Transactions

Bucks Sign Jaylen Adams To Camp Deal

August 20: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.

August 16: The Bucks are signing guard Jaylen Adams to a training camp deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Adams became a free agent in mid-July after the Hawks waived him before his $1,416,852 salary became guaranteed. Milwaukee’s contract offer is apparently an Exhibit 10 deal. The Bucks targeted Adams for an affiliate contract spot with their G League team, the Wisconsin Herd, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

Adams signed a two-way deal with Atlanta last summer, then had it converted to a standard contract in February. He went undrafted out of St. Bonaventure.

The 23-year-old Adams appeared in 34 NBA games last season, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.9 APG in 12.6 MPG.

Milwaukee had 16 players under contract (14 with fully guaranteed deals), along with a pair of two-way players.

The 6’2” Adams faces an uphill battle to gain a roster spot. The Bucks already have Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo and two-way player Frank Mason at the point.

Kings Sign Center Eric Mika

The Kings have signed center Eric Mika, according to a team press release. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.

Sacramento had two openings available on its training camp roster. Mika faces long odds in terms of making the opening-night roster. The Kings already have three centers — Dewayne Dedmon, Richaun Holmes and Harry Giles — along with power forwards Marvin Bagley III, Nemanja Bjelica, Caleb Swanigan, Tyler Lydon and two-way player Wenyen Gabriel.

The 6’10” Mika, 24, was a member of Sacramento’s California Classic summer league squad last month. He played three games and averaged 8.3 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 19.3 MPG. He also appeared in five Las Vegas summer league games for the franchise and averaged 9.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 17.0 MPG.

Mika went undrafted out of BYU in 2017. He played overseas with Germani Basket Brescia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and Medi Bayreuth of Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga last season, posting averages of 8.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 15.9 MPG in 41 games.

Mavericks Re-Sign J.J. Barea

AUGUST 19: Seven weeks after agreeing to terms with the Mavericks on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, Barea has officially signed his contract, he confirmed to MacMahon (Twitter link). The veteran guard, who continues to recover from his Achilles tear, expects to be fully cleared to participate in training camp, per MacMahon.

JULY 1: The Mavericks have agreed to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with free agent point guard J.J. Barea, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (via Twitter), there’s a chance that Dallas could bump up Barea’s salary beyond the minimum, depending on how the team’s offseason plays out and whether there’s cap room left over.

Barea said he also registered interest from both the Lakers and Pistons, according to Carlos Rosa of GFR Media. Barea has spent 10 of his 13 NBA seasons with the Mavericks, calling the city of Dallas his second home, Rosa notes in a separate tweet. He was part of the 2011 Mavericks team that won an NBA championship by defeating the Heat.

Barea, 35, suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon last February, so it remains to be seen when he’ll be able return to the court. In his 35 regular-season games before suffering the injury, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.6 assists and 19.8 minutes per contest.

If he signs for the minimum, Barea will earn approximately $2.5MM, though he’d only count for about $1.6MM against the cap for the club.

Spurs Sign Forward Daulton Hommes

The Spurs have signed forward Daulton Hommes, according to RealGM’s official transactions log. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Andy Buhler of Scorebook Live Washington.

Hommes, 23, averaged 21.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG for Point Loma Nazarene University in his senior campaign in 2018/19. Those efforts earned Hommes NABC Division II National Player of the Year honors.

After going undrafted, Hommes suited up for the Bucks’ Summer League squad. In two games, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward notched averages of 8.4 PPG and 1.6 RPG in Las Vegas.

It’s likely that Hommes will spend most of his time with the Spurs’ G League affiliate in Austin.

Cavaliers Sign Jarell Martin

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Jarell Martin to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), Martin will get the opportunity to compete in training camp for one of the team’s open roster spots.

Martin, 25, was selected out of LSU with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Grizzlies before being dealt to the Magic in July 2018.

Martin didn’t play much of a role in Orlando in 2018/19, averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 42 games (7.8 MPG). His best season came in Memphis a year earlier when he recorded 7.7 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 73 contests (22.8 MPG) for the Grizzlies.

Currently, the Cavaliers have 16 players under contracts, including 13 on guaranteed deals and one on a two-way contract. However, the club has also reportedly agreed to sign Sindarius Thornwell, J.P. Macura, and Marques Bolden. Assuming those deals – and Martin’s – are finalized, Cleveland would be at its 20-man offseason roster limit.

Malik Newman and Levi Randolph are already on non-guaranteed contracts with the Cavs, so they’d presumably compete with Thornwell, Macura, Bolden, and Martin for the open roster spot(s) and possibly a two-way contract slot.

Clippers Sign Patrick Patterson

7:01pm: The signing is now official, per a release from the team.

4:30pm: As expected, the Clippers are now in agreement with Patrick Patterson on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski first reported two weeks ago when Patterson agreed to a buyout with the Thunder that the veteran forward intended to sign with the Clippers once he cleared waivers. It seems that signing got somewhat delayed, but Woj’s report today confirms that the two sides are still on track to finalize a deal.

