And-Ones: Free Agency, Goodwin, Robinson, Brown
An active 2020 trade deadline has likely watered down the free-agent market this summer, a pattern far from the norm after a combined $4 billion was spent on more than 150 players last July, Bobby Marks of ESPN.com explores.
There were a total of 12 trades within the 48-hour window of the trade deadline this year, with high-profile players such as D’Angelo Russell, Andre Drummond, Andrew Wiggins and Clint Capela switching teams.
As Marks notes, the 2020 free agency class is projected to be mediocre for the most part. The Knicks could have upwards of $50MM to spend (though they’ll likely wait until the following summer for stronger talent), with the Hawks, Pistons, Hornets, Suns, and Heat also set to have north of $20MM.
Beyond Anthony Davis, some of the top unrestricted free agents this summer include Fred VanVleet, Montrezl Harrell, Danilo Gallinari and Serge Ibaka. Drummond ($28.7MM), DeMar DeRozan ($27.7MM) and Evan Fournier ($17MM) all have player options in their contracts, while Brandon Ingram and Bogdan Bogdanovic are set to enter restricted free agency.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Free agent guard Archie Goodwin has signed in Germany with Ratiopharm Ulm, the team announced, as relayed by Sportando. Goodwin, 25, holds NBA experience with the Suns, Pelicans and Nets, most recently playing in Turkey. Goodwin was drafted with the No. 29 overall pick by Oklahoma City back in 2013.
- Former NBA forward Thomas Robinson has signed in Russia with BC Khimki, the team announced on social media. Robinson signed a one-month deal with an extension until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has played for Sacramento, Houston, Portland, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Los Angeles across his professional career, spending time with the Spurs during summer league in 2019.
- Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown has agreed to be the head coach of the Nigerian men’s basketball team, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated (Twitter link). Brown will coach Nigeria during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer, with Nigeria BB president Musa Kida reportedly looking for a high-profile coach that holds NBA experience.
Rockets To Fully Guarantee Fourth Season Of P.J. Tucker’s Contract
The Rockets are planning to fully guarantee the fourth season of P.J. Tucker‘s contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Tucker’s salary of $7.97MM will now be completely guaranteed for the 2020/21 season, with the veteran forward accepting a larger role in Houston’s rotation following the trade deadline last week. Only $2.57MM was originally guaranteed.
Tucker, who turns 35 in May, will likely serve as the Rockets’ starting center going forward as they test a new variation of small-ball. He’s taken the challenging task head-on thus far, holding his ground in the middle despite being only 6-foot-5.
Tucker was drafted 35th overall back in 2006 and has established himself as one of the league’s most physical defenders. He appeared in all 82 games during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons for Houston, averaging 7.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and a career-high 34.9 minutes in 52 contests this year.
Houston has several of its key rotation players under contract with Tucker for next season, including James Harden ($40.8MM), Russell Westbrook ($41MM), Eric Gordon ($16.8MM) and Robert Covington ($12.1MM). The team is 6.5 games out of first place in the West at 33-19.
Darren Collison To Remain Retired
Veteran free agent Darren Collison has decided to remain retired and is no longer considering an NBA comeback this season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Collison had been pondering a return to the court, with both the Clippers and Lakers heavily interested in adding the 32-year-old to their roster. Collison informed teams that the timing for his return simply isn’t right for him, Wojnarowski adds.
Collison last saw action with the Pacers during the 2018/19 season, averaging 11.2 points and six assists in 28.2 minutes per contest. He was seen at Staples Center for the Lakers’ game against Houston on Thursday with owner Jeanie Buss.
Collison holds career averages of 12.5 points, five rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest, spending time with New Orleans, Indiana, Dallas, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Indiana across his 10-year NBA career.
Although he won’t return to the league now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Collison won’t make a comeback down the road, perhaps even as early as this summer, as Sean Deveney of Heavy.com wrote last week.
Cavaliers Sign J.P. Macura, Malik Newman To 10-Day Deals
The Cavaliers have signed guards J.P. Macura and Malik Newman to 10-day contracts, the team announced in a press release.
The transactions bring Cleveland’s total roster count to 17 players, which includes Dean Wade and Matt Mooney on two-way contracts.
Macura, 24, has appeared in 32 games with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. He’s averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists across those contests, playing 30.1 minutes per game.
