Knicks Sign Isaiah Hicks To Two-Way Deal
6:08pm: Hicks has officially signed his two-way contract, the Knicks announced on Twitter.
10:20am: Power forward Isaiah Hicks, who played on a two-way contract for the Knicks last season, is expected to sign a new two-way deal with the team soon, reports ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).
Hicks’ previous two-way contract only covered a single season, so the Knicks issued the 23-year-old a qualifying offer at season’s end, making him a restricted free agent. With former two-way player Luke Kornet poised to join New York’s 15-man roster, Hicks and Allonzo Trier, who reached a deal with the Knicks in June, are expected to fill the team’s two-way slots for 2018/19.
Hicks, who will turn 24 later this month, appeared in 18 games for the Knicks in his rookie year, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13.3 minutes per contest. He saw more action for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, posting 15.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 37 games with the club.
The Knicks entered the offseason with 12 players under contract. Now that Kornet, Mario Hezonja, and Kevin Knox are poised to take roster spots and Hicks and Trier will fill the club’s two-way slots, New York projects to have a full regular-season roster. The Knicks can carry a 20-man offseason roster, but will need to eventually waive or trade a player if they intend to sign second-round pick Mitchell Robinson to a spot on their 15-man regular-season squad, Begley notes (via Twitter).
Dante Exum Re-Signs With Jazz
JULY 6, 11:46am: Exum’s new contract is now official, the Jazz announced on their website.
JULY 3, 5:03pm: Free agent point guard Dante Exum has agreed to a three-year, $33M deal with the Jazz, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
A restricted free agent, Exum has been limited by injuries through most of his career. He appeared in just 14 games last season after a preseason shoulder injury that required surgery. However, he performed well enough in the playoffs for Utah to bring him back.
Exum, who turns 23 later this month, has averaged 5.7 PPG in four years with the Jazz. He sat out the entire 2015/16 season after tearing his left ACL.
Having entered the offseason intent on keeping their own free agents in the fold, the Jazz have now accomplished that goal. Before reaching a deal with Exum, they also agreed to terms with restricted free agent point guard Raul Neto and unrestricted big man Derrick Favors. Neto and Favors will each sign two-year contracts with non-guaranteed second years.
With the new deals for Favors, Neto, and Exum taken into account, Utah’s projected team salary is up to about $122MM, putting the team very close to the $123.7MM tax line. However, the Jazz could create a little more breathing room by waiving non-guaranteed players like Ekpe Udoh, David Stockton, and even Jonas Jerebko, which could generate the flexibility necessary to use their mid-level exception.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Michael Porter Jr. Signs Rookie Deal With Nuggets
The Nuggets have signed first-round pick Michael Porter Jr. to a rookie contract, the team announced on its website.
Porter was projected as high as No. 2 in the draft, but concerns about his the condition of his back caused him to plummet all the way to 14th. He suffered a back injury that required surgery in his first college game, then played limited minutes in a pair of SEC and NCAA tournament contests.
Porter will receive $2,411,800 as a rookie and $2,824,500 in his second season. As with all first-rounders, his contract will have two guaranteed seasons, followed by two team option years.
Dwight Howard Finalizes Buyout Agreement, Will Sign With Wizards
4:34pm: Howard has finalized his buyout with the Nets and will sign a one-year deal with the Wizards for the MLE after he clears waivers, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
4:11pm: The Wizards plan to offer a contract to Dwight Howard once his expected buyout with the Nets is complete, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
Howard is technically still a member of the Hornets, but that will change once the moratorium is lifted on Friday. He will be sent to Brooklyn under a deal agreed to two weeks ago, then will hit the open market if buyout negotiations go as planned.
Washington still has its $5.3MM mini mid-level exception to offer, along with a starting job. The Wizards need help in the middle after trading Marcin Gortat to the Clippers for Austin Rivers .
Suns Sign Ayton, Bridges; King Gets Two-Way Deal
The Suns have officially signed three of their four 2018 draft picks, according to RealGM’s transactions log. First-round selections Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges have inked their rookie deals with Phoenix, while second-rounder George King has finalized a two-way contract.
