Johnathan Williams Lands Camp Deal With Lakers
The Lakers have signed Johnathan Williams to a training camp contract, the team announced on its website. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, so it’s not certain if Williams will receive any guaranteed money.
Williams went undrafted out of Gonzaga after averaging 13.5 PPG and 8.3 RPG during his senior season and earning first team All-WCC honors. He played for the Lakers’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night in seven games.
Williams is the third training camp signing for the Lakers this week, joining Joel Berry and Jeffrey Carroll. L.A. now has 19 players headed to camp with one spot still open.
Cavaliers Talking To Luke Babbitt, Trevor Booker
The Cavaliers have reached out to free agents Luke Babbitt and Trevor Booker as they try to fill three open roster spots, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Cleveland saw its salary commitments for 2018/19 take a huge dive when LeBron James signed with the Lakers, but the Cavs still have a payroll of about $109.5MM. That’s over the $101.9MM salary cap, but about $20MM below the tax apron with the full mid-level exception ($8.6MM) and bi-annual exception ($3.3MM) still available.
Babbitt, 29, split last season between the Hawks and Heat. A career 40% shooter from 3-point range, Babbitt’s production fell after a February trade to Miami and he was barely used in the playoffs. Several European teams have expressed interest in signing him if he doesn’t land another NBA contract.
Booker, 30, spent parts of last season with the Nets, Sixers and Pacers. A rugged power forward, Booker had his best season in 2016/17, when he averaged 10.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG for Brooklyn.
No deal is considered imminent with either player, Vardon adds.
One of the Cavaliers’ open roster spots may be reserved for Rodney Hood, who had trouble adjusting to his new role after coming to Cleveland at the trade deadline but is still a valued prospect. He remains part of the plan for the future, a team source told Vardon. Hood is a restricted free agent, and the Cavs can match any offer he receives.
The source adds that Cleveland is “exploring all options” with its resources, including a $5.8MM trade exception from last summer’s Kyrie Irving deal that will expire August 22.
In addition, Vardon relays that there’s nothing new on a rumored trade that would send Kyle Korver to Philadelphia in exchange for Jerryd Bayless. The Cavs may see if they can get more for the 37-year-old marksman before dealing with the Sixers.
Hornets To Sign Isaiah Wilkins To Camp Deal
The Hornets have agreed to a training camp deal with Isaiah Wilkins, the stepson of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Wilkins averaged 6.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals as a senior last season at Virginia before being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He managed to shoot 48.5% from the field but only a disappointing 17.6% from three.
While it’s unlikely that Wilkins ends up on the Hornets’ 15-man regular season roster, he’s probably a good bet to end up playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/14/18 – 7/21/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- In this week’s Community Shootaround post, Arthur Hill asked whether Jabari Parker will be able to revive his career in Chicago and turn the Bulls into a winner again, or if the signing is a reckless gamble on a player whose knees will always be a concern.
- Luke Adams took a look at the early maximum salary projections for the 2019/20 season.
- Luke Adams checked in on the 13 2018 NBA Draft selections who have yet to sign an NBA contract.
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions about the potential of rookie Trae Young, the future of Jahlil Okafor, and some potential Clippers’ re-signings.
- Luke Adams broke down the financial impact of the blockbuster trade between the Spurs and Raptors involving Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan.
- As part of our Hoops Rumors Glossary, Luke Adams wrote about Exhibit 10 Contracts.
- And finally, Luke Adams analyzed the maximum starting salary that each of the NBA’s 30 teams can offer an outside free agent right now.
Five Key Stories: 7/14/18 – 7/21/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest free agent signings, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy signings and other stories from the last seven days.
The Raptors traded All-Star DeMar DeRozan and center Jakob Poeltl to the Spurs in exchange for perennial MVP-candidate Kawhi Leonard and sharpshooter Danny Green. The Spurs will also receive a the Raptors’ 2019 first-round pick, protected for picks 1-20. If the selection doesn’t change hands in 2019, the Spurs will instead obtain a pair of second-round picks from the Raptors. Also, because DeRozan’s salary is able to absorb both Leonard and Green’s salary per CBA rules, Toronto will create a modest trade exception equivalent to Poeltl’s $2.95MM salary. Neither DeRozan nor Leonard seemed pleased with the deal, as Leonard reportedly prefers to play in Los Angeles, while DeRozan feel betrayed by the Raptors’ front office.
