Wolves Part Ways With Sam Mitchell
The Timberwolves have officially relieved interim coach Sam Mitchell of his duties, effective immediately, the team announced. Minnesota will begin its search for a new head coach and head of basketball operations posthaste. The news was first relayed by Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune (on Twitter). Milt Newton remains the team’s GM for now.
“The future of the Minnesota Timberwolves has never been brighter,” team owner Glen Taylor said in the official release. “It’s important that we find the best leaders to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential. We owe it to our fans, our community and to our players to ensure our team has the best possible chance at winning an NBA title.”
“I would like to thank both Sam and Milt for a good job under very difficult circumstances in guiding our team this season,” Taylor continued. “They were put in a historically challenging position as no team in NBA history has had an active head coach pass away. Both men provided our team with continuity and direction for the 2015/16 season. We will always be grateful to Sam for his contributions this season and wish him and his family the best in the future.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical relayed earlier today that Mitchell was to be part of the search process for a new coach, but that apparently isn’t the case since the team was so quick to cut ties with Mitchell after tonight’s 144-109 drubbing of New Orleans. Taylor has hired the search firm Korn Ferry to help in the hunt for a new coach as well as a new president of basketball operations, though the team may elect to hire one person for both slots, as Wojnarowski and Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reported. The Wolves coaching targets reportedly include Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger, Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks.
Minnesota went just 29-53 this season under Mitchell, but that was a significant improvement over last season’s 16-66 record, and not much was expected from the youthful roster despite the presence of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, the last two No. 1 overall picks. The team has shown promise and Towns has swept the league’s Rookie of the Month honors thus far. Mitchell was to have continued serving as an assistant coach this season but took the head coaching reigns in September while Saunders suffered complications from cancer treatment. Saunders died in October, a few days before opening night.
Pistons Sign Lorenzo Brown To Two-Year Deal
1:29pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
7:53am: The Pistons plan to re-sign point guard Lorenzo Brown to a contract that encompasses tonight’s regular season finale against Cleveland, the playoffs and a team option for next season, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). It’s a move that hints at some concern regarding an abdominal strain that kept Reggie Jackson from playing in Tuesday’s loss to Miami, since coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last week that he didn’t plan to re-sign Brown and intended to keep an open roster spot, barring injury. Van Gundy nonetheless said Tuesday that he wasn’t too worried about Jackson’s availability for the start of the playoffs in spite of the ab issue, MLive’s Aaron McMann notes.
Brown didn’t appear in a game for the Pistons on either of the 10-day contracts he signed last month. Van Gundy referred to the first 10-day deal with Brown as an insurance move, as Jackson was dealing with a viral issue while third-stringer Spencer Dinwiddie recovered from a deep bone bruise in his ankle. Brown’s last NBA action came in January, when he was on two 10-days with the Suns. The 25-year-old averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 assists and 1.1 turnovers in 7.6 minutes per game across eight appearances with Phoenix. He spent much of the season with Detroit’s D-League affiliate, putting up 18.3 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 33.3 minutes per game. The relationship between the Pistons and the former N.C. State standout, who was the 52nd pick in the 2013 draft, dates to the 2014 preseason, when Brown was on Detroit’s NBA roster for training camp.
The latest deal between the Pistons and Brown figures to be worth $5,572 for the balance of this season, plus whatever playoff share Brown receives, assuming it’s a minimum-salary arrangement, as would be standard for this type of signing. Next season’s minimum for Brown is $1,015,696, though a chance exists that it’s a non-guaranteed salary rather than a true team option.
Cavs Sign Dahntay Jones
The Cavs have signed veteran swingman Dahntay Jones for tonight’s regular season finale and the playoffs, the team announced via press release. The team had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary. Cleveland was reportedly unlikely to fill the vacancy, so the signing appears to be a reversal of plans, perhaps related to concern regarding the injured Mo Williams, who’s traveling to New York today for further examination on his sore left knee, as Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports.
