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Celtics Rumors: Guards, Pritchard, G. Williams, Brown, More

June 19th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are reportedly exploring the possibility of trading a guard from a group that includes Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard. While there has been speculation that the team will look to move one of its higher-priced backcourt pieces, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe hears from a source that financial factors “won’t guide” Boston’s roster decisions.

That means that Pritchard, who has by far the smallest 2023/24 cap hit of any of those four guards, could be the player on the move, though that’s not a lock either. Himmelsbach’s source says there’s no tension between Pritchard and the franchise despite his stated preference to be traded this past season.

Pritchard simply wants to play a larger role, so if the Celtics could offer him that opportunity, it sounds like he’d be happy to remain in Boston. According to Himmelsbach, the team is still high on the former first-round pick.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • The Celtics have received calls from teams about possible sign-and-trade scenarios involving Grant Williams, but the likeliest scenario is that he’ll re-sign and remain in Boston, Himmelsbach’s source says.
  • All signs continue to point to Jaylen Brown receiving and signing a super-max extension this summer, with no indication that the Celtics are thinking about trading him, per Himmelsbach.
  • Phil Pressey, a former NBA guard who played with the Celtics from 2013-15, is joining the team’s coaching staff, according to Himmelsbach, who hears the club will likely add at least one more behind-the-bench coach in the not-too-distant future.
  • Celtics draft-and-stash players Yam Madar and Juhann Begarin aren’t expected to play for the team at the Las Vegas Summer League in July, a source tells Himmelsbach. It’s unclear if either one could still emerge as part of the team’s plans for 2023/24.
  • Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com spoke to rival executives and coaches about what the Celtics should – and shouldn’t – do with their roster this offseason.
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Phil Pressey Signs With Barcelona

July 27th, 2017 at 1:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Three-year NBA veteran Phil Pressey will play for Barcelona next season, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando.

The 26-year-old point guard spent last season with Santa Cruz in the G League, where he averaged 18.0 points, 8.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 46 games. Those numbers put him fourth in the league in assists and fifth in steals.

Pressey signed with the Celtics after going undrafted in 2013 and spent his first two NBA seasons in Boston. After being waived in 2015, he briefly signed with the Trail Blazers, then was claimed off waivers by the Jazz, but never played for either team. He had short stays with the Sixers and Suns during the 2015/16 season.

He signed with the Warriors last September, but was waived before the season started and was in the G League for the entire year.

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Warriors Make Three Cuts, Retain JaVale McGee

October 20th, 2016 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JaVale McGee appears to have earned a spot on the Warriors’ regular season roster, having survived the cut down to 15 players. Golden State announced three cuts today, tweeting that the team has parted ways with Elliot Williams, Phil Pressey, and Cameron Jones. The moves reduce the club’s roster count from 18 players to the regular season limit of 15.

Unlike McGee, whose deal with the Warriors is fully non-guaranteed, Williams, Pressey, and Jones all had partial guarantees on their contracts. Pressey’s $35K guarantee and Jones’ $50K guarantee were modest, and suggest they could end up landing with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the D-League. However, Williams, a veteran guard, got $250K guaranteed and was no lock to be cut.

With 14 players on guaranteed salaries, the Warriors have a little flexibility with that 15th roster spot. McGee’s salary for the season won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10, so the club could cut him before then and only be on the hook for a prorated portion of his contract. For now though, it seems the Dubs will hang onto the eight-year veteran and give him a chance to compete for minutes.

You can check out the Warriors’ full cap breakdown for 2016/17 right here.

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Contract Details: Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics, Pistons

September 27th, 2016 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams signing players to training camp deals in the hopes that those players will eventually land with their D-League affiliates often incentivize their offers by including partial guarantees. That appears to be the case with the Warriors — as we noted earlier today, Golden State awarded $50K guarantees to Cameron Jones, Scott Wood, and Elgin Cook, who all seem like good bets to end up with Santa Cruz. Given how modest D-League salaries are, that extra guaranteed money can motivate players to accept D-League assignments rather than seeking more lucrative jobs overseas.

According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), another Warriors camp invitee, Phil Pressey, also received a small guarantee, worth $35K. However, JaVale McGee‘s contract with the team is fully non-guaranteed. Of course, McGee seems more likely to earn a spot on Golden State’s regular-season roster than many of his fellow camp invitees, in which case he’d have an opportunity to earn his full $1.4MM+ salary.

