Jazz Sign Nigel Williams-Goss
JULY 19: The Jazz have officially signed Williams-Goss, per NBA.com’s transactions log. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the three-year deal is worth $4.8MM, with a fully guaranteed first season.
A minimum-salary contract for Williams-Goss would only be worth about $4.2MM, so it sounds as if Utah used its remaining cap room to give him a larger first-year salary.
JULY 13: The Jazz are signing Nigel Williams-Goss to a three-year contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (hat tip to EuroHoops.net).
Utah selected the former Gonzaga star in the second round of the 2017 draft and retained his rights. He drew interest from two other teams who wanted to acquired him via trade, but the Jazz chose to retain him and add him to their roster (Twitter links here).
Williams-Goss played in Europe last season for Olympiacos in Greece. He averaged 11.3 PPG and 4.6 APG in 25.0 MPG in 23 games.
The 6’3” Williams-Goss, 24, spent the previous season with Serbian club Partizan.
He joins a crowded backcourt that includes point men Mike Conley, Dante Exum and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Raptors Sign Matt Thomas To Three-Year Deal
JULY 19: The Raptors have officially signed Thomas, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. As we relayed in a separate post, his three-year, minimum-salary deal is said to include two fully guaranteed seasons.
JULY 1: EuroLeague guard Matt Thomas has agreed to a three-year contract with the Raptors, according to Varlas Nikos of Eurohoops.net (Twitter link). The total amount of the deal is $4.2MM, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
While the deal looks like it will be worth the minimum, the Raptors will use a slice of their mid-level exception to sign Thomas. Without the MLE, the team couldn’t have offered more than two years.
Thomas exercised an NBA opt-out clause in his contract with Valencia Basket of Spain’s Liga ACB in order to make the jump. The 6’5” Thomas, 24, played college ball at Iowa State.
He went undrafted in 2017 and played on the Lakers’ summer league team, then played in Spain for Monbus Obradoiro. He signed a two-year deal with Valencia last summer. He appeared in 29 games last season, averaging 11.4 PPG in 20.3 MPG. He was the team’s best 3-point shooter, knocking down 48.5% from long range, a skill which made him desirable to NBA teams.
Western Notes: Smith, Cuban, Fertitta, Daniels, Clarke
The Lakers are unlikely to sign shooting guard J.R. Smith once he clears waivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The Cavaliers cut Smith loose on Monday after failing to find a trade partner. The lack of interest shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the Lakers have signed shooting guards Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Troy Daniels in free agency.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined $50K by the league for leaking information from the Board of Governors meeting, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports. Cuban revealed the vote to allow coaches to challenge an official’s ruling next season.
- The league has also fined Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta $25K for making public comments about the Russell Westbrook–Chris Paul swap before it was officially completed, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
- Troy Daniels chose the Lakers over the Warriors and Thunder, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Daniels was wooed by Anthony Davis during the decision-making process. Daniels signed a one-year, minimum salary contract.
- Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, the 21st player selected in the draft, has been named the Las Vegas Summer League MVP, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal relays. Clarke averaged 14.7 PPG and 9.8 RPG in 22.0 MPG over six games.
Community Shootaround: Ben Simmons’ Contract
Ben Simmons has agreed to a max extension with the Sixers which will reportedly pay the point guard $170MM over five seasons, beginning with the 2020/21 campaign.
There’s no doubt that Simmons is one of game’s best passers. His creativity and court vision, along with his size, make him one of the most unique players in the league. He’s also one of the league’s best rebounding guards and puts steady pressure on defenses with his ability to get to the rim. His size, quickness and length also make him an effective and versatile defender.
For all of his gifts, Simmons is also one of the most limited offensive players you’ll ever see. It’s almost unfathomable the way the game is currently played that he’s never made a 3-pointer in his career. He has no mid-range game, either. Virtually all of his shot attempts come within 10 feet of the basket.
When he does shoot beyond 10 feet, he’s doing the opponent a favor. Last year, he made 25.7% of his shot attempts from 1o-15 feet and 10.7% from 16 feet and out, according to Basketball Reference. He’s also a poor free throw shooter — 60% last season.
