Kings Sign Reggie Hearn, David Stockton
The Kings have signed Reggie Hearn and David Stockton, according to a team press release.
Hearn played for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, over the past three seasons. During the 2016/17 campaign, he averaged 13.5 points while shooting 44.2% from downtown.
Stockton played for the Bighorns during three separate stints since 2014. He supplemented his G-League experiences with contracts in Croatia and New Zealand.
The Kings’ roster now stands at 20 players. Sacramento is likely to waive both players before the season begins and the duo is expected to suit up for the Bighorns as a result.
Clippers Waive LaDontae Henton
One of the Clippers camp invitees is no longer on the roster, with the team confirming that LaDontae Henton has been waived. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent later this week if and when he clears waivers, and there’s a good chance he ultimately ends up with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate.
Henton, 25, went undrafted in 2015 after playing his college ball at Providence. Since then, the 6’6″ small forward has spent time with teams in Spain and the Philippines. He also played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a .402/.383/.735 shooting line in 37 games.
The Clippers ensured in August that they’d secured Henton’s returning G League rights, acquiring him in a trade with Santa Cruz, so he’ll be eligible to join L.A.’s new affiliate.
The Clippers now have 17 players on NBA contracts and one on a two-way deal, so they’ll have to make at least a couple more roster moves before opening night.
Kings Waive Marcus Williams
The Kings have waived veteran guard Marcus Williams, the team announced today in a press release. Williams joined Sacramento last month as a camp invitee, but was viewed as a long shot to make the regular season roster.
Williams, 31, was the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 draft, but the UConn product spent just four years in the league, appearing in 203 total games for the Nets, Warriors, and Grizzlies. He hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2009/10 season, having continued his professional career overseas and spent time with clubs in Russia, China, Spain, Serbia, Montenegro, and France.
Williams played in two preseason games for Sacramento, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in 15.7 minutes per contest.
The Kings now have 16 players under contract, not counting their two-way players. With 15 of those players on guaranteed deals, non-guaranteed camp invitee Matt Jones figures to join Williams on the waiver wire sometime before opening night.
Pistons Cut Landry Nnoko, Derek Willis
The Pistons have made a pair of roster cuts, waiving Landry Nnoko and Derek Willis, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). Both players are on track to join the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s G League squad, as affiliate players.
Nnoko, a 6’10” center, joined the Pistons this summer after spending last season playing in Italy. As for Willis, the 6’9″ forward went undrafted out of Kentucky this year before accepting a training camp invite from Detroit.
The pair of roster moves bring the Pistons’ roster count to 17, with two of those players on two-way deals. Detroit now has 15 players on NBA contracts, so no further cuts are necessary before opening night, though that doesn’t guarantee that the team won’t make any additional moves.
If the Pistons do end up making another cut, veteran point guard Beno Udrih would likely be next on the chopping block, since he’s the only other player on the roster with a fully non-guaranteed salary.
Bulls Notes: Rose, Wade, Dunn, Lineup
With Dwyane Wade poised to start at shooting guard this season for the Cavaliers, he and Derrick Rose will share the backcourt in Cleveland. The pairing is one that the Bulls badly wanted to create themselves back in 2010, and Rose said today that he made an effort to bring Wade – along with LeBron James and Chris Bosh – to Chicago. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, the former No. 1 overall pick recorded a video to recruit the trio.
“Oh yeah, yeah, I tried,” Rose said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “People always said that I didn’t recruit. I tried to recruit. I put out the video, but, it wasn’t for me to say that. I felt like it was for the organization to say that.”
Rose, who received some criticism during his time with the Bulls for not making a stronger effort to recruit free agents, said today that he doesn’t know whether Wade, James, and Bosh ever watched the video he recorded.
“(The Bulls) didn’t say anything about it,” Rose said. “They sent it, I don’t know if they really actually looked at it or played the video, but, I made the video, but at the time it really wasn’t for me to say that.”
