Clippers Waive Devyn Marble
3:42pm: The Clippers have officially waived Marble, the team confirmed this afternoon in a press release.
12:53pm: The Clippers will waive shooting guard Devyn Marble, whom they acquired in a trade with the Magic, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The deal, which was completed earlier today, was viewed as a way for L.A. to reduce salary before signing free agent point guard Raymond Felton.
Marble’s contract was non-guaranteed unless he was on a roster past 5 pm Eastern time today, and the Magic were planning to waive him before they found a trading partner in the Clippers. L.A. gave up C.J. Wilcox in the deal and received a 2020 second-round draft pick in return, along with Marble.
A second-round choice in 2014, Marble was traded from the Nuggets to Orlando shortly after the draft. He spent two years with the Magic, but appeared in just 44 games, including 28 this season. He would have made $980,431 next season if he had been retained.
Bulls Sign Second-Rounder Paul Zipser
JULY 15, 3:19pm: The Bulls have formally announced in a press release that they’ve signed Zipser.
JULY 13, 2:11pm: The Bulls have reached an agreement with second-round pick Paul Zipser, according to agent Misko Raznatovic, who tweets that his client will sign a two-year contract with Chicago. The terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Raznatovic refers to the agreement as being for two “granted years” — it’s possible that was meant to read “guaranteed years.”
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
Zipser, the 48th overall pick in last month’s draft, was rated this year’s 26th-best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The German forward has spent the last several season playing for Bayern Muenchen. Zipser didn’t see a whole lot of action in Euroleague play, but in 40 German League games, he averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.6 RPG to go along with a .539/.436/.807 shooting line, in 18.1 minutes per contest.
Shortly after the Bulls drafted Zipser, we learned that the team shouldn’t have major issues bringing the 22-year-old stateside. Givony reported at that time that Zipser had just one year remaining on his contract with his German club, with a buyout worth $600K.
Mavericks Sign Jonathan Gibson
JULY 15, 2:47pm: The signing is official, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
JULY 13, 10:39pm: The Mavericks have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent point guard Jonathan Gibson, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It will be a three-year pact that includes guarantees, Charania adds. The scribe’s report doesn’t specify the type or amount of the guarantees, nor which years of the arrangement they cover.
Gibson, 28, has been playing for Dallas’ summer league squad, making three appearances and averaging 22.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.5 minutes of action. He’s shooting .511/.440/1.000 from the field in Las Vegas this summer.
The guard went undrafted out of New Mexico State in 2010 after completing his senior campaign. He has primarily played overseas since then, spending the 2015/16 season in China with Qingdao. Gibson appeared in 36 games for the Double Star Eagles this past season, averaging 42.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 46.7% shooting overall.
Hawks Sign Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry
The Hawks have agreed to terms with first-round picks Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry, the team announced today in a press release.
A combo forward, the 6’8″ Prince was the 12th overall pick out of Baylor, and his rights were acquired in a three-team deal with the Pacers and Jazz. Prince was a first team All-Big 12 selection this season, averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games as a senior. He is contributing 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in three games as part of Atlanta’s Summer League team.
Bembry, a 6’6″ small forward, was picked 21st out of St. Joseph’s. He was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as a junior, averaging 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals this season. He has put up 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in five Summer League games.
Mavs Sign Nicolas Brussino
JULY 15, 2:07pm: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.
JULY 7, 4:33pm: The Mavericks have reached a contract agreement with Argentinian swingman Nicolás Brussino, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports (ESPN Now link). Hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando, who also relayed the news.
It will be a three-year, minimum salary deal that includes a partial guarantee, Cauchi notes. The exact amount of that partial guarantee is unknown, but it is likely a minimal sum, though that is merely my speculation.
Brussino, 23, spent last season with Penarol in Argentina, making 59 appearances and averaging 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.1 minutes per night. His shooting line was .474/.394/.721.
