Northwest Notes: Jazz, Kidd, Thunder, Nuggets
After he played well for them in the Utah and Las Vegas Summer Leagues last month, the Jazz are reportedly interested in bringing Stanton Kidd to training camp. However, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Kidd remains under contract with Turkish team Darussafaka for another year and his deal doesn’t have an NBA out.
Carchia reports that the Jazz and Kidd’s camp are exploring ways to get him out of his deal overseas, but until that happens, Utah won’t be able to add the former Colorado State swingman to their offseason roster. If Kidd does come stateside, it’s not clear what sort of his contract he’d sign — Carchia suggests a two-way deal is a possibility, but Naz Mitrou-Long and Tyler Cavanaugh currently occupy the Jazz’s two-way contract slots.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- The Thunder are finalizing an agreement to add Bob Beyer to their coaching staff as an assistant, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. Beyer, who has previously served as an assistant in Toronto, Orlando, Golden State, Charlotte, and Detroit, would replace Adrian Griffin on Billy Donovan‘s bench.
- While Paul George was already well-liked in Oklahoma City, his popularity in OKC figures to rise to another level after he decided to re-sign with the Thunder two years after Kevin Durant left, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
- After a busy offseason, the Nuggets have their most talented top-to-bottom roster since the one that advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2009, opines Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com. Dempsey runs through a checklist of Denver’s summer accomplishments, which included solidifying the reserve point guard spot with Isaiah Thomas and carving out a larger role for Trey Lyles.
Ongoing Extension Talks Between Cavs, Nance
Weeks before LeBron James officially announced his decision to head west, a report indicated that the Cavaliers and Larry Nance Jr. had mutual interest in working out a long-term contract agreement this offseason. According to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Cavs and Nance’s camp are now engaged in ongoing discussions about a possible extension, with both sides still hoping to get something done.
Nance, acquired from the Lakers by the Cavaliers in a trade-deadline deal in February, set new career-highs in PPG (8.7), RPG (6.8), FG% (.581), and several other categories during the 2017/18 season in 66 total games (24 for Cleveland).
Although Nance looked good down the stretch for the Cavs, he struggled to make a consistent impact in the postseason, particularly after the club’s first-round series against the Pacers. In Cleveland’s final three series, Nance averaged just 13.0 MPG in 13 contests, averaging 4.6 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
Still, the Cavs liked what they saw from the 25-year-old big man after surrendering a first-round pick to trade for him and Jordan Clarkson. Having already locked up Kevin Love to a long-term extension this summer, the club apparently views Nance as another potential future building block. If they want to get an extension done with Nance, the Cavs will have to do so before the 2018/19 regular season begins.
Nance entered July as one of 23 players eligible for a rookie scale extension. That number is down to 22 now that Devin Booker and the Suns have finalized a new deal. Nance looks like one of the prime candidates from the group to sign an extension before the deadline — Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves), Bobby Portis (Bulls), Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks), Myles Turner (Pacers), and Justise Winslow (Heat) are among the other players who figure to at least engage in extension talks with their respective teams this offseason.
If Nance doesn’t sign an extension in the coming months, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency in 2019, at which point the Cavs would retain the right of first refusal if they extend him a qualifying offer. That qualifying offer can be worth up to about $4.92MM if Nance starts at least 41 games for Cleveland next season.
Vince Carter Likely To Retire After 2018/19 Season
The NBA’s oldest player recently reached a deal to continue his career for at least one more year, but Vince Carter says he’s “90-something per cent” sure that the 2018/19 season with the Hawks will be his last in the NBA, as ESPN’s Ian Begley relays.
Speaking on a conference call for the Jr. NBA World Championships, Carter explained on Thursday that he’s not interested in chasing rings, which is why he opted to sign with the Hawks rather than a legit title contender. The 41-year-old said he’d rather compete for a regular rotation role than sit on the bench for one of the league’s top teams.
“I still want to play the game,” Carter said. “Whatever minutes are there, I want (them).”
