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Raptors, Jose Calderon exploring trade options

The Toronto Raptors and the representative for veteran guard Jose Calderon are working together to try to find a new home for Calderon via trade.

After ESPN.com reported Thursday that Calderon would welcome a trade after the arrival of Kyle Lowry to become the Raptors’ new starting point guard, agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed Thursday night that he and Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo are “working together” to try to find a workable trade.

“There’s a little bit of a logjam there in the backcourt now,” Bartelstein said. “Bryan and I are talking and we’re putting our heads together to see what we can do to find a solution.”

Sources close to the situation say Calderon, while undeniably attached to the city of Toronto after spending his entire six-year NBA career there, is hoping the Raptors can find a trade home for him now that it’s been made clear the Raptors have no plans to release the Spaniard through the NBA’s amnesty clause.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8162133/sources-toronto-raptors-jose-calderon-welcome-trade

Sacramento Kings re-sign Jason Thompson

The Sacramento Kings today re-signed forward Jason Thompson to a multi-year contract, according to Vice President of Basketball Operations Wayne Cooper. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“We’re happy to have Jason back with the team,” said Cooper. “We’re looking forward to having him once again play an integral role in our young frontcourt. He works extremely hard and his leadership is invaluable.”

Pacers trade Darren Collison to Mavericks

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have acquired 6-11, 230-pound center Ian Mahinmi from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones.

“This trade was an effort to shore up positions as part of our front court,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “We feel Ian will do a wonderful job being in our rotation. Our priority during the moratorium was to keep our own guys and shore up our bench. I feel like we are making strides in that direction.”

Mahinmi is a four-year veteran of the NBA, having played for both the Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. In his career he has played 149 games and has averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, including the 2011-12 season with the Mavericks where he averaged 5.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg.

Born in Rouen, France, the 26-year-old Mahinmi was a first-round pick of the San Antonio Spurs (28 th overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft. He played two seasons with the Spurs before signing with the Mavericks in July 2010.

Collison, a fourth-year player out of UCLA, was acquired (along with James Posey) by the Pacers on August 11, 2010, from New Orleans as part of a four-team trade that sent Troy Murphy to New Jersey. In his two seasons with the Pacers he averaged 11.9 points and 4.96 assists per game. Jones, a 6-6, 210-pound guard/forward was signed by the Pacers on July 14, 2009; and in his three seasons with the Pacers he averaged 7.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

“We will miss the contributions that Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones made to the Pacers and feel that they will be valuable members of the Mavericks,” said Walsh. “We hope this is a good trade for both teams.”

Indiana Pacers sign Gerald Green

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have signed free agent guard/forward Gerald Green to a contract. Per club policy terms of the contract were not released.

Green, 6-8, 200 lbs., is a five-year veteran who has played for five teams in the NBA. Most recently, he finished the 2011-12 season with the New Jersey Nets, where he averaged 12.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In his career, he has averaged 8.3 ppg and 2.2 rpg.

“We’ve watched Gerald and we saw how he improved last year,” said Kevin Pritchard, Pacers General Manager. “His scoring off the bench should help us in the future. He’s one of the most dynamic athletes I’ve seen, and how he’s improved will make him a great addition to the Pacers family.”

The winner of the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Green was selected with the 18 th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.

Wizards re-sign Cartier Martin

Wizards re-sign Cartier Martin

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has re-signed forward/guard Cartier Martin.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

“Cartier has been with our team for parts of the past three seasons and he has always made a positive contribution both on the court and in the locker room,” said Grunfeld.  “In addition to his three-point shooting touch, he is a good defender and gives us another solid veteran to help solidify our bench.”

Martin averaged a career-high 9.3 points to go along with 3.4 rebounds while shooting .440 from the field and .387 from three-point range in 17 games (two starts) with the Wizards last season.  He was originally signed to consecutive 10-day contracts by the team (on March 28 and April 8, respectively) before being signed for the remainder of the season on April 18.  Martin topped 20 points twice for the Wizards last season (including a career-high 22 points in an April 21 win at Miami) and scored in double figures six times.

