Today is going to be the Black Friday Sales of the NBA — there will be deals happening fast here, there and everywhere. Just like at Wal*Mart, you might have GMs pepper spraying others to make sure they get the player they want.
It’s going to be hard to keep up with all the information, so this one post will have updates on everything that goes down. You’re going to read more details about a lot of them in other posts here at ProBasketballTalk, but this spot is your one-stop shopping — refresh this post and you will know what is going on as soon as we do. And watch out for Daryl Morey and the pepper spray.
11:19 pm: Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe had surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus and will be out at least another month. That means more Mo Williams minutes.
11:15 pm: LaMarcus Aldridge is going to to miss the first week of Blazers training camp due to an irregular heartbeat. He suffered from this during his rookie season but has been fine since then.
10:50 pm: David West is about to be a member of the Boston Celtics, according to David Aldridge at NBA.com. That’s an interesting choice — West is a power forward, the Celtics have one of those in Kevin Garnett. West is one of the best pick-and-pop forwards in the league, how he fits with Rajon Rondo is a question mark. But this is about one of the biggest name pickup the Celtics could make.
10:35 pm: Looks like the Knicks are finalizing a trade to send Ronny Turiaf to the Washington Wizards as part of their efforts to clear cap space for Tyson Chandler, according to the New York Post. Turiaf in Washington is interesting as he is the opposite of Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee — he’s not blessed with the best physical talent ever but his heart and effort are unquestionable.
9:45 pm: Is Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) the new Shawn Kemp? Lakers coach Mike Brown said World Peace was “obviously a little overweight.” Or, check out the quote from Artest himself:
9:05 pm: Vince Carter is headed to the Mavericks after being bought out by the Suns, according to Marc Stein at ESPN. As David Aldridge notes, he essentially takes over the DeShawn Stevenson role (with fewer tattoos).
8:53 pm: It was expected but now it is official — Tracy McGrady has signed with the Atlanta Hawks.
8:51 pm: Earl Watson was expected by many to sign with the Wizards (and back up John Wall), but he was popular in Utah and the Jazz figured out a way to bring him back for this season.
8:47 pm: Luis Scola and Kevin Martin were there for the first day of Rockets practice. Awk-ward.
8:32 pm: The Celtics have re-signed Jeff Green to a one-year contract, according to the Boston Globe. Most likely this is just the qualifying offer, but either way he will be a free agent next year. This year he will be key to the Celtics making any run at the title.
8:23 pm: Greg Oden has had another setback with his knee. This just makes me sad.
8:21 pm: The Magic are not going to file tampering charges against the Nets. Not yet, anyway.
7:56 pm: Tyson Chandler is going to the Knicks, but all the pieces were not in place for him to be signed Friday, so the Knicks were a bit shorthanded for their first day of practice.
7:52 pm: The Pacers have re-signed Jeff Foster to a one-year contract. Not surprising, but the Knicks and other teams had inquired.
7:39 pm: Kobe Bryant with the quote of the day, talking about Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and the blown up Chris Paul trade.
""They’ll get over it. Don’t win back to back by being soft emotionally."”
6:38 pm: Golden State has waived Jeremy Lin, the second year player from Harvard. I’d like to think he can land somewhere, some limitations but he’s a guy who could stick in the NBA if somebody lets him develop.
6:26 pm: Marcus Thornton’s deal with the Kings has been finalized and at a more logical four years, $33 million according to Sports Illustrated. This was first leaked deal was five years and $40 million, which seemed steeo
6:13 pm: As expected, the Lakers have inked three-point specialist Jason Kapono to a one year deal for the veterans’ minimum (just more than $1 million, in this case).
5:56 pm: Kyrie Irving, the top pick in the last NBA draft, has inked his deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s going to get thrown into the fire to learn the hard way this season.
5:44 pm: The Sixers have agreed to a five-year, $43 million dollar deal to keep Thaddeus Young with the team, reports Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. That seems a fair price, good deal for both sides.
5:29 pm: Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard has inked his deal, according to Sports Illustrated. Spurs fans are going to like this guy.
