Warriors Close To Camp Deal With Ben Gordon
The Warriors and Ben Gordon are close to agreement on a deal for training camp, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Gordon has remained in free agency since he cleared waivers from the Magic, who released him in June rather than guarantee his $4.5MM salary. Golden State doesn’t have the capacity to give the 11-year veteran and former Sixth Man of the Year more than the minimum salary, and it would appear that little, if any, guaranteed money would be involved.
Gordon, who’s hit 40.1% of his career three-point attempts, would give Golden State an extra shooter, an asset the team has been looking for, Stein notes. He bounced back this past season, knocking down 36.1% of his treys, after an uncharacteristic 27.6% three-point shooting performance for Charlotte in 2013/14. The 32-year-old nonetheless saw a career-low 14.1 minutes per game in his year with Orlando, fueling the notion that the Magic overpaid when they struck a two-year, $9MM deal with Gordon in 2014.
[RELATED POST: Speights Savors Title As Contract Year Looms]
Golden State already has 19 players with either signed contracts or verbal agreements, leaving just one open spot for camp, as our roster count shows. Room on the regular season roster is similarly tight, with 13 full guarantees and a partial guarantee for James Michael McAdoo, who has drawn raves from coach Steve Kerr.
Should the Warriors sign Gordon? Leave a comment to tell us.
Grizzlies, Yakhouba Diawara Agree To Camp Deal
The Grizzlies have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with four-year NBA veteran Yakhouba Diawara, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be his first NBA contract since 2010. The signing will ostensibly round out the camp roster for Memphis, which already had signed contracts or verbal agreements with 19 players.
Diawara, a native of France, has been playing overseas since he last appeared in the NBA with the Heat. He averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game with OpenJobMetis Varese of Italy this past season, though he shot only 28.3% from behind the arc. Outside shooting has never been his strength, however, as he connected on just 30.1% of his three-point attempts during his NBA career with Miami and the Nuggets.
Memphis is no stranger to taking chances with veterans during the preseason, having signed Michael Beasley and Earl Clark to camp deals last year. Neither made it to opening night with the team, and Diawara faces an uphill battle if he’s to stick for the regular season this year. The Grizzlies also have reportedly agreed to sign center Ryan Hollins, and 14 other players have fully guaranteed contracts. Memphis has started each of the past three seasons with fewer than the maximum 15 players for opening night.
No. 51 Pick Tyler Harvey To Sign With D-League
Magic second-round pick Tyler Harvey will spend the season with the D-League affiliate of the Magic, who drafted him 51st overall in June, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). The shooting guard from Eastern Washington will sign directly with the Erie BayHawks instead of the Magic, but, as Robbins notes, Orlando will retain his NBA rights and the power to sign him at any point this season.
Harvey was a walk-on three years ago but quickly made his mark as an elite three-point shooter, nailing 43.2% of his tries beyond the arc during his three-year college career. He was the 48th-best prospect in the draft, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him at No. 60.
Orlando could use outside shooting, and the team has only 13 fully guaranteed contracts, including fellow draft pick Mario Hezonja, so it’s somewhat surprising the Magic didn’t elect to bring Harvey onto the roster for this season. Still, the Magic can change that if they decide the 22-year-old shows enough in the D-League to justify using an NBA roster spot on him.
Thunder To Sign Julyan Stone
The Thunder have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent shooting guard Julyan Stone, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the pact are unknown, though it’s likely a minimum salary training camp deal, but that is merely my speculation.
Stone, 26, saw his last NBA action come during the 2013/14 campaign when he appeared in 21 contests for the Raptors and averaged 0.9 points in 5.7 minutes per game. His NBA career has also includes parts of two seasons spent with the Nuggets. Stone’s career NBA numbers overall are 1.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .440/.211/.722. The 6’6″ guard spent the 2014/15 season playing for Umana Reyer Venezia of Italy.
The addition of Stone will give the Thunder a roster count of 18 players, including 15 with fully guaranteed deals, thus making it a long shot for Stone to make the regular season roster. OKC may have designs on having him play for its D-League affiliate, though that is just speculation on my part.
Cavaliers To Sign Austin Daye
5:38pm: Daye’s contract will be non-guaranteed, international journalist David Pick tweets.
5:34pm: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a contract with unrestricted free agent small forward Austin Daye, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). It will be a one-year deal, though it is unclear if the arrangement includes any guaranteed salary, Charania adds. It’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Cavs can give. Cleveland’s roster count will increase to 17 players with the addition of Daye, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts. This number does not include restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, who remains unsigned.
