Sixers Don’t Expect Jordan McRae At Camp
The Sixers don’t expect that draft-and-stash prospect Jordan McRae will be at training camp in spite of an August report that he would be, a source tells Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Around the Arc. Philadelphia issued the required tender of a non-guaranteed one-year offer for the minimum salary that the team had to make to retain McRae’s draft rights, but the Tandem Sports & Entertainment client hasn’t taken that yet, Kaskey-Blomain writes, cautioning that the situation may still change before the start of camp. J.P. Tokoto, this year’s No. 58 pick, reportedly signed his required tender from the Sixers. Tokoto is one of 20 players aside from McRae with whom the Sixers reportedly have either signed contracts or verbal agreements, as our roster count shows, and Philadelphia can’t bring more than that to camp, so McRae would risk ending up on waivers even before camp began if he were to sign the tender.
His alternatives would be playing overseas or in the D-League, since he can’t sign with another NBA team. McRae, a 6’5″ shooting guard who was the 58th overall pick in 2014, connected on only 29.5% of his shots from the floor during four summer league games in July, as Kaskey-Blomain points out. He nonetheless managed to score by other means for the summer Sixers, averaging six made free throws and 12.5 points on 11.0 field goal attempts per game. McRae, now 24, averaged 19.9 PPG in 27 games with CTI Melbourne United in Australia last year, and their season ended early enough for him to join the Sixers D-League affiliate for 13 contests. He put up 18.4 PPG for the D-League Delaware 87ers.
Philadelphia acquired the rights to McRae, along with the rights to 2014 No. 60 pick Cory Jefferson, in a draft-night deal last year with the Spurs, who received the rights to Nemanja Dangubic, the 54th pick that year. The Sixers flipped Jefferson’s rights to the Nets for cash.
Do you think the Sixers should work out a deal with McRae for camp or let him continue to develop elsewhere? Leave a comment to tell us.
Jerrelle Benimon Breaks Off Cavs Deal For China
One-year NBA veteran Jerrelle Benimon has agreed to play for the Foshan Long Lions of China, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, and he’s pulling out of his deal with the Cavaliers to do so, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor confirms (Twitter link). Reichert reported earlier this month that the power forward had agreed to sign a deal with the Cavaliers that would bring him to camp, but it appears that finances persuaded him against Cleveland. The Long Lions will pay him nearly $500K in base salary, and incentive clauses that could give him more will be in his contract, Reichert hears, citing a source (Twitter link). It’s unlikely his Cavs contract would have called for a guarantee of nearly that much.
Benimon’s departure further unsettles Cleveland’s camp roster. The Cavs have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, though Tristan Thompson‘s continued free agency looms large. D.J. Stephens will be in Cavs camp, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reported, and so will Jared Cunningham, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Conflicting reports exist on whether the Cavs have a camp deal with former Duke point guard Quinn Cook, but he’s apparently expected to agree to terms.
The decision to turn down a chance to go to Cavs camp for the Chinese offer was difficult for Benimon, but the early end to the Chinese season that could put Benimon back in free agency as soon as February helped motivate the former Towson standout to head overseas, a source tells Reichert (Twitter link). Benimon, like most, wants to play in the NBA, Reichert adds, and the timing of the Chinese season would allow him the chance to chase 10-day contracts like the one he signed with the Jazz last season. He spent most of last season with Utah’s D-League affiliate after failing to make the opening night roster with the Nuggets, who waived the partially guaranteed deal he signed a year ago.
Do you think turning down the Cavs for more money overseas was the right move for Benimon? Leave a comment to tell us.
Players Who’ve Signed Qualifying Offers
Countless free agents have had the opportunity to sign qualifying offers since their institution in 1995, but few have actually done so. Norris Cole, who reportedly signed his qualifying offer from the Pelicans, would be just the 20th ever to put pen to paper on a document that commonly serves merely as a placeholder of sorts.
Qualifying offers are the tenders that teams must make to restricted free agents to retain the right to match offers from other NBA teams. The value of the qualifying offer is tied to the rookie scale for former first-round picks, while most second-round picks and undrafted players are eligible for qualifying offers that are based on their previous salaries. They don’t often represent significant raises, and they cover only one season, so no long-term security is involved.
