Five Key Stories: 7/28/18 – 8/4/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest stories, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some the more noteworthy news items from the last seven days.
Contract talks between the Cavaliers and restricted free agent Rodney Hood have stalled for the time being, with Hood reportedly seeking a short-term deal. The Cavs were rumored to be interested in signing Hood to a three-year deal, so it appears that Hood wishes to be able to return to free agency before the summer of 2021. However, Hood’s leverage is limited due to the lack of viable suitors left for him around the NBA. Only the Kings have any significant cap room left and the Cavs and the Jazz – the team that traded Hood – are the only teams that still possess their full mid-level exception.
The Pacers and head coach Nate McMillan agreed to a contract extension that will extend McMillan’s deal through the 2020/21 season. McMillan signed a three-year contract when he was hired in the summer of 2016, so he would have been entering the final year of his deal this fall if he hadn’t worked out a new agreement with the team. Indiana was one of the NBA’s surprise teams of 2017/18, racking up 48 wins and earning the No. 5 seed in the East before almost toppling the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Rockets traded big man Chinanu Onuaku and cash to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to 2008 second-round draft selection Maarty Leunen. The Mavs will also earn the right to swap the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick for the Rockets’ pick. Houston lowers its tax liability and creates a trade exception in the deal while Dallas gains a pick swap and cash for helping out the Rockets.
The Bucks waived reserve point guard Brandon Jennings in order to avoid his $2.22MM salary becoming guaranteed for the 2018/19 season. Jennings signed a two-year contract with the Bucks back in April, meaning his cap hit for this upcoming season was equal to his salary figure, about $710K higher than a one-year, veteran’s minimum salary will cost the Bucks.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Raptors are reportedly interested in signing free agent big man Greg Monroe.
- With not many opportunities elsewhere, free agent swingman Patrick McCaw is likely to accept his qualifying offer from the Warriors.
- The Hawks and Carmelo Anthony have agreed to a buyout that will see Anthony give back the equivalent of his veteran’s minimum salary – an amount he is set to earn after signing with the Rockets.
- The NBA has reached a deal with MGM Resorts to make the company its official gaming partner.
- The Kings and second-year forward Jamel Artis have agreed to a training camp deal.
- Former Clippers’ swingman C.J. Williams signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves.
- Vince Carter says that the 2018/19 NBA season will likely be his last.
- There are ongoing discussions between the Cavaliers and forward Larry Nance Jr. about a possible contract extension.
- The Suns have signed free agent point guard Isaiah Canaan to a new contract.
- Malik Newman, who was recently waived by the Lakers, agreed to a deal with the Heat.
International Moves: Bass, Webb III, Clavell
Veteran NBA power forward Brandon Bass has re-signed with Liaoning in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a Sportando report. Bass averaged 21 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season after going overseas. Bass, 33, played 12 seasons in the NBA with stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Boston and both Los Angeles teams. In his most recent NBA season, Bass appeared in 52 games with the Clippers in 2016/17, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.1 MPG. In 758 career games, Bass averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
We have more news from overseas:
- Forward James Webb III is expected to sign with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù, according to another Sportando post. Webb played 10 games with the Nets last season after signing a two-way contract in January. The 6’9” Webb, 24, averaged 1.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 12.0 MPG with the Nets.
- Former Mavericks shooting guard Gian Clavell has joined Argentina’s Estudiantes de La Plata, according to an ACB.com post. Clavell, 24, appeared in seven games with Dallas on a two-way contract last season, averaging 2.9 PPG in 9.1 MPG. Clavell played in Turkey after the Mavericks released him in mid-November.
- Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead will play in Russia next season. Get the details here.
Eastern Notes: Marks, Thomas, Graham, Portis
Nets GM Sean Marks promised to season-ticket holders that the team is no longer interested in tanking, according to a Net Income story. “This is not a year we’re just going to sit there because we control our own pick and say let’s just hope that pick is as good as it possibly can be,” he said during the conference call. “It’s important for the fans to see the trajectory we’re on.” Brooklyn’s goal for the upcoming season is the postseason and Marks believes there are enough pieces to make it happen. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t make a push for the playoffs,” he said. “Isn’t that the objective here? We’re not sitting here trying to win 20 games, so let’s put our best foot forward and push each other and see where it goes.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Knicks forward Lance Thomas is very impressed with draft picks Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Pandy of Newsday relays. Thomas expects both of them to make an impact in their rookie years. “You can just tell from the Summer League they were really going after it,” Thomas said. “Those guys were playing like they were playing for contracts even though they already have guarantees. I like to see that. I love the toughness, I love the grit, and that’s what it takes to survive in New York.”
