Hawks Will Sign Charlie Brown To Two-Way Deal
Free agent Charlie Brown of St. Joseph’s will sign a two-way contract with the Hawks, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
The 6’7″ forward was the Atlantic 10’s leading scorer this season at 19.0 points per game. He also pulled down 6.2 rebounds per night while shooting .356 from 3-point range.
Brown told Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer this week that he had a good feeling about the draft, expecting to go late in the first round or early in the second. Instead, he’ll have to prove himself in the G League as his new contract limits him to 45 days of NBA service.
Knicks Agree To Sign Kris Wilkes, Amir Hinton, V.J. King
The Knicks will sign UCLA forward Kris Wilkes to a two-way contract, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal can become official after the new league year begins.
Wilkes, who was the 23rd-best prospect to go undrafted on Thursday night, per ESPN’s big board, averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 33 games during his sophomore season with the Bruins. He has a wingspan of nearly 7’0″ and has potential as a slasher and multi-postional defender, according to ESPN’s scouting report.
Kadeem Allen‘s two-way deal with the Knicks runs for another season, while Isaiah Hicks‘ is expiring, so it appears likely that Wilkes will replace Hicks, though it’s possible the team will turn over both two-way spots.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have also agreed to free agent deals with two more undrafted rookies. Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) that Louisville wing V.J. King and Shaw point guard Amir Hinton will sign with the team.
King didn’t play much of a role during his final year at Louisville, averaging just 3.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 13.7 minutes per contest, but NBA teams are still intrigued by his potential. As for Hinton, he led all Division II players in 2018/19 with 29.4 points per game and earned CIAA Player of the Year honors. He had hoped to become the first D-II since 2005 to be drafted.
Hinton will get an Exhibit 10 deal from the Knicks, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who adds (via Twitter) that the Pistons showed a lot of interest in the Division II star. Specific details on King’s agreement aren’t known.
Lakers Agree To Sign Zach Norvell, Devontae Cacok
The Lakers have reached deals with a pair of undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2019 draft. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team will sign Zach Norvell Jr. to a two-way contract, while ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets that Devontae Cacok will ink an Exhibit 10 contract with L.A.
Norvell was a player viewed by many draft experts as a strong candidate to be selected on Thursday night after he left Gonzaga following his sophomore season. He ranks 15th on ESPN’s list of prospects who went undrafted. The shooting guard was a top perimeter threat for the Zags in 2018/19, averaging 14.9 PPG and shooting 37.0% from outside the three-point line (2.6 makes per game).
Two of Norvell’s teammates, Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, were first-round picks on Thursday, so Norvell will become the third Gonzaga player to enter the NBA as a rookie this year.
As for Cacok, the UNC Wilmington forward isn’t as notable a name as Norvell, but he had a solid senior season in 2018/19, posting a double-double in 33 games (15.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG). His Exhibit 10 deal will make him a candidate to either become an affiliate player for the South Bay Lakers or to have his contract converted into a two-way pact.
Community Shootaround: NBA Draft Winners, Losers
The concept of “winners” and “losers” in an NBA draft isn’t necessarily a flawed one, but naming those winners and losers within 24 hours of the draft’s completion is probably misguided. Three years ago, for example, how many fans or even draft experts would have called the Raptors a winner of the 2016 NBA draft for nabbing little-known forward Pascal Siakam with the 27th overall pick?
Still, the “winner” and “loser” tags are simple short-hand for assessing which teams’ drafts we like, at first glance, and which ones we don’t. With that in mind, we want to hear your thoughts on which teams you believe have a good night on Thursday and which ones you believe could have done better.
The Cavaliers are among the teams that received plenty of praise for their work on Thursday — they came out of the first round with three promising young rookies, having selected Darius Garland at No. 5, Dylan Windler at No. 26, and Kevin Porter Jr. at No. 30. Garland was long viewed as the probable fourth overall pick, and Porter was considered a candidate for the end of the lottery, so Cleveland got seemingly great value in the first round.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Draft Results]
The Pelicans are among the other teams whose work was lauded, though it’s hard not to get high marks when you come away with Zion Williamson. Besides the No. 1 overall pick, New Orleans also came away with Jaxson Hayes at No. 8, Nickeil Alexander-Walker at No. 17, and Marcos Louzada Silva at No. 35. They also managed to shed Solomon Hill‘s contract in their trade with the Hawks.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Suns‘ moves generated some confusion. They had to give up the No. 32 pick to move T.J. Warren, whose three-year, $35MM contract didn’t look like an albatross. Then they traded down from No. 6 to acquire Dario Saric and used their newly-acquired No. 11 pick to select Cameron Johnson, a player most experts didn’t expect to go in the top 20.
What do you think? Which teams’ drafts did you like most, and which ones were you a little less bullish on? Head to the comment section below to weigh in!
