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Knicks Sign Noah Vonleh

July 24th, 2018 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

5:25pm: Begley is now reporting that Vonleh signed a one-year, partially guaranteed deal (via Twitter).

3:16pm: The Knicks have officially issued a press release announcing their deal with Vonleh.

2:54pm: The Knicks are making another addition to their roster, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Noah Vonleh.

The ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Vonleh has appeared in 231 games (113 starts) during his first four NBA seasons, but hasn’t developed into the kind of impact player that the Hornets were hoping for when they used a lottery pick to nab him.

The former Indiana standout has been traded twice since entering the league, having been sent from Charlotte to Portland to Chicago. The Bulls didn’t tender him a qualifying offer earlier this summer, so he entered the open market on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent.

In 54 total games last season for the Trail Blazers and Bulls, Vonleh averaged 4.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 16.2 minutes per contest.

The addition of Vonleh is an interesting one for the Knicks, who already have 14 guaranteed salaries – plus Trey Burke‘s non-guaranteed deal – on their books for 2018/19. Burke played well down the stretch for New York last season and is unlikely to be waived, so players like Joakim Noah and Ron Baker appear to be release candidates unless the club trades someone else before the regular season begins.

While a minimum-salary deal seems likely for Vonleh, the Knicks do have their bi-annual exception available to make a slightly more lucrative offer if necessary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Sign Trevon Duval To Two-Way Contract

July 24th, 2018 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have signed undrafted rookie Trevon Duval to a two-way contract, reports Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).

A former Duke point guard, Duval left the Blue Devils after his freshman season, declaring for the 2018 draft this spring. In 37 college games, the 19-year-old posted 10.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.5 SPG. He struggled with his scoring efficiency, compiling a .428/.290/.596 shooting line.

Despite ranking as the 53rd overall prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Duval went undrafted last month. He joined the Rockets’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas and averaged 9.2 PPG on 36.1% shooting in five games earlier this month.

The Bucks tendered qualifying offers to both of their two-way players last season, but have since withdrawn their QO to Marshall Plumlee. Xavier Munford‘s QO is still on the table, so it’s possible he’ll eventually join Duval and fill the other two-way slot on Milwaukee’s roster.

Pelicans Sign Kenrich Williams

July 24th, 2018 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have signed undrafted free agent Kenrich Williams to a contract, a source confirms to Hoops Rumors. The deal, which features a partial guarantee for 2018/19, is listed in the NBA’s official transactions log as having been completed on Monday.

Williams, who played college ball at TCU after transferring from New Mexico Junior College in 2014, averaged 13.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.8 SPG for the Horned Frogs in 2017/18. The 6’7″ guard/forward posted a shooting line of .477/.395/.688 during his senior year.

The No. 64 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com heading into last month’s draft, Williams wasn’t selected on draft night, but caught on with Denver for Summer League action. He averaged 5.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in five games in Las Vegas for the Nuggets.

As we noted when we discussed Garlon Green‘s agreement with the Pelicans on Monday, New Orleans doesn’t yet have a G League team. That means the Pelicans are unlikely to hand out Exhibit 10 contracts, which generally award a player a bonus if he spends 60 days with the club’s NBAGL affiliate after being waived. Neither Green’s nor Williams’ deal features that Exhibit 10 clause.

Lakers Sign Travis Wear To Two-Way Deal

July 24th, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

1:54pm: The Lakers have officially signed Wear to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

11:29am: The Lakers have reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Travis Wear to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Wear has had multiple stints with the Lakers over the last couple years. He participated in training camp with the club in 2016 and played for the Lakers’ G League affiliate in each of the last two seasons. In the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, he signed a pair of 10-day contracts with L.A., followed by a rest-of-season deal.

In 17 games for the Lakers last season, Wear averaged 4.4 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 13.4 minutes per contest, knocking down 36.2% of his three-pointers. He was more effective for the South Bay Lakers, recording 16.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and a .445/.419/.855 shooting line in 34 G League games.

Wear will join Alex Caruso as the two Lakers currently on two-way contracts. The club had signed Malik Newman to a two-way deal at the start of the month, but cut him last week, opening up a slot for Wear.

Markel Brown, Jeff Withey To Play In Turkey

July 24th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NBA veterans are headed to Turkey for the coming season. Michael Scotto of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that free agent guard Markel Brown has agreed to a one-year deal with Darussafaka, while Tofas Bursa has announced a contract agreement with center Jeff Withey.

