Rockets Sign Armoni Brooks To Exhibit 10 Contract
5:38pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
12:41pm: The Rockets are signing guard Armoni Brooks to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source confirmed to Hoops Rumors. News of the agreement was first reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Brooks, 23, will have the opportunity to make the team’s regular-season roster in training camp this fall. He spent 20 games with the club at the end of last season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Rockets have one final spot for camp and could consider adding Anthony Lamb, who signed a two-way contract with the team last March. Both Brooks and Lamb played summer league with Houston in Las Vegas after receiving two-way qualifying offers.
Should Brooks not make the regular-season roster, he’d be eligible to receive a bonus up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Houston’s G League affiliate.
Eastern Notes: Craig, Bulls, Jones Jr., Noel, Randle
New Pacers forward Torrey Craig is aiming to bring defensive intensity to the team this season, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes.
Craig, who signed with the Pacers in free agency, spent the 2020/21 season with the Bucks and Suns. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16.1 minutes in 50 total games, shooting 48% from the floor and 37% from three-point range while playing strong perimeter defense.
“I don’t even like guys to score one basket. It doesn’t matter,” Craig said. “It’s just a pride thing. I think the more guys that have that mentality and catch on, that’s what makes you a hard team to beat.
“Offense, it’s the NBA. Guys are talented. Definitely some talented scorers on this roster. Offense is going to come. When you get teams that lock in offensively, and defensively, that’s when you become a championship team.”
Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference today:
- The Bulls, who agreed to acquire Derrick Jones Jr. in a three-team deal with the Blazers and Cavaliers on Friday, were was also considering acquiring Jones last April, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Chicago added Jones to help address the team’s lack of wing depth. The 24-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 22.7 minutes per game with Portland last season.
- Nerlens Noel‘s lawsuit against Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul may have stemmed from a grievance filed by Paul, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Paul claimed that Noel still owes him $200K as commission from the one-year, $5MM contract he signed with the Knicks last year. As we previously relayed, Noel is suing Paul for the loss of approximately $58MM regarding a past extension offer from the Mavericks.
- Knicks All-Star Julius Randle preferred stability over more money, he said in explaining why he signed a four-year, $117MM extension with the team, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com examines. Randle would’ve been eligible for a new contract worth up to roughly $200MM if he waited until next summer. “The money was one thing, but for me, it was more about the situation as far as my happiness, the basketball situation, my family, just being stable and being in New York and really just continuing to build this thing up,” Randle said. “When I signed here two years ago, this was my vision, to be able to lock in something long term and build something from the ground up. That’s what we’re doing. All hands on deck.”
Sixers Waive Anthony Tolliver
The Sixers have waived veteran big man Anthony Tolliver, the team announced on Friday (Twitter link). Tolliver’s $2.69MM contract would’ve become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t released today.
The move opens up a roster spot for Philadelphia, which now has 15 players officially under contract (14 on standard contracts and one on a two-way). The team will also sign Grant Riller to a two-way contract and Haywood Highsmith to an Exhibit 10 deal, leaving three spots available on the 20-man offseason roster.
In addition, Philadelphia has yet to sign second-round draft pick Charles Bassey, who was selected No. 53 overall by the team last month.
Assuming he clears waivers on Sunday, Tolliver will reach free agency after concluding his 13th NBA season. The 36-year-old signed two ten-day contracts and a rest-of-season deal with the Sixers in 2020/21, appearing in a total of nine contests.
And-Ones: Hinton, Vaccinations, Wallace, Selby
Free agent guard Amir Hinton is signing in Finland with Kouvot Kouvola, agent Jerry Dianis of Team Entertainment Sports confirmed to Hoops Rumors.
Hinton has also been selected to play for the Syrian National Team, Dianis said. The 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks as an undrafted free agent in 2019, attending training camp with the team later that fall. He spent all of the 2019/20 season with the club’s G League affiliate.
Throughout his 36 games in the G League, Hinton averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15.7 minutes per contest. The 6-foot-6 swingman played collegiately at Lock Haven and Shaw University.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA is requiring that all team, arena and league personnel who interact with players and referees be vaccinated for the 2021/22 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Charania notes in a separate tweet, this includes staff in coaching, performance/medical, equipment, player development, security, public relations, social media, scorer’s table and attendants. More specifically, this applies for staff that come within 15 feet of a player or referee, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps. The league has set an October 1 deadline for personnel to be vaccinated, the duo adds.
