UPDATE 8:07 p.m. ET: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that Casspi will land with the Kings on a one-year minimum contract.
5:59 p.m.: That Omri Casspi — on a minimum contract — wasn’t claimed off waivers doesn’t speak all that well to what teams around the league think of his value.
Casspi has been a financial pawn all summer. The Rockets traded him to the Pelicans as part of the Omer Asik cap-clearing deal, then the Pelicans cut him free a few days ago as expected. That put him on the waiver wire, where any team could snatch up his minimum contract (and still cut him loose again by Aug. 5 if they wanted).
A 6’9” forward who can shoot the three and gave the Rockets 6.7 points in 18 minutes a game last season and is just 25 playing on a minimum contract looks like a value, one that franchises like the Kings (where he started his career) might want to grab.
Nope. Marc Stein of ESPN with the news.
ESPN sources say that Omri Casspi, in a surprise, has just cleared waivers and is a free agent
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 25, 2014
With Casspi on a favorable minimum contract, expectation was that he'd be claimed, with Sacramento among the teams expected to put in a bid
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 25, 2014
(Stein went on to say grabbing Casspi might have put the Kings over the luxury tax line, but by passing on him then signing him as a free agent he doesn’t take them over the line under the rules and that lets the Kings keep Quincy Acy. Look for that to play out.)
Now any team can sign him.
The Israeli native would make far more money overseas on a much bigger contract, but he has not let yet his NBA dream die.