Western Notes: Cancar, Guduric, Rubio, Bol Bol
Vlatko Cancar will have plenty of competition at the forward spots but the 22-year-old could help the Nuggets in a variety of ways, as Eric Spyropoulos of the team’s website details. While playing on Denver’s summer league team for two years, Cancar has shown that he can handle the ball, knock down outside shots and battle in the lane. He doesn’t bring elite mobility at the defensive end but he uses his basketball IQ and awareness to position himself well, Spyropoulos adds.
Cancar, a 2017 second-round pick who spent the last two seasons overseas, signed a three-year contract. The first two years are guaranteed and the Nuggets used part of their mid-level exception to secure him, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. They are now $979K below the luxury tax line, Marks adds.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- The addition of Marko Guduric further muddles the Grizzlies’ wing rotation, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. He’ll join a group that includes shooting guards Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks and Josh Jackson as well as forwards Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill, Kyle Anderson and Bruno Caboclo. Guduric’s two-year, $5.3MM contract put the Grizzlies close to $128MM in salary commitments and gives them a full camp roster, Cobb adds. Guduric, who shot 47.7% from long range in Turkey last season, signed the contract on July 31.
- New Suns point guard Ricky Rubio believes he can make Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton even more productive, as he told Cody Cunningham of the team’s website. “I can help them reach the level they deserve,” Rubio said. “Deandre, Devin Booker, I’ve been talking to them the last couple days and they’re really excited. Can’t wait to jump on the court and start working with them.” Rubio was signed to a three-year, $51MM contract to fix Phoenix’s issues at the point guard position.
- Nuggets rookie big man Bol Bol has moved around quite a bit for a 19-year-old but he feels at home in Denver, as he told Kendra Andrews of The Athletic. “I’m happy to be here,” Bol said. “I really like the city. I’m happy to be in a bigger city again.”
Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker
We’re over a month into 2019’s NBA free agent period, and with news of contract agreements and signings continuing to trickle in, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason.
To this end, we continue to update our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.
A few notes on the tracker:
- Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
- Similarly, contract years and dollars will sometimes be based on what’s been reported to date, so those amounts could be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
- Our tracker will continue to be updated with the latest moves right up until opening night. Signings completed after the season begins won’t be included.
- If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.
Our 2019 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”
The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.
Grizzlies Announce New Coaching Staff
After hiring first-time head coach Taylor Jenkins to replace J.B. Bickerstaff in June, the Grizzlies have officially announced Jenkins’ staff, which features a series of new hires.
According to a press release, Niele Ivey, Brad Jones, David McClure, James “Scoonie” Penn, Vitaly Potapenko, and Neven Spahija will serve as Jenkins’ assistants for the 2019/20 season. Of the six, only Potapenko was on the team’s staff last season.
Ivey, who has spent the last 12 seasons at Notre Dame, including the last four years as the associate head coach of Fighting Irish’s women’s team, is the first female assistant in Grizzlies history, as David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal notes.
Jones, a veteran of the NBA and G League, most recently served as the head coach of the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate. The team has named Jason March as its new G League head coach.
McClure spent the last three seasons as a player development coach for the Pacers; Penn comes to Memphis from Ohio State, where he was the director of player development since 2017; Spahija has coached internationally in a handful of countries since the mid-1980s, and was a Hawks assistant from 2014-17, working alongside Jenkins under Mike Budenholzer.
“Their experiences at the collegiate, international, G League and NBA levels will benefit everyone in our organization,” Jenkins said of his new assistants. “Above all else, I am thrilled to work with great people who will help build a competitive, unselfish, development-focused, and positive environment for our players.”
Green’s Extension Features Player Option, Trade Kicker
Draymond Green‘s new four-year, $99.7MM contract extension with the Warriors, which became official on Saturday, includes a player option on the final season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The deal also features a 15% trade kicker, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.
Of the two new details on Green’s deal, the player option is more noteworthy. Neither Stephen Curry nor Klay Thompson received a player option on his most recent five-year contract with Golden State. The Warriors were willing to tack on second-year player options for Kevin Durant as he went year to year, but it seemed as if the organization was opposed to including those options in long-term pacts. Green’s new deal suggests that’s not the case.
Green will have to decide on his player option during the summer of 2023, when he’ll be 33 years old. If he turns down the option, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent that summer. If he picks it up, he’ll lock in a $27.6MM salary for the 2023/24 season.
At this point, Green seems likely to opt in, but we did just see a 33-year-old Al Horford secure nearly $100MM in guaranteed money on a long-term free agent contract, so if Green’s career follows a similar trajectory, he could score one last big payday in the summer of ’23.
