Spurs Waive London Perrantes
The Spurs have waived point guard London Perrantes, according to NBA.com’s transactions page. San Antonio’s roster is now at 14, along with a pair of two-way players.
Perrantes, who signed with the team Saturday, was believed to have an Exhibit 10 contract, which makes him eligible for a bonus of up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate. Perrantes finished last season with Capital City, which still owns his G League rights, so it appears the Austin Spurs would have to make a trade before he could join them.
Perrantes’ only NBA experience came during the 2017/18 season when he appeared in 14 games as a two-way player for the Cavaliers.
Magic Place Three Players On Waivers
The Magic have waived their three Exhibit 10 players, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Gone are guard Devin Cannady, forward Robert Franks and center Jon Teske.
The Magic also signed and waived undrafted guard Jeff Dowtin, who averaged 13.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.2 APG on .429/.360/.757 as a senior at Rhode Island last season. His very brief stint on the roster was for G League rights purposes.
Orlando is now down to the league limit of 15 players, all with guaranteed contracts, plus two-way players Jordan Bone and Karim Mane.
Cannady was in camp with the Nets last season and played for their G League affiliate in Long Island. Franks divided last year between the Hornets’ and Kings’ teams in the G League. Teske signed with the Magic after going undrafted out of Michigan last month.
No Letter Of Clearance, No Warriors Deal For Jeremy Lin
9:55pm: Lin’s Letter of Clearance didn’t arrive in time for the Warriors to sign and release him by today’s waiver deadline, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Having failed to do so by today, it sounds like Golden State won’t sign and waive Lin after all, having turned to undrafted rookie Elijah Pemberton instead.
8:23pm: The Warriors would like to have Jeremy Lin under contract by 11pm Eastern today, but it may be hard to obtain the paperwork in time, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Lin and the team have reached an agreement, but are waiting for a FIBA Letter of Clearance from China. That type of document can be difficult to obtain on a weekend because international offices are closed, Stein adds.
Golden State was hoping to sign Lin and waive him before tonight’s waiver deadline so they can ensure they’ll have his G League rights (Twitter link). However, the transaction cannot be completed without the letter from FIBA.
The cost of waiting an extra day or two could be significant because the team is so far into the luxury tax, Stein notes. If the Warriors execute the move on Sunday rather than today, it would cost an extra $74,925 in tax penalties. Waiting until Monday would mean an extra $127,650 (Twitter link).
Lin, 32, has been working out in California recently with the G League Ignite, an NBAGL select team of top prospects and NBA veterans.
Hornets Waive Four Players
The Hornets have waived Keandre Cook, Javin DeLaurier, Xavier Sneed and Kahlil Whitney, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bonnell expects all four to be considered for the team’s G League affiliate in Greensboro once they clear waivers.
The moves leave Charlotte with an open roster spot and more than $4MM in cap room, Bonnell adds (Twitter link), and general manager Mitch Kupchak may opt to keep that flexibility through the trade deadline.
All four players were rookies with non-guaranteed contracts, so Charlotte won’t be on the hook for any money.
Knicks Notes: Knox, Brazdeikis, Robinson, Noel
After a disappointing second NBA season, Kevin Knox is taking advantage of a fresh start with the Knicks‘ new coaching staff, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knox has emerged as a dangerous outside shooter, making nine of his last 10 from beyond the arc.
“Looking at his career, when he’s taken good shots, he’s always made them. Or at least had a good chance to make them,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And when he’s eliminated the tough shots, it makes him a much better player. He plays with a lot more energy defensively. But I want him to get himself going — with his defense first, running the floor, rebounding and then spacing the floor. … Kevin has worked extremely hard to get himself ready for the season.”
Knox, the ninth player taken in the 2018 draft, turned in a strong rookie season, averaging 12.8 PPG in 75 games. But his playing time was cut from 28.8 to 17.9 minutes per game last year and his performance declined across the board. Knox is still only 21 and was counting on a strong preseason showing after the coaching change.
“It’s good, it’s always good to see the ball go through the net,” he said. “But with preseason over now, starting Wednesday we get the real games going, so I want to continue to get the work in, watch a lot of film, get a lot of shots up. It was great to see the ball go through the net these last two games, and hopefully I can continue with that confidence and play with it consistently like I’ve been playing.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Ignas Brazdeikis was in the G League for most of his rookie season and opportunities are still coming slowly, observes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Brazdeikis sat out the Knicks’ first three preseason games before playing 17 minutes Friday night. “I’m just working every single day to get better,” he said. “That’s the main focus is just developing my game. I’m still young. I’ve got to improve a lot. I’m not even close to the player I want to be.”
