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Latest On Russell Westbrook, Thunder

July 11th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets always loom as a threat when stars become available on the market and the Russell Westbrook sweepstakes are no different.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) hears that Houston is attempting to slip into negotiations with Oklahoma City, focusing on the possibility of a three-team trade. It’s unclear which players the Rockets would offer up in such a scenario, though I’d speculate sending Chris Paul elsewhere is the angle. Houston could swap Paul and Westbrook easily, as they both make $38.5M, though the rebuilding Thunder don’t appear to be a fit for Paul. Finding that third team would likely be necessary if in that type of deal.

The Heat appear to be the frontrunner to land Westbrook and the eight-time All-Star has reportedly placed Miami atop the shortlist he gave team’s front office, as Windhorst notes. Still, the two sides have barriers to overcome if they are going to come to an agreement on a trade. Miami is hard-capped, meaning the franchise cannot take back any additional salary in any trade. The team also lacks the ability to trade away a first-rounder until the 2025 season, having already dealt away its two future picks (OKC owns Miami’s unprotected 2021 and lottery unprotected 2023 selections).

Here’s more surrounding Westbrook and the Thunder:

Will the Bulls get involved in the Westbrook sweepstakes? It doesn’t sound like it. “When you look at the financial aspect of a player that’s 30 going out four years and the amount of money that’s going to be made, those things can tie your hands up and put your organization in a tough position,” VP John Paxson said without mentioning Westbrook directly (via Mark Strotman of NBC Chicago). “You want the superstars. You want to do what the Clippers are doing and the Lakers are doing, but we’re realistic right now. We’re not in that position. We hope that in a couple years with the development of these young guys, players around the league view us as a destination point where they can win at the highest level.”
The 22% stake in the Thunder organization owned by the late Audrey McClendon is up for sale, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg reports. The franchise is worth approximately $1.5 billion, according to the latest Forbes report. Oklahoma City has sold out 355 games in a row, which is the third-longest active streak in the league.
Dan Devine of The Ringer breaks down the possible destinations from Westbrook but struggles to find a new home for the point guard. Still, the scribe contends that there will be a team willing to trade for him before training camp starts.

Bulls Re-Sign Ryan Arcidiacono

July 11th, 2019 at 12:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 11: The Bulls have officially re-signed Arcidiacono, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 2: The Bulls are bringing back Ryan Arcidiacono on a three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The point guard will make $9MM over the three seasons.

Chicago will likely wait to make the deal official until after using their cap room. The team has commitments to Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky (via sign-and-trade) that it will need to complete using cap space.

Satoransky and Arcidiacono will join Coby White and Kris Dunn in what is becoming a crowded point guard picture in Chicago. There have been rumors that the Bulls are exploring the trade market for a deal involving Dunn.

Arcidiacono played in 81 games during his sophomore NBA season averaging 6.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.7 RPG in 24.2 minutes per contest.. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania native signed on with the Bulls during the summer of 2017 after going undrafted out of Villanova.

Jim Boylen Excited For New Roster

July 10th, 2019 at 10:08pm CST by clarkcrum

Bulls head coach Jim Boylen is excited about the new players his team brought in this offseason, and he hopes that the additions of veterans Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky alongside rookies Coby White and Daniel Gafford will allow him to deploy a deeper roster during the 2019/20 season, writes Sean Highkin of NBC Sports Chicago.

Contract Details For Thaddeus Young

July 10th, 2019 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Thaddeus Young‘s three-year contract with the Bulls will have a total value between $40.6MM and 43.6MM, depending on whether he earns his incentives, tweets Pincus. The third year on Young’s deal is partially guaranteed for $6MM.

Wendell Carter Jr. Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery

July 9th, 2019 at 8:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 9: The Bulls confirmed (via Twitter) that Carter underwent his core muscle surgery today. The team says the youngster’s rehab process is expected to take about six to eight weeks, putting him on track to participate in camp in September.

