Nuggets Sign Xavier Silas To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 22: The Nuggets officially signed Silas to a contract, according to the RealGM transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 17: Guard Xavier Silas has agreed to a training camp contract with the Nuggets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Silas, 30, made a couple of cameo appearances with the Celtics late last season after signing a 10-day contract.
The 6’5” shooting guard also played two games with the Sixers during the 2011/12 season. He spent most of last season with Northern Arizona in the G League, averaging 18.4 points in 43 games. Over the past five seasons, Silas has been with several G League teams and played overseas in Israel, Greece, Germany, Argentina and China. He also played with the Wizards during their 2014 training camp but didn’t make the opening-night roster.
Silas’ chances of making Denver’s opening-night roster are slim, considering the Nuggets already have 15 players with guaranteed deals. The Nuggets have plenty of options at the wing spots, including Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, Will Barton, Tyler Lydon, Torrey Craig, Jarred Vanderbilt, Emanuel Terry, first-round pick Michael Porter Jr. and two-way player DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.
Lakers Notes: Ball, Walton, Johnson, James
The Lakers’ brass is encouraged by Lonzo Ball‘s revamped shooting stroke, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register reports. Ball still holds the ball further left than most right-handed shooters but it’s closer to the center than last season, Goon notes. Ball shot 36% from the field and 30.5% from long range during his rookie season. “The way he’s shooting the ball looks a lot more fluid now,“ GM Rob Pelinka said. Ball, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this summer, has been medically cleared for camp but won’t initially participate in five-on-five scrimmages, Joey Ramirez of the team’s website reports. “He’s been 100 percent cleared by our medical staff to return to full basketball activity,” Pelinka said.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Luke Walton‘s job status won’t be in jeopardy if the team gets off to a slow start, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. LeBron James needs time to settle in with his new teammates, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson says, and Walton won’t be penalized during that process. “As I was talking to Luke, we said don’t worry about if we get out to a bad start,” Johnson said. “We have seen that with LeBron going to Miami, and we have seen that when he came back to Cleveland. He is going to struggle because there are so many new moving parts.”
- Johnson shrugs off criticism of controversial free agent signings following James’ commitment, including Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee, Matt Eppers of USA Today writes. “We love that they all are different individuals and they bring something different to the table,” Johnson said. “We needed some grittiness, we needed some toughness. We needed somebody to come in and be upset that somebody had a defensive lapse.”
- Johnson can’t hide his enthusiasm over James’ impact, even before training camp officially opens. “LeBron comes in, and he’s already in midseason form and shooting fadeaways and 3-pointers from almost half-court,” Johnson said in an Associated Press report. “And you’re sitting there saying, ‘Man, thank God we signed him.’”
- Brandon Ingram and Stephenson are the team’s top small forwards and Ramirez takes a closer look at all the options at the position.
Timberwolves Owner: Jimmy Butler Is Available
Defying his front office executives, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is telling other owners and GMs at the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings that Jimmy Butler is available and they can make trade inquiries directly to him, if necessary, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Taylor’s willingness to deal the disgruntled swingman, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, flies in the face of an earlier report by Wojnarowski on Friday that the Timberwolves were rebuffing calls on Butler’s availability.
This leads to speculation that a showdown is looming between Taylor and Tom Thibodeau, the Wolves’ president of basketball operations and head coach, Wojnarowski notes. GM Scott Layden reports to Thidobeau and is the usual point person on trade talks.
Thibodeau has no desire to deal Butler in any scenario that would set back the team’s chances of making the playoffs again and advancing deeper into the postseason.
In contrast, it appears that Taylor’s mind is made up that Butler must go.
“The owner’s trading him,” a Board of Governors attendee told Wojnarowski. “That was made clear. It’s just a matter of when.”
There is a good possibility that Butler will not report to camp when it opens next week, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Krawczynski details how the Butler-Thibodeau relationship deteriorated over the past year.
Thibodeau is willing to let any drama between Butler and the team’s other two stars, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, play out in training camp and into the regular season. Taylor, on the other hand, does not want to go through a potentially dysfunctional season and see the franchise’s image tarnished, Wojnarowski continues. The franchise’s business operations have successful marketed the team’s stars and don’t want that campaign completely ruined, Wojnarowski adds.
Taylor has gotten involved in trading high-profile players in the past, including Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love.
