Nets Sign Dahntay Jones
THURSDAY, 3:00pm: The signing is official, the team announced via a press release.
MONDAY, 12:18pm: The Nets and 11-year veteran Dahntay Jones have agreed to terms on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The Clippers, Kings and Knicks expressed interest in signing the Mark Bartelstein client on the first day of free agency, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported at that point, but the market for the 34-year-old had seemed to dry up since then.
Jones finished this past season on the Clippers after signing a pair of 10-day contracts. It was his first NBA action in a while, since he hadn’t played in the NBA during the 2013/14 season, and the Jazz waived his non-guaranteed contract shortly before opening night in 2014. His work on the defensive end has helped him to a lengthy NBA career even though he’s only averaged double-digit points per game once, in 2009/10 with the Pacers. Jones put up less than a point per game in 3.7 minutes per contest for the Clippers, but the team apparently thought highly of his contribution to team chemistry.
His pedigree as a former Duke Blue Devil surely endears him to fellow Dukie Billy King, the Nets GM, but Jones nonetheless faces a challenge to make the opening night roster in Brooklyn. The Nets only have 12 fully guaranteed contracts, but five others have partially guaranteed money in their deals with Brooklyn.
Do you think the Nets will keep Jones for the regular season, or will he be a camp casualty? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Warriors, Juwan Staten Agree To Deal
The Warriors and undrafted West Virginia point guard Juwan Staten have agreed to a one-year deal, agent Colin Bryant tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Staten was with the Kings for summer league. Golden State has been carrying 17 deals, at least 13 of which are fully guaranteed.
Staten, 23, was the 81st-best draft prospect this year in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him at No. 98 about a week before the draft. His playing time shrunk this past season as a senior compared to his junior year, when he averaged six more minutes per game. The 5’11” Ohio native put up 14.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.0 turnovers in 31.3 minutes per contest for the Mountaineers this year.
A sore left knee curtailed Staten’s summer league experience, as he appeared in just one game. The Warriors are short on traditional point guards behind Stephen Curry, with Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa the backups, so Staten will try to make his case for the regular season as a more conventional insurance option. If he doesn’t make it to opening night, the Warriors can retain the D-League rights to him and as many as three other camp cuts.
Do you think Staten can win a place on the Warriors regular season roster? Leave a comment to let us know.
Pelicans Sign Sean Kilpatrick
THURSDAY, 10:08am: The deal is official, the Pelicans announced.
WEDNESDAY, 5:40pm: The Pelicans have signed unrestricted free agent shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The arrangement is a two-year, minimum salary deal that includes a partial guarantee of $50K for the 2015/16 season, Pincus adds. The 25-year-old was also a participant in recent workouts with the Hawks, Spurs and Lakers.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat averaged a strong 18.2 points in 28.7 minutes per game in summer league play for the Bucks this year, but Milwaukee already has 15 players on its roster possessing full guarantees. The path to a regular season roster spot for Kilpatrick would appear to be a bit less muddled with the Pelicans, with the team having 13 players with fully guaranteed pacts on its roster currently.
Kilpatrick appeared in four contests for the Timberwolves while on a 10-day contract during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 5.5 points in 18.0 minutes per appearance. He spent the bulk of last season in the NBA D-League, playing for the affiliates of the Sixers and Warriors.
Nets Forfeit Draft Rights To Xavier Thames
The Nets declined to extend the required tender necessary to keep the draft rights to Xavier Thames, the 59th overall pick from 2014, so he’s free to negotiate a deal with any NBA team, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Brooklyn had until the league’s deadline today to make the former San Diego State shooting guard an offer of at least a non-guaranteed minimum salary for one year.
The move is somewhat surprising, since the Nets have only 18 players, with just 12 who have fully guaranteed contracts, and NBA teams are allowed as many as 20 players for the preseason and 15 for the regular season. Brooklyn seemingly had room to make the required tender, in which case the worst scenario would have seen Thames sign it and fail to win a regular season roster spot, meaning the Nets would have lost his rights when they placed him on waivers. That would have given Brooklyn a chance to see him perform against others in training camp, but it appears that the Nets decided they have already seen enough.
The 24-year-old wasn’t dazzling in summer league this July, averaging 4.0 points in 12.6 minutes per game across eight appearances, with 4 for 13 three-point shooting. Thames shot 37.2% from behind the arc as a senior in college, but his stroke has appeared to desert him since, as he hit on just 28.0% of his three-pointers in 18 regular season games after joining the D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season He went 2 for 10 from long distance in the D-League playoffs and connected on 28.6% of his three-pointers earlier in the season with Sevilla of Spain.