5:19 pm: The Pistons have bought out and let go of Rip Hamilton. This was not an amnesty move, this was a straight buyout. Rip is a free agent so start the Heat speculation in 3...2...1
If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on him becoming the Bulls new wing starter.
5:14 pm: Lamar Odom came late and left early from Lakers training camp Friday. He did not practice, but Pau Gasol did. (Odom came late and left early at a sporting event, that makes him a real Angelino.)
5:09 pm: Timberwolves guard Martell Webster is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. He had returned to play last season after a previous back surgery. Not good news for him.
5:05 pm: The Celtics have signed draftee E’Twaun Moore to a guaranteed deal. He will be a Celtic this year. Good team for a rookie to learn on if he pays attention.
4:52 pm: Gary Forbes is very close to a deal with Toronto, according to Yahoo.
4:51 pm: The Lakers, Hornets and Rockets are talking Chris Paul deal again, trying to find a way to “sweeten” it then resubmit it. And dare David Stern to veto it again.
4:19 pm: The Nets and Knicks are apparently in a competition to sign forward Shawne Williams. I don’t get it either.
4:09 pm: Chris Paul showed up for the first day of Hornets training camp today. Good for him. That was the right thing to do.
4:01 pm: In a surprise to nobody, the Suns waived Vince Carter on Friday. This was not an amnesty clause thing, this was business — Carter was owed $18 million on his deal but could be bought out for $4 million. Carter’s game isn’t worth the extra $14 million any more.
He is a free agent and may well land with the Miami Heat.
3:53 pm: That Marcus Thornton deal we talked about less than an hour ago (five years, $40 million with the Kings) apparently has hit a snag. How serious a snag remains to be seen, his agent told David Aldridge a deal would get done. But for now, snagged.
3:24: pm: Center Jeff Pendergraph, last seen as one of Portland’s injured big men, is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Pacers, reports Sam Amick at Sports Illustrated. That signing makes me think Jeff Foster is headed elsewhere.
3:22 pm: Rudy Fernandez continues to have trouble with his visa to return to the United States. He is expected to join the Mavericks on Monday.
3:21 pm: At age 38, Juwan Howard is coming back for one more season, this with the Heat, tweets Ira Winderman. If you see a lot of him on the court this season in anything other than mop-up duty, the Heat are in trouble.
3:19 pm: The Sixers are brining back veteran center Tony Battie for one more season.
3:12 pm: Thaddeus Young and the Sixers are apparently close to a deal that keeps the promising young forward in Philly. They should lock him up, he is part of the future of this team.
3:05 pm: The Sacramento Kings have reportedly signed Marcus Thornton for five years, $40 million. My gut reaction is $8 million a year is steep. They needed to lock him up, he shows promise and is just entering his third season, and he averaged 12.8 points per game last season... but $8 million a year? Maybe in a few years this is a steal. Maybe.
3:01 pm: Gilbert Arenas has been waived by the Orlando Magic under the league’s amnesty clause. In other news, the Pope remains Catholic.
He now enters a secondary waiver process where teams under the cap can bid to take over his deal at a reduced price. Don’t expect any takers, nobody wants him for three years.
2:16 pm: NBA teams will be able to dress 13 players — not the usual 12 — for the first part of the season, report Marc Stein of ESPN. Depth is going to matter in this condensed season, so the move makes some sense. Not that guy 13 is ever really going to see the court.
2:12 pm: Teams have until Dec. 16 to use the amnesty clause this year or it goes away until next year under the terms of the new CBA. Only about three or four players will get amnestied this year, but clock as started Cleveland so set Baron Davis free now.
2:06 pm: Golden State, after losing out on Tyson Chandler, is going to make an offer to Clippers restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan for around $10 million a year, reports Yahoo. The Clippers really want to bring back Jordan, but that price may be too rich for their blood.
2:01 pm: The Nets are going to offer Nene a four-year deal worth between $60 million and $65 million, reports Yahoo Sports. After flirting with a lot of teams Nene was expected to re-sign with Denver, but this could change that. The Nets made their move after the Magic started talking about filing tampering charges against them for talking to Dwight Howard, almost certainly killing that deal.
