Suns Notes: Chandler, Point Guard, G League, Roster
The Suns have reportedly been discussing buyouts with players as the team looks to free up a roster spot, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. Gambadoro noted that those discussions included Jared Dudley and Tyson Chandler. Dudley was traded to the Nets in salary-shedding exchange for Darrell Arthur, who Phoenix is expected to buy out.
With Dudley gone, Chandler remains on the roster as a sturdy veteran presence. The 35-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make $13,585,000. In 46 games last season, Chandler averaged 6.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG for Phoenix.
At this juncture, however, reports that the Suns are looking to buy out Chandler are incorrect, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Republic. Given Chandler’s age and remaining salary, it would be likely hard to find a trade partner who takes on his contract without the Suns eating a significant portion. Also, with first overall pick, DeAndre Ayton in the fold, a veteran like Chandler could prove invaluable to the rookie’s development.
Check out more Suns notes below:
- The Suns have had an eventful offseason, which includes drafting Ayton, signing veteran Trevor Ariza, and extending Devin Booker. However, the team still needs to find a point guard, Greg Moore of Arizona Republic writes.
- It was a busy day on Friday for the Suns who traded Dudley, acquired Richuan Holmes, and guaranteed Davon Reed‘s contract. Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic breaks down the moves and looks at what they mean for the upcoming season.
- Bret Burchard, who served as an assistant coach with the Suns last season, is expected to be named the head coach of the team’s G League affiliate Northern Arizona Suns, per Adam Johnson of 2ways10Days.
Atlantic Notes: Smart, Raptors’ Tax, Trier, Scariolo
Guard Marcus Smart seriously considered signing his $6.1MM qualifying offer from the Celtics and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets. “I went back and forth internally, but it’s a problem a lot of people would like to have.” Smart said. “I definitely thought about taking the qualifying offer, but all my options were open.”
Smart wound up staying in Boston on a four-year, $52MM deal. “To be honest, I didn’t know where I was gonna end up. I was just enjoying this whole process,” he told The Associated Press. “It is a business, so things aren’t perfect. That’s why it’s called negotiations. You guys come together and you finally agree on something. We both agreed. Boston loves me and I love Boston.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors continue to explore moves to shed salary and get under the luxury-tax line, Ian Begley of ESPN tweets. The Raptors still have over $137MM in salary commitments following the Kawhi Leonard deal and are nearly $14MM over the tax threshold.
- Allonzo Trier has an outside chance to gain a spot on the 15-man Knicks roster after a solid showing in summer-league action, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Trier, an undrafted guard out of Arizona, has a two-way contract but if he makes a strong impression in training camp, it could be converted to a standard contract. The Knicks waived forward Troy Williams this week, trimming their 15-man roster to the league limit, and could open up another spot if they waive Joakim Noah and utilize the stretch provision for the remaining money on his bloated deal.
- Italian head coach Sergio Scariolo is close to joining Nick Nurse‘s Raptors staff, according to a Sportando report. Scariolo, who is also the Spanish national team coach, has been offered a position but needs to work out a settlement with the Spanish federation, since he has a contract with it until 2020. The situation is expected to be resolved, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun relays. The Hornets were also interested in hiring Scariolo, Wolstat adds.
Ujiri: There Was No Trade Talk With DeRozan
Raptors president Masai Ujiri claims he never told DeMar DeRozan he would not be traded, though Ujiri admits making a mistake talking at length with the All-Star shooting guard about his future with the franchise, according to an ESPN report. DeRozan fumed publicly over being traded to the Spurs as their centerpiece of the deal that landed Kawhi Leonard in Toronto.
“I had a conversation with DeMar at summer league, and I really want to leave it at that,” Ujiri said during a news conference Friday. “We spoke … I think maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward from him. So, not necessarily talking about a trade but what I expect from him going forward, and I think that’s where the gap was.”
We have more regarding the blockbuster trade:
- Ujiri simply couldn’t pass up the chance of acquiring Leonard, even though Leonard wants to play in Los Angeles when he can exercise his early termination contract option next summer. Ujiri feels it was worth the risk. “We’ve been doing this for how many years?,” Ujiri said, according to a transcript of his press conference posted by RaptorsRepublic.com. “You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and when you get a chance to get a top 5 player – which isn’t very often – I think you have to jump on it.”
- Leonard has not expressed any reservations about playing in Toronto, according to Ujiri, who will push hard to convince Leonard to re-sign with the Raptors. “I think there’s a lot to sell here,” Ujiri said. “Our team, our culture, our city, our ownership, we have everything here except a championship, in my humble opinion. I don’t think we lack anything in this city.’
- DeRozan apparently wasn’t impressed by Ujiri’s apology, according to an Instagram post that was relayed by The Score (Twitter link).
