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Rodney Hood Accepts Cavaliers’ Qualifying Offer

September 9th, 2018 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent wing Rodney Hood has accepted the Cavaliers‘ one-year qualifying offer, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The one-year deal, worth $3,472,887, will set up Hood to become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2019.

Hood, who was traded from the Jazz to the Cavs midway through the 2017/18 season, struggled to produce consistently with his new club, averaging just 10.8 PPG on .442/.352/.813 shooting in 21 regular season games with Cleveland before falling out of the rotation for part of the postseason. He had recorded 16.8 PPG with a .424/.389/.876 shooting line in 39 contests for Utah.

Having spent more than two months as a restricted free agent, Hood was in a tough spot, given the lack of teams left with roster spots and the willingness to spend big on an offer sheet. According to Vardon, Hood was seeking a long-term contract in the range of $9MM per year.

The Cavs had been willing to offer a multiyear deal worth approximately $7MM annually, per Vardon, which the 25-year-old turned down in a bet on himself. If he has a big year in 2018/19 as a primary option in Cleveland’s offense, Hood could be in line for a bigger payday in 2019, when more teams will have cap space available. The Cavs will still hold his Bird rights at that time.

With Hood back in the fold and David Nwaba having signed a one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Cavaliers, the club is moving closer to being ready for opening night. The Cavs will now have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries, totaling about $115.7MM. Isaiah Taylor will also attend training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, and the club figures to fill out its 20-man offseason roster with a few more camp invitees in the coming weeks.

A players who accepts his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent receives an implicit no-trade clause for that league year, since they’d lose their Bird rights if they’re traded. As such, Hood won’t be able to be dealt without his consent during the 2018/19 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavaliers Sign David Nwaba

September 8th, 2018 at 12:02pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Cavaliers have officially signed guard David Nwaba to a one-year contract, the team announced in a press release. The two sides were close to an agreement early last month and today finalized the deal, which is worth approximately $1.5MM, Nwaba’s minimum salary.

Nwaba had a solid season for the Bulls in 2017/18, averaging 7.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG while playing strong perimeter defense in 70 games (21 starts). The former undrafted free agent has also suited up for the Lakers, appearing in 20 games during the 2016/17 season.

Initially a restricted free agent, the Los Angeles native had his qualifying offer rescinded by the Bulls in mid-July as Chicago prepared to finalize the signing of Jabari Parker. As an unrestricted free agent, Nwaba reportedly drew interest from the Lakers and Spurs, and had “dialogue” with the Timberwolves before agreeing to join the Cavs. Cleveland reportedly pursued Nwaba aggressively throughout July, contacting him shortly after the free agent period opened.

Nwaba’s new contract will be the 13th guaranteed deal on the Cavaliers’ roster, not counting restricted free agent Rodney Hood, whose negotiations with the organization have stalled.

Clippers Sign Desi Rodriguez

September 8th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially added Desi Rodriguez to their offseason roster, signing him to a one-year deal, according to RealGM’s transactions log. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Los Angeles now has a full 20-man roster.

Rodriguez’s agreement with the Clippers was originally reported shortly after he went undrafted back in June. The Seton Hall forward averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG during his senior season in 2017/18. He also posted a shooting line of .498/.373/.736 and knocked down a career-best 1.8 threes per game.

The Clippers, who also signed Rodriguez’s college teammate Angel Delgado to a two-way contract this offseason, had Rodriguez play for their Summer League team in July. In six games in Las Vegas, the 22-year-old posted 7.0 PPG on 34.6% shooting.

While Rodriguez is poised to attend camp with the Clippers, he’s more likely to end up playing for the club’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. L.A.’s NBA squad has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Patrick Beverley and Tyrone Wallace on non-guaranteed deals, and both of its two-way contract slots are full as well.

If Rodriguez is cut by the Clippers and then spends two months with the team’s G League affiliate, his Exhibit 10 deal will put him in line for a bonus worth up to $50K.

Hawks Sign R.J. Hunter

September 7th, 2018 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

12:02pm: The Hawks have formally announced their deal with Hunter, issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

11:27am: The Hawks will announce the signing of free agent shooting guard R.J. Hunter today, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Once Atlanta officially signs both Hunter and Cole Aldrich, whose deal with the Hawks was reported on Thursday, the team’s 20-man offseason roster will be full.

