Raul Neto Re-Signs With Wizards
AUGUST 7: Neto has officially re-signed, according to a team press release.
“We are very pleased to bring Raul back after the career year he had for us last season,” Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard said. “He was one of our most consistent players with a toughness and tenacity on both ends of the floor that allowed him to lead our second unit and step in when called upon as a starter.”
AUGUST 4: The Wizards will re-sign free agent guard Raul Neto, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Neto, 29, signed with Washington as a free agent last November. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists as the primary backup to Russell Westbrook, but also made 22 starts. He figures to keep the same role this season now that the Wizards have a sign-and-trade agreement for Spencer Dinwiddie, although Aaron Holiday will be in the mix as well.
A native of Brazil, Neto was drafted in 2013, but didn’t come to the NBA until two years later. He spent his first four seasons with the Jazz before signing with the Sixers in 2019.
Free Agency Rumors: R. Jackson, Cavaliers, Suns, Wizards
Reggie Jackson is getting a lot of interest on the free agent market after his strong playoff run, but the Clippers remain hopeful about re-signing him, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN.
Jackson, 31, is coming off a strong season and playoff run with the Clippers — he topped 20 points nine times during the playoffs and shot a career-high 43.3% from three-point range last season. Los Angeles holds his Early Bird rights and can offer him a starting salary worth up to nearly $10.4MM.
Money will be a key factor in Jackson’s decision, according to Schultz (via Twitter), who adds that the Pelicans may be a “sleeper team” in the race for the veteran point guard. New Orleans general manager Trajan Langdon is known to be a fan of Jackson.
There’s more news on free agency:
- After completing a trade for Ricky Rubio, the Cavaliers are still searching for another point guard, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Sources tell Fedor that Cleveland has looked at Raul Neto, who played for the Wizards last season, and Brad Wanamaker, who finished the season with the Hornets. Fedor lists a few other names still on the market, such as Frank Ntilikina, Ryan Arcidiacono, Tim Frazier, Jeff Teague, Elfrid Payton and Mike James. The Cavs still have their $9.5MM mid-level exception left, along with the flexibility to open spots on the roster.
- Neto is among the backcourt options the Suns might consider in completing their roster, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. Some others are Elfrid Payton, Dante Exum, Quinn Cook and Ryan Arcidiacono. Up front, Phoenix will likely look at Paul Millsap and possibly Isaiah Hartenstein, although Gambadoro isn’t sure about a potential reunion with Aron Baynes (Twitter link).
- The Wizards have remade their roster in the past week, but the major moves may be done for now, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). He notes that the Spencer Dinwiddie trade will leave Washington too close to the luxury tax line to consider using its mid-level exception.
Saben Lee Re-Signs With Pistons
AUGUST 6: Lee’s new deal with the Pistons is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. We’re still waiting on the exact terms of the contract.
AUGUST 4: After a promising rookie season, Saben Lee will sign a three-year contract to stay with the Pistons, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal includes a team option on the third year, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
The 22-year-old guard was part of a strong rookie class that Detroit put together last season. Selected with the 38th pick, he was acquired from the Jazz in a draft-night trade. He earned a spot in the Pistons’ rotation and averaged 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 48 games.
Lee, who spent last season on a two-way contract, was a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer over the weekend. Because he spent a year on that two-way deal, Detroit had Non-Bird rights on Lee and was able to do the three-year deal without using cap room, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
While the exact financial details aren’t yet known, the Non-Bird exception would allow the Pistons to give Lee a starting salary worth no more than 120% of the minimum.
Jalen Green Signs Rookie Contract With Rockets
Jalen Green, the second selection in last week’s draft, has signed his rookie contract with the Rockets, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Green is the first of Houston’s four first-round picks to sign, Feigen states, citing a person with knowledge of the deal.
Green signed for 120% of the rookie scale, which is common for first-round picks. He will earn about $8.99MM during his first season and will make up to $40.8MM over the course of the four-year deal.
The 19-year-old was the first major prospect to bypass college and sign with the newly formed G League Ignite team. In 15 games in the G League bubble in Orlando, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per night, cementing his status as one of the best players in the draft.
He is preparing to make his Summer League debut this weekend, Feigen adds.
Lakers Waive Alfonzo McKinnie
AUGUST 4: The Lakers have officially released McKinnie, the team confirmed today in a press release.
AUGUST 3: The Lakers will waive veteran forward Alfonzo McKinnie, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
McKinnie still had two more years left on his minimum-salary contract with the Lakers, but his salaries for the next two seasons were fully non-guaranteed. As such, the team won’t be on the hook for any dead money as a result of releasing McKinnie, who will get a chance to seek out a new opportunity.
McKinnie, who will turn 29 next month, averaged 3.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG on .516/.410/.556 shooting in 39 games (6.6 MPG) for the Lakers in 2020/21.
Although McKinnie had been on a minimum contract, his $1.91MM salary for 2021/22 would’ve been higher than the cap hit for a newly-signed one-year, minimum-salary contract. So the Lakers will likely replace McKinnie on the roster with a free agent and save a bit of money in the process. That’s not insignificant, since the club projects to be well over the tax line this season.
Hawks Sign Jalen Johnson To Rookie Contract
First-round pick Jalen Johnson has signed his rookie contract with the Hawks, according to the NBA.com transactions page.
Johnson, 19, played just part of his freshman season at Duke before leaving the team the team in February to prepare for the draft. He played 13 games for the Blue Devils, averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night, along with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks.
The 6’9″ forward had been one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, and there was a wide speculation about where he might be drafted, ranging from the late lottery to late in the first round.
