2015 NBA Draft

2015 NBA Draft Grades: Atlantic Division

August 7th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft is squarely in the rearview and a number of draftees have already provided a taste of what is to come with their summer league play. I held off on my grades until now because I wanted a better context in which to evaluate each team’s selections, with free agency and summer league providing greater perspective. Sometimes, selecting the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office fared in the draft. I’ll begin with a look at the Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics

Team Needs: Scoring, Outside Shooting, Rebounding

Draft Picks:

No. 16 Overall — Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville
No. 28 Overall — R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
No. 33 Overall — Jordan Mickey, PF, LSU
No. 45 Overall — Marcus Thornton, G, William & Mary

The selection of Rozier at pick No. 16 was easily one of draft night’s biggest surprises, not because the point guard didn’t possess first-round ability, but because most mock drafts had Rozier projected as a late first-rounder. It’s also a bit of a puzzler that the team would nab a point guard with its first pick, since Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas are already on the roster. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge obviously saw something he liked in Rozier, and I’ll give him credit for going against the grain and taking a chance on a player he believed in. Rozier’s summer league play was a mixed bag, with him demonstrating an ability to hit the three-pointer, nailing 10 out of the 25 deep balls he attempted, but his turnover rate was a touch high.

I really like the team nabbing Hunter at pick No. 28. The bomber out of Georgia State was projected by a number of mock drafts to be a mid-first round pick, so while it can be argued that the team reached on Rozier, the same case can be made that they landed a steal with Hunter. He had a rough final year in college shooting the ball, but I believe he will be better when he hits the NBA. He certainly fills a major need for the team, but it remains to be seen if he can defend well enough to remain on the court for coach Brad Stevens. I also believe Boston got great value with its selection of Mickey, who was projected to be a late first-rounder, at pick No. 33. Mickey may be a touch undersized, but he has the potential to be a solid rebounder and effective rotation player after some time in the D-League.

Overall Draft Grade: C+. Boston added some interesting pieces, though even Ainge would probably admit to being disappointed in the team’s haul after his unsuccessful attempts to move up in the first round. I don’t see any of these players becoming stars, but Rozier, Hunter, and Mickey should all end up as rotation players for the team.

Brooklyn Nets

Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Scoring, Rebounding, Defense

Draft Picks:

No. 23 Overall — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona*
No. 29 Overall — Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse
No. 39 Overall — Juan Vaulet, SF, Argentina**

*Acquired along with Steve Blake from Trail Blazers in exchange for Mason Plumlee and the rights to Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton.

**Acquired from Hornets in exchange for Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick, the less favorable of Brooklyn’s and Cleveland’s 2018 second-round picks, and $880K cash.

The Nets recovered pretty well from having to swap first-rounders with the Hawks. While I would have loved for the team to land a potential future star like Kelly Oubre, who went at No. 15 (Brooklyn’s original slot), Hollis-Jefferson and McCullough were both solid picks. I think the Nets will regret parting with Plumlee, but adding a freakishly athletic defensive monster like Hollis-Jefferson was a wise move for a team that needs to improve defensively. It remains to be seen if Hollis-Jefferson can score enough to become a starter, but he certainly has a wealth of upside, and he should quickly become a fan favorite in Brooklyn.

The team was also wise to take a gamble on McCullough at the end of the first round. McCullough was mentioned as a potential lottery pick prior to his ACL injury last season. The forward out of Syracuse has performed in an extremely limited sample size, but what he did show makes me believe that the Nets landed a future starter. He’s unlikely to contribute much this season, but the franchise did well in gambling on him, especially that late in the first round.

Overall Draft Grade: B-. While neither first-rounder is a sure thing, the team did extremely well in bolstering the roster for the future. Plumlee will certainly be missed, but the rebuild in Brooklyn is off to a good start. The only knock is the team’s failure to land a point guard, though, to be fair, there weren’t many options at the one spot when the team was on the clock.

