Grizzlies Sign JaKarr Sampson, Waive Kellen Dunham
The Grizzlies have made a pair of roster moves, signing JaKarr Sampson and waiving Kellen Dunham, the team announced. The details of Sampson pact were not relayed, though it is almost assuredly a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed money. Memphis’ roster still stands at 20 players, so the team has five more players it will need to part ways with prior to the regular season commencing.
Sampson was waived by the Nuggets last week as Denver began paring down its preseason roster. Sampson was originally inked by the Nuggets this past February and played in the final 26 games (22 starts) of the 2015/16 season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes. He has appeared in one preseason contest this year, notching 10 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 20 minutes.
Dunham’s stay in Memphis was brief, having just been signed on Thursday. The shooting guard played for the Grizzlies’ summer-league team in Las Vegas, making four reserve appearances while averaging 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.9 minutes. He went undrafted in June after a four-year collegiate career at Butler. His addition was likely made with an eye on acquiring his D-League rights, though that is merely my speculation.
Magic Sign Ramon Galloway
The Magic have signed Ramon Galloway, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter). The guard’s stay on Orlando’s roster is likely to be a short one, with the player added merely to acquire his D-League rights, Robbins adds. The Magic have confirmed the signing via press release.
The 25-year-old went undrafted in 2013 after splitting his four-year college career between LaSalle and South Carolina. He spent the 2015/16 campaign playing overseas with both OpenJobMetis Varese and Fulgor Omegna in Italy. His combined numbers through 26 contests were 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists to accompany a shooting line of .437/.333/.889.
Galloway suited up for Charlotte’s entry in the Orlando summer league this year, making three appearances and notching averages of 9.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 1.7 APG. His slash line was .476/.250/1.000.
Eastern Notes: Carter-Williams, Jack, Smith
Discussing the Bulls swap of Tony Snell for Michael Carter-Williams with the Bucks, Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said he likes what the former Rookie of the Year can bring to the team’s second unit, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com relays. “I think he’s a versatile basketball player,” Hoiberg said. “He’s shown he can get into the ball and defend full court. His numbers speak for itself on what he can do on the floor as a scorer, averaging over 14 and a half points for his career. Also a very good rebounder and passer with good vision, averaging six rebounds and six assists for his career. Just excited to get him, a long and athletic guard that can play multiple positions.”
“It’s tough because they become family,” said Taj Gibson regarding the loss of Snell, adding that said Snell was happy someone wanted him. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, been in a lot of hostile situations with them. So it’s always tough but it’s the business part of it. It never gets easy but you have to just wish them well knowing they’re going to a better situation to help their game and just keep pushing forward.”
Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer confirmed that point guard Jarrett Jack, who is recovering from knee surgery, won’t be ready to take the court when the regular season begins, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays (via Twitter). No timetable was given for Jack’s return.
- J.R. Smith is excited that his contract standoff with the Cavaliers is now in the past, adding that he intends to live in Cleveland year-round now that he has a long-term deal, Michael Beaven of Ohio.com writes. “It feels great,” Smith said of being back. “I didn’t take my physical yet, so I can’t practice, but it feels good to be in the gym, be around the guys and to be a part of it. I have worked out and done a bunch of basketball drills, but as far as 5-on-5 pickup I haven’t done anything like that. I had a great team behind me as far as on the agent side. The Cavs wanted me and they knew I wanted to be here.”
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is excited about the addition of swingman Luis Montero, who was signed by the team earlier today, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel notes (Twitter links). “We were actually surprised that he was available and wanted to take advantage of that,” Spoelstra said. “He’s one of these long,athletic, combo wing guys that we’ve had success with.“
Western Notes: Clarkson, Hayward, McCollum
It’s unclear if Jordan Clarkson will be in the starting lineup or coming off the bench for the Lakers this season, but regardless of his role, the guard needs to continue to improve his defense, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report writes. “We watch tape at our coach’s retreat and they gave us the analytics on him defensively, and he was not good last year at defense. He was not good,” coach Luke Walton said. “He’s been maybe our most consistent perimeter defender since the start of camp. A big part of defense. if you’re going to play it on every possession, is enjoying the idea of trying to get stops and trying to make it hard on your guy,” Walton said. “He’s a year older, who knows what it is, but he’s done a great job for us.”
