Pelicans Acquire Derrick Favors For Two Second-Rounders
JULY 7: The Jazz have officially traded Favors to the Pelicans, according to press releases issued by both teams.
Utah’s press release features a statement from owner Gail Miller praising Favors and thanking him for his “immeasurable contributions” to the organization. Meanwhile, Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin said in a statement that New Orleans is “ecstatic” to acquire a “player and person of Derrick’s caliber.”
“As a selfless, 27-year old elite rim protector, with what we believe is untapped offensive potential, he is just entering his prime,” Griffin said of Favors. “We believe he will be a vital piece of our nucleus moving forward.”
JULY 1: The Pelicans will send Utah the Warriors’ 2021 and 2023 second-round picks in the swap, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. New Orleans had initially acquired both picks in a draft-night deal with Golden State.
JUNE 30: The Pelicans have agreed to acquire forward Derrick Favors in a trade with the Jazz, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). New Orleans will send draft picks in exchange for Favors, Jones adds.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe was first to report Utah’s desire to move Favors to New Orleans, with the two sides reaching a deal hours into the first night of free agency.
The Jazz worked to trade Favors’ contract after reaching agreement on a four-year, $73MM deal with free agent Bojan Bogdanovic earlier in the night.
Favors, 27, has spent the past nine years of his career with the Jazz. He averaged 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 23.2 minutes per game last season, starting in 70 of a possible 76 games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: Hezonja, Abrines, Jazz, Tolliver
New Trail Blazers guard Mario Hezonja has apologized to players and employees of the team for choosing to sign with the Knicks last summer instead of Portland, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes.
Hezonja, who was courted by a number of teams last year due to his overall potential and scoring ability, ultimately chose to sign with a New York team that failed to offer him a concrete role. He started in 24 of his 58 games this season, with the team accruing the league’s worst record at 17-65.
“I kind of rushed,” Hezonja said. “But I made my mind up quick; I wanted to experience New York.”
Hezonja reached agreement on a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Portland on the first day of free agency, committing to a franchise that’s focused on competing for an NBA title. He put pen to paper and inked his contract on Wednesday.
“I just have to fit in,” Hezonja said. “This team was in the Western Conference finals. I’m here to help. My individual goal is to push them even further. I want to be on a successful team and surround myself with players better than myself, because that will help me. That will help me be even better and become that top-tier player eventually.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:
- Former Thunder guard Alex Abrines took to social media to discuss the personal issues he’s faced this year, as relayed by Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Abrines left the team in February after three seasons due to these unspecified personal matters. In the video, Abrines also announced his intentions to return to the game of basketball, with the 25-year-old currently an unrestricted free agent.
- The Jazz — along with the rest of the league — will have a much different feel entering the 2019/20 season, Doug Robinson of The Deseret News writes. Utah will acquire star guard Mike Conley, lose longtime Jazz forward Derrick Favors, and add scoring wing Bojan Bogdanovic, reshaping and improving their roster over the span of a couple weeks.
- New Trail Blazers forward Anthony Tolliver recalled watching the team’s lack of three-point shooting during the postseason this spring, especially while players such as Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum were double teamed, Jason Quick writes in a separate article for The Athletic. “Watching the playoffs last year, they got double-teamed a lot, and that’s literally how guys like myself can excel,” Tolliver said. “I was like, ‘Wow! I could really help them out.’” Like Hezonja, Tolliver signed his minimum-salary contract with the team on Wednesday.
Mavs Planning Offer Sheet For Delon Wright
The Mavericks have increased their interest in restricted free agent Delon Wright and plan to give the 27-year-old an offer sheet, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Wright could sign an offer sheet with Dallas or another interested team before the moratorium period ends on July 6, although Memphis’ two-day window to match the offer sheet wouldn’t technically start until the moratorium is officially lifted.
The Grizzlies are expected to match any “reasonable” offer sheet for Wright, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Memphis has a lot of moving pieces in play, as trades with Utah, Golden State, and Phoenix still need to be made official. Once the dust settles, the Grizzlies would likely have to waive Avery Bradley‘s non-guaranteed contract, flip Andre Iguodala, or make another salary-shedding move to avoid going into tax territory to retain Wright.
Wright, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, appeared in 75 total games with the Raptors and Grizzlies this season. He was traded to Memphis as part of a deal centered around Marc Gasol in February, holding per-game averages of 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds in 26 games for the Grizzlies to end the regular season.
The Mavs’ decision to pursue Wright won’t change the team’s stance on free agent Danny Green, Townsend adds. Dallas projects to have up to about $23MM in cap room, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), so the team could theoretically make eight-figure offers to both players. Green remains undecided on where he’ll play next season, as he and agent Joe Branch wait for Kawhi Leonard to make his own free-agent decision.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Jazz Waive Raul Neto
4:52pm: The Jazz have officially waived Neto, the team announced today in a press release.
12:37pm: The Jazz plan to waive point guard Raul Neto in order to create space for the Mike Conley trade with Memphis, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Utah agreed to send Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, the No. 23 pick in the draft and a future first-round pick to the Grizzlies for Conley in June, revamping their franchise with hopes of contending for a championship next season.
The Jazz also agreed to deals with free agents Bojan Bogdanovic (4-year/$73MM) and Ed Davis (2-year/$10MM) at the start of free agency. Utah has competed in the playoffs in each of the last three years, losing to the Rockets 4-1 in the opening round this past April.