Newman, 22, has appeared in 31 contests with Canton this season, holding per-game averages of 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 30.9 minutes. He also spent time with the team during summer league in 2019.
Cleveland was active around the trade deadline last week, trading for star center Andre Drummond while sending Brandon Knight, John Henson and a future second-round pick to Detroit. The team has upcoming games against the Clippers on Sunday and Hawks on Wednesday before the All-Star break.
Macura and Newman will both be eligible to play in three games over the course of their 10-day deals, with Cleveland also visiting Washington the Friday after All-Star Weekend.
Grizzlies Waive Dion Waiters
3:57pm: The Grizzlies officially confirmed that they have waived Waiters, via a team press release (Twitter link).
3:39pm: The Grizzlies have waived Dion Waiters, acquired from the Heat in a three-team deal that also sent Justise Winslow and Gorgui Dieng to Memphis, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). A prior report had suggested that Waiters would not be long for Memphis.
The 6’3″ shooting guard, 28, was taken with the No. 4 pick by the Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA draft. He had productive, albeit erratic, seasons with the Cavaliers, Thunder and Heat before injuries and off-court issues marred his output. Waiters has not played more than 46 games since the 2015/16 NBA season. He has suited up for just three games this season.
The 26-26 Grizzlies are prioritizing youth and upside as they build around promising young stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. While Waiters had to be included in the deal with Miami for salary-matching purposes, he wasn’t in Memphis’ long-term plans.
Charania notes that Waiters will be paid in full by the Grizzlies for the remainder of this season and his complete $12.6MM salary for the 2020/21 season, the final year remaining on the four-year, $52MM deal he signed with the Heat in 2017.
Capela Plans To Make Hawks Debut After All-Star Break
New Hawks center Clint Capela aspires to make his debut for Atlanta following the All-Star break, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner (Twitter link). Capela was acquired from Houston in an epic four-team deal last week.
Capela and Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk spoke with reporters ahead of the team’s tilt tonight against another Eastern Conference bottom-feeder, the 17-36 Knicks, tonight, as Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution documents (Twitter link).
The 6’10” Swiss center has been sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his right heel. Capela has not played since January 29. The Hawks’ first game after the break is a February 20 contest against the Heat. The 14-39 Hawks are currently the No. 14 seed in the Eastern Conference. Capela, 25, is averaging 13.9 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.
Southwest Notes: Holiday, Covington, Doncic, Lyles
Pelicans shooting guard Jrue Holiday was excited to remain in New Orleans through the trade deadline this season, as he explained to The Athletic’s William Guillory. The 29-year-old Holiday, considered one of the best defensive guards in the league, is on the third year of a fairly reasonable five-year, $126MM contract.
Holiday held appeal for several contending teams looking to shore up their backcourt ahead of a playoff push, including the Heat and Nuggets. The Pelicans themselves are just 4.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. With 2019 No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson finally debuting on January 22, New Orleans valued Holiday too much to make a deal just yet.
“I feel like what we’re doing here is something promising,” Holiday told Guillory of his season with the new-look Pelicans. “Obviously with the new management and the new guys coming in, we’re fairly young but we’re all very, very hungry. What we have here, we can build together.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- New Rockets forward Robert Covington and his very reasonable four-year, $47MM contract took him from overlooked role player to highly coveted glue guy very quickly ahead of this season’s trade deadline, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details.
- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle is optimistic that All-Star guard Luka Doncic will return to the court ahead of the All-Star break, according to Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “That’s not definite, but that’s the hope,” Carlisle said.
- The future of Spurs bench big man Trey Lyles in San Antonio is appraised by the San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald. Lyles is averaging a robust 5.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in just 18 minutes per game for the club. He has suited up 51 games, including 41 starts. The 6’9″ Kentucky alum signed a two-year, $11MM contract with San Antonio this summer. Only $1MM of his $5.5MM salary next year is guaranteed.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Collison, Green, Holmes
Suns general manager James Jones defended his lack of moves at the trade deadline this past Thursday to The Athletic’s Gina Mizell. “I just felt that we’re building, and I didn’t want to disrupt the continuity,” Jones said. “That’s generally why we didn’t make a move. Our guys are getting better. They’re still developing.”
The Suns are currently seeded 13th in the Western Conference with a 21-32 record. They have not made the NBA playoffs since 2010.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Before Darren Collison observed a Lakers-Rockets Staples Center contest on Thursday next to team owner Jeanie Buss, he had already been in contact with some important LA personnel, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Anthony Davis and executive director of special projects Linda Rambis both spoke with Collison once word broke that the point guard was considering returning to the NBA, following his abrupt retirement in the summer of 2019.
