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Pistons Waive Keifer Sykes

September 17th, 2022 at 10:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have waived guard Keifer Sykes, according to RealGM.

The Pistons signed Sykes to an Exhibit 10 deal this week in a move designed to get him a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League team. Motor City traded for Sykes’ G League returning rights in July.

The 28-year-old made it to the NBA for the first time last season, appearing in 32 games for the Pacers and averaging 5.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.9 APG in 17.7 MPG. Since going undrafted out of Wisconsin Green Bay in 2015, Sykes has played for several G League teams and a long list of overseas clubs.

Sykes averaged 16.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 7.5 APG for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season.

Bucks Sign, Waive Rob Edwards

September 17th, 2022 at 9:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks signed and waived guard Rob Edwards, according to RealGM.

The purpose for signing Edwards to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waiving him was to ensure he’ll get a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate. The Herd acquired Edwards’ returning rights in a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue earlier this month.

Edwards signed with and appeared in two NBA games for the Thunder last season under the hardship exception during the wave of COVID that struck the league in late December. In 32 G League games for the OKC Blue, Edwards averaged 13.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG. He shot 34.4% from 3-point range.

Edwards went undrafted in 2020 out of Arizona State.

Dennis Schröder Signs One-Year Deal With Lakers

September 16th, 2022 at 7:57pm CST by Rory Maher

7:57pm: Schröder’s deal with the Lakers is now official, the team announced in a press release.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Dennis Schröder back to the Lakers,” said GM Rob Pelinka. “Not only do Dennis and Coach Ham share a player-coach history together, but they also reflect one another’s mentality of toughness with an extremely competitive edge. Dennis will add both depth and an on-ball defensive presence to our core at the guard position. He is also a proven scorer and playmaker. We are really excited for Dennis to get to camp and get back to work in L.A. after his highly successful run with his national team this offseason.”

4:35pm: Free agent point guard Dennis Schröder is signing a one-year contract with the Lakers, his agent Mark Bartelstein tells Marc Stein (via Twitter).

The Lakers don’t have any cap space available and used their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Lonnie Walker, so Schröder will receive a minimum-salary deal, as Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms (Twitter link). Schröder will earn $2.64MM for the upcoming season as a nine-year veteran, while the Lakers’ cap hit will be $1.84MM.

It will be a reunion for the two sides, as Schröder spent the 2020/21 season with Los Angeles. Stein reported last month that the Lakers were giving “legit consideration” to bringing Schröder back, and now that has come to fruition.

Schröder reportedly turned down a four-year extension from the Lakers worth $80MM+ during the 2020/21 season, then had to settle last summer for a one-year, $5.9MM deal with the Celtics, who eventually traded him to the Rockets in February. Now he’ll return to L.A. on a minimum contract.

In 64 games (28.7 MPG) split between Boston and Houston during the ’21/22 season, Schröder averaged 13.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 4.6 APG on .431/.344/.853 shooting.

Schröder, who turned 29 years old yesterday, is coming off a strong performance at EuroBasket, where he led Germany to the semifinals before falling to Spain earlier today. He averaged 26.0 points and 8.0 assists in the three elimination games, including a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting against Spain.

According to Stein (Twitter link), Schröder’s international performance raised his free agent stock, and now he’ll get the reunion he desired. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports (via Twitter) that Schröder had been talking to the Lakers “for months” about a possible return, noting that the veteran guard played under new head coach Darvin Ham while the two were with the Hawks.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), the team’s backcourt is looking pretty crowded with Schröder’s addition, but he was the best unrestricted free agent available on the market and the Lakers need to add talent wherever they can find it after missing the playoffs with a 33-49 record last season. Sources tell Stein (Twitter link) that Ham will be in charge of the team’s lineup, but L.A. reportedly views Russell Westbrook and Schröder as point guards, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn as shooting guards, and Austin Reaves as a small forward behind LeBron James.

In addition to the players Stein mentioned, the Lakers also have Walker, second-round pick Max Christie, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Troy Brown on the wing, though Toscano-Anderson is versatile enough to play in the frontcourt at times as well.

