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Atlantic Notes: Saric, Kaun, Jason Smith, Carroll

July 8th, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers apparently wanted to bring Dario Saric over for 2015/16, and Saric shared that desire, reports David Pick, writing for Basketball Insiders. However, the No. 12 pick in the 2014 draft doesn’t have a way to escape his contract with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes until next year. Saric was circumspect when Pick asked him about the idea of coming stateside and the situation with his overseas team.

“It’s really hard for me to answer that,” Saric said. “I can’t comment. I think I’m ready to compete in the NBA, against the best players, but we built a great team in Efes and I want to help the club win a championship.”

In any case, it would seem that Saric is anxious to sign with the Sixers as soon as he can, rather than wait until 2017, when he wouldn’t be bound by the rookie scale, though that’s just my observation. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The most recent talks the Nets have had with the Cavaliers were about Cleveland draft-and-stash center Sasha Kaun, not Joe Johnson, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reports as part of a larger piece. The Nets and Kaun, a 6’11” 30-year-old, have had mutual interest for some time, tweets Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. The Spurs have also reportedly talked to the Cavs about him. The Johnson discussion is reportedly dormant.
The Knicks offered their $2.814MM room exception to Jason Smith, but he turned it down for more money from the Magic, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. New York could have offered as much as $3,933,600 via Non-Bird rights, but agent Mark Bartelstein made it clear there are no hard feelings, as Berman relays. “The Knicks made a great attempt to try to keep him,’’ Bartelstein said.
Soon-to-be Raptors signee DeMarre Carroll authored an homage to the Hawks, his former team, in The Players’ Tribune, giving credit to a handful of figures, especially former Hawks assistant Quin Snyder, who’s now head coach of the Jazz.
New Raptors D-League one-to-one affiliate Raptors 905 has named Dan Tolzman as its GM and Jesse Mermuys its head coach and assistant GM, the team announced. Both were already employed within the Raptors organization.

Western Notes: Cuban, Stoudemire, Aldridge

July 7th, 2015 at 9:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has fined Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban $25k for publicly confirming the team’s pending free-agent deals with DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Under league rules teams and players are allowed to strike verbal agreements on new contracts during July’s moratorium period, but team officials are not allowed to openly discuss those deals until July 9th, when the moratorium concludes, Stein adds. Cuban has accumulated over $2MM in league fines since becoming the Mavs’ owner back in 2000.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Unrestricted free agent Amar’e Stoudemire is talking with the Clippers regarding a deal, but Los Angeles’ difficult salary cap situation is complicating matters, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (on Twitter). The Clippers are also floating the idea of signing free agent center Cole Aldrich, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
Ed Pinckney will serve as the lead assistant on coach Michael Malone‘s staff with the Nuggets, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun tweets.
LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t officially inform the Trail Blazers that he was leaving Portland until last Friday, though the team likely knew the forward wouldn’t be returning, Jason Quick of The Oregonian notes (via Twitter). The big man agreed to a four-year, and approximately $80MM deal with the Spurs.
Veteran Kevin Garnett may end up transitioning into a front office position during the second season of his new deal with the Wolves if he isn’t healthy enough to play in 2016/17, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes (on Twitter). KG agreed to a two-year pact with the team earlier today.
Despite all of the roster additions the Mavericks have made this offseason, the team still may have lost ground to the other teams in the West who have also improved, especially the Spurs, who landed Aldridge, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. But even if the team does regress in 2015/16, the additions of DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews give the franchise two important building blocks for the future, Sefko adds.

Lowe’s Latest: Heat, West, Aldridge, Suns

July 7th, 2015 at 12:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have “put out Shabazz Napier feelers” as they seek to maximize their cap flexibility for the summer of 2016, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes within a larger column on free agency. Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen are available “for nothing,” Lowe adds, presumably meaning that the Heat continue to place a priority on clearing their salaries in an effort to avoid repeat-offender luxury tax penalties. Heat president Pat Riley denied a report last month that the team was shopping the pair, who are set to make a combined $9.3MM this coming season, but it sounds as if Miami is at least open to the idea of moving them if another team comes forward with an offer. Miami could simply decline its 2016/17 team option on Napier, worth about $1.35MM, but the team presumably wants to extract more value than that out of last year’s 24th overall pick. Lowe dishes plenty more in his latest must-read column, and we’ll pass along some of the highlights:

