Unsigned Former Lottery Picks
Hasheem Thabeet went unclaimed after the Sixers waived him this week, putting the No. 2 pick from 2009 on a free agent market in which he has plenty of company. Lottery picks are supposed to turn into stars, or at least players capable of holding NBA roster spots. Still, there are dozens of lottery picks since 2000 who are out of the NBA, and perhaps more surprising is how many of them had NBA contracts just within the past 12 months.
It’s no shock not to see names like Luke Jackson and Julian Wright on NBA rosters, since that’s been the case for years now. Still others are like Thabeet, who’s consistently remained in the NBA up until now, and are left to scramble for contracts of some kind as the offseason grows short.
Greg Monroe stands out among those on this list, but his continued presence on the market has more to do with the fact that he’s a restricted free agent than any on-court shortcomings. All the other names below are unrestricted free agents, so teams are free to scoop them up if they see fit. That simply hasn’t been the case for Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, Charlie Villanueva, and others.
The list would grow further if we took it back a few more years, and it would include 1999 No. 1 overall pick Elton Brand, who’s still unsigned after spending last season with the Hawks. Still, Brand, like all the other lottery picks from the 20th century, is nearing retirement, so his continued free agency isn’t earth-shattering.
Here are the lottery picks since 2000 who remain free agents after having been on regular season or preseason NBA rosters within the past 12 months:
- Greg Oden, No. 1, 2007
- Kwame Brown, No. 1, 2001
- Hasheem Thabeet, No. 2, 2009
- Michael Beasley, No. 2, 2008
- Emeka Okafor, No. 2, 2004
- Greg Monroe, No. 7, 2011
- Charlie Villanueva, No. 7, 2005
- Joe Alexander, No. 8, 2008
- DeSagana Diop, No. 8, 2001
- Patrick O’Bryant, No. 9, 2006
- Andrew Bynum, No. 10, 2005
- Andris Biedrins, No. 11, 2004
- Melvin Ely, No. 12, 2002
- Earl Clark, No. 14, 2009
- Ronnie Brewer, No. 14, 2006
Five more veterans from the 2013/14 campaign have struck deals to play overseas:
- Jan Vesely, No. 6, 2011 — signed to play in Turkey
- Josh Childress, No. 6, 2004 — signed to play in Australia
- Ike Diogu, No. 9, 2005 — signed to play in China
- Anthony Randolph, No 14, 2008 — signed to play in Russia
- Hilton Armstrong, No. 12, 2006 — agreed to play in Turkey
Shane Battier, the No. 6 pick from 2001, started 56 regular season games for the Heat this past season, but he retired after the Finals in June.
Latest On Rajon Rondo
3:01pm: A multitude of executives from teams around the league tell Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that the Celtics have made Rondo available to them. Teams have been reluctant to give up either promising young players, high draft picks, or both in return for Rondo out of concern about his temperament, his health, and his lack of experience leading a team without stars around him, Bucher writes. An Eastern Conference GM also cites Ainge’s demands as reason why no trade has materialized. People around the league believe that Ainge would have been more willing to commit to Rondo if he’d drafted Joel Embiid, Bucher adds.
FRIDAY, 12:31pm: Celtics team president Rich Gotham dismissed the idea that Rondo is bucking for a trade, as Gotham said in comments to reporters, including Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter links). “If he’s made that demand it hasn’t been directed to the Celtics,” Gotham said. “I’ve not heard [about wanting out]. Rajon’s been working out all summer. He’s been here. This is his home.”
TUESDAY, 12:14pm: Sean Deveney of The Sporting News largely seconds Blakely’s report, having heard denials from both Rondo’s camp and the Celtics that the point guard has made a trade request. Rondo intends to play out the final season of his contract as a member of the Celtics and the C’s plan on starting the year with him on the roster, Deveney writes.
MONDAY, 4:04pm: People close to Rajon Rondo indicate to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that he never told the Celtics he wanted out, countering this weekend’s dispatch. Multiple sources from around the league tell Blakely that Rondo wants to begin the season in Boston and see how the situation develops from there, and people within the Celtics organization echo that sentiment, according to Blakely. The most likely scenario involves Rondo remaining with the Celtics at least at the beginning of the season, though the C’s are open to dealing Rondo for the right return, Blakely hears.
A rival GM suggested to the CSNNE.com scribe that the presence of Marcus Smart gives the Celtics greater leverage against Rondo if the All-Star were to demand a trade, given Smart’s upside. Blakely reiterates an earlier report that indicated that teams around the league are anxious to see Rondo at full health, dampening the market for a trade at present.
