And-Ones: Zubac, Sanders, Zizic
The Lakers have officially signed center Ivica Zubac to his first NBA contract, the team announced. The 19-year-old was the No. 32 overall pick in this year’s draft after spending last season with Mega Leks, where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds as the team made the Serbian League semi-finals.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Celtics have informed Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko that they won’t be waived in advance of their contracts becoming fully guaranteed for next season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets. Johnson is set to earn $12MM in 2016/17 and Jerebko will make $5MM.
- Celtics team president Danny Ainge said that No. 23 overall pick Ante Zizic will remain overseas next season, adding that no decision has been made regarding No. 16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
- Blazers executive Neil Olshey noted this free agent class was light on players who could be considered starters on contending teams, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays (via Twitter). “We thought it was a fairly thin market for impact level players, guys capable of starting on a playoff caliber team,” Olshey said.
- Former NBA player Larry Sanders has been working out in California and several teams have shown interest in him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball nsiders tweets. The big man remains open to the idea of an NBA comeback, Kennedy adds. The 27-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 season.
Sixers To Sign Shawn Long, James Webb III
The Sixers continue to fill out their roster for training camp, inking undrafted free agents Shawn Long and James Webb III, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter). The pacts are identical two-year, minimum salary agreements that include partial guarantees of $65K for 2016/17, Pincus adds.
Long, 23, appeared in 34 games as a senior for Louisiana-Lafayette, averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.6 minutes per contest. The 6’9″ power forward shot .524/.269/.681 from the field in 2015/16.
Webb, 22, entered the draft as a junior out of Boise State, and despite some mock drafts slotting him as a potential second-rounder, he failed to have his name called on draft night. The forward made 31 appearances this past season and notched averages of 15.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 30.6 minutes per outing. His slash line was .494/.248/.684.
Lakers Acquire Jose Calderon
JULY 7th, 8:07pm: The trade is official, the Bulls announced via press release.
JULY 6th, 9:22pm: The Lakers and Bulls have agreed to a trade that will send Jose Calderon to Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It’s unknown what Chicago is receiving in return, though with the team looking to clear cap room, it’s not likely to be a player.
Chicago had acquired Calderon as part of the Derrick Rose trade with New York and needed to clear his cap hit in order to ink Dwyane Wade, who has reportedly agreed to a deal with the team. Also being shipped out of Chicago tonight is Mike Dunleavy. The Nets were close to acquiring Calderon before Los Angeles swooped in, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
Calderon appeared in 72 games for the Knicks this past season and averaged 7.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 28.1 minutes per outing. His slash line was .459/.414/.875.
Suns Ink Bender, Chriss, Ulis
The Suns announced that 2016 draftees Dragan Bender (No. 4 overall), Marquese Chriss (No. 8 overall) and Tyler Ulis (No. 34 overall) have officially inked their rookie-scale deals with the team.
Bender spent the 2015/16 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League. He averaged 5.5 points on 47.9% shooting, while connecting on 41.1% of his attempts from three-point range. Bender was the youngest player in the 2016 NBA Draft and he also became the first Croatian ever to be a top-four selection in the NBA Draft, according to the official release.
Chriss, a 6’10” power forward, averaged 13.7 points on 53.0% shooting from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc. He also added 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over his 34 games at Washington. Chriss notched 55 blocks overall to lead all Pac-12 freshmen.
Ulis, a 5’10” point guard from Kentucky, was named the SEC Player of the Year by the coaches and media after averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35 games this past season.
Wizards To Sign Daniel Ochefu
The Wizards have reached an agreement on a contract with unrestricted free agent Daniel Ochefu, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). It’s a three-year, minimum salary deal for Ochefu that includes a partial guarantee of $50K for next season, Pincus adds.
The forward out of Villanova went undrafted this year and has to be considered a longshot to make the opening night roster. The Wizards have already bolstered their bench this offseason, adding Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson to split time backing up Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris.
In 37 appearances as a senior for the Wildcats, Ochefu notched averages of 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line for 2015/16 was .627/.000/.684.
Lakers Sign Luol Deng
JULY 7th, 7:20pm: The signing is official, the Lakers announced.
JULY 2nd, 8:10am: The Lakers continue to add veterans to their roster, with the latest addition set to be small forward Luol Deng, who has agreed to a deal with the team, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It will be a four-year, $72MM pact for the 12-year veteran, Charania relays. Landing an annual salary of $18MM is certainly a significant improvement over the $12MM projection for Deng’s next deal that was bandied about in May.
Deng was reportedly in high-demand around the league, with the Timberwolves, Celtics, Heat, Wizards, Clippers and Jazz all said to have interest in the veteran two-way forward. Utah was expected to be “very aggressive” in its pursuit of Deng, according to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, but the Jazz missed out on the veteran, who likely saw the opportunity to start in Los Angeles as the more preferable situation to a reserve role in Utah.
