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Grizzlies Sign Mulder, Hurt; Waive Christopher, Todd

September 30th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have signed guard Mychal Mulder and forward Matthew Hurt, the team announced on Twitter. Guard Josh Christopher and forward Isaiah Todd were waived to make room on the roster.

Mulder, 29, has 84 games of NBA experience with the Warriors, Magic and Heat. He spent last season in the G League with Sioux Falls, where he led the league by making 129 three-pointers.

Hurt, 23, played for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate last season, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 45 G League Showcase and regular season games with the Memphis Hustle.

The Grizzlies acquired Christopher from the Rockets in the five-team trade in July that sent Dillon Brooks to Houston. Christopher, 21, was the 24th pick in the 2021 draft and averaged 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 138 games during his two seasons with the Rockets. Christopher’s $2.5MM salary for the upcoming season is guaranteed, so Memphis will be on the hook for the full amount unless he’s claimed on waivers.

Todd, 21, spent the past two seasons with the Wizards and came to Memphis in July in a trade with the Suns. His $1.8MM salary for 2023/24 is also guaranteed.

Today’s moves should clarify the Grizzlies’ roster situation heading into training camp. With Christopher and Todd gone, Memphis is down to 15 fully guaranteed contracts.

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Spurs Buy Out Reggie Bullock

September 30th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:23pm: The Spurs announced that Bullock has been waived, McDonald tweets.

4:09pm: The Spurs and veteran swingman Reggie Bullock have reached an agreement on a contract buyout, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Several contending teams are expected to pursue Bullock once he clears waivers, Charania adds.

There’s no word on how much money Bullock gave up in the buyout, but he had one year remaining on his contract at $10.5MM.

There was speculation that Bullock might be competing for a roster spot with Cedi Osman, who was acquired from the Cavaliers during the offseason, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Bullock’s departure seems to increase Osman’s chances of staying with the team, McDonald adds.

San Antonio acquired Bullock in July as part of the three-team deal that sent Grant Williams from Boston to Dallas. The Spurs also received the option to swap first-round picks with the Mavericks in 2030. Because of the trade, Dallas is the only team that won’t be eligible to sign Bullock once he becomes a free agent.

Bullock, 32, spent the past two seasons with Dallas, serving as a part-time starter. His scoring average fell to 7.2 PPG last season, the lowest since 2018/19, but he still shot 38% from three-point range. It’s his ability to stretch defenses that will make him popular on the open market.

The Spurs were Bullock’s seventh team in his 10 NBA seasons. The Clippers made him the 25th overall pick in 2015, but the only place he stayed for more than two years was Detroit.

The move eases the roster crunch for San Antonio, which has 16 players remaining on guaranteed contracts. At least one of them will have to be waived or traded before opening night.

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Draymond Green Out 4-To-6 Weeks With Sprained Ankle

September 30th, 2023 at 4:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Draymond Green has suffered a left ankle sprain that could sideline him for up to six weeks, tweets Jason Dumas of KRON4 News. It’s not a high ankle sprain, Dumas adds, and more information is expected to be revealed Monday at the Warriors‘ media day.

The injury happened during a pickup game this week at Chase Center, a source tells Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link).

“I dodged a bullet and learned that today by the way it’s (positively) reacting,” Green told Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). “Even with an MRI you don’t see the trend of it immediately. The swelling is down.”

Green added that he expects to be sidelined for four to six weeks. That means he’ll miss all of training camp and the preseason and he’s not likely to be available when Golden State hosts the Suns to open the regular season on October 24.

It’s a tough break for a Warriors team that relies heavily on the defense and play-making that Green provides. His absence could mean a greater early-season role for Jonathan Kuminga, as well as offseason addition Dario Saric.

Injuries have become more common for the 33-year-old Green, who is preparing for his 12th NBA season. He battled through a series of physical issues while playing 73 games last season and was limited to 46 games in 2021/22 because of a back ailment.

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Juan Toscano-Anderson Signs With Mexico City Capitanes

September 30th, 2023 at 3:47pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Juan Toscano-Anderson has signed a G League contract with the Mexico City Capitanes, the team announced (via Twitter).