Clarkson acknowledges he had some improvements to make over last season’s version of himself, Pincus notes. “All defense is, is taking angles, finding a spot where to cut somebody off, using your chest,” Clarkson said. “Some of that stuff had to come in the weight room. I got stronger this summer. I just put in a lot of work.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Gordon Hayward can opt out of his current deal after the season, but Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said during an interview on Sirius XM Radio today that he is confident the team will re-sign the forward. “For us I think, as much as anything, we need to be ourselves with Gordon, need to be authentic and real and then he’s going to have a decision to make. But fundamentally, if we do the right things here… Let’s just be honest, we have an advantage by having his Bird rights. There’s a lot of money associated with the fifth year and higher raises,” Lindsey said. Hayward’s player option for 2017/18 is worth $16,736,710, but he’ll almost assuredly command well over that amount on the open market.
- Blazers point guard Damian Lillard believes that Portland will be a contender for the Western Conference crown this season, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “It’s a lot of tough teams in the West,” Lillard said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh we can go right up in there and it’s going to be easy.’ But I feel like we’re one of the teams that’s right there in the mix. Obviously, you’ve got teams like Golden State and San Antonio, the teams that everybody talks about. Obviously, they’ll be good, but I feel like we could jump right up there and get in the mix with them.”
- Lillard’s backcourt partner, C.J. McCollum, who inked a maximum salary extension this summer with the Blazers, has the proper makeup not to let the distractions that accompany such a major financial windfall affect his play, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical writes in his profile of the player.
Atlantic Notes: Rose, Patterson, Sixers Promotions
The Knicks are hoping their lack of point guard depth won’t come back to haunt them, especially early in the season, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. Projected third-stringer Chasson Randle is expected to miss three to four weeks with an orbital fracture and presumptive starter Derrick Rose has yet to play during the preseason due to his civil trial which is being held in Los Angeles. The earliest Rose could be back with the team would be for Thursday’s contest against the Nets, but even if he return in time for the game, he may not play due to lack of practice time, Bondy notes. “I don’t know [if I’ll play him without a practice]. If we can go through some things in the morning with him the day of the game — it’s a back-to-back situation, so I don’t know if we’d get a chance to,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “But if somehow we could get a couple guys to work with him, maybe, just to give him a little bit of time before the first game. But we won’t push that.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Patrick Patterson is earning $6,050,000 this season and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Raptors power forward is keenly aware that he is in a contract year, telling Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (via Twitter), “My attitude, my demeanor and the way I carry myself on and off the court is going to be drastically different.” Patterson acknowledged that every player wants to get paid, noting that he has added some new moves to his offensive game for 2016/17, Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic relays (Twitter links).
- The Sixers have promoted Ned Cohen to Vice President of Basketball Operations and Chief of Staff, as well as re-structured their analytics department, which will now be led by Vice President of Analytics and Strategy Alex Rucker, and supported by Director of Applied Analytics Dr. Lance Pearson and Sergi Oliva as Director of Basketball Analytics and Innovation, the team announced via press release. “These moves reflect the outstanding performance of many within the 76ers organization and also addresses our desire to enhance and improve our internal processes regarding decision making, athlete performance care and team services. We are very excited about the future of this organization both on and off the basketball floor,” said team executive Bryan Colangelo.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer looked back at how executive Danny Ainge built a “super team” in Boston with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and what the current state of the Celtics‘ current reconstruction is, as well as what the team needs to take things to the next level.