JULY 3: Wendell Carter Jr. will undergo a procedure on July 9 to repair a core muscle injury, per the team’s website. The big man is expected to be ready for training camp.

The 2018 No. 7 overall pick was limited to just 44 games during his rookie season because of a thumb injury. He had surgery to repair the ailment during the campaign.

Carter Jr. will miss the entire Summer League as he manages his latest injury. The Bulls have been active in free agency adding depth in the frontcourt. Chicago added Luke Kornet and Thaddeus Young over the past few days to supplement their big man rotation. The team also drafted Daniel Gafford in the second round of this year’s draft.

Grizzlies, Bulls Discussed Kris Dunn, Justin Holiday Swap

July 7th, 2019 at 10:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Bulls and Grizzlies have discussed a sign-and-trade for Justin Holiday that would send former top-10 pick Kris Dunn to Memphis, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune hears.

Holiday played for the Bulls last season before the team dealt him to the Grizzlies. Memphis made the December trade hoping to remain in the playoff hunt, surrendering two second-round picks to Chicago as well as Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks (the wrong Brooks from the failed three-team trade with the Suns).

Chicago has made Dunn available in trade talks after drafting Coby White and acquiring Tomas Satoransky. Three of the team’s offseason goals were to add depth in the frontcourt, bring in point guard competition, and add outside shooting. The first two can be checked off the list.

Shooting on the wing remains on the Bulls’ wish list, Johnson adds. Holiday is a career 34.9% shooter from behind the arc.

Contract Details: Magic, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, More

July 7th, 2019 at 7:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The free agency deals began a week ago, but the details of those arrangements are slowly trickling in as they become official. Let’s take a look at some contract notes from players around the league:

Nikola Vucevic’s four-year, $100MM deal with the Magic will decline by 8% annually, Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights tweets. Vucevic will make roughly $28.4MM in the first year of his front-loaded contract.
Terrence Ross‘ four-year, $52MM contract with the Magic will start at $12.5MM, per Siegel. Ross will make $13.5MM during the 2020/21 season, followed by $12.5MM and $11.5MM in the two ensuing years.
Al-Farouq Aminu will take home the full non-taxpayer’s mid-level on his deal with the Magic. He’ll make approximately $9.3MM during his first season and approximately $9.7MM and $10.2MM, respectively, over the ensuing two campaigns.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s two year deal with the Lakers is worth approximately $16.6MM in total value. KCP can make roughly $1.2MM in annual incentives on top of that amount, a source tells Siegel (Twitter link). The shooting guard has a player option on the second year of the pact, which also has a 15% trade bonus. Since his deal could be a one-year contract (if he chooses to turn down the player option), Caldwell-Pope has a default no-trade clause.
JaVale McGee also has a player option on the final year of his two-year deal with the Lakers, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets. McGee, who will make $8.2MM over the length of his contract, also has the ability to veto a trade.
Markieff Morris‘ two-year deal with the Pistons contains a second-year player option, Smith tweets. Morris was signed via the bi-annual exception.
Bruno Fernando‘s three-year deal with the Hawks is worth $4.7MM, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. It appears Atlanta will be using cap space to sign the rookie.
Tomas Satoransky final season of the three-year, $30MM deal with the Bulls is only guaranteed for $5MM, Fred Katz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Chicago brought the point guard to town via sign-and-trade.

Bulls Acquire Tomas Satoransky Via Sign-And-Trade

July 7th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The Bulls’ acquisition of Satoransky via sign-and-trade is now official, the team announced in a press release.

JULY 1: The Bulls have reached an agreement with the Wizards to acquire restricted free agent point guard Tomas Satoransky via a sign-and-trade deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

In return, the Wizards will acquire two second-round picks. The 2023 second-round pick (protected 31-36) that the Bulls sent the Wizards in the Otto Porter trade will also have its protections removed as part of this deal, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Wojnarowski (via Twitter) has the full details on the assets the Wizards are acquiring from the Bulls. They are as follows:

Either the Bulls’ or Grizzlies’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The right to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Bulls’ or Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The 31-36 protection removed from the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick.