Jones, 35, spent most of the season with the D-League affiliate of the Pistons following a preseason stint with the Nets, who waived him before opening night. The Cavs will face the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.
The 11-year NBA veteran played a bit role on the Clippers last season, averaging less than a point per game in 33 appearances. The Clippers were apparently fond of Jones for his contribution to team chemistry, so it’s conceivable that played a role in Cleveland’s decision, given the pressure surrounding the Cavs. Still, Jones proved he still has on-court value during his time in the D-League this season, sticking 41.2% of his 3-pointers. He averaged 15.7 points, but he made his reputation in the NBA as a stout defender.
Cleveland is limited to the minimum salary, so the deal figures to cost the Cavs $26,467 in salary and luxury tax payments. Jones is in line to see $8,819 plus a playoff share.
Heat Sign Dorell Wright
10:24am: The signing is finally official, the team announced (Twitter link). A mistake involving either spelling, translation or both on the FIBA clearance paperwork caused the delay, tweets Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
TUESDAY, 9:43am: Winderman confirms FIBA clearance is the holdup (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 1:45pm: The Heat will sign Dorell Wright, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The move has been widely expected, as Winderman and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) have both written in the wake of this weekend’s deal with rookie point guard Briante Weber, which seemed to preclude the idea that veteran point guard John Lucas III would sign, as Winderman observed then (Twitter link). Wright and the Heat were reportedly set to meet in recent days about the possibility of a deal.
Winderman suggests that complications stemming from Wright’s deal to play in China earlier this season have held up an official signing with the Heat. The Chinese season is over, so Wright is no longer under contract, but FIBA clearance is required whenever a player jumps from one country to another to play.
In any case, the Heat have the financial flexibility to sign Wright to either a prorated minimum-salary deal or a slightly more lucrative one that encompasses a portion of the prorated mid-level exception. The mid-level exception contract could run three years and be worth as much as $33,751 without the Heat going over the tax line and incurring repeat-offender penalties. Wright has said he’d like a multiyear deal.
The 30-year-old Wright averaged 24.3 points in 30.8 minutes per game this season for North Control Beijing, the team formerly known as the Chongqing Dragons. The 11-year NBA veteran went to China after his playing time dipped in two seasons with the Trail Blazers, for whom he saw just 12.3 minutes per game in 48 regular season appearances last year.
Wright has a history with Miami, which drafted him out of high school in 2004 and had him for the first six seasons of his NBA career, and he’s close with Dwyane Wade. The addition of Wright would give the Heat a full 15-man roster heading into the playoffs.
Celtics Sign John Holland
3:54pm: The signing has formally taken place, the team announced (Twitter link). Holland will see $9,266 this season, not including his playoff share, and a non-guaranteed $874,636 next season, provided he signed for the minimum, as is standard for midseason signees.
1:37pm: The deal would cover the rest of 2015/16 plus next season, and next season’s salary would be non-guaranteed, league sources tell Charania (Twitter link).
1:00pm: The Celtics plan to sign former Boston University swingman John Holland into their open roster spot, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The deal is contingent upon him passing a physical, notes Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The 27-year-old was with the Spurs in the 2014 preseason and has been playing with the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers this season.
The contract would cover the playoffs, and the Celtics had a desire to carry a full 15-man roster in the postseason in case of injury, Himmelsbach tweets. Coach Brad Stevens said recently the team would prefer a versatile forward, seemingly a hint that former 10-day signee Coty Clarke might return, but instead the team is going with Holland, who is 6’5″ and can play two-guard and small forward but would be significantly undersized at power forward.
Holland averaged 16.0 points in 30.2 minutes per game with 36.9% shooting in 37 regular season appearances with the D-League Canton Charge this season, and he turned it up in two playoff games last week, making 10 of 17 total 3-point attempts and averaging 28.5 points.
It’s unclear whether the deal would carry into next season. Either way, he’d likely receive a prorated rookie minimum salary this season plus a share of the team’s playoff earnings.
