Pistons Sign Trey Freeman
SEPTEMBER 16: Freeman has officially signed with the Pistons, per RealGM’s transactions log. Terms of the agreement still haven’t been reported, but it will likely be a one-year, minimum-salary summer contract.
AUGUST 29: The Pistons have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent guard Trey Freeman, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (on Twitter). The exact details of the arrangement are unknown, but it does include a partial guarantee, according to Scotto. The addition of Freeman will give Detroit a preseason roster count of 17.
Freeman played for the Rockets summer league squad in Las Vegas this year, appearing in five games and averaging 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .265/.200/.750.
The 23-year-old went undrafted after completing his senior campaign at Old Dominion. Freeman’s numbers for the 2015/16 season were 22.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 35.1 minutes per night. His shooting numbers on the year were .429/.349/.829.
Pistons Sign Nikola Jovanovic
The Pistons are adding another undrafted free agent to their roster for training camp, having signed former USC forward Nikola Jovanovic to a contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Jovanovic confirmed the agreement himself on Twitter, announcing that “it’s official!”
Jovanovic, who worked out for the Pistons just a few days before the 2016 draft, wasn’t selected in June after forgoing his senior year at USC to become draft-eligible. In his final season with the Trojans, the 22-year-old averaged 12.1 PPG and 7.0 RPG, shooting 52.4% from the field.
The Pistons have 14 players on guaranteed contracts on their books for 2016/17 so far, so the team’s final roster slot could be up for grabs in training camp. Jovanovic will face some stiff competition for that opening though — so far, Detroit has added Lorenzo Brown, Ray McCallum, and Trey Freeman on non-guaranteed deals. The club still has two more open spots on its 20-man offseason roster.
Jovanovic’s deal is believed to be for one year, and will likely be worth the minimum salary ($543K), with little to no guaranteed money.
And-Ones: Pressey, Cavs, Rose, Bulls
The Warriors have acquired the D-League rights to training camp invitee Phil Pressey via a trade with the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City Stars. The Santa Cruz Warriors secured the returning player rights of Pressey in exchange for the same rights to point guard Aaron Craft and a 2017 D-League second-round pick. Pressey, a 25-year-old point guard, signed what is believed to be a non-guaranteed, one-year contract with Golden State, which already has 16 other players under contract. By acquiring his D-League rights, the Warriors can not only ship him to their affiliate if he makes the 15-man roster but also keep him in the organization even if he doesn’t secure a spot.
- The Cavs are renegotiating the contract of assistant coach Larry Drew, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports. The former head coach of the Hawks and Bucks will be head coach Tyronn Lue’s chief assistant and associate head coach this season. Drew, who is entering his third season with Cleveland, will get a raise but the two sides are still working out the details, Vardon adds.
- Attorneys for the woman who has accused Knicks point guard Derrick Rose of sexual assault are demanding an NBA investigation into the 2013 incident, Julia Marsh of the New York Post relays. Waukeen McCoy, one of those lawyers, suggested that the league and team should enforce the morality clause in Rose’s contract and suspend him, Marsh adds. A lawsuit filed in California is scheduled for trial on October 4.
- Nate Loenser has been the named the head coach of the Bulls’ new D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the team announced via press release. Loenser was the Chicago Bulls’ video coordinator last season. He’s also coached at Southern Mississippi and Iowa State. Bulls assistant GM Brian Hagen will also serve as Windy City’s GM.
- Guard Langston Galloway signed a two-year, $10MM contract with the Pelicans but he still doesn’t think he’s established himself in the league, as he told Jake Rauchbach of Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview. “I’ve got a lot to prove,” Galloway told Rauchbach. “I want to be one of those top guys one day and I gotta go out and prove it to each of the guys that I play against every night. Like, ‘Hey, I am trying to be at that level.’ That’s what I gotta go out there and do.”
Pelicans Invite Chinese Forward He Tianju To Camp
The Pelicans have extended a training-camp invitation to forward He Tianju of the Chinese Basketball Association’s Liaoning Flying Leopards, according to Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Assuming the offer is accepted, the 6’9” Tianju would play in New Orleans’ two preseason Global Games matchups in China against the Rockets, Verrier adds (Twitter links).
Tianju, who has played six seasons in the Chinese Basketball League, is considered an above-average three-point shooter. The 25-year-old small forward also has a history with the Pelicans, having played on their summer-league squad in 2015. He had a nine-point game in 12 minutes of action in one of those Las Vegas Summer League games against the Bucks.
The Pelicans already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts on their roster, along with three others on non-guaranteed deals. So even if Tianju signs a training-camp deal, it’s highly unlikely the Pelicans will keep him around. But the bonus of playing two games in his home country would certainly be a major selling point.
Coach Alvin Gentry told John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune during Tianju’s summer-league foray that Tianju needed to improve his footwook.
”Defensively, he has got to be able to move his feet better to play the quicker players,” Gentry told Reid.”But I think he is smart enough and his rebounding is very good. I think he’s done a very good job on the boards. The only thing I see is his lateral quickness and guarding quicker players out on the floor.”
