Projecting The Depth Chart At Each Position
- The Nets‘ 15-man roster for the upcoming season is just about set, according to Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily, who projects the team’s depth chart at each position. Puccio expects D’Angelo Russell to establish himself as Brooklyn’s best player this year, with Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jarrett Allen joining him in the starting lineup. New additions Kenneth Faried, Jared Dudley and Ed Davis should all see plenty of playing time off the bench.
Atlantic Notes: Noah, Porzingis, Atkinson, Crawford
As we relayed earlier this week, the Knicks are expected to part ways with oft-injured center Joakim Noah before the start of training camp. If the Knicks fail to find a trading partner, the team is expected to use the stretch provision after September 1. Noah, 33, still has two years and $37.8MM left on his deal.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News examined both the good and bad sides of the Knicks parting ways with Noah this offseason. It would likely avoid a major headache and possible players’ union issue if the Knicks refuse to play Noah. Bondy reiterates that the deadline to solve the Noah issue is not September 1 but rather next summer when New York intends to pursue top free agents.
The Nets dealing Timofey Mozgov‘s lucrative multiyear contract for an expiring deal is one example of a team leveraging an albatross deal into future cap space. The Knicks’ best choice would be to hold onto Noah and look for trades instead of stretching his contract, Bondy writes.
Check out more Atlantic Division notes:
- In the same story, Bondy looked at the pros and cons of the Knicks extending Kristaps Porzingis this offseason. On one hand, New York should lock up its best player since Patrick Ewing amid an unstable environment, with Porzingis set to play for the fourth coach of his career in 2018/19. Conversely, the Knicks plan to make use of their cap room in 2019, and extending the Latvian now would eat into that space — the team could simply let him hit restricted free agency and then negotiate or match any offer.
- Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson denied the franchise has contemplated tanking in order to secure more favorable draft positioning, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Instead, Atkinson says the goal is to play as well as possible so Brooklyn becomes a desirable free agency destination. “We talk about internal improvement, we talk about player development, we talk about culture,” Atkinson said. “Tanking is not a word we use. It’s just not in our [vocabulary]. I don’t think the fans in New York want to see that.”
- Following an injury to rookie Zhaire Smith, the Sixers may be in the market for wing depth, and veteran sharpshooter Jamal Crawford could fit the bill. In a recent appearance on Brandon Robinson’s Scoop B Podcast, Crawford spoke glowingly of Philadelphia and what playing there would mean to him (via Amico Hoops). “I like their city. I like how into it they are about basketball. I like their knowledge of basketball, how passionate they are. I’ve always loved coach Brett Brown,” Crawford said.
Mitch Creek Freed To Sign With Nets
Australian star Mitch Creek has been released from his contract with the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League, and is now free to sign with the Nets, the 36ers announced today in a press release.
“The club has loved being a part of Mitch’s journey over the last eight years and is thrilled to have played a role in the opportunity Mitch has worked so hard for and thoroughly deserves,” the statement from the 36ers reads. “On behalf of the entire Adelaide 36ers Family, we wish Mitch every success in the NBA and look forward to watching his progress.”
Late in July, reports out of Australia began to surface suggesting that Creek was opting out of his contract with German club Wuerzburg in order to attend training camp with the Nets, as NetsDaily relayed at the time. However, the 36ers – Creek’s longtime Australian team – reportedly filed an injunction to prevent him from making the leap to the NBA without receiving compensation.
Creek had previously been under contract with Adelaide through the 2018/19 season, but exercised an out clause in that deal to play in Germany. As such, the 36ers believed they should be entitled to some sort of compensation, particularly if he earns a spot on the Nets’ regular season roster. It’s not clear what sort of agreement the 36ers and Nets came to, but it appears no further roadblocks stand in the way of Creek signing with the NBA club.
In 31 games in Australia last season, Creek averaged 14.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He was named to the All-NBL Second Team. The 6’5″ wing also played for the Mavericks’ Summer League team last month, recording 6.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG in five games in Las Vegas.
Nets Notes: Hollis-Jefferson, Harris, Creek, Atkinson
The injury that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson suffered in an exhibition game in China over the weekend has been diagnosed as a left adductor strain, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis provides no details on a prognosis for Hollis-Jefferson, but he adds that the 23-year-old forward will begin rehab work right away.
Hollis-Jefferson was playing in Jeremy Lin‘s “Hoop for Hope” game on Saturday when he felt pain after landing on a dunk attempt. He immediately went to the locker room and returned to the United States later that day.