David West turned down an extra $4MM or so from the Wizards and about an extra $2MM from the Warriors when he reportedly agreed to sign for the minimum salary with the Spurs, several league sources tell Lowe. That signals that Washington would have spent its $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level and Golden State would have used its $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level instead of committing part of it to Leandro Barbosa.
The Nuggets tried before the draft to trade the lottery protected 2016 first-round pick it acquired from the Blazers in the Arron Afflalo trade in February, but no one bit, out of fear that the Blazers would lose LaMarcus Aldridge and miss the playoffs two years in a row, Lowe hears. If Portland doesn’t qualify for the postseason in 2016 or 2017, the first-rounder turns into two second-rounders, as RealGM notes.
Aldridge’s interest in the Lakers was serious as free agency began, several sources told Lowe. He took two meetings with the team after the first one apparently didn’t focus enough on basketball for his liking.
Suns owner Robert Sarver is impatient with his team’s playoff drought and has made it clear to the front office that he wants them to be aggressive in free agency, Lowe reports. That explains Phoenix’s pursuit of Aldridge, which had the Suns seemingly co-favorites with the Spurs at one point.
The best information so far indicates that DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons will opt out next summer, Lowe writes, though it’s early.
George Karl loved coaching Kosta Koufos when they were together with the Nuggets, according to Lowe, so Sacramento’s agreement to sign the center leaves the Grantland columnist with the impression that Karl indeed has some degree of sway over Kings personnel.

Latest On David West

July 6th, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 2:52pm: The Heat are also pursuing West, as Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard reported and as Herald scribe Barry Jackson confirms (Twitter links), though Jackson doubts the Heat will be able to overcome his other suitors.

SATURDAY, 12:38pm: The Cavs and the Spurs are both aggressively pursuing West, with Cleveland having a slight edge at the moment, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 9:56am: The Wizards are making a hard push for West, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Spurs are still very much in the picture for him, but the Warriors have become “highly unlikely,” Stein adds in a second tweet. The ESPN scribe said Wednesday that the Spurs and Wizards were his most likely destinations. Washington has only the $5.464MM mid-level exception to spend unless it can work a sign-and-trade.

THURSDAY, 9:35am: David West is seriously interested in playing for either the Spurs or the Warriors, a source with knowledge of his situation told USA Today’s Sam Amick. Playing for one of the last two NBA champions would jibe with the reason he turned down his $12.6MM player option with the Pacers, as he explained Wednesday to Bob Kravitz of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, telling him that he wants a legitimate chance at a title that he feels the Pacers can’t provide. He also said to Kravitz that while the team’s open criticism of Roy Hibbert wasn’t the deciding factor, it also played a role in his choice to leave Indiana.

“That’s one thing where I wish they would have handled better was the situation with Roy,” West said. “I’ll be honest with you, that bothered me a little bit, and I told Roy that. I’m the type of guy who feels like we’re all in this fight together and I’m not designed in that way to put it all on one guy. That did rub me the wrong way. That threw me off. I started reading some of that stuff, I started thinking, ‘Whoaa.’ I just didn’t feel good about that. I told Roy that it bothered me, that he’s still my teammate.”

West was open-minded at the end of the regular season about returning to Indiana, but as he watched the Finals on TV, he decided winning was a greater priority, as Kravitz detailed. The Pacers still have West’s Bird rights, but he doesn’t sound keen on re-signing, and it doesn’t sound like he’s Knicks-bound, either. He called the rumor that he was likely to sign with the Knicks ridiculous, citing his desire to play with a contender, Kravitz tweets.

The Spurs have maximum-level cap flexibility as they seek LaMarcus Aldridge after agreeing to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks, and while West probably wouldn’t command the max, he may well be a fallback option for San Antonio should it miss on Aldridge or Marc Gasol. The Warriors have only the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to offer. It’s not clear if either team has interest in the Lance Young client.

Manu Ginobili To Return This Season

July 6th, 2015 at 1:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Manu Ginobili will play this season, he revealed on Twitter (hat tip to Scott Agness of VigilantSports). Ginobili said in the tweet’s hashtag that Tim Duncan, who also revealed his intentions to play again this coming season, would have missed him if he hadn’t followed suit and decided to play another season. Presumably, both will re-sign with the Spurs, though Ginobili and San Antonio are still working on the details of a new contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

The odds of Ginobili, who’ll turn 38 this month, didn’t seem as high as they were with Duncan’s return. Still, San Antonio’s sixth man is back in spite of having averaged fewer points and minutes per game this past season than in any year since he was a rookie.

