Terrence Jones To Play In China
2:28pm: Jones’ one-year deal with Qingdao will be worth $2MM, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
10:27am: Free agent big man Terrence Jones appears set to open the 2017/18 season in China. According to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link), Jones has reached an agreement with the Qingdao Eagles on “one of the largest single-season deals” in CBA history.
The 18th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Jones emerged as Houston’s starting power forward in his second NBA season, averaging 12.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 76 games in 2013/14. However, he has not matched or exceeded those numbers in subsequent years.
Jones did provide solid part-time production for the Pelicans in 2016/17, averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 51 games for New Orleans. However, the 25-year-old was waived in February after the club’s acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins, and while he caught on quickly with the Bucks, Jones didn’t play much in Milwaukee and was waived again in April.
According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, Jones received interest from a handful of NBA clubs, but wasn’t interested in signing a minimum salary deal. It sounds like the contract he received from Qingdao will represent a larger payday, along with the opportunity for a much more substantial role.
Checking In On Unsigned 2017 Draft Picks
One month into the 2017/18 NBA league year, most of this year’s draftees know where they’ll be playing for the upcoming season. As our tracker for draft pick signings shows, we’re only waiting for resolution on a small group of players.
Twenty-nine of 30 first-round picks have signed their first NBA contracts, and the 30th – Sixers big man Anzejs Pasecniks – will remain overseas for at least one more year. Meanwhile, in the second round, about half of this year’s picks have signed NBA contracts, a handful of others have agreed to two-way deals, and some will continue to play international ball.
There’s no rush at this point for teams to finalize plans for the last few unsigned draft picks from this year’s class, but it’s still worth checking in to see where things stand for those players. Here are the 2017 draftees whose statuses for ’17/18 appear to be up in the air:
- Ivan Rabb (Memphis Grizzlies, No. 35): The Grizzlies signed 45th overall pick Dillon Brooks, but have yet to lock up Rabb, who now finds himself in an interesting spot. Memphis already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, and that total doesn’t even include RFA JaMychal Green, who seems likely to return. Even though there’s no current opening for Rabb, he was probably too high a draft pick to accept a two-way contract, so perhaps the Grizzlies ultimately intend to trade or waive a player (or two) to make room. Otherwise, it’s not clear what the plan is for Rabb.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (Houston Rockets, No. 43): International basketball reporter David Pick provided an update on Hartenstein today, tweeting that Houston will likely have him start with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. So far, no player drafted earlier than No. 51 has signed a two-way contract, and typically only players selected at the very end of the draft accept straight G League contracts. If Hartenstein is willing to go to the G League, it would be a great value move for the Rockets.
- Nigel Williams-Goss (Utah Jazz, No. 55): Two weeks ago, we heard that Williams-Goss was a candidate for Utah’s second two-way contract opening. The Jazz haven’t made a move to fill that slot since then, so I’d expect Williams-Goss remains the leading candidate.
- Jabari Bird (Boston Celtics, No. 56): Like Williams-Goss in Utah, Bird appears to be the top candidate for the final two-way contract opening in Boston. Such a move would make a lot of sense. There isn’t enough room on the Celtics’ regular-season roster for Bird, and the four players selected with the picks from 51 through 54 in this year’s draft all got two-way deals — it’s logical that the 55th and 56th picks would too.
Hawks Waive Diamond Stone
The Hawks have waived second-year center Diamond Stone, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Shortly after Vivlamore published his report, the Hawks issued a press release confirming the roster move.
Stone was one of two players acquired from L.A. by the Hawks in a three-way trade with the Clippers and Nuggets earlier this month. Jamal Crawford, the other player who landed in Atlanta as a result of that trade, was bought out by the club shortly after the move was finalized, so the Hawks have now cut both players involved in the deal. The Hawks also received a first-round pick in that swap, which was clearly the most important part of the package.
While Stone wasn’t Atlanta’s primary target in that trade, it’s still somewhat surprising that the team has waived him already. The big man’s minimum salary contract for 2017/18 was guaranteed, and he’s just one year removed from being drafted 40th overall. However, apparently the Hawks weren’t interested in using one of their 15 regular-season roster spots on Stone.
The Hawks could choose to stretch Stone’s $1,312,611 cap hit over the next three seasons, though the club isn’t in any cap trouble this season, so it may make sense to just keep his full salary on the books for 2017/18.
