Hawks, Sefolosha agree to three-year, $12M deal

ATLANTA, Ga.—The Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement with small forward Thabo Sefolosha on a deal that leaves the team sufficient salary cap room for additional offseason moves.

The Hawks and Sefolosha have agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said Friday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because teams can’t officially sign free agents until the NBA’s moratorium on deals is lifted on Thursday.

The deal with Sefolosha comes after the Hawks on Tuesday cleared more than $15 million in salary cap space by trading guard Lou Williams and the draft rights to center Lucas Nogueira to Toronto for forward John Salmons. The Hawks could have about $11.5 million for additional signings if they pay the $1 million buyout of Salmons’ $7 million salary.

The Hawks are believed to have interest in Chicago Bulls free-agent forward Luol Deng.

The 6-foot-7 Sefolosha averaged 6.3 points as a starter in 61 games last season for Oklahoma City. He is known as a strong defender but his 3-point percentage fell from 41.9 percent in 2012-13 to 31.6 percent.

Sefolosha, a native of Switzerland, has averaged 5.8 points in eight seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Thunder. He set career highs with 108 3-pointers made and 7.6 points per game in the 2012-13 season with the Thunder.

DeMarre Carroll was Atlanta’s primary small forward last season. Kyle Korver, normally a shooting guard, also played small forward in small lineups.

SOURCE: KAMAN AGREES TO DEAL WITH PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

PORTLAND, Ore.—Free agent center Chris Kaman has agreed to a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the agreement, which cannot be formally announced until new contracts are finalized next Thursday. The deal, worth a reported $9.8 million, was first reported Thursday night by Yahoo! Sports.

Kaman confirmed the deal with a post on his official Twitter account.

“Portland is a great fit for me, it’s a team that has done great things and has a lot of talent! Can’t wait to get started in #RipCity,” he posted.

The burley 7-foot center has averaged 11.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over an 11-year NBA career. He is expected to back up Robin Lopez with the Blazers.

He spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, but was limited to a career-low 18.7 minutes in 39 games. He struggled late in the season with injuries.

Kaman was the sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Michigan native, who played at Central Michigan, was an All-Star with the Clippers in 2010, averaging a careerhigh 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds, before he was traded to New Orleans the next season.