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Suns Pick Up 2020/21 Options On Ayton, Bridges

October 11th, 2019 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have exercised a pair of third-year rookie scale options, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has locked in the 2020/21 salaries for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, projects to have the highest cap hit of any third-year player in 2020/21, at $10,018,200. Bridges, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, will have a more modest $4,359,000 cap charge.

While both youngsters are viewed as long-term building blocks in Phoenix, Ayton is the one considered a future franchise player. As Charania notes, he has received rave reviews from coaches and players leading up to the 2019/20 season.

In his rookie year, Ayton averaged a double-double, recording 16.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 71 games (30.7 MPG). The Suns will have to pick up his 2021/22 option by October 31, 2020, then he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2021 offseason.

As for Bridges, he appeared in all 82 games for Phoenix as a rookie, averaging a modest 8.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 29.5 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old has the potential to develop into a standout three-and-D contributor, having averaged 1.6 SPG and made 33.5% of his three-pointers in his first professional season. Like Ayton, he’ll become extension-eligible in 2021 if the Suns pick up his fourth-year rookie scale option.

All the league-wide decisions on rookie scale options for 2020/21 can be found right here as the October 31 deadline approaches.

Rockets Claim Ray Spalding Off Waivers

October 10th, 2019 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Two days after being released by the Hawks, power forward Ray Spalding has been claimed off waivers by the Rockets, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Houston had opened up a roster spot on Wednesday by cutting injured forward Anthony Bennett.

Spalding, 22, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta in July after having his 2019/20 team option turned down by the Suns in June. The No. 56 overall pick in the 2018 draft, he appeared in 14 total NBA games for the Mavericks and Suns in his rookie season, averaging 3.9 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.6 minutes per contest.

The Rockets are currently carrying just 11 players with fully guaranteed salaries and both of their two-way contract slots are open, so there’s a potential path for Spalding to stick with the team into the regular season.

Currently, Isaiah Hartenstein, Gary Clark, Ryan Anderson, and Ben McLemore, all of whom have partial guarantees, are the favorites to fill out the 15-man roster. Shamorie Ponds, Chris Clemons, and Jaron Blossomgame are among those vying for the two-way slots.

Hornets Sign Jalen McDaniels

October 10th, 2019 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially signed second-round pick to Jalen McDaniels to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Charlotte waived Thomas Welsh earlier this afternoon, opening up a spot on the 20-man roster.

McDaniels, who declared for the draft this spring after spending two seasons at San Diego State, averaging 15.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 34 games (31.0 MPG) in 2018/19. The 6’10” forward was selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2019 draft.

The Hornets faced some criticism in some circles for selecting McDaniels, who has been sued by two former female high school classmates who claim that he recorded them without their consent while they were performing sexual acts.

McDaniels had been the last 2019 draft pick whose status remained up in the air. As our tracker shows, 54 of this year’s draftees had previously signed NBA contracts, while three will spend the 2019/20 season overseas and two are signing G League deals.

The terms of McDaniels’ first NBA contract aren’t clear, but the Hornets are only carrying 13 players with fully guaranteed salaries, so there’s room on the roster for him to become one of the 14 or 15 players that starts the regular season with the club.

Hornets Release Thomas Welsh

October 10th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have waived big man Thomas Welsh, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The club’s preseason roster now stands at 19 players.

Welsh, the 58th overall pick in the 2018 draft, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, but was waived by Denver in July. After catching on with the Hornets in August, the 23-year-old saw very little action in the team’s first two preseason games, logging just six total minutes.

As Bonnell notes, Welsh always looked more likely to end up with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate, than the Hornets themselves. That remains a possibility if he doesn’t land with another team in the NBA or overseas.

Welsh will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Pacers Pick Up 2020/21 Options On Leaf, Holiday

October 10th, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

2:01pm: The Pacers have picked up Leaf’s fourth-year option and Holiday’s third-year option, J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star confirms (via Twitter). In total, the two moves add about $6.67MM in guaranteed money to Indiana’s 2020/21 cap.

1:14pm: The Pacers are exercising the fourth-year rookie scale option for forward T.J. Leaf, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The move will lock in Leaf’s $4,326,825 cap hit for the 2020/21 season.

The 18th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Leaf hasn’t played a major rotation role for Indiana in his first two NBA seasons. The 22-year-old has appeared in a total of 111 regular season games, but has averaged just 3.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 8.8 MPG in those contests.

With Thaddeus Young no longer in the power forward mix for the Pacers, Leaf may see an increased role this season, though the team is committed to playing Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis together in the frontcourt. Newly-added forward T.J. Warren could also see some time at the four in smaller lineups.

