Clippers Sign Chuck Hayes To One-Year Deal
7:37pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.
5:00pm: The deal is not fully guaranteed, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
4:39pm: The Clippers and Chuck Hayes have reached agreement on a one-year deal, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Hayes was set to sign with the Rockets, but that deal fell apart last week. It’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Clippers can give. The deal between Houston and Hayes was reportedly for the minimum with a partial guarantee, though the level of the guarantee on the latest deal for the Calvin Andrews client is unclear. Andrews has nonetheless confirmed the existence of the Clippers deal to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link).
Several teams had expressed interest in Hayes for coaching or front office jobs, but still only 32, he was focused on continuing his career as a player, as Andrews said last week. Hayes has a chance to keep playing with the Clippers after putting up career lows across the board, including in minutes per game, with the Raptors this past season. Still, at only 6’6″, the undersized center has performed well on the boards during his 10-year career, pulling down 8.1 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game for the Rockets in 2010/11.
The deal with Hayes would appear to complicate the team’s reported talks with Glen Davis and Ryan Hollins, and perhaps its apparent interest in Chris Singleton, too. The Clippers have been carrying 14 fully guaranteed contracts, as our roster count shows, so that leaves room for only one more player on the regular season roster.
Whom should the Clippers carry as their 15th man? Hayes, Davis, Hollins, Singleton or somebody else? Leave a comment to chime in.
Suns Sign Cory Jefferson, Henry Sims
SATURDAY, 3:15pm: The signings are official, according to the RealGM transactions log. No formal announcement has been made by the Suns.
TUESDAY, 6:16pm: The Suns have agreed to training camp deals with Henry Sims and Cory Jefferson, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports. The length and terms of the contracts are unknown, but they are likely minimum salary agreements that include little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation. Phoenix already has 15 players on its roster, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts.
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.
Jefferson, the final pick of the 2014 draft, 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.
Jazz Sign J.J. O’Brien
The Jazz have signed unrestricted free agent forward J.J. O’Brien, the team announced. The length and terms of the deal were not relayed, but it is likely a minimum salary training camp deal that may include a small partial guarantee, though that is merely my speculation.
O’Brien, 23, went undrafted this year out of San Diego State after making 36 appearances as a senior, averaging 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. His career NCAA numbers are 8.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.6 APG with a slash line of .471/.247/.601.
The 6’7″ forward played summer league ball for Utah in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. The addition of O’Brien will give the Jazz a roster count of 20, which is the preseason maximum.
Thunder To Sign Talib Zanna For Camp
The Thunder have agreed to bring Talib Zanna to camp for a second consecutive autumn, as Shams Charania of RealGM cites sources who say they’re reached a one-year, non-guaranteed deal (Twitter link). The power forward, who went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2014, spent this past season with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate, furthering the team’s familiarity with the Relativity Sports client. RealGM’s player page for Zanna lists him as under contract with OpenJobMetis Varese of Italy, so it would appear as though that deal has an NBA out.
Zanna, who turns 25 in October, split summer league between the Thunder and Cavs, putting up 6.0 points and an efficient 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Indeed, at 6’9″, he showed a touch on the boards in the D-League this past year, pulling down 11.0 RPG to go with 13.3 PPG in 27.7 MPG. It’s a skill he didn’t show as much of in college, where he topped out at 8.6 RPG in 30.3 MPG as a senior.
Oklahoma City has 15 fully guaranteed contracts, and they reportedly have camp deals with shooting guards Dez Wells and Michael Qualls. That would make it tough to envision Zanna breaking through and sticking on the roster for the regular season. Still, it’s an opportunity for the Thunder to continue their relationship and get a closer look at him, perhaps with a late-season 10-day contract in mind.
Deal Between Rockets, Chuck Hayes Falls Apart
11:18am: Andrews expressed surprise at how the deal came undone, Berman also tweets. The Rockets are one of the teams that wants Hayes in a non-playing capacity, as Andrews reveals to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
“I think when we came up with the agreement, after that point, they had some other activity, the Ty Lawson trade, the Jason Terry signing,” Andrews said. “That put Chuck in a precarious situation. The result of that squeezed him out of the equation. They had some cap stuff they were concerned with. We didn’t get into a lot of details. It’s a tough situation. It’s very disappointing. This is the business. These things happen. I commend them for telling us now as opposed to dragging us through camp. We’ll explore if there are other teams interested. He wants to continue to play. There’s multiple teams that want him to join his staff, including the Rockets, if that’s what he wants to do. He wants to continue to play.”
10:59am: The dissolution of the agreement appears to have rankled the Hayes camp, as comments Andrews made to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston indicate (Twitter link). “We are extremely upset and disappointed. We know this is a business,” Andrews said.
AUGUST 27TH, 10:46am: The center won’t be signing with the Rockets after all, agent Calvin Andrews tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Andrews cited “limited roster flexibility” and “other financial considerations,” a hint that the unraveling of the deal had to do with the dilemma the Rockets face with No. 32 overall pick Montrezl Harrell. Hayes, 32, has received multiple offers for coaching and front office positions, and while he has interest in going that route eventually, he remains focused on continuing his playing career for now, Andrews said.
