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Rockets Sign D.J. Augustin For Rest Of Season

March 23rd, 2023 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 23: The Rockets have officially signed Augustin for the remainder of the season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MARCH 22: The Rockets are signing free agent point guard D.J. Augustin for the rest of the season, agent Raymond Brothers tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be a minimum-salary contract, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It will be Augustin’s second stint with the Rockets. He was acquired by Houston in a March 2021 trade and spent nearly a year with the organization before being waived in February 2022 at the trade deadline. He finished last season with the Lakers, but has been out of the NBA so far in 2022/23.

A reliable backup point guard for much of his career, Augustin has averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in 976 career regular season appearances (23.4 MPG). At age 35, he may not have a whole lot left in the tank, but the Rockets are presumably adding him to their roster to serve as a veteran mentor for their young players rather than expecting him to play big minutes down the stretch.

The Rockets have two openings on their standard 15-man roster, so no corresponding moves will be necessary to make room for Augustin.

In fact, since it has nearly been two weeks since Willie Cauley-Stein‘s 10-day contract with Houston expired, the team was just about due for a mandatory roster move in order to get back to the NBA minimum of 14 players on standard contracts. Teams can only dip below that minimum for up to two weeks at a time.

Augustin’s exact rest-of-season salary will depend on when he officially signs his contract, but he’ll earn $16,700 per day.

Pistons Sign Eugene Omoruyi

March 23rd, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons have signed second-year forward Eugene Omoruyi to a contract that covers at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, the team announced.

The 26-year-old just completed his second 10-day deal with Detroit, and the Pistons decided to keep him around. Head coach Dwane Casey and center James Wiseman praised Omoruyi for his drive, energy and defense in recent weeks.

The former Oregon standout was on a two-way contract with the Thunder earlier this season until being promoted to Oklahoma City’s standard roster after last month’s trade deadline. However, he was cut in late February in order to make room for Lindy Waters on OKC’s 15-man squad.

Omoruyi appeared in 23 games with the Thunder, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds on .468/.258/.607 shooting in 11.8 minutes per night. In 10 games with the Pistons, he’s averaging 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds on .455/.231/.750 shooting in 21.3 minutes per contest.

We’ll have to wait for more details to see whether Omoruyi’s new contract only covers the rest of the season or is a multiyear deal. Either way, the Pistons had a roster opening after his second 10-day contract expired, so they didn’t have to release anyone to bring him back.

Hornets Sign Nick Richards To Three-Year Extension

March 22nd, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:32pm: The extension is official, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).

6:14pm: Nick Richards has agreed to a three-year, $15MM extension with the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by Richards’ agents, Javon Phillips and Jared Mucha of Excel Basketball, Wojnarowski adds.

The 25-year-old center has established himself as a member of Charlotte’s rotation in his third NBA season by averaging 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.3% from the field.

He has appeared in 58 of the team’s 73 contests, making five starts and playing 18.2 minutes per night. He’s coming off a career high 17-rebound performance Monday against the Pacers.

Richards has seen up an uptick in playing time since Charlotte sent Mason Plumlee to the Clippers in a trade deadline deal. He has even entered the Hornets’ starting lineup as of late, making his first five starts of the season since March 11.

The Hornets acquired Richards from New Orleans in a draft night trade after he was selected with the 42nd pick in 2020. He appeared in just 18 games as a rookie, spending much of the season in the G League, and played 50 games last season.

Richards, who is making $1.78MM this season, was nearing the end of his three-year contract, so the extension will prevent him from entering free agency this summer.

All three of the Hornets’ young centers are now under contract for multiple seasons. Kai Jones‘ rookie deal runs through 2025, while Mark Williams‘ expires in 2026.

Jazz Sign Jarrell Brantley To 10-Day Contract

March 18th, 2023 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have officially signed forward Jarrell Brantley to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The move represents a reunion for the two sides, as Brantley spent his first two professional seasons with the Jazz from 2019-21 after being selected 50th overall in the 2019 draft out of Charleston. He was waived in September 2021 and has since played in Russia, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand in addition to the G League.

While Brantley excelled at the NBAGL level for the Salt Lake City Stars, he didn’t see a ton of action in the NBA during his two years in Utah. He appeared in a total of 37 contests, averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in just 6.3 minutes per contest.

As a member of the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, Brantley started all 39 games he played for the team, putting up 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28.7 minutes per night.

A roster move had been required today for the Jazz, who had been carrying just 13 players on their standard roster since Frank Jackson‘s 10-day deal expired on March 4. NBA teams can dip below the league-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard contracts, but only for up to two weeks at a time. Utah has now once again reached that 14-player minimum, with one open spot left on their roster.

