Atlantic Notes: Whitehead, Bridges, MacDonald, Embiid
With Mikal Bridges joining the other New York City team, Nets forward Dariq Whitehead knows he could be in line for more playing time next season, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. Whitehead has undergone foot and shin surgeries that limited him to two NBA appearances in his rookie year after getting selected with the No. 22 pick.
“I look at it as an opportunity for me to get on the court and a bunch of other young guys to grow our games and develop into who we want to be in the NBA,” Whitehead said. “And eventually be on their level, if not higher than where they were….and look it as an opportunity for us young guys.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Speaking of Bridges, he’s not worried about fitting in with his new Knicks teammates, some of whom played with him collegiately at Villanova, Zach Braziller of the New York Post relays. “I think it’s not going to be that hard honestly,” Bridges said. “I think it’s just knowing the brand we play here, and playing the right way is who I am. It’s like a natural thing. It’s kind of like going to [Team] USA, kind of the same thing where obviously, going to USA last year, the role’s going to change.”
- The Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, have named Matt MacDonald their general manager, according to a press release. “We are excited to have Matt step into this role and lead our G League program with the Long Island Nets,” Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks said. “Since starting out in our front office, Matt has continually been elevated into a variety of positions spanning both player personnel and administration and has proven to have the acumen and diverse skillset required to thrive with each opportunity.” MacDonald was Long Island’s assistant GM for the last two seasons.
- Sixers superstar Joel Embiid says any concern about him getting injured during Team USA’s Olympic run is overshadowed by his quest for a gold medal, according to Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “For me, being part of the Olympics was always the goal. It was an opportunity and a chance I couldn’t pass up. And I don’t think there is a big risk,” he said.
Yuta Watanabe Signs With Japan’s Chiba Jets
Yuta Watanabe has officially signed with Japan’s Chiba Jets, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
The contract terms weren’t released but it is expected to exceed $5MM, which would be the highest in B.League history.
Watanabe’s decision to return to his home country was reported last month. Watanabe, who finished last season with the Grizzlies, declined his $2.65MM player option at the end of last month.
Watanabe, 29, was born and raised in Japan, then played his college ball in the U.S. at George Washington from 2014-18. The undrafted 6’9″ forward spent a pair of seasons with the Grizzlies from 2018-20 and two years in Toronto from 2020-22. He enjoyed his best NBA season in Brooklyn in 2022/23, averaging 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game off the bench while ranking among the league leaders in three-point percentage (44.4%).
Watanabe’s solid showing with the Nets earned him a two-year, minimum-salary contract from the Suns last summer, but he ended up not playing a major role in Phoenix, averaging just 13.2 minutes per game in 29 appearances before being traded to Memphis in February as part of the three-team deadline deal that sent Royce O’Neale and David Roddy to the Suns. He played just five games for the Grizzlies due to a wrist issue and personal reasons.
This summer, Watanabe is playing for Japan in the Paris Olympics.
Southwest Notes: Murray, Paul, Barnes, K. Thompson, Robinson, A. Thompson
The Pelicans’ success next season will likely hinge on the partnership between newly acquired Dejounte Murray and incumbent franchise player Zion Williamson. Murray wants to make Williamson an ever bigger threat, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press.
“I told him I’m going to push him,” said Murray, who was officially dealt to the Pelicans over the weekend. “If I see something I think he can be better at, if he sees something to me, we’re going to be open to that. … I’m excited to push him to the next level because there are a bunch of levels he can reach.”
Murray’s name was prominent in the rumor mill prior to last season’s trade deadline. He made it known through his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, that the Pelicans appealed to him.
