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Magic Second-Rounder Justin Jackson Signs G League Contract

September 24th, 2018 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic second-round pick Justin Jackson, one of the last unsigned players in this year’s draft class, has inked a G League contract and will join Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said today (Twitter link via Keith Smith of RealGM.com).

Having missed most of the 2017/18 season with a torn labrum, Jackson may not have been ready to contribute to the Magic’s NBA squad right away in his rookie season, so the team has opted to make him a domestic draft-and-stash prospect instead.

While most of this year’s second-round picks, particularly those selected in the first half of the second round, signed NBA contracts, it’s not uncommon for a small handful of draftees to sign G League contracts. In fact, this will be the second consecutive year that the 43rd overall pick has taken that route — Rockets second-rounder Isaiah Hartenstein spent last season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before signing his first NBA deal with Houston this summer.

Before going done with his labrum injury last season, Jackson had recorded 10.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 44 career games at Maryland. The 21-year-old forward also had a career shooting line of .418/.386/.728. Orlando acquired his rights in a draft-night trade, moving down two spots from No. 41 to No. 43 and picking up a 2019 second-round pick in the process.

Tyler Ulis Signs Camp Deal With Warriors

September 24th, 2018 at 11:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 24: The Warriors have officially signed Ulis, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 21: Point guard Tyler Ulis will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The former Suns guard will join them in camp, though he’ll likely wind up with the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, Anthony Johnson of 2Ways10Days tweets.

Ulis also had similar offers from the Rockets and Kings, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets.

The Suns waived Ulis at the end of June, ending his disappointing stint with the club. The 2106 second-rounder out of Kentucky started 58 games in his two seasons with Phoenix and appeared in 132 games overall but the front office didn’t see him in its future plans. He was cut loose before his modest $1.54MM salary for the upcoming season became guaranteed, a move that upset star shooting guard Devin Booker.

Ulis has been seeking new employment ever since and had a workout with the Cavaliers earlier this month. The Warriors already have Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook as options behind starting point guard Stephen Curry, so Ulis can be viewed as an insurance policy if an injury strikes.

Timberwolves Sign Johnson-Odom, Stark

September 24th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have announced their training camp roster, and the 18-man squad includes a pair of new names. According to the team, guards Darius Johnson-Odom and Jonathan Stark are now under contract with Minnesota.

Johnson-Odom, who will turn 29 this Friday, appeared in four games for the Lakers in 2012/13 and three games for the Sixers in 2013/14, but hasn’t played in the NBA since then. The former second-round pick has spent time with a handful of international teams in recent years, playing for multiple clubs in Italy, as well as teams in Turkey and Greece. He worked out for the Timberwolves earlier this month.

According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Johnson-Odom was recently suspended by the Italian Anti-Doping Organization for eight months after testing positive to a THC test this past spring. The ban, which ends on March 16, applies to all FIBA leagues and tournaments, per Carchia.

Stark, meanwhile, went undrafted out of Murray State in 2018 after being named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year last season. In his final college season, the 6’0″ guard averaged 21.4 PPG and 3.9 APG with a shooting line of .451/.399/.893. He played for Minnesota’s Summer League team in Las Vegas in July.

Both players look like long shots to make the Timberwolves’ regular season roster, and could end up playing for the Iowa Wolves in the G League.

Jimmy Butler is one of the 18 players listed on Minnesota’s camp roster, but isn’t expected to report for the start of training camp.

Alan Williams Signs Two-Way Deal With Nets

September 24th, 2018 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 24: Williams’ two-way contract with the Nets is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 14: The Nets will sign free agent center Alan Williams to a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Williams spent his first three seasons with the Suns before being waived in July. He played just five games at the NBA level last year, spending most of his time in the G League. Williams appeared in 62 games during his time in Phoenix, averaging 6.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG.

Williams, who worked out for the Cavaliers last week, will be limited to 45 days in the NBA under the two-way deal. He will join an organization that has been looking for big men at the G League level.

The Nets still have their other two-way slot open, along with one more roster vacancy heading into camp.

Timberwolves Sign Karl-Anthony Towns To Extension

September 23rd, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 23: The Timberwolves have officially signed Towns to his new extension, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 22: Karl-Anthony Towns has decided to accept an extension from the Timberwolves, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The new deal could pay Towns as much as $190MM over the next five years based on current cap projections.

The latest news out of Minnesota may be further indication that Jimmy Butler is headed out of town soon. A report this week suggested that Towns, who clashed with the former Bulls star during his first year in Minnesota, was delaying a decision on an extension until Butler’s fate was decided.

News first broke in July that the Wolves were discussing an extension with Towns, and they have been waiting more than two months for the fourth-year center to accept their offer. His agent, Leon Rose of CAA Sports, contacted the club tonight with news of his decision, sources told Wojnarowski.

“On June 25, 2015, I was drafted to and committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Towns said in a prepared statement. “On September 22, 2018, I made a recommitment to the Wolves and have the same feelings of excitement that I felt back in 2015.

“I promise to the fans, my teammates and the organization to keep the vision of the man who drafted me, Flip Saunders, alive and treat his dream of winning with respect and dignity. To the fans from Day One and the Timberwolves fans, this is for you. Thank you for believing in me.”

Terms of the super-max contract enable Towns to earn 30% of the team’s salary cap by making an All-NBA team or by being named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year this season. The deal does not contain a player option, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).

