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Carroll Got Strong Recommendations About Spurs

July 13th, 2019 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets believe Russell Westbrook‘s talents will overcome what could be an awkward fit alongside James Harden in their backcourt, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston and Oklahoma City agreed to terms on this offseason’s latest blockbuster Thursday night, swapping the spectacular but inefficient Westbrook for steady veteran Chris Paul.

Westbrook is only two years removed from an MVP season, but his explosiveness doesn’t always make up for poor perimeter shooting and questionable decisions in the open court. He has shot below 30% from 3-point range in four of the past five seasons and is joining a team that relies on the long ball more than anyone in league history. However, Rockets officials are confident that he can reach the 33% to 35% range because he’ll be surrounded by shooters who’ll spread the floor and will be playing with an elite passer in Harden.

Feigen adds that Harden has reportedly agreed to play off the ball more often to help Westbrook succeed. Harden will continue to operate as the point guard in many possessions, but Westbrook will also be allowed to run the offense, similar to their relationship in Oklahoma City.

There’s more tonight out of Texas:

Rockets center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to extend his guarantee date beyond Monday, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. July 15 was the original deadline for his $1,416,852 deal for next season to become fully guaranteed.
Seth Curry said in a radio interview this week (transcribed by The Dallas Morning News) that familiarity and his respect for coach Rick Carlisle were factors in his decision to return to the Mavericks. Curry signed a four-year deal this week that brings him back to Dallas after two years away. “I played some of my best basketball when I was there a couple of years ago, so I’m excited to rejoin the team and help get them back to the playoffs,” Curry said. “… I wanted to get back to playing with guys like Luka (Doncic) and (Kristaps Porzingis). Unselfish guys. Luka’s one of the best passers in the league right now. … I’m excited about the opportunity.”
DeMarre Carroll talked with the Bucks before joining the Spurs, but Milwaukee’s cap situation limited what the team could offer, relays Jabari Young of The Athletic. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, a former assistant in San Antonio, highly recommended the organization to Carroll, as did Nets GM Sean Marks, a former Spurs executive.

Spurs Sign Forward Trey Lyles

July 12th, 2019 at 5:41pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12, 5:41pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 11, 6:39pm: The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent forward Trey Lyles, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). It’ll be a two-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jabari Young of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that it’ll be worth about $11MM in total.

Lyles will be joining the Spurs in place of Marcus Morris, who tentatively agreed to a two-year, $19MM contract with San Antonio but will instead be signing a one-year, $15MM deal with New York. Wojnarowski suggests that the Spurs pulled their offer to Morris, but the veteran forward had reportedly been re-evaluating his options for at least a couple days.

Lyles is coming off a down year in Denver, having posted just 8.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a shooting line of .418/.255/.698 in 64 games (17.5 MPG). However, he flashed promising stretch-four potential in 2017/18, when he posted marks of 9.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .491/.381/.706 shooting.

The Nuggets originally tendered him a qualifying offer, but rescinded that QO after they acquired Jerami Grant in a trade with the Thunder, making Lyles an unrestricted free agent.

The Spurs had initially planned on signing DeMarre Carroll using their mid-level exception, but restructured that agreement to acquire Carroll via sign-and-trade, sending Davis Bertans to Washington and opening up the full mid-level for Morris. With that deal no longer happening, I’d expect Lyles to be signed using some of that MLE, though specific terms aren’t yet known.

Lyles may not provide the same sort of immediate impact that Morris would have, but he’s still just 23 years old and his ’17/18 performance suggests he has room to improve.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Re-Sign James Ennis To Two-Year Deal

July 12th, 2019 at 7:38am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: Ennis, who expressed his confidence in the Sixers’ 2019/20 outlook earlier this week, has now officially signed his new deal with the team, per a press release.

“We are excited to welcome James back to the 76ers,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “James had opportunities elsewhere, but he is determined to win here in Philadelphia. That’s the type of competitor he is, and it shows how much he cares about our fans and team. His heart, hustle and playmaking were integral to our success last season and we’re thrilled to have him back.”

JULY 2: Free agent swingman James Ennis has agreed to return to the Sixers on a two-year, $4.1MM deal, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal features a second-year player option, according to Charania, who adds that Ennis turned down bigger offers to stay in Philadelphia.

Ennis, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday, joined the 76ers in a midseason trade after beginning the 2018/19 season in Houston. In a total of 58 games for the two clubs, he averaged 6.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .469/.353/.716 shooting, serving as a three-and-D option.

