Kings Sign Bogdan Bogdanovic To Three-Year Deal
JULY 13: Bogdanovic has officially signed his three-year, $27MM deal with the Kings, per agent Alexander Raskovic (Twitter link).
JUNE 29: Bogdanovic’s three-year deal is expected to be worth $27MM, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. That’s considerably less than the $36MM that was initially reported, though it’s possible there will be some non-guaranteed money at the end of the deal that accounts for the discrepancy.
JUNE 28: The Kings have struck a deal with draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic, according to Jason Jones and Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Bogdanovic – not to be confused with Wizards RFA Bojan Bogdanovic – is expected to sign a three-year contract with Sacramento worth $36MM.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, the 27th overall pick in the 2014 draft, was originally selected by the Suns, but his rights were sent to the Kings in a draft-night trade in 2016, when Phoenix moved up to No. 8 to select Marquese Chriss.
A 6’6″ sharpshooter, Bogdanovic was named the MVP of the Turkish League this year after averaging 14.7 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG. The 24-year-old also earned All-EuroLeague honors and helped lead Turkish team Fenerbahce to its first ever EuroLeague title.
Because it has been more than three years since he was drafted, Bogdanovic is no longer subject to the NBA’s rookie scale. As such, the Kings will sign him using cap room. The deal can become official next month.
Serbian website Kurir first reported that the Kings and Bogdanovic had reached an agreement, as Orazio Cauchi of Sportando details.
Nuggets Officially Sign Paul Millsap
JULY 13, 12:38pm: The Nuggets have officially signed Millsap, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 3, 10:05am: Millsap’s third year will be a team option, Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post confirms. We’ll have to wait for Millsap to officially sign to see whether it’s a true team option, or whether that third year will just be non-guaranteed (perhaps with a buyout attached).
JULY 2, 10:00pm: The Nuggets have reached a deal with Paul Millsap, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The agreement is said to be for three years and $90MM. Matt Moore of CBS Sports suggests (via Twitter) that the third year is a team option, which would be a coup for the Nuggets, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed.
[RELATED: 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
Millsap entered free agency as one of the most talented players available and will join a Nuggets squad currently anchored by promising youngsters Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray.
In Millsap, the suddenly dangerous Nuggets will add a reliable veteran on the heels of four consecutive All-Star seasons. In 2016/17, the 32-year-old averaged a career high 18.1 points to go along with 7.7 rebounds and over a three-pointer per game. He ranked fifth on our list of 2017’s top 50 free agents.
Prior to committing to the Nuggets, Millsap had engaged in talks with the Kings and Suns, according to Charania in his full report for The Vertical. Charania suggests that the forward was ultimately intrigued by the young core that the Nuggets have assembled. The Timberwolves also reportedly had interest in Millsap, but would have needed to move contracts to create space for him, and opted instead to sign Taj Gibson to a more affordable deal.
Millsap’s move to Denver makes him the latest Eastern Conference star to head west. Three of this year’s Eastern All-Stars have joined Western Conference clubs in the last couple weeks, with Jimmy Butler traded to Minnesota and Paul George landing in Oklahoma City.
The Nuggets had attempted to make a splash in the free agent market a year ago, meeting with Dwyane Wade and making a strong pitch to the veteran guard. While Denver struck out in 2016, the team got its man this time around, and the timing is good for the franchise — Gary Harris is extension-eligible this offseason, and Nikola Jokic may be a restricted free agent next summer, so the window to sign a max free agent may have closed quickly. Millsap had been on Denver’s radar for some time, with reports suggesting the team was close to trading for him last offseason and prior to the 2017 trade deadline.
As for the impact Millsap will have on Denver’s free agency plans this summer, it looks as if the Nuggets still have enough room for Mason Plumlee‘s qualifying offer after their commitment to Millsap, which will allow the team to match any offers for Plumlee.
However, the club seems likely to renounce Danilo Gallinari‘s cap hold to fit in Millsap, which would eliminate the possibility of a new deal in Denver for the longtime Nugget. Of course, during the moratorium, discussions are always fluid, so it’s possible Denver could make trades to clear other contracts and maintain Gallinari’s cap hold.
As things stand right now, Millsap’s deal will eat up most of the rest of the Nuggets’ cap room, but the club will still have a little space, and will be able to use its $4.3MM room exception once that space is used.
Meanwhile, the Hawks will have a new-look frontcourt under new GM Travis Schlenk, who also traded Dwight Howard last week. Atlanta will lose a key big man in free agency for the second offseason in a row, with Millsap departing a year after Al Horford left for Boston. Still, Schlenk never sounded overly enthusiastic about making an aggressive offer for Millsap, and letting him walk will leave the team with more than $30MM in cap room to use elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Wizards Sign Devin Robinson To Two-Way Contract
The Wizards have signed undrafted rookie Devin Robinson to a two-way contract, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. The club has now filled both of the openings for two-way players on its roster.
