Blazers To Retain Guard Wade Baldwin
The Trail Blazers will retain guard Wade Baldwin and guarantee his contract for next season, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports.
Baldwin’s $1,544,951 salary will be guaranteed once he remains on the roster through Thursday. Baldwin will claim the 15th spot on the roster and center Georgios Papagiannis is expected to be waived, Freeman adds. The team also had a Thursday deadline to guarantee Papagiannis’ salary.
Baldwin solidified his roster spot with a strong showing in the summer league. The former first-round pick by the Grizzlies joined Portland last season on a two-way contract after Memphis waived him, then received a standard contract in March. He played seven regular-season games with the Trail Blazers last season after playing in 33 games with the Grizzlies.
He then appeared in three of Portland’s four postseason games against the Pelicans. Baldwin earned spot duty in the rotation with his tenacious on-ball defense, Freeman notes.
Papagiannis appeared in just one game with Portland last season after seeing action in 38 games over two seasons with the Kings.
Steve Kerr Signs Extension With Warriors
JULY 17, 6:00pm: Kerr has signed an extension, the team announced in a press release. “We’re excited to have Steve under contract and poised to lead our team for the next several years,” Warriors GM Bob Myers said in a statement.
JUNE 29, 9:01pm: Kerr will at least double his $5MM per year salary, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports.
6:23pm: The Warriors are finalizing a contract extension with head coach Steve Kerr, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. The new deal will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA.
The extension will build onto the reigning champion bench boss’ existing five-year contract, which he signed for a total of $25MM back in 2014. That was Kerr’s first contract as a head coach in the NBA, the retired player having previously served as an analyst and executive.
In four seasons with the Warriors franchise, Kerr’s squad has sported a legendary .808 winning percentage, claiming three titles along the way.
Pacific Notes: McLemore, Davis, Curry, Durant, Knight
Shooting guard Ben McLemore and power forward Deyonta Davis probably won’t stick around with the Kings, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area speculates. That duo was acquired, along with a future second-rounder, from the Grizzlies on Tuesday for veteran guard Garrett Temple. Adding a draft pick and clearing a little more cap space attracted Sacramento to the deal, Ham continues. McLemore joins a crowded backcourt and he could be waived or his $5.4MM contract could be bought out. Davis has a team-friendly $1.5MM salary but also doesn’t have an obvious role with the current roster.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Temple trade gives the Kings more than $20MM of cap room, making it a smarter move for them than the Grizzlies, in the eyes of Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Sacramento can use that additional wiggle room take on bad contracts or chase a restricted free agent, Pelton continues. The 2021 pick it acquired could very well wind up being at or near the top of the second round if Memphis goes into rebuild mode, Pelton adds.
- Warriors guard Stephen Curry has decided to skip next week’s USA Basketball mini-camp, Chris Haynes of ESPN reports. Curry wants to spend more time with his family. Golden State forward Kevin Durant will take part in the mini-camp, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
- The Suns will head into the season with Brandon Knight as the starting point guard unless they make a trade, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic declares in his latest mailbag. If Phoenix strikes a deal, the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley would be an obvious target because of Los Angeles’ backcourt logjam, Bordow adds.
- The Clippers will promote their G League coach, Casey Hill, to Doc Rivers’ staff with coaching associate Brian Adams replacing Hill at Agua Caliente, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Natalie Nakase will be promoted to Clippers player development staff, Wojnarowski adds.
More Reactions, Notes On Jabari Parker’s Bulls Deal
In the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst discuss Jabari Parker‘s move from Milwaukee to Chicago at length, suggesting that if Giannis Antetokounmpo badly wanted the Bucks to keep Parker, the team would have found a way to do it.
Despite Parker’s end-of-season dismissal of the idea that the Bucks ever offered an extension in the range of $18MM per year, both Lowe and Windhorst insist that was the case, though they acknowledge that a handful of scenarios were discussed, and Milwaukee’s multiyear offers from last fall may not have been fully guaranteed. In any case, Parker managed to exceed that annual salary on his new deal with the Bulls, albeit on a shorter-term contract.
Before he signed with the Bulls, Parker received interest from the Kings and the Nets, according to Windhorst, who suggests that Brooklyn kicked the tires on the veteran forward after lining up the Jeremy Lin trade with Atlanta. However, the Nets ultimately decided Parker’s price was too high and used their remaining cap room to take on unwanted contracts and draft picks in a deal with Denver, helping clear the path for Parker to land in Chicago.
Here’s more on Parker’s move back to his hometown:
- Parker “means more playing for the Bulls than he ever could anywhere else,” according to Jeremy Woo of SI.com, who suggests that the former No. 2 overall pick is already “the most recognizable face on the team.” The on-court fit may not be as strong as the optics, but the Bulls are at a stage in their rebuild where it makes sense to take a chance on Parker, says Woo.
