Doc Rivers didn’t take long to make his first big move in charge of the Clippers.
A day after locking up Chris Paul on free agency’s opening day, the Clippers swung a three-team, four-player trade with the Suns and Bucks that saw them land J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. The deal, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, saw the Clippers send Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to Phoenix, while the Bucks will receive a pair of second-round picks.
The trade fills a huge need for the Clippers, who get a pair of lights-out shooters to play on the wings and space the floor for Paul and Blake Griffin in the pick-and-roll. As part of the deal, Redick agreed to a four-year, $27 million contract with the Clippers.
Phoenix, meanwhile, continues to rebuild under new general manager Ryan McDonough, getting the highly coveted Bledsoe, who looks to be a perfect fit in the fast-paced offense new coach Jeff Hornacek wants to run while giving the Suns foundation of Bledsoe and center Alex Len, the No. 5 overall pick in last week’s draft.
* Pacers president Larry Bird said Monday the top priority for the Pacers this summer was to re-sign power forward David West. It took all of 24 hours for Bird to back up his words with action, as the Pacers and West agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract, according to multiple reports.
Retaining West — which will become official July 10 — was an essential move for the Pacers, as his signing two summers ago led to Indiana reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals a year ago before knocking out the Knicks in that round this year before eventually bowing out to the Heat in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.
By keeping West, the Pacers will return their entire starting five from last season, as well as All-Star Danny Granger, who missed virtually the entire season with knee problems. Bird said he has no intention of trading Granger, who is entering the final year of his contract. If Granger is healthy that should go a long way toward strengthening Indiana’s bench, something Bird said was also a priority.
It seems unlikely, however, Tyler Hansbrough will be back as part of that bench, as the Pacers rescinded their qualifying offer to him after agreeing to re-sign West. Because Indiana is making sure it avoids the luxury tax, it’s unlikely it will be able to retain Hansbrough this summer.
* Dwight Howard met with the Mavericks and Lakers yesterday, wrapping up his scheduled set of meetings and leaving the NBA waiting for his decision on where he’ll play.
Over the past two days, Howard has met with all five teams expected to be suitors for him — the Rockets, Hawks, Warriors, Mavericks and Lakers — and has said he could make a decision as soon as this weekend.
* The Timberwolves continued to address their shooting woes from last season by signing shooting guard Kevin Martin to a four-year, $28 million deal and re-signing small forward Chase Budinger to a three-year, $16 million contract.
Whenever that happens, it will mercifully mark the end of the now two-year long saga over with whom Howard will sign his next contract.
* Fresh off their crushing loss to the Heat in the NBA Finals, the The Spurs locked up one of their two key free agents when they came to an agreement on a four-year, $36 million deal with restricted free agent center Tiago Splitter. … The Grizzlies re-signed Tony Allen to a four-year, $20 million deal.
Splitter struggled against the Heat, who used their smaller lineups to take advantage of the 7-footer’s weaknesses, but Splittler was instrumental in San Antonio’s four-game sweep of the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, and averaged 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while playing next to Tim Duncan.
The Timberwolves upgraded their shooting by coming to an agreement with Chase Budinger on a four-year, $28 million deal, while also signing shooting guard Kevin Martin to a four-year, $28 million deal, reuniting Martin with former coach Rick Adelman, who coached him when his career began with the Kings. …
The Wizards agreed to a four-year, $22 million deal with swingman Martell Webster, as they try to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.