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Celtics Sign Jabari Bird To Two-Way Contract

September 5th, 2017 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 5: The Celtics have officially signed Bird to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 11: The Celtics have struck a deal to fill the second two-way contract opening on their roster, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to sign second-round pick Jabari Bird to a two-way deal. Boston previously signed Kadeem Allen to a two-way contract.

Bird, a shooting guard out of Cal, enjoyed his best college season as a senior in 2016/17, averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.4 3PG with a shooting line of .439/.363/.764. He wasn’t viewed as a likely draft pick, ranking 39th on DraftExpress’ list of 2017’s top seniors. However, the Celtics used their fourth and final 2017 draft pick on him, nabbing him with the No. 56 overall selection.

Boston’s two-way deal with Bird will give the club 18 players on its offseason roster, including 16 on the NBA roster, leaving a couple more openings to fill for training camp, if the team so chooses.

Bird’s deal also ensures that only three 2017 draft picks don’t yet have resolution on their contract situations for 2017/18. As I detailed at the end of July, Ivan Rabb (Grizzlies), Isaiah Hartenstein (Rockets), and Nigel Williams-Goss (Jazz) are the other unsigned second-rounders.

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

Andrew Nicholson To Play In China

September 5th, 2017 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent power forward Andrew Nicholson is headed to China, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that Nicholson has signed a deal in the $1MM range with the Guangdong Tigers. Nicholson’s agreement with Guangdong was first reported by Chuckie Maggio (Twitter link).

Nicholson, 27, was a beneficiary of the 2016 salary cap spike, having inked a four-year, $26MM contract with the Wizards during free agency last summer. After signing that deal, Nicholson endured his worst season as a pro, appearing in just 28 games for Washington and averaging 2.5 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 8.3 minutes per contest.

Nicholson was included as a salary dump in a deadline deal with the Nets in February, and ultimately finished the 2016/17 season with averages of 2.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG to go along with a .387 FG% in 38 games. Those numbers were all career worsts.

Earlier this offseason, Nicholson was once again included in a trade as a salary dump, making his way from the Nets to the Trail Blazers in the swap that sent Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn. However, Portland opted not to keep Nicholson on its roster, waiving him last week and stretching his remaining salary across seven years.

Nicholson will join a Guangdong squad that finished as the Chinese Basketball Association’s runner-up in 2016/17, having been led by former NBA players Carlos Boozer, Donald Sloan, and Yi Jianlian.

Pelicans Trade Quincy Pondexter To Bulls

September 1st, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Austin Kent

SEPTEMBER 1, 2:55pm: The deal is now official, the Pelicans announced in a press release.

In exchange for Pondexter, a 2018 second-rounder, and cash, the Bulls are sending the Pelicans the draft rights to Ater Majok, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Majok, a 2011 pick who is currently playing in Lebanon, had his rights traded from the Lakers to Chicago in last summer’s Jose Calderon swap.

AUGUST 31, 4:52pm: There has been a clarification regarding the trade courtesy of CSN Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill. The Bulls will receive Pondexter and a 2018 second-pick, as well as cash.

4:44pm: The Bulls and Pelicans are finalizing a trade that would send Quincy Pondexter to Chicago for a second-round draft pick, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. An update, however, suggests that it will be New Orleans giving up the pick in addition to Pondexter.

Pondexter hasn’t seen NBA action since 2014/15 when he started 28 games for the Pelicans and 30 contests total. Since then, he’s struggled through a particularly troublesome knee injury, his health remaining in limbo ahead of the 2017/18 season.

While the Bulls may end up ultimately waiving Pondexter, the second-round pick will serve them well as they navigate a long anticipated rebuild. The addition of Pondexter’s $3.9MM contract will presumably be absorbed into Chicago’s $15.3MM trade exception, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Considering New Orleans’ need for a perimeter threat in light of Solomon Hill‘s long-term hamstring injury, the 29-year-old Pondexter would be an extremely valuable asset for the franchise if there was any sense of optimism that he could be healthy for the upcoming campaign. In June, however, general manager Dell Demps spoke about how uncertain the forward’s status was.

We had previously identified Pondexter as a candidate to be waived and stretched before the August 31 deadline, particularly given New Orleans’ proximity to the tax line. However, by finding a trade partner for the veteran swingman, the Pelicans will avoid carrying his cap hit in 2017/18 or stretching it across the next three seasons.

Patricio Garino To Play In Spain

September 1st, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

After spending time with the Spurs and Magic during his first professional season, Argentinian swingman Patricio Garino will continue his career overseas. Spanish team Saski Baskonia announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed Garino to a three-year contract.

