Trevor Keels Returning To Knicks On Two-Way Deal
Guard Trevor Keels has re-signed with the Knicks on a two-way deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter). According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, it’s a one-year contract (Twitter link).
The 42nd pick of the 2022 draft after one college season at Duke, Keels spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Knicks, who gave him a qualifying offer last month in order to make him a restricted free agent. Based on the reported terms, it seems likely that Keels simply accepted his one-year QO in order to return to New York.
Still just 19 years old (he turns 20 in late August), Keels only appeared in three games for the Knicks in 2022/23 for a total of eight minutes. He was a starter for their G League affiliate in Westchester, however, averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal with a .425/.355/.710 shooting line in 25 regular season games (30.2 minutes per contest).
Once their two-way deal with Nathan Knight is official, the Knicks will have all three two-way slots filled, as former Overtime Elite guard Jaylen Martin occupies the third. That means Duane Washington might be the odd man out — he was given a qualifying offer last month, but the Knicks won’t have any spots available.
Trade Rumors: Harden, Clippers, Lillard, Embiid
While the Sixers may be holding out hope that James Harden will rescind his trade request and return to Philadelphia next season, the former league MVP remains steadfast in his desire to be dealt to the Clippers, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
According to Fischer, Harden and his camp are confident he’ll end up playing for Los Angeles in 2023/24. Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have discussed Harden trades with teams other than the Clippers, but none of those talks were serious, as rivals are aware of Harden’s “unwavering focus” on joining L.A.
The Sixers haven’t shown any interest in a potential Clippers deal though, and the Clippers aren’t interested in parting with Terance Mann, Fischer writes. Daryl Morey‘s recent comments suggest that the two sides aren’t natural trade partners.
If Harden is still on the roster by media day in early October, the 10-time All-Star is expected to join the Sixers in training camp. That might not be ideal for Philadelphia, however, as Fischer notes that Harden successfully forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn in recent seasons when he was unhappy without needing to hold out.
Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- In his analysis of Fischer’s story, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com wonders if Morey will eventually cave on his high asking price and accept an offer from the Clippers, as having Harden cause problems — in training camp or during the season — could hurt the Sixers‘ on-court results. The fact that Harden is on an expiring contract and Philadelphia is firmly in win-now mode makes it a complicated situation, because the team can’t afford to punt on a year of Joel Embiid‘s prime, Neubeck adds. That much was clear even before Embiid’s recent comments about wanting to win a championship no matter what team he’s on.
- Talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat on a Damian Lillard trade are “stagnant,” according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. While the two sides have spoken, Charania hears the conversations weren’t serious. Portland has told Miami to make its best offer, Charania writes, but the Heat don’t appear to be in any rush to do so.
- As Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote a couple days ago, there’s no indication that Embiid has any desire to leave the Sixers at this point, and Philadelphia certainly doesn’t want to trade him, to the Knicks or any other team. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that when Embiid and Morey met after the comments went viral, both sides envisioned a “Derek Jeter-type trajectory” for Embiid, with the reigning MVP remaining the face of the organization until he retires. In short, don’t expect an Embiid trade anytime soon, says Begley.
Pacers First-Rounder Jarace Walker Had “Minor” Elbow Surgery
Jarace Walker underwent “minor” surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Pacers forward is expected to be completely healed when training camp opens in the fall, per Wojnarowski.
Walker spent his lone college season with the Houston Cougars, averaging 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .465/.347/.663 shooting in 36 games (27.6 MPG) in 2022/23. Known as a strong defensive player, Walker was the eighth pick of last month’s draft.
The 19-year-old appeared in four Summer League games for Indiana in Las Vegas, averaging 14.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 30.1 MPG. While those all-around stats are quite solid, he struggled mightily with scoring efficiency, posting a .343/.179/.444 shooting line. It’s safe to assume his elbow was affecting him, considering he reportedly underwent surgery to correct the ailment.
Assuming no other major roster moves are made, Walker will likely be vying with Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith for the starting power forward job entering ’23/24. Nesmith spent much of last season as the small-ball starting four, but he’s only 6’5″ and the Pacers were obviously focused on adding talent at the position this summer.
Spurs Re-Sign Tre Jones To Two-Year Deal
JULY 18: Nearly three weeks after initially agreeing to terms with the Spurs, Jones has officially signed his new contract, the club announced today in a press release. The deal will eat up the remainder of San Antonio’s cap room, putting the team’s salary over the cap.
