Sixers Waive Shaquille Harrison
The Sixers have waived Shaquille Harrison, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. He’s expected to join the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats once he clears waivers, Pompey adds.
Harrison was signed to a camp deal late last month and was a longshot to make the roster. He appeared in four preseason games.
Harrison, 28, saw action in a total of 34 regular season games a year ago — 17 for Utah and 17 more for Denver, plus nine playoff contests for the Nuggets. Although he provided his usual stellar perimeter defense, he struggled offensively, averaging 2.1 PPG on .333/.188/.818 shooting in 9.8 minutes per contest during the regular season.
Warriors’ Wiseman To Miss Several More Weeks
James Wiseman will likely be out until at least December as he rehabs from the meniscus injury that sidelined him at the end of last season.
The Warriors’ second-year center was cleared Friday to increase individual on-court workouts, according to the press release relayed by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). He’ll be reevaluated at the beginning of next month but will likely need 4-6 weeks of conditioning once his recovery advances to full-contact practices.
Given that the Warriors play a combined 21 regular-season games in October and November, Wiseman will likely miss at least one-quarter of the season. That’s a setback for a team aiming to become a true contender again with the aid of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Their top pick in the this year’s draft, forward Jonathan Kuminga, will be reevaluated in a week as he recovers from a strained patella, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Kuminga appeared in two preseason games before he was sidelined.
2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Clippers
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Free agent signings:
Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.
- Kawhi Leonard: Four years, $176.27MM (maximum salary). Fourth-year player option. Includes 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Reggie Jackson: Two years, $21.6MM. Includes 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
- Justise Winslow: Two years, $8MM. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Nicolas Batum: Two years, $6.5MM. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- Amir Coffey: Two-way contract.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Jason Preston (No. 33 pick) from the Magic in exchange for the Pistons’ 2026 second-round pick and cash.
- Acquired the draft rights to Keon Johnson (No. 21 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Quentin Grimes (No. 25 pick) and the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Acquired the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. (No. 51 pick) from the Pelicans in exchange for the Kings’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected) and cash ($2.5MM).
- Acquired Eric Bledsoe from the Pelicans in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu.
Draft picks:
- 1-21: Keon Johnson
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $12,517,291).
- 2-33: Jason Preston
- Signed to three-year, $4.46MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
- 2-51: Brandon Boston Jr.
- Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
Contract extensions:
- Terance Mann: Two years, $22MM. Team option for 2022/23 ($1,930,681) exercised as part of agreement. Extension begins in 2023/24.
Departing players:
- Patrick Beverley
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Yogi Ferrell
- Daniel Oturu
- Patrick Patterson
- Rajon Rondo
Other offseason news:
- Kawhi Leonard continues to recover from right ACL surgery and isn’t expected to return until at least the spring.
- Jason Preston underwent right foot surgery and is expected to miss a significant portion of the season.
- Hired Brian Shaw and Jay Larranaga as assistant coaches; lost assistant coaches Kenny Atkinson and Roy Rogers.
- Broke ground on new Inglewood arena, which will be named Intuit Dome and is on track to open in 2024.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap and above the tax line.
- Carrying approximately $166.8MM in salary.
- Used full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.89MM) to sign Justise Winslow, Jason Preston, and Brandon Boston Jr.
- Two traded player exceptions available, including one worth $8.25MM.
Lingering preseason issues:
- The Clippers have 14 players on guaranteed contracts. If the team carries a 15th man to start the season, it will come down to Harry Giles vs. Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Clippers’ offseason:
Everything was in place for the Clippers to finally get over the hump and make the NBA Finals last season. It all fell apart when Kawhi Leonard suffered a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee during the Western Conference Semifinals.
Facing an equally banged-up Utah team, the Clippers overcame Leonard’s absence to make the conference finals, but they couldn’t get past Chris Paul and his youthful Phoenix teammates in the next round. Now, Leonard’s injury lingers into this season.
It’s uncertain whether he’ll play at all after undergoing surgery in July but that didn’t discourage the franchise from re-signing him to a maximum-salary four-year deal. The fact that Leonard chose a longer contract with no opt-out until the final season gives the front office incentive to continue building around him and Paul George, who’s locked in until at least 2024.
Given those parameters, plus tempered expectations due to Leonard’s surgery, the front office didn’t do anything drastic this offseason. The team brought back Reggie Jackson, who had a strong postseason, to run the first unit, as well as Nicolas Batum, who revived his career last season after his playing time evaporated in Charlotte.
