Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Sign Gary Neal

July 9th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:39pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announced.

“Gary is a proven veteran who will bring us perimeter shooting and experience,“ GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “Adding him to our rotation makes our backcourt rotation deeper and more versatile.“

JULY 3RD, 2:21pm: The Wizards will sign Gary Neal for one year and $2.1MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Washington will use its biannual exception, worth $2.139MM, to accommodate the contract, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). That leaves the $5.464MM mid-level exception for reported target David West, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter).

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities raised the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal that would preserve Washington’s biannual when he reported interest in Neal from the Bulls, but it looks at this point that it’ll be a straight signing. The David Bauman client drew the eye of the Wizards this past season, when they would have had interest in signing him if he had engineered a buyout from the Timberwolves, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reported then.

Washington appealed to the guard based on its proximity to his hometown in Baltimore and the presence of starters John Wall and Bradley Beal, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. His deal is a slight pay drop from the two-year, $6.5MM deal he signed in 2013, even though his scoring was up from his time with the Spurs.

Magic Sign C.J. Watson

July 9th, 2015 at 11:18am CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 11:18am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

8:20pm: The final season is partially guaranteed for $1MM, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

8:57am: The Magic and Watson have reached an agreement on a three-year, $15MM deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter).

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 4TH, 12:09am: The Magic are nearing an agreement with unrestricted free agent C.J. Watson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to the length and amount of the arrangement the two sides are discussing, though the guard is intent on securing a deal for the mid-level exception, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com relayed earlier this week. Watson would provide backcourt depth behind Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton.

Watson, 31, appeared in 57 contests for the Pacers during the 2014/15 season, averaging 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 24.9 minutes per night, and owned a slash line of .434/.400/.826. His career numbers are 7.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG, while shooting .425/.383/.806.

The Wizards, Clippers, and Mavericks were all reported to have interest in Watson. The point guard had expressed a desire to return to the Pacers back in April, saying, ”Hopefully I’ll be back here. I like it in Indy. I love the team and the atmosphere of the city. We’ll see what happens. It’s not really in my hands. So we’ll see.”

Southwest Rumors: Villanueva, Gasol, Conley

July 8th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Southwest Division free agent bounty might take a hit if DeAndre Jordan indeed reverses course on his decision to sign with the Mavericks, as the Clippers are trying to convince him to do, but he’s not the only free agent the Mavs and Clippers have fought over. There’s more on that amid the latest from around the Southwest:

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers put in a recruiting call to Charlie Villanueva, who also spoke with Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, as Villanueva reveals on his own website (hat tip to TNT’s David Aldridge). The forward also indicates that the Kings were in the mix, too, but Villanueva made it clear that he’s pleased to have agreed to a deal with the Mavs.
Marc Gasol hinted that Mike Conley assured him he’ll be just as committed to re-signing with the Grizzlies next summer, when he’s a free agent, as Gasol was this year, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. Gasol said it never got to a point where he could envision himself playing outside of Memphis. “I was just sitting on it. I wanted to talk to Mike Conley,” Gasol said to Tillery. “Once I knew Mike Conley was on board, that sealed the deal. We both talked about the future. Once I knew he was on board it was a done deal.”
Some people within the Spurs wondered in retrospect if the team would have been better off giving some of Manu Ginobili‘s minutes to Marco Belinelli, but Ginobili remains valuable to the team and around the league, as Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News chronicles. Someone from another NBA team told Harvey that if he thought Ginobili would ever sign with a franchise other than the Spurs, his team would have pursued him. The veteran swingman has reportedly agreed to re-sign with the Spurs for what appears to be the $2.814MM room exception. Belinelli committed to the Kings.

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.

Southeast Notes: Whiteside, Thornton, Wizards

July 5th, 2015 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The dollars are flying this summer for the league’s top free agents — especially free agent big men — but Heat center Hassan Whiteside says that he’s not concerning himself with all of that right now, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post writes. Whiteside, who just experienced a breakout season, will hit free agency next summer. As Lieser points out, Whiteside has never earned more than $1MM in a season and will make $981,348 this upcoming season.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Marcus Thornton is part of a small group of shooters — and one that has shrunk because of recent reported signings — that Miami is interested in, a Heat official told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Thornton, according to Jackson, is a realistic target. There are other guards on the free agent market that would be bench upgrades, but they are more likely to command more than the minimum, and Miami hasn’t decided if it will pay more than that, Jackson adds.
The Wizards were probably out on Rodney Stuckey after agreeing to sign Gary Neal, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com tweets. On Sunday, Stuckey agreed to stay in Indiana on a three-year, $21MM deal.
Drew Gooden appears to be most likely of the Wizards‘ unrestricted free agents to return, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke with J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Gooden is one of four UFAs for Washington, including Rasual Butler, Kevin Seraphin, and Will Bynum. With Paul Pierce out of the picture, Gooden is an affordable and logical choice to help fill that void at the stretch four.

