Ibou Badji Re-Signs With Trail Blazers On Two-Way Deal
Restricted free agent center Ibou Badji has re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.
It seems likely that Badji simply accepted the two-way qualifying offer that Portland issued him a couple days ago in order to secure the right of first refusal.
A 7’1″ Senegalese center with a 7’9″ wingspan, Badji played in Spain from 2019-22 and joined the Wisconsin Herd (the Bucks’ G League club) to begin the 2022/23 campaign after going undrafted last year.
In seven games with the Herd, Badji averaged 7.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest, impressing the Blazers with his ability to protect the rim. Portland signed him to a two-way deal in November.
The Blazers didn’t have a G League affiliate of their own last season (they do now), so Badji didn’t play any more NBAGL games after joining Portland.
The big man could have suited up for the Blazers or been assigned to another team’s G League affiliate, but he was listed on the team’s injury report for a few months with left knee soreness before undergoing surgery in March. He was expected to be out for eight weeks, so he should be go to go for training camp this fall.
Orlando Robinson Signs Standard Deal With Heat
8:20pm: Robinson inked a minimum-salary contract and it is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
7:58pm: Orlando Robinson will be signing a standard contract with the Heat, a league source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel strongly implies (via Twitter) that the 7’0″ center will be receiving the veteran’s minimum. The move will also free up a two-way slot, as Robinson spent 2022/23 — his rookie season — on a two-way deal and was a restricted free agent after Miami issued him a qualifying offer.
As Winderman explains, moving Robinson to a standard deal creates room for the Heat to sign Jamaree Bouyea, Dru Smith and Jamal Cain to two-way contracts. The deals for Bouyea and Smith are already official, while Cain remains a restricted free agent for now.
Robinson, who turns 23 later this month, went undrafted in 2022 out of Fresno State. He originally signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat, was waived before the season started, signed a two-way deal, was waived, and then inked another two-way deal for the rest of the season in December.
There was talk of converting Robinson’s two-way deal into a standard contract when he became a rotation regular due to injuries, but that didn’t come to fruition after the Heat signed veterans Kevin Love and Cody Zeller. Love re-signed with Miami, but Zeller remains a free agent.
Overall, Robinson averaged 3.7 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 31 games (13.7 MPG) for the Heat last season. He also had strong performances with their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Miami already agreed to terms with another free agent center, Thomas Bryant, and has Love as another option in the middle. Robinson will have to earn his stripes in training camp in order to secure rotation minutes behind Bam Adebayo.
Spurs Officially Sign Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs have officially signed 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, the team announced in a press release.
While the terms of the contract were not disclosed, Wembanyama will have a $12,160,680 salary in 2023/24, which is the maximum he can receive in the first year of his rookie scale contract. As with all first-round picks, San Antonio will hold team options in years three and four.
Wembanyama, a 7’3″ big man, was MVP and Defensive Player of the Year of the LNB Pro A, France’s top basketball league. He averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.0 blocks in 34 games last season (32.1 minutes per contest).
The 19-year-old is widely considered to be the best NBA prospect since LeBron James was selected first overall 20 years ago. Wembanyama will participate in Summer League with the Spurs later this month, per the team.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Draymond, Preston, Duarte, Kings
The Lakers made some roster changes yesterday, agreeing to free agent deals with guard Gabe Vincent and forwards Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. They’re also signing big man Jaxson Hayes to fortify their frontcourt depth.
Vincent will replace Dennis Schröder, who wound up signing with Toronto after the Raptors lost Fred VanVleet in free agency. That transaction came after the Vincent deal was reported.
Team sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic that the Lakers contemplated re-signing Schröder, but believe Vincent is a better player and will provide more value. According to Buha, head coach Darvin Ham was one of the people “strongly in favor” of bringing Schröder back.
Despite waiving Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3MM salary became guaranteed, the center is still interested in returning to Los Angeles, a source tells Buha. However, Buha’s article was released before the team agreed to sign Hayes, and the Lakers still have Wenyen Gabriel and Tristan Thompson as free agents.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Draymond Green and the Warriors both had negotiating wins for his new four-year, $100MM contract, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. As Slater explains, the Warriors got significant tax savings for 2023/24 by Green taking a first-year pay cut compared to his declined player option, while Green got a fourth year tacked on to the end of the deal.