It’s a pivotal juncture for the point guard, who’s played just 30 games since tearing his ACL in early 2013 but faces unrestricted free agency in a year. Trade rumors have swirled around him ever since last year’s Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has continually denied that he’s looking to trade the last remaining mainstay from his 2008 championship team.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Earl Clark
Cleveland’s ill-fated addition of Andrew Bynum last summer and the return of LeBron James this year have overshadowed another significant miss from last season’s free agent haul for the Cavs. Earl Clark signed with the team a year ago for two years and $8.5MM, and while only the first season’s salary of $4.25MM was guaranteed, GM David Griffin wasted little time in divesting the team of the deal that former GM Chris Grant had signed with the combo forward. Griffin made the best of the Clark contract, shipping it to the Sixers as part of the deadline deal that netted Spencer Hawes, a major contributor for Cleveland in the season’s second half. The Sixers promptly waived Clark and after a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks, the 14th overall pick spent the rest of the season out of the league.
It quickly became apparent that the Cavs misjudged Clark last summer, but it nonetheless seems like a similar market overreaction that the 26-year-old has remained without a contract for so long. The Lakers gave him consistent playing time during a 22-game stretch in the 2012/13 season, when Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol were injured, and Clark showed why the Suns made him a lottery pick in 2009. He averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in those 22 games, and the career 33.1% three-point shooter lifted his accuracy to 37.8% during that hot streak. That performance over a small sample size helped him earn his contract with Cleveland, even though he tailed off in his final days with the Lakers once Gasol and Howard returned. Still, a regression to the mean might not be the only explanation for why Clark didn’t pan out with the Cavs.
The former Louisville standout took a total of 15 three-point shots over his first three seasons in the league, but with the Lakers, he turned the three-pointer into a significant part of his game, as 104 of his 386 field goal attempts came from behind the arc. Still, he shot more often from three feet and in than any other range on the court that season, according to his Basketball-Reference profile. In Cleveland, three-pointers constituted nearly half his shot attempts, and he took just 16.3 percent of his shots as a Cav from three feet and in. He made threes at a 34.5% clip for the Cavs, but overall, he was inefficient, posting a woeful 8.6 PER in wine-and-gold, down from the 12.4 PER he recorded over his full season with the Lakers. The three-pointer that once served as the missing piece of his game became far too much a part of it.
The Spurs certainly seem wise enough to diagnose the problem, and they were reportedly set to work out the Kevin Bradbury client this week. Clark said earlier this summer that he had fielded interest from a few teams, but otherwise it’s been quite a reversal from last year, when Clark and the Cavs struck agreement during the first week of free agency. He’s proven effective in the right system, and perhaps the key is finding an up-tempo approach that gives Clark chances to go to the basket in transition, like the Mike D’Antoni-led Lakers attack he thrived in, and doesn’t leave him too many opportunities to stand around behind the arc. Clark struggled playing for the defensive-minded Mike Brown in Cleveland and failed to find his way with the Magic when they were focused on pounding the ball inside to Howard. There is irony in that he merely passed through Philadelphia, where the Sixers were the league’s fastest-paced team last season, and never suited up. Still, the Sixers easily could have kept him if they wanted him, so he seems unlikely to end up with Philadelphia again. The Rockets and the Suns loom as other teams that run go-go offenses and possess fewer than 15 guaranteed contracts, though neither Houston nor Phoenix has been linked to Clark this summer.
The Spurs didn’t play at a particularly speedy tempo last season, finishing 12th in possessions per 48 minutes, according to NBA.com. GM R.C. Buford and his staff are reportedly working out a handful of others, so Clark still has much to overcome. Yet mere interest from the Spurs stands to drive up Clark’s value, given the respect around the league for San Antonio’s continued ability to turn lightly regarded players into key contributors. It wouldn’t be surprising to see other teams jump into the mix soon as long as the Spurs don’t reach a deal with him. There aren’t many available former lottery picks who stand 6’10” and are less than two years removed from having played effectively in the NBA. Clark probably won’t validate his draft position, but he can provide depth of the sort that helped the Lakers sneak into the playoffs in 2013. Clark would no doubt like to see guaranteed money if he were to sign, but should he open himself to accepting a non-guaranteed camp invitation, it seems he’d still be in strong position to stick on the roster all season.