The Raptors originally drafted Thames, but they traded his rights to the Nets that same night in exchange for cash. Brooklyn used cash to acquire three 2014 second-rounders, but with Cory Jefferson off to the Suns, Markel Brown is the only one remaining on the Nets.
Did the Nets make the right call here? Comment to share your thoughts.
Suns Sign Kyle Casey To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 8:07am: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has made no official announcement.
AUGUST 21ST, 8:31am: The Suns have agreed to sign former Harvard combo forward Kyle Casey to a contract for training camp, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Casey, who turns 26 in November despite having been out of college ball for only a year, will join former 36th overall pick Terrico White, with whom Phoenix also has a deal for camp, as Shams Charania of RealGM reported Thursday. The Suns have their $2.814MM room exception available, but these are likely minimum-salary arrangements with little or no guaranteed money.
Casey 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.
The additions of White and Casey give Phoenix deals with 15 players, 13 of which are fully guaranteed. The pair stand decent chances to make the regular season roster, depending on the other moves the Suns make between now and opening night, though it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see them end up with Phoenix’s one-to-one D-League affiliate. The Suns brought four players to camp last fall with the understanding that they would play for the D-League Bakersfield Jam if they didn’t stick in the NBA for opening night, as Coro notes.
Who do you think has a better chance to make the regular season roster for the Suns, Kyle Casey or Terrico White? Leave a comment to let us know.
Kings Re-Sign Eric Moreland
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 7:57am: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Kings have yet to make an official announcement. In any case, Moreland’s partial guarantee is $200K, according to former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 3RD, 1:51pm: The Kings and Eric Moreland have reached agreement on a new one-year deal that contains a “significant” partial guarantee, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charania reported Sunday that the Pistons were the front-runners for the one-year NBA veteran, with the Lakers and Sacramento also in the running, but it appears the Kings closed the gap to secure the power forward they released in July. They would have had to fully guarantee his salary if they had held on to him at that point. That contract called for him to make the minimum salary, and while it’s unclear how much Sacramento has agreed to give him this time, the Kings have the $2.814MM room exception available to exceed the minimum if necessary.
The Relativity Sports client had an abbreviated first year as a pro, having suffered a labral tear in his left shoulder in December that forced him out for the rest of this past season. He’d only made his way into three games for the Kings, but he showed his value as a rebounder in the D-League, pulling down 12.7 boards in 28.7 minutes per game across seven appearances. Moreland averaged 10.3 RPG in 29.4 MPG in his final college season at Oregon State, but he went undrafted in 2014.
Similarities between Moreland’s playing style and that of Willie Cauley-Stein, whom Sacramento drafted sixth overall this year, apparently helped lead the Kings to waive Moreland earlier this summer, but front office chief Vlade Divac made it clear early last month that the team maintained interest in bringing him back. The Lakers reportedly worked him out shortly thereafter.
Sacramento has 14 fully guaranteed salaries, plus a deal with Vince Hunter that’s reportedly partially guaranteed and a non-guaranteed contract with David Stockton. Marshall Henderson apparently has a camp deal with the team, though it’s unclear what level of guaranteed salary, if any, is involved with that.
Do you think Moreland will make the opening night roster? Leave a comment to tell us.
Wizards Sign Toure’ Murry
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:57pm: Murry has signed with the Wizards, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter).
AUGUST 28TH, 4:18pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Toure’ Murry, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic reports. The pact is a non-guaranteed training camp arrangement, Michael notes. The addition of the guard will give the Wizards a roster count of 17 players, 15 of whom possess fully guaranteed contracts, making it a longshot for Murry to make the opening night roster.
Murry had inked a one-year, $1MM contract with Utah last offseason, but it was only partially guaranteed, and he saw just one minute of action with the Jazz prior to his January release, much to the dismay of his agent, Bernie Lee. Murry later resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Wizards, for whom he totaled six points in 17 minutes.
The Lakers had reportedly brought in Murry as part of a group workout held in Los Angeles earlier this month, though no contract offer came out of that showcase for the 25-year-old.
Wizards To Bring Ish Smith To Camp
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:56pm: The signing is official, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).