Leaf will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, he’d be on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.

The Pacers also face an October 31 deadline on Aaron Holiday‘s third-year option for 2020/21. That option, which will only count against the cap for $2,345,640, is a lock to be exercised, so Indiana will likely announce both moves at the same time.

Pacers Sign Walt Lemon Jr.

October 10th, 2019 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

After opening up a roster spot on Wednesday by waiving Jakeenan Gant, the Pacers filled that spot today, signing Walt Lemon Jr. to their 20-man roster, according to a press release from the team. Indiana’s announcement didn’t any reveal contract details, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed pact for the free agent guard.

Lemon, 27, appeared in five games with the Pelicans during the 2017/18 season and six more with the Bulls in 2018/19. He has spent most of his professional career in the G League, playing a total of 130 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Maine Red Claws, and Windy City Bulls.

After starting the 2018/19 season on a two-way contract with the Celtics and appearing in 10 contests for Maine, Lemon was released by Boston and had his G League rights acquired by Windy City. He averaged 20.1 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 4.8 RPG in 33 games (33.1 MPG) for the Bulls’ NBAGL affiliate, earning a call-up to Chicago at the end of the season. However, he was cut by the team in July.

It’s not clear what the Pacers’ plan is for Lemon, considering they’re already carrying 15 players with guaranteed salaries and have filled both their two-way slots. In order to have him return to their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, they’d need to reacquire his returning rights, which are currently held by Windy City.

Pacers Waive Jakeenan Gant

October 9th, 2019 at 6:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:10pm: The Pacers confirmed the move on Twitter.

5:34pm: Jakeenan Gant, who had an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers, has been placed on waivers, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic.

The 6’8″ forward signed with Indiana in July after going undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He was named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 2.7 blocks per game as a senior.

Gant may end up with the Pacers’ G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, where he can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he remains on the roster for 60 days. There was never a clear path to a roster spot with the Pacers, who already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots already filled.

Rockets Waive Anthony Bennett

October 9th, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets have parted with former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Bennett’s fate was sealed with the announcement last week that he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his sore left knee, but today’s move makes it official.

The first player selected in the 2013 draft, Bennett was hoping to revive his career in Houston after four failed stops with the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors and Nets. He was coming off a promising G League season and appeared to have a legitimate chance to win a roster spot as a back-up power forward before the knee flared up and the Rockets brought back Ryan Anderson.

Cutting Bennett leaves Houston with 19 players, one below the league limit for the preseason. The Rockets are free to make another addition ahead of the October 21 cutdown date, when all rosters must be trimmed to a maximum of 15 players.

Hawks Sign Jordan Sibert

October 8th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed free agent shooting guard Jordan Sibert to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. He’ll fill the roster spot that opened up this morning when Atlanta released Ray Spalding.

Sibert, 27, has spent most of his professional career playing in the G League or international leagues since going undrafted out of Dayton in 2015. He made his NBA debut earlier this year after he signed a 10-day contract with Atlanta in February, but the Hawks opted not to hang onto him beyond those 10 days.

Sibert spent most of the 2018/19 season playing for the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, averaging 16.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG with a .428/.382/.844 shooting line in 42 games (32.0 MPG). He launched nearly nine three-point attempts per game for Erie.

Based on today’s news, it appears likely that Sibert will return to the Hawks’ G League team – now the College Park Skyhawks – in 2019/20. Assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 contract, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyhawks.

Cavaliers Signed, Waived Sir’Dominic Pointer

October 8th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers signed and then waived swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer over the weekend, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).

This sort of move isn’t uncommon during the preseason as teams look to either secure players’ G League rights or ensure that returning-rights NBAGL players will receive Exhibit 10 bonuses. However, Pointer’s case is a little more complicated.

The 53rd overall pick in the 2015 draft, Pointer was technically a draft-and-stash prospect who had yet to sign with the Cavaliers. He has spent his first four professional seasons playing for teams in Israel, Lebanon, and Hungary, as well as the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

In order to retain their draft rights to stashed players, NBA teams must submit a required tender, which is generally a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract. According to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link), Pointer signed that tender. Because the 27-year-old wasn’t in Cleveland’s plans, he was subsequently released and the team no longer holds his NBA rights.

Curiously, the Cavs already had 20 players under contract at the time Pointer signed his tender. Teams aren’t permitted to carry more than 20 players during the offseason and preseason, but no other Cavs roster moves show up in the NBA’s transaction logs. Unless a corresponding move is reported retroactively, it seems safe to assume that Cleveland wasn’t required to clear a spot for Pointer because he signed a tender – rather than as a free agent – and was immediately released.