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Atlantic Notes: Kaun, Sixers, Raptors, Nets

July 17th, 2016 at 4:45pm CST by Will Joseph

In a move that was expected, the Sixers announced they waived Sasha Kaun days after acquiring him. The Sixers acquired Kaun in a deal from the Cavs on Friday. Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17. In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts if restricted free agent Tyler Zeller is not included, may have an opening on their roster because first-round picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are expected to stay overseas, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Boston GM Danny Ainge said a decision should be made this week, Washburn relays.
The first year of Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is guaranteed, but the second is not, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Nets‘ Plan B after their offers for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched has not looked especially pretty and it seems new Nets GM Sean Marks had to scramble after his initial plan fell through, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines.
DeMar DeRozan didn’t bother to meet with other teams and decided to likely take less money to stay with the Raptors, which speaks to his loyalty, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in a mailbag response.

Clippers To Waive Branden Dawson

July 17th, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Will Joseph

The Clippers will waive Branden Dawson, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports (on Twitter). Dawson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed, Woike tweets.

Dawson spent time in jail in March on felony domestic violence charges. The small forward was a rookie last season after the Clippers drafted him in the second round of Michigan State.

Dawson played in only six games for the Clippers last season. He logged five points and four rebounds and spent most of last year in the D-League.

Warriors Re-Sign Anderson Varejao

July 17th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Will Joseph

The Warriors have re-signed Anderson Varejao, the team announced via press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com previously reported the two sides were nearing an agreement on a one-year pact.

Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him. The Blazers cut him shortly after they acquired him in a deal from Cleveland, which was trying to lower its luxury tax hit. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, but played fairly well in spurts during the playoffs as a veteran presence off the bench.

Varejao, 33, appeared in 22 regular season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6’10” center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. Interestingly, Varejao is eligible to receive a championship ring from the Cavs, but since he finished the season with the Warriors, he is not interested in accepting one, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops tweets.

Grizzlies Sign Wade Baldwin

July 16th, 2016 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have signed first-round pick Wade Baldwin, the team announced today via press release. Baldwin, a 6’4″ guard out of Vanderbilt, was the 17th selection in last month’s draft.

Baldwin spent two years with the Commodores, averaging 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.32 steals in 68 games. He was a Second Team All-Southeastern Conference selection this year as a sophomore.

He figures to be in the mix for backup point guard minutes next season in Memphis behind the re-signed Mike Conley.

Bulls Sign Dwyane Wade

July 15th, 2016 at 8:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 15, 8:56pm: The Bulls have issued a press release officially announcing their deal with Wade.

“We are thrilled that Dwyane has decided to come to Chicago,” Bulls GM Gar Forman said in a statement. “It’s not often you get the opportunity to add a three-time champion and 12-time All Star to your roster. We are delighted he has decided to become a Bull, as he provides a great veteran perspective on the court and in the locker room. He will be a tremendous fit with our team.”

JULY 6, 9:50pm: The deal includes a player option for the second year, Wojnarowski tweets.

8:30pm: Dwyane Wade has informed the Bulls that he plans to sign with the team, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Wade’s deal will be for $47MM over two seasons. Chicago was the only place Wade could see himself playing outside of Miami, as people close to the shooting guard told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is pending, as Chicago will need to clear cap space to accommodate a significant contract for the 34-year-old.

The Bulls are working to trade Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy in an attempt to clear space. The team has a trade in place for Calderon, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports via Twitter that the Nets could be a potential trade partner. The Bulls remain confident that they will be able to move Dunleavy before the night is over, Johnson adds on Twitter.

Wade felt the team no longer appreciated him and that, coupled with bitterness over contract talks, led to his departure, sources tell Wojnarowski. The Heat were unwilling to offer a third year, which also factored into Wade not re-signing. Wade is a Chicago native who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan, as Wojnarowski writes.

The Bulls believe having Wade on the roster will not only offer a more competitive team during the 2016/17 season, but it will also help them land a marquee free agent next summer, Johnson tweets. Johnson tweeted earlier in the day that Wade could choose the Bulls without a face-to-face meeting since he met with the team twice back in 2010.

The Heat selected Wade with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He led the team to three NBA titles and five Eastern Conference crowns. The 12-time All-Star will head to Chicago and join Jimmy Butler and newly signed point guard Rajon Rondo in the backcourt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Sign Randy Foye

July 15th, 2016 at 7:42pm CST by Luke Adams

7:42pm: Foye’s one-year deal is worth $2.5MM, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.

JULY 15, 1:07pm: The signing is official, the Nets announced via press release.

JULY 14, 12:05pm: After missing out on their top targets last week, the Nets continue to move on to alternate options in free agency. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), the team has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with shooting guard Randy Foye.

The Nets attempted to add some talent and youth to their backcourt early in free agency by signing Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to offer sheets. However, the Heat and Blazers, respectively, matched those offer sheets, and Brooklyn has turned to veteran free agents since then, agreeing to deals with Greivis Vasquez, Luis Scola, and Anthony Bennett.

A former seventh overall pick, Foye has played for the Timberwolves, Wizards, Clippers, Jazz, Nuggets, and Thunder over the course of his 10-year NBA career. Last season, he appeared in a total of 81 games for Denver and Oklahoma City, averaging a career-low 5.9 PPG, and shooting just 30.0% from three-point range, also the worst mark of his career.

Foye is only three years removed from a 2013/14 campaign in which he started 78 games and averaged 13.2 PPG and 2.3 3PG, and at age 32, he should still have something left in the tank. Joining the Nets, whose roster isn’t exactly loaded with talent, could give him the opportunity to earn consistent playing time in 2016/17. If he has a bounce-back season, he could land a decent deal as a free agent in the summer of 2017, when the salary cap exceeds $100MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavericks Finalize Contract With Seth Curry

July 15th, 2016 at 6:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 15: The Mavericks have officially signed Curry, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 4: The Mavericks are nearing a two-year, $6MM agreement with free agent guard Seth Curry, league sources informed Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The 6’2” combo guard played in 44 games with the Kings last season, including nine starts, and averaged 6.8 points in 15.7 minutes. He shot 45% on his 3-point tries.

Stephen Curry‘s brother appeared in just four NBA games with three different teams prior to his breakthrough season with Sacramento. The 6’2” shooting guard had his qualifying offer of approximately $1.2MM rescinded by the Kings on Sunday. He made $947,276 during 2015/16.

The Kings considered Curry expendable after they agreed to terms with free agent guard Garrett Temple. Curry hit the free agent market after declining his player option of $1MM for next season. That decision has apparently paid off with Dallas offering a bigger salary and an additional year.

Dallas already had a busy Monday, with the Warriors declining to match its four-year, $94MM offer sheet for restricted small forward Harrison Barnes. Golden State also agreed to trade starting center Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks.

While Curry can play the point, it’s more likely he’ll back up Wesley Matthews at shooting guard.

Kings Sign Three First-Round Picks

July 15th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have secured the three players they selected in the first round of this year’s draft, locking them up to rookie-scale contracts. The team announced today in a press release that Georgios Papagiannis (No. 13), Malachi Richardson (No. 22), and Skal Labissiere (No. 28) have all signed their deals.

[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]

Sacramento acquired the rights to all three of their first-round picks via trades. Richardson was acquired in exchange from the Hornets in a deal for Marco Belinelli, while the team landed the Papagiannis and Labissiere picks in a swap with Phoenix that resulted in the Suns drafting Marquese Chriss.

The Papagiannis pick at No. 13 was viewed as one of the biggest surprises on draft night, since virtually no mock drafts had him coming off the board so early. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com had the Greek center ranked as the 50th-best prospect in this year’s draft class. However, the Richardson and Labissiere selections received more positive feedback from draft experts.

As our breakdown of salaries for 2016’s first-rounders shows, Papagiannis will be in line for a probable first-year salary of about $2.202MM, with a four-year total exceeding $10MM on his rookie contract, assuming he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale. Richardson ($1.44MM first year, $7.095MM overall) and Labissiere ($1.189MM first year, $6.066MM overall) will receive more modest deals.

Wizards, Danuel House Agree To Two-Year Deal

July 15th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have agreed to a two-year deal with undrafted free agent Danuel House, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). House had played for Washington’s Summer League squad this month, but didn’t officially have a spot on the team’s 20-man fall roster.

With his new deal, House will be in attendance at training camp for the Wizards later this year, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, who tweets that the Texas A&M alum got a partial guarantee as part of the agreement. Michael had written this morning that, given House’s solid showing in Summer League play, the Wizards might end up regretting it if they had let him go.

House, a 6’7″ forward, was ranked as 2016’s 87th-best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The 23-year-old averaged 15.6 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 36 appearances during his senior year at Texas A&M.

In other Wizards news, the team won’t have to make a decision right away on whether or not to keep Jarell Eddie, writes Michael at CSNMidAtlantic.com. Eddie’s contract was originally set to become guaranteed if he remained on Washington’s roster beyond today, but the two sides have agreed to push back that deadline until the start of the regular season. That will allow the 24-year-old forward to compete for a roster spot this fall, rather than being cut today.

Sixers Acquire Sasha Kaun, Will Waive Him

July 15th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

5:52pm: The Sixers intend to waive Kaun, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As I noted below, Cleveland sent Philadelphia enough cash to make the move worth the 76ers’ trouble, per Wojnarowski.

5:42pm: The Sixers and Cavaliers have completed a trade, according to a press release issued by the 76ers. The deal sends center Sasha Kaun and cash considerations to Philadelphia in exchange for the rights to Chu Chu Maduabum. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets that the move clears the way for the Cavs to finalize their signing of Chris Andersen.

Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. However, as a draft-and-stash prospect, it took him seven years to formally join an NBA roster. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17.

In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games. While it’s possible he’ll see a larger role with the Sixers, Philadelphia has a logjam in its frontcourt at the moment, so this looks like a salary dump for Cleveland. I imagine the Cavs are sending the Sixers more than enough money to cover Kaun’s salary.

Meanwhile, the Cavs didn’t open up any cap room by moving Kaun, since cap holds for LeBron James and others ensure the team is still well over the cap. Wojnarowski’s suggestion that the move opens the door for the club to add Andersen is probably more about clearing a roster spot, and perhaps limiting the team’s tax bill.