“One of the things Rich said to us was, ‘You really need to go try to get Dejounte Murray,'” said Pelicans executive VP David Griffin, per Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “We sort of laughed. We said, ‘We tried to do that at the trade deadline. We weren’t able to make something happen that made sense for both sides.’ But when he shared for us the excitement Dejounte had for our situation, it was really an eye-opening thing. It was meaningful to us.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- After getting waived by the Warriors, Chris Paul chose the Spurs despite his lack of a championship ring. Paul will likely return to a starting role with San Antonio and that was a deciding factor, according to Andrew Lopez on ESPN. “I want to play more than anything,” he said. Newly-acquired Harrison Barnes had a 10% trade bonus that he waived in order to help facilitate the deal involving the Kings, Spurs and Bulls. Barnes called it “a pretty easy decision,” adding, “It’s funny, with the new CBA, the trade kicker became more of a play than I was expecting, but I think the opportunity just to come here and to be able play for Pop (Gregg Popovich) and play with this group I think is exciting.”
- Klay Thompson said during his introductory press conference that the Mavericks are a perfect fit for him at this stage of his career, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays. “Whether you play basketball or work in the corporate world, sometimes change can spur greatness and a new change of scenery can do wonders,” Thompson said. “And I’m very grateful for my time at Golden State. But I just felt like moving on could re-energize me and do something special for the rest of my career. … When I was watching the Mavs make a run for the championship, I just saw myself fitting in really well with this team. They looked like they had fun playing with each other and they played for each other. That was very attractive for me. That’s really all I needed to see.”
- Former Heat big man Orlando Robinson is on the Rockets’ Summer League roster, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Robinson was waived on July 7 before his $2.1MM contract became guaranteed. He cleared waivers on Tuesday. Robinson appeared in 36 contests for Miami in 2023/24, averaging 2.8 points on a .500/.533/.760 shooting line. Robinson also chipped in 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per night.
- Rockets guard Amen Thompson, who is a member of the USA Select Team this summer, said Houston coach Ime Udoka is “reasonably hard” on his players, he told Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “He’s kind of similar to some coaches I’ve had in the past. The thing that’s different about him is he can get in the mix with us, like he’s a player,” he said. “I’ve never had a coach that played in the NBA. When he talks, I gotta listen because he’s been there. He’s reasonably hard on everybody. He doesn’t go crazy, but he’s reasonably hard.”
Clippers Sign Kevin Porter Jr. To Two-Year Contract
JULY 10: Porter is officially a Clipper, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30: The Clippers have reached a two-year agreement with guard Kevin Porter Jr., Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). The contract will include a player option in the second year.
Porter’s new deal will be for the veteran’s minimum, The Athletic’s Law Murray tweets, and will be fully guaranteed, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will include a 15% trade kicker, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports adds (Twitter link).
Porter has had a short, but checkered, history in the NBA. He started his career with Cleveland, but was inactive at the beginning of the 2020/21 season due to an off-season weapons charge, which was later dropped. He was traded from Cleveland to Houston in 2021 on the heels of a locker room incident.
In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league this past season.
Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He is in the process of completing a court-ordered program, and once completed his plea will move to not guilty with no criminal record (Twitter links).
Porter was originally charged with felony counts of assault and strangulation after an altercation with his former girlfriend in New York.
At the beginning of April, Porter signed with PAOK in Greece. In six domestic league matches, he averaged 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals in 39 minutes per contest.
Porter drew multiple suitors, according to Charania, before choosing the Clippers. With the team seeking to trade Russell Westbrook, Porter has an opportunity to jump right into the rotation.
In his last season with the Rockets, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in 59 starts. For his career, Porter has averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest.
Pacific Notes: Lue, George, Leonard, Podziemski, Kerr, Ellis
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue had multiple conversations with Paul George with the hope that the nine-time All-Star would stay in Los Angeles. Lue, an assistant coach for Team USA, expressed frustration that George chose to leave for Philadelphia as a free agent, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.
“You lose an important piece to the team like PG, it’s hard to replace,” Lue said. “I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to get the deal done, disappointed he didn’t come back. It’s tough for the organization. We got to see how we move forward from here. I talked to him many times, trying to see what his mindset was, what we need to do different, how we can help his process along. It’s unfortunate that he left.”
Kawhi Leonard was well aware of how the extension talks between George and the front office broke down, so he wasn’t caught off guard by his star teammate’s exit.
