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Hawks Waive Lamar Patterson

July 12th, 2016 at 7:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

7:56pm: Patterson has officially been waived, the team announced via press release.

4:53pm: The Hawks are cutting ties with Lamar Patterson and intend to waive the shooting guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter). No official announcement has been made by the team at this time. As a result, Patterson will become an unrestricted free agent, provided he clears waivers.

The 24-year-old’s contract is non-guaranteed, so Atlanta won’t be on the hook for any of his $874,636 salary as a result of this move. Patterson’s deal wasn’t going to be guaranteed until January 10th, which is the league-wide date, meaning his release was not motivated by an impending deadline.

Patterson made 35 appearances for the Hawks this past season, averaging 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .350/.245/.727.

Hawks Sign Dwight Howard To Three-Year Deal

July 12th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12TH, 6:45pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. “We would like to welcome Dwight, and his family, home to Atlanta and into our Hawks basketball family. We feel Dwight will have a huge impact on both ends of the court with his physical presence and the force he brings to the game,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “We also look forward to his impact in our community as we all look to take Atlanta to another level on the court and off. We feel very fortunate to add a player of Dwight’s caliber and we look forward to assimilating Dwight into our team.”

JULY 1ST, 5:55pm: Howard’s three-year deal is fully guaranteed, with no option years, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Spears adds that the Hawks increased their initial offer by about $7MM.

5:40pm: The Hawks and Dwight Howard have struck a deal, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The pact will be worth $70.5MM, per Charania. It’s a homecoming for Howard, who was born and raised in Atlanta.

Howard, 30, met with the Hawks shortly after free agency began today, and multiple reports indicated that the team made a strong impression on him during that meeting. The former first overall pick was expected to meet with the Celtics and reportedly had interest from at least a couple other teams, but got an offer he liked from Atlanta and decided to take it.

Howard made 71 appearances for the Rockets in 2015/16, averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.63 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. He shot 62% from the field, but just 48.9% from the free-throw line.

The eight-time All-Star declined his 2016/17 player option with the Rockets last month, opting to hit the open market instead of returning to Houston. Howard would have earned more than $23MM in 2016/17 if he had picked up the option, and essentially matched that yearly figure on his new deal — of course, Howard’s agreement with the Hawks will pay him that amount annually for the next three years, rather than just for one year.

The Hawks’ agreement with Howard doesn’t necessarily take the team out of the running for Al Horford. ESPN’s Marc Stein Stein first reported on Tuesday that Atlanta would seriously consider Howard as a free agent target if the team was unable to wedge its way into the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. According to Stein, the Hawks planned to go after Howard with the idea of playing him alongside Horford in their frontcourt.

Still, Horford is being heavily recruited by the Celtics and other clubs, and is expected to get a max deal, so he may land elsewhere. If Horford does leave Atlanta, Howard at least represents a viable replacement at center for the Hawks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Acquire Troy Daniels

July 12th, 2016 at 4:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 12TH, 4:06pm: The deal is official, the Grizzlies announced via press release. Daniels was acquired for an undisclosed amount of cash, per the announcement.

JULY 9TH, 6:50pm: The Grizzlies are finalizing a three-year, $10MM deal with free agent shooting guard Troy Daniels, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Daniels will join Memphis in a sign-and-trade with the Hornets (Twitter link).

Daniels appeared in 43 games with Charlotte this season, averaging 5.6 points in a little over 11 minutes of playing time. The 24-year-old 3-point specialist connected on 48% of his shots from beyond the arc.

By sending Daniels to Memphis via trade, the Hornets will create a trade exception worth half of his salary in the first season of the new deal, tweets The Vertical’s Bobby Marks. That exception will be $1.6MM, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The Grizzlies will be Daniels’ fourth NBA team in his three-year career.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Grizzlies Waive Tony Wroten

July 12th, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than a month after he was waived by the Knicks, Tony Wroten has been cut again. The Grizzlies announced today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Wroten, placing him on waivers. The move ensures that Memphis won’t be on the hook for the guard’s non-guaranteed 2016/17 salary.