According to Wojnarowski, Satoransky will ink a three-year contract with Chicago. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link) hears the deal will be worth $30MM, while Johnson tweets that the third year isn’t expected to be fully guaranteed.

A former second-round pick, Satoransky has spent his first three NBA seasons in Washington, and assumed the starting point guard role when John Wall when down last season. In 2018/19, he averaged 8.9 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG in 80 games (27.1 MPG).

While Satoransky isn’t a big-usage player, he has been an efficient caretaker in the backcourt. Last season, he shot .485/.395/.819 and turned the ball over just 1.5 times per game.

The Bulls entered the summer with about $23MM in cap room and intended to use it on a pair of veterans, including a point guard. They reached a three-year, $41MM deal with Thaddeus Young on Sunday night, and now figure to use their leftover space to finalize the acquisition of Satoransky. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the 27-year-old will get the opportunity to start at the point for the Bulls, who will presumably be patient with lottery pick Coby White.

As for the Wizards, they agreed to terms with Ish Smith this morning, but will be in the market for more point guard help with Wall expected to be sidelined for a good chunk of 2019/20. According to Aldridge (via Twitter), they’re talking to Isaiah Thomas and hope there’s a fit there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agency Notes: Cap Holds, Williams, Magic, Wizards

July 7th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly half the teams in the NBA renounced their rights to multiple free agents this week as they prepared to make new roster moves official, per RealGM’s transactions log. In some cases, like when the Clippers renounced the rights to Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler, those free agents already new homes lined up, and removing their cap holds was simply a formality to create cap room for incoming additions.

In other cases, the housekeeping moves were a bit more noteworthy. The Pacers, for instance, renounced Darren Collison‘s Bird rights, so if the 31-year-old – who announced his retirement before the start of free agency – ever attempts an NBA comeback, Indiana will no longer have a leg up to re-acquire him.

Besides those two teams, the Hawks, Bucks, Nets, Jazz, Sixers, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Celtics, Wizards, and Bulls also renounced various free agents, according to RealGM’s log.

Here are a few more notes related to free agency:

The Lakers have withdrawn their qualifying offer to two-way player Johnathan Williams and renounced his rights, according to RealGM. That doesn’t preclude the Lakers from bringing back Williams on a new two-way deal, but he’ll be able to sign outright with a new team if he so chooses.
At least nine teams are now confirmed to attend the Amar’e Stoudemire/Monta Ellis workout taking place in Las Vegas on Monday, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. We previously relayed word of Stoudemire’s and Ellis’ attempts to make NBA comebacks.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides salary cap updates on a pair of Southeast teams, tweeting that the Magic and Wizards are both safely out of luxury tax territory for now. According to Marks (Twitter links), Orlando has $3.5MM in breathing room under the tax line, counting Khem Birch‘s $1.8MM cap hold, while Washington is about $4MM below that threshold after cutting Jonathon Simmons.

Bulls Sign Daniel Gafford

July 7th, 2019 at 12:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 8: The Bulls have officially signed Gafford, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 7: Second-round pick Daniel Gafford has reached an agreement with the Bulls on a four-year contract with a total value of $6.1MM, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The first two seasons of the deal are fully guaranteed.

The 6’11” center out of Arkansas was the 38th player taken in last month’s draft. He spent two years with the Razorbacks, averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a sophomore and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team as well as first team All-SEC honors.

The Bulls will use cap room to make it a four-year deal, with yearly salaries likely to be set at $898,310, $1,517,981, $1,782,621 and $1,930,681.

“He’s a defensive rolling center, high energy, can run the floor,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said after the draft. “He’s very athletic. His rebounding numbers, analytically, his shot-blocking numbers were really high.”