The Thunder, Hawks, and Sixers have agreed to a three-way trade trade that will send Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder’s protected 2022 first-round pick to Atlanta, Dennis Schroder to Oklahoma City, and Mike Muscala to Philadelphia. The 2022 first-rounder going to the Hawks will have 1-14 protection, and will turn into two second-rounders if it doesn’t convey in 2022. The Sixers will also send Justin Anderson to the Hawks and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Thunder. Anthony will be waived by the Hawks upon completion of the trade and is widely expected to sign with the Rockets.
Restricted free agent guard Marcus Smart has signed a four-year, $52MM deal to remain with the Celtics. The $52MM figure mirrors the amount of money that was on the table during extension negotiations in the fall. The signing of Smart takes the Celtics into the luxury tax, which may have been the reason for the negotiations dragging on so long, leading to reported frustration from Smart and his camp.
The Bulls and free agent forward Jabari Parker reached an agreement on a two-year, $40MM deal after the Bucks rescinded Parker’s qualifying offer. The Bucks did not unilaterally withdraw their QO to Parker before the deadline, but did so afterward with the consent of Parker so that he could freely negotiate with his hometown team. Parker’s salary is only guaranteed for the 2018/19 season, with the Bulls holding a $20MM team option in 2019/20.
After reaching a verbal agreement with the Sixers on a one-year, $4.5MM deal, free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica chose to back-out of the deal, instead opting to sign a three-year, $20.5MM agreement with the Kings. Bjelica cited family issues for reneging on the Sixers, saying he wanted a multiple-year deal if he was going to relocate his family from Minneapolis and stay in the U.S. The Kings were able to give him two guaranteed years as opposed to one, with his new deal in Sacramento having a non-guaranteed salary in year three.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Kings were able to convince another free agent, Yogi Ferrell, to renege on a previously agreed-to contract, signing Ferrell to a two-year, $6.2MM deal after he originally agreed to a deal worth $5.3MM over the same amount of time with the Mavericks.
- The Kings also traded guard Garrett Temple to the Grizzlies in exchange for Ben McLemore, Deyonta Davis, a 2021 second-round pick, and cash.
- The Suns and Nets have swapped veterans Jared Dudley and Darrell Arthur, with the Nets also acquiring a protected 2021 second-round pick for taking on additional salary.
- The Sixers traded big man Richaun Holmes to the Suns in return for $1MM in cash.
- The Nets signed free-agent guard Shabazz Napier to a two-year, $3.8MM contract with a second-year team option.
- The Trail Blazers waived former first-round pick, center Georgios Papagiannis, who has since signed with Panathinaikos.
- Dirk Nowitzki will return for a 21st season in Dallas, signing a one-year, $5MM contract with the Mavericks.
- Nuggets’ rookie first-rounder Michael Porter Jr. underwent a second back surgery, but plans to be ready for the 2018/19 season.
- The Nuggets and reserve guard Monte Morris have reached an agreement on a three-year, $4.8MM deal.
- Free-agent forward Dante Cunningham has signed a one-year deal with the Spurs.
Nemanja Bjelica Signs Three-Year Deal With Kings
JULY 21, 1:57pm: The deal is official, per a media release from the Kings.
JULY 20, 9:08pm: The Kings have reached a three-year, $20.5MM agreement with free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. The third year will not be guaranteed, Charania adds.
This completes Bjelica’s unusual odyssey in free agency. The former Timberwolves reserve originally agreed to a one-year, $4.45MM deal with the Sixers early in free agency, then backed out of that agreement on Tuesday. He stated publicly he would likely head back to Europe, explaining that he wanted to create “some kind of stability” for his family.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac and other teams then reached out to Bjelica, trying to convince him to remain in the NBA. Sacramento’s offer won him over.
“The organization’s belief in and commitment to me overwhelmed me and my family,” he told Charania. “I am ready to do everything I can to help the Kings and be a part of the Sacramento community.”
It helped the Kings’ cause that EuroLeague powerhouses like Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow reportedly were not interested in him at this time.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor noted in a conversation last week with Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 that Bjelica entered the offseason seeking a multiyear NBA contract. The stretch four has been a rotation player with Minnesota the past three seasons. He averaged 6.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 67 games last season, including 21 starts.
Where Bjelica fits in with the Kings is a mystery. Sacramento already has No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III, Zach Randolph and Harry Giles at the power forward spot. His path to playing time may be at small forward.
