Bucks Sign Gary Payton II To Two-Way Contract
The Bucks have filled one of their open two-way slots by signing free agent guard Gary Payton II to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Milwaukee had entered the day as the only NBA team without a player on a two-way deal.
Payton, the son of Hall-of-Famer and former SuperSonics guard Gary Payton, went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2016, but caught on with the Rockets for training camp. After being cut by Houston last October, the 24-year-old spent most of the season with the club’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In 49 G League games, Payton averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.0 SPG.
Having signed a multiyear deal with Milwaukee near the end of the 2016/17 campaign, Payton was a candidate to make the Bucks’ regular season roster, but was ultimately cut on Saturday. His contract didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, making it ineligible to be converted into a two-way deal, but the Bucks were eligible to re-sign him to a two-way contract once he cleared waivers.
Payton will suit up for the Bucks’ new G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, once the season begins. Milwaukee, meanwhile, still has one more two-way spot to fill.
Nets Notes: Ownership, Crabbe, Outlook, Booker
Josh Kosman and Brian Lewis of The New York Post are back with another update on the potential Nets sale, reporting that prospective bidders for the franchise have been pushing owner Mikhail Prokhorov to sell a controlling interest in the team. Prokhorov is reportedly interested in selling a 49% stake with a path for a new minority owner to purchase a controlling interest within three years, but potential buyers are hoping to gain control of the club immediately.
“They’re asking, but I don’t think he’s giving in,” one source close to the discussions tells Kosman and Lewis. However, another source suggested that he wouldn’t be shocked if Prokhorov surrenders full control immediately.
While it remains to be seen what a sale will look like, a deal could be announced in the coming days or weeks, sources tell The Post. According to Kosman and Lewis, at least two “New York financial titans” are believed to be among the potential suitors, along with a Texas-based group that lost the bidding for the Rockets. Former Knicks and MSG president Dave Checketts is also rumored to be involved in a group of prospective buyers, sources tell The Post.
Here’s more on the Nets, as we wait to see how the sale process will play out:
- Nets general manager Sean Marks says that he’s conducting business as usual amidst the ownership rumors, Lewis writes in a separate article for The New York Post. According to Marks, he has had an open line of communication with Prokhorov and speaks to him regularly, so he doesn’t expect to be caught off guard by news of a sale.
- Newly-acquired swingman Allen Crabbe is the Nets’ highest-paid player by more than $4MM in 2017/18, but he may not open the season as a starter, as Lewis details for The Post.
- Brooklyn made several changes to its roster in the offseason, including trading long-tenured center Brook Lopez and adding new core pieces like Crabbe, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarrett Allen. Will the team be any better than the 2016/17 Nets? Lewis examines that question in his season preview for The Post.
- Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily has an interesting piece on the entrepreneurial off-court interests of Nets forward Trevor Booker, who hopes to one day become a billionaire.
Rockets, Knicks, Pelicans Eyeing Wade Baldwin
The Rockets, Knicks, and Pelicans are among the teams with some level of interest in point guard Wade Baldwin, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). The Timberwolves, Wolfson’s local team, haven’t shown interest in Baldwin at this point.
Baldwin, a Vanderbilt alum, was the 17th overall pick in the 2016 draft and spent his rookie season with the Grizzlies. After 33 up-and-down games with the club, Baldwin was a somewhat surprising victim of the roster crunch in Memphis on Monday, with the team waiving him and fellow 2016 draftee Rade Zagorac to get down to the 15-man limit.
Although Baldwin struggled to adjust to the NBA in his rookie season, he’s still just 21 years old, so there will likely be clubs that view him as a project with some upside.
Currently, Baldwin remains on waivers. If a team wanted to claim him, that club would need to be willing to take on his $1.874MM guaranteed salary for 2017/18, and would need to have enough cap space – or a big enough trade exception – to accommodate that money. It’s more likely that Baldwin will clear waivers and perhaps sign a minimum salary deal with a new team.
