2021 August | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Sign Aamir Simms To Training Camp Deal

August 19th, 2021 at 7:32am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 19: Simms’ deal with the Knicks is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

JULY 30: Undrafted rookie Aamir Simms will sign with the Knicks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Woj doesn’t offer specifics on the deal, but it will likely be an Exhibit 10 contract, which is frequently given to camp invitees.

The 6’8″ power forward spent four years at Clemson, averaging a career-best 13.4 points per game as a senior, along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He opted to skip an extra year of eligibility being offered by the NCAA and declare for the draft.

He was a third-team All-ACC selection as a junior and a second-team choice as a senior.

Simms’ deal with New York can become official once the NBA’s new league year begins next week.

Southeast Notes: Bertans, Wright, Dieng, Ball, Heat

August 18th, 2021 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards have plenty of options at the forward spots and that makes it difficult to project what will happen with Davis Bertans, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes. Bertans had a disappointing season after being re-signed on a five-year, $80MM contract. If Bertans drains 3-pointers at a prolific rate, he’ll play regularly. But if he gets off to a slow start, Washington will have a difficult decision to make regarding the highly-paid stretch four.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Summertime acquisitions Delon Wright and Gorgui Dieng project to play on the Hawks’ second unit, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic says in his look at the team’s likely depth chart. De’Andre Hunter is tentatively penciled in as the starting small forward, though his meniscus surgery in June could alter that.
LaMelo Ball took an unusual path to the NBA, leaving high school to play professionally in Lithuania and Australia before he was drafted. He has no regrets about that strategy, Scott Gleeson of USA Today relays from a GQ interview with the Hornets point guard. “You want go to the league, so school’s not your priority,” he said. “We not trippin’ off school. … We don’t need school.”
The Heat have a reputation for developing unheralded and undrafted players, prompting Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald to take a closer look at their program.

Pelicans Sign Jose Alvarado To Two-Way Deal

August 18th, 2021 at 8:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 18: Alvarado has signed his two-way contract, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.

JULY 30: The Pelicans are set to sign a two-way deal with Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado, reports Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Alvarado logged four seasons with the Yellow Jackets. During his 2020/21 senior season, Alvarado averaged 15.2 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.5 RPG, and a whopping 2.8 SPG, on .504/.390/.838 shooting.

The 2020/21 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Alvarado was also a two-time All-ACC honoree and was named to the 2020/21 All-ACC Tourney team. The 23-year-old Brooklyn native is considered a solid shooter, off-ball scorer and playmaker, but his lack of size or athleticism could limit his NBA ceiling.

Southwest Notes: Markkanen, Lamb, Grizzlies, Mavs’ Staff

August 18th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks would be happy to acquire Lauri Markkanen from the Bulls if he would agree sign under market value so they could fit him into their $11MM traded player exception, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic. In that sign-and-trade scenario, the Mavericks likely wouldn’t have to give up a rotation player.

The alternative would be to offer Markkanen a three-year deal in the $44MM range. The Bulls have some interest in Maxi Kleber, Cato adds. Kleber has a base salary of $8.75MM next season and his 2022/23 salary is non-guaranteed. However, the Mavericks would be giving up a rotation piece and replacing him with a player with a higher salary.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have made a two-way qualifying offer to Anthony Lamb but he hopes that he proved in summer league play he deserves a standard contract, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Hopefully, I convince them I deserve more,” Lamb said. He averaged 7.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 1.8 APG and played strong defense in five outings at Las Vegas.
The Grizzlies have become a proverbial dumping ground for teams looking to move contracts they’re trying to shed, says Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Their recent acquisition of Patrick Beverley – who is being flipped to Minnesota – and Rajon Rondo from the Clippers demonstrates that strategy. Memphis has made a number of similar moves in recent years, stockpiling first-round draft picks and opening up cap space after this season with the hope landing another star to join Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Mavericks are looking to add another assistant to Jason Kidd’s staff, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, who tweets that they’ve interviewed at least two female candidates with the aim of hiring one of them if the right candidate is found. Dallas had a female assistant last season in Jenny Boucek, who joined Rick Carlisle‘s staff in Indiana.

Community Shootaround: Best, Worst Big-Money FA Deals

August 18th, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

At least one 2021 NBA free agent who remains unsigned – Lauri Markkanen – is a candidate to receive an eight-figure annual salary this offseason, but it’s probably safe to assume that any deal Markkanen signs won’t crack this summer’s top 10 free agent contracts.

