Nuggets offer $50 million contract to JaVale McGee

Nuggets offer $50 million contract to JaVale McGee

The Nuggets continue to pursue restricted free-agent center JaVale McGee, who has a five-year, $50 million offer on the table, a source said. But McGee’s representatives don’t appear to be in a hurry to get a deal done and will continue to negotiate.

The Nuggets can match any offer another NBA team would make to McGee, 24.

In the 20 regular-season games he played for the Nuggets last season, the 7-footer averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds and made five starts.

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Pacers sign guard D.J. Augustin

Pacers sign guard D.J. Augustin

The Indiana Pacers announced Friday they have signed free agent guard D.J. Augustin to a contract. Per club policy terms of the contract were not released.

“D.J. is an excellent pick-up for this team,” said Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard.  “He’s an amazing kid that will fit well here with the Pacers’ family.  His experience will be valuable as we move our franchise forward. Our priority is to keep our own players and then to fill in the holes that exist. D.J. helps us accomplish that.”

The 6-0, 180-pound Augustin joins the Pacers after spending the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Charlotte Bobcats.  Drafted as the ninth overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Bobcats, he has career averages of 10.9 points and 4.4 assists per game. As a rookie, he was named to the 2008-09 All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 72 games played.

“I’m very excited,” said Augustin. “It’s a great organization basketball-wise, they made the playoffs last year and to be part of a winning organization feels great.”

Grizzlies sign guard Jerryd Bayless

Grizzlies sign guard Jerryd Bayless

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Jerryd Bayless to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add Jerryd Bayless to our team,” Wallace said.  “He is a rapidly-improving young player who is coming off his best season in the NBA.  Jerryd will address two areas of need: three-point shooting and backup point guard play. He is a very hard-working player whose best days as a professional are ahead of him.”

Bayless (6-3, 200) established new career highs in scoring (11.4 points), assists (3.8), steals (0.77) and minutes (22.7) in 31 games (11 starts) last season with the Toronto Raptors.  The 23-year-old also set personal bests for field goal percentage (.424), three-point field goal percentage (.423) and free throw percentage (.852).

In 11 games as a starter, Bayless posted 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists on .450 shooting (.429 three-point shooting) in 34.6 minutes.  Those averages surged to 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists on .543 shooting (.571 three-point shooting) in 37.5 minutes during a five-game run as a starter from March 11-17, 2012.  Bayless recorded 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists in an overtime victory over Memphis on March 16, 2012 at FedExForum.

The Phoenix, Ariz. native owns NBA career averages of 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on .412 shooting in 229 games (36 starts) over four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors.  After becoming the first freshman since Sean Elliot (1985-86) to lead the University of Arizona in scoring, Bayless was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Portland on draft night.

Grizzlies sign first round pick Tony Wroten

The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2012 draft selection Tony Wroten, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Wroten (6-6, 203) was selected by the Grizzlies in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.  The 19-year-old became the first freshman in University of Washington history to earn First Team All-Conference honors, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.0 points), eighth in assists (3.7) and second in steals (1.9) in 35 games for the Huskies.

In his lone collegiate season, Wroten set numerous school freshman records, including scoring average, most points (559), assists (130) and steals (66), and earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors.  He also joined Detlef Schrempf (1984-85) as the second player in program history to compile at least 500 points, 150 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.

The Seattle, Wash. native led the Huskies with 12 games of 20-or-more points, including a UW freshman-record 29 points on March 8, 2012 vs. Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament.  He tallied 22 points against Oregon on March 20, 2012 in the NIT Quarterfinals.

Wroten was a member of the 2010 USA U-17 World Championship Team that posted a perfect 8-0 record and captured the gold medal while attending Garfield High School, which also produced Brandon Roy.

The left-hander joins fellow Washington standout Quincy Pondexter on the Grizzlies’ roster.

Spurs re-sign guard Patty Mills

Spurs re-sign guard Patty Mills

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have re-signed guard Patty Mills. Per club policy details of the contract were not released.

“Patty came in and impressed us from the moment he joined us last season,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. “He gives us some added depth at the guard position and we are excited to have him back in San Antonio.”

Mills, a 6-0, 185-pound product out of St. Mary’s (CA), was signed by the Spurs this past season on March 27. In 16 games (three starts), Mills averaged 10.3 points, 2.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16.3 minutes.  In his final two games of the regular season Mills set career-highs for points and assists.  On April 25, he registered a career-best 27 points at Phoenix only to surpass that the following night in Golden State scoring 34 points and handing out a career-high 12 assists.

A native of Australia, Mills spent part of the 2011-12 season playing overseas in his home country and China. Originally drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Mills appeared in 74 games in Portland, averaging 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in 11.1 minutes.

Mills is a member of the Australian National Team which qualified for the 2012 Olympics.

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.