Hornets Sign Devonte’ Graham
The Hornets have signed second-round pick Devonte’ Graham, the team announced on its website. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Charlotte acquired the rights to Graham, who was selected at No. 34, from the Hawks in a draft night trade, giving up a pair of second-rounders.
Graham was a first-team All-American at Kansas and was named Big 12 Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game and helped the Jayhawks reach the Final Four.
Magic Sign Melvin Frazier
The Magic have signed second-round pick Melvin Frazier, the team announced in a press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
A 6’6″ guard out of Tulane, Frazier was the 35th player selected in this year’s draft.
He spent three years with the Green Wave and was named AAC Most Improved Player this season while earning second team all-conference honors. He averaged 15.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and shot .385 from 3-point range.
Hornets Trade Hamidou Diallo To Thunder
JULY 6: The Diallo trade is now official, per a press release from the Thunder. As first reported by Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, the Hornets receive Oklahoma City’s 2019 second-round pick and cash in the deal.
JUNE 21: The Hornets will send 45th pick Hamidou Diallo to the Thunder, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The teams can’t finalize the deal until July 6 because it involves a pick that Charlotte will receive from the Nets in the Dwight Howard trade, which also can’t be completed until that date.
Diallo, 19, was a top recruit coming out of college in 2016, but made a late commitment to Kentucky and redshirted during his first season there. He declared for the draft last year, but elected to return to college, where he averaged 10.0 points in 37 games.
There’s no word yet on what the Hornets will get in return for Diallo.
Trail Blazers Sign Gary Trent Jr.
The Trail Blazers have signed second-round pick Gary Trent Jr., the team announced on its website. The contract is fully guaranteed for three years, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Portland will likely use part of its mid-level exception to complete the signing. The Blazers are over the cap, and minimum deals are limited to two seasons.
Trent, the 37th overall pick, came to Portland in a draft night deal with Sacramento, with the Blazers giving up cash and two second-round picks in return.
The 19-year-old averaged 14.5 points per game in his freshman season at Duke and shot 40% from 3-point range. He led the ACC in 3-pointers made with 97.
Jonah Bolden Plans To Play For Sixers
After spending one season in Israel, Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Jonah Bolden believes he is ready for the NBA, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 36th pick in 2017, Bolden made his intentions clear after Thursday’s practice with the Sixers’ summer league team.
“My plan is to come [to the NBA] this year,” Bolden said. “That was the plan from Day 1 with [former president of basketball operations] Bryan [Colangelo]. That’s still the plan now without Bryan. All respect to Bryan. I appreciated all he did for me. … But the plan is coming over this next season, 2018/19.”
“That’s between my agent, my team — the team I was on, Maccabi — and the Sixers,” Bolden said. “They have to figure that all out.”
Roster space could be an issue for Bolden again. Philadelphia, which had 11 players under contract when the offseason began, reached an agreement on Thursday with free agent Nemanja Bjelica. The Sixers also have a deal in place to acquire Wilson Chandler from the Nuggets and will re-sign J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson. Add in draft picks Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet, who have already signed, along with a possible deal for second-rounder Shake Milton, and the team will be well over the 15-man roster limit.
T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes are on non-guaranteed contracts, while Jerryd Bayless [$8.58MM next season] and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot [$1.54MM] could be in danger of being waived.
Central Notes: Bulls, Evans, Stefanski, Love
The Bulls could be in position to build the NBA’s next superteam, suggests Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. Citing a report that Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving would like to team up, Walton notes that Chicago has the resources to make it happen. Both players could become free agents next summer, and the Bulls have a path to offer two near-max contracts.
By renouncing their rights to Jerian Grant and Cameron Payne and stretching Omer Asik‘s contract, Chicago can trim its payroll to $64.6MM. The Bulls could also improve their chances by trading for Butler or Irving this season, Walton notes. Getting Butler away from former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau seems impossible, but Walton states that the Celtics may be tempted by an offer for Irving centered around Zach LaVine or Kris Dunn, whom Boston tried to trade up for when he was coming out of college.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers boosted their chances to be a top three team in the East by landing Tyreke Evans, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. The addition of Evans, along with Doug McDermott and rookie Aaron Holiday, gives Indiana far more firepower off the bench than it had this season, Doyel contends. One of eight players to average 19 points, five rebounds and five assists during the season, Evans is versatile enough to help the Pacers in a variety of ways.
- Ed Stefanski has been maximizing his resources since taking over as senior adviser for the Pistons, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. In his brief time in the new role, Stefanski hired the reigning Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey, added Malik Rose to the front office, drafted two promising second-rounders in Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown, then added Jose Calderon and Glenn Robinson III in free agency.
- Pistons guard Luke Kennard suffered a left knee strain during practice that will force him to miss summer league, the team tweeted. The decision to hold him out is most likely a precaution, Beard notes (Twitter link).
- The Cavaliers remain focused on making the playoffs, even after the loss of LeBron James, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The team insists it will hang onto Kevin Love, the only All-Star remaining on the roster, and try to rebuild around him.
