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And-Ones: Silver, Wafer, Restricted Free Agents

July 31st, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

NBA commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t believe the one-and-one contracts that LeBron James and Kevin Durant have signed are good for the league, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The arrangements give the players one guaranteed season with the chance to opt out and sign a bigger deal the following year. Durant did it to gain the benefits of being a 10-year veteran when he hits free agency again next summer. James is also maximizing his earnings, while giving the Cavaliers incentive to put the best possible team around him each season.

“One of the unintended consequences I feel on behalf of the players is the fact that they end up putting themselves in this position where they’re taking enormous financial risk,” Silver said. “The system is designed for guys to enter into long term contracts, so, and you can only get so much insurance. So one of the unintended consequences is they take risk beyond what we would like to see them take.” After a month that saw several stars change teams, the commissioner said he would like to work with the union to modify the system to give franchises a better opportunity to keep their own players.

There’s more NBA-related news this morning:

  • Von Wafer, who last played in the NBA in 2012, is campaigning for another shot on social media, relays Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. Wafer, who just turned 31, had short stints with the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Blazers, Rockets, Celtics and Magic, but never lasted more than one season in any location. In a series of tweets, Wafer says he has a different mentality now and warns younger players not to follow his example.
  • Restricted free agency typically sours the relationship between players and their teams, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Because teams are reluctant to tie up cap space for three days while waiting to see if offer sheets are matched, restricted free agents are typically at the end of the line when it comes to getting paid. Also, they often build up resentment toward their original franchise if their offer sheets are matched. As examples, Lang cites Jeff Teague, Nicolas Batum, Paul Millsap, Eric Gordon, Roy Hibbert, Marcin Gortat and DeAndre Jordan.
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Western Notes: Rockets, Brown, Abrines, Suns

July 23rd, 2016 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are gambles for the Rockets, but they’re probably risks worth taking, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. Both players are sharpshooters who should fit well into new coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, but both have an extensive history of injuries. Anderson missed a significant stretch last season with an MCL sprain in Feburary, and had a season-ending neck injury in 2014. Gordon has been through a long string of injuries that have limited him to an average of 53 games per season over the past four years. Assuming they are reasonably healthy next season, Blancarte expects them to be valuable additions because of their ability to stretch the defense and Gordon’s talent for driving to the basket.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

  • High-scoring European player Bobby Brown will attend training camp with the Rockets on a non-guaranteed deal, tweets international journalist David Pick. Brown spent time with the Kings, Clippers, Hornets and Wolves from 2008-10.
  • The signing of Alex Abrines has helped the Thunder begin to lift the dark cloud caused by Kevin Durant‘s departure, writes Bery Tramel of The Oklahoman. Abrines will give Oklahoma City a 3-point threat and may take Dion Waiters‘ spot as a reserve guard behind Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo. The biggest question on the European star is whether he can defend well enough to earn significant playing time.
  • The Suns‘ collection of young players has produced renewed optimism in Phoenix, according to Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic. Part of the confidence came from GM Ryan McDonough’s draft-night deal with the Kings that gave Phoenix Marquese Chriss along with Dragan Bender. In addition, McDonough likes the commitment he is seeing from his veterans this summer. “I think we’ve seen a powerful change over the past few months in terms of players buying in,” he said. “Our guys like being around each other. They like being in Phoenix. A lot of our core players have basically made Phoenix their home and stick around all summer. It’s 115 degrees and those guys could be anywhere in the world. They choose to stay in Phoenix. And that says something.”
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Pelicans Sign Langston Galloway

July 21st, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill
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Brace Hemmelgarn / USA TODAY Sports Images

JULY 21st: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 6th, 10:24pm: The pact will pay Galloway $5MM per season, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.

4:35pm: Galloway received a two-year deal from New Orleans, with a player option for the second season, according to Scotto (Twitter link).

3:46pm: Point guard Langston Galloway will sign with the Pelicans, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops. Contract details are still being finalized, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Galloway became an unrestricted free agent on Monday when the Knicks rescinded their $2.725MM qualifying offer. Galloway became expendable when New York reached a one-year, $5MM deal with free agent guard Brandon Jennings. Begley notes that New York held Early Bird Rights on Galloway and could have offered up to $6.1MM in the first year of a new deal (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old was a regular part of the Knicks’ rotation this season, his second in the NBA. Galloway appeared in all 82 games, averaging 7.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.8 minutes while shooting 39.3% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range.

He will help offset the loss of Eric Gordon, who signed Saturday with the Rockets. Galloway joins Solomon Hill and E’Twaun Moore as free agent acquisitions for New Orleans this offseason.

