Jordan Farmar

Odds & Ends: Cavs, Bobcats, Nuggets, Farmar

On the heels of a pair of unsurprising option decisionsBrandon Rush and Marvin Williams will return to the Warriors and Jazz, respectively – we received word that Andre Iguodala will opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent. Iguodala's decision isn't a huge surprise either, but it certainly makes this year's class of free agents even more interesting.

In addition to the Nuggets, Wojnarowski listed six other teams expected to pursue Iguodala, while Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group tweets that the Warriors are interested in well. Golden State would have a much tougher path to landing Iggy than teams with cap space, but a sign-and-trade is within the realm of possibility.

Here are a few more Friday odds and ends from around the NBA:

  • An Eastern Conference executive tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link) that the Cavaliers and Bobcats have both been "ultra-aggressive" in seeking out trades.
  • We heard yesterday that the Nuggets hoped to bring Brian Shaw in for an interview next week, but according to a tweet from Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, it sounds like Denver was able to schedule a meeting with Shaw for today. Lionel Hollins' interview is still set for tomorrow, as planned.
  • Discussing his team's upcoming offseason, Pistons GM Joe Dumars says many teams facing possible tax penalties next season are already making trade calls in an effort to reduce or avoid a tax bill (link via David Mayo of MLive.com).
  • Agent Tony Dutt tells Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that his client, Jordan Farmar, wants to return to the NBA "for sure." Farmar signed a three-year contract in Turkey last summer, but has the chance to opt out of the deal after each season.
  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton follows up on the story that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are interested in playing together by ranking a handful of possible destinations from least likely (Lakers) to most likely (Hawks).

Free Agents Ineligible To Sign With Specific Teams

Among the myriad rules in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement is a stipulation that says teams that trade players can't claim those players off waivers or re-sign them until the earlier of the following two dates:

  • One year after the trade was completed.
  • July 1st after the player's contract ends.

In some cases, this rule is simple to apply to practical cases. For instance, the Nets traded Mehmet Okur's expiring contract to Portland last March at the trade deadline, and the Blazers waived Okur shortly thereafter. Because Okur's deal was set to expire at season's end, he was ineligible to re-sign with the Nets during last season, but regained that ability as of July 1st, when his contract expired.

Other cases are trickier, however. For example, Derek Fisher was traded to the Rockets by the Lakers last March 15th, and was bought out by the Rockets shortly thereafter. Fisher had a player option on his contract for 2012/13, which raises the question: When exactly is his contract considered to be "over"? In his CBA FAQ, salary cap expert Larry Coon provides an answer:

  • For contracts with options or ETOs, the end date of the contract is interpreted as the June 30th before an option year, and the June 30th after an ETO year.

Fisher's option wasn't an ETO, so the June 30th before his option year should be considered the "end" of his contract, making him eligible to sign with the Lakers beginning in July, right? Well, not quite.

As confirmed by Coon, Fisher's player option for 2012/13 actually was exercised when he worked out his buyout with the Rockets, allowing the team to split his buyout amount in half between the 2011/12 and '12/13 seasons. That means Fisher is still on the Rockets' books for this season, and his contract isn't considered to be over until next June 30th. As such, the earliest date he can re-sign with the Lakers is March 15th, 2013, a year after the trade.

Since players acquired in trades generally aren't waived immediately, this situation doesn't arise all that often. And many of the players who found themselves in such a position have since signed with other teams — for instance, Josh Harrellson was ineligible to rejoin the Knicks after being waived by the Rockets, but ended up signing with the Heat.

By my count, the eight players listed below, plus Fisher, comprise the group of NBA free agents who are currently ineligible to sign with a specific team, but feel free to contact us if there are any I've missed.

Note: Players who were waived via the amnesty clause are also ineligible to re-sign with their old teams until the amnestied contract expires.

Hawks Buy Out Jordan Farmar

JULY 16TH: The Hawks have officially requested waivers on Farmar, according to a team release. Now that the two sides having finalized Farmar's buyout, he'll be headed to Turkey's Anadolu Efes, with whom he has reportedly reached an agreement.

JULY 5TH: Once the agreed-upon Joe Johnson swap between the Nets and Hawks becomes official next week, the Hawks are expected to buy out Jordan Farmar, according to NetsDaily.com (Twitter link). Farmar is under contract for $4.25MM for the coming season, but figures to be bought out for $1.5MM.

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Jordan Farmar Signs In Turkey

THURSDAY, 2:58pm: Farmar has officially signed his three-year deal with Anadolu Efes, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). Presumably, of course, this means Farmar has been officially bought out by the Hawks as well.

