Post by J$crILLa on Aug 3, 2005 13:04:36 GMT -5
Houston Rockets: Stromile Swift signed a multiyear contract.
The second overall pick in 2000 behind Kenyon Martin, the 6-foot-9 Swift spent his first five seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
"We are thrilled to add Stromile's special talents to our lineup," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He gives us a unique combination of strength and athleticism at the power forward position. We believe that he will join Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming to form one of the elite frontcourts in the NBA today."
Swift, 25, had trouble cracking the starting lineup with Memphis, playing behind Pau Gasol. Known for his leaping ability, Swift has garnered the label as an underachiever.
In 60 games last season, Swift averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
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New York Knicks: Free agent Jerome James, who had spent his last four seasons with the SuperSonics, was signed.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed that James accepted the New York's $5.1 million mid-level exception, worth $30 million over five years.
The 7-1 James averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.6 minutes for Seattle last season. But James' stock soared after he averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in Seattle's first-round playoff win over Sacramento.
The Knicks traded center Nazr Mohammed to San Antonio before the trade deadline last season and were forced to move power forward Kurt Thomas to the middle. Thomas was traded to Phoenix for swingman Quentin Richardson.
James, who will turn 30 in November, will fill the hole at center and Channing Frye, the team's first-round pick in the June draft, likely will serve as a backup.
The 6-11 Frye may be better suited as a power forward rather than a center in the NBA. However, he is big enough to play some minutes at center and the Knicks have plenty of power forwards with Michael Sweetney, Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Jerome Williams and David Lee, the last pick in the first round of the June draft, on the roster.
The SuperSonics offered James a three-year contract. They likely will start Robert Swift, a first-round pick in 2004, at center.
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Boston Celtics: Former Nets forward Brian Scalabrine signed a five-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 6-foot-9 Scalabrine was chosen by the Nets in the second round of the 2001 draft out of Southern California. He played in 54 games last season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
"We need a player like Brian Scalabrine," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' head of basketball operations. "He's not a guy that fills up the stat sheets, he does the little things it takes to win."
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New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets re-signed three-year NBA veteran Bostjan Nachbar and signed newcomer Arvydas Macijauskas, an Olympic star for his home country of Lithuania, to free-agent contracts.
Terms were not disclosed.
Macijauskas, 25, played for Lithuania in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and scored a team-high 24 points in a 104-96 loss to the United States in the bronze medal game. He also helped Lithuania upset the United States 94-90 in a preliminary round game. He scored eight points in that game.
He has played professionally in Europe since age 16.
Agent Marc Fleisher said last month that Macijauskas settled on New Orleans because he will have an opportunity to contribute from the start.
The Hornets acquired Nachbar in a trade with Houston in December. The native of Slovenia was selected by the Rockets with the 15th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
He had his best season as a pro in 2004-05, posting career highs in every statistical category and averaging 7.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 71 games with Houston and New Orleans. Nachbar lifted his averages to 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in his 55 games with the Hornets and led the team in three-point field goal percentage at .371 (65-175).
"Signing Bostjan and Arvydas today dramatically improves our team," Hornets General Manager Allan Bristow said. "Adding them to our roster gives us an immediate boost in scoring and outside shooting, two areas we needed to address this offseason."
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Dallas Mavericks: Josh Powell, who left North Carolina State two years early but went undrafted in 2003, signed a free agent contract with the Mavericks.
Powell, 6-foot-9, 225 pounds, led the Mavericks' summer league team in rebounding at 8.2 per game and also averaged 11.5 points in nine games. He also played for the Mavericks summer league team in 2003.
Powell played in Italy last season.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Sacramento Kings-Charlotte Bobcats: The Kings acquired guard Jason Hart from the Bobcats in exchange for a future second-round draft choice.
Sacramento also signed free agent guard Ronnie Price to a contract, capping a busy day. Earlier, Sacramento traded point guard Bobby Jackson and center Greg Ostertag to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Bonzi Wells.
Hart averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds for the Bobcats last season, finishing third in the NBA with a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, said Hart could play solid defense while backing up Mike Bibby next season.
Price, an undrafted free agent from Utah Valley State, impressed the Kings during the Las Vegas summer league last month. Price averaged 24.3 points per game in his senior season.
