Nate Wolters Signs To Play In Turkey
Two-year NBA veteran Nate Wolters has signed with Besiktas of Turkey, the team announced (on Twitter; hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Fellow Sportando scribe Orazio Cauchi first reported the team’s interest. Wolters had been playing with the Clippers summer league squad, but he broke the middle finger on his left hand during his third game with the summer Clips. It’s unclear if his new deal includes any sort of NBA out.
Wolters, the 38th overall pick in 2013, played a significant role for the Bucks as a rookie in 2013/14, when he averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.0 turnover in 22.6 minutes per game. He made 31 starts that year, but his playing time evaporated last season, and the Bucks waived him to make room for Kenyon Martin. The Pelicans later inked Wolters to a pair of 10-day contracts, but he didn’t stick for the balance of the season, ending up in the D-League with the Pistons affiliate.
The 24-year-old played a prominent role for the Clippers in the summer league, averaging 14.0 PPG, 3.3 APG and 1.3 TOPG in 30.9 MPG. The Clippers nonetheless turned elsewhere, signing Pablo Prigioni when he cleared waivers this week.
Do you think Wolters will find his way back to the NBA? Leave a comment to let us know.
Timberwolves Eye Kendall Marshall
Chatter is connecting the Timberwolves to former 13th overall pick Kendall Marshall, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether the team or Marshall’s camp initiated the talk, but Minnesota is nonetheless keeping an eye on the Alex Saratsis client, Wolfson adds.
Marshall tore his right ACL in January while playing for the Bucks, who had taken the unusual step of guaranteeing his non-guaranteed salary before the season, more than two months before they had to. Milwaukee sent him to the Suns via trade after the injury, and Phoenix released him, with his contract set to expire before he would be healthy enough to return to the court. It was a hard-luck year for Marshall, who blossomed in a 54-game stint with the Lakers in 2013/14, when he averaged 8.8 assists per game. The Lakers waived him last summer to make room for their amnesty claim of Carlos Boozer, allowing the Bucks to scoop him up.
Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders recently signaled a willingness to sign a veteran backup point guard. Marshall would bring the combination of three years of experience and youth, as the 2012 lottery pick turns only 24 next month. Minnesota can use the $2.139MM biannual exception or the nearly $1.514MM left on its mid-level exception to offer Marshall more than the minimum, if necessary.
Do you think Marshall will fulfill his potential, or was his season with the Lakers an outlier? Leave a comment to let us know.
Hawks Sign Patterson, Petteway For Camp
10:09am: The deals are official, the team announced.
FRIDAY, 9:29am: The Hawks still haven’t made an announcement, but the signings have taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log. Patterson signed Wednesday and Petteway on Thursday, the log shows.
10:02am: The deals for Patterson and Petteway each cover two seasons, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Vivlamore also deems Muscala a “lock” to make the opening-night roster, leaving no more than one spot open for Patterson, Petteway or anyone else the Hawks take to camp.
THURSDAY, 8:51am: The Hawks will have draft-and-stash shooting guard Lamar Patterson and undrafted swingman Terran Petteway in training camp, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (All Twitter links). Vivlamore indicates that they’ve already signed their partially guaranteed minimum-salary contracts, though the team has yet to make an annoucement. Patterson’s deal will carry a partial guarantee while Petteway’s will be non-guaranteed, Vivlamore indicates (on Twitter).
Atlanta has held Patterson’s NBA rights since acquiring them from the Bucks shortly after Milwaukee drafted him 48th overall last year. The Hawks will lose those rights if they cut him. He spent last season with Tofas Bursa of Turkey, averaging 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game. Patterson, who turns 24 next month, led the Hawks in scoring at the Las Vegas Summer League with 13.1 PPG to go along with 5.1 RPG in 25.8 MPG.
Petteway was a surprise entrant for this year’s draft after his junior season at Nebraska, and though he didn’t hear his name called on draft night, he also played a prominent role on Atlanta’s summer league team, averaging 10.9 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 26.0 MPG. He nonetheless struggles to shoot from the outside, having canned just 31.7% of his three-pointers in college. Patterson was better, though not a standout marksman, at 36.9% for his college career.
The Hawks have 13 fully guaranteed contracts and Mike Muscala on a partially guaranteed deal, so it would seem that Patterson, Petteway and Muscala are competing for no more than two spots. Atlanta also has its $2.814MM room exception available, and that would likely go for another guaranteed contract if the Hawks are to use it.
Who do you think has a better shot to make the team, Patterson or Petteway? Leave a comment to let us know.
Sixers Sign Scottie Wilbekin
JULY 24TH, 9:04am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
2:39pm: The first season includes a partial salary guarantee, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
JULY 18TH, 11:56am: The Sixers have reached a contract agreement with unrestricted free agent Scottie Wilbekin, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The deal is for four years, Charania notes, though the exact amount of the pact, and if any guaranteed money is included, is unknown at this time.