As for the trade kicker, there’s no indication that the Warriors will consider dealing Green anytime soon, but if that changes down the road, the kicker would be a factor. He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth 15% of his remaining salary if he’s traded. The annual salaries on Green’s extension project to fall well below his maximum salaries in each season, so the bonus money wouldn’t be voided unless he chose to waive the kicker.
Green is the third Warriors star to get a 15% trade kicker on his latest contract, joining Curry and Thompson.
International Updates: Loyd, Liggins, Zipser
After clearing waivers on Sunday, former Raptors two-way player Jordan Loyd has now officially signed with Valencia, the Spanish team announced today in a press release. Toronto’s release of Loyd was classified by the club as a mutual parting of ways, with the defending NBA champions giving the 26-year-old a chance to pursue a new international opportunity.
Loyd will head to the EuroLeague after starring in the G League for Raptors 905 in 2018/19. He averaged 22.5 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 5.8 RPG in 41 games en route to a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team.
Of course, Loyd’s most memorable moment at the NBA level may have come in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when he was captured in a viral photo next to Kawhi Leonard as the Raptors and Sixers waited to see if Leonard’s series-winning buzzer beater would fall through the net.
Here are a few more updates on former NBA players signing with non-NBA teams:
- Former Bulls forward Paul Zipser has signed a new two-year contract with German club Bayern Munich, per a press release. Zipser played for Bayern Munich for three seasons before being drafted in 2016. After spending two seasons in Chicago from 2016-18, the German nearly signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn in 2018/19, but ultimately joined Spanish team San Pablo Burgos in January.
- NBA journeyman DeAndre Liggins has signed with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in Spain, the team announced today in a press release. Liggins, who has appeared in regular season games for seven NBA clubs, spent time in the G League and in Greece in 2018/19. He last played in the NBA in the spring of 2018, when he finished the season with the Pelicans.
- As we relayed earlier today, veteran NBA guards Wayne Selden and Jerian Grant both appear to be on track to join teams in China.
Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches
Although the NBA’s head coaching carousel continued to turn during the 2018/19 season and 2019 offseason, most of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches remained in no danger of losing their jobs.
Of the seven head coaches who have been replaced since we listed the NBA’s longest-tenured coaches last July, none had held their position since before June 2015. Fred Hoiberg (12th) and Tyronn Lue (14th) at least ranked in the top half of last year’s longest-tenured list, but none of the other five displaced coaches had more than three years on the job. Igor Kokoskov got just one year in Phoenix before being dismissed.
The names atop the list of longest-tenured coaches may be unchanged, but given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list.
Here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team, sorted by the date they were hired:
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
- Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
- Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: May 2008
- Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers: August 2012
- Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
- Brad Stevens, Celtics: July 2013
- Brett Brown, Sixers: August 2013
- Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
- Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
- Billy Donovan, Thunder: April 2015
- Alvin Gentry, Pelicans: May 2015 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
- Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
- Kenny Atkinson, Nets: April 2016 (remained Hawks assistant through Atlanta’s playoff run)
- Scott Brooks, Wizards: April 2016
- Nate McMillan, Pacers: May 2016
- Mike D’Antoni, Rockets: June 2016
- David Fizdale, Knicks: May 7, 2018
- James Borrego, Hornets: May 10, 2018
- Lloyd Pierce, Hawks: May 11, 2018
- Mike Budenholzer, Bucks: May 17, 2018
- Steve Clifford, Magic: May 30, 2018
- Dwane Casey, Pistons: June 11, 2018
- Nick Nurse, Raptors: June 14, 2018
- Jim Boylen, Bulls: December 2018
- Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves: January 2019
- Luke Walton, Kings: April 2019
- Monty Williams, Suns: May 3, 2019 (remained Sixers assistant through Philadelphia’s playoff run)
- John Beilein, Cavaliers: May 13, 2019
- Frank Vogel, Lakers: May 13, 2019
- Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jerian Grant Expected To Play In China
Another NBA free agent appears set to head overseas for the 2019/20 season, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (via Twitter) that Jerian Grant is signing with a team in the Chinese Basketball Assocation. According to Carchia, Grant’s new club will likely be the Qingdao Eagles.
Grant, a first-round pick in the 2015 draft, has spent time with the Knicks, Bulls, and Magic over the course of four NBA seasons. In 2018/19, the 26-year-old averaged 4.2 PPG and 2.6 APG on .418/.364/.650 shooting in 60 games (15.7 MPG) for Orlando.
