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.
Nets Waive Three Players, Convert Perry To Two-Way Contract
The Nets have waived guards Chris Chiozza and Elie Okobo, along with forward Paul Eboua, the team announced in an email. The team will keep rookie forward Reggie Perry, converting his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal.
Chiozza came to Brooklyn on a two-way contract in January and re-signed with the team in December. He got into 18 games and averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 assists in about 15 minutes per night. He also played 10 games for the Wizards last season.
Okobo and Eboua both joined the Nets this week, so they may be headed to the G League. Okobo was the 31st pick in the 2018 draft and spent the past two seasons with the Suns. Eboua was claimed Friday after being waived by the Heat.
Perry was taken with the 57th pick in this year’s draft. The Nets acquired him in a three-way trade that involved the Clippers and Pistons.
With the moves, Brooklyn’s roster is now complete with all 15 spots filled, along with a pair of two-way players.
Spurs Waive Cameron Reynolds, Tyler Zeller
The Spurs trimmed their roster by waiving forward Cameron Reynolds and center Tyler Zeller, the team announced on its website.
Reynolds, 25, signed an Exhibit 10 contract late last month and appeared in one preseason game, scoring six points in two minutes. Reynolds got into 19 games last season as a rookie with the Timberwolves.
The 30-year-old Zeller signed with the Spurs before the restart and appeared in two games in Orlando, playing four total minutes. His contract included a non-guaranteed second season, so San Antonio won’t owe him any money. Zeller has played for seven teams in eight NBA seasons.
The Spurs’ roster is now down to 17 players, with both two-way slots filled.
London Perrantes, who was signed on Friday, will likely be cut today as well, since he was presumably only signed for G League purposes. However, the team didn’t announce his signing and may not announce his release either. Assuming he’s cut, San Antonio will start the season with an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Warriors Waive Juan Toscano-Anderson
Golden State has waived Juan Toscano-Anderson, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter).
The 27-year-old forward signed with the Warriors in February and appeared in 13 games before the hiatus, averaging 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per night. He also played 31 games for the team’s G League affiliate. Toscano-Anderson had a three-year contract, but it didn’t carry any guaranteed money beyond last season.
The move leaves Golden State with a 15-man roster and one of its two-way slots filled. Toscano-Anderson could be re-signed to fill the other opening, although there’s no indication that’s what the Warriors are planning.
Kings Waive Frank Kaminsky
DECEMBER 20: The move is official, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports.
DECEMBER 19: The Kings will release center/power forward Frank Kaminsky, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Kaminsky signed a one-year deal with the team earlier this month that carries a $50K guarantee.
Kaminsky, 27, got into 39 games with the Suns last season, averaging 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in about 20 minutes per night. He was the ninth pick in the 2015 draft and spent the previous four years in Charlotte.
The Kings are now down to 17 players on their camp roster and will need to make at least one more move before Monday’s deadline. They have 14 fully guaranteed contracts, along with Glenn Robinson III, Chimezie Metu and one player on a two-way deal.
Robinson will make the final roster, according to James Ham of NBC Sports (Twitter link), so Sacramento may decide to waive Metu and re-sign him to fill the other two-way slot. Metu’s contract isn’t an Exhibit 10 deal, so it can’t be directly converted into a two-way contract.
Clippers Notes: Kennard, Batum, Zubac, Ibaka
Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum, two important offseason additions for the Clippers, haven’t played a regular season NBA game in nearly a year, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Both players are trying to use the shortened preseason to get ready for opening night, which is just six days away.
The Pistons shut down Kennard last December 21 because of knee tendinitis. He had been hoping to return March 14, but the hiatus kept that from happening. Batum appeared in just 22 games last season, limited by injuries and the Hornets’ preference to give minutes to their younger players.
“The first (preseason) game was kind of weird,” Batum said. “I just wanted to go out there and just be back on the court and just play basketball and do some stuff and be sure I don’t do some crazy mistake. That’s really my goal the first two games, to be back on the court and get through the motion and get my rhythm and the feel for the court.”
There’s more Clippers news to pass along:
- Ivica Zubac is adjusting to his new role as backup center, notes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Zubac is expected to play similar minutes as in the past, but he will be on the court with a different set of teammates. “Zu specifically, he just has to get better with his hands,” said Lou Williams, the leader of the team’s second unit. “That was a conversation we spoke to. I’m a willing passer and he knows that. And so for him to be successful and get a lot of easy looks, we’re gonna have to get better and get on the same page with that. Other than that, I look forward to growing with him.”
- Kennard and Serge Ibaka are both better fits for the Clippers than the players they replaced, contends John Hollinger of The Athletic. He sees Kennard, who can help run the offense, as a more complete player than Landry Shamet and notes that Ibaka’s ability to space the floor makes him more versatile than Montrezl Harrell. Hollinger opines that Paul George won’t be able to live up to his new four-year, $176MM contract, but thinks it still makes sense for the team, since the focus is on competing for a title in the next two seasons.
- Reggie Jackson and assistant coach Chauncey Billups both returned to the team after being excused from Sunday’s game due to health and safety protocols, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Bucks Waive EJ Montgomery, Justin Patton
EJ Montgomery and Justin Patton, who both signed with the Bucks earlier this month, have been waived, the team announced (via Twitter). Neither player saw any action in Milwaukee’s two preseason games.
Montgomery, 21, went undrafted last month out of Kentucky. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in two seasons with the Wildcats.
