Rockets Extend Qualifying Offer To Anthony Lamb
Anthony Lamb has received a qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Because Lamb is a two-way player, his QO will carry a $50K guarantee, and it will make him restricted heading into free agency.
Lamb went to training camp with the Pistons last year, but was waived before the season began. He signed with Houston in early March and appeared in 24 games, making three starts and averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per night.
A 6’6″ small forward, Lamb played for both the Canton Charge and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League bubble this year. He was named the league’s Most Improved Player.
Earlier today, the Rockets tendered a qualifying offer to Armoni Brooks, so both of their two-way players have been addressed. However, the team also reportedly agreed to a two-way deal with undrafted rookie Matthew Hurt, so it appears unlikely that both Brooks and Lamb will return unless one is promoted to the 15-man roster.
Armoni Brooks Receives Qualifying Offer From Rockets
The Rockets have made a qualifying offer to Armoni Brooks, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The offer means Brooks will be restricted when free agency begins on Monday.
The 23-year-old shooting guard signed a two-way contract with Houston in early April. He averaged 11.2 points in 20 games, starting five times, and proved to be an effective three-point threat, connecting at 38.2% from behind the arc.
Brooks played three seasons in the G League after going undrafted out of the University of Houston in 2019. He posted a 16.8/3.7/3.3 line this season with Rio Grande Valley, the Rockets’ G League affiliate.
Because Brooks was a two-way player with just one season in Houston, he received a one-year, two-way qualifying offer with a $50K guarantee.
Serge Ibaka Opting In For 2021/22 Season
Clippers center/power forward Serge Ibaka will exercise his player option for next season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Ibaka, 31, will make $9.7MM next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022. He signed a two-year, $19MM contract last November that included the player option in the second season.
Ibaka’s first season in L.A. was marred by injuries that limited him to 41 games during the regular season and two brief appearances in the playoffs. He was the starting center before back issues derailed his year, averaging 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per night.
The decision by Ibaka virtually eliminates any thoughts the Clippers may have entertained about using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Clippers, of course, are still waiting on another big player option decision, as Kawhi Leonard will have to decide whether to opt into a $36MM+ salary. Despite his ACL injury, the expectation is that Leonard will turn down his option to sign a more lucrative – and perhaps a longer-term – deal with Los Angeles.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan McLaughlin Get QOs From Wolves
The Timberwolves have made qualifying offers to Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan McLaughlin, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Both players will be restricted heading into free agency.
Minnesota has full Bird rights on Vanderbilt and Early Bird rights on McLaughlin, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Wolves are currently $7.9MM away from the luxury tax, including a first-round hold for Leandro Bolmaro, who may join the team next season.
Vanderbilt, a 22-year-old power forward, is coming off his most productive NBA season, averaging 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 30 of the 64 games that he played. He was acquired from the Nuggets in a four-team trade in February of 2020.
McLaughlin, a 25-year-old point guard, appeared in 51 games this season, averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night. He has been a two-way player for the Wolves the past two years.
Knicks Exercise Team Option On Mitchell Robinson, Waive Norvel Pelle
The Knicks have picked up their option for next season on center Mitchell Robinson and have waived center Norvel Pelle, the team announced (via Twitter).
Robinson will make $1.8MM in the final season of the four-year deal he signed after being drafted in the second round in 2018. He was the team’s starting center before getting injured, so it was an easy decision for New York to exercise the option.
The 23-year-old averaged 8.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 31 games before undergoing season-ending foot surgery in late March. He also suffered a broken hand during the season that caused him to miss 15 games.
Robinson is eligible for a four-year, $51MM extension during the offseason, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Knicks also have the option of using cap space to renegotiate his salary for next season and having that be the beginning of an extension. If no extension is reached, Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Pelle, 28, had a $1.7MM option for 2021/22 that New York chose not to exercise. He signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Knicks in April, shortly after Robinson broke his foot, and earned a contract through the end of the season. Pelle appeared in nine games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per night.
Pelicans Decline Team Option On Didi Louzada
The Pelicans have turned down their $1,517,981 team option on Didi Louzada, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. However, the rookie small forward still may have a future in New Orleans.
Sources tell Lopez that the Pelicans extended a qualifying offer to Louzada and hope to reach a long-term agreement in free agency.
Louzada, 22, signed with New Orleans in late April and appeared in three games before the season ended, averaging 2.7 PPG in 18.7 minutes per night. The Brazilian native was drafted by the Hawks with the 35th pick in 2019 and traded to the Pacers, but didn’t have any NBA experience until he joined the Pelicans.
Louzada, who is also known as Marcos Louzada Silva, spent the past two seasons with the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League.
Jaquori McLaughlin To Sign Training Camp Deal With Warriors
Undrafted rookie Jaquori McLaughlin has reached an agreement with the Warriors, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He doesn’t specify the type of contract that McLaughlin will receive, but it may be an Exhibit 10 deal, which is commonly given to camp invitees.
The 6’4″ point guard played two years at Oregon State before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for the last three seasons. He was named Big West Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40.8% from three-point range.
McLaughlin’s contract with Golden State can become official when the 2021/22 league year starts next week.
Lakers Sign Chaundee Brown, Mac McClung To Exhibit 10 Deals
AUGUST 10: The Lakers have officially signed Brown and McClung to Exhibit 10 contracts, per RealGM’s transactions log.
JULY 30: The Lakers have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 contract with undrafted rookie Chaundee Brown, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The 6’5″ wing averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game for Michigan this season. He spent three years at Wake Forest before opting to play his senior season with the Wolverines. Brown was ranked 60th on ESPN’s big board.
The Lakers have also agreed to sign Texas Tech guard Mac McClung to a training camp deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
McClung played two seasons for Georgetown before joining the Red Raiders as a junior. He averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season.
L.A. also reached agreements to fill both two-way slots after Thursday night’s draft, signing Joel Ayayi of Gonzaga and Austin Reaves of Oklahoma.
D.J. Carton Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hornets
AUGUST 7: The signing is official, the Hornets announced in a press release.
JULY 30: The Hornets will sign undrafted rookie D.J. Carton to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The 6’2″ guard played for one year at Ohio State before transferring to Marquette last season. He averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a junior.
The Hornets were among the teams Carton visited for a workout before the draft.
The Exhibit 10 deal will give Carton an opportunity to attend training camp with Charlotte and possibly land a two-way contract or become an affiliate player with the Greensboro Swarm.
Knicks Trade No. 19 Pick Kai Jones To Hornets
JULY 30: The trade is official, according to a Knicks press release.
JULY 29: The Knicks will send the 19th pick to the Hornets in exchange for a future first-round selection, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Charlotte plans to draft Texas big man Kai Jones, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
The Hornets were originally targeting Jones at No. 11 before Connecticut guard James Bouknight became available, states Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Sources tell Fischer that Jones is one of two prospects who came to Charlotte twice for pre-draft workouts.
The Hornets were searching for centers this offseason, and they’ve filled the position with a pair of trades. Earlier today, they picked up Mason Plumlee from the Pistons in an exchange of draft picks.
New York will receive a heavily protected first-rounder from Charlotte in 2022, tweets Zach Lowe of ESPN, who adds that the protections will decrease over the next three years. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the protections are 1-18 next year, 1-16 in 2023, 1-14 in 2024 and 1-14 in 2025. If not conveyed by then, the pick will become two future second-rounders (Twitter link).