Official Free Agency Signing Thread

Grant says decision to join Suns an easy one
Posted: Thursday August 18, 2005 6:42PM; Updated: Thursday August 18, 2005 6:42PM

PHOENIX (AP) -- Free agent forward Brian Grant signed a one-year, $1.67 million contract Thursday with the Phoenix Suns.

The 11-year NBA veteran called the decision to go to the Suns a "no-brainer." He became the first of the players waived under the one-time "amnesty clause" to sign with another team.

Grant was given an option for a second year.

The Suns also signed 6-foot-11 center Pat Burke, who spent seven of the last eight seasons playing in Europe.

Grant has career averages of 10.7 points and 7.6 rebounds with Sacramento, Portland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-9, 254-pound forward said the Suns and Chicago Bulls and showed the most interest.

While the Bulls could have been a good fit, Grant said, he quickly chose Phoenix because of the organization's reputation and what he believes is an opportunity to win an NBA title. When the Suns' Steve Nash called to sell the deal, Grant told him to save his breath.

"I knew he was going to start to tell me why I should come to Phoenix," Grant said. "But before he even got to it, I just said, 'Look, you don't have to really say anything. I'm coming.' I think somebody put in the paper, 'He had me at hello.' "

Grant played in 309 of 312 games from 2000 to 2004 with Miami. Then he went to the Lakers as part of the Shaquille O'Neal trade and suffered through an injury-hampered season. Bothered by a neck injury and knee tendinitis, he averaged career lows of 3.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 69 games.

Grant, 33, believes, though, that the injuries are behind him and he can keep pace with the up-tempo style.

"We'll clean off the boards, then run down the court," he said.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Wolves, Wilkins agree on offer

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Team also interested in free agent Finley
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BY RICK ALONZO
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Pioneer Press
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The Timberwolves signed Seattle SuperSonics restricted free agent Damien Wilkins to a five-year, $15 million offer sheet Thursday.

Meanwhile, Wolves owner Glen Taylor confirmed that the team has an interest in free-agent shooting guard Michael Finley.

The question remains whether Minnesota would have the ability to add both players. The Wolves have about $3 million left of their midlevel salary cap exception, but that money could be tied up in the offer to Wilkins. Wilkins holds an option on the fifth year of the deal with Minnesota.

The Sonics can retain Wilkins, a 6-foot-6 forward, by matching the offer within seven days.

Wilkins' agent, Mark Bartelstein, said he was unsure whether Seattle would match the Wolves' offer.

"They've got a lot of perimeter players with Rashard Lewis and (Vladimir) Radmanovic and Ray Allen," Bartelstein said of the Sonics. "We think Minnesota is a great opportunity to come in a contribute right away."

Wilkins boosted his profile by averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in last season's Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.

Finley's agent, Henry Thomas, has talked with Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale about Finley's interest in Minnesota. Finley has also talked to all-star Kevin Garnett. General manager Jim Stack is involved, too.

"There are a lot of teams interested in Michael," Taylor said. "There are four or five teams Michael would consider. We're one of them. I wouldn't say for sure we're on the top of the list. I don't know that. I think what they're saying at this point is, 'We haven't made a decision, but you're one of the clubs we would consider.' "

Dallas tried to trade Finley before Monday night's amnesty provision deadline. The Mavericks settled on cutting Finley to save $51 million in luxury taxes over the next three years.

Taylor said Finley is not in a hurry to pick a new team. For Finley to play for Minnesota, he would have to accept less money than he could get from Miami or Detroit. Those clubs can offer their full $5 million midlevel exception.

The Wolves plan to add one or two more free agents in the coming weeks.

Other prospective Minnesota additions include guard Ronald Murray and forward Reggie Evans, who both played for Seattle last season. Memphis point guard Earl Watson is another possibility. The Wolves have only one true center under contract, so Milwaukee free agent Calvin Booth could be a low-budget target.

Still, the possibility of luring Finley remains enticing.

"If it gets really serious, I would get involved," Taylor said. "Both his agent and Michael say they need a little time. It isn't something that's going to happen in the next couple days.

