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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Olynyk, Sloan, Nets

July 31st, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have focused on keeping as much of their own talent as possible in free agency, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Over the years, Toronto has been a place that star players have left, with the list including Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh. This summer, the Raptors didn’t have the cap room to keep backup center Bismack Biyombo, but they held onto DeMar DeRozan as part of a core that is largely tied up with long-term contracts. “The improvement of our team is going to come from inside,” said GM Masai Ujiri. “Kyle [Lowry], DeMar, and Jonas [Valanciunas] and Patrick [Patterson] and Terrence [Ross]. They will probably take it to another level.” The Raptors’ major addition in free agency was former Boston power forward Jared Sullinger.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Celtics will probably wait until next offseason to make a long-term decision on Kelly Olynyk, Washburn writes in the same piece. Olynyk can sign an extension up to the October 30th deadline, but Boston wants to see the 25-year-old big man for one more season before making a commitment. Olynyk has missed 43 games in his first three seasons, and Washburn writes that the Celtics want him to display more “toughness and consistency.”
  • Donald Sloan, who played 61 games for the Nets last season, has reached an agreement to play in China with the Guangdong Tigers, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. His teammates will include former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and one-time lottery pick Yi Jianlian. The 28-year-old Sloan averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 assists with Brooklyn in 2015/16.
  • The $100K guarantees the Nets gave to Yogi Ferrell and Egidijus Mockevicius are the largest the organization has ever handed out to an undrafted college player, according to NetsDaily. Brooklyn signed both players to partially guaranteed training camp contracts this week, along with Beau Beech, who got $45K in guaranteed money. Brooklyn now has 18 players under contract, and the website projects veteran big man Henry Sims and summer league standout Marcus Georges-Hunt as possibilities if GM Sean Marks decides to go with the league maximum of 20.

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Contract Details: DeRozan, Barbosa, Spurs

July 20th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

DeMar DeRozan‘s new five-year contract with the Raptors has a maximum salary in the first year, but it’s not a true max deal, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details. In years two through five, DeRozan will earn a salary of $27,739,975 annually, a figure which will fall increasingly below the max over the length of the contract. In total, Pincus pegs the five-year value of DeRozan’s deal at $137.5MM, which is slightly lower than the figure initially reported ($139MM), so it’s possible the pact features unlikely incentives. Still, it looks like Toronto got a bit of a hometown discount, since DeRozan surely could’ve commanded a full max from other suitors.

Here are a few more contract and salary updates from Pincus:

  • Leandro Barbosa‘s two-year contract with the Suns was reported to have a team option on its second year. Pincus clarifies that Barbosa’s 2017/18 salary, worth $4MM in total, is partially guaranteed for just $500K.
  • Davis Bertans, joining the Spurs as a draft-and-stash prospect, received a fully-guaranteed two-year contract worth the minimum from San Antonio.
  • Ryan Arcidiacono and Bryn Forbes also got two-year minimum-salary deals from the Spurs. However, their salaries are only partially guaranteed in year one. Arcidiacono got a $75K guarantee, while Forbes received a $125K guarantee.
  • Undrafted rookie Fred VanVleet inked a two-year minimum-salary deal with the Raptors, receiving a $50K guarantee in year one from the team. He’ll face an uphill battle in his attempt to earn his roster spot, with three point guards ahead of him on the depth chart.
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Raptors Re-Sign Demar DeRozan

July 14th, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14, 10:45am: Nearly two weeks after agreeing to terms with him, the Raptors have officially signed DeRozan, the team announced today (Twitter link).

JULY 1, 1:14pm: According to Charania, DeRozan’s five-year contract will be worth about $139MM. A maximum-salary, five-year pact for DeRozan is expected to be worth in excess of $150MM, so it doesn’t sound like this will be a max deal.DeMar DeRozan vertical

1:11am: DeRozan’s new deal with the Raptors will be for five years, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Amick notes (via Twitter) that the team has “other moving pieces” to deal with, so the salary figures for DeRozan’s new contract aren’t yet known. Bismack Biyombo‘s free agency is likely the primary “moving piece” that the Raptors are trying to address.

1:05am: After a meeting with the Raptors in Los Angeles tonight, DeMar DeRozan has decided to re-sign with Toronto, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). The exact terms of the agreement haven’t yet been hammered out, and the two sides can’t make it official until next week, but it appears DeRozan won’t be joining a new team this summer.

DeRozan, who turns 27 in August, made his second All-Star game this past season while averaging a career-high 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The Compton native improved his long-distance shooting to a respectable 33.8% from beyond the arc, and averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the postseason as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cavaliers.

DeRozan opted out of his contract in June, turning down a player option that would have paid him just over $10MM. While the Heat, Mavericks, Sixers, and Lakers were among the teams with reported interest in DeRozan, who received inquiries tonight from Philadelphia and L.A., he was always viewed as likely to return to Toronto, where he has spent his entire seven-year career to date.

