London Perrantes

Cavs Sign London Perrantes To Two-Way Deal

3:36pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Perrantes to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

1:22pm: The Cavaliers are in the midst of finalizing an agreement on a two-way contract with free agent guard London Perrantes, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Once the deal becomes official, Perrantes would join John Holland as the two-way players under contract with Cleveland.

Perrantes, a 6’2″ point guard, averaged 12.7 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.0 RPG in his senior year at Virginia last season, along with a solid shooting line of .453/.374/.813. His performance earned him a look from the Heat in Summer League action this year, and a training camp invite from the Spurs.

San Antonio waived Perrantes last week during the roster cutdown period, and he initially appeared to be a good bet to land in Austin as an affiliate player for the Spurs’ G League team. However, a two-way deal with the Cavs will give the rookie a little more financial security. He’ll join the Canton Charge rather than the Austin Spurs once the G League season gets underway.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contracts]

Once Perrantes finalizes his deal with the Cavs, only the Hawks, Rockets, Bucks, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Trail Blazers will still have open two-way slots. Our full list of two-way players can be found right here.

Spurs Waive Amida Brimah, London Perrantes

The Spurs have waived guard London Perrantes and big man Amida Brimah, the team announced in a press release. The cuts drop San Antonio’s roster down to 17.

The club had initially signed Perrantes back in August after he went undrafted in June. The University of Virginia product had played and performed well for the Heat during the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues.

Brimah, also undrafted this past June, was initially picked up in late September.

Spurs Sign London Perrantes

4:43pm: Perrantes received a one-year, partially guaranteed deal from the Spurs, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.

3:46pm: The Spurs have added an undrafted rookie to their roster, announcing today in a press release that former Virginia guard London Perrantes has signed with the club. Terms of Perrantes’ agreement with San Antonio weren’t announced, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal.

Perrantes, a 6’2″ guard, averaged 12.7 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.0 RPG in his senior year at Virginia last season, along with a solid shooting line of .453/.374/.813. He worked out for several teams – including the Spurs – in the weeks leading up to the draft, but wasn’t considered likely to be one of the 60 players selected in June.

After going undrafted, Perrantes played for the Heat in Summer League action in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In six total games for Miami, he averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 3.2 RPG. However, he’ll be in camp with the Spurs, rather than the Heat.

Perrantes is probably a good bet to eventually join the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League team, as an affiliate player.

Heat Notes: LeBron, Free Agency, Adebayo, White

LeBron James caused some excitement in Miami on Saturday with Instagram posts featuring photos of himself in front of American Airlines Arena, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Even though James expressed a fondness for the city in a caption that read, “A ton of great memories riding past her today!! #AAA #striveforgreatness,” the Heat have no expectations that he will consider returning to Miami when he becomes a free agent next summer. Like most of the league, Jackson notes, Heat officials believe James will either go to Los Angeles or stay in Cleveland.

Jackson adds that there are no obvious free agents for Miami to chase next summer, even if the team could create cap room. He says they wouldn’t pay max money to Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles seems like the destination for Paul George, and other stars such as Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan play positions where the Heat are already set. They may have more interest in the 2019 free agent class, but will have limited cap room unless Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson or Hassan Whiteside opt out of their contracts.

There’s more today out of Miami:

  • With 11 games in two leagues, the Heat got a good look at candidates for two-way contracts this summer, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. However, it’s not certain that the players who get those deals will come from the summer league squads. Among those who made a positive impact, according to Winderman, are Virginia’s London Perrantes, Central Florida’s Matt Williams, Monmouth’s Justin Robinson and Colorado State’s Gian Clavell.
  • The Heat were happy with the performance of first-round pick Bam Adebayo this summer, Winderman writes in a separate story. The power forward out of Kentucky was held out of the final three games in Las Vegas, but showed enough to give Miami hope that he can be a contributor right away. “I think the seven games he played was a great first step as an NBA player,” said summer league coach Chris Quinn. “He did everything we asked. He showed us a skill set that is very versatile. He was able to do things that maybe he hadn’t done as much. But more importantly, he completely bought in to our player-development program. He’s listening to Coach Juwan [Howard] every single day and he’s really been great to work with. His attitude and his work ethic have been amazing, which, for a guy with his talent, is most important.”
  • Winderman adds that this summer was especially important for Okaro White, who faces a partial guarantee date for next year’s $1.3MM contract on August 1st. Quinn said White made “major strides” in the seven games he played.

Atlantic Notes: James, Celtics, Pre-Draft Workouts

Rumors are swirling that LeBron James will look to leave Cleveland for a second time after next season and potentially head out west. If he is not on the Cavaliers after 2017/18, James’ departure would have a domino effect across the league. A. Sherrod Blakely joined Mike Felger and Gary Tanguay at CSN New England to discuss Celtics general manager Danny Ainge‘s potential moves if James heads out West and weakens the Eastern Conference.

