Mavericks Sign Yudai Baba
The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Yudai Baba, the team announced today in a press release. The addition of Baba brings Dallas’ roster count to 20 players, the maximum allowed during the offseason.
A 24-year-old Japanese shooting guard, Baba went undrafted in 2017 and has played professionally for Alvark Tokyo since then, helping lead the club to a second consecutive B. League championship in 2018/19.
2019 has been an eventful year for Baba, who suited up for the Mavericks in Summer League play in July, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in four games (12.0 MPG) in Las Vegas. He subsequently joined Japan’s national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup alongside NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, posting 9.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.6 RPG in five contests (25.6 MPG) in the tournament.
Although Baba, who presumably signed an Exhibit 10 contract, almost certainly won’t make Dallas’ regular season roster, he appears to be a good bet to join the club’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
Doc Rivers On How Clippers Landed Kawhi, George
The Clippers were one of the big winners of the 2019 offseason, landing the top free agent on the market in Kawhi Leonard and trading for MVP finalist Paul George in perhaps the most shocking deal of the summer.
While the Clippers can look back fondly now on a first week of July that culminated with the club reaching agreements to acquire both stars, head coach Doc Rivers admits to Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times that it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride at the time.
According to Rivers, on Friday, July 5 at noon, it looked like the Clippers wouldn’t be able to pry George away from the Thunder. Failing to complete that deal was expected to result in Leonard signing with the Lakers or returning to the Raptors, and Rivers was particularly dismayed at the idea of Kawhi joining the Lakers, telling Clippers owner Steve Ballmer that they couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I actually told Steve jokingly that if that happens, we’re moving the team to Seattle,” Rivers told Markazi. “It was a joke, but I was actually serious about it. I really believed that.”
Less than 12 hours later, the deal with Oklahoma City was back on and the Clippers had secured a commitment from Leonard, shaking up the NBA world and putting Rivers in position to coach two of the game’s top players.
In his conversation with Markazi, Rivers offered a few more entertaining tidbits about the Clippers’ pursuit of Leonard and their trade for George. Here are a few of the highlights from the veteran head coach:
On the Clippers’ subtle, season-long recruitment of Leonard in 2018/19:
“I got a lot of credit, and so did [special consultant] Jerry West, but the guy that was the hero in all this was [president of basketball operations] Lawrence Frank. He did all the work. He had Steve Ballmer going to Raptors games and he went to some, too. We were warned that no more Clippers players, coaches or employees could go to games in Toronto. We were sending guys to go sit the stands.
“There was nothing wrong with what we were doing, but Steve Ballmer sitting courtside in Toronto seemed a little strange. But we didn’t say a word. We just wanted [Leonard] to know we were there and we were interested.”
On Leonard essentially giving the Clippers an ultimatum:
“He said, ‘I want to play for you,’ and he pointed at me. He said, ‘Mr. Ballmer, I love the things you do and what you stand for, but your team is not good enough and if you don’t change your team, I’m not coming.'”
On how Leonard zeroed in on Paul George as a potential teammate:
“We actually had a list of guys, which was a mistake, but we got lucky. We shouldn’t have had a list, because then he got to choose who he wanted to play with and the assumption was that we could get them. We didn’t know if we could get anybody. We just showed him guys that we thought would match him and when he saw Paul George’s name he said, ‘I want to play with him.’ We showed him everybody else and he didn’t want to hear it. He just stayed on Paul George, so after the meeting we sat down and I said, ‘We got to get Paul George. I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to do it.'”
On sending a massive haul of draft picks to the Thunder for George:
“Steve Ballmer was nervous about the picks. I said, ‘Steve, you keep saying six picks for Paul George is insane, but you’re saying it wrong. It’s not six for Paul; it’s six for Paul and Kawhi. So three for each. I would do that.’ You have to look at it in those terms.”
