Wizards Sign Tomas Satoransky
JULY 21: The Wizards have officially signed Satoransky, the team announced today. “We are very pleased to be able to bring Tomas to the organization after monitoring his development overseas for the last several years,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “He will provide energy and athleticism at both guard positions, giving us more depth and versatility in the backcourt.”
JULY 3: The Wizards and Tomas Satoransky, a 6-foot-7 guard and draft-and-stash prospect from Europe, have agreed to a deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Satoransky was the 32nd pick of the 2012 draft. The deal is for three years and $9MM, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
The deal has no options and is a solid value for the Wizards, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post tweets. This is another bench piece for the Wizards, who have added enter Ian Mahinmi, power forward Andrew Nicholson and Trey Burke all in the last 24 hours.
The addition of Satoransky would give Washington another young player to develop behind backcourt mainstays John Wall and Bradley Beal. Satoransky averaged 9.5 points in 24.0 minutes per game with 38.8% 3-point shooting for his Spanish team this past season, and the year before he shot 43.5% from behind the arc.
Knicks Interested In Greg Monroe?
The Knicks are among the teams with an interest in acquiring Bucks center Greg Monroe, who reportedly remains available, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops reports, citing league sources. The Knicks may need a third team to help facilitate a trade for Monroe and would almost certainly have to wait until December to make a deal, Amico adds.
The Bucks-Monroe relationship has not worked out the way many envisioned it would. After one season, the Bucks are reportedly “anxious to move on from him.” Monroe has two seasons remaining on his current deal. He can choose to opt out next summer. In 79 games for the Bucks, Monroe notched averages of 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per contest. The Celtics emerged as a suitor for Monroe last month, but talks are reportedly no longer ongoing.
The Knicks would be a logical fit, depending on who New York would move, of course. The Knicks are set to feature Joakim Noah at center and to bet on the former Bulls player staying healthy would be risky. Beyond Noah and Kristaps Porzingis at power forward, it can be argued that New York lacks depth in the frontcourt.
Still, having undergone a significant roster overhaul this offseason, the Knicks don’t have many trade chips currently available to match Monroe’s $17MM+ salary — free agents who recently signed with the club aren’t eligible to be dealt until at least December.
Mavs Sign Kyle Collinsworth
2:49pm: The deal is official, the Mavs announced via press release.
8:46am: The Mavs signed undrafted rookie Kyle Collinsworth to a two-year deal, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Collinsworth confirmed the news via Twitter.
It is unclear what the exact figures are, but it’s a partially guaranteed deal and Collinsworth has secured a training camp invite with a sum of guaranteed money, Jones relays. Collinsworth landed the contract after he shined in summer league play with Dallas.
Collinsworth set an NCAA record of 12 triple-doubles over the course of his career at BYU. His versatility helped him secure the contract and Dallas is a good fit because the Mavs are particularly thin at the wing spots with space on their roster, Jones writes. Collinsworth averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game last year for BYU.
Grizzlies, D.J. Stephens Agree To Deal
The Grizzlies and swingman D.J. Stephens have agreed on a partially guaranteed two-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Stephens played for the Grizzlies’ summer league team.
The 25-year-old Stephens has three games of NBA experience with Milwaukee in 2014. The Cavs signed Stephens to a training camp deal last September, but then waived him shortly before the season started. In the previous fall, Stephens inked a non-guaranteed minimum-salary camp deal with the Pelicans and was among the team’s final cuts about a week before Halloween in 2014.
Stephens went undrafted out of the University of Memphis in 2013, despite a 46-inch vertical leap. He never averaged double figures in points during his four years at Memphis, but he used his athleticism on the other end of the floor, winning the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award in his senior season. He played overseas after his college career.
Guerschon Yabusele To Play In China
Guerschon Yabusele, whom the Celtics drafted 16th overall last month, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports. Boston still holds Yabusele’s NBA rights, as Himmelsbach points out.
There have been recent reports suggesting that Yabusele playing overseas was likely, so this news is not entirely surprising. What’s more, the French forward likely needs more seasoning before playing in the league. He is only 20 and he brings versatility and a lot of potential.