With Stone out of the mix at center, the Hawks figure to lean on Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala, and Miles Plumlee.
Magic Waive Marcus Georges-Hunt
The Magic have trimmed their roster count by one, waiving shooting guard Marcus Georges-Hunt today. The club issued a press release formally announcing the move and making it official.
Georges-Hunt, 23, joined the Celtics for training camp a year ago after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech, but didn’t earn a regular season roster spot with Boston. The 6’5″ guard spent most of the 2016/17 season with the Maine Red Claws, averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG, and being named to the All NBA D-League Third Team.
Georges-Hunt’s performance earned him another NBA shot — he signed a deal with the Magic in April and appeared in five games for the team down the stretch. That contract included a second year, but Georges-Hunt’s minimum salary for 2017/18 was non-guaranteed until the fall, so Orlando won’t be on the hook for any of that money.
Georges-Hunt will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Wednesday.
Celtics Sign Shane Larkin
JULY 31, 11:15am: The Celtics have officially signed Larkin, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 20, 12:35pm: Larkin’s deal will be for one year, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. Larkin’s one-year deal with the Celtics will be fully guaranteed, a source tells Jay King of MassLive.com.
JULY 20, 10:10am: The Celtics have reached an agreement with Shane Larkin that will bring the point guard back to the NBA, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren’t known, but Larkin and the C’s have agreed to terms, according to Pick, who suggests that the point guard is leaving $6MM+ on the table by returning stateside (Twitter link).
Larkin, the 18th overall pick in the 2013 draft, spent time with the Mavericks, Knicks, and Nets before heading overseas last season. Having signed with Spanish team Baskonia for the 2016/17 campaign, Larkin was one of the most productive point guards in Europe, averaging a team-high 14.1 PPG and 4.9 APG in 37 Spanish League games for Baskonia. He also led the club in PPG (13.1) and APG (5.7) in 33 Euroleague games.
Larkin didn’t exactly turn heads during his first stint in the NBA, averaging a modest 5.8 PPG and 3.2 APG in 202 regular season games. However, he’s still just 24 years old, and Pick suggests that Larkin was widely viewed as the top Euroleague free agent point guard after Milos Teodosic signed with the Clippers.
While Boston appears willing to roll the dice on Larkin, it’s not clear if the Miami alum will be guaranteed a spot on the regular season roster. With Avery Bradley and Demetrius Jackson no longer on the team, I’d expect Larkin to have an inside track on a 15-man roster spot to provide backcourt depth, particularly since he reportedly turned down a far more lucrative offer from Barcelona in order to join the C’s. Still, the back of the roster could get a little crowded, given the arrivals of players like Abdel Nader, Semi Ojeleye, Daniel Theis, and possibly Guerschon Yabusele.
The Celtics are virtually out of cap room and have used the room exception on Aron Baynes, so Larkin appears likely to receive a minimum salary deal.
Agent: Rose Had No Interest In Rejoining Knicks As Veteran Mentor
Derrick Rose is now a Cavalier, but in the months leading up to free agency, there were several reports indicating that he hoped to return to the Knicks, and there was a belief that the franchise may have reciprocated that interest. However, after the Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina and signed Tim Hardaway, Rose’s interest in returning to New York faded, and the team appeared prepared to go in another direction, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
[RELATED: Cavaliers sign Derrick Rose]
B.J. Armstrong – Rose’s agent – tells Berman that the Knicks and his client were on different short-term paths, with Rose wanting to contend immediately, while the Knicks could still be “three [or] four years” away.
“Did we miss something?,” Armstrong said of the Knicks. “Is there something going [on] in New York we didn’t see? We all would agree they are on a different timeline than Derrick — a young team with great young talent there and trying to build something for the future. They’re not on the same timeline as players who are a little older and experienced.”
The Knicks entered free agency intent on finding a veteran mentor for Ntilikina, who just turned 19 and may not be ready to take on major minutes right away. Rose was believed to be a candidate, but the club ultimately signed Ramon Sessions, and Armstrong suggests that his client was never interested in that sort of mentor role.
“You’re a mentor when you no longer can play,” Armstrong said. “This league you get paid to perform. You don’t get paid to be a mentor.”
While Rose seemingly had little interest in the Knicks before joining the Cavs, New York also wasn’t making the former MVP a high priority. Although the Knicks kept in contact with Rose until the end, the team never offered him even the veteran’s minimum, a source tells Berman.