The Clippers’ other notable additions were basically low-risk flyers on two other players who, like Jackson and Batum last season, will try to regain their old form. Eric Bledsoe will share point guard duties with Jackson after a disappointing one-year stint with the Pelicans in which he struggled to blend in with the team’s young core.
If his second go-around with the franchise doesn’t go well, the Clippers would only be on the hook for $3.9MM of Bledsoe’s $19.375MM salary for next season if they waive him next summer. In fact, it’s likely they’ll do so even if Bledsoe plays more efficiently.
Justise Winslow‘s career has been sidetracked by injuries. He struggled mightily with the Grizzlies in a 26-game stint last season after returning from a long-term hip ailment. Ideally, Winslow will give the second unit a boost with his versatility.
Keon Johnson isn’t expected to get much playing time at the NBA level in his rookie year and second-rounder Jason Preston recently underwent foot surgery which will likely sideline him for most or all of this season.
The Clippers’ upcoming season:
George says he’s ready to carry the load in all facets — scoring, defending, playmaking. He’ll need to have an MVP-caliber campaign to keep the Clippers in the postseason picture. The club really doesn’t have a lot of offensive answers if George isn’t posting 30 points a game.
Jackson, Batum and Marcus Morris are solid veterans but it’s unrealistic to think they can keep the team in contention if George has to miss significant time. Terance Mann‘s 39-point eruption in Game 6 of the conference semis showed that he can be a significant contributor if the opportunity strikes. Mann should see his playing time increase, and the coaching staff will hope to get more out of Luke Kennard, who averaged just 8.3 PPG in his first year with the club despite shooting 44.6% from deep.
It would also be a major boost if Serge Ibaka can overcome his back issues and provide steady contributions at both ends of the floor.
A best-case scenario would be for the Clippers to hang around long enough for Leonard to get back in the lineup, which would make them a dangerous playoff team. More likely, it will have to fight tooth and nail just to make the postseason, and could face an early-round exit.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Vildoza, Las Vegas, Elite, Smart
Luca Vildoza announced on his Twitter feed that he underwent foot surgery and that he will continue to pursue his NBA dream (Twitter link).
The Knicks placed Vildoza on waivers on Oct. 3. New York signed the Argentinian guard to a four-year deal in May, but there was no guaranteed money beyond the 2020/21 season and he never played for the team.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Las Vegas is a possible destination if the NBA decides to expand, according to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). Commissioner Adam Silver made that statement at the CAA World Congress of Sports. “It’s on a list at the point that we do turn to expansion, which isn’t right now, but at some point, no doubt Vegas will be on the list,” Silver said.
- Overtime Elite will begin its inaugural season on October 29, Jonathan Givony of ESPN writes. Overtime Elite – a developmental program comprised of 16-to-20-year-old prospects, many of whom were four- or five-star recruits – will be split into three teams. Those teams will also play each other as part of the OTE League Series.
- Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been suspended for the team’s final preseason game on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Smart missed the team’s flight to Orlando for its preseason game on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Smart signed a four-year, $77.1MM extension in August.
Celtics To Sign Chris Clemons To Camp Deal
The Celtics are signing Chris Clemons to an Exhibit 10 contract, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.
Clemons played on a two-way deal with Houston two seasons ago after going undrafted out of Campbell. He appeared in 33 games that season but he tore his Achilles prior to the 2020/21 season. He was waived in January after Houston acquired Kevin Porter Jr.
Clemons will likely be waived and play for the Maine Celtics in the G League, where he could earn a $50K bonus if he remains on their roster for 60 days.
League Expected To Push For Super-Max Changes In CBA
League executives are expected to push for major changes in super-max contracts and medical evaluations for draft prospects, among numerous other issues, in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
The Ben Simmons saga has shined a light on the general failure of super-max contracts to keep star players on their current teams, Fischer writes. League executives are expected to seek stipulations in super-max contracts that would penalize players if they are granted trade requests. There are also concerns, particularly in small markets, of surrounding those players with enough talent to contend, since those contracts can eat up as much as 35% of a team’s cap.
The fact that Simmons requested a trade only one year into his five-year, $170MM contract from one of the league’s top Eastern Conference contenders has raised concerned among league officials, Fischer reports. Those executives have recently discussed the possibility of salary repercussions for such players who want out.
