Start Of Warriors’ Camp Delayed By Two Positive COVID-19 Tests
The Warriors have delayed the start of their training camp by one day after two players tested positive for COVID-19, president of basketball operations Bob Myers said today (Twitter link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic).
Rather than beginning individual workouts today and group workouts on Sunday, those start dates will be pushed to Wednesday and Monday, respectively, per Myers. The Warriors’ executive didn’t identify the two players who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Warriors likely won’t be the only team with at least one or two COVID-19 cases to deal with this week. Players are reporting to their home markets from all over the country – or from overseas, in some cases – and haven’t necessarily been tested regularly during the offseason.
As was the case during the summer when the league began its Walt Disney World bubble, the hope will be that those cases can be identified now, with opening night still a few weeks away. The goal will be to prevent the virus from spreading, swiftly moving any affected players into quarantine until they’re medically cleared.
Hornets Notes: Hayward, Batum, Carey
Hornets head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak had talked for the better part of the year about not planning to make a splash in free agency. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Charlotte completed the biggest unrestricted free agent contract of the 2020 offseason, signing Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $120MM contract.
Addressing that disconnect during his Tuesday session with reporters, Kupchak explained that he simply wasn’t expecting a player like Hayward to be available this fall.
“I did not think that we would be in a position to pursue a free agent of Gordon’s caliber,” Kupchak said, per Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
As for whether Hayward’s injury history made the Hornets nervous about making such a significant investment in the 30-year-old forward, Kupchak downplayed any concerns the team might have had, as Bonnell writes.
“He passed our physical with flying colors,” he said. “He’s a good age for an NBA player and keeps himself in great shape … There’s no reason to believe, knock on wood, that he won’t be healthy here the next four years.”
Here’s more on the Hornets:
- Speaking today to reporters about his decision to join the Hornets, Hayward said the team’s interest in him back in 2014 was a factor in choosing Charlotte, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. He also sounded excited about taking on a bigger role than he had in Boston, as the leader of a young Hornets roster. “The think I like to do most is play-make and create for others,” he said. “Obviously in my career, I’ve done the scoring thing as well. I’m versatile. I can just help us try to impact our time with winning as much as possible. The pieces are there in place. Sometimes with a young team you just need to get over that initial hump to get to that next level. I’m excited about that opportunity and that challenge.”
- Asked today about waiving and stretching Nicolas Batum and his $27MM+ expiring contract, Kupchak explained that it would have cost the Hornets multiple draft picks to dump Batum’s salary in a trade. The team may also have had to take back another (smaller) veteran contract in the deal, Kupchak added (Twitter link via Bonnell).
- The four-year contract that No. 32 overall pick Vernon Carey Jr. signed with the Hornets will have a first-year salary of $1.35MM, followed by minimum salaries in years two through four, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The final year will be a team option, but it sounds like the first three will be guaranteed.
Mavericks Exercise 2021/22 Option On Luka Doncic
In one of the least surprising roster moves of 2020, the Mavericks have exercised their 2021/22 team option on superstar guard/forward Luka Doncic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Unlike the veteran team option decisions for ’20/21 that were due last month, team options on rookie scale contracts are due one year in advance of them going into effect. Clubs will have to finalize those decisions for ’21/22 within the next four weeks — December 29 is the deadline.
Of course, in Doncic’s case, the move was a mere formality. The 21-year-old has already emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate after two NBA seasons, having averaged 28.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 8.8 APG in 61 games (33.6 MPG) for the Mavericks in 2019/20.
Doncic had already been slated to make $8.05MM this season. Dallas’ option decision will lock in his $10.17MM salary for ’21/22. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2021 offseason and it’s a virtual certainty that the Mavs will sign him to a new maximum-salary contract as soon as they can.
Nets Announce 20-Man Training Camp Roster
The Nets have finalized their training camp roster, announcing the 20-man squad today in a press release, as Malika Andrew of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
In addition to the 18 players already known to be under contract with Brooklyn, the list includes former Tennessee guard Jordan Bowden, who agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the team, and former Kentucky forward Nate Sestina, whose Exhibit 10 deal was first reported by Jon Chepkevich (Twitter link).
Absent from the Nets’ roster is point guard Elie Okobo, who reportedly agreed to a deal with the club on Monday. However, the fact that he hasn’t signed yet with Brooklyn doesn’t mean he won’t. I’d expect the team to cut a player at some point in the coming days to make room for Okobo, though he’d still have an uphill battle to earn a spot on the regular season roster.