Patton, 23, was the 16th pick in the 2017 draft, but injuries have limited him to nine total NBA games with three teams. He was also waived by the Clippers last month, shortly after being acquired from the Pistons.
The Bucks now have 18 players on their roster and have until Monday to make at least one more cut.
Central Notes: Giannis, Porter, P. Williams, Pacers
Plenty of options were waiting for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he had reached free agency, but he chose to remain loyal to Milwaukee, which has been his NBA home for the past seven years, writes Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Antetokoumpo provided an early Christmas present to Bucks fans on Tuesday when he agreed to a super-max extension that runs through the 2025/26 season.
“The way that this city has supported me and my family has been amazing since day one, since the day I walked in the Cousins Center gym and Bradley Center, also. It’s been amazing. I was 18, I’m 26 right now. All I know is Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I came here, all I knew is that this is a city that loves basketball, it’s a city that … We have more things to do now, but when I came here we had a lot of things to do so I could just focus on basketball and it’s a place that I want to be.”
While the Bucks had a huge advantage in the money they could offer Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP had to be convinced that he could win a championship in Milwaukee. The front office was aggressive over the offseason, trading for Jrue Holiday and signing D.J. Augustin, Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, and Torrey Craig.
“I think we can get better. I believe we can be better. We’ve got better,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have a great team. We have a great culture. I know that I’m working toward that goal. The front office is working toward that goal, so I’m good. I’m happy. I think everybody’s on the same page.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Cavaliers swingman Kevin Porter Jr. didn’t travel with the team to New York, which means he won’t play at all during the preseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs have chosen to address Porter’s legal issues internally, Fedor adds, and are being vague in their public statements. Porter didn’t practice with the team until December 10 and may not be ready for the season opener next week.
- The Bulls gave first-round pick Patrick Williams a start in their third preseason game, notes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. The decision was based partly on the team’s shortage of personnel due to injuries and COVID-19 concerns, but coach Billy Donovan also wanted to see how Williams would respond to opportunity. “It’s just more to see, like, OK, what does Patrick look like with that first group,” Donovan said. “Does Otto (Porter Jr.), you know, give us a little bit of a punch off the bench from a scoring standpoint? We’re gonna have to make some sacrifices all the way around as a team in terms of how we need to play, and then also what guys’ roles may be, just because of the uniqueness of what we’re all dealing with at this point in time.”
- The Pacers appeared to be on track to make another front office addition, possibly a second assistant general manager, but they’ve tabled those plans for now, tweets J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star.
Grizzlies Exercise Options On Four Players
The Grizzlies have exercised contract options for the 2021/22 season on Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Grayson Allen, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter).
Morant, the second pick in the 2019 draft, had an outstanding first season, capturing Rookie of the Year honors and helping the Grizzlies reach the playoffs. He averaged 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 67 games. Morant is part of the foundation for the future in Memphis, along with Jackson, the fourth overall pick in 2018, who averaged 17.4 points and 1.6 blocks per game last season.
Clarke set a rookie record in 2019/20 by shooting 61.8% from the floor. He posted a 12.1/5.9/1.4 line in 58 games, earning a spot on the All-Rookie team and finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Allen, who was acquired from the Jazz last summer, averaged 8.7 PPG in 38 games in his first season with the Grizzlies.
Morant’s third-year option for ’21/22 will be worth $9.6MM, while Clarke’s has a value of $2.7MM. The fourth-year options for Jackson and Allen will pay them $9.2MM and $4.1MM, respectively.
Coronavirus Notes: Two-Way Contracts, Cuban, Latest Testing, Vaccine
A proposal in November would have allowed teams to carry four players on two-way contracts to help ensure adequate personnel amid COVID-19 risks, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Teams are currently limited to two players at a time on two-way deals.
Although that idea wasn’t accepted, the league expanded the amount of time that two-way players can spend with their NBA teams. Previously limited to 45 days throughout the season, they can now be active for 50 of their team’s 72 games. The league will also allow teams to have 15 players in uniform each night, up from the previous limit of 13, with a formal announcement expected later this week.
While the change in two-way rules will benefit NBA teams, it will have the opposite effect on their G League affiliates, Stein notes. It’s another consideration to factor in as G League officials determine how to handle the upcoming season.
There’s more news related to the coronavirus:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is optimistic that the league can begin to get back to normal by spring, Stein adds in the same story. Cuban expects a “huge snap back” by March or April, when much of the U.S. population should have access to the new COVID-19 vaccine. He believes that safety measures the Mavericks have imposed are working well so far. “The most important aspect is that the players and staff that are traveling are treating each game as a self-imposed bubble,” Cuban said. “We won’t be able to eliminate cases and outbreaks, but if we can minimize them, then hopefully it can be as close to a normal season as possible.”
- Only one new confirmed positive test was reported among the 549 players who have undergone COVID-19 testing since December 10, the NBA and the players union announced today.
- No decision has been reached on when the new vaccine will be made available to NBA personnel and whether it will become mandatory, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. For now, the league will continue to rely on testing, sanitary conditions, masks and social distancing to keep players safe. Under the league’s health and safety protocols, the NBA and its players union will hold discussions on whether the vaccine will be considered mandatory or voluntary once infectious disease specialists determine that it is “safe and effective.” “We’ll address that when it comes as far as a union and players,” said NBPA president Chris Paul. “But when it comes to all different types of vaccines, a lot of that stuff is personal.”