Sixers To Sign T.J. McConnell
The Sixers intend to sign former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell to a free agent deal, Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star reports. The deal includes McConnell playing summer league ball for the team, as well as a training camp invite, Pascoe notes. Also included in the deal is what McConnell’s agent, Chris Emens, said is a partial salary guarantee, Pascoe relays. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) confirmed the team’s deal with the guard, as well as a partial guarantee worth six figures. The earliest any deal can be finalized is Wednesday.
Emens told Pascoe that all 15 teams McConnell worked out for invited him to play summer ball and that his client might have been drafted had he agreed to be a “draft-and-stash” second-rounder who would be sent directly to the D-League with no chance of making the NBA club. “We didn’t want to do that and we knew we had a lot of demand, so we were able to parlay that into a significant deal,” Emens said. “He had a very, very good predraft process. … Coaches love him. He’s so intense and hardcore, and he makes others better.”
“T.J. said he had a good feeling about a couple of teams, and Philadelphia was one of them,” Tim McConnell, T.J.’s father, said. “He’s going to give it a shot and see what happens. The worst thing that can happen is he goes to the D-League.”
McConnell appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, with a shooting line of .498/.321/.829. He began his career at Duquesne, and in 139 total NCAA games McConnell’s numbers are 10.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG.
Rockets To Sign Christian Wood
The Rockets have agreed to a free agent deal with UNLV forward Christian Wood, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Houston can’t formally make a contract offer to Wood until Wednesday at the earliest, and could not sign him for more than the minimum salary until after the July Moratorium is lifted. The exact length and terms of the proposed arrangement are not yet known, though sources have told Wojnarowski that the deal is a partially guaranteed one.
Wood going undrafted on Thursday night could be considered a bit of a shocker, especially since many mock drafts predicted the 6’11” forward would be selected toward the end of the first round or early in the second. The Rockets’ addition of Wood is surprising considering the team selected Wisconsin combo forward Sam Dekker with the No. 18 overall pick, and then doubled-down and nabbed Louisville big man Montrezl Harrell at pick No. 32.
The 19-year -old performed below standards in pre-draft workouts, according to the Yahoo! scribe, after averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for UNLV during his sophomore campaign. Wood’s career NCAA numbers are 10.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG, with a slash line of .477/.261/.747.
Brook Lopez Opting Out From Nets
2:36pm: Lopez has indeed opted out, a source tells Bondy (on Twitter). The Nets have made no official announcement, but since players who have player options only need to declare when they’re opting in, not opting out, a formal acknowledgement might not be forthcoming.
12:05am: Nets GM Billy King said that he’s received indication from Brook Lopez that the center is likely to opt out of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). The move was widely anticipated, including by King, who said, “He’s probably opting out, which was expected.”
Lopez will forgo the $16,744,218 that he was due next season, with the hope that he can secure a long-term deal, and will likely be seeking the maximum, though that is merely my speculation. It makes sense for Lopez to do so given his injury history, though he risks losing an even bigger payday during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically. Lopez managed to remain on the court for the bulk of the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 72 contests after only playing in 17 games the previous year due to injury. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .513/.100/.813.
Brooklyn has a hole in its frontcourt with the draft night deal that sent Mason Plumlee to Portland in exchange for Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and point guard Steve Blake. The Nets will certainly anticipate having competition for Lopez’s services. The Bucks are expected pursue Lopez, with a league source telling Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. The Spurs also reportedly have some level of interest in Lopez as well.
Knicks Acquire Rights To Guillermo Hernangomez
9:58am: The Sixers also receive cash in the deal, the Knicks announced.
FRIDAY, 1:42am: The deal is official, the Sixers announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 10:27pm: The Knicks will acquire the rights to 35th overall pick Guillermo Hernangomez, a center from Spain, tweets Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Ian Begley of ESPN.com (via Twitter) reports that New York will give up two future second-rounders in the deal. Hernangomez is regarded as an above average big man offensively, though his defense is considered sub par, which will potentially limit his playing time in the NBA.
Hernangomez would fill an immediate need for frontcourt depth with the Knicks, who won’t have a center on their roster come July 1st. It’s unclear if the 21-year-old is being looked at as a draft-and-stash pick, or if New York will attempt to bring the Spaniard over to the NBA in 2015/16. Hernangomez isn’t under contract with Balancesto Sevilla for next season, so there would be no complications on that front.
In 34 games for Sevilla last season, Hernangomez averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest. The big man’s slash line was .537/.167/.692. He has played the last five years on Spanish Junior National Teams, averaging 26.3 points and 13.2 rebounds in the 2013 FIBA under-19 world championships.
LeBron James To Opt Out, Not Planning Quick Deal
LeBron James will turn down his player option worth more than $21.573MM, and he doesn’t plan to immediately re-sign with the Cavs, preferring to wait and see how the team goes about its other business in July, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Chances are “slim” that James leaves Cleveland again, Haynes writes, but waiting to re-sign gives him a chance to go into a deal with full knowledge of what will surround him, and it keeps pressure on the organization, Haynes writes. The Rich Paul client plans to be “the last domino to fall,” league sources tell Haynes.
GM David Griffin said James is “very much engaged” with the team as he speaks with management on almost a daily basis about the roster, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Still, it’s widely known that James won’t meddle in front office affairs or with coach David Blatt and his staff, according to Haynes. The four-time MVP believes other coaches would be better equipped to lead the Cavs to a title, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson among them, but he nonetheless has no intention to push for a coaching change, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com said this week (video link).
