Spurs Sign Forward Livio Jean-Charles
The Spurs have signed power forward Livio Jean-Charles, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports. The signing was confirmed in a team press release. Jean-Charles’ contract is believed to be a standard rookie-scale deal for four years and approximately $4.5MM, according to McDonald.
Jean-Charles was a draft-and-stash prospect, taken No. 28 overall during the 2013 draft. The 6’9”, 22-year-old Charles played the last four seasons for the French League club ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, which is co-owned by San Antonio point guard Tony Parker. Last season he appeared in 25 games, averaging 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21.2 minutes.
He was also a member of the Spurs’ summer-league teams the past two seasons. Jean-Charles isn’t considered much of an offensive threat but he’ll be a factor on the defensive end.
“He’s had a lot of growth since last year,” Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon told McDonald. “He’s an athletic ‘four.’ We expect him to play great defense and grab a lot of boards.”
San Antonio doesn’t have a true power forward outside of LaMarcus Aldridge on the current roster, so Jean-Charles could carve out a rotation role with a strong training camp. He’ll compete with Kyle Anderson and Davis Bertans for minutes.
Eastern Rumors: J.R. Smith, Sixers, Knicks
- Bryan Colangelo’s overt attempts to trade either Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor has backfired, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The Sixers’ GM should have taken a more low-key approach and now has undermined his ability to trade either big man, Sielski continues. Both young players know that Colangelo is shopping them, and while it makes sense to now keep them into the regular season to improve their trade value, that might lead to discord in the locker room, Sielski adds.
- The Knicks are one of three teams pursuing point guard Chasson Randle, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Randle, who went undrafted in 2015, made a favorable impression on the Knicks’ brass while playing for their summer-league team. He could be New York’s No. 3 point guard behind Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings but the club is out of cap space and can only offer the rookie minimum of $565K, Berman adds.
- Combo guard Tomas Satoransky expects to go through a significant adjustment period when he joins the Wizards this season, Gene Wang of the Washington Post reports. The 2012 draft-and-stash prospect officially joined Washington Thursday on a three-year, $9MM deal. “The game is quicker,” Satoransky told Wang and other media members during a conference call. “For sure, it’s better athleticism in the NBA than what I’m used to Europe, so I’ll have to adjust as soon as possible for that.” Satoransky could emerge as John Wall‘s primary backup at point guard, Wang adds.
Mavericks Finalize Contract With Seth Curry
JULY 15: The Mavericks have officially signed Curry, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 4: The Mavericks are nearing a two-year, $6MM agreement with free agent guard Seth Curry, league sources informed Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The 6’2” combo guard played in 44 games with the Kings last season, including nine starts, and averaged 6.8 points in 15.7 minutes. He shot 45% on his 3-point tries.
Stephen Curry‘s brother appeared in just four NBA games with three different teams prior to his breakthrough season with Sacramento. The 6’2” shooting guard had his qualifying offer of approximately $1.2MM rescinded by the Kings on Sunday. He made $947,276 during 2015/16.
The Kings considered Curry expendable after they agreed to terms with free agent guard Garrett Temple. Curry hit the free agent market after declining his player option of $1MM for next season. That decision has apparently paid off with Dallas offering a bigger salary and an additional year.
Dallas already had a busy Monday, with the Warriors declining to match its four-year, $94MM offer sheet for restricted small forward Harrison Barnes. Golden State also agreed to trade starting center Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks.
While Curry can play the point, it’s more likely he’ll back up Wesley Matthews at shooting guard.
Hawks Sign Kris Humphries To One-Year Deal
JULY 15: The Hawks have issued a press release officially announcing Humphries’ deal.
JULY 11: Free agent power forward Kris Humphries has agreed to a one-year, $4MM contract to remain with the Hawks, league sources informed Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Humphries drew quite a bit of interest during the free agent process, with the Wizards, Suns, Celtics, Nets, Wolves, Spurs and Hornets reportedly in the mix. In the end, he chose the team for which he played 21 games last season, averaging 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes. He also appeared in 28 games with the Wizards and four games with the Suns last season. The 6’9” Humphries will be entering his 13th season.
Humphries figures to be the main backup to Paul Millsap, though he’ll have to compete for minutes with Mike Scott and Mike Muscala.
