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Rockets To Acquire Christian Wood Via Sign-And-Trade

November 20th, 2020 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

10:31pm: In exchange for agreeing to sign-and-trade Wood to Houston as part of the previously agreed-upon Ariza deal, the Pistons will acquire a future second-round pick and will add even more protections to the first-round pick they’re sending to the Rockets, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic.

9:18pm: The Rockets are now in agreement with Wood, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that it’ll be a three-year, $41MM deal.

That’s a significant increase on what was reported earlier and it means it’ll have to be a sign-and-trade rather than a move that uses Houston’s mid-level exception. It’ll presumably be folded into the not-yet-official trade sending Trevor Ariza from the Rockets to the Pistons.

Houston will be hard-capped at $138.93MM for the 2020/21 league year as a result of acquiring a player via sign-and-trade.

7:58pm: After Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio reported (via Twitter) that the Rockets were close to finalizing a three-year, $27MM agreement with big man Christian Wood, Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) that Wood remains engaged with interested teams.

Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle refers to Wood as Houston’s “top free agent target,” but hears from a source close to the player that a deal isn’t close to being finalized at this point.

If the Rockets can complete a deal with Wood, it would be a major get for the organization, as the Pistons big man is one of the most intriguing frontcourt players of this year’s free agent class.

Wood had a breakout year in 2019/20, though his full-season stats (13.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG) don’t tell the full story — after he entered the starting lineup following the Drummond trade, he recorded 22.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 2.0 APG over his final 13 games. He also showed off an improved three-point shot, making 54-of-140 attempts (38.6%) on the season, despite having only attempted 42 threes prior to 2019/20.

Detroit has already reached deals with a pair of centers tonight, agreeing to sign Mason Plumlee and Jahlil Okafor. While that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t re-sign Wood, it probably reduces the odds that he’ll remain with the Pistons. A sign-and-trade remains a viable possibility though, especially if his contract ends up in the range that Isola’s report suggests.

Whether or not they’re able to secure a commitment from Wood, the fact that they’re in the mix for him is a signal that the Rockets are in the market for big men after their micro-ball experiment in 2019/20. If Wood signs elsewhere, Houston will still have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to address the position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trail Blazers Acquire Enes Kanter From Celtics

November 20th, 2020 at 10:21pm CST by Luke Adams

10:21pm: The trade is now official, according to press release from the Celtics and Grizzlies.

The deal will send Kanter to Portland, Hezonja and the rights to Bane to Memphis, and two future second-round picks to Boston. The Grizzlies will also send cash to Portland in the move.

One of the two second-rounders headed from Memphis to Boston is the Grizzlies’ own 2025 pick. The other will be the more favorable of the following:

Houston’s 2023 second-rounder.
The less favorable of Memphis’ and Dallas’ 2023 second-rounders.

2:46pm: The Trail Blazers are reuniting with veteran center Enes Kanter, having reached a deal to acquire him from the Celtics, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski explains, the deal will be folded into the draft-night agreement between the Celtics and Grizzlies that saw Memphis land the No. 30 pick and select TCU’s Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies will receive Mario Hezonja from Portland in the swap, while the Celtics will get a future draft consideration from Memphis.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Offseason Trades]

Kanter, 28, enjoyed a brief, productive stint in Portland to finish the 2018/19 season, averaging 11.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 16 playoff games that year as the team made it to the Western Conference Finals. The two sides were unable to come to an agreement in free agency a year ago, resulting in Kanter signing with the Celtics. A year later, he’s back with the Blazers.

The move will give Portland a veteran backup for starting center Jusuf Nurkic and is probably a strong signal that free agent big man Hassan Whiteside isn’t coming back.

The Celtics, meanwhile, having already traded away Vincent Poirier this week, have created a little extra cap and roster flexibility in advance of free agency, though they’ll need to add a frontcourt player or two to make up for losing a pair of centers.

Hezonja and Kanter both exercised player options for 2020/21 earlier this week, so they’re on expiring contracts. Hezonja will earn $1.98MM, while Kanter will make just over $5MM. The Grizzlies will take on Hezonja using one of their trade exceptions and Portland will do the same for Kanter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blazers Sign Derrick Jones To Two-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 22: The Trail Blazers have officially signed Jones, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“Derrick’s elite athleticism, defensive versatility and ability to rebound on both ends of the floor enable him to make an immediate impact in multiple areas of need,” president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said in a statement.

NOVEMBER 20: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement with free agent wing Derrick Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania reports that Jones will sign a two-year deal worth $19MM, which suggests Portland will use its mid-level exception to complete the deal.

The second year includes a player option, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Jones is expected to back up Robert Covington, who is headed to Portland in a trade with Houston.

The Heat, who had a number of free agent decisions to make, opted not to offer mid-level money to Jones, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Jones was interested in returning to Miami, Jackson adds.

Jones, 23, averaged 8.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 1.1 APG in 23.3 MPG during 59 regular-season appearances last season. He battled through a bout with COVID-19 prior to the restart. Jones appeared in 15 postseason games but had a diminished role.

Knicks Sign Alec Burks To One-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 9:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 22: The Knicks have officially signed Burks, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 20: The Knicks have made their first free agent deal of 2020/21, having agreed to sign guard Alec Burks to a one-year, $6MM contract, agent Alex Saratsis tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

New York has approximately $37MM to spend in free agency if chooses to do so and Burks is the first reported agreement.

Signing Burks on a one-year contract helps to preserve New York’s cap room for next offseason. He played a combined 66 games last season for the Warriors and 76ers, averaging 15.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.9 APG in those contests. Burks is a career 36.4% 3-point shooter and should emerge as a rotation piece for the Knicks next season.

Burks has a history with Knicks assistant GM Walt Perrin, Ian Begley of SNY TV notes (Twitter link). Perrin was in Utah’s front office when the Jazz drafted Burks in 2011.

Bulls Sign Garrett Temple

November 20th, 2020 at 9:09pm CST by JD Shaw

NOVEMBER 28: The Bulls have officially signed Temple, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

NOVEMBER 20: Free agent Garrett Temple has agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal with the Bulls, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Temple played 62 games with the Nets this past season, choosing to leave Brooklyn after just one campaign on the team.

Temple, 34, will join a Bulls team in need of veteran leadership. Chicago finished with a 22-43 record last season, but the team dealt with several injuries and carries a talented, young roster entering the 2020-21 season.

Temple averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game last year, though he shot just 38% from the field and 33% from downtown. He’s made past stops with Houston, Sacramento, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Washington, Memphis and Los Angeles.

For Chicago, the team still has most of its players from last year under contract for next season. The club opted not to issue a qualifying offer to guard Kris Dunn, however, who started 32 of 51 games last season and remains an unrestricted free agent.

Nets Re-Sign Joe Harris To Four-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 9:04pm CST by JD Shaw

NOVEMBER 23: The Nets have officially re-signed Harris, the team announced today in a press release.

“From the moment he arrived in Brooklyn, Joe has epitomized what it means to be a Net,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “On the court, Joe has improved every season, and he’s worked diligently over the past four years to become a core member of our team. He is an excellent teammate, and his approach to the game, along with his character, have had a positive impact on all facets of the organization. Off the court, Joe is an outstanding person, and he and his family have become integral parts of our Nets family.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Nets are re-signing free agent Joe Harris to a four-year, $75MM deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The news of Harris returning to Brooklyn was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Harris, one of the league’s top three-point shooters, will help spread the floor alongside the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant next season. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 30.8 minutes per game last year, shooting 49% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.

In addition to Harris, Irving and Durant, Brooklyn also has Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan on its roster entering the 2020/21 season. The team is widely expected to be at the forefront of contention in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets lost swingman Garrett Temple in free agency, who agreed to a one-year contract with Chicago. Plagued by injuries, Brooklyn finished with just a 35-37 record last season, the seventh-best in the East.

Harris’ deal will have luxury-tax implications for the Nets, who project to be well over the tax threshold in 2020/21 and figure to face significant penalties. While those penalties will be reduced if the NBA falls short of its revenue projections, Brooklyn’s current projected tax bill is $47.5MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Sign Montrezl Harrell To Two-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 8:41pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: The Lakers have officially signed Harrell, per a press release from the team. He and Marc Gasol – who reached an agreement with L.A. on Sunday – will replace JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard up front.

NOVEMBER 20: The Lakers have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent center Montrezl Harrell, agent Rich Paul tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported that the two sides were nearing an agreement.

This is one of the more surprising pieces of news tonight, as Harrell has spent the last three seasons with Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers. The big man is coming off the best year of his career, having averaged 18.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 63 games (27.8 MPG). He was named the league Sixth Man of the Year in September.

Coming off such a productive season, Harrell was expected to be in line for a significant raise, but his pay bump will be a more modest one. He’s expected to sign for about $19MM over two years, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who tweets that the second year will be a player option.

That price allows the Lakers to slide him into their mid-level exception. According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), Harrell will be turning down more money from the Hornets to join the Lakers. It’s fair to assume the big man’s Klutch Sports connection helped seal the deal for the Lakers — LeBron James and Anthony Davis are among his new teammates who are also repped by Klutch.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN outlines (via Twitter), with Harrell getting the full MLE and Wesley Matthews being signed using the Lakers’ bi-annual exception, the team is now hard-capped and has about $20MM in wiggle room below that threshold. With nine players under contract so far, there’s still a chance the team could bring back some of its own unsigned free agents, but it’ll be a tight fit squeezing in a market-value deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and filling out the rest of the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavericks Sign Trey Burke To Three-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 1: Burke’s deal is now official, according to an announcement from the Mavs.

NOVEMBER 20: The Mavericks have reached a three-year agreement with guard Trey Burke, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. The total amount of the deal is in the $10MM range, Stein adds.

Burke’s agent, Sam Permut of Rock Nation, negotiated a 7.5% trade kicker as part of the contract, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. It also includes a player option in the third year.

Burke was added to Dallas’ roster prior to the restart after Willie Cauley-Stein opted not to play. Despite a bout with COVID-19 and an ankle sprain, Burke delivered some quality minutes for the Mavs.

He averaged 12.0 PPG and 3.8 APG in the final eight regular-season games and 12.0 PPG and 2.3 APG in six playoff games, including three starts. He’s a career 34.5% 3-point shooter but made over 40% of his attempts in both the regular season and playoffs last season.

Burke, 27, has passed through four other organizations. He’ll compete for minutes behind Luka Doncic and could also join the Mavs’ superstar in some two point guard looks.

Jazz Sign Jordan Clarkson To Four-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 8:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 23: Clarkson is officially back under contract with the Jazz, as the team issued a press release announcing his new deal.

“Jordan was an integral part of our team’s success last season,” executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said in a statement. “He’s an aggressive, competitive talent that leads by example and provides a big scoring spark. He is a great fit with our roster and we’re excited to bring him back.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz are re-signing Jordan Clarkson to a four-year deal with a total value of $52MM, agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Clarkson will have a player option in year four, reports Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link).

Utah made Clarkson, one of its top reserves after acquiring the shooting guard from the Cavaliers last season, its top free agent priority. The front office engineered a couple of trades this week to create more cap flexibility. The Jazz reached an agreement to deal Ed Davis to the Knicks and worked out a separate deal that sent Tony Bradley to the Pistons.

Utah struck quickly in free agency. Along with reaching the agreement with Clarkson, the Jazz are bringing back forward Derrick Favors for a second stint by using their mid-level exception.

A prolific scorer, Clarkson averaged 15.6 PPG in 24.7 MPG in 42 regular-season games with the Jazz. He upped that to 16.7 PPG in 28.4 MPG during seven postseason games. Clarkson is a career 34.2% 3-point shooter but improved upon that somewhat last season, draining 36.6% of his attempts with Utah.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Timberwolves Re-Sign Malik Beasley To Four-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 7:47pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 27: The Timberwolves have made it official, announcing today in a press release that Beasley has re-signed with the team.

NOVEMBER 20: The Timberwolves have reached a deal to re-sign restricted free agent shooting guard Malik Beasley, agent Brian Jungreis tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Beasley will sign a four-year, $60MM contract to remain in Minnesota, according to Charania, who reports – along with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) – that the deal includes a team option in year four.

After a strong breakout season in Denver in 2018/19, Beasley had his role reduced at the start of the 2019/20 season and was eventually shipped to Minnesota in a deadline deal. He had the best stretch of his career in 14 games as a Timberwolf, averaging 20.7 PPG and 5.1 RPG on .472/.426/.750 shooting, lining himself up for a nice payday as a restricted free agent.

There was a sense that Beasley’s recent legal troubles may complicate his RFA payday, but if those off-court issues affected his value, it doesn’t appear the impact was significant. He faces felony charges of fifth-degree drug possession and threats of violence after being arrested in September and recently had his parental rights challenged.

However, the franchise has supported Beasley through that situation, according to Krawczynski, who notes (via Twitter) that this new deal represents a “big show of faith.” It seems the Timberwolves still view the young wing – who turns 24 next week – as a building block for the future — he’ll join Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards as the cornerstone pieces in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.