"Ideally, in the next two weeks, it would be nice if we had another guy lined up."

Dallas proposed a trade involving Finley for Minnesota swingman Wally Szczerbiak and other Wolves to even out the salaries involved, a stipulation necessary for the deal to be approved. But Taylor said his team had no interest in taking on Finley's large contract.

"We didn't see a trade that would work out for us," Taylor said. "Dallas called us and just said if there's something that would work out, they were interested in trading him. He's paid more than everybody on our team except Kevin (Garnett), so it would be very difficult. I think they called 28 other teams, too."

Taylor said the Wolves did not initiate the trade talks involving Szczerbiak. He said the Mavericks made the inquiry and that the Wolves listened but the discussion never became serious.

Szczerbiak's name often comes up in trade discussions because he is a marketable player, Taylor said. Szczerbiak made the NBA all-star team in 2001-02, when he averaged 18.7 points a game, his career high.

Last season, Szczerbiak expressed his frustration with his role as a reserve. He did not seem averse to the idea of a trade if it meant he could start for another team.

"Any time anybody calls, they always talk about Wally," Taylor said. "They know we aren't going to trade Kevin. Wally is the more interesting person because he's such a good shooter. … We have not pursued anything or initiated anything with Wally."

Charlotte Bobcats re-sign Brevin Knight

Associated Press
Last updated: 12:00 p.m., Friday, August 19, 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brevin Knight re-signed with the Bobcats on Friday, giving Charlotte an experienced point guard as rookie Raymond Felton adjusts to the NBA.

Knight averaged 9.0 assists last season, second in the league. He is expected to lose his starting job to Felton, the fifth pick in the draft.

Knight, an unrestricted free agent, has spent nine seasons in the league, longer than any other Charlotte player. Cleveland drafted him in the first round in 1997, and he has played for seven teams since.

Updated: Aug. 19, 2005, 4:19 PM ET
Christie expected to strengthen Dallas D
Associated Press

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2138435

DALLAS -- Coach Avery Johnson expects veteran swingman Doug Christie to give Dallas the kind of stout perimeter defense it lacked in last year's NBA playoffs -- without slowing the Mavericks' high-scoring offense.

"We feel adding Doug Christie to our team is giving us the best chance to win a championship," Johnson said Friday, after the Mavericks announced they had signed the free agent to replace Michael Finley.

That's a lot of pressure for the 35-year-old, 6-foot-6 Christie, who struggled with injuries and averaged just 6.6 points per game last year with Sacramento and Orlando.

"I just kind of look at Orlando as a blip," Christie said. He said he is healthy again and picked Dallas over other suitors because he believes he can help a team that is already good.

"Obviously winning is big, obviously the chance for a championship is big, and when you take all of that into consideration with where I'm at in my career, this is a great fit," he said.

Terms of Christie's deal were not disclosed, although published reports said it was $3 million for one year with team and player options for additional seasons.

The Mavericks also announced that they signed 23-year-old DeSagana Diop to help back up the often-maligned Erick Dampier at center. Terms were not disclosed. Diop could replace Shawn Bradley, who is expected to retire.

Diop went straight from high school to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but the 7-foot, 280-pounder was lightly used in four seasons. He averaged just 1 point and 1.8 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game last season.

The Mavericks tinkered with their roster -- also bringing back reserve point guard Darrell Armstrong and adding youngsters Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall -- rather than overhauling a Dirk Nowitzki-led team that finished the regular season 16-2 under Johnson.

"It didn't make any sense to blow this team up and have Dirk come back and not recognize any of his teammates," Johnson said.

The Mavericks are crowded at Christie's positions of shooting guard and small forward, including sixth man Jerry Stackhouse, late-season pickup Keith Van Horn and Josh Howard. Johnson said Christie's ball-handling and passing skills will help the offense by freeing point guard Jason Terry for more shots.

Mavs fans know Christie well from playoffs against Sacramento. Two years ago, the NBA fined the Mavericks for showing a scoreboard cartoon that mocked several Kings. It showed Christie being led on a leash by his wife.

