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Jazz Sign Second-Rounder Jared Butler

August 12th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have signed guard Jared Butler, according to a team press release.

According to Priority Sports, Butler’s agency, it’s a two-year guaranteed deal (Twitter link). Utah used its full taxpayer mid-level exception on Rudy Gay, leaving just the minimum salary exception for Butler — that means he was limited to no more than two years at the minimum.

Butler was acquired from the Pelicans in a draft-night deal. It was folded into part of a larger three-team deal.

Butler was a key component for national champion Baylor, averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.3 RPG and 2.0 SPG while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range as a junior. He had 22 points and seven assists in the title game against Gonzaga and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Kawhi Leonard Re-Signs With Clippers On Four-Year Deal

August 12th, 2021 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 12: Leonard has officially signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract that includes a player option in the final year, according to Haynes. The Clippers have issued a press release announcing the deal.

As our maximum-salary chart shows, the four-year contract will be worth about $176.3MM, as follows:

2021/22: $39,344,900
2022/23: $42,492,492
2023/24: $45,640,084
2024/25: $48,787,676 (player option)

As noted below, because Leonard only had Early Bird rights, he couldn’t sign a five-year deal, so this is the longest and largest contract he could have received this offseason.

“Kawhi is a transcendent player and a relentless worker who improves himself every day,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “We share many of the same goals, which include a long-term relationship.

“This agreement marks another important moment for our franchise and our fans, as we strive to create a championship-caliber organization, where players find the success and fulfillment they seek. We’re eager to continue building with Kawhi. For now, we will do whatever we can to support him in his recovery from injury. We look forward to seeing him back where he wants to be, on the court with teammates.”

AUGUST 6: Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard won’t be making a surprise departure from Los Angeles this summer, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the two-time NBA Finals MVP has decided to re-sign with the Clippers.

While Leonard will be signing a new contract with Los Angeles, the exact terms of that deal are still being discussed, says Haynes.

Leonard turned down a $36MM player option on Sunday in order to reach free agency, since he’s now eligible for a slightly higher maximum salary ($39.34MM). It seems safe to assume his new contract will be worth the max, so the two sides are likely weighing how many years it’ll cover.

The Clippers hold the superstar’s Early Bird rights, allowing for a contract of up to four years and $176MM. If he were to sign a one-plus-one deal with a second-year player option, Kawhi could make $39MM+ this season, then opt out to sign another new contract in 2022, when he has full Bird rights and could get up to five years from the Clips. Based on the NBA’s latest salary cap projection, a five-year deal at that point would be worth over $241MM.

Leonard, 30, had another All-Star season for the Clippers in 2020/21, averaging 24.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and a career-high 5.2 APG on .512/.398/.885 shooting in 52 games (34.1 MPG). Despite missing 20 regular season games, he earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team.

However, after leading the Clippers to a first-round series win over Dallas and helping them pull to even in the second round vs. Utah, Leonard suffered a knee injury that ended his season and puts his availability for 2021/22 in doubt. He recently underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of his right ACL and has no set timetable for a return. The expectation is that he’ll miss most – or even all – of next season.

Leonard’s free agency, then, is reminiscent of when Kevin Durant hit the market shortly after tearing his Achilles in 2019 and received a four-year, maximum-salary commitment from the Nets. Brooklyn was confident that Durant would make a full recovery and the investment would pay off.

The Clippers appear to be of the same mindset with Leonard, as president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said last week that Kawhi’s ACL recovery will “require a great deal of time and we want to support him in that.”

Of course, while Durant chose a new team following his Achilles tear, there was never an expectation Kawhi would leave Los Angeles, despite one report suggesting he was open to hearing pitches from other teams. Leonard chose the Clippers over rival suitors during his last free agency in 2019 and remains committed to the franchise going forward.

Trail Blazers Sign Second-Rounder Greg Brown

August 12th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have officially signed second-round pick Greg Brown to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release.

A 6’9″ forward, Brown was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team during his lone year with the Longhorns. Across 26 games, including 24 starts, Brown averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, and 0.6 SPG in just 20.6 MPG.

