Celtics Sign Grant Williams, Romeo Langford
The Celtics have signed Romeo Langford and Grant Williams, according to a team press release.
Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft. The wing spent one year at Indiana, where he scored 16.5 points per game on 44.8% shooting. He’ll make approximately $3.46MM in the first year of his rookie deal, assuming he signed for the typical 120% of the rookie scale.
Williams spent three seasons at Tennessee and was selected with the no. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft. During his junior season, he scored 18.5 points and swatted 1.5 blocks per game. The big man will make roughly $2.38MM during the 2019/20 season, assuming he also signed for the typical 120% of the rookie scale.
Latest On Chris Paul
The Rockets had hoped to find a third team to join the Russell Westbrook trade that was preferable to Chris Paul, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Thunder have been in contact with Paul’s agent, Leon Rose.
The Heat remain a possibility for Paul’s services, Woj adds. If Paul prefers to go to Miami, the Thunder would have interest in sending him there and would engage in trade talks with Pat Riley‘s club, The Athletic’s Sam Amick tweets.
Miami was rumored to be in the hunt for Westbrook but now could turn to Paul as an alternate. The Thunder can immediately trade Paul as long as they don’t aggregate his salary in the deal (unlikely to happen with his $38.5MM figure). Oklahoma City could also hold off on finalizing the Westbrook trade and search for a suitor in order to make it a three-teamer.
It would be difficult to envision Miami giving up major assets for Paul. However, if the price is simply matching salary, then it would seem favorable to the Heat, as I recently detailed for SLAM Magazine. Miami is hard-capped, meaning team salary can’t exceed the tax apron of $138.93MM. The Heat currently have about $987K in wiggle room, per cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link).
Paul has three seasons and $124MM left on his deal. The last year of the pact is a player option.
Bucks Re-Sign Khris Middleton
JULY 11: Middleton’s new deal with the Bucks is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Khris is a critical piece of our core,” GM Jon Horst said in a statement. “As an All-Star, Khris was an integral part of us winning 60 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. He has also established himself as a leader on our team both on the court and in the community. We’re thrilled Khris is staying in Milwaukee and look forward to even more success together.”
JUNE 30: Free agent Khris Middleton will re-sign with the Bucks on a five-year, $178MM contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal is expected to include a player option in the final season.
Middleton, 27, is coming off a season where he averaged 18.3 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 44% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. He was a key contributor to the Bucks’ success last season, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
Middleton was eligible to receive a maximum salary of $189,903,600 on a five-year contract, so the Bucks will get a slight discount below that rate. Milwaukee is still paying him more than he could have received from any other team — a rival suitor’s offer would have maxed out at around $141MM over four years.
Milwaukee is also expected to re-sign center Brook Lopez to a four-year, $52MM deal, as reported by Wojnarowski. The team will bring back veteran guard George Hill as well, agreeing to re-sign him to a three-year, $29MM deal after waiving him to avoid a $17MM guarantee for 2019/20.
While the Bucks did well to lock up most of their key free agents, Malcolm Brogdon won’t be back. The Bucks have reportedly agreed to a sign-and-trade to send Brogdon to the Pacers, who will pay him $85MM over four years. Milwaukee will get back multiple draft picks, including a first-rounder, in exchange for Brogdon.
The Bucks are on track to stay out of the tax with Brogdon out of the picture. The team could use its $4.8MM room exception to add another rotation piece.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Tyus Jones Officially Joins Grizzlies After Wolves Decline To Match Offer Sheet
JULY 11: Jones’ contract with the Grizzlies is now official, per a press release from the team.
JULY 9: The Timberwolves have opted not to match Tyus Jones‘ three-year offer sheet with the Grizzlies, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The decision, which was due by midnight eastern time, will pave the way for the restricted free agent to finalize his deal with Memphis and become the newest member of the Grizzlies’ backcourt.
Gersson Rosas, the Wolves’ new president of basketball operations, has issued a statement confirming that the Wolves will let Jones join the Grizzlies, as Darren Wolfson of SKOR North relays (via Twitter).