Of course, long-term security isn’t worth what it used to be with the salary cap projected to balloon to $89MM next season. It’s enough of a leap to offset the financial sacrifice that Tristan Thompson would make if he eschewed a reported five-year, $80MM offer from the Cavs to sign his qualifying offer this year if, as his agent believes he can do, he signs a maximum-salary contract with another team next summer.
This July, Greg Monroe became the first player to sign a maximum-salary contract after taking a qualifying offer the year before. Ben Gordon, who wound up with $58MM over five years on his first contract after signing a qualifying offer, had come closest before that. Monroe and Gordon were unlike most, since they inked lucrative deals following their qualifying offers, but both of them changed teams when they did so, which is typical after a signed qualifying offer. Thompson’s agent, Rich Paul, has pledged that will be the outcome for his client in 2016 if he takes the qualifying offer from the Cavaliers this year.
The list below shows each player who has signed a qualifying offer over the years, with information on the value of the offer as well as the next contract each of them received.
- Norris Cole reportedly signed a qualifying offer of $3,036,927 from the Pelicans on 9/16/15.
- Matthew Dellavedova signed a qualifying offer of $1,147,276 from the Cavaliers on 7/25/15.
- Greg Monroe signed a qualifying offer of $5,479,935 from the Pistons on 9/3/14. He signed a three-year, $51,437,514 maximum-salary deal with the Bucks on 7/9/15.
- Kevin Seraphin signed a qualifying offer of $3,898,692 from the Wizards on 7/18/14. He signed for one year, $2.814MM with the Knicks on 8/6/15.
- Ivan Johnson signed a qualifying offer of $962,195 from the Hawks on 9/18/12. He signed a partially guaranteed two-year minimum-salary contract with the Mavericks on 7/29/14, but he didn’t make the opening night roster.
- Devin Ebanks signed a qualifying offer of $1,054,389 from the Lakers on 8/13/12. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp invitation from the Mavericks on 9/13/13, but he didn’t make the opening-night roster.
- Luke Harangody signed a qualifying offer of $1,054,389 from the Cavaliers on 7/3/12. Has not signed another NBA contract.
- Darius Morris signed a qualifying offer of $962,195 from the Lakers on 7/2/12. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp invitation from the Sixers on 9/13/13, but he didn’t make the opening-night roster. He later surfaced on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, signed 1/6/14.
- Nick Young signed a qualifying offer of $3,695,857 from the Wizards on 12/19/11. He was traded to the Clippers 3/15/12, and signed for one year, $5.6MM with the Sixers on 7/6/12.
- Marco Belinelli signed a qualifying offer of $3,377,604 from the Pelicans on 12/13/11. He signed for one year, $1.957MM with the Bulls on 7/24/12.
- Spencer Hawes signed a qualifying offer of $4,051,024 from the Sixers on 12/10/11. He re-signed with the Sixers for two years, $13.1MM on 7/12/12.
- Raymond Felton signed a qualifying offer of $5,501,196 from the Hornets on 9/23/09. Signed with the Knicks for two years, $14.56MM on 7/12/10.
- Ben Gordon signed a qualifying offer of $6,404,750 from the Bulls on 10/1/08. Signed with the Pistons for five years, $58MM on 7/8/09.
- Robert Swift signed a qualifying offer of $3,579,131 from the Thunder on 9/11/08. Has not signed another NBA contract.
- Mickael Pietrus signed a qualifying offer of $3,470,771 from the Warriors on 10/1/07. Signed with the Magic for four years, $21.2MM on 7/10/08.
- Melvin Ely signed a qualifying offer of $3,303,813 from the Hornets on 10/2/06. He was traded to the Spurs on 2/13/07, and agreed to sign for two years, $1,893,739 (minimum salary) with the Pelicans on 9/13/07.
- Vladimir Radmanovic signed a qualifying offer of $3,166,155 from the Thunder on 9/19/05. He was traded to the Clippers on 2/14/06, and agreed to sign for five years, $30.247MM with the Lakers on 7/12/06.
- Stromile Swift signed a qualifying offer of $5,993,105 from the Grizzlies on 9/30/04. Signed with the Rockets for four years, $22.4MM on 8/2/05.
- Michael Olowokandi signed a qualifying offer of $6,061,214 from the Clippers on 9/23/02. Signed with the Timberwolves for three years, $16,226,100 on 7/17/03.
- Rasho Nesterovic signed a qualifying offer of $2,436,813 from the Timberwolves on 8/25/02. Signed with the Spurs for six years, $42MM on 7/16/03.
