Pistons Expected To Waive-And-Stretch Dedmon
NOVEMBER 21: The Pistons likely won’t use the stretch provision on McGruder after all, according to Edwards (Twitter link). The team will save some money in its trade for Delon Wright and no longer needs the extra space that waiving and stretching McGruder would provide.
NOVEMBER 20: The Pistons have made a flurry of reported free agent moves and they’ll apparently clear cap space by using the waive-and-stretch provision on two recent acquisitions.
They’ll waive center Dewayne Dedmon and use the stretch provision to ease the cap hit, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). They’re likely to do the same with Rodney McGruder, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.
Detroit officially acquired Dedmon from the Hawks on Friday in exchange for Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas. Dedmon was slated to make $13.33MM in the upcoming season with an identical contract number that was only guaranteed for $1MM for the 2021/22 season.
The Pistons acquired McGruder from the Clippers in a three-team trade that became official on Thursday. McGruder had a guaranteed $5.2MM contract for the upcoming season with a non-guaranteed salary of $5MM for 2021/22.
Those non-guaranteed years are significant because they allow Detroit’s front office use the stretch provision for five years instead of three, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report notes (Twitter links). Since only the guaranteed money counts, Dedmon would only count $2.9MM against the Pistons’ cap over the next five seasons, while the cap hit on McGruder would be just over $1MM in those years.
The Pistons made the trade with Atlanta because it allowed them stretch Dedmon’s contract over five years, rather than stretching Snell’s $12.2MM expiring contract for three years, Edwards tweets.
Those moves will allow Detroit to ink free agents Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, as well as completing a sign-and-trade with Houston involving Christian Wood.
Free Agent Rumors: Teague, Payton, Beasley, Davis, Ibaka, Thompson
The Knicks have interest in free agent Jeff Teague as a starting point guard option, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Teague, who made $19MM annually over the last three seasons, averaged 10.9 PPG and 5.2 APG in 59 combined games with the Timberwolves and Hawks last season.
If the Knicks don’t sign the 32-year-old Teague, they may shift back to one of their own free agents, Elfrid Payton. Front office executive Scott Perry remain a fan of Payton despite his perimeter shooting issues, Berman adds. Payton averaged 10.0 PPG and 7.2 APG in 45 games with New York last season.
We have more free agent news:
- The Bucks expressed interest in combo guard Malik Beasley before he chose to re-sign with the Timberwolves, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Beasley agreed to a four-year, $60MM contract with Minnesota.
- Anthony Davis will return to the Lakers but he might not put that in writing until December, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports. Agent Rich Paul said there is no hurry for Davis to put his name to a contract and the signing could come just before or even during training camp.
- After completing an agreement with Fred VanVleet, Raptors president Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster will meet with their other prominent free agent, forward Serge Ibaka, on late Saturday afternoon or evening, Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet tweets. As many as 10 teams have shown interest in signing Ibaka, who is coming off a career year and strong postseason run.
- The Timberwolves have inquired about center Tristan Thompson, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Minnesota is seeking some depth in the middle behind starter Karl-Anthony Towns.
Sixers Sign Dwight Howard To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 21: The Sixers have officially announced the signing of Howard, confirming the move in a press release. Because it’s a minimum-salary deal, it can be completed during free agency’s moratorium period.
NOVEMBER 20: The Sixers and Dwight Howard have reached an agreement on a one-year contract, agent Charles Briscoe tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Word of Howard’s agreement with Philadelphia comes shortly after the veteran center published a tweet saying that he would be returning to the Lakers. He quickly deleted that tweet, with Charania reporting at the time that Howard was still mulling his options. Now it appears he’ll head east after winning a title in Los Angeles.
Howard will presumably be the primary backup for Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. He’ll receive the veteran’s minimum of $2.6MM, though the cap hit for the Sixers will be just $1.6MM. The contract is guaranteed, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Last season, Howard signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Lakers and worked his way into their good graces.
Howard will be playing for seventh team in his 17th season. He got steady minutes off the bench with Los Angeles, appearing in 69 regular-season games while averaging 7.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 18.9 MPG. He also saw action in 18 of the Lakers’ postseason games, averaging 5.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets Sign Jeff Green To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 23: It’s a done deal. The Nets sent out a press release confirming the signing of Green.
NOVEMBER 21: The Nets have reached a one-year agreement with forward Jeff Green, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll receive the veteran’s minimum of $2.56MM, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, though it will only count $1.62MM against Brooklyn’s cap.
The journeyman forward was waived by the Jazz last season but had a good run with the Rockets in their small-ball lineups after he signed with them, first on 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-the-season deal.
Green averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 28.4 MPG during 12 postseason appearances with the Rockets while knocking down 42.6% of his long-range attempts.
Green, 34, met with Houston on Friday, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets, but he opted to join another prime playoff contender next season in Brooklyn.
Deadline Set For Players Opting Out Over COVID-19 Concerns
Players who wish to opt out for the upcoming season due to coronavirus concerns must notify the league by December 1, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reached that agreement on Saturday. Players who elect not to play will be prohibited from signing a contract for which the 2020/21 season is covered, Charania adds.