- Leonard has officially arrived in Toronto to take his physical. The team tweeted out a photo of him at their practice facility.
Sixers Trade Richaun Holmes To Suns
7:09pm: It’s official, according to a Sixers press release.
11:29am: The Suns are sending $1MM to Philadelphia in the trade, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic.
10:55am: The Sixers have agreed to a trade with the Suns that will send Richaun Holmes to Phoenix, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Philadelphia will receive cash considerations in return for Holmes, Charania adds (via Twitter).
Holmes, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been a rotation player for the Sixers for the last three seasons. However, after averaging 20.9 minutes per contest and starting 17 games in 2016/17, the 24-year-old had his role cut back last season, as he played 15.5 MPG and started just two of his 48 games.
With Joel Embiid, Amir Johnson, and Mike Muscala in the mix at center for the Sixers in 2018/19, Holmes was unlikely to play a major role for the team. Instead, he’ll join a prospect-heavy Suns frontcourt that features Deandre Ayton, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, and veteran Tyson Chandler.
While the Suns’ acquisition of Holmes isn’t exactly a blockbuster, it has some interesting – albeit minor – cap ramifications. Phoenix wouldn’t have had the cap room to acquire Holmes without sending out any salary if not for the Jared Dudley/Darrell Arthur swap the club agreed to earlier today. Now, Holmes can slot into the team’s remaining cap space and its 15th roster spot.
As for the 76ers, there were reports in the wake of their three-team trade agreement on Thursday that the deal wouldn’t be completed right away because Philadelphia was working on another move. A Kyle Korver/Jerryd Bayless trade rumor hinted that the Sixers were looking to open up a little extra cap room themselves — they’ll do just that by moving Holmes’ $1.6MM salary, and now have the space to sign draft-and-stash prospect Jonah Bolden to a four-year contract using cap room.
Without cap space, the Sixers wouldn’t have been able to offer Bolden – who will replace Holmes in the frontcourt – more than two years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Thunder, Magic Swap Johnson, Purvis
6:41pm: It’s official, according to a Thunder press release.
3:51pm: The Thunder and Magic have agreed to a trade that will send Dakari Johnson to Orlando and Rodney Purvis to Oklahoma City, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). The Magic are also expected to receive cash considerations in the swap, Charania adds (via Twitter).
Both Johnson and Purvis are on the books for identical $1,378,242 salaries in 2018/19. However, Johnson’s contract was guaranteed, while Purvis’ is non-guaranteed, creating a little more flexibility for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder will still have to fill that roster spot if they waive Purvis, so the trade isn’t a major cost-cutting move. However, releasing Purvis and signing a 2018 second-rounder like Hamidou Diallo, Devon Hall, or Kevin Hervey in his place would allow OKC to replace Johnson on the roster with a slightly cheaper – and potentially more useful – player.
Johnson, 22, was selected by the Thunder with the 48th overall pick of the 2015 draft but didn’t sign his first standard NBA contract until 2017. The seven-footer appeared in 31 games last season for Oklahoma City, averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 5.2 minutes per contest.
Purvis, 24, joined the Magic down the stretch last season, parlaying a pair of 10-day contracts into a rest-of-season deal. The 6’4″ shooting guard posted 6.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 16 games (18.1 MPG).
Grizzlies Sign Yuta Watanabe To Two-Way Deal
The Grizzlies have signed rookie forward Yuta Watanabe to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.
The signing has international significance. Watanabe will likely become just the second player born in Japan to appear in an NBA game. Yuta Tabuse appeared in four games for the Suns during the 2004/05 season.
The Grizzlies opened up a two-way contract slot by waiving swingman Myke Henry earlier on Friday.
The 6’9” Watanabe played for the Nets’ summer league team after going undrafted and averaged 9.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 1.6 BPG in 24.0 MPG over five games.
Watanabe played four years of college ball at George Washington University. Watanabe, 23, was named the 2017/18 Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 16.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.6 blocks in 36.6 MPG.
Spurs Re-Sign Bryn Forbes
JULY 20, 5:25pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 10, 12:48pm: The Spurs are finalizing a deal to bring back restricted free agent guard Bryn Forbes for next season, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). According to Charania, Forbes will sign a new two-year contract with San Antonio.
Forbes, who will turn 25 later this month, has spent the last two seasons with the Spurs, becoming a regular part of the team’s rotation in 2017/18. In 80 games (19.0 MPG) last season, he posted 6.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG with a .390 3PT%.
Because Forbes has two years of NBA experience, he’ll be on track for unrestricted free agency in 2020 if he plays out his new two-year deal with the Spurs. At that point, the team will have full Bird rights on him. San Antonio figures to re-sign him this time around using his Early Bird rights.
