Bulls Sign Kaiser Gates To Training Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 18: Gates’ deal with the Bulls is now official, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 14: Kaiser Gates has agreed to a training camp contract with the Bulls, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Gates was part of the Bulls’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, scoring 6.7 PPG. He went undrafted out of Xavier, where he averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a junior. He shot 37.8% from 3-point range last year.
The signing of Gates will bring the Bulls up to 19 players, one short of the roster limit for training camp. They have 14 guaranteed contracts.
Bulls Sign JaKarr Sampson To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 18: The Bulls have officially signed Sampson, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 14: The Bulls will fill their final roster spot heading into training camp by signing JaKarr Sampson, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Sampson is a three-year veteran who has spent time with three NBA teams. He played 22 games for the Kings last season, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per night. Sampson started his career with the Sixers, then joined the Nuggets after being waived in 2016.
The addition of Sampson comes on the heels of a reported deal with Kaiser Gates, a rookie out of Xavier.
Dion Waiters Unlikely To Be Healthy To Start Season
After missing much of the 2017/18 season with an ankle injury, Dion Waiters won’t be available for the start of training camp and likely won’t be ready to play on opening night, Heat president Pat Riley said today (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).
“Dion will not be returning to the court until the Heat medical team and training staff deem him healed, rehabbed and physically conditioned for all basketball activities,” Riley added (Twitter link via Winderman).
While there’s no indication that Waiters’ absence will extend well into the 2018/19 season, this is still bad news for the Heat, who re-signed the veteran guard to a lucrative four-year contract last summer despite being aware of his potential ankle issues (Twitter link via Winderman). The 26-year-old was limited to just 30 games in the first season of that four-year deal, and now seemingly won’t be available to start the second year.
Despite Waiters’ absence, the Heat will have no shortage of options at the shooting guard spot. Newly re-signed veteran Dwyane Wade will rejoin a deep group of twos that also could include Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and Derrick Jones.
Wolves’ Justin Patton Undergoes Foot Surgery
SEPTEMBER 18, 3:07pm: Patton has undergone successful surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, the Timberwolves announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 15, 5:57pm: Patton is scheduled to undergo surgery early this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 15, 5:05pm: Justin Patton‘s bad luck with injuries hasn’t stopped, according to Jace Frederick of The St. Paul Pioneer Press, who reports that the second-year center broke a bone in his right foot this week.
The 16th player taken in the 2017 draft, Patton missed virtually his entire rookie season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot last summer. He played just one game for Minnesota, seeing four minutes of action. When he was healthy enough to play, the organization kept him in the G League, where he averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 38 games for the Iowa Wolves.
Doctors performed a second surgery on Patton’s left foot in April, Frederick notes, to “encourage further healing of a prior metatarsal fracture.” The Timberwolves had been optimistic about Patton’s progress and were hoping to have him cleared for contact in time for training camp.
The latest injury could complicate the Wolves’ thinking on the third-year option for Patton, which must be picked up by October 31. Teams rarely give up on players that quickly, but serious injuries to both feet in two seasons could cause Minnesota think twice about committing a roster spot for Patton for another year.
Nets Notes: Pinson, Musa, RHJ, Jefferson, Crabbe
Theo Pinson currently has a standard NBA contract with the Nets, but it sounds like he’ll end up being the team’s second two-way player for the 2018/19 season, along with Alan Williams. As Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays (via Twitter), Nets GM Sean Marks said today that the rookie guard out of UNC “is going to be our (other) two-way guy.”
While Brooklyn’s plans could change between now and the start of the regular season, it wouldn’t be hard for the club to shift Pinson into one of its two-way slots — his contract includes an Exhibit 10 clause, which allows the Nets to convert his deal into a two-way pact before opening night.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Marks isn’t concerned about offseason injuries sustained by Dzanan Musa and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, indicating today that both players should be cleared for training camp, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
- Speaking of training camp, the Nets still have one opening on their 20-man roster for camp. According to Lewis (Twitter link), former Baylor standout Nuni Omot is one of multiple candidates for that spot.
- After Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported last week that Richard Jefferson was drawing TV interest, NetsDaily hears from league sources that Jefferson seems likely to join the YES Network for Nets broadcasts unless he gets an NBA contract offer. Jefferson told Marchand that his goal is to “play basketball this season,” but if that doesn’t happen, Nets fans may see Jefferson on YES broadcasts doing game analysis and/or studio work.
- Speaking to D.J. Sixsmith of CBS Local, Allen Crabbe referred to the Nets as a “match made in heaven” for him. Crabbe had to waive his trade kicker to accommodate a deal to Brooklyn last summer, and seemingly has no regrets about doing so.
Heat Officially Re-Sign Dwyane Wade
The Heat have officially re-signed Dwyane Wade to a new contract, the team confirmed today in a press release. Word broke over the weekend that Wade had decided to return to Miami for one more season.
“We are very delighted that Dwyane decided to return,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “I believe that Dwyane can play a big part in us winning, that’s what he is all about. I’m glad he’s back.”
Wade, 36, has spent nearly all of his 15-year NBA career with the Heat since being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2003 draft. While he had brief stints with the Bulls and Cavaliers in recent years, all of Wade’s best seasons have come in Miami, including his 12 All-Star appearances, eight All-NBA nods, and three NBA championships.