Here are a few more salary details from around the NBA, via Pincus:

  • According to Pincus’ salary information, the Nuggets signed Robbie Hummel and Jarnell Stokes to two-year, minimum-salary contracts, while Nate Wolters got a three-year, minimum-salary deal. Hummel and Stokes received guarantees worth $150K apiece, while Wolters received $50K in guaranteed money.
  • The Celtics signed Damion Lee to a two-year, minimum-salary contract that features $50K in guaranteed money, while Jalen Jones got a one-year deal with a $25K guarantee, per Pincus (Twitter link).
  • The one-year, minimum-salary deals Nikola Jovanovic and Trey Freeman inked with the Pistons are both worth about $543K, the rookie minimum. However, Jovanovic got a $30K guarantee from the team, while Freeman’s deal is fully non-guaranteed, Pincus notes.
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And-Ones: Pressey, Cavs, Rose, Bulls

September 15th, 2016 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have acquired the D-League rights to training camp invitee Phil Pressey via a trade with the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City Stars. The Santa Cruz Warriors secured the returning player rights of Pressey in exchange for the same rights to point guard Aaron Craft and a 2017 D-League second-round pick. Pressey, a 25-year-old point guard, signed what is believed to be a non-guaranteed, one-year contract with Golden State, which already has 16 other players under contract. By acquiring his D-League rights, the Warriors can not only ship him to their affiliate if he makes the 15-man roster but also keep him in the organization even if he doesn’t secure a spot.

In other news around the league:
  • The Cavs are renegotiating the contract of assistant coach Larry Drew, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports. The former head coach of the Hawks and Bucks will be head coach Tyronn Lue’s chief assistant and associate head coach this season. Drew, who is entering his third season with Cleveland, will get a raise but the two sides are still working out the details, Vardon adds.
  • Attorneys for the woman who has accused Knicks point guard Derrick Rose of sexual assault are demanding an NBA investigation into the 2013 incident, Julia Marsh of the New York Post relays. Waukeen McCoy, one of those lawyers, suggested that the league and team should enforce the morality clause in Rose’s contract and suspend him, Marsh adds. A lawsuit filed in California is scheduled for trial on October 4.
  • Nate Loenser has been the named the head coach of the Bulls’ new D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the team announced via press release. Loenser was the Chicago Bulls’ video coordinator last season. He’s also coached at Southern Mississippi and Iowa State. Bulls assistant GM Brian Hagen will also serve as Windy City’s GM.
  • Guard Langston Galloway signed a two-year, $10MM contract with the Pelicans but he still doesn’t think he’s established himself in the league, as he told Jake Rauchbach of Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview. “I’ve got a lot to prove,” Galloway told Rauchbach. “I want to be one of those top guys one day and I gotta go out and prove it to each of the guys that I play against every night. Like, ‘Hey, I am trying to be at that level.’ That’s what I gotta go out there and do.”
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Warriors Ink Phil Pressey To Camp Deal

September 15th, 2016 at 11:43am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 15: Nearly a month after agreeing to sign Pressey, the Warriors made it official this week, according to RealGM’s transactions log. It appears to be a one-year, non-guaranteed summer contract.

AUGUST 16: The Warriors intend to sign unrestricted free agent Phil Pressey, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The scribe refers to it as a training camp invite, which likely means it’s a make-good deal for the league minimum that includes little or no guaranteed money.

The 25-year-old point guard will have his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster in Golden State, with the team already having 16 players under contract, as Roster Resource shows. Of the 16 players already on the roster, 14 possess fully guaranteed pacts, which leaves one spot up for grabs.

Pressey most recently suited up for the Pistons’ summer league squad in Orlando, appearing in five contests and averaging 2.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per outing. He appeared in a combined 23 games last season for the Sixers and Suns, averaging 3.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 12.3 minutes. His shooting line for 2015/16 was .385/.222/.520.

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Eastern Rumors: Butler, James, Jack, Wall

June 30th, 2016 at 10:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said he expected his partnership with Derrick Rose to be broken up, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. It happened last week when Rose was shipped to the Knicks in exchange for three players. “I can’t say that I was surprised, but I knew that it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him and I wish him the best moving forward.” Butler, who was the focus of draft night trade rumors involving the Celtics and Timberwolves, said he’s not certain he will still be with Chicago when the season opens.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

  • The NBA’s “over 36 rule” is behind LeBron James‘ decision to decline his player option, explains Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James would be subject to that rule if he signs a two-year deal just as he did last summer with the intention of opting out after one season. For players who have turned 36, their final annual salary in a four- or five-year contract is counted proportionally against the team’s cap each season. The rule was adopted to discourage teams from giving long-term contracts to players who are unlikely to be in the league for the entirety of them. The rule prohibits James from accepting a five-year, $200MM contract from the Cavaliers after this offseason because the pro-rated part would put him above the maximum salary. However, Zillgitt points out that the rule could be amended if the players or the league opts out of the current collective bargaining agreement in December.
  • The Cavaliers aren’t concerned about losing their stars, but they have decisions to make on six free agents, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland will have to determine how many years it wants to commit to J.R. Smith and whether it wants to outbid competitors to keep Matthew Dellavedova. Also, Richard Jefferson and James Jones have to decide if they want to play another season at the veterans minimum.
  • The Nets stretched the $500K in guaranteed salary owed to point guard Jarrett Jack when they waived him earlier today, tweets NetsDaily. The move will save the team $333,333 in cap space this offseason.
  • John Wall wants to see the Wizards adopt an aggressive attitude toward free agency, tweets Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. “The organization’s got to be willing to step up to the plate and get what needs to be done, done,” Wall said.
  • The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
  • The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
  • A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”
  • Free agent swingman Evan Fournier said he wants to stay with the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Fournier, whose role likely increased with last week’s trade of Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, said he isn’t sure if his agent lined up meetings with any other teams. “Obviously, our priority is the Magic,” Fournier said. “I’ve said it many times: I feel great here.”
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Western Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Jazz Arena

