No. 51 Pick Tyler Harvey To Sign With D-League
Magic second-round pick Tyler Harvey will spend the season with the D-League affiliate of the Magic, who drafted him 51st overall in June, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). The shooting guard from Eastern Washington will sign directly with the Erie BayHawks instead of the Magic, but, as Robbins notes, Orlando will retain his NBA rights and the power to sign him at any point this season.
Harvey was a walk-on three years ago but quickly made his mark as an elite three-point shooter, nailing 43.2% of his tries beyond the arc during his three-year college career. He was the 48th-best prospect in the draft, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him at No. 60.
Orlando could use outside shooting, and the team has only 13 fully guaranteed contracts, including fellow draft pick Mario Hezonja, so it’s somewhat surprising the Magic didn’t elect to bring Harvey onto the roster for this season. Still, the Magic can change that if they decide the 22-year-old shows enough in the D-League to justify using an NBA roster spot on him.
Sixers Notes: Leonard, Brown, Okafor, Stauskas
The Sixers “sniffed around” the idea of an offer sheet for Kawhi Leonard earlier this summer, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who adds that the team was simply performing its due diligence. The same is true of the Sixers and Jimmy Butler, Lowe hears. Butler had reportedly been scheduled to meet with Philadelphia but put those plans aside while he considered an offer from the Bulls, with whom he eventually re-signed. Leonard re-signed with the Spurs. The primary focus of Lowe’s piece is on former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, whom the Sixers are apparently looking into adding. See more from Philly:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown reiterated Wednesday that he has no intention of getting out of his contract before it’s up at the end of the 2016/17 season and again indicated a lack of a desire to push the team for an extension, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media details.
- Brown also called the pairing of Nerlens Noel and No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor “a tremendous challenge,” given their positional overlap, and said that while trade acquisition Nik Stauskas has plenty of potential, he “has a long ways to go,” as Moore notes in the same piece.
- The coach called the identity of the team’s starting point guard the “greatest mystery” for the Sixers, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The team signed Kendall Marshall to the largest free agent contract that it’s handed out during the tenure of GM Sam Hinkie, but his timetable for a return from injury is unclear.
- The Sixers may have less roster turnover than in the past two years, and Brown isn’t short on optimism, but the team still lacks the talent necessary to compete, argues John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Chris Singleton To Play In Russia
THURSDAY, 8:00am: The deal is official, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). It covers one year.
WEDNESDAY, 12:04pm: Three-year NBA veteran Chris Singleton has signed with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Clippers had reportedly spoken to him around the same time they talked with fellow Todd Ramasar client Ryan Hollins, but it appears that Singleton, the 18th pick in the 2011 draft, will head overseas for the coming season.
This past season was to have been the last on Singleton’s rookie scale contract with the Wizards, but Washington declined its fourth-year team option on the deal, and he split 2014/15 between Pacers training camp, China, and the Thunder’s D-League affiliate. The small forward who turns 26 in November appeared in summer league with the Magic this past July, scoring 8.0 points in 23.9 minutes per game.
The Clippers still only have deals with 16 players, 14 of whom have fully guaranteed pacts, as our roster counts show. It’s unclear if they still had interest in Singleton, but either way, it seems they’ll have to look elsewhere if they want to come closer to the 20-man preseason roster limit.
Do you think Singleton will play in the NBA again? Leave a comment to let us know.
Wolves, Anthony Bennett Reach Buyout Deal
4:09pm: The buyout is official and Bennett has been placed on waivers, the team announced. “In speaking with Anthony and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties,” Timberwolves GM Milt Newton said in the team’s official statement. “When you look at our team, our deepest position is probably power forward. This move balances out our roster while also allowing Anthony another opportunity in the NBA. He has a lot of talent and his play this summer internationally made this a difficult decision for us. During his short time here Anthony has carried himself with class and represented the franchise in a very professional manner. We thank him for his positive attitude and wish him the best of luck in future endeavors.”
WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: Bennett agreed to have his salary cut to $3.65MM in the deal, which the Timberwolves are finalizing, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links). Minnesota won’t be responsible for even the reduced figure if another team picks him up off waivers, but the Wolves haven’t been expecting that to happen, Krawczynski adds (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 11:12am: The Timberwolves and Anthony Bennett have reached agreement on a buyout, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Minnesota will waive the 2013 No. 1 overall pick shortly, Charania adds. The move will resolve a roster dilemma, since Minnesota has been carrying 16 players with fully guaranteed contracts, one more than the regular season roster limit. Without Bennett, the Wolves will have 15 full guarantees plus a partial guarantee for Lorenzo Brown and the non-guaranteed pacts of Kleon Penn and Nick Wiggins.