Having rejoined the Heat down the stretch last season, Wade showed he was still capable of contributing to the club, averaging 12.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 21 regular season contests. He also looked like his old self in Game 2 of the Heat’s first round series against Philadelphia, leading the club to its only playoff victory with 28 points in 26 minutes.
Wade’s new – and likely final – contract with the Heat will be worth the veteran’s minimum ($2,393,887) for one season. Because the deal will only count for about $1.51MM on Miami’s cap, the tax impact will be reasonably modest, increasing the team’s projected tax bill by just shy of $2.6MM.
With Wade officially back in the fold, the Heat have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts and may leave the 15th spot on their roster open to start the season to avoid further increasing their tax bill.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucks Cut Two Players, Sign James Young
The Bucks continue to tweak their offseason roster, officially waiving two players and signing two more today. Jordan Barnett and Brandon McCoy have been released by Milwaukee, with James Young and Robert Johnson taking their spots on the roster, per RealGM’s transactions log. Johnson’s deal was reported on Monday.
Like other teams around the NBA, the Bucks will be rotating players on and off their roster leading up to the start of the regular season as they secure players’ rights for their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. Barnett and McCoy apparently won’t come to camp with the NBA squad, but they’re candidates to end up with Milwaukee’s NBAGL team once the season gets underway.
Of the four players involved in today’s transactions, Young is the most notable. The former first-round pick, selected 17th overall in 2014, has yet to make much of an impact at the NBA level, but has put up big numbers in the G League (19.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 70 games) and is still just 23 years old. He was in camp with the Bucks last fall, then spent part of the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Sixers.
Today’s moves leave Milwaukee’s 20-man offseason roster full, but more transactions figure to come soon. The club has reached reported agreements with Shabazz Muhammad and Christian Wood, and ESPN’s Bobby Marks and RealGM’s Keith Smith (Twitter links) both indicate that veteran guard Tim Frazier is likely to join the roster at some point too. In order to accommodate those signings, the Bucks will need to open up three roster spots.
Sixers Expect Zhaire Smith To Return Around Christmas
Zhaire Smith isn’t expected to become the latest Sixers first-round pick to miss his entire rookie season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who reports that the team believes Smith will be available to play in a game sometime around Christmas.
Smith, the 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, sustained a left foot injury during a developmental camp in Las Vegas this summer and underwent surgery in August to repair a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal.
It generally takes about six to eight weeks for a Jones fracture to heal following surgery, perhaps with another two or three weeks of recovery time, Pompey notes. However, the Sixers have no desire to rush Smith back onto the court, particularly since the club isn’t necessarily counting on the rookie swingman to be a key part of its rotation in 2018/19.
A source tells Pompey that the Christmas timetable for Smith will hinge on the rookie getting in shape and not suffering any setbacks.
In recent years, the 76ers have had some bad injury luck with several of their top draft picks. Joel Embiid didn’t play in a game until his third NBA season, Nerlens Noel and Ben Simmons missed their full rookie campaigns, and Markelle Fultz appeared in just 14 games in 2017/18.
Cavaliers Sign Levi Randolph
The Cavaliers have signed former Alabama standout Levi Randolph to a training camp contract, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log. RealGM also lists Cleveland’s deal with Bonzie Colson, signaling that the previously-reported agreement is now official.
The signings are the latest in a string of moves for the Cavs, who are working on securing certain players’ G League rights and finalizing their roster for training camp. Cleveland recently added JaCorey Williams to its offseason roster, and also signed and released Isaac Hamilton and Scoochie Smith.
That 20-man offseason squad is now full, with Randolph and Colson officially under contract. The Cavs have reportedly reached a contract agreement with Kobi Simmons as well, meaning the team will have to open up a roster spot before Simmons’ deal can be formally finalized.
Randolph, who went undrafted out of Alabama in 2015, has played in the G League and in international leagues since then, spending time with the Maine Red Claws and with clubs in Italy and France. Most recently, he finished the 2017/18 campaign with French club SIG Strasbourg, averaging 8.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 22 French League games (19.5 MPG). The 6’6″ shooting guard also played for the Pacers’ Summer League team in July.
Latest On Jimmy Butler
11:47am: Thibodeau is traveling to Los Angeles today to meet with Butler, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who says that the meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Minnesota. That changed within the last 24 hours, says Woj.
10:58am: A report last week indicated that Jimmy Butler would meet with the Timberwolves on Monday to discuss his future with the club, but Butler tweeted last night that the meeting will actually take place on Tuesday.
The meeting, which will reportedly include head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau, as well as general manager Scott Layden, may go a long way toward determining how much longer Butler will remain a Timberwolf. The All-NBA swingman remains under contract with Minnesota for another season, but a trade prior to his 2019 free agency isn’t entirely out of the question.
According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, Butler has “serious questions about the direction of the franchise,” but he’s willing to hear out team management and “isn’t dead set” on asking to be traded. If he remains in Minnesota for the 2018/19 season, the 29-year-old would be eligible for a more lucrative contract from the Wolves than from any other team.
It will be fascinating to see what comes of today’s meeting between Butler and the Wolves, since it could have a substantial impact on the future of the organization. In his first year in Minnesota, Butler was arguably the team’s best player and helped snap the Wolves’ 13-year postseason drought.
However, he also reportedly bumped heads with some of the club’s youngsters – as he did during his time with the Bulls – and at least one report has suggested that Karl-Anthony Towns‘ extension decision may hinge at least in part on what happens with Butler.