Daye, 27, had been waived by the Hawks back in July in an effort to clear cap space. His salary was non-guaranteed, but the move cleared his $1,185,784 cap hold from Atlanta’s books, which it required to re-sign of Paul Millsap and trade for Tiago Splitter. Atlanta originally signed Daye to a pair of 10-day contracts during the 2014/15 campaign before inking him to a deal that covered the rest of the season as well as added an additional non-guaranteed year. Daye recently hired agent Obrad Fimic of the AltiSport agency to negotiate deals in Europe.
The former 15th overall pick didn’t see much action while with the Hawks, appearing in only eight regular season games for an average of 9.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t make it in to any of Atlanta’s playoff games. Daye’s career numbers through 293 NBA contests are 5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists to accompany a slash line of .402/.351/.778.
Wolves, Anthony Bennett Reach Buyout Deal
4:09pm: The buyout is official and Bennett has been placed on waivers, the team announced. “In speaking with Anthony and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties,” Timberwolves GM Milt Newton said in the team’s official statement. “When you look at our team, our deepest position is probably power forward. This move balances out our roster while also allowing Anthony another opportunity in the NBA. He has a lot of talent and his play this summer internationally made this a difficult decision for us. During his short time here Anthony has carried himself with class and represented the franchise in a very professional manner. We thank him for his positive attitude and wish him the best of luck in future endeavors.”
WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: Bennett agreed to have his salary cut to $3.65MM in the deal, which the Timberwolves are finalizing, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links). Minnesota won’t be responsible for even the reduced figure if another team picks him up off waivers, but the Wolves haven’t been expecting that to happen, Krawczynski adds (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 11:12am: The Timberwolves and Anthony Bennett have reached agreement on a buyout, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Minnesota will waive the 2013 No. 1 overall pick shortly, Charania adds. The move will resolve a roster dilemma, since Minnesota has been carrying 16 players with fully guaranteed contracts, one more than the regular season roster limit. Without Bennett, the Wolves will have 15 full guarantees plus a partial guarantee for Lorenzo Brown and the non-guaranteed pacts of Kleon Penn and Nick Wiggins.
Bennett has been in line for a guaranteed $5,803,560 this season, with a decision due by the end of November 2nd on a team option worth more than $7.318MM for 2016/17. It’s unclear how much the Excel Sports Management client is giving up, but he wanted the buyout so he could have an opportunity to control the next step in his career, according to Charania (Twitter link), while Bennett’s reps have been eager for a buyout so that he can see more playing time elsewhere, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote Monday. Wojnarowski first reported at that point that Bennett and the Wolves were making progress toward a buyout deal.
The 22-year-old Bennett showed improvement last season after a disastrous rookie year, and he looked strong playing for the Canadian national team this summer. However, his path to minutes was complicated in Minnesota, where 2015 top pick Karl-Anthony Towns, 2014 15th overall pick Adreian Payne and reigning Euroleague MVP Nemanja Bjelica are all competing for playing time in the frontcourt along with Gorgui Dieng, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Garnett. Andrew Wiggins, Tayshaun Prince, Shabazz Muhammad and Damjan Rudez clog the way to playing time at small forward.
Who do you think a buyout will benefit more, Bennett or the Timberwolves? Leave a comment to let us know.
Grizzlies To Sign Ryan Hollins
2:28pm: It’s expected to be a one-year deal, Spears adds in a full story. That means the Grizzlies will only be responsible for $947,276 of the $1,362,897 Hollins would make if he sticks for the season, with the league covering the rest.
2:20pm: The contract will be non-guaranteed, a source tells Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
1:32pm: The Grizzlies and Ryan Hollins have agreed to a deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Warriors, Clippers and Kings reportedly spoke with the center’s representatives last month, but apparently it’s Memphis instead where he’ll end up, with training camp set to begin this coming Tuesday. An overseas deal for fellow Todd Ramasar client Chris Singleton, who had reportedly been in touch with the Clippers around the same time L.A’s Hollins talks took place, provided a hint earlier today that a Hollins signing might be forthcoming. It’s not immediately clear whether the Grizzlies are including any guaranteed money in the pact, though it’s certain that the contract will be for the minimum salary, since that’s all Memphis can give.