Magic Agree To Deals With DaQuan Jeffries, Vic Law, Dererk Pardon
The Magic have agreed to deals with a trio of undrafted free agents, per reports. Tulsa wing DaQuan Jeffries, Northwestern forward Vic Law, and Northwestern big man Dererk Pardon, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, and Michael Scotto of The Athletic, respectively (all Twitter links).
Jeffries, whose athleticism and explosiveness intrigued NBA teams, was ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as the fourth-best prospect who wasn’t drafted on Thursday night. He posted 13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his final college season, shooting .502/.366/.755.
Law, who played four full college seasons at Northwestern, averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior. Like Jeffries, he also averaged at least one block and steal per game. Law’s teammate Pardon played alongside him during those four years at Northwestern, averaging 14.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG as a senior.
Charania, Givony, and Scotto didn’t provide any additional details on what the Magic’s agreements with Jeffries, Law, and Pardon look like. Based on the lack of specificity, it’s possible that one or more of those deals is just for the Summer League and doesn’t lead to an actual NBA contract. Assuming all three are added to Orlando’s 20-man roster though, they figure to be in line for non-guaranteed deals, perhaps with small partial guarantees.
Wizards Expected To Sign Garrison Mathews, Justin Robinson, Armoni Brooks
After selecting Rui Hachimura and acquiring Admiral Schofield in Thursday night’s draft, the Wizards are poised to add a few more rookies to their roster, according to various reports.
Lipscomb shooting guard Garrison Mathews will sign a two-way contract with the Wizards, a league source tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).
Washington has also agreed to deals with undrafted Virginia Tech guard Justin Robinson and undrafted Houston guard Armoni Brooks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, respectively (Twitter links).
Mathews, one of the premier marksmen in the NCAA over the last four years, averaged 20.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his final season at Lipscomb, knocking down 3.2 threes per game at a 40.3% rate. The ASUN Player of the Year is set to claim one of the Wizards’ two-way contract slots for the 2019/20 season, per Givony.
Robinson, meanwhile, has agreed to a multiyear deal that will feature a “substantial” guarantee, says Charania. Interim GM Tommy Sheppard suggested that Robinson will likely end up in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, but has a chance to stick with the Wizards, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Robinson averaged 13.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a .418 3PT% in 24 games in his senior season at Virginia Tech.
As for Brooks, he’s coming off a junior season in which he posted 13.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 37 games for Houston. Of his 425 field goal attempts, 310 came from beyond the arc. Berman doesn’t provide any additional details on Brooks’ deal with Washington, but says he’ll sign with the team as an undrafted free agent (Twitter link).
2019 NBA Draft Results
The 2019 NBA draft is now in the books, and we tracked all 60 picks in the space below.
Here are 2019’s NBA draft results:
First Round:
- New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson, F (Duke) (story)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, G (Murray State) (story)
- New York Knicks: R.J. Barrett, F (Duke) (story)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Lakers via Pelicans): De’Andre Hunter, F (Virginia)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland, G (Vanderbilt)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Suns): Jarrett Culver, G (Texas Tech)
- Chicago Bulls: Coby White, G (UNC)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Hawks): Jaxson Hayes, C (Texas)
- Washington Wizards: Rui Hachimura, F (Gonzaga)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Mavericks): Cam Reddish, F (Duke)
- Phoenix Suns (from Timberwolves): Cameron Johnson, F (UNC)
- Charlotte Hornets: PJ Washington, F (Kentucky)
- Miami Heat: Tyler Herro, G (Kentucky)
- Boston Celtics (from Kings): Romeo Langford, G/F (Indiana)
- Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya, F (Guinea)
- Orlando Magic: Chuma Okeke, F (Auburn)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Nets via Hawks): Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G (Virginia Tech)
- Indiana Pacers: Goga Bitadze, C (Georgia)
- San Antonio Spurs: Luka Samanic, F (Croatia)
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Clippers via Celtics): Matisse Thybulle, F (Washington)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Thunder): Brandon Clarke, F (Gonzaga)
- Boston Celtics: Grant Williams, F (Tennessee)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Jazz via Grizzlies): Darius Bazley, F (Princeton HS (OH))
- Phoenix Suns (from Sixers via Celtics): Ty Jerome, G (Virginia)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Nassir Little, F (UNC)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Rockets): Dylan Windler, F (Belmont)
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Nuggets via Nets): Mfiondu Kabengele, C (Florida State)