Reports indicated that the Knicks, Lakers, and Clippers were among the teams that had interest in Ennis this week. A source told Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw that the Bulls, Spurs, and Mavericks also had interest.

However, Ennis, who told Hoops Rumors last month that he’d “love to come back” to the Sixers, will do just that — Charania suggests that the opportunity to play for a championship contender appealed to the veteran free agent.

It’s not clear whether Ennis’ deal will be a minimum-salary pact or if the Sixers will use their last bit of remaining cap room to complete the deal. A two-year deal at the minimum would be worth $4,012,890, so that seems like a strong possibility.

While Philadelphia lost Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick in free agency, the team has done a good job filling out its roster with both impact players and role players. Tobias Harris, Mike Scott, and Ennis will be back, and will be joined by new additions like Al Horford, Josh Richardson, and Kyle O’Quinn.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Notes: Ellis, Green, Speights

July 9th, 2019 at 6:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Representatives from nearly half of the league’s teams were in attendance for a workout that included former NBA stars Amar’e Stoudemire and Monta Ellis, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Knicks, Thunder, Bucks, Pistons, Kings, Nuggets, Blazers, Magic, Hawks, Wolves and Wizards were all in attendance. Haynes adds that 15 international teams from Europe and Asia also had representatives in Las Vegas for the workout.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Spurs, Nuggets, and Knicks were all interested in JaMychal Green before the forward re-signed with the Clippers, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. Those teams were offering him a more lucrative offer than the one he signed with Los Angeles. The Clippers put on a “full-court press” to retain Green, Buha adds, and the 29-year-old ended up inking a two-year deal worth slightly under $10MM.
Green has the ability to be a free agent next summer, having secured a player option as part of his deal with the Clippers. Buha (in the same piece) speculates that Green could have commanded a deal in the $10MM+ range this offseason and that the forward should have the opportunity for a similar contract next summer.
Mo Speights, who played in China last season, is working out for teams in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets. Speights last played in the NBA for the Magic during the 2017/18 season.

Marcus Morris Reconsidering Spurs Deal, Eyeing Knicks

July 9th, 2019 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

4:25pm: According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, there’s still optimism that the Spurs and Morris will finalize their agreement. However, San Antonio has started reaching out to other free agent wings in case Morris decides to join the Knicks, sources tell Haynes.

Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets that Morris has been frustrated because he thought there would be a stronger market for his services. Since his Spurs offer has a second-year player option, he’d have the opportunity to return to free agency in 2020 no matter which team he chooses, but the Knicks’ reported offer would be worth significantly more over one year.

3:45pm: Free agent forward Marcus Morris, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Spurs on Sunday, is now reconsidering that agreement, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski explains, the Knicks project to have extra cap space available now that they’re reworking their initial agreement with Reggie Bullock, and Morris is considering signing with New York.

Jabari Young of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the word at Las Vegas Summer League is that there’s a one-year, $15MM deal available to Morris with the Knicks. According to Young, the Spurs – who were on track to sign Morris to a two-year, $19MM deal – are in “real danger” of losing the veteran forward.

If Morris reneges on his commitment to San Antonio, it would be a tough blow for the team, which turned its signing of DeMarre Carroll into a sign-and-trade deal in order to make its mid-level exception available for Morris. The Spurs sent sharpshooting forward Davis Bertans to the Wizards in that sign-and-trade for Carroll.

Should Morris sign with the Knicks, San Antonio would still have its full $9.25MM mid-level exception available, but there probably aren’t any other unrestricted free agents left on the market that would be worth a full MLE commitment.

The Knicks, meanwhile, were said to have significant interest in Morris heading into free agency, but seemingly addressed their power forward position by signing Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson.

Signing Morris would add even more veteran depth to their frontcourt, and would presumably exhaust the team’s cap room. In that scenario, perhaps Bullock – who is said to be working on a new deal with the Knicks – would fit into the room exception.

Morris, 29, had a solid year in Boston as the Celtics’ primary starting forward, averaging 13.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a .447/.375/.844 shooting line.

Contract Details: Porter, Rozier, Spurs, Kings, Raptors

July 9th, 2019 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

For the first time in several years, a first-round pick has accepted below the standard maximum of 120% of his rookie scale amount, tweets Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights. According to Siegel, No. 30 overall pick Kevin Porter Jr. will only earn 80% of his rookie scale amount during his first season and will continue to get less than 120% of the rookie scale amount in years two through four.

