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Celtics To Work Out T.J. Warren, Lamar Stevens

August 22nd, 2023 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics will work out free agent forwards T.J. Warren and Lamar Stevens this week in Boston, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link).

Boston has 11 players with guaranteed contracts and two others with partial guarantees, so it has the roster space to make an addition or two if Warren and/or Stevens make a favorable impression.

The Celtics will also take a look at free agent wing Louis King, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Warren, 29, appeared in a combined 42 games with Brooklyn and Phoenix last season, all as a reserve. He also came off the bench for the Suns in six postseason contests. He appeared in just four games the previous two seasons due to foot injuries.

Warren, who signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Nets last summer, was a consistent scorer for Phoenix and Indiana earlier in his career. He has averaged 14.6 points in 27.4 minutes per game in 374 career regular season contests.

Stevens was waived last month by the Spurs. The 26-year-old’s contract for 2023/24 was partially guaranteed at $400K and San Antonio cut him loose before his full $1.93MM salary becomes guaranteed. He had been sent to the Spurs by Cleveland as part of the Max Strus sign-and-trade.

The combo forward went undrafted in 2020 after four college seasons at Penn State, later signing a two-way deal with the Cavaliers. He was promoted to a multiyear standard contract in April 2021, the end of his rookie season.

Overall, Stevens averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in three seasons with the Cavs (165 games, 16.0 MPG).

King, 24, was on a two-way contract with the Sixers for most of last season but appeared in only one NBA game. He became an unrestricted free agent when Philadelphia didn’t give him a qualifying offer.

Blazers Sign Moses Brown To One-Year Contract

August 22nd, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 22: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

AUGUST 21: Moses Brown has agreed to a partially guaranteed one-year contract with the Trail Blazers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Brown has turned into a journeyman in his NBA career, which began in 2019, and it’s come full circle with his return to Portland. He played his first nine games with the Trail Blazers during the 2019/20 campaign.

He has also had stints with Oklahoma City, Dallas, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Clippers and, most recently, Brooklyn. He appeared in two games with the Nets after signing a pair of 10-day contracts last season. Brown logged 34 games with the Clippers last season before they waived him in mid-February.

The 7’2” Brown has averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes during his 128 career games.

With only 12 other players on guaranteed deals, the Trail Blazers have ample room to add Brown. He has a chance to be the main backup behind center Jusuf Nurkic. He’ll battle John Butler, who was re-signed to a two-way deal, for minutes off the bench, unless the Blazers add another big man.

Players Association Disagrees With Harden Fine, Will File Grievance

August 22nd, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The National Basketball Players Association has expressed in a statement its disagreement with the $100K fine issued by the league to James Harden and will file a grievance on his behalf.

The fine was issued in response to Harden’s recent comments in which he referred to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as a “liar” and said he had no intention of being part of an organization that Morey is a part of, as well as a follow-up interview in which he stated that he thinks his relationship with the franchise is “beyond repair.”

The NBPA believes Harden’s comments directed toward Morey do not constitute a trade demand. An arbitrator will decide whether Harden will have to pay the fine.

The statement read, “We respectfully disagree with the league’s decision to discipline James Harden for recent comments he made, which we believe do not violate the rule against public trade demands. We intend to file a grievance and have the matter heard by our Arbitrator.”

The NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a section stating that “any player who publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another team shall be subject to a fine” up to $150K.

A separate section of the CBA gives the league latitude to fine a player up to $100K if he makes a “statement having, or that was designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball or of the Association or of a (team).”

The NBA’s announcement earlier today indicated that Harden was fined because he suggested he “would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team,” which the league could argue falls under the latter of the two categories outlined above, rather than the former.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Mavs Plan To Waive JaVale McGee, Re-Sign Markieff Morris

August 22nd, 2023 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks intend to waive center JaVale McGee and re-sign free agent forward Markieff Morris, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

McGee signed a three-year, $17MM+ contract with Dallas last offseason, but only spent seven games in the starting lineup and subsequently fell out of the team’s rotation altogether. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in a career-low 8.5 minutes per game across 42 appearances in his first – and only – season in his latest stint as a Maverick.

The Mavs shopped McGee in various trade talks throughout the offseason, but were unable to find a taker. According to Charania, the plan is to stretch the veteran’s remaining salary when he’s waived. That means that instead of counting against the cap for $5.7MM in 2023/24 and $6MM in ’24/25, McGee’s cap hits would be spread across five seasons at a rate of about $2.35MM per year.

As Charania notes, in order to use the stretch provision on McGee, the Mavericks will have to officially waive him by August 31, which is the deadline to stretch a cap hit for the current league year.

The Mavs currently have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, but releasing McGee will open up a spot on the projected 15-man roster for Morris, who finished last season in Dallas after arriving from Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster.

Morris didn’t have much of a role for the Mavs down the stretch, logging just 70 total minutes across eight regular season appearances, but the organization apparently values his toughness and veteran leadership. The 33-year-old has 12 NBA seasons and 750 regular season appearances on his résumé.