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Philadelphia 76ers: Willie Green should have waited before playing basketball again.
On the day the Philadelphia 76ers were expected to announce they had re-signed Green to a $20 million, six-year contract, they instead said the deal was on hold because the guard injured his knee in a pickup game.
Sixers president Billy King said Green suffered cartilage damage and needs knee surgery. No date was announced.
"It's just an unfortunate situation at this time," King said.
Green, who averaged 7.7 points playing sporadically under former coach Jim O'Brien last season, expected to get additional playing time under Maurice Cheeks.
Now, everything is on hold.
"The offer hasn't been rescinded," said Green's agent, Noah Croom. "Billy wants to wait to determine the extent of his injury before we move forward."
"If we don't have Willie it's going to hurt us," Allen Iverson said. "But we have so many guys ready to step up."
That includes swingman Kyle Korver and center Samuel Dalembert, who were re-signed by the Sixers.
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Los Angeles Lakers-Washington Wizards: The Lakers are sending Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington in exchange for forward Kwame Brown and guard/forward Laron Profit, the team announced Tuesday.
Brown's agent, Arn Tellem, had said three weeks ago his client was headed to the Lakers.
"It's Kwame's intention to sign a contract with the Wizards on the first day possible and be traded to the Lakers," Tellem told The Associated Press last month. "All parties are in agreement. This is the intention we're going to execute upon the first day possible."
Brown, the first pick in the 2001 NBA draft, averaged 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in his four-year career with the Wizards. He was the first high school player selected with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He had career highs in points (10.9) and rebounds (7.4) during the 2003-04 season while also leading the team in rebounding.
Also, the Lakers also announced they have signed 6-4 guard William "Smush" Parker. Terms of the agreement were not released.
Parker, a two-year NBA veteran, began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed him as a free agent prior to the start of the 2002-03 season. As a rookie with the Cavaliers, Parker averaged 6.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 66 games.
Most recently, Parker was a member of the 2005 Lakers Summer Pro League entry in Long Beach where he played in all eight games and averaged 10.9 points and 3.4 assists in 27.0 minutes.
The second overall pick in 2000 behind Kenyon Martin, the 6-foot-9 Swift spent his first five seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
"We are thrilled to add Stromile's special talents to our lineup," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He gives us a unique combination of strength and athleticism at the power forward position. We believe that he will join Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming to form one of the elite frontcourts in the NBA today."
Swift, 25, had trouble cracking the starting lineup with Memphis, playing behind Pau Gasol. Known for his leaping ability, Swift has garnered the label as an underachiever.
In 60 games last season, Swift averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
_________________________________________
New York Knicks: Free agent Jerome James, who had spent his last four seasons with the SuperSonics, was signed.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed that James accepted the New York's $5.1 million mid-level exception, worth $30 million over five years.
The 7-1 James averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.6 minutes for Seattle last season. But James' stock soared after he averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in Seattle's first-round playoff win over Sacramento.
The Knicks traded center Nazr Mohammed to San Antonio before the trade deadline last season and were forced to move power forward Kurt Thomas to the middle. Thomas was traded to Phoenix for swingman Quentin Richardson.
James, who will turn 30 in November, will fill the hole at center and Channing Frye, the team's first-round pick in the June draft, likely will serve as a backup.
The 6-11 Frye may be better suited as a power forward rather than a center in the NBA. However, he is big enough to play some minutes at center and the Knicks have plenty of power forwards with Michael Sweetney, Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Jerome Williams and David Lee, the last pick in the first round of the June draft, on the roster.
The SuperSonics offered James a three-year contract. They likely will start Robert Swift, a first-round pick in 2004, at center.
_________________________________________
Boston Celtics: Former Nets forward Brian Scalabrine signed a five-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 6-foot-9 Scalabrine was chosen by the Nets in the second round of the 2001 draft out of Southern California. He played in 54 games last season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
"We need a player like Brian Scalabrine," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' head of basketball operations. "He's not a guy that fills up the stat sheets, he does the little things it takes to win."
______________________________________
New Orleans Hornets: The Hornets re-signed three-year NBA veteran Bostjan Nachbar and signed newcomer Arvydas Macijauskas, an Olympic star for his home country of Lithuania, to free-agent contracts.