JULY 30TH, 11:33am: Hayes’ deal includes a partial guarantee, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
JULY 29TH, 9:18pm: The Rockets have agreed to terms with free agent center Chuck Hayes on a contract, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It’ll be a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
The 10-year veteran big man played his first six NBA seasons with Houston, and GM Daryl Morey has shown a fondness for reunions with his former players. The market for the 32-year-old was been quiet this month after coming off a season of career lows – Hayes averaged just 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game across 29 appearances. He was a starter his last two seasons in Houston.
Hayes made nearly $5.959MM in 2014/15, so he’ll be taking a significant pay cut this season.
Suns Sign Deonte Burton
The Suns have signed unrestricted free agent Deonte Burton, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). It is a non-guaranteed training camp pact, adds Pincus, and most likely for the league minimum, though that is merely my speculation. The agreement will also include limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it is likely an Exhibit 9 contract. The addition of Burton will give Phoenix a roster count of 18 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed deals.
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.
The guard appeared in the 2014 summer league with the Wizards before catching on with the Kings for training camp. Burton was cut by Sacramento last October and later signed with Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm for the remainder of the 2014/15 season. His numbers in 31 appearances for Ratiopharm were an underwhelming 2.6 PPG, 0.6 RPG, and 0.5 APG in 10.1 minutes per contest. Burton played in the 2015 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League for the Sixers’ squad.
Hornets Sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist To Extension
TUESDAY, 12:40pm: The deal is official, the Hornets announced.
“Michael is a huge part of what we are trying to build here in Charlotte,” GM Rich Cho said in the team’s statement. “He has dedicated himself to improving and expanding his game. Michael continues to develop on both ends of the court and has become a key piece of our team. We are thrilled that he is a Charlotte Hornet.”
MONDAY, 8:09pm: The Hornets are close to signing forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to a four-year, $52MM contract extension, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The agreement will be finalized this week with a news conference to follow, sources told Wojnarowski. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer confirms the deal and adds that the Leon Rose client will take a physical on Tuesday (Twitter link).
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft will make $6,331,404 this season before the extension kicks in.
Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds for Charlotte last season, his third in the league. He only appeared in 55 games before an ankle injury cut his season short.
The 21-year-old small forward has a reputation for being a stout one-on-one defender, and his player efficiency rating of 15.14 last season reflects that despite his relatively modest offensive contributions and the fact he’s averaged less than one block and one steal in each of his seasons. Hornets coach Steve Clifford proclaimed in March that Kidd-Gilchrist has the talent to become the best perimeter defender in this generation of NBA players.
He’s shot 46.4% from the field in his short career, though he’s not a threat from the 3-point line. He’s made only three shots from long range and didn’t even attempt one last season.
Greg Oden To Play In China
AUGUST 26TH, 8:18am: Oden has passed his tryout, so his deal is official, Sportando’s Enea Trapani writes. The club’s sponsor company referred to the signing as official earlier this week on Facebook.
AUGUST 12TH, 7:04pm: Former 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden has signed with the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, the team announced (translation by RealGM). The exact length and terms of the deal were not announced, though I would speculate that it is a one year pact. Oden was reportedly set to have a tryout with the club at the end of the month, so it’s unclear if this deal is contingent on that.
Oden last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 campaign when he played in 23 games for the Heat, averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest. It was the first NBA action since 2009/10 for the oft-injured 7-footer. His career numbers through 105 games are 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.2 BPG to go along with a slash line of .574/.000/.648.
The 27-year-old center out of Ohio State reportedly drew eyes from the Mavericks, Hornets and Grizzlies earlier this summer. Oden sat out the 2014/15 campaign as he faced multiple charges related to domestic violence. He avoided jail time as part of a plea agreement in February in which he pleaded guilty to a felony battery charge and the three other charges against him were dismissed.
Heat Sign Keith Benson For Camp
AUGUST 25TH, 3:58pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 19TH, 2:44pm: Benson is getting a one-year deal for the minimum salary without any guaranteed money, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It has limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it appears it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
AUGUST 14TH, 6:33pm: Unrestricted free agent center Keith Benson has agreed to a deal with the Heat, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the agreement are not yet known, but Charania describes it as a training camp deal, which means that it is likely for the minimum salary and may contain a small partial guarantee, though that is merely my speculation.
The 6’11”, 27-year-old, was a second round pick of the Hawks back in the 2011 NBA Draft. His only NBA regular season action came during the 2011/12 campaign when he went scoreless in three appearances for the Warriors. Benson played his college ball at the University of Oakland, notching career averages of 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists, and owning a slash line of .558/.379/.679. The big man spent last season playing overseas for both Neptūnas of Lithuania and the Estonian club BC Kalev/Cramo.
The addition of Benson will give the Heat a roster count of 16 players, 12 of whom possess fully guaranteed contracts.
Lakers Sign Michael Frazier
AUGUST 25TH, 1:22pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 16TH, 4:33pm: The Lakers have reached a contract agreement with Florida’s Michael Frazier, agent Matt Ramker told Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders is hearing it is a two-year, minimum-salary deal with a partial guarantee for $50K (Twitter link).
Frazier weighed his options with the Jazz and Sixers before deciding on the deal with the Lakers, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The team signed Jonathan Holmes to a similar deal on Thursday. In addition, Tarik Black, Jabari Brown and Robert Upshaw are expected to battle for two to three open roster spots, tweets former Nets executive Bobby Marks.
The 6’4″ Frazier, who left school as a junior, was not selected in June’s draft. As a sophomore, he set a school record with 118 3-pointers in a season as the Gators reached the Final Four, but missed part of his junior season with a high ankle sprain.