- Golden State Warriors: Jordan Poole, G (Michigan)
- San Antonio Spurs (from Raptors): Keldon Johnson, F (Kentucky)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Bucks via Pistons): Kevin Porter Jr., G (USC)
Second Round:
- Brooklyn Nets (from Knicks): Nicolas Claxton, C (University of Georgia)
- Miami Heat (from Suns via Pacers): KZ Okpala, F (Stanford)
- Boston Celtics (from Cavaliers via Sixers): Carsen Edwards, G (Purdue)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Bulls via Sixers): Bruno Fernando, C (Maryland)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Hawks): Marcos Louzada Silva, G/F (Brazil)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Wizards): Cody Martin, F (Nevada)
- Detroit Pistons (from Mavericks): Deividas Sirvydis, G/F (Lithuania)
- Chicago Bulls (from Grizzlies): Daniel Gafford, C (Arkansas)
- Golden State Warriors (from Pelicans): Alen Smailagic, F/C (Serbia)
- Sacramento Kings (from Timberwolves): Justin James, G (Wyoming)
- Golden State Warriors (from Lakers via Hawks): Eric Paschall, F (Villanova)
- Washington Wizards (from Kings via Sixers): Admiral Schofield, F (Tennessee)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Heat): Jaylen Nowell, G (Washington)
- Denver Nuggets (from Hornets via Hawks and Heat): Bol Bol, C (Oregon)
- Dallas Mavericks (from Pistons): Isaiah Roby, F (Nebraska)
- Los Angeles Lakers (from Nets via Magic): Talen Horton-Tucker, F (Iowa State)
- New York Knicks (from Magic via Kings): Ignas Brazdeikis, F (Michigan)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Terance Mann, F (Florida State)
- San Antonio Spurs: Quinndary Weatherspoon, G (Mississippi State)
- Utah Jazz (from Pacers): Jarrell Brantley, F (Charleston)
- Boston Celtics: Tremont Waters, G (LSU)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Thunder): Jalen McDaniels, F (San Diego State)
- Utah Jazz: Justin Wright-Foreman, G (Hofstra)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Marial Shayok, G/F (Iowa State)
- Sacramento Kings (from Rockets via Knicks): Kyle Guy, G (Virginia)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Trail Blazers via Clippers): Jaylen Hands, G (UCLA)
- Detroit Pistons (from Nuggets via Pelicans and Hawks and Sixers): Jordan Bone, G (Tennessee)
- Utah Jazz (from Warriors): Miye Oni, G (Yale)
- Toronto Raptors: Dewan Hernandez, F/C (Miami)
- Sacramento Kings (from Bucks): Vanja Marinkovic, G (Serbia)
Sixers Trade Jonathon Simmons, No. 42 Pick To Wizards
JUNE 21: The trade is official, according to a press release from the NBA.
JUNE 20: The Sixers are trading Jonathon Simmons and the No. 42 overall pick (Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield) to the Wizards for cash considerations, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Wizards are likely to acquire Simmons with the $6MM trade exception they created in the Otto Porter trade. Marks further notes that Simmons has $1MM in guaranteed salary for next season, with the $4.7MM in remaining salary for the 2019/20 season guaranteed if the 29-year-old guard is not waived by July 1.
The trade will enable the Sixers to create $1MM in more cap space in the unlikely event that Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris both leave in free agency.
Jazz Acquire No. 50 Pick From Pacers
JUNE 21: The trade is now official, according to an NBA press release. Indiana received a 2021 second-round pick and cash from the Jazz, tweets Agness.
JUNE 20: Scott Agness of The Athletic is reporting that the Pacers will trade the No. 50 pick in tonight’s draft to the Jazz in exchange for a future second-rounder.
It’s unclear what the incentive for Indiana was in the deal, but presumably the future pick is higher in the draft, or perhaps there is some cash going to the Pacers from the Jazz in addition to the future pick.
With the No. 50 selection, the Pacers selected Charleston forward Jarrell Brantley on behalf of the Jazz.
Woj’s Latest: Durant, Kawhi, Vucevic
Besides breaking news of trades on ESPN’s 2019 NBA draft telecast on Thursday night – as well as breaking picks on Twitter before they were announced – Adrian Wojnarowski also provided some updates on a few notable free agents during ESPN’s draft coverage.
Here are the highlights from Woj:
- The Warriors, Nets, Knicks, and Clippers will all be “significant considerations” for Kevin Durant in free agency this summer, according to Wojnarowski. “One thing I’m told is he is really focused on making his decision independently of anyone else and that includes Kyrie Irving,” Woj said of Durant, per RealGM. “He’s at a point in his career where he’s going to decide really essentially on a four-year deal elsewhere or a five-year deal with Golden State, where he’s going to spend the rest of his prime.”
- While the Raptors and Clippers are still considered the frontrunners to sign Kawhi Leonard, Wojnarowski hears that Leonard may take free agents meetings with the Knicks and perhaps the Nets and Sixers as well (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com).
- If the Magic don’t reach a new deal with free agent center Nikola Vucevic once he reaches the open market, the Celtics and Lakers are two candidates to pursue the big man, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype). Both Boston and L.A. project to have cap room available, and the C’s expect to lose starting center Al Horford.