, but it's unclear what the buyout clauses in his new contract are like. A report last weekend indicated that Papanikolaou "definitely" wants to play in the NBA this season, but signing a long-term European deal seems to run counter to that.
  • Tyreke Evans is ready to embrace a sixth-man role with the Pelicans, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details. 
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Contract Details: Landry, Wolves, Turiaf

July 20th, 2013 at 1:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

We've kept up with precise data on many of the new player contracts handed out around the league with four posts already this week. There's still more info trickling in, and here's the latest:

  • Carl Landry will receive $6.5MM in each of the four seasons of his contract with the Kings, making the total value $26MM, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets.
  • The Timberwolves used part of their $2.016MM bi-annual exception to sign Ronny Turiaf, who'll make $1.5MM in both seasons of his two-year deal, according to Pincus (Twitter link). Minnesota can use the remaining amount of the bi-annual at any time this season, but the team won't be allowed to carry it into 2014/15, when the Wolves won't have any portion of the bi-annual available.
  • Pincus updated the HoopsWorld contract data for the Kings, Magic, Bucks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Warriors, Pistons, Cavaliers and Hawks.
  • Mark Deeks of ShamSports updated salary information for the Lakers and Hawks.
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Wolves Owner Expects Deal With Nikola Pekovic

July 19th, 2013 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

Of the remaining unsigned free agents, Nikola Pekovic appears to be a lock to receive the largest free agent contract, but there doesn't seem to be a bidding war developing for his services. The Timberwolves remain confident that Pekovic will be back in Minnesota next year, and don't have a sense of urgency to complete a new deal, as team owner Glen Taylor tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.

"My sense is, I think we both know he's going to be playing for our team next year," Taylor said. "I think we're just dealing with an element of time here. I would tell you I'm very positive that he'll play for our team. What we have left isn't something that can't be resolved. There doesn't seem to be a lot of pressure on us or him to get it done. A meet has been set up in the future."

According to Taylor, after the Wolves extended a contract offer to Pekovic, believed to be in the four-year, $48-50MM range, the big man's camp responded with a counter-proposal. The two sides are expected to meet within the next week in hopes of hammering something out.

"I'm confident it'll get done," Taylor said. "I've been through so many of [these] things. You say, 'It's just money, Glen.' I think we'll get it done. He's an important part of our team. He wants to be back and we want him here."

As Zgoda notes, there aren't many teams left that would have interest in Pekovic and the cap space to make him a big, long-term offer. The Bucks are one team that could have the cap room, but they haven't been linked to the 27-year-old at all this offseason. As such, it still appears that it's just a matter of when, not if, the T-Wolves and Pekovic strike an agreeement.

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Northwest Notes: Pekovic, Neto, Jazz, Blazers

July 18th, 2013 at 9:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder's courtship of Mike Miller is the dominant headline among Northwest Division teams this evening, but it's not the only news. Here's more on some of the teams who've spent the last two seasons looking up at Oklahoma City in the standings:

  • Nikola Pekovic has yet to receive an offer sheet from any team trying to pry him away from the Timberwolves, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Wolves reportedly have offered a four-year deal worth as much as $50MM, and Walters figures he'll wind up signing it.
  • Soon after the draft, it seemed unlikely 47th overall pick Raul Neto would join the Jazz for this season, and the Brazilian point guard recently told Basketeria that he'll probably spend 2013/14 playing in Spain (translation via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News). That appears to be the Jazz's preference, as Neto said last week that his choice is to play in the NBA, while Genessy notes that Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey wouldn't mind if he got more experience overseas.
  • Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune believes that it's premature to declare the Jazz winners of the Deron Williams trade, in spite of the collection of assets Utah received.
  • Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey noted his preference to keep the team's roster at 14 players for now as he spoke on video with Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com. Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has a transcript of the conversation, which touched on a range of topics.
  • Timberwolves 2012 second-round pick Robbie Hummel is with Minnesota's summer league squad as he attempts to find a way to the NBA. If he falls short, Spanish club Obradoiro CAB, with whom he played this season, and Pallacanestro Cantu of Italy are pursuing him, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.
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Timberwolves Sign Ronny Turiaf

July 18th, 2013 at 4:52pm CST by Alex Lee

JULY 18TH: The Timberwolves have made the signing of Turiaf official (Twitter link).

JULY 11TH: According to agent Mark Bartelstein, Ronny Turiaf has agreed to sign with the Timberwolves, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter).  The deal is worth $3.2MM over two years, tweets RealGM's Shams Charania.  The Wolves will be the seventh team in nine years in the NBA for the 30-year-old Turiaf, who spent the 2012/13 season with the Clippers.  He played 65 games in Los Angeles, averaging 1.9 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 10.8 minutes. 

Per Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Bartelstein said that team president Flip Saunders was pivotal in recruiting Turiaf to Minnesota.  Bartelstein added that Turiaf sees himself playing a Brad Miller-like role in head coach Rick Adelman's system, and the Gonzaga product expects to compete for minutes right away (Twitter links).  Given all the injury problems they had last year, Turiaf should at least provide some much-needed depth for the Wolves.

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Odds & Ends: Evans, Lakers, Miller, Magic

July 18th, 2013 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Maurice Evans didn't latch on with an NBA team during the 2012/13 season, and hasn't appeared in an NBA game since he played for the Wizards in April 2012. Nonetheless, the veteran wing isn't about to call it a career just yet. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Evans hasn't retired, is healthy, and is talking to a few teams in Europe. It doesn't appear anything is finalized, though Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that Evans is "set to sign" with a club overseas. As we wait to see where the 34-year-old lands, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the league:

  • The Lakers paid $500K to Jordan Farmar's former team in Turkey to buy him out of his contract, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
  • Mike Miller calls a reunion with the Grizzlies a "definite possibility" if he clears waivers, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
  • After reaching deals with Ronnie Price and Jason Maxiell, the Magic are done with free agent signings for this offseason, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • Breaking down some comments made by Paul George on ESPN Radio, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com writes that the Pacers shouldn't have to worry about the Lakers making a play for George anytime soon, but that it may be an issue that resurfaces in a few years.
  • Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to Timberwolves president Flip Saunders about how the roster is coming together, and his expectations for the coming season.
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Contract Details: Andersen, Young, Roberson

July 18th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

The specific figures on several of this summer's contracts continue to trickle in, so we'll keep passing along any notable details or changes related to those deals. Here's the latest:

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