Mavericks Sign Dakota Mathias
The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Dakota Mathias to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed camp deal.
Mathias went undrafted in 2018 after spending four years at Purdue, where he was a two-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection and briefly held the school’s record for total three-pointers made (Carsen Edwards surpassed him in 2018/19).
In his first professional season, Mathias joined the Cavaliers for Summer League play, then signed with Joventut in Spain, appearing in 12 games overseas before an ankle injury ended his stint with the club.
The former Boilermaker returned stateside to play for the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this month. Although he struggled with his shot in five games for the Lakers, going just 9-for-33 from the floor (27.3%), the Mavs apparently like him enough to bring him to camp.
Mathias looks like a good bet to ultimately end up playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate.
Why Bradley Beal Won’t Immediately Accept Wizards’ Extension Offer
Today marks the three-year anniversary of Bradley Beal signing his current five-year deal with the Wizards, which means it’s also the day he becomes eligible to sign a contract extension with the team.
New permanent general manager Tommy Sheppard vowed earlier in the week that the Wizards would offer Beal the maximum possible extension – nearly $112MM over three years – as soon as possible. According to David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link), the team did just that today. However, Aldridge says that Beal isn’t signing that offer immediately — if at all.
As Aldridge details (via Twitter), Beal is grateful for the offer and remains committed to the franchise. But he also still has questions about the Wizards’ short- and long-term plans during the prime of his career, and has a better chance to maximize his earnings if he waits to sign a new contract. According to Aldridge (Twitter link), the two sides will continue to have “amiable” discussions about their future.
While it’s impossible for us to know at this point whether or not Beal will ultimately decide that he’s comfortable with the Wizards’ long-term vision and wants to remain in D.C. for the foreseeable future, we can at least crunch the numbers and break down why it makes more sense financially for the All-Star guard to hold off on an extension.
Cap guru Albert Nahmad has a more detailed round-up of all the scenarios on the table for Beal, but here’s a quick look at the maximum-salary extension available to him now as opposed to the ones that could be available next summer:
| Year | Now | July 2020 |
July 2020 (All-NBA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | $34,502,129 | $34,502,129 | $43,750,000 |
| 2022/23 | $37,262,299 | $37,262,299 | $47,250,000 |
| 2023/24 | $40,022,469 | $40,022,469 | $50,750,000 |
| 2024/25 | – | $42,782,639 | $54,250,000 |
| 2025/26 | – | – | $57,750,000 |
| Total | $111,786,897 | $154,569,536 | $253,750,000 |
That third column is an important one. Based on the NBA’s $125MM cap projection for 2021/22, that’s the super-max contract Beal would be eligible for if he earns All-NBA honors in 2019/20.
On a Wizards squad that projects to finish in the bottom five of the Eastern Conference, Beal will face an uphill battle when it comes to making an All-NBA team. Still, John Wall is expected to miss most or all of the season, and Beal put up his best numbers after Wall went down in 2018/19, averaging 27.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 5.1 RPG in 47 games the rest of the way.
Even if Beal isn’t named to an All-NBA team in 2019/20, he’d still have one year left on his current contract and would have an opportunity to become super-max eligible again during the 2020/21 season.
If Beal plays out the remaining two years on his current contract and reaches the open market in July of 2021, here are the maximum-salary options that would be available to him based on the league’s latest cap projections:
| Year | Re-signing |
Re-signing (All-NBA) |
Joining new team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | $37,500,000 | $43,750,000 | $37,500,000 |
| 2022/23 | $40,500,000 | $47,250,000 | $39,375,000 |
| 2023/24 | $43,500,000 | $50,750,000 | $41,250,000 |
| 2024/25 | $46,500,000 | $54,250,000 | $43,125,000 |
| 2025/26 | $49,500,000 | $57,750,000 | – |
| Total | $217,500,000 | $253,750,000 | $161,250,000 |
As this chart shows, Beal could, in theory, nearly double the total value of his next contract with the Wizards if he waits until free agency to re-sign with Washington rather than signing an extension right now. If he earns an All-NBA spot in either of the next two seasons, the value of his next deal could go even higher.
The salary figures here for joining a new team are also worth noting. Signing an extension with the Wizards today would lock in a $34.5MM salary for Beal in 2021/22. Unless the NBA’s cap projections for that season change significantly over the next two years, he’d be assured of a much larger starting salary by waiting until free agency, even if he signs with a new team at that point.
If Beal believes there might be a chance that his value as a player won’t be as high in a year or two as it is now, he may be more motivated to sign an extension right now and gain some long-term security. He’s still just 26 years old though, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t maintain his current value for at least the next two seasons, barring a significant injury.