- Warriors forward Draymond Green joined ESPN’s The Jump on their ABC pregame show last night to discuss the team’s disappointing season (Twitter link). “It’s been [really] fun for me trying to mentor these guys,” Green told Rachel Nichols, Tracy McGrady and Richard Jefferson. He also discussed the team’s addition of pricey wing Andrew Wiggins from Minnesota. “He’s athletic, he can run the floor, he can score the basketball,” Green noted (Twitter link).
- Injured Kings center Richaun Holmes has been participating in portions of the team’s practices this week, including taking some contact, according to a Kings team statement. An injury to the right shoulder joint has held Holmes out of game action since January 7.
Bobby Portis Uninterested In Knicks Buyout
Backup Knicks big man Bobby Portis told a scrum of reporters today that he does not want to lose one cent of the two-year, $30.75MM contract he signed with New York last summer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Knicks have a team option on the $15.75MM second season of the deal, and with Leon Rose and Scott Perry now calling the shots in Manhattan, the team may not exercise the option, effectively making Portis a free agent in 2020.
“I’m 24 years old,” Portis told reporters, despite his disappointing Knicks season. “I’m not doing a buyout. I’ll make as much money as I can for my family. (I’m) 24. Not even thinking about a buyout at 24. I’ll probably set a record as [the] first guy to do a buyout at 24. It’s just not even in the equation.”
For the record, Portis turns 25 tomorrow. Make of that what you will.
Portis’ fellow Knicks veteran, shooting guard Wayne Ellington, is considering a buyout request from the two-year, $16MM contract he signed with New York last summer. Only $1MM of Elllington’s $8MM salary next season is guaranteed.
Portis is averaging 9.4 points, 5.2 boards, and a -2.2 box plus-minus across his 53 games played for New York this season. Chicago drafted the jump-shooting Knicks power forward/center with the No. 22 pick out of Arkansas in 2015, before eventually trading him to the Wizards at the 2019 trade deadline. He was one of several big men to sign with New York last summer.
Cavs Notes: Drummond, Thompson, Lue, Post-LeBron Era
Andre Drummond thought he was being pranked when he heard about the trade to the Cavaliers, but now he’s excited for the opportunity, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Drummond went through his first practice with the team yesterday and is expected to make his debut tonight.
“I was truly excited to be somewhere I’m wanted, really happy to start a new chapter here,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to being with the guys. I’m just looking forward to playing in a Cleveland Cavalier jersey. Everything happens for a reason. I look at it as a bright note for me, for my family to start somewhere new and be with a great group of guys.”
Drummond quickly acclimated himself to his new surroundings, Fedor states. His new teammates were welcoming, including Tristan Thompson, who will move to the bench as Drummond becomes the starting center.
“I’m not taking anybody’s job, I’m just here to play,” Drummond said. “I didn’t come here expecting anything. I’m just here to do my job, whatever they need me to do, I’ll get it done.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The chance to add Drummond didn’t arise until Wednesday night, Fedor relays in a separate story. Cavs general manager Koby Altman told his staff to think about it overnight, and the consensus was that the price — the expiring contracts of John Henson and Brandon Knight plus a future second-round pick — was too good to refuse. “I’m sure Detroit has a plan in place in terms of what they want to do either with their cap space or with their future trajectory as a franchise, but our job is to make sure we’re exploring every opportunity out there and making sure we’re doing what’s best for our franchise,” Altman said. “Adding a talent of this magnitude is something that we couldn’t pass up and he also fits our timeline in terms of his age — he’s 26 years old — so he fits with some of our younger guys.”
- As Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue prepares to return to Cleveland tonight, he tells Joe Vardon of The Athletic that he wishes he could still be coaching the Cavaliers. “What I tried to build there, I think the culture I tried to set … I thought we could do it together,” Lue said. “Koby being a young GM, me being a young coach, having young players. I won a championship there, so you have a chance and an opportunity to do something different, and you should have that leeway to be able to go through a couple challenging years. To win a championship and go to the (NBA) Finals should buy you a little time, you would think.”
- Jason Lloyd of The Athletic examines why the Cavs have struggled so much after losing LeBron James for a second time, when they were believed to be in a better position than in 2010.