Southwest Notes: Nowell, Mavs, Christopher, Rockets
The Mavericks are reportedly eyeing former Timberwolves shooting Jaylen Nowell, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North suggests on a new episode of his podcast The Scoop.
“No, he’s not coming back to the Wolves,” Wolfson said. “There’s a mutual understanding that, ‘Hey, time for Jaylen to move on.’ But here’s a new team in on Jaylen Nowell: the Dallas Mavericks. They need to create some roster flexibility, they are looking into doing some stuff is the word and it may not come to fruition. But Jaylen Nowell is on Dallas’ radar. The Nowell camp is still also awaiting finality on the Damian Lillard situation.”
The 6’4″ Nowell, now an unrestricted free agent, had been with Minnesota since being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Washington. He enjoyed his most prolific season yet in 2022/23, averaging 10.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 65 contests.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks made some major offseason moves to reconfigure their roster following a disappointing end to the 2022/23 season, but will they be enough in a talented West? In a new reader mailbag, Tim Cato of The Athletic asserts that, while Dallas may not be quite a legitimate contender yet, the team made some solid new veteran and rookie additions while replenishing some future draft equity.
- New Grizzlies shooting guard Josh Christopher could yet emerge as a helpful rotation piece for Memphis, in part due to a minor shortage at the position, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Memphis acquired the 6’5″ swingman as part of the five-team sign-and-trade that shipped Dillon Brooks to the Rockets — the team still has 17 players on standard guaranteed contracts, so it’s unclear whether or not Christopher will be on the regular season roster.
- In case you missed it, we took stock of the offseasons of two lowly 2022/23 Southwest clubs, the Rockets and Spurs, and asked you which club they thought would have a better record in 2023/24.
Knicks Reportedly Intend To Cut Trevor Keels
To create a two-way roster slot for swingman Dylan Windler, the Knicks intend to release incumbent two-way shooting guard Trevor Keels, sources inform Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 6’5″ wing was just reportedly re-signed to a second two-way deal with New York less than a week ago. He signed his first two-way contract a year ago after being selected with the No. 42 pick out of Duke in the 2022 draft.
The 19-year-old appeared in a scant three contests for New York’s NBA squad, averaging just 2.7 MPG. In 25 regular season bouts with the Westchester Knicks, the team’s G League affiliate, Keels averaged 13.9 PPG on .425/.355/.710 shooting. He also notched 3.4 APG, 2.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG.
Keels was an ACC All-Rookie Teamer during his lone collegiate season, averaging 11.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.7 APG in his 36 regular season games with the Blue Devils, including 26 starts.
Once the Knicks complete their roster shuffling, it appears their three players on two-way contracts will be Windler, Nathan Knight, and Jaylen Martin.
Quenton Jackson Released By Wizards
The Wizards have waived guard Quenton Jackson, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.
After going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2022, the 6’5″ wing first joined Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, in the fall of the 2022/23 season. The Wizards then inked him to a two-way deal in February.
In nine games with the Wizards proper, Jackson averaged 6.2 PPG, 1.7 APG and 0.9 RPG. Across 29 contests off the bench for the Go-Go, the 24-year-old posted averages of 15.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.8 RPG and 1.4 SPG, with a shooting line of .535/.395/.775 shooting.
With Jackson now off their books, the Wizards have just one player, forward Eugene Omoruyi, signed to an official two-way contract heading into 2023/24. Washington can sign up to three players to two-way deals and will reportedly fill one of its open slots with guard Jared Butler.
Northwest Notes: Anderson, Yurtseven, Williams, Waters
Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is set to play for Team China at next month’s FIBA World Cup after becoming a naturalized Chinese citizen, per Reuters.
Anderson represents the first American basketball player to acquire Chinese citizenship via naturalization, though plenty of other athletes in other disciplines have obtained it that way recently. He would also be able to compete for China in next year’s Olympics.