A number of players opted out of the restart in Orlando due to the pandemic. Some did so for medical issues, family concerns or worries that an injury could damage their future contract offers.
It’s unknown which players might choose not to play next season outside of a “bubble” environment, but COVID-19 positives have skyrocketed across the U.S. this fall.
Spurs Re-Sign Jakob Poeltl To Three-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 24: The Spurs have officially re-signed Poeltl, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 20: The Spurs are finalizing a three-year agreement with big man Jakob Poeltl, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The deal will be worth approximately $27MM, Charania adds.
Poeltl was a restricted free agent, since the Spurs extended a qualifying offer of $4.6MM. That was a signal that San Antonio intended to keep him on a multi-year deal.
Poeltl began his career with Toronto and has spent the last two seasons in San Antonio. Last season, he averaged 5.6 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 17.7 MPG while appearing in 66 games, including 18 starts.
Although he’s not a major offensive weapon, the 25-year-old has shown promising rim-protecting ability (1.4 BPG) and brings effort and energy off the bench. He ranked 21st on our list of 2020’s top free agents.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Sign Derrick Jones To Two-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 22: The Trail Blazers have officially signed Jones, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Derrick’s elite athleticism, defensive versatility and ability to rebound on both ends of the floor enable him to make an immediate impact in multiple areas of need,” president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said in a statement.
NOVEMBER 20: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement with free agent wing Derrick Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania reports that Jones will sign a two-year deal worth $19MM, which suggests Portland will use its mid-level exception to complete the deal.
The second year includes a player option, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Jones is expected to back up Robert Covington, who is headed to Portland in a trade with Houston.
The Heat, who had a number of free agent decisions to make, opted not to offer mid-level money to Jones, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Jones was interested in returning to Miami, Jackson adds.
Jones, 23, averaged 8.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 1.1 APG in 23.3 MPG during 59 regular-season appearances last season. He battled through a bout with COVID-19 prior to the restart. Jones appeared in 15 postseason games but had a diminished role.
Knicks Sign Alec Burks To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 22: The Knicks have officially signed Burks, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 20: The Knicks have made their first free agent deal of 2020/21, having agreed to sign guard Alec Burks to a one-year, $6MM contract, agent Alex Saratsis tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
New York has approximately $37MM to spend in free agency if chooses to do so and Burks is the first reported agreement.
Signing Burks on a one-year contract helps to preserve New York’s cap room for next offseason. He played a combined 66 games last season for the Warriors and 76ers, averaging 15.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.9 APG in those contests. Burks is a career 36.4% 3-point shooter and should emerge as a rotation piece for the Knicks next season.
Burks has a history with Knicks assistant GM Walt Perrin, Ian Begley of SNY TV notes (Twitter link). Perrin was in Utah’s front office when the Jazz drafted Burks in 2011.
Mavericks Sign Trey Burke To Three-Year Deal
DECEMBER 1: Burke’s deal is now official, according to an announcement from the Mavs.
NOVEMBER 20: The Mavericks have reached a three-year agreement with guard Trey Burke, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. The total amount of the deal is in the $10MM range, Stein adds.
Burke’s agent, Sam Permut of Rock Nation, negotiated a 7.5% trade kicker as part of the contract, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. It also includes a player option in the third year.
Burke was added to Dallas’ roster prior to the restart after Willie Cauley-Stein opted not to play. Despite a bout with COVID-19 and an ankle sprain, Burke delivered some quality minutes for the Mavs.
He averaged 12.0 PPG and 3.8 APG in the final eight regular-season games and 12.0 PPG and 2.3 APG in six playoff games, including three starts. He’s a career 34.5% 3-point shooter but made over 40% of his attempts in both the regular season and playoffs last season.
Burke, 27, has passed through four other organizations. He’ll compete for minutes behind Luka Doncic and could also join the Mavs’ superstar in some two point guard looks.
Jazz Sign Jordan Clarkson To Four-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 23: Clarkson is officially back under contract with the Jazz, as the team issued a press release announcing his new deal.
“Jordan was an integral part of our team’s success last season,” executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said in a statement. “He’s an aggressive, competitive talent that leads by example and provides a big scoring spark. He is a great fit with our roster and we’re excited to bring him back.”
NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz are re-signing Jordan Clarkson to a four-year deal with a total value of $52MM, agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Clarkson will have a player option in year four, reports Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link).
Utah made Clarkson, one of its top reserves after acquiring the shooting guard from the Cavaliers last season, its top free agent priority. The front office engineered a couple of trades this week to create more cap flexibility. The Jazz reached an agreement to deal Ed Davis to the Knicks and worked out a separate deal that sent Tony Bradley to the Pistons.
Utah struck quickly in free agency. Along with reaching the agreement with Clarkson, the Jazz are bringing back forward Derrick Favors for a second stint by using their mid-level exception.
A prolific scorer, Clarkson averaged 15.6 PPG in 24.7 MPG in 42 regular-season games with the Jazz. He upped that to 16.7 PPG in 28.4 MPG during seven postseason games. Clarkson is a career 34.2% 3-point shooter but improved upon that somewhat last season, draining 36.6% of his attempts with Utah.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.