Bucks Officially Sign Powell, Horford, Westbrook
The Bucks have officially signed Josh Powell, Jon Horford and Charlie Westbrook, the team announced. All three are on non-guaranteed contracts for the minimum salary that cover one season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported earlier this week when he noted the trio had put pen to paper. The contracts give Milwaukee an even 20 players, the preseason limit, though 15 of them have fully guaranteed deals, meaning Powell, Horford and Westbrook are long shots to stick for opening night.
Powell spent last season as part of the Rockets coaching staff after accruing eight years of service time as an NBA player, including two seasons with the Lakers, who won the title both years. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported earlier this month that the 32-year-old power forward would leave coaching to resume his playing career (Twitter link).
Horford, also a power forward, is the younger brother of Hawks star Al Horford. The 23-year-old went undrafted this year out of Florida after spending most of his college career at Michigan. Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops was the first to report that Horford would join Bucks camp (Twitter link).
It’s the second NBA contract for Westbrook, who went undrafted out of South Dakota in 2012. He joined the Heat for the preseason in 2013. Westbrook, 26, was with Hyeres-Toulon Var in France’s second-tier league last season. Charania initially reported the shooting guard’s camp deal with the Bucks (Twitter link).
Now that the team’s summer moves appear complete, what do you think of the Bucks this season? Leave a comment to tell us.
Nets Sign Justin Harper
The Nets have signed one-year NBA veteran Justin Harper, the team announced via press release. Harper was the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft, but this is his first contract since the Magic waived him at the end of the 2012 preseason. The power forward is the 20th player with whom the Nets have either a verbal agreement or a signed contract, as our roster count shows, though only 12 of them have fully guaranteed pacts. His addition presumably means Brooklyn is done with offseason additions, since the preseason roster limit is 20.
Harper, 26, spent this past season with Sidigas Avellino in Italy’s top division, averaging 12.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game. He’s also played in Israel, France and the D-League during his pro career, one in which he’s scored 20 points in 84 total NBA minutes. Harper has been a frequent presence at summer league over the years, appearing on both the Suns and Pistons summer squads this July and notching 5.4 PPG in 12.5 MPG across 11 contests.
The competition for the final spots on Brooklyn’s 15-man regular season roster holds intrigue. Five players have partially guaranteed deals with the team, while veteran swingman Dahntay Jones and undrafted rookie Yanick Moreira are reportedly coming to camp without any guaranteed money. The level of guarantee in Harper’s contract isn’t immediately clear.
Assuming the Nets start the regular season with 15 players, who do you think will land the last three open spots? Leave a comment to let us know.
Wolves Sign Nick Wiggins
FRIDAY, 12:29pm: The deal is official, the team announced (on Twitter).
THURSDAY, 4:05pm: The Timberwolves have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent swingman Nick Wiggins, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). It is a non-guaranteed training camp deal, according to Pincus, likely for the minimum salary, though that is merely my speculation.
Wiggins, 24, is the older brother of Andrew Wiggins. The elder Wiggins went undrafted in 2014 out of Wichita State after averaging 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists as a Senior. He spent the 2014 summer league playing for the Kings’ squad before signing a deal to play with Tigers Tübingen of the Basketball Bundesliga, though his tenure with the team ended after just 11 contests. Wiggins played for both the Jazz and Wolves in the summer league this offseason.
Minnesota now has 19 players heading to training camp with the team, including 16 with full guarantees on their contracts. This number includes center Kleon Penn, who agreed to a training camp deal with the team on Wednesday.
Wolves Sign Kleon Penn
FRIDAY, 12:28pm: The deal is official, the team announced (on Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 9:00pm: The Timberwolves have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent center Kleon Penn, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal are not yet known. It is most likely a minimum salary training camp deal that includes little or no guaranteed salary, though that is merely my speculation.
The 29-year-old went undrafted out of McNeese State back in 2009, and he has played outside the U.S. ever since. Penn spent the 2014/15 season playing for the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamon. In 44 contests last season, Penn averaged 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 19.3 minutes of action per night. His career NCAA numbers were 5.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.9 BPG to go along with a shooting line of .601/.000/.565.
