James McAdoo

Free Agent Notes: Carter, Georges-Hunt, McAdoo

Vince Carter, who indicated in June that he wants to play one more season before retiring in 2020, hasn’t changed that plan at all, despite having not found a new NBA home one month into free agency. Speaking today to reporters on a conference call, the veteran forward said that he continues to wait for the right opportunity, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links).

Nothing has changed as far as that goal and that dream of mine,” said Carter, who would become the first NBA player to have a 22-year career if he plays one more season. “It’s a patient thing. I get it. I’m older, teams are going younger. You just have to be patient, and hopefully in the coming days we’ll hopefully have something figured out.”

More and more veteran free agents have headed overseas within the last week or two as roster spots around the NBA dry up. However, most teams still aren’t carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there should still be some viable landing spots for Carter.

As we wait to see where the 42-year-old lands, here are more updates on some NBA free agents:

  • Swingman Marcus Georges-Hunt, who appeared in 42 games for the Timberwolves during the 2017/18 season, is recovered from the torn meniscus that kept him out of action for much of 2018/19, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. According to Krawczynski, Georges-Hunt has lined up workouts with a number of NBA teams for later this month.
  • Former UNC standout James Michael McAdoo, who won a pair of titles with Golden State and spent some time with the Sixers, is headed back to Europe for 2019/20. Turkish club Besiktas announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed McAdoo, who played in Italy last season.
  • To catch up on any free agent signings you may have missed, be sure to check out our 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker. Our tracker features every free agent who has signed (or agreed to sign) a standard contract with an NBA team this offseason. It also includes updates on players who finished the 2018/19 season on an NBA roster and have since decided to retire or play in another professional league.

And-Ones: Team USA, McAdoo, Bennett, Drafts

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Pacers coach Nate McMillan and Villanova coach Jay Wright have been named assistant coaches of the 2019-20 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, USA Basketball announced in a press release. The three assistants will join Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to round out the coaching staff of the Olympic team.

“Led by coach Popovich, we have assembled an incredible coaching staff for the USA National Team, and we are excited to have Steve Kerr, Nate McMillan and Jay Wright join the team as assistant coaches,” said Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball Men’s National Team. “It’s special that each coach has prior USA Basketball experience as either a player or coach, and each coach has compiled a successful and impressive resume. I’m very confident that the USA Basketball National Team is in excellent hands the next two years.”

Popovich, Kerr, McMillan and Wright share decades of combined coaching and playing experience, with each coach highly respected by their peers and by players across the NBA.

“I am honored and fortunate to have such gifted coaches share this USA Basketball responsibility with me,” Popovich said. “Steve Kerr, Nate McMillan and Jay Wright are not just knowledgeable, dedicated individuals, but they exhibit the creativity, tenacity and respect for the game needed to compete in the international arena.

“I look forward to joining them as USA Basketball attempts to extend the stellar success they’ve enjoyed over the past 12 years.”

The USA National Team has won 76 straight games, including three straight gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016. The impressive coaching staff – followed by an expected All-Star team of talent in 2020 – puts Team USA in a good position to win a fourth straight gold medal.

There’s more news around the basketball world:

  • The Maine Red Claws completed a trade today in the G League, sending the returning player rights of Anthony Bennett to the Agua Caliente Clippers in exchange for the returning player rights to James McAdoo and a 2018 third-round pick in the upcoming G League Draft. The Maine Red Claws are the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Celtics, while the Agua Caliente Clippers are the Clippers‘ affiliate.
  • ESPN.com writers Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz published a detailed story on young prospects, focusing on players from the 2019 recruiting class who could become draft-eligible in 2020. Class of 2019 center James Wiseman remains an intriguing talent, with the 7-footer still considering offers from a handful of schools.
  • We discussed several more basketball odds and ends in our last And-Ones roundup, including an update on the NBA’s new international plans for the 2019 preseason.

James Michael McAdoo Will Play In Italy

James Michael McAdoo, who won two NBA titles with the Warriors and played briefly for the Sixers last season, has signed with Fiat Torino in Italy, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

McAdoo signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia in August, but was waived in mid-January. He appeared in just three NBA games and played 18 total minutes. He finished the season with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League.

Undrafted out of North Carolina, McAdoo signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors in January of 2015 as they were on their way to the first of four straight Finals appearances. He spent much of his time with Golden State in the G League, but got into 52 games during the 2016/17 season.

Sixers Sign James McAdoo To Two-Way Deal

AUGUST 30: The Sixers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed McAdoo to the first two-way contract in franchise history.

