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Suns, Tyson Chandler Finalize Buyout Agreement

November 4th, 2018 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns officially reached a buyout agreement with Tyson Chandler and have requested waivers on the veteran center, the team confirmed today in a press release. It was first reported on Saturday that the two sides would be parting ways.

“We want to thank Tyson for his contributions to the Suns over the past three-plus seasons,” interim co-GM James Jones said in a statement. “With respect for Tyson’s accomplished career, today’s move gives him the chance to pursue a new opportunity while allowing our younger players to continue developing. Tyson is a consummate professional and we wish him all the best.”

Chandler’s role with the Suns had dwindled, from 25.0 minutes per game last season to just 12.7 MPG in the early going this year. The 18-year veteran started all 46 games he played for Phoenix in 2017/18, but had been moved to the bench this season due to the arrival of first overall pick Deandre Ayton. Chandler averaged 6.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG last year.

Chandler was in the final year of a contract that paid him approximately $13.59MM this season. Phoenix will be able to trim some of that cap hit off the books as a result of the buyout agreement, while the 36-year-old figures to sign a minimum salary with his new team.

That new team will be the Lakers, according to multiple reports. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) indicated on Saturday that the framework for a buyout agreement between Chandler and the Suns had been in place for a little while, but it wasn’t put into motion until the big man knew he had a landing spot lined up.

The Lakers have been thin at center this season, leaning heavily on JaVale McGee and relying on smaller players to spend time at the five, so Chandler should see some playing time in Los Angeles. He’ll be eligible to sign with L.A. after he clears waivers on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Suns Working On Buyout With Tyson Chandler

November 3rd, 2018 at 4:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:24pm: Chandler’s frustrations with the Suns have been growing over the years, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). He was angry about losing and being shut down early, playing just 47 and 46 games the past two seasons. Before zeroing in on the Lakers, Chandler had also expressed interest in joining the Wizards, Warriors or Rockets.

4:52pm: The Suns are negotiating a buyout with 36-year-old center Tyson Chandler, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times, and the Lakers are his likely destination once he clears waivers (Twitter link).

After being used primarily as a starter since coming to Phoenix in 2015, Chandler has slipped into a reserve role this season behind No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton. He has averaged 12.7 minutes per night in seven games and doesn’t fit in with the Suns’ youth movement. Chandler is making $13.6MM in the final season of a four-year, $52MM contract.

He could become a defensive anchor for the Lakers, who don’t have much depth at center behind starter JaVale McGee. Chandler is a native of Los Angeles, Stein notes, and his salary will likely discourage any other team from making a waiver claim.

He and the Suns have had a standing buyout agreement in place for a while, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Chandler wanted to be sure another team would pick him up before finalizing the deal, and he found a taker in L.A. It explains why the Lakers didn’t make a stronger effort during the offseason to sign another center, adds ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

Pacers Waive Ben Moore

November 3rd, 2018 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

The Pacers have waived forward Ben Moore, the team announced in a press release on Saturday. Indiana also recalled center Ike Anigbogu from their G League affiliate.

Moore, 23, in his second year out of SMU, re-signed with Indiana on a one-year, partially guaranteed deal in September. The forward went undrafted last summer and later joined the Pacers’ G League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He averaged 11.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 43 G League contests last season.

Moore appeared in two games with the Pacers last season after his deal was converted to a two-way pact.

With Moore waived, Indiana’s roster total drops to 14, not including two-way players Davon Reed and Edmond Sumner.

Grizzlies Waive Andrew Harrison

November 1st, 2018 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially released guard Andrew Harrison, the team announced today in a press release. Harrison will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Harrison, who turned 24 on Sunday, had been the primary backup for Mike Conley at the point in Memphis over the last couple years. In his first two NBA seasons, the former Kentucky standout recorded 7.5 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.1 RPG in 128 games (21.9 MPG).

However, Harrison had fallen out of the rotation this season, with Conley healthy and free agent addition Shelvin Mack taking over the backup role. The Grizzlies also have rookie Jevon Carter at the point, with Garrett Temple capable of handling the ball as well, creating a good deal of depth even without Harrison in the mix.

Because Harrison’s contract was non-guaranteed, Memphis won’t be on the hook for his full $1,544,951 cap charge. Instead, the cap hit will be just $200K, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Grizzlies, who aren’t far from the luxury tax line, will save a little money and maintain some roster flexibility if they opt not to replace Harrison on their roster right away.

Nuggets Decline Option On Tyler Lydon

October 31st, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets won’t pick up the third-year option on power forward Tyler Lydon, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

The 24th pick in the 2017 draft, Lydon was acquired from the Jazz as part of the return for Donovan Mitchell, who finished second in last season’s Rookie of the Year voting. Lydon spent most of the season in the G League appearing in just one game for Denver. He has played twice this season, averaging 2.0 minutes per night.

Lydon, who would have made $2,190,720 for the 2019/20 season, will instead become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Nuggets can still re-sign him, but can’t exceed the value of his option in the first year of any new contract.

Rockets Won’t Pick Up Option On Marquese Chriss

October 31st, 2018 at 5:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets have declined their fourth-year option on Marquese Chriss, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Houston hasn’t seen Chriss in action much since acquiring him two months ago in a trade with the Suns. An ankle injury sidelined him for most of the preseason and the start of the regular season, and he just made his official debut with the team last night.

Chriss, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, would have earned $4,078,236 next season, which is now the maximum the Rockets can offer him in the first year of a new contract. Houston is hovering near the luxury tax with $131.5MM already committed for 2019/20, which likely factored into the decision on Chriss.