The rookie scale amount this year for the No. 30 pick is $1,613,700, so Porter’s expected salary for his rookie season would have been $1,936,440. Instead, he’ll get just $1,290,960, according to Siegel.

While this is just my speculation, it seems likely that the Cavaliers would have checked in with Porter and his agent before drafting him to see if he’d be okay with that reduced first-year salary, given how rare it is. Porter, the final pick in the first round, will still earn significantly more than the rookie minimum of $898K that many early second-rounder selections will receive, while the Cavs, who are up against the luxury-tax line, will put themselves in better position to avoid potential repeater penalties.

Here are more contract details from around the NBA, all courtesy of Siegel unless otherwise indicated:

Terry Rozier‘s three-year, $56.7MM contract with the Hornets has a declining structure (Twitter link). It starts at $19.9MM in 2019/20 before eventually dipping to $17.9MM by 2021/22.
The base value of Rudy Gay‘s two-year deal with the Spurs is $28MM, with $2MM in annual bonuses to bring the potential total value up to $32MM (Twitter link). DeMarre Carroll‘s deal, meanwhile, only has a partial guarantee of $1.35MM in the third year (Twitter link). The Spurs tacked on that third season when they pivoted to acquiring Carroll via sign-and-trade rather than signing him outright.
Trevor Ariza‘s two-year, $25MM contract with the Kings only has a $1.8MM partial guarantee in year two (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Sacramento’s deal with Dewayne Dedmon has a base value of $40MM over three years, with $300K in annual incentives (Twitter link).
Blake Murphy of The Athletic provides details on a pair of Raptors contracts, tweeting that Patrick McCaw‘s new two-year deal is worth $8MM, while Matt Thomas‘ three-year, minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed in year three. Both of those deals will come out of Toronto’s mid-level exception — Stanley Johnson‘s might too, though if the team has plans in mind for the rest of the $4.36MM on its MLE, Johnson could be signed using the bi-annual exception instead, notes Murphy.

Quinndary Weatherspoon Signs Two-Way Deal With Spurs

July 8th, 2019 at 4:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed second-round pick Quinndary Weatherspoon to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.

Weatherspoon, a 6’4” guard out of Mississippi State, was the 49th overall pick last month. He’s already appeared in three summer league games, averaging 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

San Antonio has now filled both of its two-way slots. Big man Drew Eubanks, who appeared in 23 games with the Spurs last season, holds the other spot.

Weatherspoon played all four college seasons with the Bulldogs and became the third player in school history to accumulate over 2,000 career points. He earned All-SEC honors in his final three seasons, including a spot on the First Team in his senior year when he posted a career-best 18.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.68 SPG.

Latest On Russell Westbrook

July 7th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat and Pistons are expected to be the top contenders to land Russell Westbrook if the Thunder decide to trade him, according to Sam Amick and Brett Dawson of The Athletic.

Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti will meet this week with Westbrook and his agent, Thad Foucher, to plot out the future for the former MVP. All three were blindsided by Paul George‘s trade request, which was the result of Kawhi Leonard‘s successful lobbying effort to join him on the Clippers.

The Thunder are motivated to move Westbrook, not only because he’s the lone star left in OKC and will make $171MM over the next four years, but also because he plays the same position as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the centerpiece of their return in the George deal.

Miami would like to pair Westbrook with Jimmy Butler and could offer a package built around Goran Dragic, who has one year left on his contract at $19.2MM, and Dion Waiters, who is owed a combined $24.7MM over the next two seasons. Detroit’s offer might include Andre Drummond ($27MM in 2019/20 with a $28.75MM player option the following season), Reggie Jackson (one year left at $18MM) and Tony Snell ($11.39MM next season followed by a $12.18MM player option).

Some executives believe the Rockets could get involved as well, given GM Daryl Morey’s penchant for star chasing. However, pairing Westbrook with James Harden and Chris Paul, two other guards who like to control the ball, may prove awkward, and matching salary wouldn’t be easy. Houston would almost certainly have to part with Clint Capela ($14.9MM next season), Eric Gordon ($14MM), and P.J. Tucker ($8.35MM) in any deal if Paul isn’t included.

Sources with knowledge of Houston’s thinking confirmed to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com that the Rockets have interest in Westbrook. However, one team source described a potential deal as a “long shot,” says MacMahon.

