Blazers, Wade Baldwin Agree On Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2017 at 5:08pm CST by Austin Kent

The Blazers and free agent point guard Wade Baldwin have agreed on a two-way deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The 21-year-old was waived by the Grizzlies earlier in the week.

Baldwin will join a Portland franchise that has done a particularly good job developing guards over the years, most notably their star backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Considering Baldwin’s potential heading into his rookie campaign as a first-round pick last season, it will be interesting to see if the change of scenery serves him well.

Baldwin averaged just 3.2 points per game in limited time on the court last season but spent the summer in competition with Andrew Harrison for a role off the bench in Memphis. In Portland, Baldwin will set out to steal minutes from incumbent backups Shabazz Napier and Isaiah Briscoe.

While Baldwin’s contract will be a two-way deal, the Blazers currently lack a direct G League affiliate so he, like any of the players for any of the four NBA team’s without an affiliate, could find himself suiting up for various G League squads over the course of the season.

Nuggets Sign Richard Jefferson To One-Year Deal

October 19th, 2017 at 8:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 19: Jefferson’s deal with the Nuggets is now official, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions. Denver waived Nelson on Wednesday to open up a roster spot for the veteran forward.

OCTOBER 16: Veteran forward Richard Jefferson has agreed to a one-year, $2.3MM contract with the Nuggets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Jefferson cleared waivers on Monday. He was traded by the Cavaliers to the Hawks on Saturday in a cost-cutting and roster-trimming move by Cleveland. Atlanta immediately waived him.

Denver will likely waive veteran point guard Jameer Nelson to make room for Jefferson, according to Wojnarowski.

Jefferson fortifies the small forward spot behind Wilson Chandler. His primary backup, Will Barton, suffered an ankle injury in practice on Monday.

It’s somewhat surprising that Denver would let Nelson go, as he was considered a potential starter during camp. The Nuggets have apparently decided to go with the much younger duo of Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray at point guard.

The Bucks were considered contenders for Jefferson’s services but wound up claiming another ex-Cavalier, DeAndre Liggins, on Monday. Jefferson, 37, averaged 5.7 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 79 regular-season contests last year.

Contractually, Jefferson will collect two paybacks. He’ll also receive $2MM from the Hawks, who will get a $500K set-off at the end of the season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Nuggets Waive Jameer Nelson

October 18th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have waived veteran point guard Jameer Nelson, as expected, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Nelson will clear waivers on Friday, assuming he goes unclaimed. Meanwhile, Denver is expected to use the newly-opened roster spot to officially sign Richard Jefferson.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Nelson has spent the last two and a half seasons in Denver, starting 59 of his 148 games for the team during that stretch. After struggling through the 2015/16 campaign, the 35-year-old bounced back last season, averaging 9.2 PPG and 5.1 APG with a .444/.388/.714 shooting line in 75 contests.

The Nuggets drafted Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft and leaned on him as their starting point guard for most of the last two seasons, but Nelson stepped into the starting lineup last season when Mudiay underwhelmed.

With Nelson no longer around to provide veteran stability, Denver will have to lean heavily on Mudiay and 2016 first-rounder Jamal Murray at the point guard spot. Monte Morris, who is on a two-way contract, should also provide some organizational depth at the position, while players like Will Barton and Gary Harris may get an opportunity to handle the ball a little more too.

Nelson had a fully guaranteed $4,736,050 salary for 2017/18, so the Nuggets will have to eat that amount if the veteran clears waivers, which is likely. His salary can’t be stretched.

Cavs Sign London Perrantes To Two-Way Deal

October 18th, 2017 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

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.

Lakers Sign Vander Blue To Two-Way Contract

October 18th, 2017 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 18: The Lakers have officially signed Blue to a two-way contract, the club announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 17: After being waived by the Lakers on Saturday, shooting guard Vander Blue is returning to the franchise. The Lakers and Blue have reached an agreement on a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).

Blue, 25, has appeared in just five total regular season NBA games, most recently playing for the Lakers in 2014/15. While he hasn’t seen any NBA action in recent years, he has emerged as one of the G League’s most reliable scorers, averaging more than 23.3 PPG in each of the last three seasons for L.A.’s affiliate.

In 2016/17, Blue racked up 24.8 PPG to go along with 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 47 games for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, earning G League MVP honors. This season, he’ll return to the club – now known as the South Bay Lakers – as a two-way player, which will result in a pay bump and a chance to spend some time with the NBA club.

The Lakers have now filled both of their two-way slots, with Blue joining Alex Caruso.

Hawks Sign Isaiah Taylor

October 17th, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 17: The Hawks have officially signed Taylor, the team announced tonight in a press release.

OCTOBER 16: The Hawks have reached an agreement with Isaiah Taylor and will sign the free agent point guard to a two-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. Taylor cleared waivers on Sunday after being cut by the Rockets.

