Jazz Notes: Sexton, Kessler, Azubuike, Conley, Clarkson, Zeller, Lee
New Jazz guard Collin Sexton has been fully cleared following last year’s knee injury that sidelined him for all but 11 games, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Newly acquired rookie big man Walker Kessler has also received clearance from his toe injury, Walden adds.
While Sexton and Kessler should be good to go for training camp, former Jazz first-rounder Udoka Azubuike isn’t quite there yet. According to Walden, Azubuike continues to progress from the ankle surgery that ended his 2021/22 season early, but has yet to be cleared for 5-on-5 work.
Here are a few more updates on the Jazz:
- Following an offseason fire sale in Utah, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson look like obvious candidates to be traded at some point in the coming weeks or months. But general manager Justin Zanik said today that there has been “nothing but total buy-in from those guys,” so it doesn’t sound as if either Conley or Clarkson is pushing to be dealt (Twitter link via Walden).
- Conley told reporters today that he’s “10 toes in” with the Jazz, even as he acknowledged the possibility of a trade. He’s conflicted about the idea of being moved, since he could end up with a contending team but would likely have to finish the season away from his family (Twitter links via Walden and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune).
- After undergoing eight surgeries in nine years, Cody Zeller wants to show in Utah that he’s finally healthy, telling reporters today that he believes he can bring value to a young roster as an experienced veteran (Twitter link via Walden). The Jazz have a roster logjam to clear in the next few weeks, but Zeller should have a shot at a 15-man roster spot due to the team’s lack of veteran frontcourt depth.
- Tony Jones of The Athletic sounds unconvinced that Saben Lee is part of the Jazz’s plans going forward, tweeting that he believes the newly acquired guard will need to have “a hell of a camp” in order to stick.
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Small Forward, Little, GPII, Simons
The Trail Blazers signed Damian Lillard to a two-year extension this offseason despite the fact that there were still three years remaining on the point guard’s current deal. Speaking today to reporters, including Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link), general manager Joe Cronin explained why the team was comfortable moving forward with a new deal for Lillard.
“If Dame only has one or two years left, that turns up the urgency,” Cronin said. “Now we have a little more time to get the perfect mix rather than pushing all the chips in on one big piece. We’re going to figure this out the right way.”
Lillard, meanwhile, was asked if he felt as if Portland has made the roster changes necessary to be a contending team going forward, and offered a positive assessment of the team’s summer, as Highkin relays (via Twitter).
“I believe in Joe, I believe in (head coach) Chauncey (Billups),” Lillard said. “I think what we did with our roster gave us a much better chance than what we’ve had prior to that. The way it looks and feels, we’re much closer.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and Jusuf Nurkic are virtually locked in as starters for the Blazers, but the small forward spot will likely be up for grabs in training camp and the preseason, Billups acknowledged today. “The way I see it, it’s gonna play out in camp,” Billups said (Twitter link via Highkin). “There’s three guys — Josh Hart, (Nassir Little) and Justise (Winslow). It’s not about the best player, it’s who plays best with that unit.”
- The Blazers have had “brief” conversations with Little’s camp about a potential rookie scale extension, but haven’t gotten deep into the numbers yet, Cronin said today, adding that there’s mutual interest in reaching a long-term agreement (Twitter link via Highkin).
- Gary Payton II, who is recovering from a core muscle surgery, is the only Blazer who isn’t a “full go” for training camp, according to Cronin, who reiterated that the newly-signed guard is expected to be ready for opening night (Twitter link via Highkin).
- Billups is hopeful he can reduce Lillard’s workload during the 2022/23 season, telling reporters today that he’d to keep the point guard between 32 and 34 minutes per game. “He wants to play 42 minutes,” Billups said, per Highkin (Twitter link). “If we have it where we want it, I’m hoping around 34. But we’ll see.”
- After signing a new four-year, $100MM contract this summer, Simons said today that one of his next personal goals is to become an All-Star, according to Highkin (Twitter link).
Nuggets Sign Grant Golden To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Nuggets have filled their 20-man roster by signing undrafted rookie forward Grant Golden to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
Golden, who spent his entire college career at Richmond, averaged 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .506/.280/.706 shooting in 37 games (27.6 MPG) as a “super senior” in 2021/22. After going undrafted, the 6’10” forward played for the Hawks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, logging limited minutes in four appearances.
