Western Rumors: George, Schroder, Butler, Harris
Paul George made up his mind to stay with the Thunder weeks before free agency, which is why he didn’t bother meeting with the Lakers, Marc Spears of ESPN relays. George, speaking after a Team USA practice on Thursday, acknowledged Oklahoma City took a gamble by trading for him last offseason after he previously made it known he wanted to play in L.A. That gamble paid off, even though it was “tempting” to meet with the Lakers, according to George.
“Honestly, I wanted to come back home. But again, I got traded to [the Thunder],” he said. “Loved the situation. Loved where I was at. I decided to stick around a little longer. … I just wanted my free agency to be over with.”
George inked a four-year, $137MM deal to stay put.
In other developments around the Western Conference:
- George is thrilled with the acquisition of Dennis Schroder from the Hawks, as Erik Horne of The Oklahoman passes along. Schroder was biggest piece OKC acquired from Atlanta in the Carmelo Anthony swap. “He’s not going to start, but hands down the best backup point guard in the league,” George said. “He’s that mid-tier star in our league, one of the best point guards in the league in general. … We’ve got another scorer, another playmaker and just another savvy guy in the locker room that can help us win ball games.”
- Timberwolves shooting guard Jimmy Butler underwent a minor elective procedure on his right hand, the team’s PR department tweets. Butler has already returned to offseason activities.
- Clippers forward Tobias Harris appreciated the team’s $80MM extension offer but ultimately decided he’d take his chances as an unrestricted free agent next summer, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. “I think that as a player you never know, but just to get that offer was an amazing feeling,” Harris told Turner. “For me, I’m a kid who puts everything into the game and to have an organization come to me with that offer and to be able to present that was a really big accomplishment. It showed that the team valued me as a player.”
- Warriors forward Draymond Green isn’t participating in the USA Basketball minicamp, Spears tweets. He joins many other stars, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who decided to skip it.
Atlantic Notes: Irving, Loyd, Nader, Knicks’ Plans
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving fully expects to be ready for the start of training camp, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. Irving told Goodman he hadn’t yet participated in a 5-on-5 full contact scrimmage but he has been working out with his trainer. He underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee in early April in which he had two screws removed. At that time, the team provided a projected recovery time of four to five months.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Combo guard Jordan Loyd is finalizing a buyout agreement with Turkish club Darussafaka, which will allow him to sign a two-way contract with the Raptors, Sportando reports. Loyd, who played with the Raptors’ summer-league squad, spent last season in Israel after playing the previous season in the G League. The 6’4” Loyd made a strong impression on Toronto’s brass while mostly playing the point in Las Vegas, leading to the contract offer.
- The Celtics will pay the Thunder $450K before December 2nd as part of the Abdel Nader trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Celtics, who will get a trade exception at the same amount, will essentially be paying the guaranteed portion of Nader’s contract, Pincus notes. The swingman, who was on the verge of being waived, was dealt to OKC for guard Rodney Purvis.
- The current Knicks’ front office is not fully committed to signing two top-level free agents next summer and that could be a good thing, as Sean Deveney of the Sporting News explains. The Knicks would have to clear a lot of cap space to get into that position and would likely have to give up a lottery pick to move a bad contract, Deveney continues. With a young core that includes Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina, dumping a high pick to improve their free-agent market prospects sounds unwise, Deveney adds.
- The Raptors have officially added Adrian Griffin, Sergio Scariolo, Nate Bjorkgren and Phil Handy to Nick Nurse’s coaching staff, the team’s media relations department tweets.
Southwest Rumors: Davis, Jordan, Conley, Hartenstein
Anthony Davis learned that DeMarcus Cousins was joining the Warriors while watching TV and didn’t see it coming, Scott Kushner of the Baton Rouge Advocate relays. Davis’ comments were made during a CBS-TV interview.
The Pelicans‘ superstar big man understood why Cousins decided to take a one-year deal with Golden State after entering free agency with hopes of a max contract offer.
“I was a little shocked. But I know DeMarcus, and I know he made the best decision for him and his career at that time and for his family,” Davis said. “Of course, I definitely would’ve loved for that to keep going. But at that point, I wasn’t sure what was going on with his situation or what was going through his head. It’s a lot, coming from being traded and then feeling like you deserve a max contract, and then you tear your Achilles. It was a tough situation; it’s tough on him.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan isn’t expected to show up at the USA Basketball minicamp this week, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. Jordan wasn’t at the camp on Thursday and is likely to remain absent on Friday, Price adds.
- Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is participating at the minicamp but will not compete in full scrimmages or contact drills, Michael Wallace of the Grizzlies’ website reports. Conley said his foot and heel are pain-free for the first time in two years after undergoing season-ending surgery in January.
- Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year contract with the Rockets is fully guaranteed next season, has a partial guarantee the second year, and a non-guaranteed third year, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. The 7-footer, a 2017 second-round selection, signed the contract on Wednesday after playing in the G League last season. He posted averages of 10.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in four summer league games with Houston earlier this month.
- Dirk Nowitzki‘s one-year contract with the Mavericks does not contain a no-trade clause because he has automatic veto rights over any trade as a One-Year Bird, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Nowitzki signed the $5MM deal this week.
Carmelo Anthony: OKC Wasn’t A Good Fit
While awaiting to clear waivers, Carmelo Anthony admits he never really fit in with the Thunder last season, Jemele Hill of ESPN’s The Undefeated reports.
Developing chemistry with Russell Westbrook, Paul George and his other Oklahoma City teammates proved to be a difficult task for Anthony. Following a disappointing postseason in which he averaged 11.8 PPG and 21.4% from long range, Anthony publicly complained about his role.
The Thunder managed to trade his contract to the Hawks, a transaction that was made official on Wednesday. He’s expected to join the Rockets once Atlanta officially places him on waivers and he clears that process.
Anthony claims OKC didn’t do enough to help him make the transition after the Knicks dealt him.
“I think last year — and I haven’t talked about this before — everything was just so rushed, going to the team for media day and the day before training camp. Them guys already had something in place, and then I come along in the 25th hour like … Melo just come on and join us,” he told Hill. “Like, you can figure it out since you’ve been around the game for a long time. That’s why it was so inconsistent. At times, I had to figure it out on my own rather than somebody over there or people over there helping me.”
Anthony isn’t comfortable with the notion of getting waived but his family convinced him that he was better off going through the process to get into a better situation. He also had to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen.
“I had a conversation with my wife and family. I said to them, I’m not taking no buyout. I’m not getting waived. And they said, at the end of the day, nobody is going to know that,” he said. “You have to do what you have to do. It’s going to be a blip on your radar. It’s on to the next chapter. It took me a while to get to that point where I’m like, OK, I’m going to accept it.”
Anthony wouldn’t confirm he’ll join forces with Chris Paul and James Harden and reunite with former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni but he hinted at it.
“I think everything is trying to get cleared right now. I’ll let the people do what they do,”he said. “I just sit back and when the time comes, and the call gets made, we’ll make that move.”
Notable Free Agent Guards Still Available
We’re nearing the four-week mark of the NBA’s new league year, and most of this year’s best free agents have found new teams — or new deals with their old teams. Only four players from our list of the top 50 free agents of 2018 remain unsigned.
Still, a perusal of our list of 2018’s remaining free agents reveals several noteworthy names. Roster spots around the NBA are becoming scarce, but a number of unsigned players could help out contending teams. Some of these players could sign in the coming days or weeks, while others may have to wait for injuries to open up opportunities.
In a series of posts, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the most notable free agents still on the board, breaking them down by position. That series starts today with a list of some of the most intriguing veteran guards on the open market.
Let’s dive in…
Dwyane Wade (UFA): Wade is reportedly drawing interest from teams in China, with one club said to have made him a three-year offer worth $25MM. It’s not clear whether the future Hall-of-Famer is legitimately considering a move overseas — at least one report suggesting the rumblings linking Wade to China “aren’t as serious as advertised.” Assuming he stays stateside, he’s expected to decide between a return to the Heat and retirement.- Jamal Crawford (UFA): The veteran scorer was one of a small handful of veterans to turn down a player option this offseason, passing on a $4.54MM salary with the Timberwolves. Now, he seems unlikely to top that figure, but there should be playoff teams out there willing to give him the veteran’s minimum for a scoring punch off the bench.
- Patrick McCaw (RFA): One of three restricted free agents still available, McCaw probably won’t sign a lucrative offer sheet at this point, so it may simply be a matter of working out a new deal with the Warriors. Golden State is keeping a roster spot open for him.
- Jarrett Jack (UFA): Jack enjoyed a nice bounceback season in 2017/18 as the Knicks’ primary starting point guard. It’s possible that was the last starting job of the 34-year-old’s career, but after posting 7.5 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.1 RPG in 62 games for New York, he has certainly earned a shot as a backup or a third-stringer somewhere.