Bennett has been in line for a guaranteed $5,803,560 this season, with a decision due by the end of November 2nd on a team option worth more than $7.318MM for 2016/17. It’s unclear how much the Excel Sports Management client is giving up, but he wanted the buyout so he could have an opportunity to control the next step in his career, according to Charania (Twitter link), while Bennett’s reps have been eager for a buyout so that he can see more playing time elsewhere, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote Monday. Wojnarowski first reported at that point that Bennett and the Wolves were making progress toward a buyout deal.
The 22-year-old Bennett showed improvement last season after a disastrous rookie year, and he looked strong playing for the Canadian national team this summer. However, his path to minutes was complicated in Minnesota, where 2015 top pick Karl-Anthony Towns, 2014 15th overall pick Adreian Payne and reigning Euroleague MVP Nemanja Bjelica are all competing for playing time in the frontcourt along with Gorgui Dieng, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Garnett. Andrew Wiggins, Tayshaun Prince, Shabazz Muhammad and Damjan Rudez clog the way to playing time at small forward.
Who do you think a buyout will benefit more, Bennett or the Timberwolves? Leave a comment to let us know.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript
4:03pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.
3:00pm: The first NBA training camps start Saturday, while the rest begin Tuesday, and with them, a new set of decisions face NBA teams. The Timberwolves solved a roster dilemma early with their decision to accept a buyout from Anthony Bennett, sparking interest from a trio of teams eyeing the former No. 1 overall pick. An extension deadline looms for Harrison Barnes and the Warriors, and it looks like they’ll need more than $16MM to get a deal done. October 1st is the last day for Tristan Thompson to accept his qualifying offer if he’s to do so, as he and the Cavs remain far apart in negotiations over a number of options.
We can talk about all of this and more in today’s chat. Click here to join!
Grizzlies To Sign Ryan Hollins
2:28pm: It’s expected to be a one-year deal, Spears adds in a full story. That means the Grizzlies will only be responsible for $947,276 of the $1,362,897 Hollins would make if he sticks for the season, with the league covering the rest.
2:20pm: The contract will be non-guaranteed, a source tells Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
1:32pm: The Grizzlies and Ryan Hollins have agreed to a deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Warriors, Clippers and Kings reportedly spoke with the center’s representatives last month, but apparently it’s Memphis instead where he’ll end up, with training camp set to begin this coming Tuesday. An overseas deal for fellow Todd Ramasar client Chris Singleton, who had reportedly been in touch with the Clippers around the same time L.A’s Hollins talks took place, provided a hint earlier today that a Hollins signing might be forthcoming. It’s not immediately clear whether the Grizzlies are including any guaranteed money in the pact, though it’s certain that the contract will be for the minimum salary, since that’s all Memphis can give.
Hollins, who turns 31 next month, has found consistent work as a backup center over his nine-year NBA career, and he spent last season with Sacramento. The Pelicans and Mavericks were reportedly interested in him earlier this summer. The Grizzlies spend plenty of time with two big men on the floor, and with combo forward Jarell Martin, this year’s 25th overall pick, out indefinitely with a broken foot, Hollins reinforces the team’s depth behind Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and mid-level signee Brandan Wright.
Memphis has 14 fully guaranteed pacts, a partial guarantee for power forward JaMychal Green, and three non-guaranteed deals, as our roster count shows. Point guard Andrew Harrison, whom the Grizzlies picked 44th overall, remains unsigned, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (on Twitter).
Do you think Hollins will help the Grizzlies this year? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Dwight Buycks To Play In China
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1:29pm: Buycks has signed with Fujian, Pick hears (Twitter link). That team featured Al Harrington, John Lucas III and DJ White last season.
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 9:59am: Former Raptors and Lakers point guard Dwight Buycks has turned down multiple non-guaranteed offers from NBA teams to agree to play in China instead, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Lakers apparently had interest in re-signing him earlier this summer, as Pick reported in June. It’s unclear which Chinese team Buycks will be joining, nor is it known how much he’ll make.