SEPTEMBER 8TH, 11:27am: The Wizards have a non-guaranteed pact with Ish Smith for training camp, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Castillo also confirms an earlier report from J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that Washington will bring Toure’ Murry to camp on a non-guaranteed contract, too. Smith and Murry have already put pen to paper, according to Castillo, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement.
Washington also agreed to a non-guaranteed camp deal with undrafted UNC-Asheville center Jaleel Roberts, as Shams Charania reported at that point for RealGM, though Castillo refers to Roberts as a “possibility” for the Wizards (Twitter links). In any case, Smith, Murry and Roberts all seem to face long odds to make Washington’s roster, which includes 15 others who have fully guaranteed contracts.
Smith finished last season with the Sixers, and on a roster painfully short on point guard options, the five-year veteran had the most productive stretch of his career, averaging 12.0 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 turnovers in 27.1 minutes per game across 25 appearances. He expressed interest at season’s end in a return to Philadelphia, but his unrestricted free agency this summer has been surprisingly quiet, with a lack of reports about any teams in pursuit. It’s possible that he was waiting on the Sixers, whose flurry of activity over Labor Day weekend left them with no more wiggle room for their camp roster, though that’s just my speculation.
The Raymond Brothers client signed a fully guaranteed contract for the minimum salary with the Rockets last summer, but Houston waived him before the start of the regular season. The Thunder added him as their 16th man via the hardship provision in November and kept him over Sebastian Telfair when they trimmed back down to 15 players. Oklahoma City nonetheless traded him to the Pelicans at the deadline, and New Orleans immediately released him. That’s when the Sixers jumped into the picture, claiming him off waivers two days later.
Do you think Ish Smith deserves to stick with the Wizards? If so, which of their 15 fully guaranteed contracts should go? Leave a comment to tell us.
Grizzlies, Lazeric Jones Agree To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:55pm: No official announcement has been made by Memphis, but Jones has indeed signed a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract with the team, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2:30pm: The Grizzlies have agreed to sign former UCLA point guard Lazeric Jones to a non-guaranteed deal, a source tells Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was with the Pelicans for summer league in July, but he’s chiefly played out his pro career overseas so far, with stops in Israel, Greece and Hungary.
Only one roster spot would appear to be up for grabs in Memphis, which has 14 fully guaranteed deals, though the Grizzlies have carried fewer than 15 players on opening night each of the last three seasons, as I noted earlier today. Jones would be competing against JaMychal Green, who has a $150K partial guarantee, and fellow non-guaranteed camp signee Michael Holyfield for a regular season roster spot if the Grizzlies decide to buck their recent trend. It’s more likely that Memphis would cut him at the end of the preseason and retain his D-League rights for its one-to-one affiliate, though that’s just my speculation.
Jones, who went undrafted in 2012, put up 13.6 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 turnovers in 33.5 minutes per game in his final collegiate season with the Bruins in 2011/12. He posted 7.8 PPG, 1.6 APG and 1.2 TOPG in 16.3 MPG across five summer league appearances this year. The 6’0″ Chicago native spent this past season in Hungary, where he posted 12.8 PPG, 4.1 APG and 2.5 TOPG in 26.6 MPG for Szolnoki Olaj.\
Do you think Jones stands a realistic chance to make the regular season roster for the Grizzlies? Leave a comment to let us know.
Kings Sign Vince Hunter
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:53pm: Hunter has signed with the Kings, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The pact is a one-year, minimum salary arrangement that includes a partial guarantee of $35K, Pincus notes. No official announcement has been made by the team.
AUGUST 13TH, 3:53pm: The Kings have reached a contract agreement with undrafted forward Vince Hunter, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the pact are not yet known, but Charania notes that the deal includes a partial guarantee. Hunter was ranked as the No. 56 overall prospect in the 2015 NBA Draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, while ESPN’s Chad Ford slotted him at 42nd overall.
The addition of Hunter will bring Sacramento’s roster count to 16 players, 14 of whom possess fully guaranteed contracts, making Hunter a longshot to make the opening night roster. The Kings may have designs on the 6’8″ forward spending the 2015/16 season with their D-League affiliate in Reno, though that is merely my speculation. Hunter is an excellent athlete who is a solid rebounder, and he is an exciting finisher around the rim, but his lack of a reliable perimeter game will hurt his chances to earn a regular spot in the NBA.
The 21-year old made 33 appearances for UTEP during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 14.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest, and he owned a slash line of .526/.400/.602. Hunter played for the Sixers’ squad in the Las Vegas Summer League, logging averages of 7.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG in four appearances.