Nuggets Sign Nikola Jokić
JULY 28TH, 12:26pm: The signing is official, the Nuggets announced. For more details on the contract, click here.
JULY 14TH, 8:34am: The Nuggets have yet to make an official announcement, but the signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log.
JULY 13TH, 11:09am: The four-year deal is worth $5.5MM, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who indicates that Jokić has already signed the deal. The team has yet to make any formal announcement (Twitter links).
JULY 10TH, 11:28am: It’s a four-year deal with an option on year four, agent Misko Raznatovic tweets (hat tip to Sportando’s Enea Trapani). It’s not clear whether that’s a team or player option. The team still hasn’t made any formal announcement.
JUNE 30TH, 12:12pm: The Nuggets are finalizing a fully guaranteed three-year contract with Nikola Jokić, whom Denver drafted 41st overall last year, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post wrote in May and again on Twitter today that Denver was expected to sign the 6’10” center before summer league, but it wasn’t clear just what sort of deal he would be getting.
Jokić had been insistent on a long-term deal, but he was enthusiastic about the prospect of joining Denver and had begun making it known he was on his way there, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com chronicled. The 20-year-old averaged 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game for KK Mega Vizura in his native Serbia this past season.
Denver has about $53MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap, so the Nuggets could open cap space and sign Jokić into that. Otherwise, they’d have to use the $5.434MM mid-level exception on him. Either way, the signing couldn’t become official until next week, when the July Moratorium is over.
Hornets Sign Elliot Williams For Camp
TUESDAY, 12:04pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
MONDAY, 4:47pm: The Hornets will sign former first-round pick Elliot Williams to a training camp deal, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Williams was with Charlotte on a 10-day contract this past season, but the team let him go to make room for Mo Williams, who’s since moved on to the Cavs. The terms of the deal aren’t immediately clear, but while Charlotte has its full $5.464MM mid-level exception available, it seems likely it will be a minimum-salary arrangement.
Elliot Williams reportedly worked out earlier this month for the Knicks and Spurs, but instead it appears he’s circling back to the Hornets, where GM Rich Cho is a familiar face from their time together with the Trail Blazers organization, Bonnell notes (on Twitter). The 22nd overall pick from 2010 has struggled to find his footing in the NBA, appearing last season only on a series of five 10-day contracts split between Charlotte, the Jazz and the Pelicans. The now 26-year-old shooting guard put up 2.8 points in 9.2 minutes per game across 13 appearances in 2014/15. He saw more extensive action in 2013/14 with the Sixers, with whom he put up 6.0 PPG in 17.3 MPG.
Charlotte had already been carrying 15 players, at least 13 of whom have fully guaranteed deals, as our Hornets roster page shows. Rookie Aaron Harrison, who’s on a deal that’s partially guaranteed for $75K, would seem Williams’ prime competitor for an opening-night roster spot.
What do you think of Williams’ chances to stick with the Hornets for the regular season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Pelicans Sign Kendrick Perkins
JULY 28TH, 11:13pm: The deal is official, the Pelicans announced.
JULY 21ST, 6:49pm: The Pelicans and unrestricted free agent Kendrick Perkins are in the process of finalizing a contract agreement, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). It will be a one-year pact for the veteran’s minimum, Stein adds.
The Clippers, Rockets, and Knicks had all expressed interest in the 30-year-old center. Instead, Perkins will add depth and grit behind starter Omer Asik, who re-signed with New Orleans this offseason for five years and approximately $60MM.
Perkins appeared in a combined 68 games for the Thunder and the Cavaliers, averaging 4.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for OKC and 2.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG for Cleveland. His career numbers through 12 NBA seasons are 5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.2 BPG to go along with a slash line of .530/.000/.597.
Celtics Sign Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter
The Celtics have signed No. 16 pick Terry Rozier and No. 28 pick R.J. Hunter, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge announced in a press conference today, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe relays (Twitter link). Boston had put off the moves while it officially remained below the cap, but with the long-anticipated David Lee trade becoming official today, Boston went over the cap and thus no longer had motivation to keep the cap holds for Rozier and Hunter as low as possible. Rozier will see more than $1.824MM this season and nearly $8.77MM over the life of his four-year rookie scale contract, while Hunter’s salary is almost $1.149MM with nearly $5.861MM total on his deal, assuming they both signed for the standard 120% of the rookie scale, as our chart shows. Their cap holds had been equivalent to 100% of the scale.
Rozier was a surprise pick, as he was the 23rd-ranked prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com but just No. 47 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress listings. Our Eddie Scarito had him going 29th in the final version of the Hoops Rumors 2015 Mock Draft, right after Boston’s second pick of the first round. Still, the point guard from Louisville impressed coach Brad Stevens with his motor during a pair of predraft workouts, and Ainge didn’t want to risk waiting for him to drop to No. 28.
Ainge and company made a more conventional choice with Hunter, whom Ford ranked 24th and Givony had 26th. Our mock draft had the Georgia State shooting guard and NCAA Tournament hero going at No. 22. The two account for 17 fully guaranteed contracts on Boston’s roster, though the team is reportedly going to unload the newly acquired Zoran Dragic. That would still leave Boston one over the regular season limit.
Which of Rozier and Hunter will have the better NBA career? Leave a comment to share your opinion.