NBA Fines James Harden $100K

August 22nd, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has fined Sixers star James Harden $100K, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The fine is in response to Harden’s recent comments in which he referred to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as a “liar” and said he had no intention of being part of an organization that Morey is a part of, as well as a follow-up interview in which he stated that he thinks his relationship with the franchise is “beyond repair.”

“(Harden) has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for public comments on August 14 and 17 indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team,” the NBA’s statement reads. “The league’s investigation, which included an interview with Harden, confirmed that these comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded.”

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT first reported (via Twitter) that Harden was on the cusp of receiving a substantial fine from the league, while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) was the first to report it would be worth $100K.

After Harden called Morey a liar during a promotional appearance in China, the NBA launched an investigation to determine what the former MVP’s comments were referring to and to ascertain whether he intends to hold out this fall.

There had been some speculation that Harden was suggesting he and the Sixers reached a handshake agreement during his 2022 free agency on a contract to be finalized in 2023 and that Morey reneged on that agreement. If the NBA found proof of such an agreement, the 76ers would have faced a significant punishment of their own.

However, there has been no indication that Harden was talking about his contract situation when he said Morey lied. As Shams Charania of The Athletic reports, Harden informed league investigators that he called Morey a liar because the Sixers president told the veteran guard he’d be traded “quickly” after he asked to be moved in June.

That obviously hasn’t happened, and recent reporting has suggested that Philadelphia is no longer engaging in trade talks involving Harden. But since the Sixers have no obligation to trade a player who asks to be moved, they’re not in violation of any league rules and won’t face any discipline from the NBA at this time.

On the other hand, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the league has the ability to fine a player a maximum of $100K (up from $50K in the previous CBA) for “conduct or statements prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball.” The NBA apparently determined that Harden’s statements fit that bill.

According to The Athletic, Sixers owner Josh Harris said on Monday that he’s working to convince Harden to remain in Philadelphia, but isn’t closing the door on a trade.

“I respect James. I want to, obviously, accommodate what he wants,” Harris said. “At the same time, I have to think about a championship-contending team, what we can get back. I’d love to convince him to stay. I understand that that’s not what he wants to do right now.

“I’m going to keep working to resolve it in a way that everyone can live with and is positive for everyone, whatever that resolution is. … I respect him as a basketball player, and as a person. It’s back to, these are, you’re dealing with people, right? And you’ve got to be there. We’ll see where it comes out.”

Raptors Respond To Lawsuit; Knicks Allege Former Employee Was ‘Mole’

August 21st, 2023 at 7:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors and the team’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, expressed surprise that the Knicks filed a lawsuit against them regarding alleged proprietary violations and issued a denial that the company was involved, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets via a Raptors press release.

The Knicks filed the lawsuit on Monday alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors. Azotam, who was hired away by Toronto this offseason, allegedly shared the proprietary information with “several members” of the team, including head coach Darko Rajakovic and player development coach Noah Lewis.

“MLSE and the Toronto Raptors received a letter from MSG on Thursday of last week bringing this complaint to our attention,” Toronto’s response reads. “MLSE responded promptly, making clear our intention to conduct an internal investigation and to fully cooperate. MLSE has not been advised that a lawsuit was being filed or has been filed following its correspondence with MSG. The company strongly denies any involvement in the matters alleged. MLSE and the Toronto Raptors will reserve further comment until this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.”

The Knicks allege that not only did Rajakovic know what was occurring but that he “recruited and used” Azotam to help him build out the operations for his coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Mike Vornukov and Eric Koreen.

The lawsuit alleges that the information Azotam forwarded to the Raptors included scouting reports, play frequency reports, a prep book, and a link to third-party licensed software. It also alleges that “Defendant Rajaković and the other Raptor Defendants recruited and used Azotam to serve as a mole within the Knicks organization to convey information that would assist the Raptors Defendants in trying to manage their team.”

The Athletic trio received a written statement from an MSG Sports spokesperson which stated that “we were left no choice but to take this action.”

Knicks File Lawsuit Against Raptors, Former NYK Employee

August 21st, 2023 at 3:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors, which he then shared with his new club, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter thread).

Azotam, who was hired away by Toronto this offseason, allegedly shared the proprietary information with “several members” of the team, including head coach Darko Rajakovic and player development coach Noah Lewis, Begley adds.

The lawsuit alleges Azotam signed a confidentiality agreement with the Knicks which required him “to maintain the secrecy of all confidential or proprietary Knicks information.” A source tells Begley the Knicks contacted both the Raptors and the NBA prior to filing the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.

According to Begley, the lawsuit also alleges that the Raptors “directed Azotam to misuse his access to the Knicks’ subscription to Synergy Sports to create and then transfer to the Raptors Defendants over 3,000 files consisting of film information and data.”

A Madision Square Garden Sports spokesperson released a statement to Begley regarding the lawsuit (Twitter thread).

“The New York Knicks have sued the Toronto Raptors and several members of their organization, including a former Knicks employee, after the former employee illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position with the Toronto Raptors. These files include confidential information such as play frequency reports, a prep book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files and materials and more.

“Given the clear violation of our employment agreement, criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this action.”

