Jarrett Culver Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Cut Jarrett Culver, Three Others

October 19th, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have waived four players ahead of the regular season, announcing in a press release that they’ve cut swingman Jarrett Culver, forward Jalen Slawson, and guards Alex Morales and Ethan Thompson (Twitter link).

Culver is the most notable name in the group, given that he’s a former No. 6 overall pick. However, he was out of the league last season, instead spending the year with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. The former Texas Tech standout averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals in 31.1 minutes per game across 45 outings for the Rockets’ G League team, posting a shooting line of .472/.362/.693.

Of the other three players, only Slawson has any NBA experience. Last year’s No. 54 pick spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Sacramento, appearing in 12 games for the Kings.

A 6’6″ shooting guard, Morales has played for the Magic’s G League team in each of the past two years while also suiting up for Osos de Manati in Puerto Rico during the NBA offseason.

Thompson, a 6’5″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021, has primarily played in the G League since going pro, spending time with the Windy City Bulls and Mexico City Capitanes. He also played in Puerto Rico for Osos de Manati earlier this year.

While Culver wasn’t eligible for a two-way contract due to his four years of NBA service, the other three were, so it’s notable that all three were waived instead — even after converting Mac McClung to a two-way contract, Orlando still has one two-way spot open. The team may look outside the organization to fill that opening.

Culver, Slawson, Morales, and Thompson will all be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses if they report to the Osceola Magic and spend at least 60 days with Orlando’s G League team.

And-Ones: 2025 Draft, Snell, G League, Garuba, Parker

October 2nd, 2024 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2025 draft class is stronger at the top than 2024’s class was, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), but there still isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 pick in this group like there was in 2023 with Victor Wembanyama.

Cooper Flagg has long been viewed as the best bet to be next year’s top pick, but that’s not yet a lock, Givony writes, putting the odds of the Duke forward coming off the board first at just slightly above 50%. Rutgers wing Ace Bailey is Flagg’s top competition at this point, per Givony, who has Bailey’s odds of going No. 1 at 25%. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, and French guard Nolan Traore are also in the mix for the first overall spot, Givony adds.

“I’m going into this year with an open mind about who the No. 1 pick might be,” one NBA executive told ESPN. “This is how mistakes are made: getting anchored to an opinion and then closing yourself off to new, much more important information that we’ll be receiving in the coming months seeing how the season plays out.

“I need to see if Cooper Flagg is indeed a No. 1-type offensive option who can be expected to carry a team at some point in his career, or if he’s more of a superstar role player who is better suited as your second- or third-best player. Every year there are surprises, new players pop up and others take an unexpected leap.”

Mock drafts from last fall illustrate that potential for in-season surprises. ESPN’s November 2023 mock had Isaiah Collier first overall, Ja’Kobe Walter fourth, and Reed Sheppard 25th — they were eventually drafted 29th, 19th, and third, respectively.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Nine-year NBA veteran Tony Snell, who last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season, will join the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League this fall, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Heat‘s affiliate will need to acquire Snell’s returning rights from the Maine Celtics, the team he played for last season. Snell won’t be signed to Miami’s preseason roster at all, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) traded Jarrett Culver‘s G League returning rights to the Osceola Magic in exchange for Jared Butler‘s rights, per the Vipers (Twitter link). Culver is with Orlando on an Exhibit 10 contract, so it appears he’ll play for the Magic’s G League team this season. Butler remains under contract with the Wizards and would need to be waived and sign an NBAGL contract for Houston’s affiliate to take advantage of his rights.
Speaking to Eurohoops’ Javier Molero and Alex Molina, respectively, former NBAers Usman Garuba and Jabari Parker expressed that they’re comfortable no longer playing in the league. Garuba, who returned to Real Madrid this summer after three seasons with Houston and Golden State, said his NBA experience wasn’t quite what he expected and that he’d be “more selfish” if he were doing it all over again. “I left as a kid and grew up,” said Garuba, the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft. “I had a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot of lessons over there. I got traded, I got cut, I saw a lot of things, the dark side of the business. I think that made me mature a lot as a player.”

Magic Sign Jarrett Culver, Two Others To Exhibit 10 Deals

September 11th, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

7:43pm: The Magic have confirmed the new signings in a press statement (Twitter link).