Western Notes: Gasol, Lawson, Dekker, McGee
With Donatas Motiejunas still unsigned after the forward let his qualifying offer expire on October 1st, second-year player Sam Dekker is likely to receive extended playing time at power forward for the Rockets, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “I’m just worried about making plays on both ends of the court in any way that I can contribute, and if it’s at the 4, then so be it,” Dekker said. “I know I have a skill set that can play many positions. I’m embracing it, embracing that it will be my role this year. It’s a long season. Things can change, but if right now if [coach Mike D’Antoni] wants me at the backup 4, then I’m going to do that and play my hardest.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale told the media today that an MRI taken on Marc Gasol‘s right foot revealed a bone bruise, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. The coach noted that the bone bruise is not in the navicular bone, which Gasol had surgically repaired after breaking last season, and that he expects the center to be “just fine” for the season opener, the scribe adds.
- According to Kings coach Dave Joerger, there was no incident with point guard Ty Lawson, who missed a flight to Saturday’s game in Kentucky, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Despite a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein that stated the team was upset with Lawson, Joerger said that the point guard will remain a member of the Kings, Ham adds.
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said center JaVale McGee has a “good chance” of making the team’s regular season roster, Anthony Slater of The Mercury News relays. McGee is signed to a one-year, minimum salary deal with no guaranteed money.
- The Lakers still have two roster cuts to make in order to reach the regular season maximum of 15 players. Coach Luke Walton is still undecided on who will stay and who will go, telling Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that he has “no idea” who he’s going to waive just yet. The three players who are likely on the bubble are Metta World Peace, Yi Jianlian and Thomas Robinson.
Heat Notes: Winslow, Bosh, Udrih
Heat swingman Justise Winslow has made tangible improvements from a season ago, according to coach Erik Spoelstra, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. Spoelstra compared his second-year player to Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, whom Miami squared off against last week, Winderman adds. “He does what he’s always done, and that’s make winning plays,” Spoelstra said of Winslow. “He is one of those unique players. The guy he was playing against on the other side [Friday] night is very similar. They make a lot of winning plays. And you can’t define them necessarily by a box score. Now, Justise can fill up a box score, and he’s showing his development. We plan on using him all over the court — handling the ball, posting up, drives, spacing the floor. The more responsibility we’ve given him, the more inspired his play has become.”
Miami recently picked up Winslow’s third-year option and will likely do the same next October when it needs to decide on his fourth-year one, Winderman writes. “It’s new to me, some parts of it,” Winslow said regarding contract deadlines. “But you’ve just got to understand the situation. You’ve got to understand the business. So a lot of guys are just talking to me about the business of basketball, and that’s just one part of it, the two-year team option. You’ve just got to know it and be aware of it, because it’d be crazy if they didn’t pick it up and I had no idea about it. So just being aware of the situation is the first step.”
Here’s more from South Beach:
- In his latest “Ask Ira” column, Winderman opines that Miami is likely to keep Beno Udrih on its roster over Briante Weber to start the regular season, with Weber on-deck as a call-up option from the D-League later in the campaign.
- The Heat must wait until at least February 9th, 2017 to release Chris Bosh if they wish to clear him from its cap, provided an independent doctor says the forward is still unfit to play. But despite that cutoff, Miami may wait longer to part ways with Bosh, given that they would be back on the hook for his salary if the player appeared in 25 regular season or playoff games with another team, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 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 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.
Free agent signings:
- Harrison Barnes: Four years, $94.439MM. Maximum salary contract. Fourth year player option.
- Dirk Nowitzki: Two years, $50MM. Second year team option.
- Dwight Powell: Four years, $37.269MM. Player option.
- Deron Williams: One year, $9MM.
- Seth Curry: Two years, $5.926MM.
- Jonathan Gibson: Three years, minimum salary. Second and third years non-guaranteed.
- Quincy Acy: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Nicolas Brussino: Three years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
- Kyle Collinsworth: Two years, minimum salary ($70K guaranteed)
- Dorian Finney-Smith: Three years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
- Keith Hornsby: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
- Jameel Warney: One year, minimum salary ($20K guaranteed). Waived.
- C.J. Williams: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Trades:
- Acquired Andrew Bogut and Warriors’ 2019 second-round pick from the Warriors in exchange for the Mavericks’ own 2019 second-round pick (protected 31-55).
