Isaac Okoro, Cole Anthony Sign Rookie Contracts
The Cavaliers and Magic have both signed their first-round picks, the teams announced today.
Cleveland came to terms with Auburn forward Isaac Okoro, who was the fifth overall selection. Orlando reached a deal with North Carolina guard Cole Anthony, who was taken with the 15th pick.
Neither team announced the terms of the deals, but both players are eligible to receive up to 120% of the rookie scale. That would be $6,400,920 for Okoro and $3,285,120 for Anthony.
Knicks To Re-Sign Elfrid Payton
NOVEMBER 29: The Knicks’ deal with Payton is now official, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets.
NOVEMBER 27: Shortly after clearing waivers this afternoon, Elfrid Payton has reached a deal to return to the Knicks, his agents at CAA tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
New York waived Payton on Thursday and paid a $1MM partial guarantee on his previous contract rather than giving him the full amount of $8MM. Payton will receive $5MM for one season on his new pact, per Wojnarowski.
Given the reported price of Payton’s new deal, it’s possible the Knicks will look to fit him into their room exception ($4.77MM). In that scenario, the team would still have approximately $29MM in cap room to use, without Payton cutting into it. If he gets any amount over $4.77MM, he’ll have to be re-signed using some of that cap space.
Payton got the most use of New York’s point guard options last season, starting 36 of the 45 games he played. He averaged 10.0 points and 7.2 assists per game, but shot just 43.9% from the field and 20.3% from three-point range.
If they don’t make any more moves at the position, the Knicks will have the same three players at point guard as they did a year ago, with Payton battling Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. for playing time, and it will be up to new coach Tom Thibodeau to sort them out.
Rockets Claim Kenny Wooten Off Waivers
Kenny Wooten has been claimed off waivers by the Rockets, two days after being let go by the Knicks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The 22-year-old forward had a two-way contract in New York running through the 2020-21 season that Houston will inherit, although the Rockets can change it to a standard NBA deal or negotiate a longer agreement. Houston filled one of its two-way slots earlier this week by signing Mason Jones.
Wooten signed with the Knicks last fall after going undrafted out of Oregon, but didn’t get into any NBA games. A shot-blocking specialist, he averaged 3.6 rejections per game, along with 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds, for the Westchester Knicks in the G League.
Wooten could be a cheap source of talent for the Rockets, who are hard-capped after a sign-and-trade deal for Christian Wood and will rely mostly on minimum-salaried players to fill out their roster.
Timberwolves Trade For Ricky Rubio
NOVEMBER 20: The trade is now official, according to the Timberwolves, who announced it in a press release. As expected, Johnson was sent to the Thunder along with the rights to Pokusevski in exchange for Rubio, the No. 25 pick, and the No. 28 pick. Oklahoma City also received the Timberwolves’ 2024 second-round pick in the deal.
Minnesota subsequently flipped the No. 25 pick (Immanuel Quickley) to New York in a deal for Leandro Bolmaro (No. 23). The Wolves have also confirmed that trade.
NOVEMBER 19: Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) confirms that Johnson will be a part of this deal for salary-matching purposes. The veteran forward will still need to pick up his option before he can officially be traded.
NOVEMBER 18: The Timberwolves will acquire point guard Ricky Rubio from the Thunder, along with the 25th and 28th picks in this year’s draft, in exchange for the 17th selection, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Oklahoma City will receive Serbian 7-footer Aleksej Pokusevski, whom Minnesota selected at No. 17. The Thunder had expressed interest in Pokusevski throughout the past two weeks.
Although it hasn’t been reported yet, James Johnson will likely have to be included in the deal to match salaries. Rubio will earn $17MM during the upcoming season, while Johnson has a $16MM player option that he is virtually certain to pick up.
The deal represents a homecoming for Rubio, who spent six seasons with the Wolves at the start of his career. He began looking for a trade after being sent to OKC in the Chris Paul deal and was receptive to the idea of returning to Minnesota. Rubio wants to help the Wolves get back to the playoffs, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Rubio will share ball-handling duties in the Minnesota backcourt with D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired at the trade deadline, and will reunite with former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.
In addition to the 25th and 28th picks, the Wolves also own the 33rd pick in tonight’s second round. The Thunder, who have been stockpiling picks, will select again at 34 and 53.
Knicks Notes: Bertans, Randle, Toppin, Point Guards
Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans could be a free agent option for the Knicks if they can’t land Gordon Hayward, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who says Bertans is high on the club’s wish list. New York has a need for outside shooting and Bertans is one of the best in the league. He ranked third last season in three-pointers taken and made, while hitting them at a 42.4% clip.
Like Hayward, Bertans will carry an expensive price tag and there will be plenty of competition for his services. Washington will make keeping him a priority, and the Spurs would like to bring him back after trading him away to open cap space in an ill-fated attempt to sign Marcus Morris.
The Knicks are one of the few teams entering free agency with ample cap space, roughly $35MM after clearing out the roster Thursday and acquiring Ed Davis from Utah. Berman notes that a sign-and-trade with Washington could be possible, with New York throwing in a couple of the 2023 second-rounders it acquired this week.
