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NBA Teams With Open Two-Way Contract Slots

August 28th, 2019 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Only a small handful of two-way players from 2018/19 had their contracts carried over to the 2019/20 season. A couple more of last year’s two-way players have signed new two-way deals. For the most part though, NBA teams have filled their two-way contract slots for the coming season with new faces, including several rookies who went undrafted in 2019.

At the moment, 44 of 60 league-wide two-way contract slots are occupied. A 45th appears set to be filled if and when the Knicks finalize their reported agreement with Kris Wilkes. That leaves just 15 two-way deals available across the NBA as training camps approach.

Some clubs may not fill these slots before camps get underway, preferring to sign players to non-guaranteed NBA contracts and then convert those deals to two-way pacts later, depending on how players perform in camp and in the preseason. By the time the 2019/20 regular season begins though, I don’t expect many two-way slots to still be open.

With the help of our two-way contract tracker, which lists all the players currently on two-way deals, here are the teams who can still offer two-way contracts without waiving anyone:

Two open slots:

Houston Rockets
Miami Heat
Toronto Raptors

One open slot:

Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
New York Knicks
- Note: The Knicks only have a slot available if their reported deal with Wilkes isn’t finalized.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Wizards

Community Shootaround: Michael Porter Jr.’s Future With Nuggets

August 27th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nuggets‘ front office believes Michael Porter Jr.‘s rehabilitation process has set him up for a standard role within an NBA rotation, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic writes. The No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 draft missed his entire rookie season while he recovered from back surgery, but is scheduled to make his debut this upcoming season.

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Blake Griffin are among the top players who have missed their rookie season because of injury, Kosmider notes. Simmons and Griffin were each spectacular in their second season in the league, while Embiid took several seasons to fully showcase his ability. Although Embiid’s pitch count seems to get more liberal every year, it’s still a pitch count.

Denver may not ask Porter to play an expanded role right away, as the team has enough depth to compete without major contributions from the Missouri product. Porter’s ceiling can take the Nuggets from very good to great but he must first prove that he can stay on the floor consistently. The team is optimistic that Porter is ready to take that first step.

Do you believe that Porter can help elevate this Nuggets team or is it foolish to count on him for anything at this point in his career? How do you see his career going if he can stay healthy?

Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts. We look forward to what you have to say!

Northwest Notes: Collins, Porter Jr., Thunder

August 24th, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Zach Collins is expected to be 100 percent healthy by the time training camp rolls around, Jason Quick of The Athletic relays. The big man suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain while competing in Tim Grgurich’s summer camp in Las Vegas.

Collins is expected to play a significant role for the Trail Blazers this upcoming season. The team lost Enes Kanter in free agency and jettisoned Meyers Leonard to Miami. Portland did acquire Hassan Whiteside, but the team’s big man depth will be tested until Jusuf Nurkic is able to recover from the broken leg he suffered at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

How much will Michael Porter Jr. play for the Nuggets this upcoming season? Eric Spyropoulos of NBA.com would be surprised if it was more than 15-17 minutes per game as a result of the depth on Denver’s roster.
In the same piece, Spyropoulos argues that no team will start the season as strongly from a chemistry standpoint as the Nuggets will. The team brings back a core that has spent several seasons together with the only major addition being Jerami Grant.
We may be in the midst of a player empowerment era in the NBA, though Tom Ziller of SB Nation contends that Paul George‘s move to Los Angeles is not on par with Anthony Davis‘ and LeBron James‘ power moves. Ziller explains how the Thunder, like the Pacers two years prior, received good value in a trade for George.

Trevor Booker Working Out For Teams

August 22nd, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Trevor Booker, who is among the notable players available on the free agent market, recently worked out for the Nuggets, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The big man has scheduled workouts with the Bucks and Clippers as well.

Booker last played in the NBA back in the 2017/18 season when he started the year with the Nets. He was dealt to the Sixers as part of the Jahlil Okafor trade early in the season and he was subsequently waived before catching on with the Pacers.

