Darrell Arthur

Northwest Notes: Arthur, Blazers, Wolves

When asked if he’d like to remain with the Nuggets past this season, Darrell Arthur said, “Oh yeah, for sure. My family loves it here. My mom was just up here for a couple of weeks and she just loves it – loves the atmosphere, loves the people here. I love the organization, everything. It’s a family organization, they welcome you with open arms. I definitely would like this to be home,Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post relays. Arthur is in the final season of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Here’s more from the west:

  • NBA TV’s Steve Smith was in Portland covering the Blazers training camp and discussed the contract situations of LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez. All three players are in the final year of their respective deals and Smith was asked if it would become a distraction and he said, “LaMarcus being the main one. I can’t speak for him, but I think he’ll be the easiest one to figure out. He’ll be all right. I think Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez, financially — I’m not saying they’re not set, we all are, we play in the NBA — but LaMarcus is going to get the max. Now with those other two guys, you have to balance sacrificing for the team and making as much money possible in your career. I think this contract is … the big one for those guys.”
  • Smith also discussed the offseason additions of Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, saying, “It’s funny. Sometimes you look at moves — and, like you said, they’re not huge as far as names that go across the entire association — but Steve Blake is one of those veterans that just fits well with this team. You can tell just by watching practice. And he makes home here in Portland. So you have a guy who’s comfortable. He’s played here, what, three times? Chris Kaman, if you want to draw up a Portland Trail Blazer, it’s Chris Kaman. He just looks like he belongs. (laughs) And also, I think the pressure is off him. He can come in and be himself.
  • Ricky Rubio believes that the departure of Kevin Love to the Cavs will be good for both Love and the Wolves, Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes. “Of course we had a lot going on last year and the media was talking, they were wondering if Kevin wanted to be here, blah, blah, blah, and that hurt the team and hurt himself,” Rubio said. “Now that he’s not here, the media’s not going to talk about that anymore. I think that’s going to be good for him and for us.”

Darrell Arthur Opts In To Stay With Nuggets

Darrell Arthur has opted in to remain with the Nuggets, the team announced. He’ll make $3,457,149 next season, the final year on his contract. The Jerry Hicks client was strongly leaning toward picking up the option as of March. Arthur’s decision plus Nate Robinson‘s opt-in adds about $5.564MM to Denver’s commitments for 2014/15, though both were expected to remain on their contracts.

The Nuggets will have about $64.6MM in guaranteed salary for next season with Arthur and Robinson in tow, not counting the salary for the team’s No. 11 pick. Denver will almost assuredly enter July over the salary cap, projected to come in at $63.2MM. The team’s involvement in recent Kevin Love talks indicates that GM Tim Connelly is pursuing major changes via trade, with the prospect of a free agent signing for more than the mid-level likely off the table.

Arthur didn’t have much impact for the Nuggets after coming over via trade a year ago. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game this past season. He’s never averaged double-figures in points or rebounds and 20.1 MPG is his career high, so it’s likely the 26-year-old wouldn’t have been able to find a salary equal to the value of his option on the open market. He’ll instead attempt to build his stock in advance of free agency next summer.

Western Notes: Hollins, Nuggets, Butler

Lionel Hollins will interview with the Warriors for their head coaching position, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The interview will take place at the Chicago pre-draft combine that starts Thursday, according to the article. This confirms an earlier report made by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

More from the west:

  • Nuggets GM Tim Connelly wants the team to pick up an “impactful piece” in this year’s NBA Draft, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets are currently slotted with the 11th pick in June’s draft.
  • In the same article, Dempsey notes that Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur plan to return to the Nuggets next season. Both have player options for 2014/15 they plan on exercising.
  • Billy Witz of The New York Times looks at the effect that Caron Butler is having on the Thunder‘s playoff run, as well as a look back on his time with the Clippers.