- The Nets’ signing of forward Treveon Graham could prove to be a huge bargain, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The undrafted Graham was a rotation player for the Hornets last season and is as a career 43.8% 3-point shooter, Lewis notes. If he develops into a 3-and-D wing and can also contribute as a stretch four, he will be a steal, Lewis adds. Graham signed a two-year, $3.15MM contract.
- Bulls forward Bobby Portis said contract extension talks with the front office are ongoing, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Portis can sign a rookie scale extension before the start of the season, otherwise he’ll be restricted free agent next summer if he receives a qualifying offer. “We’ve been talking about it,” he told Johnson. “We’re going to talk more in the next week or so. Hopefully, we get things done. I’m not stressing about it.”
Heat Notes: Waiters, Johnson, Newman, McGruder
The Heat may use Dion Waiters as the primary backup to starting point guard Goran Dragic if Waiters’ ankle issues are behind him, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Coach Erik Spoelstra was using Waiters in a playmaking role before he was sidelined last season. Tyler Johnson isn’t suited for that role, Winderman continues, because he expends too much effort and takes too time advancing the ball. Spoelstra tends to use a variety of players who take turns handling the ball, which is why there is uncertainty about that role aside from Dragic.
In other news regarding the team:
- Miami has made Johnson, Hassan Whiteside and Waiters available in trade talks this summer but hasn’t found much of a market for the trio, two unnamed league GMs told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Heat’s best chance of falling under the luxury-tax threshold would be moving Johnson for a player making less money, Jackson adds.
- The Heat agreed to a contract with former Kansas guard Malik Newman with the intent of making him a G League affiliate player, Winderman writes in a separate story. Those deals are limited to a $50K guarantee. The team has already filled both of its two-contract slots with Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten, while the regular roster already has five rotation options at the guard spots with the possibility of Dwyane Wade making that situation even more muddled if he’s re-signed.
- Finding a steady role for Rodney McGruder will be a challenge for Spoelstra next season, Winderman writes in another mailbag. McGruder was a starter when Miami made its second-half run in 2016/17, Winderman notes, but a leg injury sidetracked him last season. With Josh Richardson and Waiters starting at the wing spots and Justise Winslow, Johnson and Wayne Ellington as options behind them, it’s tough to see where McGruder fits in, Winderman adds.
Bucks Waive Brandon Jennings
AUGUST 4: Jennings has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, according to the RealGM transactions log.
AUGUST 1: The Bucks have waived reserve point guard Brandon Jennings, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. As noted previously, Jennings’ $2.22MM salary would have become guaranteed had he remained on the Bucks’ roster past today.
Jennings, 28, signed a two-year contract with the Bucks back in April after completing a couple of ten-day stints. His 2018/19 salary was initially set to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through July 1, but the Bucks pushed his guarantee date back one month to further assess their roster outlook before having to decide whether or not to retain Jennings’ services for the upcoming season.
Because the Bucks signed Jennings to a two-year deal last season, his cap hit to the Bucks for the 2018/19 season was set to be his actual salary of $2.22MM. But, when a player has been in the NBA for three or more seasons and is playing under a one-year, 10-day, or rest-of-season contract at the minimum salary, the team is only charged for the minimum salary of a player with two years of NBA experience.
Accordingly, Milwaukee very well may still decide to bring Jennings back on a new, one-year, minimum-salary contract at some point this offseason, which would end up saving the team about $710K in team salary and cap charges.
The No. 10 overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, Jennings has had a relatively successful NBA career so far, averaging 14.1 points and 5.7 assists per game in 555 career contests. However, he saw those numbers slip to 5.2 PPG and 3.1 APG during his 14 games with the Bucks last season.
Central Notes: Valentine, McMillan, Morris, Pistons
The Bulls’ starting lineup seems set but there will be a couple of key position battles in training camp, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Justin Holiday and Denzel Valentine will be angling for playing time at small forward behind Jabari Parker, while Cameron Payne could have an unexpectedly tough battle with Ryan Arcidiacono as the main backup at point guard. Cristiano Felicio also needs to carve out a role and earn some of his $8,470,980 salary, Cowley adds. ‘‘The thing I’m excited about with training camp is it’s going to be open competition,’’ coach Fred Hoiberg said.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers needed to extend coach Nate McMillan to prevent a lame-duck situation next season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star explains. McMillan agreed to an extension through the 2020/21 season. It was also necessary for a franchise that preaches culture and loyalty to reward its coach for a job well-done last season, Michael continues. The Pacers overcame the lack of true stretch four as well as a shooter at the backup shooting guard spot. Their wings were also somewhat limited offensively and they were undersized in the backcourt, Michael adds.