Ayton, the first overall pick in the draft, projects to be the Suns’ center of the future, with the team never wavering on using the No. 1 pick to select him over Marvin Bagley III, Luka Doncic, and other top prospects in the 2018 class. As our list of rookie scale salaries shows, Ayton will be in line for a first-year salary of $8MM+ and will earn more than $40MM over the course of his four-year rookie contract.
Bridges, meanwhile, was acquired in a draft-night trade with the Sixers. Phoenix gave up Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick to move up from No. 16 to No. 10 to secure Bridges, an indication of how much they like him. The former Villanova forward will receive a $3.55MM first-year salary and a four-year contract worth $17.63MM in total.
While Bridges’ and Ayton’s first NBA contracts were locked in from the moment they were drafted, that wasn’t the case for King, the 59th overall pick, since there’s no set rookie scale for second-round selections. The former Colorado forward will slot into one of the Suns’ two-way contract openings during his rookie year.
The only unsigned Phoenix draftee now is Elie Okobo, the 31st overall pick. However, the two sides reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year deal shortly after the draft, so it should become official soon after the moratorium ends.
Jazz Sign Raul Neto To Two-Year Deal
JULY 6, 11:48am: Neto’s new contract is now official, the Jazz announced on their website.
JULY 3, 3:37pm: The Jazz have reached a contract agreement with free agent point guard Raul Neto, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), Neto will sign a new two-year, $4.4MM contract with Utah. The second year will be non-guaranteed, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Neto, 26, served as a backup point guard in Utah during the 2017/18 season, averaging 4.5 PPG and 1.8 APG in 41 games (12.1 MPG). He was a restricted free agent this summer after receiving a qualifying offer from the Jazz last week, and will be re-signed using his Bird rights.
Neto will be behind Ricky Rubio on the depth chart, and Donovan Mitchell will see plenty of ball-handling opportunities for Utah as well. Neto’s role will be determined in part on Dante Exum‘s status — the former fifth overall pick is also a restricted free agent, and the Jazz would like to re-sign him. If Exum returns, Neto’s minutes going forward will remain very limited.
The Jazz, who entered the offseason focused on retaining their own free agents, have now reached agreements with both Neto and Derrick Favors. Both contracts include non-guaranteed second years, allowing Utah to maximize its cap flexibility for 2019.
Bulls Open To Sign-And-Trade Offers For Nwaba
The Bulls and restricted free agent David Nwaba are at a stalemate in negotiations, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club is open to sign-and-trade offers for Nwaba. The 25-year old wing has received interest from several teams, Scotto notes.
While a team typically doesn’t have a ton of leverage when looking to accommodate a sign-and-trade, the restricted nature of Nwaba’s free agency gives the Bulls some options. A rival suitor interested in signing the RFA may be willing to send an asset Chicago’s way in order to secure Nwaba’s services, rather than risking an offer sheet that the Bulls could match.
A club that acquires Nwaba – or any other player – in a sign-and-trade deal would be hard-capped at $129.817MM for the 2018/19 league year.
Nwaba earned a rotation role for the Bulls in 2017/18, averaging 7.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 70 games (23.5 MPG). While the 25-year-old’s offensive game is somewhat limited, he’s a strong perimeter defender.
A little less than a month ago, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports identified Nwaba as an under-the-radar candidate to earn a solid deal in free agency, suggesting that the swingman could land $5MM+ annually. It will be interesting to see if Nwaba meets that projection with cap room drying up around the NBA.
Wizards Sign Jeff Green
JULY 10: The signing is now official, the club confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 3: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with free agent forward Jeff Green, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). A source tells Aldridge that Green is signing a one-year, minimum salary contract with Washington.
Green, 31, spent the 2017/18 season in Cleveland, averaging 10.8 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 78 games for the Cavaliers.
The Cavs reportedly had interest in retaining Green, but he’ll head to D.C., where the Wizards figure to slot him into a similar role to the one Mike Scott had last year off the bench. Scott agreed to a free agent deal with the Clippers on Monday.
Because he has at least 10 years of NBA experience, Green will qualify for the highest possible minimum salary, at $2,393,887. However, the former fifth overall pick will only against Washington’s cap for $1,512,601.
