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And-Ones: Howard, Edwards, Wembanyama, Tax Payments

July 29th, 2022 at 8:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent center Dwight Howard wants to continue his NBA career, but apparently is interested in joining the WWE if he’s unable to find a team, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays (hat tip to Arash Markazi of ESPN Radio).

An eight-time All-NBA member and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, back injuries have unfortunately slowed Howard in comparison to his supremely athletic peak. Still, he has been a productive backup center the past three years for the Lakers and Sixers, winning a ring with Los Angeles in 2020.

In 60 games (16.2 MPG) with the Lakers in 2021/22, the 36-year-old averaged 6.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG. He’s one of several veteran free agents still looking for a team this summer.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Turkish team Fenerbahce is reportedly targeting Carsen Edwards, per Basket News. Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops reports that Edwards and the EuroLeague side are in “advanced talks.” The No. 33 pick of the 2019 draft, Edwards spent his first couple of seasons with the Celtics, appearing in 68 total games while averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 9.8 MPG. He was traded to Memphis last September, subsequently waived, and spent the majority of last season in the G League, averaging 26.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.6 SPG in 31 regular season games for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate. The 5’11” guard signed a contract with the Pistons at the end of last season, appearing in four games with averages of 5.8 PPG and 3.5 APG in 19.8 MPG. However, his team option for ’22/23 was declined at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
French phenom Victor Wembanyama will miss the upcoming EuroBasket tournament after sustaining a muscle injury, according to a report from Eurohoops. The 7’3″ Wembanyama is the projected No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft and considered by some talent evaluators to be the best prospect the NBA has seen in a couple decades. The group phase of EuroBasket tips off on September 1.
One NBA team owner tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com that he thinks teams receiving payments from taxpayers at the end of the season should be required to reinvest that money into rosters rather than pocketing it. The seven taxpaying teams in ’21/22, led by the Warriors, paid a combined $481,021,386, shattering the old record of $173.3MM back in ’02/03. The 23 non-taxpaying teams received half of that total, so each team received a $10,456,987 payment. The league received the remaining $240,510,693 to help fund its revenue sharing program.

Moses Wright Reportedly Joining Team In China

July 29th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing the 2021/22 season with the Mavericks, free agent forward Moses Wright is reportedly heading overseas, having agreed to a deal with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a report from Sina Sports.

Wright, who spent training camp and the preseason with the Clippers last fall after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech, signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Clips in December, then joined the Mavericks on a two-way contract in February. He logged just 14 total minutes in four NBA appearances for the two clubs, but had an impressive showing in the G League, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team.

In 29 total appearances for the Clippers’ and Mavs’ G League affiliates, Wright put up 19.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.4 BPG on .562/.395/.657 shooting in 32.0 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old also played well for Dallas’ Summer League team in Las Vegas earlier this month, racking up 15.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG in just 19.0 MPG in four appearances.

While there was a sense that Wright might be a candidate to get another two-way contract with the Mavs, the team didn’t issue him a qualifying offer last month, so he was an unrestricted free agent. Assuming Wright officially completes his deal with Zhejiang, Dallas will have to look elsewhere to fill its open two-way slot.

And-Ones: Offseason Questions, Maker, Offseason Grades

July 28th, 2022 at 2:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Kevin Pelton, Nick Friedell, Kendra Andrews, Ohm Youngmisuk and Jamal Collier of ESPN all expect Kevin Durant to be on the Nets’ roster to start next season, but four of the five think Donovan Mitchell will begin the 2022/23 season with the Knicks.

The ESPN colleagues, who discussed a handful of lingering offseason questions, unanimously agreed that Carmelo Anthony will be on an NBA roster at some point next season, though it might not be by training camp.

Pelton believes that the Warriors signing free agent Donte DiVincenzo to a two-year, $9.3MM deal with a player option might be the “steal of the summer” if the 25-year-old is healthy and regains his prior form. DiVincenzo struggled a bit last season after a major ankle injury required surgery during the 2021 playoffs, but he could be a bounce-back candidate for the defending champions.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Thon Maker has signed with China’s Fujian Sturgeons, according to Sportando. Maker appeared in 263 NBA games from 2016-21 with the Bucks, Pistons and Cavaliers, holding career averages of 4.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 13.8 MPG. He spent last season with Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem, but only appeared in six games.
The Athletic’s staff handed out grades to all 30 NBA teams for their offseason work so far. The Nets, Hornets, Lakers, Knicks and Jazz all received an “incomplete” for various reasons, mostly roster uncertainty. Only one team, the Heat, received a grade below a B-minus, with John Hollinger giving them a “C” for losing P.J. Tucker and not finding a suitable replacement at power forward. The two teams with the highest grades? The Nuggets and Thunder, who both received an “A” for their offseason work. The Nuggets gave back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic a super-max extension, traded for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and signed Bruce Brown in free agency, a couple of two-way wings who should complement Jokic’s game nicely, per Dave DuFour. As for the Thunder, Andrew Schlecht says the primary reason they deserve an “A” is for drafting Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 overall pick last month.

