Nuggets Waive Pablo Prigioni
JULY 20TH, 4:26pm: The Nuggets have waived Prigioni, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein tweets. Denver confirmed the move in its press release on the Lawson trade.
JULY 19TH, 9:13pm: The Nuggets intend to waive newly acquired point guard Pablo Prigioni, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). Prigioni is being sent to Denver as part of the Ty Lawson deal. The Nuggets appear to be committing to turning the team over to 2015 first-rounder Emmanuel Mudiay with today’s moves.
Prigioni’s salary of $1,734,572 is set to become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster past Monday, as is shown by our schedule of contract guarantee dates. Denver would only be on the hook for $440K, the amount of Prigioni’s partial guarantee, by waiving him.
What’s next for the 38-year-old from Argentina is unclear. He’ll likely draw offers from overseas, and the Cavaliers, who were reportedly trying to acquire Prigioni at last season’s trade deadline, could potentially look to him as an alternative to Matthew Dellavedova, who is still unsigned, though that is merely my speculation.
In three NBA seasons Prigioni has averaged 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists to go with a slash line of .437/.398/.872.
Rockets Acquire Ty Lawson
JULY 20TH, 4:25pm: The Nuggets have waived Prigioni, and the deal is official, Denver announced in a press release. In a condition of the trade, Lawson has agreed to make the 2016/17 season, the final year of his contract, non-guaranteed, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). As part of the deal, the Nuggets receive cash considerations, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. The press release from the Rockets notes that it’s their own lottery-protected 2016 pick going to Denver.
SUNDAY, 8:16pm: The Rockets have reached a deal with the Nuggets that will send Ty Lawson to Houston, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com had tweeted just moments earlier that the sides were deep in talks. Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round pick go to Denver, Wojnarowski adds (All Twitter links). Houston will receive a 2017 second-round pick in addition to Lawson, as Wojnarowski also reports (on Twitter). The first-rounder going to Denver is lottery-protected, and the second-rounder headed to Houston is unprotected, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The move, when it becomes official, will bring an end to Lawson’s tenure with the Nuggets even though GM Tim Connelly and coach Michael Malone both expressed their support for the troubled point guard in recent days.
Chris Mannix of SI.com last week identified the Rockets as a team with interest in the point guard even in the wake of his latest DUI-related arrest, which came Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. It was his second such arrest in six months. Lawson entered a 30-day residential treatment program on Saturday.
Houston made more sense as a Lawson suitor than the Pistons or the Lakers, the two other teams Mannix identified in his report from last week, since both Detroit and L.A. made major investments in point guards this summer. The Pistons agreed to re-sign Reggie Jackson for $80MM and the Lakers drafted D’Angelo Russell No. 2 overall. The Lakers indeed made a determined push, but the Nuggets preferred what Houston offered, Stein reports (on Twitter). Rockets re-signed Patrick Beverley, but only for $23MM over four years. Beverley and Lawson now figure to compete for minutes.
The Kings and Nuggets reportedly spoke about Lawson prior to the draft, but Sacramento apparently wasn’t willing to give up the No. 6 pick in exchange for him in large measure because of the 27-year-old’s off-court issues. By contrast, Lawson’s talent appears to have convinced Houston it’s worth taking a shot on him, as he’s coming off a career-high 9.6 assists per game.
The trade nonetheless carries financial consequences for the Rockets. Lawson’s contract calls for him make more than $12.404MM this season and in excess of $13.213MM in 2016/17, and the exchange as reported so far will push Houston over the $84.74MM luxury tax threshold by about $500K, according to former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Rockets have until the end of the regular season to go under that line and avoid paying the tax. Houston faces a hard cap of $4MM above the tax line if it signs No. 32 pick Montrezl Harrell to a contract that covers more than two seasons at the minimum salary, as Marks also points out (on Twitter). The swap also means the Rockets aren’t in line to open cap space next summer, Marks adds (Twitter link).
The Nuggets meanwhile go under the cap with the deal and are set to open an estimated $46MM in cap space next summer, Marks tweets. Papanikolaou’s salary of nearly $4.798MM for this coming season is non-guaranteed, and Prigioni’s salary of almost $1.735MM carries only a $440K partial guarantee. Dorsey’s pay of about $1.015MM and Johnson’s approximately $845K salary are fully guaranteed, but they don’t make much of a dent in the Nuggets payroll.
The most significant on-court effect for Denver is that No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay, also a point guard, has a clear shot to lead the team. The Nuggets re-signed Jameer Nelson, who seems to have a decent shot to begin the coming season as a starter, but Mudiay is clearly the team’s future at the position, and Malone had no shortage of enthusiasm about his play during summer league, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Did the Nuggets get a fair return for Lawson, considering the circumstances? Leave a comment to have your say.