According to the Post, the Knicks’ front office believes Sessions will be better suited to mentor Ntilikina. Knicks brass also thinks Sessions could develop better chemistry with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis than Rose ever did (assuming Anthony isn’t traded).
Thunder Will Reportedly Sign Bryce Alford
The Thunder will reportedly sign guard Bryce Alford, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes. The UCLA product, Horne relays, stated as much in an Instagram post earlier today.
While there has been no formal verification, it’s not unlikely that the club added the point guard via a non-guaranteed to deal in order to get a good look at him at training camp. The addition of Alford brings Oklahoma City’s roster to 16 players.
The Thunder are in the market for a reliable backup point guard. After playing 2016/17 with Semaj Christon manning the position behind Russell Westbrook, Sam Presti has brought veteran Raymond Felton on board and now Alford, a volume three-point shooter that put up 7.5 triples per game in his senior season with the Bruins.
Pacific Notes: Gallinari, Williams, Ennis
Newly acquired Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari has broken his hand punching an opponent in an exhibition match with the Italian national team, a EuroHoops.net report (via NBA.com) reveals.
The 28-year-old recently picked up by the Clippers in a three-way sign-and-trade deal lashed out at Jito Kok of the Dutch national team and promptly left the game to visit the hospital, the report says.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, it was his thumb that Gallinari injured but the setback isn’t expected to keep him out of Clippers training camp. Surgery is not expected.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- While Alan Williams‘ $5.5MM contract with the Suns isn’t guaranteed for the 2018/19 season, $1MM will become guaranteed if he meets certain minimum weight/body fat requirements, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Contrary to what was previously reported, the second year of Tyler Ennis‘ two-year deal with the Lakers will not feature a team option for 2018/19. Instead, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets, it will come with a non-guaranteed second season.
- The Clippers interviewed Knicks‘ player of personnel Mark Hughes for a position as assistant general manager, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Lakers Sign Thomas Bryant
July 30: The Lakers announced that they have officially signed Bryant in a press release on their official website.
July 27: The Lakers have reached an agreement with second-round pick Thomas Bryant, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. The pact will be for two seasons and it will be guaranteed for the 2017/18 season. It will contain a team option for the 2018/19 campaign.
Bryant spent two seasons at Indiana, where he scored 12.2 points and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game. Los Angeles selected the big man with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2017 draft and he shined for the organization’s Summer League team, helping it to win a championship in the Las Vegas league.
The Lakers no longer had the cap room necessary to offer Bryant more than a two-year contract, but the two-year limit may not be a major concern for L.A. The structure of Bryant’s new deal will allow the Lakers to part ways with him after one season if the team needs to create as much cap room as possible in 2018 for a maximum-salary player or two.
Southwest Notes: Smith Jr., Anthony, F. Jackson
Count Chauncey Billups among those who think that Mavs rookie Dennis Smith Jr. will be able to make a serious case for Rookie of the Year, Adam Grosbard of the Dallas Morning News writes.
“I think he’s the most polished out of all the point guards that were out there this year,” the former All-Star said of the Mavs’ ninth-overall pick. “I think he’s the most polished, pro-ready in my opinion and there’s some really good ones that came into the draft this year.”
Smith Jr. has been perceived as an early leader for the Rookie of the Year after an impressive summer league showing and will join the Mavs as an explosive playmaker cut from the same cloth, Billups believes, as Baron Davis.
“I’m happy that he’s going to get to play for Rick Carlisle, who’s a guy that I believe in,” Billups added. The current Mavs head coach, of course, coached Billups and his 2002/03 Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Although he isn’t a free agent, Carmelo Anthony holds his fate in his own hands. Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes about how it’s in his best interests, financially, to end up with the Rockets sooner than later.
- One of the things that sets Mavs icon Dirk Nowitzki apart is his willingness to work with young players, Harrison Barnes said in an interview on The Fan’s Ben and Skin. “The biggest thing for me when I came to Dallas was how open and willing he was to work with young guys. Work on the court every day, be willing to talk, have access to. Guys of his status, All-Stars or future Hall of Famers, can kind of be distant,” he said.
- The majority of Frank Jackson‘s contract with the Pelicans is guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Jackson’s first two seasons are guaranteed at the league minimum, as is $506K of his third season.