Knicks To Guarantee Reggie Bullock’s 2020/21 Salary
The Knicks must make decisions today on whether or not to guarantee 2020/21 salaries for several veteran players. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post (via Twitter), the team has made at least one of those decisions and will retain Reggie Bullock through his salary guarantee deadline.
Bullock, 29, missed the start of the 2019/20 season due to a back injury, but ended up appearing in 29 games for the Knicks, starting 19 of them. He averaged 8.1 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .402/.333/.810 shooting in 23.6 MPG.
While Bullock didn’t have his best year, he’s a solid defender and shooter, having made 39.2% of his career three-point attempts before last season. His salary is also pretty affordable at just $4.2MM. With that figure locked in, he’s now on track to become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Before the end of the day, the Knicks will also have to make a decision on Bobby Portis‘ team option ($15MM) and determine whether they’ll guarantee salaries for Taj Gibson ($9.45MM), Elfrid Payton ($8MM), and Wayne Ellington ($8MM).
Lakers Agree To Sign Zavier Simpson
The Lakers have agreed to sign free agent guard Zavier Simpson, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Simpson went undrafted on Wednesday night.
A four-year college player at Michigan, Simpson had his best year as a senior in 2019/20, averaging 12.9 PPG, 7.9 APG, and 4.5 RPG on .476/.360/.574 shooting in 30 games (33.7 MPG) for the Wolverines.
Charania didn’t offer any specifics on Simpson’s deal, so it doesn’t sound like it’s a two-way pact. A non-guaranteed or lightly guaranteed standard contract, perhaps with an Exhibit 10 clause, is probably most likely.
The Lakers traded away their draft picks and didn’t make a selection on Wednesday night, so Simpson is the first rookie confirmed to be joining the roster for training camp.
Wolves’ Bolmaro Expected To Remain Overseas For 2020/21
The Timberwolves showed on Wednesday night that they’re high on Argentinian guard Leandro Bolmaro, sending a pair of picks to the Knicks to move up to No. 23 to land him. However, it sounds like Minnesota doesn’t expect Bolmaro to come stateside right away.
John Hollinger of The Athletic indicated in his analysis of the pick that Bolmaro will spend the 2020/21 season with FC Barcelona. A report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo said the same, as Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.
Assuming Bolmaro does indeed remain with Barcelona for the time being, that doesn’t come as a real surprise. We heard back in August that the 20-year-old was planning to stick with the Spanish club for the ’20/21 campaign, having just recently signed a new three-year contract with the EuroLeague squad. That deal does include NBA outs, so the Wolves won’t necessarily have to wait until 2023 to bring him to Minnesota.
While Wolves fans likely won’t get a chance to see Bolmaro immediately, their roster should feature at least a couple rookies this season, with No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards and No. 28 pick Jaden McDaniels set to sign their first NBA contracts sometime after the new league year begins this weekend.
Bucks Sign No. 60 Pick Sam Merrill To Two-Year Deal
DECEMBER 1: Merrill’s contract is now official, according to the NBA’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 19: The last pick in the 2020 draft has become one of the first players to agree to a contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Bucks are signing No. 60 selection Sam Merrill to a two-year deal.
Jones says Merrill’s two-year pact will feature about $1.4MM in guaranteed money, including a fully guaranteed first year. It seems safe to assume the former Utah State guard will sign for the minimum, as Milwaukee attempts to keep costs down to fill out the rest of its roster. That’d mean a fully guaranteed $898K salary in year one with a partially guaranteed $1.52MM salary in 2021/22.
Merrill, who spent all four years of his college career at Utah State, averaged 19.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 32 games (35.0 MPG) as a senior, posting an impressive shooting line of .461/.410/.893.
The Bucks are acquiring Merrill’s rights in their Jrue Holiday deal with the Pelicans, which is not yet official. Once the deal is completed and the new league year begins, Merrill will be able to officially sign his first NBA contract.
Hornets To Sign Nate Darling To Two-Way Deal
The Hornets are signing undrafted free agent guard Nate Darling to a two-way contract, his agents at One Legacy Sports tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Darling, who began his college career at UAB, later transferred to Delaware and had a breakout season in 2019/20. In 32 games (38.3 MPG) in 2019/20, The 22-year-old Canadian averaged 21.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.8 APG with a .446/.399/.854 shooting line.
The Hornets finished the ’19/20 campaign with Kobi Simmons and Ray Spalding occupying their two-way slots. Spalding’s deal runs for another year, so it seems safe to assume that Darling will take Simmons’ spot.
