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Mavericks Sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Waive Ryan Broekhoff

February 11th, 2020 at 10:06am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 11: The Mavericks have officially signed Kidd-Gilchrist and waived Broekhoff, the team announced today (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 10: Former Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will sign with the Mavericks, who will waive shooting guard Ryan Broekhoff to carve out roster space for their new addition.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon (Twitter link) first reported Kidd-Gilchrist’s contract agreement, while Marc Stein of the New York Times first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal and that Dallas would cut Broekhoff (Twitter links).

After Kidd-Gilchrist fell out of favor in Charlotte’s rotation and the team opted not to move his expiring contract, he agreed to a buyout in the final season of his four-year, $52MM contract. The former No. 2 overall pick appeared in only 12 games for the Hornets this year, after being a defensive staple in prior seasons. The Mavericks hope he can help flesh out their roster depth as they grapple with a wave of injuries.

The 6’6″, 29-year-old Broekhoff has appeared in 59 games during his two seasons with the Mavericks, including one start this season. Though seldom used (he’s averaging 10.7 minutes per game), Broekhoff is a career 40.3% long-range shooter on 2.4 looks a night, and connects on 81.5% of his free-throw attempts.

Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets that Broekhoff is “universally loved” in Dallas’ locker room, but his expiring, minimum-salary contract made him the club’s most logical release candidate. He’ll clear waivers later this week if he goes unclaimed.

According to an earlier report, Kidd-Gilchrist surrendered $810,763 of his $13MM salary for 2019/20 in his buyout with Charlotte. He’ll make nearly that entire amount back on his new minimum-salary deal with Dallas.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Officially Sign Marvin Williams

February 10th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have made it official with Marvin Williams, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed the veteran forward. Terms of the deal weren’t revealed, but it figures to be a one-year contract worth the prorated veteran’s minimum.

After remaining in Charlotte through the trade deadline, Williams quickly negotiated a buyout with the Hornets, clearing the way for him to join a contending team. Before that buyout with Charlotte was even official, Williams’ camp had lined up a deal with the NBA-leading Bucks, who released little-used big man Dragan Bender in order to create an opening on their 15-man roster.

Williams is unlikely to play major minutes in Milwaukee, but he’ll provide veteran leadership in the locker room and is still capable of playing a three-and-D role off the bench.

The 33-year-old has averaged a career-low 19.7 minutes per game in 41 contests for the Hornets in 2019/20, but has made 37.6% of his three-point attempts, slightly better than his career rate of 36.2%. He also contributed 6.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in Charlotte this season.

Williams, who is in his 15th NBA season, suggested last month that he may consider retirement at season’s end. Before he seriously weighs that decision, he should get a legit chance to compete for a championship for the first time in his career — he has never made it beyond the second round in any previous postseason.

Williams’ new minimum-salary deal with the Bucks will pay him $956,348 for the final 66 days of the regular season — that’s the exact amount he gave up in his buyout with the Hornets, per Jeff Siegel of the Early Bird Rights (Twitter link). Milwaukee will carry a $604,278 cap hit for Williams.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer noted that Williams will be listed as active for tonight’s game against the Kings but will probably not play, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Matt Velazquez (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Waive Dragan Bender

February 10th, 2020 at 4:14pm CST by marksuleymanov

FEBRUARY 10: The Bucks issued a press release confirming they’ve officially waived Bender. They now have the roster spot necessary to finalize the signing of Williams.

FEBRUARY 8: The Bucks will waive big man Dragan Bender, clearing the way to sign forward Marvin Williams once he completes a buyout with the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Bender, 22, has appeared in just seven games for Milwaukee this season while bouncing between the G League and the NBA squad. He has seemingly been a candidate to be waived all season since the two-year deal he signed over the summer was initially only partially guaranteed for 2019/20 and non-guaranteed for next season. Because this year’s salary became fully guaranteed last month, Milwaukee will be on the hook for the full $1,678,854 unless he’s claimed on waivers.