Christie said he didn't see the video but heard about it from his wife, Jackie, who sat in the front row during Friday's news conference. She attends almost all his games. They exchange hand signals during games. Christie said fans shouldn't worry about their close relationship, which has been the subject of media reports.

Christie said he won't worry about replacing Finley, a fan favorite who was released to save $51 million in so-called luxury taxes.

"I'm not filling Fin's shoes ... he still works hard, he's a heckuva competitor and I loved playing against him," Christie said. "Hopefully at the end of my time here you guys will think the same of me, except with some jewelry."

C's: Bynum in, Dickau next?
By Steve Bulpett
Saturday, August 20, 2005 - Updated: 12:29 AM EST

http://celtics.bostonherald.com/celt...rticleid=98856

The Celtics' point is becoming a more crowded place by the day. According to sources, the club is on the verge of signing 26-year-old veteran Dan Dickau.

Barring a trade to loosen the logjam, the 6-footer will be joined in training camp by holdovers Marcus Banks and Delonte West, second-round draft pick Orien Greene and rookie free agent Will Bynum, who was signed yesterday to a two-year contract (with a guarantee on just the first of those).

Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge had said he wanted to add some experience to the position, and the acquisition of Dickau will do that - barely. The Gonzaga product has been in the league three seasons and has been the property of six NBA teams, playing for four of them.

Dickau got his best chance last year after an early season move from Dallas to New Orleans. In 67 games for the Hornets, he started 46 and averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 assists in 31.0 minutes. He has career-highs of 28 points and 16 assists.

While the Celtics have included Banks in trade talks over the summer - mainly if it would help move an undesirable contract - it is quite possible they will begin camp with five point guards and see how the situation shakes out. One or more could then be dealt at a later time.

After deciding not to re-sign Gary Payton, the Celts found a modest stock of points on the free agent market. Those still available at the end of this week also included Earl Watson, Damon Jones and Brevin Knight.

As for Bynum, the 6-foot package of energy from Georgia Tech did well at the Vegas Summer League. He's been more of a scorer than a true point guard, but the Celtics liked his toughness and work ethic and believe he could grow into the position.

Timberwolves re-sign Griffin
New York, NY (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Monday they have re-signed forward Eddie Griffin. Terms of the deal were not released, per team policy.

Griffin averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his first season with the Timberwolves last year. Griffin appeared in 70 contests and ranked 15th in the NBA with 1.69 blocked shots per game.

"We were extremely pleased with Eddie's progress and development last season," said Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale. "He is a player who has a wealth of talent and potential, and we believe that he will continue to improve and become an impact player for us."

In 220 career games, including 90 starts, the 6-foot-10 forward has averaged 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.65 blocks per game. He also earned NBA All- Rookie second team honors with the Houston Rockets in 2001-02.

Griffin was selected by the Nets with the seventh pick of the 2001 NBA draft and then was dealt to Houston for the draft rights to forward Richard Jefferson, center Jason Collins and guard Brandon Armstrong.

He was waived by Houston in 2003 and signed as a free agent with the Nets in January, 2004 before signing with Minnesota last season.

Raptors Sign Matt Bonner

SportsNetwork

Toronto, ON -- The Toronto Raptors announced Monday that they have agreed to terms with forward Matt Bonner. As per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Toronto had extended a qualifying offer to Bonner on June 24, which made him a restricted free agent.

"We are very pleased to have Matt back with our team," said Raptors general manager Rob Babcock in a statement. "Matt is more than just a good basketball player. He is the consummate professional who places his team first and gives a total effort every night. His positive attitude carries off the court and into the community."

Bonner, 6-foot-10, averaged 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while playing in all 82 games for Toronto this past season. His rights were acquired by the Raptors in June 2003 from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

He joined the team after spending the 2003-04 season playing for Sicilia in the Italian A1 League. Bonner, out of the University of Florida, is the only player in school history to record 1,500 points, 750 rebounds and 150 three- pointers.

