Sonny Weems Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sonny Weems Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent

July 10th, 2012 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

3:11pm: Kennedy clarifies (via Twitter) that the Raptors have withdrawn their qualifying offer, but not necessarily renounced their rights to Weems. I'd expect that to be the next step, but either way, Weems is an unrestricted free agent.

2:49pm: The Raptors have withdrawn their qualifying offer and renounced the rights to Sonny Weems, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The move makes Weems, who was initially a restricted free agent, unrestricted and free to sign with any team.

Grizzlies Shopping With Mini Mid-Level Exception

July 10th, 2012 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Odds & Ends: Hinrich, Bulls, Meeks, Mayo, Tolliver

July 7th, 2012 at 9:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago reported earlier that the Bucks presented Kirk Hinrich with an offer of about $4 MM per year, while the Bulls have made an offer somewhere between the veteran's minimum and around $2 MM per year. The proposed length of either deal is still unknown. Although the Bulls have been relatively quiet at this point during the offseason, Sam thinks that Chicago could eventually become financially viable for free agent point guards such as Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Jerryd Bayless, and Delonte West, who could be available if they are not acquired during the first wave of free agent signings. Derek Fisher and Jonny Flynn were also mentioned as potential additions.

We are currently less than four days away from the end of the NBA's moratorium period, and here is the rest of what we've heard around the league this evening…

Ersan Ilyasova plans to meet with Bucks owner Herb Kohl on Tuesday, which is seen as an important opportunity in the team's effort to retain the 6'10'' forward (Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports). Earlier this week, we reported that Milwaukee offered a deal worth around $40MM over five years.

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweeted that the Lakers are scheduled to meet with unrestricted free agent Jodie Meeks early next week. In another tweet, Amico says that the Celtics have reportedly stepped up their interest in O.J. Mayo, but thinks Boston would likely have to add him via a sign-and-trade.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted that although the Timberwolves express interest in Anthony Tolliver, the team has not made any promises. Zgoda also added via Tolliver's agent that there are five other teams that have shown interest.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer answered some questions from Cleveland fans about the Cavaliers' offseason. While the team appears committed to keeping Anderson Varejao, Boyer thinks that his name will be brought up by other teams during trade discussions. With regards to free agency, she believes that Anthony Tolliver, Sonny Weems, Jonny Flynn, and Royal Ivey could be targets.
Ben Golliver of the BlazersEdge wonders if there are more front office changes coming after the resignation of Larry Miller, considering that the Trail Blazers still have executives held over from two prior regimes (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony publicly endorsed the Knicks' efforts to recruit Marcus Camby, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Bulls forward Taj Gibson told Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago that he'd like the team to keep Omer Asik and would be ecstatic if the team somehow found a way to bring unrestricted free agent Kirk Hinrich back to Chicago. The two had been teammates during Gibson's rookie season.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes about Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva as two players who will look to stake their claim as the stretch-four in Lawrence Frank's rotation. Both are in Orlando participating in summer league practices, but only Daye will compete on the Pistons' summer league team.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel talked about Jameer Nelson's return to the Magic and what it means for his leadership role moving forward.

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Free Agent Rumors: Redd, Camby, Stiemsma

July 6th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Crawford were among the players to reach agreements with new clubs yesterday, while Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin agreed to lucrative offer sheets that their current teams are expected to match. What will Friday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

The Suns and Bulls are the two teams "most heavily in the mix" for Michael Redd, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Marcus Camby will meet with the Heat tomorrow and the Knicks next, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen adds that Camby likely won't meet with the Rockets until there's resolution on Omer Asik.

Earlier updates:

Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Dragic, Orton, Blazers

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Day 3 of NBA free agency is underway, and the July free agent period hasn't lacked for action so far. We'll use this space to track a number of updates on second- and third-tier free agents as the day continues. Here's the latest:

The Warriors, Lakers, and Bobcats are all interested in Antawn Jamison, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
The Mavericks might clear cap space for next summer when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are unrestricted free agents, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ersan Ilyasova's agent has said his client is seriously considering a "big offer" from a European club, according to HoopsHype.com.
The Timberwolves continued negotiation with Nicolas Batum, Greg Stiemsma, and Jordan Hill on Tuesday, but no deal was reached, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.

Earlier updates:

Chauncey Billups and Spencer Hawes won't be possibilities for the Trail Blazers, says Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter links).
The Thunder, Hornets, and Wizards have expressed interest in Roger Mason, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
Brandon Roy met with the Warriors in the Bay Area on Sunday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Cavaliers and Knicks have expressed some interest in restricted free agent Sonny Weems, says Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Pacers may be a long shot for Jamal Crawford, but the club has "legitimate interest" in Carlos Delfino, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
GM David Kahn and the Timberwolves like Greg Stiemsma and "talked numbers" with his agent, but no offer was made, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). The two sides will meet again on Friday.
The Clippers continue to have interest in Jason Terry and J.R. Smith and are talking with both players' reps, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. I imagine the Clips view those players as alternate options if they miss out on Jamal Crawford and Ray Allen.
The Pacers are expected to meet with Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi in the coming days, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
Antawn Jamison will meet with the "very interested" Bobcats on Thursday and Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Jamison has previously talked about a desire to finish his career in his hometown of Charlotte.
The Trail Blazers have reached out to Chauncey Billups, who is exploring all his options, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
If the Pacers decide not to match Portland's offer sheet for Roy Hibbert, they'll turn their attention to Chris Kaman and JaVale McGee, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher.
J.R. Smith's brother tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he expects J.R. to return to the Knicks.
Terrence Williams is drawing interest from the Kings, Pistons, and Suns, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Daniel Orton has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
The Suns are still meeting with Goran Dragic and will likely meet with him again in the next few days, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
Now that Deron Williams is headed to the Nets, the Mavericks will target Steve Nashand Jeremy Lin, and focus on re-signing Jason Kidd, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Dallas is not sure whether or not they'll go after Goran Dragic.