After going undrafted out of George Washington a year ago, Garino played for the Magic in Summer League last July, then joined the Spurs for training camp. The 24-year-old didn’t earn a spot on San Antonio’s regular season squad, but spent most of the year with the club’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. He averaged 11.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in Austin, with a .430 3PT%.

Late in the 2016/17 campaign, the Magic opted to take another look at Garino, signing him to a rest-of-season deal that included a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18. However, Orlando’s new management group decided not to carry Garino on the club’s camp roster this fall, waiving him a month ago.

Garino is the third NBA free agent this offseason to join Baskonia in Spain. Former Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae and ex-Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas have also signed with the club.

Bucks Waive Spencer Hawes

September 1st, 2017 at 11:24am CST by Austin Kent

SEPTEMBER 1, 11:24am: The Bucks have issued a press release confirming that Hawes has officially been waived.

SEPTEMBER 1, 8:21am: While there hasn’t been any official word from the Bucks on Hawes, a report ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicates that Milwaukee has waived the veteran center. Presumably, the move was finalized on Thursday in order to stretch Hawes’ 2017/18 salary.

AUGUST 31, 4:25pm: The Bucks are likely to waive and stretch Spencer Hawes, David Aldridge of TNT tweets. Today, of course, marks the deadline for teams to part ways with a player while stretching his 2017/18 salary.

By waiving and stretching Hawes, the Bucks would free up over $4MM in cap space this year which would serve them well as they currently sit just above the tax line.

The stretch provision allows teams to spread a waived player’s contract over twice the number of years remaining on the contract, plus an additional year. In Hawes’ case, owed $6MM through one season, his cap hit would become $2MM annually through three seasons, ending at the culmination of the 2019/20 campaign.

Hawes, a 29-year-old center with three-point range, played half a season for the Bucks after moving alongside Roy Hibbert in the Miles Plumlee trade. Hawes averaged 4.4 points per game in 19 contests for Milwaukee but ultimately saw his role reduced by the emergence of Thon Maker.

Trail Blazers To Retain Pat Connaughton

August 31st, 2017 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have decided not to waive Pat Connaughton today, which will ensure that his 2017/18 salary becomes fully guaranteed, reports Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Connaughton will now be on track to earn his full $1,471,382 minimum salary for the coming season.

Connaughton, 24, has spent the last two seasons in Portland after joining the Blazers in a draft-day trade in 2015. The 6’5″ shooting guard hasn’t become a regular rotation player for the Blazers so far, but has appeared in 73 regular season games for the club. He has played just 6.3 MPG in those contests, averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.2 RPG.

The original guarantee deadline for Connaughton was July 25, but he and the team agreed last month to push it back to August 31 to create a little more flexibility for the Blazers. Having waived Andrew Nicholson on Wednesday, the Blazers only had 13 players left on guaranteed contracts — that number will increase to 14 with Connaughton remaining on the roster.

With a decision made on Connaughton, all the players who had guarantee deadlines on their contracts in June, July, or August have now either been waived or received their guarantees, as our tracker details.

Magic Sign Kalin Lucas

August 31st, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic continue to fill out their roster for training camp, announcing today in a press release (Twitter link) that they’ve signed free agent guard Kalin Lucas to a contract. The announcement from the team also confirmed the signing of Troy Caupain, which we covered earlier this month.

Lucas, 28, went undrafted out of Michigan State back in 2011 and has played in a number of professional leagues and countries since then. In addition to spending time with clubs in Greece and Turkey, Lucas has extensive G League experience, having averaged 17.7 PPG and 4.9 APG with a .448/.391/.842 shooting line in 112 career G League contests.

Lucas was signed and waived multiple times by the Grizzlies in 2014, and ultimately saw his only NBA experience with Memphis during that 2014/15 season. His stint in the NBA was brief — he played in just one game and saw the floor for six minutes.

Having played for the Erie BayHawks last season, Lucas is a good bet to join the Lakeland Magic to start the 2017/18 campaign. Those teams are technically one and the same — the Orlando Magic bought the BayHawks and relocated the G League franchise to Florida for the coming season.

The Magic now have 18 players officially under contract, with an agreement also reportedly in place with undrafted rookie Rodney Purvis — when Purvis’ deal becomes official, Orlando would have just one open spot left on the team’s 20-man offseason roster.

Celtics, Cavs Complete Kyrie Irving Trade

August 30th, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics and Cavaliers have reached an agreement that will end the week-long hold-up of the Kyrie Irving deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In addition to the previously agreed upon bounty—Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick—Boston will also send a 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland.