With Beal unlikely to accept an extension offer from the Wizards anytime soon, we can probably expect to hear increasing trade speculation surrounding the star guard in the coming weeks and months. However, Sheppard has said the team doesn’t plan to go down that road, and the numbers detailed above show why it makes sense for Beal to wait on a new deal even if he wants to remain in Washington.
As long as Beal doesn’t express a desire to be sent elsewhere, I wouldn’t expect the Wizards to start seriously entertaining a trade anytime soon, with or without an extension in place.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Unveil Plans For Inglewood Arena
After having formally introduced new acquisitions Kawhi Leonard and Paul George earlier this week, the Clippers made another major announcement on Thursday evening, unveiling plans to build a new, 18,500-seat arena in Inglewood. The proposed arena would be completely privately financed.
The Clippers currently share a building with both the Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, but team owner Steve Ballmer has long expressed a desire to move out of the Staples Center and into a new arena. The club’s lease at Staples Center is scheduled to expire in 2024, and according to Thursday’s announcement, the goal is to complete the arena project in Inglewood by the fall of 2024.
The renderings and details released by the Clippers on Thursday look impressive — in addition to the court itself, the building would feature the club’s business and basketball offices, a training facility, and community and retail spaces. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details, Ballmer visited 13 to 15 NBA arenas and facilities to get a sense of what he wants the Clips’ new home to feel like.
“I want it to be a noisy building,” Ballmer said, per Youngmisuk. “I really want that kind of energy; think Oracle [Arena] has been that way, Utah, Portland has got good energy. I think our Clipper fan base is a little more tenacious. They’re people decided they’re sticking with us, and now I think we will get new kinds of fans with Paul and Kawhi joining us, but I think it is a hardcore fan base. I think that we can get real noise, real energy in the building.”
The Clippers will have to overcome some legal hurdles before they can move forward on actually building their proposed arena. James Dolan and the Madison Square Garden Company own The Forum in Inglewood, and have been opposed to the idea of the Clips constructing a new building adjacent to the existing arena. MSG Co. has filed multiple lawsuits in an effort to try to protect its investment in The Forum.
Nonetheless, Ballmer is confident that those roadblocks can be overcome and that the Clippers will eventually have an arena to call their own in Inglewood.
“We won’t go into the details of any of the legal things, but we feel good that we will be able to build our building,” Ballmer said, according to Youngmisuk. “Litigation is never a good thing. Madison Square Garden is certainly going to oppose in every way they can. They will continue to oppose us in a variety of different ways, and yet we feel confident that we will be able to get our building built by 2024, which is when our lease ends at Staples.”
Although the proposed arena wasn’t really a factor in Leonard’s decision to join the Clippers in free agency, Ballmer confirmed that it was discussed during the recruiting process as a way to show the franchise’s commitment to building its own identity in Los Angeles.
“I don’t want to say it was a major milestone in the meeting, but we did share because it is another statement that we are really committed,” Ballmer said. “I don’t know how it’s humanly possible, but I still occasionally get a question about it: Will your team move to Seattle? We are building our billion-dollar-plus house here in Inglewood, California.”
Bucks Sign Dragan Bender To Two-Year Deal
JULY 26, 8:09am: The Bucks have officially signed Bender, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
JULY 25, 12:20pm: The first year of Bender’s deal with the Bucks is partially guaranteed, while the second is non-guaranteed, reports Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links).
JULY 25, 10:49am: Free agent power forward Dragan Bender won’t be returning overseas after all, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the former lottery pick has reached an agreement on a two-year deal with the Bucks.
Guarantee details aren’t yet known, but Milwaukee can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum, which would result in salaries worth approximately $1.68MM in 2019/20 and $1.82MM in 2020/21 for Bender.
Bender, 21, spent the last three seasons with the Suns after being selected fourth overall in 2016. However, he has failed to develop into a regular NBA rotation player, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .394/.321/.647 shooting line in 171 games in Phoenix.
A report last week indicated that Bender was close to signing with defending EuroLeague champions CSKA Moscow. However, the verbal agreement Bender had with the Russian club was said to be contingent on him not receiving any last-minute NBA offers. Now that the Bucks have swooped in at the 11th hour, the young big man will remain stateside.
Before making their deal with Bender official, the Bucks are already carrying 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries for 2019/20. If Bender gets a guaranteed salary too, it would make him a strong favorite to fill the team’s 15th and final regular season roster spot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sixers Re-Sign Furkan Korkmaz
JULY 26: The Sixers’ deal with Korkmaz is now official, the club announced on Thursday night in a press release.
“We’re excited to have Furkan back and look forward to his continued growth and contributions,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “He has a strong work ethic and he’s well-respected in our locker room. Having just turned 22, Furkan is a talented young player with significant potential, and we’re thrilled to have him on our roster.”