Martin holds career averages of 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting .371 from three-point range in 120 games between Washington, Charlotte and Golden State.  The 6-7 product of Kansas State had previously appeared for the Wizards in both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and has averaged 5.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 77 games as a member of the team.

Kendrick Perkins undergoes procedure on right groin

Kendrick Perkins undergoes procedure on right groin

Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins underwent a successful procedure on his right groin, the team announced today.

This past season, Perkins appeared in 65 games (all starts) for the Thunder and recorded averages of 5.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.12 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game.

Perkins is expected to miss 4-6 weeks before returning to normal offseason activities.

Atlanta Hawks sign Lou Williams

Atlanta Hawks sign Lou Williams

The Atlanta Hawks have signed veteran guard Lou Williams to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry.  Per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Upon learning of his situation, Lou was a player we really targeted for our club,” said Ferry.  “He’s a young and experienced professional who is capable of providing leadership as a starter or a reserve, and his versatility is a tremendous plus for our backcourt.”

The 25-year-old Williams, is a 6-1 veteran who comes to Atlanta following seven seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has emerged as one of the best sixth men in the NBA.  He brings career averages of 11.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 455 games to the Hawks (.421 FG%, .337 3FG%, .798 FT%).

A hometown product who played his high school ball at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, GA,  Williams was selected by the Sixers in the second-round of the 2005 NBA Draft.  The 45th pick overall, he was the recipient of the 2005 Naismith Award, signifying the nation’s top high school player and took home top honors in the state of Georgia (“Mr. Basketball”) after his junior and senior seasons.  Named to the 2005 McDonald’s High School All-America team, Williams was a four-time All-State player at South Gwinnett and led the Comets to a 103-16 record over his career.  He is also the second all-time leading scorer in Georgia high school basketball history.

Coming off a playoff performance where he averaged 11.5 ppg, 3.0 apg and 2.1 rpg in 27.5 minutes per contest, Williams was Philadelphia’s leading scorer in 2011-12 at a career-best 14.9 points per game clip.  Having led the Sixers in total points (956) despite not starting a single game, he became the first player to accomplish this feat since Dell Curry did so for Charlotte in 1993-94.  His play received praise from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, who voted him second behind Oklahoma City’s James Harden for this year’s KIA Sixth Man Award.  Third on the team in assists (3.5 apg), Williams also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals, and converted 40.7% of his FGs, 36.2% of his three-pointers and 81.2% shooting from the FT line.

Originally committed to play for the University of Georgia before declaring himself available for the NBA, Williams had his #23 retired at South Gwinnett High.

Gone from Bobcats, D.J. Augustin will join Pacers

The Indiana Pacers agreed to a one-year deal with unrestricted free-agent point guard D.J. Augustin on Thursday, filling the vacancy created when Darren Collison was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Augustin’s $4 million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent was withdrawn by the Charlotte Bobcats, who had been negotiating a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana. When the offer was rescinded, Augustin officially became an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any team.

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Dallas Mavericks use amnesty clause to waive Brendan Haywood

Mavericks use amnesty clause to waive Brandan Haywood

The Dallas Mavericks have decided they no longer require the services of veteran center Brendan Haywood.

The team announced today that they have waived Haywood. The Mavs also announced that Haywood will be designated as its amnesty player as allowed by the new collective bargaining agreement. The one-time provision allows the Mavericks to remove Haywood’s contract amount from their salary cap.

Haywood (7-0, 263) was originally acquired via trade with the Washington Wizards on Feb. 13, 2010 when he, along with Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, came to Dallas in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton. He was later re-signed by the Mavericks on July 9, 2010 to a multi-year contract.

During his time as a Maverick, Haywood averaged 5.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 20.8 minutes in 154 games (81 starts).

Haywood spent three postseasons in Dallas and was a member of the Mavericks’ first World Championship team in 2011. He suited up in 28 Playoff games (6 starts) and averaged 3.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 17.0 minutes per contest.