“We knew what it was before the season,” Leonard said. “We knew what it was going to come down to. So, we talked the whole way through. It’s no surprise.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Heading into his second season with the Warriors, Brandin Podziemski told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he has lofty goals. “Individually, I want to be able to be in the conversation and win Most Improved Player of the Year,” he said. “I want to partake in the Rising Stars game again because it’s in San Francisco next season. I want to participate in the Skills Challenge. That would be fun. Then I want to put my name up there as an up-and-coming star of the league. I’m ready to make the year two jump. As far as team goals, obviously you want to win a title.”
- Coach Steve Kerr is impressed with how Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. recovered from the loss of Klay Thompson by acquiring the services of free agents Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “To rebound from losing Chris (Paul) and then Klay, and then using the cap to his advantage – he and his group have done a great job,” Kerr said. “We’ve signed three really good players, managed our finances really well and Mike is wonderful at his job in every regard. He’s a great partner, too, through these difficult times. Great guy to be able to lean on.”
- Boogie Ellis is playing for the Kings’ Summer League team after going undrafted out of USC. Ellis led the Trojans in scoring and is trying to earn an NBA contract. Meanwhile, Bronny James got drafted by the Lakers despite posting modest stats at USC. However, Ellis has no hard feelings for his former college teammate, he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “I’m happy for him,” Ellis said. “That’s one of my brothers, so I’m glad he got the opportunity, but at the end of the day this is business. Everybody’s trying to feed their family, so I definitely have a chip on my shoulder. I believe I’m a great basketball player and I’m better than a lot the guys who were picked, but at the end of the day I’ve got to go show my hard work, show what I do. So just continue to work, keep my head down and keep working, and it’s going to pay off.”
Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Clowney, Bridges, Barnes, Quickley
Ben Simmons‘ agent tells The New York Post’s Brian Lewis that his client will be 100 percent by the start of next season, but there’s plenty of uncertainty regarding his future. The Nets guard played just 15 games last season before he was shut down due to lingering back issues.
“Ben has been doing his rehab and prep work for the upcoming season in Miami. He is through the rehab stage and has moved on to strength and conditioning,” Simmons’ agent, Bernard Lee, said. “Because there have been so many starts and stops previously I’ll simply say he’s in a great place and the expectation is he’s able to start the season 100 percent of himself ready to go.”
Where Simmons fits into the team’s plans next season is unclear. Given his health issues, his value to the club at this point is centered around his $40.3MM expiring deal, which will open up ample cap space next summer if he’s not traded.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- With the Nets trading Mikal Bridges and going into a rebuild, Noah Clowney could get an expanded role in his second season, Lewis notes. Clowley was selected with the 21st pick in 2023. “It’s an opportunity [for me] so I can’t [waste it],” Clowney said. “No shade to [Bridges]; that’s my dog. I love him; but to see us going into more of a rebuilding standpoint, that’s an amazing opportunity to me, and I gotta try to take advantage of that.” Just trying to build with what we’ve got is my main focus. The picks, I leave that to the people who decide all that; I just try to do my part, play hard and be enthusiastic about everything we’re doing. So, opportunities will be fun.”
- Bridges expressed his exhilaration over joining the Knicks, where expectations will be sky-high for their first championship since 1973, according to ESPN’s Chris Herring. “It’s surreal. Coming here, it makes me feel like a young kid again, with all the memories. When I think about basketball when I was young, and the old school, it was always the Knicks,” Bridges said during an introductory press conference. “That’s what you think about. MSG. The New York song. All that stuff.”
- The Raptors are betting big that they can build around Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. Both players were rewarded with five-year contracts this offseason. To back the front office’s commitment, Barnes needs to play well enough to be considered for an All-NBA team and Quickley needs to become an All-Star level guard, Grange says.
Warriors Showing Patience In Pursuit Of Lauri Markkanen
The Warriors haven’t given up in their pursuit to acquire Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen but they’re willing to wait and see how the process plays out, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.
Markkanen, who has an expiring $18MM contract, becomes extension-eligible on Aug. 6. From what Slater is hearing, the Jazz plan to renegotiate-and-extend Markkanen by using their remaining cap space.