Nuggets Sign D.J. Kennedy
SEPTEMBER 15: Nearly a month after agreeing to terms with him, the Nuggets have officially confirmed their deal with Kennedy, issuing a press release announcing the signing.
AUGUST 16: The Nuggets and unrestricted free agent shooting guard D.J. Kennedy have agreed to a deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The pact will be for three years and includes a partial guarantee, Charania notes.
The 26-year-old originally went undrafted out of St. John’s back in 2011. His NBA regular season experience consists of two games with the Cavaliers during the 2011/12 campaign where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.5 minutes per outing.
Kennedy has split the remainder of his playing career thus far between the NBA D-League and overseas. He spent the 2015/16 campaign with the Russian club Enisey Krasnoyarsk, appearing in 40 games and averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Kennedy’s shooting line on the year was .451/.287/.809.
Nuggets Sign Jarnell Stokes
SEPTEMBER 15: Stokes’ deal with the Nuggets is now official, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal still aren’t known, but it’s likely a minimum-salary pact that includes little to no guaranteed money.
SEPTEMBER 4: The Nuggets are close to a deal with reigning D-League MVP Jarnell Stokes, tweets Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. Stokes played briefly for the Grizzlies and Heat last season.
The 6’9″ center/power forward helped Sioux Falls win a D-League record 40 games in 2015/16, posting averages of 20.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per night in 28 games. At the NBA level, Stokes appeared in two games with Memphis before being traded to Miami in November. The Heat shipped him to New Orleans in February, but the Pelicans released him the next day.
Stokes, 22, was a second-round pick in 2014 by the Jazz, who traded him to Memphis on draft night. He has spent most of his career in the D-League. Dempsey expects him to have a legitimate shot at earning a roster spot in Denver Twitter link).
Nate Wolters Agrees To Deal With Nuggets
SEPTEMBER 15: The signing is official, per team release.
AUGUST 19: Free agent guard Nate Wolters has agreed to a deal with the Nuggets, league sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Wolters, the 38th pick in 2013 draft, played in Turkey last season. He appeared in 58 games with the Bucks, including 31 starts, in 2013/14. He averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 assists that season. He then played another 11 games with Milwaukee the following season and 10 more with the Pelicans off the bench.
The 6’4” Wolters has a chance to make the final roster as the No. 3 point guard behind Emmanuel Mudiay and Jameer Nelson.
Warriors Sign JaVale McGee To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 15: The Warriors continue to finalize their deals for training-camp invitees, having formally signed McGee this week, per RealGM’s transactions log.
JULY 29: The Warriors have agreed to a “make-good” training camp deal with JaVale McGee, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The arrangement, based on Stein’s wording, is more than likely a one-year, minimum salary pact that includes no guaranteed money.
Golden State is in search of a rim protector and will give McGee the opportunity during the preseason to fill that role, Stein adds. McGee will compete with 2016 first-rounder Damian Jones and Anderson Varejao for a shot to back up projected starter Zaza Pachulia.
Dallas waived the center earlier this month after they were reportedly unable to find a trade partner for McGee, whose salary of $1,403,611 for 2016/17 was scheduled to become fully guaranteed on July 12th. McGee, 28, appeared in 34 games for the Mavs this past season and averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per outing. The center shot .575/.000/.500 on the year.
Warriors Ink Phil Pressey To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 15: Nearly a month after agreeing to sign Pressey, the Warriors made it official this week, according to RealGM’s transactions log. It appears to be a one-year, non-guaranteed summer contract.
AUGUST 16: The Warriors intend to sign unrestricted free agent Phil Pressey, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The scribe refers to it as a training camp invite, which likely means it’s a make-good deal for the league minimum that includes little or no guaranteed money.
The 25-year-old point guard will have his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster in Golden State, with the team already having 16 players under contract, as Roster Resource shows. Of the 16 players already on the roster, 14 possess fully guaranteed pacts, which leaves one spot up for grabs.
Pressey most recently suited up for the Pistons’ summer league squad in Orlando, appearing in five contests and averaging 2.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per outing. He appeared in a combined 23 games last season for the Sixers and Suns, averaging 3.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 12.3 minutes. His shooting line for 2015/16 was .385/.222/.520.
Warriors Add Cameron Jones To Camp Roster
SEPTEMBER 15: The Warriors have officially signed Jones, per RealGM’s transactions log. It will likely be a one-year, non-guaranteed summer contract for Jones.
AUGUST 19: Cameron Jones will be with the Warriors in training camp, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Citing a league source, Reichert reports that Golden State will add the 6’4″ guard, who has spent time in the D-League and overseas since going undrafted out of Northern Arizona in 2011.
Jones, 27, played for Ironi Nes Ziona in Israel last season and later with Arkadikos in Greece. He played for the Magic in the 2014 summer league and spent the 2014/15 season in Russia.
Jones has prior connections with the Warriors. He played for their summer league team in 2013 and appeared in three preseason games that fall before being waived. He also spent two seasons with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.