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Serge Ibaka Signs With Clippers

November 21st, 2020 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 25: The Clippers have officially signed Ibaka, the team announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: The Clippers will sign free agent big man Serge Ibaka, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Ibaka will receive $19MM over two years on his new deal, signaling that Los Angeles will use its full mid-level exception to complete the signing. Charania adds (via Twitter) that the contract will feature a second-year player option.

The agreement represents a major coup for the Clippers, who lost center Montrezl Harrell to the rival Lakers early in free agency and saw power forward JaMychal Green leave for a deal in Denver. Ibaka, who can play either the four or five, will help replenish the team’s frontcourt depth, giving L.A. a big man who can knock down outside shots on offense and protect the rim on defense.

After starting his career in Oklahoma City and spending a brief stint in Orlando during the 2016/17 season, Ibaka has been in Toronto for the last three-and-half seasons, winning a title with the Raptors (with Kawhi Leonard) in 2019. This past season, he averaged 15.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG with an impressive .512/.385/.718 shooting line in 55 games (27.0 MPG).

By committing their full mid-level exception to Ibaka, the Clippers will hard-cap themselves for the 2020/21 league year and they don’t have a whole lot of wiggle room below the $138.93MM apron. However, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (via Twitter), the club can create a little extra breathing room by waiving non-guaranteed contracts for Joakim Noah and Justin Patton. Bringing back Noah on a new one-year, minimum-salary deal would cost the team about $1MM less than his current deal.

The Clippers remain in the market for a play-making guard and another big man, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. However, the team will likely be limited to minimum-salary offers or perhaps a portion of the bi-annual exception.

The Raptors, one of the many teams that made an effort to sign Ibaka, were believed to be averse to offering multiyear money, since it would compromise their projected cap room for the summer of 2021. They reportedly offered the big man a one-year, $12MM deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Sign Mamadi Diakite To Two-Way Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 24: Diakite has officially signed his two-way contract with Milwaukee, per the NBA’s transactions log.

NOVEMBER 21: Mamadi Diakite will sign a two-way contract with the Bucks, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Diakite’s agent, Gary Durrant, confirmed the signing.

A 6’9″ forward out of Virginia, Diakite went undrafted on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was a second-team all-ACC selection last season.

With the signing, Milwaukee has filled both of its two-way slots. The other one went to free agent guard Jaylen Adams, who reached an agreement earlier today.

Garrison Mathews Accepts Two-Way QO From Wizards

November 21st, 2020 at 9:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 22: The Wizards have officially announced that Mathews is back under contract on a two-way deal.

NOVEMBER 21: Garrison Mathews will accept his qualifying offer and remain with the Wizards, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The decision was confirmed by Mathews’ agent, Chris Patrick Jr.

The 24-year-old shooting guard signed a two-way contract with Washington in July of 2019. His QO is another two-way deal that carries a $50K guarantee.

Matthews appeared in 18 games as a rookie and established himself as a dangerous shooter from the perimeter. He hit 41.3% from three-point range while averaging 5.4 points per game in about 12 minutes per night.

Suns Re-Sign Jevon Carter To Three-Year Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 9:28pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 23: The Suns have officially announced their new deal with Carter.

“We are excited to bring back Jevon,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “Intensity and effort are constants for him, both in games and in the work he puts in every day in the gym. His fearless mentality provided us a spark last season and we look forward to his return.”

NOVEMBER 21: The Suns and restricted free agent guard Jevon Carter have reached an agreement on a new contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Carter will sign a three-year, $11.5MM deal, per Wojnarowski.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, Carter began his NBA career with the Grizzlies before being traded to Phoenix in the summer of 2019. As a backup point guard for the Suns last season, he averaged 4.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.4 APG on .416/.425/.852 shooting in 58 games (16.3 MPG).

The Suns made Carter a restricted free agent by issuing him a qualifying offer earlier this week, so the team would have been eligible to match any offer sheet he signed elsewhere. Instead, he negotiated a new deal directly with Phoenix and will now look forward to backing up newly-acquired All-Star point guard Chris Paul in 2020/21.

In addition to acquiring Paul, the Suns have reached a deal to sign Jae Crowder in free agency. However, the club still has some outstanding business to address, as Dario Saric remains on the restricted free agent market. Phoenix is prioritizing re-signing the RFA forward.

Celtics Sign Jeff Teague

November 21st, 2020 at 7:47pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 30: The Celtics have officially signed Teague, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: The Celtics are signing veteran point guard Jeff Teague to a one-year deal, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).

The move comes on the heels of a report that former Celtics point guard Brad Wanamaker has reached an agreement to sign Golden State. Teague, a former All-Star, figures to play a similar role to the one Wanamaker played in 2019/20, serving as the primary backup for Kemba Walker.

Teague, 32, averaged just 24.8 minutes per contest this past season – his lowest mark since 2010/11 – in 59 total games for the Timberwolves and Hawks. However, he was still relatively productive, averaging 10.9 PPG and 5.2 APG with a .436/.368/.873 shooting line on the season.

A few weeks before reaching free agency, Teague spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about his priorities, indicating that – after spending last season with two lottery-bound teams – he wasn’t eager to join another rebuilding team.

