After being talked about for quite a while, the Los Angeles Clippers finally move Eric Bledsoe, getting J.J. Redick in return, in a deal that involved the Phoenix Suns getting Bledsoe and Caron Butler, while the Bucks receivers a second round draft pick from each team.
Most of the news around the NBA over the last 24 hours have been about re-signing, but the Minnesota Timberwolves got the shooter they wanted by signing Kevin Martin, leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder with nothing from their trading away James Harden a year ago.
Clippers – Suns – Bucks Trade
The Clippers got two shooters in the deal – J.J. Redick, who will sign with the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $27 million deal and get shipped to Los Angeles, and Jared Dudley from the Phoenix Suns. Dudley comes with three seasons left on his deal, each of them worth $4.25 million.
The Suns get Bledsoe, who has only one season left on his rookie contract (worth $2.6 million), and Caron Butler, worth $8 million next season, the last on his contract. It’s obvious the Clippers got the better players on this deal, although both of them offers an answer to the same need. The Suns have a chance to come out quite well with this one, hoping that Bledsoe turns out to be as exciting as he was in a sub-role last season given more minutes.
For the Bucks? It seems like the team is officially entering tanking mode, unless they’re able to re-sign Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis (and even then), getting two second-round draft picks while leaving hardly anyone on their team with the ability to create points.
Minnesota Timberwolves add Kevin Martin, Keep Chase Budinger
The two priorities for the Timberwolves this offseason was adding a shooter and keeping Chase Budinger, accomplishing the same in one day. Martin scored 14 points per game last season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it wasn’t enough to get them interested enough for a big offer, so the Timberwolves, one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA, get a guy who also played for Rick Adelman in the past and hit 42.6% of his three point shots last season as a sixth-man for the Thunder.
Budinger was a disappointment last season, mostly because of his injury, playing in only 23 games, but he did have quite a hot start for the team, eventually averaging 9.3 points per game making a good short first impression. Budinger was signed on a three-year deal worth $16 million, including a player option at the end of it. Martin got a four-year deal worth $30 million.
Indiana Pacers Keep David West
Quite a few people agree that the silent secret to success for the Indiana Pacers over the last couple of years has been David West, even if his offensive role isn’t as dominant as it was during his New Orleans period. West averaged 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, helping the Pacers to the Conference finals. Despite being 32, he actually got a raise to his previous deal ($10 million a season), signing on a three-year deal worth $36 million.
Memphis Grizzlies Keep Tony Allen
Despite the coaching changes in the organization, the thinking remains the same, and defense is the key word. For that, Tony Allen, a two-time NBA All-Defensive first team member, was re-signed, getting a four-year, $20 million deal from the Grizzlies after averaging 8.9 points per game last season, but showing most of his actual strengths in the series against the Thunder, making life very hard for Kevin Durant.
San Antonio Spurs Re-Sign Tiago Splitter
Despite interest from the Portland Trail Blazers and other teams, the San Antonio Spurs ignored the weak finals series Tiago Splitter had an re-signed the Brazilian big man on a four year deal worth $36 million. Splittr continued his NBA progress last season, averaging 10.3 points in 24 minutes per game, and his defense was a big reason to the resurgence of Tim Duncan as a force in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Washington Wizards Keep Webster
Ted Leonsis,Ernie G and Tommy Shep.Thank u so much for giving me a home and another opportunity to make something special in DC I’m a wizkid. That was the tweet sent out by Martell Webster after re-signing with the Washington Wizards on a four-year deal worth $22 million. Webster averaged 11.4 points per game with Washington last season, the best of his career, and although he’ll probably play less with Otto Porter coming on board, Webster wasn’t thinking about playing anywhere else.