[UPDATE: Raptors Respond To Lawsuit]

In addition to Azotam, Rajakovic, and Lewis, 10 other Raptors employees are also accused of wrongdoing, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. Those employees are currently unknown — they’re listed as John Does “1” through “10.”

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Deal

August 21st, 2023 at 2:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have brought back Olivier Sarr, announcing in a press release that they have re-signed the free agent big man to another two-way contract.

While Oklahoma City has an open two-way slot, the team was unable to fill it until now because it was at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. The Thunder created a roster opening this morning when they released Usman Garuba, which allowed them to sign Sarr.

Sarr went undrafted in 2021 after four college seasons — he spent his first three campaigns at Wake Forest before finishing up at Kentucky. He signed a training camp deal with the Thunder in October 2021 and was promptly waived, spending part of 2021/22 with their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

During the COVID-19 outbreak that winter, the French center signed a pair of 10-day hardship deals with the Thunder, then inked a two-way contract in February 2022. He played well at the NBA level as a rookie, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 22 games (19.1 MPG), but the Thunder opted to cut him just before the season ended in April.

Sarr caught on with the Trail Blazers prior to ’22/23, initially signing an Exhibit 10 contract which was converted into a two-way deal after he impressed during preseason. However, he sustained a torn ligament in his wrist last fall, which caused Portland to release him in mid-November.

The 24-year-old signed a G League deal with the Blue after recovering from the injury, averaging 12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.9 APG and 2.4 BPG in 12 regular season games. His play in the NBAGL earned Sarr a promotion in February to a two-way deal. He finished last season with the Thunder, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in nine games (12.7 MPG).

Sarr was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Thunder didn’t give him a qualifying offer, making him unrestricted. Either way, he’s back with OKC on a two-way contract.

Usman Garuba Waived By Thunder

August 21st, 2023 at 10:37am CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have placed Usman Garuba on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 21-year-old power forward/center played his first two seasons with the Rockets after being selected with the 23rd pick in the 2021 draft. Injuries limited him to 24 games as a rookie, but he appeared in 75 contests last season, averaging 3.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night.

Garuba was sent to the Hawks in a five-team trade that became official when the moratorium was lifted in early July. Atlanta shipped him to OKC in a separate deal four days later.

Garuba started his career with Real Madrid and was named EuroLeague Rising Star in 2021. He gained a reputation as a strong defender and rebounder in Europe before declaring for the NBA draft.

He will now go through the waiver process, where teams will have two days to submit claims. Any team that claims him would be on the hook for his $2.6MM salary for the upcoming season, so it’s more likely that he’ll wind up signing a minimum contract somewhere. He would be eligible for a standard contract with any team except Atlanta and a two-way deal with any team except the Hawks or Thunder.

Garuba’s 2023/24 salary will remain on the Thunder’s cap if he’s not claimed, but the team won’t have to pay the $4.4MM option he had for 2024/25.

Oklahoma City is now down to 18 players on standard contracts and must get rid of at least three more by opening night. The Thunder have two openings on their offseason roster with reported camp deals looming for Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler.

Bulls GM Says Keeping Nikola Vucevic Was “No. 1 Goal”

August 19th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls were determined to re-sign their free agents this summer and center Nikola Vucevic was the top priority, general manager Marc Eversley told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Appearing on the Bulls Talk podcast, Eversley discussed the need for continuity, especially regarding Vucevic, who has been with Chicago since a trade deadline deal in 2021. Vucevic opted to forgo free agency and accepted a three-year, $60MM extension.

“I’m excited for Vooch,” Eversley said. “There’s not many starting centers in the NBA. So if Vooch were to go away, how would you replace him? Those options were just not appealing to us. So retaining him became the No. 1 goal of the offseason.”

Vucevic will turn 33 in October, but he’s coming off a productive season. He played 82 games for the first time in his career and averaged 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per night while shooting 52% from the floor and 34.9% from beyond the arc.

The Bulls also re-signed guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, setting up a battle for playing time in a crowded backcourt. They added Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig as well to cap off a productive free agent session.

On the first night of free agency, White committed to a three-year, $36MM deal that could reach $40MM with incentives. He’s coming off the worst scoring season of his career at 9.7 PPG, but the Bulls are happy with other parts of his game.

“Coby White had, I thought, a terrific year last year. I think the growth he has shown over the last three years has been second to nobody on the roster,” Eversley said. “I think his ability to shoot (and) he’s much more comfortable handling it now. He doesn’t get pressured or panic anymore.

“He has found his voice in the locker room. He has become a quiet leader. We’ve seen growth and development from him. And that’s why it was critical to bring him back.”

Dosunmu, who started 51 games in his second NBA season, signed a three-year, $21MM contract as a restricted free agent. He earned second-team All-Rookie honors in 2022, but experienced a decline in his three-point shooting last season.

“He would not argue with me; he didn’t have quite the second year he thought he might’ve,” Eversley said. “Call it a sophomore slump. But we’ve seen him in the Advocate Center and how hard he has worked from the end of the season to today and there’s nothing but good things that are going to happen to him.”