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Atlantic Notes: Petrusev, Knicks, Begarin, Celtics, Sullivan, Ujiri

August 6th, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers second-round pick Filip Petrusev is eager to join his teammates in Philadelphia, but the team will likely keep the 21-year-old overseas as a draft-and-stash player, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Petrusev, the No. 50 pick in the draft, is coming off an impressive season with KK Mega Basket in Serbia. He averaged 23.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, impressing Philadelphia enough to draft him — but not enough to bring him over just yet.

“My intentions would be obviously to come over as soon as possible,” Petrusev said. “But it’s not up to me.”

The 6’11” Petrusev can technically opt out of his contract with Mega before next season, but that remains unlikely given Philadelphia’s intentions.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division today:

  • By signing Julius Randle to a four-year contract extension, the Knicks improved their chances of becoming an intriguing free-agent destination down the road, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes. New York is also set to sign Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier while keeping most its returning playoff core from last season.
  • Celtics second-round pick Juhann Begarin asked president of basketball operations Brad Stevens if he could play summer league with the team this month, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Normally after the draft, I normally come back (to) France,” said Begarin, whose wish has been granted. “But I asked Brad Stevens to play the summer league and show them if I can play in the NBA, and after the summer league I will see what’s happened.”
  • Speaking of the Celtics, the team is hiring Bucks assistant Ben Sullivan to Ime Udoka‘s coaching staff, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Sullivan started his NBA career as a video intern for the Spurs, then became an assistant coach with the Hawks in 2014. He joined the Bucks in 2018.
  • Michael Grange of Sportsnet examines Masai Ujiri‘s new deal and title with the Raptors, noting that Ujiri’s new “vice chairman” position won’t give him a stake in team ownership.
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Eastern Notes: Love, Livers, Heat, D. Robinson, Drummond

August 5th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After drafting Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick and agreeing to re-sign Jarrett Allen to a five-year, $100MM contract, the Cavaliers appear to have locked up their frontcourt of the future, prompting Jason Lloyd of The Athletic to suggest that if Kevin Love is going to remain in Cleveland, he should be prepared to accept a role off the bench.

According to Lloyd, the Cavaliers have already spoken to Love about his minutes and role moving forward. The first step will be getting the veteran power forward healthy following the calf strain that has nagged him for much of the year, but even if that calf injury is no longer an issue in the fall, Cleveland will have to closely manage Love’s minutes, writes Lloyd.

While a buyout could ultimately be in both sides’ best interests, those discussions have not yet taken place, according to Lloyd, who suggests Love would likely have to be willing to give back at least $12-15MM for the Cavs to consider buying him out. He’s owed just north of $60MM over the next two seasons.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Rookie Pistons forward Isaiah Livers, who was selected 42nd overall in last Thursday’s draft, continues to recover from the right foot surgery that ended his college career, but remains optimistic that he’ll be fully cleared around the start of the 2021/22 season, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “For five-on-five, I expect to be fully cleared, hopefully, at some point in October,” Livers said. As Beard observes, Detroit will likely play it safe with Livers and have him start the season with the Motor City Cruise in the G League.
  • Although the Heat might not get much out of Victor Oladipo in 2021/22, their minimum-salary agreement with the two-time All-Star will put them in good position to re-sign him next summer if he earns a raise, since they’ll hold his full Bird rights, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details. Oladipo is recovering from surgery on his quad tendon and the Heat aren’t expecting him to be ready to return until sometime in 2022.
  • After agreeing to a five-year, $90MM deal with the Heat as a restricted free agent, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson said on The Long Shot podcast that he entered the week focused on getting a deal done with the only NBA team he has ever played for. “Miami ultimately, for me, felt like it was going to be the best situation because it was something I was really familiar with,” Robinson said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I felt like I had built equity with an organization, the coaching staff, the front office, the fans even, the city.”
  • Despite their past squabbles on and off the court, new Sixers center Andre Drummond doesn’t anticipate teaming up with Joel Embiid will be an issue, he told reporters today. “For me, there was never any real beef,” Drummond said (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com). “The way we play, sometimes we talk. I don’t think it goes any further than that. … We’re on the same team now.”
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Sixers Hire Phil Beckner As Coaching Consultant

August 5th, 2021 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams
  • The Sixers have hired Phil Beckner as a coaching consultant, Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports relays (Twitter links). While it’s probably unwise to read too much into the move, it’s worth noting that Beckner is a former Weber State assistant coach and Damian Lillard‘s trainer.
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Sixers Re-Sign Danny Green

August 4th, 2021 at 11:25pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The Sixers have officially re-signed Green, the team announced today in a press release.

