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Grizzlies Waive Sean McDermott To Complete Trade With Wolves

August 25th, 2021 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

In order to create room on their 20-man roster to accommodate a one-for-two trade with the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies have waived wing Sean McDermott, the team announced today in a press release.

McDermott, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2020, quickly caught on with the Grizzlies, signing a two-way deal with the team last November. He appeared in 18 NBA games during his rookie season, averaging 2.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in limited action (8.8 MPG).

Because McDermott’s two-way contract covered two seasons, he had remained under team control to start the 2021/22 league year, but it looks like he’s no longer in the team’s plans for the time being.

Memphis now has an open two-way contract slot, with Killian Tillie occupying the other one. Yves Pons, who is on an Exhibit 10 contract, looks like a candidate to claim the second two-way deal before the regular season, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

Besides Tillie and Pons, the Grizzlies’ other 18 players are on guaranteed contracts. That includes Juan Hernangomez and Jarrett Culver, who were acquired from Minnesota in exchange for Patrick Beverley in the trade that was completed today, and Rajon Rondo, whom Herrington doesn’t expect to still be on the team when the season begins (Twitter link).

Grizzlies Trade Beverley To Wolves For Culver, Hernangomez

August 25th, 2021 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 25: Over a week after agreeing to terms, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves have completed their trade, according to press releases sent out by both teams. Memphis waived Sean McDermott in order to make room on the 20-man roster for the extra incoming player.

AUGUST 17: A day after acquiring him from the Clippers, the Grizzlies have lined up a deal to flip veteran guard Patrick Beverley to the Timberwolves, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, Memphis will receive wing Jarrett Culver and forward Juan Hernangomez from Minnesota in the trade.

As Wojnarowski observes (via Twitter), Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas worked in the Rockets’ front office when Beverley was in Houston and appreciates the toughness and leadership he can bring to a young team. Minnesota lost some point guard depth when the team shipped Ricky Rubio to Cleveland, so Beverley will help fortify that position.

Beverley, 33, averaged 7.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .423/.397/.800 shooting in 37 games (22.5 MPG) for the Clippers in 2020/21 and is considered a strong perimeter defender.

Moving Hernangomez will reduce the Wolves’ options at an already-thin power forward spot, but it may have been a necessary move. There was reportedly tension between the player and the team after Minnesota’s medical staff prevented the 25-year-old from representing Spain at the Tokyo Olympics last month due to a shoulder injury.

Culver, meanwhile, was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft. One of Rosas’ first moves after being hired by the Wolves was to trade Dario Saric and the No. 11 pick (Cameron Johnson) in order to move up for Culver, but he struggled during his first two years in the NBA, putting up a modest 7.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .406/.288/.503 shooting in 97 total games (20.7 MPG).

After taking on some extra 2021/22 money in their trade with the Clippers, the Grizzlies will reduce this year’s team salary a little in this deal — the combined salaries for Culver ($6.4MM) and Hernangomez ($6.9MM) come in slightly lower than Beverley’s cap hit ($14.32MM). Neither player is owed any guaranteed money in 2022/23 yet either, though Culver has an $8.11MM team option and Hernangomez has a $7.42MM non-guaranteed salary.

It’s unclear how Culver and Hernangomez fit into Memphis’ plans. The deal certainly doesn’t help the Grizzlies’ roster crunch — they already had 17 players on guaranteed contracts before swapping out Beverley for two new players, and will actually have to waive someone from their 20-man roster in order to complete the one-for-two trade.

There are likely more moves to come for the Grizzlies, so we’ll have to wait to see what they have in mind for Culver and Hernangomez, but it’s worth noting that Culver is still just 22 years old — the club may seem some untapped potential there. Memphis will have to make a decision on his $8.1MM option for 2022/23 this fall.

Rockets Sign Daishen Nix, Tyler Bey To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 25th, 2021 at 10:18am CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 25: The Rockets have officially signed both Nix and Bey, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 24: The Rockets have agreed to Exhibit 10 training camp deals with undrafted rookie Daishen Nix and 2020 second-round pick Tyler Bey, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Nix was a highly-ranked point guard prospect before joining the G League Ignite last season, where he showcased impressive passing instincts and size, but struggled with his shot. He averaged 8.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.3 APG in 26.5 MPG with the Ignite, but shot just .384/.176/.714.

Nix played Summer League with the Sixers, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.6 SPG in just 11.5 MPG, but only connected on one-of-five three-point attempts in over 57 total minutes.

Bey was selected with the 36th pick in the 2020 draft by the Sixers and was included in the deal that sent Josh Richardson to the Mavericks for Seth Curry. Bey only played 18 games with the Mavs, and averaged just 3.9 minutes a game in those 18 contests, though he recorded 15.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the G League.