Buycks was a late addition to the Lakers this past season, signing a 10-day contract in early April. He saw a decent chunk of playing time for the injury-hit purple-and-gold and averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 turnovers in 20.5 minutes per game across six appearances, but the broken hand he suffered on the final night of his 10-day deal scuttled the team’s plan to sign him for at least the rest of the season. The 26-year-old managed only 0.5 PPG in 10.5 MPG for the Lakers summer league squad in July.
His lack of summer league success was surprising, given his track record in that venue. Buycks averaged 19.7 PPG in 29.9 MPG for the summer Raptors in July 2014, a year after Toronto had signed him to a deal that gave him a guaranteed salary for his rookie season. However, he saw action in only 14 games for the Raptors in that 2013/14 season, and the team waived him last July in spite of his strong summer performance.
The Chris Patrick client is no stranger to turning down NBA offers to go overseas. He reportedly did so last summer to sign with Valencia of Spain, though he and the club parted ways early last season as NBA teams showed renewed interest. Buycks also saw action with China’s Tianjin Steel and the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
Do you think Buycks belongs in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your opinion.
And-Ones: Durant, DeRozan, Warriors, Bennett
Kevin Durant is fully cleared for training camp, Thunder GM Sam Presti said, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thus, the former MVP is ready for the start of a pivotal season for the Thunder, who’ll surely do what they can to prove their worth as a contender before Durant can bolt in free agency next summer, and for Durant himself, who’s out to prove he can stay healthy after a broken foot cost him all but 27 games this past season. While we wait for action to begin in a 2015/16 campaign sure to include plenty of chatter about Durant’s future, see more from around the NBA:
- It’s certainly no shock, but GM Masai Ujiri conceded that DeMar DeRozan won’t be talking about an extension with the team this season in advance of his ability to opt out next summer, as Ujiri said this week on SportsNet’s Free Association podcast. The Aaron Goodwin client becomes eligible for an extension on October 31st, three years from the day that he inked a rookie scale extension with Toronto, but unlike those sorts of extensions, veteran extensions come with sharp financial limits that discourage players from signing them.
- The Warriors don’t have much cap flexibility, but their existing roster and superior management team, which includes Executive of the Year Bob Myers, has them atop the ESPN Insiders Future Power Rankings, which rate teams based on their potential for success over the next three seasons.
- Former 15th overall pick Austin Daye has hired agent Obrad Fimic of the AltiSport agency to negotiate deals in Europe, Fimic announced (on Twitter). The Hawks waived Daye in July, but no indication of NBA interest has emerged since.
- The Timberwolves didn’t provide Anthony Bennett with the tools to succeed on the court, as Flip Saunders‘ lack of enthusiasm for three-pointers encouraged the former No. 1 overall pick to launch too many long twos, one of myriad problems with Bennett’s game, opines Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Still, Bennett deserves blame for many of his shortcomings, too, and he’ll need to show improvement just to carve out a niche as a reserve stretch four, Golliver believes.
Top Bloggers: Akis Yerocostas On The Kings
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke with Seth Rosenthal of SB Nation’s Posting & Toasting. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.
Next up is Akis Yerocostas, editor of SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty. You can follow Akis on Twitter at @Aykis16 and click here to check out his stories. You can also follow Sactown Royalty at @sactownroyalty.
No. 48 Pick Dakari Johnson To Play In D-League
Former Kentucky center Dakari Johnson will sign with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, GM Sam Presti said today to media, including Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oklahoma City drafted the 7-footer 48th overall this past June, though it’s no surprise that he’s not joining the NBA roster for the start of the season, particularly since the Thunder already have 15 fully guaranteed deals. Oklahoma City retains Johnson’s NBA rights even as he heads to the D-League.
Johnson was the 33rd-best prospect on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings heading into the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him 45th, closer to his draft position. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, though he had to compete for playing time with top pick Karl-Anthony Towns and No. 6 selection Willie Cauley-Stein, among others, on last season’s stacked Kentucky team. Johnson, a Leon Rose client, saw more playing time in summer league, with 26.7 MPG, and while his 7.6 PPG were unremarkable, his 8.6 RPG showed his strength on the boards.
Oklahoma City has made frequent use of its D-League team to stash draft picks in recent years. The Thunder struck an innovative deal with Josh Huestis in 2014, agreeing to use the 29th overall pick on him in exchange for his promise to play in the D-League this past season. The team also had 2013 No. 40 pick Grant Jerrett and 2014 No. 55 pick Semaj Christon sign in the D-League.
Do you think Johnson will become a productive NBA player once he receives his shot in the league? Leave a comment to tell us.