The Suns were intrigued enough with Chriss’ potential to make a deal with the Kings and take him with the eighth pick in the 2016 draft. After a promising rookie year, he regressed last season, averaging 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 72 games while shooting just 42% from the field.

Chriss was sent to Houston at the end of August along with Brandon Knight in a deal for Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton. He and Knight have reportedly been offered to the Timberwolves along with four draft picks in exchange for Jimmy Butler, but the Wolves don’t appear likely to accept that deal.

Today marks the two-month anniversary of the Rockets acquiring Chriss and Knight, which means both are now eligible to be aggregated in a trade. Any team that deals for Chriss would also be limited to $4,078,236 as a starting salary in a future offer.

Sixers Decline Option On Furkan Korkmaz

October 31st, 2018 at 4:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers won’t pick up the third-year option on Furkan Korkmaz, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old shooting guard was set to earn $2,033,160 next season, but he hasn’t been able to crack the rotation and is no longer in Philadelphia’s long-term plans.

The decision doesn’t come as a surprise because Korkmaz wasn’t included in the Sixers’ announcement Monday when they exercised their options on Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and Dario Saric. Teams tend to release all their option decisions at once, although Simmons, Fultz and Saric were easy choices.

Korkmaz hasn’t seen much playing time since leaving Turkey to join the Sixers before the start of last sesason. He has appeared in five games this this year, averaging 5.2 minutes per night. He got into just 14 games last year and spent much of the season in the G League.

Today’s decision means Korkmaz will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He will receive his full $1,740,000 salary for this season, but he could become much more expendable if the Sixers need to open a roster spot.

The decision may also make it more difficult for Philadelphia to trade him. Unless he gets waived, Korkmaz can’t be offered a starting salary higher than the value of his option by whichever team has him when the season ends. That may lead an interested team to wait for free agency, rather than giving up something in trade and risking not being able to re-sign him.

Wolves To Decline Justin Patton’s Third-Year Option

October 31st, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves will pass on Justin Patton‘s third-year option for the 2019/20 season, putting the young center on track to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, according to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Patton, 21, has been plagued by injuries since entering the NBA as the 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft. Acquired by the Timberwolves on draft night as part of their Jimmy Butler blockbuster with the Bulls, Patton broke his left foot in a workout before even getting a chance to play for Minnesota’s Summer League team.

After initially undergoing surgery on his left foot last July, Patton underwent a follow-up procedure in April, then broke a bone in his right foot in September and had surgery to repair that injury. As a result of his constant health problems, Patton has appeared in just one game for the Wolves, making his NBA debut on April 1. He played four minutes in that contest.

If Minnesota had exercised Patton’s 2019/20 option, it would have guaranteed his $3,117,240 cap hit for that season. By declining the option, the Wolves now won’t be permitted to offer a starting salary larger than that amount if they change course and want to retain the big man next July.

As our tracker shows, Patton is the fourth player confirmed to have his 2019/20 rookie scale option declined, joining Dragan Bender (Suns), Henry Ellenson (Pistons), and Malachi Richardson (Raptors). A handful of other players, including Marquese Chriss (Rockets) are also still at risk of having their options turned down.

Raptors Exercise 2019/20 Options On Siakam, Anunoby

October 31st, 2018 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have exercised their 2019/20 rookie scale options on forwards Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, the team has announced in a press release. We learned earlier today that the team would be passing on Malachi Richardson‘s ’19/20 option.

Siakam’s fourth-year option will count for just $2,351,839 on Toronto’s cap next season, while Anunoby’s third-year option is even more modest, coming in at $2,281,800. The Raptors may be over the tax line again next season if Kawhi Leonard re-signs, but exercising the options on Siakam and Anunoby was an easy decision for the team, given the on-court value the duo provides.

Siakam, the 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has started seven of the Raptors’ eight games this season and has looked better than ever, with 10.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG, plus a .594 FG%. Anunoby has missed a few games early in the season for personal reasons, but continues to develop into a reliable three-and-D wing.

The Raps will face more decisions on Siakam and Anunoby after July 1, 2019, when Siakam will become eligible for a rookie scale extension and the club will have the opportunity to pick up Anunoby’s fourth-year option for 2020/21.

Celtics Pick Up Options On Tatum, Brown, Yabusele

October 31st, 2018 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have picked up their 2019/20 team options on three players, according to an official announcement from the club (Twitter link). Jaylen Brown‘s fourth-year option has been exercised, as have the third-year options for Jayson Tatum and Guerschon Yabusele.

The decisions on Tatum and Brown come as no surprise. Tatum has looked like a rising star since being selected third overall in the 2017 draft, and the decision to lock in his $7,830,000 cap hit for 2019/20 was a no-brainer. Brown hasn’t flashed the same sort of star potential as his fellow No. 3 overall pick, but the starting shooting guard continues to improve on both ends of the court, and guaranteeing his $6,534,829 cap charge for next season was also an easy call for the Celtics.

Boston’s decision on Yabusele is a little more surprising. The former 16th overall pick has played in just 38 games for the Celtics since joining the team last season, and hasn’t made an impact, with 2.2 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 6.7 minutes per contest.

Al Horford, Aron Baynes, Robert Williams, Daniel Theis, and Semi Ojeleye are all in Boston’s frontcourt mix, and the team sometimes plays Tatum or Gordon Hayward at the four, leaving few opportunities for Yabusele. Nonetheless, the Celtics apparently still value him highly enough to lock in his $3,117,240 cap hit for 2019/20. The C’s will end up paying a higher price to retain Yabusele if they’re well over the tax line next season, as is expected.

All of the rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20 can be tracked right here.