Mavs Sign Antonius Cleveland To Two-Way Deal
NOVEMBER 17: The Mavs have officially signed Cleveland to a two-way contract and waived Clavell, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 16: The Mavericks will sign G League guard Antonius Cleveland to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Current two-way player Gian Clavell will be released to make room for Cleveland.
Cleveland was in training camp with the Warriors before being waived in early October. He has been playing for Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. A 6’6″ shooting guard, he went undrafted out of Missouri and played for the Trail Blazers during summer league.
Clavell has appeared in seven games with Dallas, averaging 2.9 points in about 9 minutes per night. The 24-year-old was voted Mountain West Player of the Year last season at Colorado State.
Bucks Have Interest In Mindaugas Kuzminskas
The Bucks are among the teams with interest in free agent forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, league sources inform Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). As Scotto notes, Milwaukee doesn’t currently have an open roster spot, so the club would need to make another transaction to clear room for Kuzminskas.
After spending a decade playing professional ball overseas, Kuzminskas joined the Knicks last season and showed some promise, averaging 6.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG with a .428/.321/.809 shooting line in 68 games. In five starts, the Lithuanian forward increased those averages to 14.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG, with a .511/.391/.929 shooting line. However, he had his role significantly reduced this season and was waived on Sunday when Joakim Noah returned from the suspended list.
If the Bucks were to pursue Kuzminskas, DeAndre Liggins‘ roster spot may be in jeopardy. There’s some overlap between the two players’ positions, and Liggins is the only player on Milwaukee’s roster on a non-guaranteed contract. Jason Terry could also be a release candidate, since he’s only appeared briefly in four games for the Bucks this season. However, he has a fully guaranteed salary and the team values his locker room presence.
Shortly after being cut by the Knicks, Kuzminskas expressed a desire to continue his career in the NBA, and the Lakers, Bulls, and Hawks are among the clubs also expected to kick the tires on him.
2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Pacific Division
NBA rosters will undergo some changes over the course of the 2017/18 season, particularly around the trade deadline, and those changes may have an impact on teams’ cap sheets for future seasons. Based on the NBA’s current rosters, however, we can identify which teams are most and least likely to have cap room in the summer of 2018, which will dictate the type of moves those clubs can make in the offseason.
We’re taking a closer look at each of the NBA’s 30 teams by division this week. Today, we’re tackling the Pacific division. With the help of salary information compiled by Basketball Insiders, here’s how the summer of 2018 is shaping up for the five Pacific teams:
Golden State Warriors
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $102,091,455
Projection: Over the cap
The Warriors’ total guaranteed salary of $102MM for next season looks modest at first glance. But that figure only accounts for seven players, and Kevin Durant isn’t one of them. Even if Durant is willing to sign for several million less than the max again, which is certainly no lock, re-signing him and then filling out the rest of their roster figures to take the Dubs into luxury-tax territory.
Phoenix Suns
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $70,667,235
Projection: Up to approximately $28MM in cap room
While the Suns’ return in the Eric Bledsoe trade was widely viewed as underwhelming, the move did clear $15MM in guaranteed salary from the club’s 2018/19 cap, creating additional flexibility. Retaining Alan Williams – who has a non-guaranteed salary – and re-signing Alex Len would cut into the Suns’ cap space. However, neither of those moves are locks at this point, so Phoenix could get easily get to $25MM+ in cap room, and could potentially open up even more room by trading Jared Dudley and/or Tyson Chandler, who will be on expiring contracts next season.
Sacramento Kings
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $68,252,577
Projection: Up to approximately $33MM in cap room ($16MM if player options exercised)
There have been no reports yet suggesting that Kosta Koufos and Garrett Temple will exercise their player options for 2018/19, which are worth about $8.74MM and $8MM, respectively. The Kings should probably be preparing for that outcome though — neither player has a major role, and the free agent market won’t be as player-friendly as it was in 2016, when Koufos and Temple signed their current deals.
If those options are exercised, the Kings’ guaranteed salaries will increase to about $85MM, limiting their cap flexibility. But they’ll also be able to dedicate that remaining cap room to a single player, if they so choose — assuming Koufos and Temple return, Sacramento would head into the offseason with 14 players under contract, not including draft picks.
Los Angeles Clippers
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $59,880,133
Projection: Up to approximately $31MM in cap room
Only five Clippers players currently have fully guaranteed salaries for 2018/19, but there are several other candidates to return. For one, Patrick Beverley and his $5MM non-guaranteed salary will certainly be back — that’s a tremendous bargain for one of the league’s best defensive players, and our cap projection for the Clippers assumes he’ll be on the books at that price.
Our cap projection doesn’t take into account any player options though, and four Clippers players hold those options for 2018/19. DeAndre Jordan, who figures to land a lucrative multiyear deal, will likely turn down his $24MM option, but Austin Rivers ($12.65MM), Milos Teodosic ($6.3MM), and Wesley Johnson ($6.1MM) are candidates to opt in. If all three of those players pick up their options and Beverley is retained, the Clips’ cap room will essentially disappear.
