Aaron Harrison Joining Wizards' Summer League Team
- Aaron Harrison, eligible for restricted free agency with the Mavericks, has committed to joining the Wizards‘ Summer League team, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Dallas tendered qualifying offers to a few other RFA-eligible players this week, but it seems Harrison isn’t in the team’s plans. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.
Wizards Hope To Retain Scott; McCullough To Play For Sixers' SL Team
- The Wizards are hoping to re-sign Mike Scott in free agency, but the veteran forward is expected to draw significant interest on the open market, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Hughes suggests that as many as 10 teams are preparing to reach out to Scott’s representatives.
- Wizards forward Chris McCullough, who will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday, has committed to playing for the Sixers‘ Summer League team, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details.
Options For Wizards' Frontcourt; Grunfeld Favoring Continuity?
- Following the trade that sent Marcin Gortat to Los Angeles, the Wizards are in desperate need of more frontcourt bodies. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores some of the club’s options for acquiring more big men.
- Although the Wizards traded Gortat, president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld sounds positive about most of the rest of the team’s core. As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington details, Grunfeld’s comments suggest that the club will make it a priority to maintain continuity heading into 2018/19.
And-Ones: Georges-Hunt, Robinson, Gortat, Gordon
The first domino of the NBA offseason fell tonight with the Clippers sending Austin Rivers to the Wizards for Marcin Gortat. As we wait to see what other moves the offseason brings, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- The Wolves will not tender Marcus Georges-Hunt a qualifying offer, Michael Scotto of The Atlantic tweets. Georges-Hunt, who played in 42 games for Minnesota last season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Glenn Robinson, who will hit the unrestricted free agent market, has changed representatives, leaving CAA and signing with a group of independent agents. He’ll be represented by the team of Jelani Floyd, Daniel Poneman, Mike Naiditch, and E.J. Kusnyer, according to Kevin O’ Connor of the Ringer (Twitter link).
- NBA.com’s David Aldridge isn’t surprised that the Wizards dealt Gortat, tweeting that Gortat and Wall were “oil and water.” The scribe adds that Washington is now in need of a big man and he speculates that Nerlens Noel could be a fit in D.C.
- The Kings like Aaron Gordon, but view him as a power forward, the same position as Marvin Bagley, their top selection in this year’s draft, James Ham of NBC Sports writes. Ham adds that it’s unlikely Sacramento chases the 22-year-old.
Clippers, Wizards Swap Austin Rivers, Marcin Gortat
10:29pm: Both teams have now officially announced the trade.
6:29pm: The Clippers are trading guard Austin Rivers to the Wizards in exchange for center Marcin Gortat, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, making it perhaps even more likely that center DeAndre Jordan is on his way out of L.A.
It was reported earlier today that Jordan, who has yet to decide on his 2018/19 player option, is considering exercising his option in order to facilitate a trade to another team, a la former teammate Chris Paul last season. While nothing has been reported officially, it seems odd that the Clippers would trade for Gortat if they have any expectation of keeping Jordan in Los Angeles.
After drafting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson in the lottery last week, Rivers appears to be a casualty of the Clippers’ guard heavy roster moving forward, especially given his price tag of $12.65MM, which is approximately twice the amount that the Clippers will pay their two rookies combined.
Meanwhile, it had already been reported that the Wizards were hoping to move on from Gortat. The Wizards needed a proven reserve guard to give John Wall and Bradley Beal some backup and, as detailed by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, to move on from Gortat from a locker room standpoint. As was highly publicized, Gortat and Wall had an inconsistent relationship, culminating in a public social media spat last season.
The Wizards now figure to enter the free agent period this weekend in search of a center. Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith are currently under contract for next season.
From a salary cap perspective, the salaries of Rivers and Gortat match nicely, with Gortat scheduled to make $13,565,218 next season, only $915,218 more than Rivers. Assuming the swap is made official before the new league year begins on Sunday, the Wizards will create a trade exception worth $957,609, the difference between the two players’ 2017/18 salaries.
The Wizards will also save about $1.4MM in luxury tax penalties by taking on Rivers’ salary in exchange for Gortat’s, as noted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Both Rivers and Gortat are in the final year of contracts, and will become unrestricted free agents next summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pistons Targeting Assistant Coach Sidney Lowe
Sanon Will Stay Overseas Next Season
- The Wizards will go the draft-and-stash route with the No. 44 pick, Issuf Sanon, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. The Ukrainian combo guard is just 18 years old and played in the Slovenian League last season.
