Kings Sign Jared Cunningham To 10-Day Deal
1:01pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
8:01am: The Kings will sign 2012 first-round pick Jared Cunningham to a 10-day contract, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team is still high on Royce White, whom Sacramento has been considering for another contract, but a shortage of healthy guards has prompted GM Pete D’Alessandro and company to temporarily fill their final roster spot with Cunningham, Jones tweets.
Injuries had left rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum as the only available guards for Sacramento, so Cunningham, a shooting guard, figures to see plenty of minutes. It’ll be a stark contrast from Cunningham’s experience on NBA rosters so far, as he’s played more games on D-League assignment than in the NBA in both seasons since turning pro. The Hawks waived him in late February to address their shortage of bodies in the frontcourt. Cunningham said shortly thereafter that he would sign with an NBA team within the week, but he wound up waiting almost a month for his return to the Association.
The Sam Goldfeder client was the 24th overall pick in 2012, but he’s seen action in just 13 NBA games so far between the Mavs and Hawks, putting up 18 points on 7 for 16 shooting in 48 total minutes. He’s played in 37 D-League games, averaging 16.1 points on 36.9% shooting from the field in 32.5 minutes per contest.
Patrick Beverley Will Return This Season
MONDAY, 12:37pm: Beverley will be back this season and won’t undergo surgery, Wojnarowski reports.
SUNDAY, 1:47pm: There’s a possibility that Beverley will not need surgery, and he might be able to return as early as the first-round of the postseason, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (h/t to Zach Harper of CBSSports.com). Beverley says he feels “pretty good” and believes he’ll return this season “for sure.” He’ll see Dr. James Andrews on Monday and make a decision after their visit.
FRIDAY: Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley is likely done for the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports originally reported the injury, noting that Beverley will seek a second opinion in hopes that he can rehab and return at some point before the end of Houston’s playoff run.
Amick cites the lengthy absences of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, who also suffered meniscus tears, though Metta World Peace returned 12 days after undergoing surgery on his torn meniscus last season. Still, that quick recovery was something of an outlier, and the procedure World Peace underwent, in which his meniscus was removed entirely rather than repaired, can cause issues that linger over the course of a long career. Beverley, just 25 years old, might not be as willing as World Peace, then 33, to sacrifice the future for the benefit of the present.
In any case, the specter of entering the playoffs with Beverley is a tough blow for the Rockets, who’ve compiled the fourth-best record in the Western Conference thanks in no small part to the gritty, defensive-minded second-year player. He represents one of GM Daryl Morey‘s shrewdest acquisitions, as Morey picked him out of the Russian league in the middle of last season, signed him to a minimum-salary contract, and watched him quickly make his mark on the team. Beverley’s deal is non-guaranteed for next season, but it would be a shock if Morey doesn’t keep him around, regardless of the injury.
It’s too late for the team to apply for a disabled player exception, which wouldn’t have given the team much flexibility, given Beverley’s diminutive salary. The Rockets have a prorated portion of the $2.652MM room exception available to sign a free agent replacement, but it’s unlikely anyone on the market will be able to replace what Beverley has brought to the team, much less be worthy of more than the minimum salary. Rookie Isaiah Canaan figures to draw more playing time behind Jeremy Lin, who’ll no doubt become the starter, and Morey might regret trading veteran point guard Aaron Brooks to the Nuggets at the deadline for swingman Jordan Hamilton.
Arn Tellem Interested In Share Of Bucks?
Powerful NBA agent Arn Tellem “wouldn’t mind” buying a share of the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Tellem owns a part of Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem, as Woelfel points out. Acquiring a stake in an NBA club would put his certification as an NBA agent in jeopardy, if not end it immediately, given the conflict of interest.
Tellem serves as vice chairman of Wasserman Media Group, which represents a long list of NBA clients, including Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis, as our Agency Database shows. Longtime Bucks owner Herb Kohl has interest in selling at least a minority stake in the club, if not the principal ownership. Former Timberwolves GM David Kahn is reportedly fronting a group that’s pursuing a share of the Bucks, though it’s unclear if Tellem is aligned with that bunch.
Brandon Knight, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, is the only Tellem client on the Bucks. Woelfel previously indicated a new ownership group could be in control of the team before the draft, but if the sale isn’t complete and Tellem remains a candidate to buy even a small portion of the club, it could play a role the negotiations for Knight. The Bucks have until October 31st to sign the point guard to an extension or set him up for restricted free agency in the summer of 2015.
Cavs Sign Scotty Hopson
12:11pm: Hopson’s salary will be about $1.44MM next season, rather than $2.5MM, Lloyd now says (Twitter link).
10:45am: The Cavs have signed Turkish league swingman Scotty Hopson, the team announced. The deal was originally reported by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). It’ll run through the rest of the season, and it’s non-guaranteed for 2014/15, Lloyd tweets.