While Grant was the Magic’s backup point guard for much of last season, he lost that role in the second half, first to Isaiah Briscoe and then to Michael Carter-Williams. He was eligible for a qualifying offer, but Orlando passed, making him an unrestricted free agent.
With Grant expected to be officially off the market soon, there are few viable free agent options left for NBA teams in need of point guard depth. Jeremy Lin and Shaun Livingston headline the remaining FAs, with Isaiah Canaan, Devin Harris, Chasson Randle, and Raymond Felton among the other names still on the board.
De’Aaron Fox Elevated To Team USA Roster
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been elevated from Team USA’s Select Team squad to the preliminary World Cup roster, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Haynes adds that Fox has a “good chance” to make the final 12-man roster for the 2019 World Cup.
Fox had previously been one of 14 players who was on track to suit up for the Select Team, which will scrimmage against the primary Team USA roster at training camp in Las Vegas this week. However, his promotion to the main group makes sense, as Kemba Walker is the only healthy point guard who is a lock to make the 12-man roster. Kyle Lowry is still recovering from thumb surgery, while Donovan Mitchell and Marcus Smart aren’t really true point guards.
Here are the players who will represents Team USA for this week’s training camp at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center:
Main roster:
- Bam Adebayo (Heat)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Kyle Kuzma (Lakers)
- Brook Lopez (Bucks)
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors)
- Khris Middleton (Bucks)
- Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)
- Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
- Marcus Smart (Celtics)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- P.J. Tucker (Rockets)
- Myles Turner (Pacers)
- Kemba Walker (Celtics)
- Thaddeus Young (Bulls)
Select Team:
- Jarrett Allen (Nets)
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mikal Bridges (Suns)
- Jalen Brunson (Mavericks)
- John Collins (Hawks)
- Pat Connaughton (Bucks)
- Torrey Craig (Nuggets)
- Joe Harris (Nets)
- Jonathan Isaac (Magic)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
- Derrick White (Spurs)
- Trae Young (Hawks)
According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, it took more than 50 invitations for Team USA to ultimately set its training camp roster for the World Cup. In addition to featuring players like James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Anthony Davis – all of whom removed their names from consideration in recent weeks – that list of 50+ invitees probably also included the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who presumably declined to participate from the get-go.
Still, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo tells Reynolds that he doesn’t have any “angst” over the roster-building process — or about Team USA’s chances in next month’s event. According to Colangelo, he’s looking forward to seeing some of the new faces play roles in China.
“The focus has to be on who’s here — not who’s not here,” Colangelo said. “A number of the young players in this group have a chance, a real chance, some of them to make this team, some of them to make an impact in the World Cup.”
Sam Dekker Signs With Russian Team
AUGUST 5: Lokomotiv Kuban has officially confirmed its deal with Dekker (Twitter link).
AUGUST 3: Forward Sam Dekker is close to an agreement with Russia’s Lokomotiv Kuban, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets.
Like several other NBA veterans, Dekker didn’t attract much interest in the free agent market this summer and was forced to explore overseas options.
Dekker became an unrestricted free agent when the Wizards declined to extend a $3.91MM qualifying offer. Dekker wound up in Washington via a three-team December deal that also involved the Bucks and Cavaliers.
The 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft has struggled to find his footing in the NBA after a stellar college career at Wisconsin. He’s averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15.5 MPG while playing 200 NBA games for Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland as well as the Wizards.
He made just 28.8% of his 3-point attempts during his four NBA seasons and knocked down only 28.6% in 38 games off the bench for Washington. Dekker averaged 6.1 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 16.3 MPG after the trade.
Wayne Selden Close To Signing With Shandong
Free agent NBA shooting guard Wayne Selden is close to signing a deal with Shandong of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). According to Goodman, Selden’s one-year CBA contract would be worth nearly $3.5MM.
Selden, who will turn 25 next month, has appeared in 124 total games for the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Bulls over the last three seasons. In 2018/19, he began the season in Memphis but was dealt to Chicago in a trade involving Justin Holiday.
In 43 games (22.9 MPG) for the Bulls, Selden averaged 8.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a shooting line of .407/.315/.714. The former Kansas Jayhawk was eligible for restricted free agency, but Chicago opted not to make him a qualifying offer, so he has been an unrestricted free agent since June 30.
Assuming Selden finalizes his deal with Shandong, it would be the second lucrative CBA contract for an NBA swingman already this month. Last Thursday, we learned that Lance Stephenson would be signing a one-year, $4MM pact with Liaoning.