Magic Sign Michael Carter-Williams To Two-Year Deal
The Magic have signed free agent guard Michael Carter-Williams, the team announced (via Twitter).
Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report the deal, tweeting that it’s a two-year contract with a team option for 2023/24.
Carter-Williams, 31, was the No. 11 pick of the 2013 draft out of Syracuse, winning Rookie of the Year with the Sixers in the ’13/14 season. He has bounced around a good amount since, having also played for Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte, Houston and Orlando.
The veteran guard, who is known for his defense, originally caught on with the Magic at the end of the 2018/19 season, signing a couple of 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-season deal. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal to remain with Orlando that summer, then re-signed with the Magic in the 2020 offseason on a two-year, $6MM contract that ran through the end of 2022.
Carter-Williams’ last NBA appearance came in April 2021 during the ’20/21 season, as he had offseason ankle surgery in August 2021 that kept him sidelined in ’21/22 until he was waived as part of a multiplayer trade. He has been a free agent since he was cut last February.
In 391 games, including 217 starts (25.3 MPG), Carter-Williams holds career averages of 10.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.3 SPG on .402/.255/.706 shooting splits. The Magic have an opening on their standard roster, so a corresponding move is not necessary.
Kings Waive KZ Okpala, Bring Back PJ Dozier
7:55pm: The Kings have officially signed Dozier and waived Okpala, the team confirmed in a press release.
8:30am: The Kings will waive forward KZ Okpala and sign veteran wing PJ Dozier for the rest of the season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Okpala, who has been dealing with bilateral knee soreness, plans to undergo surgery that will end his season. The 23-year-old power forward has appeared in 35 games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per night, and hasn’t played since January 28.
After spending his first three seasons in Miami, Okpala signed a two-year deal with Sacramento last summer that carried a partial guarantee. His $1.9MM salary for this season became fully guaranteed when he remained on the roster through early January, and his $2MM salary for 2023/24 was non-guaranteed.
Dozier returns to the Kings after signing two 10-day contracts in January. He saw limited playing time in four games and wasn’t immediately re-signed when the second deal expired at the end of the month. The 26-year-old guard has also played for the Thunder, Celtics and Nuggets.
Suns Sign Ish Wainright To Two-Year Standard Deal
7:55pm: Wainright has officially inked a multiyear contract, the Suns announced (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports).
5:47 pm: The Suns are promoting forward Ish Wainright from his two-way contract to a two-year, $2.5MM standard deal, his agents, Jim Tanner and Deirunas Visokas of Tandem Sports, tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
There will be a club option for 2023/24 on Wainright’s new deal, Charania adds. It’ll be worth the minimum ($1,927,896).
Wainright was active for his 50th game prior to the All-Star break and thus had maxed out the games-played limit on his two-way contract. Phoenix could have kept him on his two-way deal for the rest of the season, but he would have been ineligible to be activated for another regular season or playoff game; now that he’s getting promoted to a standard deal, those restrictions no longer apply.
While Wainright’s counting stats of 4.3 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .384/.339/.810 shooting in 42 games (15.5 MPG) don’t jump off the page, his plus-6.3 net rating is excellent (the Suns’ season-long net rating is plus-1.5), and he is an above-average defensive player. He has been a rotation player since the start of December.
At 28 years old, Wainright is an unusual second-year player. In addition to a temporary attempt at switching to football, the 6’6″, 250-pound combo forward also played international basketball in Germany and France. He has been with the Suns for the past two seasons on a two-way deal.
The Suns had an opening on their 15-man roster, so they won’t need to waive anyone to promote Wainright. They now have one two-way slot available — Saben Lee occupies the other.
Hawks Offer Head Coaching Job To Quin Snyder
6:40pm: Atlanta is nearing a deal with Snyder, Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).
5:17pm: The Hawks have offered their head coaching job to Quin Snyder and there are “strong signs” that the former Jazz head coach will accept the position, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports on The Rally (Twitter video link).
According to Charania, Snyder is still gathering information on the job and the organization, but it sounds as if it’s only a matter of time before he accepts the offer. Charania hears from sources that Snyder’s contract could be around $8MM per year, and the 56-year-old has “significant interest” in the opening.
Charania reported yesterday that Snyder was in formal negotiations with Atlanta and he looked like the team’s top choice. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that Snyder and the Hawks were making progress in their discussions about a deal.
The Hawks fired former head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday following a disappointing 29-30 start to the season. Assistant Joe Prunty was named interim coach, but that may be temporary.
Snyder spent eight years as head coach of the Jazz before resigning in June. He compiled a 372-264 record and took Utah to the playoffs in his final six seasons with the team. He is considered the best coach available on this year’s marketplace.
Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin To Multiyear Contract
FEBRUARY 24: The Wizards have officially signed Goodwin to a standard multiyear contract, promoting him to the 15-man roster, the team announced today in a press release.
“Jordan has worked extremely hard during his time with us and that has paid off both for him and for our team with this opportunity,” Wizards president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He is a great example of our development program as well as the importance and impact of having the Go-Go as part of our organization.”
According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link), Goodwin’s new deal is a three-year contract that’s partially guaranteed for 2023/24, with a team option for ’24/25.