Semi Ojeleye Signing Two-Year Deal With Virtus Bologna

July 28th, 2022 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Semi Ojeleye will continue his career in Italy, having reached a two-year agreement with Virtus Bologna, the club announced today in a press release.

Ojeleye, the 37th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has appeared in 284 regular season games and 38 playoff contests with the Celtics, Bucks, and Clippers over the last five seasons. He began the 2021/22 campaign in Milwaukee and was traded to the Clippers at the February deadline before being waived in March.

The 27-year-old is considered a solid, versatile defender, but has never contributed much offensively since entering the NBA, averaging just 3.4 points in 14.5 minutes per contest.

Ojeleye will join a Virtus Bologna team that competes in Italy’s LBA and the EuroLeague and also features several former NBA players, including Gabriel Lundberg, who signed with the team last week. Former NBAers like Marco Belinelli, Nico Mannion, Milos Teodosic, and Jordan Mickey are also under contract with Virtus Bologna.

Cassius Winston Joins Bayern Munich

July 28th, 2022 at 7:04am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 28: Bayern Munich has officially announced its deal with Winston, confirming the move in a press release. Winston said in a statement that former Wizards teammate Greg Monroe, who played for the German club in 2019/20, “spoke highly” of the organization.

JULY 27: Free agent point guard Cassius Winston is on track to sign a contract with Bayern Munich, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

Winston became an unrestricted free agent this summer after spending the last two seasons on two-way contracts with the Wizards. The 53th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan State, Winston appeared in just 29 total contests with Washington across two seasons, averaging 1.9 PPG and 0.7 APG in 4.7 minutes per game.

Winston saw more action for the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ G League affiliate, though he wasn’t a starter for the team in 2021/22. In 21 regular season appearances off the bench for the Go-Go, the 24-year-old averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.8 APG on .458/.384/.889 shooting in 18.6 MPG.

The Wizards could’ve made Winston a restricted free agent by issuing him a qualifying offer, but opted not to do so. Now, he’ll head overseas to join a German team that signed another NBA/G League veteran (Freddie Gillespie) earlier this week. Bayern Munich competes in the EuroLeague in addition to Germany’s top league (Basketball Bundesliga).

International Notes: Powell, Nicholson, Pangos, Ojeleye

July 27th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Myles Powell and forward Andrew Nicholson are joining the Bay Area Dragons of the new East Asia Super League, according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link). The Dragons are a Hong Kong team, but are temporarily based in Manila in the Philippines due to COVID-19 restrictions in Hong Kong.

The new East Asian league is recruiting some noteworthy U.S. players with significant financial commitments. According to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, Powell’s deal is worth seven figures. The former Seton Hall guard, who finished 2021/22 on a two-way contract with the Sixers, intends to return stateside when the EASL season ends in February.

“I’ll be back in six months, so the plan is to go over there, make some money, and then I’ll be back in February and hopefully join an NBA team before the playoffs,” Powell told Zagoria. “That’s around the time NBA call-ups start anyway.”

While Powell played in the NBA last season, Nicholson hasn’t suited up for an NBA team since 2017. He appeared in 285 total regular season contests from 2012-17 for Orlando, Washington, and Brooklyn.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

Kevin Pangos‘ deal with Olimpia Milano, first reported in April, is now official, the Italian club announced today in a press release. It’s a two-year contract for Pangos, who appeared in 24 games for the Cavaliers last season before being bought out in February.
After Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews.com reported that Virtus Bologna is eyeing veteran NBA forward Semi Ojeleye as a possible target, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets that the Italian club has had discussions with Ojeleye. The 27-year-old appeared in 30 total games last season for the Bucks and Clippers before being waived by L.A. in March.
We passed along items on a handful of other non-NBA signings today, including Aron Baynes returning to Australia and Cassius Winston reportedly heading to Germany. You can check out our international page for all our latest updates on overseas transactions involving former NBA players.