Pistons Notes: Snell, Wood, Doumbouya, Griffin
The Pistons want to put up plenty of three-point shots in 2019/20, but the club lost one of its top outside shooters in the offseason when Wayne Ellington headed to New York in free agency. As such, new forward Tony Snell – who is a career 38.2% three-point shooter but has never attempted more than 4.4 3PG in a season – will be asked to let it fly more than ever this season, head coach Dwane Casey tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
“With Wayne Ellington with 10 attempts (per 36 minutes) going out the door and we want to be a three-point shooting team, you’ve got to bring those guys in and I think we did that in Tony,” Casey said. “He lit up like a Christmas tree when I said, ‘You’ve got a green light. We need your three-point shooting.’ We need to make up those 10 threes. Maybe not him getting them all up, but he’s going to get a big bulk of those shots coming in.”
With Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Reggie Jackson locked in as starters, the Pistons will have a couple spots in their starting five to fill out, and one of those spots will likely be Snell’s to lose, according to Casey, who praised the former Buck’s size and defensive versatility.
Here’s more on the Pistons, including a handful of additional comments from Casey on his new-look roster:
- Speaking to Langlois, Casey pointed to Markieff Morris and Christian Wood as two players who could play center in smaller lineups. The Pistons’ head coach added that the team is looking for consistency and discipline out of Wood, who is on a non-guaranteed contract and isn’t a lock to make the 15-man roster. “There’s never been a question about Christian’s talent,” Casey said. “With Christian, it’s temperament, being a pro, doing the right things all the time and doing what you’re supposed to do all the time.”
- Pistons first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya will still be 18 years old when his rookie season begins, and the team will bring him along at the right pace, per Casey. Still, Detroit’s head coach is bullish on Doumbouya’s chances to develop into an impact player, calling him a “keeper for our program” and suggesting the young forward could have a role sooner rather than later if he proves he can handle it. “I’m not one of these guys that just because a guy is young, not going to play,” Casey said to Langlois. “If he can help us win games, he’s going to be out there.”
- The Pistons expect Blake Griffin, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of last season, to be 100% and “back to full speed” when the season gets underway, Casey tells Langlois. The club also hopes to limit the wear and tear on the All-Star forward in 2019/20 by surrounding him with a few more guys who can “handle the ball and make plays.”
- In a mailbag, Rod Beard of The Detroit News takes a look at the upcoming battle between Wood and Joe Johnson for the 15th roster spot and explores whether the Pistons might consider a trade that would clear the way for both players to make the team to start the season.
Contract Bonus Notes: Nene, KCP, Randle, Jones
Veteran big man Nene officially signed his new contract with the Rockets back on September 6, but the NBA has yet to formally approve the deal, writes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link). Sources tell Marks that the league has been discussing internally whether it should disapprove of the incentives in the agreement, which create a $10MM trade chip despite the fact that Nene will likely only be paid about $2.56MM.
The NBA has the right to challenge deals that it believes violate the spirit of rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, even if those deals are technically legal based on what’s written in the CBA. While it seems unlikely that Nene’s deal would be nixed, it wouldn’t be surprising if the league looked to adjust the rules related to bonuses and incentives in the future to prevent teams from manipulating a player’s cap hit to such a significant extent.
In the meantime, Nene’s deal is hardly the only one signed this offseason heavy on bonus money. We’ve gone into detail on the incentives included in a handful of other contracts, such as the ones signed by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but Marks has even more details on bonuses available to players around the NBA this year.
We won’t pass along every single note included in Marks’ article, but here are a few of the noteworthy new bonuses worth watching in 2019/20:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can earn three separate $350K bonuses if he averages 1.85 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season with the Lakers. Caldwell-Pope’s new deal also includes a $163K bonus for being named to either All-Defensive team and a $50K bonus if the Lakers reach the Western Finals.
- Julius Randle‘s contract with the Knicks includes three separate $900K unlikely bonuses that he could earn if he makes the All-Star team, is named to an All-Defensive team, or makes the playoffs (and appears in at least 65 games).
- Tyus Jones‘ $9.258MM cap hit with the Grizzlies in 2019/20 includes an $858K bonus that has been deemed likely. Jones will earn the bonus if Memphis wins 33 games. If the rebuilding Grizzlies fall short of that mark, Jones’ cap hit for the season will dip to $8.4MM.
