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Kevin Love Signs With Heat

February 20th, 2023 at 5:28pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 20: Love has officially signed with the Heat, the team announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 19: Veteran forward Kevin Love intends to sign with the Heat after he clears waivers, agent Jeff Schwartz has confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Miami had been considered the frontrunner to sign Love after he completed a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers on Saturday. However, reports at the time indicated that he hadn’t yet made a final decision, with Wojnarowski noting that the 34-year-old still wanted to meet with the Sixers. Now, following that conversation with Philadelphia, it appears Love has made up his mind (Twitter link).

The Heat were viewed as a logical landing spot for Love because they can offer him the ability to play a key role right away. Miami has been on the lookout for power forward help for months, following P.J. Tucker‘s exit in free agency last summer. Caleb Martin has been the de facto starter at that spot for much of the season, but the 6’5″ wing lacks the size to match up with stronger, more physical fours.

Love, who fell out of the rotation in Cleveland last month and played his last game as a Cavalier on January 24, can’t replicate what Tucker did for the Heat last season, since he’s not as stout or as versatile defensively. But the five-time All-Star will bring some size, scoring, and rebounding to a Miami team that ranks 26th in the NBA in offensive rating (111.1) and 27th in rebounds per game (41.4) at the All-Star break.

Love’s averages of 8.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .389/.354/.889 shooting in 41 games (20.0 MPG) for the Cavs this season are somewhat underwhelming, but he put up 13.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and a .430/.392/.838 shooting line in a similar role (22.5 MPG) across 74 appearances for Cleveland last season.

The Heat won’t have to make a corresponding roster move to sign Love, since they have two open spots on their 15-man roster following the expiration of Jamaree Bouyea‘s 10-day deal with the team. Even after signing Love, Miami will have one more opening to either bring back Bouyea on another 10-day contract, promote Orlando Robinson from his two-way deal, or sign someone else.

According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Cody Zeller – who recently worked out for the Heat – has emerged as a strong candidate to fill that final open roster spot.

Having been officially waived on Saturday, Love will clear waivers on Monday, so the Heat are in position to sign him before their season resumes on Friday in Milwaukee. Miami has a portion of its mid-level exception and its full bi-annual exception available, giving the club the ability to offer Love more than the veteran’s minimum, but the terms of his deal haven’t yet been reported.

In addition to Miami and Philadelphia, the Suns and Lakers were among the other teams believed to have some level of interest in Love.

Clippers Sign Nate Darling To Two-Way Deal

February 17th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have signed Nate Darling to a two-way contract, the team announced.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past couple seasons with the Clippers’ G League affiliate in Ontario, California.

He had a strong showing during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.5 APG on .469/.440/.828 shooting in 19 games (31.1 MPG). That has carried over to the 2022/23 regular season with Ontario, as he’s averaging 21.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .464/.389/.868 shooting in 20 games (31.7 MPG).

The Clippers waived Moses Brown earlier today, which was reportedly a mutual decision after he had reached his two-way games played limit. Darling will fill that two-way opening and can be active for up to 15 regular season games. He won’t be playoff-eligible.

Los Angeles still has one standard roster spot open, but both two-way slots are now filled.

Clippers Waive Moses Brown

February 17th, 2023 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially waived center Moses Brown, the team announced today. Brown had been on a two-way contract, but reached his games-played limit when he was active for a 50th time on Thursday, as Law Murray of The Athletic notes (via Twitter).

Murray first reported (via Twitter) that the Clippers would cut Brown to free up his two-way slot. Agent Luke Glass tells ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) that it was a mutual decision, since the 23-year-old was ineligible to play another game for the Clippers this season while on his two-way deal.

Brown appeared in 34 games for the Clippers, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He served as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac, but wasn’t always a part of the rotation and slid further down the depth chart following L.A.’s trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Plumlee.

Brown, who is in his fourth NBA season, will have the ability to sign a standard or two-way deal with any team if he clears waivers on Sunday. He has previously spent time with Portland, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Cleveland.

The Clippers now have two openings on their 17-man roster — one on their standard 15-man squad and one two-way slot.

Jazz Waive Leandro Bolmaro

February 16th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Rory Maher

7:30pm: Bolmaro actually reached a buyout agreement with the Jazz, reports Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Bolmaro wanted to return to Europe in order to get playing time and Utah accommodated his request, per Walden.

4:55pm: The Jazz have officially waived Bolmaro, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Utah now has 13 players on standard contracts and will have up to two weeks to add a 14th man.

