Jazz Sign Cody Zeller To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 25: Utah has officially signed Zeller, the team announced in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 20: The Jazz will sign Cody Zeller to a training camp deal, according to Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Zeller, 29, began his NBA career in 2013 with Charlotte and remained with the Hornets through the 2020/21 season. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Trail Blazers last season and appeared in 27 games off the bench before suffering right patellar avulsion fracture.
He was waived just before the trade deadline as Portland cleared roster space in the CJ McCollum trade with New Orleans.
Zeller has averaged 8.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 22.2 MPG through 494 NBA games.
With 17 guaranteed contracts already on the books, plus one two-way contract and three reported Exhibit 10 deals, the Jazz will need to make more roster moves prior to the opening of camp.
A best-case scenario will be for Zeller to earn a roster spot as a backup big man on the rebuilding club.
Knicks Sign Jalen Harris
The Knicks have signed free agent guard Jalen Harris, the team’s public relations department announced (via Twitter). The details of the agreement weren’t released, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal designed to get Harris to play for New York’s G League affiliate.
Harris, 24, was banned for one year from the NBA in July of 2021 for violating the terms of the anti-drug program. He appeared in just 13 games with the Raptors before that. Toronto drafted him No. 59 overall in 2021 after he played collegiately at Louisiana Tech and Nevada.
Harris averaged 7.4 points in 13.2 minutes with the Raptors, shooting 50% from the floor. While serving his suspension, Harris also played in Italy and Canada.
The Raptors reportedly gave Harris a two-way qualifying offer after he was reinstated by the NBA in August. That qualifying offer would theoretically have given Toronto the right to match any rival offer he received, so it seems the team either dropped the QO or opted not to match the Knicks’ deal.
The Knicks now have 19 players under contract with training camp set to start this week.
Eastern Notes: Avdija, Wizards, Hill, Middleton, Hornets
The Wizards are taking a cautious approach with Deni Avdija‘s groin injury, which he suffered during EuroBasket 2022, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Before ramping him up, Washington wants to make sure he’s fully healed. Avdija didn’t participate in competitive portions of the the team’s first training camp practice on Saturday.
The 21-year-old could receive a big role in the Wizards’ rotation this season, as he averaged 8.4 points and played all 82 games in 2022/23. He was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Bucks veteran George Hill seriously contemplated retirement this offseason, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Instead, Hill decided to return to Milwaukee, committing to play his 15th NBA season. “I do owe the city a better George than last year,” he said. Given that he’s 36 years old and already considered it this offseason, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hill retires at the end of the 2022/23 season.
- The Bucks are hoping to get star swingman Khris Middleton back early in their season, general manager Jon Horst said, as relayed by Lily Zhao of FOX6 (Twitter link). The 31-year-old, who underwent surgery in August to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist, is doing well in his recovery, Horst added. Middleton is coming off his third straight season of averaging more than 20 points, having put up 20.1 points per contest on 44% shooting last year.
- Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer examines five questions for the Hornets ahead of the preseason. Among the questions is what will happen to Miles Bridges, who remains a restricted free agent after being arrested for felony domestic violence back in June.
Nets Sign Marcus Zegarowski
The Nets have signed guard Marcus Zegarowski, who was drafted with the No. 49 overall pick in 2021, the team announced today in a press release. The terms of the agreement weren’t released. Brooklyn also signed and waived Zegarowski roughly one week ago.
Zegarowski, 24, played 92 games across three collegiate seasons at Creighton leading up to the 2021 draft. He averaged 14.1 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor, 42% from three-point range and 77% from the free throw line.
Zegarowski played with the Nets’ G League affiliate in 2021/22. The 6’2″ guard appeared in eight games, averaging 10.1 points per contest. He shot just 36% during those outings.
We’ll have to wait for clarity on Zegarowski’s situation, but the first contract he signed this offseason was likely his required tender, a non-guaranteed contract the Nets had to offer in order to retain his draft rights. By waiving Zegarowski after he signed that tender, Brooklyn gave up his draft rights. Bringing him back now suggests he may still be in the team’s plans as an affiliate player at Long Island.