The 31-year-old has been a consistent contributor throughout his tenure in the league. Deng made 74 appearances for Miami this past season and averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 32.4 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers on the year were .455/.344/.755. Deng is a hustle player who plays solid defense and his veteran presence should be a welcome addition to the young Lakers locker room, especially given the reported discord of last season resulting from the D’Angelo Russell/Nick Young video incident.
Grizzlies Ink Chandler Parsons
JULY 7th, 6:42pm: The signing is official, the Grizzlies announced via press release.
JULY 1st, 2:27pm: The Grizzlies and Chandler Parsons have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The pact will cover four years and will pay Parsons the league maximum, the Vertical scribe notes. The Blazers also reportedly offered him a max deal, but instead Parsons is headed to Memphis.
Parsons becomes the first upper-tier free agent to choose Memphis in free agency, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter). Though, the small forward’s status as a star is certainly up for debate given his statistical track record. The only other free agent signed by the franchise for above the mid-level exception prior to Parsons was Darko Milicic, adds Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). I’d wager that Memphis and its fans are certainly hoping this addition provides more of an impact given the dollar figures involved.
With Parsons in the fold, the team will turn its attention to retaining point guard Mike Conley, who is an unrestricted free agent. The addition of Parsons may be the deciding factor for Conley, with Sam Amick of USA Today noting (via Twitter) that Parsons is confident that the point guard will return to Memphis next season.
The 27-year-old reportedly eliminated the Mavs from consideration after team balked at offering him max dollars, a not unreasonable stance given Parsons’ injury history. He made 61 appearances this past season for Dallas, notching averages of 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per outing. He shot .492/.414/.684 from the field on the campaign.
In five NBA seasons, Parsons has averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and three assists. He was the No. 38 overall pick of the Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft.
Pistons To Waive Joel Anthony, Cameron Bairstow
In a move to clear cap space to sign center Boban Marjanovic, the Pistons intend to waive Joel Anthony and Cameron Bairstow, David Mayo of MLive reports. Neither player is owed any guaranteed money, so the team won’t be on the hook for any salary as a result of the moves. Detroit is reportedly set to ink Marjanovic to an offer sheet worth $21MM over three years.
Bairstow, 25, appeared in 18 games with Chicago last season, averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per outing. The two-year veteran was drafted out of the New Mexico with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior for the Lobos, he averaged a Mountain West Conference-high 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 32.9 minutes in 34 games. Bairstow holds career averages of 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.6 minutes in 36 NBA games with the Bulls. He was acquired from the Bulls in June in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was reportedly waived by the Bulls today as well.
Anthony, 33, appeared in 19 games for the Pistons in 2015/16, averaging o.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per outing. He shot .600/.000/.750 from the field on the year. Anthony was set to earn $2.5MM next season.
Heat Re-Sign Hassan Whiteside
July 7th, 4:55pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced via press release.
8:12am: As expected, Whiteside’s pact is a four-year, maximum salary contract, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post tweets.
JULY 1st, 6:59am: Unrestricted free agent Hassan Whiteside has decided to remain in Miami and will re-sign with the Heat, he announced via a post in The Player’s Tribune. The agreed upon terms were not announced, but Whiteside was reportedly seeking a maximum salary offer.
“I’ve played on eight teams since college — from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China,” Whiteside wrote in his announcement. “I am not ready for there to be a ninth. I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me. Can’t wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami. #HeatNation”
The Heat and Mavericks both had the opportunity to make pitches to Whiteside in the early hours of free agency, and the free agent big man left both meetings without an agreement in place, relaying that he would make his final decision this morning. Heading into those early morning meetings, the Mavs were the reported favorites, but ultimately Pat Riley convinced the big man that Miami was the best spot for him to continue his playing career. Portland was also reported to have scheduled a meeting, but it appears the Blazers never had the opportunity to sit down with Whiteside.
For Dallas, this becomes another big name free agent that has spurned the organization, and the second offseason in a row that Mark Cuban and company failed to land their top target. While there was no bizarre stand-off at Whiteside’s home similar to what occurred last summer with DeAndre Jordan, losing out on the big man has to sting. The team will need to regroup and hope it has better luck with point guard Mike Conley, who is reportedly the team’s other free agent priority.
Whiteside appeared in 73 games this past season for Miami, including 45 as a starter. He averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in 29.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .606/.000/.650.
Bulls To Waive Spencer Dinwiddie
The Bulls have parted ways with guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). Dinwiddie’s salary of $980,431 for 2016/17 was non-guaranteed, so Chicago won’t be on the hook for any salary as a result of the move. Provided he clears waivers, Dinwiddie will become an unrestricted free agent.
Dinwiddie completed his second NBA season with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes over 12 contests. He was drafted by the Pistons with the No. 38 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in NBA 46 games.
Chicago had acquired the 23-year-old from Detroit in exchange for power forward Cameron Bairstow in June.