- Ty Lawson (UFA): After spending last season in China, Lawson returned to the NBA just in time for the playoffs and actually looked pretty good for the Wizards in their first-round loss to Toronto. He averaged 19.2 MPG for the club, averaging 5.8 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.6 RPG while going 5-of-8 from three-point range. So far, that hasn’t been enough to entice a team to roll the dice on him, despite some early interest from the Wizards.
- Mario Chalmers (UFA): Although Chalmers remains confident that he’ll land an NBA job at some point, there haven’t been any real reports linking him to suitors so far this month. He served as Memphis’ backup point guard for most of last season, averaging 21.5 MPG in 66 contests, but struggled with his shot (.379 FG%, .277 3PT%).
- Jason Terry (UFA): Terry spoke repeatedly throughout the 2017/18 season about wanting to play 20 NBA seasons before he retires. He’s at the 19-year mark now, which means he’s probably not ready to call it a career quite yet. Terry has made 39.5% of his three-pointers over the last two seasons with the Bucks, so he can be counted on for a little more than just his solid locker-room presence. Last year, he signed in mid-September — it’s possible that will happen again this time around.
- Jameer Nelson (UFA): Nelson was having a solid season (5.1 PPG, 3.6 APG, .410/.364/.765 shooting) for the Pelicans last season before a pair of trade-deadline deals landed him in Detroit. He only played in seven games the rest of the way and struggled in his limited minutes, but he may still have something left in the tank for a club seeking a reliable veteran to fill out its point guard depth chart.
- Tyrone Wallace (two-way RFA): Few players on two-way contracts were more effective last season than Wallace, who averaged 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30 games for the Clippers. The two sides couldn’t agree to a standard NBA deal at the end of the season and haven’t been able to do so this summer either. Given how many guards L.A. on its roster, the team may consider withdrawing Wallace’s two-way qualifying offer at some point to allow him to sign outright with a new club.
Some other free agent guards of note:
- Tony Allen
- Aaron Brooks
- Isaiah Canaan
- Jordan Crawford
- Malcolm Delaney
- Tim Frazier
- Shelvin Mack
- Note: Mack is believed to be close to a deal with the Grizzlies.
- Ramon Sessions
- Tyler Ulis
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lamar Odom To Play In China?
Longtime NBA forward Lamar Odom announced today on Instagram that he’ll be returning to court this season. According to Odom, he’ll play for a team in China.
Odom’s announcement is short on specific details, so it remains to be seen which team he’ll play for, or even which league he’ll be in — the top clubs in China complete in the Chinese Basketball Association, while the National Basketball League is the country’s second-tier league.
Regardless, it would be great to see Odom continue his professional career in any league and with any team after he battled off-court issues – including entering rehab for substance abuse – for several years following his last stint in the NBA.
Odom, 38, entered the NBA in 1999 and spent time with the Clippers, Heat, Lakers, and Mavericks over the course of 14 seasons. He won two NBA championships with the Lakers and was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2011, but hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2013.
Speaking last summer to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Odom gave no indication that he would attempt an NBA comeback, but didn’t close the door on playing in another league, such as the BIG3. It sounds like he’ll get that opportunity in China this season.
Al Jefferson Set To Play In China
2:24pm: Aldridge has confirmed that Jefferson will join the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China (Twitter link).
12:00pm: Veteran NBA big man Al Jefferson is opting to play in China for the upcoming season, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). According to Aldridge, Jefferson had an opportunity to rejoin the Pacers after being waived by the team earlier this month, but was offered a “nice payday” overseas.
Shortly after releasing him, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard revealed that Jefferson was mulling the possibility of playing international ball in 2018/19. While Aldridge’s report doesn’t specify which team Jefferson has lined up a deal with, a report earlier in July indicated that the big man was expected to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Jefferson, 33, has averaged 15.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG over the course of a productive 14-year NBA career, but played a career-low 13.4 minutes per contest for Indiana last season, appearing in just 36 games. Although the veteran’s per-minute production was still strong, he wasn’t a major part of the Pacers’ plans going forward, and his $10MM salary for 2018/19 was only guaranteed for $4MM, making it an easy decision to cut him.
