Hawks Re-Sign Sharife Cooper To Two-Way Deal
Free agent guard Sharife Cooper is back under contract with the Hawks on a new two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Cooper, 21, was the 48th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Hawks and appeared in only 13 games at the NBA level, logging 39 total minutes and making just 3-of-14 shots from the field.
The former Auburn standout saw much more action at the G League level, averaging 17.1 PPG and 6.9 APG on .431/.361/.907 shooting in 22 regular season appearances (30.2 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL affiliate.
The Hawks issued Cooper a one-year, two-way qualifying offer in June to make him a restricted free agent, so he simply accepted that QO, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms (via Twitter). Atlanta has now filled both its two-way slots, with Chaundee Brown holding the other two-way contract.
In addition to having a pair of players on two-way deals, the Hawks are currently carrying 14 players on standard contracts — 13 of those are on fully guaranteed deals, while Tyrese Martin has a partial guarantee.
Shaedon Sharpe Won’t Need Shoulder Surgery For Labral Tear
Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, the No. 7 overall pick of last month’s draft, won’t require surgery to repair the small labral tear in his left shoulder, the team announced in a press release.
The 19-year-old will continue to rehab the injury and is expected to be ready to go for training camp in the fall, per the team.
Sharpe was technically enrolled at Kentucky for his first and only college season in 2021/22 but never actually played for the Wildcats, making him one of the biggest mysteries of this year’s draft. He was injured just six minutes into his Summer League debut against Detroit on July 7, so Portland fans will have to wait a few more months to see him play.
While Sharpe was viewed as a high-risk, high-reward prospect due to the fact that he hadn’t played in a competitive setting for nearly a year, the Blazers clearly felt comfortable enough to select him with their mid-lottery pick. He will be one of the more interesting rookies to follow in ’22/23.
NBA Fines Warriors Owner Joe Lacob $500K
The NBA has fined Warriors owner Joe Lacob $500K for violating the league’s policy regarding publicly discussing collective bargaining talks, which are currently ongoing between the league and the Players Association, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Lacob described the NBA’s luxury tax system as “very unfair” last week on the Point Forward podcast hosted by Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, per Wojnarowski.
“The hardest thing of all is navigating this luxury tax, unfortunately,” Lacob said. “I went back to New York this week for labor meetings. I’m on the committee. And you know, obviously, the league wants everyone to have a chance and right now, there’s a certain element out there that believes we ‘checkbook win…’ We won because we have the most salaries on our team.
“The truth is, we’re only $40 million more than the luxury tax. Now, that’s not small but it’s not a massive number. We’re $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax. And what I consider to be unfair and I’m going to say it on this podcast and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening. Obviously, it’s self-serving for me to say this, but I think it’s a very unfair system because our team is built by….all top eight players are all drafted by this team.”
Lacob was referring to the “repeater” luxury tax penalties given to teams, like the Warriors, that have been taxpayers in three of the previous four seasons. Last season, Golden State was hit with a record $170,331,194 luxury tax payment — nearly breaking the previous league-wide record for total luxury tax payments, which was $173.3MM back in 2002/03. The seven taxpaying teams in ’21/22 shattered that record with a staggering combined total of $481,021,386.
The Warriors are projected to have a $181.3MM luxury tax bill in ’22/23, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who tweets that the bill could balloon to over $200MM in ’23/24 if the team gives Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole extensions.
Lakers, Pacers Reengage In Buddy Hield Trade Talks
The Lakers and Pacers have reengaged in trade talks centered around Indiana sharpshooter Buddy Hield, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Today (video link).
The Lakers, of course, nearly traded for Hield last summer, but instead pivoted to acquire Russell Westbrook, so the deal fell apart. However, Hield has been linked to L.A. numerous times over the past month, with reports indicating that general manager Rob Pelinka continues to express interest in the veteran guard, who was Pelinka’s former client when he was an agent.
McMenamin doesn’t specify whether the recent talks involved Westbrook this time around or not, noting that it’s possible that Talen Horton-Tucker could have been dangled by the Lakers instead. Hield’s declining contract structure — he made $23MM last season but $21.2MM in 2022/23 — makes it easier for the Lakers to match his incoming salary without including Westbrook.