Grizzlies Sign Bryce Cotton For Rest Of Season
11:21am: Cotton won’t be on the playoff roster, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal clarifies (Twitter link).
11:07am: The Grizzlies have signed Bryce Cotton for the rest of the season, the team announced via press release. The move, which comes after Cotton’s 10-day contract expired Saturday, gives Memphis 16 players, one over the normal limit. The NBA allowed the extra roster spot via hardship, the Grizzlies say, though it’s unclear if the league will allow Cotton to take part in the playoffs.
Rest-of-season deals normally carry into the postseason, but the press release from the Grizzlies states that he’s signed for the remainder of the regular season and doesn’t mention the playoffs. The team was exploring the possibility of having extra roster spots in the playoffs, but it didn’t seem as though the league would allow it, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal wrote last week, shortly before the team waived Ryan Hollins in a move that appeared to signal the NBA wouldn’t provide hardship exceptions for the postseason.
Injuries have beset Memphis this season, leading to the extra roster spots and a flurry of moves. Marc Gasol is out for the season, and the same appears to be true for Mike Conley, Brandan Wright and Jordan Adams. Tony Allen missed Saturday’s game with a sore left hamstring. Memphis has had an NBA-record 28 players at one point or another this season.
Cotton has appeared in three games, but for less than a minute each time. The 23-year-old point guard also made it into three games with the Suns earlier this season before they released him in January. He began this past fall with the Jazz, who waived him in October, about a week shy of opening night.
His new deal with the Grizzlies will have to be a prorated minimum-salary arrangement, since that’s all Memphis has left to give. So, it’ll be worth $14,913, presuming he formally signed the contract today.
Heat Ink Briante Weber To Multiyear Deal
SUNDAY, 1:52pm: The Heat announced the signing via Twitter. Weber will be eligible for the playoffs, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.
SATURDAY, 11:38am: The Heat are planning to sign point guard Briante Weber to a three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The deal will include a partial guarantee, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami is also reportedly discussing a deal with small forward Dorell Wright, with Charania previously relaying that the two sides could formalize a contract arrangement by Sunday.
The franchise is skirting the luxury tax line and the Heat need to be especially mindful of when any new deals are finalized if they wish to avoid incurring repeat-offender tax penalties. The Heat have 13 players, two shy of the league maximum, and they reportedly plan to carry 15 players into the playoffs. They’re only $46,106 shy of the tax and a prorated minimum salary contract would count $5,572 per day for tax purposes. Sunday is the first day they could sign two players in one day without incurring the tax.
Weber, 23, had a brief stint with the Grizzlies last month on a 10-day deal and is currently with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The point guard appeared in six games during his stint in Memphis and averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 27.7 minutes per outing. Weber’s D-League numbers are solid, but not eye-popping, with him notching averages of 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 28 appearances. His slash line for the Skyforce this season is .469/.408/.725.
Sixers Hire Bryan Colangelo As President
SUNDAY, 1:40pm: The Sixers officially named Bryan Colangelo president of basketball operations. In addition, Jerry Colangelo is no longer the chairman of basketball operations but will remain as a special adviser to the team, the Sixers announced in a press release.
THURSDAY, 7:55am: The Sixers plan to formally name Colangelo as GM on Monday, a league source tells Ketih Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
11:12pm: Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers are still negotiating terms but are hopeful of finishing the deal Thursday, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 8:53pm: In the wake of Sam Hinkie‘s sudden resignation as Sixers GM, the team intends to hire Bryan Colangelo to fill the now-vacant post, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Colangelo is the son of Sixers chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, whom the franchise hired earlier this season. The team had also been considering former Hawks GM Danny Ferry for the postition, according to an earlier report by Wojnarowski.