There’s more news out of Brooklyn:
- Joe Harris is grateful to the Nets for helping him revive his career after being waived in 2016, but his decision to re-sign with Brooklyn last month wasn’t made out of sentiment, Lewis writes in a full story. Harris accepted a two-year, $16MM deal when he might have gotten better offers elsewhere, but he says familiarity with the organization played a role in his decision. “Everybody knows what you’re about and what you bring,” Harris explained. “It’s hard to duplicate that. It takes a lot of time. … If you go somewhere else it’s difficult. You’re not going to get that instantly. Then factor in I have comfort with the system. I just felt like although it was a two-year deal versus a longer deal this was the best case for me.”
- Mitch Creek wants to sign with the Nets, but his Australian team won’t let him go without compensation, according an article on NetsDaily. The Adelaide 36ers have filed an injunction in an Australian court and are seeking $75K in U.S. dollars before they will release Creek. The Adelaide Advertiser reports that the team is hoping to resolve the situation within 24 hours so Creek can finalize a training camp deal with Brooklyn. “We are ensuring in the event that he gets a spot on the final roster that there is some sort of compensation [for Adelaide],” 36ers chief executive Ben Kavenagh told the newspaper. The Nets’ interest in Creek was first reported by Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia (Twitter link).
- Respect around the league for Nets coach Kenny Atkinson could serve as a “secret weapon” for the organization in free agency next summer, suggests Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily.
Nets, Mavs, Pelicans Eyeing Mario Chalmers
The Nets, Mavericks, and Pelicans are among the teams that have shown some interest in unrestricted free agent point guard Mario Chalmers, a source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
Chalmers, 32, suffered a torn Achilles in 2016 and sat out the entire 2016/17 season, but appeared in 66 games for the Grizzlies in 2017/18. His numbers (7.7 PPG, 3.0 APG) were modest and his shooting rates (.379 FG%, .277 3PT%) were well below his career averages, as he gradually made his way back to full speed. However, Spears says that Chalmers is “completely healthy” now.
Addressing his free agency a couple weeks ago, Chalmers said he believed it was “just a matter of time” until he secured an NBA contract. “They [NBA teams] are getting all the young guys, all the big free agents out of the way now,” Chalmers said at the time. “I’m just waiting my turn.”
While Chalmers’ assessment of the market may be accurate, 15-man roster spots around the NBA are drying up, so the veteran isn’t necessarily a lock to receive a guaranteed contract, even at the minimum. He has shown in the past that he’s willing to roll the dice on the right opportunity though — when Chalmers signed with Memphis last July, his contract only featured a partial guarantee of $25K. He earned his full guarantee by making the team’s regular season roster in October.
Contract Details For Joe Harris
- Joe Harris‘ fully guaranteed two-year deal with the Nets is worth exactly $16MM, but it’s worth more in the first year ($8.33MM) than the second ($7.67MM), per Pincus.
Treveon Graham Next Project For Nets?
- During their rebuilding process, the Nets have showed a knack for turning marginal players into reliable contributors. Net Income of NetsDaily wonders if Treveon Graham could become Brooklyn’s next project of that sort, following in the footsteps of players like Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Nets Sign Theo Pinson
AUGUST 6: The Nets have announced Pinson’s signing in a press release.
AUGUST 1: The Nets’ deal with Pinson is now official, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.
JUNE 22: North Carolina’s Theo Pinson will sign a contract with the Nets that includes an Exhibit 10 attachment, tweets Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
Under NBA rules, an Exhibit 10 clause gives the team an option to convert the deal into a two-way contract at a later date. To qualify, the contract must be a minimum-salary arrangement for one year with no bonuses (except for an optional Exhibit 10 bonus) and no compensation protection.
Pinson, 22, can receive anywhere from $5K to $50K if he is waived by the Nets and spends at least 60 days with their G-League affiliate.
A 6’6″ shooting guard, Pinson was part of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 2017. He became a full-time starter as a senior this season, posting a 10.3/6.5/5.1 line in 37 games. He will join the Nets’ summer leage team in Las Vegas.
Win/Loss Odds; Hollis-Jefferson Injury
- The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has set its initial win totals for NBA teams during the 2018/19 regular season. The Atlantic Division looks like this: Celtics – 57.5; Raptors/Sixers – 54.5; Nets – 32.5; Knicks – 29.5.
- As we relayed last night, the Nets are cautiously optimistic that the injury suffered by forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in a Chinese charity game hosted by former teammate Jeremy Lin is not serious.
Milton Doyle Signs With Spanish Team
Milton Doyle, a two-way player with the Nets last season, has signed with Club Baloncesto Murcia in Spain, tweets NBA writer Ben Stinar.
A 24-year-old guard, Doyle was in training camp with Brooklyn last year but was waived before the start of the season. He agreed to a two-way deal in mid-December and remained with the team for the rest of the year.
Doyle got into 10 NBA games, averaging 3.4 PPG in 12.5 minutes per night. He spent most of the season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, where he put up a 20.5/6.2/4.5 line in 45 games.