- There’s reason to believe that Parker isn’t yet a finished product, since his development has been slowed by multiple knee injuries, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Still, Johnson acknowledges that the Bulls may have to “win some shootouts” next season, since Parker won’t improve a mediocre defense.
- According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, it will be important for the Bulls to limit Robin Lopez‘s minutes in 2018/19. As O’Connor explains, Lopez isn’t part of the “future equation” in Chicago, and there are only so many minutes to go around in the team’s frontcourt. The less Lopez plays, the more minutes Parker could see at the four, which is probably his best position.
- Parker tells Nick Friedell of ESPN.com that Chicago native and former Bulls MVP Derrick Rose is “still a hero for a lot of people, including myself.” However, Rose’s time as a Bull didn’t end well, prompting Friedell to explore whether Parker could have more success with his hometown team.
Kings Trade Garrett Temple To Grizzlies
3:03pm: The trade is now official, the Grizzlies and Kings announced in a pair of press releases.
10:44am: The Kings and Grizzlies are in the process of finalizing a trade that will send Garrett Temple to Memphis, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Sacramento will receive Ben McLemore, Deyonta Davis, and cash in the deal. The Kings will also get a 2021 second-round pick from the Grizzlies, tweets Chris Herrington.
The move will add a established, versatile contributor to Memphis’ rotation. Temple, who is a strong defender and can play multiple backcourt and wing positions, averaged a career-best 8.4 PPG last year for the Kings, chipping in 2.3 RPG and 1.9 APG with a .392 3PT%.
While Temple has seen most of his minutes on the wing in recent years, Grizzlies starting point guard Mike Conley is coming off an injury-plagued 2017/18 season and Memphis doesn’t have a reliable veteran behind Conley on the depth chart, with Andrew Harrison, Jevon Carter, and Kobi Simmons in the backup mix. Temple could provide the club with another ball-handler when Conley is on or off the court.
The Grizzlies will add a little money to their payroll as a result of the deal, but the salary difference is minimal, and won’t have an impact beyond 2018/19. Temple is earning $8MM in the final year of his contract and McLemore is on an expiring deal worth $5.46MM. Temple and McLemore will be unrestricted free agents next summer, while Davis – who is earning about $1.54MM this year – will be eligible for restricted free agency.
Memphis is now less than $1MM away from the luxury-tax line, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who notes that recently-signed second-rounder Carter received a guaranteed two-year minimum-salary deal from the club.
For the Kings, the move represents a reunion with former seventh overall pick McLemore, who spent the first four years of his NBA career in Sacramento. He battled health issues and struggled last season for Memphis, averaging a career-worst 7.5 PPG on 4.21/.346/.828 shooting.
As for Davis, he showed some promise in a part-time role for the Grizzlies last season, posting 5.8 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 62 games (15.2 MPG). I wouldn’t expect either McLemore or Davis to take on a major role for the Kings, but they could earn spots in the rotation with strong showings in training camp.
The trade will open up a little extra cap room for the Kings, who now have about $20.5MM in space, easily the most in the league. Sacramento has 14 players under contract, so it will be interesting to see what the club has in mind for its remaining cap room and its final open roster spot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cavaliers Waive Kendrick Perkins
The Cavaliers have waived veteran center Kendrick Perkins, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Perkins will clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed.
Perkins, who had been out of the NBA since the 2015/16 season, caught on with the Cavs at the end of the season, signing with the club before the playoffs got underway. The 33-year-old big man played 15 minutes in Cleveland’s regular-season finale, but didn’t see any action during the postseason, though he was involved in a couple sideline incidents involving Drake and Draymond Green.
Perkins’ contract with the Cavs included a team option for the 2018/19 campaign, which Cleveland exercised last month. That option decision didn’t guarantee Perkins’ salary for the coming season though, so the club won’t be on the hook for his $2.45MM salary and cap charge.
The move won’t open up any extra cap room for the Cavs, but it will create a little extra flexibility below the luxury tax line. That will give the team more options as it weighs re-signing Rodney Hood and/or using the mid-level exception.
Checking In On 2018’s Unsigned Draft Picks
The 2018 NBA draft took place less than a month ago, but over three quarters over the players selected on the night of June 22 have already signed their first NBA contracts. That includes each of the 30 players picked in the first round, all of whom are now under contract.
