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Pistons Add Kalin Lucas On Two-Way Deal, Waive Zach Lofton

January 15th, 2019 at 6:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons have signed Kalin Lucas to a two-way contract, waiving Zach Lofton in the process, Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays (Twitter feed). The now team has a bounty of guards after adding Isaiah Whitehead on a separate two-way deal earlier today.

Behind Reggie Jackson, the team has veterans Ish Smith, Langston Galloway, and Jose Calderon on the payroll. The Pistons also have rookie Khyri Thomas, who has seen court time in each of the last three games after playing sparsely in just seven of the franchise’s previous 39 contests.

After the Lucas signing, seven of the team’s 17 players man the point guard position. It’s possible that the club is preparing to make a trade and while that’s merely my speculation, the calculated roster imbalance suggests the Pistons are strategically planning something. It could be more lineups with two point guards or it could be a more drastic measure like shipping Jackson to a new team.

Detroit entered the day 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-24, just a game-and-a-half behind the eighth-place Hornets. Adding Lucas, who has appeared in just one NBA game since leaving Michigan State, won’t likely impact the team’s win total. However, with Lucas and Whitehead in the fold, the team has great depth at the position and it can now more easily swap a floor general for some needed wing support.

Bucks Sign Bonzie Colson To Two-Way Deal

January 15th, 2019 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: The Bucks have officially signed Colson to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 14: After opening up a two-way contract slot by waiving Jaylen Morris, the Bucks are filling that opening with new two-way player Bonzie Colson, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that the Bucks and Colson have agreed to a two-way deal in advance of Tuesday’s deadline.

Colson, 23, joined the Cavaliers as an undrafted free agent during the 2018 offseason after having missed most of his senior year at Notre Dame due to multiple foot injuries. He was viewed as a potential second-round pick before fracturing his left foot against Penn State during the National Invitation Tournament in March.

Although he didn’t make Cleveland’s regular season roster in the fall, Colson joined the team’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, and has bounced back nicely. In 23 NBAGL games, the rookie forward has averaged 15.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG with a .489/.385/.667 shooting line.

The Bucks will have a full 17-man roster (15 standard contracts and a pair of two-way deals) once they make it official with Colson.

Sixers Sign Corey Brewer To 10-Day Contract

January 15th, 2019 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have filled their open roster spot, having signed veteran NBA swingman Corey Brewer to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Philadelphia has issued a press release confirming the deal.

Brewer, who will turn 33 in March, spent time last season with the Lakers and Thunder, but had yet to catch on with an NBA team this season. He was one of several free agents who worked out for the 76ers this week, and it seems the team liked what it saw from the 11-year veteran during that session.

Brewer’s scoring numbers have slipped in recent years, and he has never been a particularly great shooter. In 72 games last season, he recorded 5.3 PPG on .449/.282/.722 shooting. Still, he’s a hard-nosed defender who can provide some energy off the bench — and, considering the Sixers will be his seventh NBA team, he’ll likely be able to adapt quickly to a new system.

While Brewer will occupy Philadelphia’s 15th roster spot for now, his contract will only run through next Thursday, covering the club’s next five games. If the 76ers like what they see from the former Florida Gator during that stretch, he could get a second 10-day contract once this one expires. However, the Sixers may also look to maintain some flexibility with their final roster spot as the trade deadline and buyout period nears.

Grizzlies Sign Julian Washburn, Cut Jarnell Stokes

January 15th, 2019 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

1:27pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Washburn to a two-way contract and released Stokes, the club announced today in a press release.

12:57pm: The Grizzlies are among the teams making a change to their two-way players in advance of today’s deadline. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the club is signing small forward Julian Washburn from out of the G League to a two-way contract. Jarnell Stokes will be released to open up a roster spot, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.

Washburn, 27, has signed a pair of camp contracts with the Spurs – one in 2015 and one in 2018 – but has never appeared in a regular season NBA game. The 6’8″ forward has been a regular start this season for the Austin Spurs, however, recording 10.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .444/.371/.789 shooting in 23 G League contests (31.7 MPG).