7:34pm: Free agent journeyman guard Jarrett Culver has agreed to a deal with the Magic, his agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that Culver’s contract will include Exhibit 10 language and reveals that free agent forwards Tre Scott and Jalen Slawson are also signing Exhibit 10 training camp deals.

The Suns selected Culver, a 6’6″ shooting guard/small forward out of Texas Tech, with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft and sent him to the Timberwolves in a draft-night deal. The 25-year-old has since also suited up for the Grizzlies and Hawks. Across 144 regular season NBA contests (43 starts), Culver has averaged 6.5 points on .401/.276/.509 shooting splits. He also registered averages of 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

Scott, 27, has mostly suited up for G League affiliate teams since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020. All told, he has appeared on one 10-day hardship deal with the Cavaliers during the 2021/22 season, earning minutes in a pair of NBA games.

The 24-year-old Slawson was drafted by the Kings out of Furman with the No. 54 pick in 2023. Sacramento inked the 6’7″ wing to a two-way contract. He played in 12 games for the Kings during the 2023/24 season, averaging a scant 3.1 minutes per contest.

Orlando has a tandem of two-way contract slots available heading into training camp. According to Beede, Scott and Slawson will now compete against previously-announced signings Myron Gardner and Mac McClung for those two openings. As Beede tweets, Culver will be ineligible to compete for a two-way deal because he has too many NBA years of service.

Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way agreements ahead of an NBA season. If, however, a player is waived by a team, they’ll still have access to a bonus worth as much as $77.5K — provided they spend at least 60 days with their club’s G League affiliate.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Fields, Murray, Hawks, Magic

July 12th, 2024 at 1:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Australian swingman Josh Green told Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer that he was asleep when his agents phoned him around 3:00 am to inform him he was being traded to the Hornets.

The 23-year-old, who is on the Australian national team that will compete in the Paris Olympics, was sent to Charlotte from Dallas in the six-team mega-deal that saw Klay Thompson land with the Mavs. He says he’s “super excited” for a fresh start.

“It’s such a young team and they play at a fast pace,” Green said, “and I think I’m able to thrive in transition, being able to pick up the ball and play defense and just continue to grow my game. I’m still a young guy and it gets fun to be around older guys in Dallas and learn from them, and take that to Charlotte and just come in with a winning mindset, and, yeah, be ready to go.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Boone also recently spoke to the Hornets‘ 2024 draft picks, Tidjane Salaun (No. 6 overall) and KJ Simpson (No. 42). French forward Salaun, who doesn’t turn 19 until next month, says he didn’t watch the NBA growing up as he didn’t think he’d make it to the league. He says being a lottery pick is a surreal experience. “Yeah, it’s weird. Yes.” Salaun told Boone. “For sure because before I became a professional I was in (France) with my teammates, some guys we go to school every day without crowds. And now I have some fans … just all of this is crazy. Just to have a practice facility … I have a practice facility that’s different than the arena. Everything, everything. The weight room. They have many things to be the best possible and in shape.” Simpson, meanwhile is nursing a hamstring strain that will sideline him for all of Las Vegas Summer League, but he’s still actively involved on the sidelines, encouraging teammates and analyzing film. The 6’0″ guard, who is on a two-way contract, says he wants to hone his decision-making and defensive skills, according to Boone.
Hawks GM Landry Fields says it was a tough choice to trade Dejounte Murray, but ultimately it was a necessary one, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was a hard decision,” Fields said. “It was challenging. We knew that where we ultimately want to be was gonna require some challenging decisions. Just not being at that point, currently, where we felt like we can continue on with what we have. So wanted to reshape some things and this is an unfortunate part of the of the business. Dejounte is a fantastic player. … But we’re also very excited about the guys that we got back, got a few assets with it, too, which are going to be helpful for us to continue to build, so I wish him nothing but the best. He and his family have been great with us.” Fields also acknowledged Atlanta is facing a “roster crunch” after acquiring four players for one in the deal. The Hawks have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts now that Vit Krejci‘s four-year deal is official, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed contract with a early guarantee date of August 1.
In a subscriber-only story for The Orlando Sentinel, Jason Beede lists five things to watch for the Magic heading into Las Vegas Summer League, including second-year guard Anthony Black‘s growth as a leader. As Beede writes, Orlando’s Summer League squad features recent first-rounders in Black, Jett Howard, and Tristan Da Silva, plus a handful of former NBA veterans trying to make it back in the league (such as Jarrett Culver and Theo Maledon).