Based on information from our free agent tracker, there have been 10 free agent contracts signed this offseason that include at least $75MM in guaranteed money. They are as follows:

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: Four years, $176.27MM (fourth-year player option)
John Collins, Hawks: Five years, $125MM (fifth-year player option)
Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers: Five years, $100MM
Norman Powell, Trail Blazers: Five years, $90MM
Duncan Robinson, Heat: Five years, $90MM (fifth-year early termination option)
Kyle Lowry, Heat: Three years, $85MM
DeMar DeRozan, Bulls: Three years, $81.9MM
Lonzo Ball, Bulls: Four years, $80MM (fourth-year player option)
Chris Paul, Suns: Four years, $120MM ($75MM fully guaranteed)
Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: Four years, $75MM

While some teams come to regret their long-term, big-money free agent commitments within a couple years, several of these deals have the potential to age pretty well. Collins, Allen, and Ball, for instance, are all still just 23 years old, meaning they still have many prime years ahead of them and could even continue improving.

Signing a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a perennial All-NBA candidate like Leonard to a long-term contract is also rarely a bad move, even if it’s for maximum-salary money. However, it’s a riskier proposition when the player in question is recovering from ACL surgery and isn’t a lock to play at all during the first year of the deal. The Clippers are confident that Leonard will make a full recovery, but his health issues – both past and present – create some cause for concern.

Lowry and Paul earned significant guarantees, given their respective ages (35 and 36). The Suns, at least, will get some protection in the third and fourth years of Paul’s contract, but if they waive CP3 before his third year fully guarantees, they’d end up paying him $75MM for just two seasons.

Powell, Robinson, and Hardaway are all talented contributors, but they’re role players, not stars. If their production falls off at all, those deals could become onerous in their later years.

Finally, DeRozan is one of the league’s most talented mid-range scorers and has improved as a facilitator, but he doesn’t stretch the floor and is a below-average defender. A three-year deal worth $27MM per season is a significant price to pay for a Bulls team that also surrendered a first-round pick to acquire DeRozan via sign-and-trade.

We want to know what you think. Which of these big-money 2021 contracts would you feel most comfortable about having on your team? Which do you view as the riskiest or most misguided investment?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Pelicans Sign Daulton Hommes To Two-Way Contract

August 18th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 18: The Pelicans have officially signed Hommes to his two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 9: The Pelicans are set to add 25-year-old rookie swingman Daulton Hommes on a two-way contract, Excel Basketball agent James Dunleavy informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Woj notes that Hommes is currently on the Pelicans’ Las Vegas Summer League team. After going undrafted in 2019 out of Point Loma Nazarene, Hommes spent his first pro season in the NBA G League playing for the Austin Spurs in 2019/20. In 36 games for Austin, Hommes averaged 8.3 PPG on 42.2% field goal shooting, to go along with 3.5 RPG and 1.2 APG. After that, he suited up overseas in Italy for Vanoli Cremona during the 2020/21 season.

Prior to embarking on his pro career, the 6’8″ forward was honored as the 2019 NABC Division II Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team Division II All-American.

As a two-way player, Hommes will be eligible to appear in 50 games for the Pelicans. He will also log time with New Orleans’s new G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, during its debut season.

Hommes appears set to be the second and final two-way player on the Pelicans’ roster. It was previously reported that former Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado would occupy the Pelicans’ other two-way player slot for the 2021/22 season.

Knicks Notes: Fournier, Gibson, Rose, Burks

August 18th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have formally announced many of their offseason free agent signings in recent days, with new deals for Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Derrick Rose, and Taj Gibson all becoming official.

We’re still waiting on the team to finalize its four-year extension for Julius Randle, along with some minor signings like Dwayne Bacon. But the flurry of transactions this week means that we now have details on several of the Knicks’ new contracts. Let’s dive in and round them up…

As we relayed earlier today, Evan Fournier has $1.5MM per year in unlikely incentives on his new four-year deal. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Instagram video), the majority of those bonuses are related to team success — Fournier would earn an extra $1MM, for instance, if the Knicks were to win the title. There are also bonuses related to All-Star and All-NBA nods, which are a long shot to be earned.
Taj Gibson‘s new two-year deal features a team option for the 2022/23 season, according to Marks.
Marks says the cap hits on Derrick Rose‘s new three-year contract are $13.4MM, $14.5MM, and $15.6MM. Those are likely rounded figures, as the most the Knicks could’ve offered Rose using his Early Bird rights was approximately $13.445MM in year one, $14.521MM in year two, and $15.596MM in year three. The deal, which includes a third-year team option, comes in at about $43.56MM.
Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets the details of Alec Burks‘ three-year, $30MM+ contract, which are identical to what Burks would’ve received if he were signed using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Knicks used cap room to sign Burks, but as Marks observes, they may have structured the agreement that way early in free agency in case they found a way to stay over the cap all offseason and needed the MLE for Burks.

Josh Hall Signs Two-Way Deal With Thunder

August 18th, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:31pm: The Thunder have confirmed that Hall accepted his qualifying offer, meaning his new two-way deal comes with a $50K partial guarantee.

12:30pm: The Thunder have re-signed small forward Josh Hall to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Hall likely signed the qualifying offer he received from Oklahoma City at the start of August. It carries a $50K guarantee and serves as a two-way contract for the upcoming season.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a lock to fill one of the Thunder’s two-way slots when the season begins. Because of the minimal financial commitment, teams are willing to move on from two-way players, as we saw earlier today with the Sixers and Rayjon Tucker.