Booker was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2010 draft, originally drafted by Minnesota before the organization traded his rights to Washington. He spent four seasons with the Wizards before departing to Utah, where he played for two years. The eight-year veteran will turn 32 in November.

World Cup Notes: Exhibition, Australia, Free Agency, Clarkson

August 22nd, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA got the test it was hoping for in today’s exhibition matchup with Australia, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Playing before more than 51,000 fans in Melbourne, the Americans trailed briefly in the second and third quarters before pulling away for a 102-86 victory.

“One of our big mantras has been ‘composure and poise,’” coach Gregg Popovich said. “Things are going to go the other way in some games. And the way you respond to that is really the measure of how you’re going to do.”

Popovich put together a challenging exhibition schedule to test his team before World Cup play officially starts at the end of the month. After facing second-ranked Spain last week, Team USA is playing a pair of games against Australia, then taking on Canada.

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

Before the game, Popovich told reporters he sees Australia as a legitimate threat for the gold medal, per an Associated Press story. The Boomers feature several NBA players and have a core that has been together for a long time. “They are one of the teams that can win the whole thing, without a doubt,” Popovich said. “I’m not saying that because I’m here. It’s just a fact. They’ve been close for several years, and they are hungry. They are talented. They have the toughness and physicality to go with it. I think they are one of the top contenders.”
International play has frequently set up future free agent moves, notes Douglas Farmer of Basketball Insiders. He singles out Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell as two players who could work well together, although both are expected to sign rookie scale extensions with their current teams, so that partnership may not be formed until 2027. Among 2020 free agents, Mason Plumlee and Joe Harris are both role players who could be valuable in the right situation. Farmer expects the four Celtics on the World Cup team to talk to Plumlee about coming to Boston, while Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez may sell Harris on the Bucks.
Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson won’t be part of the Philippines team, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The nation included Clarkson’s name on the 19-man pool it submitted to FIBA just in case he was declared eligible, but head coach Yeng Guiao announced Wednesday that the team is moving on without him.

Nuggets Notes: Harris, Bol, Cook

August 20th, 2019 at 1:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Gary Harris is primed for a bounce-back season with the Nuggets after injuries marred his 2018/19 campaign, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic writes. Harris was only able to play in 57 regular-season games last season. Harris shot 40.2% from long range in the last 21 games of the regular season and averaged 14.2 PPG in the postseason, Kosmider notes.

Coach Michael Malone has praised Harris for his consistency and the shooting guard has a capable backup in Malik Beasley, which gives Malone the luxury of resting Harris more often prior to the playoffs, Kosmider adds.

We have more on the Nuggets:

They would prefer to have second-round pick Bol Bol sign a two-way contract in order to stay below the luxury tax line, as Albert Nahmad details. A two-way deal instead of a $898K minimum-salary contract with Bol would give them a little more elbow room as opposed to being less than $100K under the line. If Bol doesn’t want a two-way, the team would have to issue him that minimum deal by September 5 to make him a restricted free agent. Bol would have until October 15 to accept the offer. The team is currently $979K below the tax line, though that figures excludes some unlikely bonuses for Harris and Paul Millsap, Nahmad adds (Twitter links here).
Undrafted forward Tyler Cook currently holds the other two-way spot and he has no illusions about making an impact in his rookie year, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic. Like most two-way players, Cook will try to hone his skills in the G League for a majority of the season. “I’m a rookie and I understand that,” Cook said. “I’m coming into an established group and so I want to be able to do whatever I can do, whatever they ask me to do to help them win.”
According to a rookie survey, Bol was a steal in this year’s draft. Get more details here.

Peers Choose Zion, Morant As Top Rookie Of Year Candidates

August 19th, 2019 at 5:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Top pick Zion Williamson of the Pelicans is considered the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award by his peers, but he’s not a clear-cut choice. The second pick in the draft, point guard Ja Morant of the Grizzlies, finished a close second in the voting. However, that might not be such a good thing for either player.

