Atlantic Notes: Layman, J. Jackson, Celtics, Raptors, Sixers
When they signed with the Celtics, Jake Layman and Justin Jackson both received one-year, minimum-salary contracts that are non-guaranteed. However, the terms of those agreements are slightly different — Layman got an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract, while Jackson’s deal is an Exhibit 9, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Both Layman and Jackson are ineligible to have their contracts converted into two-way deals because they have too many years of NBA service under their belts. But Layman’s Exhibit 10 contract makes him eligible to receive a $50K bonus if he’s waived before the season and then spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League team.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- As part of their efforts to honor the late Bill Russell this season, the Celtics have painted his No. 6 in the free throw lanes of their home court, the team announced on Monday (Twitter link). Boston will also wear Russell-themed City Edition jerseys for some of the team’s games in 2022/23 and will hold two nights in his honor, including October 18’s home opener.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic projects which Raptors will play the most minutes in 2022/23, with Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Fred VanVleet leading the way. Interestingly, Koreen predicts third-year guard Malachi Flynn will see more action than frontcourt veterans Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young, and Khem Birch.
- Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice takes a closer look at who will claim the back-end spots on the Sixers‘ 15-man regular season roster, speculating that Charles Bassey and Trevelin Queen could end up being the odd men out. Philadelphia currently has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with Bassey, Queen, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/20/2022
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 12:00 pm Central time (1:00 pm Eastern).
Click here to read the transcript, and join us this Thursday for our next live chat!
Cavaliers Sign Mamadi Diakite To Camp Deal
The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Mamadi Diakite to a contract, per the team’s official website. It’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, Hoops Rumors has learned.
One of several free agents to work out for the Cavaliers earlier this month, Diakite has appeared in a total of 27 regular season games for the Bucks and Thunder since going undrafted out of Virginia in 2020. He spent most of his rookie season on a two-way deal with Milwaukee before being promoted to the standard roster down the stretch. In 2021/22, he signed three separate 10-day contracts with Oklahoma City.
Diakite has averaged 3.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG in his 27 NBA contests (12.2 MPG). He also put up 18.5 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 12 G League appearances (27.7 MPG) for the Lakeland Magic during the truncated 2020/21 season, earning a place on both the All-NBAGL First Team and the league’s All-Defensive Team.
There could be a path for Diakite to earn a regular season roster spot in Cleveland. The Cavs only have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade on non-guaranteed deals.
The terms of Diakite’s agreement mean he can’t have his contract converted into a two-way deal, since it doesn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause. That absence of Exhibit 10 language also suggests the Cavs don’t anticipate him playing for their G League affiliate – the Cleveland Charge – if he doesn’t make the NBA squad.
The Cavs now have a full 20-man offseason roster. The team has also reportedly agreed to sign guard Sharife Cooper, but will need to trade or waive a player to make room for him.
Suns Rumors: Crowder, Payroll, Bogdanovic, Johnson
As team owner Robert Sarver begins serving his year-long ban from the NBA, the Suns‘ front office continues to explore ways to upgrade the team’s roster before the regular season gets underway. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link), Brian Windhorst confirmed that the Suns are active in trade discussions, with many of those talks involving forward Jae Crowder.
“(They’ve been) very active within this last week. They are conducting business, they’re in trade negotiations right now. A lot of them are centered around Jae Crowder,” Windhorst said. “Jae Crowder is a player who is available on the market right now. Whether or not there’s going to be a deal for him that materializes between now and next week’s trade deadline, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Obviously, this season’s trade deadline won’t arrive until February, but Windhorst may be suggesting that the Suns will see if they can get something done before training camps begin.
Crowder, whose name has been mentioned in trade rumors off and on throughout the offseason, is in the final year of his current contract. The 32-year-old will earn approximately $10.2MM in 2022/23 before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Sources who have spoken recently to Windhorst don’t get the sense that the Suns are unwilling to increase their payroll by taking back more salary than they send out in a trade. General manager James Jones and his front office won’t be bringing deals directly to Sarver to approve this season, but interim governor Sam Garvin presumably has a sense of how much the Suns owner is prepared to spend on the roster. Team salary is already well above the luxury tax line.
- While Windhorst doesn’t explicitly confirm any specific trade targets for the Suns, he says he wouldn’t be surprised if the team makes a play for Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic. Phoenix’s interest in Bogdanovic has been previously reported, though a handful of teams are believed to be eyeing the veteran, who is on an expiring deal.
- Windhorst also confirms that the Suns are engaged in rookie scale extension talks with sharpshooter Cameron Johnson. The two sides have until October 17 to reach a deal. If Johnson hasn’t signed an extension by that point, he’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2023.
Bucks Waive Iverson Molinar
The Bucks have waived combo guard Iverson Molinar, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.
Molinar, who went undrafted out of Mississippi State, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks after averaging 17.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .454/.252/.868 shooting in 34 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior in 2021/22. He also played for Milwaukee’s Las Vegas Summer League squad in July.
A member of last season’s All-SEC First Team, Molinar appears likely to spend his first professional season with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract will put him in line for a bonus worth $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd as an affiliate player.
Molinar will likely team up in Wisconsin with Alex Antetokounmpo and Rob Edwards, who have also been signed and waived by the Bucks within the last week.
Following Molinar’s release, Milwaukee now has 19 players officially under contract. Restricted free agent Jordan Nwora still doesn’t have a new deal in place with training camps right around the corner.