Pistons Re-Sign Joel Anthony
JULY 20TH, 4:10pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 8TH, 3:21pm: The Pistons have reached an agreement with free agent Joel Anthony on a deal that will keep the center in Detroit, reports Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). The pact is for two years and $5MM, with the second season non-guaranteed, Ellis relays.
It’s certainly not a shock to see Anthony returning to Detroit. The Pistons were reportedly looking to bring back the unrestricted free agent, with team executive/coach Stan Van Gundy viewing the 32-year-old as an elder statesman who can be valuable in tutoring younger players. “Obviously we can’t negotiate with him yet, we can’t talk money,” Van Gundy told Ellis prior to the start of the free agent signing period. “I talked to him [June 26th]. Again, we’ve told him consistently we would like to have him back.”
Anthony appeared in 49 games for the Pistons during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 1.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 8.3 minutes per contest. His career numbers through eight NBA seasons are 2.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.1 BPG, with a slash line of .509/.000/.661.
Spurs Re-Sign Manu Ginobili
JULY 20TH, 12:06pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release. Since it indeed looks like Ginobili is going into the room exception, San Antonio will be limited to giving the minimum salary to outside free agents.
JULY 7TH, 8:24am: Manu Ginobili will come back to the Spurs on a deal worth $5.7MM over two years, with a player option on year two, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Ginobili publicly announced Monday that he would return for 2015/16, and while it was thus expected that he would re-sign with San Antonio, the team and the Herb Rudoy client had yet to work out any terms. That $5.7MM figure would be slightly less than the full $5,754,630 two-year value of the room exception, but it’s quite possible that it’s because of rounding. Using the room exception would allow San Antonio to renounce Ginobili’s Bird rights and clear his $10.5MM cap hold to accommodate the team’s deals for LaMarcus Aldridge and others.
Ginobili wasn’t a safe bet to return, as conflicting reports about San Antonio’s confidence about his continued desire to play painted a cloudy picture. His role has gradually been shrinking, and he’s played fewer than 24 minutes a game each of the past four seasons. His 10.5 points and 22.7 minutes were his lowest per-game averages since he was a rookie, and he saw just 18.7 minutes per game in the playoffs. Still, Ginobili, who turns 38 next month, has no shortage of institutional knowledge, and his 16.2 PER shows he’s still fairly efficient when he’s on the floor.
The move helps San Antonio keep its core together amid a summer of momentous changes. Aldridge and David West are set to join the Spurs, who’ve agreed to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks. Still, the majority of the team’s five free agent agreements so far have been internal, as Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, just like Manu Ginobili, have agreed to re-sign. Tim Duncan, who’s also decided to put off retirement for at least another year, is expected to follow suit.
Celtics Sign Jordan Mickey
The Celtics have signed No. 33 overall pick Jordan Mickey, the team announced. The sides had been in talks last week. The big man had been pushing for a short-term deal, but it appeared he had come around to the idea of a longer arrangement, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported last week. It’s a four-year, $5MM deal, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, and two years are guaranteed, adds Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter links). So, the Celtics use cap space for the transaction.
Mickey told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors that he heard from officials with a team picking in the late first round that their club would take him if he were available at that point in the draft, but instead he slipped into the early portion of the second round, where Boston, which worked him out for a second time on the eve of the draft, was waiting. He’s 6’8″ and figures to see most of his time at power forward, but he’s a shot blocker, having swatted 3.6 per game last season as a sophomore for LSU, so he figures to help fill Boston’s need for a rim protector. He was the 31st-best prospect in the draft as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rated them, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com had him at No. 45.
Optimism about the possibility of a deal surrounded the talks as they began last week, as Jay King of MassLive detailed, and Mickey was going to end up on Boston’s roster for this coming season one way or another, Bulpett wrote. The Matt Babcock client was prepared at one point in negotiations to sign the non-guaranteed one-year offer for the minimum-salary that the C’s were required to make to retain his draft rights, according to Bulpett, but that didn’t end up happening.
Pelicans Re-Sign Luke Babbitt
JULY 20TH, 11:01am: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 9TH, 10:13pm: The Pelicans and unrestricted free agent Luke Babbitt are finalizing a deal that would bring the forward back to New Orleans, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The pact is for two years, and valued in the $2.5MM range, Stein adds.
Babbitt made 63 appearances for the Pelicans last season, including 19 starts. He notched averages of 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 13.2 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .479/.513/.684. Through five NBA seasons split between the Blazers and Pelicans, Babbitt’s numbers are 4.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 0.5 APG, with a slash line of .401/.403/.722.
The 26-year-old was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and played his college ball at the University of Nevada.
