Peja a Hornet - agent confirms it

Stojakovic, Radmanovic look to be on move

Sac.Kings said:
On ESPN, its says that Peja was offered a 5 year $60 million deal from the Hornets.
Click to expand...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2507013

It appears that the first two shocks in NBA free agency will emanate from Serbia.

Indiana forward Peja Stojakovic, widely considered a lock to re-sign with the Pacers, is on the verge of a jump to the upstart New Orleans Hornets, ESPN.com has learned. NBA front-office sources indicate that the Hornets are offering Stojakovic a five-year deal in the $60 million range. Peja Stojakovic
3119.jpg
Small Forward
Indiana Pacers

Profile2006 SEASON STATISTICSGMPPGRPGAPGFG%FT%4019.56.31.7.461.903

Sources also tell ESPN.com that the Los Angeles Lakers are close to swiping a player from their co-tenants in the Staples Center, but it's not Clippers guard Sam Cassell. The Lakers, sources said, were inching closer Saturday night to a verbal agreement with Clippers sharpshooter Vladimir Radmanovic on a five-year deal starting at the $5 million mid-level exception and worth in excess of $30 million. Vladimir Radmanovic
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Power Forward
Los Angeles Clippers

Profile2006 SEASON STATISTICSGMPPGRPGAPGFG%FT%3010.75.72.1.417.731
The Hornets have never been known as offseason spenders with George Shinn in charge, but the owner has hinted recently that he was chasing "a big-name free agent," and his club does possess two crucial advantages in their bid to tempt Stojakovic away from the Pacers -- more than $15 million in available salary-cap space and a coach who knows the player well. Byron Scott, who received a three-year contract extension from the Hornets earlier this week, played against Stojakovic in Greece before the 29-year-old made the jump to the NBA in 1999 and later worked with him in Sacramento as a Kings assistant coach.
The Lakers' cause is also undoubtedly helped by a Serbian connection in attempting to convince Radmanovic to switch locker rooms at Staples. Serbian legend Vlade Divac, a former national-team colleague of Stojakovic and Radmanovic and now a member of the Lakers' front office, can explain to Radmanovic better than anyone how badly they need a dependable shooter to help space the floor for Kobe Bryant.
Divac has been hoping to bring Stojakovic to the Lakers ever since leaving Sacramento in the summer of 2004, but that would require a complicated sign-and-trade arrangement because L.A. can't offer more than the $5 million mid-level exception. Radmanovic, like Stojakovic a 6-foot-10 perimeter specialist, is a more realistic mid-level target after averaging 10.7 points (on 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range) and 5.7 rebounds in 30 games with the Clippers.
The Clips, craving a big forward who could stretch the floor for Elton Brand, dealt Chris Wilcox to Seattle on Feb. 14 for Radmanovic. The Clippers, according to NBA front-office sources, are now expected to reach a verbal agreement with Phoenix Suns forward Tim Thomas to replace Radmanovic.
Re-signing Cassell and Radmanovic were the Clippers' top two offseason priorities and Cassell, in an ESPNEWS appearance Saturday, indicated that the Clips still have the inside track on retaining the 36-year-old point guard.
"It's looking pretty good for them," said Cassell, who recently hired high-powered NBA agent David Falk to secure him a two-year deal.
Stojakovic averaged 19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 40 games with Indiana after the Kings sent him to the Pacers on Jan. 25 in exchange for the mercurial Ron Artest. But a knee problem limited Stojakovic to two games in the Pacers' six-game, first-round series with New Jersey, and his departure would leave Indiana without anything to show for the Artest trade.
NBA signings and trades can't advance past the stage of verbal agreement until July 12.
 
Note: I split this from the other thread about Peja staying with the Pacers so it wouldn't be missed and reposted any number of times...

My comment?

For 5 yrs/$60 million I think Peja will do just fine in a Hornets uniform. And remember...he owns a home in Miami so he won't be that far away.
 
The Hornets are suddenly more dangerous than before and with outside shooting they can cause problems for teams.
 
Not a done deal yet, but I certainly don't see anyone else coming up with that kind of deal for Peja.
 
if that happens (peja) indiana is going to drop next season.
they should think about o'neal for some young guys or some drafts :|
 
d0rkus said:
if that happens (peja) indiana is going to drop next season.
they should think about o'neal for some young guys or some drafts :|
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. They drafted some good looking talent AND they have Danny "Danger" Granger. What they didn't do and apparently aren't going to do is break the bank by giving a long-term HIGH $$$ contract to a player who may well be starting to break down.
 
