Thunder Acquire Schofield, Second-Rounder Krejci From Wizards
NOVEMBER 19: The Thunder also acquired Admiral Schofield from Washington in the deal, which is now official, according to a tweet from the Wizards.
NOVEMBER 18: The Wizards selected guard Vit Krejci with the No. 37 but they’re trading him to the Thunder, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Washington will receive the No. 53 pick in this draft plus additional compensation, Ben Standig of The Athletic tweets.
The Wizards used that pick on Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston. Winston led the Spartans to the Final Four as a junior and averaged 18.6 PPG and 5.9 APG as a senior.
The additional competition will be a future second-rounder, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.
Krejci of the Czech Republic won’t be able to play in the NBA in the near future. While playing for the Spanish team Casademont Zaragoza, the 20-year-old Krejci suffered an ACL injury that required surgery in early October. He’s a member of the Czech Republic national team and projects as a 6’8” combo guard.
Killian Tillie, Sean McDermott Sign Two-Way Deals With Grizzlies
NOVEMBER 24: The Grizzlies have officially announced their two-way deals with Tillie and McDermott.
NOVEMBER 19: Undrafted Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie has agreed to a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Memphis will sign Butler swingman Sean McDermott with its other two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The French-born Tillie played four seasons for the Bulldogs. As a senior, the 6’10” Tillie averaged 13.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG. His calling card is his ability to stretch the floor. He shot 44.4% on his 3-point tries during his college career.
Another four-year college player, McDermott started for Butler in his last two seasons. He averaged 11.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG as a senior. He’s also a prolific 3-point shooter, knocking down 40.3% of his attempts during his college career.
Two-way players can be active for 50 games this season, up from the usual 45-day limit.
Cavaliers Sign Lamar Stevens To Two-Way Contract
NOVEMBER 28, 2:42pm: Stevens has officially inked his two-way deal, according to a team press release.
NOVEMBER 19, 12:13 am: Undrafted Penn State forward Lamar Stevens has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Stevens was a four-year starter for the Nittany Lions. In 135 career games, Stevens averaged 16.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG.
Last season, the 6’8” Stevens posted averages of 17.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 2.2 APG. His perimeter shot needs work — he made just 27.6% of his 3-point attempts during his college career.
Stevens can be active for up to 50 games in his rookie season.
Pistons To Sign Saben Lee To Two-Way Contract
The Pistons will sign second-round pick Saben Lee to a two-way contract, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.
Detroit acquired the No. 38 overall pick in a draft-night trade and selected Lee, a junior guard out of Vanderbilt who averaged 18.6 PPG. 3.5 RPG and 4.2 APG last season. The Pistons’ front office had graded Lee as a first-round prospect, according to Edwards.
The Pistons didn’t have a second-rounder entering the draft but acquired the 38th pick, along with center Tony Bradley, from the Jazz for future considerations and cash.
Teams frequently make bargains with agents of second-round prospects to take their clients if they’ll agree to a two-way deal. However, Lee could compete for minutes on a rebuilding team.
Nets, Clippers Flip Late Second-Rounders
The Nets and the Clippers swapped a couple of late-round picks, with Brooklyn choosing guard Jay Scrubb of John A. Logan College at No. 55 and shipping him to the Clippers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The Nets received the No. 57 pick — Mississippi State big man Reggie Perry. Presumably, the Clippers added some sort of sweetener to move up two spots, though the details haven’t yet been reported. It’s also possible this pick swap will be part of the other trade the Nets and Clippers agreed to tonight, involving Luke Kennard and Landry Shamet.
Scrubb, 20, played two seasons for John A. Logan, which is in the National Junior College Athletic Association. He averaged 21.9 PPG as a sophomore. Scrubb committed to Louisville before deciding to enter his name in the draft.
Perry, 20, averaged 17.4 PPG and 10.1 RPG as a sophomore for the Bulldogs. He was named co-SEC Player of the Year.
Blazers Expected To Pursue Millsap In Free Agency
The Trail Blazers had some success with an aging former All-Star forward last season. It appears they’ll be looking to sign another one in free agency.
Portland is expected to pursue Paul Millsap, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Millsap, 35, is an unrestricted free agent.
Millsap is highly respected for his toughness, leadership and shooting. He averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 24.3 MPG and made a career-best 43.5% of his 3-point tries last season.
The Blazers are looking for another big body who can match up with power forwards like Anthony Davis, O’Connor notes.
Millsap could essentially replace Carmelo Anthony, who is also an unrestricted free agent. Anthony saw extensive action at both forward spots after Portland signed him last winter. There’s been no indication whether the Blazers are committed to trying to re-sign him.
With a healthy Zach Collins on the roster, Millsap would figure to have a second-unit role if he joined the Blazers. Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in late September that he would “love” to see Millsap finish out his career in Denver.
