Jayson Tatum To Be Re-Evaluated On September 9
Team USA officially issued an update on injured Celtics forward Jayson Tatum this morning, confirming in a press release that Tatum suffered a left ankle sprain during the club’s tense win over Turkey on Tuesday, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.
Tatum has been ruled out for Team USA’s next two games. He’ll miss Thursday’s matchup against Japan and Saturday’s contest against a to-be-determined opponent before being re-evaluated on Monday. If the 21-year-old is deemed ready to return at that point, he could play in Monday’s game, but it’s possible he’ll be sidelined a little longer.
Tatum’s injury occurred when he rolled his left ankle during the final seconds of overtime in USA’s 93-92 victory on Tuesday, but it looked worse than it was — after the game, he was walking under his own power and telling reporters that he already felt better, which is good news for the Celtics.
Team USA’s game against Japan on Thursday will have no impact on their standing in the tournament, since the squad has already qualified for second-round play. However, the club would certainly like to have Tatum back in its lineup for the last two games in the round-of-16, if possible.
USA will be part of a second-round group that also includes Brazil. The winners of tomorrow’s Czech Republic/Turkey and Greece/New Zealand showdowns will fill out the group. The game that Tatum misses on Saturday will be against one of those five teams.
Carmelo Anthony’s Camp Helping To Fight Negative Perception
We’re eight weeks out from the start of the 2019/20 NBA season and Carmelo Anthony remains unsigned. There’s a perception that Anthony isn’t willing to simply be a role player, something that he’ll need to accept if he’s going to join a new team, but efforts are being made to change that perception.
Anthony has made sports talk show appearances this summer claiming that he is willing to play any role a team asks of him. According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, his camp is now lobbying for him behind the scenes as well. Those close to Anthony are fighting the negative perception “aggressively,” Deveney writes. Carmelo’s camp is contending that he won’t be a distraction if he doesn’t get scoring opportunities or even minutes on some nights.
Anthony’s last few stops in the NBA have not had storybook endings. He was made a scapegoat for the underachieving Thunder during the 2017/18 season and his run with the Rockets during the 2018/19 season lasted just 10 games. Those came after an uninspiring end to his Knicks career.
Anthony has shown he can handle being a role player, though it’s only come in small sample sizes. On many occasions during his four Team USA stints, he thrived without a high usage role. Can he do that over an 82-game season? He’s claiming he can.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both of whom have played with ‘Melo during international contests, have reportedly lobbied for the Nets to sign him. GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson have kept an eye on Anthony and the duo was reportedly impressed by the future Hall-of-Famer’s game.
Any team that adds Anthony will see an increase in its media attention. Reporters are going to ask him about his role and whether he is enjoying his time on the team among other topics. Anthony’s camp is arguing that he’ll be a net positive in this area.
“He’s got a lot of friends in the league, he is liked by other players. He’s got friends in the media. He doesn’t get into trouble off the court, he never has. [His camp is] really disputing this whole idea that he’s a team cancer,” a source tells Deveney.
Not many players could match prime ‘Melo on offense. Now, he’s seemingly ready to embrace the idea that there’s more to the game – both on and off the court – than scoring. Whether it’s with Brooklyn or another team, it would be surprising if the 10-time All-Star doesn’t get another chance in the league.
Heat Notes: Leonard, Butler, Rotation
The Heat have been quiet about their plans for Meyers Leonard, though Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes that if the big man remains on the roster through the start of the season, he’ll likely be the team’s backup center.
Miami acquired Leonard in a four-way trade over the summer that allowed the team to net Jimmy Butler as well. The Heat cannot aggregate Leonard’s salary in a trade until September 6 — two months after the acquisition date. It’s possible that the team hasn’t been vocal about Leonard’s role because they are planning to flip him. However, at this point, any Leonard trade talk is strictly speculation.
Here’s more from Miami:
- Leonard has privately made it known that he would like to make it work with the Heat, Winderman relays in the same piece. The big man has come off the bench for nearly the entirety of his career, so backing up Bam Adebayo at the five shouldn’t be a major issue.
- Don’t expect the Heat to take a load management approach with Butler, Winderman explains in a separate piece. That could change if Miami is able to clinch a playoff berth early. Yet, with the team making the postseason just once over the past three years, the club may not have the luxury of resting players this season.