If Baldwin doesn’t receive an NBA offer, he could end up playing overseas or in the G League, either on a two-way contract or a straight G League deal. Nine NBA teams have at least one open two-way slot at the moment.
Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge Agree To Extension
OCTOBER 16th, 11:07pm: The signing is official, per team release.
4:11pm: Charania clarifies in his full report on the trade that Aldridge’s extension will actually add just two years to his current deal, with the 2018/19 player option representing the third year. In total, Aldridge will be under contract for four years, with a partial guarantee in year four.
3:26pm: The Spurs have reached an agreement with big man LaMarcus Aldridge on a contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Wojnarowski first reported earlier today that the two sides were engaged in discussions on a possible extension.
Aldridge’s new contract is a three-year extension worth $72.3MM, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the third and final year is only partially guaranteed. The 32-year-old exercised his 2018/19 player option as part of the agreement, per Wojnarowski (via Twitter), so the new deal will begin in 2019/20 and will lock him up for five years in total.
Aldridge, who initially joined the Spurs as a free agent in the summer of 2015, saw his production drop off a little last season. His 17.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and .477 FG% were all below his career averages, while his 18.6 PER was his lowest mark since 2009/10.
The dip in Aldridge’s performance makes the timing of the contract extension somewhat surprising. Wojnarowski noted in his piece earlier today that the relationship between Aldridge and the Spurs has been rocky over the last two years — both sides have been unhappy at times, and the team explored trade scenarios involving the former Blazer earlier this year.
However, according to Wojnarowski, Aldridge arrived at camp this year in better shape than usual, and has strengthened his relationship with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
With Aldridge’s player option for 2018/19 now locked in, the Spurs have approximately $78.4MM in guaranteed money on their cap for next season. With the NBA salary cap projected to increase slightly to $101MM, the Spurs could have some flexibility. But their estimated team salary doesn’t include player options for Danny Green, Rudy Gay, and Joffrey Lauvergne, or possible new deals for free-agents-to-be like Tony Parker and Kyle Anderson.
Because Aldridge’s new contract exceeds the parameters of an extend-and-trade deal, he won’t be eligible to be traded for six months after signing his extension, meaning he won’t be the subject of trade rumors at this season’s deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Notes: Exum, Kerr, Ball, Aldridge
Jazz point guard Dante Exum has opted for surgery on his separated left shoulder, the team announced in a press release. The surgery, which will take place on October 24th, will stabilize the AC joint of his left shoulder. The team did not announce a timetable for Exum’s return but he’s likely to miss most or all of the season, Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune speculates.
Exum, 22, missed the 2015/16 season with an ACL tear. He returned last season and played in 66 games, averaging a career-high 6.2 PPG and 1.8 APG. The Jazz acquired Ricky Rubio during the offseason to start at the point. Raul Neto and Donovan Mitchell will back him up in Exum’s absence.
In other developments around the Western Conference:
- The Warriors have not discussed a contract extension with coach Steve Kerr because of his health issues, Monte Poole of NBCSports.com reports. Neither side has prioritized an extension because Kerr is focused on finding ways to eliminate the headaches and dizziness he’s suffered after undergoing back surgeries, Poole continues. Kerr is in the fourth season of a five-year deal worth $25MM. “I’m just not ready to look that far ahead,” Kerr told Poole and other media members.
- Wing Royce O’Neale got the nod over big man Joel Bolomboy for the Jazz’s final roster spot based on need, according to Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. O’Neale, who spent the last two seasons in Spain, provides coach Quin Snyder with a defender who can guard multiple spots. “I think positionally, he’s a fit for our group right now,” Snyder told McDonald and other media members. “He’s got instincts defensively. Coupled with the toughness, it makes him a good wing defender.”
- Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball says he’s good to go for the team’s season opener on Thursday, he told Law Murray of ESPN and the assembled media. Ball injured his ankle during camp and missed the last four preseason games. He practiced in full on Monday.
