Brandon Goodwin

Southeast Notes: Goodwin, Hornets, Graham, Wizards

Georgia native Brandon Goodwin would like to remain with the Hawks next season, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. “There’s no place I’d rather be than home,” Goodwin said. The second-year point guard has a non-guaranteed $1.7MM salary heading into the 2020/21 season. Goodwin, 25, played in 34 games for Atlanta in 2019/20.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets concluded their two-week mini-camp team workouts on October 2, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Bonnell wrote in a wrap-up piece that there was much to glean from the mini-camp, including 6’7″ forward P.J. Washington, a 2019/20 All-Rookie Team selection, being used at center.
  • Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham has a non-guaranteed $1.66MM contract awaiting him in 2020/21, but Charlotte could also offer the 2018 second-round draft pick a long-term extension to avoid Graham entering restricted free agency in 2021. In a separate Observer article, Bonnell assesses the potential positives and negatives that could stem from extending Graham, who became the team’s leading scorer this past season.
  • Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington dives into the possible ripple effects of the Wizards either trading up or down from the ninth pick in this year’s draft.

Hawks Promote Brandon Goodwin To 15-Man Roster

FEBRUARY 12: The Hawks have formally announced Goodwin’s promotion, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed him to a multiyear deal.

FEBRUARY 11: The Hawks and guard Brandon Goodwin have agreed to a two-year standard contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Goodwin, who had spent the season on a two-way deal with Atlanta, will be promoted to the team’s 15-man roster as a result of the agreement.

After going undrafted out of Florida Gulf Coast in 2018, Goodwin appeared in 16 games with the Nuggets during his rookie season, playing sparingly on a pair of contracts with the team. When his two-way deal with Denver expired last summer, he signed a similar contract with Atlanta and has provided depth at the point for the Hawks this season.

In 25 games, Goodwin has averaged 6.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 13.6 minutes per contest. His shooting line is .404/.324/1.000 — he hasn’t missed any of his 24 free throw attempts in 2019/20.

After making a series of deadline-day trades, the Hawks were left with an open spot on their 15-man roster, having sent Jabari Parker and Alex Len to the Kings for Dewayne Dedmon. They’ll use that spot to promote Goodwin, so no corresponding move will be required.

Terms of the agreement haven’t yet been reported, but Goodwin will likely get a minimum-salary contract that’s fully guaranteed for the rest of this season, but not for the 2020/21 season. If he plays out the deal, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of ’21.

Hawks Notes: Dedmon, Labissiere, Collins, Goodwin

After engaging with the Kings earlier in the season about a possible Dewayne Dedmon trade, the Hawks didn’t necessarily expect to circle back to those discussions at last week’s trade deadline, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, who says the team felt no real pressure to acquire another center following the Clint Capela trade.

However, Sacramento got back in touch and general manager Travis Schlenk saw an opportunity to land a player he liked, along with a couple second-round draft picks.

“They came in last minute,” Schlenk said of the Kings, per Kirschner. “The way the deal came together was we anticipated Jabari (Parker) was going to probably opt in (to his $6.5MM player option for 2020/21), so we weren’t going to be taking on that much money (by adding Dedmon’s $13.3MM salary for ’20/21).

“Now you’re taking on only $6MM, and we got two seconds. That’s really what drove us. I don’t want to say that we weren’t looking to do it when it came around, but we jumped at the opportunity because it was a small value money-wise, and we got two assets in it.”

Dedmon, who played well for the Hawks before signing with the Kings during the 2019 offseason, struggled in Sacramento and lost his starting role early in the season. According to Kirschner, there’s a belief in Atlanta that the big man was so unhappy with the Kings that it affected him on the court. Atlanta will rely on Dedmon and Capela to help improve an interior defense that has struggled this season.