2:24pm: The Jazz intend to waive Leandro Bolmaro, sources tell Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bolmaro, a 6’6″ guard from Argentina, was the 23rd overall pick of the 2020 draft, but wound up signing his contract a year later, so he’s only in his second NBA season. The Jazz declined their third-year team option on the 22-year-old before the 2022/23 season began, which indicated that he might not be in Utah’s long-term plans.

As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune notes (via Twitter), the Jazz’s backcourt was shorthanded during Wednesday’s loss to Memphis — Russell Westbrook is away from the team as he explores his options, and Collin Sexton exited the game early with a left hamstring injury (Twitter link via Larsen). The fact that Utah opted not to use Bolmaro in that situation was a pretty ominous sign.

Larsen has heard the Spurs may have been interested in Bolmaro in the past. San Antonio’s 17-man roster is full at this point, however.

Bolmaro spent his rookie season with the Timberwolves, but was sent to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert trade. In 49 career games, including 14 this season with the Jazz, Bolmaro has averaged just 6.3 minutes per contest.

If he clears waivers, the former first-round pick will receive $2,471,160 from Utah and will become an unrestricted free agent.

Julian Champagnie Claimed Off Waivers By Spurs

February 16th, 2023 at 6:02pm CST by Rory Maher

6:02pm: San Antonio confirmed in an email that it claimed Champagnie. He will wear No. 30 for the Spurs.

4:20pm: The Spurs have claimed Julian Champagnie off waivers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowki (Twitter link).

An undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, Champagnie had been with Philadelphia on a two-way contract, but he was recently waived in favor of Mac McClung. The Spurs have an open two-way spot, so they won’t need to release anyone to acquire Champagnie.

The 21-year-old spent three college seasons with the Red Storm, averaging 19.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .414/.337/.781 shooting in 31 games (34.2 MPG) as a junior. He only appeared in two games with the Sixers for a total of seven minutes, having spent the majority of his first pro season with their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The 6’8″ forward had an impressive run during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .465/.347/.839 shooting in 14 games (35.1 MPG). His numbers have declined since the regular season began, with Champagnie recording 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .419/.352/.875 shooting in 18 games (28.7 MPG) for the Blue Coats.

The Spurs now have a full 15-man standard roster and both two-way slots filled — Dominick Barlow occupies the other.

Kevin Love, Cavaliers Nearing Buyout Agreement

February 16th, 2023 at 12:11am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is working toward a buyout agreement with the team, sources inform Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

Love is currently making $28.9MM in the final season of a four-year, $120MM contract extension he signed with the team in 2018. The deal kicked in the following season.

According to The Athletic’s writers, the Heat are already said to be interested in procuring Love’s services. Given Miami’s issues with floor spacing and its lack of traditionally sized power forwards, this would feel like a natural fit.

The 34-year-old big man has been with the Cavaliers since he was traded to the club by the Timberwolves ahead of the 2014/15 NBA season.

Love, a five-time All-Star, won a title in Cleveland in 2016 alongside All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. As Charania and Lloyd note, the former No. 5 pick out of UCLA was the only remaining player from that title team who was part of the exciting ’22/23 club that is currently the fourth seed in the East.

The 6’10” vet had fallen out of Cleveland rotation last month around the same time Dean Wade returned from a shoulder injury. Love played what could be his last game for the team on January 24, a 105-103 loss to the Knicks.

Even before that, Love had taken more of a backseat to Cleveland’s starting frontcourt tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen this season. 6’7″ Cedi Osman has taken on more minutes as the team’s de facto reserve power forward of late.

Across 41 games while still in the team’s rotation, Love posted averages of 8.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG, with shooting splits of .389/.354/.889.

Justin Holiday Signs With Mavs After Buyout With Rockets

February 15th, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 15: Holiday’s new contract with the Mavericks is official, the team announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 13, 9:05pm: Holiday has officially been waived by the Rockets, according to the NBA transactions log.

FEBRUARY 13, 12:17pm: Veteran swingman Justin Holiday has reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets and intends to sign with the Mavericks after he clears waivers, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Marc Stein reported Sunday evening (via Twitter) that the Mavs would be interested in Holiday if he was bought out by Houston. Dallas was also reportedly interested in Terrence Ross, who plans to sign with the Suns after being bought out by Orlando. However, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Holiday was the Mavs’ top potential buyout target (Twitter link).

Holiday, 34, was sent to Houston from Atlanta as part of a cost-cutting trade by the Hawks. Now in his 10th season, Holiday didn’t get much playing time with Atlanta in 2022/23, making 28 appearances while averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes per game.