Fourteen of the Nets’ 20 players are known to have guaranteed salaries for the 2020/21 season. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has a partial guarantee, Jeremiah Martin has a two-way deal, and Bowden, Sestina, and Reggie Perry are on non-guaranteed contracts. The details on Chris Chiozza‘s new contract aren’t yet known.
Nuggets Notes: Campazzo, Lineup, Green, Arena, Roster
Having officially signed a two-year contract with the Nuggets, longtime EuroLeague star Facundo Campazzo is excited about finally making it to the NBA, as he wrote for HoopsHype. Campazzo said that he also received interest from the Knicks and Timberwolves before signing with Denver.
“Aside from being super happy about becoming an NBA player, I’m also ecstatic about doing it so with the Nuggets,” he wrote. “There was mild interest from New York and Minnesota made a hard run at my services with my friend Pablo Prigioni recruiting me all the time, but it was impossible to say no to Denver.”
As Campazzo explained, the Nuggets’ ability to contend was a major factor in his decision. He also got feedback from fellow Argentines Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, and Luis Scola about the Nuggets organization and the city of Denver, which helped win him over.
“It goes without saying that signing with the Nuggets is a dream come true, but it’s by no means mission accomplished for me,” Campazzo wrote. “I’m coming here to stay and have a relevant NBA career.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Discussing his projected starting five today, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said that no one besides Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are locked in yet, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Malone did single out Michael Porter Jr. though, telling reporters that the young forward has a chance to be an “All-League talent” (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).
- JaMychal Green said today that he’s not concerned about whether or not he starts, as long as he gets consistent minutes (Twitter link via Singer). The veteran forward also said he nearly signed with Denver a year ago as a free agent (Twitter link via Singer).
- The Nuggets have formally announced that they won’t be hosting fans at Ball Arena in Denver to start the 2020/21 season due to coronavirus-related regulations and concerns.
- The Nuggets plan on going through training camp with just 17 players under contract and won’t bring in camp invitees to fill out the final three spots, a source tell Singer (Twitter link). After signing RJ Hampton today, the Nuggets have 15 players officially locked up, with Paul Millsap and Zeke Nnaji still to be finalized.
Kings Notes: Hield, Bogdanovic, Cap Flexibility, Metu
By the end of the 2019/20 season, it appeared that Buddy Hield‘s days in Sacramento might be numbered. He had bristled at being removed from the starting lineup last winter and the Kings appeared committed to investing in Bogdan Bogdanovic, the man who had replaced Hield as the club’s starting shooting guard.
However, Sacramento let Bogdanovic walk in free agency and Hield remains on the roster. Addressing the situation in a conference call with reporters this week, general manager Monte McNair expressed a belief that Hield can still be – and is – a part of the Kings’ long-term plans.
“I’ve talked with Buddy, as well as his agent, I think we’re all on the same page,” McNair said, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “I think we’re really excited to see Buddy kind of let free in this system. I think he’s going to be fantastic.”
The Kings are aiming to increase their tempo on offense this season. As Ham notes, that would seem to be a good fit for Hield’s outside shooting ability.
“‘Buddy is such an incredible talent, especially his shooting is at an elite level,” McNair said. “(That) is something we saw this offseason was at a premium. I think we’re really excited to see him in this system.”
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Asked during his media availability this week about the Kings’ decision not to match Bogdanovic’s offer sheet, McNair provided many of the same reasons that were reported at the time of the move. As Ham writes for NBC Sports California, the Kings’ GM said the team wants to “maintain as much (salary cap) flexibility as we can” and cited the presence of Hield and Tyrese Haliburton as the backcourt as factors in the decision to let Bogdanovic go.
- Using McNair’s comments as a jumping-off point, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee explores how not having Bogdanovic’s contract on their books will affect the Kings’ projected cap room in 2021 and beyond.
- The Kings used part of their mid-level exception to sign free agent forward Chimezie Metu to a three-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Metu only has a $50K partial guarantee for now, though that would increase to $250K if he makes the opening night roster, Smith adds.
Southwest Rumors: Harden, Westbrook, Grizzlies, Porzingis, More
The Rockets still expect to begin the season with former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook on their roster, despite a handful of November trade rumors, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on Complex’s Load Management podcast.
Although there’s no momentum toward a trade involving either player, Charania dropped a couple interesting tidbits during his podcast discussion about the Rockets stars, mentioning that the Warriors “made a call” about Harden and that the Cavaliers talked to Houston about Westbrook. Based on Charania’s comments, it doesn’t sound like any traction was gained in either case.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Grizzlies are currently carrying 17 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning a couple of those players will have to be traded or released before the start of the regular season. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian suggests that Mario Hezonja and Marko Guduric appear to be the most likely odd men out.