Despite those obvious weaknesses, he still averaged 17.8 PPG in his second year. And he’s got plenty of time to expand his offensive game. Simmons turns 23 this week and will undoubtedly get better with age.
However, Simmons’ deficiencies are magnified in the postseason and that could hinder the Sixers’ championship aspirations in future years. He averaged just 13.9 PPG and 6.0 APG during Philadelphia’s playoff run last season, which won’t cut it for a max player.
Still, superior young talent is tough to find and the Sixers probably couldn’t risk offering Simmons less without alienating him.
That leads us to our question of the day: Did the Sixers make the right move by giving Ben Simmons a max extension?
Please take to the comments to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Southwest Notes: Westbrook, Hartenstein, Rabb, Ball, Grizzlies
Loyalty and friendship were a big part of the equation in the Rockets’ acquisition of Russell Westbrook, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports. The Thunder wanted to grant Westbrook his preferred destination once OKC decided to go into full rebuild mode. His friendship with James Harden proved vital, according to Iko, and put Houston over the top compared to the Heat, the other main bidder for Westbrook. The Rockets’ front office believes the Westbrook and Harden pairing will work out, especially since they’ll be surrounded by shooters, a luxury that Westbrook didn’t have with the Thunder.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Rockets reserve big man Isaiah Hartenstein will pass on the FIBA World Cup this summer in order to focus on next season, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Hartenstein, a 21-year-old 7-footer, informed the German national team that he has prioritized his NBA career. “I will need to prove I can belong here,” he told Urbonas.
- Power forward Ivan Rabb and the Grizzlies have mutually agreed to push back his contract guarantee deadline to mid-October, Michael Wallace of the team’s website tweets. Rabb appeared in 49 games with Memphis last season, including 13 starts, averaging 5.8 PPG and 4.2 RPG. The 2017 second-round pick’s $1,618,520 salary for next season was due to be guaranteed today. He has a partial guarantee of $371,758.
- New Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is expected to be cleared for full contact in two weeks, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Ball was shut down in March due to an ankle injury.
- The aftermath of the Grizzlies’ busy offseason shows the vision of the front office, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Memphis has a younger core to build around and has acquired future assets to accelerate the process.
Warriors Notes: Russell, Durant, Lee, Adams
While there has been heavy speculation that D’Angelo Russell will have a short run with the Warriors, GM Bob Myers insists he didn’t agree to a sign-and-trade with the Nets simply to flip him, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. Myers admits he’s not sure how Russell fits into the team’s long-term plans, particularly once Klay Thompson returns from knee surgery. But he wants to see how Russell, who entered the summer as a restricted free agent, will mesh with Stephen Curry in the backcourt.
“We didn’t sign him with the intention of just trading him,” Myers said. “We haven’t even seen him play in our uniform yet. And a lot of people have us already trading him. That’s not how we’re viewing it. Let’s just see what we have. Let’s see what he is. Let’s see how he fits.”
Russell signed a four-year, $117MM contract.
We have more on the Warriors:
- Myers said the organization did its best to convince Kevin Durant to stay put but the All-Star forward was looking for a change, Friedell reports in the same story. “He just felt like it was something inside of him, in his heart, that he wanted to try something different,” Myers said. “Nothing wrong with that. I have a peace about it personally. I hope our fans can, too.”
- Damion Lee is a candidate for the Warriors’ second two-way contract, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. A decision will be made in the next few days. The shooting guard appeared in 39 games with Golden State last season, averaging 4.9 PPG in 11.7 MPG. Lee was one of the team’s two-way players and received a qualifying offer in June, making him a restricted free agent. Small forward Julian Washburn currently has the other two-year deal.
- Assistant coach Ron Adams will travel less next season and the staff will have reconfigured roles, Slater reports in another tweet. Adams, who recently turned down an offer to join the Lakers’ staff, will prioritize player development for an increasingly younger team.
Heat Sign Forward Kyle Alexander
The Heat have signed forward Kyle Alexander, according to a team press release. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.
Alexander will participate in training camp and likely be ticketed to the team’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls.
Alexander played eight summer league games for the Heat in Sacramento and Las Vegas, averaging 4.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 15.9 MPG.
The 6’11” Alexander went undrafted out of Tennessee. He started as a senior, averaging 7.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 1.7 in 23.8 MPG.
