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Veteran center Nazr Mohammed says he is staying with the Chicago Bulls.
Mohammed announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he will re-sign with his hometown team, saying it was ”an easy decision” and he was looking forward to ”going to battle with a group of guys who never made excuses and just tried to find a way to win.”
Several media outlets also reported that the Bulls have agreed to a two-year deal with Mike Dunleavy Jr. as they try to boost their shooting.
— Reported by the Associated Press
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered unrestricted free agency with two priorities at the top of their list – add a shooting guard with range and bringing back Chase Budinger.
Within the matter of a couple of hours on Tuesday, new team president Flip Saunders accomplished both of those goals.
The Timberwolves agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with shooting guard Kevin Martin and a three-year, $16 million with Budinger, according to two people with knowledge of the deals. Budinger’s deal includes a player option for the final season. The people requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.
The agreements, which can’t become official until July 10, were two strong moves to address the team’s woeful outside shooting last season. The Wolves ranked dead last in 3-point shooting percentage last year, and Saunders made it a point to get more shooters to complement point guard Ricky Rubio’s slick passing.
Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press
Although just a backup guard. C.J. Watson has shown plenty of flashes that he’s a legit player, and one that can step up and exceed expectations when a team’s starter is unable to play. So, he keeps geting signed.
C.J. Watson, backup point guard for the Brooklyn Nets, agreed to a two-year contract with the Indiana Pacers, sources confirmed to ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard.
Watson’s agreement was earlier reported by HoopsWorld.
Watson tweeted “keep up with the pace” on Monday, in an apparent nod to his choice of teams.
Watson, 29, had a player option for $1.1 million but opted out to become an unrestricted free agent.
Reported by ESPN.com news services
Any player that can make it rain from outside is worth adding to an NBA roster. One such talent is shooting guard J. J. Redick. A guy who can really shoot.
Unrestricted free agent J.J. Redick is being pursued by several teams, according to media reports.
And one of those teams with serious interest, according to ESPN.com and the Los Angeles Times, is the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers have agreed to a maximum contract with starting point guard Chris Paul and are looking for shooters to complement him in the backcourt. Redick, acquired by the Bucks at the trade deadline in February, is one of the top shooters on the free-agent market.
Yahoo Sports reported that Redick met with Clippers coach Doc Rivers on Monday night.
Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Blog)
The idea of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire dominating the league together was a good one. But unfortunately, injuries have reduced Stoudemire to a very expensive supporting player, and one that may continued to see a minutes limit. Here’s the New York Post:
With 7-foot power forward Andrea Bargnani officially coming aboard July 10, the Knicks have had renewed discussions on a stricter minutes restriction next season for Amar’e Stoudemire, according to his agent, Happy Walters.
The idea of a 20-minute nightly maximum with a prohibition on playing both ends of back-to-backs has been one of the ideas that has been discussed.
“I don’t think anything has been decided,’’ Walters told The Post yesterday. “The doctors are still talking about that. But he’s not going to play a ton of minutes.’’
An extra-cautious approach on Stoudemire to have him on a minutes restriction lower than last season’s was a factor in the Knicks’ willingness to trade for Bargnani, feeling they needed another scoring big man. The Knicks played 18 back-to-backs last season, so that could potentially be 18 games Stoudemire misses. It’s not all that dissimilar to the Spurs’ treatment of the aging Tim Duncan.
Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post
Is Tyreke Evans starter-worthy in the NBA? Or would he be better as a sixth man? Ponder that as you read the latest free agency report regarding Evans:
After meeting with the Kings and Detroit Pistons Monday, Kings restricted free agent guard Tyreke Evans plans to meet with the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Evans has a four-year offer worth at least $44 million from the New Orleans Pelicans that he has not agreed to accept. Should Evans accept the offer and sign an offer sheet July 10 when the league moratorium on deals ends, the Kings would have three days to match the offer.
If the Kings do not match the offer they would lose Evans without compensation.
Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Blog)
One of the first agreements in the 2013 NBA free agency period is in Brooklyn, where the Nets will keep a big-man that can score points in a hurry.
The Nets continued their busy offseason on the opening day of free agency, coming to an agreement to re-sign Andray Blatche to a one-year, $1.4 million deal Monday night.
Retaining Blatche, which won’t be official until July 10, was crucial for the Nets, who need to retain as much depth as possible up and down their roster, and particularly behind newly acquired Kevin Garnett.
After the Nets signed Blatche after he’d been amnestied by the Wizards last summer, the 6-foot-11 big man – who is capable of playing both power forward and center – had a terrific season for the Nets, proving to be one of the biggest bargain signings in the entire league last year. Blatche averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds coming off the bench for much of the season and pairing with Brook Lopez to give the Nets the best 1-2 combination at center in the NBA.”
Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Blog)
The New Orleans Pelicans have made an offer to Sacramento Kings restricted free agent guard Tyreke Evans, two people familiar with the situation said Monday.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the offer was supposed to remain private. Several media outlets reported the deal was for four years and ranging between $40 million and $48 million.