Los Angeles Lakers
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $49,336,471
Projection: Up to approximately $47.5MM in cap room
The Lakers’ desire to open up two maximum-salary slots for the 2018 free agent period has been well publicized, but the team still has some work to do to achieve that goal. Based on a $101MM cap, maximum salaries for, say, LeBron James and Paul George would be worth a combined $65.65MM in 2018/19. L.A. remains about $18MM shy of that figure, even assuming the team renounces Julius Randle, Brook Lopez, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Of course, moving Luol Deng‘s $18MM salary would just about get the Lakers there, but finding a club willing to take on that deal without sending out any salary in return will be challenging, to say the least. Waiving and stretching Deng’s contract next July and dumping Jordan Clarkson‘s $12.5MM salary is probably a more realistic path for the Lakers to get into that range for two max deals.
Previously:
- 2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Atlantic Division
- 2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Central Division
- 2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Southeast Division
- 2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Northwest Division
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/16/17
Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:
- The Clippers have assigned C.J. Williams and Brice Johnson to their G League affiliate, Robert Flom of Clips Nation tweets. They’ve also recalled two-way player Jamil Wilson, who has played five games for the Agua Caliente Clippers so far this season.
- The Bucks have assigned Sterling Brown to their G League affiliate, the team’s official site writes. The guard will suit up alongside his older brother and former NBA guard Shannon Brown, who signed a contract with the Wisconsin Herd earlier in the day.
- The Kings have assigned big man Georgios Papagiannis to their G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Papagiannis has seen limited action in four games with the Kings this season.
League, Union Formally Discuss One-And-Done Rule
Draft eligibility rules have been a topic of conversation between the NBA and the Players Association, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes, and earlier today league commissioner Adam Silver and union executive director Michele Roberts went so far as to formally speak with the government’s Commission on College Basketball in Washington, D.C.
The commission – which includes executives, retired players and political figures – was formed in the wake of recent FBI investigations regarding corruption.
The meeting between the three parties is said to have been strictly informational in nature and, ultimately, what the NBA decides to do with regard to incoming players is up to the league and the player’s union.
As Wojnarowski writes, there’s a growing belief that Silver seeks to end the one-and-done rule implemented by his predecessor in 2005. In order for such a change to happen though, the union would potentially need to accept a mandate declaring that players who do choose to enter college would be obligated to stay for two years prior to declaring for the draft.
Silver has previously said publicly that the current one-and-done rule isn’t working for the college game.
Northwest Notes: Favors, Patterson, Napier
With his contract set to expire in the offseason, pending unrestricted free agent Derrick Favors has been the subject of trade speculation. That’s not distracting the Jazz forward from performing for Utah this season, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune writes.
Favors says that he would like to remain with the Jazz long-term but is aware of the fact that he could be a trade chip as the franchise retools following Gordon Hayward‘s departure last summer.
With Hayward out of the picture and Rudy Gobert now sidelined into next month, Favors will get an opportunity to showcase himself in the pick-and-roll game with Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio.
“I know I’m going to have to work hard, and I know I’m going to be counted on to produce. I’m ready for it. It’s a position I’ve been in before,” the eight-year Jazz veteran said.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- While he hasn’t gotten off to a great start with his new franchise, the Thunder are aware that offseason addition Patrick Patterson will be a valuable shooter for them eventually. Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes about the forward’s struggles getting back into routine following offseason knee surgery.
- There aren’t many touches to go around in Portland’s stacked backcourt but Trail Blazers guard Shabazz Napier has finally gotten an opportunity to prove himself. Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes that the guard’s outside shooting and energy level on defense make him a solid fit alongside C.J. McCollum or Damian Lillard.
- Count Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns among those who support the idea of NBA players being permitted to use marijuana for medical purposes. The big man spoke with the media, including Nick Friedell of ESPN, about the hot topic.
Central Notes: Henson, Monroe, Green
The longest-tenured player on the Bucks is 26-year-old John Henson. As Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, the six-year veteran has more seniority with the organization than either Giannis Antetokounmpo or head coach Jason Kidd.
More meaningful than the novel fun fact, however, is that Henson has been with the Bucks long enough to have seen the organization’s revolution first-hand. Everything from the team’s branding to its medical technology has been brought up to date.
The center, who started his tenure with the team as a power forward, came into the league under Bucks head coach Scott Skiles and as a teammate of Joel Przybilla.
“I just feel old,” said Henson, who has most recently stepped up as a defensive anchor and coveted frontcourt presence after the Greg Monroe trade. “I was here when Skiles was here. That seems like so long ago for Bucks fans. Which it was — six years is a long time.”
There’s more news from around the Central Division:
- The Pistons haven’t utilized Jon Leuer as they originally intended to when they signed him in the summer of 2016. Though he’s missed time with a sprained ankle this season, Leuer had been seeing time as the club’s backup center, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. With Eric Moreland now developing in that role, Leuer could become expendable.
