Month: July 2016

Jon Leuer will sign with Pistons

It is an amazing time in the league to be a free agent and a bench-level player. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on the Pistons:

Jon Leuer will sign with Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have their stretch power forward.

And he won’t be Al Horford.

Jon Leuer’s agency, Priority Sports, announced this afternoon on Twitter the 27-year-old power forward has agreed to a four-year deal with the Pistons.

A person with firsthand knowledge of the situation confirmed the contract will be worth $41 million.

Leuer, who stands 6 feet 10 and 228 pounds, is coming off a season in which he shot 38.2% (42-for-110) from three-point range with the Phoenix Suns. He is a career 37.5% three-point shooter.

Lakers will sign Luol Deng

Veteran forward Luol Deng had a quiet season for the Heat in 2015-16. Averaging just 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 32.4 minutes per game, he wasn’t a standout. But he’s still a solid addition to any team. Why the Lakers, though? A veteran presence, for one. Still, considering the Lakers youth movement, this is a surprising signing, especially considering how many years the deal is for. Not sure why the Lakers are doing it. Here’s the L.A. Daily News blog reporting:

Lakers will sign Luol Deng

The Lakers and Luol Deng agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal, according to league sources. Deng had extensive conversations with other NBA teams, including the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz. Deng also had a meeting with the Jazz on Friday, sources said.

But Deng likes the Lakers young players, including D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. Deng also talked with Lakers coach Luke Walton and was “pleased with the conversation,” sources said. Deng also liked the Lakers consistently stayed in touch after reaching out shortly after free agency began on Thursday at 9:01 p.m. PT.

After bouncing around, Jared Dudley headed back to Suns

After spending years with the Suns, Jared Dudley bounced to the Clippers, Bucks, Wizards, and is now reportedly headed back to Phoenix. Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting:

Jared Dudley headed to Suns yet again

Dudley was a trade accessory when he first came to Phoenix in 2007, but that 4 ½-year stay made him a better player and the subsequent three-year absence made him want to come back to the Suns.

Dudley tried to entice Phoenix to sign him last summer, but the interest turned mutual this time after Dudley carved out a role in Washington last season as a power forward predominantly for the first time in his nine-year career. An NBA source told azcentral sports Friday night that Dudley has agreed to sign with the Suns for a three-year, $30 million contract. The money is fully guaranteed and the contract carries the same terms that Dudley’s Suns predecessor, Mirza Teletovic, accepted Friday from Milwaukee.

Dudley, who is 6 feet 7, played almost exclusively at power forward and even at center in extreme small-ball lineups for the Wizards, while stretching out defenses with 42 percent 3-point shooting that ranked eighth in the NBA. Before a late-season slump, Dudley once led the NBA in 3-point percentage and ranks 41st all-time with a career 3-point percentage of 39.9.

Clippers trying hard to land Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant’s Thunder were one win away from reaching the 2016 NBA Finals. This offseason, they traded their starting power forward Serge Ibaka away for a starting shooting guard (Victor Oladipo) and some depth. So, Durant should stick with OKC, right? That’s what’s expected to happen. But Durant is taking meetings with other squads. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Clippers trying hard to land Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers met for approximately four hours Friday night in the Hamptons, and sources close to the situation say Durant was “blown away” by the Clippers’ presentation.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, president Doc Rivers, executive vice president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan were present at the meeting.

According to a source, Durant was incredibly impressed by the vision and direction of the Clippers and made a strong connection with those at the meeting.

Chris Paul did not make it to the meeting but spoke to Durant beforehand and made his pitch over the phone; the two have talked throughout the process, including last week, sources told ESPN.

Thunder hire Adrian Griffin, promote Vin Bhavnani and Royal Ivey

The Oklahoma City Thunder has named Adrian Griffin as assistant coach and promoted Vin Bhavnani and Royal Ivey to assistant coaches, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“We’re pleased to welcome Adrian to Oklahoma City,” said Head Coach Billy Donovan. “In addition to his wealth of experience as a player and coach that will add value to our program, I also feel that he will be a terrific fit on our coaching staff, and I’m excited for him to join the Thunder organization.”

Griffin joins Donovan’s staff after spending the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. Prior to last year, Griffin spent the five previous seasons (2010-15) as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls.

His coaching experience dates back to 2008 where he served as assistant coach/player development for two seasons (2008-10) with the Milwaukee Bucks. During the summer of 2014, Griffin worked with the USA Basketball Men’s National Team that captured the gold medal at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

As a player, Griffin appeared in 477 career NBA games (179 starts) during nine seasons with Boston, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and Seattle, averaging 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 16.8 minutes. Griffin also played one season in Italy and three seasons in the CBA with Connecticut.

