Devin Harris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Sign Devin Harris

July 31st, 2013 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

4:11pm: Harris' new deal with the Mavs is a one-year pact worth the veteran's minimum, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

2:57pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Devin Harris to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Harris had previously reached an agreement on a three-year, $9MM deal with Dallas, but the team nixed it after news broke that the veteran guard required toe surgery.

A new deal between Dallas and the Excel Sports Management client comes as no surprise, since the team still had interest in bringing him aboard even as the two sides mutually agreed to call off the initial arrangement. Owner Mark Cuban essentially confirmed a couple weeks ago that the Mavs and Harris both still expected to finalize a deal, albeit a restructured one.

The financial terms of the latest agreement are unclear, but it looks as if the Mavs only have the flexibility to offer minimum-salary contracts after using all of their cap space and most of their room exception. I speculated after the first agreement fell through that a two-year minimum salary contract with a player option for the second season might work for both sides.

Harris, who spent the first three and a half seasons with the Mavs, appeared in 58 games for the Hawks last year, averaging 9.9 PPG and 3.4 APG while spending time at both guard positions. Since Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis look like the probable starters in the Mavs' backcourt, Harris figures to be called on to play both the one and two again next season.

Mavs In Serious Talks With DeJuan Blair

July 30th, 2013 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

11:19am: If the Mavs and Blair agree to terms, it will likely be for a one-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. While there was some talk of a sign-and-trade, Blair figures to sign for a year and test the market again next summer, says Kennedy, adding that the ex-Spur figures to choose Dallas' offer over similar proposals because he'll get a chance to play major minutes with the Mavs (all Twitter links).

9:58am: The Mavericks are engaged in serious talks on a deal for DeJuan Blair, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Stein, the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement are "promising."

It'd be a little surprising if the Mavs were able to land Blair, since the team appears to be capped-out, and Blair's asking price was said earlier this month to be in the $3MM range. The big man was also reportedly seeking a multiyear commitment. Based on reported contracts and salaries to date, it seems as if the Mavs have used their cap space and signed Wayne Ellington using the $2.65MM room exception. Assuming that's the case, Dallas could only offer Blair the minimum, unless a sign-and-trade deal can be worked out with the Spurs.

Blair, 24, has spent all four seasons of his NBA career with the Spurs, but saw his role reduced as Tiago Splitter emerged as a productive starter for the team. After averaging 8.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and a 17.5 PER in his first three years, Blair's rates fell to 5.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and a 14.6 PER in 2012/13.

According to Stein (via Twitter), the Mavs are also likely to complete a new deal for Devin Harris later this week, and remain in the mix for Greg Oden.

Mark Cuban Talks Howard, Offseason, Calderon

July 18th, 2013 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

For the second straight offseason, the Mavericks missed out on their top target in free agency, and like he did a year ago when he discussed Deron Williams, owner Mark Cuban suggests his team will be better off without Dwight Howard. Pointing to the club's ability to sign "five good players or more" rather than just adding one max-salary player, Cuban suggested that the roster would have more flexibility going forward, as Bryan Gutierrez and Tim MacMahon detail at ESPNDallas.com.

Cuban also addressed a number of other Mavs-related topics, so let's round up the noteworthy quotes from Gutierrez's separate piece at ESPNDallas.com.

On having to move on to Plans B or C this offseason:

"You guys like to make a big deal about it. Obviously, we were disappointed we didn’t get Dwight, but we pretty much got everything else we wanted to get and then some. Much more. We never thought we’d be able to get Monta [Ellis]. It turned into a good summer. Now, the key is to get everybody playing together, get everyone healthy, keep them healthy and go."

On whether the team will explore trades:

"We’re open. Given that all of these are new signings, it’s going to be tough for us to do a trade. We can do anything until December. We didn’t sign these guys to trade them. We signed them to keep them. Our goal is to have everyone here, play together and move on. We still have a lot cap room for next year, so we’ll see."

On how the signing of Jose Calderon improves the team:

"We just have a great compliment of people. He’s great in the pick-and-roll, which will be great for Dirk [Nowitzki] a whole bunch. He’s a pass-first point guard, which will help with Monta. It’ll help with Sam [Dalembert], Vince [Carter] and Shawn [Marion]. We’re going to have guys who can get Shawn the ball, which we couldn’t do last year. Vince won’t have to work as hard as he did last year. We can block shots between Sam and Brandan [Wright]. I think we’ll be in good shape."

On a new agreement with Devin Harris:

"I think we’ve got something worked out. We just restructured the deal. When we have something to announce, we’ll announce it…. I think we'll get him back, but I don't want to jinx us. We'll let him rehab with us and all that kind of stuff."

Mavs Reach New Agreement With Devin Harris?

July 17th, 2013 at 9:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban indicated that the team has a new deal with point guard Devin Harris, whose initial three-year, $9MM agreement with the team was scrubbed when he suffered a toe injury.

"He's coming back. We just restructured the deal,'' Cuban said, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).

