Jazz Sign Eric Griffin To Two-Way Contract
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.
Celtics Sign Daniel Theis To Two-Year Deal
JULY 20: Theis made it official today with the Celtics, tweeting out a photo that shows him signing his contract with the team. “I’m so excited to join the Celtics family and to live in this great city!” Theis wrote. “I will work my heart out for Boston.”
JULY 1: The Celtics and German forward Daniel Theis are in agreement on a two-year contract, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. International basketball journalist David Pick first reported last month (via Twitter) that Theis would be joining the C’s on a deal that runs through 2018/2019.
Theis, 25, went undrafted in 2013 and his rights aren’t held by an NBA team, so he’ll join the Celtics as a free agent after his contract with Germany’s Brose Bamberg expired. In 41 German League games last season, Theis averaged 9.5 PPG and 5.7 RPG. He also appeared in 30 EuroLeague contests, recording 9.6 PPG and 4.6 RPG.
While exact details on Theis’ new deal haven’t been reported, the first year will be fully guaranteed, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (via Twitter).
If it’s a minimum salary pact, which seems likely, it could be finalized before the moratorium ends, and it won’t affect the Celtics’ cap room, since Theis’ rookie minimum would have the same cap hit as the charge for an empty roster spot.
Mario Chalmers Signs With Grizzlies
July 19: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
July 18: Mario Chalmers is finalizing a one-year, partially guaranteed contract to return to the Grizzlies, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN (via Twitter). The 31-year-old made 55 appearances in a Grizzlies uniform during the 2015/16 season before rupturing his right Achilles tendon. Memphis waived Chalmers after he suffered the potentially career-threatening injury.
For seven-and-a-half seasons, Chalmers was the starting point guard for the Heat, helping the team win back-to-back NBA Finals in 2012 and 2013 alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. Miami traded Chalmers in November 2015, sending him along with James Ennis, to the Grizzlies in exchange for Jarnell Stokes and Beno Udrih. In his 55-game cameo with the Grizzlies, Chalmers posted a career-best 10.8 PPG before suffering the injury.
For his career, Chalmers has averaged 9.0 PPG and 3.8 APG in 580 games. If the veteran point guard can regain his pre-injury form, he could provide solid minutes off the bench and championship experience.
Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but a minimum salary pact appears very likely for Chalmers.
Pelicans Sign Rajon Rondo
JULY 19: Rondo’s one-year deal with the Pelicans will be for $3.3MM, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The signing is now official.
JULY 15: The Pelicans have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Charania’s report adds that the four-time All-Star met with the Pelicans twice (Thursday and Saturday) before reaching an agreement with New Orleans.
After he was waived by the Bulls last month, Rondo drew interest from several teams including the Lakers and Knicks. A late-season surge — that was cut short by an injury in the playoffs — helped Rondo rebuild some of the value he lost in the beginning of last season.
Rondo, 31, spent last season in Chicago where he posted totals of 7.8 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 5.1 RPG in 69 games (42 starts). However, Rondo’s tumultuous stint in Chicago included losing his starting role, a social media feud with former teammates Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, and a seemingly abrupt parting of ways. Rondo originally signed a two-year, $28MM deal with the Bulls but the second year was only partially guaranteed. The Bulls saved $10MM by severing ties with Rondo.
In joining New Orleans, Rondo reunites with DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans’ prized acquisition from last season, with whom he teamed in Sacramento during the 2015/16 campaign. In a Christmas Day feature in 2015, James Jones of the Sacramento Bee detailed how strong the bond between the veteran Rondo and emotional-yet-talented center Cousins developed.
“He’s a misunderstood kid,” Rondo said. “I think that’s why I gravitate toward him so much. I love what he’s doing.”
Trading Tim Frazier to the Wizards for a second-round pick left a vacancy that Rondo now fills. It’s likely that Rondo will mostly reprise his role as a reserve for the Pelicans in 2017/18. The team agreed to a five-year, $126MM deal with Jrue Holiday to be the team’s long-term point guard.
Rondo, a former NBA champion with the 2008 Celtics, will give Holiday opportunities to play off the ball and form a potent triumvirate with Cousins and Anthony Davis. Rondo holds the reputation of one of the NBA’s best passers and gives New Orleans strong depth in case of an injury.
Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but the Pelicans still have most of their mid-level exception available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets Sign Luc Mbah a Moute
July 19: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.
July 16: The Rockets have reached an agreement with Luc Mbah a Moute, sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal will be a one-year, minimum salary arrangement, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
Mbah a Moute had been in talks with the team about returning to L.A, though the team only had the veteran’s minimum at its disposal. He’ll get that sized deal with Houston after choosing to opt out of a $2.3MM player option in order to hit free agency.
Mbah a Moute has bounced around the league since the Bucks selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft. He played well in the Clippers’ starting lineup last season, shooting 50.5% from the field on 378 attempts while providing excellent defense.
