Grizzlies Re-Sign Tony Wroten
A roller coaster of an offseason for Tony Wroten continued today, as the former first-round point guard formally signed a new contract with the Grizzlies, according to a press release from the team. The club’s official announcement also confirmed previously reported deals for D.J. Stephens, Troy Williams, and Wayne Selden.
[RELATED: Grizzlies’ 2016 free agent signings, via our Free Agent Tracker]
Wroten, the 25th overall pick in the 2012 draft, appeared in just 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 June when they acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls. The Grizzlies claimed him off waivers at that point, but cut him in July.
One recent report from international basketball journalist David Pick indicated that Wroten could end up re-signing with Memphis, so it’s possible the Grizzlies simply wanted to rework the terms of the 23-year-old’s contract before bringing him back. Of course, based on the team’s cap limitations, neither Wroten nor any of the other three signees whose deals were confirmed today will receive more than the minimum salary.
A Washington product, Wroten began his NBA career in Memphis in 2012, before later joining the Sixers. In 145 total games in the NBA, he 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. When Wroten was waived by the Knicks, a report from Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of The New York Daily News suggested that the team made the decision due to an undisclosed disciplinary issue, but it appears that issue didn’t scare off the Grizzlies.
Shayne Whittington To Play In Spain
Former Pacers big man Shayne Whittington didn’t take long to find a new home. After being cut by Indiana in late July, Whittington will head overseas for the coming season, having signed a contract with Spanish club Obradoiro CAB. The ex-Pacer himself confirmed the deal in a post on Instagram.
“Really excited to announce that I’ll be starting a new chapter in my life in Santiago De Compostela, Spain with Obradoiro CAB,” Whittington wrote. “Great league and a great opportunity for me and my family!”
Whittington, 25, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Pacers, going back forth between Indiana and Fort Wayne, where the team’s D-League affiliate plays. During that time, the Western Michigan alum has appeared in 27 total NBA games, averaging a modest 2.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 5.5 minutes per contest.
Indiana would have had to guarantee Whittington’s $980,431 salary for 2016/17 if he had remained on the team’s roster past August 1. By waiving him before then, the Pacers ensured that they were no longer on the hook for his cap hit.
Rasheed Sulaimon To Be In Hornets’ Camp
Former Maryland shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon signed a vet-camp deal with the Hornets and will spend next season in the D-League, tweets international basketball writer David Pick.
Sulaimon will be part of Charlotte’s new affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, which will begin play this fall. Sulaimon, who wasn’t selected in this year’s draft, averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a senior with the Terrapins last season.
He played for the Bulls’ summer league team in Las Vegas, but shot just 3-of-13 from 3-point range and reportedly had trouble defending smaller guards.
Cavaliers Sign Kay Felder
1:50pm: Felder’s deal is for three years and is worth $2.49MM with a partial guarantee of $1MM included, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.
9:01am: The Cavaliers have officially signed 2016 second-rounder Kay Felder, the team announced. The exact length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary pact that include a partial guarantee.
Cleveland acquired the rights to the diminutive guard on draft night from the Hawks in exchange for $2.4MM, so the team already has made a significant investment in the rookie. LeBron James was reportedly a supporter of the move to nab Felder, which certainly doesn’t hurt his chances of sticking with the Cavs this season, though he’ll likely be ticketed for some extended D-League time early in the season to help speed up his development.
Felder, 5’9″, impressed with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League for Cleveland’s squad. In seven contests he averaged 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per outing while shooting .420/.227/.783.
During the 2015/16 campaign, Felder appeared in 35 contests for Oakland, averaging 24.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 steals. Over his three-year collegiate career, all with Oakland, he played in a total of 101 games with averages of 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per contest. His career shooting line was .426/.345/.822.
Lakers Re-Sign Marcelo Huertas
AUGUST 5: The Lakers have officially signed Huertas, the team announced today in a press release.
“Marcelo’s understanding of the game, unselfishness, and professionalism are assets to our team and he has an uncanny ability to change the pace of the game,” GM Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “He’s fundamentally solid but also has a flair and excitement to his style of play, which makes him a fan favorite.”
Estimates from Bobby Marks of The Vertical and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders put the value of Huertas deal at about $1.6-1.7MM annually over two years.
