Spurs Sign, Waive Chaundee Brown
OCTOBER 12: The Spurs waived Brown on Tuesday shortly after signing him, per the official transaction log at NBA.com.
OCTOBER 11: Free agent guard Chaundee Brown has signed a contract with the Spurs, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log and the team’s official roster page. While details of the deal haven’t been reported, it’s a safe bet that it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 pact.
Brown, 23, went undrafted in 2021 out of Michigan. As a rookie, he appeared in five total NBA games for the Lakers and Hawks, spending time on two-way deals with both clubs. His two-way contract with Atlanta included a second year covering the 2022/23 season, but the team waived him last month.
Brown played in 30 regular season G League games for the South Bay Lakers last season, averaging 15.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .447/.328/.833 shooting in 30.4 MPG.
The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate – acquired Brown’s returning rights from South Bay in September, so he’ll likely be waived by the NBA team soon and head to Austin to start the season. He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Spurs’ G League team.
The Spurs had an open spot on their 20-man preseason roster after waiving Tommy Kuhse on Monday, so no corresponding move was required to make room for Brown.
Jae Crowder Rumors: Hawks, Jazz, Celtics, Grizzlies
Rival teams are a little surprised by the way the Suns have handled the Jae Crowder situation, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who notes that keeping a player away from the team generally lowers his trade value. Crowder didn’t join the Suns for training camp this fall as the two sides attempt to find him a new NBA home.
“I thought the way Phoenix played the situation was strange,” a Western Conference executive told Fischer. “You’re not a super deep team. You’re a contender. Doesn’t it seem like there’s some other way to resolve this other than him sitting out and hurting your depth?”
An Eastern Conference exec who spoke to Fischer offered a similar assessment: “For Jae to hold out is pretty rare. It’s pretty extreme. It’s really interesting they didn’t just play hardball with him.”
A Shams Charania report earlier this week indicated that the Hawks are among the teams with interest in Crowder, and Fischer confirms that Phoenix and Atlanta have had conversations about the veteran forward throughout the offseason. The Hawks are believed to be one of Crowder’s preferred landing spots, along with the Heat, Fischer writes.
As for what the Hawks might be willing to give up for Crowder, that remains unclear. Front office personnel have speculated about the possibility of a Crowder/Landry Shamet package for Bogdan Bogdanovic, but one source told Fischer that Shamet isn’t part of the Suns’ discussions with the Hawks. Some league executives have wondered if Atlanta would give up De’Andre Hunter in a deal for Crowder, says Fischer, but there’s no indication the team is exploring that scenario.
As I suggested on Monday, a package of Justin Holiday and a young player such as Jalen Johnson could theoretically work from a salary-matching perspective. According to Fischer, it’s possible that structure would work if a third team were involved, allowing the Suns to acquire a different player on their wish list.
Here’s more on Crowder from Fischer:
- The Suns have inquired about acquiring Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson in exchange for Crowder, sources tell Fischer. It’s unclear whether Phoenix would be willing to attach a draft asset to Crowder to land Clarkson. The rebuilding Jazz wouldn’t have much interest in Crowder as a player, so they’d need to be enticed to make a deal.
- The Suns are believed to have interest in Celtics guard Derrick White, but Boston hasn’t entered the mix for Crowder so far, according to Fischer.
- While the Grizzlies could theoretically build a package for Crowder around Danny Green‘s expiring contract, there are a couple roadblocks, as Fischer explains. The Suns don’t want to take on Green while he recovers from a torn ACL and are reluctant to send Crowder to a Western Conference rival unless the deal makes Phoenix significantly better. Sources tell Fischer that Memphis isn’t actively pursuing Crowder.
Celtics Waive A.J. Reeves
The Celtics have waived guard A.J. Reeves, shortly after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, per the official transaction log at NBA.com.
Reeves went undrafted in June after playing four college seasons at Providence, where he averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28 games (25.3 MPG) last season. He was one of the Friars’ best shooters, knocking down 2.1 three-pointers per game at a 37.3% clip.
After playing for Boston’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, Reeves now appears likely to join the Maine Celtics in the G League as an affiliate player. His Exhibit 10 contract will ensure he receives a bonus of $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Maine.
The Celtics now have one spot available on their 20-man preseason roster.
Bulls Sign, Waive Henri Drell
The Bulls signed and then waived Estonian swingman Henri Drell, according to the official transaction logs at RealGM.com and NBA.com.
Drell, 22, went undrafted this year after joining the Windy City Bulls during the 2021/22 season. He appeared in 29 games for Windy City, averaging 5.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.0 BPG with a shooting line of .372/.308/.500 in 17.9 minutes per contest.
Despite Drell’s underwhelming numbers last season, the Bulls seem to like what they’ve seen from him. He suited up for Chicago’s Summer League team and now appears likely to head back to Windy City to begin the 2022/23 season.
Drell presumably signed an Exhibit 10 contract, which will allow him to earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls this season.
After signing and waiving Drell, Chicago is still carrying 19 players on its preseason roster.
Draymond Green Fined, Will Return To Warriors On Thursday
The Warriors have opted to fine, but not suspend, forward/center Draymond Green for punching teammate Jordan Poole in a practice last Wednesday, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday night. As Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes, Kerr also said that Green, who has been away from the team since the altercation, will rejoin the club on Thursday.
Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors may face criticism for their decision not to suspend Green, but explained that the team made the decision it felt was best after a series of internal discussions involving players, coaches, and executives.
Poole was among the players consulted during the decision-making process, meeting with Kerr and the front office multiple times, and also meeting with Green, as Andrews relays. The fourth-year guard was “willing to get back out on the floor with Draymond and go to work,” according to Kerr.
“This is the biggest crisis that we’ve had since I’ve been the coach here,” Kerr said. “It’s really serious stuff. We’re not perfect. … But we’re going to lean on the experience that we have together and trust that this is the best decision for our team. We have a lot of work to do. All of us.”
Warriors head of basketball operations Bob Myers first said last Thursday that he didn’t think Green would be suspended, but it was unclear if the club intended to stick to that plan after TMZ published video of the punch on Friday.
Green, who privately apologized to Poole and the team on Thursday, reiterated that apology publicly on Saturday, announcing at that time that he would step away from the Warriors for at least a few days and admitting that he had work to do to regain the trust of his teammates and the organization.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kerr expressed confidence that Green will be able to mend the necessary fences, but said he’ll be keeping a close eye on how the team’s young players look at the former Defensive Player of the Year, according to Andrews. Some of those players are newcomers and don’t have a preexisting relationship with Green.
“There is no way around it: (Our) culture has been damaged by this incident,” Kerr said. “You have to work to repair that. … (Green) broke our trust, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that.”
The expectation is that Green will play in Golden State’s preseason finale vs. Denver on Friday and will be available for the team’s regular season opener next Tuesday vs. the Lakers.
Injury Notes: Bagley, Bogdanovic, Mobley, Curry, Gallinari
The Pistons will find out the extent of Marvin Bagley III‘s right knee injury when he undergoes an MRI on Wednesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Bagley suffered a non-contact injury when he slipped during the opening quarter of the Pistons’ preseason game against the Thunder on Tuesday. He had to be helped off the court. Detroit re-signed Bagley on a three-year, $37MM contract this summer.
Another Pistons forward, Bojan Bogdanovic, acquired from the Jazz last month, is nursing a calf strain, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.
We have more injury-related info:
- Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is making good progress in his recovery from a right ankle sprain and could appear in a preseason game, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Mobley underwent a lengthy workout after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re hopeful. We haven’t ruled it out,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It’s always about tomorrow and how it responded the day before. But we have not ruled him out from playing in a preseason game.”
- Nets guard Seth Curry will not play in the remaining two preseason games and his status for opening night is questionable, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Curry is still working his way back from left ankle surgery in May.
- The Celtics’ Danilo Gallinari, who is expected to miss the season due to a torn left ACL, started walking a few days ago and is receiving physical therapy on his knee, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.
Raptors Notes: Starting Lineup, VanVleet, Last Roster Spot, Barnes
When the Raptors face opponents with bigger frontcourts, they may switch up their lineup, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby will start most nights but it “doesn’t mean you always have to start your five best,” according to head coach Nick Nurse said.
“Do we really want Scottie, Pascal or OG guarding a really good, big five to start the game?” Nurse said. “I don’t think we do, so we’re going to have to make some adjustments to that, or it’s just going to be three minutes and we’re sending in a guy.”
We have more on the Raptors:
- Fred VanVleet believes there’s good chemistry in the locker room, Michael Grange of SportsNet.ca writes. “I think you have to give credit to management and coaching staff. They have their hands full in terms of putting together a locker room that works before we even step on the court,” said VanVleet. “I think we have done a good job of building that back up. It feels more like a Raptors team now.”
- Nurse may weigh potential offensive contributions a little more heavily when it comes to deciding which player gets the 15th spot on the roster, Grange tweets. Justin Champagnie, D.J. Wilson, Josh Jackson and Gabe Brown are the candidates.
- Barnes has been a little slow getting up to speed and there’s a good reason for that — the reigning Rookie of the Year was held out of training for the last three weeks prior to camp with a mild ankle sprain, Grange tweets. Nurse commented on that subject. “He’s playing a little bit of catch-up and it’s noticeable,” Nurse said, as relayed via a Lewenberg tweet. “I don’t think he’s shown a whole lot in the preseason… I think he’s just behind a little bit, conditioning-wise, feel-wise. We need to keep plugging away and get him feeling (like himself).”
Trevelin Queen Signs Two-Way Deal With Pacers
9:00pm: Queen’s two-way contract with the Pacers is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
4:43pm: Guard Trevelin Queen is signing a two-way contract with the Pacers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
It’s a quick turnaround for Queen, who was just waived by the Sixers over the weekend.
The 25-year-old shooting guard had a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a $330K guarantee for the upcoming season. He was named G League MVP with Rio Grande Valley last season and appeared in 10 games with the Rockets after signing a two-way contract in December.
The Pacers have an open two-way slot, so they won’t have to make a corresponding move. Kendall Brown holds the other two-way contract.
Suns Sign Adonis Arms, Saben Lee
The Suns have signed guards Adonis Arms and Saben Lee, according to a team press release relayed by Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).
Arms went undrafted this year out of Texas Tech, then played for the Nuggets’ summer league team. He was also on Denver’s training camp roster but was waived on Sunday. In his last college season, he averaged 8.6 PPG on .448/.308/.744 shooting, along with 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.0 SPG.
Lee played the past two seasons with the Pistons. He was included in the Bojan Bogdanovic trade with the Jazz, who waived the former second-round pick on Sunday. Lee appeared in 85 total games for Detroit, averaging 5.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .434/.265/.731.
The Suns no longer have a G League team, so the club has no need to sign-and-waive players to secure their NBAGL rights. We’ll see what Phoenix’s plans are for Arms and Lee, who are both eligible to sign two-way contracts.
Rockets Sign Trhae Mitchell
The Rockets have signed Trhae Mitchell, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
While Feigen didn’t specify, it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal.
The 6’6” Mitchell, 25, played for Houston’s G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, last season and averaged 10 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28 games, including 23 starts. He also appeared in five games for the Rockets’ Summer League team.
It’s likely Mitchell will soon be placed on waivers, then return to the Rio Grande team. If he has an Exhibit 10 deal, he could earn a bonus up to $50K.