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Pistons Sign Joe Johnson

September 19th, 2019 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 19: The Pistons have officially signed Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 12: Joe Johnson and the Pistons have reached an agreement a contract, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. League sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s a partially guaranteed one-year deal.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) first reported that the two sides were on the verge of an agreement. A report earlier this week indicated that Detroit was the frontrunner for the free agent forward.

Johnson, 38, has appeared in nearly 1,400 career NBA games, counting the postseason, but didn’t play in the league in 2018/19 after finishing the ’17/18 campaign in Houston. The 17-year NBA veteran showed he still had something left in the tank during his run in Ice Cube‘s BIG3 league this summer, earning MVP honors and leading his 3-on-3 team to a championship.

Following his stint in the BIG3, Johnson drew interest from a handful of NBA teams, reportedly lining up workouts with the Sixers, Bucks, and Nets in addition to the Pistons. However, Detroit emerged as the apparent favorite in part due to Johnson’s connection to Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, a former agent who used to represent Iso Joe.

Assuming Johnson finalizes a deal with the Pistons, he may have to compete with Christian Wood for the team’s final regular season roster spot. Michael Beasley was also expected to vie for that spot, but Goodman suggests the former No. 2 overall pick will be released to open up room on the 20-man offseason roster for Johnson.

Technically, it doesn’t appear that Beasley actually signed with the Pistons after agreeing to terms on a non-guaranteed contract with the team last month. Now that he’s the odd man out, his deal will likely just never be completed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavericks Sign Yudai Baba

September 19th, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Yudai Baba, the team announced today in a press release. The addition of Baba brings Dallas’ roster count to 20 players, the maximum allowed during the offseason.

A 24-year-old Japanese shooting guard, Baba went undrafted in 2017 and has played professionally for Alvark Tokyo since then, helping lead the club to a second consecutive B. League championship in 2018/19.

2019 has been an eventful year for Baba, who suited up for the Mavericks in Summer League play in July, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in four games (12.0 MPG) in Las Vegas. He subsequently joined Japan’s national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup alongside NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, posting 9.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.6 RPG in five contests (25.6 MPG) in the tournament.

Although Baba, who presumably signed an Exhibit 10 contract, almost certainly won’t make Dallas’ regular season roster, he appears to be a good bet to join the club’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Jazz To Sign Mike Scott To Camp Deal

September 18th, 2019 at 6:30pm CST by clarkcrum

After playing for BM Slam Stal of the Polish Basketball League last season, point guard Mike Scott has reached an agreement with the Jazz on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, reports Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

Tony Jones of The Athletic adds that Scott, a point guard originally from Los Angeles, is expected to join the Jazz for camp before ultimately playing for Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, during the 2019/20 season.

Scott, not to be confused with the Sixers forward who shares the same name, has spent the last four seasons overseas after coming out of Idaho in 2015. The 26-year-old averaged 11.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 4.5 APG in Poland last season.

With Scott soon to be under contract, the Jazz will have to make another move before finalizing the deal, as they already have 20 players on their offseason roster with the additions of Trevon Bluiett and Juwan Morgan a little less than one month ago.

Wizards Sign Justin Anderson To Non-Guaranteed Contract

September 18th, 2019 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent swingman Justin Anderson has officially signed a one-year contract with the Wizards, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log. Fred Katz of The Athletic, who reported in August that the two sides were working toward an agreement, confirmed that a non-guaranteed deal has been finalized (Twitter link).

Anderson, who will turn 26 in November, reached the open market this summer following the expiration of his rookie scale contract. He initially signed that four-year deal with Dallas after being selected 21st overall in the 2015 draft, but was traded to Philadelphia at the 2017 trade deadline and then to Atlanta during the 2018 offseason.

In 48 games last season for the Hawks, Anderson recorded 3.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .408/.312/.743 shooting in just 9.6 minutes per contest. His union with the Wizards represents a homecoming of sorts, as he attended high school in Maryland and played his college ball at Virginia.

With Anderson locked up, the Wizards now have 19 players under contract. Of those 19 players, 13 have fully guaranteed salaries for 2019/20, five are on non-guaranteed deals, and one has a two-way contract.

It’s not clear what Washington’s plans are for the 14th spot on its roster or if the club plans to carry a 15th man to start the season. Assuming Anderson gets a chance to compete for one of those spots, he’d be up against the likes of Jordan McRae, Justin Robinson, Jemerrio Jones, and Phil Booth.

Celtics To Sign Yante Maten To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 17th, 2019 at 10:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics will sign Yante Maten, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). The pact will be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Maten played for the Heat on a two-way contract last season, splitting time between Miami and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The 23-year-old forward averaged an impressive 23.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 30 G League contests, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Second Team. Hoever, he was waived by the Heat in July.

The Celtics already have filled both of their two-way contract slots (Tremont Waters, Max Strus). Once Boston officially signs Maten and finalizes its reported deal with Kaiser Gates, the team’s training camp roster will feature 20 players, which is the maximum allowed.

Heat Sign Guard Mychal Mulder

September 16th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have signed guard Mychal Mulder, according to a team press release.

It figures to be an Exhibit 10 contract, as the hard-capped Heat have a pair of open spots on their camp roster.

Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, acquired Mulder from the Windy City Bulls in exchange for the rights to Charles Cooke and the South Bay Lakers’ first-round draft pick earlier in the day. Cooke has committed to play in Italy this season, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.