Free Agency Notes: Anunoby, Negotiations, Sixers, Sirvydis

June 18th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday (YouTube link), Brian Windhorst said that while there’s a widespread expectation that veteran forward OG Anunoby will ultimately end up back with the Knicks, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on now that teams are permitted to negotiate with their own free agents.

“Most people believe that Anunoby will stay with New York, but there have been indications that he may want to test the market because he’s not thrilled with what the Knicks (may offer),” Windhorst said.

As Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports points out (via Twitter), Anunoby is a CAA Sports client, so it’s worth noting that ESPN’s Jay Williams – who is also represented by CAA – responded to Windhorst’s comment by stating, “I’ve heard that internally as well.”

A report on Monday suggested that the floor for Anunoby’s next contract is $35MM per year, meaning his non-Knicks suitors would be limited to teams that could create significant cap room or who are in position to pull off a sign-and-trade. That list isn’t extensive, but the Sixers are among the cap-room clubs that could have interest, especially if they miss out on top target Paul George.

Here’s more on free agency:

John Hollinger of The Athletic considers which high-profile free agents might end up with agreements in place before the league-wide free agent period begins on June 30, naming Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, and a handful of others as candidates to strike deals early. Since Hollinger’s story was published, a report came out indicating that Siakam and the Pacers are nearing a long-term agreement.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks shares the contract offers he’d make to the top free agents of 2024, including three-year, $90MM deals for James Harden and DeMar DeRozan and a two-year, $50MM contract to try to lure Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks.
The Sixers recently held a free agent workout that featured a handful of former NBA players, including Sam Dekker, Stanley Johnson, Jarrett Culver, and Tony Bradley, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). The 76ers will have significant cap room this offseason, but if they use that room to sign just two or three players, they’ll have plenty of minimum-salary roster slots to fill.
Former Pistons wing Deividas Sirvydis, who appeared in 23 games across two seasons from 2020-22, has signed a new deal with Zalgiris Kaunas that includes two guaranteed years and a third-year option, the Lithuanian club announced in a press release. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link), the contract will feature an NBA opt-out clause, leaving the door open for the 24-year-old to potentially return stateside before the term expires.

Hawks Sign Donovan Williams To Two-Way Deal, Cut Jarrett Culver

January 17th, 2023 at 10:13am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JANUARY 17, 10:13am: The Hawks have officially signed Williams to a two-way contract, as expected, the club confirmed in a press release.

JANUARY 14, 4:13pm: The Hawks have requested waivers on Culver, the team announced in a press release.

JANUARY 14, 1:16pm: Free agent swingman Donovan Williams is set to sign a two-way deal with the Hawks, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). To make room, Atlanta will waive two-way shooting guard Jarrett Culver. Point guard Trent Forrest remains with the Hawks in the team’s other two-way slot.

Williams is currently with the Brooklyn’s NBAGL Long Island affiliate. The UNLV alum had been averaging 15.6 PPG for the Long Island Nets this year, per Charania.

According to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), the Hawks view Williams as more of a project, but one possessing potentially higher upside than Culver. John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets that Williams showed what he was capable of during this season’s G League Winter Showcase, when he had two of his best games of the season.

In 10 games with the Hawks, including one start, Culver averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG in just 13.7 MPG. The 23-year-old out of Texas Tech will now look to join his fourth NBA team in as many seasons, following prior stints with the Timberwolves and Grizzlies.

Hawks’ Bogdanovic Makes Season Debut Friday; Young Out

December 2nd, 2022 at 7:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic made his 2022/23 season debut Friday against Denver, and received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he entered the game off the bench (Twitter video link via Caleb Johnson of 92.9 The Game). He had been recovering for several months after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

Bogdanovic has been a key member of Atlanta’s rotation over the past two seasons, averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals on .448/.398/.862 shooting in 107 total games (54 starts, 29.5 minutes per contest). His long-distance shooting and complementary play-making will definitely be helpful for the 12-10 Hawks, since they currently rank 29th in the league in three-point attempts, 27th in three-point percentage (32.5%), and 21st in assists per game.

The 30-year-old holds an $18MM player option for ’23/24. He’s extension-eligible and could hit free agency next summer if he declines his option.

Unfortunately, star point guard Trae Young was ruled out with right shoulder soreness prior to the game, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Third-year guard Trent Forrest (concussion evaluation), who’s on a two-way contract with Atlanta, was also ruled out.