Sonics Re-Sign Potapenko
August 23, 2005
http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/potapenko050823.html

SEATTLE - Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced today that the Seattle SuperSonics re-signed Vitaly Potapenko. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"In his three years with the Sonics, Vitaly has given us a tough, physical presence in the middle along with the ability to score," said Sund. "We’re excited Vitaly will be in a Sonics uniform again because he also gives us solid veteran experience."

Last season, his ninth in the NBA, Potapenko appeared in 33 games. He shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 87.1 percent from the foul line, both marks career highs. The 6-10, 285-pound center missed the first six weeks of the season due to a fractured fourth metacarpal in his right hand.

Potapenko was originally acquired by the Sonics from the Boston Celtics on July 22, 2002. He has appeared in 124 games over three seasons in Seattle, starting 42. He started in 39 games during the 2003-04 season, when he averaged 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

In 574 NBA games, the Ukraine native holds career averages of 6.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Bucks Ink Second-Round Pick

Milwaukee, WI -- The Milwaukee Bucks have signed second-round draft pick Ersan Ilyasova to a two-year contract.

Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Ilyasova was the 36th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds for Ulker in the Turkish League last season.

"Ersan is a young, skilled player who we felt fortunate to select in the second round of the draft," said Bucks general manager Larry Harris in a statement. "He has all the tools to be a productive NBA player, and he has been working hard this summer to get stronger physically. Ersan will benefit greatly from practicing and playing with the veteran players on our roster."

Ilyasova played in five games for the Bucks with their Summer League team and averaged 3.6 points with 3.0 rebounds. He finished second on the squad in total rebounds, behind only first overall pick Andrew Bogut.

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls re-signed free agent forward Othella Harrington on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-9 Harrington averaged 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 70 games last season after being acquired from New York in a six-player trade.

In nine seasons, Harrington has averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing for Houston, Vancouver, New York and Chicago.

Edwards signs deal with Hawks

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourna...l/12460862.htm

Hudson High School graduate and former Kent State standout John Edwards has signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks.

The deal is worth $2.08 million, according to his agent, Mark Termini.

Edwards, a 7-foot center, averaged 1.2 points and .8 rebounds while averaging 5.6 minutes in 25 games with the Indiana Pacers last season.

He made the Pacers out of training camp on a non-guaranteed contract. He was able to hang on to his roster spot after three players were given lengthy suspensions following a brawl with the Detroit Pistons in November.

Edwards' stock greatly increased following a strong summer-league performance with the Pacers, including one game in which he outplayed No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Vet Mutombo re-signs with Rockets
Posted: Friday August 26, 2005 5:56PM; Updated: Friday August 26, 2005 6:02PM

HOUSTON (Ticker) - Dikembe Mutombo, one of the most prolific shot blockers in NBA history, will continue his defensive prowess with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets on Friday re-signed the 7-2, 260-pound Mutombo, who is third behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the league's all-time list with 3,097 career blocks.

After a summer in which he was traded from New Jersey to Chicago and from the Bulls to Houston a month later, Mutombo averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 in 80 games as star center Yao Ming's backup last season. He also ranked second on the team with 1.26 blocks per game despite averaging only 15.2 minutes.

"After a decade of starring in this league, Dikembe established himself as one of the league's top reserves last season," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "Deke gives us rebounding and defense off the bench and he also serves as a personal mentor to Yao Ming. He is a valuable contributor as well as a great teammate."

The 39-year-old Mutombo, the NBA's only four-time recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award, has averaged 11.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.07 blocks in 1,009 games with six teams. He spent his first five seasons with Denver, which drafted him fourth overall in the 1991 draft out of Georgetown.

An eight-time All-Star, Mutombo set a career high with 336 blocks with the Nuggets in 1993-94, marking the first of three consecutive seasons he led the league in that category.

Mutombo averaged a career-best 14.1 rebounds in 82 games with Atlanta in 1999-00. He split the next season with the Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers and averaged 13.5 rebounds and blocked 203 shots, earning his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award.

ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves signed forward Dwayne Jones, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound shot-blocking specialist who left St. Joseph's after three years. Jones, who can also play center, led the Atlantic 10 Conference is blocks each season, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004-05. Jones was also fifth in the nation in rebounds with 11.6 per game.