The proposals could include a “reverse trade kicker,” where those players would lose 15% of their salary when they’re dealt; a forfeiture of upwards of 70% of their salary; or losing a chunk of their guaranteed money.
To encourage the cooperation of the Players Association, the owners may give up a bigger slice of the BRI (Basketball Related Income).
League officials have also expressed frustration that players such as Kyrie Irving don’t have a vaccine requirement, yet basketball and business operations staffers have a vaccine mandate. They’re hoping that discrepancy could lead concessions by the union.
Another major sticking point is that draft prospects are not mandated to provide medical information to teams. Some agents have withheld a prospect’s medical information from certain teams to steer their clients to a preferred destination, Fischer notes.
Luxury-tax structures, the buyout market, G League exclusivity rights, two-way roster spots, the calendar order of the draft and free agency, and restricted free agency could also be topics of discussion during the next CBA negotiations, Fischer adds.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through the 2023/24 season, with a mutual opt-out date in December 2022.
Knicks Sign Goodwin; Thunder Add Hopson
The Knicks have signed former Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin, the team’s PR department tweets.
Goodwin saw action in 47 games with Atlanta last year, averaging 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG. He played on a $1.7MM contract last season and became a free agent when the team failed to extend a qualifying offer. He didn’t play in the postseason, partially due to a respiratory condition.
It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. That would give the Westchester Knicks his G League rights if/when the Knicks waive him.
Here are a couple more of the latest training camp signings:
- The Thunder have signed guard Scotty Hopson to a camp deal, according to the team’s PR department. He appeared in 41 games with the Oklahoma City Blue from 2018-20, including six games in 2020 where he averaged 18.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 31.2 minutes. He played for Melbourne United last season. Hopson, who played one games with Dallas during the 2017/18 season, will likely be waived and return to the Blue.
- The Jazz have signed Nino Johnson, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Johnson, a 6’9” forward, played for the G League’s Memphis Hustle two seasons ago. He’ll likely be waived and play for Utah’s G League affiliate in Salt Lake City.
Jazz Waive Bolden, Teague, Alston Jr.
The Jazz have waived Marques Bolden, MaCio Teague and Derrick Alston Jr., Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets.
The 6’10” Bolden signed a camp deal in late September. He was on a two-way contract with Cleveland last season and appeared in six games. The Cavs waived him but added him again to its G League affiliate. Bolden averaged 9.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG across 10 games for the Charge during the G League “bubble” season.
Teague inked his Exhibit 10 contract in mid-August. After beginning his college career at UNC Asheville, Teague transferred to Baylor for his junior year and played a key role on the 2021 national champions as a senior. The 6’4″ guard was the Bears’ second-leading scorer with 15.9 PPG on .478/.395/.831 shooting in 30 games (31.7 MPG).
Alston joined the team on his camp deal in mid-September. He went undrafted this year after playing for Boise State. The 6’9″ swingman averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.2 APG across 32 games, all starts, during his final collegiate season with the Broncos.
It’s quite possible all three will end up with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate.
Knicks Waive Dwayne Bacon
The Knicks are waiving guard Dwayne Bacon, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
Bacon, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal, was considered a strong candidate for the last roster spot on a team with 14 guaranteed deals. This development could improve the chances of Wayne Selden making the opening-night roster.
New York signed Bacon in August after Orlando waived him. He appeared in every game for Orlando during the 72-game 2020/21 NBA season, including 50 starts. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 25.7 MPG.
Bacon, 25, spent his first three NBA seasons with the Hornets and their NBAGL affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.
Free agent signings:
Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.
- Kelly Olynyk: Three years, $37.2MM. Third year partially guaranteed. Signed using cap room.
- Hamidou Diallo: Two years, $10.4MM. Second-year team option. Re-signed as a restricted free agent using Bird rights.
- Cory Joseph: Two years, $10.07MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using room exception.
- Frank Jackson: Two years, $6.15MM. Second-year team option. Re-signed using cap room.
- Trey Lyles: Two years, $5.13MM. Second-year team option. Signed using cap room.
- Saben Lee: Three year, minimum salary. Third-year team option. Re-signed using cap room.
- Rodney McGruder: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Chris Smith: Two-year, two-way contract.
- Jamorko Pickett: Two-way contract. Converted from Exhibit 10 deal.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica (No. 57 pick) from the Hornets in exchange for Mason Plumlee and the draft rights to JT Thor (No. 37 pick).
