Clippers Sign Raymond Felton
JULY 25: The Clippers have made it official with Felton, announcing today (via Twitter) that the veteran point guard has signed his contract with the team. It’s believed to be a one-year, minimum-salary pact.
JULY 14: The Clippers and unrestricted free agent Raymond Felton have agreed to terms on a contract, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media group reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known.
Interest had picked up in the veteran in recent days, as Haynes noted on Wednesday, with five teams expressing interest in signing Felton. The Clippers land themselves a solid backup to starter Chris Paul, and Felton now becomes the only other true point guard on the team’s roster.
The 32-year-old made 80 appearances for Dallas in 2015/16, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.4 minutes per outing.
Jordan Hamilton Signs With Turkish Team
After finishing the 2015/16 regular season with the Pelicans, free agent swingman Jordan Hamilton will head overseas for the 2016/17 campaign. As relayed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Hamilton has signed a contract with Turkey’s Tofas Bursa, the team formally announced.
A former first-round pick, Hamilton spent his first few NBA seasons with the Nuggets, but has bounced around since 2014, spending time with the Rockets, Clippers, and Pelicans. The 25-year-old has also played for multiple D-League clubs, and spent parts of last season playing in Russia and Venezuela.
In his 11 games with New Orleans last season, Hamilton averaged 11.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.3 APG, shooting 42.2% from the floor. The Pelicans made several roster moves this offseason to replenish their bench, and it seems Hamilton was never in their plans — the team renounced its rights to him when creating cap room for those new incoming players.
Grizzlies Sign Troy Williams
Indiana small forward Troy Williams has signed a partially guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies, tweets international journalist David Pick.
The 21-year-old Williams averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 assists for the Hoosiers as a junior last season. He wasn’t taken in last month’s draft.
Williams joined the Suns’ summer league team and averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in Las Vegas.
Thunder Sign Swingman Alex Abrines
JULY 23rd, 2:19pm: Abrines has signed a multi-year contract, according to the team’s website.
JULY 18th, 9:37am: Since losing Kevin Durant to the Warriors, the Thunder have been fairly quiet, opting not to make a splash in free agency. According to multiple reports, however, it appears Oklahoma City will use some of the spending flexibility created by Durant’s departure to bring over draft-and-stash prospect Alex Abrines.
According to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops, Abrines and the Thunder have agreed to a deal that will pay the Spanish forward nearly $18MM over three years. Chema de Lucas (via Twitter) pegs the value at $17MM over three years. The Thunder will be able to pay up to $650K of Abrines’ buyout from Barcelona, which is believed to be in the range of $2.2MM — he’ll have to cover the rest of that buyout himself.
Abrines, who turns 23 next month, was drafted 32nd overall in 2013 using one of the picks the Thunder acquired from Houston in the James Harden trade. He averaged 9.3 PPG and shot 41.7% from three-point range in 25 Euroleague games this past season.
As Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman details, a source had told him earlier this summer that Abrines was unlikely to make the jump to the NBA for the 2016/17 campaign, but with Durant gone and Dion Waiters‘ restricted free agency still up in the air, it makes some sense for Oklahoma City to bring him over now.
Although the Thunder only have about $72MM committed to player salaries for next season prior to Abrines’ deal, Waiters’ cap hold is worth nearly $13MM, and there are other cap holds on the books for first-rounder Domantas Sabonis and some former OKC players. Throw in a trade exception and the team’s mid-level exception and the total increases to more than $94MM, so there’s a chance the Thunder could remain an over-the-cap team this year rather than using cap room.
As such, it makes sense that Abrines’ three-year deal is reported to be worth nearly $18MM — if Oklahoma City signs him using its full mid-level exception, he would earn $17,643,780 over three years. If the Thunder end up losing Waiters or going under the cap for another reason, they could sign Abrines to a similar deal using cap room.
Cavs Sign Chris Andersen
JULY 22: The Cavaliers have officially signed Andersen, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 15: After finalizing a trade to send Sasha Kaun to the Sixers, the Cavaliers have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Andersen, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). It’s a minimum-salary pact, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
JULY 8: The Cavaliers are nearing an agreement with veteran NBA big man and all-around entertaining locker room presence, Chris Andersen, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays (on Twitter). Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue noted during an appearance on NBA TV that the team was in the process of signing Andersen.
If Andersen does indeed join the defending NBA champs, he’ll reunite with former Heat teammate LeBron James. The big man will likely be signing with the team for the veteran’s minimum, though that is merely my speculation. Andersen should provide additional depth, energy and defense off the bench for the Cavs.
Andersen was dealt to the Grizzlies during the season and appeared in 20 games for Memphis after his arrival. He averaged 4.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 18.3 minutes per outing while shooting .548/.222/.688 from the field.
Spurs Sign Forward Livio Jean-Charles
The Spurs have signed power forward Livio Jean-Charles, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports. The signing was confirmed in a team press release. Jean-Charles’ contract is believed to be a standard rookie-scale deal for four years and approximately $4.5MM, according to McDonald.
Jean-Charles was a draft-and-stash prospect, taken No. 28 overall during the 2013 draft. The 6’9”, 22-year-old Charles played the last four seasons for the French League club ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, which is co-owned by San Antonio point guard Tony Parker. Last season he appeared in 25 games, averaging 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21.2 minutes.
He was also a member of the Spurs’ summer-league teams the past two seasons. Jean-Charles isn’t considered much of an offensive threat but he’ll be a factor on the defensive end.
“He’s had a lot of growth since last year,” Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon told McDonald. “He’s an athletic ‘four.’ We expect him to play great defense and grab a lot of boards.”
San Antonio doesn’t have a true power forward outside of LaMarcus Aldridge on the current roster, so Jean-Charles could carve out a rotation role with a strong training camp. He’ll compete with Kyle Anderson and Davis Bertans for minutes.
Tim Frazier Re-Signs With Pelicans
JULY 22, 3:26pm: The signing is official, per team release.
JULY 10, 12pm: Free agent point guard Tim Frazier is close to re-signing with the Pelicans, posts Marc Stein on ESPN Now. Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter) that it’ll be a two-year, $4.1MM agreement for Frazier and the Pelicans.
Frazier first signed with New Orleans in March after being waived in February by the Trail Blazers. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.5 assists in 16 games with the Pelicans. He has also played briefly for the Sixers during his two years in the NBA.
Frazier is expected to serve as a backup to Jrue Holiday, who is entering the final year of his contract.
Pelicans, Terrence Jones Agree To Deal
JULY 22, 3:23pm: The signing is official, per team release.
JULY 14, 4:57pm: Stein has amended his report, tweeting that New Orleans and Jones have agreed to a one-year deal at the minimum salary. The Pelicans are trying to create a bit more cap room, so Jones may see that salary increase, Stein adds.
4:43pm: Jones has at least one offer on the table that will pay him more than the Pelicans offered, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. New Orleans is still hopeful of landing the forward, Stein adds. Charania has a different take, tweeting that Jones and the Pelicans are in the process of finalizing a deal.
12:26am: The Pelicans are nearing a deal with free agent power forward Terrence Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Charania reports that New Orleans is expected to sign Jones to a one-year contract.
Jones, 24, had an impressive sophomore season for the Rockets back in 2013/14, starting 71 of his 76 games played, and averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG to go along with a .542 FG%. Since then, however, he has battled injuries and his production has been inconsistent. Jones had been eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but Houston opted not to extend him a qualifying offer, allowing him to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
The Pelicans haven’t made a huge splash in free agency this summer, but the team has been steadily adding solid rotation pieces to its roster. New Orleans has previously reached agreements with Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, and Tim Frazier.
[RELATED: Pelicans’ free agent signings, via our Free Agent Tracker]
Jones has likely received interest from teams interested in locking him up for more than one season, but given his up-and-down performance over the last two seasons, it makes sense that he’d be looking to rebuild his value on a one-year contract. If he has a strong year with the Pelicans, the Kentucky product could parlay that showing into a longer-term – and more lucrative – deal in free agency next summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pelicans Sign First-Rounder Buddy Hield
The Pelicans are finalizing several contract agreements this week as they get their roster and cap in order for the coming season, and the latest player to sign his deal with the team is sixth overall pick Buddy Hield. New Orleans announced today in a press release that Hield his signed his rookie contract with the club.
“We could not be more excited to add a player and person like Buddy Hield to the New Orleans Pelicans,” GM Dell Demps said in a statement. “He embodies all the traits we care about in our organization. His work ethic, energy and confidence have been on full display since he stepped foot in New Orleans. We look forward to helping him grow as a player as he will help us become a better team.”
Hield, who was the first senior to come off the board in last month’s draft, was one of the best players in the nation during his final year at Oklahoma. The 22-year-old averaged 25.0 PPG and 5.7 RPG to go along with a sizzling 45.7% mark from three-point range (4.0 3PG).
As our breakdown of salaries for 2016 first-round picks shows, Hield should be in line for a first-year salary of $3,517,200, and he’ll earn $15,887,648 if he plays out his full rookie contract. With Hield locked up, only five 2016 first-rounders have yet to either sign their rookie contracts or reach an agreement to play overseas.
Clippers’ David Michineau To Remain Overseas
The Clippers locked up one of their second-round picks – Diamond Stone – to an NBA contract earlier this month, but the team won’t do the same for fellow second-rounder David Michineau. According to reports from BeBasket (translation via Sportando) and Eurobasket.com, Michineau will play for French team Hyeres-Toulon Var Basket for the 2016/17 season.
Michineau, who played for Chalon-Sur-Saone in France this past year, averaged 5.7 PPG in 13.6 minutes per contest in French League play. The 22-year-old point guard was selected with the 39th overall pick in last month’s draft, as the Pelicans sent the 39th and 40th selections to the Clippers in exchange for No. 33 (Cheick Diallo).
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
The Clippers have an open roster spot, but with two rookies – Stone and Brice Johnson – joining the team this season, it makes sense for Michineau to get some more seasoning overseas as Los Angeles hangs onto his draft rights. The team’s current roster and depth chart can be found right here.
L.A. is also currently the only hard-capped team projected to be in tax territory, meaning the club doesn’t have a lot of spending flexibility for the rest of the league year. The Clips are hard-capped at $117.287MM and currently have an estimated $113.76MM on their books for the 2016/17 season, so they’ll have to be careful about their spending the rest of the way.