New York Knicks

Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Center, Frontcourt Depth

Draft Picks:

No. 4 Overall — Kristaps Porzingis, F, Latvia
No. 19 Overall — Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame*
No. 35 Overall — Guillermo Hernangomez, C, Spain**

*Acquired from Hawks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr.

**Acquired from Sixers in exchange for two future second-rounders and cash.

The Knicks arguably landed in the most difficult spot in the entire lottery at No. 4 overall. The first three picks were relatively easy decisions, as Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell were all lauded as potential superstars. But selecting fourth, and with none of the top three players slipping to them, team president Phil Jackson had to decide between Porzingis’ immense upside or taking a more NBA-ready player in Justise Winslow or Willie Cauley-Stein, and Jackson decided to roll the dice and went with the Latvian forward.

I must admit that my initial reaction to the pick wasn’t a positive one, which is why I’m glad that I held off on grading these picks until now. The selection of Porzingis could still end up backfiring spectacularly, given the high failure rate of international draftees, but Porzingis displayed quite a range of skills in his summer league play, though he still is likely a year or two away from being a reliable contributor. The only conundrum is the way he fits in with the team’s current direction. The Knicks have a significant chunk of their salary cap space tied up in Carmelo Anthony, who at 31 years old, doesn’t have much time left as an elite player in the league. If the franchise is trying to win immediately, Porzingis likely won’t provide much of a boon this coming season.

While it took me some time to come around on the selection of Porzingis, I was an immediate fan of the team dealing Hardaway for the rights to Grant, who could easily end up as a steal. Grant is a mature, polished player who will contribute immediately, and he fills a major positional need for the team. Hardaway needed a change of scenery, and he didn’t fit well in the triangle offense. His lack of defensive intensity and poor shot selection likely drove coach Derek Fisher to the brink of madness at times. Flipping Hardaway for Grant may end up being one of Jackson’s best moves as an executive.

Hernangomez is at least a year away from joining the NBA, but he has a wealth of offensive potential. He needs to improve his rebounding and defense if he hopes to make it in the NBA. The center was a solid pick given who was available at pick No. 35.

Overall Draft Grade: B+. Porzingis could end up becoming the next Dirk Nowitzki as easily as he could be the next Darko Milicic. Judging by his play thus far, I think he’ll end up closer to Nowitzki. Nabbing Grant was a solid move, and he should contribute immediately to the team.

Philadelphia 76ers

Team Needs: Talent, Scoring, Outside Shooting, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

No. 3 Overall — Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
No. 37 Overall — Richaun Holmes, PF, Bowling Green
No. 47 Overall — Arturas Gudaitis, C, Lithuania (later traded to the Kings)
No. 58 Overall — J.P. Tokoto, G/F, North Carolina
No. 60 Overall — Luka Mitrovic, PF, Serbia (later traded to the Kings)

GM Sam Hinkie continued his rebuilding through losing plan by nabbing Okafor with the No. 3 pick. The team perhaps could have used a player like Emmanuel Mudiay more, given the presence of former first-rounders Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, and the distinct lack of talent in the backcourt. But with Embiid’s health concerns placing his future in doubt, it’s hard to argue against landing a talent like Okafor, though how he will fit with Noel remains to be seen. The second-round selections of Holmes and Tokoto could also pay dividends down the line, though neither player projects to be a starter in the NBA.

I’m trying to hold my judgement on Hinkie’s plan until all the pieces fall into place, which won’t occur until Dario Saric finally joins the NBA. That’s still at least a season away. But there does come a point when the team will need to show it is moving in the right direction, and it needs to be this year. Much of the team’s fanbase, as well as the rest of the league, is almost out of patience with the franchise, and while it is unreasonable to expect a playoff berth this season, the Sixers really need to show significant improvement. Okafor should help in that regard, though he’ll likely be mobbed in the paint continuously thanks to the team’s distinct lack of outside shooting. Newly acquired shooting guard Nik Stauskas is the X-factor this season. If he can shake off his clunker of a rookie season and start draining outside shots like he did at Michigan, Okafor’s rookie campaign will go much more smoothly.