The Croatian big man has struggled in the NBA since being drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. After appearing in all 82 games for the Suns during his sophomore campaign, he has struggled to maintain any sort of stable role.

Williams, 33, averaged career-lows in PPG (6.7) and RPG (2.7) while playing a reduced role in Charlotte. He has scored a mere 10 points in his last four games but the veteran remains a capable three-point shooter and perimeter defender. Williams figures to help the Bucks down the stretch as the team pursues the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Suns Waive Tyler Johnson

February 10th, 2020 at 4:08pm CST by JD Shaw

FEBRUARY 10: The Suns have officially released Johnson, the team confirmed today in a press release.

FEBRUARY 9: The Suns are waiving guard Tyler Johnson, freeing up a roster spot to use in free agency, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Johnson, who has averaged 5.7 points, 1.6 assists and 16.6 minutes in 31 games this season, will become an unrestricted free agent upon clearing waivers. He has missed the last four games with knee soreness and saw his minutes decline in recent weeks. The Suns planned to move on from him after the season and didn’t have a concrete role for him going forward, according to Wojnarowski,

The 27-year-old went undrafted back in 2014 and holds previous experience with the Heat. His best season with Miami came during the 2016/17 campaign where he averaged 13.7 points and four assists per contest, earning a four-year, $50MM deal during the summer.

The Suns have the third-worst record in the Western Conference at 21-32, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. They have upcoming games against the Lakers on Monday and Warriors on Wednesday.

Cavs Sign Alfonzo McKinnie To Four-Year Contract

February 10th, 2020 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 10: Alfonzo McKinnie will earn a $1.5MM salary for the remainder of the 2019/20 season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Following this year, however, McKinnie’s deal through the 2022/23 season is non-guaranteed.

FEBRUARY 8: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.

FEBRUARY 7: After signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts, the Cavaliers are bringing back swingman Alfonzo McKinnie on a multiyear deal, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Since Cleveland still has its mid-level exception available, the team has the ability to lock McKinnie up long-term and has opted to do so, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides agreed to a four-year deal worth $7.2MM. We’ll have to wait for the full details on that agreement, but it sounds like McKinnie may receive more than the prorated minimum this year. The later seasons almost certainly won’t be fully guaranteed.

McKinnie, who was a rotation player for the Warriors team that won the West last season, was the victim of a cap crunch in the fall and was beaten out by Marquese Chriss for Golden State’s final roster spot. McKinnie was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers, who released him in January before his salary for 2019/20 could become fully guaranteed. However, he remained in Cleveland’s plans, signing those two 10-day deals before agreeing to a long-term contract today.

In 35 games (14.3 MPG) for the Cavaliers this season, McKinnie has averaged a modest 4.2 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .414/.222/.704 shooting. While he has struggled with his outside shot, the 27-year-old has performed well on the defensive end of the court.

Cavaliers Sign J.P. Macura, Malik Newman To 10-Day Deals

February 9th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by JD Shaw

The Cavaliers have signed guards J.P. Macura and Malik Newman to 10-day contracts, the team announced in a press release.

The transactions bring Cleveland’s total roster count to 17 players, which includes Dean Wade and Matt Mooney on two-way contracts.

Macura, 24, has appeared in 32 games with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. He’s averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists across those contests, playing 30.1 minutes per game.

Newman, 22, has appeared in 31 contests with Canton this season, holding per-game averages of 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 30.9 minutes. He also spent time with the team during summer league in 2019.

Cleveland was active around the trade deadline last week, trading for star center Andre Drummond while sending Brandon Knight, John Henson and a future second-round pick to Detroit. The team has upcoming games against the Clippers on Sunday and Hawks on Wednesday before the All-Star break.

Macura and Newman will both be eligible to play in three games over the course of their 10-day deals, with Cleveland also visiting Washington the Friday after All-Star Weekend.

Grizzlies Waive Dion Waiters

February 9th, 2020 at 3:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

3:57pm: The Grizzlies officially confirmed that they have waived Waiters, via a team press release (Twitter link).

