Celtics Notes: Horford, Green, Roster, Walker
The Celtics feel there was tampering involved in the departure of Al Horford to rival Philadelphia, according to Brian Windhorst. The ESPN analyst said as much on a Hoop Collective Podcast (hat tip to NBC Sports Boston’s Justin Leger).
“What happened with Horford, again from what I’m told, really upset the Celtics,” Windhorst said. “They were thinking they were going to be able to negotiate with him, talk to him about a new contract, and all of a sudden it was like he already knew what his market was and he was out of there.”
The Sixers inked Horford to a four-year deal that can be worth up to $109MM.
We have more on the Celtics:
- Swingman Javonte Green is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Celtics, with a partial guarantee in the first year and a non-guaranteed second year, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. The news that Green was signing with Boston surfaced on Thursday. Green, who has played overseas since going undrafted in 2015, averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG in 22.6 MPG over five Summer League games at Las Vegas this month.
- The Celtics will have an open competition for the final roster spot, Himmelsbach reveals in the same tweet. Players with partial guarantees and their two-way contract players will try to earn that spot. Guards Max Strus and reportedly Tremont Waters are their two-way players.
- Kemba Walker received the max allowed for a free agent from an opposing team but the opportunity to join a contender seeking a point guard tipped the scales to Boston, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relays. “It really came down to my happiness and how I want to compete night-in and night-out,” Walker said. “It’s a winning organization, and I want to win. That’s what it’s all about. Throughout my basketball career as a pro, I haven’t won consistently, and I want to get a taste of that.”
Wizards Close To Naming Tommy Sheppard As GM
The Wizards will promote interim general manager Tommy Sheppard to the position on a permanent basis, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
The contract details are still being worked out, but an official announcement could come within the next week, Katz adds. The news is affirmed by The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner.
The hiring of Sheppard, 50, would end a long and strange journey since the team fired longtime GM Ernie Grunfeld just before the end of the regular season. Sheppard has been in charge since April 2.
During the search, the Wizards reportedly made at a run at Raptors top executive Masai Ujiri, though owner Ted Leonsis later denied that he asked permission to speak with Ujiri. Washington also made an offer to Tim Connelly, but the executive chose to remain with the Nuggets as their team president.
The team also interviewed Gersson Rosas, who is now running the Timberwolves, along with Danny Ferry and Troy Weaver.
Sixers Sign Christ Koumadje To Exhibit 10 Deal
6:01pm: It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.
4:46pm: The Sixers have agreed to a one-year, partially-guaranteed deal with center Christ Koumadje, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
The news that Koumadje would sign a contract with Philadelphia was first reported by Mark Deeks of SkySport, though that was prior to Summer League competition and it was unclear if the deal would extend into training camp.
The 7’4” Florida State alum played for Philadelphia’s summer league team after going undrafted. He played four seasons with the Seminoles and started all 37 games as a senior. He averaged 6.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 16.0 MPG in his final year.
In five Summer League appearances, he averaged 6.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 13.6 MPG.
The addition of Koumadje gives Philadelphia 14 players on the roster, along with a pair on two-way deals. There’s a crowd at center —Joel Embiid, Kyle O’Quinn and Norvel Pelle (who is on a two-way contract) are already on the depth chart and Al Horford can swing over to that spot.
Koumadje is a developmental project who will likely spend most of next season in the G League.
Kings Waive Swingman B.J. Johnson
The Kings have waived swingman B.J. Johnson, according to a team press release.
Johnson had a non-guaranteed salary of $1,416,852 for 2019/20.
Johnson played on the Kings’ summer league team, averaging 7.3 PPG in 16.9 MPG. The 6’7” Johnson, who went undrafted out of La Salle, appeared in seven NBA games with Atlanta and Sacramento last season, averaging 3.3 PPG in 7.0 MPG. Johnson played with the Hawks on a pair of 10-day contracts before the Kings added him late in the season.
He spent most of his first professional season playing for the Lakeland Magic in the G League. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.4 SPG with a shooting line of .476/.444/.841 in 39 NBAGL games.
Sacramento now has 13 players with guaranteed contracts and two with non- or partially-guaranteed deals, along with a pair of two-way players. The Kings reached an agreement with former University of San Diego forward Isaiah Pineiro earlier in the day.
Mavs Waive Kostas Antetokounmpo
The Mavericks have waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, according to a team press release.
The brother of league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo had a two-way contract with the Mavs.
Daryl Macon holds the other two-way deal with Dallas. With Antetokounmpo out of the picture, Penn State alum and shooting guard Josh Reaves may have his contract converted a two-way deal. He agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 deal earlier this summer.
