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Hawks Sign Kent Bazemore

September 23rd, 2014 at 3:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 23RD: The deal is at last official, the team announced via press release.

SEPTEMBER 11TH: The Hawks and Bazemore finally put pen to paper Wednesday, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement. It’s likely that the signing took so long to complete because Atlanta wanted to preserve cap space, though that’s just my speculation. The Hawks could have used cap space to acquire other players and circled back to sign Bazemore using the room exception. As it stands, they’re using cap space to ink Bazemore.

JULY 11TH: 9:50pm: Bazemore’s agent, Austin Walton, confirmed the deal and that it is fully guaranteed, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

9:31pm: Kent Bazemore has reached an agreement to join the Hawks, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is for two years and $4MM, according to Stein. Shams Charania of RealGM tweets that the deal is fully guaranteed, and contains no options.

The shooting guard was traded along with MarShon Brooks from the Warriors to the Lakers in the Steve Blake deal on February 19th of this year. Bazemore’s career numbers are 4.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 0.9 APG.

The 25 year old who originally went undrafted out of Old Dominion also received interest from the Hornets, Lakers, Rockets, Spurs, Warriors and Celtics.

Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, LeBron, Morrow, Blake

July 10th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Charlie Adams

Phil Jackson might be expecting Carmelo Anthony to rejoin the Knicks, but ‘Melo hasn’t ruled out the Bulls just quite yet, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, the Heat expected to have had an answer from LeBron James by this point, according to Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick. James was frustrated with some of coach Erik Spoelstra‘s strategy during the Finals this year and wasn’t impressed with team president Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference last month, Skolnick adds.

While the NBA world waits on the decisions of superstars like Anthony and James, let’s round up the latest from free agents all around the league..

Anthony Morrow has received interest from several teams, but it appears he’s deciding between joining the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors and Suns, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com, who adds that each of the teams Morrow is considering would be willing to use some or all of their mid-level exception to sign him (Twitter links). Given that the Clippers and Heat have both used up the full amount of their mid-level exceptions, signing Morrow would likely require a sign-and-trade to complete.
The Warriors took “another” look at DJ White today, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), thereby implying it’s at least the second time Golden State has looked at the big man. White had his rights renounced by Charlotte earlier today.
Other teams submitted much stronger bids for Steve Blake but he “desperately” wanted to play for the Blazers, as he agreed to do today, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The Lakers weren’t among the teams making an aggressive play for the point guard, as they offered only the minimum salary, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times hears.
The Jazz, Pelicans, Rockets, and Nets are interested in Francisco Garcia, a source tells Haynes (Twitter link).
The Wolves are making an effort to sign Evan Turner to one-year deal, a source tells tells Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. Turner played poorly last season after being shipped to Indiana at the trade deadline.
The matter of whether Mike Miller will re-sign with the Grizzlies will likely come down to contract length rather than salary, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in subscription-only piece. Memphis wants him back on a two-year deal, but Miller is pushing for three or four seasons.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been in contact with Paul Pierce‘s representatives at Excel Sports Management, but it’s unlikely the veteran forward ends up in Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Alex Lee and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Blazers Sign Steve Blake

July 10th, 2014 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:38pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

11:39am: The Blazers have struck a deal with Steve Blake, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be a two-year deal for the biannual exception with a player option for the second season, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (on Twitter). The contract will be worth $4.2MM, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, so assuming that’s an estimate, it appears the point guard is getting the full $4,247,465 value of the biannual.

Blake, a client of Joel Bell, was reportedly enamored with the idea of returning to play in Portland, where he spent parts of four seasons with the Blazers over two separate stints. The Lakers, Heat, Wolves and Knicks have all shown interest in the 34-year-old over the course of the offseason, though Minnesota wasn’t as high on him by the time free agency started, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. While Blake spoke of his affection for the Lakers and Warriors, the two teams with which he spent last season, he’s headed back to Portland instead.

The Blazers appear to be using most of their mid-level to sign Chris Kaman, so that’s likely the extent of their free agent spending beyond the minimum salary, unless they can convince Mo Williams to sign for a salary of just 20% more than the roughly $2.77MM he earned last season. That’s the most they can give Williams, with whom the Blazers have only Non-Bird rights.

And-Ones: Bosh, Rockets, ‘Melo, Thunder

July 7th, 2014 at 11:28pm CST by Charlie Adams

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski told FOX Sports 1 that Chris Bosh told the Rockets something that they don’t want to hear: “I want to be in Miami, I want to play with LeBron [James],” (link via Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders). More from around the league..

Carmelo Anthony is “torn” over where to spend the prime years of his career, a friend of the Knicks All Star forward tells Frank Isola of the Daily News. Anthony, 30, is still debating his next move with the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls as his top three choices, the source claims.
The Knicks are feeling uneasy about the Melo situation, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, the Bulls are encouraged by his indecisiveness, writes Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks met today with Pau Gasol, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
In his introductory press conference, new Nets coach Lionel Hollins presented himself as a very different man than Jason Kidd, writes Mitch Abramson of the Daily News.
A bunch of teams, including the Warriors, concluded early after July 1st that Channing Frye would get more than the mid-level exception, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland. However, teams didn’t expect him to land with the Magic. Frye is set to ink a four-year, $32MM pact with Orlando.
Kobe Bryant is recruiting Steve Blake and Caron Butler to the Lakers, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
Blazers point guard Mo Williams is scheduled to meet with the Mavericks tomorrow, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Western Notes: Williams, Warriors, Blake

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mo Williams met with the Mavericks today, and the meeting had “positive momentum,” writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The team is waiting on ‘Melo’s decision before proceeding with any other signings, and Williams’ desired destination is Dallas, tweets Zwerling.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Blake, Humphries