Brown, 26, signed a two-way contract with the Rockets in January after previously appearing in 113 games for the Nets. The former second-round pick appeared in only four games for Houston last season, but averaged 15.9 PPG and 5.0 RPG in nine games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. He was initially tendered a two-way qualifying offer, but had that QO rescinded earlier this month.

As Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic notes (via Twitter), the team that Brown is joining is the one from which potential Raptors two-way signee Jordan Loyd has been attempting to negotiate his release. It’s not clear if Darussafaka’s addition of Brown will open up a path for Loyd’s exit.

Meanwhile, we relayed word of Tofas Bursa’s interest in Withey over the weekend. A former second-round pick, Withey has appeared in over 200 total NBA regular season games for the Pelicans, Jazz, and Mavericks. His most recent NBA stint came in Dallas before the Mavs waived him last December.

Cavs Sign Kevin Love To Four-Year Extension

July 24th, 2018 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have insisted all offseason that they don’t intend to trade Kevin Love, and now they’ve doubled down on that position, locking up the All-Star forward to a long-term contract. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst, Love has signed a four-year, $120MM extension with the Cavs. The club has confirmed the deal in a press release.

“When I first came to Cleveland, I came with a long-term mindset,” Love said in a statement. “I came here to win. We developed a culture here that reflects that. I’m super excited and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a big commitment for me and it’s a big commitment from the Cavaliers, so I want to thank Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman and the entire organization. I enjoy playing here, I’m excited about the team that we have and look forward to our future together.”

As part of the agreement, Love has declined his player option for 2019/20, with the first year of his new deal replacing that option. Factoring in the final year of his current contract, which will pay him $24.12MM in 2018/19, the veteran big man is on track to earn nearly $145MM over the next five seasons. The extension won’t include a player option or a no-trade clause, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Love, who joined the Cavaliers shortly after LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014, has averaged 17.1 PPG and 10.0 RPG during his four years with the franchise. Although he earned a pair of All-Star nods during those seasons, he was never the centerpiece of the Cavs’ offense the way he was in Minnesota, when he averaged 23.5 PPG and 13.7 RPG in his last four years with the Timberwolves.

The Cavs’ new deal for Love, which will run through 2023, looks like a bet on him recapturing his Wolves form – at least to some extent – now that he no longer has to take a back seat to James and Kyrie Irving. While an increasing salary cap will make the contract more manageable in future seasons, it’s still a significant investment in a player who will turn 30 in September and will be 34 by the end of the deal.

Following James’ departure from Cleveland earlier this month, the Cavs insisted both publicly and privately that trading Love wasn’t in their plans, though multiple reports suggested that he wasn’t untouchable either. Today’s move ensures that Love will remain a Cavalier for the foreseeable future — because his deal exceeds the limit for an extend-and-trade transaction, he can’t be dealt for the next six months.

An extension for Love can start at up to 120% of his 2018/19 salary, and according to Windhorst (Twitter link), it will do just that. Windhorst notes that the deal will be worth the maximum allowable amounts in the first two years before staying the same in the third year, then decreasing in the final year. It’s about $8-9MM less than Love’s maximum possible contract extension starting in ’19/20, adds Windhorst.

Based on my calculations, that structure should result in salaries of approximately $28.9MM (2019/20), $31.3MM (2020/21), $31.3MM (2021/22), and $28.9MM (2022/23).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Re-Sign Joe Harris

July 24th, 2018 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 24: The Nets have officially re-signed Harris, going over the cap using his Early Bird rights to sign him.

JUNE 30: The Nets have reached an agreement with free agent sharpshooter Joe Harris, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Harris will re-sign with Brooklyn on a two-year, $16MM deal.

It will be a straight two-year contract with no options on either side, adds Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Nets will retain Harris’ $1.5MM cap hold, use all their available space and then use his Early Bird rights to go over the cap and finalize the signing, according to salary cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link). They can still produce up to $8.1MM in cap space, plus whatever they might save in a buyout of Dwight Howard.

Harris, 26, struggled to find a spot in the NBA before coming to Brooklyn two seasons ago. He emerged as a valuable reserve for the Nets, averaging 8.2 points per game in 2016/17 and improving that to 10.8 this season while hitting 42% from 3-point range.

The new deal represents a significant salary jump for Harris, who earned $1.5MM this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Sign Guard Yogi Ferrell

July 23rd, 2018 at 11:02pm CST by Luke Adams

11:02pm: The signing is official, per team press release.

JULY 23, 7:11pm: The second year of the contract is not guaranteed, Tim McMahon of ESPN tweets.