At 6’8″ and 240 pounds, Yabusele likely does not lack strength, but there’s been some concern that he’s too short. He has, however, worked to improve his jumper and possesses above-average length and athleticism. He averaged 8.2 points and 6 rebounds in eight summer league games for Boston this year, per Himmelsbach.
Nets Notes: Bennett, Marks, Lin
Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is a low-risk, high-reward gamble for Brooklyn, considering the team has few draft picks, Brian Lewis of the New York Post details. Bennett will make a guaranteed $1,015,696 this season and another $1,087,745 if he’s on the roster opening night 2017, Lewis reports. The former No. 1 overall pick is focused on sharpening his rebounding and using his athleticism on defense, but Bennett’s confidence must also improve for him to stick, Lewis writes.
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
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The Nets enter their fifth season in Brooklyn still lacking an identity, but instead of depending on aging stars with large contracts, the team’s hopes rest in GM Sean Marks‘ and head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s abilities, Seth Berkman of The New York Times writes. Bojan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez are the only players on the Nets who have played at least two seasons with the team, as Berkman points out.
- A significant reason Jeremy Lin joined the Nets was because he wants to prove he can be a full-time starting point guard, Michael Scotto of The Associated Press relays. “That’s a huge thing for me because in free agency I kind of said I want to see how great I can become,” Lin said. “I’ve played a lot of different roles, I’ve sacrificed for a lot of teams I’ve been on in the past. I’ve taken smaller roles to try to help the team succeed. Now I have that chance to take a much bigger role and be a much bigger part.”
Atlantic Notes: Kaun, Sixers, Raptors, Nets
In a move that was expected, the Sixers announced they waived Sasha Kaun days after acquiring him. The Sixers acquired Kaun in a deal from the Cavs on Friday. Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17. In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts if restricted free agent Tyler Zeller is not included, may have an opening on their roster because first-round picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are expected to stay overseas, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Boston GM Danny Ainge said a decision should be made this week, Washburn relays.
- The first year of Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is guaranteed, but the second is not, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Nets‘ Plan B after their offers for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched has not looked especially pretty and it seems new Nets GM Sean Marks had to scramble after his initial plan fell through, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines.
- DeMar DeRozan didn’t bother to meet with other teams and decided to likely take less money to stay with the Raptors, which speaks to his loyalty, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in a mailbag response.
Clippers To Waive Branden Dawson
The Clippers will waive Branden Dawson, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports (on Twitter). Dawson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed, Woike tweets.
Dawson spent time in jail in March on felony domestic violence charges. The small forward was a rookie last season after the Clippers drafted him in the second round of Michigan State.
Dawson played in only six games for the Clippers last season. He logged five points and four rebounds and spent most of last year in the D-League.
Warriors Re-Sign Anderson Varejao
The Warriors have re-signed Anderson Varejao, the team announced via press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com previously reported the two sides were nearing an agreement on a one-year pact.
Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him. The Blazers cut him shortly after they acquired him in a deal from Cleveland, which was trying to lower its luxury tax hit. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, but played fairly well in spurts during the playoffs as a veteran presence off the bench.
Varejao, 33, appeared in 22 regular season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6’10” center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. Interestingly, Varejao is eligible to receive a championship ring from the Cavs, but since he finished the season with the Warriors, he is not interested in accepting one, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops tweets.
Hoops Links: Simmons, Knicks, Duncan
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- The Jump Ball examines Ben Simmons‘ vision and passing ability.
- The Runner Sports wonders who the final addition to the Knicks’ roster will be.
- Sir Charles In Charge discusses Tim Duncan‘s retirement with Magic assistant coach Chad Forcier.
- The Hardwood Nation reviews the Lakers’ summer league so far.
- All Things Mavs runs down best-case scenarios for Dallas.
- The Dream Shake has five takeaways from the Rockets’ summer league.
- The Bird Writes profiles Langston Galloway.
- Bright Side Of The Sun details a particular strength of Tyler Ulis.
- Denver Stiffs believes 2022 is the year for the Nuggets.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.