Golden will take the spot on the Nuggets’ roster that opened up when the team waived Justin Tillman. It’s unclear whether he’ll be a full participant in training camp or whether his time under contract in Denver will be more short-lived.
Signing Golden to an Exhibit 10 contract ensures that the Nuggets will have his G League rights and means he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and subsequently spends at least 60 days with Denver’s NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
Ty Jerome Not Participating In Camp With Thunder
Former first-round pick Ty Jerome won’t be taking part in training camp with the Thunder, according a team spokesperson (Twitter link via Royce Young).
The Thunder and Jerome’s representatives are said to be working collaboratively to determine next steps for the fourth-year guard, which suggests that his days in Oklahoma City may be numbered.
Jerome, who spent his rookie season in Phoenix, was traded to OKC in the Chris Paul blockbuster during the 2020 offseason and has appeared in 81 games (19.6 MPG) for the team over the last two seasons, averaging 8.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .410/.353/.784 shooting. He’ll earn $4.22MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract.
Oklahoma City currently has 17 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Vit Krejci with a significant partial guarantee. That means three players on standard contracts will have to be traded or released before opening night next month. Based on today’s news, it sounds like Jerome is highly likely to be one of those three players.
Derrick Favors, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon, and Krejci are among the other Thunder players whose roster spots for the regular season may not be locked in quite yet.
Pistons Finalize Camp Roster, Announce Injury Updates
The Pistons officially announced their training camp roster on Monday, and it includes two new names. According to the team, guards Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude have signed Exhibit 10 contracts, filling out the 20-man roster.
Bernard, a 6’7″ swingman, went undrafted out of UCLA earlier this year. As a senior in 2021/22, he averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a shooting line of .419/.337/.818 in 35 games (30.1 MPG). He subsequently played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Umude, whose agreement with the Pistons was previously reported, spent his first four college seasons at South Dakota from 2017-21, averaging 21.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior in 2020/21. He transferred to Arkansas for his “super-senior” season last year and played more of a complementary role for the Razorbacks, putting up 11.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .460/.371/.724 shooting in 37 games (27.8 MPG).
Like Bernard, Umude went undrafted and then played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in July. Both players will likely end up playing for the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate.
Here are a few more updates from the Pistons today:
- While Kemba Walker is listed on Detroit’s training camp roster, he’s marked as “not with team,” which had been expected. Bojan Bogdanovic is the lone Piston missing from the team’s camp roster — while NBA.com’s transaction log indicates the trade sending him to Detroit was completed last Thursday, he may still need to conduct a physical with his new team before it’s officially official.
- In a separate press release, the Pistons announced that guard Alec Burks will miss the start of training camp as he continues his rehab following a navicular fracture. Burks will be reevaluated in three weeks, according to the team.
- Kevin Knox (right gastroc strain) and Nerlens Noel (reconditioning / plantar fasciitis) will be limited participants to open training camp, the Pistons announced.
Hornets Sign LiAngelo Ball To Non-Guaranteed Deal
The Hornets have signed free agent guard LiAngelo Ball to a one-year contract, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Ball’s deal will be non-guaranteed, adds Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The older brother of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team before the 2021/22 season and spent the year with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate. In 28 games for the Swarm, he averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .395/.357/.667 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest.
LiAngelo Ball has also played for the Hornets’ Summer League team in each of the last two offseasons, appearing in three games for the club this July in Las Vegas.
The Hornets only have 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, so there’s theoretically a path to a spot on the 15-man regular season roster for Ball. However, given his modest production at the G League level, it’s hard to envision him earning one of those back-end roster spots.
If Ball’s new deal includes an Exhibit 10 clause, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived by Charlotte and then spends at least 60 days in Greensboro with the Swarm as a returning rights player.
Draymond Green Not Expecting To Sign Extension Before Season
Warriors forward/center Draymond Green is one of several key Golden State players currently eligible to sign a contract extension. However, when asked on Sunday about his contract situation, he told reporters that he’s not counting on signing a new deal before the 2022/23 season begins.
“Whether I’d like to or not, I don’t think it will happen,” Green said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (video link). “So for me, I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, as I know I’m capable of being, and winning another championship. And reaching the individual goals that I have as well. I think that’s my main focus.”
Green is technically under contract for two more seasons, but the second year is a player option, so he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He’ll earn approximately $25.8MM this season, with a $27.6MM option for ’23/24.