Hall, 20, earned the two-way deal after coming to camp last year on an Exhibit 10 contract. He got into 21 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16 minutes per night. He also played one game for OKC’s affiliate in the G League.

Checking In On Unsigned 2021 NBA Draft Picks

August 18th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

When Usman Garuba officially signed his rookie contract with Houston earlier this week, he became the 30th and final first-round pick from the 2021 draft to sign his first NBA deal. There will be no draft-and-stash players among this year’s first-rounders — they’re all now officially on NBA rosters.

As our tracker shows, another 23 second-rounders from this year’s draft class have also signed their first NBA contracts or – in Joe Wieskamp‘s case – agreed to a deal that should be officially completed soon.

That leaves just seven prospects from 2021’s 60-player draft class who have yet to be signed. They are as follows:

New York Knicks: Rokas Jokubaitis, G, Lithuania
Boston Celtics: Juhann Begarin, G, France
Brooklyn Nets: Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton
Philadelphia 76ers: Filip Petrusev, F, Serbia
Philadelphia 76ers: Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky
Detroit Pistons: Balsa Koprivica, C, Florida State
Brooklyn Nets: RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State

Of these seven players, at least three appear on track to spend the 2021/22 season in Europe. Jokubaitis returned to his team in Barcelona following his Summer League stint with the Knicks, while Petrusev signed with Turkish team Anadolu Efes after playing for the Sixers in Summer League. Begarin, who also played in Summer League for the Celtics, will likely end up heading back overseas to France

That leaves just four true unsigned second-round picks, including a pair of Nets. It will be interesting to see what Brooklyn’s plans are for Zegarowski and Gray. The team currently has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and one on a two-way deal, so there could conceivably be room for Zegarowski on the 15-man squad, with Gray getting the other two-way deal.

However, DeAndre’ Bembry has a partially guaranteed contract and looks like a good bet to make the Nets’ regular-season roster, and Reggie Perry (free agent) and David Duke (Exhibit 10) are among the other candidates to get a two-way deal from the team. It’s also not clear if Brooklyn intends to carry a full 15-man roster to start the season, since leaving a roster spot open would create major tax savings for the franchise.

I could envision a scenario in which Zegarowski signs a two-way contract and Gray signs a G League deal to play for the Long Island Nets, but that’s just my speculation. There are still a number of ways the Nets could go.

Meanwhile, prospects drafted in the 50s like Bassey (No. 53) and Koprivica (No. 57) are generally good candidates for two-way deals, but the Sixers and Pistons have recently filled both of their two-way openings. Perhaps Philadelphia envisions Bassey taking Anthony Tolliver‘s spot on the 15-man roster, since Tolliver is on a non-guaranteed contract.

It’ll be trickier for Detroit to find a roster spot for Koprivica. The Pistons already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and still may re-sign restricted free agent Hamidou Diallo. Stashing Koprivica overseas or in the G League could be the plan. Koprivica was born and raised in Serbia, so he might be more comfortable spending a season overseas than a typical NCAA draftee would be.

Eastern Notes: Fournier, C. Smith, Windler, Madar

August 18th, 2021 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Originally reported as being a four-year deal that could be worth up to $78MM, Evan Fournier‘s new contract with the Knicks could actually max out at $79MM, but only has a base value of $73MM, according to breakdowns from Bobby Marks of ESPN and Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links). The deal, which has a fourth-year team option, includes $1.5MM in annual unlikely incentives that account for that $6MM difference.

The exact value of Fournier’s first-year salary is $17,142,857, according to Smith. That figure is important because the traded player exception created by the Celtics in their sign-and-trade of Fournier to the Knicks is equivalent to that amount. Boston will have until the 2022 offseason to use that $17.14MM trade exception.

Here’s more from around the East:

The two-way contract that undrafted rookie Chris Smith signed with the Pistons will cover two seasons, according to Keith Smith (Twitter link).
A first-round pick in 2019, Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler tells Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that his NBA career has been a “really bumpy and rough road” so far. Windler, who is recovering from left knee surgery, has been limited to 31 NBA games in two seasons due to various health issues and acknowledges that he may be facing a make-or-break season. “I don’t really want to put that much pressure on myself, but in reality, yeah it is,” Windler said to Fedor. “The league is a hard place to stick around. Not a lot of guys last. I’m just hoping this season I can be fully healthy and pain free and then I will be able to show people what I can do when I’m at 100 percent. If that isn’t enough, then at the end of the day, you have to live with that.”
KK Partizan officially announced the signing of Celtics draft-and-stash guard Yam Madar to a three-year contract. While the Serbian team’s press release doesn’t mention NBA outs, Madar’s new deal will likely give him the opportunity to come stateside if and when Boston is ready to add the 2020 second-rounder to its roster, but it appears that won’t happen in 2021/22.

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