Bucks Sign Jaylen Adams To Camp Deal
August 20: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.
August 16: The Bucks are signing guard Jaylen Adams to a training camp deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Adams became a free agent in mid-July after the Hawks waived him before his $1,416,852 salary became guaranteed. Milwaukee’s contract offer is apparently an Exhibit 10 deal. The Bucks targeted Adams for an affiliate contract spot with their G League team, the Wisconsin Herd, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Adams signed a two-way deal with Atlanta last summer, then had it converted to a standard contract in February. He went undrafted out of St. Bonaventure.
The 23-year-old Adams appeared in 34 NBA games last season, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.9 APG in 12.6 MPG.
Milwaukee had 16 players under contract (14 with fully guaranteed deals), along with a pair of two-way players.
The 6’2” Adams faces an uphill battle to gain a roster spot. The Bucks already have Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo and two-way player Frank Mason at the point.
Team USA Notes: Fox, White, Mitchell, Tucker
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com was surprised when De’Aaron Fox pulled out of international competition, as he explains in a collaborate piece with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Leading up to Fox’s departure, many reports had him as one of the best players at Team USA’s functions and Windhorst writes that Fox would have been a lock to make the team.
Here’s more from the ESPN piece as well as other notes concerning Team USA:
- Did Fox leave because he was worried that coach Gregg Popovich would select Spurs guard Derrick White over him? Windhorst doesn’t believe so. White may make the team but it’ll be because of his exceptional play rather than any preferential treatment.
- Donovan Mitchell has been the most impressive player at USA Basketball functions, Youngmisuk contends (same piece). Mitchell is treating the FIBA World Cup as not just an opportunity to win the tournament but to advance his game and position himself for a roster spot on next year’s Olympics team.
- P.J. Tucker, who recently dropped out of competition for USA Basketball, was a near-lock to make the roster, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic relays. Team USA Teammate Khris Middleton was surprised that the veteran decided to leave the team. “Yeah, we were very surprised,” Middleton said. “But, you know, P.J. is a great player. A tough guy, a vet, that’s been around this league, been around this world, and is experienced. He’s a tough player.”
Kings Sign Center Eric Mika
The Kings have signed center Eric Mika, according to a team press release. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
Sacramento had two openings available on its training camp roster. Mika faces long odds in terms of making the opening-night roster. The Kings already have three centers — Dewayne Dedmon, Richaun Holmes and Harry Giles — along with power forwards Marvin Bagley III, Nemanja Bjelica, Caleb Swanigan, Tyler Lydon and two-way player Wenyen Gabriel.
The 6’10” Mika, 24, was a member of Sacramento’s California Classic summer league squad last month. He played three games and averaged 8.3 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 19.3 MPG. He also appeared in five Las Vegas summer league games for the franchise and averaged 9.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 17.0 MPG.
Mika went undrafted out of BYU in 2017. He played overseas with Germani Basket Brescia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and Medi Bayreuth of Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga last season, posting averages of 8.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 15.9 MPG in 41 games.
Community Shootaround: Warriors’ Outlook
Stephen Curry has been saying all the right things this summer.
Curry remains upbeat about the Warriors’ prospects for the upcoming season despite Kevin Durant‘s departure to the Nets, Klay Thompson‘s knee injury and the loss of numerous other rotation players, including Andre Iguodala (trade) and Shaun Livingston (waived).
“It’s just a change in dynamic all the way around,” Curry said this month. “We’re excited about the opportunities, the challenges for the whole roster, because we’ve got a lot of guys that have the opportunity to really prove themselves and make a difference in our team. Obviously our core, ’til Klay gets back, we know how to win and we know how to play. We’re just going to do it a little differently.”
It’s uncertain if and when Thompson will return from his ACL injury. Most likely it will be after the All-Star break and the Warriors will certainly take a cautious approach with an All-Star who just signed a $190MM contract.
D’Angelo Russell was the team’s big offseason acquisition and it remains to be seen how he’ll mesh with Curry while playing off the ball. What they’ll do with Russell once Thompson is healthy enough to play is another major question mark.
The Warriors should have a decent one-two punch defensively at center with Kevon Looney and another off-season addition, Willie Cauley-Stein.
The remainder of the roster is dotted with young, unproven players and a couple of others trying to revive their careers. Their backup shooting guard options include Alec Burks, Jacob Evans and Jordan Poole. Alfonzo McKinnie, Glenn Robinson III, and two-way player Damion Lee are the main contenders at small forward while Omari Spellman, Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall are the other big man reserves.