Western Notes: Spurs, Thunder, Bledsoe, Arthur

Spurs owner Peter Holt is stepping down as chairman of the NBA’s Board of Governors, notes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Timberwolves owner and former chairman Glen Taylor will replace him on an interim basis until a new chairman is selected in October (Twitter links)

More from out west:

  • Several GMs are convinced that either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook will leave the Thunder, given the difficulty of sharing top billing in small-market Oklahoma City, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. Neither can become a free agent until 2016.
  • Suns GM Ryan McDonough is confident the team will be able to re-sign Eric Bledsoe this summer, writes Bob Baum of the Associated Press. McDonough said that the backcourt of Bledsoe and Goran Dragic is as good as any in the league, according to the article.  Bledsoe is a restricted free agent and the team has repeatedly said they will match any offer another team may make, but the team hopes to work out a deal prior to the free agency period beginning, writes Baum.
  • The Suns front office discussed the team’s season and their future, including the upcoming NBA Draft and the free agent signing period, writes Matt Petersen of NBA.com.
  • Darrell Arthur expects to exercise his $3.5MM player option and return to the Nuggets next season, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
  • Despite having ample cap space this summer the Lakers might just stand pat during free agency, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. It’s possible the team limits itself to possibly re-signing Pau Gasol, hoping to land a good player in the lottery, and waiting until the summer of 2015 to strike in the free agent ranks, opines Koutroupis.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Arthur, Murphy, Mekel

Darrell Arthur isn’t completely sold on exercising his player option for next season, worth more than $3.457MM, but he’s strongly leaning toward picking it up and remaining with the Nuggets, as Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post observes.

“I’m just going to wait until the season is over with and talk to (Nuggets GM) Tim (Connelly) and see what’s up and go from there,” Arthur said. “But I’m looking forward to coming back here. I like it here. I feel like when we’re healthy, we have a great team to build with, and I want to be a part of it.”

Here’s more from around the NBA:

  • Former Jazz swingman Kevin Murphy received multiple NBA training camp invitations this past offseason, but he didn’t think any of them gave him a fighting chance to make an opening night roster, as he tells Cameron Schott of RealGM. Murphy has instead split the season between a French team and the D-League, where he’s putting up impressive numbers for the Idaho Stampede.
  • The Mavericks have sent Gal Mekel to the D-League, the team announced. It’s a rehab assignment, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The rookie point guard has missed the past 21 games for Dallas after having surgery on his right knee.
  • Bucks 10-day signee Tony Mitchell admits he has a “strange game,” but coach Larry Drew explains how it fits what the team was looking for. Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the details.
  • Even if Canisius point guard Billy Baron goes undrafted, several NBA teams say they’d invite him to training camp for next season, as Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher writes.

Grizzlies, Nuggets Swap Arthur, Koufos

FRIDAY, 1:14am: The Nuggets have officially announced the trade in a press release.

THURSDAY, 10:42pm: The Grizzlies and Nuggets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Darrell Arthur and the 55th overall pick to Denver in exchange for Kosta Koufos, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).

Arthur will earn about $3.23MM next season, while Koufos makes an even $3MM, so the Nuggets take on a little salary in the deal. As Stein tweets, the Denver front office wasn't happy that George Karl started Koufos over JaVale McGee last season. Even with Karl gone, the Nuggets have ensured that it won't happen again next year.

Fallout From Rudy Gay Deal

Reaction has been pouring in since the Grizzlies, Raptors and Pistons struck a deal that's headlined by Rudy Gay going to Toronto. Couper Moorhead of Heat.com thinks the trade is a win for the Grizzlies, who pulled off the rare trifecta of shedding salary while improving short-term and long-term (Twitter link). Ken Berger of CBSSports.com sees it as a step back for Memphis, and another reminder of the harsh reality of the new CBA for small and mid-size markets. Here's more of what we're hearing:

  • Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said to expect more deals from the Raptors before the deadline, notes Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun via Twitter.
  • Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free-Press, after discussions with those around the Pistons, wouldn't rule out the idea of the team keeping Jose Calderon around (Twitter link). I assume he means the team would try to re-sign him this summer, rather than merely pass up opportunities to flip him to another team before the trade deadline. 

Earlier updates:

  • Berger, in the same piece, says it would behoove the Pistons to trade some of the $26.5MM in expiring contracts they have as a result of the deal.
  • As Chad Ford of ESPN.com notes via Twitter, the trade nets the Grizzlies an additional three wins according to trade machine metrics that were created by Memphis executive and former ESPN.com scribe John Hollinger.
  • Not all of Hollinger's prior work portends the future, as Ford also points out, since Hollinger had new Grizzlies big man Ed Davis, the 13th pick in 2010, rated as the 54th-best prospect that year (Twitter link). 
  • The Grizzlies and Raptors were calling many other teams in their efforts to faciliate the trade, and the momentum toward the deal picked up steam this afternoon, recounts Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (Twitter link).
  • The Pistons' cap space for this summer increases from $25MM to $33MM as a result of the trade, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes via Twitter. Langlois speculates that the majority of that space will be used in trades rather than to sign free agents (Twitter link).
  • The Pistons, who tried to acquire Jose Calderon around the time of the 2011 draft, have been high on Calderon for a while, Langlois notes. (Twitter links). 
  • Grantland's Zach Lowe thinks Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza could be the next Raptors on their way out of Toronto (Twitter link).
  • Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who also believes Bargnani is on his way out, hears that the Grizzlies tried to send Darrell Arthur to the Raptors as part of the deal, but Toronto opted instead for Haddadi, whom they will reportedly waive (All Twitter links).