The Rockets have no shortage of guards on their roster, but few true point guards, especially if the team is able to move one or both of John Wall or D.J. Augustin, so there’s a chance Nix could find a home if he proves himself in training camp. However, both players face steep competition on a roster full of young, hungry prospects. Unless one earns a two-way contract, they’re more likely to end up playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate.

Celtics Sign Robert Williams To Four-Year Extension

August 24th, 2021 at 6:21pm CST by Luke Adams

August 24: The Celtics have officially extended Williams, per a team press release.

“Rob has embraced being a Celtic from day one,” team president Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He is a great teammate and is completely committed to getting better. We’re excited that he will continue to do so here in Boston.”

August 20: After agreeing to a four-year contract extension with Marcus Smart earlier this week, the Celtics have reached a deal to extend another rotation player through 2025/26. The team is in agreement with big man Robert Williams on a four-year, $54MM deal, agent Kevin Bradbury tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Williams, who will turn 24 in October, saw limited playing time in his first two NBA seasons, partly due to injuries, but emerged as a regular contributor for Boston in 2020/21. In 52 games (18.9 MPG), including 13 starts, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest. His impressive .721 FG% was right in line with his career rate (.720).

Despite only having appeared in 113 regular season games to date, Williams has flashed promise on both ends of the court and brings plenty of athleticism to the Celtics’ frontcourt.

As Wojnarowski notes, the new four-year deal will put the former Texas A&M standout in the top half of NBA centers by annual salary, but he has the potential to outplay it if he stays healthy and continues to improve.

The timing of the deal is interesting. Typically, players eligible for rookie scale extensions reach deals closer to the October deadline, unless they’re obvious max-salary players like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Williams – the fourth player to receive a rookie scale extension in 2021 – is the first one of those four to agree to a deal worth less than the max.

The fact that the Celtics were willing to sign off on a new deal for Williams nearly two months ahead of the deadline suggests they were eager to get the young center locked up and were comfortable with the price point.

The extensions for Smart and Williams all but assure Boston will enter the 2022 offseason as an over-the-cap team, barring some major roster moves between now and then.

Pacers Sign DeJon Jarreau To Two-Way Deal

August 24th, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

August 24: The Pacers have made the two-way signing of Jarreau official, per a team press release. The club also confirmed that Brimah has been waived in a corresponding move.

August 21: Free agent guard DeJon Jarreau will sign a two-way contract with the Pacers, a source tells Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.

Jarreau had an impressive performance with the Heat‘s Summer League team and was considered a strong candidate to sign with Miami. However, it wasn’t clear if the Heat were planning a two-way or Exhibit 10 deal for Jarreau, so he intends to take the offer from Indiana.

Jarreau, 23, is coming off a Final Four season with Houston in which he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference and the Most Outstanding Player in the Midwest Regional. He joined the Heat after going undrafted and put up 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game in Las Vegas.

The Pacers already have a two-way deal in place with rookie shooting guard Duane Washington, so Jarreau would fill the other slot. Amida Brimah technically holds that spot for now, but Indiana doesn’t intend to bring him back. A qualifying offer to Cassius Stanley, who played 24 games last season, was withdrawn last week. It would have amounted to another two-way contract with a $50K guarantee.

Hornets Sign Terry Rozier To Four-Year Extension

August 24th, 2021 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 24: The Hornets have officially signed Rozier to his extension, the team announced today in a press release.

“In his two seasons with the Hornets, Terry Rozier has been an instrumental part of our team,” president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “Terry is a highly competitive, tough and talented player that has continually improved all aspects of his game. He has provided leadership and an infectious work ethic that has been a tremendous benefit to our younger players. Terry is an important member of our young, talented team and we are thrilled to have him as a member of the Hornets organization for years to come.”

AUGUST 19: The Hornets and guard Terry Rozier have agreed to a four-year contract extension, agent Aaron Turner tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The deal, which locks up Rozier through the 2025/26 season, is guaranteed and is for the maximum amount the Hornets could have offered before the 27-year-old reached free agency, according to Charania. That means it’ll start at about $21.49MM in 2022/23 (120% of Rozier’s $17.91MM salary for ’20/21) and will be worth approximately $96.26MM over four years.

Acquired by the Hornets in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Kemba Walker to Boston in 2019, Rozier had enjoyed the two best seasons of his NBA career in Charlotte. In 2020/21, he established new career highs in PPG (20.4), APG (4.2), and FG% (.450), among other categories.

Rozier has also become a reliable threat from beyond the arc, knocking down 39.6% of his 7.5 three-point attempts per game in 132 total contests for the Hornets. He shot three-pointers at a lesser rate (35.4%) on a lesser volume (3.5 attempts per game) during his four years with the Celtics.

