Jazz, Sixers Swap Tibor Pleiss, Kendall Marshall
11:07am: The deal is official, the Jazz announced in a press release.
9:38am: The Jazz and Sixers have agreed to a trade that will send point guard Kendall Marshall to Utah, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the Jazz will send Tibor Pleiss, two second-round picks, and cash to Philadelphia in exchange for Marshall. Utah will subsequently waive Marshall, whose deal is not guaranteed, tweets Wojnarowski.
It’s essentially a cost-cutting move for the Jazz, who had been on track to pay Pleiss a guaranteed $3MM salary in 2016/17. Utah ditches that contract and takes on Marshall’s deal, which is fully non-guaranteed for now. The point guard’s $2,048,257 salary is set to become guaranteed soon, but the Jazz will waive him before that happens.
The move seems somewhat unusual on the surface for Utah, whose cap commitments for 2016/17 only totaled about $85MM prior to the trade. It’s possible though that the club is opening up a little extra cap room in order to renegotiate and extend Derrick Favors‘ contract. The Jazz will now have more than enough cap room to give Favors a pay raise to the max for 2016/17, while locking him up for additional seasons. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors recently examined Favors’ case for an extension.
Whether or not the Jazz extend Favors this year, the team created more cap flexibility for 2017/18, when Pleiss would have had a modest $500K guarantee on his salary. With Favors and Rudy Gobert both candidates for max extensions, and Utah potentially wanting to lock up George Hill beyond this season as well, every little bit of cap room could help.
The Jazz also created an opening on their 15-man roster for the coming season, which is good news for the players competing for a spot. Utah selected three players – Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige, and Tyrone Wallace – in the second round of the 2016 draft, and the odds are good that at least one or two of those players make the regular-season roster.
As for the Sixers, they’re still well below the salary floor, and even if they don’t plan to use Pleiss at all, they’ll pick up a pair of future second-round picks and some cash for their trouble. The conditions on those second-rounders isn’t known, but Philadelphia didn’t have much to lose by making the deal.
Pleiss, a former second-round pick who signed with the Jazz last summer, barely saw any action in his first NBA season, playing just 82 total minutes for Utah. The German big man was assigned to the D-League for a good chunk of the season, and he played well there, averaging 12.3 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 28 contests.
Marshall, meanwhile, continues to jump from team to team, having failed to develop into a reliable NBA point guard since being selected 13th overall in 2012. The 25-year-old has played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers since entering the league, and will now be seeking a new home for the 2016/17 campaign. This will be the third time he has been traded and subsequently waived — it also happened in 2013 and 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lakers Re-Sign Tarik Black
AUGUST 24: More than a month and a half after agreeing to terms with Black, the Lakers have officially re-signed him, the team announced today in a press release. The delay was a result of the Lakers using all their cap room before going over the cap to sign Black using the Early Bird exception.
“Tarik is a player whose strengths are well-suited for the style of play we envision for our team going forward,” Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “He plays the game with a mix of athleticism, energy, and physicality that make him a valuable frontcourt contributor in today’s NBA.”
JULY 4: The Lakers have reached an agreement on a new deal for restricted free agent center Tarik Black, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Charania, the two sides agreed to a two-year, $12.85MM pact. Within his full report on the agreement, Charania writes that Black’s new deal will feature a trade kicker and won’t be fully guaranteed in the second year.
[RELATED: Lakers, Timofey Mozgov agree to four-year deal]
A former undrafted free agent, Black made his NBA debut with the Rockets during the 2014/15 season, appearing in 25 games (12 starts) for Houston before being cut. The Lakers nabbed Black off waivers, and he played well for Los Angeles in 2014/15, starting 27 of his 38 games with the team and averaging 7.2 PPG and 6.3 RPG, with a .589 FG%, in just 21.1 minutes per contest.
Black was used exclusively in a reserve role in 2015/16 for the Lakers, and saw his minutes reduced to just 12.7 per game, but the team apparently still liked what it saw from him enough to lock him up to a multiyear deal.
As Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets, based on the numbers, it looks like it will be an Early Bird signing, which means that the Lakers won’t have to allocate any extra cap space for Black. Currently, his cap hold is worth $1,180,431, which is the amount of his qualifying offer. The Lakers will be able to keep that number on the books until they run out of cap room (if they do so), at which point they can exceed the cap to finalize Black’s new deal.
Timberwolves Sign Toure’ Murry, John Lucas III
The Timberwolves have added a pair of players to their offseason roster, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed guards Toure’ Murry and John Lucas III. While RealGM’s transactions log lists Murry’s deal as official, it’s not clear if Lucas’ signing has also been formalized.