Hardly an imposing lot. The good news is that the trio of Curry, Russell and Draymond Green — provided he’s motivated and stays in top shape — are better than the top three players on most other rosters. Additionally, Steve Kerr is one of the top coaches in the league and will be out to prove he can maximize the talent he has on the roster.
That brings us to our question of the day: Will the Warriors make the playoffs during the upcoming season? If so, what is their postseason ceiling?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Nuggets Notes: Harris, Bol, Cook
Gary Harris is primed for a bounce-back season with the Nuggets after injuries marred his 2018/19 campaign, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic writes. Harris was only able to play in 57 regular-season games last season. Harris shot 40.2% from long range in the last 21 games of the regular season and averaged 14.2 PPG in the postseason, Kosmider notes.
Coach Michael Malone has praised Harris for his consistency and the shooting guard has a capable backup in Malik Beasley, which gives Malone the luxury of resting Harris more often prior to the playoffs, Kosmider adds.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- They would prefer to have second-round pick Bol Bol sign a two-way contract in order to stay below the luxury tax line, as Albert Nahmad details. A two-way deal instead of a $898K minimum-salary contract with Bol would give them a little more elbow room as opposed to being less than $100K under the line. If Bol doesn’t want a two-way, the team would have to issue him that minimum deal by September 5 to make him a restricted free agent. Bol would have until October 15 to accept the offer. The team is currently $979K below the tax line, though that figures excludes some unlikely bonuses for Harris and Paul Millsap, Nahmad adds (Twitter links here).
- Undrafted forward Tyler Cook currently holds the other two-way spot and he has no illusions about making an impact in his rookie year, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic. Like most two-way players, Cook will try to hone his skills in the G League for a majority of the season. “I’m a rookie and I understand that,” Cook said. “I’m coming into an established group and so I want to be able to do whatever I can do, whatever they ask me to do to help them win.”
- According to a rookie survey, Bol was a steal in this year’s draft. Get more details here.
Lakers To Work Out Noah, Speights, Howard
The Lakers plan to work out free agent centers Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights as well as the Grizzlies’ Dwight Howard this week in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Another NBA free agent, Marcin Gortat, could also come in for a look, Wojnarowski adds. The Lakers want to evaluate the physical condition and mindset of each player as they seek to replace DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins suffered a torn ACL this month after he signed a one-year contract with the Lakers. Cousins could miss the entire season.
The Grizzlies had already granted the Lakers permission to meet with Howard. Memphis acquired him from the Wizards this offseason but he’s not part of their plans. The Grizzlies could make a trade or reach a buyout on his $5.6MM contract if the Lakers want him.
Noah averaged 7.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 41 games for Memphis last season after his woeful stint with the Knicks. He hasn’t drawn much attention on the free agent market, though he reportedly was being very selective about his next NBA destination.
Speights, who played in China last season, worked out in front of numerous NBA executives last month in Las Vegas.
Gortat was waived by the Clippers at the trade deadline last season and didn’t get picked up.
The Lakers currently have 14 players with guaranteed deals.
International Notes: Stokes, Morris, Mourning, Senegal
Power forward Jarnell Stokes has decided to remain in China for a third consecutive season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Stokes will sign a $1.9MM contract with Xinjiang. Stokes has appeared in 28 NBA games for the Grizzlies, Heat, and Nuggets. He played five games with the Trail Blazers in the Las Vegas Summer League last month and averaged 10.6 PPG and 6.4 RPG.
We have more news from around the basketball globe:
- Guard Darius Morris has officially signed with Russia’s Enisey Krasnoyarsk, Carchia reports. Morris played in the G League last season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 15.2 PPG and 6.1 APG. The former Lakers and Nets guard has appeared in 132 total NBA games after being selected in the second round of the 2011 draft but the 2014/15 season was his last in the league.
- Trey Mourning, son of former NBA star Alonzo Mourning, will play for Russia’s Runa Basket, Carchia adds in another post. The former Georgetown forward, who went undrafted this June, averaged 9.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in four games for the Heat in summer league action last month.
- Former NBA players Hamady Ndiaye and Maurice Ndour are among the players on Senegal’s World Cup roster, according to a FIBA press release. Ndiaye, a center, was a Timberwolves’ 2010 second-round pick and appeared in 33 NBA games. Ndour, a small forward, played 32 games for the Knicks during the 2016/17 season.
P.J. Tucker “Optimistic” About Receiving Extension
Forward P.J. Tucker is “optimistic” about reaching an extension agreement with the Rockets, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports.
