Torrey Craig Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Oubre, Ranadive, Craig, Hill

March 18th, 2021 at 10:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In previewing trade possibilities facing the Warriors during the final week before the March 25 deadline, Anthony Slater of The Athletic explains the appeal wing Kelly Oubre Jr. could hold for other teams around the league.

Slater notes that Oubre, a young, athletic wing with upside left at age 25, is currently earning $14MM in the last year of his contract, and could be used in a trade to acquire an interesting player along the lines of shooting guards Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier (both also on expiring deals), small forward Aaron Gordon, or restricted free agent point guard Lonzo Ball.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive apparently is averse to surrendering to a full-on tank this season, and hopes to remain semi-competitive by retaining two of the team’s most trade-friendly players, Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield, Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated asserted on the podcast Locked On Kings. Dan Feldman of NBC Sports Bay Area contends that “staying competitive” is not really much of an option as, with a 16-24 record, Sacramento is currently well below the threshold to compete for even a top-10 record in the Western Conference, and thus an appearance in a play-in game.
Suns head coach Monty Williams expressed his excitement about the potential on-court fit of new reserve guard Torrey Craig, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “He’s a big, strong wing defender who can guard ones and twos and power forwards and can switch onto a bigger guy,” Williams raved. “We liked him when he was in Denver. Hated competing against him because he was such a good defender and a tough guy for sure.”
The Clippers appear in need of a point guard upgrade. Brian Windhorst of ESPN (video link) thinks that Thunder veteran George Hill could be a fit, but that a player at the level of Lou Williams may need to be sent back in a deal. “He’s a guy who played for [LA head coach Tyronn] Lue in Cleveland and could fit there, but it would probably take a trade of Lou Williams to get that to happen,” Windhorst said.

Bucks Trade Torrey Craig To Suns

March 18th, 2021 at 11:19am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 18: The Bucks have officially sent Craig to Phoenix in exchange for cash considerations, according to the club (Twitter link).

MARCH 17: The Bucks will trade reserve small forward Torrey Craig to the Suns, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM tweets that the Suns are sending out cash considerations in the deal.

Milwaukee will not be getting a player in return from Phoenix in the agreement, Woj adds (via Twitter).

After spending his first three NBA seasons with the Nuggets, Craig signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Bucks during the 2020 offseason.

Undrafted out of the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2014, Craig began his pro career in Australia, where he played for several NBL teams from 2014-2017. He signed a two-way deal with the Nuggets in 2017, and eventually earned his way onto Denver’s regular 15-man roster.

The defensive-oriented Craig, 30, played in just 18 games with the Bucks, averaging 11.2 MPG as an occasional perimeter defender off the bench. He did improve his three-point shooting this season, connecting on 36.4% of his 1.2 long-range attempts per night. He could help spell starting Suns wings Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges in a limited role.

Phoenix’s 26-12 record currently makes the team the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and if Craig can have a good showing as a reserve for a potential powerhouse, he could attract some interest when he returns to free agency this summer.

The Bucks have been active today with trades, having also agreed to send backup point guard D.J. Augustin and reserve power forward D.J. Wilson to the Rockets in exchange for forwards P.J. Tucker and Rodions Kurucs. That move also involves a series of draft picks and swaps.

Thanks to these two deals, the small-market Bucks are now $3.5MM below the hard salary cap, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter). Milwaukee also now has two open roster spots, which could serve the team well in future trades or in the buyout market this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Torrey Craig Undergoes Nasal Surgery

December 31st, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After fracturing his nose in a 130-110 loss against the Knicks on Sunday, Bucks swingman Torrey Craig went under the knife this week, undergoing surgery to repair the break, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Woj adds that the Bucks anticipate Craig will be able return to contact practices in two weeks.

Having spent his first three NBA seasons with the Nuggets, the 6’7″ Craig signed a one-year, $1.6MM veteran’s minimum deal with Milwaukee during the offseason.

Craig was added to the Bucks primarily to supply defensive wing depth and pull down offensive rebounds. He is not much of a scorer, holding a career average of 5.2 PPG on .451/.320/.660 shooting in 18.5 MPG.

The 30-year-old out of the University of South Carolina Upstate is averaging 6.5 MPG for the Bucks thus far this year.