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder have jumped into the race for Pau Gasol, and while there’s conflicting information about just how strong their chances are of landing him, it seems Oklahoma City is taking a more aggressive posture than in years past to try to upgrade its team. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Negotiations between the Jazz and Kent Bazemore have moved beyond the preliminary stage, but the team and the Austin Walton client aren’t close to a deal, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders first reported Utah’s interest.
The Blazers have had preliminary talks about a deal with Steve Blake, who’d love to play in Portland again, sources tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The team and the Joel Bell client are expected to continue the talks, Haynes adds.
The Timberwolves were set to speak with the agent for free agent Dante Cunningham on Wednesday, but while the fellow client of Joel Bell has interest in re-signing with the team, the Wolves don’t necessarily feel the same way, observes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. (Twitter links).
The Wolves have interest in signing Kris Humphries to a one-year deal, according to Wolfson and Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (Twitter link).
Markel Starks, who went undrafted out of Georgetown last month, will play on the Wolves summer league team, in addition to doing the same with the Pistons, reports Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

Heat Eyeing Marion, Carter, Blake

June 30th, 2014 at 11:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Heat will pursue Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, and Steve Blake this summer, sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Marion, 36, wants to continue living in Dallas after his playing career is through, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that will retire in Dallas. Carter, 37, was mentioned as a possibility for Miami earlier today along with the Thunder, Blazers, Raptors, and the incumbent Mavericks. The Knicks and Wolves appear to have interest in Blake, too.

The Mavs have been worried that interest from other teams in Carter and Marion would compromise their cap space. The Warriors don’t seem to have keeping Blake a high priority, despite the way he quickly warmed to the franchise. Blake can also envision a return to the Lakers, who traded him to Golden State at the deadline.

Miami’s star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have given team president Pat Riley a window of time to upgrade the team, and it appears Riley’s first forays will be with veterans. Blake, at 34, is the youngest of the three free agents that Deveney reports the Heat have an eye on.

Wolves Eyeing Steve Blake

June 27th, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

The name of soon-to-be free agent Steve Blake has come up in trade talks between the Warriors and Wolves as a sign-and-trade possibility, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. His inclusion in a deal involving Klay Thompson and David Lee for Kevin Love is one of many scenarios the teams are considering, according to Wolfson, who earlier identified Blake as one of several free agents to watch regarding Minnesota this summer (Twitter link).

The Knicks are also apparently interested in the Joel Bell client, who spent a year playing for then-coach Phil Jackson when they were with the Lakers. Blake appears to hold the notion of playing for the Lakers again in high regard and he quickly warmed to Golden State, so it seems Minnesota wouldn’t be at the top of his list of preferred destinations. He’d have to approve any sign-and-trade deal.

Trade discussion involving Love has seemingly slowed considerably, if not completely stopped, as Minnesota reportedly waits for teams that miss out on free agent Carmelo Anthony to turn their focus to Love. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Golden State and Minnesota come to some kind of agreement whether or not Love is involved, given the frequent reports of their back-and-forth in the past month, so a deal involving Blake, providing he consents, is quite conceivable.

Knicks Likely To Pursue Steve Blake

May 16th, 2014 at 1:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are expected to pursue Steve Blake in free agency this summer, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who confirms an earlier report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that team president Phil Jackson told Raymond Felton he will seek to trade him this summer. The 34-year-old Blake just finished the final season of a four-year, $16MM contract that he signed in 2010 with the Lakers, who traded him to the Warriors at the deadline this year.

Blake has been primarily a reserve the past five seasons, though he started in all 27 of his appearances for the Lakers this year in place of Steve Nash, who missed most of the season with a variety of ailments. Blake has also missed significant time the past two seasons, having played in only 100 of a possible 164 regular season games. He would seem an odd choice to replace Felton, who was New York’s starting point guard, but perhaps Jackson is only seeking him for the bench and will go after a starting-caliber point guard via trade. It’ll be difficult for the Knicks, who’ll likely end up in the tax again next season, to bring in a starting point guard via free agency, since they’ll probably only have the taxpayer’s mid-level to offer.

It’ll be a similarly tough assignment for agent Joel Bell to find a deal for his client that closely resembles his last contract, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blake sign for more than the minimum salary, especially given the apparent interest this early in the offseason. Blake has spoken of his affection for the Lakers and Warriors, so a reunion with Jackson, his former coach, might not be tops on his wish list. The Knicks could probably snag him for a portion of their smaller mid-level, worth $3.278MM, leaving them with an opportunity to ink one more non-minimum free agent.

Warriors Rumors: Curry, O’Neal, Jackson

May 5th, 2014 at 10:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News laid out a plan for how the Warriors can join the NBA elite. Even though they have four starters making $10MM or more and Klay Thompson is due an extension, they’ll have to find a way to put another star alongside Stephen Curry, Thompson writes. That could be easier said than done since the player they’d be most willing to move, David Lee, will earn $30.5MM over the next two years. Here’s more out of Oakland..

Warriors center Jermaine O’Neal is expected to take his time in deciding whether to keep playing or retire, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The veteran still loves the game but badly wants to spend time with his family, Spears writes. O’Neal averaged 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game for Golden State this season.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle has more from O’Neal on his difficult decision.
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group takes a look at the contract situations of several key Warriors, sizing up the sway that each of them has with the front office and examining how the fate of Mark Jackson plays into their futures. Of note, Kawakami says that if Jackson returns, Steve Blake probably won’t.
The Warriors are confident they’ll have enough room under the luxury tax threshold to sign a player for the full value of the mid-level exception this summer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.