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Southwest Notes: Gordon, Harden, Murray

July 11th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

New Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon missed 189 out of a possible 410 games during his time with the Pelicans and never played more than 64 games in a season, but Gordon doesn’t believe he is injury prone, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. “Most of them been fluke injuries,” Gordon said. ”From the first one where I just banged knees and this past year I was on my way to playing 82 games and then end up having a freakish breaking the finger [injury]. They were little fluke injuries that I can easily overcome, but my plan every year 82 games plus more.’‘

[RELATED: Tim Duncan Announces Retirement]

Here’s more from out of the Southwest Division:

  • Retaining James Harden, who agreed to a four-year, $118MM renegotiation and extension with the Rockets, was a big step for the franchise, given the difficulty the organization has had in landing and keeping star players, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes.
  • By re-signing with the Mavericks for two-years and $40MM, Dirk Nowitzki cost himself a shot at latching on to a contender and chasing another ring before his career comes to a close, but he’ll have the distinction of remaining with the same franchise for his entire career, Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News writes.
  • Spurs 2016 first round pick Dejounte Murray is trying to maintain his identity as a basketball player while acclimating himself to San Antonio’s system, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “They still tell me to be myself, [but] just play the right way. The Spurs way,” Murray said. “I know what type of ball they play because I’ve watched them over the years starting with the NBA team, and this is the summer league team. Everybody here is trying to get on the floor in the regular season. So it’s not hard. I’m just going out, [doing] whatever they tell me to do, and I’m learning the system practice by practice, and I’m going out and executing in the games.“
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Rockets, Eric Gordon Agree To Deal

July 2nd, 2016 at 7:47pm CST by Will Joseph

The Rockets and Eric Gordon have reached an agreement, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The deal, which can be finalized next week, is worth $53MM over four years, Wojnarowski adds.Eric Gordon vertical

Gordon, 27, is a talented scorer when he’s healthy, having averaged 16.6 PPG with a .383 3PT% over the course of his eight-year NBA career. However, in those eight seasons, he has played just 417 total games, or about 52 per year. During his five seasons in New Orleans, Gordon never played more than 64 games in a season, having dealt with multiple injuries. Gordon averaged 15.2 points in 45 games for the Pelicans last season.

It’s quite clear that the Rockets are building around James Harden as an offensive-minded team under new coach Mike D’Antoni. Houston agreed to a deal with stretch four Ryan Anderson earlier on Saturday. Gordon and Anderson had been teammates with the Pelicans.

The lack of state income tax in Texas may have been an added incentive for Gordon, who also received interest from the Knicks and Grizzlies. New York ultimately reached a deal with Courtney Lee to fill the club’s opening at the two.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Knicks, Grizzlies Targeting Eric Gordon

July 1st, 2016 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

7:43pm: The Grizzlies only have about $8MM+ in cap room, but would make an effort to clear more space if Gordon decides he wants to sign with the team, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.

6:58pm: Gordon is expected to finalize an agreement tonight, according to Scott Agness of VigilantSports (Twitter link), who says Gordon’s choice is down to the Knicks and Grizzlies.

1:42am: The Knicks are reportedly nearing an agreement with one of the top free agent bigs on the market, Joakim Noah, and have now identified a top perimeter target as well. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), the Knicks are focusing on Eric Gordon and are discussing the parameters of a possible contract.

Marc Berman of The New York Post reported earlier in the evening that Derrick Rose has reached out to Gordon in an attempt to recruit him to New York. A source informed Berman that the idea of pursuing the veteran shooting guard is gaining traction within the organization.

Gordon, 27, is a talented scorer when he’s healthy, having averaged 16.6 PPG with a .383 3PT% over the course of his eight-year NBA career. However, in those eight seasons, he has played just 417 total games, or about 52 per year. During his five seasons in New Orleans, Gordon never played more than 64 games in a season, having dealt with multiple injuries.

While Gordon’s injury history will likely scare some potential suitors away, those health concerns could also help keep his price down. Even if they finalize a deal with Noah, the Knicks should have in the neighborhood of $15MM in cap space available to address their backcourt or wing spots.

The Magic are also expected to have interest in Gordon, along with the Rockets, Pelicans, and Grizzlies.

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Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Batum, Mozgov, Lee

June 30th, 2016 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

With July less than 10 hours away, free agent rumors around the NBA are heating up. Let’s dive right in and round up the latest…

  • With a Chandler Parsons departure appearing increasingly likely, the Mavericks are expected to meet with Nicolas Batum once free agency begins, according to Tim MacMahon and Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. Dallas’ ideal outcome in free agency would be to land Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, which wouldn’t leave cap room for Batum. But the team is doing its homework and is prepared to quickly move on to Plan B if Conley and/or Whiteside decide not to sign with Dallas.
  • The Rockets, Heat, Warriors, and Spurs are among the teams with interest in Timofey Mozgov, joining the Cavaliers and Knicks, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports adds (via Twitter) that the Lakers also could be in play for Mozgov, depending on how free agency plays out.
  • We can add the Magic to the list of teams that will express interest in Eric Gordon, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who clarifies that Orlando still remains very invested in re-signing Evan Fournier (Twitter links). Earlier today, a report indicated that Houston, Memphis, New York, and New Orleans are eyeing Gordon.
  • There are increasing indications that coveted free agent wing Kent Bazemore won’t begin holding meetings for interested teams until after July 4th, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter).
  • The Knicks have some level of interest in pending free agent Courtney Lee, according to Stein and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. New York appears to be focusing its efforts on adding a big man – possibly Joakim Noah – and a wing in free agency.
  • According to Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com, Evan Turner has expressed interest in about six NBA teams, including the Lakers and Celtics. It’s not clear whether Turner’s interest is reciprocated in each of those instances.
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Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Bazemore, Gordon

