Josh Christopher Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat, Grizzlies To Meet For Las Vegas Summer League Title

July 22nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Summer League action will come to an end on Monday night as the Heat and Grizzlies battle for the championship in Las Vegas. Both teams have compiled 5-0 records in Vegas, and both reached the finals with narrow wins on Sunday.

Miami edged the Warriors, 102-99, using a late 27-11 run to erase a 10-point third quarter deficit, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The victory avenged a 39-point loss to Golden State in the California Classic.

“We always want to win,” said Heat Summer League head coach Dan Bisaccio. “So no matter what, when we have an opportunity to win a championship, of course we’re going for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Summer League, it doesn’t matter if it’s some kind of spring ball. Whatever it is, we’re always going to want an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

Free agent guard Josh Christopher had 23 points to lead Miami, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter. First-round pick Kel’el Ware contributed 18 points and five rebounds, while second-rounder Pelle Larsson filled the stat sheet with 21 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals.

The shorthanded Grizzlies were missing Jake LaRavia, Cam Spencer and Zach Edey due to injuries, but they were able to edge the Clippers, 99-98, per Josh Crawford of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Second-round pick Jaylen Wells was 6-of-7 from three-point range while scoring 20 points, and 2023 second-rounder GG Jackson also had 20 points. Scotty Pippen Jr., who joined Memphis on a two-way deal in January, posted a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

LaRavia was held out of Sunday’s game due to lingering knee soreness, Crawford adds, while Spencer and Edey were both inactive after leaving Thursday’s contest with minor injuries. None of them are expected to play tonight, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Memphis will be trying to win its first Las Vegas Summer League title since 2019 when Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke were rookies. This is the first appearance in the Summer League title game for Miami.

Heat Notes: Stevens, Two-Way Competition, Larsson, Bisaccio, Trades

July 20th, 2024 at 11:13am CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat guard Isaiah Stevens continues to impress in Summer League after inking an Exhibit 10 contract with the organization, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Despite being undersized, Stevens is looking like a possible solution at the backup point guard position for Miami while registering a league-high 8.5 assists.

He’s a massive reason the Heat’s summer league team is dominating in Las Vegas. The Heat went 4-0 in Vegas and advanced to a semifinal game against the Warriors after blowing out the Raptors 109-73 on Friday. Several players on the roster are popping and Stevens’ ability to find them in their spots is a big reason why.

“First and foremost, he’s doing his thing really,” Heat summer league coach Dan Bisaccio said. “Not listening to me, being who he is. Being a player. He does such a great job of getting our offense organized. I have complete trust in him with that. I love the fact that he really picks and chooses his opportunities when to be aggressive and when to be a play-maker. Then when we need to settle, he settles.”

Stevens has recorded 41 assists to 12 turnovers in his last five summer league performances (including the California Classic).

“I’ve been playing the point guard position a long time,” Stevens said. “So far to this point, I’ve been able to have a lot of team success in that way and I think it comes from being unselfish at the helm. Just trying to get guys opportunities, I feel like it makes them want to play with you even more, it makes them want to play harder because they know they actually have an opportunity of being rewarded at the end of a cut, when they’re open, as they’re moving. So I think it just brings the team together when that’s your style of play.”

The Heat have incredibly difficult decisions to make with their developmental players. As it stands, Miami can’t sign a 15th player on a standard contract without crossing the second apron. The Heat have also filled out their two-way roster spots with Keshad Johnson, Zyon Pullin and Dru Smith.

Pullin has shown flashes in summer league, but Stevens has played more, meaning the latter may replace the former on a two-way deal. Stevens’ Exhibit 10 deal makes him eligible to be converted to a two-way. Even still, the Heat clearly had a high grade on Pullin and broke their tradition of having players battle it out for two-way deals by giving the Florida guard one right after the draft. If he’s waived, another team may sign him.