If Markkanen signs that type of contract on that date, he would still be eligible to be traded at the February deadline. However, if he signs any time after that (beginning on Aug. 7), he’d be ineligible to be dealt during the season due to the league’s six-month trade restriction on renegotiated contracts. That provides some extra leverage for Markkanen, which could dictate whether he gets moved this offseason to the Warriors or another suitor.
The Kings made a strong push to acquire Markkanen last week but they were unwilling to give up Keegan Murray in a proposed deal. Instead, they made a substantial picks-based offer. They put a deadline on pursuing a trade with Utah and the Jazz didn’t meet it, so Sacramento pivoted to a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan.
The Warriors don’t feel that type of urgency, Slater continues. They’re comfortable with the 14-man roster they current have with the free agent additions of De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. There’s no room financially under the hard cap to fill the 15th spot.
Golden State appears, on paper, to need one more impact player to be a legitimate contender again. But Slater’s sources tell him that the front office and ownership don’t feel compelled to make that type of move right away unless the right opportunity comes along. It’s also noted that the front office is increasingly willing to add future first-round picks and make pick swaps in trade offers.
The Warriors are currently below the tax aprons but above the tax line. Owner Joe Lacob is still willing to spend to remain competitive.
Lindy Waters III and Gui Santos have non-guaranteed deals but the Warriors currently plan to keep both of those reserves. Second-round pick Quinten Post is expected to sign a two-way contract, Slater adds.
Hawks Re-Sign Seth Lundy On Two-Way Deal
The Hawks have signed wing Seth Lundy to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.
The 46th overall pick in the 2023 draft after a four-year college career at Penn State, Lundy spent last season on a two-way contract with the Hawks. He appeared in nine games with Atlanta and 25 contests with the College Park Skyhawks.
Atlanta extended a qualifying offer to Lundy in late June, the equivalent of another two-way deal. He may have simply accepted that offer rather than negotiating a new two-way deal.
Lundy averaged just 5.8 minutes in his nine NBA appearances. In those 25 G League games (23 starts), the 6’4″ guard/forward averaged 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 32.6 minutes. He shot 46.2% from the field and 40% on 3-point attempts.
The 24-year-old underwent ankle surgery in mid-May. The left ankle procedure removed a medial ankle bone spur.
Lundy won’t play in the Summer League but the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery in time for the start of next season.
Timberwolves Sign Jesse Edwards To Two-Way Contract
The Timberwolves have signed center Jesse Edwards to a two-way contract, according to the NBA transactions log. The team has confirmed the signing in a press release.
Edwards participated in both the G League Elite Camp and the NBA’s combine but went undrafted last month. The 24-year-old spent four seasons at Syracuse, then finished up his college career at West Virginia. He played 23 games for the Mountaineers and averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game.
In his last season with the Orange, the seven-f00t Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 32.6 minutes while making 32 starts.
The Amsterdam native suited up for the Netherlands Senior National Team during the 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament and the 2022 EuroBasket tournament.
The Timberwolves also have 2023 draft pick Jaylen Clark on a two-way deal but still have another slot available.
Pistons Claim Paul Reed Off Waivers
The Pistons are claiming former Sixers big man Paul Reed off waivers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. The Pistons have confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).
Reed was placed on waivers on Saturday when Philadelphia chose to sign free agent forward Caleb Martin. He had been due to clear waivers and become a free agent at 4:00 pm CT if he had gone unclaimed.
The Pistons will use some of their available cap room to claim Reed, who signed a three-year, $23,555,150 contract last summer with Philadelphia. Only the first year was guaranteed — his $7.7MM salary for next season remains non-guaranteed until early January, and his $8.1MM salary for 2025/26 will stay non-guaranteed as long as his team doesn’t advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The Pistons could retain Reed to compete with or back up incumbent center Jalen Duren, use Reed as a trade chip, or waive him again if they need to clear cap room to make another move.
Reed has evolved into a serviceable backup in the frontcourt over the past few seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, appearing in all 82 of Philadelphia’s regular season games.