Assuming Jefferson finalizes a deal with a Chinese club and spends the 2018/19 campaign overseas, he could return stateside in the spring, since the CBA season ends before the NBA’s does. This past April, for instance, Ty Lawson returned from a stint with the Shandong Golden Stars and immediately signed with the Wizards, claiming a regular rotation role with Washington during the team’s brief playoff run.
Central Rumors: Bulls, Redick, Pacers, Cavs, Hood
Before the Bulls signed Jabari Parker to a two-year, $40MM contract, they discussed using their salary cap room to accommodate a possible salary-dump deal with the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Denver ultimately made that trade – which involved Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur – with the Nets instead of Chicago.
Lowe suggests that many rival executives would’ve preferred to do the deal the Nets did, acquiring a first- and second-round pick rather than adding another defensively challenged wing after having re-signed Zach LaVine. However, Lowe offers a counter, writing that many NBA teams and observers have been “guilty of fetishizing” those deals that see a team acquire a draft pick along with an unwanted contract. Sometimes, Lowe writes, it makes more sense to “chase talent” instead.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Zach LaVine spoke to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com about his experience in restricted free agency and his enthusiasm for the Bulls‘ “offensive versatility.”
- In an episode of The J.J. Redick Podcast, host – and Sixers guard – J.J. Redick admitted that he came close to a deal with the Pacers when he was a free agent earlier this month (link via Jordan Guskey of The Indianapolis Star). Redick ultimately re-signed with the Sixers on a one-year, $12.25MM deal, while Indiana completed a very similar contract with Tyreke Evans.
- The Cavaliers are believed to be interested in signing Rodney Hood to a three-year contract, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. However, it’s not out of the question that Hood signs his qualifying offer with an eye on unrestricted free agency in 2019. Pluto also passes along some notes on Kevin Love‘s extension and Cleveland’s projected rotation in his latest Scribbles column.
- Ed Stefanski has revamped the Pistons‘ front office in recent months, but he still wants to make one more hire, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, who writes that the club is on the lookout for an executive who will oversee analytics and salary cap management.
Celtics Sign Jabari Bird To Two-Year Contract
1:20pm: The Celtics have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve re-signed Bird to a new contract.
10:23am: The Celtics are in the process of finalizing a multiyear contract for two-way restricted free agent Jabari Bird, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweets that it’ll be a two-year deal, while Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link) hears that it’ll be worth the minimum, with a guaranteed first year.
Bird, who was on a two-way contract with the Celtics last season after being selected with the 56th overall pick, didn’t play much for the NBA club, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 13 contests (8.8 MPG). However, the Cal product had an impressive season with the Maine Red Claws in the G League, recording 19.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.7 APG in 20 games.
Bird’s promising rookie showing earned him a qualifying offer from Boston last month, and he further made his case for a regular-season roster spot with in Las Vegas. In four Summer League games, Bird was the Celtics’ leading scorer, averaging 16.8 PPG to go along with 6.0 RPG and 3.0 APG.
The Celtics, who traded Abdel Nader several days ago, now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2018/19. Bird’s new deal will increase the team’s projected tax bill, but the impact won’t be significant, since his first-year salary is modest ($1,349,383).
With 15 players on guaranteed contracts, along with Rodney Purvis (non-guaranteed) and Walt Lemon Jr. (two-way), the Celtics’ roster count is up to 17. Purvis may not be in Boston’s plans, and the club might not fill its second two-way slot right away, so there should still be room for three or four training camp invitees.
Sixers Sign Shake Milton To Two-Way Deal
1:19pm: The Sixers have sent out a press release confirming their two-way contract with Milton.
12:56pm: The Sixers have agreed to terms with second-round pick Shake Milton, reports Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link). According to Fischer, Milton will sign a two-year, two-way contract with Philadelphia.
Milton, 21, played his college ball at SMU and declared for the draft after a productive junior year in which he averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.4 APG. A 6’6″ guard, Milton was also an excellent three-point shooter throughout his college career, knocking down 42.7% of his shots from beyond the arc over his three years at SMU.
The 76ers currently project to have a full 15-man roster for the 2018/19 season, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts and T.J. McConnell on a non-guaranteed deal. As such, it makes sense for the club to use one of its two-way slots on Milton — especially since players drafted in the 50s have frequently received two-way contracts during the last two summers.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
Milton’s draft rights were acquired by the 76ers in a draft-night trade that saw Philadelphia receive the No. 54 selection from Dallas in exchange for the 56th and 60th overall picks.