- Acquired DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ 2022 second-round pick, either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), either the Warriors’ or Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), the Nets’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash ($5.785MM) from the Nets in exchange for Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya.
- Note: Jordan has since been waived.
Draft picks:
- 1-1: Cade Cunningham
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $45,599,089).
- 2-42: Isaiah Livers
- Signed to three-year, $4.46MM contract. Third-year team option. Signed using cap room.
- 2-52: Luka Garza
- Signed to two-year, minimum-salary contract. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception. Converted from two-way deal.
- 2-57: Balsa Koprivica
- Stashed overseas.
Contract extensions:
- None
Departing players:
- Tyler Cook
- Sekou Doumbouya
- Wayne Ellington
- Jahlil Okafor
- Mason Plumlee
- Deividas Sirvydis
- Dennis Smith Jr.
Other offseason news:
- Hired Ben Wallace as basketball operations and team engagement advisor.
- Hired Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno as assistant coaches; lost assistants Sidney Lowe, Micah Nori, and Sean Sweeney.
- Hired John Beilein as senior advisor/player development.
- Hired George David as assistant general manager; lost assistant GM David Mincberg.
- Introduced new G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise; DJ Bakker will be team’s head coach.
Salary cap situation:
- Went under the cap, used their cap room, then used the room exception.
- Carrying approximately $125.2MM in salary.
Lingering preseason issues:
- None
The Pistons’ offseason:
A franchise starved for star power finally caught a break when it held the winning draft lottery combination. The Pistons hadn’t drafted No. 1 overall in more than a half-century and they took an unusually long time before settling on the consensus top pick, Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham’s combination of play-making, shot-making, length, versatility, poise and leadership was simply too much to pass up. The No. 1 pick suffered a minor ankle sprain in training camp but he’ll jump right into the starting lineup, though perhaps not at his projected position. He’ll share the backcourt with another young point guard, Killian Hayes, a 2020 lottery pick coming off an injury-marred rookie campaign.
GM Troy Weaver also added three second-round picks, including a draft-and-stash prospect. Luka Garza and Isaiah Livers figure to spend most of their rookie seasons with the Motor City Cruise, the team’s new G League franchise.
The most significant addition outside of Cunningham was Kelly Olynyk, who provides a much-needed floor stretching big. Mason Plumlee played well enough in his lone season with Detroit after signing a three-year free agent contract last summer, but his lack of a 3-point shot created spacing issues. Plumlee was traded to Charlotte on a salary dump.
Olynyk, a career 36.7% 3-point shooter who went on an offensive binge in a 27-game stint with the tanking Rockets last season, will share the center spot with second-year bruiser Isaiah Stewart.
Hamidou Diallo didn’t receive an offer sheet in restricted free agency, much to the Pistons’ relief. They re-signed him on a team-friendly contract. Frank Jackson, who was surprisingly effective as a spot-up shooter and offensive sparkplug last season, also chose to remain in Detroit. Diallo and Jackson will compete with Josh Jackson for backup minutes at shooting guard and small forward.
The front office waived Cory Joseph and his $12.6MM contract, which included a $2.4MM partial guarantee, then brought the veteran point guard at a lower number. Joseph endeared himself after being acquired from the Kings last season not only with his production but his willingness to mentor his younger teammates. He’ll be the floor leader of the second unit.
Trey Lyles fell out of favor with the Spurs last season but he’ll get a shot to earn rotation minutes as the backup power forward. He essentially replaces Sekou Doumbouya, a 2019 first-round bust.
The Pistons’ upcoming season:
There’s a positive vibe around the Pistons after more than decade of irrelevance. Cunningham puts them back on the national map and the roster has been built around the lunch-pail, hard-nosed motif that served the franchise so well during its glory years.
Jerami Grant blossomed as the No. 1 offensive option last season and he could be more efficient with young playmakers delivering him the ball and Olynyk stretching the defense.
Make no mistake — this is another building season for the franchise and playoff contention remains at least another season away. The Pistons are projected to win the second-fewest games in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only Orlando. Detroit could have the youngest lineup in the league and it remains to be seen how the duo of Cunningham and Hayes will mesh.
However, the Pistons have enough depth and tenacity to give more seasoned opponents plenty of tough, down-to-the-wire battles. Their cap situation beyond this season is favorable, providing them with the ability to acquire another impact player. Add in another lottery pick in next year’s draft and the Pistons could return to prominence in the not-too-distant future.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Luke Adams contributed to this post.