- Assuming the team doesn’t make any major moves, Winderman (same piece) anticipates coach Erik Spoelstra will stagger the minutes of Butler, Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters. Winderman expects the Heat to have at least two of the three on the court the majority of the time.
Nets’ Rodions Kurucs Arrested In Brooklyn
Nets forward Rodions Kurucs was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly choking his now ex-girlfriend, sources tell Trevor Boyer and Graham Rayman of the New York Daily News.
Police sources told the Daily News that a verbal argument back on June 27 spiraled out of control and the 6’9″ forward allegedly choked and pushed his then-girlfriend among other actions that included slapping her, biting her, and tossing her onto a bed hard enough to cause injuries. Boyer and Rayman relay that the woman suffered bruising to her ribs and face, though at this time there’s no photographic evidence of those injuries, Kurucs’ lawyer notes.
The couple’s relationship lasted nine months. According to prosecutor Wilfredo Cotto, Kurucs and his then-girlfriend went on a scheduled trip to Las Vegas the following day (June 28). The Latvian native played for Brooklyn’s Summer League team in Vegas in early July.
Kurucs, who will make slightly under $1.7MM this upcoming season, was released with no bail. He was charged with obstructing the woman’s breathing and Judge Gina Abadi issued an order of protection for his ex-girlfriend while giving Rodions orders to stay away from her.
The NBA has a domestic violence policy, which was integrated into the league’s latest CBA. It’s likely that Kurucs, who appeared in 63 games for the Nets last season, will face a suspension.
The Nets have issued a statement confirming that they’re investigating the allegations, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays (via Twitter).
What Teams Can Do With Exhibit 10 Contracts
Once the first wave of NBA free agency is over in mid-July, many free agents who sign with teams for the rest of the summer and into the fall receive Exhibit 10 contracts. As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year, non-guaranteed deals that essentially function as training camp invitations for veterans and rookies alike.
Exhibit 10 contracts appeal to NBA teams for a handful of reasons. Notably, they don’t count against a club’s cap during the offseason and preseason, meaning hard-capped teams like the Warriors and Heat can still fill out their camp rosters with players on Exhibit 10 deals.
Additionally, the Exhibit 10 clause is versatile enough to allow teams to make a variety of moves with players once the preseason ends. Here’s a breakdown of the options teams will have with those players this fall:
1. Carry the player on the team’s 15-man regular season roster
If a team is counting on a camp invitee to make the regular season roster, it will usually try to sign him to a multiyear contract, perhaps sweetening the deal with a partial guarantee. Still, it’s not unheard of for a player on an Exhibit 10 contract to make a strong impression in the preseason and earn himself a spot on a club’s 15-man squad.
In that scenario, the Exhibit 10 deal would begin counting against the team’s cap as of opening night, and would be treated as a standard one-year, minimum-salary contract. If the player remains under contract through January 10, his full salary would become guaranteed. He’d subsequently be eligible for free agency in 2020, and if he has fewer than four years of NBA experience under his belt, he’d be restricted.
2. Convert the player to a two-way contract
Not every team will have room on its 15-man roster for an Exhibit 10 player who looks great in camp, but some of those teams with full rosters might have a two-way contract slot open. Teams can unilaterally convert Exhibit 10 deals into two-way contracts without having to put the player through waivers, where he could be claimed by a rival franchise.
It appears that some teams will invite a handful of Exhibit 10 players to camp and have them compete for two-way deals. The Heat, who have yet to fill either of their two-way slots, are definitely taking this route. The other teams without a two-way player under contract – the Raptors and Rockets – may take a similar approach, and there are nine more teams with a single two-way opening.
One added perk of using this option? Once the player is on a two-way contract, he and the team can subsequently negotiate a new standard contract – even a multiyear deal – without going through the waiver process. Those negotiations aren’t possible if the player is still on an Exhibit 10.
3. Designate the player as a G League affiliate player
Teams can carry 20 players on their offseason rosters, but just 15 – plus a pair of two-way players – in the regular season. As such, many players signed to Exhibit 10 deals will be the odd men out at the end of the preseason and will be released.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily bring a player’s time with the organization to an end. Up to four players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads (assuming the player is on board). Exhibit 10 contracts go hand-in-hand with this arrangement, since they entitle a player of a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and subsequently spends two months with his team’s G League affiliate.