The Heat have also signed forward Chris Silva and point guard Jeremiah Martin to similar contracts.
Pelicans Waive Christian Wood
The Pelicans have waived power forward/center Christian Wood, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Wood had a non-guaranteed $1,645,357 salary, of which $822,679 would have become guaranteed if he was on the opening-day roster. The Pelicans now have 13 players with fully guaranteed contracts and two others with non- or partial guarantees.
The Bucks waived Wood in March and the Pelicans claimed him. Wood saw spot duty in 13 games with Milwaukee. He played eight games with New Orleans, including two starts, and averaged 16.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG.
By letting go of Wood, New Orleans opens up a spot for Italian power forward Nicolo Melli, who agreed to a two-year contact in late June.
Admiral Schofield Signs Rookie Deal With Wizards
JULY 14: Schofield’s signing is official, the Wizards confirmed on Twitter.
JULY 12: Second-round pick Admiral Schofield has agreed to a three-year contract with the Wizards, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The Wizards acquired the 6’5” Schofield in a draft-night deal with the Sixers. The University of Tennessee product averaged 16.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 31.8 MPG during his senior year. He shot 38.7% from long range during his four years with the Vols.
He has averaged 8.0 PPG in 20.8 MPG during four summer league in Las Vegas. He’ll likely spend most of his rookie campaign in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go.
Five Key Stories: 7/6/19 – 7/13/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
After Kawhi Leonard committed to the Clippers, they acquired Paul George from the Thunder for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and future first-round picks. The Thunder received five first-round picks plus the right to swap two others as the Clippers fulfilled Leonard’s desire to team up with Most Valuable Player finalist George. The Clippers became instant contenders for next season’s title despite giving up their promising young point guard and another starter in the deal.
In a blockbuster swap involving two of the NBA’s biggest names, the Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Rockets for Chris Paul along with two future first-rounders and two pick swaps. Once George’s request to be traded to the Clippers was fulfilled, there was no reason for the Thunder to retain Westbrook during a full rebuild. The Rockets are hoping that Westbrook is the final piece to a championship puzzle. It’s likely that Paul will never play for the Thunder. He’ll either be traded again or work out a buyout agreement and become a free agent.
The Knicks reached a one-year agreement with free agent forward Marcus Morris after Morris backed out on a verbal agreement with the Spurs. The former Celtic decided to test the free agent market again next summer instead of signing a two-year deal with the Spurs. San Antonio shifted gears and signed a younger forward, Trey Lyles. New York had the flexibility to add Morris after renegotiating its deal with Reggie Bullock due to health concerns.
The NBA added in-game challenges by coaches and also made changes to the replay rules for next season. The rule will be implemented on a one-year, trial basis. Coaches will get one challenge per game, whether or not it’s successful. Called fouls, goaltending, basket interference, and out-of-bounds plays are the only calls that can be challenged. Uncalled fouls can’t be challenged. Coaches must have a timeout available to use a challenge, and must use that timeout immediately after the call they want to challenge.
Point guard Tyus Jones signed an offer sheet and the Timberwolves declined to match it. Jones, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG last year in 68 games (22.9 MPG) for Minnesota. He’ll join a Grizzlies point guard rotation that will feature No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant, along with newly-acquired youngster De’Anthony Melton. Jones’ three-year deal reportedly has a first-year base value of $8.4MM with $850K in likely bonuses. It has a descending structure but can be worth close to $27MM in total.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- Andre Iguodala is drawing interest from at least a handful of teams after he was traded from the Warriors to the Grizzlies in a salary dump.
- The Rockets agreed to a one-year deal with veteran center Tyson Chandler.
- The Hawks signed forward Jabari Parker to a two-year contract.
- The Suns reached a tw0-year, $30MM agreement with restricted free agent Kelly Oubre.
- The Celtics opened up a roster spot by waiving former first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele.
- The Warriors waived longtime second-unit point guard Shaun Livingston.
- The Mavericks acquired Delon Wright from the Grizzlies in a sign-and-trade.
- The Lakers added another backcourt piece by signing free agent Avery Bradley to a two-year contract.
- The Raptors re-signed guard Patrick McCaw to a two-year contract.
- LeBron James is expected to start at point guard for the Lakers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.