The additional pick on the move is Miami’s 2020 selection. Boston received the pick back in 2015 when the Heat attached it to Zoran Dragic in order to move his salary.

The two sides had an agreement in place eight days ago, but Cleveland had concerns over Isaiah Thomas‘ hip after examining the point guard during the routine post-trade physical. After the discovery, the Cavs re-engaged with Boston in the hopes of receiving either a young prospect or a future first-rounder on top of the players in the original offer, suggesting that the Celtics understated the scope of Thomas’ injury. However, Boston was firm on not giving up anything more than the second-rounder in the deal.

It was reported earlier today that there’s at least a slight chance that Thomas misses the entire 2017/18 season if his recovery doesn’t progress as smoothly as hoped. How IT heals and returns from his hip injury will be a major developing story as the season progresses for a bevy of reasons. The point guard can become a free agent at the end of the campaign. So can LeBron James. Both the team and James would certainly like to evaluate how Thomas fits alongside the four-time MVP before any future decisions are made.

For the Celtics, another excellent offseason seemingly concludes. A year after signing Al Horford to a four-year deal, the team made several additions that should help in both the short- and long-term. Boston landed the No. 1 pick in the lottery and dealt it to the Sixers for the pick that became Jayson Tatum – one of the most pro-ready prospects from the 2017 draft – and an additional future first-rounder. The franchise also agreed to terms with Gordon Hayward before trading for Marcus Morris.

Adding Irving to the mix only solidifies the Celtics as a true contender in the Eastern Conference. The C’s bested Cleveland and the rest of their conference rivals with 53 wins last season, though they were dispatched handily by the Cavs in the Eastern Finals as they watched an LBJ-led team dance into the NBA Finals for a seventh straight season.

The last team to win the East without LeBron? The 2009/10 Celtics. That squad, which was led by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, beat James’ Cavaliers in the King’s last game before moving to Miami before reaching the NBA Finals. Boston will again look to get by James in 2017/18 in the hopes of landing the Eastern Conference crown and this time, the Larry O’Brien Trophy as well.

The Cavs and Celtics play each other in the league’s first game of the 2017/18 season. There’s plenty of time to get your popcorn ready for the October 17 showdown and the upcoming season.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today Images

Trail Blazers Waive Andrew Nicholson

August 30th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Trail Blazers have waived Andrew Nicholson from their roster, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. According to Wojnarowski, Portland will use the stretch provision on Nicholson, spreading out his remaining salary across the next seven years. The Blazers confirmed this afternoon that Nicholson has been waived (Twitter link).

Nicholson, 27, was a beneficiary of the 2016 salary cap spike, having inked a four-year, $26MM contract with the Wizards during free agency last summer. After signing that deal, Nicholson endured his worst season as a pro, appearing in just 28 games for Washington and averaging 2.5 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 8.3 minutes per contest.

Nicholson was included as a salary dump in a deadline deal with the Nets in February, and ultimately finished the 2016/17 season with averages of 2.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG to go along with a .387 FG% in 38 games. Those numbers were all career worsts.

Earlier this offseason, Nicholson was once again included in a trade as a salary dump, making his way from the Nets to the Trail Blazers in the swap that sent Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn. Reports at the time indicated that Portland would waive and stretch Nicholson, but the team didn’t make it official for more than a month.

As we detailed earlier today, waiving Nicholson before the end of August allows the Blazers to reduce his 2017/18 cap hit by more than $3.5MM, which also slashes the club’s projected year-end luxury tax bill by more than $5MM. Nicholson will now count against Portland’s cap for about $2.844MM for the next seven seasons.

Once he clears waivers, Nicholson will be free to sign with any NBA team except for the Blazers or Nets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Sign James Blackmon Jr.

August 30th, 2017 at 7:45am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 30: More than two months after the Sixers’ agreement with Blackmon was reported, the Sixers have confirmed the deal in a press release, announcing that the undrafted rookie will come to camp with the team.

As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes (via Twitter), Blackmon has a partial guarantee, but is a good bet to start the season in the G League as an affiliate player with the Delaware 87ers.

JUNE 22: Indiana guard James Blackmon Jr. has agreed to an undrafted free agent contract with the Sixers, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Blackmon put up 17.0 points and 4.8 rebounds during his junior year with the Hoosiers. He has a reputation as an excellent shooter, but at 6’3″ he may be undersized to play his natural position of shooting guard in the NBA.

Blackmon was ranked 84th in the nation on Chad Ford’s list of the top 100 prospects and 83rd by Draft Express.