Aron Baynes To Sign With Brisbane Bullets

July 27th, 2022 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Aron Baynes will make his return to basketball with the Brisbane Bullets in Australia’s National Basketball League, agent Daniel Moldovan tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

According to Windhorst, Baynes will sign a two-year contract that includes an NBA out. The 35-year-old also had offers on the table from teams in Europe and China, per Windhorst, but those offers wouldn’t have given him the opportunity to opt out and return to the NBA, which is his ultimate goal.

Baynes, who has nine NBA seasons under his belt, last played in the league in 2020/21, appearing in 53 games (31 starts) for the Raptors. He represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics later that year, but suffered a major spinal cord injury after a freak fall that left him hospitalized in Japan and Australia for two months. We described that incident and Baynes’ recovery in more detail back in January.

Baynes, who was initially unable to walk following his spinal cord injury, has been engaged in a long, difficult rehabilitation process for much of 2022. He reportedly worked out for NBA teams in Las Vegas earlier this month while the Summer League was taking place.

NBA clubs figure to continue monitoring Baynes as he suits up for the Bullets in Brisbane later this year.

Petr Cornelie Signs With Real Madrid

July 27th, 2022 at 7:45am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA second-round pick Petr Cornelie has signed a new contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish team announced in a press release. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The 53rd overall pick in 2016, Cornelie remained overseas for several seasons after being drafted, playing for multiple teams in his home country of France. The veteran forward/center eventually signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets during the 2021 offseason and made his NBA debut last fall.

Cornelie, who turned 27 on Tuesday, appeared in 13 games for Denver, logging just 38 total minutes. He spent most of his first NBA season with the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League, where he put up 17.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on .497/.362/.688 shooting in 25 regular season appearances (33.2 MPG).

While Cornelie’s strong G League play could have earned him another look on an NBA roster at some point this season, he opted for the security of a spot on a Real Madrid team that competes in Spain’s top division (Liga ACB) and the EuroLeague. He figures to play a key role for the Spanish club, which also recently signed former NBA lottery pick Mario Hezonja.

And-Ones: Wallace, Kalaitzakis, Vaccines, Diallo, Uthoff

July 26th, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA guard Tyrone Wallace has signed with Paris Basketball, according to a team press release. Wallace played six games with the Pelicans last season via a pair of 10-day deals. The 60th pick of the 2016 draft appeared in 92 games for the Clippers from 2017-19 and 14 more for the Hawks during the 2019/20 season.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Greek guard Georgios Kalaitzakis, a 2021 second-round pick who began last season in Milwaukee and ended it in Oklahoma City, is headed back overseas, having signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos, the Greek club announced in a press release. Kalaitzakis saw major minutes for the Thunder in the season’s final week, averaging 17.5 PPG in four appearances (41.4 MPG) with the team.
The NBA will not have a vaccine mandate in place next season, according to a memo obtained by Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill (Twitter link). However, the league will “strongly suggest” that all personnel be up to date with vaccinations. Periodic testing of unvaccinated players could be allowed, pending discussions with the Players’ Association, Goodwill adds.
A number of prominent players didn’t see any action last season. What can be expected from them when they suit up next season? ESPN’s Insiders take a closer look at those players, including Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons and John Wall.
Former NBA players Cheick Diallo and Jarrod Uthoff have agreed to join Kyoto Hannaryz in Japan next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Diallo has 183 NBA games under his belt, including three with the Pistons last season. Uthoff has played 16 NBA games, including a combined seven with the Wizards and Grizzlies in 2019/20.

Yves Pons Signs With French Team ASVEL

July 26th, 2022 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

After spending his rookie year with the Grizzlies, free agent forward Yves Pons is headed to Europe for the 2022/23 season. Pons has signed a two-year deal with ASVEL Villeurbanne, the French team announced today in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops).

Pons was born in Haiti and grew up in France, so while this will be his first professional season spent overseas, it won’t be an entirely new experience for him. He played in France’s amateur third-tier division before moving to the U.S., where he played his college ball at Tennessee.

Undrafted in 2021, Pons caught on quickly with the Grizzlies as a free agent and signed a two-way contract with the team last offseason. The 23-year-old only played 71 total minutes in 12 games at the NBA level, but saw a little more action at the G League level, starting 14 of the 15 contests he played for the Memphis Hustle.

Pons averaged 10.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate, making 47.6% of his shots from the floor, including 33.3% of his threes. When his two-way deal with Memphis expired at season’s end, the club didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent.

Pons’ new team, which competes in France’s top league and the EuroLeague, is owned by former NBA star Tony Parker. ASVEL also recently signed former NBA guard Nando De Colo.