3:39pm: The Grizzlies have waived Dion Waiters, acquired from the Heat in a three-team deal that also sent Justise Winslow and Gorgui Dieng to Memphis, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). A prior report had suggested that Waiters would not be long for Memphis.

The 6’3″ shooting guard, 28, was taken with the No. 4 pick by the Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA draft. He had productive, albeit erratic, seasons with the Cavaliers, Thunder and Heat before injuries and off-court issues marred his output. Waiters has not played more than 46 games since the 2015/16 NBA season. He has suited up for just three games this season.

The 26-26 Grizzlies are prioritizing youth and upside as they build around promising young stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. While Waiters had to be included in the deal with Miami for salary-matching purposes, he wasn’t in Memphis’ long-term plans.

Charania notes that Waiters will be paid in full by the Grizzlies for the remainder of this season and his complete $12.6MM salary for the 2020/21 season, the final year remaining on the four-year, $52MM deal he signed with the Heat in 2017.

Clippers Waive Isaiah Thomas

February 8th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

As expected, the Clippers have waived veteran guard Isaiah Thomas, two days after acquiring him from the Wizards in a three-team trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The move gives L.A. two open roster spots as it prepares to compete in the buyout market. The Clippers are expected to be leading contenders, along with the Lakers, for ex-Pacers guard Darren Collison if he decides to make an NBA comeback.

Thomas was sent to L.A. as part of the Marcus Morris deal, which was announced just before Thursday’s deadline. He averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists per night in 40 games for Washington, starting 37 of them.

The Clippers were Thomas’s fifth team in the past three seasons as he tries to work his way back into a stable situation after a devastating hip injury. He has a $1.62MM salary on a veteran’s minimum deal, so any team that claims him off waivers wouldn’t need cap room or a trade exception.

Warriors Sign Jeremy Pargo To 10-Day Contract

February 8th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: Pargo has officially signed his 10-day deal with the Warriors, the club confirmed today in a press release. The Warriors have now signed five players since the deadline, getting their roster count back up to 14.

FEBRUARY 7: The Warriors‘ run of free agent contract agreements will continue with a 10-day deal for Jeremy Pargo, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Pargo is the fifth player to agree to a contract with Golden State in the last 24 hours.

Pargo will be called up from the Santa Cruz Warriors, but his résumé looks much different than a typical G-Leaguer’s. A combo guard, Pargo entered the NBA in 2011 and hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2012/13 season. Since then, he has had stops in Russia, Israel, China, Italy, and Lebanon. He also had a stint in the BIG3.

Pargo, who will turn 34 next month, appeared in 11 games for Golden State’s G League affiliate in 2017/18, then rejoined the club for the 2019/20 season. He has averaged 17.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .469/.331/.733 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (31.1 MPG) this season.

It’s very unlikely that Pargo is part of the Warriors’ future plans, so this 10-day contract looks like a reward for his solid work in Santa Cruz. If and when he takes the court for Golden State, it will be his first NBA appearance since March 29, 2013.

The Warriors had six open roster spots after completing a series of deadline deals. They’ve since agreed to sign Pargo, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Zach Norvell, and are promoting two-way players Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss to their standard roster.

Warriors Sign Zach Norvell To 10-Day Deal

February 8th, 2020 at 2:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

FEBRUARY 8: The Warriors have signed Norvell to his 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. The contract will cover Golden State’s next three games and will expire during the All-Star break.

FEBRUARY 6: The Warriors are not done making moves. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), the team will sign Zach Norvell to a 10-day contract.

The shooting guard suited up for the Lakers earlier this season, as he was on a two-way deal with Los Angeles. He was waived in December with only five minutes of NBA playing time to his name.

The Warriors had several open roster spots after making a handful moves at the trade deadline. They’re on track to fill three vacancies with Norvell, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Ky Bowman, with Marquese Chriss likely to be promoted to the 15-man roster at some point.

Even if all four of those players are officially added to the standard roster, Golden State would still have two open spots.