Will Joseph 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.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Carroll

July 5th, 2015 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Pat Riley has denied that he’s looking to do so, but the Heat may look to trade Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen to reduce their luxury tax costs, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami is staring at a bill of more than $30MM if no further moves are made, and replacing Chalmers and Andersen with minimum salary players [Jackson mentions Carlos Boozer as a possibility] or near-minimum guys [such as Marcus Thornton] could reduce that by about $20MM. Another trade candidate is Josh McRoberts, but Jackson says many in the organization would prefer to keep him. Jackson also credits Goran Dragic for taking a less-than-maximum deal to help the Heat keep Dwyane Wade. Zoran Dragic, who is entering the final year of his contract, admitted to being frustrated by a lack of playing time in Miami after being acquired from Phoenix in February.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

A sign-and-trade deal involving Chalmers, Andersen or McRoberts could be the best way for the Heat to get the extra shooter they need, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The columnist also contends Chris Bosh, if fully healthy, is a better fit for Miami than LaMarcus Aldridge would have been.
Free agent Drew Gooden will probably be re-signed by the Wizards, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, but Michael isn’t as optimistic about Kevin Seraphin. Gooden is valuable for Washington because he provides both size at 6’10” and three-point range, Michael argues, but he expects Seraphin to go somewhere he can get more playing time. The free agent center has been linked to the Lakers, Suns and Spurs. Michael also notes that the Wizards have been stocking up on wing players this summer in an effort to match up better with the Cavaliers’ LeBron James. So far, Washington has agreements to add Gary Neal, Jared Dudley and Kelly Oubre.
The Hawks told DeMarre Carroll they had to make a choice between him and Paul Millsap in free agency, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Carroll said the Raptors made it clear to him that he was a top priority. “I came in and realized this team really wants me and the coach really wants me,” he said (Twitter link). “… At the same time, then they threw the money at me, and that was even bigger.” (Twitter link). Carroll is to receive $60MM over four years from Toronto.

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Watson, Winslow

July 4th, 2015 at 11:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Free agent Kevin Seraphin is getting interest from the Wizards, Lakers and Suns, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Spears adds that the Spurs would also be interested in the forward’s services if they fail to land David West. Seraphin signed the qualifying offer from Washington last offseason, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

C.J. Watson will make $5MM in each of the next three seasons after reaching an agreement to sign with the Magic, but in the final season of the deal, only $1MM of his salary is guaranteed, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Watson is expected to lead the bench unit and be the primary backup to Elfrid Payton.
The Wizards had shown interest in Watson before he agreed to his deal with Orlando, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets.
The Knicks are getting a bargain in their agreement with Kyle O’Quinn, opines Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. O’Quinn’s new contract is worth $16MM over the next four years. The statistician projected that the 25-year-old would get a contract of $27MM over three years.
The Heat reportedly turned down the Celtics’ proposal of four first-round picks and two second-rounders for the rights to Justise Winslow and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ponders whether the team made the right call by keeping the Duke product on its roster. The Celtics have a bounty of future first-rounders, as our Draft Pick Tracker page indicates. The exact draft picks that Boston was offering has not been disclosed, but with the Heat owing three of their future first round picks to the the Sixers and Suns, the team could have certainly used the extra assets. Given the situation, Winderman argues the rejection of the offer further proves how valuable Miami views Winslow.

And-Ones: Seraphin, Stuckey, Antic

July 3rd, 2015 at 11:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards expect Kevin Seraphin will test the free agent market, and they’ll attempt to find a sign-and-trade partner for the big man, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link). Such a sign-and-trade would be structured so that Washington could gain a trade exception, Michael adds (on Twitter).

Here’s more from around the league:

The Hawks have rescinded their qualifying offer to Pero Antic, making him an unrestricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The move was made to maximize the team’s available cap space, Pincus adds. Antic has already signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce, a Turkish club.
Free agent point guard Rodney Stuckey is receiving interest from the Cavaliers, and while talks thus far have been exploratory, the interest is mutual, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets.
The Hornets have expressed a willingness to work out a sign-and-trade involving Mo Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (on Twitter).
The Lakers have expressed interest in Jason Smith, league sources tell Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Grizzlies would be amenable to working out a sign-and-trade deal for center Kosta Koufos, Wojnarowski tweets. The Yahoo! scribe mentions the Clippers as a team who should consider trying to work out a deal with Memphis.
With the Magic missing out on free agent target Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks, the team may pass on adding another power forward this summer, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “We’ll continue to look at the free agents that are available,” Orlando GM Rob Hennigan said. “We’ll continue to look at trade opportunities. We still have quite a bit of cap space. Our tune has not changed. We’ll continue to look for opportunities. And if we feel like the opportunities make really good sense, then we’ll be as aggressive as anyone to try to complete a deal.”
When asked specifically about adding a power forward, Hennigan said, “I’m not sure. I think we have enough on the roster as is. It just goes back to those opportunities again. Like I said a few weeks ago, we have to be careful of spending just to spend,” Robbins relays.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.