The following players have not yet signed contracts with their new NBA teams:
- Detroit Pistons: Khyri Thomas, SG (Creighton)
- Orlando Magic: Justin Jackson, F (Maryland)
- Washington Wizards: Issuf Sanon, G (Olimpija Ljubljana)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Hamidou Diallo, SG (Kentucky)
- Houston Rockets: De’Anthony Melton, G (USC)
- San Antonio Spurs: Chimezie Metu, F/C (USC)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Tony Carr, PG (Penn State)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Devon Hall, SG (Virginia)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton, G (SMU)
- Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka, SF (Capo D’Orlando)
- Dallas Mavericks: Ray Spalding, PF (Louisville)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Hervey, SF (Texas-Arlington)
- Denver Nuggets: Thomas Welsh, C (UCLA)
Sanon, Carr, and Kulboka will reportedly spend the 2018/19 season overseas, so we can safely remove their names from this list — they won’t be signing NBA contracts this offseason. Welsh, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to terms on a two-way contract with Denver, though it’s not yet official.
That leaves just nine players from 2018’s draft class who we should still expect to sign at some point. Of those nine players, the higher picks such as Thomas (Pistons), Jackson (Magic), Diallo (Thunder), and Melton (Rockets) are good bets to sign multiyear NBA contracts. Even though some of those teams have luxury-tax concerns, they’ll have to fill out their rosters somehow, and a rookie contract at or near the minimum is the best way to avoid significantly increasing their potential tax penalties.
The players selected in the 50s may be candidates for two-way deals. A year ago, no player selected between Nos. 49-60 received a standard NBA contract, with all of those players signing two-way contracts, agreeing to straight G League contracts, or heading overseas to join an international team.
[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
As such, players like Hall (Thunder), Milton (Sixers), Spalding (Mavericks), and Hervey (Thunder) should be considered two-way options. For now though, Dallas doesn’t have a two-way slot open, and Oklahoma City only has one, so it remains to be seen what the future holds for these late second-rounders. We should find out in the coming weeks.
Pelicans Sign Trevon Bluiett To Two-Way Contract
JULY 17: Bluiett officially signed his two-way contract today, according to a photo published on his Twitter account.
JULY 12: Trevon Bluiett has turned an impressive summer league performance into a two-way deal with New Orleans, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Bluiett’s agent, Cervando Tejeda, confirmed the agreement to Charania.
Bluiett went undrafted out of Xavier after averaging 19.3 PPG during his senior season. He joined the Pelicans‘ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League and made an immediate impact, scoring 50 points in the team’s first two games while hitting 12 of 18 on 3-pointers. He was averaging 21.0 points per game heading into today’s contest.
The Pelicans will still have a two-way spot open once the deal with Bluiett is finalized. You can keep up with all the latest two-way deals in our 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker.
Latest On Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Okafor is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but hasn’t exactly been a hot commodity among teams looking for frontcourt help — this is our first story about the former third overall pick since free agency began 17 days ago.
Still, Okafor appears to be generating at least a little interest. Sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Okafor worked out for four teams in Las Vegas last Wednesday, and remains “hopeful” about signing an NBA contract before camps open in September.
It’s not clear which teams were in attendance at Okafor’s workout last week, but Deveney rules out a few clubs. According to the Sporting News scribe, Okafor had drawn some interest from the Pacers and Bulls earlier in the year, but neither team was at last week’s workout. The former Duke standout also won’t be returning to the Nets next season, Deveney adds.
Okafor, originally a Sixer, averaged 17.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG during his rookie season in 2015/16, but has seen his playing time and production decline since then. After being traded to Brooklyn this past season, he posted 6.4 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 26 contests (12.6 MPG) with the Nets.
As TNT’s David Aldridge details, Okafor has been working this summer with Miami-based trainer Idan Ravin, who has been “reconstructing” Okafor’s jump shot and looking to expand the 22-year-old’s offensive game. We’ll see if that work helps earn him another NBA shot this fall.
Nets Sign Shabazz Napier
JULY 17: The Nets have officially signed Napier, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 14: Shabazz Napier will head to Brooklyn on a two-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. The terms of the agreement between Napier and the Nets have not yet been disclosed, but it will feature a second-year team option, per Wojnarowski.
Napier, who is celebrating his 27th birthday today, was the No. 24 overall selection in the 2014 draft. He experienced his best season as a pro during the 2017/18 campaign with the Trail Blazers, averaging 8.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 2.0 APG as the first guard off the bench for Portland.
Although he was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, Napier didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Blazers, making him unrestricted. As such, he’ll be able to sign with the Nets outright.
The UConn product will join the Nets and compete for minutes alongside D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie. Brooklyn could use another ball-handler after shipping Jeremy Lin to the Hawks earlier this week.
Having taken on the Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur contracts in a trade with the Blazers, the Nets don’t have much cap room left, but may have the flexibility to offer Napier more than the minimum, if they so choose. The team will use its $4.45MM room exception to sign Ed Davis.