Neto, 27, will become a strong option on the market for teams seeking a back-up guard, according to Charania. He’s spent all four of his seasons with the Jazz, holding career-averages of 4.8 points, 1.9 assists and 14.2 minutes per game.
Bulls Sign Coby White To Rookie Contract
The Bulls have signed guard Coby White to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. White was selected by the club No. 7 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
For White, he’s set to earn $5.3MM in the first year of his deal, which is 120% of the rookie scale amount for the seventh pick. Chicago will have point guards White, Tomas Satoransky and Kris Dunn under contract entering next season.
White, 19, appeared in 35 games with the University of North Carolina last season, holding per-game averages of 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He’s set to start summer league with the Bulls later in the week.
Knicks To Sign Elfrid Payton
The Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $16MM deal with free agent guard Elfrid Payton, his agents, Ty Sullivan and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The agreement contains a team option in the second season, according to The Athletic’s Michael Scotto. That lines it up with the other two-year contract agreements the team has reached so far in free agency.
Payton, an athletic two-way point guard, is set to join his fourth team in the past 18 months. He was traded from Orlando to Phoenix in February of 2018, signed with New Orleans last July, and started 42 games with the club this season.
New York also had interest in veteran free agent George Hill, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, but Hill decided to return to Milwaukee on a three-year, $29MM deal on Sunday night. The team now has one open roster spot and roughly $2MM in projected cap space to spend, plus the $4.8MM room exception.
In addition to Payton, the Knicks have already come to terms with Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington during the first 24 hours of free agency.
Bulls Exploring Kris Dunn Trade
The Bulls are searching for a trade to move point guard Kris Dunn, who’s spent the past two seasons with the organization, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).
Dunn has dealt with various injuries during his time with Chicago, appearing in just 98 of a possible 164 games. He averaged 11.3 points, six assists, 1.5 steals and 30.2 minutes in 46 contests last season.
Dunn started his career with the Wolves and was traded to the Bulls as part of a Jimmy Butler package just one year after being drafted. Chicago also agreed to acquire Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade with Washington and drafted Coby White in June, meaning Dunn could wind up being the odd man out of the rotation at point guard.
Several teams that have previously shown interest in adding a point guard have already found their respective resolutions, such as Boston with Kemba Walker, Phoenix with Ricky Rubio, Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving Charlotte with Terry Rozier and the Clippers with Patrick Beverley.
Knicks To Sign Wayne Ellington
The Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract with free agent sharpshooter Wayne Ellington, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Ellington, a career 38% shooter from behind the arc, will play for the ninth different team of his career. He’s previously made stops with Minnesota, Memphis, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Miami and Detroit.
New York has already reached agreements with Julius Randle (3-year/$64MM), Bobby Portis (2-year/$31MM), Taj Gibson (2-year/$20MM) and Reggie Bullock (2-year, $21MM) during the first day of free agency. The team has roughly $10MM left in cap space with two open roster spots.
In addition to his floor-spacing ability, the Knicks value Ellington’s veteran mindset and locker room mentality. He averaged 12 points in 28 games for the Pistons last season, holding a 37% shooting mark from 3-point range.
No Deal Yet For Thunder, Nerlens Noel
9:29pm: Three hours after having apparently committed to the Thunder, Noel has asked for time to re-evaluate the deal, according to Wojnarowski, who tweets that the two sides continue to discuss options.
6:29pm: The Thunder are re-signing free agent center Nerlens Noel to a deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The terms of the agreement are not yet known.
Noel will enter his second straight season with the organization, coming off a campaign which saw him average 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per contest. He appeared in 77 games, the most of his five-season NBA career.
Prior to joining the Thunder in the summer of 2018, Noel held brief stints with the 76ers and Mavericks. He was the No. 6 pick of the 2013 NBA Draft after spending one year at Kentucky.
Nets Sign DeAndre Jordan
JULY 6, 10:51pm: The signing is official, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
JUNE 30, 8:57pm: In an unexpected turn of events, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Jordan will sign a four-year, $40MM deal with the Nets. It’ll be fully guaranteed, with no options, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Brooklyn doesn’t have the cap room necessary to complete such a deal while also signing Durant and Irving to max deals, but according to Woj and Ramona Shelburne (via Twitter), KD and Kyrie have agreed to accept less than their respective maxes in order to accommodate Jordan’s deal.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the Nets could potentially include unlikely incentives in Durant’s and KD’s contracts to help create extra cap room while still giving them a shot to earn up to their maxes.
JUNE 30, 4:05pm: In addition to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have also agreed to a deal with free agent center DeAndre Jordan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
While Jordan is hardly the biggest free agent to commit to Brooklyn today, he’s a coup for a club that didn’t have much cap flexibility after agreeing to sign Durant and Irving.
The Nets also reportedly agreed to terms with Garrett Temple on a deal that looks like it’s worth the room exception. As such, Jordan could end up being a minimum-salary signing, unless Brooklyn is able to create additional cap room by trading or waiving another player.
Jordan, who will turn 30 in July, averaged 11.0 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 69 total games for the Mavericks and Knicks in 2018/19. He was sent from Dallas to New York in the deadline deal that saw Kristaps Porzingis land with the Mavs.
Rather than buying out Jordan, the Knicks hung onto him, thinking that his presence might help lure his good friend Durant to New York. While the thinking was right, it’s New York’s other team that will deliver on that idea, as the duo is set to join the Nets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.