Robinson, a 6’8″ forward out of Florida, averaged 11.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG with a .524/.391/.723 shooting line in his junior year in 2016/17. An early entrant in the 2017 draft, Robinson was viewed as a top-50 prospect by DraftExpress, but wasn’t one of the 60 players to come off the board on draft night, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Wizards previously signed Pittsburgh alum Michael Young to a two-way deal, so they’re now at their limit for two-way players. Both Young and Robinson have been playing for Washington’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas.
For details on what two-way contracts are, how they work, and how much they pay, be sure to check out our breakdown from earlier this year.
Pelicans Meeting With Rajon Rondo
12:09pm: The Pelicans envision Rondo and Holiday being able to play alongside one another, and there’s “real traction” on a possible deal, sources tell Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
12:04pm: Free agent point guard Rajon Rondo is meeting with Pelicans officials today in Louisville, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe. According to Lowe (via Twitter), the two sides are discussing a possible one-year deal for Rondo.
After signing Jrue Holiday to a lucrative new five-year contract, the Pelicans are in the market for a backup for Holiday, and perhaps one that could occasionally share the backcourt with him. According to Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link), Rondo is at the top of the team’s free agent point guard board, but a trade remains a possibility as well. New Orleans reportedly had discussions with the Pistons about Reggie Jackson.
Rondo, 31, had an up-and-down season in Chicago in 2016/17, averaging 7.8 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 5.1 RPG in 69 regular season games for the Bulls. He played a crucial role in leading the team to a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, but missed the rest of the series – and watched his team blow that 2-0 lead – due to a hand injury. The rebuilding Bulls opted not to bring Rondo back, waiving him rather than guaranteeing his $13MM salary for 2017/18.
While Rondo has been linked to a number of teams since becoming a free agent, many of his potential suitors – such as the Lakers and the Knicks – no longer have any cap room available to make a lucrative offer. Meanwhile, the Pelicans used a small portion of their mid-level exception to sign second-round pick Frank Jackson, but should still have about $7.5MM available to sign Rondo or another free agent.
Raptors Inquire On Boris Diaw
The Raptors have reached out to the Jazz to inquire on Boris Diaw, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Jones describes the contact – and any talks between the two teams – as “strictly preliminary.”
As we noted this morning, the Jazz are expected to waive Diaw within the next couple days if they can’t find a trade partner for him. His $7.5MM salary is set to become guaranteed for 2017/18 if he remains under contract beyond Saturday.
Given Diaw’s contract situation, the Raptors’ interest is somewhat confusing. Once the DeMarre Carroll trade is finished, Toronto would have a trade exception big enough to accommodate Diaw’s salary, but that would push the team into the tax, and it’s not clear why the Raptors would be willing to cross back over that threshold for a player who will likely be waived by Utah anyway.
As such, it makes sense that the Raptors would be sending out some salary of their own in any deal involving Diaw. With Carroll ticketed for the Nets and Cory Joseph on the verge of being sent to Indiana, the only salary-dump candidate left on Toronto’s roster is Jonas Valanciunas. However, I’m skeptical that the Jazz would have much interest in him, particularly since acquiring him compromise the team’s ability to finalize deals with Thabo Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko, and Ekpe Udoh, based on the terms reported.
It’s possible the Raptors are interested in somehow pulling Diaw into the Joseph deal with the Pacers or the Carroll deal with the Nets — neither of those trades has been officially finalized yet. I don’t see any obvious motivation for that either though, so I’d be surprised if the Raptors and Jazz worked out anything involving the French forward.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Pelicans, Rockets
The Mavericks have liked what they’ve seen from Chinese swingman Ding Yanyuhang in limited Summer League minutes, but may not be able to keep him stateside with a low-paying two-way contract, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. As Sefko details, if the Mavs want to keep Ding around, it will likely require an NBA contract offer, even if the 23-year-old may not be NBA-ready quite yet.
Within his story on Ding, Sefko also suggests that Nicolas Brussino‘s time with the Mavericks may be coming to an end. Brussino’s salary guarantee deadline for 2017/18 is next Thursday, and the Argentinian swingman seems unlikely to remain in Dallas beyond that date, per Sefko.
Here’s more from around the Southwest division:
- The Pelicans remain in the market for an impact guard and an outside shooter, but would likely need to shed salary to add both, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. As Kushner notes, it will be complicated for New Orleans to accomplish all three goals.
- In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Chris Paul explained why he felt it was time to move on from the Clippers, and what drew him to the Rockets.
- Isaiah Taylor, who has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2017/18, will likely spend the majority of the season with the Rockets rather than the team’s G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, per head coach Mike D’Antoni (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle). Of course, that assumes Houston doesn’t use Taylor’s non-guaranteed contract to help accommodate a trade.