Darling will be eligible to be active for up to 50 games with Charlotte this season.
Community Shootaround: 2020 NBA Draft Winners, Losers
While it’s generally impossible to determine the best and worst picks of a given NBA draft without the benefit of a few years of hindsight, we want you to try your hand at naming this year’s winners and losers, less than 24 hours after this year’s 60 picks were made.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Results]
After weeks of speculation about movement near the top of the draft, the start of the night was awfully quiet, with no picks in the first half of the first round on the move. That left the Timberwolves to select Anthony Edwards at No. 1, the Warriors to claim James Wiseman at No. 2, and the Hornets to nab LaMelo Ball at No. 3.
It was a busy night for all three of those teams — Minnesota made two more first-round picks, securing Leandro Bolmaro at No. 23 and Jaden McDaniels at No. 28. Golden State may have gotten a steal at No. 48, landing a player (Nico Mannion) who was widely viewed as a potential first-round pick. As for the Hornets, they picked up three intriguing college prospects in the second round — Vernon Carey Jr. at No. 32, Nick Richards at No. 42, and Grant Riller at No. 56.
If you’re not particularly high on the work done by the top three teams, how about the Wizards or Kings, who each drafted a player who slipped in the lottery? Washington unexpectedly grabbed Deni Avdija at No. 9, while Sacramento was able to take Tyrese Haliburton without moving up from No. 12.
Elsewhere in the lottery, the Suns made an unexpected pick for a second consecutive year, nabbing Jalen Smith at No. 10. They caught plenty of flak a year ago for picking Cameron Johnson at No. 11, but Johnson had a solid rookie season in Phoenix. Will the Smith pick work out for them?
How about the Bulls‘ pick of Patrick Williams at No. 4? The draft class was widely considered to have a first tier made up of Edwards, Wiseman, and Ball, but it wasn’t until this week that the idea of Williams becoming the next player off the board really gained traction. Was that a reach by new president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas or will his first draft pick in Chicago end up looking savvy?
It was also an eventful evening in Detroit, where the Pistons drafted Killian Hayes (No. 7), Isaiah Stewart (No. 16), and Saddiq Bey (No. 19) in the top 20, then grabbing Saben Lee (No. 38) in round two. The Mavericks were active too, picking up Josh Green (No. 18), Tyrell Terry (No. 31), and Tyler Bey (No. 36).
What do you think? Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the 2020 NBA draft results!
Grizzlies, Kings Swap Second-Round Picks
NOVEMBER 19: The Kings officially announced their trade with the Grizzlies, acquiring the rights to Woodard (No. 40) and a 2022 second-round pick in exchange for the rights to Tillman (No. 35).
NOVEMBER 18: The Grizzlies are trading the 40th pick in tonight’s draft and a future second-rounder to the Kings for the 35th selection, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. The future second will be the lesser of the Pistons’ or Bulls’ picks in 2022 (Twitter link).
Memphis used that pick to draft Michigan State center Xavier Tillman. The 6’8″ junior averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in 31 games for the Spartans last season.
With the 40th pick, Sacramento selected Mississippi State forward Robert Woodard. The 6’7″ sophonmore averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 31 games.
2020 NBA Draft Results
The 2020 NBA draft is in the books, and we tracked all of this year’s picks in the space below, taking into account each trade agreed upon over the course of the draft.