Hunter, a 2015 first-round pick, spent just one season with the Celtics before being waived. Since then, Hunter has appeared in a handful of NBA games for the Bulls and Rockets. He was on a two-way contract with Houston before being waived by the club last month.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Erie BayHawks – the G League affiliates for the Rockets and Hawks – completed a trade last week that saw the BayHawks acquire Hunter’s NBAGL rights. As Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days.com noted at the time (via Twitter), there was a feeling that Atlanta would offer Hunter an Exhibit 10 contract after securing his G League rights.

With 15 players on guaranteed salaries and Thomas Robinson and Aldrich among the non-guaranteed players also vying for roster spots, there likely won’t be room on the Hawks’ regular season roster for Hunter, but he’ll apparently attend camp with Atlanta. If he’s waived and opts to play in the G League for the 2018/19 season, he’ll suit up for Erie.

Alfonzo McKinnie Gets Camp Deal From Warriors

September 7th, 2018 at 10:43am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 7: McKinnie has officially signed with the Warriors, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

SEPTEMBER 5: Former Raptors forward Alfonzo McKinnie has reached a training-camp agreement with the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

The 6’8” McKinnie appeared in 14 games with Toronto last season, averaging 1.5 PPG in 3.8 MPG.

The Raptors waived McKinnie on July 17, just before his $1,378,242 salary for the upcoming season became guaranteed. Undrafted out of Wisconsin-Green Bay, McKinnie was signed to a two-year minimum contract last summer.

McKinnie, 25, spent most of the season with the G League’ Raptors 905. He posted averages of 14.0 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 35 starts.

He faces an uphill battle to make the club on a roster with 13 players on guaranteed deals and a trio of others currently with non-guaranteed pacts. Golden State also possesses plenty of other forward options beyond starters Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, including Andre Iguodala, Jonas Jerebko, Danuel House, Kevon Looney and Marcus Derrickson, as well as two-way player Damion Lee.

The Windy City Bulls still hold McKinnie’s G League rights, Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days tweets.

Celtics Sign Bibbs, King, Roberson To Training Camp Deals

September 6th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have signed three players to training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. The new additions are Justin Bibbs, Nick King and Jeff Roberson, all of whom agreed to Exhibit 10 deals. All three are rookies who weren’t selected in June’s draft.

A 6’5″ guard from Virginia Tech, Bibbs played for the Celtics’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 5.0 points in six games. King, a 6’7″ forward out of Middle Tennessee State, was with the Lakers this summer and played 10 games in the Las Vegas and Sacramento leagues, averaging 8.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG. Roberson, a 6’6″ forward from Vanderbilt, saw limited action with the Warriors’ Summer League team and posted 1.6 PPG in five games in Las Vegas.

The signings give Boston a full 20-man roster heading into training camp. The Celtics have 15 players with fully guaranteed contracts, along with the three Exhibit 10 deals and P.J. Dozier and Walt Lemon on two-way contracts.

Clippers Match Offer Sheet For Tyrone Wallace

September 5th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have matched the Pelicans’ offer sheet for guard Tyrone Wallace, according to a team press release.

“We identified Tyrone as a versatile, competitive and tough-minded player who adds to the organizational culture,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “Ty worked hard with our staff at Agua Caliente and Los Angeles, and his growth has been a reflection of his commitment to getting better. Together with our team’s player development program, Ty demonstrated impressive improvement and contributed meaningfully to our team last season. We are excited to welcome Ty back to the Clippers.”

The Pelicans signed Wallace on Monday to an offer sheet worth the veteran’s minimum, approximately $2.9MM over two years. The Clippers had two days once Wallace signed the offer sheet to decide whether to match it or let him go.

It was generally assumed the Clippers wouldn’t match the offer sheet for the 6’5” restricted free agent, who played last season on a two-way deal. With Wallace back in the mix, the Clips now have 15 players with guaranteed deals, plus non-guaranteed contracts for Wallace and Patrick Beverley, so they’ll have to trade or release a couple of those players by the end of the preseason.

