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Morrow, Burke, Other FAs Work Out For Wolves

September 6th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

2:26pm: Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders has added several names to the list of players working out for Minnesota, tweeting that the Wolves also auditioned Thomas Robinson, Alan Anderson, Trey Burke, Isaiah Canaan, and Perry Jones III. John Jenkins is expected to come in to work out for the club next week, tweets Wolfson.

10:12am: Veteran sharpshooter Anthony Morrow is one of a handful of free agents working out this week for the Timberwolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Minnesota remains on the lookout for veteran wings, in addition to a backup point guard.

Morrow, who will turn 32 later this month, is a career 41.7% shooter from beyond the arc, which should make him a tantalizing target for teams in need of shooting like the Timberwolves. However, Morrow’s accuracy on three-pointers dipped last season — his 30.8% success rate in 2016/17 was easily the worst mark of his career.

Although Morrow struggled in 49 games for the Thunder and Bulls last season, he’s only a year removed from a .387 3PT%, and has been a reliable option on the wing for most of his career. Minnesota, of course, has a pair of talented scorers on the wing in Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins, but neither player is a particularly strong outside shooter, so the Wolves continue to seek three-point threats, with Morrow having been linked to the club for much of the offseason.

When we examined five noteworthy wings still on the market in late July, Morrow was one of the players we singled out, along with Shabazz Muhammad, Brandon Rush, Gerald Green, and Tony Allen. All of those players remain unsigned, and a few could be fits in Minnesota.

With 11 players on guaranteed contracts, the Wolves have been looking to add a couple wings and a point guard to their roster — Wolfson tweets that those positions are the focus of this week’s workouts. Minnesota is reportedly getting antsy waiting on decisions from notable free agents like Muhammad and Dante Cunningham, which may prompt the team to look closer at free agents a tier or two below the top available players.

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Trey Burke, 15 Other FAs Attend Bucks’ Mini-Camp

August 29th, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are hosting a free agent mini-camp on Tuesday and Wednesday this week as they look to fill out their training camp roster and identify candidates to play for their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, according to Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The mini-camp, which will give the club a chance to evaluate possible camp invitees, includes a handful of notable names among its 16 participants.

Former lottery picks Trey Burke and Hasheem Thabeet are among the first-rounders who will be in attendance at the mini-camp, as Velazquez details. MarShon Brooks, Toney Douglas, Archie Goodwin, R.J. Hunter, John Jenkins, Perry Jones, and James Young are also set to get a look from the Bucks.

The Bucks don’t have a ton of flexibility to add more players to their offseason roster, having already locked up 16 players to NBA deals and two more to two-way contracts. That leaves just a pair of openings on the team’s 20-man training camp roster. Still, two of those roster players – Gary Payton II and JeQuan Lewis – are on non-guaranteed contracts, so Milwaukee has some flexibility if it wants to make changes at the back of its roster.

In addition to the players listed above, the following free agents are attending the Bucks’ mini-camp, per Velazquez: Cliff Alexander, Gracin Bakumanya, Trahson Burrell, Jeremy Evans, Aaron Harrison, Luke Petrasek, and Jacob Pullen.

Any player that signs with the Bucks figures to get a minimum salary deal that is non-guaranteed or features a very modest guarantee, since the Bucks are currently slightly above the luxury tax line.

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Wizards Notes: Frazier, Burke, Gortat, Tax

June 21st, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Finding a reliable backup for point guard John Wall and fortifying their bench are two of the Wizards’ top priorities heading into the offseason, and on Wednesday, the team made a move that may have checked both boxes. Washington sent the No. 52 overall pick to New Orleans in exchange for guard Tim Frazier, who saw plenty of action at the point for the Pelicans this season and will earn a modest $2MM salary in 2017/18.

While there’s no guarantee Frazier will be the answer as Wall’s backup, he’s a solid rotation player and the Wizards didn’t have to give up much to get him. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, Frazier has been on the Wizards’ radar for some time, and the club also tried to acquire him at February’s trade deadline.