Wilbekin will opt out of his current deal with the Cairns Taipans of Australia’s National Basketball League to join the NBA. The 22-year-old played for the Magic in this year’s Orlando Summer League before suiting up for the Sixers in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The 6’2″ point guard will likely have a solid shot to stick in Philly since the team is sorely in need of additional backcourt depth. In four seasons with the Florida Gators before going undrafted in 2014, Wilbekin notched career averages of 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists to go along with a slash line of .422/.389/.787.
Southwest Notes: Curry, Fredette, McDaniels
The competition in the Western Conference is fierce, and Rockets GM Daryl Morey acknowledges that even in the wake of the Ty Lawson trade, his team isn’t the favorite, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. Still, the Rockets made a key step forward, as Feigen examines.
“People always used to say our point guard position was terrible, the worst, whatever,” Morey said. “I always pointed out that Pat Beverley was a really good player. He’s just maybe suffering compared to all these perennial All-Stars we go against in the West. Obviously, we’re still going to be going against those very difficult All-Stars, but Ty Lawson is somebody who gives you a top-10 point guard in the league, somebody who can really help us.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans only made a “token offer” to Seth Curry that included a partial guarantee, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). A previous report indicated that they were close to a deal with him for a guaranteed contract. Curry signed a two-year, fully guaranteed contract with the Kings.
- New Orleans didn’t want to re-sign Jimmer Fredette, Wojnarowski says in the same tweet. The ex-Pelicans guard signed with the Spurs instead. Still, Fredette faces a challenge to find his niche in San Antonio, where he’ll have to prove he’s capable of replacing Marco Belinelli‘s shooting and beat out Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons for minutes, as Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News examines.
- The three-year contract that K.J. McDaniels signed with the Rockets includes a team option on the final season and starts at $3.19MM, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That first-year salary figure means Houston is essentially prevented from using any more of its mid-level exception without triggering an $88.74MM hard cap.
- Maurice Ndour‘s contract with the Mavericks is for three years, with this season’s salary and half of next season’s guaranteed, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- Nikola Milutinov, this year’s No. 26 overall pick, is negotiating with Olympiacos of Greece, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Spurs draftee had reportedly been close to a deal with Panathinaikos, another Greek team, but Panathinaikos landed Miroslav Raduljica instead. Regardless, the Spurs won’t sign him this season.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 7/23/15
Last season’s version of the Clippers secured the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs with an overall record of 56-26, despite playing with what could be considered a flawed roster. Los Angeles lacked a productive starting small forward, a reliable backup to Chris Paul at the point, as well as depth at center behind DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers fell in the second round of the playoffs to the Rockets in seven games, thanks in large part to the previously mentioned holes in the team’s rotation. One of the biggest miscalculations made by coach/executive Doc Rivers last season was his decision to ink Spencer Hawes to a four-year, $23MM pact instead of addressing the team’s other glaring needs. Hawes didn’t provide much production, and it can be argued that if Rivers had instead signed a wing player who could provide offense and stretch the floor, someone like a Paul Pierce, the team may have advanced deeper into the postseason.
Well, Rivers apparently agreed, judging by the franchise’s offseason moves thus far. Gone is Hawes, and in comes Pierce, as well as the wildcard that is Lance Stephenson, to provide some needed scoring and production from the wing. The team didn’t stop there with the overhaul with Rivers also adding veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni to backup Paul, Josh Smith to provide frontcourt depth and matchup options, and retained both J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers, not to mention staving off the Mavericks and re-signing Jordan.
This brings us to the topic of the day: What are your predictions for the Clippers’ 2015/16 campaign?
Have the Clippers improved enough that they are the team to beat in the West? Or do you think the team merely kept pace with the other conference contenders this Summer? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts, opinions, and predictions. Are any of you ready to crown them the preseason favorites in the West, or do you sense a backslide is in the cards for the franchise? How big an impact will the new additions have? If you believe the team still has holes, then what can be done to plug them? We look forward to what you have to say.
Eastern Notes: Okafor, Mickey, Aldridge
Sixers first-rounder Jahlil Okafor is preparing himself to be the focal point that Philadelphia will build around, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’m definitely used to being the centerpiece of a team,” Okafor said. “That’s what I’ve become accustomed to. That’s what I’ve been working so hard for.” Philly point guard Isaiah Canaan is excited about the possibilities Okafor brings with him to the team, Kennedy adds. “He’s going to open up everything,” Canaan said of Okafor. “He’s a big presence on the post. He can score the ball and he can pass. With a big guy who can do that and draw a lot of attention, he’s going to open up everyone else on the team and he’s going to be big piece for us. You always need a big man on the team. Next to point guard, that’s the most important piece. To have Big Jah and hopefully [Joel] Embiid – if he can come back fully healthy next year – not to mention still adding other pieces, we’ll be fine and have a lot of great players on this team.”
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- The first two seasons of Jordan Mickey‘s four-year deal with the Celtics are fully guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The forward is set to earn $1,170,960 this season, followed by salaries of $1,223,653, $1,276,346, and $1,329,039, Pincus adds.
- Ronald Roberts‘ two-year agreement with the Raptors includes a partial guarantee for $75K, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
- The final season of Mike Dunleavy‘s three-year pact with the Bulls, which is scheduled to pay him approximately $5.18MM, is only partially guaranteed for $1.66MM, Pincus tweets.