Pistons Sign Darrun Hilliard
MONDAY, 10:45am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 1:37pm: The Pistons and No. 38 pick Darrun Hilliard have reached agreement on a three-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Wojnarowski indicates that the 6’6″ swingman from Villanova has already put pen to paper, though the team hasn’t made any formal announcement, and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears the deal will be formalized Monday (Twitter link). The first year of his contract will be fully guaranteed, the second year will carry a partial guarantee, and the third year will be a team option, Ellis adds (on Twitter).
Detroit will dedicate cap space to him rather than use an exception, since the length of the arrangement is greater than two years, though a three-year deal gives the Pistons greater flexibility going forward, as I examined in the past. The 22-year-old was a surprise selection, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him ranked only 62nd among the best prospects in this year’s draft, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com had him even lower, at No. 77.
Ford pointed to his lack of top-flight athleticism or standout skill in any one particular area as weaknesses, adding that he’s nonetheless strong on both sides of the floor. Hilliard averaged 14.3 points in 28.8 minutes per game with 38.7% three-point shooting this past season as a senior.
It’s unclear exactly how much he’s getting in the deal, but it’s likely for around the minimum salary, perhaps with a few extra thousand dollars tacked on in year one, since such deals are standard for second-rounders, and the Pistons are running out of cap room. Detroit’s other 2015 draft pick, No. 8 overall selection Stanley Johnson, is on track to sign next week, agent Nima Namakian tells Ellis (Twitter link).
Suns Waive Jerel McNeal
The Suns have waived guard Jerel McNeal, the team announced. McNeal’s minimum salary arrangement with Phoenix for the 2015/16 campaign would have become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster past July 21st, as is shown by our schedule of guarantee dates. This move reduces the Suns’ roster count to 13 players.
McNeal initially signed with the Suns via a 10-day contract back on April 1st after Phoenix opted not to re-sign guard A.J. Price when Price’s 10-day deal expired. The shooting guard, who was not drafted when he was eligible in 2009, had been playing for the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ D-League affiliate, prior to joining Phoenix. In 27 games for the Jam, McNeal had averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 32.6 minutes per contest. He has previously had NBA training camp stints with the Clippers, Raptors and Rockets.
The Pelicans and Jazz have briefly carried McNeal on regular season rosters in the past, but he didn’t see action with either team during those stints. In just six total NBA regular season appearances, all with Phoenix last season, McNeal has notched averages of 1.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 6.0 minutes per contest. His shooting line is .273/.500/1.000.
Raptors Sign Bismack Biyombo
JULY 17TH, 9:09pm: The signing is official, the Raptors announced in a press release.
JULY 4TH, 12:39pm: The Raptors have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Bismack Biyombo, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The deal is for two years, and $6MM, Wojnarowski adds. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer had pegged Toronto as the likely landing spot for Biyombo earlier this week.
Toronto GM Masai Ujiri and coach Dwane Casey went into the offseason wanting to upgrade the team’s defense, notes Wojnarowski. The 6’9″ Biyombo, along with the team’s other free agent prize, DeMarre Carroll, who agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal with Toronto on Wednesday, can certainly help that desire become a reality.
Biyombo, a former seventh overall pick, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Hornets after making 64 appearances for the team last season. The 22-year-old averaged 4.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 19.4 minutes per contest, and owned a slash line of .543/.000/.583. Through 284 career games, his numbers are 4.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.6 BPG.
Suns Re-Sign Brandon Knight
JULY 17TH, 7:32pm: The signing is official, the Suns announced. “We are delighted to have reached a multi-year agreement with Brandon,” said president of basketball operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral member of our team on the court and will enhance our culture with his leadership and professionalism.”
1:57pm: The Suns won’t be trading Bledsoe even though they’ve secured a deal with Knight, as a source strongly emphasized to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
1:48pm: The Suns and Knight have reached agreement on those five-year, $70MM terms, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms (Twitter link).
10:52pm: If the Suns re-sign Knight, they would seriously consider trading Bledsoe, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
JULY 1ST, 5:46pm: Brandon Knight, who will become a restricted free agent on July 1st, will sign a five-year, $70MM contract with the Suns, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, who cites a league source. Of course, it is illegal for sides to have discussed a dollar amount and length of a potential deal before July 1st, but that doesn’t mean negotiations didn’t happen.
Knight, 23, was traded to the Suns in February in a multiple-team deal. He has expressed interest in re-signing with the Suns and mentioned that he was looking for that to happen swiftly. The Suns, reportedly, want to bring him back, and Knight told them that he has no issues sharing duties with Eric Bledsoe in the backcourt. Interestingly, Knight’s reported deal worth $13MM annually for five years are the exact terms the Suns gave Bledsoe last September.
Knight was averaging 17.8 points per game and 5.4 assists per game before the Bucks dealt him to the Suns. He then played 11 games for the Suns, averaging 13.4 points per game and 4.5 assists per game. After suffering an ankle injury March 9, Knight missed 16 of the Suns’ final 17 games. He underwent minor arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in April.