- So long as Greg Monroe remains with the Suns, there will be speculation about what teams may be interested in his services. One team to consider, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes, is the Pistons. Monroe played for Detroit from 2010-2015 and has the respect of head coach Stan Van Gundy.
- Forward Jeff Green has changed agents, signing with Roger Montgomery of Roc Nation Sports, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets. Green signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Cavaliers last summer and has performed well for Cleveland.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Simmons, Hinkie
While Joel Embiid has attracted much of the attention following a career night on Wednesday, it could be Sixers forward Ben Simmons who ends up changing the NBA, Mike Sielski of The Inquirer writes.
The scribe writes that the 2016 first-overall pick is coasting to the Rookie of the Year Award with averages of 17.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. At the same time, the Sixers rookie is as marketable off the court as he is versatile on it.
Beyond all that, however, Sielski writes that Simmons’ openness about how pointless and unnecessary he feels the one-and-done rule preventing 18-year-olds from entering the NBA Draft is could add to his lasting impact on the league itself.
There’s more from the Sixers tonight:
- The Process worked, Victor Mather of the New York Times writes. Mather breaks down the years-long, Sam Hinkie-led roster rebuild for the uninitiated.
- Excitement around Joel Embiid grew ever so slightly this week as a stat-filling career best provided a glimpse into what could possibly be the Sixers’ future. That’s conditional, Sam Amick of USA Today writes, on if the big man can consistently stay on the court.
- There have been no shortage of takes that LeBron James would be wise to join the Sixers via free agency next summer. Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes that Philly could punish the Warriors in the paint with James on board.
Kings Notes: Hill, Carter, Joeger
For the first time in his career, George Hill of the Kings isn’t playing for an established winner. Forgive him, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, if he hasn’t look entirely comfortable so far.
Through 14 games in 2017/18, the Kings sit second-last in the Western Conference with a 3-11 record. Hill, in 12 of those contests, has put up a pedestrian 8.5 points and 2.9 assists in just over 25 minutes per game.
“This year has been tough so far, trying to learn the guys, be a mentor and teach at the same time,” Hill said of his brief tenure with the Kings so far. “Plus the fact that sometimes you lose yourself in situations like that. I take full responsibility for the way I’ve been playing. I’ve got to come out with a better George from here on out.”
The guard intends to be more aggressive and look to score more as he works himself back into routine.
There’s more from the Kings today:
- Veteran free agent addition Vince Carter is hard at work mentoring the young Kings, Kyle Ramos of the team’s official site writes. Carter has been focused on helping the young team learn to play the right way and not develop bad habits when they’re losing.
- The Kings haven’t looked particularly dominant so far this season, but worse than losing is not competing enough. As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, head coach Dave Joerger isn’t afraid to come down on his young team if he doesn’t believe the effort is there. “We told our guys you’ve got to be ready to play because they’ll come at you, they compete and they play hard,” Joerger said ahead of Sacramento’s Wednesday night loss to the Hawks. “Losing is one thing, but we have to do a much better job of competing.“
- Kidney stones have sidelined 20-year-veteran Vince Carter over the course of the past four games, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports.
Nets Notes: Point Guards, Harris, Hollis-Jefferson
The Nets are without an exact timetable for D’Angelo Russell‘s recovery from a knee contusion, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, so they haven’t made any reactionary moves to replace him just yet.
If the 21-year-old, who has been sidelined with the injury since last Saturday, ends up in street clothes long-term, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson may look to bring in reserves.
“We’re not there. It’s updates every day, that’s where we are,” Atkinson said. “If it were contrary to that, somebody would be here. So we’re just obviously [expecting not to need that].”
In the meantime, Alex Squadron of the New York Post writes, the Nets will turn to Spencer Dinwiddie as their temporary starter. They also have Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick available to step up in Russell’s absence too.
“Spencer’s made a jump up. Isaiah has got a year under his belt. And obviously Sean played a lot of minutes [for the Nets] last year,” Atkinson said. “I just think our roster is a lot better equipped this year to deal with guys being out.”
There’s more out of Brooklyn tonight:
- In addition to Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead, Caris LeVert also saw time at the one in the club’s Tuesday night loss to the Celtics, writes Bryan Fonseca of Nets Daily. “I thought our defense was pretty good,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of the decision to try their swingman at the point. “Caris handled the ball a fair amount and that worked out OK. We need more of a sample size. We need to feel it out more. I am giving you a little bit of a vague answer, but we’re still trying to figure it out.“
- With a clearly established role, fourth-year guard Joe Harris is stepping up and thriving. As the New York Post’s Alex Squadron writes, Harris has reached double figures seven times this season, shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.
- While the Nets have struggled to stay healthy of late – and win games, for that matter – one thing that’s going particularly well is the development of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Alex Squadron of the New York Post writes that the versatile forward has made progress in 2017/18. “It’s great to see,” head coach Kenny Atkinson says. “I have a special place in my heart for Rondae for some reason. We have a good relationship.“