Carter didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of joining a contending team next season if he feels he no longer has much left to contribute on the court and wants to simply serve as a mentor. However, he doesn’t consider that a likely scenario. “I think before that happens I’ll probably retire anyway,” Carter said.
Besides presenting a good opportunity for regular minutes, playing with the Hawks in Atlanta may also allow Carter to get a head start on his post-retirement plans, notes Begley. The veteran swingman said he intends to pursue a broadcasting career after his playing career is over — Atlanta is the home of the NBA on TNT studios.
Rockets Trade Chinanu Onuaku To Mavericks
AUGUST 2: The Mavericks have officially announced the trade in a press release. Dallas receives Onuaku, cash, and the ability to swap the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick with the Rockets’ pick. In exchange, Houston receives the draft rights to 2008 second-rounder Maarty Leunen.
AUGUST 1: The Rockets are trading center Chinanu Onuaku to the Mavericks, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Dallas will receive Onuaku and cash from Houston in exchange for the ability to swap 2020 second-round picks.
Onuaku, 21, was selected by the Rockets in the second round of the 2016 draft with the 37th overall pick. Although he has spent the last two seasons with Houston, he has appeared in just six NBA regular season games for the club.
The former Louisville big man has spent most of his two professional seasons in the G League, playing in 83 total games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In his NBAGL career, Onuaku has averaged a double-double (12.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG) to go along with 2.5 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.1 SPG. He also has a .617 FG%.
Having apparently felt that Onuaku wouldn’t have a role on this year’s team, Houston will move him and his guaranteed $1,544,951 salary to Dallas, creating a trade exception worth that same amount. The in-the-tax Rockets may end up replacing Onuaku on their roster, but will perhaps do so with a slightly less expensive player who has a better chance to contribute to the 2018/19 squad.
As for the Mavericks, they’ll absorb Onuaku’s contract using their leftover cap room. Once the move is official, Dallas figures to move forward with completing minimum salary deals for Salah Mejri and Devin Harris.
Mavericks Face Roster Decisions
Today’s agreement with Donte Ingram on a training camp contract gives the Mavericks commitments to 22 players, two over the maximum allowed by NBA rules, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad.
Only 17 of those players are officially under contract right now, so Dallas will have some flexibility with how it proceeds, but the team will have to be careful with the timing of its moves, Nahmad notes.
Still unsigned, in addition to Ingram, are Salah Mejri, who will re-sign for another year, Devin Harris, who will return for his third stint with the franchise, and Australian Ryan Broekhoff, who agreed to a two-year deal. The Mavericks also have a pending trade with the Rockets for Chinanu Onuaku.
Barring more trades, two players will eventually have to be released, and Nahmad speculates that Onuaku may be one of them (Twitter link). Dallas is using cap space to take on his $1,544,951 contract, but is reportedly receiving that amount in cash in the trade. The reporting on that trade hasn’t been clear on the exact terms, but if it’s Dallas – rather than Houston – getting the second-round pick swap in the deal, it makes sense that the Mavs could acquire Onuaku only to waive him.
[UPDATE: Mavericks to waive Chinanu Onuaku]
It’s also possible that two-way spots currently held by Kostas Antetokounmpo and Daryl Macon aren’t guaranteed (Twitter link). Ingram’s Exhibit 10 contract can be converted into a two-way deal if the Mavericks decide to go that route (Twitter link). Macon received an Exhibit 10 offer from the Heat, but opted for the two-way contract with Dallas.
NBA rules allow teams to bring up to 20 players into training camp. Rosters must be trimmed to a maximum of 15 players, plus a pair of two-way deals, by the start of the season.
David Stockton Will Play In Germany
David Stockton, who finished last season with the Jazz, has signed with Medi Bayreuth in Germany, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Stockton inked a pair of 10-day contracts with Utah in March, then signed for the rest of the season in early April. He appeared in three games and played nine total minutes, then saw brief action in two playoff contests.
