Suns Trade For Jock Landale
JULY 6: The Hawks have officially traded Landale to the Suns in exchange for cash considerations, Atlanta confirmed in a press release. As we noted earlier this week, Landale’s minimum-salary contract has a small partial guarantee ($46,120).
JULY 2: The Suns will acquire Australian center Jock Landale from the Hawks, tweets Shams Charania of the Athletic. Atlanta will receive cash in return, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
Landale, 26, was a rookie with the Spurs last season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 54 games. He was shipped to the Hawks this week as part of the Dejounte Murray trade.
Landale signed with San Antonio in 2021 after going undrafted out of St. Mary’s. He also plays internationally for Australia and won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics.
The addition of Landale will help fill a vacancy for Phoenix, which lost back-up center JaVale McGee to the Mavericks in free agency and is exploring trade offers regarding starting center Deandre Ayton.
Nuggets Notes: Murray, Porter, Caldwell-Pope, Braun
The Nuggets‘ Summer League practice on Tuesday was enlivened by the presence of Jamal Murray, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link). Murray participated in several drills and took part in some scrimmages. Summer League coach Ryan Bowen said practicing was Murray’s decision and although he wanted to keep playing while the media was present, that idea was vetoed.
Murray, who missed the entire season due to a torn ACL, was involved in some non-contact drills on Monday that sparked his competitive instincts, Bowen explained. The reviews on Murray were positive, and coach Michael Malone called it “probably the most serious 5-on-5” that Murray has played since the injury, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.
“He looked mobile, agile and hostile,” Malone said, citing a quote from “Remember the Titans.” “He looked confident. That’s the most important thing to me. I wasn’t charting his makes and misses. I was trying to see the confidence level. How was he moving, defensively … he looked good.” (Twitter link)
There’s more from Denver:
- Jontay Porter, who’s on the Nuggets’ Summer League roster, offered a positive update on his brother, Michael Porter Jr., whose season was cut short by back surgery, Singer states in the same story. Jontay said Michael “looks great” and they’ve been playing 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 games to get themselves back into shape. Jontay played for the Grizzlies last year, but was limited to 11 games because of a knee injury.
- In a press conference today welcoming veteranswingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Malone said he was the main player the Nuggets focused on acquiring, Singer adds in a separate story. Malone likes having a 6’5″ guard who can play defense, and the team hasn’t forgotten the way that Caldwell-Pope shut down Murray in the 2020 Western Conference Finals. “He’s seen what it takes to win a championship,” Malone said.
- The Nuggets also introduced first-round pick Christian Braun, and Malone suggested that he might have a regular role as a rookie, Wind tweets. “I love his maturity. I love his IQ,” Malone said. “The things I really love about him the most are his toughness and physicality. Some guys shy away from physicality, Christian embraces physicality.”
Pacers, Duane Washington Push Back Salary Guarantee Date
5:07pm: Agness has now corrected his initial report, tweeting that the Pacers and Washington agreed to push back the guard’s salary guarantee date to July 15.
4:47pm: The 2022/23 contract for Pacers guard Duane Washington became fully guaranteed today as he remained on the roster past the guarantee date, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Washington, who will make $1.56MM next season, also has a non-guaranteed $1.84MM contract for 2023/24. The guarantee date for that season is June 30, 2023.
The 22-year-old signed a two-way deal with Indiana last summer after going undrafted out of Ohio State. He was upgraded to a standard contract in early April, shortly before the end of the regular season.
Washington appeared in 48 games as a rookie, making seven starts, and averaged 9.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.2 minutes per night.
Trail Blazers Acquire Jerami Grant From Pistons
JULY 6: With the July moratorium over, the Trail Blazers and Pistons have officially completed the Grant trade, according to press releases from both teams.
“Jerami Grant is a dynamic two-way forward that can impact winning at a high level,” Blazers GM Joe Cronin said in a statement. “He fits seamlessly into Coach (Chauncey) Billups’ system on both sides of the ball. We could not be happier to have him in Portland.”
JUNE 22: The Pistons have agreed to trade forward Jerami Grant to the Trail Blazers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
In return, Detroit will receive the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick, which is top-four protected, according to Wojnarowski.
