NBA Free Agency: Derrick Rose Agrees To Extension, Arron Afflalo Stays In Denver

Pietrus won’t play in the season opener on Sunday but is expected to join his teammates Tuesday in Miami after taking a physical on Monday. He will earn the veteran’s minimum in Boston in addition to the guaranteed $5.3 million owed by the Suns.

For a while it looked like the Suns might trade Pietrus to another team in the Atlantic Division, but a deal with the Toronto Raptors fell through due to concerns about his knee, which was surgically-repaired in July.

Both players were first-round picks in the 2010 NBA Draft — Pondexter went 26th, while Vasquez was the 28th selection — and back-ups for their teams in the 2010-11. Pondexter averaged 2.8 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game for the Hornets, while Vasquez scored 3.6 points per game and dished 2.2 assists per game for the Grizzlies. Vasquez also came on for Memphis in the playoffs, memorably hitting a three-pointer to send the Grizzlies to a second overtime in a Western Conference Semifinals game against Oklahoma City.

For more on the Hornets, head to At The Hive; for more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.

For more on the two teams involved in the trade, visit Nets Daily and Jazz blog SLC Dunk.

The deal is said to be for two years though the exact value was unknown.

For more on the Houston Rockets, visit The Dream Shake. For the latest news and rumors league-wide, follow our comprehensive NBA Free Agency StoryStream.

This extension, which has been discussed for some time, begins with the 2012-13 season, and will keep him in a Bulls uniform through the 2016-17 season. While the recent CBA negotiations resulted in players giving up a share of the league’s revenues, Rose is one player who will actually earn more as a result of the new CBA. Johnson explains:

Rose was just 19 years old when he was drafted, and he turned 23 this past October. He’ll be just 28 years old by the time he reaches free agency for the first time in his career, putting him in line for at least one more mega-contract.

“I think Arron has become our most intangible glue guy,” Nuggets head coach George Karl told the Denver Post a few weeks ago. “When we evaluate why we lost in the playoffs, free throw shooting was No. 1 and not having Arron Afflalo was probably No. 2.”

For more on the Nuggets head over to Denver Stiffs. For the latest news and rumors league-wide, follow our comprehensive NBA Free Agency StoryStream.

McDyess was scheduled to be owed $5.2 million if he elected to play next season. Half of that total is guaranteed to him. With him retiring, the Spurs will not owe him the other half of that salary.

For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding the Rock.

It was rumored this weekend, and on Monday, it’s official: Baron Davis will sign with the New York Knicks in 2011-12. The Knicks announced the news on Twitter. According to the New York Times’ Howard Beck, Davis will sign for the veteran’s minimum salary of $1.4 million.

Initially there had been reports that Davis would assume the Knicks’ “room exception” and sign for $2.5 million, but it seems Davis took less, leaving the exception available for another free agent, and giving the Knicks more flexibility going forward, should they want to add another veteran.

For more on the Wizards, visit Bullets Forever.

For more on the Knicks, visit Posting and Toasting.

Rush will be playing for his second NBA team, joining the Warriors after three seasons in Indiana. Amundson is significantly better-traveled: the Pacers will be his sixth team, and he will be beginning his sixth NBA season.

For more on the Pacers, visit Indy Cornrows. For more on the Warriors, head to Golden State of Mind.

For more on the Kings, head to Sactown Royalty.

Murphy agreed to a one-year deal with the Lakers on Saturday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but considering it’s only a one-year deal, the Lakers probably didn’t have to break the bank to add him.

Update: Multiple outlets have confirmed Stuckey’s new deal, including Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.

For more on the Pistons, visit Detroit Bad Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Smith averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game for the Hornets last season. He scored a career-high 20 points against Washington in the one of the six games he started.

According to his agent, Smith decided to stay with the Hornets due to his appreciation for coach Monty Williams’ staff. The seven-footer is expected to be a reserve playing at the forward and center positions.

It seems that the team -- the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch -- know just how to lure the veteran big man and Minnesota native to their hockey team, too, according to a press release issued by the team.

Kind of makes it seem like a no brainer, eh? At least he knows there’s some place that wants him until NBA teams come a’calling!

Hamilton could have disagreed to being bought out and either forced the Pistons to use the team’s amnesty provision, thereby allowing Detroit to wipe his contract from the salary cap (though Hamilton would have been paid the remainder of his contract). He’s instead made up the difference by agreeing to terms with the Chicago Bulls on a 3-year, $15 million contract.

Hamilton expects to be a factor in the playoffs for the Bulls, according to his comments in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Sacramento Kings are also interested. Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie went on the record with the Sacramento Bee earlier this week to discuss his current situation.

Kirilenko said earlier this month that he’d listen to offers from the NBA, but would be hesitant to leave Russia as his children are enrolled in school and he enjoys his role with CSKA Moscow. The allure of a bigger contract in the NBA could convince him to return stateside, however, where he could enjoy a bit of a resurgence in the right circumstance.

One week into the 2011 NBA free agent period, some 33 of SBNation.com’s top 40 free agents are accounted for. But some teams still have cap space to burn, and some good players are still looking for homes. Here’s an updated list of the top 15 free agents still available.

At some point, Stuckey might need to sign his $3.9 million qualifying offer and aim for unrestricted free agency in 2012.

For more on the Jazz, visit SLC Dunk.

For more on the Nets, visit NetsDaily.

For more on Portland, visit Blazer’s Edge.

Landry’s agreement was first reported by Jimmy Smith at the New Orleans’ Times-Picayune, but ESPN’s Marc Stein added some details on the contract. The one-year deal will reportedly pay Landry $9 million to be the team’s only power forward, at least as far as the current roster is concerned.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to waive Baron Davis under the amnesty clause, the team announced on Wednesday night. Davis is out for at least two months with a back injury, and is owed about $27 million dollars in guaranteed money. Additionally, the Cavaliers picked up Kyrie Irving in the 2011 NBA Draft, and expect the rookie to compete right away.

In a statement, the team thanked Davis while announcing the decision to waive him. ESPN’s Marc Stein also noted the addition of Irving made Davis, and his large contract, expendable.