Jazz Expected To Waive Boris Diaw
The Jazz are expected to waive veteran forward Boris Diaw before his 2017/18 salary becomes guaranteed this weekend, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. The team had been exploring trades involving Diaw’s non-guaranteed contract, and a deal is still possible, as MacMahon acknowledges (via Twitter). But an outright release appears to be the more likely outcome.
A 14-year NBA veteran, Diaw joined the Jazz in a trade last offseason, and appeared in 73 games for the team, making 33 starts. However, 2016/17 was one of the worst seasons of Diaw’s long career — his 4.6 PPG was his lowest mark since his rookie year, and his numbers in several other categories, including FG% (.446) and 3PT% (.247), were far below his career averages.
Diaw is entering the final year of his contract and had been slated to earn $7.5MM in 2017/18. However, that figure is fully non-guaranteed for two more days, meaning Utah could waive him and not be on the hook for any of it.
While Diaw’s contract would make a good trade chip, any deal involving the veteran forward would likely involve the Jazz taking back a chunk of salary. That scenario no longer looks as viable for Utah, since the club has agreed to a handful of free agent contracts that appear to require cap room.
Within the last couple days, the Jazz have agreed to sign Thabo Sefolosha (two years, $10.5MM), Jonas Jerebko (two years, $8.2MM), and Ekpe Udoh (two years, $6.5MM). Based on the reported terms, those three deals look a little too expensive to fit into the team’s mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, signaling that Utah will instead use cap space – and probably the room exception – to finalize them. Waiving Diaw would clear the necessary room.
Mavericks Sign Maxi Kleber
JULY 13, 7:34am: The Mavericks have officially signed Kleber, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 12, 4:29pm: The Mavericks have reached a deal with German forward Maxi Kleber, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. It will be a minimum contract containing a partial guarantee, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.
The 6’9″ Kleber averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds last year for Bayern Munich in German League action, and 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in EuroCup play.
Kleber, 25, is from Wurzburg, the same hometown as Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki.
FA Rumors: Muhammad, Farmar, Mbah a Moute, Allen
The Hawks, Nets, Bucks, Knicks and Magic have all expressed interest in swingman Shabazz Muhammad, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Bulls are on that list as well, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Muhammad became an unrestricted free agent last week when Minnesota pulled his qualifying offer to create enough cap room to sign Taj Gibson. He has been with the Wolves for all four of his NBA seasons and averaged 9.9 points in 78 games last year.
There’s more tonight on the free agent front:
- Jordan Farmar is hoping to return to the NBA and spoke to Lakers coach Luke Walton today about a possible opportunity, Kennedy relays (Twitter link). The 30-year-old point guard played two games for the Kings in November of last season.
- The Raptors have talked about making a play for former Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute, reports Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet (Twitter link).
- The Clippers and Timberwolves are both considering Tony Allen, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Coaches Doc Rivers in L.A. and Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota have connections with Allen from their time with the Celtics.
- Veteran point guard Beno Udrih is talking to several teams in Las Vegas, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Now 35, Udrih believes he can play for several more years. He got into 39 games with the Pistons last season.
- Former Baylor standout Royce O’Neale is considering several NBA offers, according to Kyler (Twitter link). The 24-year-old forward went undrafted in 2015 and has been playing in Lithuania, but he has an NBA opt-out in his contract through July 20th.
NBA Adopts New Rules To Speed Up Play
In addition to the earlier trade deadline that Luke Adams wrote about this morning, the NBA approved several other significant rules changes today. Reducing the number of timeouts per game and moving the mandatory stopping points are among the alterations outlined by Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
To speed up the pace of play, especially in the final few minutes, the league’s Board of Governors has cut the maximum number of timeouts from 18 to 14. Also, mandatory TV timeouts have been moved to the seven- and three-minute marks of each quarter, and overtime timeouts have been reduced from three to two for each team.
The 20-second timeout has been eliminated, as Bontemps notes that they actually lasted 60 seconds while regular timeouts stretched to 90 seconds. The new rules consider all timeouts to be “team timeouts” that will last 75 seconds.
Other moves to speed up the game include enforcing the 15-minute limit for halftime and imposing delay-of-game penalties on shooters who walk behind the 3-point line between free throws.
“I would say, in this case, we’re pretty happy with the length of our game,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at a news conference today. “We were more focused here on the pace and flow of the game. What we heard from our fans and heard from many of our teams was that the end of the games in particular were too choppy. I think since I was a kid, that’s an issue people have been talking about, the last two minutes of our game. . . . We think these new changes will have a significant impact, especially at the end of the game.”
Silver also announced an earlier start date to the season to cut down on back-to-back games. This year’s opening night will be October 17th.And although several stars moved from the Eastern to the Western Conference this summer, there are no immediate plans to shift the conference alignment or change the playoff format, relays Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.