Murry, 26, appeared in 51 games for the Knicks during the 2013/14 season, but has only played in five NBA games since then, enjoying brief stints in Utah and Washington. Lucas has a more extensive NBA resume, having played in 237 regular season contests with the Rockets, Bulls, Raptors, Jazz, and Pistons. The 33-year-old averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.5 APG in those games, shooting 34.5% on three-pointers.
According to Stein, both Murry and Lucas will be given the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in Minnesota this fall. However, for that to happen, the Wolves would need to either trade or cut a player with a guaranteed salary. Currently, the club has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, including Ricky Rubio, Kris Dunn, and Tyus Jones at point guard, and Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, and Brandon Rush at the two.
[RELATED: Minnesota Timberwolves’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
One other scenario that could open up a roster spot in Minnesota would be a retirement decision from Kevin Garnett. For now, Garnett – who has one year remaining on his contract – hasn’t made a call one way or the other on his future.
Lakers Sign Yi Jianlian
AUGUST 23: Jianlian’s one-year deal is only guaranteed for $250K, but it counts for $8MM against the Lakers’ cap, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical. The base salary, partially guaranteed for $250K, is worth the minimum ($1,139,123), while the deal features another $6,860,877 in likely incentives.
AUGUST 22: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 17, 3:55pm: The proposed deal will pay Jianlian the veteran’s minimum, but incentives could push the total value upwards of $8MM, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
10:41am: The Lakers and Jianlian are finalizing a one-year deal that will pay him approximately $8MM, Stein tweets.
AUGUST 16: The Lakers and Yi Jianlian are in advanced talks to bring the big man to the NBA, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times notes (Twitter link) that the Lakers had representatives at the Staples Center during USA’s exhibition game against China last month.
Yi was selected by the Bucks with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. After an up-and-down rookie season, he was traded to the Nets in a deal for Richard Jefferson. The 28-year-old last played in the NBA for the Mavericks during the 2011/12 season. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in just 6.8 minutes per game.
The Lakers have 14 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. Yi would have competition for minutes. However, if Timofey Mozgov‘s groin injury lingers, he could possibly end up starting a few games for Los Angeles should he sign.
Lakers Sign Brandon Ingram
12:15pm: The Lakers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve formally signed Ingram to his rookie contract.
8:31am: Heading into Tuesday, 29 of 30 first-rounders from the 2016 draft have either signed their NBA contracts or elected to play overseas for the coming season. Number two overall pick Brandon Ingram will make it 30 out of 30 later today, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers are poised to sign their rookie forward.
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
The Lakers will sign Ingram exactly two months after he was drafted, having waited this long because it gave the team a little extra flexibility. While the odds of packaging the No. 2 overall pick in a trade for a star were slim, keeping Ingram unsigned allowed the club to move him such a deal — once he signs his rookie contract, the former Duke standout can’t be traded for a month.
The delay also gave the Lakers the opportunity to make the most of their leftover cap room. Ingram’s cap hold of $4,401,400 has been on Los Angeles’ books for the last couple months, but that number will increase to $5,281,680 once he officially signs his deal, since he’ll get the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie-scale amount.
[RELATED: Salaries For 2016 First-Round Picks]
The difference between those two figures only works out to about $880K, but there was no reason for L.A. to give up that extra flexibility early. That flexibility appears to have allowed the Lakers to max out their cap room with deals for Yi Jianlian and Zach Auguste this week, though we haven’t yet seen the official numbers on those contracts.
Ingram, who will turn 19 next month, averaged 17.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.1 SPG while shooting 41.0% from three-point range during his first and only college season. He was viewed as the consensus No. 2 prospect in this year’s draft behind first overall pick Ben Simmons.
Jared Cunningham To Play In China
After spending four seasons in the NBA and the D-League, Jared Cunningham is taking his talents overseas for the 2016/17 season. As relayed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Cunningham has signed with Chinese team Jiangsu Tongxi.
The 24th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Cunningham was sent to Dallas by the Cavaliers in a draft-day trade, the first move in an NBA journey that saw the former Oregon State guard spend time with six different teams. The Mavericks, Hawks, Kings, Clippers, Cavaliers, and Bucks have all had Cunningham on their regular-season rosters for at least brief stints since he entered the league.
In total, Cunningham appeared in 84 regular-season contests, including 40 with the Cavs last season. He never carved out a consistent role, however, averaging just 2.3 PPG on .347/.306/.674 shooting for his NBA career.
The 25-year-old had more success in the D-League, where he averaged 17.2 PPG for four separate teams in 69 overall games. However, by heading to China, Cunningham will get a chance to earn more playing time than he would in the NBA, and more money than he would in the D-League.
Bucks Sign Jason Terry
AUGUST 22nd: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 19th: Terry says he has agreed to sign with the Bucks, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. “They are a young team on the cusp of doing great things and the Bucks have a great coach in Jason Kidd,” Terry said (Twitter link).
AUGUST 18th: The Bucks are in advanced contract talks with veteran point guard Jason Terry, NBA sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Terry, who turns 39 next month, averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists in 17.5 minutes for the Rockets last season while appearing in 72 games.
Milwaukee only has 13 players with guaranteed contracts but it is over the salary-cap limit. The Bucks still have the $2.9MM room exception at their disposal. The Rockets informed Terry last month that he was no longer in their plans.
It’s somewhat curious that the Bucks would be interested in Terry, considering they signed free agent Matthew Dellavedova away from the Cavaliers to compete with Michael Carter-Williams at the point guard spot. They also have Tyler Ennis on the roster and it’s noteworthy that the club used Giannis Antetokounmpo with great success as a point forward the second half of last season.
However, Terry could not only provide a veteran locker room presence but also some outside shooting. He’s a career 37.9% shooter on 3-point attempts and could play off the ball with Antetokounmpo running the attack.
Terry has averaged 14.3 points and 4.1 assists in a career that began with the Hawks in 1999/2000.
Jazz Sign Marcus Paige
The Jazz have signed 2016 second round pick Marcus Paige (No. 55 overall) the team announced. The length and terms of the arrangement are unknown, nor if any guaranteed salary was included. Utah still has approximately $10MM in available cap space, so Paige’s deal wouldn’t be limited to the league minimum. Though, it would be a surprise if it was in excess of that amount.
The 22-year-old was a member of the Jazz’s summer league squad, averaging 7.0 points, 1.6 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 19.7 minutes of action in nine games. With Utah’s preseason roster count at 16, including 14 players possessing fully guaranteed deals, Paige is likely ticketed for the D-League to start the season.
Paige spent four years at North Carolina, notching career averages of 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists to go along with a shooting line of .407/.375/.844. Paige was recognized as an Academic All-American for three of those seasons, including First Team honors following his senior season. He was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 2015 and 2016 as well as the 2014 ACC Most Improved Player of the Year, per the release.
Abdel Nader To Play For Celtics’ D-League Team
One of six Celtics draftees in June, Abdel Nader had been the only one whose 2016/17 outlook had not yet been determined. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, however, a decision has been made. Charania reports (via Twitter) that Nader has turned down a “lucrative” offer from a European club and has agreed to play for the Celtics’ D-League affiliate.
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
When the Celtics drafted Nader, the team hoped – and expected – to retain his rights by getting him to commit to playing for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League team. The move would allow the Celtics to keep a close eye on the 58th overall pick while not exposing him to other NBA clubs.
As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe detailed earlier this month, an impressive Summer League showing complicated the issue for Nader and the Celtics, with agent Cervando Tejeda suggesting that his client is “an NBA player.” However, if Boston had signed the former Iowa State forward to an NBA contract, then not had room for him on their regular-season roster, the club would have lost his NBA rights, despite being able to assign him to the Red Claws.
[RELATED: Boston Celtics’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Even with two of their first-round picks remaining overseas for the 2016/17 season, the Celtics have a crowded roster, which would have made it very difficult for Nader to crack the regular-season 15. Currently, the C’s have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, and that total doesn’t include John Holland or 2016 second-rounder Ben Bentil — Holland’s pact is non-guaranteed, while Bentil has a partial guarantee of $250K.
Jeff Adrien To Play Overseas
Jeff Adrien has signed with Israel’s Bnei Herzliya, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The club, which was founded in 2002, is in the country’s top league, Ligat HaAl.
Adrien was out of basketball during the 2015/16 season. He found himself in several run-ins with the law in his time away from the NBA, including one where he was arrested for stealing a Mercedes from a valet. In a separate incident, he was arrested for getting into a physical altercation with a hotel security guard. He was later arrested again for refusing to comply for police during a routine traffic stop in which Adrien lost his cool and pushed the arresting officers, per TMZ.
Adrien previously played overseas for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association during the 2014/15 season. He was with the Pelicans for their training camp last fall, but was waived prior to the season. In six seasons since going undrafted out of the University of Connecticut, Adrien has played for five NBA franchises and he sports a career player efficiency rating of 15.0.