Glen Davis

Glen Davis, Danny Granger To Hit Free Agency

Glen Davis and Danny Granger are set to opt out of their contracts with the Clippers and become free agents next month, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Granger has interest in returning, Turner tweets, though it’s not immediately clear if Davis feels the same way. Davis and Granger signed minimum-salary pacts in the middle of the season shortly after they secured their releases from the Magic and Sixers, respectively.

Both helped deepen coach Doc Rivers‘ bench late in the season, but neither played an outsized role. Davis averaged 12.2 minutes per game in the playoffs and Granger just 10.3. It was a particular comedown for Granger, just two seasons removed from having been the leading scorer for the Pacers. Indiana shipped him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline as he failed to return to form after missing all but five games with injury in 2012/13. Davis started in 43 of his 45 appearances for the Magic this year, but rebuilding Orlando agreed to let the 28-year-old out of his deal, which was to have cost the Magic $6.4MM this year and $6.6MM next season. It’s unclear how much Davis and Granger had to give back to get out of their respective contracts at midseason.

The opt-outs do little to help the Clippers’ books, as they have enough in guaranteed salary to put them over the cap to begin next month. Davis, a client of John Hamilton, and Granger, a client of Aaron Mintz, will probably be able to find deals for more than the minimum on the market. The Clippers would likely have to dip into their mid-level exception to keep one or both of them, since they only have Non-Bird rights on the pair.

Buyout Rumors: Bulls, Granger, Butler

The Bulls don’t believe adding a 13th guaranteed contract at this point will push the team into the luxury tax, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. I examined last month how the team’s proximity to the tax could affect its roster, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports did the same, noting how a bonus for Taj Gibson could push the team over the tax line. Deeks tweeted recently that the Bulls couldn’t sign anyone for the rest of the season until April 3rd, but judging from reports linking them to Jimmer Fredette, Danny Granger and Caron Butler, it appears they don’t have to wait that long. Here’s more on a bustling post-deadline market:

  • Granger is having phone conversations today with the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Clippers and Bulls, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Those are the teams that TNT’s David Aldridge identified Wednesday as Granger’s preferred destinations.
  • Deeks clarifies that the Bulls can sign two players for the rest of the season today and stay out of the tax if they’re confident Gibson won’t make an All-Defensive Team and trigger the bonus clause in his contract. If they wanted to play it safe in case Gibson does earn such an honor, they’d have to wait until April 3rd to hand out any contract for the rest of the season (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

Glen Davis Signs With Clippers

The Clippers have officially announced their signing of Glen DavisThe team was considered the frontrunner for Davis thanks to his ties to coach Doc Rivers, for whom Davis played with the Celtics, plus the power forward’s desire to play for a contender. Davis, whose contract covers the rest of the season, is the only player on the Clippers roster to have won an NBA title. A number of other teams, including the Nets, Bulls, Heat, Spurs, and Warriors, were alsNBA: Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magico interested in signing Davis.

After deciding not to extend Sasha Vujacic another 10-day contract and trading Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens, the Clippers roster stood at 12 before the addition of Davis. The roster flexibility was created in part to give the Clippers the opportunity to sign players on the buyout market, like Davis, who’s a client of John Hamilton of Performance Sports Management.

Orlando was trying to trade Davis at the deadline but was unable to find a taker.  Davis is due the remainder of his $6.4MM salary this season and $6.6MM in 2014/15.  The 28-year-old is coming off of a year in which he averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with a 15.0 PER in an injury-shortened 2012/13.  So far in 2013/14, Davis has been hampered by injuries. He’s averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 30.1 minutes per contest this season.

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter Link), the Magic didn’t use the stretch provision on Davis, and are taking the full hit on his $6.6MM salary during the 2014/2015 season. Kyler also tweeted that the team had told Davis last weekend of its intention to negotiate a buyout of his contract and waive him. It hasn’t been announced how much, if any, of his salary he relinquished in the buyout.

Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Davis had a deal, and that it covered the rest of the season. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times noted that Davis was set to take a physical and sign with the team today (Twitter link).

Magic Waive Glen Davis In Buyout Arrangement

SUNDAY, 10:37am: Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter Link) has heard that the Nets have been told that Davis will sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers at 5 p.m. today.

SATURDAY, 1:58pm: The Nets and Clippers remain the frontrunners to sign Davis, but the Heat might be interested in him as well, says Marc Stein of ESPN. Stein also hears that all of the teams with rumored interest in Big Baby expect him to make a decision on where to sign before the end of the weekend (Twitter links).

FRIDAY, 7:05pm: You can add the Bulls to the list of teams that may be interested in Davis, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter Link).

6:20pm: According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter Link), the Magic will not be using the stretch provision on Davis, and will take the full hit on his $6.6MM salary during the 2014/2015 season. Kyler also tweeted that the team had told Davis of their intention to waive him and buy out his contract last weekend.