“Bringing Danny back was a top priority for our organization this offseason,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He has proven to be an important leader on and off the floor, and he knows what it takes to win an NBA title as a three-time champion. We are very happy that he’ll continue to remain a crucial part of the 76ers.”

AUGUST 4: The Sixers have agreed to terms with veteran swingman Danny Green on a two-year deal that will bring him back to Philadelphia, according to his Inside The Green Room podcast co-host Harrison Sanford (Twitter link). A league source confirms the news to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Because the 76ers have Early Bird rights on Green, they won’t need to use their mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Agent Raymond Brothers tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that the 34-year-old’s new deal won’t include any options. However, a follow-up tweet from Sanford suggests the second year will be non-guaranteed, with a July 1, 2022 guarantee date.

According to Sanford (Twitter link), Green had discussions with the Nets, Celtics, Bucks, Bulls, and Warriors, among other teams, during free agency this week. He turned down a two-year offer from the Cavaliers, Sanford adds.

A 12-year NBA veteran who has won titles with three different teams, Green started all 69 games he played for Philadelphia in 2020/21, averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.3 SPG with a .412/.405/.775 shooting line in 28.0 MPG.

Green has long been a reliable three-and-D wing, having knocked down 40.1% of his career attempts from beyond the arc.

The Sixers waived George Hill this week and lost Dwight Howard to the Lakers, but have now lined up deals to bring back both Green and Furkan Korkmaz. The club also signed Andre Drummond to a minimum-salary contract on Wednesday and has agreed to a deal with forward Georges Niang.

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Sixers Sign Andre Drummond To One-Year Deal

August 4th, 2021 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 4: The Sixers have officially signed Drummond, the team announced today in a press release. Minimum-salary signings are one of the transactions that can be formally completed during the free agency moratorium.

AUGUST 3: The Sixers have reached an agreement with free agent center Andre Drummond on a one-year deal, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link), it’s a minimum-salary contract.

It’s an interesting fit for Drummond, who – as a member of the Pistons and Cavaliers – has had some fierce battles with 76ers center Joel Embiid over the years. In 2021/22, he’ll be Embiid’s backup in the middle, taking the spot previously occupied by Dwight Howard, who has agreed to return to the Lakers, Drummond’s most recent team.

Drummond, who will turn 28 next Tuesday, is one of the NBA’s best rebounders, having led the league in the category in four separate seasons. In 2020/21, he averaged 14.9 PPG and 12.0 RPG in 46 total games (27.0 MPG) for the Cavs and Lakers.

Drummond has spent much of his NBA career putting up big numbers for lottery teams or borderline playoff clubs. He joined the Lakers last season hoping to contribute to a winner, but fell out of the team’s rotation entirely by the time L.A. was eliminated by Phoenix in Game 6 of the opening round. In Philadelphia, he’ll be looking once again to prove he can be a reliable role player on a title-contending club.

The Sixers, who have agreed to re-sign Furkan Korkmaz via his Bird rights and Drummond to a minimum-salary contract, still have the mid-level exception at their disposal in free agency.

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Sixers Sign Jaden Springer To Rookie Contract

August 4th, 2021 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have signed first-round pick Jaden Springer to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Springer, who will turn 19 in September, played a single season at Tennessee before declaring for the draft as an early entrant. The 6’4″ guard averaged 12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .467/.435/.810 shooting in 25 games (25.5 MPG) as a freshman.

There was a belief leading up to the draft that Philadelphia might trade the No. 28 overall pick, but the team ended up hanging onto it and using it to select Springer.

Assuming he signs for 120% of his rookie scale amount, as nearly every first-round pick does, Springer will earn approximately $2.02MM as a rookie and could make up to $10.39MM over the life of his four-year deal.