The Cavs used their room exception to accommodate the contract, which is worth $2.5MM next season, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He’ll receive a prorated portion of the room exception this year. The room exception actually allows for a salary of up to $2,743,125 next season, but it’s unclear if he’s receiving that much. In any case, the inflated contract creates some trade flexibility for the summer, as Lloyd explains in a full piece. Hopson’s contract can be used as trade ballast to allow the Cavs to acquire a larger contract, and since the deal is non-guaranteed, Hopson’s new team could simply waive him in that scenario.
The 6’6″ Hopson went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2011, and he’s conducted his pro career almost entirely overseas. He hooked on with the Heat’s summer league team this past offseason, but he didn’t wind up in an NBA preseason camp. He’s averaged 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game with Anadolu Efes in Turkey this season.
The signing fills what had been Cleveland’s final open roster spot. The team cycled through three players on 10-day contracts before settling on Hopson, as our 10-Day Tracker shows. Seth Curry‘s 10-day deal with the team ended just last night, and Lloyd reported that the team didn’t intend to re-sign him.
Lakers Plan To Keep Nash, Marshall
The Lakers have plenty of time before they’ll be under pressure to make a decision about retaining Steve Nash and Kendall Marshall for next season, but for now the team plans on keeping both point guards, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. There’s been lots of speculation, some of it coming from Nash himself, that the Lakers would waive the 40-year-old this summer and use the stretch provision, but the Lakers instead envision taking the full $9.701MM cap hit next season for his 2014/15 salary. Marshall’s minimum salary contract is non-guaranteed for next season.
The deadline for the Lakers to use the stretch provision on Nash is August 31st, so if they wind up with a chance to sign a desirable free agent and need extra cap space to accommodate such a deal, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them reverse course with Nash. Still, it appears that for now, Nash is on track to continue his career with the Lakers. He’s admitted he’s sticking around in part because he doesn’t want to forfeit his salary, though he would still earn the money even if he walked away. Nash’s salary is guaranteed and he’s already played in his 10th game this season, washing away the chance of a medical retirement.
It’s no surprise that the team wants to keep Marshall, who’s blossomed since the team signed him in December. The 13th overall pick in the 2012 draft spent most of the first two months of this season out of the NBA, but he’s since averaged 8.9 assists and just 2.8 turnovers in 29.4 minutes per game for the Lakers.
Nash and Marshall are two of just five Lakers on the roster with contracts that run through next season. Coach Mike D’Antoni is also under contract for 2014/15, but there’s less certainty surrounding the team’s plans with him. The Lakers nonetheless won’t let his fate linger, as they’ll decide soon after the end of the regular season whether to retain him, Bresnahan writes.
NBA Suspends Arnett Moultrie For Drug Violation
The NBA has suspended Sixers power forward Arnett Moultrie five games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, the league announced via press release. The 27th overall pick in the 2012 draft will go without pay for the five games, costing him $32,036 of his $1,089,240 salary for this season. He’s been on D-League assignment since March 15th, but he’ll be unable to play for either Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate or the Sixers until the Sixers complete their game against the Raptors on April 9th.
The suspension isn’t for any performance-enhancing drug, since the league program for such a violation mandates a 20-game suspension on the first offense. The NBA’s penalty structure suggests that it’s marijuana-related, though the league hasn’t specified the nature of the violation.
The Sixers have already picked up his 2014/15 option, worth $1,136,160, for 2014/15, but GM Sam Hinkie, armed with significant cap room, has shown little fear of waiving guaranteed contracts. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News doesn’t envision Moultrie remaining with the team into next season (Twitter link).
Injuries have hampered the former Mississippi State Bulldog, who’s averaged just 3.6 points in 12.4 minutes per game over 59 NBA contests. The Heat originally drafted him, trading him to the Sixers in part for a first-round pick that Miami traded once more to the Celtics earlier this year. Still, the protections on the pick make it more likely that Moultrie will only end up costing the Sixers a pair of second-round picks instead of a first-rounder.
Bobcats Re-Sign DJ White To 10-Day Contract
The Bobcats have re-signed power forward DJ White to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. White’s first 10-day deal with the team expired last night.
The team brought him aboard to shore up its depth inside, but the Bobcats have had little use for him so far, putting him in just one game for a total of four minutes. Still, the front office is familiar with his game, having had him during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. The Jeff Wechsler client has spent most of the season in China, where he averaged 20.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Sichuan Blue Whales.
Charlotte’s move fills the team’s final open roster spot once more. The Bobcats will have to decide whether to keep White for the rest of the season or part ways at the end of his second 10-day contract. Last year, Boston picked him up out of China and gave him a pair of 10-day contracts before keeping him for the season. The Celtics also included a non-guaranteed season for 2013/14 in his deal, but they traded him to the Nets, who waived him over the summer.
Contract Details: Butler, World Peace, Suns
Mark Deeks has updated his salary databases at ShamSports, and, as usual, he’s revealed several nuances about the latest contracts signed around the NBA. We’ll pass along the details we hadn’t previously heard about here:
- Caron Butler gave up $1MM in his buyout deal with the Bucks. He signed for that same amount for the remainder of this season with the Thunder, who dipped into their mid-level exception to accommodate Butler’s $1MM salary.