1:51pm: Kevin Garnett is recruiting Davis as part of a hard push from the Nets to convince him to sign with Brooklyn, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:45pm: The Magic have officially announced that they’ve come to a buyout arrangment and waived Davis. It’s unclear how much of his salary Davis is relinquishing.

1:04pm: The team has yet to make an official announcement, but the release of Davis has been finalized, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

12:43pm: There’s a sense around the league that Davis and Rivers already have what amounts to an agreement for Big Baby to join the Clippers once he clears waivers, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. The Magic are expected to officially release Davis this afternoon, tweets Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

THURSDAY, 9:43pm: Along with the Clippers, the Heat, Spurs, Nets, and Warriors are expressing interest in Big Baby, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.

6:58pm: The Magic and Glen Davis have reached agreement on a buyout, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  The buyout should be official tomorrow morning.

Orlando was dangling the big man at the deadline but they were unable to find a taker.  Davis was due the remainder of his $6.4MM salary this season and $6.6MM in 2014/15.  The 28-year-old is coming off of a year in which he averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with a 15.0 PER in an injury-shortened season.  So far in 2013/14, Davis has been bitten by the injury bug once again.  He’s putting up 12.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 30.1 minutes per contest this season.

The Clippers figure to be a strong frontrunner for Davis now that he’s available, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  Los Angeles makes a lot of sense for Davis who has a relationship with Doc Rivers and presumably would like to join a contender.  For Orlando, the buyout should open up playing time for Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn as they look to the future.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Davis, Collins, ‘Melo

Gerald Wallace has never been shy about voicing his opinions. He recently suggested to reporters, including Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, that the trade deadline does not serve the same purpose that it used to:

“Now I don’t think it’s about teams trying to get better, or teams making trades to try and improve. Now it’s about teams trying to get rid of guys to get under the salary cap, or get under the luxury tax. It’s a different situation as trades go nowadays. Teams are all looking to save as much money as possible now.”

Let’s look at the latest from the Atlantic:

  • The Raptors wouldn’t be afraid to add a player who was waived in a buyout deal, but it would have to be the “right guy,” tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The team currently rosters the league maximum 15 players, so they would need to release someone in order for anything to happen.
  • Glen Davis thought he was heading to the Clippers, but Kevin Garnett‘s effort to recruit the former LSU star to the Nets has him reconsidering his options, according to Kyler (Twitter links).
  • The Nets locker room would welcome the openly gay Jason Collins, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. However, Bondy notes that the team would prefer to land Davis.
  • Carmelo Anthony wasn’t thrilled the Knicks stood pat at the deadline, but he realizes front office decisions are out of his hands, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
  • Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com examines what a buyout deal would mean for Metta World Peace, Beno Udrih, and the Knicks. Earlier today, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News said each of the two players was close to reaching an agreement to part ways with New York.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Suns

Clippers coach Doc Rivers will actively recruit bought out players that L.A. wants to sign in the coming days, he tells reporters including Arash Markazi of ESPN LA. “You always do. I’m not going to say any names, but there’s more than one team that wants all these guys, at least a lot of the guys. You have to talk to them, for sure.” Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Rivers also discussed Glen Davis per Markazi, who was recently bought out and is expected to pick between the Clippers and Nets for the rest of the year. In Davis’s case, Nets veteran Kevin Garnett is reportedly in a recruitment competition with Rivers. This doesn’t surprise Rivers, who coached both players to a championship with the Celtics: “I think they always liked him. It doesn’t surprise me at all. That group won a title together and came one game away from winning another one. You’d think there’s a kinship.”
  • In the same piece, Markazi suspects the Clippers need to add multiple players to bolster their title hopes, even if Davis is the most noteworthy name on the market. Injuries to J.J. Redick and the team’s parting with Byron Mullens leaves the team thin in both the backcourt and frontcourt.
  • The Suns went through Thursday’s trade deadline without making any changes, and players, coaches, and management all echo their comfort level with the team as constructed to Matt Peterson of Suns.com.  Head Coach Jeff Hornacek is happy the team that has surprised with success will remain intact, saying, “It’s great that the team stays the way it is and we just keep going.” GM Ryan McDonough adds, “Unless there was a superstar or a blockbuster deal, we didn’t want to affect our group because they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do and they’ve played well. We’re 11 games over .500 as we get into late February. We didn’t want to make a move in-season just for the sake of doing something. We’re fine doing nothing because we’re happy with the guys we have.”
  • In the same piece, McDonough tells Peterson that the Suns timed their trades for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee, and two first round picks over last summer because they didn’t think picks would be as easy to come by closer to the draft. He appears to be right, considering no first round selections swapped hands in the month of February.

Wizards Notes: Maynor, Davis, Jamison

The Wizards saw trading Eric Maynor as an “imperative,” a source tells J. Michael of CSNWashington. That’s a strong indictment of his play, since Michael notes that Maynor didn’t cause trouble in the locker room. Maynor was never the team’s first choice last summer when they were seeking a backup for John Wall, he was just the first to accept their offer, writes Michael. Now that Andre Miller is on the roster, the team believes they have found the right player for them.

