Wolves Notes: Gobert, Towns, Chemistry, Garza
The Timberwolves‘ trade for Rudy Gobert was perhaps the NBA’s biggest blockbuster this summer, shocking league executives due to the price Minnesota was willing to pay. The move also surprised the Wolves’ own players, who were caught off guard that so many of the team’s most well-liked players – including Patrick Beverley – were included in the deal, Brian Windhorst writes in an Insider-only ESPN story.
“It wasn’t that it put us in a bad mood,” forward Taurean Prince said, “but, uh, we were surprised.”
As Windhorst outlines, the Wolves recognized that players like Gobert – a three-time Defensive Player of the Year on a long-term contract – don’t become available often, and believed he would make the team’s current core players better. On top of that, Minnesota didn’t have to give up any of those core players – Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, and Jaden McDaniels – to acquire Gobert.
“We put up the 30 best players in the league on a board,” head coach Chris Finch said. “At any given time, like there’s maybe three or four of them available. Some aren’t even available if you gave 10 picks. And if you have one you can get and he fits and does a lot of the things that we like — the more that we looked at it and the deeper we went, like just the more we felt like we couldn’t not (trade for him).”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Towns and Gobert are expected to be active together for the first time in Friday’s preseason finale, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Towns’ preseason debut was delayed by a non-COVID illness, while Gobert has rested in the Wolves’ two most recent preseason contests.
- The Timberwolves will need some time to figure out how Towns and Gobert work together, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who suspects it will take another year for the best version of this team to show up. Hollinger expects the Wolves to take a small step forward in 2022/23, projecting 47 wins and a seventh-place finish in the West.
- In a Q&A with Mark Medina of NBA.com, Gobert spoke about his first impressions of his new NBA home, establishing chemistry with his new teammates, and much more.
- Wolves coach Chris Finch likes what Luka Garza has brought to the team this fall, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “He’s the perfect system fit for us. Great acquisition by our front office,” Finch said. “He’s a guy I think can really grow into our system here. He can stretch the floor and he can score around the basket. That’s a great combo. Not a lot of bigs can do that.” Garza is on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract, so it’s unclear if Minnesota plans to keep him on its 17-man roster to open the regular season.
Clippers Waive Nate Darling, Malik Fitts, Xavier Moon
The Clippers have removed three players from their preseason roster, announcing today that they’ve waived guard Nate Darling, forward Malik Fitts, and wing Xavier Moon. All three players had been with the team on Exhibit 10 contracts and are candidates to join the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.
Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets. Last season, the 24-year-old was a fixture in the backcourt for the Clippers’ G League team, averaging 17.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 31 NBAGL appearances (32.4 MPG).
Fitts, 25, spent time in 2020/21 with the Clippers and their G League affiliate after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s. Last season, he appeared in 15 total games for Utah and Boston, but played a very minimal role for both teams, logging just 63 total minutes. After finishing the season with the Celtics, Fitts had a non-guaranteed salary for ’22/23, but was traded to Indiana in the Malcolm Brogdon deal and was subsequently waived by the Pacers before signing with L.A.
Moon, who was on a two-way contract with the Clippers last season, didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the team in June, but eventually signed a new Exhibit 10 deal. The 27-year-old, who has spent most of his career overseas, got into 10 games with L.A. as an NBA rookie.
With the cuts, the Clippers now have 16 players under contract. Fourteen of those players have guaranteed contracts, while Moussa Diabate has a two-way deal and Moses Brown is on an Exhibit 10 pact. Brown could have his contract converted into a two-way pact before opening night, though it’s unclear if that’s the Clips’ plan.
Blazers’ Payton To Miss Start Of Regular Season
Gary Payton II, who signed a three-year contract with the Trail Blazers in July, won’t be available for the start of the regular season next week, the team announced today in a press release.
Payton, who underwent core muscle surgery this summer, will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the Blazers. That means, even if he’s ready to return at that point, he’ll miss Portland’s first five games of the season.
When the Blazers first announced Payton’s procedure in September, they indicated that they expected him to be ready for opening night. That won’t happen, but the team said in today’s statement that Payton “continues to progress well” in his rehab, so it doesn’t sound like he has experienced any setbacks.
It’s possible Payton’s absence will open the door for rookie Shaedon Sharpe to play regular minutes to start the season. Wings Nassir Little and Justise Winslow should also see an uptick in playing time.
In addition to their injury update on Payton, the Blazers also put out a press release announcing that center Olivier Sarr, who was converted to a two-way deal earlier today, has been diagnosed with a right wrist sprain after undergoing an MRI. He’ll be reevaluated in one week, at which point the team should have a clearer idea of when he’ll be able to return.
