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Magic Sign B.J. Johnson To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 27th, 2019 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have signed free agent guard B.J. Johnson, the team announced today in a press release. According to Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), it’s an Exhibit 10 contract for Johnson, who inked a similar deal with the club last fall.

After going undrafted out of La Salle in 2018, Johnson was with the Magic for training camp and the preseason, then spent most of his first professional season playing for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.4 SPG with a shooting line of .476/.444/.841 in 39 NBAGL games.

Johnson also had brief NBA auditions in 2018/19 with the Hawks, who signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts in March, and the Kings, who signed him for the final week of the regular season. The 23-year-old appeared in seven total regular season games for the two clubs, with Sacramento waiving him in July.

The Magic now have a full 20-man offseason roster, including just 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts. Although the team probably won’t carry a 15th man due to tax concerns, the 14th roster spot is up for grabs. Johnson could be in the mix for that spot, but seems more likely to eventually return to Lakeland, where he’d earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends two months with the club.

Celtics Sign John Bohannon

September 27th, 2019 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed center John Bohannon to a contract, per RealGM’s transactions log. It’s almost certainly a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.

Bohannon, who went undrafted out of UTEP in 2014, has spent much of his professional career playing in the G League. In 2018/19, he appeared in 43 games (20.8 MPG) for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s affiliate, filling up the box score with averages of 7.7 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.6 BPG.

Boston now has a full 20-man roster, though the team has yet to officially complete reported deals with Kaiser Gates and Yante Maten. There has been no indication that either agreement has fallen through, so Gates and Maten will likely be signed at some point after the Celtics open up roster spots by waiving a player or two.

While Bohannon figures to be one of the players cut by the Celtics, it’s not clear whether or not he’ll get a chance to attend camp with the team first. It looks like his contract is intended to ensure he’ll receive an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K when he eventually returns to the G League with the Red Claws.

Nets Sign Lance Thomas

September 27th, 2019 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Lance Thomas has made the move from one New York team to the other, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who tweets that the former Knick has signed with the Nets. The team has since confirmed the move in a press release, after a handful of reports this week cited Thomas as a likely target for Brooklyn.

Thomas, 31, has spent his last four and a half seasons with the Knicks, though he gradually saw his minutes and role reduced over that time. In 2018/19, he averaged 4.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG in just 17.0 minutes per contest (46 games). At this point in his career, Thomas’ veteran leadership and locker-room presence may be just as valuable as his on-court contributions.

With Thomas under contract, the Nets are now carrying a full 20-man roster. That doesn’t include 2019 second-round pick Jaylen Hands, who remains unsigned. It’s not clear what Brooklyn’s plans are for the former UCLA guard. Brooklyn’s 20-man squad also doesn’t include Carmelo Anthony, who was frequently linked to the team within the last month.

The Nets have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, so there’s no clear path for Thomas to earn a roster spot to start the regular season. However, the club will be able to add a 16th man to its roster after five regular season contests, when Wilson Chandler becomes eligible for the suspended list. Chandler is serving a 25-game ban, so Brooklyn will have a 20-game window to carry that extra player.

Wizards Signed, Waived Michael Cobbins

September 27th, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

Before they officially set their 20-man roster for training camp by signing Chris Chiozza on Thursday, the Wizards briefly carried another newly-added player on their roster. According to RealGM’s transactions log, free agent power forward Michael Cobbins signed a contract with Washington and was waived shortly thereafter.

A former starter at Oklahoma State, Cobbins went undrafted in 2015 and signed his first professional contract with the Thunder that year, but has never appeared in an NBA game. Over the course of the last four seasons, Cobbins has spent time with teams in Greece, Germany, and Croatia, in addition to the the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League.

The Wizards’ deal with Cobbins was almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract designed to get him a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least two months with Washington’s G League affiliate this season.

Since Cobbins’ last G League stint came with the OKC Blue in 2017/18, the Thunder’s NBAGL team would typically hold the 27-year-old’s returning rights for the coming season. However, the Capital City Go-Go claimed him in their expansion draft last summer, so the Wizards’ affiliate won’t have to make a trade to acquire his rights.

Rockets Sign Jaron Blossomgame To Camp Deal

September 27th, 2019 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 27: The Rockets have officially signed Blossomgame, the team announced in a press release. Houston’s 20-man camp roster is now set.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Rockets have reached an agreement on a training camp deal for Jaron Blossomgame, agent Andy Shiffman informs Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll likely be an Exhibit 10 contract.

Blossomgame, the 59th overall pick in the 2017 draft, spent his rookie season with the Spurs’ G League affiliate, then signed an NBA contract with San Antonio last fall. However, the Spurs opted not to carry him on their regular season roster and he caught on with the Cavaliers, spending most of the 2018/19 season on a two-way deal with Cleveland.

The 26-year-old appeared in 27 games for the Cavs but played a more regular role for the Canton Charge. In 29 games (32.7 MPG) with the Cavs’ G League team, Blossomgame averaged 17.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.0 APG.

Houston will have a full 20-man offseason roster once the club makes it official with Blossomgame. The former Clemson standout may get an opportunity to earn one of the team’s open two-way contract slots, assuming he doesn’t make the 15-man regular season roster. If the Rockets intend to eventually have him join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as an affiliate player, they’ll have to acquire his G League returning rights.