Washburn is unlikely to see a whole lot of playing time in Memphis, but he’ll provide the team with some depth, serving as a potential three-and-D option on the wing. The Grizzlies recently lost Dillon Brooks for the season and Kyle Anderson for two to four weeks due to injuries, so they could use a player like Washburn more than a big man like Stokes.

Cavs Sign Deng Adel To Two-Way Contract

January 15th, 2019 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: The Cavaliers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Adel. Cleveland has waived Jones to open up the necessary roster spot.

JANUARY 14: The Cavaliers are the latest team to make a change to their two-way contract slots, having reached an agreement to sign G League forward Deng Adel to a two-way deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Adel had been playing for the Raptors 905 in the G League.

After going undrafted out of Louisville in 2018, Adel initially appeared set to join the Timberwolves on a camp contract, but ended up in training camp with the Raptors instead. Waived at the end of the preseason, the 22-year-old joined Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate, where he has recorded 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .423/.313/.768 shooting line in 25 games (31.6 MPG).

The Cavaliers don’t currently have a two-way slot open, so they’ll need to cut either Jaron Blossomgame or Jalen Jones to create room for Adel.

Once Adel officially signs, he’ll be the sixth player to receive a two-way contract from Cleveland this season, as Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days observes (via Twitter). Before adding Blossomgame and Jones, the Cavs also had Andrew Harrison, John Holland, and Billy Preston on two-way deals.

Pistons, Isaiah Whitehead Agree To Two-Way Deal

January 15th, 2019 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

12:17pm: The Pistons will be removing Evans’ two-way deal from their roster to make room for Whitehead, tweets Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.

11:18am: The Pistons have reached an agreement with free agent guard Isaiah Whitehead on a two-way contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Detroit will have to waive one of its current two-way players – Keenan Evans or Zach Lofton – in order to make the deal official.

Whitehead, 23, was selected by the Nets with the 42nd overall pick in the 2016 draft and spent two seasons with the team, appearing in 89 overall games. The former Seton Hall standout was a regular part of Brooklyn’s rotation in his rookie season, but saw his playing time cut back in 2017/18 as he spent more time with the Long Island Nets in the G League. Whitehead averaged 22.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 30 games for the Nets’ NBAGL affiliate last season.

The Brooklyn native was was sent to Denver in an offerson trade and was waived a few days later, making him an unrestricted free agent. Whitehead quickly caught on overseas with Lokomotiv Kuban, but parted ways with the Russian club last week. Now, he’ll return to the NBA on a two-way deal.

Today is the deadline for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts for the 2018/19 season, so Whitehead’s deal should be finalized within the next several hours.

Knicks Sign Kadeem Allen To Two-Way Contract

January 14th, 2019 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

2:41pm: The Knicks have officially signed Allen to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

9:24am: The Knicks will fill their open two-way slot in advance of Tuesday’s deadline by signing G League guard Kadeem Allen, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). New York started the season with Isaiah Hicks and Allonzo Trier on two-way deals, but promoted Trier to its 15-man roster last month.

Allen, who will turn 26 tomorrow, began his NBA career as a second-round draft pick for the Celtics in 2017. As a rookie, the former Arizona standout appeared in just 18 games (5.9 MPG) for Boston while on a two-way deal. He was waived in July and caught on with the Knicks for training camp, but didn’t make the club’s regular season roster.

After being released by New York in October, Allen headed to the team’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, averaging 13.7 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 5.2 RPG with a .470/.386/.822 shooting line in 25 games (30.8 MPG) for the club.

The Knicks had been one of just four NBA teams with two-way contract slots open — the Trail Blazers (both spots), Bucks, and Pelicans are the others. Tuesday is the deadline for teams to sign two-way contracts for the 2018/19 season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Portland, Milwaukee, and New Orleans makes moves today or tomorrow. There may also be another small group of teams who make changes to their two-way slots, perhaps promoting certain players to standard contracts.