WEDNESDAY, 7:26am: With the moratorium lifted, the blockbuster trade that will send Joe Johnson to the Nets can officially be finalized as soon as today. At that point, Jordan Farmar, who is headed to the Hawks in the deal, will be bought out for $1.5MM by Atlanta. And according to Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star-Ledger, Farmar already has his next contract lined up — he'll sign with Turkey's Anadolu Efes and play overseas.

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Nets, Hawks Finalize Joe Johnson Deal

JULY 11, 5:03pm: The deal is now official, according to a press release by the Nets.

JULY 11, 4:40pm: Nets GM Billy King posted "Welcome Joe Johnson" on his Twitter account, presumably meaning the trade has been finalized.

JULY 2, 4:51pm: DeShawn Stevenson's sign-and-trade deal that puts him on the Hawks is for three years and $6.9MM, but only the first year, at $2.3MM, is guaranteed, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports via Twitter

4:39pm: Wojnarowski now says the deal likely happens regardless of where Deron Williams signs (Twitter link).

4:18pm: The Nets and Hawks have agreed to terms on a trade that would send Joe Johnson to Brooklyn, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who says the deal is contingent on Deron Williams agreeing to return to the Nets. However, David Aldridge of TNT says the Nets would agree to the deal regardless of Williams' status (Twitter link). Broussard adds that the deal would put the Nets out of the running of Dwight Howard, as it wouldn't leave enough cap room.

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Grizzlies Shopping With Mini Mid-Level Exception

At the start of this year's free agent period, the Grizzlies were pursuing relatively big-name free agents such as Ray Allen, willing to offer the full mid-level exception. At the time, I expressed some skepticism that Memphis could offer the full $5MM mid-level if the team hoped to re-sign Darrell Arthur and Marreese Speights.

Sure enough, since agreeing to terms with both Arthur and Speights, the Grizzlies have turned their focus to the $3MM taxpayer MLE, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. According to Tillery, Memphis is eyeing players like Jodie Meeks, Willie Green, and Jordan Farmar.

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Nets, Hawks Discussing Joe Johnson Trade

MONDAY, 4:04pm: Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star Ledger is hearing that a deal that would send Johnson to the Nets is "pretty much done," he says via Twitter.

SUNDAY,11:06pm: The Nets are now offering Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson (via sign-and-trade) and a future first-round pick for Johnson, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Sources say that the Nets are insisting that the trade includes at least one of their free agents via sign-and-trade – Stevenson or Gerald Green – in hopes of staying over the salary cap and keeping their MLE.

Stein adds that the Nets will only go ahead with the deal if it means keeping Deron Williams in Brooklyn.

The Nets would have to sign-and-trade Stevenson at a low number in order to make the numbers match up, tweets John Hollinger of ESPN.com.

9:45pm: The Nets are still trying to get a trade done for Johnson and hoping to get it resolved by mid-week, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

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Jordan Farmar Exercises Player Option

5:54pm: Farmar confirmed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) that he will be opting in for next year.

5:26pm: Jordan Farmar is opting into the final year of his contract, according to Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).  The news contradicts yesterday's report that indicated the point guard would opt out and test the open market.

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Jordan Farmar Intends To Opt Out

Jordan Farmar plans to opt out of his contract with the Nets and become an unrestricted free agent, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link) also hears Farmar is leaning toward declining his player option, though Farmar himself tells Bondy he's still undecided (Twitter link). The 25-year-old's option for 2012/13 is worth $4.25MM.

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Odds & Ends: Blazers, Hibbert, Bulls, Farmar

Tonight we saw the 76ers and Celtics advance to the second round in a pair of closely-contested Game 6s.  Here are some links from around the Association as we wait to see if the Lakers can put the Nuggets away in Denver..

  • The Blazers hope to bring former first-round picks Joel Freeland and Victor Claver on to the roster for next season, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
  • The Rockets could have interest in Pacers big man Roy Hibbert as he enters restricted free agency, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.  However, it seems that Indiana is prepared to match any offer that isn't unreasonable.
  • When asked if the Bulls should keep their core in tact this summer, Joakim Noah responded, "I'm not the GM," tweets Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
  • Nets guard Jordan Farmar wants to be a starter and wasn't terribly happy with his role last season, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.  However, it's unlikely that Farmar will decline his $4.25MM player option.
  • Most agree that the Pistons' main need in the draft is another big man to pair alongside center Greg Monroe, but team president Joe Dumars says that isn't neccessarily the case, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.  Ellis writes that it wouldn't be a shock to see Detroit tab a shooter like North Carolina's Harrison Barnes if they don't like any of the big men on the board.
  • One Western Conference exec told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter) that there is no way that Columbus will land an NBA franchise.  Earlier today, we learned that the mayor of Columbus has informed David Stern that his city is interested in adding an NBA team.