The teams will also swap second-round picks in this year’s draft, with Detroit sending No. 46 to Portland in exchange for No. 36, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Additionally, the Pistons will get their own 2025 second-round selection back from the Blazers, and Portland will send out either its own 2026 second-rounder or the Pelicans’ ’26 second-rounder (whichever is more favorable).
Portland will acquire Grant with the $21MM trade exception created in the CJ McCollum deal, and the Pistons will have about $43MM in cap space heading into free agency (Twitter link).
The Trail Blazers’ pursuit of Grant dates back to at least the trade deadline, and they were able to add him while holding on to the No. 7 overall pick in Thursday’s draft.
Grant averaged 19.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 47 games this season and should help with Portland’s desire to rebuild quickly after a down season. He became a focal point of the offense during the last two seasons in Detroit after playing more of a secondary three-and-D role during previous stops in Oklahoma City and Denver. While the 28-year-old won’t be the go-to option in Portland, he should have an opportunity to be an important piece of the Blazers’ lineup alongside Damian Lillard and RFA-to-be Anfernee Simons.
Grant has one year left on his current contract at $20.955MM. He’s eligible for a veteran extension and the Blazers will likely pursue that possibility at some point before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2023. Once the deal becomes official, Portland could only offer Grant up to $45.1MM for two years, but he’d become eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $112.7MM six months after the trade.
Central Notes: Ivey, Pistons, Ibaka, Pacers
As Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey prepares for his first Summer League experience, he’s already focused on the long-term question of how he’ll blend with new backcourt partner Cade Cunningham, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Cunningham may not play much, if at all, in Las Vegas, but he’s on the roster along with all of Detroit’s recent draft picks and he has been participating in practice.
“I’m just trying to learn, most importantly, what (Cunningham) goes to and how I can help benefit his game,” Ivey said. “We’re just there for each other. We’re still a work in progress, still learning. We’re not going to get it on the same day, so it’s going to take some practices to get used to that. I feel like as a team, we’re coming together and we’re trying to build something here. We just have to keep working as partners.”
Ivey possesses the speed and explosiveness to make him a potential game changer on offense. The Pistons want him to take advantage of his athleticism and his 6’9″ wingspan to be a difference maker on defense as well.
“In practice, I feel like I’m being really aggressive,” Ivey said. “Just that Pistons mindset, that Bad Boys mindset that you’ve go out there every day and get back on the defensive end. I feel like I’m really improved in that aspect.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons could open nearly $69MM in cap room next summer if they want to make a significant impact in the 2023 free agent market, writes Marlowe Alter of The Detroit Free Press. Alter identifies several wing players the team could target with that money, with Khris Middleton and Andrew Wiggins topping the list.
- The Bucks decided to re-sign Serge Ibaka to provide depth in the frontcourt, notes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Ibaka didn’t make much of an impact after being acquired at the trade deadline and he probably won’t have a larger role next season, but his defensive presence and experience give him value as a backup big man.
- Kessler Edwards, Isaiah Roby and Juancho Hernangomez are among the players the Pacers should be keeping an eye on, contends James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. Edwards and Hernangomez are unrestricted free agents and Roby would join them if he clears waivers today.
Blake Wesley Signs Rookie Contract With Spurs
The Spurs have signed first-round pick Blake Wesley, the team announced in a press release.
Assuming Wesley receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, he will be paid approximately $2.39MM in his first season and $12.24MM over the life of the four-year contract.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
The 19-year-old guard out of Notre Dame was the 25th pick in last month’s draft. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during his lone season with the Fighting Irish and was a second-team All-ACC selection.
Wesley was one of three players selected by the Spurs in the first round of the June 23 draft. There have been no announcements yet on Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham, but it likely won’t be long before they sign their own rookie contracts.
Pacific Notes: Murray, Vezenkov, Santos, Leonard
Kings first-round pick Keegan Murray put on a show Saturday in the California Classic Summer League, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The No. 4 selection posted 26 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes and drew a vocal crowd reaction with his array of moves.
“My goal going in was, obviously, get the win first,” Murray said. “I knew that was a big thing for me, and just play my game. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary. Don’t do anything I was uncomfortable doing. Just stick to what I do best, and that’s knock down shots and get rebounds, so I just stuck to it.”