After going undrafted, Jones was poised to return for his senior year until the school found out he was considering signing with the Wolves and ended its attempt to restore his eligibility.

Jones said in July during a minicamp to prepare for Minnesota's summer league team that he was going to sign a two-year, guaranteed contract, which would be an unusual deal for an undrafted prospect.

Jones could actually end up being a steal.

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks signed a trio of players on Tuesday including guards Tyronn Lue and second-round pick Salim Stoudemire, as well as center John Edwards.

Lue, who was acquired by the Hawks from Houston in December, netted a career- high 11.2 points-per-game last season in 70 combined games with the Rockets and Atlanta. In 49 games with the Hawks, Lue scored 13.5 points, while dishing out 5.4 assists per contest. The 28-year-old Lue will be entering his eighth NBA season and has produced 8.6 points and 3.5 assists in 353 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Rockets and Hawks. Stoudemire, taken with the first selection of the second round, was one of the most explosive scorers in college basketball at Arizona. He helped lead the Wildcats deep into the NCAA Tournament in 2005 with his clutch shooting and leadership on the floor One of 10 players named to the Wooden Award All- American list, Stoudamire earned All-American honors in one form or another for the fourth straight year and led Arizona in scoring with 18.4 ppg. Stoudemire is Arizona's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,960 points. Edwards, meanwhile, appeared in 25 games with the Indiana Pacers last season and averaged 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds. The 7-footer tallied season highs of nine points and five rebounds at Sacramento (12-3-04).

Clippers sign Ewing,Singleton
Clippers.com

The Clippers today signed guard Daniel Ewing, their second round selection (32nd overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft and free agent forward James Singleton, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor.

Ewing averaged 11.6 points and 2.1 assists per game during his four year career at Duke. As a senior in 2004-05, Ewing tallied 15.3 points and 4.0 assists per game and was named Third Team All-ACC. The 6’3” Ewing excelled in the ACC Tournament, earning First Team honors in his junior and sophomore seasons while being named the 2003 ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 20.3 points per game in leading Duke to the championship.

In six games played for the Clippers’ entry in the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League, Ewing tallied 8.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

The 6’8” Singleton, averaged 11.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 46 games played for Armani Jeans Milano (Italy – SerieA) during the 2004-05 season. He was named the MVP of the Italian League All-Star Game and helped lead AJ Milano to the Italian SerieA League Finals, where they eventually lost 1-3 to Climamio Bologna.

In his two-year career at Murray State University, Singleton averaged 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 60 games played. As a senior in 2002, Singleton tallied 14.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots in 29 games, helping lead the Racers to the 2003 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Semifinals en route to being named to the All-OVC First Team.
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If Singleton can stay in the league, he'll win the slam dunk contest. He can jump out of the gym like Vince Carter in his prime.

Calvin Booth Goes To Washington
7th September, 2005 - 1:22 am

RealGM - A league source confirmed to RealGM’s Christopher Reina late Tuesday night that Calvin Booth has reached an agreement on a two-year contract to join the Washington Wizards . The second year of the deal is a player option.

He will travel to Washington later this week to officially sign the contract.

Booth was waived by the Bucks in August and was designated their amnesty victim.

The 6-11 center was drafted in the second round by the Wizards in 1999 and then went on to do two tours with the Mavericks that surrounded a three-year stint in Seattle.

Booth was also being pursued by the Clippers and Cavaliers.


Murray To Sign With Nets, If He Passes Physical
7th September, 2005 - 8:47 am

Bergen Record - Lamond Murray, cut by the Raptors on Friday, will be given a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum ($1.138 million) from the Nets once he clears waivers and passes his physical, according to league sources.

The Nets also agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Scott Padgett. The veteran forward, who will make $1.6 million in the upcoming season, also must pass his physical before the deal becomes official.

The routine physical has proven dicey for the Nets this summer. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Robert "Tractor" Traylor had their New Jersey deals voided because they failed theirs.