- The final year of LaMarcus Aldridge‘s three-year, $72.3MM extension with the Spurs has a $7MM guarantee, Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets. San Antonio came to an agreement with Aldridge on Monday.
Tiago Splitter Hopes To Land NBA Contract
Veteran center Tiago Splitter is shopping around for an NBA contract, he told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype in a Q&A session.
Splitter revealed that he had discussions with the Cavaliers, Jazz and Clippers but nothing came to fruition. He worked out for the Clippers in July.
He also received numerous training camp invites but didn’t get a formal contract offer, he told Sierra. However, the Brazilian native has no desire to explore opportunities overseas.
Injuries have sidetracked his career and Splitter admits he’s still not 100 percent. Splitter, 32, appeared in just eight games with the Sixers last season as he battled hip and calf injuries. He played 36 games with the Hawks the previous season, which was marred by a hamstring issue. Splitter spent his first five seasons with the Spurs.
If he can’t land a player contract, Splitter has decided to pursue a coaching career. He has visited with the Spurs, Hawks and Warriors during camp with that purpose.
“It’s a learning experience with focus on my career once my playing days are over,” he told Sierra. “My plan is to remain involved in basketball. This is a good way to network, meet new people and get to see basketball from a different perspective.”
2017 Rookie Scale Extension Recap
One of the minor tweaks made in the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement involved moving up the deadline for former first-round picks on expiring rookie contracts to sign rookie scale extensions. Previously, the deadline was October 31. Starting this year, players must complete rookie scale extensions by the day before the regular season opener.
That 5:00pm CT deadline has passed, and it seems no additional players reached last-minute extension agreements with their respective teams. From 2014 to 2016, an average of eight players per year signed rookie scale extensions before the October deadline, but only four players did so this year.
Here’s a breakdown of the four rookie scale extensions agreed upon before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value. These deals will go into effect beginning in 2018/19:
- Andrew Wiggins (Timberwolves): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story)
- Joel Embiid (Sixers): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story). Includes injury protections.
- Gary Harris (Nuggets): Four years, $74MM (story).
- T.J. Warren (Suns): Four years, $47MM (story).
The four deals completed this year make 2017 the least eventful offseason for rookie scale extensions since 2003. While the earlier deadline may have played some part in the relative inactivity this fall, it seems more teams are willing to wait an extra year to make investments in their players — perhaps they don’t expect to face stiff competition for those players in free agency next summer, when few teams will have significant cap room.
[RELATED: Rookie scale extension recaps for 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and the preceding five years]
With Wiggins, Embiid, Harris, and Warren locked up to new contracts, that leaves the following players, who had been eligible for rookie scale extensions, on track for restricted free agency in 2018:
- Kyle Anderson (Spurs)
- Bruno Caboclo (Raptors)
- Clint Capela (Rockets)
- Dante Exum (Jazz)
- Aaron Gordon (Magic)
- Rodney Hood (Jazz)
- Zach LaVine (Bulls)
- Doug McDermott (Knicks)
- Shabazz Napier (Trail Blazers)
- Lucas Nogueira (Raptors)
- Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers)
- Jabari Parker (Bucks)
- Elfrid Payton (Magic)
- Julius Randle (Lakers)
- Marcus Smart (Celtics)
- Nik Stauskas (Sixers)
- Noah Vonleh (Trail Blazers)
Meanwhile, there are a few other members of the 2014 rookie class who were first-round picks that year, but weren’t eligible for extensions this offseason. These players had previously been waived, had one of their team options declined, or didn’t sign rookie contracts in 2014. Here are those players:
- Jordan Adams: Waived in 2016.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic: Signed rookie contract in 2017 (extension-eligible in 2020).
- Tyler Ennis: Fourth-year option declined in 2016.
- P.J. Hairston: Third-year option declined in 2015.
- Josh Huestis: Signed rookie contract in 2015 (extension-eligible in 2018).
- Mitch McGary: Waived in 2016.
- Adreian Payne: Fourth-year option declined in 2016.