Rockets Sign Ryan Anderson To Partially Guaranteed Contract

September 27th, 2019 at 8:14am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 27: The Rockets have officially signed Anderson, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 25: Ryan Anderson is returning to Houston, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the free agent forward has agreed to a new contract with the Rockets. The deal will feature a significant partial guarantee, per Charania.

Anderson is still collecting on the four-year, $80MM deal that Houston gave him in the summer of 2016. He spent two years with the team before being traded to Phoenix last August in a salary dump. In February, the Suns shipped him to Miami, which waived him in July under the stretch provision.

Anderson will earn more from the Heat ($5,214,584) than the Rockets this season, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. That number will be slightly reduced once Anderson’s new contract becomes official, providing a measure of relief to the Miami, which is up against a hard salary cap.

Anderson will be given a chance to earn back-up minutes at power forward, adds Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic (via Twitter). He states that Houston reached out to both Anderson and fellow free agent Luc Mbah a Moute this month about possible returns (Twitter link). Anderson averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 138 games during his first stint in Houston.

The Rockets are at the 20-man limit after reaching a deal yesterday with Jaron Blossomgame, so a move will have to created before he and Anderson can both be added to the roster.

Rockets Release William McDowell-White

September 26th, 2019 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have opened up a spot on their 20-man training camp roster by waiving Australian combo guard William McDowell-White, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Houston now officially has 18 players under contract, but has reached deals with a pair of players who will fill the final two spots on the 20-man squad. The Rockets can now formally complete those deals with Ryan Anderson and Jaron Blossomgame.

McDowell-White, who signed with the Rockets in July, spent the last several years playing for teams in Australia and Germany. Having started his career with the Sydney Kings in 2016, the 6’5″ guard spent a season and a half with German club Brose Bamberg, leaving the team earlier this year to prepare for the 2019 draft.

While it seems McDowell-White won’t attend training camp with the Rockets, the team now has his G League rights, so he could end up playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate.

Meanwhile, the field appears to have been set for a competitive camp in Houston, Feigen notes in a full article for The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets project to have four spots on their 15-man roster up for grabs, with Anderson, Gary Clark, and Isaiah Hartenstein in position to grab three of them due to their significant partial guarantees. The team also has both two-way contract slots open, with Blossomgame, Michael Frazier, Shamorie Ponds, and Chris Clemons vying for those spots.

Wizards Sign Chris Chiozza

September 26th, 2019 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have finalized their training camp roster, signing free agent point guard Chris Chiozza to the fill the 20th and final spot on the squad, the team announced today in a press release. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington first reported last week that Chiozza would be joining the club for camp. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.

Chiozza is a familiar face for the Wizards, who initially signed him to their Summer League team and then to their preseason roster in 2018 after he went undrafted out of Florida. The 6’0″ guard subsequently spent most of his rookie season with Washington’s G League affiliate, averaging 13.6 PPG and 6.8 APG on .435/.420/.777 shooting in 43 games (33.5 MPG) for the Capital City Go-Go. He was named to the NBAGL’s All-Rookie team at season’s end.

Chiozza also spent some of his rookie season with the Rockets, signing a 10-day contract with the club in February and then a rest-of-season deal in March. His contract with Houston included a non-guaranteed second year, but he was waived in July after playing limited minutes in seven NBA games as a Rocket.

Since the Wizards only have 13 players with fully guaranteed salaries and one on a two-way contract, it’s possible Chiozza will be among the players to start the regular season in D.C. His odds of making the team may hinge in part on how Isaiah Thomas‘ injury recovery progresses — Thomas underwent surgery on his thumb earlier this month and isn’t expected to return by opening night.

Spurs Sign Matt Farrell

September 26th, 2019 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

After clearing a roster spot by waiving Jeff Ledbetter, the Spurs returned to the 20-player maximum by signing former Notre Dame guard Matt Farrell, per RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

Farrell, 23, went undrafted in 2018 and spent his first professional season in the G League, playing for the Sixers’ affiliate. In 45 games (27.0 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 6’1″ point guard averaged 10.8 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a shooting line of .410/.351/.755.

San Antonio’s NBAGL team, the Austin Spurs, acquired Farrell’s rights in a trade with the Blue Coats earlier this month. Now that he has signed what appears to be an Exhibit 10 contract with San Antonio, Farrell should be in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and spends at least two months with Austin.

Celtics Sign Bryce Brown

September 25th, 2019 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed free agent guard Bryce Brown to a contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Agent Austin Walton first tweeted word of the deal.

Brown, who played his college ball at Auburn, went undrafted earlier this year after averaging 15.9 PPG on .437/.410/.807 in 40 games as a senior. The sharpshooter caught on with Sacramento for Summer League play, appearing in seven total games for the Kings in the California and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.

It sounds like the plan is for Brown to become an affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, who notes (via Twitter) that the team will have to do some “roster gymnastics” to complete all their reported deals.

Boston now has 19 players under contract, but has also agreed to sign Kaiser Gates and Yante Maten, so at least one player will need to be waived at some point to accommodate those signings.