There’s more Knicks news to pass along:
- Julius Randle‘s future in New York could be shaky after the Knicks drafted his apparent replacement in Obi Toppin, states Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Randle averaged 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game during his first season with the team, but shot a disappointing 46% from the floor and wasn’t able to become the focus of the offense. He will make $18.9MM this season, but only has a $4MM guarantee on his $19.8MM contract for 2021/22.
- In addition to his overall skills, Toppin brings an electrifying athleticism that should make him a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden, notes David Waldstein of The New York Times. “I don’t rank his dunks,” said Dayton head coach Anthony Grant, “but he will definitely excite a crowd with his explosiveness, variety and showmanship. He’s fun to watch; must-see TV.”
- For all the excitement about the Knicks’ draft, they still haven’t filled their most pressing need, which is finding a point guard, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. The decision to part with Elfrid Payton leaves Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. as the only point guards currently on the roster. Options include trading for Russell Westbrook or making a huge offer to free agent Fred VanVleet, but Vaccaro suggests the Knicks might wait for a long-term solution until next year’s draft when Cade Cunningham, Caleb Love and DJ Steward may all be available.
Warriors Waive Ky Bowman
1:33pm: The Warriors have officially confirmed in a press release that they’ve waived Bowman. If he clears waivers, he’ll be free to sign with any NBA team.
1:07pm: The Warriors will waive Ky Bowman, who saw significant playing time as Golden State dealt with injuries last season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that other teams have interest in signing the 23-year-old point guard.
Bowman inked a two-way deal with the Warriors last summer after going undrafted out of Boston College. That was converted in February to a standard contract, which included non-guaranteed minimum salaries for the next two seasons.
Bowman appeared in 45 games as a rookie, starting 12 of them. He averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in about 22 minutes per night.
The move comes after the Warriors drafted point guard Nico Mannion in the second round of Wednesday’s draft.
Sixers Waive Marial Shayok
Marial Shayok, a two-way player for the Sixers last season, has been waived, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A 25-year-old shooting guard, Shayok got into four games for Philadelphia, playing 28 total minutes. He was named to the G League’s All-Rookie Team, averaging 22.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game with the Delaware Blue Coats.
A native of Ottawa, Shayok was invited to play for Canada’s World Cup team last summer, but elected not to participate.
Raptors Will Begin The Season In Tampa
12:53pm: The Raptors will play their home games at Amalie Arena, reports Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via Twitter). That’s the home of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
12:03pm: The Raptors‘ plan to start the 2020/21 season at their home arena was rejected today by the Canadian government, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. As a result the team will play its home games in Tampa, team president Masai Ujiri announced.
“Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020/21 season in Tampa, Florida,” Ujiri said in a statement. “We want to thank all levels of government, and their public health officials, for their dedication to this process and for looking after the health of Canadians. We commit to continuing our work together, planning for a safe return to playing in Toronto.”
The Raptors considered several cities, but Tampa was the most popular choice among players, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Management took that into consideration and it affected the final decision.
Canada has imposed restrictions limiting travel from the U.S. to guard against the spread of COVID-19. Those sanctions were extended today until at least December 21, according to a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We’re trying to do what’s best for the organization,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said this week. “So you can kind of go down the line. You know, what is first and foremost? The players. What does the practice facility look like? What would be the accommodations around the medical facilities, the medical treatment? Obviously you need to have an arena that fits NBA standards. There’s a ton of broadcast issues. There’s health and safety. There’s availability for arena dates. There’s a ton of stuff there.”
The Raptors don’t have much time to work out the logistics of playing in Florida. Next season starts in 32 days and the league plans to open training camps on December 1.
The team had been hoping to reach a solution that would let it return to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Team officials were working with the NBA on health concerns and were optimistic that they had a proposal that would meet with government approval.
Clippers Interested In Terry Rozier?
The Clippers want to add another guard to their roster and have talked to the Hornets about Terry Rozier, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Rozier, 26, still has two years and nearly $37MM left on the contract he signed with Charlotte last summer. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists during his first season with the team.
The Clippers remain interested in free agent Rajon Rondo, Mannix adds, but there are concerns that he will get a larger offer from someone else. L.A. is down a guard after trading Landry Shamet this week in a three-team deal.
Anthony Davis Won’t Rush Into Next Deal With Lakers
Anthony Davis will take his time working out a new contract with the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Davis is the top free agent on this year’s market, but that’s just a formality as he remains committed to staying with the team where he just won an NBA title. Davis’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, will reach out to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka after free agency officially begins at 6pm ET, sources tell Wojnarowski, but Davis doesn’t plan to commit to a new deal until after Thanksgiving.
The 27-year-old has a number of options to consider as he plots his future in Los Angeles. He could accept a three-year, $106MM offer with a player option for 2022/23 that would match up with the rest of LeBron James‘ contract. He could also take $68MM over two years with an option after next season or a longer deal such as $146.7MM for four years or $189MM for five.
Paul also represents James and it wasn’t unusual for contract negotiations to stretch out for several weeks when LeBron was in Cleveland, Wojnarowski adds.