A new deal between Dallas and the Excel Sports Management Client would come as no surprise, since the team still had interest in bringing him aboard even as the two sides mutually agreed to call off the initial arrangement. The financial terms of the latest agreement are unclear, but I'd imagine he'll take a paycut of some kind. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated this week that Harris could be in line for a two-year minimum salary contract with a player option for the second season.

The Mavs have a lot of balls in the air with regard to free agency at the moment, having struck a deal with Samuel Dalembert earlier this evening. The team is expected to reach agreement with Brandan Wright soon, and Dallas continues to eye Greg Oden. Cuban confirmed the team is still in the market for the No. 1 overall pick, but the owner says his team and Oden's representatives haven't engaged in contract talks, Price notes (on Twitter).

Dallas also has a decision to make regarding Bernard James, whose contract for this season was supposed to have become fully guaranteed if he wasn't waived on or before this past Monday. James and the team agreed to put off that deadline.

Devin Harris, Mavs In Talks On New Deal

July 16th, 2013 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

After the Mavericks reached an agreement with Devin Harris on a three-year, $9MM contract, a toe injury forced the two sides to nix the deal. However, we heard over the weekend that there was still mutual interest in working something out.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein confirms that's the case, reporting (via Twitter) that the Mavs and Harris have re-engaged in talks on a new deal for the combo guard. The details of the new agreement are still being worked out, according to Stein (via Twitter), but the two sides remain on track to reunite for the coming season.

With Harris not necessarily on track to be ready for opening night, I'd imagine the Mavs will be interested in either a shorter-term deal, or a smaller financial commitment. The team has since agreed to sign Monta Ellis to a lucrative contract, and continues to pursue Greg Oden and Samuel Dalembert, which may not leave much room for Harris.

I wouldn't be surprised if the two sides eventually agreed upon a two-year, minimum-salary contract for Harris, with a second-year player option. That would give Harris some security in case the toe problem persists, while also allowing him to explore the market again next summer if he comes back strong.

If the Mavs reach a new agreement with Harris, it would likely take the club out of the mix for Jamaal Tinsley, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy had reported earlier this morning that Dallas had some interest in Tinsley.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, Harris, Kirilenko, Thibodeau

July 14th, 2013 at 10:42am CST by Chuck Myron

The past two summers haven't gone as planned for the Mavericks, but there's still no need to panic and trade Dirk Nowitzki, as Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram argues. LeBreton is confident the additions of Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon will help the team. Here's more on the Mavs, along with other news from the Association:

A toe injury scuttled the deal between the Mavs and Devin Harris, but both team and player still have interest in coming to another agreement at some point in the offseason, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham looks at several affordable role players left on the free agent market, including Samuel Dalembert, who appears close to a deal with the Mavs.
The Wolves' decision to replace David Kahn with Flip Saunders atop their front office played a role in Andrei Kirilenko's decision to opt out of his $10.2MM contract with Minnesota, the Nets signee tells Pavel Osipov of Sport-Express (translation via Alexander Chernykh of Rush'n Hoops; hat tip to NetsDaily).
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau might not be pleased with the team's decision to let go of close friend and assistant coach Ron Adams, but Thibs' says his relationship with GM Gar Forman is fine, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel answers reader questions and wonders whether Heat president Pat Riley's statement that he won't use the amnesty clause is brinksmanship designed to up the trade value of Mike Miller and Joel Anthony.
A respected longtime NBA executive tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that Jahlil Okafor is the most skilled high school center he's ever scouted (Twitter link). Okafor is 17 years old, so he won't be draft-eligible until 2015.
Lester Connor and Chris Farr are joining the Nuggets coaching staff, the Denver Post’s Chris Dempsey tweets.

Spencer Lund contributed to this post.

Mavs Scrap Deal With Devin Harris

July 12th, 2013 at 7:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:46pm: The injury to Harris prompted the Mavs to sign Ellis, Stein writes. That makes sense, since GM Donnie Nelson said two days ago that the team likely wouldn't be in the mix for Ellis, comments that seemed misleading when word broke of the Mavs' agreement with Ellis earlier today. The money that was to go to Harris is now set to go to a big man, according to Stein, so perhaps the club won't be signing another point guard. The Mavs envisioned Harris starting at shooting guard, as he often did with the Hawks, Stein says, so that lends further credence to the Ellis-for-Harris substitution.

6:51pm: A toe injury has prompted the Mavericks to nix their agreement to sign Devin Harris to a three-year, $9MM deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The decision was mutual, Stein notes. Dallas remains interested in signing him, but the surgery required is expected to keep Harris out until the start of the regular season, according to Stein (Twitter link). First-round pick and fellow point guard Shane Larkin suffered a broken ankle in summer league practice, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter, so it's possible the pair of injuries prompted the Mavs to call off their plans with Harris.

"All indications" are the Mavs will sign Monta Ellis using cap room instead of a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, Stein tweets. So, the decision not to sign Harris gives the club the flexibility to sign a big man as well, with Samuel Dalembert still the primary target, according to Stein (Twitter link).

