Celtics Deal Poirier To Thunder
The Celtics have traded center Vincent Poirier and cash considerations to the Thunder for a conditional future second-round pick, according to the Celtics’ Twitter feed.
Poirier, who saw limited playing time last season, will make $2.62MM next season. He can be a restricted free agent after next season if Oklahoma City extends a $3.27MM qualifying offer.
Boston gives itself a little more cap flexibility with the move. In 22 games during his first NBA season, Poirier averaged 1.9 PPG in 5.9 MPG. He only played a total of 130 minutes.
Poirier led the Euro League in rebounding during the 2018/19 season with Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB.
Bogdanovic Receives Qualifying Offer From Kings
6:15pm: The league has opened an investigation of the reported sign-and-trade agreement between the Kings and Bucks, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
5:34pm: The Kings have extended a $10.66MM qualifying offer to Bogdan Bogdanovic, making the shooting guard a restricted free agent, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
The move was expected, as it gives Sacramento the right to match any offer for one of the more intriguing free agents on the market. He averaged 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.4 APG in 29.0 MPG last season and is a 37.4% career 3-point shooter.
Bogdanovic has been embroiled in controversy this week. Word leaked that the Bucks had reached a sign-and-trade agreement for Bogdanovic days before the start of free agency.
The teams hoped to bring Bogdanovic the framework of their proposed deal and negotiate his contract with Milwaukee on Friday. Instead, he decided to enter restricted free agency in search of an offer sheet or other sign-and-trade scenarios.
In that proposed deal, the Bucks would have received Bogdanovic and Justin James to Milwaukee in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova, D.J. Wilson, and Donte DiVincenzo. Milwaukee has decided to release Ilyasova, so a renewed effort to acquire Bogdanovic would require a restructured package.
Sixers Cutting Ties With Norvel Pelle
The 76ers are waiving big man Norvel Pelle, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Pelle’s $1.52MM contract for next season would have become guaranteed if he hadn’t been waived by Friday. The 6’10” Pelle spent much of his professional career playing in the G League and overseas prior to making his NBA debut last season.
He appeared in 24 games, posting averages of 2.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 9.7 MPG. He also made one postseason cameo.
Celtics Pick Up Option On Ojeleye, Status Still Uncertain
The Celtics have picked up Semi Ojeleye‘s team option for next season, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.
Ojeleye’s contract remains non-guaranteed until Saturday. If Boston guarantees his deal, he’ll have a salary of $1.75MM.
That’s a bargain price for a rotation piece. Ojeleye appeared in 69 regular-season games last season, including six starts, and averaged 3.4 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 14.7 MPG.
However, it’s unlikely Ojeleye’s contract will be guaranteed, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. His status could be affected by the Gordon Hayward situation and other potential deals, Himmelsbach adds. Hayward decided to opt out of his contract so that he could become an unrestricted free agent.
Ojeleye was a 2017 second-round pick and has appeared in 198 games with Boston over three seasons.
Dakota Mathias, 76ers Agree To Two-Way Contract
The Sixers have agreed to a two-way contract with G League guard Dakota Mathias, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.
Mathias, 25, played last season for the Mavericks’ affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 18.1 PPG and 3.1 APG while shooting 39.5% on 3-point attempts.
Mathias was not selected in the 2019 draft after spending four seasons at Purdue. He was in Dallas’ camp last season but was waived prior to signing with the Legends. He has yet to make his NBA debut.
Two-way players are eligible to play up to 50 NBA games next season.
Avery Bradley Opts Out, Headed To Free Agency
Lakers guard Avery Bradley will decline his $5MM option in order to enter unrestricted free agency, Chris Haynes of Yahoo tweets.
Bradley played a prominent role for the eventual champions prior to the restart, appearing in 49 games, including 44 starts. He averaged 8.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.3 APG. Bradley opted out of the restart and his minutes were filled by a variety of players.
Had Bradley opted in, his role would likely have diminished due to the addition of Dennis Schroder. The Lakers officially completed their trade for the high-scoring point guard with the Thunder on Wednesday.
