Pelicans Sign Hayes, Alexander-Walker
The Pelicans have inked their two first-rounders from the 2019 NBA Draft not named Zion, agreeing to terms with both big man Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 overall) and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 overall), per the NBA.com’s transactions log.
Assuming both players signed for the standard 120% of the rookie-scale, Hayes will earn $4,862,040 in his rookie season and $22,118,492 over the life of the contract, while Alexander-Walker will earn $2,964,840 in his first season and $14,349,113 over four years.
In his lone season at Texas, Hayes appeared in 32 games, averaging 10.0 PPG. 5.0 RPG, and an impressive 2.2 BPG en route to being named the 2018/19 Big 12 Rookie of the Year.
As for Alexander-Walker, he averaged 16.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 4.0 APG during his sophomore season for Virginia Tech after averaging 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a freshman. For his efforts last year, he was named 2018/19 Third Team All-ACC.
Sixers Sign Marial Shayok To Two-Way Contract
The Sixers have officially signed second-round pick Marial Shayok to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
In a statement within the team’s press release, 76ers general manager Elton Brand calls Shayok, a former Iowa State wing, a “natural-born scorer who is committed to being a tough defender.”
The 54th overall pick in the draft, Shayok spent his final college season at Iowa State, where he got a chance to take on a starring role after three years at Virginia. In his senior year, the 6’6″ Canadian averaged 18.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 2.0 APG, with a shooting line of .496/.386/.878, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors.
Philadelphia signed Norvel Pelle to a two-way contract on Tuesday, so Pelle and Shayok appear poised to open the 2019/20 season as the club’s two-way players. They figure to split time between the NBA club and the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ G League affiliate.
Ekpe Udoh To Play In China
Free agent Ekpe Udoh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, per a report from Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.
Per Varlas, the 32-year-old big man who last played for the Jazz during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons after being drafted No. 6 overall by the Warriors back in 2010, will become the highest-paid non-Chinese player in the CBA.
Confirming Eurohoops’ report, Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News adds that Udoh was strongly considering a return to the EuroLeague (where he played from 2015 to 2017), with reportedly up to five multi-million dollar offers from strong franchises in Spain, Italy and Turkey on the table.
A seven-year NBA veteran, Udoh holds career averages of 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. In addition to the potential financial incentive of heading overseas, Udoh also figures to play a more prominent role in China than he did in the NBA. After all, he was successful enough to earn Final Four MVP during his previous stint overseas.
Hawks Officially Sign De’Andre Hunter, Bruno Fernando
The Hawks have officially signed two of their rookies to their first NBA contracts, announcing today in a pair of press releases (links here) that they’ve finalized contracts with lottery-selection De’Andre Hunter and second-rounder Bruno Fernando.
Hunter, the No. 4 overall section in last month’s draft, was traded to Atlanta from New Orleans after being part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Locked in to the NBA’s rookie scale, Hunter will make just under $7.07MM in his rookie season. Should he play out his full four-year rookie contract he’ll earn approximately $32.1MM.
The 21-year-old forward was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-ACC First Team en route to leading Virginia to the NCAA Championship last season. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 43.8% from three-point range.
As for Fernando, the terms of his new contract are unclear. The Hawks still have a two-way contract slot open after coming to terms with fellow rookie Charlie Brown Jr.; however, it’s likely Fernando’s signing would have been reported as a two-way contract if he was taking the other spot beside Brown.
It’s more likely that the Hawks will use some of their substantial remaining cap space (about $14MM) to accommodate a three to four-year contract with the Maryland big man. A three-year pact at the minimum would see Fernando earn nearly $4.2MM. I anticipate the deal to be in that vicinity, with perhaps a higher first-year salary somewhere between $1MM to 1.5MM.
Kings Sign Kyle Guy To Two-Way Deal
The Kings and rookie guard Kyle Guy have finalized an agreement for Guy to fill one of the team’s two-way contracts for the 2019/20 season, according to an official release from the team (h/t to Jason Jones of The Athletic).
Guy, the 55th overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, has already appeared in four Summer League games with the Kings, including a 21-point performance in Sacramento’s Las Vegas Summer League debut against the Chinese National Team.
A key part of Virginia’s run to a national title last season, Guy averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 35.4 minutes per game in 38 games (38 starts) during his junior season for the Cavaliers. He was named All-ACC First Team and Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Wenyen Gabriel and Troy Williams occupied the Kings’ two-way slots during the 2018/19 season, but Williams is a free agent, so Guy’s deal appears to indicate that he and Gabriel are on track to hold the team’s two two-way slots for the 2019/20 season.
Bulls Acquire Tomas Satoransky Via Sign-And-Trade
JULY 7: The Bulls’ acquisition of Satoransky via sign-and-trade is now official, the team announced in a press release. 
JULY 1: The Bulls have reached an agreement with the Wizards to acquire restricted free agent point guard Tomas Satoransky via a sign-and-trade deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
In return, the Wizards will acquire two second-round picks. The 2023 second-round pick (protected 31-36) that the Bulls sent the Wizards in the Otto Porter trade will also have its protections removed as part of this deal, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Wojnarowski (via Twitter) has the full details on the assets the Wizards are acquiring from the Bulls. They are as follows:
- Either the Bulls’ or Grizzlies’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
- The right to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Bulls’ or Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
- The 31-36 protection removed from the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick.
According to Wojnarowski, Satoransky will ink a three-year contract with Chicago. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link) hears the deal will be worth $30MM, while Johnson tweets that the third year isn’t expected to be fully guaranteed.
A former second-round pick, Satoransky has spent his first three NBA seasons in Washington, and assumed the starting point guard role when John Wall when down last season. In 2018/19, he averaged 8.9 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG in 80 games (27.1 MPG).