FEBRUARY 21: The Wizards intend to promote guard Jordan Goodwin from his two-way contract to a standard deal, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had long been expected once Washington was able to open up a roster spot, since Goodwin has been a rotation player since November and had reached his limit of 50 active games. The Wizards reportedly completed a buyout agreement with Will Barton on Tuesday, creating the opening necessary to promote Goodwin.
Goodwin has averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 18.1 minutes per game across 40 appearances for the Wizards this season, posting a solid shooting line of .453/.388/.750.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted earlier today (via Twitter), the Wizards are approximately $2.1MM below the luxury tax line, so they have the flexibility to sign Goodwin without surpassing that threshold. The club also has a portion of its mid-level exception available and could use it to give the 24-year-old a three- or four-year contract offer rather than just a one- or two-year pact.
We’ll see what sort of deal Goodwin and the Wizards agree to, but a partially guaranteed three-year contract with a team option on the final year might make sense for both sides. That would give Goodwin a little security and would give the Wizards the option of making the former Saint Louis standout a restricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
Hawks, Quin Snyder Making Progress In Talks
The Hawks‘ head coaching search continues to focus on Quin Snyder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the two sides have made progress in their talks on a deal to make him Nate McMillan‘s permanent replacement. A resolution could come within the next few days, Wojnarowski adds.
As Wojnarowski outlines, Snyder has spent time this week discussing philosophy and team-building with general manager Landry Fields, assistant GM Kyle Korver, and Hawks owner Tony Ressler. Those conversations are giving the involved parties an opportunity to evaluate how a partnership would work.
Following the Hawks’ dismissal of McMillan on Tuesday, reports identified Snyder as one of several head coaching candidates who would receive consideration from the team. However, most of the other candidates mentioned – with the exception of former Celtics coach Ime Udoka – are currently under contract with other NBA teams, complicating Atlanta’s ability to pursue them immediately.
The Hawks promoted assistant Joe Prunty and named him their interim head coach, so they have the option of playing out the season with Prunty and conducting a more exhaustive search in the spring.
However, it appears Atlanta is interested in making a permanent hire sooner rather than later, and there’s nothing standing in the way of negotiating a deal with Snyder, who is the team’s top target, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Thursday. Snyder hasn’t taken another job since stepping down as the Jazz’s head coach last June.
Snyder is considered the best coach available on this year’s marketplace, and the Hawks are prepared to make a substantial financial commitment to him, according to Wojnarowski.
It remains possible that the Hawks and Snyder won’t ultimately come to an agreement — it’s worth recalling that the NBA’s most recent coaching search in Brooklyn appeared headed in one direction before the Nets pivoted away from Udoka and hired Jacque Vaughn instead. For the time being though, it appears the Hawks will focus on working things out with Snyder before seriously considering any other options.
Finch: Still No Timeline For KAT, But In “Final Stages” Of Recovery
Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is making progress in his recovery from a Grade 3 calf strain, with head coach Chris Finch referring to it as the “final stages,” but there’s still no official timeline for his return to action, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
“He’s itching to play,” Finch said after practice Thursday. “I don’t think that it’s a question of anything like going off path right now. I think it’s just literally just going through the final stages of what that looks like.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to be, but talking to him, I definitely sense more so than any other conversation I’ve had with him up until this point that he’s chomping at the bit to get back and ready to help this team when that time comes.”
Finch went on to say Minnesota wouldn’t rush Towns back until he’s fully healthy, per Hine.
“For sure it’s getting short,” Finch said, referring to the fact that the Wolves only have 21 regular season games left. “But I couldn’t put a marker on when [his return] is. I just know mentally he’s there. You’ll have to ask him this, but I don’t get a sense that he’s at a place where he feels like he’s held back by anything unnecessarily. I think he feels like he’s just finishing off the process.”
Towns has been out since November 28 with the injury and has missed the team’s past 40 games. He was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and a career-high 5.3 assists per game through 21 contests at the start of the season (33.8 MPG).
According to Hine, veteran point guard Mike Conley, who was acquired for D’Angelo Russell at the trade deadline, has already noticed multiple areas of improvement for trying to close out games. Conley says the Wolves force too many turnovers when opponents are making runs, and Finch agrees.
“We’re not going to make every shot … So when we don’t make shots, what can we run?” Conley said. “How can we get to the free-throw line and not turn it over. Those things that we’re all capable of doing individually. Guys can get better at decision-making. Guys can get better at giving guys the ball and getting back in urgency on defense late in games.”
R.J. Hampton Signs With Pistons
FEBRUARY 23: The Pistons have officially signed Hampton, the team announced.
FEBRUARY 21: Former Magic guard R.J. Hampton plans to sign with the Pistons after he clears waivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Hampton, the 24th overall pick in 2020, was waived by Orlando on Tuesday afternoon.
Hampton had a rotation role in his first season-and-a-half with the Magic, but has seen his playing time decline precipitously in 2022/23 after the team turned down the ’23/24 team option on his rookie scale contract. Hampton appeared in just 26 contests this season, averaging 5.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on .439/.340/.838 shooting in 13.9 minutes per game.