Heat Notes: Butler, Chalmers, Westbrook, Weber
Heat president Pat Riley reached out to Caron Butler‘s agent, but the team opted for younger players in its flurry of signings last Sunday, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Riley’s initial call came before Dwyane Wade decided to join the Bulls, Jackson reports, and he hasn’t called since. The Kings waived the 36-year-old Butler last week. He spent one season in Sacramento and appeared in just 17 games.
There’s more news today out of Miami:
- Riley also decided not to pursue Mario Chalmers, Jackson writes in the same piece. Chalmers spent seven full seasons with the Heat before being traded to Memphis in November for luxury tax relief. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon in March and was subsequently waived by the Grizzlies. Jackson says the Heat were concerned not only about the injury, but about how Chalmers would respond to reduced playing time as a backup for Goran Dragic.
- Miami would be taking a major risk by trying to trade for Russell Westbrook this season, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. There has been speculation that the Thunder point guard might be available because of his looming free agency next summer and the loss of Kevin Durant, but Winderman argues that the assets the Heat would have to give up in such a deal would make it less likely Westbrook would re-sign. The writer says Oklahoma City would want Dragic and Justise Winslow, which would create two big holes in Miami’s roster. Winderman doesn’t think Riley would consider that deal unless he was assured that Westbrook would stay in Miami past the 2016/17 season.
- Briante Weber‘s aggressive defense may make him a valuable part of the rotation next season, according to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Weber, who suffered a serious right knee injury as a senior at Virginia Commonwealth, spent most of this season with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat briefly lost Weber in March when the Grizzlies signed him to a 10-day contract, but he returned to the D-League when that expired and joined Miami’s roster just before the playoffs. After playing just one game for the Heat — and seven total — during his rookie season, Weber has been making an impression in Summer League play. “He’s getting better and better at being our floor leader,” said Heat Summer League coach Juwan Howard. “They’re trying to get into him and make him uncomfortable with ball pressure and picking him up full-court, but Bri’s done an excellent job making decisions. At times he’s overly aggressive, but that’s his nature. I trust him.”
Southwest Notes: Barnes, Nowitzki, Duncan
The Mavericks are planning an expanded role for newly signed forward Harrison Barnes, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Dallas gave Barnes $94MM over four years after losing small forward Chandler Parsons to the Grizzlies in free agency. “You’re going to see a lot more to his game than you’ve seen in the past,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said of Barnes. “I think he can do a lot more than he’s been asked to do, and that’s what we expect to see. … Maybe not first year, but I think he’s going to grow into [the role of go-to guy]. Just because a guy hasn’t done things doesn’t mean he can’t do it.” Barnes, 24, averaged 13.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 66 games with the Warriors last season.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Dirk Nowitzki probably would have left the Mavericks as a free agent or requested a trade by now if he hadn’t won a title in 2011, contends Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. Cowlishaw also gives Dallas a C grade for its performance in free agency and speculates that medical reports on Parsons must have been scary for Cuban to let him go.
- The Spurs‘ Tim Duncan, who announced his retirement this week, has officially cleared waivers, according to Real GM. It’s a minor footnote for someone who almost certainly is done with the NBA, but Duncan would be a free agent if he ever does decide to return.
- San Antonio has removed its cap hold for 2015 first-round pick Nikola Milutinov, Real GM notes. The move means the 6’11” Serbian center, who played this season with Olympiacos in Greece, will spend at least one more year overseas.
- The Grizzlies have withdrawn their qualifying offer to shooting guard Nick Calathes, according to Real GM. Calathes, who spent this season with Panathinaikos in Greece, would be an unrestricted free agent if he returns to the NBA. The 27-year-old spent two seasons in Memphis.
Pistons Re-Sign Andre Drummond
JULY 15th, 12:01pm: The signing is official, the Pistons announced via press release.
JULY 1st, 11:40am: The two sides have reached an agreement on a five-year, max deal that includes a player option for the final season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
3:20am: The Pistons and restricted free agent center Andre Drummond are closing in on an agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary contract, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). If it’s a max deal, the exact value won’t be determined until next week when the cap is set, but it’s expected to be in the $125-130MM range.
