Former First-Round Pick Rashad Vaughn Will Play Overseas
Rashad Vaughn will play for the professional Bosnian club Igokea next season, according to the team’s website. It was previously reported that the shooting guard was leaning toward making this move. Full details have yet to be reported, though it is likely a one-year deal.
Vaughn was drafted with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Bucks. During the 2017/18 campaign, he was inserted into a trade to the Nets for Tyler Zeller. Days later, he was sent to New Orleans for Dante Cunningham and was subsequently waived.
Since being drafted out of Nevada, Vaughn has spent time in the G League. The 22-year-old also had a pair of 10-day deals with the Magic during the 2017/18 campaign and he inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Mavs prior to last season.
Cavaliers To Sign Marques Bolden To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Cavaliers will sign Marques Bolden, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The arrangement will be an Exhibit 10 deal.
Cleveland’s agreement with Bolden was previously reported, though there was no word on what type of deal is was going to be when the news broke shortly after the draft. The Duke big man was rumored to be a candidate for a two-way deal.
While Bolden will get an Exhibit 10 contract for now, it can be converted into a two-way pact down the road, so he could still be an option for the Cavs’ second slot.
Bolden will join the Cavs for training camp with the hope of making the roster. The 6’11” center spent three seasons at Duke, though he didn’t see much playing time during his first two years at the University and averaged just 19.0 minutes per game as a junior. Bolden was RSCI’s 11th-ranked prospect coming out of high school.
Nik Stauskas To Play In Spain
Former lottery pick Nik Stauskas will play in Spain next season. The shooting guard signed a deal with Baskonia, as the team announced on its website. It was recently reported that the 25-year-old was considering the Spanish club.
Stauskas was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 draft, spending just one year with the Kings before Sacramento dealt him, along with Carl Landry and Jason Thompson to the Sixers in order to clear cap space (the team surrender the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 as part of the deal).
The former Michigan Wolverine played in Philadelphia for slightly over two seasons, with the Sixers trading him to the Nets early in the 2017/18 campaign.
Stauskas split time between Portland and Cleveland last season and arguably had a better half of the year with the Cavs. During his time in Ohio, he knocked down 42.9% of his shots from behind the arc on 2.6 attempts per game. However, that showing apparently wasn’t enough to earn him a favorable NBA offer.
Ron Baker Signs With EuroLeague Defending Champions CSKA Moscow
Former Knicks point guard Ron Baker is headed to CSKA Moscow, according to the Russian team’s website. It will be a one-year deal.
“I’m excited for this new opportunity CSKA Basketball has given me. I’m very thankful! After speaking with head coach Dimitris and team captain Kyle Hines, I see myself fitting in with what CSKA is about,” Baker said in a statement. “Their day-to-day culture and achievements on the court were what I was looking for in a franchise during this summer free agency. I’m extremely grateful and most of all ready to compete for the fans of CSKA!”
Nikos Varlas of EuroHoops first had the scoop on the interest between Baker and the defending EuroLeague champs, tweeting that Baker’s decision was deciding between CSKA and the Nets, which would have been on a two-way deal.
Brooklyn currently has Henry Ellenson on a two-way contract, with the other spot open. Second-rounder Jaylen Hands is considered the most likely candidate for that second slot, but perhaps the Nets would’ve been willing to offer it to Baker.
After entering the NBA as an undrafted free agent with the Knicks in 2016, Baker spent parts of three seasons with the club before latching on the Wizards briefly last season. He averaged 3.1 PPG and 1.8 APG in 96 total regular season games (14.5 MPG).
Kosta Koufos also signed with CSKA Moscow earlier this offseason.
Hawks Sign Ray Spalding
JULY 31: The Hawks have officially signed Spalding, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who confirms that it’s an Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link).
JULY 25: The Hawks will bring in free agent forward Ray Spalding, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will be a partially guaranteed arrangement.
