Georgios Papagiannis Signs Long-Term Deal With Panathinaikos
Georgios Papagiannis‘ time in the NBA is over, at least for now. After spending two seasons with the Kings and Trail Blazers, Papagiannis is heading back to Greece, having signed a five-year contract with Panathinaikos, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Papagiannis, 21, was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Kings, who had traded down from No. 8. It was a surprising pick at the time, and the 7’1″ center was unable to prove skeptics wrong during his brief NBA stint. He appeared in just 38 games for Sacramento before being waived in February as part of a series of trade-deadline moves.
Although Papagiannis caught on the with the Trail Blazers to end the 2017/18 campaign, the club waived him earlier this week, clearing a path for him to return to his old team in Greece. Papagiannis played for Panathinaikos from 2014 to 2016 before he made the leap to the NBA.
Yogi Ferrell Changing Course On Mavs Deal
8:17am: The Mavs hadn’t heard anything from Ferrell’s agent before seeing Charania’s report, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
7:45am: After reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $5.3MM deal with the Mavericks on Thursday, Yogi Ferrell has changed course, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, Ferrell will re-enter free agency in search of a better contract.
“We felt uncomfortable and will weigh our options,” agent Cervando Tejeda said.
Ferrell’s $5.3MM agreement with the Mavs included a non-guaranteed second season, so he was only assured of receiving about half that money. As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), that means that the point guard would have been in line for a smaller guarantee than his initial $2.9MM qualifying offer, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t be thrilled with the arrangement.
If Dallas wants to lock up Ferrell, the team could increase its offer. The Mavs still hold Ferrell’s Early Bird rights, allowing them to go over the cap all the way up to the mid-level range to re-sign him. However, it remains to be seen how aggressive the club will be in attempting to bring back the 25-year-old.
It’s the second time this offseason that a player and team have seemingly reached a contract agreement, only for the player to have second thoughts — Nemanja Bjelica did the same with the Sixers. Of course, DeAndre Jordan‘s about-face in 2015 free agency is the most infamous example of this in recent years, but the Mavs were able to officially secure Jordan early in this year’s free agency.
Sixers, Cavs Talk Kyle Korver-Jerryd Bayless Swap
JULY 20: While a trade involving Bayless and Korver is possible, it’s “far from certain,” a league source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
JULY 19: The Sixers and Cavaliers have had discussions about a Jerryd Bayless–Kyle Korver swap, sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
Philadelphia is involved in the Carmelo Anthony–Dennis Schroder–three-way salary dump along with the Thunder and Hawks, though the move is on hold at the moment with the Sixers reportedly looking to make another move before finalizing the transaction. The organization has very little cap room left and the acquisition of Mike Muscala, the big man who would join Philly in the proposed three-team deal, would put them over the salary cap.
Korver will take home a salary of $7.56MM this upcoming season and he has $7.5MM on his contract for the 2019/20 campaign, though his salary then is non-guaranteed. Bayless will make approximately $8.56MM this season during the final year of his contract.
Korver began his NBA career with the Sixers, playing 337 games with the franchise across parts of five seasons. With LeBron James no longer with Cleveland, the 37-year-old may welcome a deal to a more competitive team.
The former second-round pick was a mainstay in the Cavs’ rotation during the regular season, although his participation during the playoffs was spotty, as the team had to sit him because of his inability to defend the perimeter. Bayless, who has dealt with various injuries since coming to the Sixers, hasn’t really carved out a nitch in Philadelphia. If the Sixers and Cavs make the swap, I’d speculate that an additional asset, such as a second-round pick or cash, will head Cleveland’s way as well.
Korver sits fourth all-time with 2213 shots made from behind the arc. This past season, he took over five threes per game, making 43.6% of his attempts.
Lakers Waive Malik Newman
The Lakers have waived Malik Newman, according to the team’s website.
Newman inked a two-way contract with Los Angeles as free agency began this year. He played in five summer league games for the team and averaged 3.2 points in 9.8 minutes per game.
The guard spent one season at the University of Kansas, scoring 14.2 points per game. He helped lead the school to the Final Four where the team lost to Villanova, the eventual champions.