JULY 20, 3:04pm: The Kings and free agent guard Yogi Ferrell have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Ferrell had initially agreed to a two-year contract with the Mavericks, but backed out of that agreement earlier today.

“We felt uncomfortable and will weigh our options,” Ferrell’s agent Cervando Tejeda told Charania at the time.

Sacramento’s deal with Ferrell will be worth $6.2MM over two years, according to Charania (Twitter link). His initial two-year pact with Dallas was said to be worth $5.3MM, with only the first season guaranteed.

While it’s not clear whether Ferrell’s new deal with the Kings will be fully guaranteed, it passes an important threshold — the 25-year-old received a $2.9MM qualifying offer last month, which made him a restricted free agent until the Mavericks withdrew it. His contract with the Kings will allow him to exceed that figure in 2018/19, whereas his initial deal with Dallas wouldn’t have.

Ferrell, a former Indiana standout, appeared in all 82 games for the Mavs last season, averaging 10.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG with a .426/.373/.796 shooting line. In Sacramento, he figures to slot into a backcourt that features De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Frank Mason, and Ben McLemore. Bogdan Bogdanovic may also see time at the two.

Nemanja Bjelica, the only other free agent to back out a verbal agreement this offseason, as far as we know, was also said to be discussing a possible deal with the Kings. It’s probably no coincidence that both Ferrell and Bjelica gravitated to Sacramento as they sought larger paydays — as we outlined earlier this afternoon, the Kings have much more cap flexibility for 2018/19 than any other team. Ferrell’s new deal will only use up a small amount of their $20.5MM in cap space.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Trade Jarell Martin To Magic

July 23rd, 2018 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

9:00pm: The trade is official, according to press releases from the Magic and Grizzlies.

3:31pm: The Grizzlies have agreed to a trade that will send Jarell Martin and cash to the Magic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Memphis will acquire Dakari Johnson in the deal. Joshua Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel adds (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies will also receive the draft rights to 2015 second-rounder Tyler Harvey.

It’s the second time in the last week that Johnson has been traded. On Friday, Orlando acquired Johnson and cash from the Thunder in a deal that sent Rodney Purvis and his non-guaranteed contract to Oklahoma City. The move was a purely financial one for the Thunder, who figure to replace Johnson on their roster with a slightly cheaper rookie, reducing their projected tax bill.

Because Johnson wasn’t in the Magic’s plans, they’ll flip him to Memphis in another deal that has cap implications. The Grizzlies are right up against the luxury-tax line, so exchanging Martin and his $2,416,222 salary for Johnson ($1,378,242) will create a little extra breathing room for the club. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Grizz waive Johnson after acquiring him.

Martin, who was in danger of being cut by the Grizzlies last fall, had a strong camp and earned a spot in Memphis’ rotation for the 2017/18 season. In 73 games (36 starts), the 6’10” forward averaged 7.7 PPG and 4.4 RPG with a .446/.347/.767 shooting line.

Having played primarily at power forward last season, Martin likely would’ve seen his role reduced in Memphis this year — JaMychal Green, Kyle Anderson, Chandler Parsons, Omri Casspi, and Jaren Jackson Jr. could all see action at the four. It’s not clear whether the 24-year-old will get more opportunities in Orlando, with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac expected to earn most of the power forward minutes.

Johnson, 22, was selected by the Thunder with the 48th overall pick of the 2015 draft but didn’t sign his first standard NBA contract until 2017. The seven-footer appeared in 31 games last season for Oklahoma City, averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 5.2 minutes per contest.

Thunder Acquire Abdel Nader From Celtics

July 23rd, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:53pm: The trade is official, according to press releases from the Thunder and Celtics.

8:11pm: The Thunder will acquire swingman Abdel Nader from the Celtics, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Nader, who was on a partially guaranteed contract, was expected to be waived before Oklahoma City came calling, Charania adds. The Thunder will also receive cash considerations, Charania adds in another tweet.

Recently acquired guard Rodney Purvis will go to Boston and be waived, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link). Purvis has a non-guaranteed contract. Purvis was traded from the Magic to the Thunder last week.

The 6’7” Nader is due to make $1,378,242 next season, which included a $450,000K guarantee. He’s signed for two additional years, though the second year is non-guaranteed and the third year is a team option.

Nader was chosen by Boston with the 58th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and spent a season with the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ G League affiliate, before signing an NBA contract with the Celtics last summer.

Nader, 24, averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 48 contests last season. He’ll likely play the small forward spot and fight for playing time behind starting forwards Paul George and Jerami Grant.