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Timberwolves Sign Jesse Edwards To Two-Way Contract

July 9th, 2024 at 4:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have signed center Jesse Edwards to a two-way contract, according to the NBA transactions log. The team has confirmed the signing in a press release.

Edwards participated in both the G League Elite Camp and the NBA’s combine but went undrafted last month. The 24-year-old spent four seasons at Syracuse, then finished up his college career at West Virginia. He played 23 games for the Mountaineers and averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game.

In his last season with the Orange, the seven-f00t Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 32.6 minutes while making 32 starts.

The Amsterdam native suited up for the Netherlands Senior National Team during the 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament and the 2022 EuroBasket tournament.

The Timberwolves also have 2023 draft pick Jaylen Clark on a two-way deal but still have another slot available.

Pistons Claim Paul Reed Off Waivers

July 9th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are claiming former Sixers big man Paul Reed off waivers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. The Pistons have confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).

Reed was placed on waivers on Saturday when Philadelphia chose to sign free agent forward Caleb Martin. He had been due to clear waivers and become a free agent at 4:00 pm CT if he had gone unclaimed.

The Pistons will use some of their available cap room to claim Reed, who signed a three-year, $23,555,150 contract last summer with Philadelphia. Only the first year was guaranteed — his $7.7MM salary for next season remains non-guaranteed until early January, and his $8.1MM salary for 2025/26 will stay non-guaranteed as long as his team doesn’t advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Pistons could retain Reed to compete with or back up incumbent center Jalen Duren, use Reed as a trade chip, or waive him again if they need to clear cap room to make another move.

Reed has evolved into a serviceable backup in the frontcourt over the past few seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, appearing in all 82 of Philadelphia’s regular season games.

Suns Notes: Durant, Okogie, Lowry, Morris, Kessler, Plumlee

July 9th, 2024 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite both Suns owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones shooting down the notion that the team is entertaining the idea of trading Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith advised viewers on draft day to “pay no attention” to what the Suns were saying publicly, suggesting that the franchise wanted to move the star forward.

Speaking to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Durant didn’t name Smith specifically, but appeared to reference that comment in dismissing the trade rumors that keep popping up around him.

“You could just press the ‘KD wants to leave’ button anytime you want some attention,” Durant said. “Yes, it’s a button. What else is gonna get people going around this time? Besides, ‘Oh, the journeyman is leaving again.’ That story is always gonna hit.

“… For somebody to say, ‘Phoenix wants to get out of the KD (business),’ I’m sitting here like, where is this coming from?” he continued. “It bothers me that people lie like that and that the audience eats up the headline. I get sad when people buy into lies and just make up s–t. It’s bigger than ball at that point for me. I can’t control that. I feel for people. It’s a bad practice to have when you just believe anything, for one. Just believe what you see on TV. And then it’s another bad habit when you’re just lying.”

Durant will turn 36 this September and could be entering the final stage of his Hall of Fame career, but he told Goodwill that he’s not thinking about retirement yet and suggested he’d be comfortable transitioning into a lesser role during his twilight years as a player.

“I just love to play the game. If it’s a good situation, if I’m still enjoying the game of basketball, my goal is to play this (game) till the wheels fall off, for whatever role that is, so we’ll see,” Durant said.

Here’s more on the Suns:

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday that Durant, who missed his fourth consecutive with a calf strain, won’t play in Wednesday’s exhibition vs. Team Canada (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
The Suns continue to work on re-signing free agent wing Josh Okogie and remain engaged in talks with veteran guard Kyle Lowry, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter links). If Lowry ends up signing elsewhere – Bourguet suggests a return to the Sixers is in play – then Phoenix would be “more than comfortable” with Monte Morris in the backup point guard role, since he was one of the team’s top three offseason targets, says Bourguet.
Responding to an inquiry about whether the Suns could trade for Walker Kessler, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 rejects the idea, tweeting that the Jazz have already declined offers from two separate teams that featured two first-round picks apiece for the young center.
In a story for GoPHNX.com, Bourguet takes a closer look at what veteran big man Mason Plumlee will bring to the Suns, outlining why he’s a clear upgrade over Drew Eubanks at the five.

Raptors Sign Ulrich Chomche To Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have officially signed No. 57 overall pick Ulrich Chomche to a two-way contract, per the NBA’s transaction log.

According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link), Chomche’s deal will cover two years instead of just one, putting him on track to reach restricted free agency in 2026. Chomche was the youngest player in this year’s draft class (he won’t turn 19 until December 30), so his camp and the Raptors agreed to approach his development with a longer-term view, Murphy explains.

Chomche, who was born in Cameroon, was part of the NBA Academy Africa before playing in the Basketball Africa League in 2022 and 2023. The 6’11” center became the first player in league history to be selected in an NBA draft after playing in the BAL.

The Raptors reportedly sent the Timberwolves $1MM in cash to acquire the No. 57 pick in last month’s draft in order to nab Chomche. That deal ended up being expanded to include four teams.

