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Magic Sign Cory Joseph

July 19th, 2024 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

July 19: Joseph’s contract is now official, the Magic announced in a press release.

July 17: The Magic and free agent point guard Cory Joseph have agreed to a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Scotto, Joseph’s new contract will cover two seasons.

A first-round pick in 2011, Joseph has spent 13 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Spurs, Raptors, Pacers, Kings, Pistons, and Warriors since entering the league.

The veteran guard, who will turn 33 next month, averaged just 11.4 minutes per contest in 26 appearances for Golden State last season before being dealt to the Pacers in February in a salary-dump trade. He was subsequently waived by Indiana.

Though he wasn’t effective in 2023/24, Joseph has a solid career résumé as a backup point guard. The Canadian has averaged 6.9 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game across 816 regular season outings, with a shooting line of .441/.349/.786.

While the exact terms of Joseph’s agreement haven’t been reported, I’d expect it to be a veteran’s minimum deal.

It’s also unclear whether or not the first year will be fully guaranteed. It seems safe to assume that the second year, at least, will be non-guaranteed, as Orlando has made a habit in recent years of tacking on second-year team options for many of its signees — Gary Harris and Moritz Wagner both got them earlier this month.

[Update: Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) confirms that the second year of Joseph’s contract will be a team option.]

The Magic entered the day with 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, so Joseph looks like the leading candidate to fill the 15th spot on the club’s standard roster for now.

Assuming he makes the regular season roster, Joseph will provide depth and veteran leadership in a young backcourt that includes Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, and Anthony Black. It looks increasingly unlikely that former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz is in Orlando’s plans going forward. Fultz remains an unrestricted free agent.

Clippers, Jazz Complete Trade Involving Westbrook, Dunn

July 18th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Rory Maher

8:04pm: The trade is official, according to an announcement from the Jazz, who also acquired the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica (the No. 57 pick in 2021) in the deal.

1:33pm: The Clippers are sending Russell Westbrook, a second-round pick swap, and cash to the Jazz in order to acquire free agent guard Kris Dunn via sign-and-trade, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The second-round swap will be for 2030, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Westbrook is expected to reach a buyout agreement with Utah and eventually sign with the Nuggets once he clears waivers, according to Wojnarowski.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that Dunn will sign a three-year, $17MM contract. The final season of Dunn’s deal with Los Angeles will be a team option, per Woj (Twitter link).

Strangely, this will be the second time that Westbrook will be traded to — and then waived by — Utah in 17 months, with the first instance coming in February 2023. In this case, the Jazz are acquiring a second-round swap and some cash in exchange for using a small chunk of their cap room to take Westbrook’s salary off L.A.’s books.

The 35-year-old will earn a little over $4MM this season, while the minimum salary for a player with his amount of experience will earn about $3.3MM. We’ll have to wait and see how much he gives up in the buyout, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be on a minimum-salary deal with the Nuggets — it’s all they can offer due to their financial situation.

Westbrook exercised his player option this summer but reports came out almost immediately saying the Clips were working with him on a trade. He has essentially only been linked to Denver, which has an opening at backup point guard after salary dumping Reggie Jackson to Charlotte.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is reportedly a fan of Westbrook, who also received an endorsement from veteran center DeAndre Jordan. The nine-time All-Star and former MVP averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals on .454/.273/.688 shooting in 68 games with the Clips last season (22.5 minutes per contest).

Haynes reported on July 1 that Dunn would sign with the Clippers, with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports later stating that the two sides were working on sign-and-trade scenarios to open a wider salary range for the 30-year-old guard. It took a few weeks, but a deal has finally come to fruition.

The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Dunn didn’t live up to his draft billing in Minnesota or Chicago during the early years of his career, but has evolved into a solid rotation piece in recent years. Dunn spent the past two seasons in Utah, where he provided solid, versatile defense in the Jazz’s backcourt and earned praise from head coach Will Hardy for his voice in the locker room.

In 88 total appearances (35 starts) across two seasons in Utah, Dunn averaged 7.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .497/.395/.741.

Spurs Re-Sign Charles Bassey On One-Year Contract

July 17th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 17: Bassey’s new deal has been officially completed, the Spurs announced in a press release.

JULY 16: The Spurs are re-signing center Charles Bassey to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.2MM contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Bassey has played with San Antonio the past two seasons. The addition of Bassey will give San Antonio a full 15-man roster. San Antonio also reached an agreement with Sandro Mamukelashvili on Tuesday.