More on the Wizards:

  • The Wizards have a “lukewarm” interest in Antawn Jamison now that the Hawks have officially waived him, tweets J. Michael. The team will wait and see what other players are available prior to making a decision on Jamison.
  • J. Michael also tweeted that Glen Davis isn’t likely to be in the Wizards plans. He thinks Davis is most likely to sign with the Clippers.
  • Miller commented on his difficulties with former coach Brian Shaw, in an article by the Associated Press. Miller stated, “It was just an instance where I kind of lost my cool and was a little bit unprofessional and stepped out of character. And I apologized to my teammates for what happened. That’s not me. That’s not what I’m about.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Miller, Neal, Cavs, Warriors

In a radio appearance this morning with William Qualkinbush on WCCP-FM in Clemson, South Carolina, I praised the Pacers‘ acquisition of Evan Turner and deemed the inability of the Suns to find a taker for Emeka Okafor and his expiring contract a missed opportunity. There’s plenty more reaction to Thursday’s trade deadline amid our latest look around the NBA:

  • The Nuggets are relieved to move on from the Andre Miller situation, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.  For his part, GM Tim Connelly took the high road when discussing the 37-year-old guard.  “There’s always going to be issues that pop up,” said Connelly. “There’s no villain here. Unfortunately what happened, happened. We have to have the full support of our coach. I think it’s important that everyone understands that is Brian (Shaw)‘s locker room. (Miller) was out of character. He’s a pro. I’m sure he’s excited to move on to D.C. and help that team make a playoff push.
  • Gary Neal didn’t see a whole lot of playing time with the Bucks and head coach Larry Drew acknowledged that the rapid progress of rookie Nate Wolters was partially responsible for that, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.  Neal will now hope to see more burn with the Bobcats.
  • GM David Griffin says the Cavs will “take a swing at someone” in an effort to fill the open roster spot that Thursday’s trade created, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Journal.
  • The Warriors would have more interest in Earl Clark than Glen Davistweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Both hit waivers today and should become free agents on Sunday.
  • The Hawks have recalled Jared Cunningham from the D-League, the team announced. The 24th overall pick in 2012 has made 22 appearances for the Bakersfield Jam this year and only five for Atlanta.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Magic Working On Glen Davis Buyout

The Magic are working on a contract buyout with forward Glen Davis, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  Orlando was dangling the big man at the deadline but they were unable to find a taker.  The buyout must be OK’d by the player’s union before it becomes officlal, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

Davis is due to earn the remainder of his $6.4MM salary this season and $6.6MM in 2014/15.  The 28-year-old is coming off of a year in which he averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with a 15.0 PER in an injury-shortened season.  So far in 2013/14, Davis has been bitten by the injury bug once again.  He’s putting up 12.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 30.1 minutes per contest this season.

 

Ford’s Latest: Magic, Cavs, Bobcats

Victor Oladipo may be the only Magic player unavailable for a trade, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who adds that the team is looking for multiple first-round picks or young players for Arron Afflalo. Ford believes Orlando will indeed find a taker for Afflalo, but that’s in contrast to a report from Sam Amick of USA Today indicating the Magic aren’t that eager to trade him and aren’t hearing from any team with strong interest (Twitter link). The Magic’s price is much lower for Glen Davis and Jameer Nelson, Ford writes, and while Amick tweets that the Magic is focusing most of its trade attention on those two, Orlando hasn’t gotten anywhere with either of them yet, Amick says.

Ford has much more in his latest Insider-only piece, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

  • The Cavs and Bobcats appear to be the only teams capable of trading away a 2014 lottery pick that would actually do so, according to Ford. If the Cavs are determined to make a playoff push, they’ll offer Dion Waiters and their 2014 first-round pick in search of veteran help, Ford writes.
  • There’s nothing major happening on the Ersan Ilyasova front, Ford hears, naming Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour as the Bucks most likely to be traded. Milwaukee is reluctant to let go of Caron Butler, who’s a native of nearby Racine, Ford adds.
  • The Sixers want “significantly” more than just a first-round pick for Thaddeus Young, which has been dissuading some teams from trading for him, Ford writes.
  • Jeff Green and Brandon Bass are the names that come up most frequently in trade discussions involving the Celtics, according to Ford.
  • Several GMs tell Ford that the Lakers appear willing to discuss any player on their roster short of Kobe Bryant.
  • Everyone outside of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas is available from the Kings, with Marcus Thornton, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and Jimmer Fredette the primary bait, Ford writes.
  • It’s unlikely the Jazz trade Gordon Hayward, Ford says, naming Marvin Williams as the team’s most likely trade candidate.
  • Teams are looking to acquire a package of both Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey, but the Pistons remain unwilling to deal Monroe, as multiple GMs tell Ford.