“We sincerely thank Tyus for his contributions on the court and Tyus and the entire Jones family for their genuine impact on the Twin Cities community,” Rosas said. “We wish them nothing but the best in Memphis.”
Jones became the first restricted free agent of the 2019 offseason to sign an offer sheet on Sunday. It’s the second consecutive year that the Grizzlies have used their mid-level exception to poach an RFA from a Western Conference rival — they did so with Spurs forward Kyle Anderson a year ago.
Jones, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG last year in 68 games (22.9 MPG) for Minnesota. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s a solid defender who grades out well analytically. He’ll join a Grizzlies point guard rotation that figures to feature a heavy dose of No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant, along with newly-acquired youngster De’Anthony Melton. Memphis sent longtime point guard Mike Conley to Utah and signed-and-traded Delon Wright to Dallas earlier this offseason.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Jones’ three-year deal has a first-year base value of $8.4MM with $850K in likely bonuses. It has a descending structure but can be worth close to $27MM in total. The former Duke Blue Devil told Sean Deveney this week that he’s “excited” to join the Grizzlies, and hopes to help establish a winning culture in Memphis (Twitter link).
As Marks notes, the Timberwolves – having just claimed Tyrone Wallace on waivers – would have been slightly over the tax line if they had matched Jones’ offer sheet. Additionally, the Wolves are pursuing maximum-salary cap room in 2020 and adding Jones’ multiyear deal to their books would’ve complicated that goal, tweets Wojnarowski.
With Jones and departed free agent Derrick Rose out of the picture, Minnesota has Jeff Teague, Shabazz Napier, and Wallace in the mix at point guard. The team may continue to explore its options to fortify the position.
Now that Jones is off the board, only one restricted free agent – Kelly Oubre of the Suns – remains on the market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jonas Valanciunas Re-Signs With Grizzlies
JULY 11: The Grizzlies have officially re-signed Valanciunas, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30: The Grizzlies and Jonas Valanciunas have agreed to terms on a three-year, $45MM deal, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter), the contract will have a descending structure, so it will likely start around $16MM. Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) several hours before free agency began that Valanciunas would be staying in Memphis on a three-year, $45MM deal.
The Grizzlies acquired the 27-year-old center in a February trade that sent Marc Gasol to Toronto. Valanciunas put up career-best number in 19 games with Memphis, averaging 19.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per night.
The fifth pick in the 2011 draft, Valanciunas was part of the Raptors’ foundation for six and a half years before being traded. Earlier this month, he opted out of a $17,617,976 salary for next season.
At three years, Valanciunas’ new contract will expire before the Grizzlies’ next deal for Jaren Jackson Jr., notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Sign Chris Silva To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Heat have signed Chris Silva to an Exhibit 10 deal, according to a team press release. The forward has been playing for the franchise’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Silva was not selected in the 2019 draft out of South Carolina, though he did work out for the team during the pre-draft process. He spent four years at the University, earning All-SEC First Team honors as a senior.
Miami also announced that it has signed Jeremiah Martin to a similar deal. It was reported after the draft that the guard would join the Heat on an Exhibit 10 pact.
Alec Burks Signs With Warriors
JULY 11: Burks has officially put pen to paper on his deal with the Warriors, the team announced on its Twitter feed.
JULY 8: After initially reaching an agreement with the Thunder early in free agency, guard Alec Burks will instead sign a one-year contract with the Warriors, agent JR Hensley tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As Charania explains (via Twitter), since Burks and Mike Muscala agreed to sign with the Thunder before the Paul George trade developed, Oklahoma City allowed both players to re-evaluate their situations, if they so chose. Muscala remains committed to the Thunder, but Burks will head to Golden State instead of OKC.
“Alec was extremely appreciative about how the Thunder handled the situation and he’s looking forward to his new opportunity,” Hensley told Charania.
A former lottery pick, Burks is a career 35.5% three-point shooter and can defend perimeter players, so he figures to become part of Golden State’s wing rotation. Last season, he appeared in a total of 64 games for the Jazz, Cavaliers, and Kings, averaging 8.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 21.5 minutes per contest.