That doesn’t even address the impressive play of Josh Christopher, Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, — the latter two finished last season on two-way deals with Miami. Swider and Williams had their qualifying offers pulled and are free to sign with other teams, but could also re-sign to Exhibit 10 deals with the Heat. Christopher is also free to sign with another team but his high-level scoring should have him in strong consideration for a two-way from Miami.

Johnson’s two-way deal is safe, and Smith is someone the organization is clearly invested in. In all, the Heat have at least seven players who are worthy of two-way consideration on their summer roster and aren’t guaranteed of funneling the four who don’t make the roster to their developmental system in Sioux Falls.

We have more from the Heat:

Heat second round rookie Pelle Larsson joined first-rounder Kel’el Ware and the two-way competitors in impressing against the Raptors, Chiang observes in a separate piece. Larsson’s averaging 12.5 PPG in his last two summer league games and finishing Friday with four assists and two triples. “He’s getting more confident in his ability to attack the paint and make plays for himself and also others,” Bisaccio said. “So we’re going to continue to look for him to continue to find that confidence and continue to find his role.”
Bisaccio has been with the organization since 2014 and was rewarded for his hard work by being promoted to head coach of the Skyforce. He expressed gratitude for the Heat organization for continuing to believe in him and work with him when he went through a life-threatening illness in 2018, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes. “Coach Spo, (GM) Andy Elisburg, (president of basketball operations Pat) Riley, all these guys visited me,” Bisaccio said. “They put together flights, hotels for my family. They were in constant communication.“
The Heat aren’t in a position to make a big trade this offseason but they’ll have some optionality when the players they re-signed become trade eligible this season, Winderman writes in a separate piece. If Miami ultimately decides to part with Jimmy Butler, that’s something that becomes more feasible when all players are eligible to be traded. The same goes for any potential deals that revolve around their larger contracts like Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier or Duncan Robinson.

Heat Notes: Bisaccio, Powell, Christopher, Swider, Williams, Stevens, Rozier, Jones

July 16th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have officially promoted player development coach, Dan Bisaccio, naming him the head coach of the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to a team press release. Bisaccio, who is also currently serving as the Heat’s Summer League coach, has been with the organization for 10 years. Former Skyforce head coach, Kasib Powell, is joining Erik Spoelstra‘s staff as a player development coach.

We have more on the Heat:

Josh Christopher has averaged 21.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two Las Vegas Summer League contests. Christopher, who appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23, had a two-way contract with Utah last season but was waived before seeing any NBA action. The 22-year-old is trying to catch the attention of the Heat or another team in his quest for another NBA deal. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get back to where I need to be because I know I belong,” Christopher told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I’m extremely hungry.”
Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, who finished last season on two-way contracts, are also on the Summer League squad. Both players are unrestricted free agents after Miami withdrew qualifying offers to both players last week. The Heat have filled all their two-way slots, so Swider and Williams are also trying to earn another NBA contract, Chiang writes. Both players have yet to sign a standard NBA deal in their careers. “I’ve learned not to expect anything. I’ve learned that throughout this whole entire process of being an undrafted guy, getting a two-way, getting cut last year, coming into training camp and nothing was guaranteed, getting a two-way,” Swider said.
Undrafted Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens has made a favorable impression in Summer League action. He racked up 11 assists with only one turnover in 27 minutes against Boston over the weekend. “First and foremost, it’s doing his thing, not listening to me, being who he is, being a player,” said Bisaccio, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He does such a great job of getting our offense organized. I have complete trust in him with that.”
Even if the team hadn’t traded away Kyle Lowry‘s expiring contract as part of the Terry Rozier deal last season, Miami’s offseason moves wouldn’t have looked much different, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Heat still wouldn’t have had cap space even if they had held onto Lowry’s contract, plus the non-taxpayer mid-level exception wouldn’t have netted them anyone as good as Rozier, Jackson notes.
The Heat had strong interest last season in point guard Tyus Jones — who remains on the free agent market — and had talks with Washington before landing Rozier, Jackson adds, but there’s no realistic pathway for Miami to acquire Jones now.

