JULY 14, 1:05pm: The signing is now official, according to the team.
JULY 5, 7:38pm: Bass' deal with the Celtics is worth $20MM, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
It's been another whirlwind day of player movement in the NBA, as the Hawks agreed to two significant trades, sending Joe Johnson to the Nets and Marvin Williams to the Jazz. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculated that Josh Smith may be the next Hawk to go (Twitter link), but Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that Smith is excited about the moves, which would free up plenty of cap space for next summer, when Atlanta could go after Smith and other major targets. Here's news from elsewhere around the busy Association.
As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in….
The Celtics reportedly made a play for O.J. Mayo at this year's trade deadline, and according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the C's still have interest in the Grizzlies wing heading into free agency.
We've heard Josh Smith's name surface numerous times this week in trade discussions, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports the Magic are interested in bringing Smith aboard to curry favor with Dwight Howard, who is friends with Smith. New Hawks GM Danny Ferry is reluctant to move Smith, Stein says, despite the fact the athletic forward has said he'd welcome a trade and is entering the final year of his contract. Here's more from around the Southeast Division as the draft draws near:
The Celtics may have not looked like a championship-caliber team for a good chunk of the 2011/12 season, but the end-of-season results were hard to argue. Unlike the Thunder, the Celtics managed to stretch their series against the Heat to seven games before falling to the eventual champs. Given how close Boston got to the Finals, a total rebuild this summer appears very unlikely. GM Danny Ainge continues to discuss his team's future in interviews, so here's the latest from Ainge on the Celtics' offseason:
Two decisions on relatively major player options have been reported in the last two days, and both of them come from the Atlantic Division. Yesterday, we heard that Gerald Wallace will decline his $9.5MM option with the Nets, and today we heard Brandon Bass will turn down his $4.25MM option with the Celtics. Let's round up the latest on Wallace, Bass, and a few other items out of the Atlantic….
Brandon Bass will decline his player option 2012/13 and become an unrestricted free agent, agent Tony Dutt tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. However, Bass made the decision in hopes of signing a long-term deal to remain with the Celtics, according to Dutt.
While a weekend report suggested that Brandon Bass was likely to exercise his player option, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says that's not necessarily the case. Multiple sources told Blakely that Bass is a good bet to opt out of his contract, though the forward would like to remain in Boston. Presumably, Bass' top choice would be to renegotiate a multiyear deal with the Celtics.
Here are a few more Monday morning updates on the C's from Blakely and a handful of other Boston scribes….
Brandon Bass, fresh off a 101-88 loss to the Heat, told reporters on Saturday that he wants to return to the Celtics after enjoying his first season with the team, reports Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. The former LSU star proved to be a strong contributor during the playoffs as he averaged 11.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 20 contests. Bass, 27, arrived in Boston from Orlando after being traded for Glen Davis and Von Wafer just prior to the start of the 2011/2012 season.