While terms of Burks’ deal weren’t reported, it will almost certainly be a minimum-salary deal, given the Warriors’ cap constraints.
Latest On Russell Westbrook, Thunder
The Rockets always loom as a threat when stars become available on the market and the Russell Westbrook sweepstakes are no different.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) hears that Houston is attempting to slip into negotiations with Oklahoma City, focusing on the possibility of a three-team trade. It’s unclear which players the Rockets would offer up in such a scenario, though I’d speculate sending Chris Paul elsewhere is the angle. Houston could swap Paul and Westbrook easily, as they both make $38.5M, though the rebuilding Thunder don’t appear to be a fit for Paul. Finding that third team would likely be necessary if in that type of deal.
The Heat appear to be the frontrunner to land Westbrook and the eight-time All-Star has reportedly placed Miami atop the shortlist he gave team’s front office, as Windhorst notes. Still, the two sides have barriers to overcome if they are going to come to an agreement on a trade. Miami is hard-capped, meaning the franchise cannot take back any additional salary in any trade. The team also lacks the ability to trade away a first-rounder until the 2025 season, having already dealt away its two future picks (OKC owns Miami’s unprotected 2021 and lottery unprotected 2023 selections).
Here’s more surrounding Westbrook and the Thunder:
- Will the Bulls get involved in the Westbrook sweepstakes? It doesn’t sound like it. “When you look at the financial aspect of a player that’s 30 going out four years and the amount of money that’s going to be made, those things can tie your hands up and put your organization in a tough position,” VP John Paxson said without mentioning Westbrook directly (via Mark Strotman of NBC Chicago). “You want the superstars. You want to do what the Clippers are doing and the Lakers are doing, but we’re realistic right now. We’re not in that position. We hope that in a couple years with the development of these young guys, players around the league view us as a destination point where they can win at the highest level.”
- The 22% stake in the Thunder organization owned by the late Audrey McClendon is up for sale, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg reports. The franchise is worth approximately $1.5 billion, according to the latest Forbes report. Oklahoma City has sold out 355 games in a row, which is the third-longest active streak in the league.
- Dan Devine of The Ringer breaks down the possible destinations from Westbrook but struggles to find a new home for the point guard. Still, the scribe contends that there will be a team willing to trade for him before training camp starts.
Ron Adams To Remain With Warriors Despite Lakers’ Interest
Highly regarded Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams will remain in Golden State, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, who reports that Adams has turned down an opportunity to join Frank Vogel‘s Lakers staff.
Adams, who has been an NBA assistant coach since being hired by San Antonio way back in 1992, is considered one of the league’s top defensive minds. He has been a key member of Steve Kerr‘s staff since 2014, having won three titles with the Warriors. He’ll remain with the franchise in a “revised” role, according to Youngmisuk.
Youngmisuk and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had reported in June that the Lakers – who previously hired Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins as assistants – received permission to speak to Adams.
At that time, the ESPN duo suggested that Adams’ interest level in joining the Lakers was unclear, but speculated that L.A. could make a compelling case by extending a “significant financial offer.” Details of the Lakers’ offer aren’t known.
Sixers Sign Kyle O’Quinn
JULY 11: The Sixers continue to finalize their contract agreements from the first week of free agency, announcing today in a press release that they’ve officially signed O’Quinn.
JULY 1: Veteran big man Kyle O’Quinn will sign a one-year contract with the Sixers, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice tweets.
O’Quinn will receive the veteran’s minimum and provide depth behind Joel Embiid and Al Horford, who has committed to the Sixers in free agency.
O’Quinn will be joining his fourth team during his NBA career. He played three seasons for the Magic and another three for the Knicks. Last season, he played a backup role for the Pacers, appearing in 45 games and averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 8.2 MPG.
In a separate transaction, the team has renounced the rights to 2017 first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks, Sam Amick of The Athletic tweets. The 23-year-old center was a draft-and-stash prospect. Pasecniks wants to play in the NBA next season and the Sixers did not want to add him to the roster due to salary-cap issues, Amick adds in another tweet. Pasecniks’ cap hold was $2.1MM.