Spurs Sign Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes
The Kawhi Leonard trade continues to pay dividends for the Spurs, as the team announced today in a press release that it has signed Latvian forward Davis Bertans, who was also a part of the deal that saw Leonard land in San Antonio.
Back in 2011, the Spurs sent George Hill to the Pacers on draft night for the rights to Leonard, the No. 15 overall pick. As part of that deal, Indiana also dealt the draft rights for Erazem Lorbek and Bertans – 2011’s No. 42 overall pick – to San Antonio. Five years later, Bertans is heading stateside at age 23 to join the Spurs.
We learned earlier this month that Bertans was negotiating a deal with the Spurs, with international journalist David Pick pegging the value in the $1.3MM-$2MM range. The exact terms of Bertans’ new deal aren’t yet known, but the Spurs were able to clear a little extra cap room this week by waiving Tim Duncan and stretching his remaining salary, following Duncan’s retirement announcement.
Bertans has spent the last few seasons with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria in Spain, averaging just over 20 minutes per contest in 15 games for the team in Euroleague action last season. In those 15 games, he averaged 7.9 PPG and shot a blistering 47.4% on three-point attempts.
In addition to locking up Bertans, the Spurs also officially added a rookie free agent to their roster, announcing in a separate press release that they’ve signed Bryn Forbes. A shooting guard out of Michigan State, Forbes went undrafted after working out for about a dozen NBA teams this spring. Terms of Forbes’ new contract aren’t known, but it figures to be a minimum-salary pact.
Nets Sign First-Round Pick Caris LeVert
The Nets have signed first-round pick Caris LeVert to his four-year, rookie-scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. LeVert was formally selected by the Pacers in last month’s draft, but Indiana was making the pick on behalf of the Nets, who had agreed to send Thaddeus Young to the Pacers in exchange for the No. 20 overall selection.
LeVert, 21, was something of a surprise pick at No. 20 for the Nets, given his health issues in recent years. In his junior and senior seasons at Michigan, LeVert appeared in only 31 total games, playing just over 15 minutes per contest. The young guard flashed plenty of potential, averaging 16.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG in his senior year, but he’ll have to shake the injury-prone label in the NBA.
As our breakdown of salaries for 2016’s first-round picks shows, LeVert will be in line for a first-year salary of about $1.562MM, with an overall value of about $7.523MM on his four-year rookie contract.
The Nets previously signed second-round pick Isaiah Whitehead.
Hornets Sign Christian Wood
JULY 14, 2:27pm: The Hornets have officially signed Wood, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 13, 9:15pm: The Hornets have agreed to a multiyear deal with forward Christian Wood, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). It will be a two-year pact, with the second year a team option, Charania adds. The dollar amount of the arrangement was not relayed.
Wood previously spent regular season time in the NBA with the Sixers, having inked four deals over the past 10 months with the franchise. The Sixers initially signed him last September to a four-year deal with a $50K partial guarantee, but despite winning a spot on the opening night roster, Philly waived him in January to make way for Elton Brand as team executive Jerry Colangelo brought with him an emphasis on veterans. Wood rejoined the team on a 10-day deal after the Sixers opened a roster spot through the JaKarr Sampson snafu, but the Sixers terminated that 10-day contract early so they could claim Sonny Weems off waivers. Philly later backtracked on that decision, releasing Weems and signing Wood to another 10-day pact which led to him remaining with the team the remainder of the season.
The 20-year-old has 17 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, notching averages of 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 8.5 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers are .415/.364/.619.
Clippers, Diamond Stone Finalize Deal
2:18pm: The Clippers have officially confirmed Stone’s signing.
2:16pm: The Clippers are set to sign second-round pick Diamond Stone to his first NBA contract today, reports Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (via Twitter). Lucas Hann of ClipsNation.com tweets that it will be a two-year, minimum-salary deal, while Woike hears that both years will be guaranteed (Twitter link).
Stone, 19, spent a year at Maryland before making the leap to the NBA. In his lone season with the Terrapins, the young center averaged 12.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 34 appearances (22.8 MPG). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranked Stone as the 31st-best prospect in 2016’s draft class.