Penn joins a Timberwolves squad that already has a roster count of 17 players, including 16 possessing fully guaranteed deals. The 6’11” big man will certainly have a slim chance to beat the odds and secure a spot on Minnesota’s opening night roster, though he will provide some frontcourt depth during the preseason.
Cavaliers To Sign Nick Minnerath
The Cavaliers have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent forward Nick Minnerath, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link). The pact is for one year and non-guaranteed, Haynes adds. It’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Cavs can offer after spending the taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Mo Williams and Sasha Kaun.
Minnerath, 26, passed up a training camp invitation from the Lakers two seasons ago to play for Obradoiro in Spain. The forward spent the 2014/15 campaign with Cholet Basket of France where he averaged 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 32 contests. He played his collegiate ball at the University of Detroit, logging career NCAA averages of 12.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 0.9 APG to go along with a slash line of .493/.369/.814.
The addition of Minnerath will give Cleveland a roster count of 16 players, including 13 possessing fully guaranteed pacts. This number doesn’t include power forward Tristan Thompson, who still remains unsigned.
Norris Cole Takes Qualifying Offer From Pelicans
THURSDAY, 3:00pm: The signing is official, the Pelicans announced.
WEDNESDAY, 11:22am: Restricted free agent Norris Cole has accepted his qualifying offer from the Pelicans, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Agent Rich Paul confirmed to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he’s signed the tender, worth $3,036,927, though the team has made no official announcement (Twitter link). The qualifying offer, which covers one season, sets Cole up for unrestricted free agency next summer, and it also gives him the right to veto trades this season.
The point guard’s free agency had been slow-going, as is common among Paul’s clients. However, the start of camp is less than two weeks away, and fellow Paul client Montrezl Harrell reached an agreement in principle Tuesday with the Rockets. Cavs restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, Paul’s most prominent unsigned client, remains in limbo.
Cole, once he officially signs the qualifying offer, will become the just 20th player to do so since 1995, joining Matthew Dellavedova, who signed his qualifying offer from the Cavaliers in July. Still, it’s no shock that Cole is doing so, as a source told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops in late July that the 26-year-old saw the qualifying offer as a viable option. Grantland’s Zach Lowe suggests both sides have reason to be comfortable with it (Twitter link). Cole, a backup, will play this season on a salary that’s almost as much as the value of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception and hit the open market next summer, just as the salary cap is set to spike and teams will have money to burn. The Pelicans keep costs in check and preserve about $5MM worth of room beneath the luxury tax line.
The Sixers, Knicks and Lakers all reportedly had interest this summer in the former 28th overall pick, but New Orleans kept up its pursuit and had the right to match offers. New coach Alvin Gentry recently expressed a desire to have Cole re-sign, and Anthony Davis was also hopeful that Cole would be back. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors examined Cole’s free agency in depth last month, concluding that he would do well to sign the qualifying offer.
Cole is becomes the 17th Pelican to have either a signed contract or a verbal agreement with the team, and his addition will give New Orleans 14 fully guaranteed deals. It’ll bump the Pelicans team salary to about $79.652MM, well beneath the $84.74MM tax threshold and their $88.74MM hard cap.
Who do you think benefits the most from a signed qualifying offer, Cole or the Pelicans? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Jerrelle Benimon Breaks Off Cavs Deal For China
One-year NBA veteran Jerrelle Benimon has agreed to play for the Foshan Long Lions of China, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, and he’s pulling out of his deal with the Cavaliers to do so, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor confirms (Twitter link). Reichert reported earlier this month that the power forward had agreed to sign a deal with the Cavaliers that would bring him to camp, but it appears that finances persuaded him against Cleveland. The Long Lions will pay him nearly $500K in base salary, and incentive clauses that could give him more will be in his contract, Reichert hears, citing a source (Twitter link). It’s unlikely his Cavs contract would have called for a guarantee of nearly that much.