If Towns doesn’t meet the super-max criteria, his new deal would start at 25% of the cap rather than 30%. In that scenario, the yearly cap hits for the Wolves project to be worth $27.25MM, $29.43MM, $31.61MM, $33.79MM and $35.97MM, for a total of $158.05MM. If Towns earns one of the honors noted above, the annual cap hits would increase to $32.7MM, $35.32MM, $37.93MM, $40.55MM, and $43.16MM ($189.66MM in total).

The new deal also establishes Towns as the cornerstone of the franchise for the foreseeable future. He quickly turned into one of the best young centers in the league after being drafted with the top pick in 2015. Towns hasn’t missed a game in his first three seasons and posted a 21.3/12.3/2.4 line last year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Sign Four Players To Camp Roster

September 23rd, 2018 at 7:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have released their roster for training camp, and the list includes four new names beyond the players we already knew were under contract. According to the club (Twitter link via Brett Dawson), Abdul Gaddy, K.J. McDaniels, Richard Solomon, and Bryce Alford have also signed contracts.

Oklahoma City already had 14 players on guaranteed deals, plus two more on two-way pacts, so the four newly-added players almost certainly received non-guaranteed contracts for training camp. While it’s possible that one of those players could earn the team’s 15th roster spot for the regular season, the Thunder will likely carry just 14 players to start the year to avoid accruing additional tax penalties.

Of the four new additions, McDaniels has the only NBA experience, having appeared in 148 total regular season games for the Sixers, Rockets, and Nets from 2014 to 2017. The 25-year-old swingman averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.2 RPG in those games (14.1 MPG).

As for the others, Gaddy – a point guard – has played primarily in international league since going undrafted out of Washington in 2013. Former Cal big man Solomon – who has also played overseas – and ex-UCLA guard Alford have each spent time in past seasons with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

Kings Waive Deyonta Davis

September 22nd, 2018 at 4:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings have waived center Deyonta Davis, who was acquired from the Grizzlies in July, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN. The team has confirmed the move on its website.

Davis was waived because Kings officials want to spend training camp focusing on players who are likely to make the final roster or play for their G League team in Stockton, Spears adds (Twitter link). Davis didn’t appear ticketed for either destination.

Sacramento sent Garrett Temple to the Grizzlies on July 17 in exchange for Davis, Ben McLemore and cash. Memphis took Davis with the 31st pick in the 2016 draft, but he was a disappointment in his two seasons there, averaging 4.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 98 games.

The Kings still must pay Davis his $1,544,951 salary for the upcoming season. The move leaves them with 17 players on the roster heading into training camp.

Bucks Sign Tim Frazier

September 22nd, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by clarkcrum

In addition to officially adding Shabazz Muhammad and Christian Wood to its roster, the Bucks have also signed free agent point guard Tim Frazier, per an official release from the team.

Frazier spent last season with the Wizards, appearing in 59 games (11 starts) and averaging 3.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per contest. The 6-foot guard from Penn State has played four seasons in the NBA with career averages of 5.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 186 career games.

While it may seem like a long shot for Frazier to make the roster, there are really only two other true point guards on the roster in Eric Bledsoe and Matthew Dellavedova, so Frazier perhaps has better than an outside chance to earn a spot on the 15-man roster.

Shabazz Muhammad Signs With Bucks

September 22nd, 2018 at 3:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 22: The signing is official, per the Bucks.

AUGUST 13: Shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad has agreed to re-sign with the Bucks, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. It’s a deal that will allow him to compete for a roster spot during training camp, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

Muhammad played 11 games with Milwaukee last season after getting bought out by the Timberwolves. Muhammad also appeared in four postseason games with Milwaukee.

He averaged 5.0 PPG in 9.7 MPG while playing in a combined 43 regular-season games for those teams. Muhammad has averaged 9.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 17.2 MPG over 278 career NBA games.

Muhammad will join a crowd at shooting guard that includes Tony Snell, Malcolm Brogdon and Donte DiVincenzo, though he could also play some small forward.

The Bucks already had 14 players with guaranteed contracts, four with non- or partially-guaranteed deals, and two on two-way pacts, so they’ll need to trade or waive someone to officially sign Muhammad. They also used up their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions on other free agents.

Nuggets Sign Xavier Silas To Camp Deal

September 22nd, 2018 at 9:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 22: The Nuggets officially signed Silas to a contract, according to the RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 17: Guard Xavier Silas has agreed to a training camp contract with the Nuggets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Silas, 30, made a couple of cameo appearances with the Celtics late last season after signing a 10-day contract.

The 6’5” shooting guard also played two games with the Sixers during the 2011/12 season. He spent most of last season with Northern Arizona in the G League, averaging 18.4 points in 43 games. Over the past five seasons, Silas has been with several G League teams and played overseas in Israel, Greece, Germany, Argentina and China. He also played with the Wizards during their 2014 training camp but didn’t make the opening-night roster.

Silas’ chances of making Denver’s opening-night roster are slim, considering the Nuggets already have 15 players with guaranteed deals. The Nuggets have plenty of options at the wing spots, including Gary Harris, Malik Beasley, Will Barton, Tyler Lydon, Torrey Craig, Jarred Vanderbilt, Emanuel Terry, first-round pick Michael Porter Jr. and two-way player DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.