- Sixteen-year NBA veteran Rasheed Wallace has joined the University of Memphis as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team, the school announced in a press release. Wallace joins a coaching staff that includes Larry Brown and Cody Toppert as assistants, along with Penny Hardaway as head coach.
- Former Grizzlies guard Josh Selby has signed in Lithuania with Pieno Zvaigzdes, the team announced today (via Instagram). Selby holds 38 games of NBA experience and was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft. He has spent most of his professional career overseas.
Hawks Hire Nick Van Exel As Assistant Coach
AUGUST 25: The Hawks have officially hired Van Exel, the team announced today in a press release.
“Since his playing career ended, Nick has been very successful in helping develop young guards for the teams he’s worked with, including several that have turned into All-Stars,” head coach Nate McMillan said in a statement. “We feel he’ll be a great addition helping our young core guards continue to progress.”
AUGUST 22: The Hawks are hiring former NBA guard Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), Van Exel will replace Marlon Garnett, who recently left to become an assistant with the Hornets.
Van Exel served as a player development instructor with the Hawks from 2010-12 and most recently worked for the Mavericks as a scout. He confirmed the news of him joining Atlanta with Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link).
Van Exel played 13 NBA seasons (including an All-Star campaign in 1997/98), making stops with the Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Blazers and Spurs. In addition to his past NBA jobs with Atlanta and Dallas, he also served as an assistant with the Bucks in 2013/14 and assistant with the Grizzlies from 2016-19.
Atlanta finished with the fifth-best record in the East at 41-31 last season, reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 2014/15. The team is set to enter next season with its core rotation from last year under contract.
Western Notes: Porzingis, Terry, Giddey, Grizzlies
New Mavericks coach Jason Kidd believes Kristaps Porzingis is in a good place both mentally and physically, as relayed by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
Kidd recently visited Porzingis in Latvia for three days. The 26-year-old Porzingis, who is Dallas’ second option on offense behind superstar Luka Doncic, averaged 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game in 2020/21.
“I wanted to see where he lived, that is home for him,” Kidd explained. “Beautiful place. We always talk about family. Sometimes we need to show our care factor. I care. I wanted to let him know that I care.
“I know that he’s healthy. I know he’s excited. And then I just wanted to talk to him about things basketball-wise as well as off the court. We always talk about basketball, but I wanted to see where he was off the court. He’s in a great place.”
There’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:
- Various members of the Nuggets front office expressed confidence that Jason Terry could have a serious coaching future, Townsend tweets. Denver recently hired Terry to coach its G League affiliate for the 2021/22 season. “Sitting down with [vice president] Calvin Booth and [president] Tim Connelly and [player personnel manager] Scott Howard, they firmly believe that being a bench coach or a head coach is in my near future,” Terry said. “You need that type of support and belief. The sky’s the limit for me. I’m ready for the opportunity.”
- Thunder rookie Josh Giddey is representing a newfound hope and legitimacy for the NBA’s global academy, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman examines. Giddey was drafted by Oklahoma City with the No. 6 pick in July.
- Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian takes a closer look at some of the Grizzlies‘ newcomers, exploring which are likely to stick around. Memphis recently acquired Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu as part of the trade involving Eric Bledsoe, with both players facing uncertain futures in the present day. The team also acquired Patrick Beverley in the deal, but has reportedly agreed to move Beverley to Minnesota in exchange for Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez.
Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson Available On Trade Market
Grizzlies forwards Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson are said to be available on the trade market for the right price, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Brooks and Anderson have both been with the Grizzlies for quite some time – Brooks since 2017/18 and Anderson since 2018/19 – and played significant roles for the team last season. Brooks, who is under contract for two more years and $23.6MM, averaged 29.8 minutes per game, while Anderson, who is on an expiring $9.9MM deal, saw 27.3 minutes per contest.
Memphis currently has 17 guaranteed contracts, and that number could increase to 18 once the team’s trade with Minnesota (Patrick Beverley for Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez) becomes official. In addition to Culver and Hernangomez, the team also recently acquired Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu.
The franchise must open one roster spot to complete its deal with Minnesota, so a player with a guaranteed contract could be traded, waived, or bought out to accommodate the one-for-two swap. The Grizzlies, who also have two players on two-way deals and Yves Pons on an Exhibit 10 contract, can carry up to 20 players in the offseason, but will have to trim their roster to 15 (plus two-ways) once the regular season begins.
Since Brooks and Anderson are productive wings on team-friendly contracts, Memphis would only move either player in a favorable deal — not just to address the club’s roster crunch.
Along with Brooks and Anderson, the Grizzlies boast a relatively young core consisting of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., among others. They finished last season with a 38-34 record and claimed the final playoff spot in the West.