It’s not a given that Hampton will join the Pistons, since it’s possible he could be claimed. He has a $2,412,840 cap hit for 2022/23, so a team with cap room or a trade exception big enough to absorb that amount could place a claim.
Detroit has an open roster spot, so it won’t have to make a corresponding move.
The Pistons have been rotating Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks, Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph at the guard positions. Hampton could take over some of Joseph’s minutes as he auditions for a new contract. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, as James Edwards III of The Athletic hears that he’ll just be signing a rest-of-the-season contract with Detroit (Twitter link).
Bradley Beal Discusses Future With Wizards, Desire To Compete For A Title
Bradley Beal is among a handful of NBA players who are celebrated for their loyalty to a franchise, and although he doesn’t have any immediate plans to leave the Wizards, there appear to be limits to how long he’ll wait for the team to become a contender. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Beal talked repeatedly about how much he wants to compete for a title, something Washington hasn’t been in position to do since he arrived there a decade ago.
“I’m patient, but there comes a time where you have to be a little selfish and draw a line in the sand, for sure,” Beal said. “So, I have thoughts in my head but at the same time I stay in the moment. I stay engaged with what we have and what we do and don’t get caught up in noise and just go from there, take it a day at a time, control what I can control.”
The Wizards have just three playoff series wins in Beal’s time with the organization and have missed the postseason in three of the past four years. They won 10 of their last 14 games before the All-Star break, but they’re still just ninth in the East, leaving Beal far short of what he wants most.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished a good amount of my career,” he said. “I’ve been an All-Star, been All-NBA, averaged 30 (points per game) in the league. It’s just, ‘OK, what can I do now? What do you want to do?’ Win, win, win, win, win at the highest level, play in meaningful games, win multiple playoff series, get to the Finals, win a Finals. That’s what I want to do. That’s the goal.”
Beal covers several other topics in the interview:
On the mixed emotions he felt attending Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals:
“I was sitting with my wife, and I was like telling (Jayson Tatum) just like, ‘No, guard him, guard him,’ like I’m on the team. Man, I got to chill. But just the atmosphere, as a competitor, you’re like, ‘Yo, I want to be a part of this. I want to hoop on this stage.’ So that, there was nothing like it. I’d have drove myself mad if I’d have went to more than one game.”
On the disappointment of missing the Olympics after being placed in health and safety protocols:
“It’s something that’s out of your control. Obviously, in hindsight, I wish I would’ve got the vaccine. I wish I’d have had it at the time because I could’ve avoided all that. But everything happens for a reason. Again, I’m proud of the opportunity. I could come again in another year, so it’s not like it’s out of reach, or I won’t have another opportunity at it. So, I’m definitely excited about it. I was happy to be a part of the team with a great group of guys. Coach (Steve) Kerr, Coach Pop (Gregg Popovich), everybody was awesome. And just to still have that relationship with them today is cool.”
On his level of confidence that the Wizards can become a contender:
“We’re making steps to compete, and we’re doing it on a nightly basis. (Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard) is making moves to improve the team. So, all I can do is sit back, trust him, trust his process, work with what we are working with. It’s not easy. The grass isn’t always greener. I understand that when you give up, hell, if I go somewhere (else), you’re giving up a lot. So, that factors into a lot of stuff, too. So obviously you try to put yourself in the best situation possible for yourself and your family. We’re trying to build on it. We’re trying to do that here.”
On conversations with other one-team players such as Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard:
“We all think the same. It’s just our commitment to want to win where we’re at, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. We’re just trusting the organizations that drafted us. They put that trust in us. They continue to invest in us, and we’re just trying to pay that back. We’re trying to give them our all that we possibly can, and I love it, man. I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with it. I take pride in that.”
Ime Udoka Among Candidates For Hawks’ Coaching Vacancy
The Hawks are considering Ime Udoka as a potential replacement for Nate McMillan, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Rumors swirled about several prominent coaches after McMillan’s dismissal was announced Tuesday, but this is the first time we’ve heard Udoka as a possibility. Stein notes that Atlanta officials have only acknowledged former Jazz coach Quin Snyder as a candidate, but adds that he’s heard Bucks assistant Charles Lee mentioned frequently among his sources.
Udoka parted ways with the Celtics last week after the organization removed the interim tag from Joe Mazzulla, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. Udoka had been under suspension since September for having an affair with a staff member.
The 45-year-old could be one of the most sought-after names on the coaching market when the season ends, so Atlanta has the chance to lock him down before any other teams make coaching changes. In his only year as a head coach, Udoka took the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season.
Udoka was briefly considered the favorite to replace Steve Nash when he reached a mutual agreement with the Nets to step down in November, but protests regarding Udoka’s conduct in Boston convinced Brooklyn to move in a different direction and give the job to Jacque Vaughn. We’ll have to see if a similar situation arises involving the Hawks or any other franchise that may consider hiring Udoka.
In addition to the names mentioned above, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, and South Bay Lakers coach Miles Simon are considered to be candidates in Atlanta’s coaching search. Interim head coach Joe Prunty will lead the team when it resumes its season on Friday.