Here’s more from out of Chicago:
- There are no hard feelings between the Bulls’ young players and Wade, despite an incident last season in which the veteran guard – along with Jimmy Butler – questioned his teammates’ desire to win. “We never had any conflict with Dwyane,” Nikola Mirotic said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Just after that game, they had some tough declarations, Jimmy and D-Wade. But that was all. It’s a part of the game. They were hot. There was disappointment about the game. We all understand. But inside the locker room and in the practices, they were terrific with us. So there’s nothing to complain about.”
- Bulls reporter Sean Highkin (Twitter link) hears that the Bulls expect point guard Kris Dunn to be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a dislocated finger.
- While it hasn’t been set in stone yet, all signs are pointing toward the Bulls opening the season with Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Mirotic, and Robin Lopez in their starting lineup. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune has the details.
Poll: Sacramento Kings’ 2017/18 Win Total
As Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors detailed on Monday night, the Kings’ 2017 offseason was a somewhat unusual one. Sacramento continued loading up on young talent, adding four players in the top 34 picks of the draft, but the team also went out and signed a few veteran free agents, bringing in George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter.
Those players have plenty of postseason experience, but the Kings aren’t necessarily expecting to be a playoff team in 2017/18. Having lost DeMarcus Cousins and several other vets within the last calendar year, the organization is simply looking for veteran mentors for all its first- and second-year players.
That means Hill will get a chance to work with players like De’Aaron Fox, Frank Mason, and Malachi Richardson in the backcourt; Carter will take swingmen like Buddy Hield, Justin Jackson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic under his wing; and Randolph will get an opportunity to mentor bigs like Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, and Harry Giles.
With so many youngsters expected to receive major minutes, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers don’t expect the Kings to be a postseason contender in the Western Conference. Sacramento has won between 28 and 33 games in each of the last five seasons after having won between 17 and 25 in the four years before that. Their over/under for 2017/18 falls right in between those two ranges, with offshore betting site Bovada pegging them at 27.5 wins.
What do you think? Will the new-look Kings exceed expectations, or is there simply too much turnover and unproven talent here to avoid piling up losses? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts on Sacramento!
How many games will the Kings win in 2017/18?
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Over 27.5 56% (259)
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Under 27.5 44% (202)
Total votes: 461
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%)
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%)
Celtics Sign Daniel Dixon
The Celtics have finalized a contract agreement initially reported in August, announcing this week (via Twitter) that they’ve signed undrafted rookie Daniel Dixon to their roster. The move brings Boston back up to the 20-man preseason roster limit.
Dixon, a 6’6″ shooting guard, played his college ball at William & Mary, enjoying a breakout season in his senior year. Appearing in 30 games in 2016/17, Dixon averaged 19.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.5 APG, with a shooting line of .482/.378/.870.
Boston’s initial training camp roster didn’t include Dixon, but the team cleared a roster spot to finalize his signing by waiving another camp invitee – Devin Williams – last week.
While terms of Dixon’s agreement aren’t known, it figures to be a non-guaranteed deal. The Celtics likely view the rookie guard as a potential affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s G League team.
Knicks Notes: Cap Space, Lee, Noah, Porzingis
The Knicks need to concentrate their rebuilding efforts on the draft rather than free agency, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. If Enes Kanter, Ron Baker and Kyle O’Quinn all exercise player options for next season, New York will have about $10MM available and almost all of that will be consumed by a $9.8MM cap hold for Doug McDermott. The Knicks have a Monday deadline to reach a rookie-scale extension with McDermott, but sources tell Begley that’s unlikely to happen. New York also has to factor in the cost of what is expected to be a high draft pick. Frank Ntilikina, who was the eighth overall selection this year, has a starting salary of $3.5MM.