- Maxi Kleber‘s new contract with the Mavericks features a set of four unlikely bonuses that could be worth up to $475K in total. To earn them all, Kleber must make an All-Defensive team ($150K), make at least 80% of his free throws ($75K), make at least 40% of his three-pointers ($150K), and average more than nine rebounds per 36 minutes ($100K).
- Again, if you’re an ESPN Insider, be sure to check out Marks’ full story for more details on some of the more unusual incentives around the league.
Roberts: Complaints About Player Movement Hypocritical
With NBA training camps set to open up later this month, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated sat down with the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, Michele Roberts, who feels that there is a “double standard” between how players and teams are viewed when a decision is made for the player to move franchises.
“If you want to be critical of one, be critical of both,” Roberts said. “No one has said a word about what happens when the team precipitously trades a man, especially a family man, and the consequences that that has on him…. We spend so much time criticizing a player’s decision to move but no time wondering or thinking … about a team’s decision to move a player.”
According to Roberts, if a team has the right to move a player without backlash, then a player should have the equal right to change teams, pursuant to league rules, without being unfairly criticized.
Ultimately, Roberts analogizes player movement, or at least the motivation for players to want to change teams, as any other individual in the workforce who wants to change jobs, firms, or companies.
“What I think has to happen is we have to somehow stop the chatter that I think is growing in intensity about the problem of player movement. I don’t see it as a problem any more than I would see a lawyer deciding to work in another firm as a problem. I thought that that was something we were supposed to be able to do in this country.”
Lakers Granted Disabled Player Exception
The Lakers have been granted a disabled player exception by the NBA for the 2019/20 season as a result of the injury suffered by DeMarcus Cousins, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. L.A. will have until March 10 to use the exception.
As we’ve noted previously, if a player is seriously injured, his team can request a disabled player exception to replace him. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15.
[RELATED: DeMarcus Cousins suffers torn left ACL]
When it was reported that the Lakers were applying for the DPE, it was still unclear how long the big man would be out as a result of the torn ACL he suffered in August. Based on the latest news from Charania, it seems more than likely that Cousins will indeed miss the entire 2019/20 season, though regardless of the DPE approval he’d still be allowed to return if he can.
A disabled player exception allows a team to add a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.
Cousins’ $3.5MM salary creates a DPE worth $1.75MM, which could be beneficial to the Lakers later in the season, should they find themselves competing to sign a player with a team who can only offer a minimum-salary deal.
Jazz To Sign Mike Scott To Camp Deal
After playing for BM Slam Stal of the Polish Basketball League last season, point guard Mike Scott has reached an agreement with the Jazz on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, reports Nicola Lupo of Sportando.
Tony Jones of The Athletic adds that Scott, a point guard originally from Los Angeles, is expected to join the Jazz for camp before ultimately playing for Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, during the 2019/20 season.
Scott, not to be confused with the Sixers forward who shares the same name, has spent the last four seasons overseas after coming out of Idaho in 2015. The 26-year-old averaged 11.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 4.5 APG in Poland last season.
With Scott soon to be under contract, the Jazz will have to make another move before finalizing the deal, as they already have 20 players on their offseason roster with the additions of Trevon Bluiett and Juwan Morgan a little less than one month ago.
Jose Calderon “Just Waiting” For NBA Opportunity
Veteran free agent point guard Jose Calderon, who shot down a report last month that he was contemplating retirement, tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype that he’s staying in shape and is “just waiting” for a potential NBA opportunity.
“I feel really good. I feel healthy and I think I can still help one of those teams, so let’s see what happens in the next couple of weeks and see if something comes up,” Calderon said. “…. Right now, I’m just waiting and working out and [hopefully] I can do training camp. We’ll see what happens.”
According to Calderon, there were a couple instances earlier in the offseason where he was close to signing with an NBA team. He wasn’t the “first option” in either case though, and each team decided to go in another direction.
Although the Spaniard, who will turn 38 later this month, was quick to deny that recent report that he was weighing retirement, he acknowledged to Kennedy that if he doesn’t get a training camp invite, he has to consider whether he wants to keep working out and staying in shape during the season. Calderon said it would be “really hard” to stay in NBA shape for three or four months just in case he gets an opportunity down the road.