AUGUST 26: The Sixers have agreed to a two-way deal with two-time NBA champion James McAdoo, as first reported by Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter Link). Tandem, McAdoo’s agency confirmed the signing.

McAdoo, 25, appeared in a career-high 52 games (two starts) with the Warriors last season but posted just 2.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG in just below nine minutes per game. The former North Carolina product went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft but latched on with Golden State in the summer league that season. Since then, McAdoo has bounced around between the NBA and the G-League and been a piece of the bench for a powerhouse Warriors team.

The two-way deal will enable Philadelphia to rotate McAdoo around the NBA and G-League but uncertain health surrounding Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons may allow him to secure playing time.

Warriors Won’t Give Qualifying Offer To McAdoo

The Warriors won’t submit a qualifying offer to James Michael McAdoo, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, meaning McAdoo will become an unrestricted free agent.

McAdoo has been with Golden State for three seasons and appeard in a career-high 52 games this year. However, he averaged just 8.8 minutes per night and hasn’t progressed past being a little-used bench player.

The 24-year-old was in the same position last summer, headed toward unrestricted free agency after the Warriors refused to tender a qualifying offer. He re-signed with Golden State in mid-July, receiving a one-year, minimum-salary deal.

Pacific Notes: Gay, Joerger, Griffin, Warriors

Rudy Gay will have surgery Monday to fix a torn Achilles tendon, the Kings announced on their website. The procedure will be performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and Gay will be out for the remainder of the season. The injury may affect the free agent market, as Gay had planned to opt out of his $14,263,566 deal for next season.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Garrett Temple has taken Gay’s spot in the starting lineup for now, but long-term decisions may not be made until next month, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. If the Kings continue losing and slip out of the playoff race, coach Dave Joerger may elect to give more minutes to younger players. Rookie guard Malachi Richardson was used in the first half Saturday for the first time all season. “Just be a buncha different dudes running in and out of there,” Joerger said. “Trying to find something that fits as you go through it.”
  • Blake Griffin plans to be ready for the Clippers game Tuesday at Philadelphia, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Griffin has missed 17 games since undergoing minor knee surgery December 20th. “It’s as close as I can be, I think,” Griffin said Saturday. “It was good to get some contact in yesterday. So it’s good to get some like real work in besides just running and shooting. It’s kind of up to them.”
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using seven low-salaried big men in a rotation at center, writes Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury NewsZaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo, Anderson Varejao and Damian Jones are all getting minutes at the position, depending on the matchup.

Warriors Re-Sign James McAdoo

JULY 13, 2:48pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed McAdoo, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 8, 2:00pm: It’ll be a minimum-salary deal for McAdoo, who will earn $980,431, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

1:46pm: The Warriors are bringing back another one of their free agents, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, who reports (via Twitter) that James McAdoo is re-signing with the club on a one-year deal. McAdoo had been an unrestricted free agent after Golden State declined to extend him a qualifying offer.

McAdoo, 23, has spent the first two years of his NBA career with the Warriors, but the former UNC forward hasn’t seen much action so far. In 2015/16, he appeared in 41 regular-season games for Golden State, averaging 6.4 minutes in those contests.

While McAdoo has flashed some promise, it remains to be seen whether he’ll get the opportunity to take on a larger role in Golden State going forward. The team has lost several of its free agents – including Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, Marreese Speights, Leandro Barbosa, and Brandon Rush – and traded Andrew Bogut. However, the Warriors have also added a few pieces, re-signing Ian Clark and landing Zaza Pachulia, David West, and – of course – Kevin Durant. in free agency. The club also drafted Damian Jones and Patrick McCaw.

[RELATED: Golden State Warriors’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]

Although they didn’t extend him a qualifying offer, the Warriors still have McAdoo’s Early Bird rights, so they could go over the cap and pay him more than a minimum salary. It’s not yet clear what McAdoo’s new deal will be worth.