Assuming Johnson receives 120% of his rookie scale amount, which most first-rounders do, he will earn $2,659,680 in his first season and could get as much as $12,888,585 over the four-year deal.
LaMarcus Aldridge Seriously Considering NBA Comeback
Veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge, who announced his retirement in the spring due to a heart-related health scare, is seriously contemplating the possibility of returning to the NBA, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
As Wojnarowski explains, Aldridge would require team medical clearance in order to sign a contract and take the court again. He hasn’t made a final decision yet on whether or not to attempt a comeback, but he’s expected to have discussions with teams in the coming weeks, sources tell ESPN.
Aldridge released a Twitter statement on April 15 explaining that he had decided to end his career after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during his last game. He had dealt with heart issues before, being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome during his rookie season in 2007 and missing time due to a heart arrhythmia in 2017.
In a June interview, Aldridge said he felt his heart racing on the morning of his final game, but believed it would go back to normal once he got on the court.
“It was still off after the game, but at like two, three in the morning, it got really, really crazy,” Aldridge recalled. “My heart was beating really crazy, and that’s when it got really bad for me. From two to five in the morning, I was just trying to evoke some breathing and then around 5:30 or so, I texted the team doctor and I went to the hospital. It was probably the scariest night ever.”
The retirement announcement was shocking because Aldridge had been with the Nets for less than three weeks. He chose to come to Brooklyn after reaching a buyout agreement with the Spurs in late March. Aldridge had been shut down in San Antonio while the team searched for a trade partner. He played just five games for Brooklyn, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26 minutes per night.
“It was very tough. I definitely wasn’t ready to hang it up and I still felt like I had more to give to a team and I feel I had a lot to give to the Nets,” Aldridge said. … “Basically, that night being so freaked out — and knowing I have kids, my mom, a lot of people depending on me and a lot of people that I want to see going forward — I just felt like I was blessed by God to play 15 years with this condition, and I didn’t want to push it anymore.”
Aldridge’s situation is similar to that of former Heat big man Chris Bosh, who had to end his career because of a recurring issue with blood clots. Bosh also wanted to attempt a comeback, but was never able to get medical clearance. However, Aldridge elected to retire on his own, while the decision for Bosh was made by the Miami medical staff.
If Aldridge can get medically cleared to play again, he could be a valuable addition for a contender, even at age 36. He was effective for the Spurs last season, starting 18 games at center and averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, before the franchise opted to give more time to younger players.
Trail Blazers Sign Cody Zeller
AUGUST 4: The Trail Blazers have issued a press release formally announcing the signing of Zeller. Because it’s a one-year, minimum-salary contract, it can be completed during the free agency moratorium.
AUGUST 2: Free agent center Cody Zeller has agreed to a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. It’ll be a minimum-salary contract, reports Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (via Twitter).
Zeller has spent his entire eight-year career with the Hornets. He averaged 9.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.8 APG in 20.9 MPG last season, though he only appeared in 48 games due to a hand fracture suffered during the season opener.
Zeller admitted prior to free agency he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I think the biggest thing is just being somewhere where I’m valued. I just want to win,” Zeller said.
Zeller will presumably back up Jusuf Nurkic, unless Portland makes some other moves.
Pelicans Hire Mike D’Antoni As Coaching Advisor, Jarron Collins As Assistant
The Pelicans have reached a deal with veteran coach Mike D’Antoni that will make him a coaching consultant to Willie Green and his staff in 2021/22, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The plan is for D’Antoni to periodically spend time with the Pelicans’ coaching staff during Summer League, training camp, and the season, according to Wojnarowski.
Word broke last week that D’Antoni, who spent last season as an assistant on Steve Nash‘s staff in Brooklyn, would be stepping away from his role with the Nets. However, reports at the time indicated that he wasn’t retiring and still hoped to land a head coaching job in the future.
D’Antoni, whose most recent head coaching gig was with the Rockets up until 2020, has coached five different NBA teams and ranks 21st on the league’s all-time list with 672 regular season wins. However, at age 70, he may be running out of time to get another shot. Only two head coaches in NBA history – including current Spurs coach Gregg Popovich – have held that role into their 70s, according to HoopsHype.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are also hiring Jarron Collins as an assistant coach, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. He’ll be the team’s lead assistant, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Collins spent the last seven years as an assistant in Golden State, but he and the Warriors agreed to part ways in June. Collins, who has received some head coaching interest in recent years, worked with Green from 2016-19 when both men were members of Steve Kerr‘s staff.
The Pelicans have issued a press release confirming the hirings of D’Antoni – whose title is “coaching advisor” – and Collins. The team will also bring back several other assistants, including Fred Vinson, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Casey Hill.
Pacers Sign Chris Duarte To Rookie Contract
The Pacers have officially signed No. 13 overall pick Chris Duarte to his rookie scale contract, the club announced today in a press release.
Duarte, who turned 24 in June, was one of the older prospects in this year’s draft class, but became a popular target for teams seeking immediate help on the wing. While Indiana was able to snag him at No. 13, Duarte was reportedly a top option for the Warriors at No. 14 and was considered a trade-up target for the Knicks.
As a senior at Oregon in 2020/21, the 6’6″ shooting guard averaged 17.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.9 SPG with an impressive .532/.424/.810 shooting line in 26 games (34.1 MPG).
As our breakdown of 2021 rookie salaries shows, assuming he signs for 120% of his rookie scale amount, Duarte is in line for a four-year contract worth about $17.7MM, with a first-year salary of $3.75MM.
As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets, the Pacers have another first-round pick, Isaiah Jackson, to sign, but the No. 22 overall pick is tied up in a trade that’s not yet official, so the team will have to wait at least a couple more days to finalize his contract.