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Alec Brown Signed, Waived By Suns

September 20th, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Former second-round pick Alec Brown signed a contract with the Suns last week, but was waived by the team just three days later, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Per RealGM, Brown signed with Phoenix on Wednesday and was cut by the team on Saturday.

Brown, 24, was selected by the Suns in the second round of the 2014 draft with the 50th overall pick, after having averaged 15.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG with a 42.0% three-point percentage in his senior year. With his NBA rights held by Phoenix, the former University of Wisconsin-Green Bay center agreed to play for the Suns’ D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, in his rookie year. Last season, he headed to Galicia to play for Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro.

In order to continue to hold Brown’s NBA rights, the Suns tendered him a contract offer – presumably a one-year, non-guaranteed deal – earlier this month. Teams typically have understandings with players who they don’t intend to bring to camp that those tenders are only meant to retain their rights, and they usually go unsigned. However, it seems Brown decided to sign his offer even though he wasn’t in Phoenix’s plans.

It’s possible that the Suns were willing to give Brown the freedom to potentially join any NBA team, but if that had been the case, it would have been easier for Phoenix to simply renounce his rights. The fact that Brown signed the team’s tender offer, then was waived later in the week, suggests the Suns weren’t expecting him to sign it.

In any case, Brown has since cleared waivers, according to RealGM. That makes the big man an unrestricted NBA free agent, though he’s probably more likely to end up overseas or with a D-League squad for the 2016/17 season.

Raptors Sign Brady Heslip

September 20th, 2016 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 20: The Raptors have officially signed Heslip, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 15: The Raptors will add a Canadian sharpshooter to their roster for training camp, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Brady Heslip will get a partially guaranteed contract from the team.

Charania’s report comes on the heels of an announcement by Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, indicating that the club has acquired Heslip’s D-League rights (Twitter link). Heslip’s rights were previously held by the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ affiliate. The Raptors 905 traded second- and third-round picks in the 2016 D-League draft, along with the rights to Ronald Roberts, to the Bighorns in exchange for Heslip’s rights and a second-round pick.

The pair of moves suggests that the Raptors are signing Heslip with an eye toward assigning him to their D-League affiliate for the 2016/17 season. Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic confirms as much, tweeting that the Baylor alum is headed for the D-League.

After going undrafted out of Baylor in 2014, Heslip joined the Bighorns for a brief stint before heading overseas and playing in Bosnian and Italian leagues. Last season, the 26-year-old played for Acqua Vitasnella Cantù in Italy, averaging 12.7 PPG and shooting 45.5% on three-pointers in 29 Italian League contests.

Hawks Sign Will Bynum, Ryan Kelly

September 20th, 2016 at 11:23am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 20: The Hawks have formally signed Bynum and Kelly, according to a press release issued by the team. Atlanta also confirmed its deal with Richard Solomon, which brings the club’s training camp roster to the maximum 20 players.

SEPTEMBER 16: The Hawks have signed unrestricted free agents Ryan Kelly and Will Bynum to training camp deals, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter). Both arrangements are non-guaranteed and for the minimum salary, Vivlamore adds. The addition of the pair brings Atlanta’s roster count to 19, which is one below the preseason maximum.

Atlanta already has 15 players with fully guaranteed contracts on the books for this season, plus one more player with a partial guarantee (Mike Muscala). But the team was reportedly seeking to add another point guard and a frontcourt player to bulk up its roster for the preseason. Mission accomplished, with Bynum a point guard and Kelly a power forward, fitting those needs. If either player is to unseat one of those guaranteed deals and make the regular season roster, they’ll certainly need to play lights-out in training camp and during preseason contests.

A longtime Piston, Bynum has appeared in 360 career NBA games over the course of eight seasons since 2005/06. In that time, the veteran guard has averaged 8.1 PPG and 3.3 APG while playing primarily as a backup. Over the last two seasons, Bynum has played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China — he averaged 17.8 PPG and 6.5 APG while shooting 58.0% from the field this past season. The 33-year-old had worked out for the Hawks earlier this week.

Kelly, 25, spent his first three seasons in the NBA as a member of the Lakers after being selected 48th overall in the 2013 draft. He appeared in 36 games in 2015/16, averaging 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 13.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the year was .369/.139/.685.

