Marko Simonović To Suit Up For Bulls This Year
Power forward/center Marko Simonović has verified recent rumors that he will be joining the Bulls for the 2021/22 season, his first in the NBA, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Along with forward Patrick Williams, Simonović was part of the first draft class selected by the Bulls’ then-new front office team of president Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley. The 6’11” big man, most recently with the Serbian club KK Mega Basket of the Adriatic Basketball Association, was chosen with the No. 44 pick in 2020.
In 25 games for Mega Basket during the 2020/21 season, Simonović averaged 15.7 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG.
The 21-year-old’s shot diet indicates potential as a floor-spreading big man who will not fear contact inside, operating as a reserve for a new-look Chicago team heavy on versatile scorers and passers. Simonović connected on 47.3% of his field goal looks last season, including 34.9% of his 5.2 three-point attempts a game. He also converted 77.8% of his free-throw tries.
Chicago is reportedly using a chunk of its mid-level exception to sign Alex Caruso, but could save a portion of that MLE for Simonović’s deal.
Knicks Sign Jericho Sims To Two-Way Deal
The Knicks have added forward Jericho Sims on a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). The deal will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Sims, selected with the No. 58 pick out of Texas, will be eligible to appear in 50 games with New York while on his two-way contract. If the Knicks want to play Sims in more than 50 games, his contract would need to be converted to a standard deal.
As a two-way player, Sims also figures to spend time with the Knicks’ Westchester affiliate during the season for further development. A four-year college player, the 22-year-old was honored with an All-Big 12 Team selection during his final season in Austin.
The 6’10” big man averaged 9.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.1 BPG across 27 games for the 2020/21 NCAA regular season, including 26 starts. He also connected on 69.6% shooting from the field, the second-best field goal percentage in UT’s history for a single year.
It was previously rumored that Sims, currently with New York’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas, would most likely join the Knicks on a two-way deal. The Knicks still have a second slot in which to ink a two-way player for the upcoming 2021/22 season.
Dwayne Bacon Waived By Magic
Veteran shooting guard Dwayne Bacon has been waived by the Magic, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Bacon had joined Orlando on a two-year minimum deal during the 2020 offseason, but his $1,824,003 salary for the 2021/22 season was not yet guaranteed, so Orlando won’t carry any dead money as a result of the move.
The 6’6″ Bacon played in every single game for the Magic during the truncated 72-game 2020/21 NBA season, including 50 starts. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG across 25.7 MPG, with a shooting line of .402/.285/.824.
The 25-year-old was selected with the No. 40 pick in the 2017 draft out of FSU, and had spent his prior three seasons in the league with the Hornets, also moonlighting with Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, during that time.
Bacon’s proven reliability during a compressed season and his positional fluidity could make him an appealing player for a playoff club looking to take a minimum-salary or partially-guaranteed contract flyer on a young wing with remaining upside.
Heat Notes: Lowry, Offseason, Yurtseven, Investigation
New starting Heat point guard Kyle Lowry discussed his expectations for this offseason’s revamped Miami club with media on Friday and Saturday, as Couper Moorhead of Heat.com details.
“On paper it looks great,” Lowry, a 2019 title winner with the Raptors, said of Miami’s new-look roster. “But you have to put the work in on the floor. I don’t ever try to say we can do this, we can do that. At the end of the day you have to go out there, lace ‘em up and do your job. Play defense, put the ball in the hole.”
Miami’s sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors that sent Lowry to the Heat is currently being investigated by the NBA, as the league is cracking down on violations to its anti-tampering stance on free agency.
There’s more out of South Beach:
- In his latest notes roundup, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the re-signing of Victor Oladipo, plus the departures of Kendrick Nunn (after the team made him an unrestricted free agent) and Andre Iguodala (after the Heat did not pick up the second year of his contract). Winderman notes that Oladipo, Lowry, and new Heat power forward P.J. Tucker were all potential trade targets for Miami during the 2020/21 season, though Miami was unwilling to part with young players Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. Winderman adds that Miami’s decision to move on from Nunn speaks to the team’s preference for Herro, regarded as having higher upside.
- Now that the Heat have inked a two-year minimum deal with center Omer Yurtseven, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel examines the seven-footer’s fit as with a Miami team hungry to contend. After Yurtseven’s promising NBAGL 2020/21 season for the Oklahoma City Blue, Miami signed him for the rest of the year. He posted encouraging averages of 26 PPG and 13.5 RPG in two California Classic Summer League this year, and ultimately opted to return to Miami.
- Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald has further details on the NBA’s investigation into the Heat’s Lowry sign-and-trade with the Raptors. Chiang writes that the investigation is most likely being conducted as a result of at least one other NBA team complaining about the expediency of the deal, while Winderman tweets that it’s more about “gun-jumping” than tampering.
- Within Chiang’s story, Bobby Marks of ESPN said the sign-and-trade for Lowry almost certainly won’t be voided. “I would say highly, highly unlikely that the trade will be voided and that Kyle is a free agent all of a sudden,” Marks said. “I think what will happen is if they’re found guilty, there will be some financial penalty and draft picks will be lost here.” Marks anticipates the investigation could last for around two weeks.
Wizards-Pacers Summer League Game Postponed Due To COVID-19 Protocols
8:02pm: The game has been scheduled for Monday at 1:00pm CT, according to the NBA.
12:44pm: The first day of the NBA’s 2021 Las Vegas Summer League has already been impacted by the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
The league has postponed tonight’s Wizards–Pacers Summer League contest in Las Vegas as a result of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
It was announced yesterday that Wizards Summer League players Cassius Winston, Issuf Sanon and Isaiah Todd were being placed in the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols.
Washington is unable to supply enough players to field a full club, per Charania (via Twitter). Other players beyond that initial report have joined their comrades in entering the health and safety protocols as a result of contact tracing.
The NBA had to cancel the 2020 Summer League after concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic precluded a safe environment in which games could be played. With safe and effective vaccines on the market, the league felt confident that Summer League could resume this year, though it appears the NBA continues to monitor players’ potential exposure to the coronavirus, as it did during the 2020 “bubble” NBA resumption and the 2020/21 season.
Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reports that the Pacers will opt to practice instead of suiting up against the depleted Wizards.
Thunder Sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander To Five-Year Max Extension
AUGUST 6: The Thunder have officially signed Gilgeous-Alexander to his extension, the team announced today in a press release.
“We are excited to have Shai representing our organization for many years to come and couldn’t be happier for him and his family,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said in a statement. “He is a tremendous basketball player, but is also a leader that infuses optimism, confidence and collaboration into all of his interactions professionally and personally. We are looking forward to watching his individual growth and the collective development of our team as we continue on our path toward sustainable success in Oklahoma City.”
AUGUST 2: The Thunder and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have agreed to a five-year, $172MM maximum rookie contract extension, agent Thaddeus Foucher informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
Gilgeous-Alexander will still be on his rookie contract for one final season, and is set to make $5,495,532 in 2021/22. His new deal will kick in for the 2022/23 season. The new contract’s precise value will be contingent on exactly where the 2022/23 season cap lands.
As of this writing, Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to earn $29.75MM, based on the new $119MM salary cap projection for the 2022/23 season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link). SGA would net $39.27MM during the final year of the deal, in 2026/27.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes (via Twitter) that the contract will include a 30% “escalator clause” that could increase the $172MM base of the deal into a $207MM agreement, provided Gilgeous-Alexander is voted onto one of the three All-NBA teams in 2022. Woj adds that there are no early termination options for either side in the new extension.
The 6’6″ combo guard was selected with No. 11 pick in the 2018 draft out of Kentucky and enjoyed an All-Rookie Second Team-caliber debut NBA season with the Clippers. He was the key element in a pick-heavy trade that sent All-Star forward Paul George to Los Angeles, and has since proved his mettle in two seasons with Oklahoma City.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 23, missed most of the 2020/21 season’s second half with a plantar fasciitis injury. When he was healthy, he produced at a high level. The 6’6″ 23-year-old averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 35 games last year. He posted a solid slash line of .508/.418/.808.
An excellent scorer with room to grow on defense, Gilgeous-Alexander has future All-Star potential. The Thunder were wise to lock him in to a long-term deal, even though the team appears more interested in asset accrual over winning in the short term.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Sign Norman Powell To Five-Year Deal
AUGUST 6: Powell has officially signed the contract, according to a team press release.
“Re-signing Norm was a priority this offseason and we are pleased that he chose to make a long-term commitment to Portland,” president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “We look forward to him building off his career year and are confident he will play an integral role in the future success of our franchise.”
AUGUST 2: The Trail Blazers have struck a deal with their top free agent, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who hears from agent Thaddeus Foucher that Norman Powell has agreed to a five-year, $90MM contract to remain in Portland.