June 14th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

There is growing concern in the Grizzlies‘ front office that point guard Mike Conley might leave the team in free agency this summer, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. The 28-year-old will be the top point guard on the market after spending nine years in Memphis. Begley says Grizzlies part-owner Justin Timberlake will appear in a video presentation trying to convince Conley to remain with the team. Begley presents the item as possible good news for the Knicks, but it’s equally positive for all the teams planning to pursue Conley, and very negative for Memphis, which is hoping to keep the core of its perennial playoff team together. The Grizzlies still have the advantage of being able to offer Conley a five-year contract worth about $124MM, while other teams are limited to four years in the neighborhood of $92MM.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

  • The Suns will negotiate with 2014 first-round pick Bogdan Bogdanovic now that his Turkish League season is over, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. This is the last season that Bogdanovic would be required to sign a rookie contract that would give him a salary of about $5.7MM over four years. If he waits until next offseason, Bogdanovic is free to negotiate any amount, starting with his draft year’s rookie salary scale.
  •  A request for $22.7MM in public funding for renovations to Utah’s Vivant Arena was approved today by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City, writes Jasen Lee of The Deseret News. The money, which will be awarded though tax increment financing over the next 25 years, makes up 18% of the total cost of the proposed $125MM project. It will include safety and security improvements, heating and air conditioning upgrades, a new solar panel system and plaza, concession, seating and premium suite improvements.
  • The Mavericks are planning a free agent camp June 22nd with Arnett Moultrie, Bobby Brown, Dominic McGuire and Nick Minnerath among the players invited, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who played two games for the Knicks this season, also received an invitation but has not confirmed that he will attend the camp (Twitter link).
  • The Spurs will hold a free agent camp Wednesday, Kennedy tweets, with Chris Copeland, Adonis Thomas, Victor Rudd, Scott Suggs, J.J. O’Brien and Darius Adams among those expected to attend.
  • The Timberwolves have had workouts for several veteran free agents, including Jimmer Fredette, Phil Pressey, Marquis Teague, Ryan Boatright, Mike James, Ra’shad James, Mark Lyons and Aaron Craft, tweets international journalist David Pick.
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Eastern Notes: Telfair, Pacers, Weaver

June 8th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite possessing solid assets like Paul George and Myles Turner, the Pacers are a team in search of an identity entering the summer, Keith P. Smith of RealGM writes in his offseason primer for Indiana. Given the team’s stated desire to play at a faster speed on offense, the scribe questions the hiring of Nate McMillan as head coach since McMillan’s teams have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in pace.

Smith also notes that Indiana would be better served to add a starting-caliber shooting guard this summer and shift Monta Ellis to a sixth man role, given his declining three-point shooting and diminishing trips to the foul line. Ellis, 30, still has three years and approximately $33.68MM remaining on his current deal.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Nets have hired Will Weaver, who served as a special assistant to Sixers coach Brett Brown the past two seasons, to work in the same capacity under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, NetsDaily relays.
  • The Raptors held workouts today for Daniel Hamilton (UConn), Kyle Collinsworth (BYU), Perry Ellis (Kansas), James Webb III (Boise State), Guerschon Yabusele (France) and Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville), the team announced.
  • The Pistons are holding free agent workouts this week and some notable attendees include Phil Pressey, Jordan Crawford, Greg Whittington and Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
  • The Nets brought in veteran point guard Sebastian Telfair for a workout on Tuesday, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). Telfair last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 16 games for the Thunder.
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Free Agent Notes: Durant, Rockets, Clippers

June 4th, 2016 at 7:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Durant would give himself a better chance at winning a title if he were to leave the Thunder and join the Warriors or sign with an Eastern Conference team, Bill Simmons of The Ringer writes. Many believe that Durant will sign a two-year deal with OKC that contains a player option for year two, as was reported earlier this week.

Simmons offers an unconventional viewpoint on Durant’s impending decision. Two years ago, Durant signed a $300MM deal with Nike. At the time, he and LeBron James had the best selling sneakers among all NBA players, Simmons points out. The 2014 MVP then injured his foot and missed a significant amount of time during the 2014/15 campaign. Durant’s comeback 2015/16 season was overshadowed by Kobe Bryant‘s retirement and the Warriors’ historic 73-9 record. Now, the conversation is between Nike with James and the Jordan Brand and Under Armour with Stephen Curry, Simmons adds. Simmons argues that Durant, his representatives and Nike know they won’t be competing with the top brands unless Durant wins a ring or he leaves the Thunder and he speculates that if Nike had its way, Durant would sign elsewhere this summer.

The piece, which is must-read, is a reminder that the NBA is a business and there are several off the court factors that play into basketball decisions. Selling sneakers likely won’t be the primary force that drives Durant to stay or leave, but it’s an interesting perspective nonetheless.

Here’s more on the NBA’s upcoming free agency:

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