Celtics Sign Kadeem Allen To Two-Way Deal
The Celtics have signed Kadeem Allen to a two-way deal, according to a team press release. Allen is the first player to sign that type of deal with the franchise.
Players on two-way deals will spend most of their season in the G-League since they cannot spend more than 45 days with an NBA club, as our glossary page on two-way contracts shows.
Allen, who was the No. 53 overall selection in the 2017 draft, came out of the University of Arizona where he earned Second Team All-Pac 12 honors last season. He played for both of Boston’s Summer League teams this offseason.
Jazz Sign Royce O’Neale
JULY 19, 3:47pm: The Jazz have officially signed O’Neale, per the NBA’s transactions log.
JULY 17, 10:21am: Former Baylor forward Royce O’Neale has opted out of his Euroleague contract with Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Pick suggests he’s hearing “rumblings” of an NBA contract agreement between O’Neale and the Jazz, while Chema De Lucas of Gigantes Del Basket tweets that O’Neale will get a three-year contract from Utah, with a fully guaranteed first year.
There has been no confirmation out of Utah yet on an agreement between the Jazz and O’Neale, but we heard last week that the 24-year-old was considering multiple NBA offers and had to exercise the opt-out in his Euroleague contract by July 20.
O’Neale, who went undrafted in 2015, played one season in Germany before joining Spanish team Gran Canaria for 2016/17. In 35 Spanish League games with the team, O’Neale averaged 7.5 PPG and a team-high 5.0 RPG. The Texas native played for the Warriors’ Summer League squad in 2016, and was part of the Pelicans’ Summer League team this year.
The Jazz, who have yet to finalize all their free agent signings for the month, should have the cap room necessary to accommodate a three-year deal for O’Neale.
Nuggets Sign Torrey Craig To Two-Way Contract
JULY 19: The Nuggets have officially signed Craig to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 16: The Nuggets and Torrey Craig have agreed to a deal to add the small forward to the team, Orazio Cauchi of Sportando reports. The deal will be a two-way contract, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
Players on two-way deals will spend most of their season in the G-League since they cannot spend more than 45 days with an NBA club, as our glossary page on two-way contracts shows.
Craig, who has had an impressive Summer League for Denver’s squad, played abroad over the last several seasons. He earned the NBL Best Defensive Player Award as well as All-NBL Second Team honors while playing for the Brisbane Bullets during the 2016/17 season.
James Jones Joins Suns’ Front Office; GM McDonough Extended
Longtime NBA forward James Jones appears ready to call it a career as a player, and will transition into a front office role in Phoenix. The Suns announced today in a press release that Jones has joined the franchise and has been named vice president of basketball operations.
According to the Suns, Jones will report to general manager Ryan McDonough, who has received a new multiyear contract extension from the franchise. Jones will work alongside McDonough to “oversee all basketball-related matters for the Suns,” per the announcement.
“I would like to thank [team owner] Robert [Sarver] and his partners for extending my agreement with this great franchise,” McDonough said in a statement. “We have laid the foundation for what we hope will become the next championship caliber Suns team. There is still a lot of work to be done to reach our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Phoenix so we are thrilled to add James Jones to our staff.”
Jones, 36, has played for 14 seasons in the NBA, spending team with the Pacers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Heat, and Cavaliers, appearing in 709 regular-season games and another 148 playoff contests.. Along with LeBron James, Jones has appeared in the last seven NBA Finals. However, a report earlier this month suggested that the veteran forward wouldn’t be returning to the Cavs for the 2017/18 campaign.
Instead, Jones will take his talents to the Suns’ front office, and will look to help McDonough guide a rebuilding organization. Phoenix entered this month mulling the idea of making a big splash in free agency, but watched Blake Griffin re-sign with the Clippers and backed off Paul Millsap, opting instead to focus on developing the team’s young players.
The Suns’ roster currently features a mix of promising youngsters and veteran role players. The club figures to build around players like Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Alan Williams, and Tyler Ulis, with veterans such as Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley not part of the long-term plans. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are also believed to be on the trade block.
Celtics Sign Aron Baynes
JULY 19: The Celtics have officially signed Baynes, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 9: The Celtics have reached an agreement with Aron Baynes on a one-year deal that will be worth $4.3MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Boston will be using its room exception to bring Baynes aboard.
Baynes, who spent the last two seasons with the Pistons, turned down a player option worth $6.5MM to become a free agent this summer. Detroit didn’t rule out bringing back the big man, but ultimately renounced his rights as part of this week’s moves, all but closing the door on the possibility of a reunion.
Boston lacked frontcourt depth after losing Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, and Kelly Olynyk in free agency and waiving Tyler Zeller. Baynes has an opportunity to play a key role off the bench for the Celtics.
Having used their cap room and their room exception, the C’s will now be limited to minimum salary deals for free agents going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.