Warriors Notes: Green, Poole, Looney, Iguodala, Wiseman
It feels like “the clock is ticking down” on the relationship between the Warriors and Draymond Green, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, who likens the situation to the start of the “accommodation stage in a turbulent but prosperous marriage,” with the strains becoming increasingly visible.
In Kawakami’s view, it seems safe to assume that Green’s future with the Warriors beyond the 2022/23 season is very much up in the air, since team executives already weren’t 100% sure about a lucrative new commitment to Green even before he punched teammate Jordan Poole in a practice last week.
Both sides need one another for now, since the Warriors probably can’t realistically win another title this season without Green, but the latest misstep by the former Defensive Player of the Year is a sign that a divorce is probably coming at some point, Kawakami writes.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- The Warriors may have been more inclined to suspend Draymond Green for his actions if they weren’t receiving their championship rings on opening night of the regular season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated during a TV appearance (video link via ClutchPoints). “If this incident had landed in the middle of the regular season, there’d probably be a suspension. If the Warriors weren’t defending champions and were just playing an ordinary opening night, there might very well be a suspension,” Wojnarowski said. “Golden State did not want to punish Draymond Green in a way where he’d miss opening night where he’d get his fourth ring with the Warriors.”
- Jordan Poole is the only reason the Warriors’ championship defense isn’t “in tatters,” according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who lauds the fourth-year guard for the role he has played in the team’s efforts to mend fences.
- Head coach Steve Kerr praised Kevon Looney, whom he called the team’s “moral compass” – for the role he played in helping the Warriors navigate the Green incident. “He’s a special human being. Special,” Kerr said, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “And he was a key instrument in everything that we’ve had going the last week to try to get things back on track.”
- Andre Iguodala still hadn’t scrimmaged as of Tuesday night and won’t be active when the Warriors begin their season next week vs. the Lakers, according to Kerr (Twitter link via Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area).
- It has been 18 months since James Wiseman, who suffered a meniscus tear in April 2021, last played in a regular season NBA game. Kendra Andrews of ESPN takes a look at how Wiseman pushed through that long, challenging rehab process – which included multiple setbacks – to get back on the court this fall.
Luca Vildoza Waived By Bucks, Signs With Serbian Team
1:55pm: The Bucks have requested waivers on Vildoza, the team announced in a press release.
Meanwhile, as Eurohoops relays, Vildoza’s old team in Europe is unhappy with his new deal. Baskonia is threatening legal action, issuing a statement to say they still hold the guard’s rights.
9:14am: KK Crvena zvezda has signed Argentinian guard Luca Vildoza to a two-year contract, the Serbian team announced today in a press release.
Vildoza, 27, has yet to play in an NBA regular season game, but has finished each of the last two seasons on an NBA roster, first with the Knicks in 2021, then with the Bucks in 2022. He played garbage-time minutes in seven playoff games for Milwaukee this past spring.
The Bucks waived Vildoza in July, but re-signed him on a training camp deal a few days later, and he technically remains under contract — for the time being at least, Milwaukee’s official website still lists Vildoza on the roster. Clearly though, his new deal with Crvena zvezda is an indication that his days with the Bucks are numbered. We should expect him to be officially waived in the coming days.
Vildoza’s new deal in Serbia will give him an opportunity to return to the EuroLeague, where he thrived with Spanish team Baskonia from 2017-21. The veteran guard won a Liga ACB title in 2020 and was named the Finals MVP that year.
Grizzlies Sign Onu, Weems; Waive McDermott, Hurt
The Grizzlies have signed forward/center E.J. Onu and forward Romeo Weems, the team announced today in a press release. Swingman Sean McDermott and forward Matthew Hurt were waived to create the necessary spots on the team’s 20-man preseason roster.
Onu and Weems both played for the Memphis Hustle – the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate – last season and appear likely to return to the Hustle this fall. Their new deals probably include Exhibit 10 language designed to get them bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Memphis’ G League team.
That’s presumably also the plan for McDermott and Hurt, who had only been on the Grizzlies’ roster since Monday. The team is rotating players in and out of the last two spots on its preseason roster as it prepares for the NBA and G League seasons.
The Grizzlies have until Monday to set their roster for the start of the regular season.
Blazers Convert Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Deal
12:55pm: The move is official, the Blazers confirmed in a press release.
12:37pm: The Trail Blazers are converting Olivier Sarr‘s Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Sarr, 23, spent a portion of his rookie season in 2021/22 with the Thunder, signing a pair of 10-day contracts with Oklahoma City and then receiving a two-way deal. He averaged 7.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 22 NBA games (19.1 MPG), with a solid shooting line of .574/.448/.828.