Wow, nice deal for Peja, but I honestly don't know why the Hornets are willing to pay him that kind of money! They seem to have a nice nucleus of young players. Hmmm. Guess it's Scotts call,
 
Who knows what the Pacers will look like... they have so much uncertainity on their roster due to injuries or ineffectiveness:

Foster
Croshere
JO (yep, and in several trade rumors, who knows)
Tinsley
S-Jack
A-Johnson (trade piece? back-up? starter?)
 
well,well,well maybe the hornets want to trade Mason for Kenny Thomas. hell throw in a 2nd round pick and cash too!!!

atleast they'll get a vet player.
 
Well...if he goes it would certainly make Indy look bad. All they get out of giving us Artest is a Peja 6 month rental.
 
Pedja would be good for NO. spread the court and let the kids go to work. Fans will love him during theregular season and with no play offs to worry about his anual disapearing act is a nonissue.

The idea of the the Lakers mobing Radman and Cassil from the farm team is a little disturbing, those tw might just make the Lakers relevant again. Worse yet for the Clips who actually seemed to like playing ball in May.
 
I hope he does sign with NO. It would make me feel even better knowing we got rid of him when we did.
 
Um, Cassell is gonna go to the Lakers? If they sign/agree Vlad for the offer, then they can only give Cassell the LLE, unless they do a S/T. But who could they give up to the Clips for Cassell?

They can only sign one of them, and it looks like it's Radmanovic.
 
Last edited:
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The New Orleans Hornets made the first splash of the NBA's free-agent signing period, agreeing to terms Saturday with three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

Stojakovic, who last week opted to become a free agent instead of continue playing for Indiana, will sign a five-year deal worth about $64 million with the Hornets, said his agent, David Bauman.

Bauman said Stojakovic will sign as soon as the NBA's moratorium ends next week. NBA teams were allowed to begin negotiating with free agents on Saturday but cannot officially sign players until July 12.

"The Hornets are setting their cap room aside for Peja, and Peja is taking himself off the market," Bauman said.

Hornets general manager Jeff Bower was the first executive to call about Stojakovic after the negotiating period opened, Bauman said.

"The nature of NBA free agency is such that the faster you move, the faster you get what you want," Bauman said.

After playing his first seven seasons with Sacramento, the Kings dealt Stojakovic to Indiana in a midseason trade for Ron Artest. He averaged 19.5 points and shot 46 percent from the field in 40 games with the Pacers but then missed four of Indiana's six playoff games against the New Jersey Nets with a right knee injury. The Pacers lost each game he didn't play.

Prior to his trade, Stojakovic missed nine games with a variety of injuries including a protruding disc in his lower back, a sprained right pinkie finger and a strained groin.

Bauman said the Pacers had set Stojakovic up with a physical therapist to help him in Greece over the summer. The deal is contingent on Stojakovic passing a physical.

Stojakovic hasn't had swelling or pain in his right knee for the past month, and has been running, biking and doing "typical stuff on a beach," Bauman said. "He's not playing basketball. He's resting his body. His health is 100 percent."

Stojakovic, 29, opted out of the final year of his six-year contract in hopes of getting a long-term deal and a bump in salary. He had been due to earn $8.125 million next season.

He joins a Hornets team that had a 20-win turnaround and stayed in the Western Conference playoff race until the final week of the season before finishing 38-44.

"This was not just a money deal. He chose this deal because he thinks the team has a chance to win," Bauman said.

Stojakovic is one of the league's most prolific outside shooters, having hit 40 percent from 3-point range over his eight-year career. He and Seattle's Ray Allen are the only two NBA players to make at least 100 3-pointers in each of the past seven seasons.

Stojakovic has averaged 18.4 points and 5.1 rebounds for his career. He fills an immediate need for the Hornets, who struggled last season to get consistent scoring output from players other than leading scorers David West (17.1) and Paul (16.1) and finished 25th in the league in scoring and 26th in shooting percentage.

Coach Byron Scott had said the Hornets' top priority in the free-agent market was finding one or two players "that can make shots to open up the game for those two."

Last season, Stojakovic finished 13th in 3-pointers made (162), and was also second in free-throw shooting (91.5 percent).
Click to expand...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=2507108
 
Stojakovic hasn't had swelling or pain in his right knee for the past month, and has been running, biking and doing "typical stuff on a beach," Bauman said. "He's not playing basketball. He's resting his body. His health is 100 percent."
Click to expand...

wow. Who saw that coming?






















/end sarcasm
 
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