- The Washington Wizards lost their first game of the 2012 Summer League, 102-82 to the Atlanta Hawks. There isn't much in terms of a bright side when you lose by 20 points to a team that doesn't have a ton of good young talent, but there were a few bright spots. Jan Vesely's jumper looked better, Chris Singleton shot better than he normally does, and Bradley Beal showed some athleticism. On the other hand, Vesely had 10 fouls in only 30 minutes of playing time and Shelvin Mack looked completely overwhelmed and the team in general just looked bad. [ Us | NBA.com I Washington Post I Wiz of Awes I CSN Washington ]
- Cartier Martin re-signed with the Wizards for a one year, veteran's minimum deal. For a guy who's a passable defender, a good outside shooter, knows the system, and can occasionally create his own shot, that's actually a pretty good value. [ Washington Post I SB Nation DC I ESPN I Wiz of Awes ]
- Now that New Jersey Brooklyn is out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes (at least until January), the Rockets are aggressively moving to acquire him. The package is rumored to include numerous first round picks and solid but not great players on expiring deals and would allow them to take back a few of Orlando's more atrocious contracts. David Aldridge is skeptical that a deal will get done any time soon, though. [ ESPN I SB Nation I NBA.com ]
- Jeremy Lin has signed a three year offer sheet with the Rockets. The Knicks are expected to match. [ ESPN I Sporting News ]
- The Mavericks claimed Elton Brand off of waivers. He was actually pretty good last year, especially defensively and in the middle, so this should be a nice value signing for them. [ ESPN I SB Nation ]
- Kwame Brown signed a two year, six million dollar deal with the 76ers. Keep in mind that his career earnings will be around 64 million dollars once the contract is over. Still, three million dollars a year for a reasonable back up center isn't bad and if he'd been drafted 31st overall, he might have gotten more offers. [ ESPN ]
- Speaking of former Wizards' bigs, Javale McGee was offered five years, 50 million dollars by the Nuggets, but he's holding out for a bit more. He might actually be able to get it, considering how much similar players like Brooke Lopez and Deandre Jordan got. [ Ball Don't Lie I Sports Illustrated ]
- The Summer League is still going on. Lots of interesting stuff happening. [ NBA.com ]
- Chauncey Billups re-signed with the Clippers. [ ESPN ]
- In a cap-clearing move made necessary by their pursuit of Brandon Roy and Nicolas Batum, the Timberwolves traded Brad Miller to the Hornets and waived Martell Webster. [ Sports Illustrated ]
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is having some trouble with his jersey. [ Mike on SB Nation ]
- Jan Vesely did manage to pull off a double double last night, just not a good one. [ SB Nation ]
- CSN Washington has a nice little piece on Shelvin Mack's and Tomas Satoransky's development. [ CSN Washington ]
- Chad Ford has off-season grades for every team so far. Washington got a B+, primarily for the Beal pick and for the Okafor and Ariza trade, which Ford feels will solidify the front line. [ ESPN Insider ]