- Clippers and guard Jason Preston mutually agreed to push back his salary guarantee date to July 18, a source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 33rd pick of the 2021 draft out of Ohio University, Preston missed his entire rookie season after undergoing right foot surgery. Preston only appeared in 14 regular season games for a total of 124 minutes this past season. The 23-year-old spent most of ’22/23 in the G League with the team’s G League affiliate. His salary will remain non-guaranteed for now.
- The Kings and Pacers were reportedly nearing an agreement Friday morning on a trade that would send wing Chris Duarte to Sacramento in exchange for draft compensation. However, as of Friday night, the two teams had yet to agree to terms, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Lakers Sign Jaxson Hayes To Two-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Lakers have officially signed Hayes, they announced today in a press release.
JULY 1: The Lakers are signing Jaxson Hayes to a two-year contract, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The second year will be a player option, Woj adds.
It seems likely that Hayes will be receiving the veteran’s minimum, barring a sign-and-trade with New Orleans.
Hayes, 23, was the eighth overall pick of the 2019 draft after one college season at Texas. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Pelicans, who chose not to give him a qualifying offer in order to make him a restricted free agent.
A 6’11” big man who has played both forward and center but is primarily viewed as a five, Hayes has yet to live up to his draft status, averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 241 regular season games with the Pelicans over the past four years (16.8 minutes). In 610 total minutes in 2022/23, he had the worst on/off differential on the team, per NBA.com.
Still, while Hayes doesn’t have a great basketball IQ, he’s young and is a strong run-and-jump athlete. Considering he’s probably getting a minimum-salary deal, he was worth a flier as a potential buy-low candidate given the dearth of available big men on the market.
Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. Nearing Multiyear Extension
After exercising his 2023/24 player option worth $18,785,000, Gary Trent Jr. is closing in on a “lucrative multiyear extension” with the Raptors, league sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Trent will be extension-eligible on July 7, so a new deal would technically have to wait about a week before becoming official.
The 24-year-old had long been expected to opt out of his option in order to hit the open market and sign a longer-term deal worth perhaps $18-20MM annually. It seems as though that will be coming to fruition, but instead of with a new club, the young shooting guard will be staying with Toronto.
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), Trent’s extension technically could be worth up to $116.4MM with a starting salary of $25.98MM in ’24/25 due to a change in how veteran extensions work in the new CBA. Murphy doesn’t think Trent will receive that robust total, but it gives more wiggle room for negotiating a larger sum.
Trent is coming off a solid two-and-a-half year stint in Toronto in which he averaged 17.7 points per game on .420/.374/.843 shooting while chipping in 1.6 SPG. He was acquired via trade from Portland in March 2021 for Norman Powell.
The Raptors have been active in free agency, re-signing Jakob Poeltl to a four-year deal but losing longtime veteran Fred VanVleet, who received a three-year, maximum-salary contract from the Rockets. Toronto quickly pivoted to replace VanVleet by signing Dennis Schröder.
Oshae Brissett Signs Two-Year Deal With Celtics
JULY 6: The Celtics have officially signed Brissett, the team announced in a press release.
JUNE 30: Oshae Brissett is signing a two-year deal with the Celtics, agent Mike George tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The second year is a player option, Woj adds.
Based on Boston’s financial situation, Brissett will be inking a minimum-salary contract, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe confirms.
A 6’7″ combo forward, Brissett went undrafted in 2019 after two college seasons at Syracuse. He originally signed an Exhibit 10 deal with his hometown Raptors, which was converted into a two-way deal for his rookie season.
Brissett was waived by Toronto in December 2020, later catching on with the Pacers in April 2021 on a couple of 10-day contracts. He played so well for Indiana to close ’20/21 (he averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG on .483/.423/.769 shooting in 24 games) that he earned a multiyear contract for the veteran’s minimum.
His numbers declined in ’21/22, but were still solid enough for his contract. However, his role was further reduced in ’22/23, with Brissett averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG while shooting 31% from three-point range in 65 games (16.7 MPG).