The upcoming campaign is the last fully guaranteed season on his four-year, $32MM contract that was signed in 2016. He’ll receive $8.35MM in 2019/20 before dropping to $7.97MM in its final year. That ’20/21 salary is also only partially guaranteed for approximately $2.57MM, per Basketball Insiders’ data.
Tucker believes something must happen sooner rather than later.
“It’s time for my extension right now, so we’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. I’m optimistic, we’ll see.”
Tucker, 34, played a crucial role for the Rockets in 2018/19, starting all 82 games for the club and averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 34.2 MPG. He averaged 38.7 MPG in 11 playoff contests. His ability to knock down threes on offense (.377 3PT%), along with his versatility on the defensive end, makes him one of the club’s most valuable players.
Tucker was considered a safe bet to make Team USA’s World Cup roster before he withdrew due to an ankle injury suffered in practice. He expressed his desire for a contract extension earlier this summer but his latest comments point to mutual interest in getting something done.
Extending his deal by one or two seasons and guaranteeing his ’20/21 salary would be the most logical course of action. The over-38 rule would complicate an extension longer than two years.
Central Notes: Oladipo, Anthony, Young, Blatt
Victor Oladipo is sure the Pacers will make the playoffs due to the additions of Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb, among others, as he told J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
“I feel like we got some great additions. We got a chance to be really special. I feel like the league is wide open,” the Pacers’ guard said. “I was excited for the opportunity to play with (Brogdon). I know what type of player he is, the level that he plays on and has been playing on the last couple of years from Milwaukee. To have him as an addition is pretty big for us.”
Oladipo is working his way back from a quad injury and it’s uncertain whether he’ll be ready by the time the Pacers open training camp. “I’m not sure yet,” he told Mark Monteith of the team’s website.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Adding free agent Carmelo Anthony to the mix never made any sense for the Pistons, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press explains in his latest mailbag. Anthony’s game is predicated on isolation plays and that doesn’t fit the Pistons’ system. He’s also spent most of his time at power forward in recent seasons and the Pistons already signed Markieff Morris, a better defender, to back up Blake Griffin. They also added another veteran forward, Michael Beasley, to compete for a roster spot, Ellis adds.
- Thaddeus Young is a quality finisher and that will help boost the Bulls’ offense, according to Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. Young shot 67.9% from inside three feet for the Pacers last season, while Chicago ranked 28th in the NBA in field goal percentage inside five feet, making just 58% of its attempts, Strotman notes. Young jumped teams on a three-year, $41MM pact early in the free agent season.
- Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt is battling multiple sclerosis but plans to continue coaching, according to an Associated Press report. He’s currently the coach of the Greek team Olympiacos Piraeus. “I am a coach and my job is to lead and teach and inspire a lot of people,” Blatt wrote in the statement. “Not being as agile or active doesn’t affect my ability to do those things.”
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Fall, Chemistry, Smart
Former Celtics center Aron Baynes believes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are poised to reach star status, ESPN’s Niall Seewang reports. Baynes, who was traded to the Suns during the offseason, is particularly enamored with Tatum’s skill set.
“He’s so talented – even from the first day I played with him when he was a rookie in his first preseason, you could see how talented he was offensively and he also wants to work on the defensive end which isn’t common in the NBA – some guys live on that offensive talent but he wants to develop his all-round game,” Baynes said. He added about the young duo, “Those guys are still in their rookie contracts and they’re looking to prove themselves over the next couple of years and they definitely have all the tools to do it.”
We have more on the Celtics:
- Tacko Fall’s agent is confident his client will get claimed off waivers if the Celtics don’t retain him, he told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Fall was signed an Exhibit 10 contract and there’s no guarantee he’d make the 15-man roster. Both two-way slots are also currently filled. “If the Celtics release him, I don’t think he goes unclaimed,” the agent, Justin Haynes, said of the 7’6” Fall. “I think somebody will take a shot on him because he’s done enough to show he can find a place in the NBA. I’m really hopeful that it’s Boston. I hope they find a way, and they do have a vision for him.”
- Co-owner Steve Pagliuca already sees signs that the team’s chemistry will be better this upcoming season, according to Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe. A dysfunctional locker room was one of the big reasons the team underachieved last season. “There’s just really a positive attitude from everybody this year,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of hard-working players that really want to achieve. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”
- The team hasn’t had a captain since Rajon Rondo in 2014 and A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston believes that should change. Marcus Smart has the respect among his teammates and leadership skills that would make him an ideal fit for that role, as Blakely details.