“Right now, I’m going to keep working really hard and stay positive that somebody will call in the next two or three weeks,” he told Kennedy. “But if not, I think I need to sit with my family and my agency and just make a decision and [consider] what the chances really are of something happening or not, and we’ll decide something after that.”
Calderon admitted that he has been thinking about his possible next move if he isn’t able to keep playing, but he has yet to decide on a potential path. According to Kennedy, the 14-year veteran mentioned a front office role, a broadcasting gig, or a position with the NBA or NBPA as avenues that might be of interest to him.
Community Shootaround: Potential All-NBA Newcomers
Last spring, 13 of the 15 players who were named to the All-NBA teams for the 2018/19 season had earned an All-NBA nod at least once in the past. Only two players made an All-NBA team for the first time: Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (First Team) and then-Hornets guard Kemba Walker (Third Team).
There are a handful of players who we can expect to claim spots on one of those three All-NBA teams on an annual basis as long as they stay healthy. James Harden and Stephen Curry have made six All-NBA teams apiece. Russell Westbrook has made eight, while his former teammate Kevin Durant has made nine. LeBron James has earned a staggering 15 All-NBA nods, tying the all-time record.
Still, injuries like the Achilles tear that will sideline Durant for most or all of the 2019/20 season can create openings for newcomers, as can down years by established stars (think Anthony Davis in 2018/19). And longtime All-NBA mainstays like LeBron won’t keep playing at that level forever.
With the 2019/20 season set to get underway next month, we want to know which players you think are in position to potentially grab an All-NBA spot for the first time next spring.
Will a veteran All-Star like Bradley Beal, Jrue Holiday, or Nikola Vucevic make another leap and enter the All-NBA ranks for the first time? Will a former lottery pick like Ben Simmons, Luka Doncic, or Donovan Mitchell break through with a career year that puts him in the conversation for a spot among the league’s top 15 players? Will an up-and-coming star like Devin Booker or Pascal Siakam take advantage of an opportunity to be his team’s No. 1 option and deliver an All-NBA caliber season?
Those players all received All-NBA votes last season, but they’re hardly the only candidates to become an All-NBA player for the first time.
What do you think? Do you expect any NBA players to make an All-NBA for the first time in 2019/20? And which of last season’s All-NBA players – besides Durant – do you expect to fall out of the top 15 next season?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Ball, Redick, G League
Former Lakers Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, whose 2018/19 seasons ended early due to health issues, have been full participants in the Pelicans‘ voluntary offseason workouts in New Orleans, a source tells Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com.
Ingram was shut down in March due to a blood clot, while Ball hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January as a result of an ankle injury. The fact that both players are participating in workouts without restrictions is great news for the Pelicans, who acquired the duo – plus Josh Hart and a handful of draft picks – in the summer’s blockbuster Anthony Davis trade.
Ingram is technically eligible to sign a rookie scale extension up until October 21, the day before the regular season begins. However, the Pelicans are unlikely to make a long-term commitment to him before he appears in a single regular season game for the club. In the 2020 offseason, after New Orleans’ decision-makers have had a full year to evaluate the duo, Ingram will be a restricted free agent and Ball will be eligible for an extension of his own.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- Appearing on ESPN’s Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe this week, new Pelicans sharpshooter J.J. Redick cited a desire to play with Jrue Holiday as one reason why he signed with New Orleans, despite the fact that he didn’t have a pre-existing relationship with Holiday and hadn’t played with him in the past. Redick also said that he hopes to play a lot for the Pelicans this season, but doesn’t care whether he starts or comes off the bench.
- The Erie BayHawks – New Orleans’ new G League affiliate – confirmed this week in a press release that Marc Chasanoff will be the team’s general manager. The BayHawks also announced several other members of their basketball operations staff, including Billy Campbell as assistant GM.
- After helping to build up the Long Island Nets during his time in Brooklyn, new Pelicans assistant GM Trajan Langdon will look to do the same with New Orleans’ new G League team. William Guillory of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the first steps Langdon is taking toward that goal this year.
- We passed along a few more notes on the Pelicans on Tuesday, including a report on the team applying for a disabled player exception.