Southeast Notes: Livers, Bagley, Christopher, Hawks’ Trade Chatter, Washington

January 14th, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards view Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III as the most important parts of their trade with the Pistons on Sunday, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, rather than the two second-round picks Detroit tossed in to rid itself of Bagley’s contract.

Washngton parted with Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in the deal. The Wizards are banking on their player development system to get more out of the two forwards they acquired. The team can make Livers a restricted free agent this summer if it likes what it sees from him the rest of the season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Josh Christopher is joining the Heat’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Christopher, who had a two-way contract with the Jazz before he was waived on Monday, appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23 but hasn’t seen any NBA action this season. He has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest.
Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are the only players the Hawks are unwilling to trade, John Hollinger of The Athletic confirms. There’s plenty of trade chatter involving Dejounte Murray and they’re also trying to determine the trade value of De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. The Hawks could use Murray as means to shed the contract of either Capela or Hunter.
Hornets forward P.J. Washington returned to action on Sunday after missing the previous three games with a foot injury. the team’s PR department tweets. Washington, who is averaging 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, signed a three-year contract over the summer.

Jazz Waive Christopher, Sign Preston To Two-Way Deal

January 8th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have waived Josh Christopher and signed Jason Preston to a two-way deal, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets.

Preston spent training camp with the Grizzlies but was waived prior to the season. He was also cut by the Clippers at the beginning of October before his $1.8MM salary became fully guaranteed. He appeared in 14 games with L.A. last season and spent most of his time in the G League.

Prior to getting a contract with Utah, Preston was playing for the G League’s Memphis Hustle. Preston played in 17 games (16 starts) for the Hustle, averaging 12.4 points (on 48.1% shooting), 8.6 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per contest.

Christopher appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23 but hasn’t seen any NBA action this season. He has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest.

He was signed to a two-way deal in mid-October.

Jazz Sign Josh Christopher To Two-Way Contract

October 13th, 2023 at 11:49am CST by Tristan Tucker

OCTOBER 13, 11:49am: The Jazz have officially signed Christopher to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

OCTOBER 12, 8:24pm: Utah has waived Hauser to open up a two-way slot for Christopher, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 12, 6:32pm: The Jazz are signing former Rockets first-round pick Josh Christopher to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Christopher, 21, was selected with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The former Arizona State wing averaged 6.9 points in 138 games (four starts) in his first two seasons in the league.

The 6’5″ Christopher was waived by the Grizzlies at the end of September after the team acquired him in an earlier offseason trade. Now, he’s heading to Utah after showcasing the ability to score in bunches at the NBA level. He holds career highs of 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Christopher can provide immediate wing and scoring depth for the Jazz and could look to carve out a role on the bench. He averaged 5.8 points per game last season.

The Jazz already have three players signed to two-way contracts – Joey Hauser, Johnny Juzang and Micah Potter – and will have to waive one to bring in Christopher. Utah has a full 21-man roster as of this moment.

Christopher joins Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington as recent former Houston first-round picks to sign two-way deals with other teams this offseason. Houston traded away the young trio in the same five-team deal that brought Dillon Brooks to the Rockets via sign-and-trade.

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.

Southwest Notes: Nowell, Mavs, Christopher, Rockets

July 24th, 2023 at 11:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks are reportedly eyeing former Timberwolves shooting Jaylen Nowell, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North suggests on a new episode of his podcast The Scoop.

“No, he’s not coming back to the Wolves,” Wolfson said. “There’s a mutual understanding that, ‘Hey, time for Jaylen to move on.’ But here’s a new team in on Jaylen Nowell: the Dallas Mavericks. They need to create some roster flexibility, they are looking into doing some stuff is the word and it may not come to fruition. But Jaylen Nowell is on Dallas’ radar. The Nowell camp is still also awaiting finality on the Damian Lillard situation.”

