Suns Sign Duane Washington To Two-Way Deal
AUGUST 3: The Suns have issued a press release officially announcing the signing of Washington.
AUGUST 2: Free agent guard Duane Washington Jr. has agreed to a two-way contract with the Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Washington, 22, averaged 9.9 PPG and 1.8 APG in 20.2 MPG for the Pacers as a rookie last season while appearing in 48 games, including seven starts. Washington went undrafted out of Ohio State.
Phoenix has both of its two-way slots open, so the team will able to sign another two-way player in addition to Washington, who adds depth at the point behind Chris Paul and Cameron Payne.
Washington was waived last month as Indiana cleared cap space to give restricted free agent Deandre Ayton an offer sheet that Phoenix matched. Washington played most of last season on a two-way deal, then received a standard multiyear contract. However, his salary for next season was not guaranteed and he was waived just before it became guaranteed.
Celtics’ Final Roster Spots Expected To Be Up For Grabs In Camp
The Celtics are currently carrying 12 players on standard contracts who are considered virtual locks to make their 15-man regular season roster and are preparing to hold an open competition for the final spots, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
Former first-round picks Noah Vonleh and Bruno Caboclo recently agreed to training camp contracts that will give them an opportunity to fight for roster spots this fall. According to King, two-way restricted free agent Brodric Thomas and former Celtics forward Justin Jackson are also considered “strong candidates” to join the competition for those roster openings.
Assuming Vonleh and Caboclo officially completed their reported deals and Thomas and Jackson sign contracts of their own, the Celtics would still have two spots available on their 20-man offseason roster, so they could further expand the competition.
Free agent swingman Matt Ryan, who is fully recovered from a summer ankle injury, appears less likely to return to Boston, despite finishing last season on a two-way deal with the team and playing for the Celtics’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas, says King.
Additionally, while it’s possible the Celtics will add at least one more frontcourt player to vie for a roster spot, the team isn’t expected to go after a veteran like DeMarcus Cousins or Dwight Howard, according to King, who says the front office seems to prefer younger players who have room to improve and are willing to accept modest roles. Currently, Luke Kornet projects to be a rotation player in the frontcourt, with two-way big man Mfiondu Kabengele providing depth.
The Celtics’ projected tax bill will be worth keeping in mind as the club auditions players for its open roster spots. If ownership is concerned about the rising cost of the roster, Boston could enter the season with just 14 players on standard contracts instead of 15, meaning only two spots would be up for grabs this fall instead of three.
As King observes, current two-way player JD Davison could also emerge as a candidate for a promotion if he looks good in the preseason, since rookie minimum contracts for a team’s second-round draftees cost less for tax purposes than identical contracts signed by undrafted free agents.
Rayjon Tucker Waived By Bucks, Will Play In Australia
9:53pm: Tucker is signing with Melbourne United of Australia’s NBL, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.
9:02pm: The Bucks have waived shooting guard Rayjon Tucker, according to the NBA transactions log.
Milwaukee re-signed Tucker last month to a one-year, minimum-salary contract but the money was non-guaranteed.
The Bucks had 19 players under contract, so this move will give them a pair of openings on their 20-man offseason roster. One of those spots could be reserved for restricted free agent Jordan Nwora.
Tucker has appeared in a total of 39 NBA games across three seasons for Utah, Philadelphia, Denver and Milwaukee, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG in just 7.7 minutes per contest. He has been much more active in the G League during that span, having played for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Wisconsin Herd, and the Delaware Blue Coats.
In 27 regular season games last season for the Herd (the Bucks’ G League affiliate), Tucker averaged 21.1 PPG on 53% shooting.
Kevin Durant To Meet With Nets Owner Joe Tsai?
It has been over a month since star forward Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn, and with no indication that any deal is imminent, Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com cites a source who says a meeting between Durant and Nets owner Joe Tsai is expected to take place in the coming days.
“What I’m hearing is that KD is going to meet with the owner this week,” Bulpett’s source said. “He’s going to go directly to the owner, Joe Tsai, sometime this week. We’ll see how that works.”
Assuming that meeting takes place, it’s unclear what would come of it. It’s possible Durant wants to reiterate his request to be moved and to check in on where things stand. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that he could back off that trade request if he gets certain assurances from Tsai and the Nets.
“I have no idea what’s going to come of that meeting,” the source told Bulpett. “There are some things that KD is unhappy about, and I’m not sure any of that gets fixed here. But maybe it does.”
The most recent solid rumor we heard related to the Durant sweepstakes surfaced last Monday, when ESPN and The Athletic reported that the Celtics had talked to the Nets about a possible deal and had been willing to include Jaylen Brown in their offer. Subsequent reporting has suggested that the offer in question was weeks old, and Bulpett says some of his sources have pushed back against the notion that it was ever really on the table.