Despite the move, Toscano-Anderson remains an NBA free agent. G League deals don’t impact NBA rights.

A four-year NBA veteran, Toscano-Anderson worked out for the Warriors last month after spending last season with the Lakers and Jazz. He was sent to Utah in February as part of a blockbuster trade.

Toscano-Anderson, who played college ball at Marquette, spent his first three NBA seasons with Golden State, winning a championship as a role player in ’21/22. For his career, he has averaged 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 191 regular season games (37 starts, 16.1 minutes), with a shooting slash line of .506/.331/.646.

The 30-year-old swingman is Mexican-American and played professionally in Mexico after going undrafted in 2015, so it will be a reunion of sorts for Toscano-Anderson. The Capitanes are one of two unaffiliated teams in the G League, along with the Ignite.

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Pacers Sign, Waive Elfrid Payton, Jordan Bell

September 30th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 30: The Pacers have waived both Payton and Jordan Bell, per a press release. Bell was also signed to an Exhibit 10 contract. Indiana now has 18 players on its roster.

SEPTEMBER 29: The Pacers have signed free agent point guard Elfrid Payton, the team announced in a press release.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets that the deal was designed for Payton to return to the Mad Ants, Indiana’s NBA G League affiliate. That strongly suggests Payton received an Exhibit 10 contract, which would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Mad Ants.

A former lottery pick (10th overall in 2014), Payton appeared in 500 regular season games over eight seasons with the Magic, Suns (twice), Pelicans and Knicks. His last NBA stint came back in 2021/22 with Phoenix, when he averaged a career-low 11.0 minutes over 50 games with the Suns.

Last season, Payton had a brief stint playing professionally in Puerto Rico before joining the Mad Ants to finish out the campaign. In 10 regular season games (20.5 minutes) with the Mad Ants, the 29-year-old averaged 7.9 points, 6.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals, with a subpar .424/.286/.333 shooting line.

Payton reportedly had workouts with the Hornets and Timberwolves this offseason, but was unable to find an NBA contract. Instead, he’ll reportedly be heading back to the Mad Ants to open ’23/24.

The Pacers now have 20 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed standard deals and all three two-way slots filled.

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Hornets’ Kai Jones Away From Team Indefinitely

September 30th, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

While it isn’t described as a suspension, the Hornets will have center Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely with no timetable for a return, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jones will be absent for training camp due to personal reasons, Charania adds, and Charlotte is in “constant” contact with the former first-round pick.

The Hornets released a statement (via Twitter) confirming that Jones is indefinitely away from the team for personal reasons.

Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reported a few days ago that there were indications that Jones might not play for the Hornets this season. The 22-year-old made a series of strange social media posts — including calling out some of his teammates — and has been absent during optional sessions for players in recent weeks.

Jones will earn a guaranteed $3.05MM this season after the Hornets picked up their third-year team option on his rookie scale contract last fall. However, based on recent events and his limited role during his first two seasons, it’s looking extremely unlikely that they will pick up his $4.69MM option for 2024/25.

A native of the Bahamas, Jones played two years at Texas before being selected No. 19 overall in the 2021 draft. During his two seasons with Charlotte, he has averaged a 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 total games (9.1 minutes per night).

Jones has had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23. However, he was still projected to be the Hornets’ third-string center entering ’23/24, behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards.

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More Details On The Three-Team Lillard Blockbuster

September 30th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks were interested in acquiring Damian Lillard immediately after he made his trade request on July 1, but the deal didn’t start to come together until this past Sunday.

As Adrian Wojnarowski writes in an in-depth story for ESPN (Insider link), Bucks general manager Jon Horst told Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin from the outset that their talks had to remain a secret or Milwaukee would withdraw from negotiations.

According to Wojnarowski, Horst didn’t want Jrue Holiday to be involved in any trade rumors, or used as leverage by Cronin with other teams to increase offers for Lillard. The Bucks didn’t want to disrupt their chemistry and hold Holiday in very high regard. That meant Cronin was unable to gauge Holiday’s market value before agreeing to the trade.

As Wojnarowski details, Horst told Cronin that the only way a deal would work is if the Blazers took their time fielding offers and eventually circled back to Milwaukee for one-on-one talks. That started Sunday evening, with both sides feeling like they had reached a breakthrough.