San Antonio waived Bassey earlier this month in order to complete the three-team trade with the Kings and Bulls highlighted by DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes.

Bassey, 23, suffered a torn left ACL in December while playing for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Bassey was averaging 3.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game with the NBA club in 19 appearances prior to the injury. He made $2.6MM last season.

There haven’t been any updates on Bassey’s condition but obviously the Spurs felt comfortable enough about his rehab to give him a guaranteed deal. The terms reported by Charania suggest it’ll be worth the minimum — for a player with Bassey’s three years of service, that would be $2,162,606.

The big man was drafted by the Sixers in the 2021 second round and spent one year in Philadelphia.

Raptors Sign Jamison Battle To Exhibit 10 Contract

July 16th, 2024 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have signed undrafted forward Jamison Battle to an Exhibit 10 contract, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.

The 6’7” Battle averaged 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 31.4 minutes per game in 35 starts as a fifth-year senior at Ohio State last season. He shot 46.9% from the field and 43.3% from beyond the arc, which ranked second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Battle also led the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 92.6%.

Battle played two seasons at George Washington (2019-21) and two at Minnesota (2021-23) prior to joining the Buckeyes.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or the player can earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate, in this case the Raptors 905.

Warriors Sign Daeqwon Plowden To Two-Way Deal

July 16th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

7:17pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.

11:31am: Free agent guard Daeqwon Plowden has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Warriors, agent Drew Kelso tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Plowden, who went undrafted out of Bowling Green in 2022, has spent his first two professional seasons in the G League, playing for the Birmingham Squadron in 2022/23 and the Osceola Magic in ’23/24.

In 49 Showcase Cup and regular season outings for Osceola last season, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .472/.397/.797.

The 6’6″ wing has made his case for a spot on Golden State’s 18-man regular season roster this month with his performance for the Warriors’ Summer League teams in California and Las Vegas. In five total Summer League games (24.2 MPG), Plowden has averaged 16.6 PPG on .537/.481/.706 shooting.

As our tracker shows, Plowden is poised to fill the Warriors’ only open two-way slot. Pat Spencer and Reece Beekman currently occupy the other two spots. Spencer is a carryover from last season’s roster – his two-way contract, signed in February, included a second year – so if Golden State wants to create a two-way opening for second-round pick Quinten Post, he might be the odd man out.

Thunder Officially Sign Alex Ducas To Two-Way Contract

July 16th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Thunder have signed undrafted rookie free agent Alex Ducas to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. The agreement between the two sides was first reported shortly after the draft concluded last month.

Ducas spent all five of his college seasons at Saint Mary’s. In 34 games in 2023/24, the 6’6″ Australian sharpshooter averaged 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.1 minutes per contest while knocking down 43.8% of his three-point attempts.

Ducas ranked 32nd on ESPN’s list of the draft-eligible players who weren’t among the 58 selected in June.

All three of the Thunder’s two-way slots are now filled. In addition to Ducas, the team is carrying Adam Flagler and Ajay Mitchell on two-way deals.

Oklahoma City also has 14 players on standard contracts (13 fully guaranteed) and has reportedly agreed to sign Malevy Leons and Buddy Boeheim to Exhibit 10 deals.

PJ Dozier Signs With Timberwolves

July 15th, 2024 at 9:35pm CST by Tristan Tucker

JULY 15: The signing is official, according to a team press release. The minimum-salary contract is worth $2.6MM and is partially guaranteed, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets.

JULY 3: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement with free agent guard PJ Dozier, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reports (Twitter link). The contract will be for one year, per Krawczysnki, and figures to be worth the minimum, given Minnesota’s cap limitations.

Dozier is a six-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has spent the majority of his career in Denver, playing 97 of his 121 career games for the team and overlapping with former Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who now runs the Wolves’ front office.

Dozier played well as a reserve for the Nuggets in 2020/21, averaging 7.7 PPG in 21.8 MPG across 50 games. However, he suffered a torn ACL the following season and was subsequently traded and waived. He last played for Sacramento in ’22/23, but only appeared in 16 games before heading to play with Partizan Belgrade, where he averaged 9.2 PPG last season.

Dozier was actually with the Wolves for training camp in 2022, but ultimately didn’t make the team. Before signing his 10-day contracts with Sacramento in ’22/23, he spent the majority of the year playing for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate.

After tearing his ACL, Dozier’s camp kept in touch with Connelly, who remains high on the 27-year-old guard, Krawczynski reports (Twitter link).