Brooklyn has 19 players under contract entering training camp, which includes the team’s two-way players, Alondes Williams and David Duke.
Kemba Walker Likely To Be Away From Pistons To Start Camp
Veteran point guard Kemba Walker will likely be away from the Pistons as they open training camp this week, sources told Shams Charania and James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether Walker is expected to miss the entire camp or only a portion of it.
As Charania and Edwards note, Detroit must waive or trade a player by Oct. 17 to be at the league limit for standard roster spots entering the regular season. That player doesn’t have to be Walker, of course, but at this stage in his career, it would make sense for him to join a contending team if possible.
On the flip side, it makes sense for Detroit to move on from Walker. The team could benefit from his veteran leadership in the off chance he’s interested in staying, but the 32-year-old was acquired in a salary-dump deal and isn’t part of the Pistons’ long-term plans. He’s set to make $9.17MM this season and become a free agent next summer.
A report at the start of free agency indicated that the Pistons and Walker were close to reaching a buyout agreement, but that deal was never formally completed. Subsequent reporting suggested Walker was likely unwilling to give up any money in a buyout until he had lined up a new NBA home.
Walker averaged 11.6 points and 3.5 assists in 25.6 minutes with the Knicks last season, starting in all 37 of his games. He hasn’t played off the bench since four outings during the 2014/15 campaign. While he has been an offensive force throughout his career, Walker’s defense was notably porous with New York. The four-time All-Star must prove he can survive on both ends before earning a significant role with a team again.
Knicks Waive Nuni Omot, Garrison Brooks
The Knicks have waived forwards Nuni Omot and Garrison Brooks, per the team’s public relations department (Twitter link). Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 deals and will head to the club’s G League affiliate, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
New York now has 18 players under contract. This includes Feron Hunt and Trevor Keels, who are both signed to two-way contracts. The team will open its training camp this week.
Omot, 6’9, played in Puerto Rico last season. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, appearing in 20.1 minutes per game. The 27-year-old went undrafted out of Baylor in 2018.
Brooks, also 6’9″, most recently played at Mississippi State. The 23-year-old held per-game averages of 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, shooting 50%. He also played four collegiate seasons at North Carolina.
Jae Crowder To Sit Out Camp As Suns Seek Trade
4:47pm: The Suns have confirmed in a press release that Crowder will sit out training camp. Crowder also responded with a brief message on Twitter.
“One must seek work where he is wanted… where he is needed!” Crowder wrote. “I am thankful for what these past two years have taught me. Now, I must take on another challenge with continued hard work and dedication. For those of you who closed the door on me… Thank you! 99 back soon!”
4:00pm: Jae Crowder and the Suns are hoping to find a trade for the veteran forward, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’6″ forward will sit out Phoenix’s training camp as he and the Suns explore potential deals, Charania adds.
Fresh off a 2020 NBA Finals run as the Heat’s 3-and-D starting power forward, Crowder inked a three-year, $29.2MM deal with the Suns ahead of the 2020/21 season.
With Phoenix, Crowder made his second straight NBA Finals appearance in 2021 as the team’s starting power forward. Last year, he started all of his 67 healthy games with the club, which finished with a league-leading 64-18 record. For the 2021/22 season, Crowder averaged 9.4 PPG on .399/.348/.789 shooting splits, plus 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.4 SPG.
A deal involving Crowder had been rumored in recent weeks. Earlier this weekend, the 32-year-old tweeted an ominous post declaring that he would be absent from training camp before ultimately deleting the message.
Sharpshooting 6’8″ reserve power forward Cameron Johnson, the No. 11 pick out of North Carolina in 2019, emerged last year as a reliable scoring threat for Phoenix off the bench. The team could be looking to shore up its depth elsewhere in a potential Crowder deal, while elevating the 26-year-old Johnson to a starting role that seemed inevitable sooner rather than later.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks Rotation, Barrett, Udoka
Knicks team president Leon Rose will not impose minutes limits or rotational guidelines on head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s lineups this season in New York, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “We love our young players, too,” Rose said during an interview with the team’s cable channel MSG Network.