Toronto has now filled all three of its two-way slots, with Chomche joining D.J. Carton and Branden Carlson. The club also has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts. It’s unclear if the Raptors plan on making any more roster changes in the coming days, weeks, or months, or if this is essentially the group they’ll take into training camp (with camp invitees to fill out the 21-man squad).

Nuggets Sign DaRon Holmes To Rookie Contract

July 9th, 2024 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets first-round pick DaRon Holmes has officially signed his rookie scale contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Holmes built an extensive résumé in his three college seasons at Dayton, earning All-Atlantic 10 honors in all three years, including a First Team spot in 2023 and 2024. He was named the Atlantic 10 co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 after averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game across 33 starts in 2023/24. He also posted a shooting line of .544/.386/.713.

The Nuggets were linked to Holmes for much of the pre-draft process, and while there were conflicting reports on whether or not the team had made him a promise, it certainly appeared that Denver was targeting the 6’10” forward on draft night — the club traded three second-round picks in order to move up from No. 28 to No. 22 to nab him.

Assuming Holmes receives the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale amount, his four-year deal will be worth about $15.2MM, including a first-year salary of $3.07MM.

Holmes was the last 2024 first-round pick to sign his contract, so all 30 first-rounders are now officially on NBA rosters.

Kings Sign First-Rounder Devin Carter

July 9th, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have officially signed lottery pick Devin Carter to his first NBA contract, the team confirmed today in a press release (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee).

Carter had a big junior year in 2023/24 at Providence, averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 35.3 minutes per game across 33 outings (all starts). He made 47.3% of his shot attempts from the floor, including 37.7% of 6.8 three-pointers per contest and claimed Big East Player of the Year honors.

The 6’3″ guard was selected 13th overall by the Kings, but was ruled out of the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues due to a left shoulder issue (which the team was aware of prior to drafting him). A report on Sunday indicated that Carter will undergo surgery on that shoulder, potentially jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season this fall.

Assuming he signed for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale, Carter will earn $4.69MM as a rookie, while his four-year deal will be worth $22.14MM in total. Rookie scale contracts include two guaranteed seasons, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Now that Carter has officially signed, there’s just one 2024 first-rounder – Nuggets forward DaRon Holmes – who still needs to finalize his rookie contract, as our tracker shows.

Western Notes: Morant, Klay, Wiggins, Barnes, Avdija

July 9th, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been cleared for all basketball activities, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Morant, who missed the first 25 games of the 2023/24 season due to a suspension, returned to action in December and immediately provided a spark for the Grizzlies, who won six of nine games with the star point guard in the lineup. However, a labral tear in Morant’s right shoulder ended his season after those nine games. He has been recovering from surgery in the months since then.

The Grizzlies were one of the NBA’s most injury-plagued teams in ’23/24, but head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters back in April that only Morant projected to have a recovery timeline extending well into the offseason. With a fully healthy roster, there’s optimism in Memphis that the club can bounce back from a 27-55 year and look more like the club that went 107-57 over the previous two regular seasons.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Referring to his deal with the Mavericks as a “fresh start,” Klay Thompson told reporters on Tuesday that he’s optimistic about “kind of being rejuvenated” in Dallas, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN details. “Feeling just wanted again, like I bring great value, it just gets me excited to go out there and even work out after this press conference and get shots up,” Thompson said. “Yeah, there was times last year where it was tough, where it wasn’t as joyful as it was in the past. It’s nice to kind of shed that and have a whole new fresh start, whole new group of guys to get to know, co-workers, whole new city. It’s really cool, and I’m going to embrace the heck out of this opportunity.” In a story for The Athletic, Tim Cato takes a look at how Thompson will fit in on the Mavs’ roster.
Aaron Wiggins‘ new five-year contract with the Thunder is worth $45MM, with $2MM in bonuses that could push it up to the initially reported total of $47MM, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The deal has a descending structure and includes a fifth-year team option, Scotto adds.
New Spurs forward Harrison Barnes confirmed on Tuesday that he waived his $3.7MM trade kicker to facilitate his move to San Antonio, calling it a “pretty easy decision” and adding that he’s excited about playing for head coach Gregg Popovich, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
New Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija admitted on Monday that he was surprised to be traded by the Wizards, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “I think they really love me,” Avdija said of his old team. “I’ve done a lot for that organization. It was just not the timeline, I guess.” Now that he has gotten past that initial surprise, the 23-year-old is “excited” about the new opportunity in front of him. “They’ve welcomed me very well, so it’s a good start,” he said. “I’m glad to be in a place where people embrace me and love me. I’m going to bring my competitiveness, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Heat Notes: Rozier, Highsmith, Martin, Roster, Burks

July 9th, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran Heat guard Terry Rozier, who missed the team’s final four regular season games and five playoff contests in the spring due to a neck injury, revealed on Tuesday that he was cleared to resume full basketball activities a couple weeks ago and has been doing on-court workouts, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Rozier said it was difficult not to be able to contribute to the team during its biggest games of the year after arriving in Miami in a midseason trade

“Obviously we all know why I came here, to be a big help for the playoffs and just to try to get this team some life,” Rozier said. “It just sucks that I couldn’t play in the most important part of the season, and I had to watch the guys that I go to war with. So it was tough. … It was just nonstop thinking about me just wishing I was out there with my guys. That’s why I’m glad that I’m cleared and everything else will take care of itself when the time comes.”