Let’s round up a few more Hawks notes…

  • Schlenk had been eyeing Skal Labissiere since his days working as an assistant GM in Golden State, says Kirschner. The Hawks were able to acquire Labissiere from Portland on deadline day in what was essentially a salary dump, but it sounds as if the team will have interest in keeping him beyond this season if he looks good down the stretch. The big man can become a restricted free agent this summer.
  • John Collins‘ name popped up in trade rumors leading up to the deadline and there was speculation that the Hawks may start looking to move on from the former first-rounder if they acquired an impact center. However, Schlenk downplayed that notion, as Kirschner details. “John has been playing with Damian (Jones) all year,” Schlenk said. “His skill set is the same (as Clint’s). John has been playing with Bruno (Fernando) all year long. This isn’t the first time that John has played with another center. I think the public is making a lot more out of it than we are.”
  • Asked directly if Collins is considered is still considered a priority for the Hawks’ long-term future, Schlenk responded, “Yeah. John is one of our best players.”
  • The Hawks’ deadline moves left them with an open spot on their 15-man roster. According to Kirschner (via Twitter), one option being considered is promoting two-way player Brandon Goodwin to a standard contract. Goodwin has averaged 6.9 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 24 games (13.9 MPG) for Atlanta this season.

Southeast Notes: Bertans, Magic, Parsons, Goodwin

A number of teams around the NBA are holding out hope that the Wizards will make Davis Bertans available before the trade deadline, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com. However, for the time being, general manager Tommy Sheppard and the front office appear to be sticking to their stance that they intend to retain Bertans and try to re-sign him this summer.

According to Mannix, inquiries on Bertans have “gone nowhere.” Multiple executives tell Mannix that the Wizards are unwilling to even discuss a potential deal.

This is Sheppard’s first trade deadline since he became the Wizards’ head of basketball operations, so it will be interesting to see whether this ends up being a leverage play or if he sticks to his guns and declines to discuss Bertans all the way through February 6.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Josh Robbins of The Athletic explores some potential trade scenarios for the Magic, expressing skepticism that the club will pursue veterans for a playoff push. Robbins also suggests, as he did earlier this season, that Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz look like the only Orlando players who are essentially untouchable in trade talks.
  • Chandler Parsons, who was injured in a car accident, remains in the first stage of the NBA’s concussion protocol and continues to be treated for whiplash and his cervical disc injury, the Hawks announced on Thursday in a press release. According to the team, Parsons has returned home to California to continue his recovery and rehab process. He remains out indefinitely.
  • Hawks two-way player Brandon Goodwin is making a strong case to be promoted to the club’s 15-man roster, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic details. Goodwin’s teammates are among his biggest advocates for a promotion and a guaranteed standard contract. “Hell yeah,” John Collins said. “B.G. has been around here and done everything the team has asked him to do and (then) some. If he keeps continuing to play like this, there is no reason to say he shouldn’t (get a 15-man roster spot).”

Southeast Notes: Nunn, Robinson, Wizards, Goodwin

Several players around the NBA with non-guaranteed contracts have already been waived or remain in danger of being cut as this week’s salary guarantee deadline approaches. However, Heat youngsters Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson have nothing to worry about.

While their contracts still aren’t technically guaranteed, Nunn and Robinson have started all season for the 26-10 Heat and will, of course, be retained through the January 7 deadline. While it’s a mere formality at this point, Nunn and Robinson are happy to assure themselves of those full guarantees, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.

“It’ll definitely be a relief,” Nunn said, admitting that he had “kept an eye on” the guarantee deadline. Robinson, meanwhile, said he isn’t taking his seven-figure salary for granted.

