Wednesday, July 25, 2012

NBA player movements : Belinelli to Bulls


Source : Yahoo Sports

The Chicago Bulls finalized a deal with shooting guard Marco Belinelli on Tuesday, and they are about to add center Nazr Mohammed as well, ESPNChicago.com reported.


Belinelli signed a two-year deal worth $3.8 million, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"When the Bulls called me, I was so happy," Belinelli said, according to ESPNChicago.com. "Chicago is a team that maybe can win a championship.

"I can play with a star like Derrick Rose. I think this is the best opportunity for me to go out and try to win a championship."

The 6-5 Belinelli averaged 11.8 points for the New Orleans Hornets last season. He may fill a shooting void left by the departure of Kyle Korver.

"I'm a type of player like him," Belinelli said. "Maybe I can create something more than him. I think he's just a shooter, but I think I can do more than him. I don't know. I'm going to try to do my best.

JAZZ GET FOYE

The Utah Jazz has signed guard Randy Foye to a one-year contract, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday.

Foye, 28, averaged 11.0 points and 2.2 assists in 65 games, including 48 starts, for the Los Angeles Clippers this past season.

Foye made $4.2 million last season, and he probably will be added to Utah's mid-level exception, which is worth $5 million.

Foye shot 38.6 percent on 3-point shots, playing the shooting guard spot while paired with point guard Chris Paul.

With Utah, Foye will play alongside Mo Williams, who was Foye's teammate last season.

The Jazz already has several players at the shooting guard spot, but last year's primary starter at the position, Raja Bell, agreed to a buyout and left the team earlier this month.

--- The New Orleans Hornets are putting the future of the franchise in the hands of a pair of 19-year-old first-round picks, signing Anthony Davis, the first overall pick in the 2012 draft, and point guard Austin Rivers, the 10th overall pick to four-year deals Tuesday.

Davis was praised as the top talent in the draft by a wide margin after claiming three major college player of the year awards and leading Kentucky to the national championship.

Rivers (6-4, 200) led Duke in scoring with 15.5 points per game in his only season with the Blue Devils. He is the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

--The Knicks agreed to a one-year deal with Ronnie Brewer.

Brewer, an athletic wing player known for his perimeter defense, was released by the Bulls.

The 27-year-old gives the Knicks versatility at the guard and small forward spots, especially after Iman Shumpert returns from a knee injury.

Brewer is expected to sign for the veteran's minimum contract worth $1.1 million.

--The Philadelphia 76ers signed first-round picks Maurice Harkless and Arnett Moultrie, who was drafted 27th overall and traded to Philadelphia from the Miami Heat.

Harkless (6-8, 208) turned 19 in May and left St. John's after his freshman season in which he was named Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.5 points.

Moultrie (6-11, 249) entered the draft after his junior season at Mississippi State. He averaged 10.5 rebounds.

--Maybe a new coach, a new system and a new approach will change everything between the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard.

According to an ESPN report, the on-again, off-again trade talks between Magic general manager Rob Hennigan and multiple suitors are off -- for now -- and the franchise could sit tight with the five-time All-NBA center until the trade deadline in February.

KIRILENKO COULD END IN IN MINNESOTA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are clearing salary-cap space to target free-agent forward Andrei Kirilenko by helping facilitate a three-team trade that would send Phoenix’s Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the New Orleans Hornets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The trade gathered momentum Tuesday night and centered on Lopez agreeing to a three-year, $15 million-plus contract and moving to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade agreement, league sources told Y! Sports.

The rest of the deal included the Timberwolves sending small forward Wesley Johnson and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Suns, sources said. Brad Miller, who is retiring and has a contract that can be waived before month’s end, and Warrick are also expected to be on the move. Miller’s contract would go to the Suns, and Warrick would possibly move to the Hornets, sources said. New Orleans would also send two future second-round draft picks to Minnesota.

The teams were still finalizing details, but sources said that Lopez, a restricted free agent, was returning soon from a vacation to take a physical for the Hornets. New Orleans had been working diligently for weeks on acquiring a center to play alongside No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, and give Davis some inside support.

Kirilenko has a buyout in his CSKA of Moscow contract that allows him to return to the NBA. He ruled out the Brooklyn Nets and Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Tuesday because the Nets simply couldn’t pay him beyond the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million, sources said. Kirilenko has been searching for a deal that would pay him in the vicinity of $8 million annually, and Minnesota could have the cap space to do so.



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