JUNE 30: Tre Jones is re-signing with the Spurs, having agreed to a two-year, $20MM contract, agent Kevin Bradbury tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Jones was a restricted free agent after San Antonio issued him a $5,216,324 qualifying offer. He didn’t need to sign an offer sheet from a rival team to nearly double that figure.
The 41st overall pick of the 2020 draft, the former Duke point guard has spent his entire pro career with the Spurs. He played sparingly as a rookie, had a regular bench role in 2021/22, and emerged as a full-time starter in ’22/23 after the club traded Dejounte Murray to Atlanta last summer.
In 68 games last season (29.2 MPG), Jones averaged 12.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.6 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .459/.285/.860 shooting. I’m sure he’d like to boost that three-point percentage, but Jones provides value in other areas, including solid play-making while taking excellent care of the ball — he posted a 4.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in ’22/23.
Still just 23 years old, Jones will hit unrestricted free agency in a couple years when he’s 25.
Thunder Sign Vasilije Micic To Three-Year Deal
JULY 17: The Thunder have officially signed Micic, according to a team press release.
JULY 1: European star Vasilije Micic has agreed to a three-year, $23.5MM contract with the Thunder, agent Jason Ranne tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Micic traveled to Oklahoma City a few weeks ago to discuss a potential contract with the Thunder. A report last week from Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr stated that Micic was “determined” to play in the NBA in 2023/24, and now he’ll be coming stateside on a lucrative multiyear deal.
Micic, 29, was selected by Philadelphia with the 52nd overall pick in the 2014 draft. The Sixers traded his draft rights in 2020 to the Thunder, who have held them for the last three years.
The 6’5″ guard has been playing in Europe since 2010 and has been a member of Anadolu Efes since 2018. He won back-to-back EuroLeague championships with the club in 2021 and 2022 and was named the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in 2021. He and Anadolu Efes have also claimed Turkish League titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023, with Micic earning Finals MVP honors this year.
The Thunder already have several young guards on their roster, but they seem quite high on the Serbian veteran. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), several teams trade to acquire Micic’s rights during last month’s NBA draft, including the Jazz, but OKC decided to retain him.
Micic averaged 16.0 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 31 EuroLeague contests last season, posting a .435/.357/.870 shooting line in 31 games (31.3 minutes).
The Thunder may have their room exception, which can now be used on signings of up to three years, earmarked for Micic.
Jahlil Okafor Officially Signs With Spanish Club
Free agent center Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2015 draft, has officially signed with Casademont Zaragoza of Spain’s Liga ACB, the team announced (via Twitter). According to Eurohoops.net, Okafor inked a one-year contract.
Olga Lorent of Onda Regional was the first to report that Zaragoza was trying to close a deal with Okafor.
A college star at Duke who helped lead the Blue Devils to the NCAA Championship in 2014/15, Okafor was drafted by the 76ers, spending his first two-plus seasons with the club. The 27-year-old bounced around the NBA for the next handful of seasons, playing for the Nets, Pelicans and Pistons from 2017-21.
Known as a strong post scorer who is limited defensively, Okafor’s last season in the league came back in 2020/21 with Detroit. In six NBA seasons, he holds career averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 247 regular season games (116 starts, 19.5 minutes).
Okafor signed a training camp deal with Atlanta ahead of ’21/22, but was released before the season started. He wound up playing for the Zhejiang Lions in China. Last season, the veteran big man played for the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 16 games (27.0 minutes).
This will be the first European stint for Okafor, who suited up for Team Nigeria during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Zaragoza finished 12-22 during the ’22/23 regular season, 13th out of 18 Liga ACB teams.
Rockets’ Cam Whitmore Named Summer League MVP
Rockets forward Cam Whitmore has been named the Las Vegas Summer League Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
The NBA also announced its All-Summer League First and Second Teams, which are as follows (Twitter links):
First Team
- Keyonte George, Jazz (Backcourt)
- Sam Merrill, Cavaliers (Backcourt)
- Orlando Robinson, Heat (Frontcourt)
- Hunter Tyson, Nuggets (Frontcourt)
- Cam Whitmore, Rockets (Frontcourt)
Second Team
- Max Christie, Lakers (Backcourt)
- Javon Freeman-Liberty, Bulls (Backcourt)
- Xavier Moon, Clippers (Backcourt)
- Emoni Bates, Cavaliers (Frontcourt)
- Jabari Smith, Rockets (Frontcourt)
- Jalen Wilson, Nets (Frontcourt)
According to the NBA (Twitter link), Christie and Moon received the same amount of votes, which is why there is an additional backcourt player on the second team.
