Johnathan Williams Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Johnathan Williams To Play In Israel

July 30th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Lakers two-way player Johnathan Williams is headed overseas to continue his playing career. Israeli team Maccabi Rishon announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed Williams to a contract for the 2019/20 season.

After going undrafted out of Gonzaga last spring, Williams spent the 2018/19 season on a two-way deal with the Lakers, spending most of his time with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. The young forward/center averaged 15.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 36 NBAGL contests (27.3 MPG).

Williams also saw some playing time in the Lakers’ frontcourt near the start and end of the season. He appeared in 24 games for the NBA club, posting averages of 6.5 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 15.5 minutes per contest.

The Lakers initially tendered Williams a two-way qualifying offer, but withdrew it and renounced his rights early in the free agent period, making him an unrestricted free agent. Zach Norvell Jr. and Kostas Antetokounmpo are now L.A.’s two-way players.

Free Agency Notes: Cap Holds, Williams, Magic, Wizards

July 7th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly half the teams in the NBA renounced their rights to multiple free agents this week as they prepared to make new roster moves official, per RealGM’s transactions log. In some cases, like when the Clippers renounced the rights to Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler, those free agents already new homes lined up, and removing their cap holds was simply a formality to create cap room for incoming additions.

In other cases, the housekeeping moves were a bit more noteworthy. The Pacers, for instance, renounced Darren Collison‘s Bird rights, so if the 31-year-old – who announced his retirement before the start of free agency – ever attempts an NBA comeback, Indiana will no longer have a leg up to re-acquire him.

Besides those two teams, the Hawks, Bucks, Nets, Jazz, Sixers, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Celtics, Wizards, and Bulls also renounced various free agents, according to RealGM’s log.

Here are a few more notes related to free agency:

The Lakers have withdrawn their qualifying offer to two-way player Johnathan Williams and renounced his rights, according to RealGM. That doesn’t preclude the Lakers from bringing back Williams on a new two-way deal, but he’ll be able to sign outright with a new team if he so chooses.
At least nine teams are now confirmed to attend the Amar’e Stoudemire/Monta Ellis workout taking place in Las Vegas on Monday, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. We previously relayed word of Stoudemire’s and Ellis’ attempts to make NBA comebacks.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides salary cap updates on a pair of Southeast teams, tweeting that the Magic and Wizards are both safely out of luxury tax territory for now. According to Marks (Twitter links), Orlando has $3.5MM in breathing room under the tax line, counting Khem Birch‘s $1.8MM cap hold, while Washington is about $4MM below that threshold after cutting Jonathon Simmons.

Lakers Tender QOs To Alex Caruso, Johnathan Williams

June 26th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have ensured that a pair of their players will be restricted free agents this summer, announcing in a press release that they’ve issued qualifying offers to guard Alex Caruso and forward Johnathan Williams. Both players finished the 2018/19 season on two-way deals.

Caruso, 25, has been with the Lakers on a two-way contract since the start of the 2017/18 season. In 2018/19, he appeared in 25 games for the club, primarily after the All-Star break, recording 9.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.7 RPG, and a .445/.480/.797 shooting line in 21.2 minutes per contest.

Because he has spent two seasons with the Lakers on a two-way deal, Caruso’s qualifying offer will be worth the veteran’s minimum (about $1.6MM). The two-way salary portion of that QO must be guaranteed.

As for Williams, the 24-year-old averaged 6.5 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 24 contests (15.5 MPG) for the Lakers last season. His qualifying offer will be a one-year, two-way contract, with a $50K guarantee.

Cap holds for Caruso and Williams will slightly cut into the Lakers’ projected cap room, but if the team needs that space, it won’t hesitate to renounce the duo. If they’re interested, they could each agree to return on new minimum-salary (Caruso) or two-way (Williams) contracts, and could finalize those deals once the Lakers use up their cap room.

Lakers Notes: Walton, Lue, Pelinka, Caruso

April 13th, 2019 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luke Walton‘s fatal mistake with the Lakers was not insisting that everyone else defer to LeBron James, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Tyronn Lue, who won a title with LeBron in Cleveland and is considered among the top candidates to replace Walton in L.A., established a clear order when he took over for David Blatt in 2016. Lue demanded that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love set aside any individual agendas and let James run the show.

Walton never made similar demands after LeBron came to the Lakers, according to Vardon. He was fine with several players serving as the primary ball-handler and didn’t adjust the offense much to feature his new weapon.

