Kings Claim Lamar Patterson Off Waivers
JULY 15th, 1:33pm: The move is official, the team announced.
JULY 14th, 4:31pm: The Kings have claimed Lamar Patterson off waivers from the Hawks, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (Twitter link). As a result, Sacramento will assume responsibility for the $874,636 he is due for 2016/17. Atlanta waived Patterson on Tuesday.
It’s a low-risk move for the Kings, as Patterson’s salary isn’t guaranteed. The team can get a look at the 24-year-old shooting guard during the preseason and not be responsible for any cash if he doesn’t pan out.
Patterson made 35 appearances for the Hawks this past season, averaging 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .350/.245/.727.
Hornets Sign Christian Wood
JULY 14, 2:27pm: The Hornets have officially signed Wood, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 13, 9:15pm: The Hornets have agreed to a multiyear deal with forward Christian Wood, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). It will be a two-year pact, with the second year a team option, Charania adds. The dollar amount of the arrangement was not relayed.
Wood previously spent regular season time in the NBA with the Sixers, having inked four deals over the past 10 months with the franchise. The Sixers initially signed him last September to a four-year deal with a $50K partial guarantee, but despite winning a spot on the opening night roster, Philly waived him in January to make way for Elton Brand as team executive Jerry Colangelo brought with him an emphasis on veterans. Wood rejoined the team on a 10-day deal after the Sixers opened a roster spot through the JaKarr Sampson snafu, but the Sixers terminated that 10-day contract early so they could claim Sonny Weems off waivers. Philly later backtracked on that decision, releasing Weems and signing Wood to another 10-day pact which led to him remaining with the team the remainder of the season.
The 20-year-old has 17 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, notching averages of 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 8.5 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers are .415/.364/.619.
Raptors Sign Jared Sullinger
JULY 14, 10:13am: The Raptors have officially confirmed their deal with Sullinger (Twitter link).
JULY 11, 1:52pm: It appears Jared Sullinger will remain in the Atlantic Division, with the big man tweeting out that he intends to join the Raptors. It will be a one-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports (via Twitter). The arrangement is worth approximately $6MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
The Celtics renounced their $4,433,683 qualifying offer to Sullinger on Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Boston had limited playing time to offer the 6’9″ power forward after signing Al Horford in free agency and allowing Amir Johnson‘s $12MM deal to become guaranteed for next season. Sullinger met with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri on Sunday, Wojnarowski notes, which apparently went well, given the two sides struck a deal today.
Sullinger, 24, spent four years in Boston after the Celtics made him the No. 21 overall pick on the 2012 NBA Draft. He appeared in 81 games this past season, including 73 tip-offs as a starter, averaging 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 23.6 minutes per outing. The forward had a shooting line of .435/.282/.640.
And-Ones: Raduljica, Canaan, Udrih, Bogut
Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica turned down a minimum salary offer from the Wizards and is headed back overseas instead, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has inked a a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano in Italy, Pick notes. Raduljica last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, playing in five games for the Timberwolves and averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes per game. His shooting line was .375/.000/1.000.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Warriors gave Andrew Bogut the choice of being traded to the Mavs and the Rockets, with the big man ultimately deciding to go to Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Sixers also expressed interest, but Golden State wanted to deal Bogut to a team with more realistic playoff hopes than Philly, the scribe adds.
- The Wizards have invited forward Michael Eric to training camp, but that offer doesn’t include any salary, merely a shot at making the roster, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com relays (Twitter links). The 28-year-old spent last season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ D-League affiliate.
- Isaiah Canaan, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Bulls, is thrilled to be joining the team and the opportunity it will provide, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “I’m just looking forward to another great opportunity,” Canaan said. “They got good veterans on the team with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade], Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. So I’m looking forward to getting into the gym with them guys. It’s an up-and-coming team. They got Wade. Everybody knows how he is, a great all-star, been around the league for a while. And he’s back home with an up-and-coming talent like Jimmy Butler. It can’t get no better than that.”
- The Heat are still engaged in contract discussions with point guard Beno Udrih, according to his agent, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The possibility exists that Udrih could rejoin the team at the league minimum, but the veteran hasn’t made up his mind about what he wants to do, Jackson adds.
Western Notes: Crawford, Ellis, Durant
Jamal Crawford wanted to remain with the Clippers all along, saying Los Angeles feels like home to him, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com relays. “I’ve said it the whole time, I wanted to come back here,” Crawford said. “My wife, we’ve been together 10 years now, but we’ve been in one place the longest here, so this is where she kind of knows from a team aspect. This is kind of like our home as well.” Crawford also noted that the unity throughout the team separated the Clippers from other places in the NBA – from the front office down to the locker room, which is another reason he re-signed with the club, Kavner relays. “That’s kind of unusual in this business,” Crawford said. “I’m not saying everything’s perfect or we don’t have our ups and downs or see things from different points of view; but overall, it’s a family.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Suns are closing in on hiring Ty Ellis as the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Ellis spent the 2015/16 campaign as an assistant on Phoenix’s D-League squad in Bakersfield.
- Nuggets assistant coach Ed Pinckney is no longer with the team, having resigned from his post, and Wes Unseld has been promoted to lead assistant, Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post relays (on Twitter). A team source disputes that Pinckney resigned, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets, but that source did confirm that Pinckney was no longer with Denver.