Wroten, 23, only appeared in eight games for the Sixers last season before Philadelphia waived him in December. The Knicks later signed Wroten to a two-year deal, minimum-salary deal that contained no guaranteed money for the 2016/17 campaign, but removed him from their roster in a related move last month when they acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls. The Grizzlies claimed him off waivers at that point.

A former 25th overall pick, Wroten began his NBA career in Memphis in 2012, before later joining the Sixers. In 145 total games, the Washington product has averaged 11.1 points and 3.0 assists per contest, but has shot just 41.3% from the floor, including a paltry 23.1% from downtown.

Although Wroten has flashed some promise and is still young, the fact that he has now been cut twice in consecutive months doesn’t bode well for his NBA future. When Wroten was waived by the Knicks, a report from Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of The New York Daily News indicated that the team made the decision due to an undisclosed disciplinary issue.

Other teams will once again have the opportunity to put in a waiver claim for Wroten this week. Assuming he clears waivers this time around, he’ll be free to sign with any team.

Warriors Sign Zaza Pachulia

July 12th, 2016 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 12: More than a week after agreeing to terms with him, the Warriors have officially announced their new deal with Pachulia, via a team release.

JULY 4: The Warriors have reached a one-year contract agreement with Mavericks free agent center Zaza Pachulia, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Pachulia will receive $2.9MM, Charania adds. That puts him in line for Golden State’s mini mid-level exception.

The addition of Pachulia contributes to an already historic day for the franchise, which reached an agreement with top free agent Kevin Durant. Pachulia takes over the starting spot previously held by Andrew Bogut, who was dealt to the Mavs once Durant chose the two-time defending Western Conference champions.

Pachulia could have taken a much bigger offer in this free agent climate. The lure of playing for a team that will be heavily favored to regain the crown next season was too great for him to pass up. The Hornets were reportedly in hot pursuit for Pachulia’s services. The 32-year-old Pachulia had a very productive season with Dallas, averaging 8.6 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds in 76 games.

Bogut will make $12.68MM next season, so Pachulia’s decision to take a pay cut — he made $5.2MM a year ago — gives them a huge bargain for a rotation player. The biggest downgrade for the Warriors is that Pachulia, unlike Bogut, is not a shot blocker. He has averaged 0.3 blocks per game during his career.

Clippers Sign Brice Johnson

July 12th, 2016 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have locked up their 2016 first-round pick, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register, who tweets that the team has signed Brice Johnson to his rookie contract. The team held a presser earlier today to introduce Johnson along with second-rounders David Michineau and Diamond Stone.

The 25th overall pick in last month’s draft, Johnson averaged 17.0 PPG during his senior season at North Carolina, contributing 10.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG as well. He also shot 61.4% from the field for the Tar Heels, and was ranked 34th overall among this year’s prospects by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

While terms of Johnson’s deal weren’t announced, it’s a safe bet that he signed for the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie-scale amount. Such a deal would put him in line for a first-year salary of $1,273,920. Over the course of his four-year rookie contract, Johnson will make nearly $6.5MM, as our breakdown of 2016 first-round rookie salaries shows.

Clippers Sign Marreese Speights To One-Year Deal

July 12th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: The Clippers have formally announced their deal with Speights and officially introduced him as a Clipper (Twitter link).

JULY 8: Veteran big man Marreese Speights will be moving from Western Conference contender to another, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Speights has reached an agreement to sign with the Clippers. It’s a one-year deal, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Speights, who turns 29 in August, spent the last three seasons with the Warriors, appearing in a total of 227 regular-season games – and another 41 playoff contests – for Golden State. Although Speights didn’t average more than 16 minutes per game in any of his three years with the Dubs, his production in limited action was very solid. In 11.6 minutes per game in 2015/16, the veteran big man averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.3 RPG, and even shot 38.7% from three-point range.