- Acquired the draft rights to Stanko Barac from the Pacers in exchange for Jeremy Evans, the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, and cash ($3.2MM).
Draft picks:
- 2-46: A.J. Hammons: Signed for three years, $2.606MM. Fully guaranteed.
Departing players:
- Jeremy Evans
- Raymond Felton
- David Lee
- JaVale McGee (waived)
- Zaza Pachulia
- Chandler Parsons
- Charlie Villanueva
Other offseason news:
- Andrew Bogut eligible for contract extension as of October 25.
- Pursued Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside in free agency.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Dallas Mavericks right here.
“Always a bridesmaid and never the bride.” That classic phrase sums up what the Mavericks’ offseasons have become the past few years. In 2013, the team set its sights on Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, a year when both were still highly sought after free agents, only to end up with Monta Ellis. In 2015 the franchise let Tyson Chandler depart (for the second time) and targeted DeAndre Jordan, only to have the big man switch gears and after a bizarre psuedo-standoff at his home, rejoin the Clippers. Instead, the Mavs ended up signing Zaza Pachulia. This past summer, Mark Cuban and company had designs on signing Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, but instead ended up with Harrison Barnes. Notice a disturbing trend here?
One could easily argue that the Warriors’ signing of Kevin Durant ultimately saved Dallas from having an absolutely disastrous summer. If KD doesn’t join the Warriors, Golden State has no reason to let Barnes leave as a free agent or to trade Andrew Bogut, and the Mavs would have been left high and dry as a result of overreaching for players who had no intention of joining the team. While the Bogut acquisition was a solid move for the club, perhaps it may have been better to bottom out for a year rather than fork over the exorbitant contract that the team gave to Barnes.
Dallas essentially chose Barnes over Chandler Parsons, who signed with the Grizzlies this offseason. Given Parsons’ injury woes, I don’t knock the Mavs for balking at offering him a maximum salary contract, but committing that amount of money to Barnes is just as big of a risk. Barnes has been a solid rotational piece for the Warriors throughout his first four NBA seasons, shooting 37.6% on three-pointers and averaging double-digits in points for his career. However, he was inconsistent in the playoffs this past season, no-showing in some key games down the stretch for Golden State. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Barnes shot just 35.2% from the floor, including 31.0% from three-point range, and many of those misses were uncontested shots. Now he’s going to be the focal point of Dallas’ rebuilding plan and have the weight of needing to live up to his contract on his shoulders.
If Parsons wasn’t worthy of this level of investment, I’m not sure how Barnes is. Granted, his numbers should see an uptick based on increased playing time and coach Rick Carlisle‘s ability to squeeze production out of his players, but it is extremely unlikely that the 24-year-old will perform to the level his contract. Adding him seems reactionary on the part of Dallas, with the team needing to do something over the summer to try and change up the formula. I like Barnes as a third-option on a playoff team, but not as one of its primary building blocks, which is what earning $22MM-$25MM per season over the course of his contract forces him to be.
As I previously mentioned, I’m a fan of the team’s acquisition of Bogut for the low cost of a protected second-rounder in what was a clear salary dump for the Warriors. The 31-year-old is an injury risk, but with just one year remaining on his current deal at the very reasonable rate of $11,027,027 for 2016/17, this one could pay off big for Dallas. The Mavs have had a gaping hole in the middle since Chandler departed, and Bogut’s defense, grit and rebounding are all welcome additions. Coupled with the arrival of Barnes, who is a defensive upgrade over Parsons, and a healthy Wesley Matthews, the team should be much improved on that end of the court.