June 30th, 2016 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are more likely to lose than Jeremy Lin in free agency than they are to re-sign him, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), who is hearing that the Nets may “hard-sell” Lin when the free agent period begins. Several teams are expected to pursue the veteran point guard, but he would be a good fit in Brooklyn, potentially reuniting with former Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson.

Here are a few more free agency rumors from across the NBA:

  • In a Wednesday piece, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com identified the Bucks, Grizzlies, and Nets as probable suitors for Kent Bazemore. Michael Scotto of The Associated Press adds a few more teams to that list of suitors, tweeting that the Pelicans, Rockets, and Magic will also be eyeing Bazemore. The Hawks also want to re-sign the free agent wing, and we heard on Wednesday that the Knicks will also have strong interest in him too.
  • The Rockets, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Pelicans are interested in free agent guard Eric Gordon, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A report earlier in the year suggested that New Orleans likely won’t go to great lengths to bring back Gordon, after he spent five injury-plagued seasons with the team.
  • Jamal Crawford has a July 1st meeting lined up with the Magic, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. We heard on Wednesday that Crawford has scheduled meetings with five teams in total, including Orlando and his current team, the Clippers.
  • ESPN’s Zach Lowe identifies several under-the-radar free agents who have the potential to be good values this summer, even with spending significantly on the rise.
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Grizzlies Notes: Coaching Search, Joerger, Conley

May 8th, 2016 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel will be part of a long list of candidates to replace Dave Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Tillery expects the Grizzlies to reach out to veteran coaches David Blatt, Brian Shaw, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. GM Chris Wallace promised a “thoughtful and comprehensive” process, adding that there is no rush to find a replacement. He plans to consider college coaches as well as NBA assistants. “We don’t have a guy,” Wallace said. “We’ll talk to people and see how it goes. It’s not about dealing from a pre-existing category. It’s about finding the right guy. We’re very much in the preliminary stages.” Tillery writes that “reshaping” the team, which the front office didn’t believe Joerger was willing to do, will be among the responsibilities for the next coach.

There’s more out of Memphis:

  • Wallace’s call for stability in the organization is laughable, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, pointing out that in the past four years, the Grizzlies have been through an ownership change, two GM changes and two coaching changes. Joerger had been expressing his unhappiness in subtle ways throughout the season, Calkins notes, and felt betrayed when Jeff Green and Courtney Lee were dealt away at the trade deadline. Joerger also said the roster was “old and slow” and repeatedly praised Jazz rookie Rodney Hood, whom the Grizzlies passed over in the draft. Calkins questions whether free agent point guard Mike Conley will want to re-sign with an organization that has seen so much turnover.
  • The Grizzlies may not have enough to offer on the free agent market, according to Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders. Memphis must decide by June 29th whether to pick up a $9.4MM option for next season on Lance Stephenson. If the Grizzlies keep him and all their other contracts while renouncing Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen, they will have about $60MM in guaranteed salary against a cap projected at more than $90MM. However, Conley carries a $14MM cap hold, which means money must be cut in other areas for the team to offer a max contract. Vince Carter and JaMychal Green are possibilities, as they both have contracts that won’t be guaranteed until January. Brandan Wright and his $5.7MM deal could be traded to clear more room. Dowsett speculates about Eric Gordon, Joe Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Gerald Henderson and Leandro Barbosa as possible free agent targets.
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Western Notes: Walton, Pelicans, Gallinari, Paul

March 29th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors assistant Luke Walton is reportedly poised to become a top candidate for the Knicks coaching vacancy, and the Lakers, Suns, Rockets and Kings are expected to target him, too, but former colleague Alvin Gentry thinks Walton still doesn’t gets the credit he deserves, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gentry, now head coach of the Pelicans, was on Golden State’s staff last year with Walton, who inherited Gentry’s role as lead assistant and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record while head coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgeries. “Luke did an unbelievable job of managing egos, of rotations he played,” Gentry said. “Everything that happened there, he pushed the right buttons, so I was disappointed when people said anybody can coach that team. That’s not true at all. He has an unbelievable understanding of the game. I think [Knicks president] Phil [Jackson] knows that. [Luke] stayed in the league for a long time because of the basketball IQ he has. He gets along great with players. He’s going to be a terrific coach in the league – I really do think that.”

See more from the Western Conference:

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