Terms were not disclosed.
Macijauskas, 25, played for Lithuania in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and scored a team-high 24 points in a 104-96 loss to the United States in the bronze medal game. He also helped Lithuania upset the United States 94-90 in a preliminary round game. He scored eight points in that game.
He has played professionally in Europe since age 16.
Agent Marc Fleisher said last month that Macijauskas settled on New Orleans because he will have an opportunity to contribute from the start.
The Hornets acquired Nachbar in a trade with Houston in December. The native of Slovenia was selected by the Rockets with the 15th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
He had his best season as a pro in 2004-05, posting career highs in every statistical category and averaging 7.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 71 games with Houston and New Orleans. Nachbar lifted his averages to 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in his 55 games with the Hornets and led the team in three-point field goal percentage at .371 (65-175).
"Signing Bostjan and Arvydas today dramatically improves our team," Hornets General Manager Allan Bristow said. "Adding them to our roster gives us an immediate boost in scoring and outside shooting, two areas we needed to address this offseason."
_________________________________________
Dallas Mavericks: Josh Powell, who left North Carolina State two years early but went undrafted in 2003, signed a free agent contract with the Mavericks.
Powell, 6-foot-9, 225 pounds, led the Mavericks' summer league team in rebounding at 8.2 per game and also averaged 11.5 points in nine games. He also played for the Mavericks summer league team in 2003.
Powell played in Italy last season.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
___________________________________________
Sacramento Kings-Charlotte Bobcats: The Kings acquired guard Jason Hart from the Bobcats in exchange for a future second-round draft choice.
Sacramento also signed free agent guard Ronnie Price to a contract, capping a busy day. Earlier, Sacramento traded point guard Bobby Jackson and center Greg Ostertag to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Bonzi Wells.
Hart averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds for the Bobcats last season, finishing third in the NBA with a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, said Hart could play solid defense while backing up Mike Bibby next season.
Price, an undrafted free agent from Utah Valley State, impressed the Kings during the Las Vegas summer league last month. Price averaged 24.3 points per game in his senior season.
________________________________________
Philadelphia 76ers: Willie Green should have waited before playing basketball again.
On the day the Philadelphia 76ers were expected to announce they had re-signed Green to a $20 million, six-year contract, they instead said the deal was on hold because the guard injured his knee in a pickup game.
Sixers president Billy King said Green suffered cartilage damage and needs knee surgery. No date was announced.
"It's just an unfortunate situation at this time," King said.
Green, who averaged 7.7 points playing sporadically under former coach Jim O'Brien last season, expected to get additional playing time under Maurice Cheeks.
Now, everything is on hold.
"The offer hasn't been rescinded," said Green's agent, Noah Croom. "Billy wants to wait to determine the extent of his injury before we move forward."
"If we don't have Willie it's going to hurt us," Allen Iverson said. "But we have so many guys ready to step up."
That includes swingman Kyle Korver and center Samuel Dalembert, who were re-signed by the Sixers.
______________________________________
Los Angeles Lakers-Washington Wizards: The Lakers are sending Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington in exchange for forward Kwame Brown and guard/forward Laron Profit, the team announced Tuesday.
Brown's agent, Arn Tellem, had said three weeks ago his client was headed to the Lakers.
"It's Kwame's intention to sign a contract with the Wizards on the first day possible and be traded to the Lakers," Tellem told The Associated Press last month. "All parties are in agreement. This is the intention we're going to execute upon the first day possible."
Brown, the first pick in the 2001 NBA draft, averaged 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in his four-year career with the Wizards. He was the first high school player selected with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He had career highs in points (10.9) and rebounds (7.4) during the 2003-04 season while also leading the team in rebounding.
Also, the Lakers also announced they have signed 6-4 guard William "Smush" Parker. Terms of the agreement were not released.
Parker, a two-year NBA veteran, began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who signed him as a free agent prior to the start of the 2002-03 season. As a rookie with the Cavaliers, Parker averaged 6.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 66 games.
Most recently, Parker was a member of the 2005 Lakers Summer Pro League entry in Long Beach where he played in all eight games and averaged 10.9 points and 3.4 assists in 27.0 minutes.
