Free-agent guard Arron Afflalo has agreed to a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Orlando Magic, league sources told ESPN.
More on Arron Afflalo Free Agency
David Aldridge: Would think Arron Afflalo will be swooped up soon. Wolves looked at him hard before going for Jamal Crawford. Shot 41 % on threes last year.
The Sacramento Kings today waived forward/guard Arron Afflalo, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.
Shams Charania: The Sacramento Kings are releasing guard Arron Afflalo, league sources say. Afflalo had contract guarantee trigger today.
Bobby Marks: SAC had until today to guarantee the $12.5m Afflalo contract. They will be charged $1.5m for 17-18 which could be stretched over 3 years.
Bobby Marks: Sacramento could have $52m in cap space this summer which would include 10 players on guaranteed contracts.
Sam Amick: Also on Kings front, a key update on Arron Afflalo deal: only $1.5 million is guaranteed in the 2nd year of his two-year, $25 mil deal.
Sam Amick: Can confirm Arron Afflalo to the Kings on a two-year, $25 million deal. Nice pickup by Vlade. Vertical first.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Arron Afflalo has agreed to a two-year, $25M deal with the Kings, league source tells @The Vertical.
Ian Begley: Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams have told the Knicks that they will not opt in to their contracts for 2016-17, per league sources.
Ian Begley: Arron Afflalo & Derrick Williams not picking up their options will give NYK more than $30 million in cap space. @Michael Scotto 1st reported Afflalo.
Ian Begley: Jeff Hornacek said in an interview with WFAN that the Knicks haven't received word from Arron Afflalo on his 2016-17 player option yet but "my guess would be that he probably opted out to see what's out there." Hornacek reaches that conclusion because of the amount of money available to free agents this summer, when the salary cap is expected to increase to $92 millions.
Ian Begley: Jeff Hornacek adds in the WFAN interview that the club believes Afflalo is still deciding on his future at this point. Afflalo has an $8 million option for next season. If he opts out, the Knicks will have at least $25 million in cap space. The general expectation is that Afflalo will opt out.
Arron Afflalo has an $8 million player option for the 2016-17 season. He hasn’t made a decision on the option yet, but the expectation is that he will opt out. Rookie Jerian Grant is still developing and may not be ready to take on a starting role. Jose Calderon, 34, may be best suited coming off of the bench at this point. And Tony Wroten is rehabbing a knee injury. So it makes sense that New York would prioritize the lead guard position in the offseason.
Ian Begley: Arron Afflalo says that a desire to a start will be one of the factors he weighs as he decides on his 2016-17 player option, which is worth $8 million. "I still believe I'm one of the premier two guards in this league and part of being an elite two guard in this league is opportunity," Afflalo said. "You have to be in a certain environment where you can excel and show what you can do and hopefully that contributes to winning. And I still believe I'm that player so I'll find the best opportunity for me whether it's in New York or anywhere else."
Afflalo felt disrespected and groused over the lack of communication, saying Rambis had falsely told the media that there was a conversation about the demotion. "I'm a straight communication guy. Just talk to me, tell me," Afflalo said Tuesday. "To me that's the key to success, the key to a winning culture — clarity and communication. When you have a lot of assumptions in the air it's too much room for error."
He said Rambis, who finished with a 9-19 record, performed adequately overall. "Obviously he and Phil (Jackson) have a longstanding relationship. He has a lot of experience as a player and a coach," Afflalo said. "So for what it's worth, I thought he did a decent job."
Steve Popper: Afflalo said he will likely wait until close to the late June deadline to make a decision on opt-out or not - seeing what happens in NY.
The interim coach seemed to suggest that his decision to move Afflalo to the bench will make him a hotter commodity in free agency. It was a strange comment considering Afflalo will have to first opt out of his contract, a move that seems more likely by the day. If Afflalo opts out, the Knicks would have enough cap space to sign a max player. “Him coming off the bench adds nothing but value to him,” Rambis said. “Because whereas some teams may not be looking at him if he decides to opt out of his contract, because they might not have a guy in his position coming off the bench, well they start to go, okay, he’s got the right attitude to come off the bench. And now they can add some productivity for him. So I just think the more versatile the players are, the better they are around the league.”
The whiff of drama, which normally wouldn’t be all that meaningful in the final chapter of a lost season, takes on added importance for the Knicks, given Afflalo’s player option for $8 million next season. Should he decide to opt out of the second and final year of his contract—and that seems feasible, given his displeasure with the demotion and the squabbling that followed—the Knicks would move closer to having enough salary-cap space to sign a max-level free agent this summer.
The conspiracy theory is either Knicks president Phil Jackson is trying to force Afflalo to opt out to open more cap space, or pressuring him to opt in by hurting his market value. However, a source insisted Jackson was not behind the decision to start Vujacic over Afflalo.
Arron Afflalo, New York Knicks: FA age: 30 | Salary: $8 million. Insider info: Struggled early in the season with a hamstring injury. Has provided New York with a third scoring option this year. Has a player option for next summer that will not be decided until mid-June.
Equipped with a player option and a strong showing as the Knicks secondary scorer this season, Arron Afflalo told the Daily News he’s looking for at least one more big contract. “Yeah, it’d be nice. It’d be nice,” the 30-year-old said. “But you do what you can. Whatever opportunities present themselves you never know. I’ve always looked at myself as a player who will have some longevity in the league based on the way that I play. I don’t rely too much on being overly athletic. I just try to be smart, take care of my body.” Afflalo’s option for next season is worth $8 million, but he can probably command a greater amount over multiple years in the open market. The Knicks do not own his Bird Rights and would have to dip into their cap space to re-sign Afflalo if he doesn’t opt in.
He signed a two-year, $16 million contract, but has an opt out after this season. Part of the reason Phil Jackson decided to join the Knicks on this road trip and eschew scouting the college tournaments — his team doesn’t have a first-round pick — was to witness the Knicks’ potential free agents. “I really don’t know what I’m doing to do,’’ Afflalo told The Post. “We’ll definitely have to address that when that times comes. Of course. I had a great first-year experience here. Obviously some ups and downs. One of those things I have to have a discussion with management and see how things go.”
Giving up his other 2015 signees Arron Afflalo and bench sparkplug Derrick Williams, though, is unlikely. Despite their recent slumps, the Knicks consider Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams as revelations, part of the core and prefer they don’t opt out. Robin Lopez and Lance Thomas are also part of the inner circle.
But Afflalo, who played 11/2 seasons with Anthony in Denver, thinks the Knicks can make it work. The veteran shooting guard also said Anthony was instrumental in him signing with the Knicks, and he's happy to be reunited with him. "I believe he had a lot to do with it," said Afflalo, who signed a two-year, $16-million deal. "I know they value his opinion here in the organization. He was a big part of me getting here. He's very happy that I'm here. He spoke highly of me when asked, and that's all you can ask for."
Trail Blazers shooting guard Arron Afflalo has decided to opt out of the final season of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, according to NBA.com. Afflalo was scheduled to make $7.75 million next season, the last of a five-year deal worth a reported $36.7 million he signed heading into the 2011-12 season.
David Aldridge: Per sources, G Arron Afflalo expected to opt out of '15-'16 ($7.75M) to become UFA. Obv key for Portland 2 re-sign w/Wes Matthews rehabbing.
