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Cavaliers Agree To Deal With Daniel Hamilton

August 31st, 2019 at 9:03am CST by marksuleymanov

The Cavaliers have bolstered their training camp competition after agreeing to a one-year deal with swingman Daniel Hamilton, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor. Hamilton’s pact is an Exhibit 10 contract,

Hamilton, 24, was a second-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and has seen action in the past two seasons. In 19 games with the Hawks last season, Hamilton averaged 3.0 PPG on 38.3% shooting from the field. He was waived in early February.

On a two-way pact with the Thunder during the 2017/18 season, the UConn product saw action in six NBA contests while spending the rest of his time in the G League.

Cleveland intends to invite 20 players to training camp and the agreement with Hamilton makes him the 19th, per Fedor. Hamilton is poised to compete for one of the Cavs’ final roster spots with recent signees Sindarius Thornwell, Jarell Martin, Marques Bolden and J.P. Macura.

Bolden and Macura will also be on Exhibit 10 pacts, therefore Cleveland can deploy them to the G League if they do not crack the NBA roster out of training camp.

Thunder, Eric Moreland Agree To Training Camp Deal

August 30th, 2019 at 4:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Thunder have agreed to a training camp deal with center Eric Moreland, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The 27-year-old will seek to crack the regular season roster of a retooling franchise that will feature plenty of new faces.

Moreland split last season between the Suns and Raptors but never saw consistent playing time. Moreland only played double digit minutes twice in 2018/19, which is considerably less than the previous year when he battled for the primary backup spot to Pistons center Andre Drummond.

Moreland joins a Thunder squad with only 13 guaranteed contracts, meaning it’s possible that he could stay with the team through to the regular season. He’ll presumably be in competition with fellow recent Thunder signee Justin Patton for reps in the team’s frontcourt, with Patton’s multiyear deal and $700K partial guarantee likely giving him a leg up on Moreland.

Mavericks Claim Aric Holman Off Waivers

August 29th, 2019 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have claimed rookie forward Aric Holman off waivers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Holman was released earlier this week when the Lakers needed to create a spot on their 20-man roster for Dwight Howard.

Holman, 22, went undrafted out of Mississippi State this spring after averaging 9.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.6 BPG with a .473/.429/.701 shooting line in his senior year. He quickly caught on with the Lakers, joining the team for Summer League and later signing an Exhibit 10 contract.

Holman averaged 4.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 15.8 MPG in four appearances with the Lakers in Las Vegas in July, but was the odd man out when Howard came aboard. The club chose to keep camp invitees Devontae Cacok, Jordan Caroline, and Demetrius Jackson over Holman.

The Mavericks had 18 players under contract before claiming Holman, giving them flexibility to give the undrafted rookie a look. Barring another transaction, the youngster figures to attend training camp with Dallas this fall. Since the team already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, he’s a long shot to make the Mavs’ regular season roster.

Clippers Sign Donte Grantham To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 29th, 2019 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have filled their 20-man offseason roster by signing free agent forward Donte Grantham. According to RealGM’s transactions log, the deal was finalized on Tuesday. Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets that it’s an Exhibit 10 contract, giving Grantham the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in training camp.

Grantham, 24, went undrafted out of Clemson in 2018 and then spent most of his first professional season on a two-way contract with the Thunder. Although he played just two total minutes in three NBA games for Oklahoma City, the 6’8″ forward was a regular starter for the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG on .404/.372/.804 shooting in 34 contests (26.5 MPG).

Grantham’s two-way deal included a second season, but the Thunder opted to go in a different direction, waiving him last month.

The Clippers are now carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, two on two-way deals, and four with non-guaranteed salaries. If the club plans to keep a 15th man on its roster to open the season, Grantham figures to compete with fellow camp invitees Derrick Walton Jr., Terry Larrier, and James Palmer Jr. for that spot.

Hawks Sign Armoni Brooks

August 27th, 2019 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

11:51am: Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirms (via Twitter) that Brooks received an Exhibit 10 contract.

11:13am: The Hawks have officially signed undrafted rookie guard Armoni Brooks to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Details of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

Brooks declared for the draft this spring as an early entrant after a junior season in which he posted 13.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 37 games for Houston. Of his 425 field goal attempts, 310 came from beyond the arc.

Word broke shortly after the draft that Brooks was signing with the Wizards as an undrafted free agent, but it appears that agreement was only for the Summer League. The 6’3″ guard struggled in limited minutes in Las Vegas, making just 4-of-24 shots from the floor in three games (12.7 MPG) for Washington.

The Hawks now have 18 players formally under contract, with Brooks joining Marcus Derrickson and Ray Spalding as training camp invitees without guaranteed salaries. Vince Carter has also reached a deal with the team, so Atlanta will have just one open spot left on its 20-man offseason roster once Carter officially signs.

Dwight Howard Signs With Lakers

August 26th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:23pm: The Lakers have issued a press release to announce the signing, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The club also confirmed that Aric Holman has been waived.

4:46pm: After clearing waivers, Dwight Howard is officially signing his contract with the Lakers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

It’s a $2,564,753 veteran’s minimum deal, but Howard’s contract doesn’t have any salary protection, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). He’ll earn $14,490 for every day he’s on the roster, with the clock starting on October 21.

An Exhibit 9 clause will likely be inserted into Howard’s summer contract, in which the team would only be on the hook for $6K if Howard is injured and waived before the regular season, Marks adds (Twitter link).

The Grizzlies waived Howard after reaching a buyout agreement with the veteran center last week. Howard pledged to sign with the Lakers prior to the buyout.