Qualifying Offers: Sullinger, Daniels, Barnes

If an NBA team wishes to ensure a player who is eligible for restricted free agency actually becomes one, that team must issue a qualifying offer before the new league year begins on July 1st. Clubs are gradually making those qualifying-offer decisions official, with the latest round of offers noted below:

  • The Warriors submitted qualifying offers to Harrison Barnes ($5,194,227) and Festus Ezeli ($3,013,123), making both restricted free agents, the team announced via press release.
  • The Kings have submitted a qualifying offer for combo guard Seth Curry, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). Curry’s offer is worth $1,215,696, with the 25-year-old having earned $947,276 for his 44 appearances this past season.
  • The Celtics submitted qualifying offers to frontcourt mates Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald tweets. Sullinger’s offer is worth $4,433,683, while Zeller’s comes in at $3,695,169.
  • The Hornets officially announced today that a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 was submitted for shooting guard Troy Daniels, making him a restricted free agent.
  • The Raptors submitted a qualifying offer to Nando De Colo in order to retain his rights, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star tweets. De Colo isn’t likely headed stateside anytime soon, having signed a three-year contract extension with CSKA Moscow earlier this month. The cap hold for the 29-year-old is $1,901,900.
  • The Grizzlies submitted a qualifying offer to guard Nick Calathes, as the RealGM transactions log shows. The 27-year-old, who is under contract from the Greek club Panathinaikos, last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign. The move by Memphis was merely a procedural one in order to retain Calathes’ rights.
  • The Nets have submitted a qualifying offer worth $1,180,431 to Markel Brown, making him a restricted free agent, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets. Brooklyn declined to submit a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 to Willie Reed, making him an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
  • The Warriors declined to submit a qualifying offer worth $1,180,431 to James McAdoo and the player will now become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets. The team also passed on submitting a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696 to Ian Clark, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
  • The Pelicans won’t tender a qualifying to James Ennis ($1,180,431), but remain interested in re-signing him if the price were reasonable, Scott Kushner of The Advocate tweets.
  • The Sixers declined to submit a qualifying offer to Isaiah Canaan ($1,215,696), making him an unrestricted free agent, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets.

Pacific Notes: Pierce, Clippers, Suns

Paul Pierce, a native of California, is happy to be back home after signing with the Clippers, but the Lakers would have never been an option, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Pierce signed a three-year deal for approximately $10MM.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to come home, finally,” Pierce said. “I grew up a Laker fan but playing on all the Boston Celtic teams . . . there’s no way I could go there — so this was the next best choice. And it’s always been a dream to play in front of my family and friends.”

Here’s more on the Clippers and Pacific Division:

  • Despite reports that indicated a rift between Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan played a role in the center agreeing to sign with the Mavericks before ultimately re-signing with the Clippers, Paul said he’s delighted to have the big man back, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. “DeAndre, he’s like my big little brother. We talk a lot more than people realize,” Paul said. “It doesn’t matter; the only thing that matters is we brought in [Pierce], who I’m probably the happiest about because of his championship pedigree, being that voice in our locker room. We brought in [Lance Stephenson], Wesley Johnson, brought Austin [Rivers] back, Josh Smith. Big summer for us.
  • Suns president Lon Babby said  re-signing Brandon Knight was the team’s most important move, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweets. Knight, who signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Suns, said he did not talk to any other teams, Coro also tweets.
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr expects James McAdoo, who is expected to compete for a reserve spot with the Warriors in training camp in late September, to contribute next season, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com writes. McAdoo split time between the Warriors and D-League last season.

Western Notes: Brooks, Love, Parsons

Scott Brooks would still be the Thunder coach if Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook had strongly objected to the decision to fire him, David Aldridge of NBA.com opines. While Durant and Westbrook were protective of Brooks, they accepted the decision by Oklahoma City’s management, Aldridge continues. The Thunder could not afford the risk of waiting to bring in a new coach after next season when Durant hits the free agent market, Aldridge concludes.

In other news around the Western Conference:

  • Kevin Love‘s shoulder injury, which will keep him out of the Eastern Conference playoff semifinals, could have a major impact on his potential free agency and the Lakers’ offseason blueprint, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report tweets. Love, who holds an approximate $16.7MM player option on his contract for next season, is at the forefront of the Lakers’ rebuilding plans, Ding adds.
  • Chandler Parsons might need microfracture surgery on his right knee, which could keep him out of action at the start of next season, sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. That could play a role in the Mavericks’ offseason strategy, considering they signed Parsons last summer to be their starting small forward. Parsons will make approximately $15.36MM next season and holds an option of just over $16MM on the final year of his deal in 2016/17. It’s still possible Parsons would only require arthroscopic surgery on the knee, which has a shorter recovery period, MacMahon adds.
  • The Warriors added more depth to their postseason roster by recalling center Ognjen Kuzmic and forward James Michael McAdoo from their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to the team’s website. Kuzmic and McAdoo helped Santa Cruz win the D-League championship over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, as the duo combined for 31 points and 17 rebounds in the clinching 109-96 victory on Sunday night.