Hawks Sign Solomon Hill To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 25: The Hawks have officially signed Hill, per a team press release. The deal is non-guaranteed, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
“Solomon is a player who has been on four playoff teams and has competed on the highest level,” president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “We are fortunate to add his veteran presence to our group.”
NOVEMBER 23: The Hawks and free agent forward Solomon Hill have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowsi (Twitter link).
Hill, 29, was very briefly a member of the Hawks last summer when the team acquired him from New Orleans in a draft-night trade, but Atlanta flipped him to the Grizzlies in a subsequent deal. After appearing in 48 games for Memphis, Hill was once again traded at the 2020 deadline and finished the season with the Heat, appearing in a total of 18 regular season and playoff games for Miami.
For the 2019/20 season, Hill averaged 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG in a total of 59 games (18.4 MPG) for the Grizzlies and Heat. While he’s not much of a scorer, the former first-round pick has the size to match up with most wings on defense.
The Hawks have made it a priority this offseason to add some solid defenders to their roster, having already struck deals with Kris Dunn and Rajon Rondo. The team is also signing Danilo Gallinari and is waiting to see if Sacramento will match its offer sheet for Bogdan Bogdanovic.
With Hill coming aboard, the Hawks project to have at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts if the Kings decline to match on Bogdanovic, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, who notes (via Twitter) that second-round pick Skylar Mays could end up on a two-way deal if there’s no room on the standard roster for him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pelicans Sign Wenyen Gabriel, Sindarius Thornwell
NOVEMBER 30: Both signings are now official, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log.
NOVEMBER 23: The Pelicans are filling two of their roster spots with forward Wenyen Gabriel and guard Sindarius Thornwell, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez tweets.
Both will play on veteran minimum deals. Gabriel is receiving a two-year contract with a team option for the 2021/22 season.
New Orleans plans to go with a 14-player roster, including restricted free agent Brandon Ingram, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Ingram has yet to sign but he’s expected to get a max contract.
The Pelicans also plan to fill both two-way slots, Guillory adds.
Gabriel began last season with the Kings and was traded in midseason to the Trail Blazers. The undrafted Gabriel appeared in a combined 30 regular-season games as a rookie and also saw action in four postseason games.
Thornwell was part of the Clippers’ rotation for two seasons but appeared in just two games with the Pelicans last season after signing as a substitute player during the restart. Otherwise, he spent the 2019/20 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League.
Tacko Fall Returns To Celtics On Two-Way Deal
NOVEMBER 24: The deal is official, per the NBA’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 23: Second-year center Tacko Fall, a fan favorite in Boston, is returning to the Celtics on a second two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
An undrafted free agent out of UCF, the 7’5″ big man spent his rookie season in 2019/20 on a two-way deal with the Celtics, appearing in seven NBA games for the club. He racked up 23 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in just 33 minutes in those seven contests.
Fall was a rotation mainstay for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ G League affiliate, averaging 12.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 3.1 BPG in 29 games (23.3 MPG) for the club.
The Celtics’ issued a qualifying offer to Fall last week, making him a restricted free agent. Now it appears he’ll be back with the team for the 2020/21 season, filling one of the two-way slots. Tremont Waters, the club’s other two-way player last season, also received a QO from the club, but it’s not clear yet whether or not he’ll return.
Pistons To Sign Former Vermont Star Anthony Lamb
Undrafted free agent swingman Anthony Lamb has reached an agreement with the Pistons, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
It’s uncertain whether he’s receiving a training camp deal or if he’s signing a two-way contract. Detroit has a two-way slot available.
The 6’6” Lamb was a four-year starter at Vermont and the two-time America East Conference Player of the Year. Lamb averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.2 BPG as a senior. During his college career, Lamb made 33.6% of his 3-point attempts.
He withdrew his name from the 2019 draft after working out for several teams.
Warriors To Sign Dwayne Sutton
Former Louisville wing Dwayne Sutton, who went undrafted last week, has agreed to a contract with the Warriors, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Brett Siegel of Hoop Analysis Network (via Twitter) reports that the three-and-D swingman will get an Exhibit 10 contract and has a good chance to have it converted to a two-way deal for the season. The 6’5″ 23-year-old was an All-ACC Honorable Mention with the Cardinals this past season.