- The cancellation of the scheduled meeting between LaMarcus Aldridge and the Knicks was due to New York’s desire for Aldridge to play exclusively at center, a position he is not fond of, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork writes. “They didn’t want to meet with me,” Aldridge said. “Some people said it was me. But it was both parties agreeing that we shouldn’t meet.” League sources informed Begley that Knicks president Phil Jackson decided to cancel the meeting when it became clear that Aldridge had no desire to man the pivot on a nightly basis.
2015/16 Roster Counts: Utah Jazz
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Jazz’s roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Utah’s roster.
(Last Updated 2-18-16, 12:38pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Trevor Booker (F) — 6’8″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
- Trey Burke (G) — 6’1″/22 years old. Draft rights acquired via Timberwolves.
- Alec Burks (G) — 6’6″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 12 overall pick in 2011.
- Dante Exum (G) — 6’6″/20 years old. Drafted with No. 5 overall pick in 2014.
- Derrick Favors (F) — 6’10″/24 years old. Acquired via trade with Nets.
- Rudy Gobert (C) — 7’1″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Nuggets.
- Gordon Hayward (F) — 6’8″/25 years old. Drafted with No. 9 overall pick in 2010.
- Rodney Hood (G/F) — 6’8″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 23 overall pick in 2014.
- Joe Ingles (F) — 6’8″/27 years old. Claimed off waivers from Clippers.
- Chris Johnson (F) — 6’6″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
- Trey Lyles (F) — 6’10″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 12 overall pick in 2015.
- Shelvin Mack (G) — 6’3″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Hawks.
- Raul Neto (G) — 6’1″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Hawks.
- Tibor Pleiss (C) — 7’0″/20 years old. Draft rights acquired via Thunder.
- Jeff Withey (C) — 7’0″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
Pacific Notes: Lee, Stephenson, Pierce
The Celtics agreed to take David Lee from the Warriors in exchange for Gerald Wallace more than two weeks ago, but the move has still yet to officially take place. That should change by Monday, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link), and the Celtics sent a press release detailing an introduction of “offseason additions” scheduled for that day. While we continue to wait for the formal trade, here’s more from around the Pacific Division:
- Duje Dukan‘s deal with the Kings is for two years, with the first season being fully guaranteed and year two carrying a partial guarantee, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
- Clippers swingman Lance Stephenson said that nagging injuries and his game being too similar to Kemba Walker‘s were contributing factors to his down season with the Hornets last year, and led to him being dealt to Los Angeles, Jared Zwerling of BleacherReport writes. When asked why he was traded, Stephenson told Zwerling, “It just didn’t work. I felt like me and Kemba do the same type of stuff, and it just didn’t click. Kemba is like a smaller me. He dominates the ball and he’s a playmaker. And then my jump shot wasn’t falling, so it was a tough season. I had toe and groin injuries. I’m telling you, this was worse than my rookie year when I didn’t even play. I was really mentally down. I was trying everything to try to figure out what I can do to help this squad.“
- Veteran forward Paul Pierce said he chose to sign with the Clippers because he wanted another shot at winning a title, and wants to end his career playing in Los Angeles, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post relays. “I’m at the point in my career where it’s winding down,” said Pierce. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted another opportunity to win a championship. I thought just being here would be a great fit. I’m a veteran. I could be another voice in the locker room and I can just pretty much fill any role that they need me to play. If I didn’t think the Clippers were close then, no matter home or not, I probably wouldn’t have made this decision. “
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On Brendan Haywood
The Cavaliers have not had any luck in trying to deal Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract, and the team now is focused on flipping Haywood for a traded player exception, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays. The trade Cleveland made earlier today which sent the rights to Rakeem Christmas to the Pacers was intended to give the Cavs roster flexibility and an asset they may use in moving Haywood to create a large trade exception within the next week, Windhorst notes.
While the Cavs haven’t made a final decision regarding what to do with Haywood, the franchise has arrived at the conclusion it will not be able to find a suitable deal to use Haywood’s $10,522,500 non-guaranteed contract, sources told Windhorst. The Cavs are now considering all options to move Haywood before August 1st, when his contract becomes guaranteed, as is shown by our schedule of guarantee dates.
The only teams currently possessing enough cap space to absorb Haywood and create a trade exception for Cleveland are the Trail Blazers and the Sixers, notes the ESPN scribe. The Jazz are also a possibility, but they would have to trade or cut several players with non-guaranteed contracts to engineer a trade for the big man. Cleveland will likely need to include a draft pick to facilitate a deal, which is a big reason that Christmas’ rights were dealt, Windhorst relays, and the 2019 second-rounder the team acquired from Indiana could be utilized in this endeavor.
Windhorst also notes that the Cavs felt comfortable dealing Christmas because they have another backup big-man option in Sasha Kaun, a 2008 Cavs draft pick who has been playing in Russia. The team still has $1.2MM left of its taxpayer midlevel exception, and they might use it to ink Kaun, according to Windhorst’s sources.