With Young and forwards De’Andre Hunter and John Collins sidelined, the Hawks started rookie AJ Griffin, former lottery pick and current two-way player Jarrett Culver, and second-year forward Jalen Johnson. It’s a huge opportunity for all three players to possibly earn bigger roles going forward.

Jarrett Culver Signs Two-Way Deal With Hawks

September 12th, 2022 at 12:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have signed Jarrett Culver to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

The 23-year-old shooting guard spent last season with the Grizzlies, appearing in 37 games and averaging 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per night. Memphis acquired him in a trade with the Timberwolves last summer.

Culver was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, but he wasn’t able to establish himself in a regular role with either the Grizzlies or Wolves. The Hawks are taking a low-risk gamble on his youth and potential.

Culver was a star at Texas Tech, where he averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 75 games. He led the Red Raiders to the first NCAA Championship Game in school history and earned a spot on the 2019 Final Four All-Tournament Team.

The Hawks opened up a two-way slot on Sunday by waiving Chaundee Brown. The team’s other two-way contract belongs to guard Trent Forrest.

The addition of Culver brings Atlanta’s roster back to 18 players, two below the offseason limit, with the start of training camp 15 days away.

Raptors Give Jalen Harris Qualifying Offer

August 20th, 2022 at 10:05am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Jalen Harris, according to RealGM’s transactions log. That makes Harris a restricted free agent.

Harris was reinstated by the league earlier this week. He was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA on July 1, 2021 for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug program, then became eligible to apply for reinstatement last month.

Harris was still under contract with Toronto at the time of his suspension and the Raptors had 30 days to tender him a one-year, two-way qualifying offer.

The Raptors already have 19 players under contract, with second-round pick Christian Koloko still unsigned and a two-way qualifying offer out to another restricted free agent, David Johnson.

Jarrett Culver also might also be added to the camp roster, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets. The 2019 lottery pick played 37 regular season and three postseason games for the Grizzlies last season. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Teams are permitted to carry up to 20 players until the day before the regular season begins.

The 59th overall pick in 2020, Harris spent his first professional season on a two-way contract with the Raptors, then signed with Vanoli Cremona in Italy for the 2021/22 campaign following his suspension from the NBA. This May, he joined the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League as he prepared to apply for reinstatement to the NBA.

Harris averaged 7.4 PPG on .500/.472/.778 shooting in 13 NBA games (13.2 MPG) and put up 17.6 PPG on .457/.500/.667 shooting in seven NBAGL contests (29.4 MPG) as a rookie in ’20/21.

Western Trade Rumors: Covington, Nurkic, Beverley, Culver, Lakers

February 2nd, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Of the veteran Trail Blazers who are candidates to be traded by the February 10 deadline, Robert Covington has been described as the most likely one to be moved, says Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Ben McLemore‘s name has also emerged in recent trade discussions, Fischer adds.

Conversely, there doesn’t seem to be any momentum toward a trade involving Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, according to Fischer. Marc Stein said something similar in a recent Spotify Greenroom session, suggesting he hasn’t heard Nurkic’s name mentioned much in his recent conversations with teams. Stein gets the sense there’s not a “huge amount” of interest in the veteran center (hat tip to HoopsHype).

Nurkic himself recently told Jason Quick of The Athletic that he doesn’t think he’ll be traded this season. If the latest reports from Fischer and Stein are accurate, he may be right.

Here are a few more items from around the Western Conference:

The Timberwolves are exploring some possible trade avenues involving Patrick Beverley ahead of his upcoming free agency, Fischer reports. Responding to that report, Minnesota-based reporters Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links) said that head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta is casting a wide net and is willing to discuss anyone besides Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. However, neither Wolfson nor Krawczynski expects Beverley to be traded.
The Grizzlies aren’t considered likely to make any major moves at the trade deadline, but they may receive inquiries on fourth-year swingman Jarrett Culver, Fischer writes. There’s so much leaguewide interest in wings who can play defense that Culver – who isn’t currently part of Memphis’ rotation and will be a free agent this summer – could appeal to another team, Fischer explains.
The Lakers, who continue to shop veteran wing Kent Bazemore, have been mentioned as a potential suitor for big man Paul Millsap if he reaches the buyout market, says Fischer. Brooklyn is still looking to trade Millsap.