JULY 24: Free agent swingman Furkan Korkmaz has agreed to re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Korkmaz will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.62MM next season and $1.76MM in 2020/21, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
The 6’7” Korkmaz, a 2016 first-rounder, averaged 5.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 14.1 MPG over 48 regular-season games last season. He also made four appearances in the playoffs. He saw action in 14 games during the 2017/18 season.
Philadelphia renounced its rights to Korkmaz earlier this month and it appeared he was headed overseas to play in Turkey. However, he ultimately decided to stay in the NBA and he’ll provide depth at the wings behind starters Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson. The Sixers now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way players.
Eastern Notes: Wizards, Dragic, Davis
Sashi Brown, who previously led the NFL’s Cleveland Browns but will now work within the Wizards‘ new-look front office, admits that it will take some time to transition to the NBA, though he sees opportunity to add value, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports passes along.
“I think that if you’re relying on winning to develop your culture you probably don’t have a very good culture,” Brown said. “It really has to be the driver for winning. That’s what we’re going to do. We’ve got guys that are experienced and passionate that will hold the entire organization accountable.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Goran Dragic was nearly traded this offseason and that might suggest that his days on the Heat are numbered but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel sees it differently. The scribe envisions Dragic playing better in 2019/20 and suggests that the best move for both parties would be to sign a one-year deal at the end of the season, as the Heat are financially gearing up for the summer of 2021 in order to chase star free agents.
- The Hornets may have to choose between Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum as they decide who will be in their starting lineup, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The decision could come down to whether the team is planning on competing this season or investing in their young prospects.
- Anthony Davis, who is from Chicago, called the city the “Mecca of basketball,” as The Chicago Tribune passes along. Davis added that he’d consider joining the Bulls at some point in the future if it made sense to do so.
Pelicans Sign Nicolo Melli
JULY 25: The Pelicans have officially signed Melli, the team announced today in a press release. New Orleans used its room exception to complete the signing.
JUNE 30: The Pelicans are finalizing a deal with Italian power forward Nicolo Melli, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s a two-year, $8MM deal, according to Wojnarowski, who confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides are in agreement.
Will Guillory of The Athletic confirms the report, adding that the Pelicans see the 6’9″ Melli as an efficient passer who can space the floor (Twitter link). The 28-year-old played for Fenerbahce this season and was the leading scorer in the EuroLeague Finals.
Melli has been playing professionally in Europe for more than a decade. He also has extensive international experience, starting with Italy’s Junior National Team in 2007.
He will be part of a revamped team in New Orleans as the Pelicans build around No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson and No. 8 selection Jaxson Hayes, along with the package of players they’re getting from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade.
Celtics Become 26th Franchise To Fully Own G League Team
The Celtics have an agreement in place to buy the Maine Red Claws, their G League affiliate, as the team announced today.
“Over the years, the G League and the Red Claws have become increasingly important to the Celtics and our player development efforts. We look forward to deepening both our ties with basketball operations and within the community, and further bringing the Celtics experience to fans in Maine,” said Team President Rich Gotham.
There are 28 teams in the G League and after this move, only two franchises do not wholly own their affiliate, as 2 Ways & 10 Days highlights on Twitter.
The Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) and Pistons (Grand Rapid Drive) have “hybrid” affiliations with their respective G League clubs, meaning they manage and fund the basketball operations while local ownership maintains the control of the business and its community relations, as the G League details on its website.
The Red Claws played their first game in 2009 and are located in Portland, Maine. The team was previously owned by Maine Basketball, LLC.
Anthony Bennett Signs With Rockets
JULY 25: The Rockets have officially signed Bennett, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.
JULY 12: Forward Anthony Bennett has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Rockets, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Bennett would appear to be a long shot to make the 15-man roster.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft bided his time in the G League last season with the Agua Caliente Clippers. He appeared in 25 games last season and averaged 12.2 PPG in 20.9 MPG. He played in 35 G League games the previous season.
After the Cavaliers gave up on him, Bennett played for the Timberwolves, Raptors and Nets. He also played in Turkey for part of the 2017 season. In 151 NBA games, Bennett has averaged 4.4 PPG in 12.6 MPG.
Thunder Waive Donte Grantham
The Thunder have waived Donte Grantham, according to Brett Dawson of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’8″ small forward had been on a two-way contract with the franchise.
Grantham appeared in three NBA contests for the Thunder last season, hoisting up two shots but failing to make either attempt. He played in 34 G League games for the Oklahoma City Blue, where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
After waiving Grantham, the team now has one two-way contract slot available. Luguentz Dort is currently OKC’s other two-way player.