According to The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine, Dozier’s deal is for a 15-man roster spot (Twitter link). After reportedly coming to an agreement with sharpshooter Joe Ingles earlier Wednesday, the Timberwolves are up to 14 standard contracts.

Seth Curry Returns To Hornets On One-Year Deal

July 15th, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Seth Curry is returning to the Hornets on a one-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The signing is official, according to a Hornets press release.

Curry, who turns 34 next month, was waived by Charlotte last month before his $4MM salary for next season became guaranteed. It was noted at that time both sides were interested in exploring another contract. He’ll provide depth at the shooting guard spot.

The younger brother of Stephen Curry, Seth actually has a better career three-point percentage (43.1%) than his superstar sibling (42.6%). However, the 33-year-old – who obviously isn’t Steph’s equal as a play-maker or all-around scorer – is coming off a down year in 2023/24. He appeared in a total of 44 games for the Mavericks and Hornets, averaging just 5.1 points per game on .392/.352/.903 shooting.

The younger Curry, who was sent from Dallas to Charlotte in February as part of the trade package for P.J. Washington, was able to suit up for just eight games down the stretch for his hometown Hornets, as his season ended early due to a sprained ankle.

While the terms of Curry’s new contract weren’t reported, a minimum-salary agreement seems likely.

KJ Martin Re-Signs With Sixers

July 15th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Tristan Tucker

JULY 15: The Sixers have officially re-signed Martin, according to a team press release.

“KJ Martin is a talented young player who brings athleticism and versatility to our front court,” team executive Daryl Morey said. “He’s a fearless competitor who is just scratching the surface of his potential. We’re eager to see his continued growth here in Philadelphia.”

The second year of Martin’s deal is non-guaranteed, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

JULY 13: Forward KJ Martin is signing a two-year deal to return to the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Martin is set to earn a maximum of $16MM over the two years of the deal.

While Martin’s production with the Sixers last season was modest — 3.7 points per game in 58 appearances with Philadelphia — re-signing on such a contract allows the Sixers to maintain trade flexibility.

Philadelphia originally acquired Martin as part of the trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers early in the 2023/24 season. Martin didn’t play much for either the Sixers or the Clippers, but he was impressive early in his career with the Rockets. The No. 52 pick in 2020 by the Rockets, Martin averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 206 games in the first three seasons over his career.

Still just 23, Martin can serve as a deep reserve option at the forward position for the Sixers or be used as a trade piece when he becomes eligible to be dealt in January.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (Twitter link), the Sixers will be over the first apron after they fill out their roster and will not be able to take in more salary than they send out. However, Philadelphia could package Martin’s deal with others to acquire another player making less at the deadline. Alternatively, he could be traded into a team’s cap space and allow the Sixers to duck the luxury tax.

We wrote that such a move was a likely outcome after the Sixers renounced nearly all of their free agent cap holds except for Martin’s earlier this week.

In 266 career appearances with the Rockets, Clippers and Sixers, Martin holds career averages of 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Knicks Sign Cameron Payne To One-Year Contract

July 15th, 2024 at 6:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:06pm: The Knicks have officially signed Payne, the team’s PR department tweets.

6:20pm: The Knicks are signing reserve point guard Cameron Payne to a one-year contract, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT tweets.

The Knicks are using the veteran’s minimum exception to sign Payne, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. The deal will be worth approximately just over $3MM.

Payne will immediately jump into the mix for backup minutes behind star floor leader Jalen Brunson.

Payne, 29, will be joining his seventh team since entering the league in 2015. He split his time between the Bucks and Sixers last season.

Milwaukee traded Payne and a 2027 second-round pick to Philadelphia for Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline. With Milwaukee, Payne appeared in 47 games and averaged 6.2 points and 2.3 assists in 14.9 minutes. With the Sixers, Payne saw action in 31 regular-season contests, averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 assists in 19.4 minutes. He also appeared in a handful of Philadelphia’s playoff games.

The addition of Payne makes it less likely that second-round pick Tyler Kolek will play a rotation role in his rookie year. Miles McBride is another candidate for regular minutes among the backcourt reserves.

The Knicks had also expressed interest in free agent point man Tyus Jones, according to Begley, who says that Payne’s playoff experience added to his appeal. The addition of Payne gives the Knicks 13 players on the roster, Begley notes (Twitter link), so at least one more move is coming.

Payne was arrested in Arizona this offseason after he made a false report and would not identify himself.