Brantley’s salary and cap hit on his 10-day deal will be $105,522, as our chart shows. The contract will run through Monday, March 27, covering the Jazz’s next six games. Once it expires, he would be eligible to sign a second 10-day deal with Utah before the team would have to make a decision on whether to let him walk or sign him for the rest of the season.

Warriors Promote Anthony Lamb, Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 3:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 17: The Warriors have officially converted Lamb’s two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). The club also formally confirmed its two-way contract agreement with Quinones (Twitter link).

MARCH 16: The Warriors are making moves with an eye toward the impending 2023 postseason. First, Golden State is upgrading the contract of current two-way swingman Anthony Lamb, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Lamb is being added onto the team’s 15-man standard roster, which will make him eligible to partake in playoff (and, if necessary, play-in) contests for the club, Charania and Slater note.

With their newly available two-way roster slot, the Warriors will sign guard Lester Quinones, Charania reports (via Twitter).

Quinones went undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, and joined the Warriors’ Santa Cruz NBAGL affiliate at the start of the 2022/23 season. He signed with Golden State on a 10-day deal earlier this month.

Lamb, a 6’6″ small forward, has been active for 50 games with the Warriors, the maximum permitted for two-way players before their contracts need to be converted. Across 20.1 MPG, he has averaging 7.0 PPG on .475/.379/.773 shooting splits. The University of Vermont product is also chipping in 3.4 RPG and 1.7 APG, having emerged as a key bench piece for Golden State.

Upon Lamb’s promotion, the Warriors will have a full 15-man standard roster, so if they want to make two-way player Ty Jerome playoff-eligible in the coming weeks too, they’d have to waive someone in order to make room for him.

Wizards Sign Xavier Cooks To Multiyear Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 17: After leading the Sydney Kings to an NBL title, Cooks has officially signed his multiyear contract with the Wizards, the team announced today in a press release.

“We welcome Xavier to the Wizards organization as a very intelligent, high-energy player that will add athleticism to our squad while being a great teammate,” Wizards president/GM Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He left a lasting legacy in the NBL to pursue his dream to play in the NBA and we feel he will be an excellent addition now and in the future.”

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the Wizards used a portion of their mid-level exception to give Cooks a four-year, $6.1MM contract that is fully guaranteed through 2023/24. Cooks’ 2024/25 salary will be non-guaranteed and the Wizards will hold a team option for ’25/26.

MARCH 5: The Wizards have reached an agreement with forward Xavier Cooks that could keep him rostered through the 2023/24 season, his agent Daniel Moldovan informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Exact terms of the deal have yet to be divulged.

Woj notes that Cooks, currently playing for the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League, is the reigning NBL MVP. Cooks is in the midst of an NBL Finals series with Sydney. Woj adds that the 27-year-old will complete a contract buyout with the Kings and hop stateside once the Finals conclude, either this week or next.

The 6’8″ forward is averaging 16.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.6 BPG and 0.5 SPG for Sydney this season. He boasts shooting splits of .596/.333/.538.

The Australian-born Cooks played college stateside at Winthrop. He went undrafted in 2018, and had his first post-NCAA basketball experience with German club s.Oliver Würzburg in 2018/19 before joining the Kings the following year. He led the Kings to a title in 2022 and was named the NBL Grand Final MVP for his efforts. He has also been named to one All-NBL First Team honoree and one All-NBL Second Team.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) notes, current 10-day contract signee Jamaree Bouyea will come off the Wizards’ books by the time the NBL Finals end, opening up a spot on the 15-man roster for Cooks.

Nets Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 17: The Nets have officially signed Brown to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal will run through March 26, covering Brooklyn’s next five games, and will pay Brown $109,318.

MARCH 16: The Nets are working toward a contract agreement with free agent center Moses Brown, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brown will be receiving a 10-day contract from the Nets, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Brooklyn has an open spot on its 15-man roster following the expiration of Nerlens Noel‘s 10-day contract on Wednesday night. Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported that the Nets don’t intend to re-sign Noel to a second 10-day deal.

Brown began this season on a two-way deal with the Clippers, appearing in 34 games as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He wasn’t always a part of the team’s rotation and slid further down the depth chart following L.A.’s trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Plumlee, eventually leading to his release when he reached the two-way limit of 50 active games.

Brown subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Knicks last week, but was waived just four days later and became an unrestricted free agent again this Tuesday. Now he’s on track to move from one New York borough to another and join a Nets team that has been on the lookout for reliable frontcourt depth behind center Nic Claxton for much of the season.

The Nets will be Brown’s eighth NBA team since 2019, though he has appeared in regular season games for just five of those clubs.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Signs Four-Year Extension With Hawks

March 16th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

7:00pm: Bogdanovic’s extension is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.