Rozier had to wear a neck brace while he recovered from the injury, but he made it clear on Tuesday that he never felt as if his career might be in jeopardy due to the ailment. The 30-year-old also indicated that he fully believes the Heat are capable of improving on last season’s result (46-36; No. 8 seed) even without any significant changes to the roster.

“I think the fans are bored right now, and they want to put as many scenarios as they can for us,” Rozier said. “But at the end of the day, we want to run it back with our same team, and we want to show the fans what we can bring to Miami. Obviously last year was tough on us, all of it as a whole. But we’re looking to get out there and impact, and make an impact all together.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

After officially re-signing with the Heat on Monday, Haywood Highsmith admitted that his first real foray into free agency was an “up-and-down roller coaster,” but said he was “really satisfied” with the two-year, $11MM contract he received from Miami, according to Chiang.
Asked about reports that he turned down a four-year, $58MM extension from the Heat prior to free agency, Caleb Martin explained why he passed on Miami’s offer and ultimately settled for a more modest free agent deal from the Sixers. “Just certain things didn’t work. There’s a lot of things behind the scenes that went on, but ultimately, there was a lot in making that decision and there’s a lot that contributed to how everything went, but past is past,” Martin said (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “Can’t do nothing about that and like I said, I’m looking forward to being here and being a part of Philly and try to bring everything I can in order to try to win a championship so that’s my main focus now.” Martin’s offer from the Heat would’ve required him to pick up his $7.1MM player option for 2024/25, so he’ll at least earn a higher first-year salary in Philadelphia than he would’ve if he’d opted in.
Examining the Heat’s financial situation, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sentinel lays out why the roster is essentially set for the season unless they make a trade, since signing another free agent currently isn’t a viable option for the team.
Veteran guard Alec Burks will be earning a minimum salary for just the second time in his NBA career in 2024/25, but he feels good about ending up in Miami, as Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel. “The Heat Culture from afar, then I talked to (head coach Erik Spoelstra), made my decision,” Burks said when asked about choosing to sign with the Heat. “We had a great conversation. I think that’s the real reason I picked the team.”

L.A. Notes: Davis, Lakers, DeRozan, Batum, Clippers, Christie

July 9th, 2024 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After LeBron James downplayed any concerns over what has been a quiet offseason so far for the Lakers, his star teammate Anthony Davis followed suit from Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas, as Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times relays. Davis pointed out that injuries to presumptive rotation players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent had an impact on last year’s team and that having better health luck in 2024/25 could make a difference.

“We don’t know what we could have been if we had those guys, especially in the playoffs,” Davis said. “You know especially Vando because he’s a big part of what we do defensively. But, so we look at the lineup, and you know we come in ready to work.

“And last year is last year. We can’t say, ‘Oh this is the same team.’ It could be a different result. For us it’s about coming in with the mindset of getting to work and seeing how it plays out.”

Of the 15 players who finished last season on the Lakers’ roster, 13 remain under contract for the coming season. The only two newcomers to this point are the team’s two draft picks, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles-based teams:

Although DeMar DeRozan was said to be on the short list of “impact” Lakers targets that LeBron James would have been willing to take a significant discount for, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium stated during an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link) that it came down to the Kings and Heat for DeRozan. “I’m told the Lakers never went beyond expressing just simple interest in DeRozan,” Charania said. “There were no offers or tangible conversations with the Bulls on a sign-and-trade deal.”
Speaking to reporters after he agreed to re-sign with the Clippers, veteran forward Nicolas Batum indicated that he chose to reunite with his former team and former head coach (Tyronn Lue) after receiving interest from over half the league. “I had several options, a lot of options, I actually had 17,” Batum said (French link via BasketUSA.com).
The Clippers, who had the NBA’s oldest roster last season, haven’t exactly been a player development hub in recent years, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who takes a look at how the team could change that going forward, starting with this year’s second-round pick Cam Christie.

Nets’ Trendon Watford Signs Qualifying Offer

July 9th, 2024 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Nets restricted free agent forward Trendon Watford has accepted his one-year qualifying offer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move will lock in Watford’s $2,726,603 salary for the 2024/25 season, putting him on track to reach unrestricted free agency a year from now.

Watford, 23, spent his first two NBA season in Portland from 2021-23, but was waived by the Trail Blazers last summer before his 2023/24 salary could become guaranteed. He caught on with Brooklyn and appeared in a career-high 63 regular season games, averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 13.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .527/.397/.794.

Because he only had three years of NBA experience under his belt, Watford remained eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, and the Nets took advantage by issuing him a qualifying offer ahead of the June 29 deadline. Signing that QO means that the former LSU standout will have the ability to veto any trade involving him during the 2024/25 league year.

With Watford back under contract, Brooklyn will be carrying 12 players on guaranteed deals, plus Mamadi Diakite and Jalen Wilson on partially guaranteed salaries.

With Watford off the board, Isaac Okoro is the only remaining restricted free agent who didn’t finish last season on a two-way contract.