Draft Notes: Wiseman, Mannion, Stewart, Bulls
James Wiseman has only formally worked out for the Warriors, who hold the No. 2 pick, and the Hornets, who sit at No. 3, he said today in a conference call, per Austin Kent of SlamOnline.com. Wiseman has had little to no contact with the Timberwolves, but said he’d be OK if Minnesota takes him, ESPN’s Nick Friedell relays. “Whatever team that picks me, I’m going to go in there, learn as much as possible, work my tail off, and just want to win,” he said.
We have more news on the draft:
- The Raptors and Jazz have worked Arizona freshman guard Nico Mannion, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. As previously reported, Mannion also visited with the Lakers. Mannion, who averaged 14.0 PPG and 5.3 APG as a freshman last season, is ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The Jazz hold the No. 23 overall selection, while the Raptors have the No. 29 pick in the opening round.
- University of Washington center Isaiah Stewart is ranked No. 27 by ESPN and his college coach believes his former player is being overlooked, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. “I think he’s the best big man in the draft. … Every head to head matchup, it wasn’t even close,” Mike Hopkins said. “Go watch the film. It doesn’t lie.”
- With the Bulls allowing Kris Dunn to enter unrestricted free agency, it’s even more likely they’ll target a play-maker in the draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Chicago holds the No. 4 pick. The Bulls have also been exploring a trade for an experienced point guard, O’Connor adds.
- Josh Green worked out for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News reports. He previously visited the Nuggets. The Arizona shooting guard is rated No. 21 by ESPN.
Bulls Won’t Extend Qualify Offer To Shaq Harrison
The Bulls will not extend a qualifying offer to guard Shaquille Harrison, making him an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Harrison had a low-cost QO of $2,025,705 but Chicago chose to create a little more cap and roster flexibility rather than retain the 6’7” guard.
The undrafted Harrison, 27, began his career in Phoenix. He’s been with the Bulls the past two seasons. Last season, Harrison appeared in 43 games — including 10 starts — and averaged 4.9 PPG in 11.3 MPG. He shot 38.1% from long range.
The Bulls are reshaping their backcourt, as they’re also declining to extend a QO to a more prominent player, Kris Dunn. Both Dunn and Harrison are considered strong defenders but are somewhat limited on offense.
Chicago did make a qualifying offer to two-way player Adam Mokoka, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link). That QO will be a two-way deal with $50K guaranteed.
Pelicans Hire Beyer, Hill, Walters For Van Gundy’s Staff
The Pelicans announced on Monday they have hired Bob Beyer, Casey Hill, and Rex Walters to join Stan Van Gundy’s staff, according to a team press release.
The addition of Beyer was previously reported and comes as no surprise. Beyer has a long history with Van Gundy, serving as an assistant in Orlando and Detroit for a combined nine seasons. He was on the Kings’ staff last season.
Hill was an assistant with the Clippers the past two seasons. Walters had a stint on Van Gundy’s staff in Detroit and served as an assistant at Wake Forest last season.
In another significant development, Van Gundy has promoted former WNBA great Teresa Weatherspoon to the staff. She was a two-way player development coach last season in New Orleans.
Longtime NBA players Corey Brewer and Beno Udrih have been hired as player development coaches. Fred Vinson has been retained as an assistant, while Darnell Lazare will remain as a player development coach.
Bulls To Give Valentine Qualifying Offer, Let Dunn Become UFA
The Bulls will extend a qualifying offer to swingman Denzel Valentine, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets, but won’t do the same for guard Kris Dunn, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson (Twitter link).
Valentine’s qualifying offer is worth $4,642,800 and Chicago’s decision will make him a restricted free agent. Dunn’s QO is $7,091,457 and by making him an unrestricted free agent, the Bulls rid themselves of his $16,044,021 cap hold. Dunn’s QO would have been identical to Valentine’s if he hadn’t narrowly met the “starter criteria.”
Valentine’s career was marred by a serious ankle injury which caused him to miss the entire 2018/19 season. He appeared in 36 games last season, including five starts, and averaged 6.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 13.6 MPG.
Chicago’s decision displays confidence that Valentine can regain the form he showed in 2017/18, his second NBA season, when he started 77 games and averaged 10.2 PPG while making 38.6% of his 3-point tries.
Dunn posted averages 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 3.4 APG in ’19/20 and was one of the league’s best defenders before a knee injury ended his season early. Dunn’s days in Chicago were numbered once the team drafted Coby White and signed Tomas Satoransky last season.
The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft by Minnesota, Dunn was traded after his rookie season to the Bulls in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster. He had a disappointing run with the Bulls but he’s expected to have several bidders for his services, including the Clippers, according to Johnson.