By: Tyler Ward
Wow, it's been a while since I've done a roundup - mostly because there hasn't really been any notable free agent signings recently. So, I've decided to combine the free agent signings from the last week or so or whenever the last time a roundup was posted.
- San Antonio re-signs SF Richard Jefferson to a 4-year/$39 million contract
After opting out of a contract that would have paid him roughly $15 million this season, Jefferson decided to return to San Antonio on a 4-year/$39 million contract with a player option for the fourth year. Drawing interest from his former team, the New Jersey Nets, he wanted to come to a team that could legitimately be a contender to win a championship. Even though the Spurs are getting older and older, Jefferson could get his first ring this season.
The Spurs needed to get a small forward in free agency because they are rather thin at the small forward position right now. He immediately adds another scoring threat to an already potent Spurs roster that includes Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. However, he will still be the fourth option on the team, a role tha Jefferson is unfamiliar with.
After starting his career as a Net in 2001, Jefferson helped lead the team to back-to-back Finals appearances, only to lose to the Lakers and Spurs, respectively. He was a prolific scorer on the Nets, averaging over 20 points per game twice in his seven year tenure.
In 2008, New Jersey dealt Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, but his stint in Milwaukee lasted only one season. He started all 82 games for the Bucks that season, but was then traded again - only this time to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas.
For his career, Jefferson has averages of 17 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
- Los Angeles Lakers sign SF Matt Barnes to a 2-year/$3.6 million contract
As reported early Saturday, defensive specialist Matt Barnes has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Barnes, one of the most appealing free agents left, had "officially" signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors, but it was later rescinded because the Raptors did not have enough salary cap to sign him. The contract was expected to be in the 3-year/$10 million range and they could not sign Barnes after spending almost all of their mid-level exception of SF Linas Kleiza. Originally, Barnes' contract that he signed before last season for two years.
The signing of Barnes adds immediate depth to the Lakers bench, which already consists of Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, and the newly-signed Steve Blake. However, they lost Jordan Farmar to the New Jersey Nets earlier this offseason, signing a 3-year/$12 million contract (little used players D.J. Mbenga and Adam Morrison are also no longer with the team). Combo guard Shannon Brown is also a free agent, but it is unknown if he will return to Los Angeles; he has also drawn interest from the Chicago Bulls. Barnes is expected to back-up Game 7 hero Ron Artest at the small forward position.
Barnes posted on his Twitter account earlier today, saying, "Its official I AM A LOS ANGLES LAKER. I wanna thank u for all ur patients and understanding. This is a dream come true!!! Good lookn Kobe."
The Magic cannot make a sign-and-trade deal with Barnes that exceeds $1.9 million. Orlando signed Barnes before last season and since he had played for the Magic for only one season, they did not have his full Bird rights.
Barnes was drafted 45th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 and the Lakers will now become his eighth team since coming into the NBA. This means he will return to Los Angeles after playing at UCLA in college. Barnes started 58 games in his only season for the Magic and averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is primarily known as a defensive specialist, so he really doesn't have to score that much. For his career, Barnes has averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
- Los Angeles Lakers sign C Theo Ratliff to a contract (terms not disclosed)
In addition to signing Matt Barnes, the Lakers also nabbed big man Theo Ratliff on Friday. Terms have not been fully disclosed, but it is assumed that Ratliff has signed a contract worth the veteran minimum.
The Lakers were rather weak in the frontcourt with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum being the only other players under contract for this season. D.J. Mbenga left via free agency and seldom-used Josh Powell is expected to sign with the Atlanta Hawks.
Ratliff will certainly play larger minutes in Los Angeles than he did in Charlotte last season, after playing minimal minutes for the Bobcats. He is considered to be one of the best shot blockers in the NBA and with Gasol and Bynum, they are sure to be excellent on the defensive side of the ball. Ratliff has finished a season in the top five in blocks seven times in his career, including leading the league in that category for three seasons.
For the Bobcats last season, Ratliff played in 28 games, starting 26 of them. He averaged 5.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in his only year in Charlotte. Ratliff will also have a realistic chance to win his first ring this year, especially since the Lakers have won the last two championships (2008-09, 2009-10).
He will be playing for his ninth team since being drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 18th overall pick in 1995. For his career, Ratliff has averaged 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game after playing for Detroit (2x), Philadelphia (2x), Atlanta, Portland, Boston, Minnesota, San Antonio, and Charlotte.
- Sacramento signs SF Antoine Wright and PG Pooh Jeter (terms not disclosed)
ESPN reported today that the Kings have signed forward Antoine Wright and summer league sensation Pooh Jeter to contracts, but terms have not been disclosed.
After trading away serviceable back-up Andres Nocioni to Philadelphia, the Kings were in need of a reliable small forward. Omri Casspi will more than likely start after he had a stellar rookie campaign, averaging 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The only other small forward on the roster is Donte Greene, who has played sparingly in his time with the Kings. Wright will probably be ahead of Greene on the depth chart and back-up Casspi.