Many NBA clubs will sign players to Exhibit 10 contracts for the sole purpose of eventually getting those players on their NBAGL rosters and making sure the players get some bonus money in the process.
For players coveted by more than one team, this process can be a complicated one. It’s not uncommon for an undrafted free agent to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with one NBA team, be released by that team early in the preseason, than sign a new Exhibit 10 deal with a second team before being waived again at the end of the preseason.
In that scenario, the player may have originally committed to play for one organization’s G League affiliate before changing course when a better opportunity arises. Assuming his NBAGL returning rights aren’t already held by a team, the NBA club that signs him last would be the one eligible to make him an affiliate player.
It’s also worth noting that the affiliate option doesn’t apply to teams without their own G League teams. The Nuggets and Trail Blazers can sign players to Exhibit 10 contracts, but can’t offer them a $50K bonus to play in the NBAGL, since neither Denver nor Portland has its own affiliate.
Kevin Huerter Talks Hawks’ Draft, 2019/20 Goals
Culture and locker-room fit were important considerations for the Hawks as they made roster moves this offseason, second-year shooting guard Kevin Huerter tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. As Huerter explains, head coach Lloyd Pierce talked on multiple occasions about not bringing in anyone who would be detrimental to the culture the team is trying to build in Atlanta.
“I think every player we brought in has some sort of relationship with one of our coaches or [executives], so they know that we’re bringing in really good guys,” Huerter said. “I think that was really important, first and foremost, especially with a team that could still go through a lot of ups and downs. You don’t want someone in the locker room who is making everyone miserable.”
While Huerter is optimistic about what Allen Crabbe, Jabari Parker, Evan Turner, and Chandler Parsons can contribute on the court, he views those incoming veterans as guys who will “contribute off the court as well,” as he tells Kennedy.
Huerter spoke to Kennedy about many more topics, including the Hawks’ draft, their future free agent outlook, and their expectations for the 2019/20 season. The Q&A is worth checking out in full, but here are a few highlights from the former Maryland standout:
On the Hawks drafting De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Bruno Fernando:
“I thought our draft was great. There are very few teams that can come out of the draft saying they got exactly who they wanted, but those three guys are literally the exact players we wanted going into the draft. Anytime that happens, it’s an extremely successful draft.
“I think those guys bring a different dynamic to our team that we didn’t have. De’Andre is a 3/4 and he’s a really good defender, so he was a great pick for us. Cam just has so much potential on the offensive end and what his ceiling could be makes him great for us as well. Bruno is NBA-ready. I think it can be tough for some bigs as they enter the NBA because of how physical it is, but Bruno is physically NBA-ready. Again, I thought it was a really good draft for us.”
On whether free agents will seriously consider the Hawks as they continue to improve:
“Hopefully. Any team that wins becomes pretty attractive to free agents. You see that happen a lot. But for me, our core group of guys could – and should – be enough for us. That’s the way that winning teams are built, at least in the old days. When you want to want to build something that lasts, it’s homegrown guys. But, again, hopefully if we win, [players will want to sign here] and we can figure out which positions we need moving forward. Adding free agents down the line won’t be a bad thing, but first you need to win and then everything else comes with it.”
On whether the Hawks have discussed a goal of making the playoffs in 2019/20:
“Honestly, no. Playoffs, for us, isn’t really a word we talk about – all we talk about is winning more than 29 games. We know how honestly close we were last year – we weren’t too far off from that eighth seed – but we’re probably not going to talk about it for most of the year. It’s not something we talk about in the locker room, trying to sneak in [to the playoffs]. It’s literally just, ‘We’re going to win more than 29 games and continue to get better.’ Then whatever happens, happens.”
Pacers Finalize Deal With Amida Brimah
After reaching an agreement in July to sign him to a one-year contract, the Pacers finalized their deal with free agent center Amida Brimah today, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic. With the signing, which Indiana confirmed in a press release, the team now has a full 20-man offseason roster.
Brimah, 25, went undrafted out of UConn in 2017 and appeared in 95 games for the G League’s Austin Spurs over the last two seasons. In 47 games in 2018/19, Brimah averaged 8.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.9 BPG in 23.3 minutes per contest for San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate. He earned G League All-Defensive honors for a second consecutive season.