L.A. Notes: Leonard, James, Rondo, Rivers
The Spurs continue to seek a high price from the Lakers in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, salary cap expert Larry Coon said in an appearance today on Spectrum SportsNet (Twitter link). Sources tell Coon that San Antonio is asking for Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, two first-rounders and the right to swap two other draft choices. “They’re just saying give us everything,” Coon said.
Coon also outlined the Lakers’ remaining cap situation, noting that the signing of Lance Stephenson with the mid-level exception will probably be the final move in free agency after all other cap space is used up.
There’s more news from Los Angeles:
- LeBron James‘ decision to join the Lakers may give Leonard more incentive to become a Clipper, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports suggested in an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s radio show (Twitter link).
- The Lakers are turning their attention to next summer for their next big free agent move, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The organization’s emphasis on one-year deals helps explain the odd collection of moves that have come down since James committed to L.A. Sunday night. The Lakers re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, then reached agreements with Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo, all on one-year contracts. The team expects to have about $76MM in guaranteed money next summer, possibly less if Luol Deng is waived and stretched, leaving enough to offer another max deal.
- Rondo, whom Deveney states has wanted to join the Lakers since 2015, could take the starting point guard job away from Lonzo Ball, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. A source tells Amick that the L.A. front office has promised Rondo the chance to compete for a starting spot.
- During an impromptu interview with TMZ, Doc Rivers explained the decision to trade his son, Austin Rivers, to the Wizards. The Clippers coach called it “the right thing for all of us” and predicts that Austin will excel in Washington.
Orlando Discussing Deal With Isaiah Thomas
Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is working on a deal with the Magic, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Nothing has been finalized, he adds, but both sides would like to reach an agreement.
Thomas’ NBA life has been unsettled since being shipped from Boston to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving trade last summer. A two-time All-Star with the Celtics, Thomas struggled to find a role with Cavaliers, appearing in just 15 games after returning from a hip injury. He was traded to the Lakers in February and played 17 games there.
The Magic could use some firepower after losing Mario Hezonja to the Knicks and Marreese Speights to China. They have been in the market for a point guard since a midseason trade that sent Elfrid Payton to Phoenix.
Orlando also waived veteran Shelvin Mack in June before his salary for 2018/19 could become guaranteed, leaving D.J. Augustin as the only point guard on the club’s depth chart.
The Magic won’t have cap room available after agreeing to re-sign Aaron Gordon, but could offer Thomas some or all of their mid-level exception.
Pelicans Notes: Cousins, Rondo, Randle, Payton
The Pelicans made a two-year, $40MM offer to DeMarcus Cousins between his Achilles injury in January and the end of the season, Marc Stein of The New York Times states in his latest newsletter. Cousins rejected the offer, and New Orleans’ front office responded by taking it off the table.
Cousins committed to Golden State last night, taking the Warriors’ MLE of $5.3MM for next season. The Lakers had an opportunity to get Cousins for a similar price, Stein adds, but once they passed, it was an easy decision for him to join the Warriors.
The Pelicans hadn’t given up hope of retaining Cousins when free agency began, but the door closed when they signed Julius Randle for $18MM over two years. Stein notes that Anthony Davis played an aggressive role in recruiting Randle to New Orleans.
There’s more Pelicans news to pass along:
- The trade with the Kings that brought Cousins to New Orleans will be remembered as a mistake, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune. The Pelicans gave up two first-round picks in Buddy Hield and a 2017 selection that turned out to be Zach Collins. In exchange, they got just 65 games out of Cousins.
- Rajon Rondo and Cousins both made shrewd business decisions, Duncan adds in the same story. The Lakers gave Rondo more money than the Pelicans were offering, along with the chance to team up with LeBron James. Cousins found a low-stress environment to rehab his injured Achilles while getting an excellent chance to win a ring. The Pelicans also showed they’re not ready to pay the luxury tax, with Randle and Elfrid Payton providing cheaper alternatives to Cousins and Rondo.
- The free agent drama in New Orleans could be repeated next summer, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. The Pelicans took a little bit of the sting out of losing Cousins and Rondo by agreeing to deals with Randle and Payton. However, Randle can opt out after one season and Payton is only signed for a year. Nikola Mirotic, who fit well alongside Davis after arriving from the Bulls in a midseason trade, will also be a free agent.
Devin Booker Progressing Toward Max Extension With Suns
The Suns are making progress on a five-year, $158MM extension with Devin Booker, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic.
Phoenix presented the offer to Booker at a meeting today. A source tells Bordow that parameters of the deal were outlined and describes the session as “productive,” citing “mutual interest from both sides in working to finalize a deal.”
Booker quickly emerged as an offensive force for the Suns after being taken with the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. He posted career highs across the board in his third season with 24.9 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 4.5 RPG.
The $158MM figure is an estimate based on current cap projections, but the final value won’t be set until next season’s official figures are in place.
Booker and the Suns have until the day before the season starts to complete an extension, but it sounds like the two sides may be able to finalize a deal not long after the July moratorium ends on Friday.