- If Jaylen Morris can improve his perimeter shooting, the Bucks will be rewarded for signing him to a two-way contract, according to Dakota Schmidt of RidiculousUpside.com. Morris is adept at attacking the basket and finishing at the rim and is also a solid defender, Schmidt continues. The 22-year-old wing will also benefit from working with assistant Ben Sullivan, who has helped numerous players with their shooting stroke, Schmidt adds.
- The Pistons’ 15-man roster appears to be set after a low-key July that included the free agent signings of three reserves, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays. Ellis breaks down the roster player-by-player in the story.
Western Rumors: Hart, Bender, Ellis, Artis
The Lakers made some controversial additions after LeBron James committed to them but guard Josh Hart believes they will improve, not disrupt, the chemistry of the team, RealGM’s Keith Smith reports. Hart is especially on board with the signing of point guard Rajon Rondo. “We like the guys we got. Rajon will really help us stabilize the lead guard spot,” Hart said. “Lonzo (Ball) is going to learn a ton from him. Lance (Stephenson) brings toughness and defense from the bench. JaVale (McGee) does the occasional silly thing, but he does so many good things people skip over.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Suns power forward Dragan Bender struggled mightily in summer league action entering a make or break year, Smith writes in the same piece. Bender had a difficult time defending on the perimeter and couldn’t consistently knock down his 3-point attempts, Smith continues. Overall, Bender shot 37% from the field in Las Vegas. The Suns hold a $5,896,519 team option on his 2019/20 contract and have until the end of this year’s training camp to decide whether to exercise it.
- The Kings agreed to sign Jamel Artis to a training-camp deal because small forward is a position of need, according to Noel Harris of the Sacramento Bee. Sacramento also has Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Justin Jackson at that spot. Artis played for the Cavs summer-league team against the Kings and posted 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. He saw action in 15 games with the Magic last season.
- Suns assistant Ty Ellis is expected to be named the head coach of the G League’s Stockton Kings, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days reports. Ellis was the former head coach of the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns before joining Phoenix’s staff after Earl Watson was fired last season. Ellis will replace Darrick Martin, Sacramento’s G League coach the last two seasons.
Northwest Notes: McCollum, Diallo, Udoh, Thomas
Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey doesn’t seem inclined to break up his smallish backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports notes. Olshey recently said he plans to keep his core group together, despite the team’s first-round flameout in the Western Conference playoffs last season. It might be wise to deal one of them for an impact forward but either Olshey has great faith in his guards or he’s tested the market and couldn’t find a worthwhile deal, Feldman adds.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Hamidou Diallo feels a sense of relief after signing a contract with the Thunder but isn’t sure what kind of role he can carve out, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman reports. The second-round rookie shooting guard was acquired in a draft-night deal. “We haven’t even spoken about a role yet,” Diallo told Dawson. “We’re still playing pickup ball and stuff like that, still training. Guys are just coming in, veteran players, and trying to teach us as much as possible as early as possible.” Diallo, who received a three-year, $4MM contract, will compete with newcomers Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Abdel Nader for backup minutes.
- The Jazz brought back big man Ekpe Udoh because of his defense and positive attitude, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Udoh was signed by Utah last season because of his reputation as a strong defender and he lived up to that billing, posting an average of 1.2 blocks per game. He also showed a superior ability to guard on the perimeter during switches and pick-and-rolls, Jones continues. Udoh, who will serve as the team’s third center, never complained last season when his role diminished, Jones adds. Udoh had his $3.36MM salary guaranteed last month.
- Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas had to settle for a one-year, $2MM contract in free agency but he’s determined to be a major bargain for his new team, as he told Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. “This has been tough, but it was only a tough year because I wasn’t healthy. My job is to get as healthy as I possibly can and then show the world what I’m capable of doing,” he said.
Suns Re-Sign Point Guard Isaiah Canaan
The Suns have re-signed point guard Isaiah Canaan, the team announced in a press release.
It’s unspecified whether Canaan received any guarantees in his contract, though point guard is considered a weak spot for the Suns. They also have Brandon Knight, second-round pick Elie Okobo and Shaquille Harrison at that position but Canaan’s experience will make him a contender for a roster spot.