The outlook is somewhat brighter for 2019, as the Knicks will enter that summer with about $50MM in guaranteed salaries. The team could give Kristaps Porzingis a rookie extension by then, which would add about $27MM, but with the Latvian star having a $17.1MM cap hold, it may make more sense to work out a deal in 2019. Add in a $4.8MM option that is expected to be picked up on Ntilikina, plus $1.6MM options on Damyean Dotson and Willy Hernangomez in addition to another draft pick, and Begley estimates about $19.5MM in available cap space, which isn’t nearly enough to compete for an elite free agent.
There’s more today out of New York:
- One way to open cap space is through trades, and the Knicks’ front office seems willing to deal Courtney Lee, Begley notes in the same story. With three years and $55MM left on his contract, Joakim Noah is considered virtually untradable, but former team president Phil Jackson tried to include him when he talked to teams about Porzingis deals earlier this year.
- Teams have contacted the Knicks about O’Quinn and Lance Thomas during the preseason, Begley adds. New York has a surplus of big men after acquiring Kanter from the Thunder in the Carmelo Anthony trade.
- The Knicks aren’t making much effort to hide their desire to tank this season, with coach Jeff Hornacek comparing himself to Sixers coach Brett Brown, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. There is some concern that rebuilding will take its toll on Porzingis and may affect his desire to sign an extension in New York. “We’re building something and want to move forward as a team. We’re far from a championship right now,” Porzingis said. “We need to have a progression and move forward as a team and get better every year. I don’t know how long, if we do all the right things and grow, we’ll be there one day.’’
- The Knicks unveiled Squarespace this morning as the new team sponsor, according to The New York Daily News. They are the 17th NBA team to add an official sponsor, and the uniform patches will debut in Friday’s game.
Joel Embiid Signs Max Extension With Sixers
OCTOBER 10, 11:36am: The extension is official, the team announced on Twitter. We should soon find out more specifics on the deal, which was described to ESPN’s Zach Lowe as “perhaps the most complex” in NBA history (Twitter link).
OCTOBER 9, 4:45pm: The Sixers and center Joel Embiid have agreed on a five-year, $148MM designated rookie scale max extension, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
This ends all the speculation regarding Philadelphia’s commitment to the supremely talented but oft-injured big man. Embiid missed the first two seasons of his career because of foot injuries and only appeared in 31 games last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury that required surgery. Ultimately, the franchise’s brass felt comfortable locking up Embiid, rather than waiting to see if he could remain healthy for a full season.
In fact, the contract could even be richer than that, as Wojnarowski explains in a subsequent post. Embiid could potentially earn millions of dollars more if he meets certain criteria, including making All-NBA teams or winning the Most Valuable Player award. If Embiid meets the ‘Super Max’ criteria, he could earn an as much as $178MM, league sources told Wojnarowski.
The Sixers will have some cap protections should Embiid sustain an injury that would cause him to miss significant time, Wojnarowski adds.
Embiid underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery in March to fix a meniscus tear in his left knee. He has yet to appear in a preseason game, as the Sixers are taking a cautious approach.
Prior to the injury, he showed the ability to be a future All-Star. He averaged 20.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 25.4 MPG. He would have easily led all rookies in those category if he played enough games to qualify.
Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo told the media last month that he was cautiously optimistic concerning Embiid’s extension talks. The two sides had until October 16 to reach an agreement and they beat the deadline by a week. If they hadn’t come to terms, Embiid would have been a restricted free agent next summer.
Heat Sign DeAndre Liggins
Swingman DeAndre Liggins has signed with the Heat, the team announced on its website.
The deal caps an eventful stretch for Liggins, who is joining his sixth team in six months. After playing 61 games for the Cavaliers last season, he was waived in April and claimed by the Mavericks. He played just one game in Dallas before the season ended and was traded to the Rockets in late June. Houston sent Liggins to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal, then late last month, L.A. shipped him and with cash considerations to Atlanta, which immediately waived him.
This will be the second stint in Miami for Liggins, who signed two 10-day contracts and played one game for the team in 2014. He spent two seasons with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, twice earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.