[RELATED: Pistons, Ish Smith agree to three-year contract]
Drummond entered July as one of the top restricted free agents on the market, along with Bradley Beal of the Wizards. Like Drummond, Beal is nearing a five-year max deal with his team. Stein tweets that both agreements are expected to be finalized later on Friday, then will become official sometime after the moratorium ends.
Drummond, who turns 23 in August, earned his first All-Star nod in 2015/16 and was named to the All-NBA third team. The former ninth overall pick led the NBA in total offensive rebounds for the third consecutive seasons, averaging a career-high 16.2 points and an NBA-best 14.8 rebounds per game for the season.
Although he continued to provide rebounding, rim protection, and efficient offense, Drummond’s one glaring weakness is his free-throw shooting. His free-throw percentage dipped to a career-worst 35.5% in 2015/16 as he was getting to the line more than ever (7.2 attempts per game).
Still, it appears the Pistons are willing to cement Drummond as a long-term fixture in Detroit, despite his free-throw woes. Drummond’s cap hold is currently a modest $8.18MM, so if the team wants to make the most of its cap room, it may hold off on finalizing the big man’s new deal until it uses up all its space. The Pistons hold Drummond’s Bird Rights and can go over the cap to lock him up.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Notes: Griffin, Wilcox, Marble, Redick
Trading away Blake Griffin would mean a sharp change of direction for the Clippers, writes Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Rumors of a possible Griffin deal surfaced Thursday when Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported that the Celtics have targeted him and that there’s a feeling around the league that Boston is ready to make a major move. Deveney cited a possible three-team trade that would send Griffin to the Celtics and Rudy Gay from the Kings to the Clippers, but Woike sees a team built around Gay, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan as less likely than the current roster to be a contender in the West. Griffin has two seasons and about $41.5MM left on his contract.
There’s more news out of Los Angeles:
- The Clippers made a much-needed move to clear some cap space Thursday when they traded C.J. Wilcox to Orlando, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. Wilcox played just 268 minutes in his two seasons with Los Angeles and was owed more than $1.2MM next season with a $2,183,328 team option for 2017/18. In return, the Clippers received a second-round draft pick in 2020 and Devyn Marble, whose contract is non-guaranteed until today at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Waiving Marble would open up money to sign Raymond Felton, who agreed to terms with L.A. on Thursday.
- The Clippers are right against the luxury tax line with 13 players on guaranteed contracts, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical.
- Clippers guard J.J. Redick responded to Commissioner Adam Silver’s warning about “super teams” being bad for the league, writes Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. In a series of tweets, Redick notes that five teams have won titles since LeBron James joined the Heat in 2010, that the Celtics formed their dominant team through trades and that free agents have earned the right to decide where they want to play. Redick, who has been with the Clippers since 2013, is entering the final season of his contract.
Magic, Clippers Swap Marble, Wilcox
JULY 15th, 11:14pm: The trade is official, the Magic announced.
JULY 14th, 7:44pm: The Magic and the Clippers are finalizing a trade that would send Devyn Marble and a 2020 second round pick to the Clippers for C.J. Wilcox and cash considerations, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter). It’s unclear if any protections will be attached to the second-rounder.
Orlando was reportedly set to waive Marble today, but the opportunity to work out a swap with Los Angeles popped up, and the Magic will be able to extract some value for the player. Marble appeared in 28 games for the Magic this past season and averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .296/.250/.417. He will earn $980,431 if he remains on the Clippers roster past Friday.
Wilcox, 25, recently underwent surgery to repair a broken right hand and he is expected to be out of action for four-to-six weeks. He is set to earn $1,209,600 next season and has a team option worth $2,183,328 for 2017/18. The guard appeared in 23 games for the Clippers this past season, averaging 3.0 points in 7.3 minutes of action per outing, while shooting .394/.391/.750 from the field.