Wizards Sign Garrison Mathews To Two-Way Contract
The Wizards have officially signed undrafted rookie Garrison Mathews to a two-way contract, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). RealGM’s log of NBA transactions confirms that the move has been completed.
Mathews’ agreement with the team was first reported shortly after the draft last month by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
A 6’5″ shooting guard, Mathews has been one of the NCAA’s premier marksmen in the NCAA over the last four years. He averaged 20.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his final season at Lipscomb, knocking down 3.2 threes per game at a 40.3% rate, and was named the ASUN Player of the Year.
Washington entered the 2019/20 league year with two open two-way slots. Devin Robinson was the only two-way player under contract with the Wizards to finish the 2018/19 campaign, and the team announced that he wouldn’t return after word broke in April that he had been arrested following a nightclub fight.
Wizards Expected To Sign Garrison Mathews, Justin Robinson, Armoni Brooks
After selecting Rui Hachimura and acquiring Admiral Schofield in Thursday night’s draft, the Wizards are poised to add a few more rookies to their roster, according to various reports.
Lipscomb shooting guard Garrison Mathews will sign a two-way contract with the Wizards, a league source tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).
Washington has also agreed to deals with undrafted Virginia Tech guard Justin Robinson and undrafted Houston guard Armoni Brooks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, respectively (Twitter links).
Mathews, one of the premier marksmen in the NCAA over the last four years, averaged 20.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his final season at Lipscomb, knocking down 3.2 threes per game at a 40.3% rate. The ASUN Player of the Year is set to claim one of the Wizards’ two-way contract slots for the 2019/20 season, per Givony.
Robinson, meanwhile, has agreed to a multiyear deal that will feature a “substantial” guarantee, says Charania. Interim GM Tommy Sheppard suggested that Robinson will likely end up in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, but has a chance to stick with the Wizards, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Robinson averaged 13.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a .418 3PT% in 24 games in his senior season at Virginia Tech.
As for Brooks, he’s coming off a junior season in which he posted 13.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 37 games for Houston. Of his 425 field goal attempts, 310 came from beyond the arc. Berman doesn’t provide any additional details on Brooks’ deal with Washington, but says he’ll sign with the team as an undrafted free agent (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Wizards Workouts, Hornets, Hawks Offseason
The Wizards brought in three guards and three forwards during a pre-draft workout on Monday, according to the team’s website. They took a look at backcourt candidates Shannon Bogues (Stephen F. Austin), Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple) and Jamall Gregory (Jacksonville State) and forwards Trey Mourning (Georgetown), Ed Polite Jr. (Radford) and Trey Porter (Nevada).
The Wizards will be looking at six more prospects on Tuesday, including four guards — Matt Morgan (Cornell), Marcquise Reed (Clemson), Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb) and B.J. Stith (Old Dominion), according to another website post. They’ll also work out big men James Thompson IV (Eastern Michigan) and Raasean Davis (N.C. Central).
We have more Southeast Division news:
- The Wizards have a workout scheduled with USC shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr., Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. They’ll also bring in forward Jordan Caroline (Nevada) in the near future, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets. Porter ranks No. 20 overall on ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s draft board.
- Arkansas big man Daniel Gafford heads the list of six prospects the Hornets will bring in on Tuesday, according to a team press release. Gafford sits at No. 41 on Givony’s board. They’ll also take a look at guards Ky Bowman (Boston College), Amir Coffey (Minnesota), Miye Oni (Yale) and forwards Cody Martin (Nevada) and Chris Silva (South Carolina).
- Should the Hawks dive into free agency? Should they deal their two lottery picks to move up in the draft? These are some of the questions that ESPN’s Bobby Marks tackles in Atlanta’s offseason preview.
Atlantic Notes: Kawhi, Lowry, Knicks, C’s, Sixers
While their star players haven’t been forced out of action like some Warriors have been, the Raptors are dealing with some health issues of their own in these NBA Finals, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
According to Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the leg injury that has been bothering Kawhi Leonard since the Raptors’ series against the Bucks is a left knee issue. While the right quad injury that sidelined Leonard for nearly all of 2017/18 hasn’t been a problem, his knee pain stems from overcompensating for that quad issue, Vardon writes.
Meanwhile, Vardon also provides more specifics on Kyle Lowry‘s left hand injury, noting that the Raptors’ All-Star point guard has a ligament tear in his thumb. Lowry has previously hinted that he may need to undergo a surgical procedure on the injury after the season, but he appears set to play through it for the rest of the Finals.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- While the Knicks‘ top free agent targets are getting all the press, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic believes there are a number of under-the-radar free agent options who could prove useful for New York this summer. Vorkunov identifies Kevon Looney, Patrick Beverley, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jeremy Lamb, and several others as possible targets for the Knicks.
- The Knicks brought in Mississippi State prospects Quinndary Weatherspoon and Aric Holman for a workout on Monday, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter links). New York also got a look at Markis McDuffie (Wichita State) and Phil Booth (Villanova), and will work out Kerwin Roach (Texas) tomorrow, league sources tell Vorkunov (Twitter link).