2:06pm: Bogdan Bogdanovic has agreed to a four-year, $68MM extension with the Hawks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Bogdanovic had an $18MM player option for 2023/24 — the first year of his extension will replace that option and cannot be less than that amount. The Hawks are projected to be a taxpayer next season, but owner Tony Ressler has never paid the luxury tax, Marks adds.

Bogdanovic was originally selected No. 27 overall in 2014, but continued to play overseas for a few seasons until his NBA rights were acquired by the Kings. The Serbian swingman spent his first three seasons with Sacramento before signing a four-year, $72MM deal with Atlanta as a restricted free agent in 2020 — the Kings elected not to match.

The 30-year-old missed the first 22 games of 2022/23 after offseason knee surgery, but has been his normal productive self since he returned to action on December 2, averaging 14.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.9 APG on .437/.401/.806 shooting in 43 games (28.5 MPG). Those numbers are very similar to his career stats of 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.3 APG on .439/.386/.820 shooting in 359 games (28.6 MPG).

Numerous teams, including Cleveland, reportedly inquired on Bogdanovic’s availability ahead of last month’s trade deadline. However, the Hawks were reluctant to part with the veteran guard/forward, who provides a valued combination of outside shooting and complementary play-making.

One report earlier this month indicated that Bogdanovic was expected to decline his option for next season and enter free agency. Instead, he’ll sign a long-term extension with the Hawks, who have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and are currently 34-35, the No. 8 seed in the East.

It’s interesting that Bogdanovic’s new contract comes in at an average annual value of $17MM versus his current deal’s $18MM, as the salary cap is expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Still, it’s a significant commitment given his injury history, and obviously he was interested in remaining with Atlanta despite a tumultuous season that saw the team switch head coaches.

As Marks notes (via Twitter), Bogdanovic was permitted to extend off his ’23/24 salary until the start of next season.

Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Second 10-Day Deal

March 16th, 2023 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

12:05pm: The Knicks have officially signed Jeffries to his second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).

7:58am: The Knicks will re-sign swingman DaQuan Jeffries to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jeffries’ initial 10-day deal with the team expired on Tuesday night.

Jeffries, who previously suited up for the Kings, Rockets, and Grizzlies, has spent nearly the entire 2022/23 season with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

He started 15 games for Westchester in the fall’s Showcase Cup, averaging 18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .482/.280/.769 shooting in 32.9 minutes per night. Since the NBAGL’s regular season began, he has appeared in 21 more games (20 starts), putting up 19.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.0 APG with a shooting line of .490/.363/.678.

The Knicks have only been carrying 13 players on standard, full-season contracts since the trade deadline passed and have periodically been filling their 14th roster slot by promoting a two-way player — first Trevor Keels and now Jeffries. Neither one has actually played for New York upon being promoted, so those deals are more about meeting the NBA’s minimum roster requirements than anything else.

Still, Jeffries is certainly benefiting financially from being on a pair of 10-day contracts rather than continuing on his two-way deal. He’ll earn another $109,318 on his second 10-day pact, while the Knicks carry a cap hit of $105,522.

Once Jeffries’ second 10-day contract expires, he’ll be ineligible to sign a third with New York, so the team will have to either let him walk or bring him back on a rest-of-season contract (standard or two-way).

Meyers Leonard Signs Rest-Of-Season Deal With Bucks

March 15th, 2023 at 7:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 15: The Bucks have officially signed Leonard for the rest of the season, the team confirmed in a press release on Tuesday night.

It’s a minimum-salary deal, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Leonard will earn $409,916, while the Bucks will take on a cap hit of $284,911. However, the actual cost of the signing will exceed $1MM, according to Owczarski, due to the fact that team salary is well over the luxury tax line.

Leonard said on Tuesday that he’s “connected really well across the whole organization” since arriving in Milwaukee on his first 10-day deal and is grateful to the Bucks for bringing him aboard.

“I texted (general manager) Jon (Horst). I’m hoping to talk to (team governor) Marc (Lasry) at some point at length, or a little bit more intimately I guess, to say thank you,” Leonard said, per Owczarski. “They changed my life. They really did. This is going to be hard for me not to get emotional right now. It’s honestly hard to describe what this feeling feels like.”

MARCH 14: The Bucks are signing center Meyers Leonard for the remainder of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Milwaukee had to make a decision whether to offer Leonard a standard contract or let him go, since his second 10-day contract has expired. In five appearances thus far, Leonard is averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game.

Prior to joining the Bucks, Leonard hadn’t played since the 2020/21 season.

A combination of personal controversy and ankle and shoulder surgery recoveries kept him sidelined in the intervening seasons. Leonard was flipped from the Heat to the Thunder after using an antisemitic slur during a video game live stream. Oklahoma City subsequently released him.

The seven-foot Leonard, 31, provides big man depth for a club with Brook Lopez starting in the middle and Bobby Portis backing him up on most nights.