Because he’s a restricted free agent, the Kings will have the opportunity to match any offers Evans signs. Contracts can’t be inked until July 10, after next season’s salary cap is set.
— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press
Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has named Patrick Ewing Associate Head Coach and Bob Beyer, Stephen Silas, Bob Weiss and Mark Price Assistant Coaches on the staff of new Head Coach Steve Clifford.
“I am extremely pleased with the staff we’ve put together,” said Clifford. “These are all guys that I have a comfort level with and that I feel share my philosophies about the NBA and the game of basketball. This group has tremendous experience in this league, both as coaches and players, and has great knowledge of all aspects of the game. I’ve worked with Patrick, Bob Beyer and Mark before and have seen first-hand what they are capable of, and I look forward to adding Stephen and Bob Weiss to that group as we work together to build this team.”
Clifford, Ewing and Beyer worked together as assistant coaches with the Orlando Magic from 2007-12, where they were joined by Price in 2011-12. During five seasons on Stan Van Gundy’s staff, the trio helped the Magic to a 259-135 record (.657) and five straight playoff appearances, advancing to the 2009 NBA Finals.
A 17-year NBA veteran and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, Ewing brings eight years of NBA assistant coaching experience to the Bobcats. He has previously been an assistant coach with the Wizards (2003-04), Rockets (2004-06) and Magic, serving alongside Clifford in both Houston and Orlando. Ewing was the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. His achievements as a player include the 1985-86 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 11 NBA All-Star Game appearances, First Team All-NBA honors in 1989-90 and Second Team All-NBA honors six additional times, and three All-Defensive Second Team selections. Ewing also owns two Olympic gold medals, having played for the U.S. men’s national team in 1984 and 1992.
Beyer, who spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant with the Warriors, brings 27 years of coaching experience at the NBA and college levels. Along with the Warriors and Magic, he also spent two years with the Raptors, serving as an assistant coach in 2003-04 and an advance scout in 2004-05. Beyer spent three years as head coach at Siena College from 1994-97. His college career also includes assistant coaching stints at Albany (1985-89), Siena (1989-93), Wisconsin (1993-94), Northwestern (1997-2000), Texas Tech (2001-03) and Dayton (2005-07).
Silas remains with the Bobcats, having spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the team. His 12 years of coaching experience also includes three seasons with the Hornets (2000-03), two seasons with the Cavaliers (2003-05) and four and a half seasons with the Warriors (2006-10). Silas also served as an advance and college scout for the Hornets in 1999-2000 and an advance scout for the Wizards in 2005-06. When he was hired as an assistant coach with the Hornets in 2000, he was the youngest assistant in the NBA at the age of 27.
Weiss has spent 29 of his 32 years as a coach in the NBA, including seven seasons as a head coach for the Spurs (1986-88), Hawks (1990-93), Clippers (1993-94) and SuperSonics (2005-06). His tenure as an assistant coach includes stops with the Clippers (1977-80), Mavericks (1980-86), Magic (1989-90), SuperSonics (1994-2005) and Hawks (2012-13). Weiss was also the first former NBA head coach to be a head coach in China, leading the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons from 2008-10 and the Shandong Lions in 2010-11. The 22nd overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft, Weiss played in the NBA for 12 seasons, averaging 7.6 points and 3.7 assists in 783 career games and winning the 1967 NBA Championship with the 76ers.
One of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Price has previously served as a player development coach for the Magic in 2011-12, a shooting coach with the Warriors in 2010-11 and a shooting consultant for the Grizzlies (2007-08) and Hawks (2008-10). The four-time NBA All-Star ranks second in league history in career free-throw percentage (.904) and 29th in career three-point percentage (.402). He was named First Team All-NBA in 1992-93 and earned Third Team All-NBA honors three more times during his 12-year career. Price, who was the 25th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists in 722 career games played.
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The Indiana Pacers announced Monday that Nate McMillan has been hired as an associate head coach.
McMillan replaces Brian Shaw, who became head coach at Denver.
McMillan comes to the Pacers with a vast basketball background as a player and as a coach. After playing collegiately at North Carolina State, McMillan was drafted by Seattle (30th overall) in the 1986 NBA Draft. He played his entire 12-year career with the Sonics, had his number (10) retired and became their coach in 2000 and remained in Seattle until after the 2005 season. He then went to Portland that year and coached the Trail Blazers until he was let go in March, 2012. McMillan also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.
“We are extremely thrilled to have Nate join our staff,” said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel. “To get someone with his experience as a player and a coach will be extremely valuable to our players, to our staff and to our franchise.”
“To be able to join a respected franchise like this is a great opportunity,” said McMillan. “It’s obvious the potential this team has to compete for a championship and to come on board at a time like this is great timing for me. I really look forward to working with this coaching staff and the players. I have heard nothing but good things about everyone involved and that made this a very easy decision to make.”