JULY 7: The Lakers and restricted free agent Marcelo Huertas have agreed to a deal that will keep the point guard in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. It’s a two-year pact, Wojnarowski notes, but the scribe does not relay the amount, nor what guarantees, if any, are included in the arrangement.
Los Angeles had tendered the 33-year-old a qualifying offer worth $1,074,636, which made Huertas a restricted free agent. He’ll be the the third-string point guard behind recently acquired Jose Calderon and 2015 lottery pick D’Angelo Russell, the scribe adds.
Huertas appeared in 53 games for the Lakers in 2015/16, averaging 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 16.4 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers on the campaign were .422/.262/.931.
Nets Sign Beau Beech
AUGUST 5: The Nets have issued a press release formally announcing that Beech’s deal is now complete.
JULY 24: The Nets will sign Beau Beech to a partially guaranteed one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Brooklyn has 15 guaranteed contracts so Beech is likely headed to the team’s D-League affiliate in Long Island.
Beech went undrafted last month out of the University of North Florida. At 6’9,” Beech is versatile enough to play shooting guard, small forward or power forward. He played mostly as a shooting guard in college.
Beech averaged 15.9 points and 6.5 rebounds over 32 minutes per game last season last season. He also shot 42.4% from 3-point range. Beech played on the Nets’ summer league team and impressed enough to earn the partially guaranteed deal.
Nets Sign Yogi Ferrell
AUGUST 5: The Nets have officially signed Ferrell, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 22: Nearly a month after the Nets’ agreement with Ferrell was initially reported, it looks like it’s close to being made official. Michael Scotto of The Associated Press tweets that it will just be a one-year deal for Ferrell.
JUNE 24: The Nets and Yogi Ferrell have agreed to a partially guaranteed deal, according to Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (Twitter link). Fischer adds that Ferrell turned down several draft-and-stash opportunities, presumably in the second round.
Ferrell started all four years while attending Indiana and he averaged 17.3 points, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game during his senior season. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranks him as the 63rd best prospect in the draft.
The Nets don’t have a strong option at the point guard position on their roster. Incumbent starter Jarrett Jack, who played well last season before tearing his ACL, is no lock to return, as GM Sean Marks indicated that the team is still undecided on whether to pick up his team option. If Ferrell impresses early on, he could end up being part of the team’s rotation next season, though that’s merely my speculation.
Thunder Sign Russell Westbrook To Extension
2:20pm: The Thunder have officially issued a press release announcing their extension with Westbrook.
“I am grateful to extend my contract with the Thunder and continue to play with the only organization that I have played for and have loved being a part of since I was drafted into the NBA,” Westbrook said in a statement. “I’m really excited about moving forward with this group of guys and continuing to play in front of the best fans in the world.”
7:36am: The Thunder have agreed in principle to a renegotiation and extension with Russell Westbrook, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, who reports that the deal will be signed on Thursday. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical confirms (via Twitter) that Westbrook is flying to Oklahoma City this morning and plans to sign a three-year, $85MM+ deal.
Wojnarowski had reported on Wednesday night that the two sides were in advanced discussions on a new agreement. Per Wojnarowski, the three-year contract will include this season and will feature a player option, so it will essentially keep Westbrook under team control through the 2017/18 campaign. In 2018, he’ll have the opportunity to decline that third-year player option and reach free agency as he becomes eligible for the 10-year-veteran maximum salary.
While veteran extensions generally don’t allow players to maximize their earnings, that’s often not the case when a renegotiation is included. Westbrook had been set to earn a $17,769,374 salary for the 2016/17 season. By renegotiating his deal, the Thunder will use their excess cap room to bump him up to the maximum salary, which is $26,540,100. If Westbrook had waited until he reached free agency in 2017 to sign a new deal, his 2017/18 starting salary would have been a little higher, but he would’ve missed out on this year’s pay increase of nearly $9MM, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors pointed out this week when he broke down Westbrook’s options.
Westbrook’s new contract should work out to be identical to Mike Conley‘s over the next two years, with a salary of $26,540,100 (2016/17), followed by a 7.5% raise to $28,530,608 (2017/18). In a free-agent contract like Conley’s, that $1,990,508 first-year raise would apply to all subsequent seasons as well, but in Westbrook’s case, he’ll get a 7.5% raise on his 2017/18 salary, since that’s the first year of his new extension. That would result in a 2018/19 salary of $30,670,403 and a three-year total of $85,741,111, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders recently explained.
By inking an extension now, Westbrook will give the Thunder a couple years to retool the roster around him in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure. As Royce Young of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the team may now be less inclined to work out new deals this offseason for extension-eligible players like Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, and Andre Roberson, since keeping their cap holds on the books next summer would allow the franchise to maximize its 2017 cap room. That approach would be risky in cases where Oklahoma City doesn’t intend to go up to the max though, since those players could sign offer sheets with rival teams if they become restricted free agents.
While it’s still possible that Westbrook departs Oklahoma City in free agency down the road, he’ll be staying with the team longer than many observers expected. When Durant chose to sign with the Warriors, trade speculation immediately began swirling around the star point guard — according to Shelburne (via Twitter), the Thunder received “dozens” of trade calls over the last month, but told potential Westbrook suitors to “chill” while they tried to work out an extension with the 27-year-old.
After Durant’s departure, multiple reports out of OKC indicated that Westbrook may be more motivated than ever to stay with the Thunder, rather than wanting to follow his All-Star teammates out of town. Westbrook’s long-term future with the club may ultimately hinge on how GM Sam Presti and company fortify the roster over the next year or two, but for now, it seems those local reports on Westbrook’s motivation were accurate.
A five-time All-Star, Westbrook saw his scoring average dip to 23.5 PPG in 2015/16 after he led the league with 28.1 PPG in 2014/15. However, he set new career-highs in APG (10.4) and RPG (7.8) last season, and he’s poised for a huge statistical season this coming year, with Durant no longer in the picture.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic To Sign Damjan Rudez?
4:09pm: According to Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Rudez was invited to training camp but was not offered a contract.
12:41pm: Free agent Crotian forward Damjan Rudez appears set to join the Magic, according to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.com, who reports that Rudez and the Magic have agreed to terms on a contract. Terms of the deal aren’t known, but Varlas suggests that an official announcement should happen soon.
Rudez, 30, saw a decent amount of playing time in Indiana during his first NBA season in 2014/15, averaging 15.4 minutes in 68 regular-season contests for the Pacers. However, he was traded to the Timberwolves last July in a deal for Chase Budinger, and never carved out a consistent role in Minnesota last season. The Wolves declined their team option on his contract in June.
A three-time Croatian League All-Star, Rudez spent the first part of his basketball career playing overseas, and according to Varlas, several European clubs expressed interest in him this offseason. Assuming the Magic make things official though, it looks like the veteran forward will remain in the NBA for now.
Orlando doesn’t have a ton of outside shooting on its roster, particularly with Jodie Meeks‘ health in question, so Rudez should help provide some range, if he makes the regular-season roster. He has shot 39.1% from beyond the arc in his 101 NBA games.
Taking into account their cap limitations, the Magic could sign Rudez to a minimum-salary deal or to a contract using some or all of their $2.898MM room exception.
Knicks Sign Chasson Randle
AUGUST 4: The Knicks have officially signed Randle, the team announced today (via Twitter).
AUGUST 3: The Knicks are bringing another former undrafted free agent to training camp this fall, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News, who reports (via Twitter) that point guard Chasson Randle has signed a contract with the team. The deal includes a partial guarantee, says Isola.
New York, having previously signed Marshall Plumlee to a three-year contract, also formally announced a deal with Ron Baker this week — those two players went undrafted this year, while Randle went undrafted in 2015. The Knicks also signed 2015 second-rounder J.P. Tokoto on Tuesday to compete for a regular-season roster spot.
[RELATED: Knicks’ free agent signings, via our Free Agent Tracker]
Marc Berman of the New York Post reported last month that the Knicks were one of three teams pursuing Randle, who made a favorable impression on the club’s brass while playing for New York’s Summer League squad. The Knicks have used their cap room and nearly all of their room exception, so it will be a minimum-salary deal for Randle.
In his final year at Stanford in 2014/15, Randle averaged 19.6 points per contest, chipping in 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 2.4 3PG.