- New York wasn’t able to upgrade its roster in free agency, so the focus turns to developing players into tradable assets, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. He adds that the Knicks weren’t able to find anyone willing to give up a draft pick for Dennis Smith Jr. or Frank Ntilikina and states that Mitchell Robinson might have the most trade value on the roster.
- Nerlens Noel is seeking a new agent after ending his relationship with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball News. Paul and the agency say it was an amicable separation (Twitter link).
Knicks Waive Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Two Others
8:36pm: The Knicks have confirmed that Kidd-Gilchrist has been waived, along with guards Bryce Brown and Myles Powell (Twitter link). Brown and Powell both had Exhibit 10 contracts and are likely to play for the team’s G League affiliate in Westchester.
New York is now at the roster limit for the season, with 15 guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way players.
7:29pm: The Knicks will place veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on waivers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Kidd-Gilchrist was in a difficult position because New York had 15 other players with guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season. An illness slowed him throughout training camp, and he didn’t appear in any preseason games. Kidd-Gilchrist had an Exhibit 10 deal, which would have paid him the minimum salary for one year if he had made the team.
The Knicks believed it was worth gambling on the 27-year-old, who was the second overall choice in the 2012 draft. His career has sputtered in recent years, and he played a combined 25 games last season for the Hornets and Mavericks.
New York still has to trim two more players off its roster before Monday’s deadline.
Timberwolves Place Four Players On Waivers
As rumored earlier today, the Timberwolves have officially waived veteran forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, along with guard Charlie Brown Jr. and forwards Zylan Cheatham and Tyler Cook.
Hollis-Jefferson was in camp on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract, but he played well in three preseason games, averaging 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per night. After four years in Brooklyn, he joined the Raptors last season and posted a 7.0/4.7/1.8 line in 60 games.
Brown appeared in 10 games for the Hawks last season, but spent most of his rookie year in the G League. Cheatham got into four games for the Pelicans as a rookie, while Cook played a combined 13 games for the Cavaliers and Nuggets.
The moves leave Minnesota’s roster at 14, with 12 guaranteed contracts, plus a pair of two-way players.
Jazz Waive Yogi Ferrell, Malcolm Miller
The Jazz have waived guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Malcolm Miller, tweets Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
Ferrell, 27, just signed with the team on Friday. He spent the past two seasons with the Kings, but averaged a career-low 10.4 minutes per game last year. Miller, also 27, has been with the Raptors the past three years and got into 28 games last season.
Along with waiving four players Friday night, Utah’s roster is now down to 14, including just 11 guaranteed contracts, as well as a pair of two-way players. The Jazz are slightly over the luxury tax line and may not carry 15 players this season.
Draymond Green To Miss Season Opener
The Warriors will begin the season Tuesday night without Draymond Green, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Green injured his foot during a scrimmage this week and is dealing with a mild muscle strain. Coach Steve Kerr has decided to be careful with the veteran forward, who missed most of training camp after an apparent bout with COVID-19.
“Draymond did not practice, so he’s doubtful for Tuesday,” Kerr said today. “He tweaked his foot in the scrimmage two days ago. Didn’t really know (how severe) until the next morning when he woke up; it was a little sore … he got an MRI. It’s clear. But we’re trying to be very, very careful … It’s not a long-term thing. We feel very confident that if he doesn’t play Tuesday or Christmas Day, he’ll be on the trip and we think he’ll be available pretty quickly.”
Kerr had better news about rookie center James Wiseman, who also sat out most of training camp. Wiseman was a full participant in today’s practice and is expected to be ready for the first game at Brooklyn, possibly as part of the starting lineup.
“James is going to be our starting center before too long,” Kerr said. “It might happen Tuesday, but clearly he is our long-term starting center. And when we feel he’s ready for that, then we’ll put him out there and then it’s a matter of minutes and how long he can play. And for me as a coach, for my staff, it’s let’s give him the experience of seeing the different pictures that are going to be in front of him.”
Celtics Waive Amile Jefferson
The Celtics got down to the roster limit by waiving power forward Amile Jefferson, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Jefferson, 27, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston two weeks ago, so he could wind up with the Celtics’ G League affiliate. He played a combined 30 games for the Magic in his first two NBA seasons before being waived in February. Jefferson got into 18 games last season, but played just 4.1 minutes per night.
Boston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with all 15 slots filled, as well as a pair of two-way players.