The 6’4″ Nowell, now an unrestricted free agent, had been with Minnesota since being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Washington. He enjoyed his most prolific season yet in 2022/23, averaging 10.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 65 contests.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks made some major offseason moves to reconfigure their roster following a disappointing end to the 2022/23 season, but will they be enough in a talented West? In a new reader mailbag, Tim Cato of The Athletic asserts that, while Dallas may not be quite a legitimate contender yet, the team made some solid new veteran and rookie additions while replenishing some future draft equity.
New Grizzlies shooting guard Josh Christopher could yet emerge as a helpful rotation piece for Memphis, in part due to a minor shortage at the position, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Memphis acquired the 6’5″ swingman as part of the five-team sign-and-trade that shipped Dillon Brooks to the Rockets — the team still has 17 players on standard guaranteed contracts, so it’s unclear whether or not Christopher will be on the regular season roster.
In case you missed it, we took stock of the offseasons of two lowly 2022/23 Southwest clubs, the Rockets and Spurs, and asked you which club they thought would have a better record in 2023/24.

Rockets Acquire Dillon Brooks In Five-Team Deal

July 8th, 2023 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The complex five-team trade that sends Brooks to Houston has been finalized, the Rockets announced in a press release The breakdown of the deal, which combined several separate trade agreements, is as follows:

Rockets acquire Brooks (via sign-and-trade), the Clippers’ 2026 second-round pick, the Grizzlies’ 2027 second-round pick (from Clippers), and the draft rights to Alpha Kaba (from Hawks).
Hawks acquire Usman Garuba, TyTy Washington, the Timberwolves’ 2025 second-round pick (from Rockets), the Rockets’ 2028 second-round pick, and cash (from Thunder).
Grizzlies acquire Josh Christopher.
Thunder acquire Patty Mills, a 2024 second-round pick (from Rockets), the Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick, and the Rockets’ 2030 second-round pick.
Clippers acquire Kenyon Martin Jr.

In a separate deal, Oklahoma City will ship Mills to Atlanta in exchange for Garuba, Washington, Rudy Gay and a second-round pick.

6:04pm: The Rockets will acquire Brooks via sign-and-trade, generating a trade exception for the Grizzlies, Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter).

Sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Houston is trading Josh Christopher to Memphis. Although Iko doesn’t specify it will be part of a Brooks sign-and-trade, that seems logical.

The Grizzlies’ trade exception for Brooks would be $11.4MM due to base year compensation rules, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). If Christopher heads to Memphis in the deal, that TPE would shrink to $8.9MM, Gozlan adds.

5:20pm: The Rockets and Brooks have agreed to a four-year deal worth $80MM, agent Mike George tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal will have a descending structure, tweets Wojnarowski. It will be fully guaranteed, with no player or team option, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As with VanVleet, Houston’s offer in order to secure a commitment ended up being for more years and more money than initially anticipated.

JULY 1, 4:35pm: The Rockets are close to reaching a contract agreement with unrestricted free agent Dillon Brooks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While Houston has the cap room necessary to sign Brooks outright, the team has been engaged in trade talks around the league, according to Charania, who says a sign-and-trade with the Grizzlies is a possibility if the Rockets reach a deal with the veteran forward.

Brooks was frequently linked to the Rockets in the days leading up to free agency. One report indicated that Houston was preparing to offer him a deal in the range of $14-16MM annually, while another stated the team had a meeting lined up for Friday or Saturday with the 27-year-old.

Brooks is a talented perimeter defender who earned All-Defensive Second Team honors this spring, but he has become an increasingly erratic shooter, making a career-worst 39.6% of his field goal attempts in 2022/23. His three-point percentage dipped to 32.1% on 5.6 attempts per game during the last two seasons after he converted 35.3% of 4.5 threes per game in his first four seasons, all with the Grizzlies.

