Spencer Dinwiddie Talks Investments, Tampering, Nets’ Season
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will become the first NBA player to turn his player contract into a digital investment vehicle, giving up some future income on his three-year, $34MM+ deal in order to secure a lump sum payment up front. Dinwiddie is confident that the NBA and the Players’ Association will approve the measure.
“What are they going to do, try and stop me? I mean, they could try,” Dinwiddie said (via Brian Lewis of The New York Times). “Then they’d have to have legal standing to do so. Do you really want to do that? Because wouldn’t that be bad PR for them to do that? I would think”
Dinwiddie went on to explain that he isn’t creating a new currency. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel and create a new bitcoin; this is different,” he said. “… I will say this, though: It solves some of the league’s fan engagement issue. It does do that.”
The 26-year-old also touched on tampering in the NBA, something that will have new consequences for as a result of last Friday’s Board of Governors’ meeting. Dinwiddie openly wondered whether it’s a coincidence that the league’s increased focus on tampering comes after teams like his own were big winners in free agency.
“You mean when non-traditional powers like the Nets and the Clippers win?” Dinwiddie added. “What you’re saying is, if it’d been the Lakers and the Knicks that won it wouldn’t be a problem, but because it’s the Clippers and the Nets that won it’s an issue?”
The Nets landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer and Dinwiddie played a role in the recruitment. Brooklyn will have many new faces next season, including Taurean Prince, who came to the team via a trade with the Hawks.
“He’s going to be a pleasant surprise, somebody a lot of people are discounting,” Dinwiddie said of Prince. “[He] can really, really, really shoot it.”
Thunder Sign Markel Brown To Camp Deal
9:20pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
5:31pm: The Thunder will sign Markel Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).
Brown was the No. 44 overall pick in the 2014 draft, having been selected by Minnesota and subsequently traded to Brooklyn on draft night. He spent two seasons with the Nets before carving out a career internationally.
The Thunder entered the day with four open spots on their training camp roster and 13 guaranteed deals. Training camp in Oklahoma City begins next Monday.
LaMelo Ball In Conversation For No. 1 Pick In 2020 NBA Draft
Examine ESPN’s latest mock draft and you’ll find a surprising name near the top of the list. ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony has LaMelo Ball going No. 3 overall in his latest piece and hears that Ball might end up being in contention for the No. 1 overall pick next summer.
“If he keeps this up, I don’t see any way he isn’t in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick,” one NBA executive told Givony. “He completely changed my perception of the type of prospect he is, and all of the background info I gathered here from his coaches and teammates paint a very different story of what I thought about him off the court as well.”
Ball, who is the younger brother of Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, is spending the year playing for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s NBL. Many around the Australian league believed the club was taking a big risk bringing in Ball, whose father has been deemed a media distraction in the past. However, it’s been all positive for Ball in Australia and scouts are raving about his game.
“He reminds me of Luka Doncic,” a scout said. “Just in terms of his size, his feel and his creativity…He plays with incredible pace. He’s never sped up. He’s never rattled by anything that’s thrown at him…You’re expecting something magical to happen every time he has the ball. He sees everything. He can make every pass with either hand off a live dribble. His style of play is tailor-made for the NBA game, especially if you surround him with shooting and better finishers.”
The NBL doesn’t have the kind of talent found in the NCAA, though Ball is playing alongside fellow NBA prospect R.J. Hampton abroad. The league continues to grow and with that, comes an increased level of play.
Washington big man Isaiah Stewart, Memphis center James Wiseman, and Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards are among the prospects expected to compete for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. As for point guards, Ball is currently viewed as the best available.
“It’s a talented field,” an executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “But he’s got the most potential.”
Atlantic Notes: Marks, Robinson, Hinton
Nets general manager Sean Marks will look to bring in a 16th player during Wilson Chandler‘s suspension, Ian Begley of SNY.tv tweets. Brooklyn will have the ability to move Chandler to the suspended list after he serves the first five games of the 25-game suspension, opening up a roster spot for the final 20 games of the ban.
Marks said the franchise will do its due diligence on the available players, though Begley notes that the Nets GM did not mention Carmelo Anthony (or any player) directly.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Mitchell Robinson is back to full health, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays (Twitter link). The center’s knee woes forced him out of Team USA’s camp last month, but he’s now participating in activities with the Knicks.