Murray said he wasn’t nervous heading into his first game as a professional and he was encouraged after seeing his first shot fall. He wound up shooting 10 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, and impressed his coaches and teammates with his efficiency.
“Every time, it seems like he does the right thing,” Summer League coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He doesn’t force it. He makes it look simple, and, as you guys know, when you watch a professional athlete that, whatever he does looks simple, that is usually a really good professional athlete. Overall, I think the kid is very special. What we saw in college, I’m seeing it right now, and if I have to — well, I cannot bet because this is the NBA, but if I could, I’m going to say that he’s going to be a very, very, very good NBA player.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Sasha Vezenkov, whose draft rights were acquired last month in a trade with Cleveland, will meet with the Kings during the Las Vegas Summer League to discuss his future, according to Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops. The 26-year-old forward is under contract with Olympiacos, but he has NBA opt-outs this summer and in 2023.
- Gui Santos, a second-round pick by the Warriors, also had an impressive Summer League debut, notes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 21-year-old swingman out of Brazil had 23 points, six rebounds and three steals. “Before the game, I was nervous because it’s a different game here,” Santos said. “I’m playing outside of my country and my family is not here. But when I started to play, I gained confidence. Catching the ball and making the plays, I started to feel better.” Golden State will likely keep Santos overseas for another year or two, but that decision hasn’t been finalized.
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer believes “the sky is the limit” for his team, especially if Kawhi Leonard can make a full comeback from the torn right ACL that prevented him from playing this season, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
A.J. Griffin Signs With Hawks
The Hawks have officially signed first-round pick AJ Griffin, the team announced in a press release.
The Duke forward, who was taken with the 16th selection in last week’s draft, will receive about $3.5MM during his first NBA season and roughly $17.1MM over the four-year deal.
Griffin, 18, averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds during his lone season with the Blue Devils while connecting at 54.7% from the field and 44.7% from three-point range. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
Pacers Sign Bennedict Mathurin
Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in this year’s draft, has signed with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release.
If Mathurin receives 120% of the rookie scale, which is standard, he will be paid approximately $6.59MM during his first season and $29.9MM over the four-year contract.
Mathurin, 20, rose up draft boards after a strong sophomore season at Arizona, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists and earning Pac 12 Player of the Year honors. He was a second-team All-American and was named Most Outstanding Player in the conference tournament.
The 6’6″ swingman also has international experience, helping Canada capture a bronze medal last year in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
Nets Rumors: Durant, Trade Request, Edwards, Irving
Free agency has stalled as teams wait to see what will happen with Nets star Kevin Durant, but the situation could be resolved when general managers gather this week in Las Vegas for Summer League, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Owner Joe Tsai and GM Sean Marks are making their way through a flood of offers and are focused on getting the best package in return rather than making a quick decision.
The Heat and Suns are reportedly Durant’s preferred destinations, and while Lewis says the Nets are willing to work with Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman on finding the right deal, they won’t be “held hostage” by Durant’s wishes.
The Pelicans and Raptors may provide the best options to trade Durant without having to rely on a third or fourth team to make the deal work, Lewis adds. Both teams have full control of their future draft picks and they have young stars in Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to build a trade package around.
There’s more news from Brooklyn:
- Durant made his first public comment since his trade request, Lewis states in the same piece, with a tweet on Saturday that read, “The ones who were locked in that gym with me know what it is, they know what I’m about. If u haven’t been in there with me, ask around.” Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated responded with specific questions about Durant’s intentions, but Durant answered, “Keep dreaming robin lmao.”
- The Nets pulled their qualifying offer to Kessler Edwards this week, but they still have interest in bringing him back, Lewis adds. Brooklyn holds Edwards’ Non-Bird rights and is talking to the 21-year-old forward about a new deal.
- Other teams have little interest in trading for Kyrie Irving because they know he wants to end up with the Lakers, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link from Hoop Central). “In talking to league executives over the last couple of hours, the value of Kyrie Irving in a trade has absolutely plummeted,” Windhorst said. “They know he’s going to be a pure rental. If he doesn’t want to go to the situation he is [traded] to, it’s unclear what he’ll do.”