On top of his offensive struggles, Brooks’ outsized personality and aggressive playing style have gotten him into trouble both on the court and in interviews off it. He received three one-game suspensions this season, once for an on-court altercation with Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell and twice for accumulating so many technical fouls.

Brooks ultimately wore out his welcome in Memphis, with a report after the season indicating that the Grizzlies didn’t plan to bring him back “under any circumstances.” His performance during the team’s first-round loss to the Lakers was reportedly considered to be a breaking point. Brooks referred to Lakers star LeBron James as “old” following Memphis’ Game 2 win, suggesting the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was well past his prime.

He was then ejected from Game 3 for hitting James in the groin, surrendered a pair of key baskets to LeBron in a Game 4 loss, and was eventually fined $25K for declining to speak to reporters after three games of the series (all losses). Offensively, Brooks shot just 31.2% from the field and 23.8% on three-pointers across six playoff games.

A change of scenery could benefit Brooks, and the Rockets have reportedly been prioritizing tough, defensive-minded veterans under new head coach Ime Udoka. Houston has reached an agreement with Fred VanVleet and was said to be aggressive in its pursuit of Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Brook Lopez, who ultimately decided to remain in Milwaukee.

Fischer’s Latest: Lillard, Harden, Saric, Christopher, N. Powell

July 3rd, 2023 at 8:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After a busy first two days of free agency on Friday and Saturday, the pace has slowed down on Sunday and Monday, with minimum-salary deals, rookie agreements, and two-way signings dominating headlines at Hoops Rumors.

While that shift is partly due to the fact that most of this year’s top free agents have come off the board, it’s also related to the trade requests submitted by Damian Lillard and James Harden, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who suggests that neither the Trail Blazers nor the Sixers are in a rush to make a deal. Some areas of the free agency market may be on hold until those situations are resolved, Fischer explains.

For instance, the Heat – who are Lillard’s top suitor – have told several free agents, including Malik Beasley, that they won’t be moving forward with veteran’s minimum signings until they have more clarity on the Lillard situation. Miami would presumably be a more attractive destination for veteran free agents with Lillard on the roster — and would have more roster openings to fill.

According to Fischer, Dario Saric and Josh Christopher are among the players who “could be involved” with the Heat depending on what happens with Lillard. Saric is a free agent, while Christopher is reportedly being traded from Houston to Memphis, so perhaps there are scenarios in which he’d be re-routed to Miami. Beasley apparently decided not to wait on the Heat, having agreed to sign with Milwaukee.

Here’s more from Fischer:

Like Lillard with the Heat, Harden has conveyed a strong preference that he end up with the Clippers, according to Fischer. The fact that the two stars are each focused on a single destination is one reason why the Trail Blazers and Sixers are moving so deliberately, Fischer notes, since they don’t want to be “backed into a corner” and accept pennies on the dollar. It will be a challenge for Portland and Philadelphia to extract the best possible package they can for their respective stars without opening up the market to other teams, either as potential Lillard/Harden destinations or as third or fourth clubs in multi-team deals that get the star guards to their desired landing spots.
The Clippers appear better positioned to work out a deal with the Sixers for Harden than the Heat are with the Trail Blazers for Lillard, in part because Philadelphia is prioritizing expiring contracts and Los Angeles has plenty of those to offer, Fischer says. Still, he wonders if Clippers swingman Norman Powell – who has three years left on his contract – might hold some appeal for the Sixers, whose new head coach Nick Nurse had Powell on his 2019 title team in Toronto.
The fact that Harden has just one year left on his contract – compared to Lillard’s four – may make a dark-horse suitor more comfortable about rolling the dice on the Sixers guard, knowing that if it doesn’t go well, he’ll be off the books in a year and it won’t be a long-term problem, Fischer writes. On the other hand, team executives around the NBA aren’t necessarily convinced that Lillard, who has a reputation for being a consummate professional and can’t reach free agency until at least 2026, would play hardball and refuse to report to camp if he’s sent to a non-Heat team, Fischer adds.