- Amir Hinton, who’s heading to camp with the Knicks on an Exhibit 10 deal, is a long-shot to make the opening day roster, but the combo guard will look to develop his game during his time with the team, as Berman relays in a full-length piece. “As time goes on, I’ll develop into a point guard knowing my spots and get teammates more involved,’’ Hinton said. “I can do that. But all my life, I’ve been a combo in a scoring role. I’m trying not to think too hard and have fun playing basketball, not make the game too hard.’’
- Chemistry could be a concern for the Nets but Spencer Dinwiddie believes winning will solve any potential issues, as he tells Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “That’s always the trouble. That’s always the elephant in the room, right?…Last year we were able to come together even with injuries and in some cases galvanizing the group,” Dinwiddie said. “We’re a more talented team, but if we don’t come together then it doesn’t really matter.”
Lakers Expect Kyle Kuzma To Miss Start Of Camp
5:03pm: While Kuzma’s recovery is said to be going well, the Lakers do expect him to miss the start of training camp, according to Stein, who labels the ailment a stress injury in Kuzma’s lower left leg (Twitter link).
9:54am: Kyle Kuzma‘s recovery from the foot injury that cost him a potential spot on Team USA’s World Cup roster has been slower than expected, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). According to Stein, the Lakers increasingly fear that Kuzma won’t be ready for the start of training camp next week.
It was exactly one month ago that Kuzma was diagnosed with left ankle soreness, which resulted in him being the final player removed from Team USA’s roster before the 12-man squad was set. It appeared at the time to be a minor ailment, but the third-year forward is not yet back to 100%.
While Kuzma’s availability for the start of the regular season next month doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy at this point, the Lakers would presumably like to get him as many reps as possible with his new teammates before opening night, given how much turnover the roster underwent this summer. Of the 15 players expected to be on the regular season roster, only five – including Kuzma – were Lakers in 2018/19.
It will be a big year for Kuzma, who has talked about wanting to be the Lakers’ third star to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2020, Kuzma recently hired CAA for representation, and according to Stein (via Twitter), also appears to be nearing a lucrative multiyear endorsement deal with Puma.
If Kuzma is unable to participate in camp, the Lakers will be down two frontcourt players — center DeMarcus Cousins is expected to be sidelined all season due to a torn ACL.
Pelicans Sign Jalen Adams, Javon Bess
The Pelicans have officially completed previously-reported deals with undrafted rookies Jalen Adams and Javon Bess, the club confirmed today. Both players are listed on New Orleans’ 20-man roster for training camp.
Adams, a point guard out of UConn, averaged 16.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.4 APG during his senior year, which was limited to 26 games due to a knee injury. The 6’3″ Adams, who started 99 of 124 career games with the Huskies, reached a contract agreement with the Pelicans right after the draft in June and appeared in five games for New Orleans’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas.
Bess, a 6’6″ swingman, began his college career at Michigan State before transferring to Saint Louis for his junior and senior years. In 2018/19, he posted 15.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games (36.8 MPG). Like Adams, he quickly agreed to terms with New Orleans after the draft and suited up for the Pelicans’ Summer League team, though he averaged just 8.8 minutes per contest in five games in Las Vegas.
After signing Adams and Bess, the Pelicans have a full 20-man roster. The odd man out, based on prior reports, is Aubrey Dawkins — a June report suggested that Dawkins had agreed to terms with the Pelicans on an Exhibit 10 contract. Assuming the report was accurate at the time, the agreement either fell through or will be completed later this fall, after the Pels waive a player.
Kings Sign Tyler Ulis
The Kings have filled their training camp roster by signing free agent guard Tyler Ulis, the club announced today in a press release. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), Ulis’ deal has a partial guarantee and doesn’t contain an Exhibit 10 clause. Sacramento now has 20 players under contract.
Ulis, 23, spent the first two seasons of his NBA career with the Suns after being selected 34th overall in the 2016 draft. averaging 7.6 PPG and 4.1 APG in 132 total games with the team, including 58 as a starter.
