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Suns Convert Mike James’ Two-Way Contract Into NBA Deal

December 7th, 2017 at 11:35am CST by ChrisCrouse

DECEMBER 7, 11:35am: The Suns have officially converted James’ two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. The release also confirmed that the team has waived Jones, as we detailed in a separate story.

James is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2018, while the Suns have an open two-way contract slot that could be filled at any time.

DECEMBER 6, 11:02pm: The Suns are converting Mike James‘ two-way contract into a traditional NBA contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports. On Thursday, James will have spent 45 days with the NBA club, which is the maximum allowed under a two-way deal.

James will be the first player in NBA history to have his two-way deal converted. Phoenix plans on opening a roster spot on Thursday morning and Derrick Jones is a good bet to be the casualty of the transaction, barring a trade.

The point guard made approximately $213K on his two-way deal and he could earn slightly over $580K if he remains with the team for the remainder of the 2017/18 season. James took on a larger role once the Suns dealt away Eric Bledsoe, starting 10 games before finding his niche leading the second unit.

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Suns Waive Derrick Jones

December 7th, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

11:32am: The Suns have officially waived Jones, the club confirmed today in a press release.

10:08am: The Suns will waive Derrick Jones to create an open spot on their 15-man roster, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The move was necessary in order to clear room for Mike James, whose two-way contract is being converted into a standard NBA deal.

Jones, 20, initially signed with the Suns as an undrafted free agent in September 2016. He has played sparingly for the team since then, appearing in 38 total games and averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 15.2 minutes per contest. The UNLV product is perhaps best known for his participation in last season’s Slam Dunk Contest — he was the runner-up to champion Glenn Robinson.

Jones had been set to earn $1,312,611 this season, but his contract was non-guaranteed, so the Suns will only be on the hook for a portion of that amount — by my math, the cap charge will work out to about $400K. Of course, if Jones is claimed on waivers, Phoenix will no longer have to carry any part of his contract on its cap for 2017/18. The young forward is under team control through 2020, with a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2018/19 and a minimum-salary team option for 2019/20.

As Charania tweets, Jones may draw real interest in the waiver process due to his youth and his contract structure. However, any team wanting to place a claim would need to have cap room or an exception big enough to absorb his salary. The waiver order is based on this year’s reverse standings, meaning the Bulls would have first dibs.

As for James, he and the Suns discussed multiple contract structures, but ultimately settled on a rest-of-season deal, per Charania. James will be on track to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2018.

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Mike James Contract Issue Headed To Wire

December 4th, 2017 at 6:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns point guard Mike James is unlikely to have his contract issues resolved until Wednesday’s deadline, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic tweets.

James signed a two-way contract over the summer but wound up being a rotation piece after Phoenix decided to trade disgruntled point guard Eric Bledsoe. James will reach the 45-day NBA limit on his contract Wednesday and is expected to sign a standard NBA contract by the deadline. He is averaging 10.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 4.2 APG in 22.7 MPG.

However, the Suns are at the roster limit and must make a move before James’ contract can be converted. Small forward Derrick Jones is the most vulnerable member of the 15-man roster, since his contract is not fully guaranteed and he’s only appeared briefly in six games this season.

The team has a logjam at center and could move Greg Monroe, one of the players acquired from the Bucks in the Bledsoe deal. Monroe has an expiring contract and remains a productive player as an interior scorer and rebounder despite defensive limitations. Complicating matters is that Phoenix has three players – guards Brandon Knight and Davon Reed and big man Alan Williams – sidelined by long-term injuries.

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/12/17

November 12th, 2017 at 10:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they sent Ron Baker and Damyean Dotson back to the G League today, and the duo played major minutes in Westchester’s loss to the Raptors 905 this afternoon. Dotson scored 19 points for New York’s affiliate, while Baker chipped in 12.
  • The Hawks assigned rookie shooting guard Tyler Dorsey to the G League today, the team announced in a press release. Dorsey has appeared in six games for Atlanta so far this season, playing limited minutes in those contests.
  • Prior to the Northern Arizona Suns’ Saturday game against Iowa, second-year forward Derrick Jones was assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the Suns. Jones played a big part in the club’s win last night, filling up the score sheet with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
  • The Raptors have recalled Alfonzo McKinnie from their G League affiliate, the team’s media relations department tweets. McKinnie has averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Raptors 905 so far this season.
  • The Kings have recalled second-year big man Georgios Papagiannis from the Reno Bighorns, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. The center played two games with the G League affiliate, dropping 17 points and 13 rebounds in his most recent performance on Saturday.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/17

November 10th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the G League moves from around the basketball world today:

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/8/17

November 8th, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • After struggling in the Delaware 87ers’ loss on Tuesday night, Furkan Korkmaz has been recalled to the NBA by the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release. Korkmaz scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting for Philadelphia’s G League affiliate on Tuesday.
  • The Rockets have re-assigned rookie big man Zhou Qi to the G League, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Zhou should have an opportunity to suit up on Wednesday night for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers against Austin.
  • The Nuggets have recalled rookie forward Tyler Lydon from the G League, according to the club (Twitter link). Since Denver doesn’t have its own G League squad, Lydon had been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s affiliate.
  • The Magic have recalled rookies Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu from the G League, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Lakeland doesn’t play its next game until Friday, so perhaps Birch and/or Iwundu will be re-assigned before then.
  • One day after being assigned to the Northern Arizona Suns, Derrick Jones has been recalled to the NBA by the Suns, says Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/7/17

November 7th, 2017 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

5:23pm:

3:32pm:

  • The Spurs have recalled Tony Parker from the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Parker has been bouncing back and forth between San Antonio and the Austin Spurs as he recovers from surgery on his quadriceps.

1:33pm:

  • The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Because this is Caboclo’s fourth NBA season, the move required his approval.
  • Second-year forward Derrick Jones has been sent to the Northern Arizona Suns, according to a press release issued today by Phoenix. The Suns’ affiliate doesn’t play its next game until Thursday, so we’ll see if Jones’ assignment lasts that long.
  • The Jazz have assigned a pair of rookies, Tony Bradley and Royce O’Neale, to their G League affiliate, according to a press release.
  • A day after sending him to the G League, the Rockets have recalled rookie big man Zhou Qi, the team announced (via Twitter). Zhou scored 15 points on Monday for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
  • The Nets have recalled Isaiah Whitehead from the G League, the club announced in a press release. Whitehead last played for the Long Island Nets on Saturday, when he racked up 26 points and grabbed seven boards.
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Pacific Notes: Williams, Jones Jr., Richardson

October 1st, 2017 at 9:39pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers had their work cut out for them replacing Jamal Crawford this season but fortunately had already landed Lou Williams, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Williams has carved out a successful career being one of the league’s best reserves.

Williams came over as part of the massive Chris Paul trade and will take on an even larger share of the Clippers’ offensive load than he may have initially expected now that Crawford has been bought out and signed with the Timberwolves.

“You’ve got a few of us that go out there and we have a short amount of time to go and change the game,” Williams said. “And Jamal was one of those guys who perfected that. I’m one of those guys that you can put right up there. You’ve got a few other guys that you can mention in that same breath. It’s a unique position to have.”

The Clippers guard may not have three Sixth Man of the Year Awards to his name like Crawford does but he does at least have one. So far.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/23/17

February 23rd, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls:

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/22/17

February 22nd, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

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