Stockton, the son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, has previous overseas experience in Croatia and New Zealand. He also played three games for the Kings in 2015.
Oddly, despite the fact that Medi Bayreuth has already put out an announcement confirming its deal with Stockton, the veteran guard remains under contract with the Jazz, since his rest-of-season contract last year included a non-guaranteed salary for 2018/19. Presumably, Utah will soon waive Stockton, freeing him up to officially join his new German club.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Faried, Crabbe, Nurse
Sixers center Joel Embiid isn’t concerned that the team missed out on signing LeBron James and trading for Kawhi Leonard, according to Ian Begley of ESPN. Even though Philadelphia didn’t add much star power this summer, Embiid believes a deal that brought in Wilson Chandler and the expected improvement of Markelle Fultz will be enough.
“I don’t think it matters, big free agent or not. My goal going into the offseason was to get better,” Embiid said. “I want to win the MVP. I feel like at the end of the day it might be an individual award, but when I play better, the team also does. I feel like if I’m an MVP candidate or if I win the MVP, that means we are on another level.”
The Sixers were able to re-sign starting guard J.J. Redick and will bring back most of the team that won 52 games last year.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Kenneth Faried doesn’t think of himself as a salary dump after being traded from the Nuggets to the Nets, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Faried played just 32 games in Denver last season, and his $13.7MM salary for 2018/19 was pushing the team well into luxury tax territory. “The Nuggets wanted to go in a different direction,” Faried said Wednesday at an introductory press conference. “Brooklyn decided, ‘Hey, let’s pick up a still-able, still-capable player who can go out and produce and lead a team and do the things he’s done before.’ … They believed in me, took this chance to trade for me, and I’m excited to be here and produce.”
- Sean Marks has made several shrewd moves since taking over as Nets GM, but the Allen Crabbe trade may have been a mistake, according to a story on NetsDaily. The Trail Blazers matched Brooklyn’s four-year, $75MM offer sheet for Crabbe in 2016, then dealt him to the Nets a year later because of luxury tax concerns. Marks traded Andrew Nicholson to Portland in exchange for Crabbe, but he may have been able to extract more from the Blazers considering their financial position.
- The Raptors are adjusting their roster to fit new coach Nick Nurse’s preference for the modern style of the NBA, notes Dave Zarum of SportsNet. Nurse places more emphasis on 3-point shooting, with Leonard and Danny Green adding to a dangerous group of long-distance shooters.
Erik McCree Will Play In Italy
Erik McCree, a two-way player with the Jazz last season, has signed with the Italian team Consultinvest VL Pesaro, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM.
After going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech, McCree joined the Heat for training camp but was waived before the season began. He agreed to a two-way deal with the Jazz in December and appeared in four NBA games, seeing just eight total minutes of playing time.
The 24-year-old small forward spent most of the season in the G League, splitting time between Sioux Falls and Salt Lake City.
Donte Ingram To Get Training Camp Deal With Mavericks
The Mavericks will sign Donte Ingram of Loyola Chicago to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
A four-year player with the Ramblers, Ingram gained national prominence in March during their unlikely run to the Final Four. He averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.4 RPG as a senior. After going undrafted, he joined the Bulls’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, posting a 6.0/4.8/1.4 line in five games.
The addition of Ingram will give Dallas 18 players in camp, two below the limit.
Jordan McLaughlin Has Exhibit 10 Deal With Nets
Former USC guard Jordan McLaughlin has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Nets and will join the team for training camp, according to a story on NetsDaily. McLaughlin, who played for Brooklyn’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, announced the agreement Wednesday in an Instagram post.
The 22-year-old was a four-year player with the Trojans with a reputation as a playmaker and outside shooter. He averaged 7.8 assists per game as a senior and shot .397 from 3-point range.
The addition of McLaughlin brings the Nets up to 19 players who are either signed or have agreements. Brooklyn has 15 guaranteed contracts and one more opening than can be filled before camp starts late next month.