Still, as ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), even though retaining Wallace doesn’t help the Clippers clear their roster logjam, there’s little risk involved in bringing him back for the time being. His new deal features a partial guarantee of $300K (as of September 12), but won’t become fully guaranteed until the new year, and the second season is fully non-guaranteed, with no trigger dates.

The Clippers will now have the opportunity to evaluate Wallace and the rest of their roster in training camp, and will only be out $300K if they decide that the second-year guard isn’t part of their plans after all. That wouldn’t be a terrible outcome for Wallace either, as he’d have the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency after having collected $300K for a few weeks of work.

With 17 players now vying for 15 spots in L.A., Jawun Evans‘ roster spot becomes even more precarious. The 6’0″ Evans has a guaranteed contract, but it’s only worth the minimum and doesn’t feature any guaranteed money beyond 2018/19. The Clippers also have numerous point guard options, including Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, Milos Teodosic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Josh Huestis Receives Camp Invite From Spurs

September 5th, 2018 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Thunder swingman Josh Huestis has received a camp invite from the Spurs, Fred Katz of MassLive.com tweets. The news was confirmed by Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

There’s been little news regarding Huestis since he entered unrestricted free agency this summer. The Thunder didn’t pick up his fourth-year option prior to last season.

Huestis wasn’t able to establish a steady rotation role with Oklahoma City until his third and last season with that organization. He saw action in 69 games and averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 14.2 MPG but shot just 28.7% from long range. He also saw spot duty in four postseason games.

The Spurs currently have 14 players with contract guarantees, so there is a roster opening if Huestis shines in training camp. The Spurs have Rudy Gay, Lonnie Walker and Dante Cunningham as small forward options but the retirement of Manu Ginobili could open the door for Huestis.

The 6’7” Huestis was a late first-round pick in 2014 out of Stanford and spent the bulk of his time in the G League prior to last season.

Magic Sign Gabe York, B.J. Johnson To Exhibit 10 Deals

September 5th, 2018 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have added a pair of players to their 20-man offseason roster, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel, who reports (via Twitter) that Gabe York and B.J. Johnson have signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the team. The Magic have confirmed the signings in a pair of press releases.

Both players figure to ultimately end up with the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League squad, Robbins notes. Exhibit 10 contracts allow an NBA franchise to give bonuses worth up to $50K to players who are released from the team’s NBA roster and spend at least two months with the team’s G League affiliate.

York, who played his college ball at Arizona, went undrafted in 2016 and has since played for teams in the G League, Italy, and Germany. In 44 career NBAGL games for the Erie BayHawks, the 6’3″ guard averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG with a .436/.361/.837 shooting line. He participated in a free agent camp with the Jazz earlier this summer.

As for Johnson, he completed his college career this past spring, so this deal with the Magic will be his first professional contract. In his senior year at La Salle, the 6’7″ shooting guard recorded 20.8 PPG and 8.3 RPG, earning Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

The Magic had two openings on their roster prior to signing York and Johnson, so they’re now at the offseason max. The club is carrying 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries, two on two-way contracts, one (Isaiah Briscoe) with a partial guarantee, and three on non-guaranteed deals.

Pacers Re-Sign Ben Moore

September 5th, 2018 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially re-signed forward Ben Moore to a new contract, per the NBA’s transactions log. Scott Agness of The Athletic first reported the agreement, tweeting that Moore was signing a one-year, partially guaranteed deal with Indiana.

Moore, who initially joined the Pacers last August as an undrafted free agent out of SMU, was waived before the regular season began, but later agreed to a two-way contract with the club.

The 23-year-old only appeared very briefly in two games for the Pacers, but had a solid year for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League, averaging 11.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG with a .552/.352/.812 shooting line in 43 games (27.9 MPG). His two-way deal expired at season’s end.

While a return to Fort Wayne looks like the most probable outcome for Moore to open the 2018/19 season, the Pacers only have 14 players on guaranteed NBA contracts, with no obvious candidate to fill the 15th spot on their regular season roster. Unless the club intends to keep that final slot open to begin the year, Moore could compete to be Indiana’s 15th man.

Moore may also get an opportunity to earn some valuable non-NBA experience later this month, before the Pacers’ training camp gets underway. He’s one of 14 players vying for a spot on Team USA’s 12-man roster for the club’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay (September 14) and Panama (September 17).