A native of Wichita, Kan., Griffin was a three-year starter at Seton Hall and as a senior won All-Big East Second Team honors after averaging 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.

Bhavnani, an eight-year veteran of the club, has spent the past six seasons as its Manager of Advanced Scouting/Player Development after starting his career as the team’s Video Coordinator. Prior to joining the Thunder he spent two seasons as a video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs. Bhavnani started his NBA career as a video intern with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Los Angeles, Calif., native spent one season as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at Santa Monica Junior College after graduating from the University of Southern California in 2003.

Ivey is being elevated to assistant coach after serving last season as a player development assistant with the Thunder.

After a four-year collegiate career at the University of Texas, Ivey enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career in which he appeared in 492 games (114 starts) and averaged 3.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Ivey’s coaching career began during the 2014-15 season where he served as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.

Mark Daigneault, who joined the Thunder staff earlier this year, will return to his role as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue. Additionally, Daigneault will lead the Thunder entry in the 2016 Orlando Summer League.

O.J. Mayo banned from NBA for two years

O.J. Mayo banned from NBA for two years

The NBA announced today that free agent O.J. Mayo has been dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

Under the Anti-Drug Program, Mayo is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

The NBA, NBA teams, and the Players Association are prohibited from publicly disclosing information regarding the testing or treatment of any NBA player under the Anti-Drug Program, other than to announce a player’s suspension or dismissal from the league.

Hassan Whiteside will re-sign with Heat

Center Hassan Whiteside played just 29.1 minutes per game for the Heat last season, yet averaged an extremely impressive 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per outing, with 60.6% shooting. His free throw shooting is a struggle, but Whiteside was clearly in line for a big payday this summer. And he’s receiving it and will stick with Miami. Here’s the Palm Beach Post blog reporting:

Hassan Whiteside will re-sign with Heat

Free-agent center Hassan Whiteside is re-signing with the Heat. The 27-year-old posted this message early Friday morning on The Players’ Tribune website.

There was considerable speculation that the 7-footer might be interested in leaving Miami to join the Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers, and he met with both teams early Friday morning. But a source told the Associated Press that Whiteside will sign a four-year maximum deal worth approximately $98 million to remain with the Heat.

Jeremy Lin to sign with Nets

It’s going to take multiple seasons to make real progress, but the Nets are trying to rebuild. They recently traded Thaddeus Young, waived Jarrett Jack, and now are built around center Brook Lopez and a team of backups. Point guard Jeremy Lin is good enough to start for some teams but would come off the bench for most others. But, he’s a player. And he has super-fun history in NYC — Linsanity, ya’ll. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Jeremy Lin to sign with Nets

Jeremy Lin is back in New York, and the Nets have found their point guard.

Lin announced the move Friday morning on his Twitter account: “The journey continues…thankful for the next chapter!!”

Yahoo reported that the deal is for three years and $36 million, and includes a player option on the third year.

Lin had made a name for himself on the other side of the river with the Knicks midway through the 2011-12 season when Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was an assistant in the Garden. Lin averaged 18.7 points and 7.7 assists in 25 starts for the Knicks, giving rise to the phenomenon known as Linsanity.

Raptors keeping DeMar DeRozan

Guard DeMar DeRozan averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game last season for the Raptors, and will extend his stay in Toronto alongside guard Kyle Lowry. Here’s the Toronto Star with more:

Raptors keeping DeMar DeRozan

Kevin Durant was never coming to Toronto. Well, that’s not entirely true. There was a brief flicker a few years ago when he very quietly signalled a willingness to keep the door open, just a crack. And then it closed.

In the end, there was no better option for the Raptors than DeMar DeRozan. If Durant wanted to come here, he would be here. They would send a private plane and give him anything he wanted. But this era’s premier scorer is entertaining offers in the Hamptons, king of whatever he deigns to survey.

DeRozan, however, has never gone away. The 26-year-old shooting guard has stayed a Raptor through the tough times, into the good times, and now he has signed the richest contract in Canadian sports history, thanks to the NBA’s summer of money. The Raptors met with DeRozan just after midnight eastern time in Los Angeles on July 1, their first opportunity, and he agreed to a five-year contract worth $137.5 million U.S. A full max deal — like those being handed out in this NBA as if they’re loot bags at a children’s party — would have run $153 million U.S.