New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Williams, Knicks, Dragic

July 12th, 2015 at 11:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lionel Hollins denies that his sometimes stormy relationship with Deron Williams led to the Nets waiving the veteran guard in a buyout deal, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Though sources confirmed to Bontemps that the head coach and Williams had a heated meeting in Memphis earlier this year, Hollins said the Nets didn’t part ways with Williams because of their disagreements. “Everything is not peaches and cream, but there’s not one shred of evidence that our relationship is the reason that he had to go,” Hollins told the team’s beat writers. “I would have coached Deron this upcoming year just like I coached him last year, and we would have went forward just like everybody else on the team.” The Nets saved more than $50MM this season in payroll and luxury-tax payments by agreeing to give Williams $27.5MM of the $43.5MM he was owed over the next two years, Bontemps adds. The Nets used the stretch provision on the buyout.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Carmelo Anthony‘s decision to take slightly less than the max last summer helped the Knicks to re-sign Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to more than the league minimum this month, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony’s deal opened up $1.4MM in cap space this summer and that, combined with the NBA’s cap increase to $70MM, allowed the Knicks to secure Amundson for $1.65MM and Thomas for $1.63MM instead of the roughly $1MM minimum, Berman continues. If Anthony didn’t take less, the Knicks could have re-signed only one of them above the league minimum, Berman adds.
Goran Dragic‘s deal with the Heat is only worth a total of $85MM and has a starting salary of $14.783MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). Earlier reports estimated the deal at $90MM.
Paul George is pleased with the backcourt moves the Pacers have made this offseason, he told Scott Agness of the VigilantSports.com in a Q&A session. The pending addition of Monta Ellis and re-signing of Rodney Stuckey gives the team numerous playmakers, George told Agness. “One of the biggest things we needed to get better at was pushing the tempo and playing a little faster,” George said. “I didn’t know it was going to be a drastic roster change but I knew that was the direction this team needed to go to give ourselves a better chance of winning.”

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.’’

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Bargnani, Shved, Johnson

July 11th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks GM Steve Mills says that the team didn’t strike out in free agency despite missing out on the top available names on the market, but instead New York focused on building a solid team to surround star forward Carmelo Anthony with, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News relays. “We tried to be as clear as we could possibly be that we weren’t chasing the biggest stars,” Mills said. “That’s not how we’re trying to build this team. Obviously, when LaMarcus Aldridge says he wants to meet with you and he’s going to meet with six teams, we agree to go meet with him. DeAndre Jordan was willing to meet with us, so of course we go and meet him. And when you go in, you want guys to say yes. But our goal starting out with this was to spend our money wisely and to get guys in who we thought would bring this team along together and fill holes and as it turned out, we were better suited going with multiple guys as opposed to just going after one.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Former Knicks forward Andrea Bargnani, in an interview with La Gazetta (h/t to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com), said he has several free agent options and hasn’t ruled out returning to play in Europe for the 2015/16 season.
Mills said that the Knicks could use their $2.8MM room exception to add some scoring punch to the team, and New York could look to ink guard Alexey Shved, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays (Twitter link). Shved, 26, appeared in 16 contests last season for the Knicks, averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. He already rejected a minimum offer from the team, reports Begley (Twitter link).
In the wake of the Nets‘ reported buyout arrangement with point guard Deron Williams, the team now appears intent on keeping Joe Johnson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Stein’s sources inform him that moving Williams was always the team’s preferred option.

Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas

July 10th, 2015 at 9:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 9:45pm: The signing is official, the Knicks announced.

8:33pm: New York is likely to ink Thomas using available cap space, and not a trade exception, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.

THURSDAY, 7:15pm: The Knicks have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Lance Thomas for the forward to return to New York, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (on Twitter). It will be a one-year, $1.6MM deal, Charania adds.

Thomas, 27, appeared in 40 games for New York last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest, with a slash line of .433/.333/.742. His career numbers through 168 NBA contests are 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 0.6 APG.

The forward brought energy and hustle to the Knicks last season, and will factor into the frontcourt mix for the team’s revamped roster, most likely as a reserve. The Spurs and Nets had also expressed interest in Thomas.

Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Celtics, Blake

July 10th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Shane Larkin, who recently inked a two-year, $3MM deal with the Nets, believes his career was stalled by the Knicks‘ triangle offense during the 2014/15 season, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “[The triangle] just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Larkin said. “It’s a good system but I’m a pick-and-roll point guard. That’s how I got in the NBA, playing pick-and-roll in college. That’s how I got here and now being back in a system where I can play the pick-and-roll and just getting in the lane, create for others, shoot my floater, and do a bunch of other things.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets still haven’t made a decision regarding whether the team will attempt to negotiate a buyout with point guard Steve Blake or keep him on the roster, Bondy adds. “I know we have a lot of guys at the point guard position. That’ll be resolved hopefully in the next month, eliminate, so hopefully we won’t have as many going to camp,” GM Billy King said.
The Knicks signed Derrick Williams for less than initially thought, as he’ll get $8.8MM over two years, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Thaddeus Young has a 15% trade kicker in his deal with the Nets, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year deal with the Raptors comes to $58MM total, notes Pincus (Twitter link).
The Celtics have officially renounced their rights to Shaquille O’Neal, Stephon Marbury, Michael Olowokandi, Michael Finley, Carlos Arroyo, Nenad Krstic, P.J. Brown, and Scot Pollard, which in turn removes their cap holds, Pincus notes (Twitter links). These moves drop Boston below the salary cap line for the first time in nearly 20 years, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Boston also loses any form of Bird Rights to these players, though that is a mere formality since it is highly unlikely any of them would be suiting up for the team in the future.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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 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.

Knicks Acquire O’Quinn In Sign-And-Trade

July 9th, 2015 at 1:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 9TH, 1:28pm: The deal is official, both teams announced. It’s O’Quinn to the Knicks, with cash and the option to switch second-rounders in 2019 to the Magic.

JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: The Knicks have agreed to acquire Kyle O’Quinn via sign-and-trade with the Magic, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link). The deal will be for $16MM over four years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The contract contains an opt out after the third season, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Orlando will receive cash considerations as well as the rights to swap a second-round draft pick in 2019, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Magic had the right to match any offer sheet that O’Quinn signed since they extended a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old.

The big man averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game with Orlando last season. Although he started his NBA career as a center, O’Quinn played over two-thirds of his minutes at the four spot last season, per Basketball Reference.

Knicks Sign Derrick Williams

July 9th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 12:51pm: The deal is official, the Knicks announced (on Twitter).

JULY 3RD, 9:44pm: After striking out on a number of high-profile free agent targets, the Knicks have reached an agreement with free agent forward Derrick Williams, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). It is a two year pact for $10MM, and it includes a player option for the 2016/17 season, Broussard adds. Williams became an unrestricted free agent when Sacramento declined to tender him a qualifying offer.

The 24-year-old out of Arizona is a combo forward, and it’s not immediately clear how New York will utilize Williams. He could start at power forward alongside Carmelo Anthony, or come off the bench at either forward spot if the Knicks choose to keep ‘Melo at power forward, a position he has excelled at the last few seasons. The Mavericks, Kings, Wizards, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, and Suns all had some level of interest in Williams.

Williams began his NBA career in Minnesota, who made him the No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft. He appeared in 74 games for the Kings last season, including six as a starter. Williams notched averages of 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 19.8 minutes per contest, to go along with a slash line of .447/.314/.684. His career numbers through four seasons as a pro are 9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.6 APG, with a shooting line of .429/.301/.703.

Knicks Ink Arron Afflalo

July 9th, 2015 at 12:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 12:43pm: The deal is official, the team announced (on Twitter).

JULY 2ND, 8:01am: The Knicks will sign Arron Afflalo to a two-year deal worth $16MM with a player option on the final season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The agreement gives the Sam Goldfeder client slightly more in average annual value than he would have made had he picked up his $7.75MM player option with the Blazers.

The deal comes as no surprise, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on Monday identified the Knicks as the front-runners for the shooting guard who turns 30 in October, and Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Tuesday that Afflalo was open to a deal that allowed him to hit free agency again in a year or two. The Knicks were to meet with Afflalo today, and it sounds like they either met early this morning or reached agreement before having a sitdown.

New York will use part of its nearly $30MM in cap flexibility on the eight-year veteran, but plenty of room is left over to sign Greg Monroe to a max contract. Monroe is reportedly meeting with the Knicks and three other teams, including Portland.