Shawne Williams

Greg Oden, Royce White, Others Selected In BIG3 Draft

The BIG3, Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league, completed its draft for the 2019 season on Wednesday night, and a number of noteworthy former NBA players were among the players selected.

Former NBA first overall pick Greg Oden wasn’t the first player picked in the BIG3 draft, but he did come off the board in the first round, going seventh overall to the Aliens, a team whose roster also includes Kendrick Perkins and Shannon Brown.

The No. 1 selection in the BIG3’s draft was former NBA first-rounder Royce White, whose NBA career was cut short after just three games due to battles with mental health and a fear of flying. White will join an Enemies squad led by captain Gilbert Arenas and co-captains Lamar Odom and Perry Jones III.

The following veterans who appeared in at least 100 games during their NBA careers were also selected in the 31-player draft on Wednesday:

  1. Larry Sanders (3 Headed Monsters)
  2. Josh Powell (Killer 3s)
  3. Shawne Williams (Bivouac)
  4. Jamario Moon (Ghost Ballers)
  5. Donte Greene (Killer 3s)
  6. Jason Richardson (Tri-State)
  7. Alan Anderson (Triplets)
  8. Sam Young (Trilogy)
  9. Brandon Rush (Aliens)
  10. Craig Smith (Enemies)
  11. Mario Chalmers (3 Headed Monsters)
  12. C.J. Watson (Killer 3s)
  13. Carlos Arroyo (Trilogy)
  14. Dion Glover (Bivouac)
  15. Bonzi Wells (Tri-State)

A full breakdown of the 2019 BIG3 draft results can be found right here, while the rosters for the 12 teams set to compete in the ’19 season are here.

Timberwolves Waive Three Players

The Timberwolves have waived three players from their roster, the team announced today in a press release. Amile Jefferson, Melo Trimble, and Shawne Williams were the players cut, and they’ll become free agents on Monday, assuming they clear waivers.

The three cuts appear to signal that the Wolves have finalized their roster for the regular season. The team is now carrying 15 players in total, including 13 on guaranteed salaries, one (Marcus Georges-Hunt) on a non-guaranteed deal, and one on a two-way contract. Minnesota figures to head into the season with 14 players on its NBA roster, though the club may add a second two-way player.

As for Jefferson, Trimble, and Williams, they’ll likely end up playing for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s new G League affiliate.

Timberwolves Sign Shawne Williams

The Timberwolves have signed veteran free agent Shawne Williams, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press writes. The forward has suited up for seven different teams since the 2006/07. Williams’ most recent taste of NBA action came in 2014/15 with the Pistons.

The plan, Krawczynski writes, is for Minnesota to waive the 31-year-old so that he can join their G League affiliate in Iowa.

Williams has never made much of an impact at the NBA level but there’s something to said about a player who has managed to catch on with so many teams over the course of a journeyman career.

Northwest Notes: Robinson, Thornton, Westbrook

The Timberwolves have plenty of room on their roster to bring aboard talent ahead of the 2017/18 season and have been busy looking for the perfect fit. Per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), veterans Nate Robinson, Shawne Williams and Marcus Thornton have all stopped by to make an impression.

Of the three, Robinson is the highest profile but the 33-year-old hasn’t seen consistent NBA action since 2014/15 when he played 33 games in half a season with the Nuggets. The scrappy guard with a career average of 11.0 points per game could potentially add depth to the Timberwolves second unit.

A more intriguing option for the Timberwolves, however, may be adding Thornton.  Not only is the two-guard three years young, he’s played more substantial roles for other teams lately than Robinson has. The journeyman has suited up for seven teams in the past four seasons, granted, but has the ability to put points on the board when given the opportunity. In 2011/12. Thornton averaged 18.7 points per game for the Kings.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Jazz are still reeling from the loss of Gordon Hayward this summer but have an intriguing long-term prospect in lottery pick Donovan Mitchell, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes.
  • With his original five-year Jordan Brand deal set to expire after this season, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook signed a 10-year extension with the Nike offshoot. Now, Nick DePaula of ESPN writes, the company will start developing an on-court Westbrook shoe.
  • The massive 10-year Jordan Brand extension could impact Russell Westbrook’s decision to sign an extension with the Thunder, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes. While a player like Westbrook, who relies heavily on athleticism, may normally be inclined to lock in a long-term deal at age 28, Westbrook won’t exactly be hard up for cash if he decides to pursue other options.