DeRozan ranked seventh in our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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FA Rumors: DeRozan, Crawford, Clippers, Dudley

July 1st, 2016 at 12:47am CST by Luke Adams

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News has updates on a pair of free agent shooting guards, reporting (via Twitter) that the Sixers and Lakers have inquired tonight on DeMar DeRozan, who is meeting with the Raptors in Los Angeles. Toronto remains the strong favorite to re-sign DeRozan. Wolfson also tweets that Jamal Crawford has received calls tonight from the Sixers, Knicks, Clippers, Magic, and Heat.

Here’s more from across the NBA:

  • In addition to reaching out to Crawford tonight, the Clippers also met with Austin Rivers in Orlando and Jeff Green in Miami, doing due diligence on their pending free agents, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. After meeting with the Clips, Rivers is expected to talk to the Knicks and possibly the Trail Blazers on Friday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
  • The Nets, Jazz, and Suns are among the teams in pursuit of Jared Dudley, with the Wizards also in the hunt to bring back the veteran sharpshooter, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Utah had a meeting with Dudley tonight, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
  • League sources continue to tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that the Kings may be preparing a “significant” offer for restricted free agent Dion Waiters. The Thunder would have the opportunity to match an offer sheet, but may not be aggressive in trying to retain Waiters now that they have Victor Oladipo.
  • The Thunder were indeed among the teams to reach out to Al Horford tonight, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. A Thursday report indicated that Oklahoma City has its eye on Horford as part of its pitch to keep Kevin Durant.
  • Speaking of Durant, during The Vertical’s free agency show tonight, Wojnarowski said that Jay-Z and Roc Nation tried to push Durant to take a free agent meeting with the Nets, but KD dismissed that idea (Twitter link via Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily).
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And-Ones: Howard, Harkless, Mozgov

June 30th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Dwight Howard is seeking a contract starting at $24MM annually, a league source tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Howard is expected to conduct his meetings in Atlanta, with the Celtics and Hawks the first two teams scheduled to meet with the big man, Watkins notes. The Blazers and Hornets have also expressed interest in Howard, who is an unrestricted free agent, the scribe adds.

With free agency set to kick off, here’s the latest from around the league:

  • The Pistons, Wizards, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among the teams interested in Trail Blazers restricted free agent Maurice Harkless, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).The 23-year-old appeared in 78 games this season and averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per contest.
  • One of the first calls the Pacers will make when free agency commences will be to unrestricted free agent big man Ian Mahinmi, who the team is interested in re-signing, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Mahinmi earned $4MM in 2015/16.
  • If the Warriors miss out on signing Kevin Durant, the team could shift its focus to unrestricted free agent forward Pau Gasol, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. Shelburne also notes that Gasol isn’t too keen on taking a discounted deal, but market and contender status could sway him.
  • Cavs unrestricted free agent center Timofey Mozgov has no desire to ink a one-year deal this offseason, preferring the security and stability of a long-term pact, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays.
  • Unrestricted free agent point guard Beno Udrih, who spent time last season with the Grizzlies and Heat, has switched to Octagon Sports for representation, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Udrih agreed to a buyout arrangement in February with Miami that helped the organization avoid crossing the luxury tax threshold.
  • Also switching agents is Rockets forward Terrence Jones, who will now be repped by Dan Fegan and James Dunleavy of Independent Sports and Entertainment, Charania relays (on Twitter). Jones is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after earning $2,489,530 in 2015/16.
  • Former NBA player Austin Daye has signed with the Turkish club Galatasaray, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). Daye last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he split time between the Hawks and Spurs.
  • The Kings are interested in Ryan Anderson and Courtney Lee, who are both unrestricted free agents, and restricted free agent Allen Crabbe, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
  • Another player gaining traction within the Sacramento organization is Thunder restricted free agent Dion Waiters, who could help strengthen the team’s backcourt, Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets.
  • DeMar DeRozan is set to meet with the Raptors in Los Angeles as soon as the free agent period commences, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
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Latest On DeMar DeRozan

June 30th, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last weekend indicated that DeMar DeRozan doesn’t plan to take any meetings with teams besides the Raptors, and while that still may the case, there are other potential suitors looming. According to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (via Twitter), Toronto will get DeRozan’s first meeting on July 1st in Los Angeles, and it’s possible that sit-downs with the Heat, Mavericks, Sixers, and Lakers could follow.

The wording of Haynes’ report, which suggests that there’s no guarantee those rival suitors actually get meetings, doesn’t contradict what we heard over the weekend. That initial report, from Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, indicated that DeRozan doesn’t intend to take meetings with other teams, and would only do so if talks don’t go smoothly with the Raptors.

In other words, it still looks like the Raptors will have the opportunity to wrap things up with DeRozan shortly after free agency gets underway. If the two sides don’t find common ground, the Heat, Mavs, Sixers, and Lakers could enter the picture.

DeRozan, who was due to make $10.35MM in the final year of his deal, opted out of his contract earlier this month and will be in line for a significant raise. The 26-year-old made his second All-Star game this season while averaging a career-high 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest. DeRozan even improved his long-distance shooting to a respectable 33.8% from beyond the arc, then averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the postseason as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cavaliers.

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FA Rumors: DeRozan, Biyombo, Nets, Noah, Kings

June 27th, 2016 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo facing free agency, the Raptors may not have the cap flexibility to bring back both players. However, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, Biyombo has “very real interest” in re-signing in Toronto, even if that includes waiting out DeRozan’s free agency and navigating cap challenges to make it all work.

Whether that will be a realistic outcome remains to be seen. Assuming the Raptors don’t trade any of their players, and the salary cap lands in the $94MM neighborhood, the team won’t be able to offer Biyombo anything close to the $15MM salary he may be able to land on the open market. Still, the 23-year-old center has indicated he’d be open to a “hometown discount” to remain in Toronto, and he doesn’t intend to rush into an agreement with another team when the free agent period opens.

As for DeRozan, he reportedly has no plans to meet with any teams besides the Raptors, and Amick suggests the All-Star guard may even be willing to accept a little less than the max from Toronto if it helps the team accommodate a new deal for Biyombo. If DeRozan does explore the market though, he’ll have no shortage of suitors. Amick lists the Clippers, Warriors, Heat, Knicks, and Magic as clubs with interest in DeRozan.

Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NBA:

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USA Basketball Finalizes 2016 Olympic Roster

June 27th, 2016 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has finalized its 12-man roster for this summer’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press details. Team USA will head into the 2016 Olympics looking to win its third straight Gold medal in basketball. Barring any injuries or other unforeseen circumstances, the following 12 players will be representing America in Brazil this summer:

While Team USA’s roster features a bevy of All-Stars, former Olympians, and an MVP winner, many notable players declined invitations to play in Rio this summer. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are among those who withdrew from consideration.

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And-Ones: Olympics, Griffin, Messina, Vesely

June 25th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes will fill the last two spots on the U.S. Olympic basketball team, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. The roster will be formally announced Monday in New York. Ten players committed earlier, but Mahoney reports that openings were left for Irving and LeBron James, who both asked for more time to decide after playing in the NBA Finals, which ended Sunday. James opted not to make the trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Barnes joins Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the roster, along with Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler and DeAndre Jordan.

There’s more news tonight from around the basketball world:

  • The State of Florida has dropped first-degree attempted murder charges against former D-League All-Star Eric Griffin, according to D-League Digest. Griffin last played in the D-League in 2014/15, when he was a third-team all-league selection and a second-team all-defensive choice. He played in Dubai this season and may be ready for a shot at the NBA now that his legal case has been resolved.
  • Despite rumors, Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina won’t be leaving to take a job in Spain, tweets international journalist David Pick. “I have no contact with Barcelona,” Messina said. “I’m a happy Spur.”
  • Several NBA teams are interested in former lottery pick Jan Vesely, according to Sportando. The Mavericks, Nets and Pelicans are the teams listed as suitors for Vesely, who was selected sixth overall by the Wizards in the 2011 draft. Vesely played for Fenerbahce in Turkey this season and is a free agent. He is expected to get offers in the range of $30MM over three years.
  • Greek star Giannis Bourousis is ready to take a shot at the NBA, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “I would go to any NBA team,” said the 32-year-old seven-footer. “I just want to be there, after 14 years in Euroleague.”
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DeRozan Doesn’t Plan To Meet With Teams Besides Raptors

June 25th, 2016 at 3:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Teams planning on making at run at unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan may need to rethink their strategy this offseason. The shooting guard has no plans to meet with any other teams besides the Raptors when the free agent signing period commences in July, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports (ESPN Now link). The only way the swingman will expand his free agent search is in the event talks completely break down between himself and the organization, MacMahon adds.

DeRozan, who was due to make $10.35MM in the final year of his deal, opted out of his contract earlier this month. The 26-year-old made his second All-Star game this season while averaging a career-high 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The player even improved his long-distance shooting to a respectable 33.8% from beyond the arc. DeRozan averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the postseason as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cavaliers.

The Raptors are reportedly optimistic of keeping DeRozan, who expressed his desire to re-sign with the club during a post-playoff media session.“My mindset has always been Toronto,” he said. “I always preached it. I was passionate about it when we was losing. When we was terrible, I said I’m going to stick through this whole thing and I want to be that guy who brings this organization to where it is now. I definitely don’t want to switch up after we win.”

Toronto GM Masai Ujuri said during his postseason press conference that retaining DeRozan is the team’s top offseason priority, though he did deflect a question on whether DeRozan was worth a max deal.

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