Additional details on the pact are not yet known, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal. Atlanta currently has 14 players under contract.
Spalding was selected late in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Mavericks and split his time last season between Dallas and Phoenix, having been waived by the Mavs in January.
The power forward appeared in 29 contests in the G League with the Texas Legends last year, posting averages of 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He finished the season with the Suns, but had his team option for 2019/20 turned down by Phoenix, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Western Notes: Rockets, Wolves, Kawhi
Eric Gordon could end up in the backup wing spot for the Rockets when the season begins, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Houston has depth at the guard position but lacks it in the three/four spots.
Houston still has interest in Andre Iguodala, though Memphis appears to be holding out for a first-round pick, which could be a deal-breaker. J.R. Smith is a possibility. He had his best season under coach Mike D’Antoni when the pair was in New York, though Iko cautions that he hasn’t heard any new developments when it comes to bringing the 3-point marksman to Houston.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Iko doesn’t see Kevin Love as a realistic target for the Rockets, as he explains in the same piece. Love’s salary, which comes in at just under $29MM for the upcoming year, makes a trade difficult for the two parties.
- Britt Robson of The Athletic examines how the Timberwolves’ current roster fits in with the team’s blueprint for the future. The team failed to pair Karl-Anthony Towns with another All-Star but smartly opted against overspending on middling talent. Minnesota’s 2019 free agent spending spree wasn’t a wild one, as the club brought in five players who combined will make approximately $11MM this upcoming season.
- Kawhi Leonard attempted to get the Spurs to trade for Paul George while he was in San Antonio, as he tells ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (h/t Justin Russo on Twitter). Leonard was originally drafted with the No. 15 overall pick by Indiana, the team George previously played for. The Pacers traded Leonard’s rights on draft night, but George wishes Indiana had kept him, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “It seems like this was destiny that we were supposed to play together,” George said of his new Clippers teammate.
Zion Williamson: “My Intentions Are To Stay With The Pelicans My Whole Career”
Zion Williamson hasn’t yet made his NBA debut in New Orleans but he has already expressed his interested to remain with the franchise long-term.
“Growing up, I loved what Kobe [Bryant] did and Dirk [Nowitzki] did… My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career,” Williamson told Macklin Stern of Complex. “But if something happens, I wouldn’t leave because I hate the place. It’s just the business.”
The Pelicans are beginning a new era after trading away superstar Anthony Davis this offseason. Davis demanded a trade last February with over a year left on his deal and the team held onto him until this summer when the new front office – led by David Griffin – traded him to the Lakers.
Williamson is the star of the future in New Orleans. Like many top players, he may take recruiting free agents into his own hands one day. RJ Barrett, who played with Williamson at Duke and was drafted by the Knicks at the No. 3 overall pick, could be a player Williamson targets.
“Yeah, [Barrett and I] talked about it in college a lot. We kinda talked about it as we were both going to get our careers started and see how it goes. I mean, if we can possibly link up in the future, that would be great. But we both understand that if things are going well in our prospective cities, we’ll just kind of leave it there,” Williamson said.
The Pelicans brought on two other 2019 first-round picks (Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker) during an offseason of change that also includes the acquisitions of a trio of former top-three overall picks (Derrick Favors, No. 3, 2010; Brandon Ingram, No. 2, 2016; Lonzo Ball, No. 2, 2017). Williamson believes the Pelicans currently have the talent to reach great heights.
“Me being confident in my teammates, I would say I think the ceiling is [a] championship,” the latest No. 1 overall pick said. “But I have to be realistic about this. I have high expectations for us, but you gotta see how we’re gonna work. I think we are going to work, but it does take time to adjust to each player—knowing what they like to do, finding out their tendencies. So I think the quicker we find out those things, I think we have a very high ceiling.”
Southeast Notes: Gordon, Wizards, Miller
Aaron Gordon jumped on Sirius XM NBA Radio to talk about the Magic‘s NBA offseason and he portrayed optimism about Markelle Fultz‘s future with the club.