The Clippers landed Stone with the 40th overall pick last month after sending the No. 33 pick (Cheick Diallo) to the Pelicans. In exchange for that 33rd overall pick, Los Angeles received two second-round selections. The team used the other pick (No. 39) to nab French point guard David Michineau, but unlike Stone, he isn’t on the verge of signing with L.A.
According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the Clippers are still considering what to do with Michineau. A source tells Turner that the club may end up stashing him in Europe, or having him play in the D-League.
Pistons Sign Second-Rounder Michael Gbinije
1:41pm: The Pistons have officially signed Gbinije, the team announced in a press release.
1:29pm: The Pistons have agreed to terms on a deal with Michael Gbinije, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Gbinije, who was the 49th overall pick in this year’s draft, will sign a three-year contract with Detroit, per Charania.
While the terms of Gbinije’s first NBA contract aren’t yet known, the Pistons have the flexibility to offer him three years because the team has yet to use all of its cap room. Andre Drummond‘s new maximum-salary deal will eventually eat up Detroit’s remaining cap room when it’s made official, but for now, Drummond’s cap hold only counts for about $8MM, giving the team some flexibility.
Gbinije, who turned 24 this year, averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG during his senior year at Syracuse, making 39.1% of his three-point attempts. Given his extensive college experience, the rookie wing could be ready to contribute to the Pistons immediately as a part of the team’s regular-season rotation.
For the full breakdown of which of this year’s 60 draftees have agreed to NBA deals and which ones are set to play overseas, be sure to check out our list of 2016 draft pick signings.
Spurs Sign Dewayne Dedmon
JULY 14, 1:40pm: The Spurs have formally issued a press release to confirm their deal with Dedmon.
JULY 7, 10:52am: The second year of Dedmon’s deal with the Spurs will be a player option, tweets Michael Scott of The Associated Press.
10:01am: The Spurs have agreed to a two-year, $6MM deal with free agent center Dewayne Dedmon, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Dedmon started out the free agent period as a restricted free agent, but the Magic rescinded his qualifying offer earlier this week, freeing him up to sign with any team.
The news of San Antonio’s agreement with Dedmon comes on the heels of a report that the Pistons are set to sign Spurs RFA Boban Marjanovic to a three-year, $21MM offer sheet. It sounds as if the Spurs are re-signed to losing Marjanovic, since they don’t hold his Bird rights and don’t have the cap room to match Detroit’s offer. Dedmon will be a less expensive replacement.
Dedmon, who will turn 27 next month, appeared in 58 games for the Magic last season, starting 20. He was a serviceable depth piece for the team, posting averages of 4.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 0.8 BPG in just 12.2 minutes per contest.
Per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the Warriors “really” wanted to land Dedmon as a rim protector for their bench. However, Golden State could only offer the minimum salary. Based on the reported terms of Dedmon’s agreement with the Spurs, it sounds like San Antonio will fit him in using the $2.9MM room exception.
Knicks Re-Sign Sasha Vujacic
JULY 14, 12:21pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Vujacic, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 12, 10:12am: The Knicks are bringing back one of their rotation players from last season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who reports (via Twitter) that Sasha Vujacic has agreed to terms on a new deal with the team. It will be a one-year, minimum-salary contract for Vujacic, per Berman.
After spending several years overseas, having appeared in just two NBA games in a four-season span from 2011 to 2015, Vujacic returned stateside last year and joined the Knicks. Appearing in 61 games (25 starts) during the 2015/16 season, the 32-year-old guard posted averages of 4.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.4 APG, to go along with a shooting line of .383/.364/.821.
Although his numbers weren’t great last season, Vujacic also wasn’t getting significant playing time, averaging less than 15 minutes per game. With a handful of incoming players added to the roster this offseason, Vujacic may start the 2016/17 campaign in a role that’s even more reduced.
Of course, Derrick Rose will be one player ahead of him on the Knicks’ depth chart, and Rose hasn’t played more than 66 games in a season since 2010/11, so there could be some opportunities for Vujacic to get increased minutes. Brandon Jennings will also be in the mix at point guard, while Courtney Lee , Justin Holiday, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas are other backcourt options for the Knicks.