Western Notes: Hughes, Brooks, Rockets, Lewis Jr., Jones
Jazz guard Elijah Hughes is concentrating on his defense during the team’s summer league play this month, as relayed by Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Hughes is in the midst of his first-ever summer league stint with the franchise.
“The typical Syracuse stigma is that guys don’t play defense and guys can’t guard, so I want to break that stigma,” Hughes explained. “Also I have a lot of pride. I want to hold my own. If people are trying to get me on switches, I want to be able to hold my own.”
Hughes, 23, was drafted with the No. 39 overall pick last December and is under contract entering next season. He appeared in 18 games this past season, albeit for a total of 64 minutes.
“Eli has a big body, and for him it’s learning to play angles defensively,” Jazz summer league coach Bryan Bailey said. “If he continues to learn to play angles and cut guys off with his size, he’ll be a good defender.”
Here are some other notes from the Western Conference tonight:
- Rockets guard Armoni Brooks has returned from the league’s health and safety protocols, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Brooks is playing summer league with Houston, coming off a strong 20-game stint with the team last season.
- The Rockets‘ rookies have brought a breath of fresh air this month, Feigen writes in a separate article for the Houston Chronicle. The team’s rookie class is led by No. 2 pick Jalen Green, who had an impressive summer league stint before getting shut down due to hamstring soreness.
- Christian Clark of NOLA.com examines the career paths of Kira Lewis Jr. and Herbert Jones, who are now teammates with the Pelicans. Lewis is coming off his rookie season, while Jones was drafted by New Orleans with the No. 35 pick last month.
Pacific Notes: Kawhi, Metu, Batum, Fitts
The Clippers will have most of their key players from last season coming back in 2021/22, but Kawhi Leonard‘s health remains a major question mark. Leonard, of course, suffered a partially torn ACL in the playoffs this spring, an injury that could force him to miss much (or all) of next season.
As Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes, it’s been one month since Leonard underwent surgery on his right knee. He’ll need a significant amount of time to rehab the injury, but it’s possible he could be ready to play before the 2022 postseason begins in mid-April.
“In Kawhi’s case it will be a little less than a year, which is very doable,” said Alan Beyer, executive medical director and orthopedic surgeon at Orange County’s Hoag Orthopedic Institute. “No two players are alike, so some would take seven or eight months to come back. With the caliber of these players, I would not rush. But I certainly would give him the full nine to 10 months at least before I’d expect to see him back.”
Leonard recently signed a new four-year deal with the Clippers, cementing his long-term status with the franchise. He averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 52 games last season, shooting 51% from the floor.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific:
- Kings center Chimezie Metu swung at Mavericks two-way player Eugene Omoruyi during the team’s summer league game on Sunday, as relayed by ESPN (video link). Such a play typically warrants a suspension from the NBA. Metu’s frustration stemmed from Omoruyi’s hard foul, one that occurred as Metu was in mid-air. The 24-year-old Metu suffered a broken wrist last season after being fouled in mid-air by Jonas Valanciunas.
- Nicolas Batum‘s new contract with the Clippers is a two-year, $6.49MM deal, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal, completed using his Non-Bird rights, includes a player option worth $3.3MM in the second season.
- The Clippers are adding forward Malik Fitts to their summer league team, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Fitts signed a 10-day contract with the team back in April.
Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Randle, Walker, Sixers
Nets rookie Cameron Thomas has shined during the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Thomas entered Sunday as the highest-scoring rookie in the event, proving his value as the No. 27 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
“People always want to doubt me and doubt my ability to score the ball,” Thomas said. “My progress has been great. I’ve been getting better game-to-game, getting a better feel for the game, feel for the pace…I think I’m doing real well.”
Thomas and the Nets will play the Spurs on Sunday night before finishing summer league on Tuesday.
Here are some other notes out of New York today:
- Julius Randle‘s extension with the Knicks will likely be a win-win situation for both him and the team, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Randle is coming off a career-best season, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists per game. The Knicks finished with an impressive 41-31 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2013 in 2020/21.
- New Knicks guard Kemba Walker is set to return to New York after spending the last decade away from the state, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Walker signed with the Knicks after reaching a buyout agreement with the Thunder, joining a backcourt that already includes Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley and others. As Bondy notes, the Bronx native will now have the chance to show what he’s learned on the road over the past 10 years.
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines what various Sixers players have learned during summer league this month, specifically those entering their second seasons. Among those players is Paul Reed, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of work on Saturday.