Notes
- Retired team names (Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics) have been updated to the current names to avoid confusion.
- The Cavaliers and Matthew Dellavedova inserted a trade kicker into his contract, but it is, for all intents and purposes, a signed qualifying offer.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. An earlier version published last year drew from other databases as listed here.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript
4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.
3:00pm: Two of the three unsigned Rich Paul clients have agreed to terms in the last two days. Thus, it would seem hope of resolution for Tristan Thompson‘s free agency is as high as it’s been since he and the Cavs were reportedly close to a deal on July 1st. Thompson appears likely to end up back in Cleveland for this season, but his long-term future with the Cavs hangs in the balance of the next couple of weeks, with his qualifying offer set to expire October 1st. Training camps open before that date, so that and other lingering offseason storylines, like the trade demand from Markieff Morris, will soon come to a head.
We can talk about that and more in today’s Hoops Rumors chat. Click here to ask a question!
Bucks Sign Jon Horford To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:24pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one season at the minimum salary and is non-guaranteed with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 11TH, 8:56am: The Bucks are expected to sign power forward Jon Horford to a deal for training camp, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). The 23-year-old who went undrafted out of Florida this year is the younger brother of Al Horford, Scotto notes. He’ll ostensibly round out Milwaukee’s camp roster, since his deal would be the team’s 20th.
Jon Horford spent the bulk of his college career at Michigan before transferring for his senior season to Florida, where his brother had won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. The Gators gave the younger Horford his first crack at being a full-time starter, though he saw only 20.0 minutes per game and averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He played with the Hawks, his brother’s current team, during summer league, but he went scoreless in a single five-minute appearance.
Al Horford is a free agent after this coming season, so it’s possible the Bucks are bringing in his brother with that thought in mind, though the presence of Greg Monroe would make the addition of the older Horford cumbersome. In any case, the Bucks already appear to have their opening night roster in order, with 15 fully guaranteed contracts. Jorge Gutierrez, Marcus Landry, Charlie Westbrook and Josh Powell will join Horford in trying to unseat one of those 15. Milwaukee has no D-League affiliate, so the team is without means to maintain a link to any of the players it cuts.
Can Jon Horford make a contribution in the NBA, or is he destined to play out his pro career elsewhere? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Suns Sign Terrico White To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:15pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one year at the minimum salary and non-guaranteed with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, making it an Exhibit 9 contract.
AUGUST 20TH, 1:51pm: The Suns and shooting guard Terrico White have agreed to a deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Agent Daniel Hazan has confirmed the pact, Charania adds. Detroit made White the 36th overall pick in 2010 and he was under contract with the Pistons for more than a year, but he never made a regular season appearance, thanks to the broken right foot he suffered in his first NBA preseason game. White, now 25 years old, has played primarily overseas since, but he’s looking to return to the NBA on what appears to be a training camp deal.
New Orleans signed White shortly after the Pistons let him go in the 2011 preseason, but the former Ole Miss standout didn’t make the regular season roster. He saw NBA summer league action in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but he didn’t sign an NBA deal in any of those years. Ironically, he’s landing this deal with Phoenix despite not having played summer league ball this year. The former Ole Miss standout spent this past season with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of Russia, where he averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game, with 37.2% three-point shooting. He’s also played in Israel, Serbia and Turkey.
Phoenix has been carrying 13 contracts, all of them with fully guaranteed salaries this season, as our roster counts show. White would appear to have a decent chance to stick for the regular season, though the trade demand of Markieff Morris makes it hard to predict exactly what the Suns roster will look like at the start of the season.
Do you think White belongs on an NBA regular season roster? Leave a comment to let us know.
Nuggets Sign Matt Janning For Camp
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:11pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s a one-year, minimum salary arrangement with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 8TH, 8:43am: The Nuggets and one-year NBA veteran Matt Janning have a non-guaranteed deal for training camp, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The 27-year-old shooting guard, who was on the Suns roster briefly during the 2010/11 season after he went undrafted out of Northeastern in 2010, picked Denver over a chance to join the Hawks as well as offers from overseas teams, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
Janning played with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes this past season, averaging 9.2 points in 24.4 minutes per game with 37.9% three-point shooting combined between Turkish league and Euroleague play. He didn’t make it in a game during his 2010 stint with the Suns, who waived him a few weeks after opening night that year. He’s chiefly played overseas since, though he’s made multiple appearances in NBA summer league, the last coming in 2014 with the Timberwolves.