The Celtics likely won’t be expecting much from Brissett beyond providing depth, but he’s still young and clearly they liked him enough to give him a two-year contract. He’ll be looking for a bounce-back season with Boston in order to increase his value going forward.
Julian Champagnie Signs Four-Year Deal With Spurs
JULY 6: Champagnie’s deal with the Spurs is official, the team announced in a press release.
JUNE 30: Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is re-signing with San Antonio, but instead of receiving another two-way contract, he’ll receive $12MM over four years on a standard deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). The final year is a team option, Woj adds.
Champagnie went undrafted last year after three college seasons at St. John’s, catching on with the Sixers on a two-way deal. He only made three NBA appearances with Philadelphia, spending most of his rookie year in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The 22-year-old averaged 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG and 1.1 SPG on .465/.347/.839 shooting in 14 games (35.1 MPG) during the fall Showcase Cup, then put up 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.9 BPG on .419/.352/.875 shooting in 18 regular season games with the Blue Coats.
The 76ers released Champagnie in February and his two-way deal was claimed on waivers by the Spurs. He spent eight games with their affiliate in Austin, but impressed the NBA club in 15 games down the stretch of the 2022/23 season.
He averaged 11.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .461/.407/.824 shooting in 20.9 MPG over that span for San Antonio, which he parlayed into a multiyear standard contract.
Champagnie is the twin brother of Celtics forward Justin Champagnie.
Lakers Sign Rui Hachimura To Three-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Lakers have officially re-signed Hachimura, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JUNE 30: The Lakers have reached an agreement with Rui Hachimura, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania that the restricted free agent forward will sign a three-year, $51MM contract to remain in Los Angeles.
According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), Hachimura’s deal will be fully guaranteed.
The ninth pick of the 2019 draft, Hachimura spent his first three-plus NBA seasons with the Wizards, averaging 13.0 PPG and 5.1 RPG on .479/.356/.776 shooting in 177 games over that span (118 starts, 27.8 MPG). In 30 games with the Wizards in 2022/23, he averaged 13.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG on .488/.337/.759 shooting in 24.3 MPG off the bench.
Hachimura was traded to the Lakers in January in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. His regular-season numbers actually declined with L.A., with the Japanese forward posting 9.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .485/.296/.721 shooting in 33 games (nine starts, 22.4 MPG).
However, he had a scorching hot playoff run, posting a .557/.487/.882 shooting line across 16 postseason appearances. He also chipped in 12.2 PPG and 3.6 in 24.3 MPG during the Lakers’ journey to the Western Conference Finals.
Hachimura was eligible for a rookie scale extension before last season started and reportedly received an offer in the range of $12-14MM per year, but passed on that opportunity in search of a bigger deal in free agency. It turned out to be a wise financial decision, as he’ll be making $17MM annually on his new contract.
In case you missed it, the Lakers have also reached free agent agreements with guard Gabe Vincent and forward Taurean Prince.
Shake Milton To Sign Two-Year Deal With Timberwolves
Free agent guard Shake Milton is leaving the Sixers, having agreed to a two-year, $10MM deal with the Timberwolves, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The 54th pick of the 2018 draft after three seasons at SMU, Milton originally signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia, which was converted into a four-year, minimum-salary contract after his rookie season. That expired after 2022/23, making Milton an unrestricted free agent.
While Milton isn’t a great athlete or a defensive stopper, he has been quite productive when given a chance at a bigger offensive role throughout his pro career. For example, in 11 starts (38.3 minutes) last season, he averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds on a sparkling .518/.413/.970 shooting line.
His overall numbers have been more modest, with the 26-year-old averaging 9.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds on .458/.368/.830 shooting in 234 games (45 starts, 21.4 MPG) over the past four seasons. Still, that’s solid production for a reserve.
Based on the contract value, it appears as though Milton will be getting part of Minnesota’s mid-level exception. The team also re-signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker and added Troy Brown, so the Wolves have been quite active in free agency, prioritizing young players to fill out their backcourt and wing depth.