“We had our system coming into training camp, and it was similar to the last few years,” former Lakers center Ivica Zubac said after being traded in February. “We all knew LeBron was the guy, but no, that’s not how it was. Luke wants to play fast and he said it right after camp started. I think we played the right way until LeBron got hurt, and then we just didn’t have enough to win.”

There’s more news from Los Angeles:

The Lakers haven’t contacted Lue about their coaching job yet, but he is in much better health now than when he had to take a leave of absence last season, Vardon adds. Lue has lost 35 pounds, changed his diet and works out twice a day.
GM Rob Pelinka will be in charge of the search for a new coach, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. That’s one more sign that Pelinka’s position with the organization is secure after the departure of team president Magic Johnson. The front office talked briefly to Walton’s representatives to see if they could work out an agreement to retain him as coach, Shelburne adds (Twitter link). However, discussions didn’t go very far.
Alex Caruso, Johnathan Williams and Jemerrio Jones may not return next season, but they provided an inspiring effort after the Lakers’ playoff hopes were extinguished, relays Kevin Ding of NBA.com. After making his NBA debut March 31, Jones thanked Walton after each game for giving him a chance to play. Caruso expressed similar gratitude to Walton and Pelinka in his exit interview on Wednesday. Caruso also credits South Bay Lakers president Joey Buss for helping him to land a two-way contract last season. “Might not be here now,” Caruso said. “It’s all butterfly effect getting to this point.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, James, Williams

October 27th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by marksuleymanov

The Lakers secured LeBron James this summer, which has led to speculation about which elite talents can potentially be paired with the four-time Most Valuable Player. Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register looks at Pelicans’ superstar Anthony Davis, who tops the Lakers’ wish list, according to Heisler.

Speculation of Davis’ possible desire to eventually land in L.A. was fueled when he fired his longtime agent to hire Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who also represents James. For his part, the Chicago native downplayed the switch in representation means that he’s eyeing the Lakers. Instead, his focus is to be part of a winning culture.

“Winning definitely helps everything, helps with your legacy, helps be on the top of the list,” Davis said. “But going to the playoffs every three years doesn’t help my case.”

When the Lakers did sign James, the entire dynamic of the team’s on-court expectations changed. With a superstar of James’ caliber, expectations rise, attention is commanded, and every move is scrutinized. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports writes that the organization is still getting acclimated to the “LeBron Effect.” The team started 0-3 and it seemed that panic mode was all but the norm, but after two straight wins, that flurry of doubt has simmered, but with James around, this will be the culture to get used to.
Despite being waived by the Lakers, Johnathan Williams re-signed to a two-way pact and has made the most of his NBA opportunity. Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times look at Williams’ journey from college to the professional level and how he is fueled by the initial disappointment of being waived.
In our earlier edition of L.A. Notes, we looked at Lance Stephenson‘s early play for the Lakers, Luke Walton‘s fine and more.

Pacific Notes: J. Williams, Clippers, D. Jones

October 24th, 2018 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been an eventful month for Johnathan Williams, who participated in camp and the preseason with the Lakers, was waived, re-signed on a two-way contract, and played key minutes in the team’s third game of the season.

After racking up eight points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in just 14 minutes during his NBA debut vs. San Antonio, the Lakers’ newest big man said he had to keep reminding himself how to handle the situation, as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times relays. “Stay in the moment,” Williams said. “Just stay in the moment. Just stay locked in during the game. Just always stayed locked in when I’m on the bench.”

The Lakers don’t have a ton of reliable options at the five, so it will be interesting to see if Williams continues to be a part of the club’s rotation going forward — because NBA G League training camps are underway, the 45-day clock on his NBA service time will continue to run as long as he remains with the team.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes he has “up to 11 guys” in his rotation who warrant end-of-game consideration, which is both a blessing and a curse. Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at Rivers’ efforts to make the most of the club’s impressive depth.
After declining Kevon Looney‘s fourth-year rookie scale option last year at this time, the Warriors seem unlikely to go that same route with Damian Jones, says Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. According to Shiller, it’s “probably” safe to assume that Golden State will exercise Jones’ $2.3MM team option for 2019/20 by next Wednesday’s deadline.
Kings head coach Dave Joerger thinks a stretch four like Nemanja Bjelica is a better fit alongside starting center Willie Cauley-Stein, which is why Marvin Bagley III is coming off the bench, per Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, as Jones writes, Bagley continues to impress the franchise as he carves out a larger role in Sacramento.