Hollins, who turns 31 next month, has found consistent work as a backup center over his nine-year NBA career, and he spent last season with Sacramento. The Pelicans and Mavericks were reportedly interested in him earlier this summer. The Grizzlies spend plenty of time with two big men on the floor, and with combo forward Jarell Martin, this year’s 25th overall pick, out indefinitely with a broken foot, Hollins reinforces the team’s depth behind Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and mid-level signee Brandan Wright.
Memphis has 14 fully guaranteed pacts, a partial guarantee for power forward JaMychal Green, and three non-guaranteed deals, as our roster count shows. Point guard Andrew Harrison, whom the Grizzlies picked 44th overall, remains unsigned, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (on Twitter).
Do you think Hollins will help the Grizzlies this year? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
No. 48 Pick Dakari Johnson To Play In D-League
Former Kentucky center Dakari Johnson will sign with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, GM Sam Presti said today to media, including Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oklahoma City drafted the 7-footer 48th overall this past June, though it’s no surprise that he’s not joining the NBA roster for the start of the season, particularly since the Thunder already have 15 fully guaranteed deals. Oklahoma City retains Johnson’s NBA rights even as he heads to the D-League.
Johnson was the 33rd-best prospect on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings heading into the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him 45th, closer to his draft position. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, though he had to compete for playing time with top pick Karl-Anthony Towns and No. 6 selection Willie Cauley-Stein, among others, on last season’s stacked Kentucky team. Johnson, a Leon Rose client, saw more playing time in summer league, with 26.7 MPG, and while his 7.6 PPG were unremarkable, his 8.6 RPG showed his strength on the boards.
Oklahoma City has made frequent use of its D-League team to stash draft picks in recent years. The Thunder struck an innovative deal with Josh Huestis in 2014, agreeing to use the 29th overall pick on him in exchange for his promise to play in the D-League this past season. The team also had 2013 No. 40 pick Grant Jerrett and 2014 No. 55 pick Semaj Christon sign in the D-League.
Do you think Johnson will become a productive NBA player once he receives his shot in the league? Leave a comment to tell us.
Pelicans Officially Sign Three For Camp
The Pelicans have formally signed Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts and New Zealand prospect Corey Webster, the team announced. The moves, which had been expected, give New Orleans 18 players with training camp set to begin this coming Tuesday.
Adrien is receiving a one-year deal for the minimum after splitting last season between the Timberwolves and China. The 29-year-old power forward again drew interest from Minnesota this summer, as well as from the Magic, Mavs, Timberwolves, Knicks, Hornets and Sixers, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported when he first broke the story of the deal and its details. It remains unclear just how much, if any, of Adrien’s salary will be guaranteed.
Douglas-Roberts, 28, returns to the NBA on a two-year minimum salary deal after sitting out since January, when the Celtics waived him following the trade that sent him to Boston from the Clippers. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported the deal between the Pelicans and the 28-year-old, while John Reid of The Times Picayune added that it’s non-guaranteed.
Webster, a 26-year-old who attended college in the U.S. at the former Lambuth University in Tennessee, spent last season playing in Serbia as well as his native New Zealand. Marc Hinton of stuff.co.nz first revealed the shooting guard’s three-year, non-guaranteed deal. It’s not clear if Webster signed for any more than the equivalent of the rookie minimum salary, though the length of the contract dictates that the team used a portion of its mid-level exception.
Only 13 Pelicans are known to have fully guaranteed contracts, ostensibly giving Adrien, Douglas-Roberts and Webster decent chances of sticking for opening night. Bryce Dejean-Jones and Sean Kilpatrick are headed to camp without full guarantees in their deals.
Nets Sign Chris Daniels
The Nets have signed 31-year-old center Chris Daniels, the team announced via press release. Daniels is poised to head to an NBA training camp for the second time in his seven-year NBA career, having done so with the Lakers in 2011, but he’s yet to play in an NBA regular season game. The Nets have signed contracts or verbal agreements with 20 players already, as our roster count shows, but one of them is the injured Yanick Moreira, who has yet to sign a contract, so it would appear that Daniels is replacing him.
Daniels spent this past season playing in China with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who also featured Emmanuel Mudiay, Will Bynum, Jeff Adrien and Yi Jianlian. The 7’0″ Daniels put up 12.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. He’s made multiple appearances in NBA summer league play over the years since going undrafted out of Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 2008, the last of which came with the summer Raptors in 2014.
Brooklyn figures to have an intriguing camp, with only 12 players signed to fully guaranteed contracts and five others on partially guaranteed deals. Two others, Dahntay Jones and Justin Harper, are without any guaranteed money. It’s not immediately clear if Daniels will have a guarantee on his salary.