The former Kentucky Wildcat played for Phoenix’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, then signed with the Blazers. He has appeared in four preseason games for Portland and seems to have made an impression on the team, sticking around while fellow camp invitees Jared Rhoden and Isaiah Miller were waived on Wednesday.
Once Sarr’s contract is officially converted into a two-way, the Blazers will have 14 players on standard deals and one on a two-way pact. I wouldn’t expect the tax-conscious club to add a 15th man before opening night, but it’s possible Portland will sign a second two-way player.
Warriors Waive Quinndary Weatherspoon, Lester Quinones
The Warriors have opened up both of their two-way contract slots, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived guards Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lester Quinones. Both players had been on two-way deals.
With Weatherspoon and Quinones on waivers, the four players who are on Exhibit 10 contracts with the Warriors have become prime candidates to fill those newly opened two-way spots. Ty Jerome, Jerome Robinson, Pat Spencer, and Anthony Lamb are all eligible to have their Exhibit 10 deals converted into two-ways.
The 49th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Weatherspoon signed a two-way contract with the Warriors in January after spending his first two years in the NBA with San Antonio. The 26-year-old appeared in 11 games for Golden State, averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.6 MPG.
Quinones, meanwhile, agreed to a two-way deal with the Warriors after going undrafted out of Memphis in June. Quinones averaged 10.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 APG and 1.2 SPG during his junior season in 2021/22, shooting 44.9% from the field and making 39.0% of his three-point attempts.
Golden State has until Monday to set its roster for the regular season.
Southwest Notes: Mavs, Grizzlies, Tillman, Spurs
The Mavericks made a series of roster cuts on Wednesday, waiving four players who were in training camp on non-guaranteed contracts. With the preseason schedule set to wrap up on Friday, most teams will make their cuts on Saturday, but head coach Jason Kidd said it was “a little awkward” last year when Dallas made its moves just hours after the team’s final preseason game.
“We’re just trying to be a little bit more sensitive to that situation,” Kidd said, per Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “Learning from that last year, we’ll make the cuts now with guys being around to be able to say ‘bye’ or ‘see you later’ or whatever it may be. We just felt it was a little insensitive the way things went down last year, so as an organization, we just wanted to be better.”
The Mavericks still likely have at least a couple more roster moves to come. They’re believed to be preparing to sign guard Facundo Campazzo to fill the lone open spot on their 15-man roster, and could finalize their roster by converting their only remaining camp invitee, McKinley Wright IV, to a two-way deal.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks are hoping to schedule an exhibition game in Spain against Real Madrid, Luka Doncic‘s former team, next fall if the NBA is able to work out the logistics, Caplan writes in a separate story for The Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to play a preseason game in Slovenia,” team owner Mark Cuban said, referring to Doncic’s home country. “But we’re working really hard to play one against Real Madrid.”
- While the possibility of regression looms and the team had a relatively quiet summer, John Hollinger of The Athletic is bullish on the Grizzlies‘ chances of having another strong season, projecting the team to win 51 games and finish third in the Western Conference.
- Xavier Tillman is accustomed to playing center, but he may have to adjust to life at power forward if he hopes to see regular minutes for the Grizzlies this season, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. There should be playing time available at the four to open the season, with Jaren Jackson Jr. on the shelf. “Playing the four is a learning adjustment,” Tillman said. “I’m all about evolving, I’m all about getting better.”
- The Spurs‘ home arena continues to be known as the AT&T Center — for now. The team has extended its arena naming rights agreement with AT&T into the 2022/23 season, but continue to search for a more permanent arena sponsor, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
Kings Waive Kent Bazemore, Quinn Cook
The Kings have trimmed their 20-man preseason roster to 18 players, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has waived swingman Kent Bazemore and guard Quinn Cook.
Both Bazemore and Cook were in camp with the Kings on non-guaranteed deals attempting to earn regular season roster spots. However, it appears both players missed the cut.
Bazemore, 33, is coming off a disappointing 2021/22 season with the Lakers. He averaged just 3.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 39 appearances (14.0 MPG), though he still shot 36.3% on three-point attempts.
Cook, meanwhile, was out of the NBA last season after appearing in 188 games across the previous five seasons. He spent a chunk of the 2021/22 campaign with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where he averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.0 RPG with an impressive .524/.446/.885 shooting line in 11 games (35.3 MPG).
Cook was on an Exhibit 10 contract with Sacramento this fall, so he would earn a $50K bonus if he returns to Stockton and spends at least 60 days with the team. Bazemore’s deal didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause.
The Kings now have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with KZ Okpala, Matthew Dellavedova, Chima Moneke, and Sam Merrill on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals. The club will have to waive or trade one more player before next Monday’s roster deadline to get down to 15 players for opening night.