Mulder appeared in 47 games with the Windy City Bulls last season and averaged 13.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.6 APG in 32.9 MPG. Mulder shot 41.2% from three-point range. He also played regularly for the Bulls’ G League affiliate the previous season.

Mulder went undrafted in 2017 after playing two seasons at Kentucky. He worked out for the Timberwolves in June.

Wolves Sign Jordan Murphy To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 16th, 2019 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

3:35pm: Undrafted rookie Jordan Murphy, who has spent much of the summer working out with the Timberwolves, will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Minnesota and be in training camp with the club, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Murphy, a 6’6″ forward, averaged a double-double in each of his final two years playing college ball at Minnesota, putting up 14.4 PPG and 11.0 RPG in 36 games (31.1 MPG) in 2018/19.

Although he wasn’t selected in the draft, Murphy caught on with his local team for Summer League play, appearing in seven games in Las Vegas with the Wolves’ squad. He averaged 8.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG in just 14.0 minutes per contest.

The Timberwolves currently have 19 players under contract and also have a reported agreement in place with undrafted rookie Tyus Battle. The team can’t exceed 20 players, so if the team intends to sign both Battle and Murphy, another player will have to be waived at some point.

The Wolves have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and have filled both of their two-way contract slots, so the idea of Murphy earning a regular season roster spot may be a long shot. Krawczynski suggests the rookie forward is a candidate to end up with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate.

Hornets Sign Kobi Simmons To Camp Deal

September 16th, 2019 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 16: The Hornets have signed Simmons to their training camp roster, the club confirmed today in a press release.

Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, acquired Simmons’ NBAGL rights last week, so if the point guard doesn’t earn a regular season NBA roster spot, he’ll likely end up playing for the Swarm.

SEPTEMBER 3: The Hornets and free agent point guard Kobi Simmons have reached an agreement on a one-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Although Charania doesn’t go into detail on the terms of Simmons’ deal, he notes that the 22-year-old will get a chance to compete for a regular season roster spot in training camp, so it figures to be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 pact.

Simmons, who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2017, spent his first professional season on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies. He appeared in 32 NBA games for the club in his rookie year, averaging 6.1 PPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.6 RPG in 20.1 minutes per contest.

After being waived by Memphis last August, Simmons spent most of the 2018/19 season with the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate. He recorded 17.2 PPG, 3.5 APG, and 3.7 RPG in 35 NBAGL games, making one brief NBA appearance for the Cavaliers after signing a 10-day contract with the club in January.

Once they officially sign Simmons, the Hornets will have 20 players under contract. Only 13 of Charlotte’s players have guaranteed salaries for 2019/20, so there will be one or two roster spots up for grabs. Simmons figures to compete with fellow camp invitees Joe Chealey, Caleb Martin, Josh Perkins, and Thomas Welsh — Chealey and Perkins, both point guards, may represent his direct competition.

Magic Exercise 2020/21 Options On Fultz, Isaac, Bamba

September 16th, 2019 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2020/21 season on a trio of young players, the team announced today in a press release. Orlando picked up its fourth-year options on Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, along with its third-year option on Mohamed Bamba.

The decisions on Isaac and Bamba don’t come as a surprise. Isaac had a promising sophomore season, averaging 9.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG while playing a key part in Orlando’s second-half defensive surge. His cap hit for the 2020/21 season will be $7,362,566.

Bamba, meanwhile, didn’t get a chance to play much in his rookie season after being selected sixth overall in the 2018 draft, as a tibia fracture sidelined him for most of the second half. However, third-year options are rarely turned down and Bamba’s $5,969,040 cap charge for ’20/21 is a very reasonable price as the Magic continue to see what they have in the young center.

The most notable decision here is the one on Fultz, whose fourth-year option is much pricier ($12,288,697) since he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2017. The young point guard still hasn’t appeared in a single game for the Magic since being acquired in a deadline deal last February. However, exercising his option signals that the team likes the progress he has made in his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome.

Fultz is now the only Magic point guard under contract beyond this season. D.J. Augustin is in the final year of his contract, while Michael Carter-Williams is on a one-year deal.

In total, the option decisions increase the Magic’s projected 2020/21 team salary by over $25MM, reducing the team’s chances of creating any cap room next summer. Orlando now has more than $101MM in guaranteed money on its books for ’20/21, which doesn’t include Evan Fournier‘s $17.15MM player option. The cap is projected to come in at $116MM.

Teams have until October 31 to exercise rookie scale team options for 2020/21. Our tracker can be found right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bulls Sign Justin Simon To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 15th, 2019 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 15: The signing is official, according to the Real GM Transactions Log.

SEPTEMBER 12: Undrafted rookie free agent Justin Simon will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls today, league sources tell Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Once it’s official, the signing will increase Chicago’s roster count to 17 players.

Simon, who declared for the 2019 draft as an early entrant following his junior year at St. John’s, averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 34 games (32.9 MPG) last season. The 6’5″ shooting guard struggled from beyond the arc, making just 28.9% of his attempts, but provided plenty of value on the other end of the court, earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors.

After going undrafted in June, Simon joined the Bulls for Summer League play and impressed the team in Las Vegas by averaging 6.8 PPG and 4.0 RPG with a .516 FG% in five games (21.0 MPG). He worked out for the Heat last month, but will head to training camp with Chicago.

With 14 players on guaranteed contracts and Shaquille Harrison also expected to make the regular season roster, the Bulls project to have a full 15-man squad. According to Zagoria, Simon will likely end up with the team’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.