Patterson, 30, signed a three-year contract with Oklahoma City in 2017 after serving as a reliable stretch four off the bench for several seasons in Toronto. However, the former lottery pick struggled with injuries and inconsistencies during his two seasons with the Thunder, knocking down just 33.6% of his three-point attempts in 2018/19, well below his career rate of 36.7%.

With Oklahoma City in rebuilding mode and looking to duck under the luxury tax, it made sense for Patterson and the team to work out an agreement that removed his expiring deal from OKC’s books and freed up the veteran to join a contender.

Patterson reportedly gave up $3.5MM of his $5.7MM salary with the Thunder as part of his buyout agreement with the team, though he’ll make back about $2.33MM on a minimum deal with the Clippers. It will count for approximately $1.62MM on L.A.’s cap.

Once Patterson officially signs with the Clippers, the team will have 18 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals and a pair on two-way pacts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards Waive Tarik Phillip

The Wizards have made a minor roster move, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived guard Tarik Phillip.

Phillip, who turned 26 on Sunday, was signed to the Wizards’ roster at the very end of the 2018/19 season after he spent most of the year with the Memphis Hustle in the G League. He averaged 13.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .469/.401/.783 shooting line in 48 games (29.1 MPG) for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate.

The Wizards signed Phillip to a multiyear deal that paid him an NBA salary for two days in April and included a non-guaranteed $1,416,852 minimum salary for the 2019/20 season. That salary wouldn’t have become guaranteed until January 10, 2020, so Washington won’t be on the hook for any dead money after releasing him.

Another NBA team could claim Phillip off waivers without guaranteeing his salary, though it’s more likely that he goes unclaimed and becomes an unrestricted free agent this weekend.

The Wizards now have 18 players under contract — 13 on guaranteed deals, one on a two-way contract, and four on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed pacts.

Thunder Sign Justin Patton

AUGUST 14: Patton’s contract with the Thunder is a three-year deal that features a team option on the final season, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM. The club had to use a portion of its mid-level exception to go up to three years.

Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights adds (via Twitter) that Patton’s first-year salary is partially guaranteed for $700K. The two non-guaranteed seasons each have July 7 salary guarantee trigger dates, per Siegel.

According to Smith (via Twitter), the Thunder were intrigued by Patton in the 2017 draft, but couldn’t get into position to select him. Oklahoma City is willing to make a modest investment in the big man now in the hopes that it pays off later.

AUGUST 13: Former first-round pick Justin Patton has found a new NBA team, as the Thunder announced today in a press release that they’ve signed the young center to a contract. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but RealGM’s transactions log classifies it as a multiyear contract.

Patton, the 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft, was sent to Minnesota along with Jimmy Butler in the blockbuster trade that saw Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn head to Chicago. However, the former Creighton big man was plagued by injuries during his first two NBA seasons, breaking bones in both feet.

Patton appeared in just one game for the Timberwolves before being packaged again with Butler in a trade to Philadelphia last fall. The 22-year-old saw action in three games for the Sixers before being waived in April to make room on the roster for Greg Monroe.

The retooling Thunder only have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus one player on a two-way deal. So if Patton shows in training camp and during the preseason that he’s healthy and flashes some of the promise that made him a first-round pick in 2017, it’s possible he’ll stick with Oklahoma City into the regular season. Of course, if his salary is fully or partially guaranteed, the odds of him making the 15-man roster would increase significantly.

Lakers Sign Demetrius Jackson To Exhibit 10 Deal

The Lakers have signed Demetrius Jackson, according to a team press release. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link) hears that the arrangement is an Exhibit 10 deal.

Jackson was selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of Notre Dame. The point guard began his NBA career in Boston, though he only saw five games of action for the Celtics during his rookie season.

Jackson spent time in Houston and Philadelphia as well as the G League since his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old will look to make the Lakers’ roster, although it’s more likely that he’ll play for the team’s G League squad, the South Bay Lakers, next season.

The Lakers now have a full 20-man offseason roster.

Magic Sign Hassani Gravett To Exhibit 10 Deal

The Magic have signed free agent guard Hassani Gravett, the team announced today in a press release. According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (via Twitter), it’s an Exhibit 10 contract.

Gravett, who played his college ball at South Carolina, averaged 11.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG with a .399 3PT% in 32 games in 2018/19. He went undrafted in June and didn’t play any Summer League games in July, but it appears he’ll attend training camp with the Magic.

Robbins suggests that Gravett “appears certain” to play for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, in his rookie season. If he spends at least 60 days with Lakeland, he’ll be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K, in addition to his G League salary.

The Magic now have 18 players under contract, with first-rounder Chuma Okeke still unsigned. Isaac Humphries reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the team as well, so he and Okeke may take the two final spots on Orlando’s 20-man offseason squad, though there could be more roster shuffling to come.