Sixers Sign Center Emeka Okafor
The Sixers have added veteran center Emeka Okafor to their training camp roster, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Okafor’s contract is for the non-guaranteed minimum, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
Philadelphia now has a full camp roster with 14 players on guaranteed deals, four on partial or non-guaranteed contracts, and two two-way players.
Okafor just cleared waivers on Friday after being let go by the Pelicans. New Orleans made the move before a $100K guarantee in Okafor’s contract kicked in.
Okafor will compete for a roster spot and Norvel Pelle, who also has a non-guaranteed deal, seems the most vulnerable among the other big men.
After missing four seasons due to injuries, Okafor returned to the NBA for the Pelicans in 2017/18 and delivered quality minutes for the team after DeMarcus Cousins went down with an Achilles tear.
In 26 games (19 starts) for New Orleans last season, Okafor posted 4.4 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest. He was out of the club’s rotation by the postseason, appearing in just one playoff game.
2018 Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- Glenn Robinson III: Two years, $8.35MM. Second-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Jose Calderon: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Zaza Pachulia: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Johnny Hamilton: One year, minimum salary.
- Zach Lofton: One year, minimum salary.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Khyri Thomas (No. 38 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for the Pistons’ 2021 second-round pick and the Pistons’ 2023 second-round pick.
Draft picks:
- 2-38: Khyri Thomas — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- 2-42: Bruce Brown — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
Departing players:
- Dwight Buycks (waived)
- James Ennis
- Kay Felder (two-way)
- Eric Moreland (waived)
- Jameer Nelson
- Anthony Tolliver
Other offseason news:
- Hired Dwane Casey as head coach to replace Stan Van Gundy; hired Sidney Lowe as lead assistant.
- Hired Ed Stefanski as senior advisor (and de facto head of basketball operations) to replace Van Gundy.
- Parted ways with GM Jeff Bower.
- Hired Malik Rose and Sachin Gupta as assistant GMs.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $123.3MM in guaranteed salaries, slightly below $123.7MM tax line.
- Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
- $2.89MM of mid-level exception still available ($5.75MM used on Glenn Robinson III, Khyri Thomas, and Bruce Brown).
Check out the Detroit Pistons’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The decision got dragged out but eventually owner Tom Gores decided to relieve Stan Van Gundy of his duties as both head coach and president of basketball operations after the season. Van Gundy’s heart-on-his-sleeve approach gave the franchise an initial jolt and the team made the playoffs during his second season in charge. He couldn’t build upon that improvement, as injuries and bad personnel decisions found the Pistons sitting out the postseason the past two years.
Fortunately for Gores, the league’s Coach of the Year became available at just the right time. Toronto fired Dwane Casey after its playoff flop against Cleveland and the Pistons gladly scooped him up. Casey’s reputation as a players’ coach adept at developing young players and winning regular-season games fits what the team needs. They desperately want to get back to the playoffs and start drawing more fans at Little Caesars Arena, which opened last season in downtown Detroit.
The front office underwent a makeover with well-traveled Ed Stefanski sitting atop the organization’s ladder despite the title of senior adviser. The former Grizzlies, 76ers, Raptors and Nets executive hired Sachin Gupta and Malik Rose as assistant GMs but Stefanski is in charge of personnel moves. With the team’s cap issues, Stefanski couldn’t make much of an imprint on the roster this summer anyway.
Bucks Sign Big Man Christian Wood
SEPTEMBER 21: The signing is official and includes a significant partial guarantee, according to RealGM. ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides specific details, tweeting that Wood will get $100K in guaranteed money.
AUGUST 15: The Bucks have reached an agreement with big man Christian Wood, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. It’s a training camp deal with an opportunity to make the 15-man roster, according to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The 6’11” Wood made a splash with the Bucks in the Las Vegas summer league, where he was named all-first team. He averaged 20.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 2.8 BPG over 27.1 MPG in five games. He also posted impressive numbers in 45 G League games last season, averaging 23.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.7 BPG in 33.1 MPG while playing for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers’ affiliate.
The Raptors recently took a look at Wood while working out free agent big men.
Milwaukee already had a full roster when it reached an agreement with swingman Shabazz Muhammad earlier this week. It had 14 players with guaranteed contracts, four with non- or partially-guaranteed deals, and two on two-way pacts prior to the Muhammad and Wood agreements, so it will have to shed two players to fit them in.
Undrafted in 2015, Wood has appeared in 30 NBA games. He played 17 for the Sixers during his rookie campaign and 13 more with the Hornets in 2016/17. He averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 8.4 MPG in those games.
Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Roberson, Patterson, Grant
The Thunder’s starting backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson should be back early in the season, GM Sam Presti told Erik Horne of The Oklahoman and other media members during a Thursday press conference. Roberson, who suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee in January, will be a non-contact participant at the start of the preseason. There is no timetable when Roberson will get back to contact, Horne continues. Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and is expected to be re-evaluated in three weeks, Horne adds. “It was a pretty minor thing he had to have done. And he’ll be back,” Presti said.
We have more on the Thunder:
- Presti deferred questions regarding who will replace Carmelo Anthony at power forward to coach Billy Donovan, Horne relays in the same story. Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant are the top candidates. “We have to let Billy make those decisions,” Presti said. “He’s in charge of what happens once the ball is tipped up and once we are competing.”
- Presti admitted the team would love to have more 3-point shooting, Royce Young of ESPN.com tweets. Paul George is the only sure-fire member of the starting five who is an above-average 3-point shooter. The top way to solve the issue would be to make a deal but the Thunder would have to give up players they like, Young adds.
- Presti provided his input on how Oklahoma City could use its quickness to maximum use in another Horne story.
Community Shootaround: Butler’s Destination
Entering free agency this summer, speculation over where LeBron James and Paul George would sign dominated the news cycle. Then came the Kawhi Leonard saga after he demanded a trade out of San Antonio.
Heading into training camp, Jimmy Butler has taken center stage. His desire to be traded as quickly as possible approaching his walk year has become the big story. Butler told Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden that he wants out but Thibodeau isn’t about to give away his All-Star swingman, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
Offering young players and/or picks for Butler apparently won’t get a deal done, as Thibodeau wants to get deeper in the playoffs and not reverse course. Butler’s preferred team, according to reports, is the Clippers with the two New York teams next on his wish list.
None of those teams has a player of Butler’s caliber, except for the Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis, whom New York has no intention of dealing. The top veteran the Clippers could dangle is Tobias Harris, who will also be a free agent next summer after turning down an extension offer.
If Butler is traded, he could go just about anywhere, as Minnesota plans to make him available to “any team,” according to the SI report. Up-and-coming teams like the Suns and Nuggets could be in the mix if they are willing to deal away some of their assets.
That leads us to our topic of the day: Where do you think Jimmy Butler will end up this season?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your feedback.
Spurs To Sign Guard Olivier Hanlan
The Spurs will sign guard Olivier Hanlan, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
It’s apparently a training camp deal, as San Antonio has 14 players with guaranteed contracts and another on a partially-guaranteed deal. They recently invited former Thunder swingman Josh Huestis to camp and signed Amida Brimah and Julian Washburn to Exhibit 10 deals.
The former Boston College standout was selected in the second round by the Jazz in 2015. The Spurs acquired his rights the following summer in exchange for Boris Diaw and a future second-rounder.
Hanlan, who has also played professionally in Lithuania and France, spent last season with the G League’s Austin Spurs. The 6’4” guard averaged 14.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 30.6 MPG in 44 games, including 30 starts. He averaged 6.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 2.6 APG in five Las Vegas outings with the Spurs’ summer league team.
Southeast Notes: Dedmon, Anderson, Wade, Pope, Hornets
Center Dewayne Dedmon and swingman Justin Anderson will not be cleared for Hawks training camp, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Dedmon suffered an avulsion fracture in his left ankle earlier this month and shed his walking boot last week. Dedmon, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, will be reevaluated next week, Vivlamore continues. Anderson had surgery June 29th on his left leg due to recurring tibial stress syndrome. Anderson, who was acquired from the Sixers in a three-team deal in July, will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Vivlamore adds.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The addition of Dwyane Wade complicates the Heat’s rotation, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. With Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. along with Wade, the Heat could field a lineup of shooting guards and still have a couple left over, Winderman points out. Even though Wade agreed to the $2.4MM veteran’s minimum, the Heat have major luxury tax concerns as well, Winderman writes in another piece. They’ll have to shed approximately $6.3MM in payroll to get below the tax, Winderman adds.
- The Magic have hired Bill Pope as director of pro personnel, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports tweets. Pope held a similar position with the Kings front office. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported last week that Orlando was closing to hiring Pope.
- Getting more out of second-year guard Malik Monk and dividing minutes at center among Cody Zeller, Willy Hernangomez, Bismack Biyombo and Frank Kaminsky are a couple of the storylines to watch with the Hornets this season. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer breaks down the top 10 storylines for Charlotte.