1:59 pm: The deal is finalized according to Yahoo — a signed-and-traded Glen Davis will be shipped to Orlando in exchange for Brandon Bass.
1:46 pm: Pau Gasol has arrived for the start of Lakers training camp. Lamar Odom has not.
Also, the Lakers are not going to join any legal action against the league over the trade, reports the Los Angeles Times.
1:34 pm: The live-in girlfriend of Jazz big man Al Jefferson was arrested after allegedly biting and hitting Jefferson, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
1:11 pm: Warriors guard Charlie Bell was arrested after Thursday after showing up drunk to court for his DUI hearing.
1:02 pm: The Orlando Magic are considering filing tampering charges against two teams for trying to deal with Dwight Howard, according to NBA.com. That would be big. More to come on that.
1:27 pm: Dwight Howard has dropped agent Dan Fegan and his father will now represent him. Last year Howard left Aaron Goodwin as an agent to go to Fegan on the advice of family members (so that family members could play a larger role). I will tell you now this will end badly. Good agents do a lot more for a player and can provide a better picture of things than family members (who often are out for their own self interests).
12:13 pm: The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic are talking a Glen Davis for Brandon Bass sign-and-trade deal, reports the Boston Herald.
11:59 am: Grant Hill has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Phoenix Suns, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. He has rejected the offer of the New York Knicks.
11:17 am: The Heat have re-signed three-point specialist James Jones to a three-year deal, reports ESPN.
11:33 am: The Phoenix Suns “improved their offer” — read: coughed up more money — to Grant Hill and now await his decision, reports the Arizona Republic. Hill is choosing between the Suns and the Knicks (or do you want to spend the winter in Phoenix or New York).
11:12 am: Mario Chalmers has agreed to a deal to return and be the point guard for the Miami Heat today, reports the New York Post. The Knicks might have made a run at him after they used the amnesty on Chauncey Billups, but the Heat would have matched any offer.
10:51 am: Shelden Williams is going to sign a one-year deal with the Nets, reports Yahoo.
10:47 am: Tyson Chandler will be signed by the New York Knicks today, the New York Times reports. Chauncey Billups will be waived and Ronny Turiaf will be traded to make room for this deal. It will put Billups into a secondary waiver where teams under the salary cap can bid for his services (and he cannot reject them if they have the winning bid).
10:37 am: The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to waive and amnesty Baron Davis today, according to Yahoo Sports.. Not a huge shock, this is Kyrie Irving’s team now.
10:19 am: The Toronto Star is reporting (via Sportando.net) that the Suns have agreed to send Mickael Pietrus to the Raptors in exchange for a conditional second round pick.
10:13 am: Brandon Roy is going to announce his retirement due to medical reasons (he has no cartilage in his knees), reports Chris Broussard of ESPN. Secondary reports say the decision is not yet final, but he is leaning toward retirement heading into a key meeting today. Much more to come on this, but I will always remember him in Game 4 against the Mavericks. That will be his encore, to me.
10:00 am: Teams cannot officially sign anybody until 2 p.m. Eastern, but to get us started here is a quick list of some of the things we expect to go down today:
• Shane Battier will sign a deal with the Miami Heat to join the big three there and provide some versatility — and high IQ hoops — to that team.
• Caron Butler is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Clippers for way more than he probably should get paid.
• Tracy McGrady will sign with the Hawks.
• Tayshaun Prince will sign a four-year deal to stay in Detroit.
• Jonas Jerebko also will stay with the Pistons.
• Mike Dunleavy will sign a two-year deal with the Bucks.
• Greg Oden will spend one more year on the Trail Blazers roster.
• Shannon Brown will sign a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns.
• Sebastian Telfair is expected to sign with the Suns as well.
• Eddy Curry is about to sign a deal with the Heat. Yes, we are serious, but it is a make-good contract or training camp.
• Roger Mason is likely to sign with the Wizards. how u?
• Jamal Magloire is about to sign with the Toronto Raptors (which would make him the first ever Canadian born Raptor).
• Earl Watson is expected to sign with the Wizards.