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Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Mavs, Cavs, Crawford

July 1st, 2012 at 3:00am CST by Chuck Myron

It's past midnight on the East Coast, and that means teams may negotiate with free agents from other clubs, as the NBA's offseason gets under way in earnest. Players can't officially sign contracts until July 11, and trades can't be made official until that date either. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of talk and agreements in principle between now and then, and if this evening is any indication, we're in for a busy couple of weeks ahead. There are several bits of news rolling in on free agents as July begins, so we'll round up what we're hearing around the late-night rumor mill here.

The Lakers are seeking a point guard in free agency, and in addition to reaching out to Ramon Sessions, they're also targeting veterans like Chauncey Billups, Jameer Nelson, and Kirk Hinrich, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
In search of a center, the Mavericks have shown some interest in Hasheem Thabeet and Joel Przybilla, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
The Cavaliers have expressed interest in Jonny Flynn, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. They're also eyeing Sonny Weems, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Mavericks are interested in Anthony Randolph, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Jamal Crawford was contacted by six teams tonight, with Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifying the Celtics, Suns, 76ers, Timberwolves, and Clippers, while Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com says the Pacers were also in touch.
Seven teams contacted Ian Mahinmi when free agency opened, but the Mavericks weren't one of them, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
The Kings have reached out to Terrence Williams, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
There are five or six teams ready to make Lou Williams a contract offer, tweets John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has already called Ramon Sessions to open dialogue about a new contract, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports clarifies an earlier item on Omer Asik (linked below), tweeting that a Blazers contingent met with Asik tonight, but that GM Neil Olshey was meeting with another player.
After his meeting with the Rockets tonight, Omer Asik will sit down with Blazers GM Neil Olshey, who plans to make him an offer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Rockets free agent Goran Dragic wants to be the starter no matter where he winds up, Wojnarowski also tweets.
The Clippers will talk with Nick Young, Randy Foye and Jamal Crawford, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Lakers unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill will meet with the Wolves on Monday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Nets are committed to reaching a deal with Mirza Teletovic but are waiting to find out what happens with Deron Williams first, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak contacted Devin Ebanks via text message about re-signing him, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey is meeting tonight with Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik, and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune hears the Rockets are prepared to offer Asik a deal worth $8MM a year (Twitter link).
The Mavs may have interest in Wolves unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
The Clippers had contact tonight with Chauncey Billups' representatives, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

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Celtics Targeting Shooting Guards

July 1st, 2012 at 2:19am CST by Luke Adams

Faced with the possibility that Ray Allen may have played his last game with the Celtics, Boston is targeting shooting guards early in free agency, according to various reports. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Celtics are pursuing Jason Terry and have interest in Nick Young, while multiple reports indicate the C's have contacted Jamal Crawford. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld adds O.J. Mayo and Sonny Weems to the list of players that have already been contacted by Boston (Twitter link).

Qualifying Offers: Friday

June 29th, 2012 at 10:43pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA's 2012 free agent period just two days away, teams continue to extend qualifying offers to free agents in order to make them restricted. If a qualifying offer is not tendered to a player eligible for restricted free agency, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Players who are tendered qualifying offers have the option to accept the one-year contract and hit unrestricted free agency a year from now, but the primary purpose of the offers are to ensure that the player's team can match any offers for him this summer. We'll track today's qualifying offer updates right here, with the latest added to the top of the page….

The Cavs have made a qualifying offer to Luke Harangody, according to the joint Twitter account of Plain Dealer writers Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade. The tender is expected to be around $1.05MM.

Earlier updates:

Sonny Weems To Return Next Season

June 14th, 2012 at 6:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Sonny Weems plans to return to the NBA next season. The 6'6'' shooting guard will be a restricted free agent, and has drawn interest from the Celtics, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Clippers. He last played for the Raptors during the 2010-11 season before signing a one-year deal with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Euroleague during the NBA lockout.

Sonny Weems Drawing Interest

April 30th, 2012 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending the season in Lithuania, Sonny Weems is anxious to return to North America and test the NBA free agent waters this summer. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that a number of teams have already expressed interest in Weems, with the Celtics among the clubs expected to pursue him.

Having sat out the season, Weems remains under the Raptors' control. He'll be eligible for restricted free agency, so the Raps would have the option to extend him a qualifying offer and then match any rival offers. It's not clear, however, whether Weems is a part of the Raptors' plan going forward.

"I haven’t heard anything (from the Raptors)," Weems said. "It doesn’t matter to me either way. My agent, Roger Montgomery, has been talking to many different teams and a lot of them are very interested. I’m just very excited for free agency. If I don’t go back to Toronto, it wouldn’t be a heart-breaker for me because it gives me a chance to start over and join another team."

Weems, 25, has played for the Nuggets and Raptors in his three NBA seasons. In 2010/11, he averaged 9.2 points in 23.9 minutes per game over the course of 59 contests.