Central Notes: Love, Middleton, Perkins, Pistons
Earlier tonight, we heard talk of the Cavaliers sending Kyle Korver to Philadelphia in exchange for Jerryd Bayless. While we wait to see if anything materializes in Cleveland, let’s take a look at some notes from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers are not shopping Kevin Love, though he could be on the move if the right offer presents itself, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentions on the Lowe Post podcast. The scribe adds that Khris Middleton is in the same boat with the Bucks not deeming him untouchable nor looking to deal him.
- Cleveland waived Kendrick Perkins to “do right” by the big man and allow him to pursue training camp deals, a source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers signed Perkins on the final day of the 2017/18 regular season back when LeBron James was still on the roster. The team had hoped to use Perkins’ contract as part of an offseason trade.
- The Pistons have added Tim Grgurich and Micah Nori as assistant coaches to Dwane Casey‘s staff, Ansar Khan of Mlive.com relays.
- Alex Boeder of NBA.com examines what Brook Lopez will bring to the Bucks. Lopez should be able to help the team stretch the floor with his three-point shot, as over 40% of his shots from the field last came from behind the arc.
- FIBA has banned Bucks center Thon Maker for three games in international play for his part in a brawl during a game in the Philippines earlier this month, according to an ESPN report. Maker said he disagreed with the decision in a written statement that was released on his Twitter account.
Warriors Notes: Cousins, Myers, Green
DeMarcus Cousins is in a state of happiness after signing with Golden State and the 27-year-old feels he’ll return to being one of the top big men in the league once he recovers from the Achilles injury that sidelined him last season.
“My expectations, I plan on coming back and being the same dominant player I was, even better actually,” Cousins said (via Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group). “Nothing will change.”
One thing that everyone hopes will change is Cousins making it to the postseason. He has yet to enter a playoff game during his eight-year career. GM Bob Myers reportedly told the big man that he deserves to play in the NBA’s second season when the two spoke prior to Cousins signing and the Warriors plan on monitoring his recovery to ensure he’s fully healthy once mid-April rolls around.
“Who knows what time,” Myers said about when Cousins will return to the court. “But certainly we’ll have a few months, if not more, before the playoffs to get him acclimated with what we do and for him to get comfortable. So the goal is to have as much time as we can without rushing him back. We don’t need to throw him out there.”
Here’s more from Golden State:
- The Warriors can afford to wait for Cousins until after the season start and even past the 2018 calendar year in order to put him in the best position to succeed, Medina adds in the same piece. “I have to be smart about it. I’m in a unique situation as well where I’m not needed right away,” Cousins said. “Time is kind of on my side so I have a chance to get to 100 percent. When I feel I’m at that point, I’ll make the return.”
- Some players called Cousins after hearing the news of him signing with the Warriors and attempted to change his mind, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. CJ McCollum was one of the players who reached out to see what was going with Cousins’ decision.
- Draymond Green made the worst free agency pitch to bring Cousins aboard, according to the big man.“He was like, ‘Cous, I’m pretty sure me and you are going to fight,'” Cousin said of his interaction with Green (via Haynes in the same piece). “I’m like, ‘Draymond, Come on. Whoa. Whoa.’ But Draymond, that’s my guy. I respect him as a player, I respect him as a competitor. He’s one of the top in this business and just his approach to every game, I want that guy on my team every day. So, we talked, we kind of communicated about what we both wanted, which was winning games.”
- Cousins is using his one-year pact with the Warriors as a way to rehab his value with the hopes of landing a bigger deal next offseason, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Slater notes that Golden State holds most of the power in the arrangement, having the ability to further tarnish Cousins’ reputation, but also adds that both sides are “openly comfortable” with the partnership.
Lakers Sign Jeffrey Carroll
The Lakers have officially signed Jeffrey Carroll, the team announced today. The signing was originally reported by Michael Scotto of The Athletic back in June.
The contract will contain an Exhibit 10 clause, something that was introduced in the newest CBA. The clause allowed a player to receive a bonus from the NBA club should he play for the franchise’s G League affiliate and remain there for 60 days.
[Related: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Exhibit 10 Contact]
Carroll went undrafted out of Oklahoma State on this year’s big night. Entering draft night, he was ranked as the No. 96 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com. In 188 collegiate games, Carroll averaged 12.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.
The guard most recently played for the Lakers’ summer league squad in Las Vegas. He scored 4.2 points in 9.0 minutes per contest.