- Metta World Peace gave up $305,166 of this season’s $1.59MM salary in his buyout deal with the Knicks. All contracts with player options include a clause indicating whether or not the player receives the money for his option year in the event that he’s waived before deciding on the option. It looks as if the clause in World Peace’s deal stated that he would not receive the option-year pay, since Deeks doesn’t list any of World Peace’s $1,931,550 salary for 2014/15 on New York’s books.
- Shavlik Randolph‘s contract with the Suns includes a non-guaranteed year for 2014/15, rather than a team option, as we suspected.
- If the Hawks exercise their team option on the fourth season of Mike Muscala‘s deal, the contract will nonetheless remain non-guaranteed until the leaguewide guarantee date. It’s similar to the structure of the contracts a handful of Sixers have, including recent signee Jarvis Varnado.
- Chris Johnson also has such a deal with the Celtics, although there are a pair of guarantee dates attached to the third and fourth seasons. The third year becomes fully guaranteed providing he’s not waived on or before September 1st, 2015, and the fourth year becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before September 1st, 2016.
- The Celtics also arranged for a couple of guarantee dates on Phil Pressey‘s three-year contract. Next season is non-guaranteed if he’s waived on or before July 15th, but if the Celtics keep him beyond that date, it’s fully guaranteed. The same happens for the third year of the deal on July 15, 2015.
- The Rockets have a team option on Troy Daniels worth the minimum salary for next season.
- Luke Babbitt‘s two-year deal with the Pelicans is for the minimum salary. Next season isn’t guaranteed, but it becomes partially guaranteed for $100K if he isn’t waived on or before July 22nd.
- The Magic used cap room to sign Dewayne Dedmon to a three-year contract that gives him $300K for the rest of this season, slightly more than what he would have made on a prorated minimum-salary deal. Dedmon is set to make the minimum salary in the other two seasons covered in the pact. Next season is non-guaranteed if he’s waived on or before opening night, when it becomes partially guaranteed for $250K. The final season is non-guaranteed if he’s waived on or before August 1st, 2015, when it becomes fully guaranteed.
Jordan Clarkson To Enter NBA Draft
Missouri combo guard Jordan Clarkson will enter the NBA draft, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Most NBA executives have told Goodman that they see him as a late first-round pick, but he’s just No. 58 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress top prospect listings and No. 63 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings. Clarkson slumped in the second half of the season, Givony notes (Twitter link), so perhaps the information that he and Ford are hearing about Clarkson’s draft stock is more up to date. Still, Clarkson had to deal with off-the-court matters late this season, including his father’s diagnosis with cancer (Twitter links).
The 6’4″ 21-year-old averaged 17.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 35.1 minutes per game this season with the Tigers. He scored 20 points or more on 14 occasions, but none of those came during his final nine games, as Missouri went 4-5 and lost in the second round of the NIT. He dished out 3.4 assists per contest but averaged 2.7 turnovers, and he shot just 28.1% from behind the arc, though he did make it to the free throw line 5.6 times a night. His athleticism intrigues scouts, as does his size at the point guard position.
The junior was in his first season with Missouri after transferring from Tulsa and sitting out 2012/13. He has until April 15th to withdraw from the draft and return for his senior year.
Nets Re-Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Two-Year Deal
SATURDAY, 5:45pm: Gutierrez said Friday that his two-year contract isn’t guaranteed for next season, but a source tells Tim Bontemps of The New York Post that there is a “very nominal” guarantee involved (Twitter link).
9:22am: Gutierrez tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that next season isn’t guaranteed, as I suspected (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 8:51am: The Nets have re-signed Jorge Gutierrez to a deal that covers the rest of this season and beyond, the team announced via press release. The terms of the contract are unclear, but since Brooklyn is without cap space and possesses no exceptions that allow for a deal longer than two seasons, it has to be a pact for the minimum salary for the balance of 2013/14 and 2014/15. Next season is most likely not fully guaranteed.
Gutierrez had been on a pair of 10-day contracts with the club, the last of which expired Wednesday night. Earlier that evening he was ejected from Brooklyn’s overtime loss to the Bobcats for committing a flagrant-two foul. Still, the 6’3″ point guard saw more than 19 minutes in that contest, his most during his five-game stint. He’s averaged 3.4 points, 1.4 assists and 0.2 turnovers in 13.4 minutes per game for the Nets.
Brooklyn brought the Arn Tellem client to camp in the fall, but the team released him before opening night, and he spent most of this season with the D-League affiliate of the Cavs. The Nets circled back to him earlier this month when he beat Darius Johnson-Odom in an audition for a roster spot.
Gutierrez becomes the 15th player on the Nets with a guaranteed contract for this season, meaning the team is likely done making moves in 2013/14. They have a disabled player exception worth $5.15MM for Brook Lopez, but it looks like that will go unused. That exception would cover a contract that runs only through the end of the season, so for Gutierrez the Nets are instead using the minimum-salary exception, which provides for deals of up to two years.