For the 11th time in 13 years, John Schuhmann of NBA.com got the opportunity to ask the NBA’s incoming crop of rookies a series of questions related to their fellow draftees.

Historically, the NBA rookies haven’t been soothsayers. They haven’t accurately identified a Rookie of the Year winner since Kevin Durant in 2007/08. Last season, Deandre Ayton and Collin Sexton were considered the co-favorites. Luka Doncic ended up winning the award with Trae Young finishing a solid second.

Here’s some of the highlights from the survey:

Williamson got 35% of the vote for the Rookie of the Year prize, while Morant received 27% backing. No one else got more than 5%.
Nuggets second-round pick Bol Bol and Cavaliers’ late first-rounder Kevin Porter Jr. were considered the steals of the draft, with each getting 19% of the vote.
Two players stood out to their peers as being the best defenders in the draft — the Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle and the Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter. Thybulle collected 37% of the votes in that category, while Hunter received 29% backing.
By a wide margin, Williamson was chosen as the most athletic rookie, garnering 87% of the votes. Morant was selected as the best ball-handler, receiving 40% of those votes.
The Heat‘s Tyler Herro (33%) edged out the Kings’ Kyle Guy (29%) as the best shooter.
LeBron James (38%) got the highest total in the ‘Favorite player in the league’ category with Kevin Durant (20%) finishing second.

Beasley Secretive About His Workout; Bol Talks About Players He Watches

August 17th, 2019 at 9:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets guard Malik Beasley is keeping his summer routine a secret as he works to follow up his breakthrough season, relays Alex Labidou of NBA.com. During the 2018/19 campaign, Beasley raised his scoring average from 3.2 to 11.3 PPG and improved his long-distance shooting to 40.2%. “If I can make through this season without being injured, that’s the first thing. I’m good with that,” Beasley said. “Everything will fall into place from the hard work this summer.”
Nuggets rookie Bol Bol covers a wide range of topics — basketball and otherwise — in an interview with Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype. Bol says Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is among his favorite players and he tries to learn from watching him, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis.

Nuggets Sign Tyler Cook To Two-Way Contract

August 13th, 2019 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have filled one of their two-way contract slots by signing undrafted forward Tyler Cook to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

Cook, who entered the draft this spring after his junior year at Iowa, averaged 14.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 33 games (30.8 MPG) in 2018/19, while shooting 51.9% from the field. After recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered during a pre-draft workout, the 21-year-old joined Denver for Summer League action, playing limited minutes in three games.

Although Cook’s Summer League numbers (4.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG) were modest, his athleticism and play-making impressed the Nuggets, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Cook’s deal with Denver was first reported in June, with Singer indicating earlier today that it was expected to be a two-way contract.

The Nuggets now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, Cook on a two-way contract, and PJ Dozier on a non-guaranteed camp deal. That leaves four offseason roster spots open, including a two-way slot. Second-round pick Bol Bol is believed to be the leading candidate for that second two-way deal, though it’s still possible Denver will make him the 15th man on the regular season roster.

Nuggets Sign PJ Dozier

August 13th, 2019 at 10:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 13: The Nuggets have officially signed Dozier to a training camp contract, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 12: The Nuggets have reached a one-year deal with guard PJ Dozier, Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN tweets.

Dozier had a two-way contract with the Celtics last season and excelled at the G League level. He made the All-G League Third Team as a member of the Maine Red Claws.

The Nuggets have some open roster spots. They have 14 guaranteed contracts as well as the reported signing of Tyler Cook and unsigned second-round pick Bol Bol. Both of their two-way slots are available.

Dozier can’t get an Exhibit 10 bonus since the Nuggets don’t own a G League franchise, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Dozier became a free agent when the Celtics declined to extend him a qualifying offer. The 6’6” combo guard appeared in six games with Boston last season, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG. The South Carolina product averaged 21.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 6.7 APG in 35.3 MPG over 46 games in the G League.

He appeared in two games with Oklahoma City the previous season.