Whitmore, a projected lottery pick in last month’s draft who fell to Houston at No. 20, averaged 20.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.2 APG and 3.0 SPG on .465/.293/.625 shooting in his five Vegas Summer League games, per NBA.com.
Houston faces Cleveland at 8 p.m. CT tonight in the Summer League championship game. Both teams are undefeated, holding identical 5-0 records.
Spurs Waive Lamar Stevens
The Spurs have waived forward Lamar Stevens, the team announced in a press release.
Stevens’ contract for 2023/24 was partially guaranteed at $400K. San Antonio is waiving him before his full $1.93MM salary becomes guaranteed today.
Stevens, who turned 26 last week, was sent to the Spurs by Cleveland as part of the Max Strus sign-and-trade. His contract for next season was previously non-guaranteed, but he received $400K as part of the deal to adhere to the NBA’s salary-matching rules.
The combo forward went undrafted in 2020 after four college seasons at Penn State, later signing a two-way deal with the Cavaliers. He was promoted to a multiyear standard contract in April 2021, the end of his rookie season.
Overall, Stevens averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .467/.281/.710 shooting in three seasons with the Cavs (165 games, 16.0 MPG). He’s an energetic, athletic and physical player who is known as a tenacious defender, though he struggles with scoring efficiency.
The Spurs have a roster crunch, and evidently Stevens wasn’t part of their long-term plans, so they decided to release him. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent in a couple days if he clears waivers, but won’t be eligible to sign with Cleveland for a year after the team traded him.
Moussa Diabate Signs Two-Way Deal With Clippers
Moussa Diabate is signing a two-way deal with the Clippers, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The move is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
A French big man who spent his lone college season at Michigan, Diabate spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Clippers after being selected 43rd overall in the 2022 draft. He received a qualifying offer last month, making him a restricted free agent.
As a rookie in 2022/23, Diabate appeared in 22 games with L.A., holding most averages of 2.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 8.9 MPG. He received much more playing time for the team’s G League affiliate, the Ontario Clippers, averaging 15.9 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG and 1.1 BPG in 18 regular season games (32.6 MPG), earning a spot on the NBAGL All-Rookie Team for his efforts.
As our roster counts show, once Diabate’s signing is official, he will fill the first of the team’s three two-way slots. Jordan Miller, a second-round pick last month who remains unsigned, is a candidate for another.
The Clippers currently have 16 players on standard deals, with 15 of those contracts guaranteed. Jason Preston‘s non-guaranteed deal is set to be fully guaranteed tomorrow if he isn’t waived.
Darius Bazley Signs One-Year Deal With Nets
JULY 16: Bazley has officially signed with the Nets, the team’s PR department tweets.
JULY 14: The Nets are signing free agent big man Darius Bazley to a one-year contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Bazley was the No. 23 overall pick of the 2019 draft. He spent his first three-plus seasons with the Thunder prior to being traded to Phoenix at the February deadline.
Like all former first-round picks who have all four years of their rookie scale contract exercised, Bazley was eligible for restricted free agency had the Suns given him a $6.2MM qualifying offer.
They chose not to, making him unrestricted and free to sign with any team. It wasn’t surprising given that Bazley had limited role with Phoenix, only appearing in seven games and a total of 61 minutes down the stretch.
Overall, the 6’8″ forward/center has averaged 9.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG on .411/.310/.673 shooting in 218 career games (118 starts, 3.6 MPG) with the Thunder and Suns. Bazley is still just 23 years old, a high leaper, and has shown flashes defensively. He also handled his inconsistent playing time last season with Oklahoma City very professionally.
Brooklyn technically hasn’t used any of its mid-level exception or bi-annual exception, but I’m guessing Bazley will be on a minimum-salary deal, given the timing of it (two weeks into free agency) and the Nets’ proximity to the luxury tax.
The Nets have focused on youth and athleticism this offseason, also signing Lonnie Walker and Dennis Smith Jr., two more former first-round picks.
As Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, Bazley will fill Brooklyn’s 15th and final standard roster spot for now. However, the Nets could have another spot open soon. Guard Edmond Sumner, whose non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed tomorrow after he agreed to push back the guarantee date, sent out a tweet talking about overcoming adversity.