- Small forward Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors this offseason to compete for an NBA title, but he’ll likely see his off the court earnings increase as a result of the move, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “It’s a huge move for Kevin,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Patriarch Organization and the chairman of ReputationManagementConsultants.com. “It’s going to be amazing for him from a financial standpoint. I think he is going to give LeBron James a run for his money there once he gets into the Bay Area. It gives him an almost unfair advantage in terms of marketing. It gives advertisers and brands who want to align with greatness further reason to invest. It’s going to be an economic earthquake. He can really change things there.”
Southwest Notes: Duncan, Finch, Grizzlies
Newly retired Tim Duncan penned a letter, which was posted to the Spurs‘ official website, expressing his gratitude for how teammates, opponents and fans treated him during his storied career. “If asked to write a script for my career 19 years ago, there is no way I would’ve been able to dream up this journey,” Duncan wrote. “I stand here at the end of this ride and look back in awe of what I’ve experienced. The wins and losses will be remembered, but what I’ll remember most are the people:
The fans inside the arena and out, the staff and coaches who pushed me and held me together, the teammates [and even opponents] who will be lifelong friends, sharing my ups and downs with family and close friends, and, most importantly, the snapshots of my kids growing up and reveling in watching Dad work. That is what I will cherish most. Thank you to the city of San Antonio for the love and the support over these years. Thank you to the fans all over the world.”
A true class act in every sense of the word, Duncan’s presence will certainly be missed this season. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets and assistant coach Chris Finch have parted ways, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Finch is highly regarded around the league and should be on numerous teams’ coaching radar for future openings, Lowe adds.
- One of Grizzlies coach David Fizdale‘s first tasks will be to sort out the team’s backup point guard situation, with a number of inexperienced players likely to play major roles this season, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes. Speaking about Wade Baldwin and Andrew Harrison, two players expected to compete for the right to be Mike Conley‘s backup, Fizdale told Tillery, “All I know is that I’m going to let those guys play with a lot of freedom. I’m going to try to put them in situations to be successful. We’re going to trust them. There’s a chance for both of those guys to play for me during the year. I’m going to make sure they are very comfortable, very confident and that they have a lot of clarity. Let’s see what happens.“
Magic To Waive Devyn Marble
The Magic plan to waive Devyn Marble prior to his 2016/17 salary becoming fully guaranteed, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports. Orlando has until Friday to part ways with the swingman, or else the team will be on the hook for the $980,431 he is due for next season.
Orlando currently has 13 players under contract, including Marble, two under the regular season maximum and seven beneath the preseason limit. The team could still re-sign Marble at a later date, if it desired, provided he clears waivers.
Marble appeared in 28 games for the Magic this past season and averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .296/.250/.417.
Richard Hamilton Eyeing NBA Return?
Former NBA player Richard Hamilton is considering making an NBA return this season, Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com relays. Hamilton told Pandian that he his agent put out feelers to several teams and he is planning on training hard for the next 30 days. If his body holds up during that time period, Hamilton is going to attempt a comeback, the scribe adds.
“I’m giving myself thirty days where I am really hitting the gym.” Hamilton said. “I’m working on my game. I’m in the weight room. I’m running my two, three miles a day. And I’m trying to see if my body can hold up. If my body can hold up after these thirty days, I will be making a comeback.”
The 38-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2012/13 season with the Bulls, appearing in 50 games and averaging 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 21.8 minutes per outing. The Leon Rose client retired with more than $109MM in earnings over the course of his time in the NBA, according to Basketball-Reference. He averaged 17.1 PPG and 3.4 APG with 34.6% three-point shooting and a 16.5 PER for his career.
Hamilton acknowledged it will be difficult to rejoin the league after being away from the game for three years and will only come back if it is the right situation, Pandian writes. “If I get the opportunity where I can come in and earn my minutes,” Hamilton said. “I think that I will be able to make an impact on someone’s NBA team.” The swingman also noted that one reason he wants to play again is because of his children and to get another shot at winning a title. “I’m actually doing it for [my kids] and for myself, too, to get an opportunity to make one more run at it,” Hamilton said. “And if there’s an opportunity, where I could go out and win another championship, I’m all for it.” I’d also wager the deals handed out this summer courtesy of the spike in the salary cap played a part, but I can’t fault Hamilton for giving it a go.
Heat Sign Stefan Jankovic
The Heat continue to fill out their preseason roster, announcing that they have signed unrestricted free agent forward Stefan Jankovic. The length and terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is more than likely a minimum salary arrangement.
Jankovic went undrafted out of the University of Hawaii this year and is currently playing on Miami’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas where he has appeared in two games, notching a total of eight points, three assists and two rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
The 22-year-old was named the Big West Player of the Year this past season after averaging 15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.2 assists in 24.7 minutes of action over 33 games. Jankovic shot 54.3% from the floor overall, 39.3 % from three-point range and 77.2% from the foul line.
Sixers Sign Jerryd Bayless To Three-Year Deal
JULY 13: Nearly two weeks after agreeing to sign him, the Sixers have made their deal with Bayless official, confirming it today in a press release.
JULY 1: The Sixers have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal with unrestricted free agent Jerryd Bayless, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (Twitter links). The guard will receive a three-year deal worth $27MM, the scribe adds. All three seasons of the pact are fully guaranteed.
The addition of Bayless is a solid one for the Sixers, who desperately need backcourt depth and outside shooting. Philly was reportedly seeking to add veterans to its roster this offseason, and with Bayless set to be in the fold, are off to a solid start in that department.
The 27-year-old appeared in 52 games for the Bucks this past season, including 18 contests as a starter. Bayless averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing while shooting .423/.437/.778 from the field.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.