Michael Porter Jr. Slips To Nuggets At No. 14
In one of the major surprises of draft night so far, Michael Porter Jr. – who was once considered a frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick of 2018 – nearly slipped out of the lottery, going to the Nuggets at No. 14.
According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), Denver strongly considered selecting Zhaire Smith before deciding to roll the dice on Porter.
Word began circulating hours before the draft that Porter could slide out of the top 10 due to concerns about the long-term health of his back and hip. Many teams were said to be put off by a medical report on Porter earlier this week.
As Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets, at least one team’s doctors believe that Porter will require surgery on his back, and the possibility that he’d miss most or all of his rookie season was apparently enough to scare several clubs away. According to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link), the Wizards wouldn’t have taken Porter at No. 15 if Denver had passed.
Still, Porter makes for an interesting gamble for the Nuggets, who already have several core building blocks in place. He’ll join Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Nikola Jokic as long-term cornerstones in Denver.
Wizards Looking To Trade Marcin Gortat
The Wizards are working to deal center Marcin Gortat, but are refusing to part with the No. 15 pick to make it happen, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Teams to watch tonight, according to Stein, are the Mavericks, who have the cap space to take on Gortat, and the Trail Blazers, who have a trade exception that will cover his $13.57MM contract for next season (Twitter link). Stein adds that many more clubs will have the cap space to fit Gortat if a verbal agreement is reached on a deal that won’t be finalized until July.
It’s not the first time Gortat’s name has come up on the trade market, as Washington tried to work out a deal at the February deadline. Gortat has expressed dissatisfaction with his role in the past, and a mini-controversy emerged this winter when Gortat tweeted about a great “team” victory while star guard John Wall was sidelined after knee surgery.
A source close to Gortat told Ben Mehic of The Step Back there’s “a good chance” the center will be traded soon (Twitter link), adding that both sides believe it’s time for “an amicable divorce.” The Mavericks signed Gortat to an offer sheet in 2009 and may still have some interest, Mehic notes (Twitter link).
Gortat has been a steady part of the Wizards’ foundation for the past five years, missing just eight games since arriving in Washington in 2013. He played all 82 games this season, averaging 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per night.
And-Ones: Wanamaker, Jeanne, Crawford, G League
The Celtics are giving strong consideration to signing Euroleague star Brad Wanamaker, international basketball journalist David Pick tweets. Wanamaker, the MVP of the Turkish finals with Fenerbahce, is a 28-year-old, 6’4” shooting guard who went undrafted in 2011. He has spent most of his pro career overseas, though he had a stint in 2012 with the G League’s Austin Toros. The Magic, Nets, Sixers and Heat have also expressed interest in him, according to Pick. However, Wanamaker has a $3.8MM contract with Barcelona that runs through 2020, so he may stay in Europe, Pick adds in another tweet.
In other news on the domestic and international front:
- Jonathan Jeanne, who was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, has been cleared by his doctor to play, his agent told Sportando. Jeanne, a 7’1” center from France, was considered a potential first-round prospect before the diagnosis was made last June. He went undrafted and now will explore all international possibilities, Sportando adds.
- Veteran guard Jamal Crawford is looking for the best fit in free agency after deciding to opt out, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Crawford insisted he wasn’t unhappy with the Timberwolves, despite leaving $4.5MM on the table. “For me, it’s just fit. I don’t think anything’s wrong (in Minnesota),” Crawford told Krawczynski. “There’s nothing wrong that’s not wrong anywhere else. It’s the NBA. Everybody’s not going to get along every second. That’s not realistic.”
- The G League Expansion Draft will be held August 22, tweets 2 Ways & 10 Days. The only team utilizing the draft is the Capital City Go-Go, the new affiliate of the Wizards.
- How does a swap of Chander Parsons and the Grizzlies’ picks at No. 4 and No. 32 for the Clippers’ lottery picks at No. 12 and No. 13 plus Danilo Gallinari sound? ESPN’s Insiders throws out a number of trade scenarios heading into the draft.
- Longtime NBA coach Larry Brown officially signed his contract to coach Fiat Torino in Italy, Sportando relays.