Bucks Waive Jaylen Morris

January 14th, 2019 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have requested waivers on shooting guard Jaylen Morris, the team announced in a press release. Morris had been one of two Milwaukee players on two-way contracts, along with Trevon Duval. The club now has an open two-way slot.

Morris, 23, signed a two-way contract with the Bucks back in July, but only appeared in four regular season contests for the team, averaging 2.5 PPG in 7.3 minutes per game. He played more frequently for the Wisconsin Herd, recording 14.1 PPG on .503/.217/.639 shooting in 13 G League games (35.1 MPG).

Morris is on track to become an unrestricted free agent, while the Bucks have a two-way opening that they’ll have to fill before Tuesday’s two-way signing deadline if they want to use it.

Nets Re-Sign Alan Williams

January 11th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 11: The Nets have officially re-signed Williams to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 10: After complications arose during his contract talks with a Chinese Basketball Association club, veteran NBA big man Alan Williams has decided to remain stateside, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Williams will re-sign with the Nets on a two-way contract.

The news comes just over a week after Brooklyn ended Williams’ previous two-way deal. At the time, it appeared to be a favor to the 25-year-old and his agent, since he seemingly had an opportunity lined up in China, reportedly with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. With that opportunity no longer on the table, Williams will return to the Nets, with Wojnarowski suggesting he’ll likely be dressed for Friday’s game against Toronto.

After missing most of last season with a knee injury, Williams has bounced back nicely in the G League in 2018/19, averaging 21.0 PPG and a league-high 14.7 RPG in 17 games (26.9 MPG) for the Long Island Nets. The former Sun has yet to appear in a game for Brooklyn at the NBA level though.

Williams’ new deal with the Nets looks like bad news for Paul Zipser, who was said on Tuesday to be in line for a two-way contract from Brooklyn. With Williams back in the mix, there’s no room for Zipser unless the team parts ways with its other two-way player, Theo Pinson. That won’t happen, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who tweets that Zipser will no longer be joining the Nets.

Raptors Sign Patrick McCaw

January 10th, 2019 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 10: Patrick McCaw has officially signed his one-year contract with the Raptors, according to the NBA’s transactions log. McCaw was waived by the Cavaliers on Monday, allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency and sign with any team.

JANUARY 9: Shooting guard Patrick McCaw will sign with the Raptors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. McCaw, who cleared waivers today, will receive a one-year deal worth $786K, the pro-rated amount of the veterans’ minimum, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The signing will end an eventful two-week odyssey for McCaw that will eventually leave him right where he started. Because he is set to sign a one-year contract, he will become a restricted free agent again at the end of the season if the Raptors submit a qualifying offer, and the team will be able to match any offer he receives.

McCaw had been waiting for a contract since July, but nothing materialized until December 28 when the Cavaliers signed him to a non-guaranteed offer sheet worth $6MM over two years. The Warriors elected not to match, sending him to Cleveland, but only for a few days. The Cavs waived McCaw on Sunday, paying him about $323K for his brief stay with the team.

McCaw spent his first two NBA seasons with Golden State, but turned down a qualifying offer from the team over the summer and a subsequent two-year, $5.2MM offer with only a guarantee on the first year. That still would have paid him substantially more than he will make in about a half season with the Cavs and Raptors. McCaw explained that he didn’t want to re-sign with the Warriors because he was seeking “a new opportunity.”

The NBA plans to review the unusual way that Cleveland handled the McCaw situation. There are accusations that the Cavaliers circumvented the salary cap, signing McCaw only so he could have a path toward unrestricted free agency with no intention of keeping him. The franchise faces fines or a loss of draft picks if the league determines something inappropriate happened. McCaw played just three games during his time in Cleveland, averaging 1.7 PPG.

The expected signing will bring Toronto back to the league minimum of 14 players and increase the team’s projected luxury tax bill by $2.56MM to $34.74MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The bill was at $34.5MM before Lorenzo Brown was waived on Monday.