That James would opt out is not at all surprising, since opting in would entail a financial sacrifice. James will be able to make a salary of at least $21,676,620 next season on a new deal, slightly more than his option would give him, and that figure could grow higher, depending on where the league sets the maximum for a player with 10 or more years of experience. James is likely to re-sign with Cleveland on a max deal for two years with a player option on year two, as Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote months ago.
James wants the Cavs to re-sign Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, though he won’t actively recruit any of them, Haynes writes. Griffin has said that he’d like to keep the team together, though he expressed guarded interest in Smith as he confirmed Smith has opted out, saying the Cavs want him back “if it’s the right situation for us,” as Haynes notes.
Suns Acquire Jon Leuer
1:05am: The Grizzlies don’t mention a future second-round pick in their press release, either, so it’s just Leuer and Harrison. That means Memphis gets to create a $967,500 trade exception equivalent to Leuer’s salary.
FRIDAY, 12:52am: The deal is official, the Suns announced. Phoenix makes no mention of a future second-rounder, so it would seem that it’s just Leuer for the rights to Harrison.
THURSDAY, 10:47pm: The Grizzlies are trading Jon Leuer to the Suns for the rights to No. 44 pick Andrew Harrison, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). A future second-round pick is going to Memphis, according to Marc Stein of ESPN (Twitter link), who doesn’t mention Harrison.
Leuer, 26, is set to earn $1,035,000 next season, though his deal is non-guaranteed. He appeared in 63 games for Memphis last season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .443/.241/.627.
Harrison never quite lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival at Kentucky. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game this past season. His slash line was .378/.383/.792.
Blazers Acquire Rights To Daniel Diez
FRIDAY, 12:40am: Utah receives cash, according to the formal announcement from the Blazers.
THURSDAY, 11:09pm: The Jazz are sending the rights to the No. 54 pick, Spanish small forward Daniel Diez, to the Blazers, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear what Utah is getting in return.
Nets Acquire Rights To Juan Vaulet
FRIDAY, 12:34am: Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick and cash are going to Charlotte in the deal, according to the Nets, who formally announced the trade via press release. Presumably, that 2018 second-rounder is the less favorable of Brooklyn’s pick and Cleveland’s pick, judging by the RealGM pick credits-and-debits log.
THURSDAY, 10:58pm: The Nets will acquire the rights to Argentian small forward Juan Vaulet, whom Charlotte took 39th overall, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Two future second-round picks are going to the Hornets.
Wolves Acquire Rights To Tyus Jones From Cavs
FRIDAY, 12:26pm: The deal is official, both teams have announced. It’s Minnesota’s own 2019 second-round pick going to Cleveland, the Timberwolves note.
THURSDAY, 9:26pm: The Timberwolves will acquire the rights to Tyus Jones from the Cavaliers, who are drafting him at No. 24, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Cavs are getting picks Nos. 31 and 36, Wojnarowski adds (on Twitter). Cleveland will also receive a 2019 second-rounder, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
It’s a homecoming for Jones, a Burnsville, Minnesota native who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four this year at Duke. His floor vision and leadership make him an intriguing prospect, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors examined in his Prospect Profile.
Jones represents a cap hold of $1,068,400, and he’ll likely receive 20% more on his rookie scale contract. Clearing him for a pair of second-round picks that don’t count against the cap until they’re signed helps Cleveland keep its costs low as the team reportedly contemplates a payroll of $100-110MM, plus another $75MM or so in luxury taxes.
Blazers Acquire Mason Plumlee
FRIDAY, 12:17am: The trade is official, the both teams announced.
“We are very excited to add Rondae to our roster,” Nets GM Billy King said in a press release. “He is the type of athletic wing we were looking for, and we felt he was the best defensive player in the draft. I also wanted to thank Mason for his time with the Nets and wish him the best with his new team. Mason worked extremely hard from the first time he stepped on the court in training camp last year, and I am sure he will have a long and successful career.”
Technically, Hollis-Jefferson won’t formally join Brooklyn’s roster until he signs, though that should be merely a procedural step.
THURSDAY, 10:41am: The Blazers will acquire Mason Plumlee and the rights to Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton, who is the 41st overall pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. They’ll send the rights to No. 23 pick Rondae-Hollis Jefferson and Steve Blake to the Nets, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).
In Plumlee, the Blazers land a solid replacement should forward LaMarcus Aldridge leave Portland as is anticipated. Brooklyn was reportedly seeking a lottery pick in exchange for the 25-year-old former first rounder, so the team’s return could be considered a disappointment. While Plumlee isn’t in Aldridge’s class ability-wise, he certainly has the talent to step in as an immediate starter. He appeared in all 82 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging 8.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 21.3 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .573/.000/.495. Plumlee is set to earn $1,415,520 next season, and his deal carries a team option worth $2,328,530 for 2016/17.
Connaughton, 22, is an exceptional athlete who possesses good shooting range. He appeared in 139 career games while at Notre Dame, averaging 10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His career slash line was .450/.386/.777. He was the 58th best prospect in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
As for the Nets, they land Hollis-Jefferson, who is arguably the best defender in the entire draft, though there are serious concerns about his outside shot. He is a similar player to the Hornets’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in skillset. Last season at Arizona, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.6 APG, with a slash line of .502/.207/.707.
In Blake, the Nets obtain a veteran point guard who can provide depth off the bench. The 35-year-old is entering the last year of his current deal, and is set to earn $2,170,465 in 2015/16. He appeared in 81 games last season, his most since the 2007/08 season, averaging 4.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 3.6 APG. Blake made 35.2% of his shots from beyond the arc, but only sank 37.3% of his field goal attempts overall.