Once Schröder’s deal is official, the Lakers will have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, two on non-guaranteed deals (Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel) and both two-way slots filled. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, adding a 15th player to the standard roster would cost the Lakers $7MM due to the luxury tax.

Jazz Waive Xavier Sneed, Paris Bass

September 16th, 2022 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have officially waived forwards Xavier Sneed and Paris Bass, the team announced today in a press release. Utah now has 18 players under contract — 17 on guaranteed standard deals and one on a two-way pact.

Sneed, 24, signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Jazz in February and appeared in seven games with the team down the stretch, logging a total of 31 minutes. The former Kansas State standout also saw a little action in two contests with the Grizzlies earlier in the season after signing a 10-day deal with Memphis.

Bass, meanwhile, has spent most of his professional career playing in international leagues after going undrafted out of Detroit Mercy in 2017. He made his NBA debut last season, appearing in two games for the Suns over the course of two 10-day contracts.

Bass had been on an Exhibit 10 contract with Utah and may end up joining the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate.

Pacers Sign Kendall Brown, James Johnson, Three Others

September 16th, 2022 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially announced a series of signings, confirming in a press release that they’ve signed second-round pick Kendall Brown to a two-way contract. Additionally, forwards James Johnson and Bennie Boatwright and guards David Stockton and Gabe York have signed with the club.

Brown, a 6’8″ forward who was selected with the No. 48 overall pick in this year’s draft, was one of the only remaining unsigned players in the 2022 class, besides those who will spend the 2022/23 overseas. The 19-year-old spent his first and only college season at Baylor in 2021/22, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .584/.341/.689 shooting in 34 games (27.0 MPG) for the Bears.

The Pacers were the NBA’s only team that had yet to fill one of its two-way contract slots, so even after signing Brown, the club has another two-way opening available.

Of the four veteran free agents to sign with Indiana, Johnson is the most notable. The 35-year-old spent most of last season in Brooklyn, registering 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 62 appearances (19.2 MPG) for the Nets. A 13-year NBA veteran, Johnson has a somewhat limited offensive game, but is considered a versatile, athletic defender. He was waived by the Nets just days before the regular season ended and should have an opportunity to make the Pacers’ regular season roster.

Boatwright and York played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – the Pacers’ G League affiliate – last season and look like good candidates to return to Fort Wayne in 2022/23. Stockton played in the G League last season for the Memphis Hustle, but his rights were acquired by the Mad Ants last month, so he’s also a good bet to play in Fort Wayne this season.

The Pacers now have a full 20-man roster. Assuming Johnson, Boatwright, York, and Stockton didn’t receive guaranteed contracts, the team has 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, six on non-guaranteed deals, and Brown on a two-way pact. We can probably expect more roster turnover in Indiana in the coming weeks, since the club has reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with several other players.

Malik Ellison Joins Hawks On Exhibit 10 Contract

September 16th, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

SEPTEMBER 16: The Hawks have officially announced the signing of Ellison, confirming the move in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 15: Malik Ellison will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hawks, Ellison’s agent Jerry Dianis informs Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 6’6″ shooting guard out of Hartford joined Atlanta’s NBAGL club, the College Park Skyhawks, to start the 2021/22 season. In December, the Hawks signed Ellison to a 10-day deal, though he did not appear in a single game for Atlanta. Instead, he returned to College Park to close out the year.

Across 26 regular season contests with the Skyhawks, he averaged 6.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, and 0.6 BPG, with a shooting line of .443/.316/.833. Ellison is coming off an August run with USA Basketball, where he helped Team USA qualify for the 2023 World Cup.

Ellison is on track to join fellow Exhibit 10 signings Tyson Etienne and Chris Silva when Atlanta’s training camp opens later this month. The team has 13 players inked to guaranteed deals on its standard 15-man roster, plus a 14th, Tyrese Martin, on a partially guaranteed deal. Both of the Hawks’ two-way slots are occupied. It is more likely than not that Ellison will return to the Skyhawks to open the season.