Overall Draft Grade: B. It’s hard to find fault with the selection of Okafor with the No. 3 pick, but with the team’s wealth of future picks, not making a splash by landing another first-rounder this year is certainly a disappointment.

Toronto Raptors

Team Needs: Defense, Outside Shooting, Backcourt Depth

Draft Picks:

No. 20 Overall — Delon Wright, PG, Utah
No. 46 Overall — Norman Powell, SG, UCLA*

*Acquired from Bucks along with the Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick in exchange for Greivis Vasquez.

The selection of Wright isn’t a game-changer for the franchise, but he was still a solid pick. The Raptors badly needed a solid backcourt defender last season, and that is certainly something that the versatile Wright can be. While, at 23 years old, he doesn’t offer quite the upside that other point guards in this year’s draft do, he should be an immediate contributor as Kyle Lowry‘s backup. The concern regarding Wright is his shooting ability, and his summer league slash line of .375/.000/.778 did nothing to dispel that fear. Wright also has the size and skills to play shooting guard, but if he isn’t a threat from the outside, Toronto will be hard-pressed to utilize him at the two.

As for Powell, he’ll likely spend more time in the D-League this season than with the Raptors, but he was a solid pickup that late in the draft. Powell is a bit undersized, but has a huge wingspan (6’11”) and is a tremendous athlete. If Toronto is patient with his development, he could turn into an effective bench scorer down the line. I’m a big fan of this pick for the team.

Overall Draft Grade: C+. Wright certainly fills a need, but if he doesn’t improve offensively, it will significantly impact his minutes. Powell was a solid second-round pick who could end up outperforming Wright in a few seasons. Overall a decent if unspectacular draft for GM Masai Ujiri.

Sixers, J.P. Tokoto In Talks About Camp Deal

July 31st, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:55pm: Tokoto has made it clear he has no intention of signing overseas or in the D-League, Charania writes in a full story, a further break with previous reports.

1:13pm: The Sixers and No. 58 overall pick J.P. Tokoto are negotiating toward a deal that would bring him to training camp, and the shooting guard from North Carolina plans to sign with Philadelphia, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). That’s a surprising development, since all indications had been that he would sign overseas or in the D-League.

Tokoto let the Sixers know he was open to becoming a draft-and-stash pick before Philadelphia selected him, as Jake Fischer of SI Now reported shortly after the draft, though it seemed he would have a chance to earn his way to a roster spot with a strong showing in summer league. The former North Carolina mainstay wasn’t particularly impressive this month, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts and averaging just 5.7 points in 23.1 minutes per game across seven appearances with Philadelphia’s summer league squad. Still, he never averaged double-figure points in college, relying instead on elite defense, as Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider profile suggests. Ford ranked him the 52nd-best prospect in the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him even higher, at No. 46. Standing 6’6″, Tokoto rebounds well, having pulled down 5.6 boards in 28.9 minutes per game for the Tar Heels this past season.

Philadelphia only has 12 fully guaranteed salaries for the coming season, counting the freshly signed Richaun Holmes, the team’s other second-round pick this year. The Sixers have contracts or reported deals with five others that include no more than partially guaranteed money, so the addition of Tokoto would give the team 18 players, two shy of the offseason roster limit.

Do you think the Sixers should have Tokoto on the roster this year, or wait until next season? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sixers Sign Richaun Holmes

July 31st, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 12:02pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

6:03pm: The total value of the deal is about $4.2MM, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops hears (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 5:54pm: The contract will run four years, with a team option on the final season, Fischer tweets. The first two seasons are guaranteed for a total of $2.1MM, according to Fischer.