- Confirming a previous report, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle reiterated today that Kristaps Porzingis (knee) won’t play until at least January, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Carlisle did say that Porzingis’ rehab is going well and that the big man is doing “light court work.”
- Mavericks rookie guard Tyrell Terry will receive $4.6MM in guaranteed money on his four-year contract, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. While we don’t know the exact terms of Terry’s deal, it sounds like his first three seasons will be guaranteed.
- The three-year, minimum-salary contract that second-rounder Tre Jones signed with the Spurs is fully guaranteed for the first two years, as Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports details (via Twitter).
Kings Sign Robert Woodard II To Four-Year Deal
1:00pm: Woodard’s first NBA deal will be a four-year contract with a $1.5MM guaranteed salary in year one, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). It’ll feature a $3.3MM overall guaranteed, according to Marks. That sounds like two guaranteed seasons with a small partial guarantee in year three.
12:48pm: The Kings have made it official with one of their second-round picks, announcing that they’ve signed former Mississippi State forward Robert Woodard II to his first NBA contract.
After playing a modest role off the bench as a freshman in 2018/19, Woodard moved into Mississippi State’s starting lineup last season and took an impressive step forward as a sophomore, averaging 11.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.1 SPG. In 31 games (33.1 MPG), he posted an impressive .495 FG% and .429 3PT%.
Woodard, who declared for the draft as an early entrant, was selected with the 40th overall pick last month and was sent from Memphis to Sacramento as part of a draft-night trade.
Terms of Woodard’s deal aren’t yet known, but the players picked at No. 39 (Elijah Hughes) and No. 41 (Tre Jones) each got fully guaranteed salaries for the next two seasons, so I’d be surprised if Woodard doesn’t get a similar commitment from the Kings.
Assuming his 2020/21 salary is guaranteed, Woodard will be the 13th player on the roster with a full guarantee for the coming season. That would leave just two spots on the 15-man regular season roster for some combination of Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Chimezie Metu, and No. 43 overall pick Jahmi’us Ramsey. Sacramento does still have a two-way contract slot still open too, so I’d guess the team will try to sign Ramsey to a two-way deal.
Nets Re-Sign Chris Chiozza
The Nets have officially re-signed free agent point guard Chris Chiozza, the team announced today in a press release.
Chiozza, 25, signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn in January and emerged as a reliable rotation player for the team, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.1 APG on .425/.357/1.000 shooting in 18 games (15.4 MPG).
The Nets issued him a qualifying offer in November, making him a restricted free agent. That QO was equivalent to another two-way contract, but today’s press release doesn’t mention anything about Chiozza’s new contract being a two-way deal, so we’ll have to wait for clarification on the exact terms.
While Chiozza played well for the Nets in 2019/20, it’s unclear whether there will be a place for him on the regular season roster this season, with Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Tyler Johnson all ahead of him on the point guard depth chart. Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet are options at the position too.
Brooklyn is currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot considered the favorite for the 15th spot. Another point guard, Jeremiah Martin, occupies one of the two-way contract slots, with second-round pick Reggie Perry a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way contract to fill the other opening.
Central Notes: Markkanen, Oladipo, Antetokounmpo, Buckner, Bulls
Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen is eager to get a rookie scale extension done before the December 21 deadline, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Markkanen said on Tuesday he’s pushing his agent, Michael (Boris) Lelchitski, to reach an agreement. “I really want to be here long-term so I’m putting some pressure on (my agent) to get (an extension) done,” he said. De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo are the other members of Markkanen’s draft class who have already reached extension agreements.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has been the subject of trade rumors but he insists he didn’t ask to be dealt, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN (Twitter link). “I never came out and said that I didn’t want to play for the Pacers or be in this organization,” he said. Oladipo, who said he think he’s much healthier than he was last season, added that he feels pressure to prove that he’s still an All-Star caliber player. “It feels like the world (is) on my back and I’ve got to make sure I hold it up,” he said.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to meet with the Bucks this week, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (video link). The two-time MVP’s decision whether to sign a super-max extension or test the free agent market next offseason looms as the biggest story of the preseason.
- The Cavaliers have hired Greg Buckner as an assistant coach, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Buckner has a history with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, as they worked together on the Rockets and Grizzlies coaching staffs.
- New coach Billy Donovan’s plans for Markkanen, Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr. are among the questions looming over the Bulls as they open training camp, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes.