Nets Sign Joe Harris
JULY 19: The Nets have officially signed Harris, the team announced today in a press release. Per NetsDaily (Twitter link), it’s a two-year, minimum-salary pact that’s guaranteed for the first year. The second year becomes guaranteed for $250K if Harris is still under contract beyond October 31, 2017.
JULY 13: The Nets and unrestricted free agent Joe Harris have agreed to a contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It will be a two-year deal, according to Harris’ agency, Priority Sports (via Twitter). The amount of the arrangement is unknown, nor if it includes any guaranteed salary.
Brooklyn had to settle for Harris after missing out on Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe, whom they had signed to offer sheets early in free agency. The players’ respective teams matched the Nets’ offers, dashing GM Sean Marks‘ hope of rebuilding the team’s backcourt this offseason. Harris has failed to impress thus far in the league, but a new start under coach Kenny Atkinson may help to jumpstart his career.
The Magic waived Harris shortly after acquiring him via trade from the Cavaliers in January, with the shooting guard set to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right foot. Harris is expected to be at full-speed when training camp begins. The 24-year-old only appeared in five contests for the Cavs this past season, averaging 0.6 points in 3 minutes of action per game. His career numbers through 56 regular season appearances are 2.5 points and 0.8 rebounds on 39.5% shooting.
Suns Sign Leandro Barbosa
JULY 19, 2:01pm: The Suns have officially signed Barbosa, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 6, 11:00pm: The deal includes a team option on the second year, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com tweets.
10:54pm: The Suns have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Leandro Barbosa, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The pact is worth $8MM over two-years, Wojnarowski adds. It’s unknown if the deal includes any options, be it player or team.
The 33-year-old makes his return to Phoenix, where he spent the first seven years of his career after being selected No. 28 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. The veteran also made a brief 20-game pit stop with the franchise during the 2013/14 campaign.
Barbosa was a member of the Western Conference champion Warriors this past season, appearing in 68 games and averaging 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.9 minutes per contest. He shot .462/.355/.839 from the field on the year.
Pistons Sign First-Rounder Henry Ellenson
The Pistons have officially locked up their first-round pick from last month’s draft, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed big man Henry Ellenson. While terms of the deal weren’t announced, we can safely assume that Ellenson got a contract worth the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale.
In Ellenson’s case, as the 18th overall pick, that will work out to a first-year salary of $1,704,120, with subsequent raises. Overall, Ellenson’s four-year deal with Detroit will be worth just shy of $8.2MM, as our breakdown of salaries for 2016 first-rounders shows.
Ellenson, 19, spent just one season at Marquette, nearly averaging a double-double in his 33 games with the team. For the season, Ellenson recorded 17.0 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. Although he shot just 28.8% on three-point attempts, he averaged more than three long-range attempts per contest, and will likely focus on improving that aspect of his game in the NBA.
Ranked as the 13th-best prospect in this year’s draft class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, Ellenson was a candidate to be selected as high as No. 9, but was ultimately still available at No. 18, where the Pistons were happy to snatch him up.
Thunder Rescind Dion Waiters’ Qualifying Offer
The Thunder have rescinded Dion Waiters‘ qualifying offer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Without the threat of Oklahoma City matching an offer sheet, the appeal of signing the 24-year-old becomes greater, especially for the Sixers and Nets, Wojnarowski adds on Twitter. Both teams have previously shown interest in the Philadelphia native.
Oklahoma City still holds Waiters’ Bird Rights and it’s possible that the team could still re-sign the shooting guard. Wojnarowski added (Twitter link) that the team wanted the cap-space flexibility, possibly to renegotiate a deal with Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder reportedly reached an agreement to bring Alex Abrines stateside earlier today. That, coupled with the draft night trade for Victor Oladipo, could signal the end of Waiters’ time in Oklahoma City since there may not be enough minutes in the backcourt to go around.
Waiters played 27.6 minutes per game last season, accumulating 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. He shot a respectable 35.8% from behind the arc and while his shot selection wasn’t exemplary, it was better than in any of his previous seasons.
Raptors Sign Fred VanVleet
JULY 18: The Raptors have officially signed VanVleet to a multiyear contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 12: The Raptors have reached a contract agreement with free agent Fred VanVleet, Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic reports. The pact will be a multiyear arrangement, according to Murphy, and barring a last minute alteration, will include a partial guarantee.
VanVleet went undrafted out of Wichita State this year and he has been playing on Toronto’s squad at the Las Vegas Summer League, Murphy notes. The scribe notes that the guard has impressed the franchise with his composure running the offense and an improved 3-point stroke. Through three summer league contests, VanVleet has scored 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and added five assists.
The 22-year-old made 31 appearances for the Shockers this past season and averaged 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 29.0 minutes per outing. His slash line on the year was .390/.381/.817. He’s a longshot to make the regular season roster, but would be a wise addition to the Raptors’ D-League affiliate where he can be developed as a player during the 2016/17 campaign.
Hawks’ Isaia Cordinier To Remain Overseas
Second-round pick Isaia Cordinier will remain overseas rather than joining the Hawks immediately, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Vivlamore reports that Cordinier, who played for Denain-Voltaire last season, will return to France and join Antibes for the coming season.
[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]
Cordinier, the 44th overall pick in this year’s draft, is still just 19 years old, so it’s no surprise that the Hawks want him to get a little more seasoning overseas. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com had reported in the wake of the draft that Cordinier may be joining Antibes, his hometown team, for the 2016/17 campaign, with an eye toward signing with Atlanta a year from now.
According to Givony, Cordinier had received a promise from a team drafting in the late-30s or early-40s, but that team reneged on the promise at the last minute. Givony referred to it as an “ugly story,” noting that Cordinier’s camp had even told other teams not to draft him, since he was guaranteed to be brought to the NBA immediately. Fortunately for the French shooting guard, he didn’t slip too far, and may just spend one more season playing international ball before joining the Hawks.
This past season, Cordinier appeared in 32 French League games for Denain-Voltaire, averaging 10.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG, with a shooting line of .503/.404/.779. His new team, Antibes, plays Pro A ball, as opposed to Pro B ball like Denain-Voltaire, so it will be a step up for Cordinier, who was a member of the Hawks’ Summer League squad this month.
Atlantic Notes: Kaun, Sixers, Raptors, Nets
In a move that was expected, the Sixers announced they waived Sasha Kaun days after acquiring him. The Sixers acquired Kaun in a deal from the Cavs on Friday. Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17. In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts if restricted free agent Tyler Zeller is not included, may have an opening on their roster because first-round picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are expected to stay overseas, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Boston GM Danny Ainge said a decision should be made this week, Washburn relays.
- The first year of Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is guaranteed, but the second is not, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Nets‘ Plan B after their offers for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched has not looked especially pretty and it seems new Nets GM Sean Marks had to scramble after his initial plan fell through, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines.
- DeMar DeRozan didn’t bother to meet with other teams and decided to likely take less money to stay with the Raptors, which speaks to his loyalty, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in a mailbag response.
Clippers To Waive Branden Dawson
The Clippers will waive Branden Dawson, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports (on Twitter). Dawson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed, Woike tweets.
Dawson spent time in jail in March on felony domestic violence charges. The small forward was a rookie last season after the Clippers drafted him in the second round of Michigan State.
Dawson played in only six games for the Clippers last season. He logged five points and four rebounds and spent most of last year in the D-League.
Warriors Re-Sign Anderson Varejao
The Warriors have re-signed Anderson Varejao, the team announced via press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com previously reported the two sides were nearing an agreement on a one-year pact.
Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him. The Blazers cut him shortly after they acquired him in a deal from Cleveland, which was trying to lower its luxury tax hit. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, but played fairly well in spurts during the playoffs as a veteran presence off the bench.
Varejao, 33, appeared in 22 regular season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6’10” center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. Interestingly, Varejao is eligible to receive a championship ring from the Cavs, but since he finished the season with the Warriors, he is not interested in accepting one, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops tweets.
Grizzlies Sign Wade Baldwin
The Grizzlies have signed first-round pick Wade Baldwin, the team announced today via press release. Baldwin, a 6’4″ guard out of Vanderbilt, was the 17th selection in last month’s draft.
Baldwin spent two years with the Commodores, averaging 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.32 steals in 68 games. He was a Second Team All-Southeastern Conference selection this year as a sophomore.
He figures to be in the mix for backup point guard minutes next season in Memphis behind the re-signed Mike Conley.