Cronin was determined to say patient and accept the best possible offer, per Woj, and kept details of Lillard negotiations hidden from prying eyes. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, was determined to steer him to Miami, but Lillard didn’t have much leverage. Wojnarowski strongly suggests Cronin felt the need to keep things private from Goodwin in case he tried to tank trade talks with non-Heat teams.

One of the most fascinating and “delicate” parts of the deal was Phoenix’s involvement. According to Wojnarowski, the Blazers and Suns had the outline of a trade together for months — Deandre Ayton to Portland for Jusuf Nurkic. Cronin wanted to tie that agreement into any Lillard trade, so throughout the offseason he kept circling back to the Suns.

However, as Wojnarowski writes, due to Milwaukee’s insistence on secrecy, Cronin was unable to tell Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein the final details until the last minute. According to Woj, Phoenix knew it was getting Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson from the Blazers in a three-team deal, but the Suns wanted another asset in return.

Cronin was unable to tell the Suns who that player was — or who he played for. Cronin did tell the Suns the mystery player’s position and gave an approximation of his salary, and Phoenix was able to deduce it was either Thunder guard Victor Oladipo or Bucks guard Grayson Allen.

Only on Wednesday afternoon — just before the trade was made public — did Cronin confirm that it was Allen, whom the Suns had reportedly been interested in for several months. According to Wojnarowski, Bartelstein, GM James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia quickly discussed and then agreed to the deal.

The Blazers were happy and relieved to have completed the deal, per Woj, and believed they did right by Lillard by sending him to a contender, even if it wasn’t his preferred destination. Shortly thereafter, Cronin was bombarded by calls inquiring about Holiday, who is now the hottest name on the trade block.

Wojnarowki’s full story is definitely worth reading in full if you subscribe to ESPN+.

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Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Ujiri, Sixers, Lillard, Randle

September 30th, 2023 at 11:53am CST by Tristan Tucker

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum went into the offseason thinking he may have needed surgery on his non-shooting wrist, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on NBA Today (YouTube link). According to Shelburne, Tatum visited a bunch of specialists and opted against going under the knife.

Shelburne said that Tatum received a cortisone shot in his wrist, adding that the wrist feels “really good.”

Following the trade that sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Tatum is likely going to be seeing even more primary ball-handling duties. Shelburne reports that Tatum is “comfortable” initiating the offense and handling the ball, with his experience in the postseason helping him build confidence for that role.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Raptors president Masai Ujiri‘s 10-year anniversary as the team’s top decision-maker came and went this offseason and his tenure has been marked by huge successes by the organization, including an NBA title in 2019. However, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes that Ujiri’s record hasn’t been without misses, especially recently. Missing out on Damian Lillard is an example of a questionable decision, Koreen opines, and it leaves the franchise in a tricky situation moving forward. Importantly, Koreen notes that he doesn’t think that Ujiri is in any danger of being close to losing his position. I recommend reading the article in full, as Koreen evaluates and compares Ujiri’s tenure to other top decision-makers in the league.
  • While the Sixers didn’t land Lillard, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports writes that Philadelphia is in a better position with Lillard on the Bucks rather than the Heat, who were heavily linked to the seven-time All-Star. Neubeck reasons that if Miami had landed Lillard, they would be firmly in the top tier of Eastern Conference teams ahead of the Sixers, along with the Bucks and Celtics. With Lillard on the Bucks, it makes Milwaukee better, but the Sixers are only behind two teams in the conference’s hierarchy, opines Neubeck. The deal also opens Philadelphia to make other moves via trade.
  • The Knicks have several storylines to watch for this upcoming season after earning the No. 5 seed and reaching the second round in the NBA playoffs in 2022/23. Zach Braziller of the New York Post argues that the biggest storyline surrounding the Knicks is the play of Julius Randle. In Braziller’s view, the Knicks will need Randle to step up in the postseason in order to increase their ceiling for next season and beyond.
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Pacific Notes: Primo, Hachimura, Jasikevicius, Poole

September 30th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers signed guard Joshua Primo to a two-way contract on Friday, the same day the league suspended him for four games after the league determined he “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers felt comfortable with signing Primo after meeting with him for months and hearing from specialists who spent time with him.

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said that the decision to sign Primo came with “a great deal of conversation with people throughout the organization,” according to Greif. Frank also said that female employees who most frequently interact with players were consulted on the decision, per Greif.

“We took many steps to make sure that we could feel very confident that we will be able to create a safe and comfortable workplace,” Frank said.

The specialists who met with Primo worked in mental health fields, Frank said, according to Greif.

“We’re not disputing allegations or condoning the alleged conduct, but why we’re here is because of all the work he’s put in since those allegations,” Frank said.

Primo was drafted with the 12th overall pick by the Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft but was waived four games into his second season after a psychologist who worked for the Spurs, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, alleged in a civil complaint against the Spurs that Primo exposed himself to her nine times during individual private sessions.

A source tells San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn (Twitter link) that, in addition to Dr. Cauthen, Primo exposed himself to two other women, with all incidents occurring while he was with the Spurs. Orsborn adds that it’s possible that charges could arise in other counties like they did in Bexar County (Twitter link).

In addition to being suspended for the first four games of the season, Primo is ineligible to appear in the NBA’s preseason, Greif writes.

We have more notes from the Pacific Division:

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Jrue Holiday Notes: Clippers, Sixers, Kings, Pacers, Knicks

September 30th, 2023 at 9:46am CST by Tristan Tucker

After being sent to the Trail Blazers as part of the Damian Lillard blockbuster, Jrue Holiday is likely the next guard to be traded by a Portland team seeking draft capital and/or players who fit the club’s timeline. The Blazers are expected to be active in the next few days in attempting to find a landing spot for the two-time All-Star and there’s a “good chance” he’s on the move by Monday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The market for Holiday, a tenacious defender, is already robust. As we wrote on Thursday, the Clippers, Heat, Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, and Sixers are among the teams that could explore acquiring him.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic looks at several hypothetical landing spots for Holiday and considers what the trade package might look like in each scenario. In his view, the Clippers are the most viable destination for Holiday, with an easy-to-build package consisting of matching salaries, young players and draft picks. While the Clippers have been tied to Sixers guard James Harden for some time, Vecenie reasons that Holiday could be more appealing, since he’s extension-eligible while Harden is not, due to his two-year deal last offseason.

Of course, the rumors linking Harden and the Clippers make a three-team deal that sends Harden to L.A, Holiday to Philadelphia, and salaries, picks and other assets to Portland easy to imagine, Vecenie writes. However, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports says that he’s hearing no real traction on any such move and that it will be difficult for Philadelphia to land Holiday.

The Heat, Knicks and Warriors are among other teams who can put together reasonable packages for Holiday, Vecenie writes, with Golden State providing his favorite potential landing spot for the guard.

We have more Jrue Holiday-related notes:

  • The Kings are one of the few teams who will not be in on the Holiday sweepstakes, tweets Sam Amick of The Athletic. According to Amick, the Kings “looked at” the possibility, but will not pursue the guard. While Holiday makes sense for just about every team in the league, it stands to reason that the Kings, who seem to have a set backcourt rotation, wouldn’t want to shake things up this close to the season.
  • Indiana is a dark horse candidate to trade for Holiday. IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak explores the subject, weighing the pros and cons of the Pacers acquiring Holiday. While adding the former All-Star would give Indiana a secondary ball-handler and shooting, along with high-level defense, it might not be the best idea for the team to sacrifice draft capital and/or young players at this stage of its timeline. With Holiday potentially becoming a free agent next offseason, it’s also possible he would be a rental and, if not, he would be costly at 33 years old, Dopirak writes. Ultimately, Dopirak believes the Pacers shouldn’t get desperate to acquire Holiday, even if he would boost their playoff odds this season.
  • As noted above, New York makes some level of sense as a suitor for Holiday’s services. Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov write about the topic, arguing that while Holiday would help in a major way on the court, the cost to acquire him would be great. Ian Begley of SNY writes that if the Knicks did acquire Holiday, they’d do so with the idea of extending him.
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