Hield, 29, appeared in 81 games last season (32 starts, 30.9 MPG) split between the Kings and Pacers, averaging a combined 15.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.8 APG on .406/.366/.874 shooting. He was dealt to the Pacers as part of the trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana and Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento.
Hield has been a poor defensive player his entire career, but his best skill is something that’s always in demand — he’s a high-volume three-point shooter who has converted 39.8% of his career attempts behind the arc, and the Lakers struggled in that department last season, ranking 22nd in the league in three-point percentage. By contrast, Westbrook shot just 29.8% from deep last season, and Horton-Tucker was even worse at 26.9%.
McMenamin, like his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst, reiterates that there’s “no traction” on a Westbrook/Kyrie Irving swap between the Lakers and Nets.
JaMychal Green Bought Out By Thunder, Plans To Join Warriors
JULY 20: Green has officially been waived by the Thunder, the team announced (via Twitter). He will clear waivers on Friday.
JULY 19: Veteran forward JaMychal Green is negotiating a contract buyout with the Thunder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Once it is completed and he clears waivers, Green intends to sign with the defending champion Warriors.
Oklahoma City had sought to deal Green after acquiring him from the Nuggets last month. That didn’t happen and now Green is looking to help Golden State defend its latest title.
Green, 32, is at the stage of his career where he provides greater value to a contender than a rebuilding team. He’s on an $8.2MM expiring contract for 2022/23.
On a veteran’s minimum deal for a player with eight years of service, Green can sign with the Warriors for $2,628,597. Golden State’s cap hit would be $1,836,090, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
Golden State only has 11 players on its 15-man roster, along with two unsigned second-round picks. Thus, there’s plenty of roster room for the Warriors to bring in Green.
Denver dealt Green to the Thunder in June. The Nuggets also sent a protected 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to No. 30 pick Peyton Watson and two second-rounders (one in 2023 and one in 2024).
Green had a down year 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, but 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.
He’ll provide depth for Golden State at power forward behind Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
Oklahoma City is still in the process of paring down its overloaded roster. The team will have 19 players officially under contract once Green is officially cut.
J.J. Barea Announces Retirement
Following the elimination of his Puerto Rican team – Cangrejeros de Santurce – from the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) playoffs this week, veteran guard J.J. Barea said in a Spanish-language interview that he intends to retire as a basketball player, according to Jorge Figueroa Loza of El Nuevo Día (hat tip to Eurohoops).
“I’m ready,” Barea said, according to a translation provided to Hoops Rumors. “Last year was tough mentally, and I wasn’t ready. This year I am, and I’m at peace with retiring.”
Barea last appeared in the NBA when he played 29 games in 2019/20 for the Mavericks. He subsequently spent a few months with Estudiantes in Spain at the start of 2021, then joined Cangrejeros de Santurce in his native Puerto Rico last May, re-signing with the team in February 2022.
Barea, who previously played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in 2006, expressed satisfaction that he got to finish his career with the Puerto Rican squad, even though the club was eliminated in the postseason quarterfinals in back-to-back years and a left leg injury prevented the 38-year-old from playing in the last game of the season.
From 2006-20, Barea appeared in a total of 831 regular season NBA games and 50 more playoff contests for Dallas and Minnesota, averaging 8.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .424/.352/.794 shooting in 19.6 MPG. He was a key member of the Mavericks team that won a title in 2011, appearing in all 21 playoff games during the championship run.
Now that he has retired as a player, Barea said he plans to “take a break from basketball” to mentally recharge. However, he seems likely to end up sooner or later in a coaching role for one of his former teams.
He told El Nuevo Día that he’d liked to remain involved with Cangrejeros de Santurce, and also spoke last summer after working with Dallas’ Summer League team about his interest in a position with the Mavs.
Thunder Sign Kenrich Williams To Four-Year Extension
JULY 20: The Thunder have officially finalized Williams’ extension, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 18: The Thunder have reached an agreement with forward Kenrich Williams on a four-year contract extension worth $27.2MM, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Williams, who will earn $2MM this season, is in the final year of his current contract, so his new deal will begin a year from now and will run through the 2026/27 campaign. His $2MM salary for ’22/23 had been non-guaranteed, but it’ll become protected as part of the extension agreement, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), the first three years of the extension will be guaranteed, while the fourth will be a team option.