Here’s more out of Washington:

  • Trey Burke, who handled point guard duties for part of the 2016/17 season, is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Wizards won’t tender Burke a qualifying offer, per J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. With no QO in hand, Burke will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
  • At season’s end, Marcin Gortat questioned his role in Washington and suggested he may seek a trade, but Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld sounds like he expects to retain the veteran center, according to Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I’ve talked to March,” Grunfeld said. “March is with us. March, we’ve had him for four years. He’s averaged a double-double for four years. He’s been in the second round for three out of those four years and is a big part of what we’re doing. Everybody has frustration after a tough loss and a tough series. March is with us and he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”
  • Grunfeld also acknowledged that the Wizards should be willing to go into the luxury tax territory this offseason, if necessary, Hughes writes in a separate CSNMidAtlantic.com story. “We’ll see how everything goes. If it’s the right player, I don’t think we have a problem going over,” Grunfeld said.
  • According to TNT’s David Aldridge and Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter links), the Wizards are open to buying their way back into the second round of Thursday’s draft if the opportunity arises. Currently, the team has no picks.
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Wizards Notes: Bogdanovic, Oubre, Burke, Mac

May 17th, 2017 at 7:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Playing time will be the priority for Bojan Bogdanovic when he enters free agency this summer, relays Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic. Bogdanovic was averaging about 27 minutes per game with the Nets before a midseason trade to Washington cut that number to about 23. Bogdanovic may have to look elsewhere if he wants a larger role, particularly if the Wizards are able to re-sign fellow small forward Otto Porter, who has the starting job locked down. Washington used a three-man rotation at the position after the deal, Hughes notes, with Porter, Bogdanovic and Kelly Oubre all contributing. Oubre is expected to have an expanded role next season. “I want to try to find a team where I can play heavy minutes,” Bogdanovic said. “I hope that I will play here maybe, but we will see. It’s a long summer in front of us before free agency. We’ll see.” Bogdanovic, who will represent Croatia in the European Championship this summer, added that he would like to remain on the same team with John Wall or find a point guard with similar skills.

There’s more news out of D.C.:

  • A platelet-rich plasma treatment has been prescribed for Oubre’s right knee, Hughes notes in a separate story. Oubre plans offseason workouts with teammate Bradley Beal, and possibly Wall, in hopes of becoming a better ballhandler.
  • The minutes totals for the starters in the Game 7 loss to the Celtics emphasizes the need to build a stronger bench, writes Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Wall and Beal barely came out of Monday’s game, while Markieff Morris played nearly 42 minutes and Porter was close to 40. Buckner cites point guard as an area where important decisions must be made, with backups Trey Burke and Brandon Jennings both headed toward free agency. Burke fell behind rookie Tomas Satoransky in the rotation, then dropped out completely once Jennings was signed. Burke expressed frustration with the way things worked out and sounded ready to move on. “I don’t plan on my role being the same next year,” he said. “My agency is working very hard for me right now. I know what type of player I can be and I know what type of player I want to be. That’s not my plan. This summer, it’ll be great. I’m looking forward to the summer.”
  • The Wizards will take a closer look at three young prospects this offseason, Buckner adds in the same piece. Shooting guard Sheldon Mac and big men Daniel Ochefu and Chris McCullough will all be part of Washington’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League. Mac, who changed his name from McClellan at midseason, has the best chance of the three to crack the rotation next year, according to Buckner, but his $1.3MM contract for 2017/18 in non-guaranteed.
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Potential 2017 RFAs Whose Qualifying Offers Will Be Impacted By Starter Criteria

April 7th, 2017 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will go into effect on July 1, 2017, includes a number of changes to the free agent process, including some that apply specifically to restricted free agents. However, one aspect of restricted free agency unaffected by the new CBA is what’s referred to as the “starter criteria,” which can affect how much an RFA’s qualifying offer will be worth.

Here’s how the starter criteria works: A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency. A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games in 2015/16 and 35 in 2016/17, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons exceeds 41.