It’s likely that the Herb Rudoy client will play for less than the $7MM he made with the Spurs this past season so that San Antonio can accommodate a max contract for LaMarcus Aldridge, who’s committed to join the team, as well as the new deals for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The money that Duncan will make, as well as the final terms of the agreed-upon Tiago Splitter trade, will likely dictate just how much San Antonio will have left for Ginobili.

Latest On Mo Williams

July 6th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies remain in the mix for free agent point guard Mo Williams, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who adds that a source suggested the Spurs as an emergent suitor. Zwerling reported last week that a deal between Memphis and Williams was close, but a source who spoke with Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal around the same time disputed that notion.

Memphis allowed its contract guarantee date with backup point guard Beno Udrih to pass on Sunday, meaning his partial guarantee of $923K is now a full guarantee of more than $2.17MM. That means the team has two point guards locked in, with Mike Conley holding down the starting job. The Grizzlies also have point guard Russ Smith on a non-guaranteed deal that picks up a $150K partial guarantee if he remains on the roster through July 15th.

The Hornets are willing to sign-and-trade Williams, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported this weekend. That would help the Spurs, who are unlikely to have more than the $2.814MM room exception to spend on Williams in a straight-up signing, as well as the Grizzlies, who’ll likely be spending their $5.464MM mid-level to accommodate their deal with Brandan Wright. Williams and the Cavs, who have their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend, reportedly have mutual interest.

And-Ones: Terry, O’Quinn, Anderson

July 5th, 2015 at 11:30pm CST by Will Joseph

The Mavericks have had conversations with unrestricted free agent Jason Terry about a reunion in Dallas, where the veteran spent half of his 16 seasons in the league, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. If the Mavs added him, Terry would likely join Devin Harris as a good source of offense off the bench, Sefko writes. Terry finished last season as the Rockets’ starting point guard when Patrick Beverley was injured and played well in that role during the playoffs.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Kyle O’Quinn, who the Knicks have agreed to acquire via sign-and-trade with the Magic, will miss Orlando, but the clincher in the deal was it being a long-term one from his hometown team, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “It was a long-term deal. That played a big part,” O’Quinn said. “When I found out I was going home, of course I was excited to be around my mom and my dad and my sister. … And it was just a good opportunity for me to possibly get minutes, play a bigger role, and hopefully I can flourish in it.”
Keeping free agent Alan Anderson remains a priority for the Nets, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). However, Anderson is a popular bench target for teams so he could wind up elsewhere.
Unrestricted free agent big man Joel Freeland is considering five potential NBA teams, but it is very possible he signs with CSKA Moscow, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.com (Twitter links). A decision is expected some time next week.
The Spurs have expressed an interest in adding Carlos Boozer to their bench, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com tweets.
Rodney Stuckey declined four other offers before agreeing to sign a 3-year, $21MM deal with the Pacers, league sources tell Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).
NBA free agent Vitor Faverani auditioned for Maccabi Tel Aviv and there’s mutual interest in a deal, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter).
Jeremy Evans is a developmental project for the Mavs, but they believe he can contribute this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Butler, Lillard, Durant, Exum

July 5th, 2015 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:05pm: Butler told Jabari Young of CSNNW.com (Twitter link) that he would “love to be in Portland with the Blazers.”

1:21pm: Butler is no longer in the mix for Portland, a source tells Quick (Twitter link). The Blazers are prioritizing young players or guys with favorable contracts who have upside, Quick writes in the same tweet.