Anthony/Schroder Trade May Not Be Completed Right Away
The three-team trade that will send Carmelo Anthony to the Hawks (briefly), Dennis Schroder to the Thunder, and Mike Muscala to the Sixers may not be officially completed for several days, according to reports from Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links).
As Vivlamore notes, the Hawks will almost certainly waive Antonius Cleveland and his non-guaranteed salary in order to create the cap room necessary to make the deal work, but that shouldn’t hold things up much. Pompey hears from one source that the delay may be the result of the 76ers working on another move.
While it’s not clear what that Sixers move might be, the club does have a tiny sliver of cap room still available. It’s not enough space to be useful at this point, but perhaps Philadelphia wants to explore all its options before officially going over the cap and closing certain doors.
Whether the trade is ultimately finalized today, this weekend, or next week sometime, Anthony looks like a strong bet to eventually land in Houston once he’s acquired and then waived by Atlanta. Anthony has reportedly considered both the Rockets and Heat, but Houston has been viewed as the strong frontrunner for the last week or two.
David Aldridge of TNT provides more evidence in favor of Anthony joining up with James Harden and Chris Paul in Houston, citing a source who says that Carmelo has been telling people for over a week that he’ll wind up with the Rockets (Twitter link).
When the deal becomes official, the Hawks will use up their remaining cap room, leaving the Kings as the only NBA team with any meaningful space available. Sacramento still has more than $20MM in open cap room.
Spurs Notes: Leonard, Trade Details, Green
In his breakdown of this week’s mega-deal that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto and DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio, ESPN’s Zach Lowe relays several intriguing Spurs-related tidbits on the situation. According to Lowe, San Antonio “never showed interest” in Leonard offers that were heavy on draft picks and unproven young players. Even in talks with the Sixers, it’s not clear if Markelle Fultz would have piqued the Spurs’ interest — San Antonio wanted one of Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid in any deal with Philadelphia, says Lowe.
Lowe also notes (via Twitter) that the league memo announcing the Leonard trade between the Raptors and Spurs includes one more interesting item: San Antonio is sending $5MM in cash to Toronto as part of the swap. As Lowe observes, that money is likely meant to help make up for the fact that Leonard’s trade kicker will increase the Raps’ projected tax bill for 2018/19, as we detailed on Wednesday.
Here’s more from Lowe, along with a few more Spurs notes:
- The Spurs had dangled Danny Green in previous trade discussions over the past year, and weren’t seeking a big return for him, sources tell Lowe.
- According to Lowe, San Antonio lowered its asking price for Leonard in the days leading up to the club’s agreement with Toronto. However, it was still difficult for other teams to put together an appealing package, since the Spurs’ top priority was acquiring an established veteran scorer who was under contract for multiple seasons.
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke to reporters on Wednesday about the Leonard trade, explaining the team’s thinking and making an effort to turn the page on the Kawhi drama. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com has the story, along with the quotes from Popovich, who had nothing but good things to say about Leonard. “Kawhi was a great teammate the whole way through,” Popovich said. “He did his work, and he was no problem for anybody. Talking heads out there have to have a story. If I was a talking head, maybe I am, I would have stories, too. All the stories that denigrated him in that regard, that was unfortunate and inaccurate.”
- In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes an in-depth look at why the Raptors matched up best with what the Spurs were looking for and won the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes over teams like the Celtics, Sixers, and Lakers, who approached Leonard trade talks more conservatively.
Cavs Sign Channing Frye To One-Year Deal
JULY 19: The Cavaliers have officially signed Frye, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 14: The Cavaliers have agreed to bring back veteran forward Channing Frye, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. According to Charania, Frye will sign a one-year, minimum-salary deal with Cleveland.
Frye will earn approximately $2.39MM this season and count for roughly $1.51MM on the Cavs’ cap sheet.
The 35-year-old played in 144 games for Cleveland over parts of the last three seasons. He was traded from Orlando to LeBron James‘ squad at the 2016 deadline before being dealt to the Lakers during a massive overhaul at the 2018 trade deadline. Now, he’ll head back to Cleveland from Los Angeles as LeBron goes in the other direction.
Frye, a 13-year veteran averaged 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest in limited minutes (13.1 MPG) last season. He’s widely known as a solid locker room presence and that will likely be valued by a team that could end up embarking on a total rebuild should it trade Kevin Love.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.