“Thibs decides who plays, how many minutes, what the rotations are. The one thing I know about Thibs – he’s going to make decisions based on who is going to win us a basketball game. That’s his role and I have full confidence in that.” During a lottery-bound year last season, the team’s intriguing young players Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes were all still given relatively limited run in favor of the team’s older starters.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Though newly-extended Knicks small forward RJ Barrett may still have All-Star upside, he has plenty to prove in New York, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I will not be surprised if that contract ends up looking as an overpay,” an NBA source tells Berman. “But I don’t blame the Knicks for signing him to an extension. Expectations aside, he’s improved into a solid starter in the NBA who can provide offense. I don’t think he’s good enough to be a top-three guy on your team. But some views on him are colored by expectations as a No. 3 pick in the [2019] draft.”
- Celtics employees are grappling with fallout from the bombshell news of Boston’s year-long suspension of head coach Ime Udoka following a workplace affair with a female staff member, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “We have a lot of talented women in our organization and I thought yesterday was really hard on them,” team president Brad Stevens said on Friday in addressing rampant online speculation about the identity of the female staffer with whom Udoka engaged in an affair. “I think that nobody can control Twitter speculation… But I do think we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we’re there to support them now, because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that.”
Fabian White Jr. Waived By Lakers
With team training camp set to kick off on Tuesday, the Lakers are finalizing their roster. Forward Fabian White Jr. has been waived by Los Angeles, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Fabian had been signed to an Exhibit 10 deal by L.A. earlier this summer after going undrafted out of Houston. If White joins the club’s NBAGL affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, this season, he could earn a bonus worth up to $50K.
The 6’8″ forward averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 BPG and 1.0 SPG during his final 2021/22 collegiate season with the Cougars across 38 games, all starts. He posted a slash line of .491/.371/.688. In that last year with Houston, White was an All-AAC honoree, as well the AAC Tourney’s MVP.
White’s release leaves guard Javante McCoy and center Jay Huff as the Lakers’ remaining players inked to training camp deals.
Magic Notes: Rookies, Training Camp, Wagner, Lineups
When the 2022/23 season tips off next month, the Magic may be looking for instant contributions from first-year starting power forward Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft out of Duke, while his fellow rookie small forward Caleb Houstan, the No. 32 pick this season out of Michigan, will have more modest expectations as a rookie, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel.
Price notes that Banchero thrived in Summer League play, and, thanks to his well-rounded offensive game, is currently the preseason Rookie of the Year favorite. Houstan, meanwhile, could become a 3-and-D swingman eventually. The 6’8″ swingman could see some minutes for Orlando in the early going, especially with veteran shooting guard Gary Harris sidelined for the start of the year, but Price expects Houstan to also log some time with the Lakeland Magic, the club’s NBAGL affiliate.
There’s more out of Orlando:
- With the Magic’s training camp around the corner, Khobi Price and Rich Pope of The Orlando Sentinel (video link) break down which players have the most to gain from the preseason. Price thinks that the team’s backcourt, including key players R.J. Hampton, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs, could benefit from a competitive camp experience.
- Magic second-year small forward Franz Wagner enjoyed a memorable EuroBasket 2022 adventure playing for his native Germany this summer, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. The team fell to Spain in the semifinals, but ultimately managed to secure a bronze medal by beating Poland. Wagner averaged 15.2 PPG, 4 RPG and 1.7 APG, while connecting on 46.3% of his triples. “We played a lot of tight games,” Wagner said. “A lot of important games and games where every possession matters. That mindset should help me this next year and hopefully, I can help the team with that.. I want to continue to improve as a player. Playmaking, shooting — honestly, whatever the team needs. I just to be an impactful player on the team.”