Bucks To Sign Rayjon Tucker
Rayjon Tucker of Arkansas-Little Rock has reached an agreement with the Bucks on a partially guaranteed contract, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
A graduate transfer, Tucker announced plans to go to the University of Memphis next season, but later decided to keep his name in the draft.
The 6’5″ guard averaged 20.3 points per game this year and shot a sizzling .411 from 3-point range. He was a second-team selection on the All-Sun Belt team.
Heat Signing Jeremiah Martin To Exhibit 10 Deal
Jeremiah Martin of Memphis will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The 6’3″ guard averaged 19.7 points and 4.4 assists per game as a senior and helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.
Under an Exhibit 10 deal, Martin will receive a bonus ranging from $5K to $50K if he attends training camp with Miami and spends at least 60 days with the Heat’s G League affiliate.
Nick Weiler-Babb of Iowa State has committed to play for Miami during Summer League and may also receive an Exhibit 10 contract, Givony adds (Twitter link). The 6’5″ guard posted a 9.1/5.0/4.0 line as a senior.
Rick Pitino Wants To Return To The NBA
Rick Pitino has declined a chance to return to his team in Greece and is hoping for another shot at the NBA, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Pitino confirmed that he has turned down an offer from Panathinaikos after leading the team to the Greek Cup title while serving as both coach and president. He will spend the summer trying to land an NBA job, either as a coach, a player personnel specialist or an advisor.
Pitino, 66, spent two years as head coach of the Knicks in the 1980s, then returned to the NBA with the Celtics nearly a decade later. He won a division title in New York and took the team to the playoffs in both seasons, but was less successful in Boston, resigning during the 2000/01 season and citing the difficulty of handling both coaching and front office responsibilities. His career record as an NBA coach is 192-220.
He is best known for his success in college, where he took teams to seven Final Fours and won titles at Kentucky and Louisville. However, his championship with the Cardinals and two of his Final Fours were vacated in the wake of scandal, and the school fired him in 2018 after an FBI investigation into NCAA recruiting practices.
Pacers Adding Brian Bowen, Jakeenan Gant
Brian Bowen, who played in Australia last season with the Sydney Kings, will join the Pacers on a two-way contract, tweets Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated. Indiana is also signing Jakeenan Gant of Louisiana to an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Bowen will opt out of the second year of his Australian contract to come to the NBA, tweets Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. The former McDonald’s All-American went overseas after the NCAA declared him ineligible in the wake of a recruiting scandal at Louisville. He declared for the draft last year, but withdrew before the deadline.
Bowen worked out for the Pacers last month and told Robert General of The Indianapolis Star that he wants to change the public perception of him.
“There’s a lot of narratives out there about me, but once you meet me you can tell I have a pretty good character and everything,” Bowen said. “I like to be responsible and everything and I’m just going to show teams that I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
Gant has been named Defensive Player of the Year in the Sun Belt the past two seasons. He was also the league’s top rebounder at 8.7 per night, while averaging 20.5 points and 2.6 blocks.
Hawks Will Sign Charlie Brown To Two-Way Deal
Free agent Charlie Brown of St. Joseph’s will sign a two-way contract with the Hawks, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
The 6’7″ forward was the Atlantic 10’s leading scorer this season at 19.0 points per game. He also pulled down 6.2 rebounds per night while shooting .356 from 3-point range.
Brown told Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer this week that he had a good feeling about the draft, expecting to go late in the first round or early in the second. Instead, he’ll have to prove himself in the G League as his new contract limits him to 45 days of NBA service.
Luguentz Dort Signs Two-Way Deal With OKC
JULY 6: The Thunder have officially signed Dort to his two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 21: The Thunder will sign Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort to a two-way contract, tweets Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Dort was one of the more surprising players to be passed over on draft night, as Givony had him going at No. 34 in his final mock draft. It’s not clear why Dort wasn’t taken, but sources tell Givony that he turned down a few draft-and-stash opportunities.
It may turn out to be good fortune for the Thunder, who get a low-cost chance to evaluate Dort. The 20-year-old guard was a versatile defender in college and a strong finisher in the transition game. He averaged 16.1 PPG in his only season with the Sun Devils.
Suns To Sign Jalen Lecque
Jalen Lecque didn’t get drafted after deciding to skip college, but he did land a contract with the Suns, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The agreement will cover four years, but only the first two are guaranteed.
Lecque, 18, originally committed to play at North Carolina State next season, but opted to try the draft instead. He was eligible because he spent a year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire after his senior class graduated.
Lecque was impressive at the Combine, registering a 43-inch vertical leap, and recently told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer that his father received encouraging signs from NBA scouts.
“The feedback a couple teams gave my dad,” Lecque said in explaining his decision to turn pro. “So I signed with an agent right away.”
Jazz Buy 58th Pick, Select Yale’s Miye Oni
JUNE 21: The trade is now official, per an NBA press release.
JUNE 20: The Jazz purchased the 58th pick from the Warriors and used it to select Yale guard Miye Oni, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Oni was named Ivy League Player of the Year for 2019 after averaging 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He left the Elis after his junior season and is the first Ivy League player to be drafted since 1995.
Oni is one of three second-round picks for Utah, which also selected Jarrell Brantley at No. 50 and Justin Wright-Foreman at No. 53.
Bucks Trade Tony Snell To Pistons
JUNE 20: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Bucks. The 30th pick was used to select Kevin Porter Jr., but the Pistons are flipping his rights to the Cavaliers.
JUNE 19: The Bucks have reached an agreement to trade Tony Snell to Detroit, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Milwaukee will get Jon Leuer in return and will also send the 30th pick in tomorrow’s draft to the Pistons (Twitter link).
The move is a cost-cutting measure for the Bucks, as Snell is due $11.4MM next season and has a $12.2MM player option for 2020/21. Leuer is entering the final year of his contract and will make $9.5MM.
Milwaukee will save about $2MM next season, along with a $1.9MM cap hold for pick No. 30, notes Matt Velazquez of The Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links). The larger savings come from having Snell off the books in the future.
Milwaukee is entering a crucial summer with Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and Nikola Mirotic all headed for free agency. Every dollar the team can unload will help with luxury tax concerns. Once the deal with Detroit is complete, the Bucks can create up to $14MM in cap room that could be used to re-sign Lopez, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
Snell, 27, was a rotation player for the Bucks this season, averaging 6.0 points per night in 74 games. Leuer appeared in just 41 games for the Pistons last season and played less than 10 minutes per night.
Pelicans Exercise Team Option On Jahlil Okafor
3:27pm: The Pelicans have officially exercised Okafor’s team option, the team announced today in a press release.
11:24am: New Orleans will pick up its $1.7MM option on center Jahlil Okafor for next season, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN.
The third overall pick in 2015, Okafor revived his career after signing with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer. He appeared in 59 games, starting 24, and averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per night. He impressed the coaching staff with his improved fitness and a commitment to defense, Andrews adds.
Okafor only has a $54K guarantee on next year’s contract, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll have to remain on the roster through January 7 for it to become fully guaranteed.
Okafor is one of a handful of players with team options for 2019/20. The complete list is available here.