WEDNESDAY, 1:44pm: The Sixers have agreed to a deal with 37th overall pick Richaun Holmes, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The power forward from Bowling Green will see a “significant” amount of guaranteed money over the next two seasons, a league source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). It’s unclear just how much he’s getting, but the deal will probably be similar to the four-year contract for more than $4MM that No. 36 pick Rakeem Christmas recently signed with the Pacers.

The 21-year-old, who’ll turn 22 in October, was a late bloomer who caught the eye of scouts out of the Mid-American Conference. He didn’t put up particularly eye-popping numbers this past season, averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game, aside from his 41.9% three-point shooting, an especially valuable asset given his 6’10” height. Holmes spoke about the development of his shot and more in an April interview with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. At that point, the Keith Kreiter client seemed like a late second-rounder, but he climbed into the top end of the round and ultimately didn’t seem like a reach, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him the 34th-best prospect in his final listings for this season while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegged him 44th.

Holmes is one of three 2015 draftees to which the Sixers hold the rights, including No. 3 pick Jahlil Okafor and J.P. Tokoto, the 58th selection. Philadelphia avoids the scenario it was in with K.J. McDaniels, last year’s No. 32 overall pick, who remained unsigned right up until the end of training camp as he balked at a long-term deal. McDaniels instead penned a one-year, non-guaranteed tender for the minimum-salary, helping hasten his way off the Sixers at this year’s trade deadline and into a three-year, $10MM deal with the Rockets this summer.

What do you think of the chances that Holmes turns into a rotation-caliber player in the NBA? Leave a comment to give us your thoughts.

Knicks Sign Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant

July 30th, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they have officially signed first-round picks Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant. The Knicks selected Porzingis No. 4 overall and selected Grant with their other first-round selection at No. 19.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The selection of Porzingis was panned by many Knicks fans who were hoping for a more familiar name, but he has since silenced critics with some impressive performances in Summer League action. Recently, Knicks GM Steve Mills said that scout Clarence Gaines believed the Knicks should have taken Porzingis first overall if they had won the draft lottery. The Knicks weren’t ready to go quite that far, but they were happy to have the forward fall to them at No. 4. Porzingis, who turns 20 on Sunday, was praised by DraftExpress for his fundamentally sound shooting and high-level mobility for a 7-footer.

On draft night, the Knicks shipped Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks to secure the No. 19 pick, which they used to select Grant. The Notre Dame standout spent five years – including a redshirt season – in South Bend, and has shown tremendous poise for a player his age. Prior to the draft, I spoke with Grant about why he didn’t declare for the draft earlier and the progress he made as a senior last season. Grant also told Hoops Rumors that he was hearing he would not slip past No. 22 in the draft and he was proven right in June.

Porzingis is slated to earn $18.65MM over the next four years, according to the 2015 rookie scale. Grant, meanwhile, will earn $7.568MM over that period of time.

Underclassmen In The 2015 Draft: How They Fared

July 29th, 2015 at 10:24am CST by Chuck Myron

Every year, it seems like more college underclassmen declare for the NBA draft than there are jobs available for them. A total of 45 players who left U.S. colleges with NCAA eligibility remaining were available for selection last month, representing three-fourths of the 60 draft slots. On the whole, they made the most of their opportunities.

The majority of them heard their name called on draft night, and they represented nearly half the draft field, comprising 29 of this year’s 60 draftees. Seven of the 16 who went undrafted have since secured deals with NBA teams, and two months still remain for others to join them before the start of training camp. Not all of the players drafted beyond the first round have guaranteed salaries, but the vast majority of the underclassmen who made themselves eligible for this year’s draft have at least found opportunities to prove they can play in the NBA.