“[Fultz] is a sleeper. If he wakes up and if he’s awake and woken up, he’s a monster,” Gordon said.
Fultz, whose return to the court has yet to be determined, will have a chance to win the team’s starting point guard spot. Incumbent starter D.J. Augustin, who has one season left on his deal, and Michael Carter-Williams, who re-signed with Orlando on a one-year deal, will be the former No. 1 overall pick’s top competition for the role.
Orlando didn’t make major additions in the backcourt this offseason. The team re-signed a few members of its core (Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross) and brought in Al-Farouq Aminu with its mid-level exception. Gordon is excited about the addition of Aminu, as well as the continuity the team will experience next season.
“We got Al-Farouq, which is dope,” Gordon said. “[He’s] another 3-and-D guy. Tenacious, hard noise, long-defender and that’s the most beautiful thing. Nothing has changed from this year to last year.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington examines whether the Wizards can make a quick turnaround. Hughes argues that if Washington is going to contend sooner than later, the team needs its young talent to show improvement. That would increase each players’ trade value and give the Wizards an avenue to place an immediate difference maker next to Bradley Beal.
- The Hawks have promoted Tori Miller to assistant GM of the College Park Skyhawks, according to the G League affiliate’s website. Miller spent the last two seasons as the Skyhawks’ Manager of Basketball Operations. She broke into the NBA as an intern with the Suns from 2014-16.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel envisions Pat Riley remaining with the Heat for the foreseeable future, as the scribe details in his latest mailbag. Winderman adds that Miami’s team president remains determined to get the team back to contention and the franchise’s young players are suited to help them achieve that goal.
Bucks Notes: Buford, Bender, 2020 Playoff Odds
The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, has hired Chase Buford as their new head coach, per the team’s website.
“Chase has had wide-ranging basketball experiences over the past seven years, both in the G League and the NBA, and we believe he’s one of the bright young coaches in the game,” said Herd GM Dave Dean. “We are excited by his approach, fresh ideas and collaborative spirit. It’s a pleasure to welcome Chase to Wisconsin and to the Bucks family.”
Buford, who is the son of long-time Spurs executive R.C Buford, most recently was an assistant coach for the Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers’ G League affiliate). The 30-year-old coach began his professional career back in 2012 as a regional scout with the Hawks.
Here’s more from Wisconsin:
- The Bucks have officially added Chad Forcier as an assistant coach, the team relays on its website. Forcier spent last season as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter) has some details on Dragan Bender‘s two-year minimum salary contract with the Bucks. Bender will make $300K guaranteed in the first year, though that figure will rise to $600K if he remains on the roster through Milwaukee’s first game of the season. The second year of Bender’s deal is non-guaranteed.
- No NBA team is a stronger favorite to make the 2020 postseason that the Bucks, according to Caesars Entertainment, as David Purdum of ESPN.com passes along. Milwaukee is listed at -5,000 to make the postseason — that means you’d need to wager $5,000 on a Bucks playoff berth to win $100. Philadelphia is the next strongest favorite at -4,000.
Sixers Sign Trey Burke To One-Year Deal
JULY 30: The Sixers’ deal with Burke is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Trey’s experience as a ballhandler matched with his scoring ability makes him a good fit for our roster,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome him to the 76ers and look forward to the positive impact he can have on our team.”
JULY 25: The Sixers will add free agent point guard Trey Burke on a one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic relays (Twitter link).
It will be a one-year pact at the minimum and will only be partially guaranteed, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Burke began last season on the Knicks before the team traded him to the Mavs in the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Burke saw action in 25 games for Dallas, scoring 9.7 points per contest.
Philadelphia has revamped its second unit this summer. The team signed Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto while bringing back Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz and James Ennis so far this offseason.
The Sixers also added first-round pick Matisse Thybulle and will look to get a full season out of Zhaire Smith.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.