More recently, Brimah appeared in six Summer League games for the Nets in Las Vegas in July, showing off his rim-protecting abilities by averaging 2.2 BPG in just 12.5 minutes per contest.
Because the Pacers already have 15 players with guaranteed salaries under contract, Brimah is unlikely to make the team’s regular season roster. Indiana’s own G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, recently acquired the big man’s NBAGL rights from Austin, per Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link). That’s a signal that Brimah will likely end up as an affiliate player for the Pacers and figures to start the 2019/20 regular season in Fort Wayne.
Atlantic Notes: Tatum, LeVert, Harris, Bolden
Jayson Tatum rolled his left ankle in the final seconds of Team USA’s nail-biter of a win over Turkey today, but the injury – diagnosed as an ankle sprain – doesn’t appear to be serious. The Celtics forward texted head coach Brad Stevens and told him as much about 20 minutes after suffering the injury, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Tatum later addressed reporters in China, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter links), and said he was already feeling better. The 21-year-old was walking under his own power and didn’t have much of a limp, according to reports, which is great news for the Celtics.
It remains to be seen whether Tatum’s World Cup run is over. We should know more by Wednesday, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if USA Basketball plays it safe with the young forward, sending him back stateside to focus on getting healthy for his upcoming season with the Celtics.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights (Twitter link) passes along the official numbers for Caris LeVert‘s new rookie scale extension, which starts at about $16.2MM in 2020/21. As initially reported, the three-year deal with the Nets is worth exactly $52.5MM and is fully guaranteed, with no options.
- Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris, who put up 11 points and five rebounds today for Team USA, is relishing an opportunity to represent his country at the 2019 World Cup, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that Harris should be one of the very best UFA shooting guards on what figures to be a weak NBA free agent market in 2020.
- Within his latest mailbag for The Athletic, Derek Bodner writes that while the Sixers don’t appear ready to trust Jonah Bolden as their primary backup center, he also doesn’t believe the club views Bolden as trade bait.
Team USA Advances In World Cup; Tatum Sprains Ankle
Team USA survived a scare on Tuesday in Shanghai, narrowly pulling out a 93-92 win vs. Turkey in overtime and securing a spot in the second round of the 2019 World Cup. The Turkish team missed four free throws in the final minute of the game, opening the door for the USA Basketball squad to seal the victory.
Having defeated the Czech Republic and Turkey, Team USA will take a 2-0 record into its final first-round matchup against 0-2 Japan. The top two teams in each group move on to the round of 16, so even if Japan pulls off an extremely unlikely upset in Thursday’s game, Team USA would advance. The winner of Thursday’s Czech Republic/Turkey contest will also secure a spot in the second round.
Although they held off a strong push from Turkey, it wasn’t all good news for Team USA today. Jayson Tatum was forced out of action in the game’s final minute after rolling his left ankle, as a video from Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston shows.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst tweets that the official word on Tatum is a left ankle sprain. The Celtics forward will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, at which point we should have a better idea of whether or not we’ll see him suit up again in China.
Meanwhile, Team Canada was eliminated from medal contention on Tuesday after falling to Lithuania by a 92-69 margin. Canada, which lost to Australia on Sunday, is one of the only countries that theoretically features enough NBA players to fill out an entire 12-man squad. However, only two NBA players – Cory Joseph and Khem Birch – participated in the World Cup and Nick Nurse‘s squad couldn’t keep up with Australia and Lithuania in Group H.
Canada will enter the classification round along with the other 15 teams eliminated from the World Cup in round one. Those games will still be important, since Canada will have to finish between 17th and 23rd to clinch a spot in next summer’s Olympics qualifying tournament. A finish below 23rd would ensure the program doesn’t participate in the 2020 Olympics.
Hawks, Warriors, Grizzlies Have Made Most Offseason Trades
A total of 43 trades have been completed by NBA teams since the 2018/19 season ended, including three deals involving three teams and one that included four teams. No club has been more active on the trade market during that time than the Hawks, who completed eight deals. However, the Warriors and Grizzlies have been hot on their heels, with seven trades apiece.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Offseason Trades]
The Hawks were active early and often in the offseason. They were involved in the first trade agreement of June when they agreed to acquire Allen Crabbe from Brooklyn on June 6, then were part of the league’s first two officially-finalized pre-draft deals when they sent one second-round pick to the Warriors and another to the Heat.