These were the drafted underclassmen, listed in order of selection:

Karl-Anthony Towns, C/F, Kentucky (Freshman) — Timberwolves (first overall)
D’Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State (Freshman) — Lakers (second overall)
Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke (Freshman) — Sixers (third overall)
Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky (Junior) — Kings (sixth overall)
Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona (Freshman) — Pistons (eighth overall)
Justise Winslow, SF, Duke (Freshman) — Heat (10th overall)
Myles Turner, C, Texas (Freshman) — Pacers (11th overall)
Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky (Freshman) — Jazz (12th overall)
Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky (Freshman) — Suns (13th overall)
Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State (Sophomore) — Thunder (14th overall)
Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas (Freshman) — Hawks (15th overall), traded to Wizards
Terry Rozier, G, Louisville (Sophomore) — Celtics (16th overall)
Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV (Freshman) — Bucks (17th overall)
Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin (Junior) — Rockets (18th overall)
Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia (Junior) — Mavericks (21st overall)
Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas (Sophomore) — Bulls (22nd overall)
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona (Sophomore) — Trail Blazers (23rd overall), traded to Nets
Tyus Jones, PG, Duke (Freshman) — Cavaliers (24th overall), traded to Timberwolves
Jarell Martin, PF, LSU (Sophomore) — Grizzlies (25th overall)
R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State (Junior) — Celtics (28th overall)
Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse (Freshman) — Nets (29th overall)
Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA (Freshman) — Warriors (30th overall)
Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville (Junior) — Rockets (32nd overall)
Jordan Mickey, PF, LSU (Sophomore) — Celtics (33rd overall)
Olivier Hanlan, G, Boston College (Junior) — Jazz (42nd overall)
Andrew Harrison, G, Kentucky (Sophomore) — Suns (44th overall), traded to Grizzlies
Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky (Sophomore) — Thunder (48th overall)
Tyler Harvey, SG, Eastern Washington (Junior) — Magic (51st overall)
J.P. Tokoto, SG, North Carolina (Junior) — Sixers (58th overall)

The rest of the underclassmen are listed alphabetically below, with information on those who’ve found pro deals:

Cliff Alexander, F/C, Kansas (Freshman) — signed with Trail Blazers
Brandon Ashley, PF, Arizona (Junior) — signed with Mavericks
Michael Frazier, SG, Florida (Junior) — unsigned
Aaron Harrison, SG, Kentucky (Sophomore) — signed with Hornets
Vince Hunter, PF, UTEP (Sophomore) — unsigned
Charles Jackson, C, Tennessee Tech (Junior) — unsigned
Trevor Lacey, SG, N.C. State (Junior) — signed overseas
Ashton Pankey, F, Manhattan (Junior) — unsigned
Terran Petteway, SG, Nebraska (Junior) — signed with Hawks
Michael Qualls, SG, Arkansas (Junior) — agreed to sign with Thunder
Jherrod Stiggers, G, Houston (Junior) — unsigned
Deonta Stocks, G, West Georgia (Sophomore) — unsigned
Aaron Thomas, SG, Florida State (Junior) — unsigned
Robert Upshaw, C, Washington (Sophomore) — agreed to sign with Lakers
Chris Walker, PF, Florida (Sophomore) — unsigned
Christian Wood, PF, UNLV (Sophomore) — agreed to sign with Rockets

Celtics Sign Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter

July 27th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

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.

Northwest Notes: Malone, Lillard, Harkless

July 17th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t have too much to say about Ty Lawson, other than that he’s been in contact and that he still considers the point guard “part of the Denver Nugget family,” but Malone, in his conversation with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, provided a glimpse into Denver’s draft night war room.

“It’s very rare when you’re picking No. 7 to get the guy you target. I kid you not, when I got the job, [GM] Tim Connelly said, ‘Emmanuel Mudiay. That’s the guy,'” Malone said.