Taylor, who went undrafted out of Texas in 2016, caught on with the Rockets for training camp last fall, then became a G League affiliate player for the team after being waived in the preseason. The 23-year-old guard had an excellent season for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 21.0 PPG and 6.0 APG with a shooting line of .515/.457/.816 in 25 G League games.

Taylor rejoined the Rockets before season’s end, inking a multiyear deal and finishing the year with the club. However, he didn’t make the cut for Houston’s 2017/18 regular season roster, having been waived by the team on Friday.

With a spot open on their NBA roster and a two-way slot available too, the Hawks have some flexibility when it comes to adding Taylor. Charania’s report suggests Taylor will fill the 15th and final spot on Atlanta’s roster, with Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution adding (via Twitter) that the deal will be partially guaranteed.

Suns Exercise Options On Booker, Bender, Chriss

October 17th, 2017 at 5:41pm CST by Chris Crouse

The Suns have exercised teams options on the contracts of Devin Booker, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss, according to their website. The trio will remain under contract through the 2018/19 season.

Booker, who was the no. 13 overall pick in the 2015 draft, broke out last season, scoring 22.1 points per game in the Suns’ fast-paced offense. The Kentucky product will make approximately $2.32MM this season and as a result of the team picking up his option, he’ll take home $3.31MM next year.

Bender’s 2018/19 team option is worth roughly $4.67MM and Chriss’ will come in at slightly under $3.21MM. The team controls each player for at minimum two additional two seasons beyond the 2018/19 campaign. Each of the big men’s contracts has another team option in it for the 2019/20 season and if exercised, the team can extend a qualifying offer to each player during the following offseason, rendering them restricted free agents.

Booker can become a restricted free agent during the summer of 2019, though I would expect the team to make an attempt at extending the shooting guard next summer. Per the team’s website, among all players with two years of experience under the age of 21, only LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant have scored more than Booker’s 2,774 total points.

Warriors Sign Quinn Cook To Two-Way Contract

October 17th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:55pm: Cook has officially signed a two-way contract with the Warriors, the team confirmed today in a press release.

8:10am: The Warriors will fill the open two-way slot on their roster by signing free agent guard Quinn Cook, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Cook has agreed to a two-way contract with the defending champions.

Cook, 24, went undrafted in 2015 and spent training camp with the Cavaliers that season, then with the Pelicans in 2016. He finally earned a shot in the NBA regular season earlier this year, when he signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks, then two 10-days and a rest-of-season deal with New Orleans. Appearing in 14 total games, Cook averaged 5.6 PPG and 1.9 APG for the Mavs and Pelicans.

Having been waived by the Pelicans in July, Cook spent training camp and the preseason with the Hawks before being cut on Friday. Now, he’ll have an opportunity to return to the G League, where he excelled last season, averaging 26.0 PPG and 6.7 APG in 39 games for the Canton Charge. He’ll suit up for the Santa Cruz Warriors this year, and will be eligible to spend some time with Golden State.

Once Cook makes it official with the Warriors, there will be just 10 two-way slots still open around the NBA.

Thunder Sign P.J. Dozier To Two-Way Deal

October 17th, 2017 at 12:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 17: The Thunder have officially signed Dozier to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 16: The Thunder are in talks with guard P.J. Dozier on a two-way contract after he cleared waivers on Monday, ESPN’s Royce Young tweets.

The Mavericks waived the 6’6” rookie on Saturday. He went undrafted after playing two seasons at South Carolina. Doziers played for the Lakers’ Summer League team in July before receiving a partially guaranteed contract from the Mavs.

In three preseason games with the Mavs, Dozier averaged 5.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG. Dozier averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG last season for the Gamecocks.

Swingman Daniel Hamilton received the first of the two allotted two-way contracts with the Thunder.

Bucks Sign Gary Payton II To Two-Way Contract

October 17th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have filled one of their open two-way slots by signing free agent guard Gary Payton II to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Milwaukee had entered the day as the only NBA team without a player on a two-way deal.

Payton, the son of Hall-of-Famer and former SuperSonics guard Gary Payton, went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2016, but caught on with the Rockets for training camp. After being cut by Houston last October, the 24-year-old spent most of the season with the club’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In 49 G League games, Payton averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.0 SPG.

Having signed a multiyear deal with Milwaukee near the end of the 2016/17 campaign, Payton was a candidate to make the Bucks’ regular season roster, but was ultimately cut on Saturday. His contract didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, making it ineligible to be converted into a two-way deal, but the Bucks were eligible to re-sign him to a two-way contract once he cleared waivers.

Payton will suit up for the Bucks’ new G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, once the season begins. Milwaukee, meanwhile, still has one more two-way spot to fill.