“I hope I never get used to that or that it ever becomes normal,” he said. “Well, I guess I hope it does. Well, you know what I mean: I hope I have the perspective to appreciate that it’s not normal. Every two weeks, I just try to be appreciative of it.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Hassan Whiteside seemed “genuinely confused” by the frequent boos he heard from Heat fans during his return to Miami this weekend, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Shortly after he was traded from Miami to Portland this summer, Whiteside filmed himself yelling, “We’ve got shooters!” on social media, a phrase Heat fans chanted back at him near the end of Sunday’s game. “I didn’t really realize they felt it was a diss,” Whiteside said after the game, per Reynolds.
  • Ben Standig and Fred Katz of The Athletic examine why the Wizards elected to keep Gary Payton II, a 27-year-old on a one-year contract, over Justin Robinson, a 22-year-old who had been on a team-friendly three-year deal. Washington released Robinson on Sunday before his 2019/20 salary could become guaranteed. The Athletic duo also pointed out that the Wizards don’t have the G League rights for Robinson or Johnathan Williams, who was cut on Sunday too.
  • Hawks point guard Brandon Goodwin, who is on a two-way contract, logged just five total minutes before Christmas, but has averaged 14.8 MPG in the team’s last five games. Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at what sort of impression Goodwin is making in Atlanta.

Hawks Sign Brandon Goodwin To Two-Way Deal

AUGUST 6: The Hawks have officially signed Goodwin to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 23: The Hawks will bring in Brandon Goodwin on a two-way deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Each team is awarded a pair of two-way deals and Atlanta has already used one on Charlie Brown Jr., as our two-way contract tracker shows.

Goodwin was not selected in the 2018 NBA Draft. He went to camp with the Grizzlies last fall on an Exhibit 10 deal and latched on with the Nuggets later in the season, ultimately occupying one of their two-way deals.

The point guard played in 16 games for Denver last season, scoring a total of 23 points and dished out 14 assists over 57 minutes of action. In 27 G League games for the Memphis Hustle and Iowa Wolves, he averaged 21.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 5.1 APG.

Goodwin most recently played for the Nuggets’ Summer League team.

Northwest Notes: Whiteside, Thunder, Goodwin

Shortly after being traded from the Heat to the Trail Blazers last week, center Hassan Whiteside immediately received numerous texts messages from a key member of Portland’s organization: Damian Lillard.

Lillard welcomed Whiteside to the team, having an open dialogue about what the franchise is capable of doing with a healthy roster entering the 2019/20 season.

“I think the things that stuck out the most was he was just communicating and stressing that it had to happen on both ends,” Whiteside said, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. “Regardless of what we are feeling at the time, we all have the same goal. And he said he would never try to stand me up or show out on me, or another person, and he expects the same. And he was like, ‘If Coach talks, just respect it.’”

Whiteside privately and publicly sent signals that he wanted more playing time during his time in Miami. His relationship with head coach Erik Spoelstra was rocky, with the 30-year-old rarely influenced by a leader such as Lillard throughout his career.

“I’ve never had anybody approach me like that,” Whiteside said. “Outside of D. Wade, maybe, but D. Wade wasn’t there a couple years. But what Dame showed me was how serious he is and what kind of leader he is. That made me even more excited about coming here because he was showing me his teammate side, his leadership side.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:

  • Multiple NBA executives believe the Thunder won the Russell Westbrook trade with Houston last week, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “Huge win for Oklahoma City,” said one unnamed executive. By trading Westbrook to the Rockets for Chris Paul, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks and the right to swap picks in 2021 and 2025, the Thunder were able to add to their already lengthy collection of future picks and assets.
  • Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman details why the Thunder continue to acquire future draft picks in trades this month. In addition to Westbrook, Oklahoma City also traded away Paul George for five first-round picks (2021 via Miami, 2022, 2023 via Miami, 2024 and 2026), plus two pick swaps (2023, 2025). The team also moved forward Jerami Grant to Denver for a future first-round pick (2020).
  • The Nuggets have withdrawn their qualifying offer for two-way player Brandon Goodwin, according to RealGM. Goodwin is now an unrestricted free agent.

Malcolm Brogdon Gets Qualifying Offer From Bucks

The Bucks took the decision down to the wire, but they have extended a qualifying offer to Malcolm Brogdon that makes him a restricted free agent, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Brogdon’s offer is $3,021,354, according to Basketball Insiders, and that will also count as his cap hold.

The 2017 Rookie of the Year has been limited by injuries the past two seasons. He put up a 15.6/4.5/3.2 line in 64 games before suffering a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot in March. Brogdon has earned a reputation as one of the NBA’s most efficient shooters, averaging 51% from the field, 43% from 3-point range and a league-best 93% from the foul line this year.