[RELATED: Knicks’ roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com]
The Knicks used up their cap space on deals for Joakim Noah, Lee, and Jennings, then signed Kuzminskas using their mid-level exception. As such, the team now only has room for minimum-salary contracts, which limited the amount New York was able to offer Vujacic.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets, Anthony Bennett Reach Agreement
Former first overall pick Anthony Bennett has reached an agreement on a new contract with the Nets, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). According to Charania, it’ll be a two-year, minimum-salary contract, with a guaranteed salary in year one.
Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link) first reported that talks between Bennett and the Nets were in the “advanced stages,” with the two sides nearing a deal. He confirms that an agreement is in place, tweeting that the second year features a partial guarantee.
We heard over the weekend that Brooklyn had interest in Bennett, and that wasn’t the first time the team and player had been linked. The former UNLV power forward was invited to the Nets’ mini-camp for free agents in late May and seemingly made a positive impression on the club’s decision-makers. Bennett also
The first player taken in the 2013 draft, Bennett never developed into the sort of player the Cavaliers hoped he would. After one season in Cleveland, Bennett was sent to Minnesota as part of the trade package for Kevin Love. Last season, the Canadian appeared in 19 games for the Raptors, averaging just 4.4 minutes in those contests.
The Nets remain well below the salary floor, and Bennett’s deal will only take up a small portion of the team’s cap room, so the team still has flexibility to spend.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raptors Re-Sign Demar DeRozan
JULY 14, 10:45am: Nearly two weeks after agreeing to terms with him, the Raptors have officially signed DeRozan, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 1, 1:14pm: According to Charania, DeRozan’s five-year contract will be worth about $139MM. A maximum-salary, five-year pact for DeRozan is expected to be worth in excess of $150MM, so it doesn’t sound like this will be a max deal.
1:11am: DeRozan’s new deal with the Raptors will be for five years, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Amick notes (via Twitter) that the team has “other moving pieces” to deal with, so the salary figures for DeRozan’s new contract aren’t yet known. Bismack Biyombo‘s free agency is likely the primary “moving piece” that the Raptors are trying to address.
1:05am: After a meeting with the Raptors in Los Angeles tonight, DeMar DeRozan has decided to re-sign with Toronto, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). The exact terms of the agreement haven’t yet been hammered out, and the two sides can’t make it official until next week, but it appears DeRozan won’t be joining a new team this summer.
DeRozan, who turns 27 in August, made his second All-Star game this past season while averaging a career-high 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The Compton native improved his long-distance shooting to a respectable 33.8% from beyond the arc, and averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the postseason as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cavaliers.
DeRozan opted out of his contract in June, turning down a player option that would have paid him just over $10MM. While the Heat, Mavericks, Sixers, and Lakers were among the teams with reported interest in DeRozan, who received inquiries tonight from Philadelphia and L.A., he was always viewed as likely to return to Toronto, where he has spent his entire seven-year career to date.
DeRozan ranked seventh in our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Spurs Sign Dejounte Murray
The Spurs have locked up first-round pick Dejounte Murray, according to Mike Monroe of The Rivard Report, who tweets that Murray has signed his rookie contract with the team. The move comes on the heels of San Antonio making its deal with Pau Gasol official.
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
Murray, 19, was viewed as a possible lottery pick in this year’s draft, but ultimately fell to No. 29, where the Spurs snatched him up. The pick earned San Antonio a grade of A+ from ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) in his post-draft round-up, with Ford writing that the young combo guard has a chance to develop into an All-Star player if he can improve his shooting.
In his lone season at Washington, Murray averaged 16.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.8 SPG. As Ford notes, Murray’s outside shooting wasn’t impressive – he shot just 28.8% from three-point range – but that’s something that could improve with age.
As detailed in our breakdown of this year’s first-round rookie salaries, Murray will earn about $1.18MM in 2016/17, and just over $6MM over the course of his four-year rookie contract.