12:59pm: With their new-found cap space, the Blazers are interested in veteran forward Rasual Butler, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian. The 36-year-old has been offered a contract, according to an unidentified source, but is not rushing to sign. He reportedly has interest from other teams, including the Spurs and Warriors. Butler, a 13-year NBA veteran, averaged 7.7 points and 2.6 rebounds with the Wizards last season. Portland, which is $26MM under the cap, has not reached out to free agent Gerald Green, Quick adds.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

The Blazers‘ Damian Lillard made several unsuccessful attempts to set up a meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge last week, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. Lillard tried to schedule something before leaving on a promotional trip to Paris, but Aldridge’s schedule was already filled with team meetings. They exchanged text messages, but Lillard knew by Friday night that Aldridge was leaving Portland.
The Thunder’s Kevin Durant will be the focus of next year’s free agent frenzy, but he tells Andy Vasquez of The Record that he has more immediate concerns. Multiple foot surgeries limited Durant to 27 games last year, and his goal is to be ready for next season. “I hear it all the time,” Durant said of free agency, “but I’m really just focusing on rehab and I can’t get there unless I take care of today.”
Durant is entering “Phase 3” of rehab and expects to be fully cleared for game action by August, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. “We’re doing X-rays every two weeks, and it’s looking good,” he said. “So I’m excited to get back, man. There’s no pain, and looking forward to getting back.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder has turned down several suggested trades involving Dante Exum, according to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “I believe in him,” Snyder told Utah GM Dennis Lindsey. “I believe in his makeup.” Exum struggled through his rookie season, especially with his shot, but team officials are seeing improvements in his game since he returned from his native Australia.

Spurs Pull Qualifying Offer To Cory Joseph

July 5th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Will Joseph

The Spurs have withdrawn their qualifying offer to Cory Joseph, making the point guard an unrestricted free agent, tweets Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News, who cites a league source.

The Spurs originally extended a qualifying offer to Joseph on June 30, then making him a restricted free agent, but, that, of course, was before the team reached an agreement to sign LaMarcus Aldridge. The move to rescind the offer increases the likelihood that Joseph will not be back with the Spurs, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News tweets. The Spurs still have Joseph’s Bird Rights.

The Raptors, who have been interested in taking a shot at Joseph, have the financial flexibility to overpay, if necessary, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets. The client of Rich Paul filled in nicely this past season as a starter when both Tony Parker and Patty Mills were injured in December and because of that, there’s a distinct possibility of his price tag rising. Joseph is from Canada, and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has pledged to pursue Canadian players, so it is very logical that he’d at least consider signing Joseph. Yet, as Wolstat tweets, the Spurs remain in play.

Spurs Rumors: Aldridge, Ginobili, Free Agents

July 5th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

It’s understandable that LaMarcus Aldridge would leave the chaos in Portland for a well-run organization like the Spurs, writes John Canzano of The Oregonian. The writer blames repeated turnover in the Blazers’ front office and a commitment to Damian Lillard over Aldridge for pushing the free agent forward out of town. Aldridge announced Saturday that he had accepted a four-year deal from San Antonio worth approximately $80MM, and Canzano writes that Aldridge’s refusal to meet with Lillard before making the decision was a sign of their fractured relationship.

There’s more news out of San Antonio:

The addition of Aldridge will cause the Spurs to intensify their push to get another year out of Manu Ginobili, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein writes that San Antonio needs him to return to solidify its depth. Ginobili will announce his decision through La Nacion, an Argentinian newspaper.
With plenty of roster work remaining, the Spurs had little time to celebrate the Aldridge decision, writes Mike Monroe of The Express-News. The salary cap may limit San Antonio to minimum contracts as it fills out its roster, although the team has a $2.814MM room exception available. The team dealt Tiago Splitter to Atlanta and lost free agents Marco Belinelli and Aron Baynes, but hasn’t yet renounced any of its free agents — Matt Bonner, Jeff Ayres, Cory Joseph and Reggie Williams. Monroe believes Bonner and Ayres may return next season, but Joseph, a restricted free agent, could get more money elsewhere. Free agent David West has been rumored to have interest in the Spurs, and Monroe sees Carlos Delfino, Luis Scola and Ray Allen as other possibilities.
It was an out-of-character gamble that brought Aldridge to San Antonio, contends Jeff McDonald of The Express-News. GM R.C. Buford had been preparing for this off-season for years, McDonald writes, timing contracts so that two-thirds of the roster would expire at the same time. That gave him the flexibility to offer a maximum deal to a big name like Aldridge.
Aldridge penned a letter to Blazers fans Saturday thanking them for their support, Canzano relays in a separate story. “As I’m sure you can respect, my decision was a very personal one but not one I took lightly,” Aldridge wrote. “Although I will be wearing a different uniform the next time I come back to Portland, please know that I will always hold my time in a Blazers uniform near and dear to my heart.”