A report after the trade indicated that the Rockets were interested in keeping Holiday around, perhaps even beyond this season. Obviously that didn’t work out, with Holiday spotted having an extended conversation with coach Stephen Silas during Monday’s shootaround (Twitter link via Kelly Iko of The Athletic).

The Mavs dealt away Dorian Finney-Smith as part of the Kyrie Irving trade, so Holiday will provide some additional depth on the wing. Dallas technically has a full 15-man roster, but big man Chris Silva is only on a 10-day deal — if Dallas wants to sign Holiday before the All-Star break, Silva’s contract would likely be ended early to make room for the newcomer.

Suns Officially Sign Terrence Ross

February 15th, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have officially signed free agent swingman Terrence Ross, the team announced today in a press release.

Ross reached an agreement to join the Suns after finalizing a buyout agreement with the Magic, so today’s announcement had been expected. He cleared waivers on Tuesday, paving the way for him to join Phoenix just before the All-Star break.

Ross had been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline. He had been considered a trade candidate for the last couple years, but ended up staying put — with his contract set to expire at season’s end, the team agreed to set him free a little early by completing a buyout.

The 32-year-old averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the Magic, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as Orlando has gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season, though he’s knocking down 38.1% of his three-point attempts in 2022/23.

The Mavericks reportedly pursued Ross along with the Suns and believed they were poised to sign him. Instead, the veteran wing chose the opportunity to compete for a title in Phoenix alongside Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and new Sun Kevin Durant. With Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson having been sent to Brooklyn in the Durant trade, the door is open for Ross to earn a rotation role.

Ross surrendered $918,516 in his buyout agreement with the Magic, Hoops Rumors has learned. That’s the equivalent of his minimum salary for 55 days. There are now 54 days left in the regular season, so if he received a minimum-salary deal from Phoenix, Ross will earn slightly less than what he gave up. His contract details aren’t yet known.

Since the Suns had a pair of open spots on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move was necessary to officially add Ross. The team still has one roster opening available.

Cavaliers Sign Danny Green

February 15th, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 15, 8:05am: The Cavaliers have officially signed Green, the team confirmed in a press release.

FEBRUARY 12, 3:04pm: The Cavaliers and Green have reached an agreement, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal will be worth $2MM for the rest of the season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).

That’s more than a prorated minimum-salary contract for Green would be worth, so it’ll come out of Cleveland’s mid-level exception — the team only used a portion of the MLE to sign Ricky Rubio last summer.

The agreement will leave the Cavs’ team salary about $471K below the tax line, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

FEBRUARY 12, 12:21pm: After reaching a buyout agreement with the Rockets earlier today, free agent swingman Danny Green is “nearing an agreement” to sign with the Cavaliers, his Roc Nation Sports agent and attorney Raymond Brothers informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Cleveland, who has needed help stabilizing its small forward position, could benefit from the influence of Green. When healthy, he’s a still-impactful 3-and-D vet who has won three titles for three different clubs.

Woj tweets that Green’s representatives and the Cavs are still sussing out the terms on an agreement.

Green, 35, is recovering from ACL and LCL tears he suffered while in the playoffs with the Sixers last season. He only appeared in three games with Memphis.

For what it’s worth, the 6’7″ wing has tweeted, “It’s not done yet…,” presumably in reference to the impending new contract with Cleveland.

Reggie Jackson Signs With Nuggets

February 14th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 14: Jackson has signed with the Nuggets, the team tweets.

FEBRUARY 11: Former Clippers guard Reggie Jackson is finalizing a buyout agreement with the Hornets and intends to sign with the Nuggets after clearing waivers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Denver had been hoping to land the 32-year-old guard, who was traded to Charlotte on Thursday, but wasn’t required to report to the team. The Nuggets have an opening in their backcourt after sending Bones Hyland to the Clippers in a four-team deal. The Suns also were reported to be heavily interested in Jackson as a buyout candidate.

Denver has an open roster spot, so Jackson can be added without making another move.

Jackson has strong ties to Colorado, notes Harrison Wind of DNVR (Twitter link). He was named Mr. Colorado Basketball as a high school player in 2008 and always has a large cheering section of family and friends whenever he plays in Denver.

Jackson spent the past four years with the Clippers and was the team’s starter at point guard last season. He was taken out of that role this year and saw his playing time cut to 25.7 minutes per night in 52 games.

Assuming Jackson winds up in Denver, other teams in need of a point guard will have to look elsewhere. Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and John Wall are among the players traded this week who are considered strong candidates to become free agents soon.

Those players – and any other buyout candidates – must be waived by March 1 to be eligible for the playoffs with their new teams.