After he was released by Phoenix in the summer of 2018, Ulis signed a training camp contract with the Warriors, then was claimed off waivers last October by the Bulls. Chicago converted Ulis to a two-way contract and kept him under contract for about two and a half months before waiving him in late December. He appeared in five games for the Windy City Bulls and just one for Chicago before undergoing hip surgery.
The Kings have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and two on two-way deals, leaving one potential opening on the 15-man regular season roster. Veteran forward Tyler Lydon is probably the frontrunner for that spot, but Ulis may challenge for it. Camp invitees Eric Mika and Isaiah Pineiro could also be in the mix.
Wizards’ Troy Brown Strains Calf, Out Four Weeks
Wizards forward Troy Brown suffered a left calf strain during workouts on Monday and is expected to miss approximately four weeks, the team announced today in a press release.
A four-week absence would sideline Brown through October 22, and the Wizards’ season will begin on October 23 in Dallas. As such, it’s possible the 20-year-old could make it back for opening night, but that’s certainly not a lock.
The 15th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Brown appeared in 52 games in his rookie season, averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 14.0 minutes per contest. He’s expected to play a more significant role moving forward as Washington transitions into rebuilding mode.
Brown’s injury is the latest in a string of them for the Wizards, who will be a little shorthanded when training camp opens next week. C.J. Miles underwent surgery in July to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, while Isaiah Thomas underwent thumb surgery last week and is expected to miss the start of the regular season.
Bucks Fined By NBA For Comments On Super-Max For Giannis
The Bucks have been hit with a $50K fine by the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that the club violated league rules related to the timing of player contract comments. According to Charania, the fine stems from the Bucks publicly discussing their plans to offer Giannis Antetokounmpo a super-max contract.
Antetokounmpo is not yet eligible for that five-year Designated Veteran Extension, so league rules prohibit the team from discussing it, as the NBA noted in a press release confirming the fine.
“Under NBA rules, teams cannot commit to offer a ‘super-max’ extension prior to the summer following a player’s seventh season in the NBA,” the NBA said in its statement.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Designated Veteran Extension]
The comments about a super-max deal for Giannis were made by Bucks general manager Jon Horst at a televised fan event earlier this month.
“The answer for now is that we can’t negotiate anything,” Horst said when asked about Antetokounmpo’s contract status. “So Giannis, basically a year from now will be eligible for a super-max extension. At that time, of course, he will be offered a super-max extension.”
The Bucks technically violated the NBA’s circumvention rules when discussing the reigning MVP’s future, as Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights observes (via Twitter). Still, Horst’s comments are pretty innocuous. While the Bucks can’t exactly “tamper” with their own player, I wonder if the NBA is looking to draw a clear line on this sort of public statement in the wake of its introduction of new anti-tampering measures.
Bucks co-owner Wes Edens also recently told TMZ that the franchise wants to keep Antetokounmpo for “the rest of his basketball career,” but given the lack of specificity involved in that statement, it’s unlikely to run afoul of the league’s circumvention rules.
Mavs Pick Up 2020/21 Options On Doncic, Jackson
The Mavericks have exercised the third-year option for Luka Doncic and the fourth-year option for Justin Jackson, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both rookie scale team options apply to the 2020/21 season.
Doncic, who will have a cap hit of $8,049,360 in ’20/21, is the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year winner and projects to be a cornerstone in Dallas for many years to come. The Mavs will have to exercise his 2021/22 option next year, and he’ll become eligible for his first rookie scale extension during the 2021 offseason.
As for Jackson, the 24-year-old forward had an impressive stretch for the Mavs to finish the 2018/19 season after coming over from Sacramento in the Harrison Barnes deal. In 29 games (18.3 MPG) for Dallas, he averaged 8.2 PPG on .484/.372/.724 shooting. His fourth-year option in ’20/21 will have a cap charge of $5,029,650.
Assuming Tim Hardaway Jr. picks up his $19MM player option for 2020/21 next spring, the Mavs project to have about $108MM+ in guaranteed money on their books, which wouldn’t leave any meaningful cap room. Barring cost-cutting moves, Dallas’ next opportunity to make a splash in free agency will likely come in 2021.
While the Mavs have made decisions on their 2020/21 rookie scale team options well in advance of the October 31 deadline, there are still plenty of option decisions to come. Our tracker can be found right here.