Sutton spent his first college season with the University of North Carolina at Asheville, then redshirted his sophomore season to transfer to his hometown squad in Louisville. During his redshirt senior year in 2019/20, Sutton averaged 9.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 0.8 BPG, and 0.7 SPG. He also connected on 35.4% of his 2.6 looks from long range per game.
He certainly could help provide depth at a position of need for Golden State, after All-Star wing Klay Thompson went down for the season with an Achilles tear last week.
Southeast Notes: Hayward, Bryant, Wall, Heat
The Hornets made one of the biggest and most controversial splashes in free agency, signing injury-prone forward Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $120MM contract. Due to injuries and the development of his Boston teammates, Hayward was never able to return to his All-Star form while with the Celtics.
Although the Hornets’ $120MM commitment to Hayward is widely viewed as an overpay, it didn’t come out of left field. In today’s edition of The Lowe Post podcast, Zach Lowe of ESPN suggests that the Hornets’ offer to Hayward was not significantly higher than that of some competing clubs hoping for his services in free agency.
“You want to clown the contract?” Lowe said (per RealGM). “That’s fine. Just know it’s not like the Pacers and the Celtics were offering $80MM. They weren’t offering $120MM. But my best intel is something like $105MM, $108MM, $102MM, $110MM.”
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines Hayward’s fit with the Hornets, conceding that the deal is probably an overpay. However, he also contends that Hayward can supply veteran leadership to the Hornets’ young core while being by far their best player, if healthy. Hayward will be leaned on to supply multifaceted scoring and is an expert play-maker. He also will be able to convincingly slot into the lineup at small forward, power forward, and even shooting guard.
- Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said today that the team informed every center it spoke to in free agency that Thomas Bryant would remain the Wizards’ starter, according to Quinton Mayo of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). “Certainly probably rubbed some guys the wrong way who thought they could come in here and start,” Sheppard said. The club ultimately signed Robin Lopez to back up Bryant.
- Beyond the churning NBA rumor mill, Wizards point guard John Wall has remained active during the offseason. Wall will purchase an ownership stake in the Australian NBL club the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Los Angeles entrepreneur Romie Chaudhari heads the ownership group for the Phoenix, which also includes and Cavaliers reserve guard Dante Exum, plus retired big men Zach Randolph and Al Harrington and retired swingman Josh Childress.
- Point guard Goran Dragic and backup center Meyers Leonard are excited to return to the Heat, according to Joe Beguiristain of Heat.com. Miami prioritized re-signing both players to lucrative two-year contracts with team options for the second year. “When free agency hit, we pretty much made our quick deal,” Dragic commented. “First of all, it felt like there was unfinished business for our team and for me because, obviously, going through the ankle injury was not easy, and I feel like I could have helped in many different ways,” Leonard said.
Raptors Sign Alex Len To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 26: Len has officially signed with the Raptors, per the NBA’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 23: The Raptors will add veteran big man Alex Len to their center rotation, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). Len will presumably compete with Chris Boucher for backup minutes behind Aron Baynes, another new addition.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter) reports that Len will sign a one-year contract.
After using most of their mid-level exception on the two-year, $14.3MM Baynes signing, the Raptors will use the leftover portion of their MLE to sign Len, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). As a result, he’ll earn about $2.32MM instead of a minimum salary of $2.17MM.
Drafted with the fifth pick by Phoenix in 2013, the oft-traveled Len signed with the Hawks during his first crack at free agency in 2018, for a two-year, $8.5MM contract. Atlanta dealt Len to the Kings in a package for Dewayne Dedmon and two future second-rounders at the 2019/20 trade deadline.
The 27-year-old seven-footer holds efficient career averages of 8.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 19.6 MPG across his seven NBA seasons.
Toronto saw its top two centers, veterans Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, walk in free agency. The Raptors have moved quickly to piece together a respectable rotation of big men to replace them — including incumbent RFA Boucher.