- Dario Saric: Signed rookie contract in 2016 (extension-eligible in 2019).
- C.J. Wilcox: Fourth-year option declined in 2016.
- James Young: Fourth-year option declined in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jamel Artis Signs Two-Way Deal With Magic
OCTOBER 16th, 7:34pm: The signing is official, per team press release.
OCTOBER 15th, 8:37am: Jamel Artis, who was waived by the Knicks in early October, has agreed to a two-way contract with the Magic, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
Celtics, Smart Fail To Reach Extension Agreement
Celtics shooting guard Marcus Smart is headed to restricted free agency next summer after the two sides failed to reach an extension agreement. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said the parties were “relatively close” as today’s deadline neared but couldn’t finalize the deal (Twitter link).
Smart and the Boston front office were “fully engaged” in talks, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania, but couldn’t bridge the monetary gap before the deadline expired. Luxury tax implications were the primary concern for the Celtics, Charania adds (Twitter links). Boston has approximately $80MM in commitments next season just for its three star players, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Kyrie Irving.
Smart will make $4,538,020 this season. He’ll be a restricted free agent if Boston extends him a qualifying offer of just over $6MM, which it is virtually certain to do.
Smart’s representative had a number in mind and the Celtics got close to it, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets. However, Smart’s camp believes he’ll receive a major offer sheet next July if he has a strong season, Kyler adds.
Smart’s agent, Happy Walters, confirmed that notion with Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, saying “it will cost them a lot more” to sign his client next summer. Walters also said that he wasn’t seeking a max extension for Smart and that he was “very reasonable” in his asking price (Twitter links).
Smart appeared in 79 regular-season games last season and filled up the stat sheet, averaging 10.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.6 APG and 1.6 SPG in 30.4 MPG. His weakness is shooting, as he has posted averages of 35.8% from the field and 29.1% from 3-point range in his three NBA seasons.
Smart, 23, was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft. He’ll share playing time with Jaylen Brown at the off-guard spot. He’ll also see some action at the point behind Irving.
Grizzlies Waive Wade Baldwin, Rade Zagorac
One year after using their first-round pick to draft Wade Baldwin, the Grizzlies have parted ways with the young point guard. The Grizzlies have waived Baldwin, according to a team release. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported earlier in the day that Memphis intended to waive or trade him (Twitter link). 
The Grizzlies also waived rookie forward Rade Zagorac to reach the 15-man regular season limit, the release adds. Wojnarowski had reported earlier (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies would be shedding Zagorac by waiving or trading him.
The Grizzlies’ decisions come as a bit of a surprise. At the start of camp, it appeared that forward Jarell Martin was on the chopping block for the club, and point guard Andrew Harrison was another player whose roster spot appeared to be in danger.
With Memphis waiving Baldwin and Zagorac, there will be room to carry both Martin and Harrison, along with veteran point guard Mario Chalmers, who has a small ($25K) partial guarantee on his contract. Wojnarowski has confirmed (via Twitter) that Chalmers and Harrison will remain on the roster as backups to starting point guard Mike Conley. Chalmers’ minimum salary deal will become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through Wednesday.
The optics of the moves aren’t great for the Grizzlies, who drafted Baldwin a year ago using the 17th overall pick. He’s owed a guaranteed $1,874,400 salary this season, but the club won’t be on the hook for any future salary, since his $1,955,160 team option for 2018/19 hadn’t been picked up.
The Grizzlies will actually owe more guaranteed money to Zagorac, another 2016 draftee, who was stashed for one year and then signed a partially guaranteed three-year deal this offseason. The 35th overall pick in 2016, Zagorac will be owed $950K this season and $1,378,242 in 2018/19. His third-year team option for 2019/20 is non-guaranteed.
This marks the second straight preseason in which the Grizzlies have given up on a former first-round pick still on his rookie contract. A year ago, the team waived 2014 first-rounder Jordan Adams as part of its roster cutdowns.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.