Bucks Waive Caron Butler, Shawne Williams

As expected, the Bucks have waived both Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Earlier this month, Butler told Racine Sports Zone that he was expecting to get waived by Milwaukee.

Butler, 35, is coming off career lows in points (5.9) and minutes (20.8) per game. He nonetheless shot 37.9% on 2.8 three-point attempts per game last season, so he at least still appears to have value as a spot-up shooter.  The ThunderBulls, Clippers, Spurs, Lakers, and Knicks reportedly have interest in the veteran.

Milwaukee acquired Butler and Williams in the Ersan Ilyasova trade earlier this month.  Butler played for the Bucks during the first half of the 2013/14 season.  Williams, 29, played 63 regular season games for the Heat and Pistons last season.  He averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 17.3 minutes per contest between the two teams.  For his career, Williams has averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.0 RPG in stops with the Pacers, Mavs, Knicks, Nets, Lakers, Heat, and Pistons.

Latest On Caron Butler

Caron Butler, who expects to be waived by the Bucks, is expected to field interest from the Bulls, Clippers and Spurs, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, who cites a league source.

The Lakers and Knicks, according to Charania, are also in the mix. The Bucks plan to waive Butler and Shawne Williams before their guarantee dates on Tuesday, Charania also reports.

Milwaukee reacquired Butler, who played for the team during the first half of the 2013/14 season, and acquired Williams in the Ersan Ilyasova trade earlier this month.

Pistons Acquire Ersan Ilyasova

3:11pm: The trade is official, the Pistons and Bucks have announced. “Ersan Ilyasova is a player we have coveted since we got to Detroit,” said Van Gundy. “Not only is he a proficient three-point shooter that can stretch the floor, he is a high-energy, hard-playing guy who fits extremely well with how we want to play. We are excited about what he can add to our team. We appreciate the contributions of Caron and Shawne. Caron, in particular, is difficult to say goodbye to. Not only did he play well for us, his leadership went above and beyond. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a single player have a more a positive impact on a team than Caron did on ours. He is a special person and we will always respect and appreciate what he did here.

2:13pm: The Bucks and Pistons have agreed to a trade that will send Ersan Ilyasova to Detroit for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move will give Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy a new stretch power forward of the sort that he so often employed when he was coach of the Magic. It’ll also set up Butler, a Wisconsin native, for his second stint with the Bucks after he spent the first half of the 2013/14 with Milwaukee, providing the Bucks keep him. Williams is also a stretch four who started 22 games for the Heat early this past season, but he saw little playing time in Detroit after the Pistons claimed him off Waivers.

Mar 24, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the game against the Miami Heat at BMO Harris Bradley Center.  Milwaukee won 89-88.  Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The swap will give the Bucks a chance to clear salary, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter). Butler is due $4.5MM next season, but that salary wouldn’t become guaranteed until June 30th. Williams likewise is without a guarantee for next season, but his minimum salary wouldn’t become fully guaranteed until January. Ilyasova is due a fully guaranteed $7.9MM next season, with $400K of his $8.4MM salary for 2015/16 guaranteed.

The deal is a further signal that soon-to-be free agent Greg Monroe will be elsewhere next season, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, since Ilyasova plays his position. It also ostensibly gives the team more motivation to acquire a small forward, with the power forward slot accounted for and Butler on his way out of town, Ellis surmises.

It doesn’t appear as though either team will have a chance to create a trade exception, since Milwaukee is under the cap and the Pistons need both the salaries of Butler and Williams to match for Ilyasova. The Bucks will instead have the chance to benefit from an additional chunk of cap flexibility equivalent to Ilyasova’s salary. That gives Milwaukee only about $36MM in commitments for next season against a projected $67.1MM cap, leaving enough room to re-sign restricted free agent Khris Middleton to a max deal and still have enough money left over for another marquee restricted free agent. Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times speculates that the Bucks will prioritize the addition of a perimeter shooter to offset the loss of what Ilyasova delivered in that regard (Twitter link).

Ilyasova acknowledged that trades are a part of the business when Woelfel asked for his reaction to the news (Twitter link). That Milwaukee would send him out is no surprise, since his name has been in rumors almost ever since he re-signed with the Bucks on a five-year, $40MM deal in July 2012. The team dangled him in trade talk as recently as the deadline in February, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported then.