“I’m so happy to announce that I will be representing China at the World Cup,” Anderson said through a Weibo video. “Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- New reserve Jazz center Omer Yurtseven has yet to talk the team about his role for the 2023/24 season, he tells Alex Vejar of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Not yet,” Yurtseven said. “But I met with coach [Will] Hardy and talked with [CEO] Danny Ainge as well. We haven’t talked, but we have some time during the summer. We’ll stay in contact and kind of go from there where I’ll be able to understand exactly what they want from me and execute.”
- Trail Blazers shooting guard Jeenathan Williams is likely to be released before his contract can become guaranteed on August 1, reports Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). Williams, 24, went undrafted out of Buffalo last summer, and spent most of the 2022/23 season with the Jazz’s NBAGL affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. The 6’6″ wing latched on with Portland in April. In his five contests with the Trail Blazers last year, he averaged 10.6 PPG on .615/.375/.667 shooting splits, along with 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG.
- Lindy Waters III is a “strong candidate” to return to the Thunder on a two-way contract, opines Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). Oklahoma City converted his 2022/23 two-way deal to a standard roster contract, but declined his $1.9MM team option for this season earlier this summer.
Bulls Sign Onuralp Bitim To Two-Way Contract
JULY 24: Bitim’s two-way deal is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
JULY 21: Turkish guard/forward Onuralp Bitim has agreed to a two-way contract with the Bulls, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Bitim, 24, was a second-team EuroCup player for Bursaspor in Turkey last year and a Turkish League champion in 2019. He averaged 18.1 points and 3.2 assists in 18 EuroCup games last season.
Rumors regarding Bitim joining the Bulls on a two-way began percolating overseas shortly after the draft. However, he did not join the Bulls for Las Vegas Summer League and it was unknown whether he would join the team. The two sides apparently reached an agreement in the interim and now Bitim slots into the Bulls’ third and final two-way contract spot.
Rookie center Adama Sanogo joined the Bulls on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of UConn and forward Justin Lewis signed a two-year two-way deal toward the end of last season.
The Bulls also have 13 players on standard contracts. Carlik Jones‘ non-guaranteed salary of $1.9MM becomes partially guaranteed for $250K on the first day of the regular season, so the team has a pathway to another roster spot if he is waived by the start of next season. Additionally, the Bulls were granted a $10.2MM disabled player exception for the season-ending injury of Lonzo Ball, though it only generates cap flexibility, not an extra roster spot.
The Bulls still have Ayo Dosunmu‘s restricted free agency to handle as well as the possible returns of Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr. and/or Terry Taylor. Taylor spent last season in Chicago on a two-way deal, so Bitim’s signing makes his return less likely.
Duane Washington Cut By Knicks
Guard Duane Washington Jr. has been cut by the Knicks, the team officially announced (Twitter link).
Washington had been a two-way restricted free agent after New York tendered a qualifying offer his way earlier this summer, but after the team filled up all three of its two-way slots heading into the 2023/24 season, his days with the team became numbered.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), Washington picked up his qualifying offer, prompting the Knicks to release him. Katz adds that the team will now make an additional decision on the fate of another of its two-way players so it can accommodate swingman Dylan Windler, who has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the team.
A 6’3″ combo guard, Washington went undrafted out of Ohio State in 2021, but ultimately latched on with the Pacers for a lengthy rookie season run in 2021/22. He began his run with Indiana on a two-way deal, but saw his contract converted to a standard agreement in the spring of 2022. Across 48 contests, including seven starts, he averaged 9.9 PPG on .405/.377/.754 shooting splits, along with 1.8 APG and 1.7 RPG. He was cut in the offseason.
Washington spent his sophomore NBA stint with the Suns and Knicks on a pair of two-way deals. He appeared in 31 games for a depth-plagued Phoenix club, but didn’t crack New York’s rotation.
Across five G League contests for New York’s NBAGL affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, Washington averaged 16.6 PPG on a .424/.368/1.000 slash line. He also logged averages of 2.8 APG and 1.6 RPG.
Stein’s Latest: Sixers, McConnell, Hayes, Ntilikina
A year ago, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey described his relationship with James Harden as a “mutual lovefest” before the star guard hit free agency, eventually taking a pay cut to help Philadelphia build out its roster, Marc Stein writes at Substack.