Even after agreeing to sign Green and claiming Thomas Bryant off waivers, the Wizards likely aren’t done addressing their frontcourt. Having sent Marcin Gortat to the Clippers last week, Washington only has Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith, and Bryant at center.
The Wizards likely won’t have their full mid-level exception available, since they project to be over the tax line, but the team still has the taxpayer’s MLE ($5.337MM) if needed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Where Will Kawhi Leonard End Up?
There have been plenty of huge NBA headlines during the first few days of July, with LeBron James agreeing to become a Laker, Paul George deciding not to become a Laker, and DeMarcus Cousins lining up a deal with the defending-champion Warriors, among others.
However, for the most part, all has been quiet on the Kawhi Leonard front.
After Leonard’s camp made a public trade request earlier in mid-June, the Spurs forward seemed likely to dominate the offseason rumor mill, but for now, the primary suitors for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year may be playing it safe.
As Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports tweets, the Celtics and Sixers appear to be “playing the long game” on the Leonard front, not wanting to do anything rash with their rosters in great shape and LeBron finally out of their conference.
As for James’ new team in Los Angeles, the Lakers‘ other deals this offseason have suggested the club is retaining flexibility for the 2019 offseason, leaving the door open for Leonard to sign as a free agent and for the Lakers to keep all their young players and picks.
While the Lakers – wary of being too patient after what happened with George – may increase their efforts to land Leonard in a trade at some point, they “aren’t keen” on giving up Brandon Ingram, tweets Schultz. Meanwhile, the Celtics won’t give up Jayson Tatum and aren’t enthusiastic about moving Jaylen Brown, and the Sixers prefer to keep Markelle Fultz, Schultz adds.
While Schultz believes Leonard – who is unhappy in San Antonio and reportedly wants to play in Los Angeles – will be dealt eventually, he’s not sure where the star forward will end up. So we’re opening up that question to you.
What team to do you expect Leonard to be with to start the 2018/19 season? Will he get his wish to join the Lakers? Can the Spurs convince him to stick around a little longer? Will a budding Eastern powerhouse like the Celtics or Sixers go all-in for him? Could L.A.’s other team, the Clippers make a surprise play to land him? Or will a wild-card suitor enter the fray and steal him away?
Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
Which team will Kawhi Leonard play for at the start of the 2018/19 season?
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Los Angeles Lakers 34% (1,884)
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San Antonio Spurs 24% (1,334)
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Philadelphia 76ers 19% (1,027)
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Boston Celtics 9% (491)
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Another team 8% (414)
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Los Angeles Clippers 6% (351)
Total votes: 5,501
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Rockets Sign Michael Carter-Williams To One-Year Deal
JULY 7: The Rockets have officially signed Carter-Williams, per the NBA’s transactions log.
JULY 3: The Rockets have reached an agreement to sign free agent point guard Michael Carter-Williams, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). According to Wojnarowski, it’ll be a one-year, minimum salary contract for Carter-Williams in Houston.
Carter-Williams, 26, is only four years removed from being named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, but he has seen his playing time and his production slip precipitously since then in stints with the Sixers, Bucks, Bulls, and Hornets.
In 2017/18, Carter-Williams backed up Kemba Walker in Charlotte, but had the worst season of his five-year NBA career, averaging just 4.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 2.2 APG with a .332/.237/.820 shooting line in 52 games (16.1 MPG).
Carter-Williams is an interesting addition for the Rockets, who have James Harden and Chris Paul share ball-handling duties and generally focus on acquiring perimeter players who can make outside shots. Carter-Williams will be able to step in as the backup point guard if either Harden or Paul go down with an injury, and should get minutes even when both players are healthy. However, the 25.0% career three-point shooter isn’t a threat from beyond the arc.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, having reached agreements with Paul, Carter-Williams, and Gerald Green, the Rockets now have about $119MM in salaries on their books for 2018/19, with restricted free agent Clint Capela still requiring a new deal. Houston will also have the $5.337MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to use in free agency.
Carter-Williams’ deal will count for $1.51MM against the Rockets’ cap, though he’ll earn $1.76MM.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.