Indiana Pacers have sent Jermaine O’Neal and the 41st pick (Nathan Jawai) to the Toronto Raptors for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, and the 17th selection (Roy Hibbert). The teams agreed to the deal in principle before last month's draft, but it couldn't be officially announced until Wednesday.
A six-time All-Star, O'Neal averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds over eight seasons with Indiana. He'll pair with two-time All-Star Chris Bosh to give the Raptors one of the league's best inside tandems.
Also Wednesday, the Raptors officially announced the re-signing of restricted free agent guard Jose Calderon, whose emergence last season while Ford was injured allowed Toronto to acquire O'Neal.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3480419
Bogut $72.5m/5yrs
Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will sign a five-year, $72.5 million extension later this week, his agent said Wednesday.
Bogut, the top overall pick in the 2005 draft, was expected to sign the extension Friday, agent David Bauman said.
"He's thrilled," Bauman told The Associated Press. "He feels like Milwaukee really stepped up and demonstrated to him he's a valued member of this team."
The signing should also silence critics who feel the team hasn't shown a commitment to winning, Bauman said. The hiring of Scott Skiles as coach and the trade for Richard Jefferson demonstrated to Bogut that the team was making a push to be competitive.
"These moves show Andrew this team is committed to winning now," Bauman said.
The extension does not affect the nearly $7 million Bogut is owed for the upcoming season, the final year of his rookie contract.
Despite the Bucks' struggles in the past two seasons, Bogut indicated he wanted to stay with the team.
He played in 78 games last season, averaging 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3480697
Lakers Turiaf to Sign w/ Warriors
The Riverside Press-Enterprise is reporting that Ronny Turiaf, the Lakers' restricted free agent, has agreed to a four-year, $17 million offer from the Warriors.
If Turiaf actually signs the offer sheet, the Lakers have seven days to match. And in this case, there's reason to think they won't. The Lakers are already over the luxury tax, so keeping Turiaf would cost them double his actual salary. That comes out to more than $8 million a year once the dollar-for-dollar penalty is factored in -- an awful lot to pay for a backup power forward on a team with plenty of big men.
Mason agrees to deal with San Antonio
According to two league sources, the Spurs have reached an agreement with free-agent guard Roger Mason Jr. that would pay him $7.5 million over two years.
Mason, 27, was a revelation for the Washington Wizards last season, his fourth in the NBA. He averaged 9.1 points off the bench, helping the Wizards overcome injuries to guards Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels and make the playoffs.
This isn't the first time the Spurs have shown interest in Mason. They offered him a three-year contract last summer, but he opted to return to Washington for one more season.
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/07/jeff_mcdonald_s_10.html
James Jones: Signs With Heat
As Expected Jones signed a five-year contract with the Heat on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. Jones had the best season of his career behind the 3-point line last year, shooting better than 44 percent. The Heat are in desperate need of athletic shooters so Jones should be a good fit. He will reportedly earn $4 million next season.
yahoo sport
Warriors to Extend Ellis
Sources say Ellis is on track for a multi-year deal/offer averaging more than $11 million a year. Talks with Biedrins will start this week, according to the CC Times.
u've got yourselfs Brand!