Howard had several meetings with the Lakers, who noted that he had lost weight. Howard also demonstrated that his back was healthy after he only played nine games with the Wizards last season.

The Lakers will have to make a corresponding move, since they already have a full 20-man training camp roster.

Lakers Waive Forward Aric Holman

August 26th, 2019 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are waiving forward Aric Holman to open up a roster spot for Dwight Howard, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The Lakers had a full 20-man training camp roster prior to the addition of Howard and needed to make a corresponding move.

Holman was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal last month. He went undrafted and spent his college days at Mississippi State. The power forward blocked at least two shots in 61 of his 124 collegiate games. He averaged 9.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.6 BPG with a .473/.429/.701 shooting line in his senior year.

He averaged 4.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 15.8 MPG in four appearances with the Lakers in the Las Vegas summer league.

Nets Sign Caris LeVert To Extension

August 26th, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 26: The Nets have officially signed LeVert to an extension, the team announced today in a press release.

“Caris personifies what it means to be a Brooklyn Net, and we firmly believe his best basketball is in front of him,” GM Sean Marks said in a statement. “The growth he has displayed in his first three seasons is a testament to his tireless work ethic, along with an unrelenting will to maximize his talents and achieve team success. Our entire organization is excited to continue to have Caris as one of the leaders of our program moving forward.”

AUGUST 25: The Nets and guard Caris LeVert have agreed to a rookie scale extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the new deal is worth $52.5MM over three years. It will go into effect during the 2020/21 season, once LeVert’s rookie scale contract expires.

LeVert, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, was emerging as Brooklyn’s go-to option at the start of the 2018/19 season, averaging 19.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG in his first 13 games (30.7 MPG). However, a dislocated foot derailed his breakout season, forcing him out of action until February.

In his final 26 regular season contests, LeVert didn’t show the same explosiveness or shooting touch, averaging just 11.2 PPG on .394/.312/.661 shooting in 24.9 minutes per contest. However, in the Nets’ playoff series vs. the Sixers, he flashed that early-season form, scoring a team-high 21.0 PPG with a .493/.462/.724 shooting line in five games (28.8 MPG).

LeVert’s new three-year, $52.5MM deal – which will have annual cap hits of $16.2MM, $17.5MM, and $18.8MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks – is a fascinating deal for both sides. The Michigan alum has star upside, so the Nets may have themselves a steal by locking him up for a per-year salary of $17.5MM for three seasons in his prime.

On the other hand, as Marks observes (via Twitter), LeVert’s career has been plagued by injuries dating back to his college days, and he has yet to play a full NBA season, so getting some long-term security likely appealed to him. Plus, by accepting a three-year extension, he’ll be in position to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 as he enters his age-29 season. Assuming he delivers on his potential, he could be in line for a bigger payday at that time.

It remains to be seen how LeVert’s game will be impacted by the arrival of veterans like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan, but the club clearly views him as one of its core players. Now that he has been locked up through the 2022/23 season, his contract is set to expire at the same time as those four-year deals (though Durant and Irving can opt out a year earlier).

With an eight-figure salary for Spencer Dinwiddie also on the books for next season, Brooklyn won’t have any cap room to work with in the summer of 2020. That shouldn’t be a problem — next year’s free agent class is expected to be weak, and it lost another intriguing name with LeVert coming off the board.

LeVert is the third player to reach an agreement with his current team on a rookie scale extension this offseason, with Ben Simmons (Sixers) and Jamal Murray (Nuggets) having previously signed max deals. There are still 17 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions, including Pascal Siakam, Buddy Hield, and Jaylen Brown, among others.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies, Dwight Howard Agree To Buyout

August 24th, 2019 at 11:38am CST by ChrisCrouse

AUGUST 24: The Grizzlies have officially waived Howard, the team announced in a press release.

AUGUST 23: Dwight Howard and the Grizzlies have completed the buyout of his contract. The move will allow Howard to officially sign with the Lakers once he clears waivers.

Memphis had no intention of bringing Howard to training camp, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link), so allowing him to move on was best for the franchise.

Memphis made out well financially as a result of their experience with Howard. The big man was scheduled to make $5.6MM this upcoming season, but he agreed to give up nearly $2.6MM as a part of the buyout arrangement.

Earlier in the summer, Memphis acquired Howard in exchange for C.J. Miles, who is making $8.7MM for the 2019/20 season. The trade netted the team over $3MM in savings, which brings the franchise’s total savings in the series of moves to roughly $5.6MM.

The Grizzlies have the option to keep Howard’s remaining $3MM on their books this year or use the stretch provision, as Bobby Marks of ESPN.com tweets. Memphis is approximately $7.4MM below the luxury tax line.

Dwight Howard To Sign With Lakers

August 23rd, 2019 at 5:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwight Howard is returning to the Lakers. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Howard and the Grizzlies are finalizing a buyout and the center will latch on with Los Angeles once that it complete.

Howard had several meetings with the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Howard came in after dropping 25 pounds and showcased his that back was healthy. Woj hears that the Lakers got the sense that Howard had hit “rock bottom” and it had humbled him. While the Lakers are signing the center, they are proceeding with caution, as the deal is non-guaranteed.

The team wants him to come in and serve in a rim protecting/rebounding role. Several Lakers players were involved in the decision to bring Howard to the club.

The Lakers considered several options to fill the void DeMarcus Cousins‘ injury created. Joakim Noah also worked out for L.A. and the franchise believes that Noah and Howard could each help the team.

Howard’s deal will pay him the veteran’s minimum, which will be worth approximately $2.6MM. Again, it’s non-guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images