Atlanta didn’t make any massive splashes on the trade market, but the trade up to No. 4 to land De’Andre Hunter‘s draft rights from New Orleans involved eight total players or picks, qualifying it as a modest blockbuster.
The Warriors made one massive move, acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal with Brooklyn, but otherwise their summer swaps mostly focused on keeping team salary in check below the hard cap. Golden State moved veterans like Andre Iguodala and Damian Jones to cut costs, while acquiring second-round picks such as Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall for their modest cap hits.
As for the Grizzlies, they’ve been one of the NBA’s most active teams after overhauling their front office in the spring. Their seven deals were all made with an eye toward the future, as they moved on from franchise point guard Mike Conley and loaded up on draft picks, netting three first-round selections and three more second-rounders over the course of the summer.
Here are a few other notable details related to this offseason’s trades so far:
Teams that have made the most trades:
- Atlanta Hawks: 8
- Golden State Warriors: 7
- Memphis Grizzlies: 7
- Philadelphia 76ers: 5
- Washington Wizards: 5
- Brooklyn Nets: 4
- Detroit Pistons: 4
- Miami Heat: 4
- New Orleans Pelicans: 4
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 4
- Phoenix Suns: 4
- Utah Jazz: 4
Teams that have made the fewest trades:
- Toronto Raptors: 0
- Charlotte Hornets: 1
- Chicago Bulls: 1
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 1
- Houston Rockets: 1
- New York Knicks: 1
- Orlando Magic: 1
- Sacramento Kings: 1
- San Antonio Spurs: 1
Players who have been traded multiple times:
- Kyle Korver: Jazz to Grizzlies to Suns (waived by Phoenix).
- Shabazz Napier: Nets to Warriors to Timberwolves.
- Treveon Graham: Nets to Warriors to Timberwolves.
- De’Andre Hunter (draft rights): Lakers to Pelicans to Hawks.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (draft rights): Nets to Hawks to Pelicans.
- Ty Jerome (draft rights): Sixers to Celtics to Suns.
- Kevin Porter Jr. (draft rights): Bucks to Pistons to Cavaliers.
- Jordan Bone (draft rights): Pelicans to Hawks to Sixers to Pistons.
2019 All-Stars or All-NBA players who have been traded:
- Anthony Davis: Pelicans to Lakers.
- Kevin Durant: Warriors to Nets.
- Paul George: Thunder to Clippers.
- Kemba Walker: Hornets to Celtics.
- Russell Westbrook: Thunder to Rockets.
2020 first-round picks that have been traded:
- Bucks‘ 2020 first-round pick to Celtics (via Suns; top-7 protected).
- Cavaliers‘ 2020 first-round pick to Pelicans (via Hawks; top-10 protected).
- Jazz‘s 2020 first-round pick to Grizzlies (1-7, 15-30 protection).
- Nuggets‘ 2020 first-round pick to Thunder (top-10 protected).
- Nets‘ 2020 first-round pick to Hawks (top-14 protected).
- Pacers‘ 2020 first-round pick to Bucks (top-14 protected).
- Sixers‘ 2020 first-round pick to Nets (top-14 protected).
- Warriors‘ 2020 first-round pick to Nets (top-20 protected).
Future first-round picks that have been traded:
- Heat‘s 2021 first-round pick to Thunder (via Clippers; unprotected).
- Lakers‘ 2021 first-round pick to Pelicans (9-30 protected).
- Clippers‘ 2022 first-round pick to Thunder (unprotected)
- Heat‘s 2023 first-round pick to Thunder (via Clippers; top-14 protected).
- Clippers‘ 2024 first-round pick to Thunder (unprotected).
- Lakers‘ 2024 first-round pick to Pelicans (unprotected).
- Rockets‘ 2024 first-round pick to Thunder (top-4 protected).
- Warriors‘ 2024 first-round pick to Grizzlies (top-4 protected).
- Clippers‘ 2026 first-round pick to Thunder (unprotected).
- Rockets‘ 2026 first-round pick to Thunder (top-4 protected).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.