Canaan played in 19 games with the Suns after joining them in mid-December last season, averaging 9.1 PPG and 4.0 APG in 22.0 MPG. They signed him through the hardship exception when multiple injuries struck, then guaranteed his contract for the remainder of the season in early January.
He suffered a fractured left ankle against the Mavericks in late January and underwent season-ending surgery on February 1st.
The Suns waived him a week later but fully committed to helping him with his rehab and recovery.
The 6-foot Canaan has posted career averages of 8.4 PPG and 1.8 assists in 20.3 MPG over 205 games. The journeyman has also played for the Rockets, Sixers and Bulls.
Many Top 2018 Free Agents Could Re-Enter Market In 2019
Most of the top NBA free agents in a given offseason will prioritize longer-term offers over shorter ones, preferring to secure the biggest payday possible when given the chance to do so. In some ways, this offseason was no exception — besides Kevin Durant, who opted for another one-plus-one deal, the top six players on our list of 2018’s best free agents all signed long-term contracts that will run through at least the 2020/21 season.
However, beyond those top few players, there simply weren’t many long-term commitments out there this summer. Many of the free agents on our top-50 list signed shorter-term contracts that will allow them to re-enter the free agent market a year from now.
A variety of factors contributed to these shorter deals. For one, not many teams around the league had cap room available this summer. Without major money attached, there’s little incentive for players to accept those longer-term contract offers — in many cases, they’d be better off going year to year rather than locking themselves into a below-market multiyear deal.
Additionally, both players and teams are looking ahead to the summer of 2019. More NBA clubs expect to have cap room available next year, with the cap projected to rise by a greater amount than it has in either of the last two years — plus, more bad contracts from the summer of 2016 will be coming off the books. That extra cap flexibility will, in turn, present more opportunities for players to get paid.
Of course, with so many players now projected to reach free agency in 2019, there still probably won’t be enough money to go around and make everyone happy. Nonetheless, the fact that so many free agents agreed to one-year deal (or two-year deals with options) this offseason signals that agents expect a more player-friendly market a year from now.
The full list of players from our top 50 free agents of 2018 list who will have the opportunity to reach free agency again in 2019 is below, along with their status for next summer — “UFA” denotes that a player will be an unrestricted free agent, while “PO” designates a player option, and so on.
By our count, up to 31 players from this year’s top 50 could become free agents again in 2019. By comparison, 12 of the 50 players from our 2017 list reached free agency again within a year.
Here’s the list:
- Kevin Durant, Warriors (PO)
- DeMarcus Cousins, Warriors (UFA)
- Julius Randle, Pelicans (PO)
- DeAndre Jordan, Mavericks (UFA)
- Jabari Parker, Bulls (TO)
- Tyreke Evans, Pacers (UFA)
- Trevor Ariza, Suns (UFA)
- J.J. Redick, Sixers (UFA)
- Rajon Rondo, Lakers (UFA)
- Derrick Favors, Jazz (non-guaranteed)
- Isaiah Thomas, Nuggets (UFA)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers (UFA)
- Rodney Hood (TBD)
- Hood remains unsigned and could still get a guaranteed multiyear deal.
- Avery Bradley, Clippers (partial guarantee)
- Brook Lopez, Bucks (UFA)
- Rudy Gay, Spurs (UFA)
- Wayne Ellington, Heat (UFA)
- Nerlens Noel, Thunder (PO)
- Kyle O’Quinn, Pacers (UFA)
- Dwyane Wade (TBD)
- Wade remains unsigned and could still get a guaranteed multiyear deal.
- Mario Hezonja, Knicks (UFA)
- Elfrid Payton, Pelicans (UFA)
- Luc Mbah a Moute, Clippers (UFA)
- Aron Baynes, Celtics (PO)
- David Nwaba, Cavaliers (TBD)
- Terms of Nwaba’s agreement with the Cavaliers aren’t yet known — it could be a guaranteed multiyear deal.
- Anthony Tolliver, Timberwolves (UFA)
- Tony Parker, Hornets (non-guaranteed)
- Ed Davis, Nets (UFA)
- Amir Johnson, Sixers (UFA)
- Michael Beasley, Lakers (UFA)
- Jeff Green, Wizards (UFA)
Note: Players who were waived in July, such as Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, weren’t on our top-50 list. However, many of them have since signed one-year contracts or two-year deals with options and could be free agents in 2019 as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.