Philadelphia’s initial intent was to hire the younger Colangelo to work alongside Hinkie, but the former GM apparently wasn’t too keen on further diluting his power and influence within the organization. In his 13-page letter of resignation, Hinkie wrote, “There has been much criticism of our approach. There will be more. A competitive league like the NBA necessitates a zig while our competitors comfortably zag,” Hinkie wrote. “We often chose not to defend ourselves against much of the criticism, largely in an effort to stay true to the ideal of having the longest view in the room. Given all the changes to our organization, I no longer have the confidence that I can make good decisions on behalf of investors in the Sixers — you. So I should step down. And I have.”
Bryan Colangelo had actively pursued the Nets GM position prior to Sean Marks being named to the post, and was initially unenthusiastic about the idea of working for his father for the second time in his career, sources told Wojnarowski. The younger Colangelo had previously worked for his father for 13 seasons with the Suns prior to departing Phoenix to become the president and GM of the Raptors. Colangelo stepped down from his post in Toronto on June 26th, 2013.
Pelicans Sign James Ennis For Season
SATURDAY, 3:33pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
MONDAY, 9:53am: The Pelicans are expected to sign James Ennis for the rest of the season after his 10-day contract expires, reports John Reid of The Times Picayune (Twitter link). That contract is up after Friday’s game against the Lakers. New Orleans is also reportedly poised to sign Jordan Hamilton until season’s end, with his 10-day deal having expired overnight. The moves will presumably come via the hardship provision, as the injury-racked Pelicans had 18 players, three above the regular season limit, until Hamilton’s 10-day ran out. The hardship prevents the team from tacking a non-guaranteed salary for next season onto the deal, so these will likely be true rest-of-season arrangements.
Ennis has played a prominent role for the Pelicans in three games so far, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.7 turnovers in 27.7 minutes per contest. Hot shooting has been a part of that, as he’s gone 8 for 15 from 3-point range. His 83 total minutes have already exceeded the 47 he saw between the Heat and Grizzlies earlier this season, though Memphis gave him extensive time with its D-League team. In any case, Ennis is showing some of the promise that made him the 50th overall pick in the 2013 draft, albeit in a small sample size.
The Pelicans have some exception money remaining, but presumably Ennis will receive the prorated minimum salary, which would give him $24,855. The rest-of-season deal will cover only three games, but it’ll have some lasting value for New Orleans, since it gives the team the chance to make him a restricted free agent and match offers for him this summer. The Pelicans would have to make him a qualifying offer worth $1,080,431 in order to do so.
Sixers Sign Christian Wood For Rest Of Season
THURSDAY, 12:18pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. It’s worth $21,621, provided the signing formally took place today, as the release indicates, and assuming he’s getting only the minimum salary, as is standard for deals this time of year.
WEDNESDAY, 12:23pm: The Sixers and Christian Wood have reached agreement on a deal that covers the rest of the season, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The rookie power forward’s second 10-day contract with the team expired overnight. The new deal will cover only this season and won’t include any additional years, as is sometimes the case with midseason signees, Charania adds, but the Sixers will still have the ability to make Wood a restricted free agent and match offers for him this summer.
This will be the fourth contract Wood will have signed with Philadelphia within the past year. The Sixers initially signed him in September to a four-year deal with a $50K partial guarantee, but though he won a spot on the opening night roster, Philly dumped him in January to make way for Elton Brand as new chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo brought an emphasis on veterans. Wood rejoined the team on a 10-day deal last month after the Sixers opened a roster spot through the JaKarr Sampson snafu, but the Sixers terminated that 10-day contract early so they could claim Sonny Weems off waivers. Philly backtracked on that decision nearly two weeks ago, releasing Weems and signing Wood to another 10-day pact.
Wood averaged a double-double last year at UNLV and was one of the most surprising draft snubs this past June. He appeared to secure a deal with the Rockets quickly after draft night, though that fizzled. He’s seen only 7.8 minutes per game in 16 appearances for Philadelphia and hasn’t played in the team’s last three games, but he’s averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per contest across 32 games with the Sixers D-League affiliate. The 20-year-old has spent time with the D-League Delaware 87ers both on assignment from the Sixers and under D-League contract.