“Honestly, I just want to go to a team where we’re playing to win. I want to win,” Teague said at the time. “… If that’s starting or coming off the bench, I just want to play a significant role in winning. That’s really it for me. I know if I get a chance to play and compete, I’m going to play well. I’m not really worried about an exact situation, or I need to be able to start or whatever.”

He’ll get a chance to play for a winning team in Boston, as the Celtics look to make another deep playoff run after earning a spot in the Eastern Finals in three of the last four seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Knicks Sign Nerlens Noel To One-Year Contract

November 21st, 2020 at 7:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 25: The Knicks have officially signed Noel to his one-year deal, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: Free agent big man Nerlens Noel has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Knicks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), who hears from Noel’s agents at Klutch Sports that it’ll be worth $5MM.

A lottery pick in 2013, Noel is now with his fourth organization. He has served as a back-up to Steven Adams in Oklahoma City for the past two years and averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season.

Noel, 26, is a former star at Kentucky and credits Knicks assistant Kenny Payne with helping him develop his game, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Payne left the Wildcats in August to join Tom Thibodeau’s new staff.

Mavericks Sign Wesley Iwundu To Two-Year Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 7:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 1: The Mavericks have officially added Iwundu to their roster, the team announced today (via Twitter).

NOVEMBER 21: Free agent swingman Wesley Iwundu is nearing a new deal with the Mavericks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Iwundu is headed to Dallas on a two-year deal, while Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets that it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum.

Iwundu’s contract will be fully guaranteed, a source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). That source confirms that J.J. Barea will be brought back and says the team still has an open roster spot to fill.

Iwundu, 25, spent the past three seasons in Orlando, where he was a valuable rotation piece and a part-time starter. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds last season in about 18 minutes per night.

Brad Wanamaker Signs With Warriors

November 21st, 2020 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 24: The Warriors have made their deal with Wanamaker official, per the NBA’s transactions log. According to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Golden State used a portion of its taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

NOVEMBER 21: The Warriors have reached a one-year, $2.25MM agreement with free agent point guard Brad Wanamaker, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by his agent, Steve McCaskill.

Golden State can either use part of its $5.7MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to complete the signing or it can wait to see if the league grants its request for a disabled player exception, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The DPE would be worth $9.3MM, but it can only be used on one player, so the Warriors would forfeit the rest if they sign Wanamaker with it.

His $2.25MM salary will raise Golden State’s tax bill by about $12MM, Marks adds (Twitter link), but the team’s projected $132MM tax is likely to be lowered because of a league-wide drop in revenue.

Wanamaker had a strong second season in Boston, playing in 71 games and averaging 6.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per night. He shoots 37.6% from three-point range and the Celtics were slightly better defensively with him on the court, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wanamaker will serve as a back-up to Stephen Curry.

Lakers Re-Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Three-Year Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 6:57pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: The Lakers have officially re-signed Caldwell-Pope, the team announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is returning to the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who hears from agent Rich Paul that the free agent swingman will get a three-year, $40MM deal to return to the defending champions. The third year of the contract will only be partially guaranteed, Charania notes (via Twitter).

Having put up relatively modest numbers (9.3 PPG on .467/.385/.775 shooting) during 69 regular season games (25.5 MPG), Caldwell-Pope made some big shots in the playoffs, knocking down 42.1% of his three-point attempts in the first three rounds and then averaging 12.8 PPG in the Finals, the third-highest scoring average on the team behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers’ trusted three-and-D wing turned down his $8.54MM player option in search of a raise in free agency and it wasn’t clear for the last 24 hours whether or not a reunion was in the cards.

According to Charania (via Twitter), KCP drew interest from several interested teams — previous reports indicated that the Knicks were among his potential suitors. However, Paul’s strong relationship with the Lakers helped seal the deal on a new agreement.

Having already committed to sign Montrezl Harrell with their mid-level exception and Wesley Matthews with their bi-annual exception, the Lakers will be hard-capped and don’t have a ton of room to maneuver, given the terms of Caldwell-Pope’s new deal.

As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets, it may mean Los Angeles is unable to offer Markieff Morris more than the minimum or that the club is unable to carry a full 15-man roster. Still, KCP was a priority, given his importance in the postseason, so the team will be satisfied to get him back and do what it can to fill out the rest of the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Celtics Sign Tristan Thompson

November 21st, 2020 at 6:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 30: Thompson’s deal with the Celtics is now official, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: Free agent center Tristan Thompson will sign with the Celtics, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The deal was confirmed by Thompson’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. The contract will be worth $19MM over two years. (Twitter link).

Thompson will receive Boston’s full mid-level exception, which was more than the Cavaliers were willing to offer, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs were optimistic this morning about their chances of keeping Thompson, but when Paul Millsap chose Denver over Boston, the Celtics were motivated to get a deal done.

“Going from being a fan to an opponent and then a teammate, Tristan has always been one of the good guys,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “His jersey deserves to hang in the rafters.”

Boston’s willingness to give the full MLE to Thompson indicates that the team probably plans to avoid the tax this season, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link). The Celtics still have their $3.6MM bi-annual exception available as well as trade exceptions from deals involving Enes Kanter and Vincent Poirier.

Thompson, 29, spent the first nine years of his NBA career with the Cavaliers, playing in four NBA Finals and winning a championship in 2016. He averaged a career-best 12.0 points per game last season to go with 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.