Raptors Close To Acquiring Rudy Gay

5:01pm: If the Pistons are the third team in the deal, they're poised to send both Prince and Austin Daye to Memphis for Calderon, tweets Stein.

4:42pm: The Grizzlies spent the day calling around doing background work on Tayshaun Prince, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), so presumably Prince would be headed to Memphis if Calderon is sent to Detroit. Sam Amick of USA Today reports that the Celtics are another team in the mix to acquire Calderon.

4:35pm: If and when the deal is finalized, the Grizzlies are also expected to receive a second-round pick from the Raptors, according to Stein.

4:30pm: According to Stein (via Twitter), the Mavericks are another potential landing spot for Calderon, though Dallas is reluctant to part with Vince Carter, who the Grizzlies would want to replace Gay. Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com made the case this morning for why the Mavs make sense as the third team in a Raptors/Grizzlies deal.

4:23pm: The Grizzlies and Raptors have a deal in place that would send Gay and Hamed Haddadi to Toronto in exchange for Calderon and Davis, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). An agreement hasn't been finalized yet because it figures to eventually include a third team, possibly the Pistons, that would acquire Calderon, says Stein (via Twitter).

4:03pm: Several sources tell Wojnarowski that the Grizzlies have a plan to move Calderon to a third team in the discussed deal with the Raptors (Twitter link).

3:48pm: As Tillery suggested, the Grizzlies would prefer to send Calderon to a third team in the trade scenario they're discussing with the Raptors. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets that there are "several potential suitors" making a push for the point guard.

3:34pm: The Grizzlies appear to be moving closer to a deal that would include Rudy Gay, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery reports that Memphis is weighing whether or not to pull the trigger on one of three different scenarios, including one that would send Gay to the Raptors. The Grizzlies have two other potential deals on the table if they and the Raptors can't reach an agreement by this weekend.

Adrian Wojnarowski is also reporting that the Grizzlies and Raptors are making progress on a potential trade. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides have discussed scenarios involving a third team in addition to straight-up scenarios. The Raptors would likely part with Jose Calderon and Ed Davis in any deal (Twitter links).

According to Tillery, in their talks with the Raptors, the Grizzlies are seeking a small forward, a draft pick, and possibly Davis. A third team may have to be involved to acquire Calderon and provide the small forward the Grizzlies are hoping to land. Darrell Arthur would not be involved in that hypothetical trade, says Tillery.

Wojnarowski adds in another tweet that the Grizzlies and Raptors are discussing the potential deal with their respective ownership groups, and could reach an agreement as soon as tonight.

Western Notes: Rubio, Arthur, Babbitt, Jones

When the Timberwolves signed Kevin Love to a four-year extension, rather than a five-year deal, many assumed the team was saving its five-year franchise-player designation for Ricky Rubio. However, Britt Robson, who recently wrote about T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor for Twin Cities Business, hears from GM David Kahn that Rubio is likely to receive the same four-year offer Love did (Twitter link). Here are a few more links dealing with Western Conference clubs:

  • Darrell Arthur, who was re-signed by the Grizzlies this summer, has suffered a leg fracture and won't be ready for training camp, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It's another bad break for Arthur, who torn his achilles tendon and missed all of last season.
  • Luke Babbitt isn't sure whether or not the Trail Blazers will pick up his fourth-year option for 2013/14, but he doesn't intend to let his contract become a distraction, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes.
  • Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes Dominique Jones, who also has a fourth-year option decision pending, could be a breakout candidate for the Mavericks.
  • Heading into the season with a newly rebuilt roster and virtually no veteran players, GM Daryl Morey thinks his Rockets will be perhaps the league's most difficult team to forecast. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the story.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Darrell Arthur

FRIDAY, 5:03pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Arthur, the team announced in a release.

MONDAY, 8:00am: Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal identifies the third year of Arthur's deal as a player option, and says the contract will be worth slightly over $9MM.

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