Warriors Sign Zaza Pachulia
JULY 12: More than a week after agreeing to terms with him, the Warriors have officially announced their new deal with Pachulia, via a team release.
JULY 4: The Warriors have reached a one-year contract agreement with Mavericks free agent center Zaza Pachulia, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Pachulia will receive $2.9MM, Charania adds. That puts him in line for Golden State’s mini mid-level exception.
The addition of Pachulia contributes to an already historic day for the franchise, which reached an agreement with top free agent Kevin Durant. Pachulia takes over the starting spot previously held by Andrew Bogut, who was dealt to the Mavs once Durant chose the two-time defending Western Conference champions.
Pachulia could have taken a much bigger offer in this free agent climate. The lure of playing for a team that will be heavily favored to regain the crown next season was too great for him to pass up. The Hornets were reportedly in hot pursuit for Pachulia’s services. The 32-year-old Pachulia had a very productive season with Dallas, averaging 8.6 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds in 76 games.
Bogut will make $12.68MM next season, so Pachulia’s decision to take a pay cut — he made $5.2MM a year ago — gives them a huge bargain for a rotation player. The biggest downgrade for the Warriors is that Pachulia, unlike Bogut, is not a shot blocker. He has averaged 0.3 blocks per game during his career.
Community Shootaround: Free Agency
It’s been a wild and crazy July in the NBA with free agency dominating the sports news. An unparalleled spending spree, created by the expanding salary cap, allowed even journeyman players to enjoy extremely rich paydays.
Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Warriors was the biggest jaw-dropper but certainly not the only one. The Celtics finally landed a big-time player, or something close to it, by wooing away Al Horford from the Hawks. Dwyane Wade stunned virtually everyone around the league by leaving the only NBA home he’s known for the place he grew up, jumping from the Heat to the Bulls.
Chandler Parsons received a huge contract to join the Grizzlies, who were also successful in retaining the top point guard on the market, Mike Conley. The Mavericks replaced Parsons with an offer sheet to restricted free agent and ex-Warrior Harrison Barnes, who became expendable when Golden State landed the biggest fish on the market.
Atlanta replaced Horford with Dwight Howard, while the Spurs — who struck out in their pursuit of Durant — nabbed aging but still highly productive big man Pau Gasol.
Several other big names in the free agency sweepstakes, including DeMar DeRozan, Nicolas Batum, Hassan Whiteside and Bradley Beal, decided to stay put.
This leads us to our question of the day: Aside from Kevin Durant joining the Warriors, what was the most significant free agent signing this month?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Gobert, Harkless, Pierce
Jazz center Rudy Gobert will play for Team France in the Rio Olympics, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports. He’ll join new Jazz teammate, Boris Diaw, on the squad. Utah swingman Joe Ingles will play for Team Australia and point guard Raul Neto will play for host Brazil, Genessy adds. Gobert did not participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament, when France nabbed the final spot in the field of 12.
In other news around the league:
- Technology industry leaders are urging commissioner Adam Silver to move next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte unless a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people is repealed, according to Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. The executives told Silver in a letter obtained by the AP that putting fans at risk of discrimination would “send a terrible message about who the NBA is and what it values as an organization.” Silver has made it clear the league needs changes to the HB2 law in order to stage the All-Star game but has not set any deadlines for when he might act, Mahoney adds.
- Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless is in “no rush” to sign a contract, but the restricted free agent should make a decision in the next couple of days, his agent told Jason Quick of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). Harkless might accept the Blazers’ qualifying offer of just over $4MM, Quick adds. Several teams were reportedly interested in Harkless early in the free agent process, including the Wizards, Pistons, Lakers, Mavericks and Jazz, but some of those clubs have already made other commitments.
- Clippers small forward Paul Pierce intends to play next season, a source close to Pierce informed Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 38-year-old Pierce appeared in 68 regular-season games with them last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. He also played in five postseason games.
- Point guard Flip Murray is attempting an NBA comeback, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 36-year-old Murray, who has been playing overseas, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/10 season.