Blakely believes that no matter James’ future, Ainge should not focus on what’s going around the league, focusing instead on his own team. The Celtics have the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and are coming off a year where they were the first seed in the East. The Celtics have their own issues to address, including the impending free agency of Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, and others.

In any case, the Celtics are in the best position of any Eastern Conference team to unseat the Cavaliers as the class of division and a James departure after next season only strengthens that.

Here are other notes from around the Atlantic Division:

Southeast Notes: J. Johnson, Heat, Hawks, Hornets

When James Johnson was asked about whether his affection for the Heat could translate into a team-friendly contract in free agency this offseason, the forward took a measured stance Sunday, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Johnson reiterated his love the organization, while maintaining that a business decision must be made:

I love this place so much and the opportunity they gave me. I couldn’t thank them enough. Down the line, it’s hard in this phase of my career to try to find somewhere that you call home or you want it to be home and things like that. So you know the love I have for this team is up there. But it’s just something I got to let the agent and Pat [Riley] discuss and try to figure out, and then just give my last say so at the end.”

Johnson enjoyed a career season in 2016/17, averaging 12.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG.

Here’s what else you should know from the Southeast division:

Workout Notes: Nets, Bulls, Evans, Dorsey

The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.

There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:

Draft Notes: Lakers, Ball, Artis, Briscoe, D. White

Despite multiple reports suggesting that the Lakers aren’t sold on the idea of using the No. 2 overall pick on Lonzo Ball, NBA executives are skeptical. As Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes, several execs told him that they don’t buy those reports, and one suggested that the Lakers may be trying to convince teams they like Josh Jackson in the hopes that someone will trade up to No. 2 for Jackson and allow the Lakers to move down while still landing Ball or De’Aaron Fox.

I’m also skeptical that the Lakers would pass on Ball, though I think the explanation could be simpler than that. While Magic Johnson has said publicly that Ball’s outspoken father LaVar Ball won’t affect the team’s decision at all, it’s possible that the club has some private concerns. In that scenario, it could make sense to leak word of those concerns in the hopes that LaVar, not wanting to alienate the Lakers, will dial back on his public comments a little.

While we wait to see how Ball’s meeting with the Lakers goes this week, let’s round up a few more draft-related items…

  • Pittsburgh wing Jamel Artis has workouts on tap with the Spurs, Clippers, and Mavericks this week, league sources inform Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Ian Begley of ESPN.com adds the Knicks to the list of clubs Artis will audition for in the coming days, writing that Artis and UVA’s London Perrantes are scheduled to work out for New York on Friday.
  • Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe has a busy pre-draft workout schedule, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), who says sessions with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, Bulls, and Lakers are still on tap for Briscoe. Camerato also adds the Raptors and Rockets to the list of teams Briscoe has already auditioned for.
  • Camerato also provides workout details for a couple more prospects who visited Philadelphia today, reporting that Derrick White (Colorado) will audition for the Pelicans, Jazz, and Hornets, while Melo Trimble (Maryland) will work out for the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks (Twitter links).
  • The Kings will work out Duke’s Harry Giles on Tuesday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com tweets. The 6’11” center, whose lone college season was marred by knee injuries, is ranked No. 12 overall by ESPN’s Chad Ford, though he’s just No. 33 on DraftExpress’ board. Sacramento holds the No. 5, No. 10 and No. 34 picks in the draft.

Pacific Notes: J. Jackson, Isaac, Tatum, Thompson

The Suns potentially have a difficult decision to make when they find themselves on the clock with the fourth overall pick, writes Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports. Three talented freshman small forwards could be available: Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, and Jayson Tatum. Defense and three-point shooting are likely the Suns’ two most glaring weaknesses, and one of these athletes could certainly help.

Haller writes that Jackson’s real impact could come defensively. The scribe adds that, while Tatum is nowhere near the defender that Jackson is, the Duke freshman may be the most polished scorer in the draft. As for Isaac, he can play both forward positions, with many believing that he will also be able to man the center position when his body fills out. Furthermore, the departing Seminole would contribute defensive versatility, having defended all over the floor for Florida State.

Here are some more pertinent notes from the Pacific division:

Central Notes: Pistons, Pacers, Bucks, Workouts

After a disappointing 2016/17 season, the Pistons will be looking this offseason for ways to improve the team’s outlook for next year. However, as Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press details, Andre Drummond doesn’t believe a roster overhaul is necessary.

“I don’t think we need to do any changes,” the Pistons center told reporters earlier this week. “We had a lot of bumps in the road last season with different things going on, and it took everybody out of sync. … With this summer coming up, we have to do a better job staying connected — the more stuff we do together, the better our camaraderie will be.”

Even if the Pistons were interested in making major changes to their roster, they would be tricky to pull off. Detroit has nearly $95MM in guaranteed salary on its books for 2017/18 without counting Aron Baynes‘ $6.5MM player option or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s $9.2MM cap hold, so the team won’t have cap room to work with.

Here’s more from around the Central division: