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Grizzlies Sign Second-Rounder Dillon Brooks

July 21st, 2017 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed second-round pick Dillon Brooks to his first NBA contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Charania, Brooks will get a three-year deal with two guaranteed seasons.

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

A 6’7″ small forward, Brooks averaged 16.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his final season for the Oregon Ducks, declaring for the draft following his junior year.

Brooks was one of two prospects acquired on draft night by the Grizzlies, who sent a future second-round pick to the Rockets in exchange for the No. 45 selection, which they used on Brooks. Memphis also traded a future second-rounder for the No. 35 pick and nabbed Ivan Rabb.

The Grizzlies don’t have any cap room available, but still have a portion of their mid-level exception free, allowing the club to do a three-year deal for Brooks. Memphis used most of its MLE to sign Ben McLemore and Rade Zagorac, but should still have a small amount of that exception left after locking up Brooks.

Nuggets Sign Monte Morris To Two-Way Contract

July 21st, 2017 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have signed second-round pick Monte Morris to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the second two-way deal for Denver — the club confirmed earlier this week that forward Torrey Craig received the other one.

Morris, 22, played his college ball at Iowa State, averaging 16.4 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 4.8 RPG in his senior year. The young point guard was selected 51st overall in the 2017 NBA draft last month, so he’ll become the highest pick so far to agree to a two-way contract rather than an NBA deal.

Two-way contracts are a new addition to the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, so it has been interesting to see how teams have been using them for second-round picks in particular. So far, the four players drafted between Nos. 51 and 54 have all reportedly agreed to two-way deals.

For more information on how two-way contracts work, be sure to check out our FAQ.

Sixers’ Jonah Bolden To Play In Israel

July 21st, 2017 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Sixers second-round pick Jonah Bolden will spend at least one more season overseas before joining his new NBA team. Bolden has signed a three-year contract with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team confirmed today in a press release. The deal will include NBA opt-outs.

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Bolden, 21, already has some international experience. In 2016, the 6’10” power forward opted to forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility, but made the decision in July, a month after the NBA draft. Instead of spending the 2016/17 season at UCLA, he headed to Serbia and played for FMP Beograd.

Bolden was a key contributor for his Serbian club, averaging a team-high 12.1 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 15 Serbian League games. He also averaged 12.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 25 ABA League contests, and showed an ability to hit outside shots, making over 40% of his overall three-point attempts.

The Sixers made a big splash in this year’s draft by trading for the No. 1 overall pick and nabbing Markelle Fultz, but the team also had three more picks — Anzejs Pasecniks (No. 25), Bolden (No. 36), and Mathias Lessort (No. 50). All three of those players are expected to play ball overseas for at least one more season.

Mavericks Waive Nicolas Brussino

July 20th, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

4:18 PM: Dallas has waived Brussino, according to a team press release.

2:57 PM: Nicolas Brussino‘s 2017/18 salary will become guaranteed if he’s on the Mavericks’ roster past today and Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports that the team does not plan on having that happen. Dallas will likely waive the swingman before tonight’s deadline. He was set to make slightly over $1.31MM next season and nearly $1.55MM the following year.

Brussino may head to Europe to play basketball during the 2017/18 campaign with Sekfo mentioning that multiple clubs in Spain have expressed interest in the wing. The 24-year-old has international experience, playing six seasons professionally in Argentina.

Brussino saw 9.6 minutes per game in his lone NBA season for the Mavericks this past year. He scored just 2.8 points per game while shooting 36.9% from the field.

Celtics Sign Guerschon Yabusele

July 20th, 2017 at 3:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics have signed 2016 No. 16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele, according to the team’s website. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but since Yabusele was drafted within the last three seasons, he’s under the same restrictions as the rest of the rookie class.

Yabusele played last season for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. After the season concluded, he came stateside to play for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s G League affiliate. He played in five G League playoff games for the Red Claws, where he averaged 12.8 points per contest while shooting 49.0% from the field.

The French native was considered one of the best international prospects entering the 2016 draft. He played professionally in France for three seasons before declaring for the NBA’s draft.

Ekpe Udoh Returning To NBA, Signs With Jazz

July 20th, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

July 20: The signing is official, according to NBA.com.

July 13: Former lottery pick Ekpe Udoh is headed back to the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who tweets that the big man has agreed to a two-year, $6.5MM deal with the Jazz. Udoh’s agreement with Utah was first reported by international outlet SDNA.

Udoh was the sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft, but failed to develop as hoped in the NBA for the Warriors, Bucks, and Clippers. Appearing in 270 regular season games from 2010 to 2015, the 6’10” center averaged a modest 4.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.2 BPG.

In 2015, Udoh headed to Turkey and joined Fenerbahce, with whom he has spent the last two years. The 30-year-old’s play for Fenerbahce helped the club claim back-to-back Turkish League championships. The team was also the EuroLeague champion this year, with Udoh earning All-EuroLeague First Team honors — he was also named 2017’s EuroLeague Final Four MVP.

Upon returning stateside, Udoh will join a Jazz frontcourt that will also be adding Jonas Jerebko, who agreed to terms with the club on Wednesday. They’ll join a rotation currently led by Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors up front.

In addition to reaching deals with Jerebko and Udoh, the Jazz also agreed to sign Thabo Sefolosha this week, so it looks like the team will probably dip under the cap to finalize their new signings. It also appears likely that Boris Diaw will be waived before his salary guarantee date this weekend, though Utah continues to explore trade possibilities.

Nets Sign First-Rounder Jarrett Allen

July 20th, 2017 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have officially signed rookie big man Jarrett Allen to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. The former Texas Longhorn was the 22nd overall pick in last month’s draft.

Like his fellow first-rounders, Allen will receive a four-year contract that features two fully guaranteed seasons, follow by a pair of team options on years three and four. Assuming he signed for the full amount allowed by the NBA’s rookie scale and plays out the four-year deal, Allen will earn just over $10MM over the life of the contract.

With Allen now under contract, all but two of this year’s first-round picks have signed their rookie deals, as our tracker shows. Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson and Sixers center Anzejs Pasecniks are the only two first-rounders who haven’t inked NBA deals. Pasecniks is set to play overseas for at least one more year, while the delay on Ferguson may be related to FIBA clearance, following his time in Australia.

Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem

July 20th, 2017 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran big man Udonis Haslem will return to Miami for at least one more season, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Haslem has signed a one-year, minimum salary contract with the club. Heat owner Micky Arison had hinted at the deal earlier today by tweeting “UD” alongside a celebratory emoji.

Haslem made his NBA debut in 2003 and has been a member of the Heat ever since, appearing in nearly 1,000 total games for the club, between the regular season and the playoffs. Although he has averaged 25.7 minutes per game for his career in the regular season, the 37-year-old has seen his role in Miami decline significantly over the last couple seasons. Since the start of the 2015/16 campaign, Haslem has appeared in 53 regular season contests, averaging 7.4 MPG.

Despite his dwindling role on the court, Haslem remains a key veteran presence on Miami’s bench. A report from a couple weeks ago suggested that the Cavaliers had the big man on their radar and would likely have a conversation with him, but a return to the Heat was always the expected outcome.

Among active NBA players, only Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks), Tony Parker (Spurs), Manu Ginobili (Spurs), and Nick Collison (SuperSonics/Thunder) have been with a single franchise for longer than Haslem, who will return for his 15th season with the Heat.

Haslem’s minimum salary deal won’t have an impact on the Heat’s spending flexibility. The team is out of cap room but still has its $4.328MM room exception available to use on a free agent at some point during the 2017/18 league year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons, Derek Willis Agree To One-Year Deal

July 20th, 2017 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have agreed to sign undrafted free agent Derek Willis, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes (via Twitter). Willis will sign a one-year contract with Detroit, Haynes reports.

Willis, who spent four years at Kentucky, wasn’t viewed as a top prospect heading into this year’s draft, ranking 58th on DraftExpress’ list of seniors. The 6’9″ forward posted modest numbers during his final season with the Wildcats, posting 7.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 38 games (21.9 MPG).

However, the Pistons worked out Willis in June and apparently liked what they saw from the 22-year-old, who also showed an ability to make outside shots over the course of his college career (.399 3PT%).

Detroit has used its mid-level exception and bi-annual exception, so Willis figures to get a minimum salary contract from the club, and I doubt it will be guaranteed. The Pistons likely have their eye on Willis as a possible affiliate player for the Grand Rapids Drive, rather than as a member of Detroit’s 15-man regular season roster.

Jazz Sign Eric Griffin To Two-Way Contract

July 20th, 2017 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 20: The deal is now official, with the Jazz issuing a press release to formally announce the signing of Griffin.

JULY 17: The Jazz have agreed to sign forward Eric Griffin to a two-way contract, according to Chris Reichert of Two Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link). It’s the first reported two-way deal for Utah.

Griffin, 27, went undrafted in 2012, and has yet to make his NBA debut. However, he has an extensive professional resume that includes stints with teams in Italy, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, and the G League.

This summer, Griffin turned some heads with his performance for the Jazz’ Summer League teams in the Utah and Las Vegas leagues. He averaged 8.7 PPG and 6.0 RPG with a .588 FG% in three games in the Utah league, then recorded 10.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.0 BPG, and a .500 FG% in four Vegas contests.

On a two-way contract, Griffin will spend the majority of the 2017/18 season with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. However, he’ll be permitted to join the Jazz for up to 45 days as well. For more information on how two-way contracts work, be sure to check out our primer.