Julyan Stone Signs Deal With Reyer Venezia
After being traded from the Hornets to the Bulls and then waived in order to make room for the Jabari Parker signing, Julyan Stone is heading back to Italy, having signed a contract with his former club, Reyer Venezia, per Sportando (Twitter link).
Stone, 29, went undrafted in 2011 before signing a two-year deal with the Nuggets. He signed a one-year contract with the Raptors for the 2013/14 season and then spent several seasons overseas before coming back to the NBA in 2017, signing a two-year contract with the Hornets.
During his four-season NBA career, Stone has only averaged 1.1 points in 7.2 minutes per game, but has appeared in 70 total contests. He will look to help Reyer reclaim the Lega Basket Serie A title after helping them win the championship in 2017.
Hawks Waive Antonius Cleveland
The Hawks have waived Antonius Cleveland, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cleveland, 24, saw action in four games with the Hawks last season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. He was signed to a multi-year contract in March after signing consecutive 10-day contracts earlier in the season.
As Vivlamore noted previously, the Hawks essentially had to waive Cleveland in order to open up the cap room necessary to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Thunder and Justin Anderson from the Sixers.
Adding both Anthony and Anderson to the Hawks’ will increase the team’s total salary to approximately $102.8MM, about $1MM over the cap. Per CBA rules, this is not permitted, as the Hawks are using cap space to complete the trade. Waiving Cleveland lowers Atlanta’s total salary – with Anthony and Anderson – to $101.4MM, safely within the 2018/19 salary cap of $101.869MM.
Cleveland’s 2018/19 salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the Hawks will not be on the hook for any of his salary.
Celtics Trade Abdel Nader To Thunder
JULY 23: The Celtics have traded Nader to the Thunder rather than waiving him. Our full story on the deal is here.
JULY 21: The Celtics are waiving swingman Abdel Nader, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Nader was chosen by Boston with the 58th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and spent a season with the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ G League affiliate, before signing an NBA contract with the Celtics last summer.
The Celtics will not be on the hook for Nader’s full 2018/19 salary, as his contract did not become fully guaranteed until August 1. He reportedly had a partial guarantee worth $450K.
The move will leave the Celtics with 14 fully-guaranteed contracts and a team salary of $125.85MM, about $2.07MM north of the tax line. Because the Celtics are in tax territory, they may be looking to enter the 2018/19 season with only 14 players on their roster, a la the Warriors. However, the C’s still have their full $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception to spend on a 15th player should they so choose.
Nader, 24, averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 48 contests (one start) with the Celtics in 2017/18, his lone NBA season.
Pacific Notes: Beasley, James, Livingston, Temple
In a somewhat surprising move, the Lakers plan to sign veteran forward Michael Beasley to a one-year, $3.5MM deal, using a significant portion of their room exception. Beasley enjoyed a rejuvenated season with the Knicks in 2017/18, averaging 13.2 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 74 games (30 starts).
Beasley reportedly had opportunities to sign with teams that offered more playing time, but a tough free agent market made the $3.5MM salary hard to pass up, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. Also, Beasley has familiarity with LeBron James, as he played alongside the four-time NBA MVP with the Heat.
Since the Lakers signed James away from the Cavaliers, the team has further added Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and now Beasley. While it may not be the super team fans had hoped for, it’s an interesting conglomerate of talent.
Check out more Pacific Division notes:
- Speaking of James, he made his first public appearance last Sunday to watch his new team in action at NBA Summer League. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report spoke to several Lakers’ executives who were on hand and discussed the prospect of James in Los Angeles and his role on the team. One executive actually believes the Lakers’ best lineup would be with James at center.
- Shaun Livingston has been a valuable reserve for the Warriors as the team has dominated the NBA the past half-decade, winning three championships in the past four years. Michael Scotto of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke to Livingston during his basketball camp in New York City, where Livingston addressed the Warriors’ success and the perception that Golden State has “ruined” the league with their super team.
- Ever since Zach LaVine‘s offer sheet was matched by the Bulls, the Kings have not made any major additions to the team this offseason. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes that the Kings’ low-key approach thus far is okay and helps the team in the future.
- The Grizzlies sent $1.5MM to the Kings as part of the trade for Garrett Temple , tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That figure is the equivalent of Deyonta Davis‘ salary, which would therefore be covered by Memphis if the Kings choose to waive him.
Clark Crum contributed to this post.