Denver has 14 full guarantees, plus Erick Green, who has a partial guarantee of $100K, and Kostas Papanikolaou, whose contract is non-guaranteed. Conflicting reports exist on whether the Nuggets are poised to waive Papanikolaou. The Nuggets could use some shooting, Wolfson tweets, pointing to that as one reason for Janning to choose them over Atlanta. The Hawks have only 13 full guarantees, though they have partial guarantees out to Mike Muscala, Lamar Patterson and Terran Petteway plus a non-guaranteed deal with Jason Richardson.
Who do you think deserves the final roster spot for the Nuggets? Leave a comment to tell us.
Southwest Notes: Gordon, Lawson, Motiejunas
Eric Gordon says the talent surrounding him on the Pelicans and the replacement of coach Monty Williams with Alvin Gentry were the reasons that he picked up his option of more than $15.514MM to stay with the team, he tells SB Nation contributor Nick Weldon. Gordon says he was frustrated with Williams for failing to better define his role, according to Weldon.
“Oh, I was very happy when I heard Gentry was a candidate,” Gordon said to Weldon. “I mean, very happy.”
Gordon is set to hit free agency next summer, but he can’t envision leaving New Orleans, Weldon adds. See more from the Southwest Division, where a pair of Rich Paul clients finally agreed to sign:
- The acquisition of Ty Lawson was Houston’s most significant offseason move, but coach Kevin McHale is making no promises that the trade netted the team a starter, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Lawson and Patrick Beverley, whom the Rockets re-signed this summer for $23MM over four years, will compete for the starting point guard job, McHale said Tuesday, as Feigen notes. McHale said that last season Lawson “had a very average year in Denver compared to what he had done before” and called upon him to improve his defense, according to Feigen.
- Donatas Motiejunas probably won’t be ready for the start of training camp as he continues to recover from the back injury that forced surgery and prematurely ended his 2014/15 season, McHale confirmed, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 relays on Twitter. Motiejunas and the Rockets face a November 2nd deadline to sign an extension, as I examined in detail last month.
- The extension that Rick Carlisle signed in 2012 reportedly includes an option for 2016/17, but it otherwise runs to term at the conclusion of this coming season. That could make Carlisle, who’s proven an elite bench boss with the Mavericks, the most intriguing free agent not named Kevin Durant next summer, opines Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (on Facebook).
All Those Traded Celtics: Where Are They Now?
The Celtics have made three trades since the 2015/16 season officially began on the NBA calendar on July 1st, a healthy number but a paltry amount in comparison to the 11 they made in 2014/15. Still, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge seems poised to start dealing again before too long, especially given the team has one more fully guaranteed contract than the 15-man regular season roster limit will allow. Ainge’s penchant for deals is well-known, as the 28 players whom he either traded, traded for, or both last season can attest.
Six of those players are still with the Celtics, but the rest are spread all over the globe. A dozen NBA teams — the Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pelicans, Pistons, Rockets, Sixers, Timberwolves, Wizards and Warriors — all have players on their respective rosters who were part of a Celtics trade at some point since July of last year. Others are playing in China, Russia and Turkey. Four remain in free agency. Chris Douglas-Roberts is technically the fifth free agent, but he reportedly agreed just this week to join the Pelicans on a non-guaranteed deal.
Here’s a look at where each player involved in a recent Celtics trade is now:
- Joel Anthony (traded from Celtics to Pistons, October 17th, 2014) — re-signed with Pistons in July.
- Chris Babb (traded from Celtics to Warriors, July 27th, 2015) — still with Warriors.
- Keith Bogans (traded from Celtics to Cavaliers, September 25th, 2014) — currently a free agent.
- Will Bynum (traded from Pistons to Celtics, October 17th, 2014) — signed to play in China.
- Jae Crowder (traded from Mavericks to Celtics, December 18th, 2014) — re-signed with Celtics in July.
- Gigi Datome (traded from Pistons to Celtics, February 19th, 2015) — signed to play in Turkey.
- Chris Douglas-Roberts (traded from Clippers to Celtics, January 15th, 2015) — reached agreement with Pelicans in September.
- Zoran Dragic (traded from Heat to Celtics, July 27th, 2015) — signed to play in Russia.