Benimon’s departure further unsettles Cleveland’s camp roster. The Cavs have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, though Tristan Thompson‘s continued free agency looms large. D.J. Stephens will be in Cavs camp, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reported, and so will Jared Cunningham, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Conflicting reports exist on whether the Cavs have a camp deal with former Duke point guard Quinn Cook, but he’s apparently expected to agree to terms.
The decision to turn down a chance to go to Cavs camp for the Chinese offer was difficult for Benimon, but the early end to the Chinese season that could put Benimon back in free agency as soon as February helped motivate the former Towson standout to head overseas, a source tells Reichert (Twitter link). Benimon, like most, wants to play in the NBA, Reichert adds, and the timing of the Chinese season would allow him the chance to chase 10-day contracts like the one he signed with the Jazz last season. He spent most of last season with Utah’s D-League affiliate after failing to make the opening night roster with the Nuggets, who waived the partially guaranteed deal he signed a year ago.
Do you think turning down the Cavs for more money overseas was the right move for Benimon? Leave a comment to tell us.
Hawks To Sign DeQuan Jones
The Hawks have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent small forward DeQuan Jones, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are not known, but Charania referred to it as a training camp deal, meaning that it is likely a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation.
The 25-year-old went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.
The addition of Jones will give Atlanta a roster count of 18 players, including 13 possessing fully guaranteed pacts. Jones will compete for a regular season roster spot with Terran Petteway, Jason Richardson, and Lamar Patterson, though he certainly will be considered a longshot to make the final cut at the end of the preseason.
Suns Sign Five Players To Camp Deals
The Suns have officially signed shooting guard Deonte Burton, small forward Kyle Casey, small forward Cory Jefferson, center Henry Sims and shooting guard Terrico White, the team announced. All five players inked non-guaranteed, minimum salary training camp pacts with the team. Phoenix now has a roster count of 18 players, including 13 possessing full guarantees on their pacts.
Burton, 24, went undrafted out of Nevada in 2014 after averaging 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists against 2.0 turnovers in 38.6 MPG as a Senior. His career NCAA numbers were 16.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG to accompany a shooting line of .439/.337/.751.
Casey, 25, spent the past season playing for Helios Domzale of Slovenia, averaging 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game. That was more playing time than he saw as a senior for Harvard in 2013/14, when he put up 9.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 22.0 MPG. At 6’7″, he averaged 1.2 blocks per game as a college senior but fewer than one block per contest in Slovenia last year, and he shot less than 30% from three-point range in both seasons. Casey played for the Nets summer league team in 2014 but didn’t take part in NBA summer league this year.
Jefferson, 24, was the final pick of the 2014 draft and appeared in 50 games for the Nets this past season, averaging 3.7 points in 10.6 minutes per game. The 6’9″ forward was waived by Brooklyn back in July so the team could avoid his non-guaranteed salary becoming partially guaranteed for $150K.
Sims, 25, made 73 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per contest. His career numbers through three NBA campaigns are 7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .475/.174/.760. The big man wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Philadelphia this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
White, 25, spent this past season with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of Russia, where he averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game, with 37.2% three-point shooting. He’s also played in Israel, Serbia and Turkey.
Bucks, Josh Powell Agree To Contract
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:25pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one season at the minimum salary with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 5TH, 11:50am: Josh Powell has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Powell spent last season as the Rockets’ player development coach.
Powell couldn’t pass up the chance to play again, he told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports (Twitter link). “I’m just blessed to have any opportunity,” Powell said. “I’m excited to get back on the court.”
The 6’9” power forward turned down multiple offers to play overseas last fall to join the Rockets’ coaching staff. He appeared in a single game for Houston during the 2013/14 season after failing to secure an NBA contract during the previous two seasons.
Powell went into coaching after the Rockets waived him during training camp. At that point, he opted to retire but has apparently put that off while he pursues the opportunity with the Bucks. Powell will face a daunting task to make Milwaukee’s final roster, considering the Bucks already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and three others with non-guaranteed deals.
The 32-year-old Powell is a veteran of seven NBA seasons, counting his one-game stint with Houston, with career averages of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. He has spent time with the Mavs, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks and Rockets since his debut in 2005/06.