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Sixers Re-Sign Rayjon Tucker To Two-Way Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 11:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Rayjon Tucker is back under contract with the Sixers on a new two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

After going undrafted out of Little Rock in 2019, Tucker spent much of his rookie season with the Jazz, but was dealt to Cleveland in the 2020 offseason and was subsequently waived. He spent training camp last December with the Clippers, then signed a two-way deal with the Sixers in January.

The 6’3″ guard appeared in just 14 games for Philadelphia, averaging 2.4 PPG and 0.8 RPG in 4.9 minutes per contest. He was a full-time starter for the Delaware Blue Coats during the abridged G League season, however, recording 19.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG in 15 games (33.0 MPG).

The Sixers finished the 2020/21 season with Tucker and Gary Clark on two-way deals, then tendered a qualifying offer to Tucker to make him a restricted free agent. Tucker may have simply accepted that QO, which is the equivalent of another two-way deal.

For now, Tucker occupies one of Philadelphia’s two-way slots and undrafted rookie Aaron Henry is reportedly poised to fill the other. However, two-way contracts don’t count against the cap and aren’t burdensome to move on from, so there’s no guarantee the 76ers won’t make changes to those two-way slots at some point this season.

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Sixers Sign Georges Niang To Two-Year Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Sixers have officially signed Niang, the team announced today in a press release.

“Georges is a talented player who can stretch the floor and he immediately bolsters our frontcourt depth,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He has shot over 40-percent from three for his career and has steadily improved his overall game each season he’s been in the NBA. We’re excited to welcome him to Philadelphia.”

AUGUST 3: The Sixers have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free agent forward Georges Niang, according to Ben Dowsett, who reports (via Twitter) that Niang’s contract will be worth $6.7MM.

Niang, 28, has spent the last four seasons in Utah after beginning his NBA career with the Pacers. He had his best season in 2020/21, earning regular minutes (16.0 MPG) for a Jazz squad that finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record.

Niang appeared in all 72 games, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG with an impressive .425 3PT%. It was the third straight year in which he made at least 40% of his three-point attempts. The former Iowa State standout also has the size necessary to match up with threes and fours on defense.

We’ll have to wait to see what other moves Philadelphia makes this week before we know exactly how the team completes the Niang signing. Based on the reported terms of the agreement, it would comfortably fit within either the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception, though Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link) suggests the plan is to use part of the MLE.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier today that Niang was on Philadelphia’s radar.

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Free Agency Roundup: Rose, Bjelica, Suns, Vanderbilt, Niang, Schroder

August 3rd, 2021 at 6:12pm CST by Eli Cohen

Derrick Rose had received interest from the Pelicans, Wizards, Bulls, and Heat before re-signing with the Knicks, write Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina of USA Today. The USA Today adds that Kyle Lowry signing with the Heat helped usher Rose back to the Knicks and coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose agreed to a three-year, $43MM deal on Monday.

In the same piece, Zillgitt and Medina write that five other teams considered signing Nemanja Bjelica with their mid-level exception, but Bjelica prioritized signing with the Warriors instead. Bjelica agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum earlier today.

We have more free agency rumors:

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Sixers Waive George Hill

August 3rd, 2021 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

5:40pm: The Sixers have officially waived Hill, announcing the move in a press release.

12:12am: The Sixers are planning to waive veteran guard George Hill, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hill, acquired by Philadelphia at the trade deadline in March, is currently under contract for 2021/22 with a cap hit of $10.05MM. However, only about $1.28MM of that salary is guaranteed, so the Sixers can save some money and generate a little extra cap flexibility by releasing him before his salary guarantee deadline this week.

Hill, who began the 2020/21 season with Oklahoma City, averaged 8.7 PPG and 2.4 APG on .482/.388/.800 shooting in 30 total contests (22.4 MPG) for the Thunder and Sixers. He didn’t make much of an impact in the postseason for Philadelphia, with just 4.7 PPG and 1.5 APG in 12 playoff games (17.1 MPG).

While Hill wasn’t exactly a bargain on his $10MM salary, he’d be a worthwhile investment at a lower rate. If and when he clears waivers, he should receive interest from teams looking to add an affordable veteran guard to their bench.

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