Rozier’s play and the emergence of Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball made the Hornets willing to part with Devonte’ Graham in free agency this summer. Rozier and Ball will lead a talented backcourt that also includes free agent addition Ish Smith and 2021 lottery pick James Bouknight.

A total of seven veteran players have now agreed to contract extensions since the new league year began, with Rozier joining Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, and Marcus Smart. Three players – Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – have also finalized rookie scale extensions, as our tracker shows.

Haywood Highsmith To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Sixers

August 24th, 2021 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Haywood Highsmith, who appeared in five games with the Sixers during the 2018/19 season, will reportedly be returning to the team this fall.

Highsmith signed last month with Vanoli Cremona, but the Italian club announced today in a press release that the 24-year-old has exercised the opt-out clause in his contract. According to Vanoli Cremona, Highsmith will be signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Philadelphia.

Highsmith, who went undrafted out of Wheeling in 2018, spent most of the first two seasons of his professional carer playing for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ G League affiliate. In 89 NBAGL games (29.5 MPG), he averaged 11.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .423/.338/.679 shooting. He spent the 2020/21 season with the Crailsheim Merlins in Germany.

Since the Sixers project to have a full regular season roster, Highsmith looks like a long shot to make the 15-man squad. A return to Delaware may be in the cards for the forward, who would be eligible to earn a bonus of up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Blue Coats.

Celtics Sign Josh Richardson To One-Year Extension

August 24th, 2021 at 7:00am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 24: Richardson has officially signed his extension, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

AUGUST 23: The Celtics have agreed to tack on a one-year extension to the current contract of newly-acquired swingman Josh Richardson, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The former Mavericks wing’s contract was initially set to expire in 2022 after paying him $11.6MM this season. Charania notes that Richardson is now set to earn $24MM over the next two years, indicating that Richardson’s one-year extension will likely be worth about $12-13MM in 2022/23.

Earlier this summer, Richardson was sent to Boston in exchange for 7’2″ center Moses Brown in a one-for-one exchange. The Celtics used the remaining portion of their Gordon Hayward trade exception to accommodate the acquisition.

The 6’5″ Richardson, 27, will suit up for his fourth team in four seasons this fall. Initially drafted by the Heat with No. 40 pick out of Tennessee in 2015, he spent his first four seasons in Miami, flashing the potential to become a reliable 3-and-D wing, one of the hottest commodities in the NBA. He was sent to the Sixers as part of the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade in the summer of 2019, and then was moved again, this time to the Mavericks, during the 2020 offseason.

During the 2020/21 season, Richardson averaged 12.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.5 APG, his worst output in those categories since becoming a full-time starter with the Heat in 2017/18. A career 35.8% shooter from long range (on 4.5 attempts a night), Richardson could help Boston in a more limited role as a floor spacer, supporting All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Richardson’s extension is the third one the Celtics have agreed to this month. The team also recently announced a new contract for Marcus Smart and also has a deal in place with Robert Williams.

Magic Sign Moritz Wagner To Two-Year Deal

August 23rd, 2021 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 23: The Magic have officially re-signed Wagner, the team announced in a press release.

AUGUST 4: The Magic have reached an agreement with free agent big man Moritz Wagner on a two-year deal, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Wagner spent his rookie season with the Lakers before being sent to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis blockbuster. He was subsequently flipped to Boston at the 2021 trade deadline in March and then waived in April. The Magic picked him up for the last three weeks of the season and apparently liked what they saw enough to bring him back.

Wagner averaged 11.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG with a shooting line of .409/.372/.879 in 11 games (26.0 MPG) for Orlando. Most of those figures exceeded his previous career highs.

Wagner figures to add depth to a Magic frontcourt that includes Wendell Carter and Mohamed Bamba. The team also reached a one-year deal with Robin Lopez to add some veteran experience to that group.

The move will unite Wagner with his younger brother, Franz Wagner, who was the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft. Orlando officially signed the younger Wagner to his rookie contract on Tuesday.

Wizards Add Jaime Echenique On Exhibit 10 Deal

August 22nd, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards have signed free agent center Jaime Echenique to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Echenique played his college ball at Wichita State from 2018-20. The 24-year-old suited up for the Wizards’ Summer League club in Las Vegas.

The 6’11” big man went undrafted in 2020 and spent his first pro season with the Spanish club Acunsa GBC. In 18 games for the club, he averaged 12.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG during just 20.3 MPG.

By signing this deal, Echenique will be able to play with the new-look Wizards during their training camp ahead of the 2021/22 season. Should Echenique end up playing for Washington’s NBA G League affiliate team, the Capital City Go-Go, he would qualify for a bonus worth up to $50K.