The fact that the Celtics’ interest – and Brown’s potential availability – leaked at all didn’t sit well with some people around the NBA, one personnel executive from another club told Bulpett.
“I think there’s some teams that aren’t very happy that when they talk to Brooklyn it gets in the papers,” the executive said. “That doesn’t help. I’ve talked with a couple of teams that are not happy with the rumors that creep out of there through all this. It’s not a good way to do business.”
The exec added that he the Celtics and Nets “haven’t had any conversations for a while” and expressed skepticism that the two teams will get a deal done, according to Bulpett.
Steve Kerr Happy With Warriors’ Offseason Moves
Two weeks after winning the NBA title, the Warriors were faced with decisions on how to replace three important members of the championship roster. With Gary Payton II, Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica leaving in free agency, the team targeted Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green to take their place. In an interview with Anthony Slater of The Athletic, coach Steve Kerr said both players are ideal matches for Golden State’s style.
“Donte is a perfect fit for the way we play,” Kerr said of the former Bucks and Kings guard. “The ball movement, the cutting. He’s a great cutter. He’s a really good spot-up shooter. He’s a good passer on the move. He’s not just a spot-up shooter. He’s a secondary playmaker. Pretty bouncy, but with a great feel for the game. He’s gonna fit right in.”
DiVencenzo committed to Golden State shortly after free agency began, while Green was persuaded to sign with the Warriors after initially planning to join another team. Kerr sees Green as a replacement for both Porter and Bjelica as he possesses elements of both of their games.
“He’s capable of sort of playing either role, the four or the five,” Kerr said. “If he’s playing with Draymond (Green), he can stretch the floor and can guard the five, while Draymond guards the four. He gives us frontcourt flexibility. I have a lot of confidence he’ll shoot the ball well. Players generally shoot the ball better with us, I think. That’s not always true. But the space that Steph and Klay provide them along with Draymond’s passing. You saw it with Otto and Gary last year. I think JaMychal will love playing with our guys.”
Here are some other highlights of Kerr’s interview:
On the challenges the Warriors will face in defending a title, compared to last year when they were trying to prove they could still be contenders:
“I don’t know that it’s a bigger challenge because last year felt like a huge challenge going in. Last year felt more daunting because we’d had two lousy seasons in a row. This year feels different because we’re the defending champs. It feels like we’ve got our groove back. We’ll have Klay (Thompson) back for a full season. Our foundation in place. While we’re absolutely going to play a lot of young guys, we kind of have a core six, a foundational six players who are really the ones that make everything happen and will allow us to bring the young guys along.”
On larger roles, and perhaps even regular minutes, for young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman:
“All of them have shown really good signs . JK had a stretch last year where — I think it was March, early April — he played really well and started to get more comfortable. He didn’t get as much run in the playoffs, but that’s normal for a rookie, especially once we were fully healthy.
“Moses looks the part. He’s got a more advanced, well-rounded game than JK right now in terms of how it fits with the others. That 3-and-D position. He projects to be a part of things next year. He showed it in the playoffs against Dallas.
“Then James I actually think had some really good moments his rookie year. It gets lost in the shuffle because overall it was a struggle for our team and James had ups and downs. But you remember he had some really big games for us. As he continues to build momentum and gain confidence in his body and skills, I think he’ll help us.”
On the Warriors’ approach with Andre Iguodala, who has a roster spot waiting if he decides to return:
“I leave Andre alone. He knows where we stand. If he wants to come back, we’d love to have him. The one thing we feel strongly about with Andre is we want to give him whatever space and time he needs to make a decision. I’m leaving him alone. Whenever he makes his decision is fine with us.”
CJ Elleby Signing With Timberwolves
2:00pm: Elleby will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wolves, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
12:45pm: The Timberwolves have reached a contract agreement with free agent small forward CJ Elleby, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Elleby will be given an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in camp, sources tell Scotto.
Elleby, 22, was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 46th pick in the 2020 draft and spent his first two NBA seasons in Portland. He got a shot at regular playing time last season and averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 58 games, making 28 starts.
The Wolves will have 19 players under contract once they officially finalize all of their reported signings, but only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts.
Elleby will be competing with Austin Rivers, Jaylen Nowell and Nathan Knight, who all have partial guarantees, as well as Phillip Wheeler, who will be in camp on an Exhibit 10 contract.
Bucks Hiring DeMarre Carroll As Assistant Coach
Veteran NBA forward DeMarre Carroll is transitioning to coaching, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who reports that Carroll will join Mike Budenholzer‘s staff in Milwaukee.
