The New York Knicks already used up most of their financial flexibility to add Andrea Bargnani, Metta World Peace and Pablo Prigioni, but they're still hoping to fill out the roster with quality players. That has the team "trying hard" to sign free agent guard Beno Udrih to a deal soon, according to ESPN.
NBA free agency rumors roundup: Knicks ‘trying hard’ for Beno Udrih as others head overseas
The Knicks want Beno Udrih, and he may have to settle as other players find gigs overseas.
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Unable to offer more than a veteran's minimum salary due to cap constraints, the Knicks will likely have to sell Udrih on the prospects of playing time and postseason play. Other teams may be willing to offer more cash, but the 31-year-old would likely find a lot of opportunities behind Raymond Felton and Prigioni in New York.
After making more than $7 million last season, Udrih may be willing to play for less if it means competing for a title, though it would be somewhat surprising to see such an effective player sign for so little. Udrih played well for both the Magic and Bucks last season, averaging 8.2 points and 4.6 assists in just 22.1 minutes per contest.
Should the Knicks be able to ink him for the league minimum, it would be an impressive get for the team considering its lack of assets. We’ll see whether Udrih is willing to settle as numerous other players head overseas, though Posting and Toasting isn’t optimistic:
For a minimum contract, Udrih would be terrific. Of course, that probably means he won’t accept the minimum, no matter how much glitter and perfume the Knicks slather on the document.
Summers, Brown, Green sign overseas
While Udrih still hopes to land a more lucrative deal in the NBA, some players have already began accepting offers to head overseas. We saw a rash of these signings reported Wednesday, as DaJuan Summers, Bobby Brown and 2013 second-round pick Erick Green agreed to deals with foreign clubs.
Released by the Clippers last month, Summers will be joining Budivelnyk Kyiv of the Ukrianian Basketball SuperLeague. A 6'8 forward out of Georgetown, he appeared in 83 NBA games over four seasons with the Pistons, Hornets and Clips, but spent the vast majority of 2012-13 in the D-League.
He'll be joined in Europe by Green, the Nuggets' second-round selection this season. Originally drafted 46th overall by the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets acquired him on draft day but later signed Nate Robinson to fill out their backcourt. With Green providing a similar role, he likely didn't envision playing much in Denver next season.
Instead, Green heads to Italian powerhouse Siena, as Yahoo! Sports reports, where he’ll look to translate his skills to the international game. Green led the nation in scoring as a senior with 25 points per game, and Denver will continue to assess his development from Italy.
Green will actually be replacing Brown with Siena, as the former CS Fullerton star makes his way to China next season. The deal includes an opt-out clause on Aug. 15, so he can still return to the NBA should offers start coming his way, but otherwise he’ll be joining a number of former NBA players taking their talents to Asia.
Harrington wants to contribute again
There hasn't been much talk about Al Harrington this offseason, but the longtime forward believes he's ready to be an NBA contributor again. Despite being uncertain of his status with the Orlando Magic after missing most of last season with injuries, he's ready to contribute wherever he goes.
Given an expensive salary, Harrington knows that could be somewhere else if Orlando buys him out:
“One thing I realized is that it’s not about how much you can play or what you can do on the court anymore. The game has become about (financial) numbers and salaries and stuff like that. It’s not what you can do anymore. It’s what you can do at that price.”
The Magic owe Harrington a combined $14.7 million through 2014-15, but only half of that money is guaranteed. With the team angling for a top pick next summer as part of its rebuilding effort, keeping an overpaid Harrington around would almost be counterproductive. That has the team weighing its options, including buying out his contract.
If that happens, Harrington would become an unrestricted free agent. Considering he’s just one year removed from being one of the best reserves in the league, expect some solid interest if Orlando moves on.
Pistons likely to sign Peyton Siva
After opening up some roster space with the Brandon Jenning sign-and-trade on Tuesday, the Pistons will likely sign second-round pick Peyton Siva before the season. It seemed unclear whether the two sides would reach an agreement earlier this week, but with the Pistons shipping out Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton and Viacheslav Kravtsov, there's easily room to fit Siva now. He'll have to seriously battle for playing time behind the likes of Jennings, Chauncey Billups, Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey, but at least he'll be living the NBA life.
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