The Mavs have signed point guards Jose Calderon and Gal Mekel to deals this summer, as our Free Agent Tracker shows, and they have Josh Akognon on a non-guaranteed contract, so they're not entirely devoid of help at the position. Still, Calderon is the only point guard with more than eight games of NBA experience on the roster now, so perhaps the team will look elsewhere. Aaron Brooks, D.J. Augustin and Beno Udrih are among veteran point guards still available on the free agent market, though none have been linked to Dallas this summer.

Harris, an Excel Sports Management client, remains an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks had been in touch with his representatives prior to his decision to head to Dallas, and the former No. 5 overall pick out of Wisconsin said this spring that he'd be open to listening to offers from the Bucks. Milwaukee has hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew, inked Zaza Pachulia and has a signed offer sheet from Jeff Teague, all of whom played with Harris in Atlanta this past season.

Free Agency Rumors: Odom, Brand, Tinsley

July 6th, 2013 at 8:18pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Mavs will bring back point guard Devin Harris, but they're also considering another former guard, this one from their title-winning 2011 team: Jose Barea.

Earlier this month, there were rumors of a sign-and-trade involving O.J. Mayo and either the Wolves' J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour. This came before the Mavs locked up their point guard slot by signing Jose Calderon.

Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com says (via Twitter) the Mavs have $8MM in cap space after Jose Calderon signed with them and O.J. Mayo signed with the Bucks, but there are ways to increase that figure, he notes. We already reported that the signing of Calderon likely knocks Barea out of the running for a return to the Mavs in a sign-and-trade since the Mavs have their point guard now and Mayo is gone.

Here's what else is happening around this busy Saturday night, including more Mavs' rumors as they go with plan B after failing to sign Dwight:

Besides bringing Harris back, the Mavs are also looking at re-signing Elton Brand, reports McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. McMahon also mentions their interest in Jermaine O'Neal, as previously iterated.
The Lakers, fresh off the disappointing exit of free agent Dwight Howard, are looking at Elton Brand and Lamar Odom, reports ESPNLosAngeles' Ramona Shelburne (Twitter links). But interest levels for Odom are hard to determine on both sides, and they may not be able to afford Brand, Shelburne continues.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune says (via Twitter), that besides the Nets, the Jazz were among Jamaal Tinsley's primary suitors. Oram says Tinsley remains interested in returning to the Jazz.
In the first three years of Chris Grant's position as the Cavs' general manager, he spent less than $7MM in free agency. This summer he's spent $34MM counting option years, tweets the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Loyd.

Devin Harris To Sign With Mavs

July 6th, 2013 at 8:04pm CST by Spencer Lund

10:27pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reiterates our contention that Harris will likely spend a lot of time at shooting guard next to Calderon in the Mavs' backcourt. MacMahon notes that Harris spent half his time next to Jeff Teague at shooting guard last season with the Hawks, so the transition won't be difficult. Acquiring Harris also allows the Mavs to bring their rookie guards, Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel, along more slowly.

8:04pm: Although the deal can't be made official until Wednesday when the NBA's July moratorium is lifted, ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon says the Mavs struck a deal today to bring Devin Harris back to Dallas for a three-year deal in excess of $9MM. With Harris' and Jose Calderon's deal, the Mavs have solved their backcourt problems from last year.

The 30-year-old Harris averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.4 APG in 24.5 MPG during part-time starting duties with the Hawks last year. But Harris primarily played as the off-guard when Jeff Teague was in the game at the same time. This might be how the Mavs choose to use him in conjunction with Calderon.

6:40pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com is hearing that Hawks unrestricted free agent Devin Harris is "closing in" on a deal to go back to the Mavs for a three-year deal worth $9MM plus (Twitter).

Harris is repped by Excel Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Knicks, Raps, Stevens

July 5th, 2013 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up the latest news, notes, and rumors out of the Atlantic Division….

Chris Copeland's agent John Spencer isn't ruling out his client returning to the Knicks, but he expects to receive offers starting at higher than $1.75MM. As Marc Berman of the New York Post writes, after committing a portion of their mid-level to Pablo Prigioni, the Knicks only have about $1.75MM left on their MLE. Using that remaining money on a power forward like Elton Brand is more likely than a Copeland reunion, according to Berman.
Assuming Copeland doesn't take less to remain in New York, the Pacers, Lakers, Jazz, and Nuggets are in play for him, according to Spencer.
Agent Andy Miller tells Berman that his client, Sebastian Telfair, would "consider the Knicks very strongly." New York is eyeing another point guard and has also been in touch with reps for Earl Watson, Will Bynum, Aaron Brooks, and Devin Harris.
The second year of the Raptors' agreement with Julyan Stone won't be fully guaranteed, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Smith notes within the same piece that it remains extremely unlikely Toronto uses its amnesty clause next week.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge had long targeted Brad Stevens as a potential replacement for Doc Rivers, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe writes (subscription required). Ainge himself confirmed at this morning's press conference that Stevens was his first phone call after the Rivers transaction, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.