There’s more today on the Westbrook front:

The Knicks have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Westbrook, but will have to wait until December to make a move, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York no longer has the cap room to absorb Westbrook’s $37.5MM salary for next season after reaching deals with six free agents, and those new players can’t be traded before December 15. If the opportunity is still there, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington and Taj Gibson will all have expiring contracts that could interest the Thunder as they try to reduce a league-high tax bill. The Knicks can also offer the 2021 and 2023 first-rounders they acquired from Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis deal, Berman adds.
Michael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated mentions the Timberwolves, Celtics and Magic as other possibilities. A swap with Minnesota would be easy if OKC would accept Andrew Wiggins in return, he states, while the Celtics could offer Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown or wait a year and trade newly acquired Kemba Walker. Orlando has been seeking a point guard for years and has a lot of wings and big men to offer.
The Bulls, Mavericks, Nuggets, Bucks, Spurs and Raptors all have the assets to get involved as well, according to Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com.

Spurs Trade Davis Bertans To Wizards In Three-Team Deal

July 6th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

5:32pm: The three-team trade is now official, the Nets announced in a press release. Bertans goes to Washington, Carroll to San Antonio, and White’s draft rights to Brooklyn. The Nets also acquired the draft rights for 2014 second-rounder Nemanja Dangubic from the Spurs.

4:33pm: The Spurs are finalizing a trade that will send sharpshooting forward Davis Bertans to the Wizards, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

As Wojnarowski explains, trading Bertans will allow San Antonio to acquire DeMarre Carroll and his new three-year deal via sign-and-trade. According to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Nets will receive the rights to draft-and-stash player Aaron White from the Wizards in the three-team deal, which will send Carroll from Brooklyn to the Spurs.

Bertans, 26, is one of the most talented outside shooters among the NBA’s big men, having knocked down 42.9% of his three-pointers last season. In 76 total games (21.5 MPG), he averaged 8.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG for San Antonio. He’ll have an opportunity to earn a frontcourt role for a Wizards team that lost Bobby Portis and Trevor Ariza and also appears unlikely to bring back Jabari Parker or Sam Dekker.

The Wizards, who will absorb Bertans using the $8.6MM trade exception they created when they dealt Markieff Morris in February, will be right at the luxury-tax line after acquiring the Spurs’ forward. However, they could create some breathing room by waiving Jonathon Simmons before his 2019/20 salary becomes fully guaranteed, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

As for the Spurs, they had sought more versatility on the wing and at the forward spots, tweets Jabari Young of The Athletic. Swapping Bertans for Carroll will point them in that direction. Additionally, by folding Carroll’s agreement into this deal as a sign-and-trade, the Spurs retained their mid-level exception, which they’ll use to sign Marcus Morris, another versatile forward.

San Antonio initially reached a two-year contract agreement with Carroll, but amended it today to add an extra season, since sign-and-trade contracts must span at least three years. It’s not clear if that third year will be guaranteed.

As for the Nets, it’s unclear if their involvement in this deal extends beyond acquiring White and doing a favor to Carroll. The 49th overall pick in the 2015 draft, White has spent the last four seasons playing overseas for teams in Germany, Russia, and Lithuania.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Spurs, Marcus Morris Agreed To Two-Year Contract

July 6th, 2019 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

[UPDATE: The agreement between Morris and the Spurs has fallen apart, and he has instead opted to sign with the Knicks.]

The Spurs have agreed to terms with free agent forward Marcus Morris, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Morris will sign a two-year, $20MM contract with San Antonio. The deal will feature a second-year player option, Charania adds.

It appeared the Spurs wouldn’t have the flexibility to sign a player like Morris after seemingly committing most of their mid-level exception to DeMarre Carroll. However, San Antonio will acquire Carroll in a sign-and-trade after by sending Davis Bertans to Washington. That frees up the full mid-level, which will be used to sign Morris, as Jabari Young of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter).

Technically, Morris’ new deal will be worth just shy of $19MM over two years, with a first-year salary of $9.26MM. Using the full mid-level and acquiring Carroll via sign-and-trade will hard-cap the Spurs.

Morris, who earned the No. 22 spot on our list of this offseason’s top 50 free agents, was probably the most notable name still on the board after Kawhi Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins agreed to sign with the Clippers and Lakers, respectively. The 29-year-old had a solid year in Boston as the Celtics’ primary starting forward, averaging 13.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a .447/.375/.844 shooting line.

Marcus is the second Morris twin to agree to a new contract this week — his brother Markieff Morris joined the Pistons on a two-year deal of his own.

As for the Spurs, they could still be in the market for one more veteran big man, but they only have the minimum salary exception available and will remain patient, according to Young.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.