A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:

  • A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
  • A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
  • A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
  • For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.

Extending a qualifying offer to a player ensures that a team has the right of first refusal if he signs an offer sheet, and gives the player the option of signing that one-year QO. Generally, the value of a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer isn’t hugely important, since very few RFAs accept those offers outright. Still, those QOs can have an impact on a team’s salary cap outlook during July’s free agent period, so it’s worth checking in to see which potential RFAs will be eligible for higher or lower qualifying offers this summer.

Listed below are the top-14 picks on track for restricted free agency who have not met the starter criteria. These players will be eligible for qualifying offers worth $4,187,598.

Len and Noel had the worst QO luck this season. As the fifth and sixth overall picks in 2013, they would have been in line for qualifying offers worth about $6.4MM and $5.85MM, respectively. Instead, their QOs will be worth less than $4.2MM. Both players were very close to meeting the starter criteria too — they’ve started 77 games apiece in the past two years, so they’ll fall just short of the 82 required.

The players listed below are non-lottery first-round picks who will meet the starter criteria. That will make each of them eligible for a qualifying offer worth $4,588,840.

All four of these players were selected in the 20-26 range in the 2013 draft, and their QOs would’ve ranged from about $3.39MM to $3.22MM if they hadn’t met the starter criteria.

Here are the rest of the RFAs whose qualifying offers won’t necessarily be determined by the standard criteria:

  • Undrafted power forward JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) has met the starter criteria, putting him in line for a QO worth $2,820,497 instead of the more modest amount he would’ve received as a minimum-salary player.
  • Two players – Joe Ingles (Jazz) and Ben McLemore (Kings) – still have a chance to meet the starter criteria depending on how the season’s last four days play out. Ingles has played 1,848 minutes this season, meaning he would have to average about 38 MPG in Utah’s last four contests to reach 2,000, which is a tall order. McLemore may fall just short as well, as he currently sits at 79 starts over the last two seasons. He’ll need to start three of the Kings’ last four games in order to average 41 starts per year, but he has only been in Sacramento’s starting lineup twice since the start of March. (End-of-season update: Neither Ingles nor McLemore met the starter criteria.)
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Wizards’ Trey Burke Changes Agencies

March 9th, 2017 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Trey Burke has made a change in his representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, who reports (via Twitter) that Burke has signed with Excel Sports Management. Burke’s new agent will be Mike George, Mullen adds.

The timing of the move is interesting for Burke, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Washington will have to tender a qualifying offer to Burke to make him restricted, and it’s not clear if the team will do so — the Wizards will have their hands full with RFAs Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic, so Burke may not be a priority.

Whether he’s restricted or unrestricted, Burke will have a new agent negotiating his next contract on his behalf. Previously, the former Michigan standout had been represented by CAA’s Austin Brown as well as his father, Benji Burke. It’s not clear if the elder Burke will still be involved in negotiations for his son at all, or whether Excel – led by George – will handle those discussions exclusively.

In 54 games this season for the Wizards, Burke has played just 12.3 minutes per contest, resulting in career-worst averages in most per-game categories. However, his .442 FG% and .419 3PT% this season are his best marks since entering the NBA as the ninth overall pick in 2013. Burke is still just 24, so he should draw some interest in free agency this summer, despite his limited role in Washington.

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Wizards To Waive Danuel House

March 1st, 2017 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie shooting guard Danuel House will be in the odd man out in D.C. with Brandon Jennings close to finalizing a deal with the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the club will waive House to open up a spot on the roster for Jennings.

Earlier today, word broke that Trey Burke didn’t made the trip to Toronto with the rest of the Wizards due to a personal matter, creating speculation about whether Burke would be the roster casualty. As I noted at the time, the former lottery pick has averaged a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest and was reportedly being shopped prior to the deadline. However, the Wizards will hang onto Burke, opting to part ways with House instead.

An undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M, House received a partial guarantee from the Wizards last summer and earned a spot on the club’s regular-season roster. However, after appearing in just one NBA game, House suffered a fractured wrist, which has essentially wiped out his rookie year. In addition to the very brief action he saw with the Wizards, House has also played in seven D-League games for the Delaware 87ers, averaging 13.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG.

House’s contract with the Wizards ran through the 2017/18 season, but next year’s salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the team won’t be on the hook for any money beyond this season after waiving him.

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Eastern Rumors: Burke, Wizards, Hawks, J.R. Smith

March 1st, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Trey Burke didn’t travel with the club to Toronto due to a personal matter, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Under normal circumstances, there would be no need to read further into that news, but with Washington needing to clear a roster spot to sign Brandon Jennings, it might be safe to read between the lines, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

The Wizards were said to be shopping Burke prior to the deadline, and the fourth-year guard hasn’t played a major role in Washington this season, averaging a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest. Burke’s role will likely be further reduced with Jennings in the mix, and the former Michigan standout is also an expiring contract, with possible restricted free agency around the corner.

According to Haynes (via Twitter), the Wizards have yet to make a final decision on which player will be released to clear a roster spot, so it’s possible Burke will rejoin the team after its trip to Toronto. However, it looks just as likely that he has played his last game for the club. Stay tuned.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Speaking of Jennings, his teammate with the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis, told reporters on Tuesday that being waived by New York was probably a good thing for Jennings. “He’s a great veteran, great guy,” Porzingis said, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “But he wasn’t, you could tell that he wasn’t himself lately so that’s probably the best thing for him. Because he loves basketball, he loves playing basketball (and) he wasn’t happy here.”
  • The Hawks are still considering options for their 15th roster spot, but the team expects to add a “true point guard,” according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link).
  • J.R. Smith, who continues to recover from a thumb fracture, has rejoined the Cavaliers, though he’s not expected to play during the club’s current three-game road trip, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
  • Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald looks ahead to free agency and wonders if a reunion with Dwyane Wade would be possible for the Heat this summer, exploring whether Wade would be a better fit for the club than Dion Waiters. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes, the Heat will have to evaluate Waiters as they would any outside free agent, since the team won’t hold his Bird rights in the offseason and won’t necessarily have a leg up on re-signing him.
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Wizards Exploring Market For Trey Burke

February 22nd, 2017 at 11:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards are exploring the market for Trey Burke, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Washington is looking for a second-round pick in return for the point guard.

The franchise acquired Burke from the Jazz during the offseason in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick. Prior to being dealt, the 2013 No. 9 overall pick spent three seasons in Utah.

Burke has seen his role with the Wizards fluctuate this season. In 51 games with the team, he’s averaged 5.0 points in 12.6 minutes per game. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

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Eastern Notes: Draft, Knicks, Magic, Pacers

January 28th, 2017 at 10:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks‘ biggest need is a long-term answer at the point guard position and the upcoming draft should provide them an opportunity to pair Kristaps Porzingis with a playmaker, Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes. New York will likely pick in the bottom half of the lottery and Ford believes Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, who is expected to go in that range, would be a great fit for the team. Fox is a fast, defensive-minded point guard and while he’s not the best shooter, his playmaking skills are “top-notch,” according to Ford.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • UCLA’s Lonzo Ball would fit nicely in Orlando, Ford opines in the same piece. The Magic currently have Elfrid Payton manning the point guard position and he’s having a nice season. However, if they draft Ball, he’d immediately have the highest ceiling of any player on the team, Ford adds.
  • The Wizards‘ bench unit has been key to their success lately, especially on the road, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet details. Offseason addition Trey Burke has made 11 out of his last 17 shots from the field during the last four away games. He also has 10 assists over that stretch.
  • Al Jefferson is enjoying his role as a mentor with the Pacers, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. “Thirteen years in the league, I feel like I’m at the teaching point. I like that. I really do,” Jefferson said. The big man signed a two-year, $20MM deal with Indiana during the offseason.
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