Williams, 27, is an unlikely extension recipient. The veteran swingman, who began his college career at New Mexico Junior College and went undrafted in 2018, spent his first two professional seasons with the Pelicans before being signed-and-traded to Oklahoma City in the Steven Adams deal during the 2020 offseason as a throw-in piece for salary-matching purposes.
After shooting just .371/.304/.489 in 85 games with New Orleans, Williams developed a more reliable three-point shot in Oklahoma City, boosting his shooting percentages to .501/.391/.559 in 115 games over the last two seasons. He’s also a solid, versatile defender who has now averaged 21-plus minutes per game for four straight years.
Williams is the eight player to agree to a veteran contract extension so far during the 2022/23 league year, as our tracker shows.
Because his extension exceeds three total years (including the one left on his current deal), Williams will be ineligible to be traded for six months once he officially signs his deal.
Agent: Vasilije Micic To Remain With Anadolu Efes
After winning back-to-back EuroLeague titles with Anadolu Efes, Serbian guard Vasilije Micic will return to the Turkish team for the 2022/23 season, his agent Misko Raznatovic announced today on Twitter.
Micic, who was named the Final Four MVP in both 2021 and 2022 and was also the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in ’21, has talked repeatedly this year about his desire to make the move to the NBA. However, his draft rights are held by the Thunder, so he wouldn’t be free to sign with any team if he comes stateside.
According to reports, Micic’s representatives had hoped the Thunder would traded the 28-year-old’s rights so that he could join a team closer to contention. The Nuggets, Bucks, Bulls, and Spurs were said to be among the clubs with some interest. However, Oklahoma City values Micic and didn’t want to just give him away — apparently, the team couldn’t find a deal it liked.
Micic already had a contract with Anadolu Efes for 2022/23, so no new agreement is necessary. If he had decided to sign an NBA contract this offseason, he could have been bought out of his deal with the Turkish club.
Although Raznatovic’s tweet doesn’t provide any clues about his client’s intentions beyond ’22/23, it’s probably safe to assume Micic will consider a move to the NBA again next summer — especially if the Thunder trade his rights between now and then.
Kyle Korver Joins Hawks’ Front Office
JULY 20: The hiring of Korver is official, the Hawks confirmed today in a press release. He’ll be involved in creating and overseeing a development plan for each Hawks player, the team explained in its announcement.
“We are excited to bring Kyle back to the Hawks,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said in a statement. “He is a tremendous person and someone whose presence will benefit all of our players, both on and off the court, drawing from his unique experiences over his 17-year playing career, as a late-second round pick who later became an All-Star in Atlanta and one of the league’s all-time best shooters.”
JULY 19: The Hawks are hiring Kyle Korver to a front office position, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Korver will have the title of Director of Player Affairs and Development, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
Korver served as a Nets player development coach last season after a lengthy playing career that began in 2003 and ended after the 2019/20 season. He played for six organizations, including the Hawks from 2012-17. He made the All-Star team while playing for Atlanta in 2015.
He’ll work under president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk.
The 51st overall pick in the 2003 draft, Korver appeared in a total of 1,232 regular season games – and another 145 postseason contests – for the Sixers, Jazz, Bulls, Hawks, Cavaliers, and Bucks. He averaged 9.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 25.3 minutes per game and was one of the top long-distance shooters of his era, knocking down 42.9% of his three-pointers during his career.
Nuggets Sign Jack White To Two-Way Contract
JULY 19: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 17: The Nuggets are signing Australian forward Jack White to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As Wojnarowski notes, White is coming off a strong summer league stint with the team.
White, 6’7″, played four seasons at Duke before going undrafted in 2020. He signed with the NBL’s Melbourne United that summer, helping the team win a title in his first professional season. The 24-year-old also averaged 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game this past year.
“This is an amazing opportunity for me to take another step towards living out my dream of playing in the NBA, so I couldn’t be more grateful to the Nuggets for giving me a shot,” White said, as relayed in Melbourne United’s press release.
Denver now has both two-way spots and every spot on its 15-man roster filled. The team has a strong nucleus of Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic and expects to be a perennial championship contender next season.