Chris Johnson Among Four Rockets Cuts
The Rockets have waived Chris Johnson, Isaiah Taylor, Tim Quarterman and George de Paula, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The four cuts slash Houston’s roster down to 15 players in time for the 2017/18 season.
Johnson, the 27-year-old veteran out of Dayton, last suited up for the Jazz back in 2015/16 while point guard Taylor spent time with Houston in 2016/17.
Quarterman on the other hand was acquired by the Rockets in the flurry of trades leading up to the Chris Paul deal and de Paula, the undrafted rookie out of Brazil, has yet to make his NBA debut.
Timberwolves Sign Shawne Williams
The Timberwolves have signed veteran free agent Shawne Williams, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press writes. The forward has suited up for seven different teams since the 2006/07. Williams’ most recent taste of NBA action came in 2014/15 with the Pistons.
The plan, Krawczynski writes, is for Minnesota to waive the 31-year-old so that he can join their G League affiliate in Iowa.
Williams has never made much of an impact at the NBA level but there’s something to said about a player who has managed to catch on with so many teams over the course of a journeyman career.
Magic Waive Troy Caupain, Rodney Purvis
The Magic have begun to make cuts to their roster in advance of the regular season, announcing today that they’ve waived Troy Caupain and Rodney Purvis. The team is now carrying 18 players.
Caupain is coming off a senior year at Cincinnati in which he averaged 10.5 PPG with 4.6 RPG and 4.4 APG, with a modest shooting line of .453/.325/.687. As for Purvis, he went undrafted after recording 13.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG in his senior year at UConn. Both players are 6’4″ guards.
Caupain and Purvis are good bets to land with the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. Assuming both players signed contracts with Exhibit 10 clauses, they’ll receive bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Lakeland.
With one player on a two-way contract and 17 on NBA deals, Orlando will need to make at least two more roster moves before opening night.
Poll: Chicago Bulls’ 2017/18 Win Total
The Bulls didn’t have a great 2016/17 season, but the team did manage to grind its way to a 41-41 record, and then took a 2-0 lead in the first round over the Celtics before Rajon Rondo suffered a season-ending injury and the tide turned.
That opening-round loss was the first in a series of events that turned the Bulls from an inconsistent .500 team to a club expected to lose more games than any other NBA team in 2017/18. Rondo is gone. Dwyane Wade is gone. And most notably, Jimmy Butler is gone.
The Bulls’ package for Butler – widely panned at the time of the trade – may work out for the team in the long run, but Lauri Markkanen is a rookie, Kris Dunn is a second-year point guard coming off a poor rookie season, and Zach LaVine will be sidelined to start the season as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. The trio is unlikely to have a significant impact in 2017/18.
There are a few other interesting pieces on the Chicago roster, including newly re-signed power forwards Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio. But a starting lineup that currently features Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Mirotic, and Robin Lopez won’t inspire much fear in the hearts of opponents.
Oddsmakers’ expectations for the Bulls are low, with offshore betting site Bovada putting the team’s over/under at just 22 wins. We’ll bump that up by a half-game for the purposes of our poll in order to avoid a whole number.
What do you think? Are the Bulls headed for their first 60-loss season since the post-Michael Jordan years in the early 2000s, or can the club get to 23 wins even after overhauling its roster this offseason? Vote below and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
How many games will the Bulls win in 2017/18?
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Under 22.5 50% (310)
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Over 22.5 50% (309)
Total votes: 619
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Previous over/under voting results:
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
- Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
- San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
- Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
- Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
- Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
- Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)
- Phoenix Suns: Over 28.5 (50.41%)
- Sacramento Kings: Over 27.5 (56.18%)
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
- Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
- Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
- Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
- Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
- Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
- Orlando Magic: Under 33.5 (75.24%)
- Indiana Pacers: Under 31.5 (54.85%)
- New York Knicks: Under 30.5 (57.87%)
- Brooklyn Nets: Over 27.5 (66.33%)
- Atlanta Hawks: Over 25.5 (51.44%)
Pacers Pick Up Domantas Sabonis’ 2018/19 Option
The Pacers have picked up the third-year option on Domantas Sabonis‘ rookie contract, locking him up for the 2018/19 season, the team announced today in a press release. The Pacers also belatedly confirmed that they’ve exercised Myles Turner‘s option, a transaction we noted back in August.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2018/19 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Sabonis, the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has been part of two trades since entering the league. On draft night in 2016, the Magic sent his rights to Oklahoma City as part of a package for Serge Ibaka, and a little over a year later, the Thunder dealt him to Indiana along with Victor Oladipo in exchange for Paul George.
In his rookie season with the Thunder, Sabonis was a regular part of the club’s rotation, starting 66 of his 81 games. The 21-year-old power forward averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 20.1 minutes per contest.