The 6’10” Antetokounmpo was chosen by the 76ers late in the second round of the 2018 draft. Dallas acquired him in a draft-night deal. He saw action in two games last season, making his NBA debut on March 20 in Portland.
“We are excited for Kostas to pursue other professional opportunities,” Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said in a statement. “Kostas worked very hard to improve his game and we are proud to have been a step in his development.”
Antetokounmpo played in five summer league games in Las Vegas this month, averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 13.5 MPG.
The brothers are expected to play for Greece in the FIBA World Cup.
James Harden Won’t Play In 2019 World Cup
Another star player has pulled out of the 2019 World Cup, with James Harden confirming today that he’ll skip this year’s event to focus on adjusting to the new-look Rockets backcourt (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
[RELATED: Rockets acquire Russell Westbrook]
A report earlier this week indicated that new Lakers big man Anthony Davis was also withdrawing his name from consideration for Team USA’s 12-man World Cup roster.
While the removal of Harden and Davis from USA Basketball’s 20-man training camp roster reduces the group’s star power to some extent, there’s still a ton of talent among the 18-player group, which will eventually be pared down to 12 players for China.
Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton, and Kyle Lowry are among the 2019 All-Stars who are a part of Team USA’s preliminary roster.
They’ll be joined by younger prospects like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Kyle Kuzma, as well as reliable veteran role players like P.J. Tucker, Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, and Paul Millsap.
Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris, Kevin Love, CJ McCollum, and Myles Turner round out the 18-man group.
It remains to be seen if Team USA will add replacements for Harden and Davis.
Kings Hire Lindsey Harding, Stacey Augmon
3:34pm: The Kings have officially confirmed the hiring of Harding. In the same press release, the team also announces that it has hired veteran coach and former NBA player Stacey Augmon as an assistant.
Rico Hines, who had been the head coach of the Stockton Kings – Sacramento’s G League affiliate – was named a player development coach.
3:21pm: The Kings are hiring former WNBA star Lindsey Harding as an assistant coach on Luke Walton‘s staff, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link).
“Lindsey is a rising star and I’m so excited to have her join our incredibly experienced team of coaches,” Walton said in a statement, per Shelburne (Twitter link). “Her basketball IQ and proven success on the court will be a valuable addition to our growing team.“
The Sixers added Harding to their scouting department last August, hiring her as a full-time scout for the 2018/19 season. At the end of the season, Philadelphia adjusted her role, announcing that she’d be a player development coach going forward.
Instead, the former Duke Blue Devil will head to Sacramento, where she’ll get an opportunity to become the latest addition to a growing group of female assistants around the NBA. As Shelburne notes (via Twitter), Kara Lawson (Celtics), Becky Hammon (Spurs), Jenny Boucek (Mavericks), and Lindsay Gottlieb (Cavaliers) are among the other women who will be on teams’ benches in 2019/20.
The 76ers and Harding are parting ways “on great terms,” says Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Longest-Tenured Players By NBA Team
After perhaps the wildest free agent period in NBA history, our list of longest-tenured players by team is in desperate need of an update.
When we compiled this list a year ago, it was headed up by veterans like Dirk Nowitzki, who had been a Maverick since 1998, and Manu Ginobili, who had been on the Spurs‘ roster since 2002. Both players are now retired. Stars like Mike Conley and Russell Westbrook rounded out our top five, but those two guards have since moved onto new teams. So have Kemba Walker, Anthony Davis, Derrick Favors, and many other players who had spent most of the decade with the same organization.
In fact, of the 30 longest-tenured players by NBA team on our 2018 list, just 14 remain with the same team now. Of those 14, Heat veteran Udonis Haslem and Warriors star Stephen Curry are the only players who have been with their current franchise for more than 10 years.
That means that the league’s other 16 teams have new longest-tenured players, and in some cases, those names may come as a bit of a shock. Cristiano Felicio, Ivan Rabb, and Frank Ntilikina are among the players on the list below.
Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team as of the 2019 offseason:
- Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem (free agent), August 2003
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
- Washington Wizards: John Wall (draft), June 2010
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson (draft), June 2011
- San Antonio Spurs: Patty Mills (free agent), March 2012
- Charlotte Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (draft), June 2012
- Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), June 2012
- Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond (draft), June 2012
- Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry (trade), July 2012
- Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic (trade), August 2012
- Houston Rockets: James Harden (trade), October 2012
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams (draft), Andre Roberson (draft trade), June 2013
- Note: Adams is technically the slightly longer-tenured member of the Thunder, having been drafted 12th overall, while Roberson was picked 26th overall.
- Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Gorgui Dieng (draft trade), June 2013
- Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert (draft trade), June 2013
- New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday (trade), July 2013
- Note: Darius Miller first joined the Pelicans (then the Hornets) in June 2012 and hasn’t played for an NBA team besides New Orleans since then, but he spent two seasons overseas from 2015-17.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
- Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (draft), June 2014
- Denver Nuggets: Gary Harris (draft trade), Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
- Note: Harris is technically the slightly longer-tenured member of the Nuggets, having been drafted 19th overall, while Jokic was picked 41st overall.
- Dallas Mavericks: J.J. Barea (free agent), October 2014
- Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (draft), June 2015
- Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
- Chicago Bulls: Cristiano Felicio (free agent), July 2015
- Brooklyn Nets: Caris LeVert (draft), June 2016
- Atlanta Hawks: DeAndre’ Bembry (draft), June 2016
- Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield (trade), February 2017
- Note: The Kings acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s draft rights in June 2016, but he didn’t sign his first NBA contract with the team until July 2017.
- New York Knicks: Frank Ntilikina (draft), Damyean Dotson (draft), June 2017
- Note: Ntilikina is technically the slightly longer-tenured member of the Knicks, having been drafted eighth overall, while Dotson was picked 44th overall.
- Note: Lance Thomas, who joined the Knicks via trade in January 2015, remains unsigned. It’s possible he’ll rejoin the team.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma (draft), June 2017
- Memphis Grizzlies: Ivan Rabb (draft trade), Dillon Brooks (draft trade), June 2017
- Note: Rabb is technically the slightly longer-tenured member of the Grizzlies, having been drafted 35th overall, while Brooks was picked 45th overall.
- Los Angeles Clippers: Patrick Beverley (trade), Montrezl Harrell (trade), Lou Williams (trade), June 2017
- Note: All three players were acquired in the same trade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rayvonte Rice Turns Down Suns’ Offer
JULY 19: Rice won’t sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Suns after all, according to Carchia, who hears from Rice himself that he wants to keep his overseas options open (Twitter link).
JULY 18: After participating in Summer League play with the team earlier this month, free agent guard Rayvonte Rice is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Suns, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Carchia notes that the news was first reported by Italian outlet La Prealpina.
Rice, who went undrafted out of Illinois in 2015, has played professionally in a handful of international leagues since then, spending time with clubs in Italy, France, and Mexico.
The 27-year-old joined the Suns for Las Vegas Summer League this year and appeared in three games for the team, averaging 9.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.3 SPG in 19.7 minutes per contest. Much of his production came in a single game against the Knicks, when he scored 19 points in 22 minutes.
Assuming the Suns and Rice do finalize an Exhibit 10 deal, he’d be a long shot to make the regular season roster, but could end up playing for the Norther Arizona Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate.
Grizzlies Notes: Jackson, Iguodala, Howard, Guduric
As first reported by TMZ, new Grizzlies forward Josh Jackson has entered a diversion program to settle a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. An ESPN report, confirming the TMZ story, indicates that Jackson will have the misdemeanor charge dismissed if he completes the diversion program.
The misdemeanor charge stems from an incident that occurred at a music festival in Florida in May, when Jackson tried to enter the VIP area without a proper pass too many times. He ran away after being handcuffed by police, and was charged with resisting arrest after being re-apprehended. Jackson also initially faced a felony charge of escape, but had it dismissed last month, per ESPN.
The fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Jackson essentially became a salary dump this offseason, when the Suns had to attach a pair of second-round picks to him as part of a multi-player trade that sent him to Memphis. Jackson has a troublesome history of off-court incidents and hasn’t developed into an impact player on the court, but he’ll get a chance at a fresh start with the Grizzlies this season.
Unless Jackson looks terrific in training camp and makes a strong impression on the Grizzlies to start the season, I wouldn’t expect the team to pick up his fourth-year option for the 2020/21 campaign. That decision is due at the end of October, and the ’20/21 option would pay Jackson a salary worth $8.93MM.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian takes an in-depth look at the Andre Iguodala trade market (or lack thereof), exploring what sort of packages teams like the Rockets, Clippers, Nuggets, and Mavericks might be able and willing to offer.
- In Herrington’s view, it’s unlikely that Iguodala or recently-acquired center Dwight Howard ever appear in a regular season game for the Grizzlies. For now, both veterans’ expiring contracts remain on Memphis’ books to maintain flexibility for trades.
- Multiple reports out of Europe earlier this month indicated that Serbian swingman Marko Guduric would be signing a two-year contract with the Grizzlies. There has still been no official word on that front, but Herrington writes that it’s probably safe to assume it will happen at some point.