The Blazers entered draft night without any picks in either round, but reached a deal to acquire the No. 43 pick from the Pelicans in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and $2MM in cash. The team used that selection to draft Brown.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Terms of the contract agreement weren’t disclosed, but there’s no indication it’s a two-way deal. I’d expect Brown to earn the rookie minimum or something close to it, with at least one or two years guaranteed. Assuming Portland used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing, a deal that covers three seasons seems likely.

The Trail Blazers now have 13 players on standard contracts, with Trendon Watford on a two-way deal.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Killian Tillie To Two-Way Contract

August 12th, 2021 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially re-signed free agent forward/center Killian Tillie to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Tillie, who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2020, caught on quickly with Memphis last fall, signing a two-way deal with the team in November. He played sparingly for the NBA club as a rookie, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 18 games (10.1 MPG), but made enough an impression to earn a qualifying offer from the team prior to free agency.

That qualifying offer, which made Tillie a restricted free agent, was equivalent to another two-way deal with a $50K partial guarantee. It’s unclear if the 23-year-old simply accepted his QO or if he and the team negotiated a new agreement with a more significant guarantee.

Either way, Tillie now occupies one of Memphis’ two-way contract slots. Sean McDermott currently holds the other, as our tracker shows.

Spurs Sign First-Round Pick Josh Primo

August 11th, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed guard and lottery pick Joshua Primo, according to a team press release.

Primo, the 12th overall pick, played one season at Alabama. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, averaging 8.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG while starting in 19 of 30 games. The 18-year-old is currently averaging 12.0 PPG, 2.3 APG and 2.0 RPG in 26.0 MPG over three summer league games.

Assuming he receives the usual 120% above rookie scale, Primo will make $3.95MM in his first season and could earn $18.42MM over the next four seasons.

Primo was one of just two first-round picks who had yet to sign their rookie scale contracts — Usman Garuba is the lone unsigned first-rounder now, and his deal should be done soon too.

Isaac Bonga Signs With Raptors

August 11th, 2021 at 8:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:35pm: The signing is official, according to a press release from the team.

5:37pm: Free agent swingman Isaac Bonga is signing with the Raptors, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Bonga’s deal will likely include a small guarantee and give him a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp, Murphy adds.

Bonga became an unrestricted free agent when the Wizards declined to extend him a qualifying offer. He has played for Washington the past two seasons after beginning his career with the Lakers.

The 2018 second-round pick started 49 of 66 games in 2019/20, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 18.9 MPG. His playing time dropped dramatically this past season, as he played in 40 games (eight starts) and posted modest stats (2.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG in 10.8 MPG). He went scoreless in 10 playoff minutes.

Bonga, 21, projects to be one of a handful of players with partial guarantees vying for roster spots in Toronto, joining the likes of Sam Dekker, Ishmail Wainright, and Yuta Watanabe.

Pacers Sign Isaiah Jackson

August 11th, 2021 at 8:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed first-round pick Isaiah Jackson, according to a team press release.

Jackson, the 22nd overall pick, was acquired from the Lakers on draft night. That trade was folded into the five-team deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers.

The 6’10” forward was one-and-done at Kentucky and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Freshman and Defensive Teams. He averaged 8.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 2.6 BPG in 25 games with the Wildcats.

Assuming the usual 120% rate above the rookie scale, Jackson will make approximately $2.45MM in his rookie season and could make more than $12.1MM over the next four years.

The Pacers already signed the No. 13 overall pick, Chris Duarte.

Bulls Officially Acquire DeMar DeRozan From Spurs Via Sign-And-Trade

August 11th, 2021 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls and Spurs have officially finalized the sign-and-trade deal sending veteran forward DeMar DeRozan to Chicago, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

DeRozan confirmed (via Twitter) that his deal with Chicago, which was first reported last Tuesday, is now done, while the Bulls and Spurs issued press releases announcing the move. DeRozan reportedly received a fully-guaranteed three-year, $85MM commitment from Chicago

In exchange for the four-time All-Star, the Spurs received forwards Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu, a future protected first-round pick, the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick, and the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick. The earliest the Spurs will receive that first-round pick from Chicago is in 2025, since the Bulls owe a top-four protected 2023 first-rounder to Orlando.