Nets Bring Back Guard Chris Chiozza

September 16th, 2022 at 11:22am CST by Dana Gauruder

11:22am: Chiozza signed an Exhibit 10 contract, per NetsDaily (Twitter link).

9:31am: The Nets have signed free agent guard Chris Chiozza, according to a team press release.

Chiozza has appeared in 91 regular season NBA games during his career, including 40 with the Nets from 2019-21. He saw action in 10 playoff games with Brooklyn during that span.

He has also played for the Warriors, Wizards and Rockets with career averages of 3.3 PPG and 2.4 APG in 11.4 MPG.

Last season, he appeared in 34 games with Golden State after signing a two-way contract. He became a free agent when the Warriors didn’t extend a $1,968,175 qualifying offer to him in late June.

The terms of his latest contract weren’t disclosed, but it’s likely to be a non-guaranteed deal with Chiozza looking to secure a spot on the 15-man roster. Brooklyn has 12 players on guaranteed deals and three others on non- or partially-guaranteed contracts.

Nets Sign David Duke Jr. To Another Two-Way Contract

September 16th, 2022 at 9:14am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have re-signed guard David Duke Jr. to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.

The signing came as no surprise, as a report surfaced late last month that Duke was likely to return on a two-way deal. Former Wake Forest guard Alondes Williams holds the other two-way slot. Duke will earn about $502K (half the rookie minimum) on the deal, and could eventually have it converted into a standard contract if he’s productive.

The Nets tendered a two-way contract offer to Duke earlier this summer. Duke had initially passed on the proposal and was reportedly eyeing a spot on Brooklyn’s 15-man roster but eventually settled for another two-way deal.

Duke Jr. played on a two-way contract last season. In 22 games (seven starts) for Brooklyn, he averaged 4.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15.5 MPG. The 22-year-old started games for the G League Long Island Nets, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in 29.5 MPG. He also averaged 19.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.4 SPG in 28.6 MPG in five Summer League games this July.

Prior to joining the Nets, Duke went undrafted in 2021 after playing three seasons at Providence College.

Javonte Smart To Sign Training Camp Deal With Pelicans

September 15th, 2022 at 5:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent guard Javonte Smart is set to sign a training camp deal with the Pelicans, sources inform JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

After going undrafted out of LSU in 2021, the 6’4″ point guard inked two-way contracts with the Bucks and Heat during the 2021/22 season. Across 17 NBA games, the 23-year-old averaged 3.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 11.8 MPG on .317/.296/.833 shooting splits.

In 25 contests with the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Smart got considerably more run, averaging 21.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.9 SPG. He also posted a shooting line of .419/.320/.754.

New Orleans currently has guards Daeqwon Plowden and John Petty signed to Exhibit 10 training camp contracts, making Smart their third addition whenever the agreement becomes official.

Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Camp Deal

September 15th, 2022 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 15: The Knicks have officially signed Jeffries, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 14: The Knicks are signing free agent swingman DaQuan Jeffries to a training camp contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jeffries will receive an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link).

Jeffries, 25, spent most of his first two NBA seasons with the Kings after going undrafted out of Tulsa in 2019. He spent time near the end of the 2020/21 season with the Rockets, then had a brief stint with the Grizzlies in ’21/22. In total, he has averaged 3.8 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 47 appearances (13.7 MPG) for Sacramento, Houston, and Memphis.

Jeffries has had a larger role at the G League level since going pro, recording averages of 15.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG on .469/.342/.778 shooting in 43 games (29.0 MPG) for the Stockton Kings and College Park Skyhawks.

Jeffries, who has also represented Team USA in several World Cup qualifying games over the last year, played for the Knicks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this July.

The Knicks currently have 15 players officially under contract — 13 on guaranteed standard deals and a pair on two-way pacts. Jean Montero and Garrison Brooks have also reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts.

While it’s unclear what New York’s plans are for Jeffries, it’s possible he could claim one of the two open spots on the team’s projected 15-man regular season roster if he has a strong camp and preseason.