The 2010-11 season will be Wright's sixth year in the NBA and he has had stints in New Jersey, Dallas, and Toronto. He was drafted 15th overall by the Nets in the 2005 draft. His best year came in 2008-09 with Dallas when he averaged 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Sacramento also announced that they have signed point guard Pooh Jeter to a contract. Jeter has been playing the last four years overseas after being undrafted in 2006. He has played for BC Kiev (2007-08), ViveMenorca (2008-09), Unicaja Malaga (2009), and Hapoel Jerusalem (2009-10). He played for the Colorado 14ers of the NBDL in 2006-07.
An ironic situation, Jeter played for the Kings' Summer League team in 2007, but did not make the team. He played a little over 26 minutes per game, averaging a solid 12 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. After playing overseas, Jeter decided to come back to the United States and play for the Cleveland Cavaliers' Summer League team and averaged 14.8 points per game in five contests.
- Chicago Bulls sign PF Kurt Thomas to a contract (terms not fully disclosed)
The Bulls continued to add players on Friday, signing veteran Kurt Thomas to a multi-year contract. The salary hasn't been completely worked out, but Thomas is expected to make a little more than the veteran minimum - $1.35 million per season. He made $3.5 million last season with the Bucks.
After acquiring Thomas, Chicago now has roughly $3 million to work with and 11 players on the roster. Sources said that the Bulls will "definitely" add another shooting guard, possibly a third-string point guard, and a big man at the vetern minimum. Chicago has supposedly expressed interest in signing Keith Bogans and former Bull, Roger Mason. John Lucas III also had a strong showing in this year's Summer League and they will more than likely pursue Lucas to be that third point guard.
Thomas, 37, played for the Milwaukee Bucks, playing in 70 games, starting in nine games. It was statistically the worst season of his career, averaging 3 points and 7 rebounds per game.
The Bulls have been rather busy this offseason, adding Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, and Omer Asik, along with Kurt Thomas on Friday. They are expected to carry 13 or 14 players into the regular season with hardly any cap space. They are hoping to compete with the Miami Heat and hopefully make their first NBA Finals appearance since Michael Jordan was on the team. Thomas also has a chance to score his first championship in his 15 year career.
He was taken 10th overall in the 1995 draft by the Miami Heat. The Bulls will be Thomas' eighth team. For his career, he has averaged 8.8 points and 7 rebounds per game. He is expected to provide veteran leadership off the bench, playing alongside Joakim Noah, Boozer, and Taj Gibson.
- Miami re-signs PG Carlos Arroyo to a contract (terms have not been disclosed)
Miami has brought back another player; this time, it's point guard Carlos Arroyo. The signing of Arroyo means that the Heat now have thirteen players under contract for next season with two open roster spots. He will compete with young guard Mario Chalmers for the starting job. With the addition of Arroyo, the Heat now have all 48 minutes commited to those two.
Arroyo, 31, is on the decline of his career and will probably end his career in a Heat uniform. The signing of Arroyo also means that the Heat will more than likely not pursue another point guard in free agency. Terms have not been fully disclosed, but he is expected to sign for the veteran minimum. Arroyo becomes the sixth player to re-sign with the newly-regimed Heat, along with Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Jamaal Magloire, and Joel Anthony.
For the Heat last season, he played in 72 games for the Heat and started 35 of those games, while averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 assists per contest. He is mostly known to be a very protective ball-handler and averaged less than one turnover per game last season (0.75) - his career average for that category is about one per game. He will definitely become quite a role player for Miami and provide veteran leadership to an already stacked team.
Playing for Toronto, Denver, Utah, Detroit, and Orlando, Arroyo has averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 assists per game.
- Sacramento trades PF Jon Brockman to Milwaukee for PF Darnell Jackson & a 2nd round pick
Although this was a done deal a week or so ago, it has just become final in the last couple of days. Milwaukee agreed to send power forward Darnell Jackson and a 2011 second round pick to Sacramento for Jon Brockman.
Brockman, a rookie last season, played small minutes for Sacramento last season, as they were practically full in the frontcourt. However, he was only there for his rookie year, but was still a fan favorite amongst Kings fans. Tabbed 38th overall, Brockman played in 52 games for Sacramento and started four of those games. The former Washington Huskie averaged 2.8 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Kings. He is due to play minor minutes, but he can contribute if needed and provide a spark off the bench.
In exchange for Brockman, the Kings received athletic power forward Darnell Jackson. Taken 52nd overall by the Cavaliers in 2008, Jackson has played limited minutes like the aforementioned Brockman. He lasted only a little over a season in Cleveland before being cut by the team, and thus, netted himself in Milwaukee. He played 27 games for the Cavaliers last season, after starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was traded away to Washington. Cleveland ended up bringing back Ilgauskas later in the year and had to waive Jackson to make room for the longtime Cavalier. He played only one game for Milwaukee after arriving in late March.