While Satoransky isn’t a big-usage player, he has been an efficient caretaker in the backcourt. Last season, he shot .485/.395/.819 and turned the ball over just 1.5 times per game.
The Bulls entered the summer with about $23MM in cap room and intended to use it on a pair of veterans, including a point guard. They reached a three-year, $41MM deal with Thaddeus Young on Sunday night, and now figure to use their leftover space to finalize the acquisition of Satoransky. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the 27-year-old will get the opportunity to start at the point for the Bulls, who will presumably be patient with lottery pick Coby White.
As for the Wizards, they agreed to terms with Ish Smith this morning, but will be in the market for more point guard help with Wall expected to be sidelined for a good chunk of 2019/20. According to Aldridge (via Twitter), they’re talking to Isaiah Thomas and hope there’s a fit there.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agency Notes: Cap Holds, Williams, Magic, Wizards
Nearly half the teams in the NBA renounced their rights to multiple free agents this week as they prepared to make new roster moves official, per RealGM’s transactions log. In some cases, like when the Clippers renounced the rights to Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler, those free agents already new homes lined up, and removing their cap holds was simply a formality to create cap room for incoming additions.
In other cases, the housekeeping moves were a bit more noteworthy. The Pacers, for instance, renounced Darren Collison‘s Bird rights, so if the 31-year-old – who announced his retirement before the start of free agency – ever attempts an NBA comeback, Indiana will no longer have a leg up to re-acquire him.
Besides those two teams, the Hawks, Bucks, Nets, Jazz, Sixers, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Celtics, Wizards, and Bulls also renounced various free agents, according to RealGM’s log.
Here are a few more notes related to free agency:
- The Lakers have withdrawn their qualifying offer to two-way player Johnathan Williams and renounced his rights, according to RealGM. That doesn’t preclude the Lakers from bringing back Williams on a new two-way deal, but he’ll be able to sign outright with a new team if he so chooses.
- At least nine teams are now confirmed to attend the Amar’e Stoudemire/Monta Ellis workout taking place in Las Vegas on Monday, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. We previously relayed word of Stoudemire’s and Ellis’ attempts to make NBA comebacks.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides salary cap updates on a pair of Southeast teams, tweeting that the Magic and Wizards are both safely out of luxury tax territory for now. According to Marks (Twitter links), Orlando has $3.5MM in breathing room under the tax line, counting Khem Birch‘s $1.8MM cap hold, while Washington is about $4MM below that threshold after cutting Jonathon Simmons.
Grizzlies Trade Parsons To Hawks For Plumlee, Hill
JULY 7: The trade is official, the Hawks announced in a press release.
JULY 3: The Grizzlies and Hawks have agreed to a trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Memphis will send Chandler Parsons to Atlanta in exchange for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee.
Like the Hawks’ trade earlier this offseason of Kent Bazemore for Evan Turner, this deal will be a swap of expiring contracts and will be a virtual wash in terms of salary. Unlike that Bazemore/Turner trade though, it’s not clear if any of the players involved in this deal will actually see regular playing time in 2019/20.
Parsons, who will earn about $25.1MM next season, signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Grizzlies during the summer of 2016, but battled injuries and failed to make an impact for the team during his three seasons in Memphis. In total, he appeared in just 95 games over three years, averaging 7.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG with a .393/.341/.779 shooting line.
Parsons and the Grizzlies had a particularly tumultuous year in 2018/19, with Parsons claiming in December that he was healthy and that the team was refusing to play him. He later took a leave of absence from the club.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a buyout this summer, so Memphis will send Parsons to Atlanta, removing a potential distraction from the roster. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), the mid-sized contracts of Plumlee and Hill will be easier for the Grizzlies to move in subsequent deals.
It remains to be seen if the Hawks believe Parsons has the ability to be an on-court contributor for them in 2019/20. Even if they don’t plan to play (or keep) him, there are a couple potential benefits for Atlanta. Moving two contracts for one will open up a roster spot, and Parsons’ salary is worth slightly less than the combined total of the salaries for Plumlee ($12.5MM) and Hill ($12.76MM).
A pair of separate trades will need to be completed before this one can be finalized. Hill is going from New Orleans to Atlanta in a trade involving the No. 4 pick, which in turn is part of the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis trade. The Pelicans/Lakers swap will need to be made official first, followed by the Pelicans/Hawks deal, then the Hawks/Grizzlies trade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Sign Daniel Gafford
JULY 8: The Bulls have officially signed Gafford, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 7: Second-round pick Daniel Gafford has reached an agreement with the Bulls on a four-year contract with a total value of $6.1MM, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The first two seasons of the deal are fully guaranteed.
The 6’11” center out of Arkansas was the 38th player taken in last month’s draft. He spent two years with the Razorbacks, averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a sophomore and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team as well as first team All-SEC honors.
The Bulls will use cap room to make it a four-year deal, with yearly salaries likely to be set at $898,310, $1,517,981, $1,782,621 and $1,930,681.
“He’s a defensive rolling center, high energy, can run the floor,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said after the draft. “He’s very athletic. His rebounding numbers, analytically, his shot-blocking numbers were really high.”
Nets Sign Nicolas Claxton
Second-round pick Nicolas Claxton has signed a multi-year deal with the Nets, the team announced in a press release.
A power forward/center out of Georgia, Claxton was taken with the 31st pick in last month’s draft and should provide front-court depth behind Jarrett Allen and newly signed DeAndre Jordan.
A sophomore, Claxton was a second team All-SEC selection, leading the Bulldogs in scoring, rebounding and steals. He also blocked 2.5 shots per game, ranking him 10th in the nation.