The 33-year-old Baynes is a competent defender who has recently developed into a perimeter shooting threat, while the lankier Boucher became an intriguingly athletic rotation piece last season. Len provides a big body in the post to threaten players at the rim. Though they lack the two-way versatility or passing of their predecessors, this triumvirate may be able to replace a decent amount of their output.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Notes: Collins, Hood, Free Agency, Simons
Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins, whose 2019/20 season came to an early end when he underwent ankle surgery in August, isn’t expected to be ready to go for the start of the ’20/21 campaign, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said today (Twitter link via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian). According to Olshey, Collins will likely be out until mid-January or so.
With Collins out of the lineup for the time being, the door may be open for newly-added big men Enes Kanter and Harry Giles to pick up some extra minutes at the start of the season. The Blazers could also end up leaning more heavily on smaller lineups with Robert Covington or Carmelo Anthony at the four.
Here’s more out of Portland:
- Olshey expects swingman Rodney Hood, who is returning from a torn Achilles, to be ready for opening night (Twitter link via Freeman).
- Portland’s offseason moves were aimed at improving the team’s defense and adding versatility and athleticism to the squad, Olshey said (per Freeman). The additions of Covington and Derrick Jones, in particular, should help on that front.
- The Blazers, who intend to lean on Anfernee Simons as their backup point guard, don’t plan to fill their 15th roster spot due to potential luxury tax concerns, Olshey said (Twitter link via Freeman).
Cavs Re-Sign Matthew Dellavedova To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 25: Dellavedova’s contract is now listed in the NBA’s transactions log, making it official.
NOVEMBER 23: Free agent reserve point guard Matthew Dellavedova will return to the Cavaliers, Olgun Uluc of ESPN tweets. The one-year agreement will be for the veteran’s minimum, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN adds (Twitter link).
The contract will pay Dellavedova $2.17MM. As the first year of a veteran’s minimum deal it will only count against $1.6MM of the Cavaliers’ salary cap. Since Dellavedova has re-signed on a one-year deal with Cleveland, the guard will be able to veto any potential trade that includes him for the 2020/21 season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
Dellavedova opted to forgo the Cavaliers’ in-market bubble team workout this fall in anticipation of his free agency. The 6’3″ point guard was first signed in 2013 by the Cavaliers after going undrafted, and became a key role player for the team’s 2016 title run.
The 30-year-old Australian vet is coming off a four-year, $38MM deal he inked with the Bucks in 2016. Cleveland received Dellavedova again when it sent George Hill to Milwaukee in 2018.
Marc Stein of ESPN tweets that the Lakers, led by Dellavedova’s old Cavaliers teammate LeBron James, had interested in adding the veteran to one of their last available roster spots.
Dellavedova’s role with the lottery-bound Cavaliers diminished this past year. He averaged single-season lows in points (3.1 PPG) plus field goal percentage (35.4%) and three-point shooting percentage (23.1%), across a career-low 14.4 MPG.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wizards’ GM: No Plans To Trade John Wall
Speaking to reporters today on a conference call, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said the team has no plans to trade point guard John Wall (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).
Sheppard, who said he was just watching Wall work out this morning, told the media that – with Wall and Bradley Beal set to play together for the first time since 2018 – it’s a new chapter for the Wizards’ two star guards, rather than a “sequel.”
“I can’t wait to see those two together,” he added (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
A report last week indicated that Wall had made it clear he wants to be traded out of Washington. However, Sheppard, who said that he and Wall speak every other day, said the five-time All-Star has never asked him per a trade, per Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
“There’s no issue with John and I, with John and the Wizards,” Sheppard said (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Even if Wall does want to be dealt, he has little leverage to force the issue. With three years and $133MM left on his deal, the 30-year-old has one of the NBA’s least team-friendly contracts. He’s also spent nearly two full years rehabbing various injuries.
While Wall has apparently looked great in workouts, per Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link), teams would be extremely wary about taking on that contract without having seen him play since 2018. In other words, it wouldn’t make sense for the Wizards to make a deal when Wall’s stock is so low.
The team plans to manage Wall’s workload this season, reducing his minutes and likely sitting him during one half of back-to-back sets.
With Wall and Beal reunited in the backcourt and Davis Bertans back in the fold, the Wizards hope to make it back to the postseason in 2021. The team also drafted Deni Avdija last week and signed veterans Robin Lopez and Raul Neto in free agency. Those newcomers will join a roster that also features Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown, and Thomas Bryant.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.