The 28-year-old Ilyasova is coming off a bounceback season in which he shot 38.9% from three-point range and averaged 11.5 points per game, but he did so in just 22.7 minutes per night, his lowest since he was a rookie in 2006/07. Butler, 35, put up 5.9 PPG in 20.8 MPG for Detroit. Williams saw less than 10 MPG for the Pistons after knocking down 39.5% of his three-pointers in 21.0 MPG for the Heat. Should the Bucks seek outside shooting, they could do worse than keeping Williams on the minimum salary, though that’s just my speculation.

Eastern Notes: Williams, Hawks, Garnett

The Pistons claimed Shawne Williams off waivers to offset the loss of Jonas Jerebko, who was traded to Boston last week, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “We’re a little thin up front and Shawne played very well in Miami this year, got put in that trade to New Orleans, New Orleans waived him before they got everybody hurt, so we got some luck there,Stan Van Gundy said. “So we got a little luck there. But we needed a little depth and he’s a guy that comes in, again, on a value contract, and he’s got a non-guaranteed contract for next year. So it gives us a lot of flexibility.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Wizards are sending $839K to the Kings as part of the Andre Miller for Ramon Sessions trade that occurred last week, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link).
  • There’s a decent chance the sale of the Hawks won’t be complete until May or June, a person familiar with the deal told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Today is the deadline for prospective owners to submit preliminary bids, Vivlamore reports.
  • Newly acquired Goran Dragic has become a fan of his new team already, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays (Twitter link). Speaking about the Heat, Dragic said, “They take care of players. I feel I’m spoiled here. So much great stuff.
  • Kevin Garnett said that it was difficult for him to leave the Nets mid-season because of his loyalty to the organization, but he believed that returning to Minnesota was a great opportunity, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Knicks are counting on oft-injured Andrea Bargnani to help make up for the scoring the team lost with Carmelo Anthony being out for the season, Justin Tasch of The New York Daily News writes. “Well, he has the skillset and the versatility to do those things,” coach Derek Fisher said. “Whether he can average the same amount of points [as Anthony], we’ll see. He’s capable of it. I think if he can stay healthy and just continue to get a comfort out on the floor again, playing basketball, competing hard every night, the physical and mental grind that exists in doing that – which is different when you haven’t done that for a year, which is basically what it’s been for him.

Pistons Claim Shawne Williams

6:18pm: The Pistons have claimed Williams off waivers, the team has announced.

4:27pm: The Pistons have submitted a waiver claim for Shawne Williams, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Williams had reached a buyout arrangement with the Pelicans after he was acquired as a part of the multi-team deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami. Detroit currently has 14 players on its roster, which means no additional move would be required to add Williams.

It’s unclear how much salary Williams relinquished in his buyout arrangement with New Orleans, but the team won’t be on the hook for any remaining funds to the player if the Pistons indeed claim Williams. Detroit would then be responsible for the remainder of the $1,227,985 the 29-year-old forward is earning this season. Williams is also under contract for 2015/16, though the $1,356,146 he is scheduled to earn is non-guaranteed.

Williams had appeared in 44 games for the Heat this season, and averaged 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. His career numbers over seven seasons are 5.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG. His career shooting percentages are .407/.345/.848.

Pelicans Waive Shawne Williams

SUNDAY, 10:07am: The Pelicans have officially waived Williams, according to the team’s website. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14 players.

4:36pm: New Orleans intends to waive Williams, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com confirms (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 3:32pm: The Pelicans plan to work out a buyout arrangement with newly acquired Shawne Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Williams came to New Orleans as a part of the multi-team deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami earlier today. The agreement is expected to be reached on Friday, Wojnarowski notes.

The 29-year-old forward is earning $1,227,985 this season, though it’s unclear just how much Williams will be willing to leave on the table in a buyout arrangement. Williams is under contract for next season, though the $1,356,146 he is scheduled to earn is non-guaranteed, which means that the Pelicans won’t be on the hook to Williams for any funds beyond this season.

Williams has appeared in 44 games for the Heat this season, and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. His career numbers over seven seasons are 5.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG. His career shooting percentages are .407/.345/.848.