The Bucks may be reluctant to match a huge offer for Brogdon when they have other free agent concerns in Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. The Suns, Bulls, Mavericks and Pacers have been mentioned among interested teams, but there are lingering concerns about the long-term condition of his foot.

There are a few more decisions on qualifying offers to catch up on:

  • The Nuggets extended a QO to two-way player Brandon Goodwin, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. The point guard got into 16 NBA games during his rookie season.
  • The Hawks opted not to give a QO to Justin Anderson, making him an unrestricted free agent, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Journal Constitution (Twitter link). Anderson appeared in 48 games for Atlanta after being acquired in a trade with the Sixers last summer.
  • Jerian Grant will also be an unrestricted free agent after the Magic passed on a QO, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Acquired from the Bulls during the offseason, Grant appeared in 60 games for Orlando.
  • The Clippers didn’t extend a QO to G League Rookie of the Year Angel Delgado, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
  • Rockets two-way players Trevon Duval and Vince Edwards didn’t receive qualifying offers, and neither did Warriors two-way player Marcus Derrickson, according to Keith Smith. However, Damion Lee – Golden State’s other two-way player – received a QO (Twitter links).

Nuggets Sign Brandon Goodwin To Two-Way Deal

4:00pm: The Nuggets have officially announced the signing of Goodwin to a two-way contract and the subsequent waiving of Akoon-Purcell, according to a press release sent from the team. Akoon-Purcell appeared in seven games with the Nuggets, averaging 1.0 points in 3.1 minutes per game.

11:53am: The Nuggets are expected to complete the signing today after waiving Akoon-Purcell, tweets Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports. Akoon-Purcell has been kept in the NBA all season because of injuries and has nearly reached his 45-day limit (Twitter link).

8:20am: Brandon Goodwin will return to the Nuggets on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Denver already has both two-way slots filled, so either DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell or Thomas Welsh will have to be waived before the signing can be completed. Akoon-Purcell, who has appeared in seven games for the Nuggets, is the more likely candidate to be let go, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Goodwin first came to Denver in late November when the team was granted a hardship exception. He spent about two weeks with the Nuggets before being waived when Nick Young was signed on Monday. Goodwin didn’t see any game action during his first stint in Denver.

The former Florida Gulf Coast guard was in training camp with Memphis after signing an Exhibit 10 contract, but was released before the start of the season. He had been playing in the G League with the Grizzlies’ Memphis Hustle affiliate.

Nuggets Sign Nick Young

The Nuggets have added some scoring punch to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed veteran swingman Nick Young to a contract. Brandon Goodwin has been waived in a corresponding move, according to the full press release from the club.

Having previously been granted a hardship exception to sign a 16th player due to their injury woes, the Nuggets used that exception on Goodwin, but will now slot Young in as their 16th man. The NBA can give a team a hardship exception, which allows for an extra roster spot, when that team has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks.

In Denver’s case, Will Barton, Isaiah Thomas, Michael Porter, and Jarred Vanderbilt have all been on the shelf for most or all of the season, but the club’s injury issues don’t stop there. Gary Harris is now expected to miss multiple weeks, while Paul Millsap suffered a broken toe and will likely sidelined for the foreseeable future as well.

Down six players, the Nuggets will add some veteran help by signing Young, who had yet to find an NBA home for the 2018/19 season after winning a title with the Warriors in the spring. An 11-year veteran, Young has averaged 11.4 PPG on .418/.376/.836 shooting in 716 career regular season games. In Golden State last season, the 33-year-old posted 7.3 PPG in 80 games (17.4 MPG).

Young will receive a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who notes (via Twitter) that it will count against the cap for about $1.04MM. Once the Nuggets starts getting healthier, they will lose access to their exception and will have to either trade or release Young or another player to get back down to 15 players.

As for Goodwin, he’ll count for $66,319 against Denver’s cap for his 14 days of service.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.