Pacific Notes: Bledsoe, Warriors, Lakers, Brown
The lack of communication between Eric Bledsoe and the Suns persists, as Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer hears it’s stretched for nearly six months (Twitter link). Suns owner Robert Sarver said in August that he hadn’t heard from Bledsoe in four months, but whatever the precise length of the silence, it doesn’t appear as though the sides are any closer to settling their differences and agreeing upon a long-term deal. The impasse leaves Bledsoe poised to sign the qualifying offer before it expires October 1st, according to Haynes, though he and the Suns have reportedly both been pursuing sign-and-trade possibilities. Just what happens with Bledsoe will help shape the Western Conference playoff race, and there’s more news from other Pacific Division clubs, as we detail:
- The Warriors are believed to be engaged in talks about an extension with Jerry West, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group writes amid his report on GM Bob Myers, who already agreed to an extension. The Hall-of-Famer serves as director of scouting and administration for the team, and he’s played a key role in front office decision-making. West’s existing deal is set to expire next summer, as Kawakami notes.
- Lakers executives Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak gauged whether Byron Scott‘s was willing to endure a long-term rebuilding process before hiring him as coach, as Scott tells Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, and it appears Scott will have a long leash. “I said, ‘Yeah as long as I know we’re going in the right direction and as long as I know that I’ve got the support of you guys and that we’re all in this together,’” Scott said.
- Lorenzo Brown is back on the free agent market after Italy’s Reyer Venezia voided the contract he signed with the club in July because he failed his physical, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Brown appeared in 26 games for the Sixers last season and spent summer league this year with the Clippers.
Several NBA Teams Eye Julyan Stone
Free agent Julyan Stone has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Cavs, Clippers and Heat, and the Kings are in the mix for the point guard as well, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The Lakers audition will be his second with the team, Charania notes via Twitter. Stone had been set to work out for the Spurs, and he did so this week, while two Chinese teams have floated lucrative offers for the 25-year-old, as Charania details.
The market seems to have quickly accelerated for the Giovanni Funiciello client who’s been without a deal for nearly two months after the Raptors let him go in July, shortly before his minimum-salary contract was to have become fully guaranteed. It appeared at the time that there was a decent chance the Raptors would sign him back on a new deal, as Charania reported then, but Toronto doesn’t appear to be in the hunt at this point.
Each of the four clubs that Charania links to Stone in his most recent report appear to have the roster flexibility necessary to provide a clear path to the opening night roster. The Heat have only 11 fully guaranteed deals, and the Cavs do as well, although Shawn Marion will presumably have a full guarantee on his contract once he signs, and one of Cleveland’s partially guaranteed contracts belongs to Anderson Varejao. The Kings have 12 fully guaranteed deals, but they’ve agreed to trade Jason Terry, who has one of them, to the Rockets, likely for non-guaranteed salary in return. The Clippers and Lakers have 13 full guarantees apiece. The Spurs have 14 full guarantees and three partial guarantees, but they can offer more money than any of the other clubs, since they still have their $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception available. The Kings have their $2.077MM biannual exception, while Stone’s remaining suitors are limited to the minimum salary.
Pacers Sign Adonis Thomas For Camp
SEPTEMBER 5TH: The Pacers have followed up with a formal announcement, so the deal is official.
SEPTEMBER 3RD: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement.
AUGUST 22ND, 8:32am: It’s indeed a non-guaranteed deal, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
AUGUST 21ST, 9:32pm: Adonis Thomas will attend training camp with the Pacers this fall, the Memphis product tweeted on Thursday night. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders was the first reporter to pass along the news (via Twitter). We haven’t heard anything official from the team yet, though it appears that the sides have come to an agreement based on Thomas’ tweet.
After going undrafted last June, Thomas spent most of the 2013/14 season in the D-League with the now-defunct Springfield Armor. The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 16.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 34 games for Springfield, shooting an unconscious 46.6 percent from beyond the arc. His D-League play earned him two 10-day contracts with the Magic and one with the Sixers, with whom he closed out the regular season.
In all Thomas appeared in only six NBA games as a rookie, averaging 2.3 points in 6.2 minutes per game. The 21-year-old spent two years at Memphis, where he played 27.5 minutes per game for the Tigers and was the second leading scorer on a team that earned a six seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Pacers Sign Chris Singleton For Camp
FRIDAY, 10:22am: The signing is official, the team announced.
MONDAY, 2:00pm: It’s a summer contract, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM, so that means it’s a completely non-guaranteed camp deal.
11:02am: The Pacers have reached an agreement to sign Chris Singleton, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote several weeks ago of Indiana’s apparent interest in the 24-year-old combo forward, more recently following up with a dispatch indicating that Singleton would be working out in front of NBA team officials. The terms aren’t immediately clear, and while the Pacers have a $5.305MM disabled player exception from Paul George‘s injury to hand out, they can only spend about $2MM without going over the tax line, which they’ve long maintained they won’t do.
