Knicks Sign James Young, Waive Tyler Hall
The Knicks have signed James Young and waived Tyler Hall, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links).
New York’s intention to sign Young was reported last week. Young, 25, was the 17th pick of the 2014 draft by Boston. He hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2017/18 season, when he made six appearances for Philadelphia. He played in Israel last season.
Young’s contract terms were not revealed but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal.
Hall was signed over the weekend to an Exhibit 10 contract. Hall’s G League rights are already held by the Knicks, so he could earn a $50K bonus if he plays for the Westchester Knicks for at least 60 days.
Hall, who played college ball at Montana State, was on the Westchester roster last season. He appeared in 39 games, averaging 9.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.7 APG in 39 games.
The Knicks are stocking their G League team with these types of roster maneuvers and Young could be headed through the same process.
Southwest Notes: Vassell, DeRozan, Tucker, Pelicans, Redick, Bledsoe
Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan is helping to teach rookie Devin Vassell the nuances of the NBA game, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express News writes. Vassell was selected with the 11th overall pick in the draft and also plays on the wing. “A lot of times, even in practice, he comes to me and asks questions,” DeRozan said. “That’s big for a young guy to to be able to come to our vets and just ask questions, ask what he is doing wrong, what he can do better.” Vassell had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes during his preseason debut.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Seeking an extension, Rockets forward P.J. Tucker says he wants to go “where I am wanted,” Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Tucker promises to “do my job” even if the club doesn’t offer him an extension. Tucker, who will make approximately $7.97MM this season, will enter unrestricted free agency next summer.
- The Pelicans’ acquisition of center Steven Adams from the Thunder and subsequent decision to give him an extension was a head-scratcher, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. They could have instead acquired a better shooter in Al Horford or re-signed Derrick Favors. They also would have been better off holding onto George Hill, rather than dealing him in the same multi-team trade involving Denver and Oklahoma City, Hollinger contends. Hill is a better shooter than Eric Bledsoe and New Orleans also has enough depth at the point, Hollinger adds.
- Bledsoe will have to pass a series of tests before he can rejoin the Pelicans, coach Stan Van Gundy told The Athletic’s Will Guillory and other media members (Twitter link). Bledsoe left the market due to a personal matter and missed a COVID-19 test. J.J. Redick was held out of the team’s preseason game on Monday due to contact tracing.
Atlantic Notes: Smith Jr., Irving, Boucher, Mensah-Bonsu
Dennis Smith Jr. has done nothing to boost his trade value during the Knicks’ first two preseason games, Marc Berman of the New York Post notes. Though new coach Tom Thibodeau praised Smith last week, the guard hasn’t produced on the court. Smith, who could be a restricted or unrestricted free agent next offseason, logged 37 minutes and shot just 33% from the field. He also looked out of sorts when the Pistons trapped him on Sunday while posting a minus-15 in 16 minutes, Berman adds.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nets guard Kyrie Irving finally complied with league rules and met virtually with the media on Monday, Malika Andrews of ESPN writes. Irving had called the media “pawns” in an Instagram post and was fined by the league for refusing to speak to journalists prior to Monday. Irving made a point of praising coach Steve Nash, after previously making a comment that was construed as a knock on Nash when Irving said on a podcast he didn’t see the team “as having a head coach.” “Steve’s been amazing,” Irving said. “He kind of commands the respect. I think I’ve got to take back my comments in terms of the head coach back a few months ago.”
- Chris Boucher will have an expanded role with the Raptors this season now that Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol are gone, and he plans to do the dirty work, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The big man re-signed with the club on a two-year, $13.5MM deal as a restricted free agent. “You’ve got to come in the game, play defense, block shots, rebound, make the good reads,” Boucher said. “I think I was a little trigger happy before … We’ve got good shooters with me when I’m playing now, so I don’t really need to be taking those shots.”
- The Knicks are planning to hire Pops Mensah-Bonsu as president and director of their G League operations, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov and Shams Charania tweet. Mensah-Bonsu was the GM of the Wizards’ Capital City Go-Go G League team last season after a stint as a Spurs scout.
Clippers Waive Ky Bowman, Malik Fitts, Jordan Ford
The Clippers have cut three training camp invitees, announcing today that they’ve requested waivers on guard Ky Bowman, forward Malik Fitts, and guard Jordan Ford.
Bowman spent last season with the Warriors after going undrafted out of Boston College, averaging 7.4 points, 2.9 assists and 22.6 minutes in 45 games, including 12 starts. Bowman had his two-way contract converted into a multiyear standard deal in February, but only the 2019/20 salary was guaranteed. Golden State waived him last month.
Fitts is an undrafted rookie out of St. Mary’s. In 68 total games with the Gaels, Fitts averaged 15.9 PPG and 7.3 RPG.
Ford is also an undrafted rookie out of the same college. A two-time member of the All-WCC team, he was the second-leading scorer in the West Coast Conference in 2019/20, averaging 21.9 PPG.
Los Angeles now has 17 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals and a pair on two-way pacts. Rayjon Tucker, the Clippers’ other player without a fully guaranteed salary, remains under contract for now, but could also be waived soon if the team doesn’t intend to open the regular season with a full roster.
Any of the waived players could eventually resurface with the Clippers’ G League team, Agua Caliente.
2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Atlantic Division
The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on December 22, so it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.
It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.
We’ll kick things off today with the Atlantic division…
Boston Celtics
- 2019/20 record: 48-24
- Over/under for 2020/21: 45.5 wins (46-26)
- Major offseason moves:
How many games will the Celtics win in 2020/21?
-
Over 45.5 66% (654)
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Under 45.5 34% (333)
Total votes: 987
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Celtics poll.
Brooklyn Nets
- 2019/20 record: 35-37
- Over/under for 2020/21: 45.5 wins (46-26)
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green
- Note: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are also returning from injuries.
- Lost: Garrett Temple, Wilson Chandler, Dzanan Musa
- Added: Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green
How many games will the Nets win in 2020/21?
-
Over 45.5 59% (482)
-
Under 45.5 41% (340)
Total votes: 822
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Nets poll.
Philadelphia 76ers
- 2019/20 record: 43-30
- Over/under for 2020/21: 44.5 wins (45-27)
- Major offseason moves:
How many games will the Sixers win in 2020/21?
-
Over 44.5 57% (491)
-
Under 44.5 43% (364)
Total votes: 855
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Sixers poll.
Toronto Raptors
- 2019/20 record: 53-19
- Over/under for 2020/21: 42.5 wins (43-29)
- Major offseason moves:
How many games will the Raptors win in 2020/21?
-
Over 42.5 55% (445)
-
Under 42.5 45% (369)
Total votes: 814
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Raptors poll.
New York Knicks
- 2019/20 record: 21-45
- Over/under for 2020/21: 22.5 wins (23-49)
- Major offseason moves:
How many games will the Knicks win in 2020/21?
-
Under 22.5 59% (496)
-
Over 22.5 41% (338)
Total votes: 834
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Knicks poll.
Lakers Waive Zavier Simpson, Kevon Harris, Tres Tinkle
The Lakers waived guard Zavier Simpson, guard Kevon Harris, and forward Tres Tinkle on Sunday, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.
Simpson, Harris, and Tinkle were all rookie free agents who went undrafted last month, then agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with the Lakers. It looked as if the plan was for them to participate in training camp and then perhaps join Los Angeles’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. However, the team reportedly opted not to bring them to camp as a coronavirus precaution.
The Lakers are also among the teams expected to bypass the proposed G League bubble, as our JD Shaw has reported. As such, Harris, Simpson, and Tinkle may not get an opportunity to play for South Bay this season. Still, it appears all three players officially signed their Exhibit 10 deals, just in case.
Following the series of transactions, the Lakers are once again carrying 16 players on their roster, including 14 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. They seem likely to open the season with those 16 players under contract.
Harden Practices With Rockets, Will Play Tuesday
After registering six negative coronavirus tests, star guard James Harden practiced with the Rockets on Monday for the first time this season, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Head coach Stephen Silas, who confirmed that P.J. Tucker also returned to practice for the Rockets, said that both Harden and Tucker looked “very good.” Silas added that he and Harden had a good conversation, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“He was locked in and asking good questions,” Silas said of Harden, adding that the plan is for the 31-year-old to play in Houston’s preseason game on Tuesday vs. San Antonio (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN).
As we relayed this morning, Harden hasn’t backed off his desire to be traded at all and is still pushing Houston to move him. However, he has reportedly told the team that he’ll be “professional and engaged” until a trade occurs, recognizing that keeping his value high will increase the Rockets’ chances of finding a deal they like.
It doesn’t appear that any Harden trade talks have gotten serious so far, with teams unwilling to meet the Rockets’ high asking price so far. Yaron Weitzman reported earlier today (via Twitter) that Houston wants three first-round picks in addition to Ben Simmons in a deal with Philadelphia. I’m skeptical that the Rockets’ asking price will stay that high, but given that the Sixers haven’t even put Simmons on the table yet, it’s fair to assume the two sides remain far apart.
And-Ones: Doncic, Lin, G League, Duffy
A panel of eight NBA scouts and executives polled by Tim Bontemps of ESPN nearly unanimously view LeBron James as the league’s best player, but voted Luka Doncic as the frontrunner for the MVP award in 2021.
“It’s hard to see Giannis winning three in a row,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN. “And I think there’s more of an opportunity for Luka to kind of put on an MVP show and do more on an individual basis.”
Bontemps also had those scouts and execs weigh in with their thoughts on the 2020 offseason, polling them on which teams had the most success upgrading their roster in either the short or long term — or both. Half the panelists picked the Lakers as the team that had the best offseason, with the Hawks, Thunder, and Sixers also receiving votes. Meanwhile, the Pistons, Rockets, and Bucks got votes for the worst offseason.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Free agent guard Jeremy Lin practiced this weekend with the G League Ignite ahead of their scrimmages on Tuesday and Thursday, league sources tell Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link). Lin wasn’t among the veteran players previously announced as part of the Ignite, but Zagoria suggests in his full story that the veteran is expected to suit up with the squad on Tuesday.
- Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside is keeping tabs on which teams are expected to opt in and out of the G League’s proposed Atlanta-area bubble. With the NBA’s opening night just over a week away, it seems like a formal update on the plans for the NBAGL should be right around the corner.
- After making a clerical error that cost client Anthony Carter approximately $3MM in 2003, agent Bill Duffy vowed to repay Carter in full and has made good on that promise, making the last of his payments to Carter this year, as Sopan Deb writes in an interesting story for The New York Times.
Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2020/21
When Vince Carter officially called it a career and announced his retirement earlier his year, it meant the NBA had a new elder statesman. Having re-signed with the Heat for the coming season, 40-year-old big man Udonis Haslem currently holds the title of oldest active player on a roster for 2020/21.
While Haslem is back in action for another year, many of the NBA’s other oldest players haven’t found new homes after being on rosters last season. Jamal Crawford, Pau Gasol, Kyle Korver, Tyson Chandler, Thabo Sefolosha, J.J. Barea, Anthony Tolliver, and Taj Gibson are among the players currently on the free agent market who would be among the 10 oldest players in the league if they were to sign a new contract.
I expect we’ll see a few of those guys playing in the NBA this season, but for the time being, here’s the full list of the 10 oldest players on NBA rosters, led by Haslem:
- Udonis Haslem, Heat (born 6/9/1980)
- Andre Iguodala, Heat (born 1/28/1984)
- Carmelo Anthony, Trail Blazers (born 5/29/1984)
- J.J. Redick, Pelicans (born 6/24/1984)
- LeBron James, Lakers (born 12/30/1984)
- Marc Gasol, Lakers (born 1/29/1985)
- Paul Millsap, Nuggets (born 2/10/1985)
- P.J. Tucker, Rockets (born 5/5/1985)
- Chris Paul, Suns (born 5/6/1985)
- Trevor Ariza, Thunder (born 6/30/1985)
On the other end of the spectrum, the NBA’s top 10 youngest active players were all selected in the 2020 draft, with eight coming off the board in the top 20 picks.
A number of young undrafted free agents have gone right from college to an NBA roster within the last month, but the youngest of 2020’s rookies are the ones who declared for the draft in their first year of eligibility — and many of the earliest of this year’s early entrants were strong enough prospects to be drafted.
A year ago, Pistons rookie Sekou Doumbouya – born on December, 23, 2000 – was the NBA’s youngest player. This year, the top 10 all have 2001 birth dates.
Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters:
- Aleksej Pokusevski, Thunder (born 12/26/2001)
- Patrick Williams, Bulls (born 8/26/2001)
- LaMelo Ball, Hornets (born 8/22/2001)
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (born 8/5/2001)
- Killian Hayes, Pistons (born 7/27/2001)
- Theo Maledon, Thunder (born 6/12/2001)
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, Kings (born 6/9/2001)
- Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (born 5/22/2001)
- Kira Lewis Jr., Pelicans (born 4/6/2001)
- James Wiseman, Warriors (born 3/31/2001)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: MKG, Spellman, Sixers, Nets, Durant
The Knicks have 15 players with guaranteed salaries for the 2020/21 season, which means that – on paper – their roster for the regular season appears set. However, if the team wants to hang onto veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whose deal isn’t guaranteed, one of those 15 others will have to be traded or released.
“You know who (Kidd-Gilchrist) is and he’s trying to find a way onto the roster,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said over the weekend, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “Michael’s always been a terrific competitor. Health comes first, we want him healthy and then we’ll go from there.”
It’s not clear yet whether the Knicks are committed to getting Kidd-Gilchrist – who has missed the first two preseason games with an illness – onto the regular season roster. But if he makes the team, Omari Spellman appears to be a candidate to be waived to make room, sources tell Bondy.
Spellman was dealt to New York last month along with Jacob Evans and a second-round pick in exchange for Ed Davis. That trade appeared to be mostly about the future draft pick for the Knicks, who have already cut Evans.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic liked the Sixers‘ offseason moves, which created better fits on the roster while giving the team more long-term cap flexibility. However, he still wants to see proof that the team can be more than the sum of its parts rather than less, as it was last season.
- With a left knee contusion sidelining Caris LeVert for the Nets‘ preseason opener on Sunday, Spencer Dinwiddie got the start in his place. Head coach Steve Nash isn’t sure whether or not that arrangement might become permanent, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “Caris is a starter. Will he start for us? I’m not sure,” Nash said. “He’s so good with the ball in his hands. There’s a case to be made that he plays that (Manu) Ginobili role, where he’s clearly a starter. Manu played in All-Star games, started on the bench, ran the second unit and closed games.”
- Kyrie Irving‘s return and Kevin Durant‘s debut for the Nets on Sunday couldn’t have gone much better, says Lewis in a separate New York Post story. While Durant didn’t quite look like peak KD, he score 15 points in 24 minutes and said after the game that he felt healthy, calling it a “good first step.”