Having stayed over the cap to re-sign some of their own free agents, the Clippers are also using their mid-level exception on Wesley Johnson, which doesn’t leave the team with much spending flexibility. As such, it’s no surprise that Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Speights is signing with the Clippers for the veteran’s minimum. For a player with Speights’ experience, that will work out to a $1,403,611 salary for the 2016/17 season.

The Warriors, of course, would also have been able to offer Speights a minimum-salary deal, though it’s not entirely clear whether such an offer was on the table. If the former Florida Gator chose the Clippers over the Warriors, he’s likely seeking a bigger role — in Los Angeles, there’s an opening in the frontcourt rotation following Cole Aldrich‘s departure.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Sign Second-Rounder Deyonta Davis

July 12th, 2016 at 12:12pm CST by Will Joseph

TUESDAY, 12:12pm: The Grizzles have officially issued a press release announcing their deal with Davis.

SUNDAY, 2:34pm: The Grizzlies and Deyonta Davis, who was the 31st pick in this year’s draft, have agreed to a three-year, $4MM deal, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. It is the largest guaranteed salary for an American-born second-round pick, Charania notes.

The deals allows Memphis to retain Davis’ Bird rights and eliminate the Arenas provision, leaving him without restrictions on how much he could earn on a second deal while entering free agency one year earlier than if he had been selected in the first round, Charania points out. The Celtics dealt Davis to the Grizzlies.

The 19-year-old Davis averaged 7.5 points and 5,5 rebounds during his lone season with Michigan State. He has NBA size, but scouts said before the draft that he needs to get stronger and become a better finisher in the lane. The Grizzlies have made a few moves this summer, re-signing Mike Conley and adding Chandler Parsons, James Ennis and Troy Daniels.

Tim Duncan Announces Retirement

July 12th, 2016 at 11:42am CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 11:42am: According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the Spurs have officially waived Duncan for salary-cap purposes. The veteran big man had been on the team’s books for $6,393,750 this year, so assuming San Antonio stretched his salary, that figure will now be $2,131,250 annually over the next three seasons.

MONDAY, 9:16am: For many basketball fans around the world, it is extremely difficult to imagine the NBA without Tim Duncan a part of it. But that’s the reality we face with the surefire Hall-of-Famer officially announcing his retirement today via the team’s website. This marks the conclusion of one of the most impressive professional careers the league has seen.

Since drafting Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, San Antonio won five championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular season record, good for a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over that span.

Duncan totaled 15 All-NBA Team selections, which is tied for most all-time, and 15 NBA All-Defensive Team honors, the most all-time, earning both honors in the same season 15 times, the most in league history. The 1998 Rookie of the Year was named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005), per the team’s release.

The 40-year-old had opted in for 2016/17, but was reportedly on the fence about continuing his career. Duncan saw his production decline this past season, as he averaged a career-low 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 25.2 minutes per contest over 61 regular-season appearances. He also shot just 48.8% from the floor, his lowest mark in 10 years. Duncan finishes his career with marks of 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per contest. He owns a career shooting line of .506/.179/.696.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Sign Andrew Harrison To 3-Year Deal

July 12th, 2016 at 11:36am CST by Arthur Hill

TUESDAY, 11:36am: The Grizzlies have officially signed Harrison, the club announced today in a press release.

SUNDAY, 12:14pm: Andrew Harrison has agreed to a three-year, $3MM deal with the Grizzlies, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The third season of the contract is partially guaranteed, Wojnarowski reports.

Harrison was highly regarded coming out of Kentucky in 2015, but slipped to 44th in the draft and spent this season in the D-League. He played with the Grizzlies’ affiliate in Iowa, where he averaged 14 points per game.

A 6-6 shooting guard, Harrison will compete for playing time with new addition Troy Daniels, whom the Grizzlies acquired Saturday in a sign-and-trade with Charlotte.