The move punctuates a productive offseason for the Bulls, who also landed Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade with New Orleans and signed Alex Caruso using the mid-level exception. They’ll join a group led by Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic as Chicago looks to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

While DeRozan’s lack of a three-point shot (he has made 35 in the last three seasons) is an oddity for a wing in the modern NBA, his mid-range game is deadly and he has become a legitimately dangerous play-maker, averaging a career-best 6.9 assists per game in 2020/21 to go along with his 21.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG. Opponents will have a tough time stopping lineups featuring him, LaVine, and Vucevic, even if it won’t be the most stout group defensively.

The Sixers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Celtics, Clippers, and Knicks were reportedly among the teams to express interest in DeRozan, but some of those clubs went in different directions and several didn’t have the ability to match or top the Bulls’ offer to the 32-year-old.

With Ball, DeRozan, and Caruso officially locked up, the Bulls will focus on resolving Lauri Markkanen‘s contract situation. The restricted free agent forward is reportedly looking for a fresh start away from Chicago, but the Bulls won’t want to let him walk without getting an asset or two in return.

The Spurs, meanwhile, are now free to move forward on completing the rest of their reported free agent signings, including Zach Collins, Bryn Forbes, and Jock Landale.

The DeRozan deal had been the last trade reported during the 2021 offseason that hadn’t yet been finalized. All of this month’s reported trades are now official.

Bucks Sign Georgios Kalaitzakis To Three-Year Deal

August 11th, 2021 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

2:40pm: Kalaitzakis‘ three-year, minimum-salary deal with the Bucks is currently 50% guaranteed ($462,629) in year one and will become 50% guaranteed ($781,759) for year two if he remains under contract through August 25, 2022, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

12:44pm: The Bucks have officially signed Georgios Kalaitzakis, the last pick in this year’s draft, to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), it’s a three-year deal.

A 6’8″ guard/forward from Greece, Kalaitzakis has been under contract with Panathinaikos since 2016, having spent four seasons with the Greek club and one year on loan to Nevezis Kedainiai in Lithuania in 2019/20. The Pacers drafted the 22-year-old with the No. 60 pick on behalf of the Bucks, sending his rights to Milwaukee in a trade involving the No. 31 selection.

Assessing the pick on draft night, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony praised Kalaitzakis’ physical tools, positional versatility, and “terrific” frame, but cautioned that he’s an average decision-maker and shooter whose stock leveled off over the last couple years due to his lack of playing time for Panathinaikos. Kalaitzakis averaged just 2.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 27 Greek League and EuroLeague games in 2020/21.

Milwaukee used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing, which allowed the team to offer Kalaitzakis more than just two years. The Bucks, who also used $4MM of their mid-level on George Hill, aren’t hard-capped because they haven’t spent more than the $5.89MM taxpayer portion of the MLE.

Unlike a veteran or undrafted free agent, Kalaitzakis will only count for about $926K for tax purposes, assuming he signed for the rookie minimum, which should help keep the Bucks’ year-end tax bill in check.

Pistons Re-Sign Rodney McGruder

August 11th, 2021 at 12:26pm CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 11: McGruder’s one-year deal is worth the veteran’s minimum and is fully guaranteed, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

AUGUST 10: Free agent swingman Rodney McGruder has re-signed with the Pistons, according to NBA.com’s official transactions page. It’s a one-year deal, per RealGM’s transactions log.

McGruder came over to Detroit during the 2020 offseason in the trade that sent Luke Kennard to the Clippers. The 29-year-old only played 16 games for the rebuilding team, averaging 5.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.0 APG in 12.1 minutes a night. His inclusion on a rebuilding Pistons’ roster would likely be in large part to serve in a mentor role to the team’s many young players.

Financial details of McGruder’s deal aren’t yet known. However, the Pistons waived him on Friday to avoid having his $5MM salary for 2021/22 become guaranteed, so it’s a safe bet his new salary will come in below that number.

The Pistons are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, not including McGruder, restricted free agent Hamidou Diallo, or the team’s unsigned second-round picks (Luka Garza and Balsa Koprivica). As such, McGruder’s new deal may not come with any assurances of a regular-season roster spot.

Like McGruder, Cory Joseph has also re-signed with the Pistons just days after being released by the team. His deal is official now too, per NBA.com.