- Admiral Schofield (Tennessee), Jason Burnell (Jacksonville State), Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Milik Yarbrough (Illinois State), Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), and Ty Jerome (Virginia) worked out for the Celtics on Monday, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link). According to team executive Austin Ainge, the C’s have already worked out 70 prospects in preparation for this month’s draft (Twitter link).
- Terence Davis (Ole Miss), Zach Hankins (Xavier), Terry Harris (North Carolina A&T State), and Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb) are among the prospects who worked out for the Sixers today, according to a team release.
And-Ones: Pelicans, Draft, Hornets
New Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon said leaving Brooklyn was a “very difficult decision” for him and his family, as he told Hoops Rumors and other outlets during his introductory press conference call earlier today. However, the chance to team up with head of basketball operations David Griffin again was too great to pass up.
“The opportunity to join up with Griff again and do something special in a place that nobody believes it can be done — aside from the people in this organization and the city — is something that is very intriguing,” Langdon said.
[RELATED: David Griffin Plans To Meet With Anthony Davis In Los Angeles]
Langdon will serve under Griffin, but his roles and responsibilities are not yet fully defined. The two men previously worked together in Cleveland and are familiar with one another, with Langdon emphasizing during today’s conference call that Griffin is not a micromanager. Griffin said that their relationship allows them “to challenge each other in ways strangers may not be able to.”
Langdon aided the Nets‘ turnaround, helping the franchise rebuild, and was key in helping to build talent in Brooklyn’s G League team. The Pelicans will put out a G League squad for the first time in franchise history next season.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Pelicans and David Booth have mutually parted ways, Will Guillory of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Booth was previously the team’s Director of Player Personnel.
- Charles Williams is withdrawing from the draft, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Williams will enter his senior season at Howard University.
- Francis Alonso (UNC-Greensboro) and Jessie Govan (Georgetown) worked out for the Hornets today, the team relays on its website. Dedric Lawson (Kansas), Myles Powell (Seton Hall), Marial Shayok (Iowa State) and Jalek Felton (Finland) also showcased their ability for the team.
- The Hornets had several prospects in for a workout this week, according to Charlotte’s Twitter feed Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga), Charlie Brown Jr. (St. Joes), Jon Davis (Charlotte), Milik Yarbrough (Illinois State), and Markell Johnson (NC State) all worked out for the club.
- Elijah Thomas (Clemson) worked out for the Hornets this week as well, per the team’s Twitter feed. Frankie Ferrari (San Francisco) and Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb) also worked out for Charlotte.
Southeast Notes: Kemba, Beal, Heat, Hawks
Kemba Walker‘s free agency will be a fascinating situation to watch this offseason, since it’s hard to determine what the best-case scenario is for the Hornets, writes Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report. Re-signing Walker to a maximum salary contract would limit Charlotte’s ability to acquire help around him, but one scout thinks the Hornets would “be like an expansion team” without him, per Weitzman.
Complicating matters further? Walker will become eligible for a super-max contract, worth an extra $30MM+ over five years, if he earns a spot on this year’s All-NBA teams, which is a distinct possibility. Only the Hornets could offer him that super-max, but doing so would mean paying the point guard an average of $44MM annually through 2023/24.
“It’d be like the John Wall deal,” one front office source told Weitzman. “They should have traded him last year, when his value was high. They could have just reset.”
With lucrative deals for Bismack Biyombo, Marvin Williams, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all set to come off the Hornets’ books in 2020, the team wouldn’t necessarily be mired in salary-cap hell for years if it re-signs Walker. Still, there’d be no obvious way to add a capable No. 2 option behind the point guard anytime soon.
“The surrounding pieces aren’t so bad,” another front office source said to Weitzman. “They just need another guy in there so they can all slide down a role.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In the view of David Aldridge of The Athletic, the time is right for the Wizards to trade Bradley Beal and go all-in on a rebuild. While a Beal-less Wizards squad would be terrible in the short term, it’s the franchise’s best route to contention in the long term, Aldridge argues.
- In his final NBA season, Dwyane Wade was an effective bench scorer off the bench for the Heat, averaging 15.0 PPG, good for second on the team. With Wade no longer around, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald examines how Miami might look to replace his scoring in its second unit, taking into account the club’s limited cap flexibility.
- The Hawks and Hornets each hosted pre-draft workouts for prospects on Wednesday, the teams announced in a pair of press releases. Atlanta took a look at Ky Bowman (Boston College), Armoni Brooks (Houston), Steven Enoch (Louisville), Caleb Martin (Nevada), Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb), and Kaleb Wesson (Ohio State), while Charlotte auditioned Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), Chris Clemons (Campbell), Hassani Gravett (South Carolina), Dewan Hernandez (Miami), Ronshad Shabazz (Appalchian State), and Lagerald Vick (Kansas).