Here are 2020’s NBA draft results:
First Round:
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, G, Georgia (story)
- Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman, C, Memphis (story)
- Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, G, USA (story)
- Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams, F, Florida State
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro, F, Auburn
- Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC
- Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes, G, France
- New York Knicks: Obi Toppin, F, Dayton
- Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija, F, Israel
- Phoenix Suns: Jalen Smith, F/C, Maryland
- San Antonio Spurs: Devin Vassell, G/F, Florida State
- Sacramento Kings: Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State
- New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr., G, Alabama
- Boston Celtics (from Grizzlies): Aaron Nesmith, F, Vanderbilt
- Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony, G, UNC
- Detroit Pistons (from Trail Blazers via Rockets): Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Nets via Timberwolves): Aleksej Pokusevski, F, Serbia
- Dallas Mavericks: Josh Green, G, Arizona
- Detroit Pistons (from Sixers via Nets): Saddiq Bey, F, Villanova
- Miami Heat: Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Thunder): Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky
- Denver Nuggets (from Rockets): Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Jazz via Knicks): Leandro Bolmaro, G, Argentina
- Denver Nuggets (from Pacers via Pelicans): RJ Hampton, G, USA
- New York Knicks (from Nuggets via Timberwolves): Immanuel Quickley, G, Kentucky
- Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon
- Utah Jazz (from Clippers via Knicks): Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Lakers via Thunder): Jaden McDaniels, F, Washington
- Toronto Raptors: Malachi Flynn, G San Diego State
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Bucks via Celtics): Desmond Bane, G, TCU
Second Round:
- Dallas Mavericks (from Warriors): Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford
- Charlotte Hornets (from Cavaliers): Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Timberwolves): Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Hawks via Sixers): Theo Maledon, G, France
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Pistons via Kings): Xavier Tillman, C, Michigan State
- Dallas Mavericks (from Knicks via Sixers): Tyler Bey, F, Colorado
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Bulls via Wizards): Vit Krejci, G, Czech Republic
- Detroit Pistons (from Hornets via Jazz): Saben Lee, G, Vanderbilt
- Utah Jazz (from Wizards via Pelicans): Elijah Hughes, G, Syracuse
- Sacramento Kings (from Suns via Grizzlies): Robert Woodard, F, Mississippi State
- San Antonio Spurs: Tre Jones, G, Duke
- Charlotte Hornets (from Pelicans): Nick Richards, C, Kentucky
- Sacramento Kings: Jahmi’us Ramsey, G, Texas Tech
- Chicago Bulls (from Grizzlies): Marko Simonovic, C, Montenegro
- Milwaukee Bucks (from Magic): Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville
- Portland Trail Blazers: CJ Elleby, G, Washington State
- Boston Celtics (from Nets): Yam Madar, G, Israel
- Golden State Warriors (from Mavericks): Nico Mannion, G, Arizona
- Philadelphia 76ers: Isaiah Joe, G, Arkansas
- Atlanta Hawks (from Heat): Skylar Mays, G, LSU
- Golden State Warriors (from Jazz): Justinian Jessup, G, Boise State
- Houston Rockets (via Kings): Kenyon Martin Jr., F, IMG Academy
- Washington Wizards (from Thunder): Cassius Winston, G, Michigan State
- Indiana Pacers: Cassius Stanley, G, Duke
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Nuggets via Nets): Jay Scrubb, G, John A. Logan College
- Charlotte Hornets (from Celtics): Grant Riller, G, Charleston
- Brooklyn Nets (from Clippers): Reggie Perry, C, Mississippi State
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Lakers): Paul Reed, F, DePaul
- Toronto Raptors: Jalen Harris, G, Nevada
- Milwaukee Bucks (via Pelicans): Sam Merrill, G, Utah State
Nuggets Sign Markus Howard To Two-Way Contract
NOVEMBER 30: Howard’s two-way contract with Denver is now official, the team announced today (via Twitter).
NOVEMBER 19: The Nuggets will sign former Marquette guard Markus Howard to a two-way contract, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).
Howard was a candidate to be drafted on Wednesday night, but ultimately wasn’t one of the 60 players selected. He ranked seventh on ESPN’s list of this year’s undrafted prospects.
Howard, who spent four years playing college ball, averaged a career-best 27.8 PPG in his senior season in 2019/20. The 5’11” scorer is an impressive volume shooter, having knocked down 46.3% of 7.9 three-pointers per game over the course of 128 NCAA games.
Hawks’ Bembry, Labissiere, Jones To Become UFAs
The Hawks have elected not to extend qualifying offers to DeAndre’ Bembry, Skal Labissiere, Damian Jones, or Charlie Brown Jr., according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link). As a result, all four players will be unrestricted free agents rather than restricted.
The decisions don’t come as a major surprise. Bembry was the No. 21 pick in 2016 and has spent the last four seasons in Atlanta, but didn’t have a great year in 2019/20, averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .456/.231/.542 shooting in 43 games (21.3 MPG). Labissiere was said to be someone who intrigued Atlanta when he was acquired at the trade deadline, but he was unable to suit up for the Hawks due to health issues.
Jones made 55 appearances for Atlanta in 2019/20 but was unlikely to have a regular role next season with Clint Capela healthy and Onyeka Okongwu joining the Hawks in the draft. Brown, meanwhile, saw limited action in 10 games for the Hawks while on a two-way contract.
While those four players appear unlikely to return to Atlanta, Kirschner says (via Twitter) that the team is expected to guarantee Brandon Goodwin‘s minimum salary for 2020/21. Goodwin would earn a $1.7MM salary before becoming eligible for restricted free agency himself in 2021.