By exercising Sabonis’ third-year team option, the Pacers ensure that the Gonzaga product will count against their cap for $2,659,800 in 2018/19. Indiana will have to decide on Sabonis’ 2019/20 option during next year’s offseason. Assuming that option is exercised as well, the big man would become extension-eligible during the summer of 2019, and would be on track for restricted free agency in 2020.
Suns Sign Tidjan Keita
The Suns have made an addition to their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed undrafted rookie Tidjan Keita. The club’s roster is now back up to 19 players.
Keita, a 6’10” forward/center, played for the Raptors in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League after going undrafted in June. The 20-year-old Frenchman spent last season at the Thetford Academy in Quebec, Canada. His lone mention in the Hoops Rumors archives prior to today was related to a pre-draft workout with Phoenix back in May, so the Suns must have liked what they saw from him during that session.
Details of Keita’s agreement aren’t known, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed deal, perhaps with an Exhibit 10 clause. I’d expect the Suns intend to have the youngster join their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns.
Extensions Appear Unlikely For Nurkic, Gordon, Payton
With the October 16 deadline for rookie scale extensions just three days away, it appears unlikely that Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, Magic forward Aaron Gordon, or Magic guard Elfrid Payton will agree to new deals with their respective clubs.
Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link) has the latest on Nurkic, reporting that the fourth-year center is preparing to reach restricted free agency in 2018. The Trail Blazers have yet to make an extension offer to Nurkic, according to Charania, so it would take a major last-minute push from both sides to get something done.
As for the Magic duo, Gordon’s agent tells Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel that he doesn’t anticipate his client reaching an extension agreement. Payton’s rep doesn’t weigh in with his thoughts, but Robbins is bearish on the point guard’s chances of securing a long-term deal within the next few days.
In the Blazers’ case, it makes some sense that the team would be willing to wait to finalize a new deal for Nurkic. Although the former Nugget looked great in 20 games for Portland last season, he has battled multiple injuries this year, including a broken leg, and the team likely wants to take a longer look at him before making a major long-term commitment. The Blazers’ cap situation also complicates matters, since the club may need to dump another contract if Nurkic signs an extension.
The Magic, meanwhile, have had years to evaluate Gordon and Payton, but the current management group wasn’t around for the duo’s first few seasons. As Robbins notes, new president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond have said they want to use the 2017/18 season to get more familiar with the franchise’s players, so they may be reluctant to invest major money in either Gordon or Payton quite yet.
Assuming Nurkic, Gordon, and Payton don’t negotiate a last-minute extension by Monday’s deadline, they’ll all be eligible for restricted free agency next July.
Celtics Sign Daniel Ochefu
The Celtics have signed free agent center Daniel Ochefu to their NBA roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ochefu recently cleared waivers after being cut by the Wizards.
Ochefu, who played his college ball at Villanova, signed with the Wizards last year as an undrafted free agent. The 6’11” rookie was an unexpected addition to the club’s 15-man regular season roster and spent the year with the franchise, appearing in 19 games. Ochefu played sparingly in those contests, averaging 1.3 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 3.9 minutes per game.
With only $50K of his minimum salary for 2017/18 guaranteed, Ochefu was a roster casualty for Washington earlier this week, but it didn’t take him long to find a new home.
It will be interesting to see whether the Celtics view Ochefu as a keeper when they set their 15-man regular season roster next week, or whether the C’s hope to eventually get him on their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Boston currently has just 14 players on guaranteed salaries, leaving the 15th spot available for Ochefu if the team wants to retain him.
Warriors Sign Center Trevor Thompson
The Warriors have signed free agent center Trevor Thompson, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Thompson is likely ticketed for the team’s G League affiliate, Santa Cruz, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
The addition of Thompson puts the Warriors’ roster at 19 players. Coach Steve Kerr said cuts will be made after the preseason finale, Medina adds. Golden State plays the Kings Friday night.
Thompson played for Virginia Tech and Ohio State, then went undrafted in June. The 7-footer averaged 10.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 23.0 MPG last season. The 23-year-old Thompson played for the Celtics’ Summer League teams and saw spot duty in six games, averaging 1.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 7.5 MPG.
Mavs Waive Ashley, Sign Jameel Warney
The Mavericks have waived power forward Brandon Ashley and signed another forward, Jameel Warney, according to a team press release that was relayed by Earl K. Sneed (Twitter link).
The 6’8” Warney was on the team’s training camp roster last season but was waived midway through camp. He then played 44 games for the Texas Legends of the G League and averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 29.2 MPG. Warney went undrafted in 2016 after playing four seasons for Stony Brook University.
The 6’9” Ashley signed with Dallas in August after playing for its Summer League teams. The former University of Arizona product appeared in five games this preseason and averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 13.9 MPG.