Mavs Sign Brandon Ashley To Camp Deal
MONDAY, 3:00pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
SATURDAY, 12:41pm: The Mavericks have reached agreement with undrafted Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley on a partially guaranteed multiyear deal, RealGM’s Shams Charania tweets. The 6’9” Ashley averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior last season before declaring for the draft. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore before breaking his foot in February of that season.
Ashley played seven games for the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He originally committed to play for the Lakers in the summer league, then shifted gears and instead joined Atlanta.
According to his draft profile by ESPN Insider Chad Ford, Ashley’s attributes include length, athleticism, shot-blocking ability and an improving jump shot. On the downside, he needs to add strength and refine his post game and footwork, along with showing he has the motor and toughness to play in the NBA.
Mavs Sign Jamil Wilson To Camp Deal
MONDAY, 2:57pm: The Mavs have officially signed Wilson, the team announced via press release.
SUNDAY, 10:43am: Jamil Wilson will be added to the Mavs’ training camp roster, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. The forward’s deal will be partially guaranteed, according to Charania.
The Marquette product reached an agreement with the Suns prior to last season, which allowed Phoenix to secure his D-League rights. The Suns then waived Wilson and he signed with their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. There’s a good chance that Wilson will follow the same path and end up on Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavs, although that is just my speculation.
The forward played for the Wizards in this year’s summer league in Vegas. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field.
Pacers Re-Sign Lavoy Allen
JULY 27TH, 2:17pm: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.
“We think he’s ready to step in and play more minutes at two different positions,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “This is a great opportunity for him to play night in and night out at a high level.”
9:22pm: Allen’s deal will be worth a total of approximately $12MM, Spears tweets.
JULY 2ND, 7:12pm: The Pacers and free agent Lavoy Allen have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The pact is for three years, and includes a team option for the final season, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The Clippers were also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old’s services.
In 63 appearances for Indiana last season, Allen averaged 5.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, with a slash line of .472/.000/.702. His career numbers are 5.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His career shooting numbers are .459/.143/.702.
Allen was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6’9″ forward began his career with the Sixers before being included in the deal that brought Evan Turner to the Pacers.
Celtics Re-Sign Jae Crowder
JULY 27TH, 2:09pm: The deal is finally official, the team announced.
“Jae epitomizes everything that we look for in a Celtic,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “His infectious energy on both ends of the court and his versatile skill set enabled him to win over both the coaching staff and our fan base after his acquisition last season.”
JULY 1ST, 11:02am: The Celtics and free agent Jae Crowder have reached an agreement on a five-year, $35MM deal, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The Mavericks, who dealt Crowder to Boston back in December were also in the running for the Glenn Schwartzman client. The deal includes no options, and is fully guaranteed, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald adds (Twitter link).
The Celtics had tendered a qualifying offer to Crowder worth $1.2MM earlier this week, making the forward a restricted free agent, which would have allowed Boston to match any offer he received from another team. Crowder had expressed an interest to return to the Celtics, but did note that he planned to test the free agent market.
Crowder appeared in 57 games for the Celtics after arriving via trade, and he averaged 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. His career numbers through 238 contests are 5.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG, with a slash line of .414/.316/.735.
Pacers Sign Rakeem Christmas
2:06pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
1:01pm: The Pacers haven’t formally announced the deal yet, but their official team Twitter account passed along a tweet from Christmas that depicts him signing his contract.
MONDAY, 9:32am: The final two seasons are partially guaranteed, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM, who hears the deal is for $4.3MM, slightly less than the $4.5MM originally reported (Twitter link)
THURSDAY, 6:14pm: The Pacers and rookie Rakeem Christmas have reached an agreement on a contract, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (on Twitter). The pact is for four-years and $4.5MM, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed, Haynes adds. Christmas was the No. 36 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft.
Christmas’ draft rights had been acquired from the Cavaliers earlier today in exchange for the 2019 second round pick that Indiana garnered from the Lakers in the Roy Hibbert trade. Cleveland reportedly made the deal for Christmas in order to acquire a draft pick that it could use to help flip Brendan Haywood‘s uniquely valuable non-guaranteed contract.
The 23-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks to go with a slash line of .560/.000/.681 during his four years spent at Syracuse. Christmas logged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG during his senior season.
Pacers Sign Glenn Robinson III
MONDAY, 2:02pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
“Glenn comes to us with a set of skills we think will blend in with our team,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “We expect him to be very good on the defensive end and he can score the ball. We look forward to seeing him improve throughout the year.”
SATURDAY, 11:48am: Glenn Robinson III has agreed to a three-year contract with the Pacers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz of CAA informed Wojnarowski of the agreement.
Robinson, 21, became an unrestricted free agent after the Sixers declined to make him a qualifying offer. The 6’7” swingman appeared in 35 games last season. He averaged 1.2 points in 25 games for the Timberwolves, who waived him in March. He averaged 4.4 points in 10 games after the Sixers claimed him.
The Pacers still have some cap space left even with the addition of Robinson III because they have yet to make their deal with Lavoy Allen official, former Nets executive Bobby Marks tweets.
Robinson will have to fight for playing time at the wing positions with Paul George, Monta Ellis, Chase Budinger, Solomon Hill and C.J. Miles.
Robinson declared for 2014 draft after his sophomore season with the University of Michigan and was taken with the 40th overall pick by Minnesota.