Hawks Sign Richard Solomon

September 20th, 2016 at 11:21am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 20: The Hawks have officially announced the signing of Solomon, issuing a press release today to confirm the move.

SEPTEMBER 15: Power forward Richard Solomon will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Hawks and join them for training camp, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The 6’10” Solomon, who played college ball at California, obviously impressed the club enough during workouts on Wednesday and Thursday to receive an offer. He still faces long odds to make the opening-day roster. The Hawks already have 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books, plus one more player with a partial guarantee. Vivlamore previously reported that the team wanted to add another point guard and a frontcourt player to bulk up its roster for the preseason.

Atlanta’s power forward spot looks crowded with Solomon joining Paul Millsap, Kris Humphries, Mike Scott and Mike Muscala. Though Muscala’s contract is not guaranteed, Solomon would probably need an injury or two to the players ahead of him on the depth chart to survive the final cut.

Solomon at least has a chance to make the team, unlike some of the other players the team recently inquired about or tried out. It was reportedly speaking with Bryce Cotton prior to the guard signing a one-year deal with the Turkish club, Anadolu Efes.

The Hawks also worked out forward Ryan Kelly and guards Xavier Munford and Dionte Christmas.

Solomon appeared in 59 games in the Japanese League last season and averaged 11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists. His shooting line was .536/.179/.660. In his senior season with the Bears, he averaged 11.0 points and 10.2 rebounds in 29.2 minutes.

In July, he played in Orlando for the Suns’ summer league squad and then in Las Vegas with the Thunder, according to Vivlamore. Solomon reportedly worked out for the Jazz on Monday and Tuesday.

Bulls Sign J.J. Avila, Vince Hunter

September 20th, 2016 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls continue to fill out their roster for training camp, having signed a pair of free agent forwards to contracts. According to RealGM’s transactions log, J.J. Avila and Vince Hunter have signed with Chicago. Terms of the deals aren’t known, but they will likely be one-year, minimum-salary summer contracts.

Avila, who played his college ball at Navy and Colorado State, averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.0 SPG in his senior year for the Rams, shooting 55.2% from the floor. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2015, but played for the Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League action last year before joining the Knicks for Summer League play in Orlando this year.

As for Hunter, he also went undrafted in 2015 after a 2014/15 season in which he averaged 14.9 PPG and 9.2 RPG for UTEP. The 22-year-old was in camp last fall with the Kings, but didn’t make Sacramento’s regular-season roster. Hunter did spend a good chunk of last season with the Kings’ D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, in addition to playing for Greek team Panathinaikos.

The Bulls currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts for the 2016/17 campaign, and have now added five players on non-guaranteed deals, assuming that’s what Avila and Hunter received. The duo should have an opportunity to compete for one of Chicago’s open roster spots, though Spencer Dinwiddie, Cristiano Felicio, and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera will also be in the mix, and the Bulls could still add two more players to their camp roster.

Trevor Cooney To Play In Spain

September 20th, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Trevor Cooney had been expected to join the Nets and play for the team’s D-League affiliate this season, but the undrafted free agent guard will instead head overseas for the 2016/17 campaign. According to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link), Cooney has signed a Euroleague deal with Spanish team Baskonia.

It was Pick who reported last month that Cooney appeared ticketed for the Nets. Teams can sign a player to their 20-man offseason roster, then waive him prior to the regular season and designate him as an affiliate player for their D-League squad — Brooklyn intended to send Cooney to the Long Island Nets. However, the former Syracuse guard never made anything official with the Nets, and almost certainly received a more lucrative offer from Baskonia.

Cooney, 24, went undrafted this June after completing his collegiate career at Syracuse. In 37 games this past season as a fifth-year senior, Cooney averaged 12.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 36.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .348/.354/.806.

Knicks Re-Sign Lou Amundson

September 19th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are bringing a familiar face with them to training camp next week, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve re-signed free agent big man Lou Amundson to a new contract. Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that the deal is fully guaranteed, while Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets that it’s for one year. It will be worth the minimum, since New York has already used all of its cap space and its room exception.

Amundson, 33, spent most of the last two seasons with the Knicks, though after averaging 20.9 MPG in 41 games (35 starts) with the club in 2014/15, he saw his playing time significantly reduced last season. In 2015/16, Amundson averaged just 1.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 7.0 minutes per contest (29 games).

Given his lack of role on the team last season, Amundson did well to earn a guaranteed salary from the Knicks. New York already had 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with J.P. Tokoto, Chasson Randle, and Ron Baker on non-guaranteed deals. Amundson’s deal suggests that he’s a good bet to be on the regular-season roster, with those younger players likely on the outside looking in.

Over the course of the last decade, Amundson has played for 10 different teams, never averaging more minutes per game for any of those clubs than he has for New York during the last two seasons (15.2). In 428 regular-season contests, the UNLV product has posted 3.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and a shooting line of .474/.000/.444.

Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo Agree To Extension

September 19th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

1:20pm: The Bucks have officially confirmed that they have an extension agreement in place with Antetokounmpo, announcing the deal in a press release. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter), there will be no player or team options on the contract. Windhorst adds (via Twitter) that Antetokounmpo was willing to take less than the max to help the Bucks retain talent going forward.

12:57pm: The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo have agreed to a four-year extension worth $100MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The deal will go into effect next year, keeping the 21-year-old under contract through the 2020/21 season.

Antetokounmpo had been on track to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017, at which point he likely would have commanded enough interest around the NBA to ensure that he landed a maximum-salary deal. By locking him up now, the Bucks appear to have avoided paying the max. Maximum salaries and cap figures for 2017/18 won’t be set until next July, but the NBA’s latest projection would mean a starting max salary of about $24MM for ’17/18, with subsequent raises of $1.8MM annually — Antetokounmpo will make a little less than that.

The 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Antetokounmpo was viewed as a raw talent with huge upside when the Bucks selected him, and has since adjusted to the NBA more rapidly than expected. He has increased his averages in nearly every meaningful category from year to year, enjoying the best season of his young career in 2015/16, when he averaged 16.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting an impressive 50.6% from the field.

While Antetokounmpo’s traditional position is at forward, he’s also capable of handling the ball, and his versatility and his youth suggest that his best basketball should still be ahead of him. In the first installment of our free agent power rankings for 2017, he placed the Greek Freak third, behind only Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and ahead of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Of course, when we update those power rankings, Antetokounmpo’s name will no longer show up on the list.

Instead, Antetokounmpo will remain in Milwaukee as another key piece of the Bucks’ core, joining a handful of players who have already been locked up for the next several seasons. Khris Middleton and Mirza Teletovic are under team control through 2019, while Miles Plumlee, John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Thon Maker are under control through 2020.

Antetokounmpo is the second player entering the final year of his rookie contract to reach an agreement on an extension this offseason, joining C.J. McCollum of the Trail Blazers. His Bucks teammate, Michael Carter-Williams, is also extension-eligible until October 31, though Carter-Williams isn’t considered as strong a candidate for an extension as Antetokounmpo had been. When our Arthur Hill examined Antetokounmpo’s case for an extension last month, he called it an easy decision for the Bucks to offer a lucrative, long-term deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Sign C.J. Williams, Finalize Camp Roster

September 19th, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have filled up their offseason roster, finalizing their 20-man unit for training camp, the team announced today in a press release. According to the release, the Mavs used their final open roster spot to sign free agent guard C.J. Williams.

Williams, who played his college ball at North Carolina State from 2008 to 2012, has spent time in various international leagues over the last several seasons, playing for teams in France, Italy, and Cyprus. The 26-year-old also had a stint with the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2013/14. Playing for JDA Dijon Bourgogne last season, Williams averaged 11.9 PPG, 27. RPG, and 1.5 APG in 34 French League contests.

Exact terms of Williams’ deal aren’t yet known, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary pact. Assuming that’s the case, it would give Dallas six players without fully guaranteed salaries for 2016/17, with those six players likely competing for the 15th and final spot on the Mavs’ regular-season roster.

For the full breakdown of the other 19 players on the Mavs’ training camp roster, be sure to check out the club’s depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Alex Davis Will Return To D-League

September 18th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Alex Davis, who played for one of the Magic’s summer league teams, has committed to return to the D-League this season, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Davis will join Orlando’s D-League affiliate, the Erie Bay Hawks.

The 6’9″ forward appeared in 50 games for Erie last season, averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per night.

The 24-year-old, who played college ball at Fresno State, was part of the Orlando White team in the Orlando Summer League. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in five games.