The rest of the Mavs’ offseason signings were solid, if unspectacular. Given the lack of options, re-signing Deron Williams for one-year, $9MM was a decent move. Williams is no longer the star player he was during his time with the Jazz, which seems like a lot longer than six seasons ago, but his 2015/16 numbers of 14.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 5.8 APG to go along with a shooting line of .414/.344/.869 are worth keeping him around on this low-risk pact. However, I’m not as bullish on re-signing Dwight Powell to a four-year, $37.27MM deal. Giving that level of commitment to a player who has been as inconsistent as Powell has been is a risky move that could hamper the team in future offseasons. The 25-year-old has struggled to remain healthy during his brief time in the league and he doesn’t quite fit the mold of where the league is headed regarding how big men are utilized.
One signing that I am excited about for the Mavericks is the addition of Seth Curry, whose two-year, $5.93MM could turn out to be an absolute steal for the team. Curry has looked very sharp thus far in the preseason, averaging 12.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.5 APG while connecting on 53.3% of his shots from beyond the arc. While he’s never likely going to approach the skill level of his brother Stephen Curry,, the younger Curry has a legitimate shot under Carlisle to be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Dallas should focus more on adding undervalued players who can have breakout seasons, rather than chasing the “big fish” every offseason without having a legitimate chance of landing them.
Perhaps the best move the Mavericks made this offseason was re-signing Dirk Nowitzki to a two-year, $50MM deal. The franchise finally did right by the big German, upping the initial deal by $10MM when it became clear that the money wasn’t going to other players. Nowitzki has been the textbook example of unselfish, taking far less than market rate on his past two contracts in order to give the team flexibility to add players around him. Besides rewarding his loyalty, Dallas avoided having its longtime franchise player depart over a lowball offer the way Dwyane Wade ended his tenure in Miami this summer. Kudos to Cuban on the move, its just unfortunate that Nowitzki will likely end his career without having a legitimate shot at winning another NBA title.
After what turned out to be another disappointing summer for the team and its fans, the Mavs enter the new season as an unknown quantity. The team will likely struggle to equal its 42 wins from a season ago and it will take a number of players meeting and exceeding expectations for the club to reach the postseason again. The only true positive I can offer is that Dallas at least has a higher ceiling than it did last year, with the defense likely to be improved and some new blood on the roster. If Barnes can come close to living up to his contract, the Mavs could surprise. But that is a tall order, especially if the young forward succumbs to the pressure of silencing his critics. Hopefully, the franchise will enter next offseason with a more realistic shopping list, which could help it avoid having to play catch-up like it has the past few summers.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Thunder Sign Reggie Williams, Waive Alex Caruso
The Thunder shuffled guards on their roster today, announcing via press release that Reggie Williams has been signed and Alex Caruso was waived. The details of Williams’ deal were not relayed, though it is almost assuredly a minimum salary arrangement that may include a small partial guarantee. Caruso’s minimum salary pact included a partial guarantee of $50K, which will remain on OKC’s salary cap unless he is claimed off waivers by another club.
Williams spent the 2015/16 campaign overseas with the Russian club Avtodor Saratov. He appeared in 16 contests and averaged 13.6 points on 58.8% shooting overall. The guard has appeared in 200 career NBA games (32 starts) with the Thunder, Spurs, Hornets and Warriors. He owns career averages of 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.3 minutes
Caruso, who went undrafted in June, played his college ball at Texas A&M, averaging 8.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.1 SPG in his senior year, while shooting 36.8% from three-point range. The 22-year-old was also named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team. He did not log a single minute of action during preseason play for the Thunder.
Pistons Waive Nikola Jovanovic
The Pistons have waived forward Nikola Jovanovic, the team announced via press release. Jovanovic’s minimum salary deal included a partial guarantee of $30K, which Detroit will be on the hook for, provided the player isn’t claimed off waivers by another team. The Pistons’ roster count now stands at 17 players, which is still two above the regular season maximum.
Jovanovic wasn’t selected in June’s NBA Draft after forgoing his senior year at USC in order to become draft-eligible. In his final season with the Trojans, the 22-year-old averaged 12.1 PPG and 7.0 RPG, shooting 52.4% from the field.
The forward saw action saw action in one preseason game for the Pistons, going scoreless in just over three minutes of playing time. He’ll likely join Detroit’s D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids to start the season.