However, a year later, the relationship between Morey and Harden is said to be “essentially fractured,” with the 33-year-old unhappy about how his free agency played out this time around. He has since issued a trade request and is intent on joining the Clippers. Morey publicly confirmed last week that the rift was over Harden’s contract and the Sixers’ unwillingness to meet his ask.
Should the Sixers regret trading for Harden? Despite rumors to the contrary, sources tell Stein that the Kings never offered Tyrese Haliburton in any trade with the Sixers for Ben Simmons ahead of the February 2022 deadline. Haliburton, of course, ended up getting moved to Indiana in a multiplayer deal that sent back All-NBA big man Domantas Sabonis, while Simmons was sent to Brooklyn as part of the package for Harden.
Here’s more from Stein:
- The Suns are still interested in Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, league sources tell Stein, but there doesn’t appear to be a viable pathway to a deal at this time. As Stein notes, Phoenix recently traded Cameron Payne to San Antonio, and he was the only obvious salary-matching piece for a possible deal with Indiana. The Suns may revisit a McConnell trade down the road once their free agents become trade-eligible in mid-December, but Stein hears the veteran guard hopes to remain with the Pacers.
- According to Stein, the Pistons initiated trade conversations with the Mavericks in an effort to unload former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes, but those talks “gained little traction.” Detroit has several guards on the roster, including multiple offseason additions. Although Dallas remains intrigued by Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the team’s top trade priority is believed to be a center upgrade, Stein adds.
- Prior to signing Kemba Walker, EuroLeague club AS Monaco considered signing free agent guard Frank Ntilikina, Stein reports. The No. 8 pick of the 2017 draft, Ntilikina spent his first four seasons with the Knicks and spent the past two seasons with the Mavericks. He appeared in 47 games in 2022/23 for an average of 12.9 MPG.
Herbert Jones, Jalen Duren Invited To USA Select Team
USA Basketball’s Select Team is rounding into form, with Pelicans wing Herbert Jones and Pistons big man Jalen Duren the latest young players invited to join the roster, according to separate reports from Marc Stein (Twitter link) and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The Select Team, which also features Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Keegan Murray, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Naz Reid, Trey Murphy, Quentin Grimes and Payton Pritchard, is now up to 11 players.
The primary purpose of the Select Team is to practice and scrimmage against the main Team USA roster as it prepares for the FIBA World Cup, which starts at the end of August. Training camp starts next week in Las Vegas.
However, it’s also an opportunity for the Select players to showcase their talent while being considered for future international competitions. It’s possible a player or two on the Select Team could be used as an injury replacement for someone on Team USA as well. For example, Keldon Johnson, who was a Select Team member ahead of the Tokyo Olympics a couple years ago, replaced Bradley Beal when the star guard contracted COVID-19.
Jones, 24, just completed his second season with New Orleans. The defensive standout recently signed a four-year, $54MM contract as a restricted free agent to stay with the Pelicans.
Duren, 19, was a lottery pick last year. He had an impressive rookie season in 2022/23, averaging 9.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 67 games for Detroit (24.9 MPG) en route to a berth on the All-Rookie Second Team.
Heat Notes: Jaquez, Haslem, Jovic, Lillard
When Jaime Jaquez was drafted by the Heat last month, one of his first actions was to send a text message to Udonis Haslem, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Haslem has retired after 20 seasons in the NBA, but he still represents the epitome of Heat Culture and Jaquez thought it was important to show respect.
“I know he’s the OG of the Miami Heat,” Jaquez said. “I felt it was only right that I reach out to him first and just let him know that I’m excited to be here and ready to work.”
Haslem said during a recent radio interview that Jaquez is “definitely a culture guy,” and they continued to text each other throughout Summer League. Jaquez grew up in California as a Lakers fan, but he followed the Heat closely as well so he’s aware of Haslem’s importance to the franchise.
“I’m a basketball fan, I was a Heat fan,” Jaquez said. “I always loved the Lakers, but the Heat was always my No. 2 and I’ve just always known about him and his presence in the organization. Being a basketball fan, you know who he is.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Even though Haslem is officially retired, he’s still serving as a mentor to many of the team’s young players, Chiang adds. “I continue to stay connected to Orlando (Robinson), who had an amazing Summer League,” Haslem said. “I continue to stay connected to (Jamal) Cain, who had a hell of a Summer League, Niko (Nikola Jovic), who played well in the beginning (of Summer League), all these guys. There’s a next generation and I just continue to build relationships and bank equity with those guys.”
- Jaquez made a positive impression on Heat officials during Summer League, even though he was held out after injuring his shoulder in the second game, Chiang states in a separate story. Miami was also encouraged by the play of Jovic, last year’s first-round pick, who appeared in four games before joining the Serbian national team. “There’s a lot to like about his development so far,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jovic. “… You see the rebounding, you see the off-ball awareness defensively, his ability to take a rebound off the glass and push it in transition. These are skills that are really tough to teach. He has great vision.”
- Former NBA star Gary Payton, who was in Miami on Sunday as a coach in the Big3 League, sees Damian Lillard as a perfect addition for the Heat, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “Dame had to make the decision: Do I want to keep doing what I do, or do I want to try to win a championship? And that’s what he wants to do now,” said Payton, who followed a similar path before coming to Miami late in his career. “It is just time, time for him to make a move to where he wants to go.”
Suns’ James Jones Talks About Rebuilding Roster
In an interview with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns president of basketball operations James Jones gives himself an “eight out of 10” for how he was able to construct the team’s roster around its new Big Four. Jones was limited in the moves he could make after trading for Bradley Beal to team with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton, but he found an intriguing mix of veterans and young talent.
Eric Gordon turned down better offers and accepted a veteran’s minimum deal for the chance to win a title. Yuta Watanabe, Chimezie Metu, Drew Eubanks, Keita Bates-Diop and Bol Bol also agreed to sign for the minimum.
“We knew going into it who our four top players were,” Jones said. “The guys who were going to lean on heavily to reach our goals. I think that gave us more clarity and I think it gave the players more clarity around how we would play and how they could fit with our team.
“So when it comes to minimums, I think it’s that label or contract value that people look at, but I look at it more from a perspective of identifying the guys who have the attributes and skills that would complement our group and finding players that believe that this environment will increase their productivity and give them a boost for their careers going forward. This was more forward looking than backwards looking for us and for the players that we targeted.
“I think that clarity allowed us to move quickly and efficiently through the free agency process because we knew exactly who we wanted and we knew exactly who wanted us.”
Jones addresses several other topics in the discussion with Rankin:
On the decisions to re-sign Josh Okogie and trade Cameron Payne to the Spurs:
“Just balancing versatility, and I’m not just talking about from a player skill set and roster construction perspective, but it just gives us options. It gives us options from a roster perspective. It also gives us options going forward. JO is someone who had a tremendous impact on our team last year in a specific role that we think can grow and Cam was someone who had an impact on our team, but he was part of a team that was a different team that played differently. Those two moves allowed us to create balance and gave us some versatility and options to continue to build a more complete team.”
On Bol’s potential after a promising season with Orlando:
“He’s going to get a chance to compete. He fits the profile of the team we’re trying to build. Long, athletic, skilled. Has played some high-level basketball. Has dealt with high expectations and has bounced back from some tough setbacks. The mental grit, the resilience and adaptability that he’s displayed is something that I think will help improve our team and if he can play the way he envisions himself playing, it just gives us another high-level player that we can count on and rely on as we try to march toward a championship.”
On new owner Mat Ishbia’s input during his first offseason with the team:
“He talked about speed, focus and understand what it is we’re trying to accomplish and get after it. Don’t second-guess it, don’t overthink it. Trust your instincts, trust your team and then go out there, find the best options for us and then make those options work. For me, it’s clear focus. He’s given me clear direction that allows me to focus on the things I enjoy the most, which is figuring out how to maximize the environment for our players and coaches and get a win.”