Eastern Notes: Irving, Arcidiacono, Butler, Martin, Wizards
Kyrie Irving sees a silver lining in the sour way the Nets’ season ended. Irving said on the “Nets Kingdom” podcast that Brooklyn “needed” to go through the embarrassment of getting swept in the playoffs (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).
“It was meant to happen like that. Motivation, bro,” the Nets guard said. “We needed that humbling experience, especially going against the Celtics. It was already built to be that matchup. We’re going to see them again.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Ryan Arcidiacono’s contract with the Knicks is a standard, non-guaranteed minimum for one year, and doesn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. The Knicks signed the 28-year-old guard on Saturday. He appeared in 10 games with the Knicks last season.
- A couple of scouts interviewed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believe Jimmy Butler is the best option as the starting power forward for the Heat with Caleb Martin coming off the bench. However, there are concerns about Butler wearing down by playing that position.
- The Wizards aren’t likely to sign a player to their open two-way slot until the end of training camp, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Team officials would prefer to see how potential candidates perform in the preseason and whether there’s a better option on the waiver wire. Jordan Schakel has the other two-way spot.
Central Notes: Bagley, Knox, Hayes, Pacers, Ball, Pistons
Breakout seasons from Marvin Bagley III, Kevin Knox and Killian Hayes would go a long way toward a much improved season for the Pistons, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. All three lottery picks have yet to fulfill their promise but could become part of the team’s core group if they establish a firm foothold in the NBA this season.
Bagley was re-signed on a three-year, $37MM deal this summer, while Knox received a two-year, $6MM contract after passing through two organizations. Hayes is entering his third year with the Pistons and projects as the second-unit floor leader.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers announced the signing of forwards James Johnson and Bennie Boatwright and guards David Stockton and Gabe York on Friday. Hoops Rumors has learned Johnson was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract while Boatwright, Stockton and York signed Exhibit 10 deals. An Exhibit 9 contract must be for one season and for a minimum salary. Generally speaking, if a player only receives an Exhibit 9 clause and not an Exhibit 10, it signals he won’t be joining the team’s G League affiliate if he’s waived before the season begins. Johnson spent most of last season in Brooklyn, averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 62 appearances (19.2 MPG).
- Lonzo Ball‘s recovery from his persistent knee issues remains fluid, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. The reason the Bulls haven’t officially put a timeline on Ball’s return is that they don’t really know when he’ll be back. Some days when Ball works out, everything seems fine. Other times, the knee flares up again. Ball, who hasn’t played since January, is doubtful for the start of the season.
- The Athletic’s Zach Harper gives the Pistons a B-plus grade for their offseason maneuvers. Adding point guard Jaden Ivey with their lottery pick, then trading for another to snare center Jalen Duren were the highlights of their offseason moves, with only the Knox addition ranking as a head-scratcher, according to Harper.
One-And-Done Rule Likely To Remain For Several Years
The NBA’s “one-and-done” rule will likely remain intact for several years, even if changes are made in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports in a Twitter thread.
Lowering the current 19-and-over draft age is a significant part of NBA/NBPA CBA discussions — which have already begun in earnest — but there has been no progress regarding the elimination of the one-and-done rule, says Wojnarowski. Even if changes are made, it wouldn’t be instituted for several years due to commitments already made by teams to trade future draft picks under the current system.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), 0nly nine teams control all their future first rounders for the next seven years. Many of those traded picks are protected to varying degrees.
Another sticking point in current negotiations is the league’s desire that players provide medical information and physicals to all 30 teams. Many agents have withheld that information from certain teams in order to discourage them from drafting their player. Those particular league and NBPA conversations have yet to begin, Wojnarowski adds, and will be a part of the much larger CBA discussions.
The one-and-done rule was put into place in 2006.
Devoe, Williamson Join Clippers On Exhibit 10 Contracts
Michael Devoe and Lucas Williamson have officially signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Clippers, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Reports that Devoe and Williamson would sign with the Clippers surfaced right after the June draft and now they’ve officially been added. Both players are undrafted rookies.
They were on the Clippers’ Summer League team, with Devoe appearing in four games and Williamson seeing action in two games.
Devoe, a 6’5″ guard out of Georgia Tech, was a third-team All-ACC selection last season after averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while draining 42.7% of his 3-point tries.
Williamson, a 6’4” guard out of Loyola, was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons and was MVP of last season’s conference tournament. He averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while making 39% of his 3-point attempts last season.
The Clippers have an open two-way slot, so it’s possible they could compete for that contract.
Under Exhibit 10 terms, both players are eligible a player for a bonus of up to $50K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.
Nate Hinton Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Cavs
Former Mavericks and Pacers guard Nate Hinton has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers and will attend training camp, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.
Hinton is expected to compete for a spot on the 15-man opening night roster. While the Cavaliers have 16 other players on standard contracts, only 12 have fully guaranteed salaries. The team also has both two-way slots filled.
The Cavaliers’ G League squad, the Cleveland Charge, recently acquired Hinton’s rights in a trade with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in exchange for Norvel Pelle and a second-round pick in the NBAGL draft. Hinton will receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days the Charge, provided he doesn’t make the 15-man Cavs roster and signs a G League contract.
Hinton played 21 games with Dallas in his rookie season after going undrafted in 2020. He spent most of last season with Fort Wayne and averaged 18.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals for the Mad Ants in his second G League season. He also signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Pacers and appeared in two games, later inking a two-way contract to finish the season.