Injury/Coronavirus Updates: Craig, Butler, Okongwu, Snell, Caruso, Anthony

December 28th, 2020 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks swingman Torrey Craig suffered a nasal fracture on Sunday against the Knicks and won’t play against the Heat on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets. Craig signed with Milwaukee last month after the Nuggets failed to extend a qualifying offer.

We have more injury and COVID-19 news:

Heat star Jimmy Butler is doubtful to play against the Bucks on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Butler sprained an ankle during the team’s game on Friday.
Hawks rookie big man Onyeka Okongwu (left foot inflammation) and guard Tony Snell (right foot inflammation) have been cleared to progress to live contact workouts, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets.
Alex Caruso became the first Lakers player to miss a game due to COVID-19 protocols. Caruso sat out against Portland on Monday. Coach Frank Vogel said no other players or staff members were held out due to contact tracing, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony wasn’t with his team due to the same reason, as Casey Holdahl tweets.

Contract Details: Rockets, Tatum, Ibaka, Craig, Patterson

November 27th, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Sterling Brown‘s new deal with the Rockets is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that is fully guaranteed, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That makes it one of the simpler, more straightforward deals Houston has finalized this week.

Newly-signed forwards Bruno Caboclo and Jae’Sean Tate, on the other hand, got multiyear contracts, but they both only have $50K guarantees for now, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Caboclo will have his 2020/21 salary fully guaranteed if he’s on the opening night roster, while Tate will get a $500K partial guarantee if he survives to the regular season opener, Marks writes.

While Caboclo has a two-year, minimum-salary deal, Tate’s three-year contract required the Rockets to dip into their mid-level exception and is worth more than the minimum in year one. As Smith details (via Twitter), Tate’s first-year salary will be $1,445,697 – typically the minimum for a player with one year of NBA experience – instead of the standard rookie minimum of $898,310.

Here are a few more new contract details:

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum got a 15% trade kicker on his new five-year, maximum-salary extension with Boston, while big man Serge Ibaka received a 15% trade kicker on his two-year contract with the Clippers, according to Keith Smith (Twitter links).
Torrey Craig‘s one-year deal with the Bucks is a guaranteed contract worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Smith. That doesn’t come as a surprise, as Milwaukee had no exception money left besides the minimum for Craig.
Rather than re-signing him to a minimum-salary contract, the Clippers re-signed Patrick Patterson using his Non-Bird rights, giving him 20% more than the minimum, according to Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That means a one-year, $3.08MM contract for the veteran forward.

Free Agency Rumors: Markieff Morris, Craig, Bazemore, Sixers

November 22nd, 2020 at 2:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A Morris brothers reunion might be in play for the Clippers, Jason Dumas of KRON4 News tweets. Dumas notes that there may be mutual interest in adding free agent forward Markieff Morris – most recently of the Lakers – to a Clippers frontcourt that includes newly re-signed forward Marcus Morris, Markieff’s twin brother. Marcus has agreed to a four-year, $64MM deal to remain with the Clippers.

Markieff’s minutes may be relatively minimal, as he would presumably be the fourth big man in the Clippers’ frontcourt rotation, behind starting power forward Marcus, starting center Ivica Zubac, and just-added veteran power forward/center Serge Ibaka, who will be signed using the club’s full MLE after the departure of Montrezl Harrell to the Lakers. Big man Patrick Patterson was also retained by the Clippers this offseason.

Marcus was a key role-playing piece in the Lakers’ championship run after joining the team off waivers this spring. In 18.4 MPG, Markieff averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG, while shooting a stellar 42% on 3.3 three-point attempts per game and 77.8% from the charity stripe across 21 games en route to the Lakers’ 17th NBA title.

Meanwhile, if Marc Gasol ultimately leaves the Raptors for the Lakers, Toronto has strong interest in replacing him with Markieff Morris, and may be able to offer him more than the Clippers can afford.

Here are more free agency rumors:

Darren Wolfson of KSTP 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the Timberwolves also considered adding free agent guard Torrey Craig to their offseason roster. Craig ultimately agreed to a contract with the Bucks this offseason, the terms of which have yet to be released.
Though Kent Bazemore wound up returning to the Warriors and his close friend Stephen Curry on a veteran’s minimum contract, the Clippers apparently considered using their $3.6MM bi-annual exception to sign the veteran swingman, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Though Sixers GM Daryl Morey has already made significant changes to Philadelphia, the club still needs a great perimeter scorer, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer observes. “Obviously, our job is to always look for opportunities,” Morey commented this weekend. “But we feel very good about where we are right now.” Pompey notes that in Ben Simmons, the Sixers have the kind of All-Star blue chip piece that could fit well into a deal for Rockets superstar perimeter scorer James Harden.