Spears identified the Heat as another team eyeing Singleton last month when he reported Indiana’s interest, though it seemed as though Miami had moved on to other targets. The 18th overall pick from 2011 fell out of favor rather quickly in Washington, and the Wizards declined their fourth-year option on him before last season, setting him up for unrestricted free agency this summer. It appeared about a month ago that Washington abandoned its pursuit of re-signing Singleton, though he had turned down an offer from overseas to continue his search for an NBA job. He also changed agents, going from Bill Duffy of BDA Sports to Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as J. Michael of CSNWashington reported last month.
Indiana has been fairly active on the market in seeking a replacement for George, reportedly coming to terms on camp deals with small forwards C.J. Fair and Adonis Thomas, though Singleton appears to be the team’s most significant addition toward that end. The Pacers had been carrying 17 players, though only 13 are on fully guaranteed deals, so it appears Singleton has a decent shot to make the opening-night roster.
Pacers Sign Arinze Onuaku For Camp
FRIDAY, 10:20am: The Pacers have confirmed the signing with a formal announcement.
THURSDAY, 1:01pm: It’s indeed a non-guaranteed deal, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
WEDNESDAY, 11:10pm: Arinze Onuaku has signed with the Pacers according to the RealGM.com Transactions log. The length or terms of the deal are unclear, but it’s most likely a non-guaranteed camp deal. After their recent agreement with Chris Singleton, the Pacers had been carrying 18 players on their preseason roster, with 13 of those deals guaranteed.
The 6’9″, 27 year-old appeared in a total of five games last season, split between the Pelicans and the Cavaliers. Onuaku averaged 0.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.6 APG. His slash line was .200/.000/.500.
Onuaku will compete for a roster spot in what is currently a crowded Indiana frontcourt. Ahead of him on the depth chart are David West, Roy Hibbert, Luis Scola, Ian Mahinmi, and Lavoy Allen.
Pacers Sign C.J. Fair For Camp
SEPTEMBER 5TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 3RD: The signing has taken place, as the RealGM transactions log shows, though the Pacers still haven’t announced the move.
AUGUST 25TH: The Pacers and C.J. Fair have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal that will bring him to camp, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The news is right on the heels of a report from Mike Waters of The Post-Standard that Fair was set to work out for the team next month, so apparently Indiana is willing to make a camp commitment to the undrafted forward even without the audition. It’s almost certainly a minimum-salary arrangement, though that’s not entirely clear just yet.
That Fair agreed to a non-guaranteed arrangement is surprising, since it appeared as though he was holding out for guaranteed money when he reportedly turned down camp invitations from the Mavs and other NBA teams earlier this summer. He played for the Mavs’ summer league team, making it curious that he didn’t wind up joining Dallas instead of Indiana for camp, though the Mavs have 14 fully guaranteed deals while Indiana is carrying only 13.
He was a fringe second-round prospect heading into the draft who displayed streaky shooting over the final two seasons of his four-year career at Syracuse, as I noted earlier. He’s a combo forward who would perhaps help make up for the loss of injured starting small forward Paul George.
Warriors, GM Bob Myers Agree To Extension
The Warriors and GM Bob Myers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (Twitter link). The new deal will keep the 39-year-old Myers at the helm of Golden State’s basketball operations through at least the 2017/18 campaign, since his current pact with the club spans through the completion of the upcoming season.
Myers took control of the Warriors’ basketball activities in late of April of 2012, as Kawakami details in his full piece. Along with co-owner Joe Lacob, Myers was an 
instrumental part of the decision to dismiss Mark Jackson in favor of bringing in neophyte coach Steve Kerr. The second-year GM’s reluctance to include Klay Thompson in a deal for Kevin Love kept the W’s from obtaining the All-Star forward, a decision illustrating on the how highly Myers values Thompson.
No mention has been made regarding the financial terms of the deal, but it’s reasonable to speculate a price tag somewhere closer to the $3MM average annual value Raptors GM Masai Ujiri earns rather than the $12MM annual salary Knicks boss Phil Jackson gets. The latter is a record number for an executive, so I would be surprised to see Myers approach such a figure.
In Myers’ first two full years heading the Warriors, the team complied a record of 98-66. He was responsible for drafting Harrison Barnes in 2012 and signing Stephen Curry to a very team friendly extension worth $44MM over four seasons later that year. Kawakami downplays any reports suggesting there was tension in the front office during the heavily drawn out Love-saga and insists Myers was on good terms with ownership throughout the process. Whether or not there were ever any hard feelings, the new deal will have the two sides working together going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.