The team’s other target was Duke small forward Justise Winslow, Malone admitted to Lowe with hesitation. Winslow slipped to the Heat at No. 10. The coach also spoke with Lowe about his time hanging around the Timberwolves last season, and Malone “absolutely” had interest in becoming the head-coach-in-waiting under Flip Saunders in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. He would have considered such an opportunity over the Nuggets gig, Wolfson adds. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Damian Lillard is a fan of Portland’s trade acquisition of Maurice Harkless, GM Neil Olshey says, and it’s with Lillard in mind that the Blazers are going after players like the former Magic small forward, as The Oregonian’s Mike Richman chronicles. Lillard signed a five-year max extension this month. “When LaMarcus [Aldridge] warned us he wasn’t coming back we went full bore with guys on the same career arc as Damian Lillard,” Olshey said. “Damian’s our best player right now, he’s a two time All-Star. We’re going to bring in players that compliment his skill set, how we want to play and that can grow with him as he continues to improve.”
The Nuggets were reportedly one of three teams interested in signing Sergio Rodriguez, but it doesn’t look like he’ll leave Spain for the NBA again, as Real Madrid wants him to stay, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The contract reportedly contains an NBA buyout clause, but Real Madrid will fight to keep him, Pick says.
The precise value of Jameer Nelson‘s three-year contract with the Nuggets is $13,621,575, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The cap hits in the four-year deal the Nuggets gave Nikola Jokic come to $5,551,000, and year four is a team option, Pincus also shows (Twitter link).

Clippers Sign Branden Dawson

July 15th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 11:31am: Dawson has officially signed with the Clippers, the team announced.

TUESDAY, 2:22pm: The Clippers are expected to sign Branden Dawson, this year’s No. 56 overall pick, within the week, reports Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The former Michigan State forward’s strong showing in the summer league is fueling the Clippers’ desire for a deal, Bolch indicates. It would likely be a minimum-salary deal covering no more than two seasons for Dawson, since that’s all the Clippers are limited to after re-signing DeAndre Jordan and spending their taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Paul Pierce.

New Orleans originally drafted Dawson, quickly trading him to the Clippers in return for cash. Early returns on the $630K investment are positive for the Clips, as the 22-year-old averaged 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds across 25.6 minutes per game in his first four summer league appearances.

Defense is Dawson’s calling card, but he’s been working on a jump shot, as he told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors before the draft. The 22-year-old mentioned the Clippers and the Pelicans among the teams that liked him.

Pacers Sign Joseph Young

July 14th, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 12:25pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

12:20pm: The first two years are guaranteed, Charania adds.

MONDAY, 12:08pm: The Pacers and No. 43 overall pick Joseph Young have reached agreement on a four-year deal worth more than $4MM, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Indiana appears poised to use a sliver of its cap room on the combo guard from the University of Oregon, who’s getting a deal more lucrative than the two years and nearly $1.4MM that the minimum-salary exception could provide. The most he could make in a four-year minimum-salary deal is $3,502,513, so he’s receiving more than the minimum in at least one of those seasons.

The 23-year-old has looked strong in the summer league, as Charania notes, averaging 22.5 points in 29.8 minutes per game in four appearances. He was a scorer in college, too, having put up 20.7 PPG in 36.7 MPG as a senior this past season. Young shot 39.0% from behind the arc for his college career, and he’s adept a getting to the hoop, too, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his profile, having ranked him the 30th-best prospect in the draft.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him lower, at No. 53, so Young’s draft position largely split the difference between his projections. He’s a client of Kevin Bradbury, as Givony notes, and he projects to help fill the need for more perimeter players in Indiana’s new, more fast-paced approach.

Magic Sign Mario Hezonja

July 10th, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic have signed Mario Hezonja, this year’s fifth overall pick, the team announced. He’ll almost certainly receive a salary of more than $3.741MM this season and a total of nearly $16.897MM over the four-year rookie scale contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. Those figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is standard procedure. The Arn Tellem client will likely put some of that toward his $1.4MM buyout from Barcelona of Spain. The Magic can only cover $625K of that.

Hezonja’s selection wasn’t too surprising, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him as the fifth-best prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him sixth. The Croatian swingman is a versatile scorer with tantalizing outside shooting skill, though he has a reputation for a poor attitude.

The Magic are likely done with signings for more than the minimum salary, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote. That frees the team to formally sign Hezonja, a maneuver that lifts his cap hold by about $900K.

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