- Jeff Green (traded from Celtics to Grizzlies, January 12th, 2015) — exercised option in June to remain with Grizzlies.
- Kris Humphries (signed-and-traded from Celtics to Wizards, July 19th, 2014) — still with Wizards.
- Jonas Jerebko (traded from Pistons to Celtics, February 19th, 2015) — re-signed with Celtics in July.
- Perry Jones (traded from Thunder to Celtics, July 14th, 2015) — still with Celtics; eligible for rookie scale extension this fall but also liable to be cut.
- David Lee (traded from Warriors to Celtics, July 27th, 2015) — still with Celtics.
- John Lucas III (traded from Cavaliers to Celtics, September 25th, 2014) — currently a free agent
- Erik Murphy (traded from Cavaliers to Celtics, September 25th, 2014) — currently with Besiktas of Turkey.
- Jameer Nelson (traded from Mavericks to Celtics, December 18th, 2014; traded from Celtics to Nuggets, January 13th, 2015) — re-signed with Nuggets in August.
- Dwight Powell (traded from Cavaliers to Celtics, September 25th, 2014; traded from Celtics to Mavericks on December 18th, 2014) — still with Mavericks.
- Tayshaun Prince (traded from Grizzlies to Celtics, January 12th, 2015; traded from Celtics to Pistons, February 19th, 2015) — signed with Timberwolves in August.
- Shavlik Randolph (traded from Suns to Celtics, January 15th, 2015) — signed to play in China.
- Austin Rivers (traded from Pelicans to Celtics, January 12th, 2015; traded from Celtics to Clippers, January 15th, 2015) — re-signed with Clippers in July.
- Nate Robinson (traded from Nuggets to Celtics, January 15th, 2015) — currently a free agent, thinking about playing in China.
- Rajon Rondo (traded from Celtics to Mavericks, December 18th, 2014) — signed with Kings in July.
- Isaiah Thomas (traded from Suns to Celtics, February 19th, 2015) — still with Celtics.
- Malcolm Thomas (traded from Cavaliers to Celtics, September 25th, 2014) — currently a free agent.
- Marcus Thornton (traded from Nets to Celtics, July 10th, 2014; traded from Celtics to Suns, February 19th, 2015) — signed with Rockets in July.
- Gerald Wallace (traded from Celtics to Warriors, July 27th, 2015) — flipped to Sixers on July 31st.
- Brandan Wright (traded from Mavericks to Celtics,December 18th, 2014; traded from Celtics to Suns on January 9th, 2015) — signed with Grizzlies in July.
- Tyler Zeller (traded from Cavaliers to Celtics, July 10th, 2014) — still with Celtics, eligible for rookie scale extension this fall.
Which of the players who isn’t still with the Celtics do you think they should have kept? Leave a comment to tell us.
Southeast Notes: Batum, Kaminsky, Wizards, Heat
Hornets coach Steve Clifford wants to have more players involved in the offense this season, and he envisions trade acquisition Nicolas Batum as a facilitator for much of that in a manner similar to how the Magic used to run offense through Hedo Turkoglu, observes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
“He’s in a similar place to where Turkoglu was in Orlando as far as size and exceptional feel for the game,” Clifford said. “If he’s open, he shoots it. If he’s not, he’ll drive. He’s as instinctual as you can ask of a player, and you can’t coach that.”
Clifford was an assistant coach during Turkoglu’s time in Orlando. See more on the Hornets and the rest of the Southeast Division:
- Frank Kaminsky has more experience than most lottery picks, having gone to college for four years, but he’s having a rough adjustment to NBA competition during informal scrimmages so far, Clifford said, as Bonnell relays in the same piece. “The kid has a chance to be really something as a player, [but] right now he’s a kid and they’re beating up on him [in scrimmages],” Clifford said. “They’re 28 or 29 and he’s 22.” Charlotte reportedly turned down an offer of four first-round picks to hold on to the ninth selection and draft Kaminsky this year.
- The start of construction is set for next year on a new practice facility for the Wizards that is to open in the fall of 2018, the team announced. The Wizards hope it will help them attract free agents, including Kevin Durant when he’s on the market next summer, as Jonathan O’Connell of The Washington Post wrote earlier this week. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said the franchise wants to house a D-League team there, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com notes.
- The Heat should sign a veteran whom they could bank on rather than relying on a young player at the end of their bench, given their questionable depth, opines Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.