Garrison Mathews Accepts Two-Way QO From Wizards
NOVEMBER 22: The Wizards have officially announced that Mathews is back under contract on a two-way deal.
NOVEMBER 21: Garrison Mathews will accept his qualifying offer and remain with the Wizards, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The decision was confirmed by Mathews’ agent, Chris Patrick Jr.
The 24-year-old shooting guard signed a two-way contract with Washington in July of 2019. His QO is another two-way deal that carries a $50K guarantee.
Matthews appeared in 18 games as a rookie and established himself as a dangerous shooter from the perimeter. He hit 41.3% from three-point range while averaging 5.4 points per game in about 12 minutes per night.
Clippers Pursuing Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol
The Clippers are in the running to sign Serge Ibaka or Marc Gasol away from the Raptors, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Sources tell Stein that adding Gasol is considered more realistic because of the intense competition to land Ibaka, led by Toronto and the Nets.
The Lakers would also like to add another big man, Stein notes, but they’re financially limited after signing Montrezl Harrell and re-signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It appears the Lakers would be limited to a veteran’s minimum offer.
The Clippers need reinforcements in the front court after losing Harrell and JaMychal Green on the first night of free agency. L.A. kept midseason pick-up Marcus Morris, giving him $64MM over four seasons.
The Raptors should have an edge in the competition for Ibaka, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. The Nets are limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7MM, and although the Clippers have the full MLE of $9.3MM, Toronto is expected to make a larger offer, although only for one year to preserve cap room for next summer’s free agent market.
Ibaka, 31, averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 55 games last season. Gasol, 35, averaged 7.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 44 games.
Knicks Sign Nerlens Noel To One-Year Contract
NOVEMBER 25: The Knicks have officially signed Noel to his one-year deal, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 21: Free agent big man Nerlens Noel has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Knicks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), who hears from Noel’s agents at Klutch Sports that it’ll be worth $5MM.
A lottery pick in 2013, Noel is now with his fourth organization. He has served as a back-up to Steven Adams in Oklahoma City for the past two years and averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season.
Noel, 26, is a former star at Kentucky and credits Knicks assistant Kenny Payne with helping him develop his game, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Payne left the Wildcats in August to join Tom Thibodeau’s new staff.
Mavericks Sign Wesley Iwundu To Two-Year Deal
DECEMBER 1: The Mavericks have officially added Iwundu to their roster, the team announced today (via Twitter).
NOVEMBER 21: Free agent swingman Wesley Iwundu is nearing a new deal with the Mavericks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Iwundu is headed to Dallas on a two-year deal, while Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets that it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum.
Iwundu’s contract will be fully guaranteed, a source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). That source confirms that J.J. Barea will be brought back and says the team still has an open roster spot to fill.
Iwundu, 25, spent the past three seasons in Orlando, where he was a valuable rotation piece and a part-time starter. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds last season in about 18 minutes per night.
Brad Wanamaker Signs With Warriors
NOVEMBER 24: The Warriors have made their deal with Wanamaker official, per the NBA’s transactions log. According to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Golden State used a portion of its taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.
NOVEMBER 21: The Warriors have reached a one-year, $2.25MM agreement with free agent point guard Brad Wanamaker, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by his agent, Steve McCaskill.
Golden State can either use part of its $5.7MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to complete the signing or it can wait to see if the league grants its request for a disabled player exception, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The DPE would be worth $9.3MM, but it can only be used on one player, so the Warriors would forfeit the rest if they sign Wanamaker with it.
His $2.25MM salary will raise Golden State’s tax bill by about $12MM, Marks adds (Twitter link), but the team’s projected $132MM tax is likely to be lowered because of a league-wide drop in revenue.
Wanamaker had a strong second season in Boston, playing in 71 games and averaging 6.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per night. He shoots 37.6% from three-point range and the Celtics were slightly better defensively with him on the court, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wanamaker will serve as a back-up to Stephen Curry.
Celtics Sign Tristan Thompson
NOVEMBER 30: Thompson’s deal with the Celtics is now official, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 21: Free agent center Tristan Thompson will sign with the Celtics, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The deal was confirmed by Thompson’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. The contract will be worth $19MM over two years. (Twitter link).
Thompson will receive Boston’s full mid-level exception, which was more than the Cavaliers were willing to offer, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs were optimistic this morning about their chances of keeping Thompson, but when Paul Millsap chose Denver over Boston, the Celtics were motivated to get a deal done.
“Going from being a fan to an opponent and then a teammate, Tristan has always been one of the good guys,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “His jersey deserves to hang in the rafters.”
Boston’s willingness to give the full MLE to Thompson indicates that the team probably plans to avoid the tax this season, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link). The Celtics still have their $3.6MM bi-annual exception available as well as trade exceptions from deals involving Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier.
Thompson, 29, spent the first nine years of his NBA career with the Cavaliers, playing in four NBA Finals and winning a championship in 2016. He averaged a career-best 12.0 points per game last season to go with 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Seek DPE After Klay Thompson’s Injury
The Warriors have applied for a disabled player exception after losing Klay Thompson for the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. If granted, the DPE would be worth $9.3MM, the value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
The DPE allows a team to add a player without using cap space. It can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade, but it can only be used on one player. Additionally, it can only be used to sign a player to a one-year contract, or to claim or trade for a player in the final year of his deal.
Thompson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in his right leg during a workout on Wednesday. He hasn’t played since tearing his left ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, but was reportedly fully recovered and ready for the start of training camp.
Cameron Reynolds Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Spurs
NOVEMBER 29: The Spurs have officially signed Reynolds, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 21: The Spurs will sign shooting guard Cameron Reynolds to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Reynolds, 25, played 19 games for the Timberwolves during the 2018/19 season. He signed a two-way contract with the Bucks in July of 2019, but didn’t appear in any NBA games for Milwaukee. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.
Reynolds will be in training camp with San Antonio and can receive a guarantee of up to $50K if he’s waived and joins the organization’s G League affiliate.
Pacers To Sign Amida Brimah
Former Connecticut center Amida Brimah will sign with the Pacers, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Brimah, 26, was in Indiana’s training camp last season on an Exhibit 10 contract and was expected to join the team’s G League affiliate, but he suffered a torn right ACL that required surgery.
Brimah’s previous NBA experience includes an Exhibit 10 deal with the Spurs in 2018 and a Summer League stint with the Bulls in 2017. He played two G League seasons with the Austin Spurs and spent one season in Belgrade.
Wizards To Sign Yoeli Childs
BYU power forward Yoeli Childs will sign with the Wizards, tweets Jake Hatch of Zone Sports Net. Tony Jones of The Athletic confirms the report (Twitter link).
Childs had offers from more than five NBA teams, according to Hatch.
Childs turned in a stellar season for the Cougars as a senior, averaging 22.2 points and 9.0 rebounds and being nominated for the Karl Malone Award, which honors the top power forward in college basketball.