If he were to sign a long-term extension that begins in 2023, replacing his player option, Green would be eligible to earn up to $138.7MM over four years. A report in July suggested that the 32-year-old believes he’s earned that sort of contract, but it would be a surprise if the Warriors were to make that strong an offer this fall. With Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins also entering contract years, Golden State will do its best to try to lock up all three players to deals well below the max in order to avoid pushing the franchise’s record-setting luxury tax payments even higher.
Poole and Wiggins were also asked about possible extensions on Sunday — both players indicated they’re letting their agents handle those negotiations and brushed off concerns about the possible pressure of a contract year, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes.
Poole, who expressed confidence that he and the Warriors will be able to figure something out, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension this fall. Wiggins will become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.
Nuggets Waive Justin Tillman
As expected, the Nuggets have waived forward Justin Tillman, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.
The move had been anticipated after Denver recently announced a training camp roster that didn’t include Tillman. As we relayed on Friday, the 26-year-old is expected to play for the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets’ G League affiliate – this season after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the club earlier this offseason.
A former VCU standout, Tillman has yet to make his NBA regular season debut, but has seen action in a number of leagues around the world since going undrafted in 2018. He has spent time in Korea, Israel, Italy, Turkey, and Puerto Rico, as well as in the G League.
Tillman was a member of the All-NBAGL First Team in 2021/22, averaging an impressive 23.5 PPG and 11.8 RPG in 28 games (35.3 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate. Grand Rapids acquired Tillman’s returning NBAGL rights from College Park in an August trade.
The Nuggets now have 19 players officially under contract.
Heat Notes: Crowder, Days, Offseason, Haslem
Veteran forward Jae Crowder would welcome a return to the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. However, even though the Suns are said to be exploring Crowder’s trade market, a deal that sends him from Phoenix to Miami will be tricky to work out.
As Jackson writes, the Suns probably have zero interest in taking on Duncan Robinson‘s pricey long-term contract, and any other players the Heat could realistically use as salary-matching pieces in a Crowder trade aren’t eligible to be dealt until December or January. On top of that, Jackson would be surprised if Miami is willing to give up a future first-round pick to acquire Crowder, a 32-year-old on an expiring contract.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The Spurs were surprised when Darius Days signed a two-way contract with the Heat, according to Jackson, who says San Antonio had hoped to bring Days to training camp and have him compete for a two-way spot. One other team besides the Spurs offered Days a two-way deal, but the undrafted rookie out of LSU chose the Heat in part due to their track record of developing young talent, Jackson explains.
- In another story for The Miami Herald, Jackson revisits the Heat’s offseason moves – including their decision not to go into the tax or to impose a hard cap on themselves – and wonders if it might’ve made sense for the team to offer its bi-annual exception to T.J. Warren to address its hole at power forward. Warren ended up signing a minimum-salary contract with Brooklyn.
- Longtime Heat big man Udonis Haslem believes he’s “very qualified” to be part of the franchise’s ownership group and has already started talking to team executives about eventually getting a stake in the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It will continue to rev up,” Haslem said of those discussions. “I’m going to continue to have them. I’m very ambitious and I’ve been creating a lot of the communication. But they’ve been receptive.” Haslem added that he wants to “learn everything from ticket sales to marketing” and be the sort of owner who brings value to the club.
- In a separate article for The Herald, Chiang examines five preseason questions facing the Heat, including whether Tyler Herro will sign a rookie scale extension by the October 17 deadline and whether Kyle Lowry can set himself up for a strong second season in Miami.
Trail Blazers Sign Wes Iwundu To Camp Deal
The Trail Blazers have signed Wes Iwundu to a contract, the team announced today in a press release.
While the Blazers opted not to disclose the terms of the deal, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscriber-only link) hears from a source that it’s a training camp contract. That’s a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum.
Iwundu, 27, has appeared in 226 regular season games for the Magic, Mavericks, Pelicans, and Hawks since being selected 33rd overall in the 2017 draft out of Kansas State. He’s considered a solid perimeter defender, but doesn’t produce much on the offensive end, with career averages of 4.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .408/.292/.798 shooting in 16.9 minutes per contest.
Iwundu played in just three games at the NBA level last season while on a 10-day contract with the Hawks. He spent much of the year with the Cleveland Charge in the G League.
The Blazers don’t have a G League team and Iwundu isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, so if he’s going to stick in the organization, he’ll have to earn a spot on Portland’s 15-man regular season roster. The team only has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, but seems likely to keep that 15th spot open at the start of the season to avoid going into the tax.