Lakers Sign Johnathan Williams To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2018 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than 24 hours after their first game of the 2018/19 regular season, the Lakers have made a change to one of their two-way contract slots, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed power forward Johnathan Williams and waived forward Travis Wear.

Williams, who was in camp with the Lakers, averaged 6.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG in six preseason games (14.5 MPG) with the team. The Gonzaga product was released last Saturday by Los Angeles when the team initially cut its down roster down to the regular season limit, but didn’t remain a free agent for long.

As for Wear, the former UCLA standout has had multiple stints with the Lakers, appearing in 17 regular season contests for the franchise last season. The 28-year-old is a solid three-point shooter, having converted 36.4% of his three-point attempts in the NBA and 38.1% in the G League. The South Bay Lakers still hold Wear’s rights in the event he decides to return to the NBAGL, notes Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link).

It’s not clear if the Lakers envision an NBA role for Williams, but it’s worth noting that the team is fairly thin at the center position, with few viable options behind JaVale McGee. Williams could get a look at the five before reporting to South Bay.

Lakers Waive Johnathan Williams, Scott Machado

October 13th, 2018 at 12:56pm CST by clarkcrum

The Lakers officially announced that they have waived forward Johnathan Williams and guard Scott Machado, leaving the club with 16 players, including two two-way players, on what is likely their final regular season roster. Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the news on Williams.

Williams, 23, went undrafted out of Gonzaga after averaging 13.5 PPG and 8.3 RPG during his senior season and earning first team All-WCC honors. He played for the Lakers’ during Summer League in Las Vegas before he signed with the club back in July.

Machado, 28, was looking for a return to the NBA after he appeared in six games for the Rockets during his rookie season in 2012/13. He spent last season with the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, where he may very well end up again this season alongside Williams.

Johnathan Williams Lands Camp Deal With Lakers

July 21st, 2018 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers have signed Johnathan Williams to a training camp contract, the team announced on its website. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, so it’s not certain if Williams will receive any guaranteed money.

Williams went undrafted out of Gonzaga after averaging 13.5 PPG and 8.3 RPG during his senior season and earning first team All-WCC honors. He played for the Lakers’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night in seven games.

Williams is the third training camp signing for the Lakers this week, joining Joel Berry and Jeffrey Carroll. L.A. now has 19 players headed to camp with one spot still open.

Draft Notes: R. Williams, Nuggets, Clips, Wizards

June 13th, 2018 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Texas A&M center Robert Williams, who previously worked out for the Bulls, Hornets, and Knicks, continues to earn looks from teams picking in the top half of the first round. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link), Williams still has workouts on tap with the Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards, who hold the picks from 12 through 15.

Williams’ session with the Nuggets will take place today, according to a press release from the club. In addition to scheduling an individual session with Williams, Denver has also lined up a group workout which will feature Hayden Dalton (Wyoming), Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo d’Orlando), Dzanan Musa (Cedevita), Ajdin Penava (Marshall), and Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga).

Meanwhile, the Bucks – who hold the No. 17 selection – also wanted to bring in Williams for a workout, but he expects to be off the board before Milwaukee picks and has passed on the team’s invitation, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. According to Woelfel, Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, another good bet to be drafted in the top 16, also won’t work out for the Bucks.

Here’s more on the 2018 NBA draft:

Gyorgy Goloman (UCLA), Doral Moore (Wake Forest), and Matt Farrell (Notre Dame) will participate in today’s Clippers workout headlined by previously-reported participants Miles Bridges, Kevin Knox, and Aaron Holiday. The team’s official list of Wednesday’s workout participants doesn’t include Mitchell Robinson, who was expected to be part of the group.
Wichita State guard Landry Shamet worked out for the Nets this week and will audition for the Trail Blazers on Thursday, league sources tell Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Shamet currently ranks 49th on Jonathan Givony’s ESPN big board.
Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Elijah Brown (Oregon), Nana Foulland (Bucknell), Tyler Nelson (Fairfield), Billy Preston (BC Igokea), and Corey Sanders (Rutgers) are working out for the Wizards today, according to the club.
In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Paul Sabin and Seth Walder apply the site’s analytical model to 2018’s draft class and find that Duke’s Marvin Bagley III ranks as the No. 1 prospect. Mikal Bridges (fifth), Zhaire Smith (ninth), and De’Anthony Melton (13th) are among the other players favored by the analytics.