Southeast Rumors: Hawks, Ham, Magic, Heat
The Hawks have taken a step backward with their offseason approach and moves, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution opines. Rather than pulling closer toward the top of the Eastern Conference, Atlanta now looks like the sixth- or seventh-best team, Bradley continues. While trading point guard Jeff Teague to open up a starting job for Dennis Schroder was acceptable, Bradley points out that free-agent acquisition Dwight Howard doesn’t fit into coach Mike Budenholzer’s scheme as well as Al Horford, who signed with the Celtics. They also overpaid to keep Kent Bazemore, and the contracts of Howard and Bazemore will be hard to move if they wind up in a rebuild mode, Bradley adds.
In other Southeast Division news:
- Darvin Ham has been promoted to Budenholzer’s lead assistant, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Ham replaces Kenny Atkinson, who was named the Nets’ head coach in April. Ham has been on Budenholzer’s staff since 2014.
- The Magic did the right thing by bringing in defensive-minded big men rather than standing pat this offseason, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel argues. While Orlando has been criticized in some circles for its offseason moves, the additions of Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green gives new coach Frank Vogel an opportunity to play a more physical style, Bianchi notes. The Magic have floundered for four years with their young core and couldn’t wait any longer for it to blossom on its own, Bianchi adds, pointing out that coach Scott Skiles quit after one season because he didn’t like the roster.
- Dwyane Wade admits that the superior contract offer he received from the Bulls forced him to make a hard choice, as he told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and other members of the media. Wade agreed to sign a two-year, $47MM deal with Chicago when the Heat drew the line near the $40MM mark. “Moments like this, it [stinks],” Wade said. “The business side of the sport, sometimes it just [stinks]. That’s what we’re dealing with.”
Atlantic Notes: Sullinger, Okafor, Knicks
The Raptors got themselves a bargain in ex-Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger, even though he’s not an ideal fit, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun opines. Sullinger agreed to a one-year deal with Toronto on Monday after Boston renounced his rights. He’s not an ideal partner for either Jonas Valanciunas or Jakob Poeltl because of his lack of foot speed but he’ll contribute with his rebounding and low-post game, Wolstat continues. Sullinger will be motivated to have a productive season in order to get a big payday next summer, Wolstat adds, noting that approach worked last season for Bismack Biyombo.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor denied via his Twitter account that he’s angry that they shopped him this offseason, according to CSNNE.com report. Okafor responded to a story by Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times that he and his handlers were upset that Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo listened to offers for the second-year power forward. Okafor called the story “fraudulent” and declared that “I love where I am.” The Celtics, who made a big free-agent splash by signing Al Horford, could still try to deal for Okafor this summer, CSNNE.com adds.
- Celtics guard Terry Rozier has positioned himself for more playing time with his postseason play and summer-league performances, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Rozier could help fill the void left by Evan Turner, who agreed to a four-year deal with the Trail Blazers, and even take some minutes from starting point guard Isaiah Thomas, Blakely adds. The 6’2” Rozier averaged 1.8 points in 39 regular-season games as a rookie, then averaged 4.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.8 minutes during the playoffs.
- Expectations of a Knicks playoff run are tempered by health issues, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. New York’s offseason acquisitions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings improved its outlook but all have been hampered by major injuries in recent years, Berman notes. Team president Phil Jackson doesn’t dispute that injury concerns are the team’s biggest issue, Berman adds.
Heat Sign Rodney McGruder
5:10pm: The signing is official, the Heat announced via press release.
11:27am: The Heat and shooting guard Rodney McGruder are close to an agreement on a partially guaranteed three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.
McGruder has played on Miami’s summer league team the past two seasons. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists through three games in the Orlando Summer League this month.
The 24-year-old McGruder appeared in 48 games last season with the Heat’s D-League’s team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He started 44 games and averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 51.3% from the field and 38.4% on 3-point attempts. He gives Miami some depth at shooting guard in the wake of Dwyane Wade‘s impending departure to the Bulls.
McGruder went undrafted in 2013 after starting three seasons at Kansas State.
McGruder was a training camp signee with the Thunder that year but was waived before the season opener. He then played in Hungary before signing with the Celtics in 2014 prior to training camp. He was once again waived before the start of the season and wound up in the D League with the Maine Red Claws and Skyforce.