Ahead of the 2021 free agency period, Powell decided to not exercise his $11.6MM player option for the 2021/22 season, confident (and rightfully so) that, as one of the best wings on the free agent market, he was in line for a major raise.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports adds (via Twitter) that the fully-guaranteed deal has no player options for the conclusion of the contract.
Powell was selected by the Raptors with the No. 46 pick out of UCLA in the 2015 draft. He won a title with the team in 2019. After spending his entire career in Toronto, the 6’3″ swingman was shipped to Portland in a deadline deal during the 2020/21 season.
With both clubs, Powell averaged 18.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.2 SPG across 32.0 MPG on the year. Powell, 28, will remain a key contributor as the small forward for the Trail Blazers.
His positional height deficiencies on the wing are not out-of-place in Portland, where he will line up next to the similarly-undersized 6’3″ shooting guard CJ McCollum.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trail Blazers Sign Ben McLemore
AUGUST 5: The team has officially signed McLemore, according to a team press release. It’s a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
AUGUST 2: The Trail Blazers will sign free agent shooting guard Ben McLemore, his agent Rich Paul has informed Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
The athletic swingman flashed significant promise during his first few seasons with the Kings, who selected him with the seventh pick in the 2013 draft out of Kansas. He next proved himself to be a valuable role player while with the Grizzlies, and then suited up for an encore 2018/19 Sacramento season.
Armed with quickness and a reliable three-point shot, McLemore served as a helpful wing contributor on the Rockets’ most recent playoff team, operating as a role player to support All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook, during the 2019/20 season.
After the Rockets began a midseason 2020/21 fire sale, they sent McLemore to the Lakers. McLemore averaged 8.0 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 21 contests for Los Angeles, connecting on 36.8% of his 5.4 three-point attempts a night. He should prove a valuable floor-spacing role player on the perimeter for Portland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
McKinley Wright Signs Two-Way Deal With Timberwolves
AUGUST 5: Wright’s two-way contract with the Timberwolves is now official, according to the transactions log at NBA.com. Both of Minnesota’s two-way slots are now full, as our tracker shows.
JULY 30: The Timberwolves will sign a two-way deal with undrafted Colorado guard McKinley Wright IV, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The 6’0″ point guard enjoyed four decorated seasons with the Buffaloes. He was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection, a two-time All-Pac-12 Tourney honoree, and a 2020 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team member.
Wright, 22, ranks sixth on ESPN’s list of undrafted prospects. He averaged 15.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 32 games for the Buffaloes, on .480/.301/.844 shooting during his senior season in 2020/21. Wright started in all but one of his 132 regular season games with the club.
Nets Re-Sign Blake Griffin
AUGUST 9: The Nets have officially announced the re-signing of Griffin in a press release. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but as noted below, it’s reportedly worth the minimum. Nabbing Griffin at that price is a serious discount for a player who proved to be a solid starter on one of the best teams in the league.
AUGUST 3: Griffin’s one-year deal with the Nets will be worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
AUGUST 2: The Nets have agreed to terms with Blake Griffin on a one-year contract that will keep the veteran forward in Brooklyn, agent Sam Goldfeder tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed.
After surrendering $13.3MM to the Pistons in a buyout agreement, Griffin signed on with the Nets for the rest of the year on a single-season veteran’s minimum contract.
A six-time All-Star with Detroit and the Clippers, Griffin’s tenure as an NBA first option was abbreviated due to a series of injuries.
The 32-year-old veteran thoroughly reinvented himself while with Brooklyn, maximizing some of his still-potent athleticism on a star-studded Nets team to become a valuable two-way big man, equally adept as a power forward and small ball center, and surprisingly agile as a defender.
Griffin boasts career averages of 20.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.9 SPG. In his new reality as a valuable role player, the 6’9″ Griffin had a significantly more modest output with Brooklyn.
In just 21.5 MPG across 26 regular season contests with the Nets, Griffin averaged 10.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.5 BPG. He also posted a solid slash line of .492/.383/.782. After becoming Brooklyn’s full-time starting center in the playoffs, Griffin averaged 9.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.5 BPG, with shooting stats of .532/.389/.714.
Retaining Griffin is a boon for Brooklyn, a team that boasts three expensive All-NBA talents (when healthy) in forward Kevin Durant and guards James Harden and Kyrie Irving, plus pricey sharpshooting wing Joe Harris. With Irving and Harden limited by injuries, the Nets lost a hotly-contested seven-game second round Eastern Conference playoff series to the eventual champion Bucks. If the team is healthy by the 2022 playoffs, it’s shaping up to once again be one of the most formidable clubs in the league.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.