The Bucks have yet to formally announce Carroll’s hiring, so it’s unclear whether he’ll be on the front of the team’s bench or if he’ll start with a more modest player development role. However, Carroll’s agency Priority Sports posted a tweet congratulating him for becoming an assistant coach, which suggests that will be his title.
The 27th overall pick in 2009 out of Missouri, Carroll spent the next 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in a total of 578 regular season games and 64 playoff contests for the Grizzlies, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, Raptors, Nets, and Spurs.
Now 36 years old, Carroll last played in the NBA during the 2019/20 season, when he appeared in 24 total games for San Antonio and Houston. The 6’6″ forward has career averages of 8.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .430/.358/.741 shooting in 23.7 minutes per contest.
Two of Carroll’s best seasons came from 2013-15, when he was a full-time starter for a Hawks team coached by Budenholzer. During Carroll’s two years in Atlanta, the club earned a pair of playoff berths and won 60 regular season games in 2014/15, making the Eastern Conference Finals that spring.
Carroll published a tweet referring to Budenholzer as a mentor and thanking him and the Bucks for the new opportunity. “Excited to be shadowing one of the best coaches in the league!” Carroll wrote.
Pistons Sign Rodney McGruder, Kevin Knox
The Pistons have re-signed swingman Rodney McGruder, per the NBA transactions log. The team has also officially signed free agent forward Kevin Knox.
McGruder received a one-year deal, James Edwards of The Athletic tweets, though the contractual terms are unclear. Detroit already had 15 players with guaranteed contracts on its roster before both signings, along with filling both of its two-way spots.
Knox reportedly received a two-year, $6MM deal. Detroit will have to clear roster space via a trade or eat some guaranteed money to get down to 15 by training camp — the most logical odd man out is Kemba Walker, who is still expected to be bought out by the Pistons, but if McGruder got a guaranteed contract, another move will be required.
McGruder, 31, has been on the Pistons’ roster for the last two seasons. He appeared in 51 games in 2021/22, including two starts, and averaged 5.4 PPG in 14.8 MPG. He’s a career 35.2% 3-point shooter but made 39.7% of his attempts last season.
Knox, the ninth pick of the 2018 draft, is a reclamation project. He had a productive first season with the Knicks but fell out of favor under coach Tom Thibodeau. He appeared in just 13 games with the Knicks last season before being dealt to Atlanta. In 17 games with the Hawks, Knox averaged just 6.5 MPG.
The Hawks did not tender a qualifying offer to Knox this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Celtics Agree To Deal With Noah Vonleh
Free agent forward Noah Vonleh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Celtics, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
It’s apparently a training camp deal, as Wojnarowski adds that Vonleh will go to camp with the hopes of making the roster.
The 2014 lottery pick has bounced around the league. Vonleh began his career with Charlotte, then moved on to Portland, Chicago, New York, Minnesota and Denver. In his most recent NBA season, he saw action in four games with the Nets in 2020/21.
He has averaged 4.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 16.8 MPG, spanning 339 career games.
Vonleh played in China with the Shanghai Sharks during the 2021/22 season. The 26-year-old averaged 14.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG with Shanghai. The Guangdong Southern Tigers were reportedly interested in signing him, but he’ll take his chances first with Boston.
Warriors Sign JaMychal Green
Nearly two weeks after word first broke that he had reached a buyout agreement with the Thunder and intended to sign with the Warriors, forward JaMychal Green has officially signed with Golden State, the team announced today in a press release.
The Warriors didn’t disclose the terms of Green’s new deal, but it’s believed to be a one-year, minimum-salary contract. The 32-year-old would earn $2,628,597 (the amount he gave up in his buyout with Oklahoma City) and Golden State would take on a cap hit of $1,836,090.
An eight-year veteran, Green had a down season in 2021/22, averaging 6.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .486/.266/.871 shooting in 67 games (16.2 MPG) for the Nuggets. However, he has proven to be an effective stretch four over the years — entering ’21/22, he had knocked down 38.0% of his three-point attempts in his first seven NBA seasons.
Green, who entered the summer on an expiring $8.2MM contract, was traded from Denver to Oklahoma City in June before being officially waived by the Thunder last month.
Assuming Green’s new contract is fully guaranteed, as expected, he’ll be the 13th Warrior with a guaranteed salary. That leaves at least one spot available on the club’s projected regular season, though Andre Iguodala would presumably be the frontrunner to be the 14th man if he decides to continue his career.
The Warriors could carry up to 15 players in the regular season, but they may open the year with just 14 in order to reduce their projected end-of-season tax bill, unless there’s someone they really like for that 15th spot.