Kelly Olynyk, a sharp-shooting 7-footer who became expendable after the Boston Celtics agreed to terms with Gordon Hayward earlier this week, has agreed to sign with the Miami Heat.
Agent Greg Lawrence confirmed the decision to The Associated Press on Thursday night. ESPN reported it would be a four-year deal worth in excess of $50 million.
Thursday was the first opportunity for NBA teams to make free-agent signings officials.
Olynyk, a 7-foot center with three-point range, spent his first four NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics and played mostly as a reserve. He averaged 9.5 points in 278 regular-season games shot a career-best 51 percent last season.
The Heat, meanwhile, value the corner 3-pointer, as many teams have in this NBA, and Olynyk could be an important addition on that front. According to the NBA's stat-tracking page, Olynyk was 18 for 32 this past season on corner 3-pointers -- and was also a strong finisher at the rim, connecting on 73 percent of his tries in the restricted area.
Olynyk had two 26-point games for the Celtics last season, including one in Game 7 of Boston's second-round playoff win over Washington.
In other news involving free agency, the San Antonio Spurs have signed veteran forward Rudy Gay.
Gay averaged 18.7 points last season in Sacramento but was limited to 30 games before rupturing his left Achilles tendon in January and having surgery a few days later.
According to sources around the NBA, Gay agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal. He joins a team that has won five NBA titles since 1999.
Gay, 6-8, has averaged 18.4 points in 753 career games. The No. 8 pick in the 2006 draft out of the University of Connecticut joins LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players with at least 13,000 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,000 steals since 2006.
Gay, an 11-year NBA veteran, opted out of a deal with the Kings that would have paid him more than $14 million for the upcoming season.
In another signing, the Sacramento Kings and eight-time All-Star Vince Carter agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal , league sources confirmed to The Sacramento Bee -- adding another successful veteran who they believe can help mentor their young players.
Carter, 40, spent the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and will reunite with coach Dave Joerger, who led the Grizzlies in Carter's first two seasons there, as well as former Memphis teammate Zach Randolph, who agreed to sign with Sacramento earlier this week.
Carter gives the Kings an experienced player who can provide minutes at small forward. The 6-foot-6 swingman averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Grizzlies last season.
Carter is the third veteran to agree to a deal this week. The Kings also reached deals with forward Randolph (2 years, $24 million) and guard George Hill (three years, $57 million).
The Kings also have a deal in place with Serbian star Bogdan Bogdanovic (3 years, $27 million), a shooting guard whose draft rights the Kings acquired last year in a trade with Phoenix.
In a free-agent move that had been highly anticipated, Dirk Nowitzki has a deal with the Dallas Mavericks that sets him up to join Kobe Bryant as the only players to spend 20 seasons with one NBA franchise.
Nowitzki and the Mavericks have agreed on a two-year, $10 million contract that carries a team option in the second season.
On the trade front, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired sharp-shooting forward Danilo Gallinari from Denver as part of a three-team trade that also involved Atlanta.
In the swap, Los Angeles sent Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, cash considerations and a protected 2018 first-round pick to the Hawks. The Nuggets receive a 2019 second-round pick from Atlanta.
Gallinari joins a Clippers team that recently traded Chris Paul to Houston, but agreed to a five-year deal with Blake Griffin. Los Angeles also has DeAndre Jordan in the frontcourt.
Gallinari, 28, was selected by New York with the sixth overall pick in 2008. He wound up in Denver as part of the blockbuster deal in February 2011 that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.
Gallinari averaged 16.2 points and made 535 3-pointers for the Nuggets. He missed the 2013-2014 season as he recovered from a torn left ACL.
Crawford played for the Hawks from 2009-2010. He's captured the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award three times.
Stone was acquired by the Clippers during a 2016 draft-night trade with New Orleans. He played in seven games for Los Angeles last season.
Sports on 07/07/2017