Charlotte Bobcats add Al Jefferson
Staff , The Fayetteville Observer
CHARLOTTE - The Charlotte Bobcats agreed on Thursday to a three-year, $40.5 million contract with free-agent center Al Jefferson from the Utah Jazz, said people familiar with the situation. \n Jeffers…
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The Fayetteville Observer
CHARLOTTE - The Charlotte Bobcats agreed on Thursday to a three-year, $40.5 million contract with free-agent center Al Jefferson from the Utah Jazz, said people familiar with the situation.

Jefferson will make $13.5 million in each year of the deal, with the third season being a player option.

The people spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't become official. The contract cannot be signed until Wednesday, when the NBA's moratorium on signing new deals is lifted.

Jefferson, 28, gives the Bobcats a much-needed scoring threat in the low post, where they struggled last season. He should also help on the boards, where the Bobcats were repeatedly outrebounded the last two seasons.

The 6-foot-10, 289-pound Jefferson has averaged 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per game over the last seven seasons. Last season, his third with the Jazz, he averaged 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

The Boston Celtics selected Jefferson out of high school in Mississippi with the No. 15 pick in the 2004 draft. During a nine-year NBA career, Jefferson also played two seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He has career averages of 16.4 points, 9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Acquired by the Jazz in a July 2010 trade, Jefferson earned $15 million last season and led the team in both scoring and rebounding.

Jefferson becomes the best low post scoring threat the Bobcats have had in nine years in the NBA.

Last year, the Bobcats started a combination of Brendan Haywood, Byron Mullens, Bismack Biyombo and Josh McRoberts at center. Gana Diop, their other big man, rarely played.

Jefferson was ranked as the third-best center on the free-agent market by CBSSports.com, behind Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum.

NEW YORK - J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni are staying in New York to help the Knicks build on their best season in nearly decades.

The Sixth Man of the Year and the point guard from Argentina both agreed to multiyear deals Thursday, their agents confirmed.

Smith helped shoot the Knicks into and then out of the playoffs, having the best season of his career but then struggling through the postseason. The product of nearby New Jersey wanted to stay and the Knicks needed to keep him. They worked out a deal that will pay him about $25 million over four years.

Smith averaged 18.1 points during the regular season, second on the team behind Carmelo Anthony. But he momentarily lost his head and then his shot during the postseason, getting suspended a game for elbowing Jason Terry late in Game 3 of a first-round series against Boston and making only 29 percent of his shots in the final eight playoff games.

Exact terms of the deals won't be known until Wednesday.

Sacramento, New Orleans and Portland have agreed to a three-team deal sending guard Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans, center Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers and guard Greivis Vasquez to the Kings.

Portland is sending second-round draft pick Jeff Withey to New Orleans and a future draft pick to Sacramento as part of the deal, which was first reported by ESPN.

Evans, a former Rookie of the Year and restricted free agent, averaged 15.2 points with the Kings last season, his fourth. The 7-foot Lopez averaged 11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Vasquez averaged 13.9 points and nine assists.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly reached agreement on a two-year contract with free agent forward Earl Clark.

Clark, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, met for two days with the Cavs earlier this week. The deal is worth $9 million.

The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly reached an agreement to re-sign guard-forward Kyle Korver to a multiyear deal.

Korver averaged 10.9 points per game and ranked second in the NBA by making 45.7 percent of his 3-point shots. Korver also had reported interest from Brooklyn, Milwaukee and San Antonio.