The Spurs issued qualifying offers to three players eligible for restricted free agency this summer, and both Forbes and Davis Bertans appear set to return on new multiyear deals. San Antonio’s third restricted free agent, Kyle Anderson, signed a four-year, $37MM+ offer sheet with the Grizzlies which the Spurs elected not to match.
Grizzlies Waive Swingman Myke Henry
The Grizzlies have waived swingman Myke Henry, according to a team press release.
Henry was signed to a two-way contract in January. The DePaul product appeared in 20 games with Memphis last season, averaging 5.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 1.1 APG in 18.9 MPG. Henry, 25, also played in 38 G League games for the Oklahoma City Blue and Memphis Hustle last season, averaging 16.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 2.1 APG.
By cutting Henry loose, Memphis frees up a two-way slot. Point guard Kobi Simmons is the other player on a two-way deal.
Spurs Sign Marco Belinelli
JULY 20: The Spurs have officially signed Belinelli, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1: Former Spur Marco Belinelli will return to San Antonio on a two-year, $12MM contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Spurs still have their mid-level exception available and may use that to ink Belinelli.
The 32-year old sharpshooter spent two seasons with the Spurs from 2013 to 2015. He started last season with the Hawks, then joined the Sixers after agreeing to a buyout in February. He averaged 12.9 points in 10 playoffs games with Philadelphia.
While Belinelli isn’t the sort of dynamic player who can impact games in a variety of different ways, his outside shooting makes him a valuable rotation piece. He attempted a career-high 5.3 threes per game in 28 regular season contests with Philadelphia last season, converting them at a 38.5% rate.
We ranked Belinelli as the 30th-best player available this offseason in our list of 2018’s top 50 free agents.
Belinelli is the second agreement of the night for San Antonio, which also reached a deal to re-sign veteran forward Rudy Gay.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Max Amount Each NBA Team Can Offer FAs
We’re nearly three weeks into the NBA offseason, and cap room around the league has dried up. Only the Kings still have substantial cap room, with more than $20MM in space still available.
However, Sacramento isn’t the only team capable of making a competitive offer to the remaining free agents. Many other clubs around the league still have various exception money available that could be put toward a free agent signing.
With the help of information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Basketball Insiders, we’ve listed below the maximum starting salary that each of the NBA’s 30 teams can offer an outside free agent right now. Teams can potentially offer more to their own free agents if they hold some form of Bird rights.
Because we’re listing the maximum starting salary a team has to offer, this list doesn’t necessarily take into account every one of a club’s exceptions. For instance, if a team has its $8.64MM mid-level exception and its $3.38MM bi-annual exception available, we won’t list their BAE here.
These figures could change if teams make other roster moves, and in some cases using the maximum available amount on a free agent would create a hard cap or tax-related concerns for the club.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Sacramento Kings: $20.52MM (cap room)
- Note: Kings’ cap room will be reduced slightly by their new two-year, $6.2MM deal with Yogi Ferrell.
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $8.64MM (MLE)
- Utah Jazz: $8.64MM (MLE)
- Orlando Magic: $6.75MM (MLE)
- Boston Celtics: $5.34MM (tax MLE)
- Houston Rockets: $5.34MM (tax MLE)
- Miami Heat: $5.34MM (tax MLE)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $5.34MM (tax MLE)
- Toronto Raptors: $5.34MM (tax MLE)
- Atlanta Hawks: $4.45MM (room exception)
- Chicago Bulls: $4.45MM (room exception)
- Dallas Mavericks: $4.45MM (room exception)
- The Mavericks are reportedly using their remaining cap room (more than $4.45MM) to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki.
- Los Angeles Lakers: $4.45MM (room exception)
- Philadelphia 76ers: $4.45MM (room exception)
- Phoenix Suns: $4.45MM (room exception)
- Detroit Pistons: $3.73MM (MLE)
- Charlotte Hornets: $3.38MM (bi-annual exception)
- Los Angeles Clippers: $3.38MM (bi-annual exception)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $3.38MM (bi-annual exception)
- New York Knicks: $3.38MM (bi-annual exception)
- San Antonio Spurs: $3.38MM (bi-annual exception)
- Denver Nuggets: $2.5MM (tax MLE)
- Portland Trail Blazers: $1.7MM (tax MLE)
- For players with five or more years of NBA experience, the minimum salary would be worth more.
- Milwaukee Bucks: $1.64MM (MLE)
- For players with five or more years of NBA experience, the minimum salary would be worth more.
- Brooklyn Nets: Minimum salary
- The Nets are reportedly using their $4.45MM to sign Ed Davis.
- Golden State Warriors: Minimum salary
- Indiana Pacers: Minimum salary
- Memphis Grizzlies: Minimum salary
- New Orleans Pelicans: Minimum salary
- Washington Wizards: Minimum salary