Bucks Sign Torrey Craig

November 22nd, 2020 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 26: The Bucks have officially signed Craig to a one-year contract, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

NOVEMBER 22: The Bucks are making another free agent addition, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has reached a deal with veteran wing Torrey Craig. Craig’s reps at CAA confirmed the agreement.

Craig entered the league year as a restricted free agent, but became unrestricted when the Nuggets withdrew his qualifying offer on Saturday. As a result, Denver didn’t have the right to match offers for the swingman.

Craig, who will turn 30 next month, averaged 5.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 58 games (27 starts) for Denver in 2019/20, providing the team with solid perimeter defense. However, he became a victim of a roster crunch in Denver.

In Milwaukee, he’ll be tasked with helping to guard some of the Eastern Conference’s talented wing scorers, joining an impressive defensive squad that includes past All-Defensive players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday.

While the terms of Craig’s deal haven’t been reported, a minimum-salary pact seems likely, given Milwaukee’s projected hard-cap constraints.

Nuggets Withdraw QO For Torrey Craig, Making Him UFA

November 21st, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have withdrawn their $2.5MM qualifying offer for swingman Torrey Craig, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As a result of the move, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

Craig, who will turn 30 next month, averaged 5.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 58 games (27 starts) for Denver in 2019/20, providing the team with solid perimeter defense. However, he became a victim of a roster crunch in Denver.

According to Wojnarowski, the Nuggets valued Craig, but are simply running out of roster spots with which to comfortably bring him back on a guaranteed deal.

Even having lost Mason Plumlee and Jerami Grant, Denver added Zeke Nnaji and RJ Hampton in this week’s draft, is retaining Paul Millsap on a new deal, and is bringing in JaMychal Green and Facundo Campazzo in free agency. The club also reportedly plans on promoting two-way player Bol Bol to its standard roster.

The Nuggets are also emerging as the frontrunners to sign forward Greg Whittington to their roster, as our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter).

Nuggets Rumors: Grant, Bates-Diop, Bol, Craig, Nnaji

November 21st, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerami Grant‘s decision to join the Pistons had a lot to do with his role with the Nuggets, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

Grant received similar offers of three years and $60MM from Detroit and Denver and decided to take an expanded offensive role with the rebuilding Pistons. Grant wasn’t thrilled with being the fourth option on a prime championship contender. He served on the second unit a majority of last season behind Paul Millsap and Grant viewed that as a sacrifice.

Singer offers more info on the Nuggets

They filled one of their two remaining roster spots by agreeing to a contract with Millsap on Saturday afternoon. But they don’t intend to keep forward Keita Bates-Diop, so that will open up another roster spot. It will likely be filled by second-year center Bol Bol. The team plans to convert his two-way contract into a standard deal.
With Millsap coming back, the next priority is restricted free agent Torrey Craig. His perimeter defense increases his value due to Grant’s departure.
If Craig signs elsewhere, they’ll look to add a mobile big man to replace Mason Plumlee, who is also headed to Detroit. If that plan falls through, the role may be filled by first-round selection Zeke Nnaji.

Nuggets Extend Qualifying Offer To Torrey Craig

November 17th, 2020 at 9:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nuggets forward Torrey Craig has been extended a qualifying offer for the 2020/21 season in Denver, making him a restricted free agent, per Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Nuggets own Craig’s full Bird rights.

The move ensures that the Nuggets front office will be able to match any offer sheet Craig, 29, signs on the open market.

The 6’7″ Craig played for 58 regular season games in Denver for the 2019/20 season. A solid perimeter defender with limited shooting ability, he averaged 5.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 0.8 APG for Denver in 2019/20, his third NBA season. He was a key bench rotation option during the 46-27 Nuggets’ surprising run to the 2020 Western Conference Finals.

Craig was the first man off the bench behind starting Nuggets small forward Jerami Grant, who recently declined his $9.35MM player option for the 2020/21 season and is now an unrestricted free agent.