There should be some competition for Bradley’s services. Multiple contenders are expected to court Bradley, who recently signed with a new agent.
Rockets To Pick Up Option on David Nwaba
The Rockets will exercise their $1.824MM option on reserve guard David Nwaba, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Nwaba was signed to a two-year deal prior to the restart but it’s uncertain whether he’ll be playing healthy enough to play at the start of next season. He began last season with the Nets but suffered a torn Achilles tendon in December and was waived shortly thereafter.
The Rockets gave Nwaba $900K, much greater than a minimum salary at the time, as he continued his rehab last season and attached the team option. However, it’s uncertain whether the new front office regime views him as a rotation piece and wants to have his salary handy to facilitate a trade.
Nwaba is consider a strong perimeter defender. He averaging 5.2 PPG on .521/.429/.667 shooting in 13.4 minutes per contest in his 20-game stint with Brooklyn. He previously appeared in 141 total games for the Lakers, Bulls, and Cavaliers, dating back to 2017.
Magic To Give Clark Qualifying Offer, Let Iwundu, Frazier Walk
The Magic will extend a $1.82MM qualifying offer to forward Gary Clark, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets.
They will not extend a $2MM qualifying offer to swingman Wesley Iwundu and they’ll also decline their $1.66MM option on guard Melvin Frazier Jr. Both players will head into unrestricted free agency, while Clark will be restricted.
Orlando signed Clark after the Rockets waived him in early January. Clark, 25, appeared in 24 games for Orlando, averaging 3.6 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 14.8 MPG.
The decision on Iwundu, a second-round pick in 2017, is somewhat surprising. He started 21 of 52 games last season, averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 18.3 MPG. It signals that Orlando felt it could get a rotation upgrade elsewhere.
Orlando’s decision on Frazier didn’t raise eyebrows. A 2018 second-round pick, Frazier never cracked the rotation, appearing in just 29 games over two seasons.
Atlantic Notes: Horford, Simmons, Embiid, Harden, Celtics Draft
The Sixers created an $8.6MM trade exception in their agreed-upon deal that will send Al Horford to the Thunder, John Hollinger of The Athletic reports.
That’s significant, as Hollinger points out, because the front office will not have a full mid-level exception to offer in free agency since the club is in luxury tax territory. The exception can be used in a sign-and-trade this offseason or – more likely – a direct trade for a player under contract.
New president of basketball operations Daryl Morey promises he’ll make some roster moves via the free agent route, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “They’re going to be some additions there,” Morey said of free agency, while adding “we feel very good where we’re at.”
Morey declared that he’s not interested in trading either of his top players, according to the Associated Press’ Dan Gelston. He said Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid “are going to be here for a long time.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics were advised that they shouldn’t pursue a James Harden deal with the Rockets, longtime Celtics beat reporter Steve Bulpett tweets. The front office researched the possibility of adding Harden and were urged to stay away, as the intel regarding the fallout in the Houston organization painted an ugly picture. Presumably, Harden was a part of that dysfunction.
- The Celtics had three first-round picks to dangle on Wednesday but didn’t move up. It wasn’t for lack of trying, another longtime Celtics beat reporter Mark Murphy tweets. GM Danny Ainge said they explored the possibility but there was “not anything that was really tempting for us in the first part of the draft.” Boston held onto the first two picks and traded the other to the Grizzlies for two future second-rounders.
Nets To Decline Option On Temple
The Nets will not exercise their $5MM option on Garrett Temple, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Temple will become an unrestricted free agent, while Brooklyn will see its projected luxury tax bill drop by more than half. The Nets’ payroll goes from $143.4MM to $138.4MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, which reduces their projected tax bill from $18MM to $8.7MM.
The three-team, agreed-upon deal that will send guard Landry Shamet to Brooklyn will add another $2.1MM to the team’s payroll. The front office is also hoping to re-sign coveted free agent swingman Joe Harris. Those considerations led its decision to let Temple walk.
Temple, 34, averaged 10.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.5 APG in 62 regular-season games with the Nets and should be able to find another opportunity with a playoff contender. He started 35 games during the regular season and all four of the team’s postseason games.