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Lakers Sign Michael Beasley

July 23rd, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 23: Beasley’s contract with the Lakers is now official, the team announced today in a press release.

“Michael adds another component of versatility to our deep roster,” GM Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “His length and ability to guard multiple positions, stretch the floor, play-make and create his own shot are all essential characteristics for us. Coming off one of the finest years of his career, we think Michael is poised to have a very exciting and strong season for us.”

JULY 20: Free agent forward Michael Beasley has agreed to a contract with the Lakers, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. It’s a one-year, $3.5MM contract, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN (Twitter link).

Los Angeles used a big chunk of its $4,449,000 room exception to get Beasley in the fold.

Exactly what kind of role Beasley will carve out is a big question mark. He’ll join a forward rotation of LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lance Stephenson. Luol Deng is still on the roster as well, though Los Angeles is trying to find a way to dump his contract.

Beasley fits in with a locker room already full of volatile personalities. Along with Stephenson, the Lakers have also signed two other players this summer who are no strangers to controversy, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee.

Beasley, still just 29, has bounced around the league since the Heat made him the second pick in the 2008 draft. He’s also played for the Timberwolves, Suns, Rockets and Bucks before a productive stint with the Knicks last season. He averaged 13.2 PPG, his highest total since posting a career-best 19.2 PPG with Minnesota in 2010/11. He also averaged 5.6 RPG and 1.7 APG while appearing in 74 contests, including 30 starts.

The Knicks lost interest in bringing back Beasley after signing former Magic forward Mario Hezonja.

Pelicans Sign Garlon Green

July 23rd, 2018 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have signed forward Garlon Green to a multiyear contract, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. According to Smith (via Twitter), Green’s deal will include a partial guarantee for 2018/19, with trigger dates in future seasons.

Green, who went undrafted out of TCU in 2013, has played with teams in Australia, Germany, Belgium, and Japan since beginning his professional career. Earlier this month, he participated in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Pelicans. In five games with New Orleans’ squad, he averaged 9.2 PPG on 63.0% shooting.

While it remains to be seen whether Green will be able to play his way onto the Pelicans’ regular-season roster, his showing in Summer League action appears to have impressed team management. New Orleans isn’t expected to have a G League team in 2018/19, so the Pelicans won’t be able to designate him as an affiliate player in the fall if he’s waived.

Green is the younger brother of Rockets swingman Gerald Green.

Hornets Sign Tony Parker

July 23rd, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 23: The Hornets’ deal with Parker is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“We are thrilled to add a player of Tony’s caliber and experience to our roster,” GM Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “We believe his track record of success and playoff resume will add backcourt depth to our roster and veteran leadership to our group. Parker’s experience with Head Coach James Borrego will be an invaluable asset to us moving forward as well. We are excited to welcome Tony to Charlotte and for him to continue his Hall-of-Fame career with the Hornets.”

JULY 6: After spending 17 seasons in San Antonio, Tony Parker will head to Charlotte for the 2018/19 season. The veteran point guard has reached an agreement to sign with the Hornets, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Parker will sign a two-year, $10MM contract with the Hornets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). A tweet from Charlotte forward Nicolas Batum first hinted that Parker – Batum’s teammate on the French national team – would join the franchise.

The Hornets had been on the lookout for a backup point guard after struggling to find consistent production behind Kemba Walker in recent years. Parker, 36, will provide a steady presence at that spot, though he’s no longer the impact player he once was. In 2017/18, the longtime Spur lost his starting job to Dejounte Murray and averaged a career-low 7.7 PPG and 3.5 APG in 55 games (21 starts).

As Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News tweets, there were about five or six teams interested in Parker, but he chose the Hornets because the team sold him on more playing time and a significant role.

Parker’s departure is the latest development in what has been an unusually dramatic year in San Antonio. The Spurs will now be without a point guard who first joined the franchise back in 2001 and has appeared in more than 1,400 total regular season and postseason games with the team.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Parker called Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich within the last hour to inform him of his plan to head to Charlotte. Although the Spurs wanted Parker back, the veteran will reunite with former San Antonio assistant James Borrego, who was hired as the Hornets’ head coach this spring.

This is the second time in recent years that a club headed by a former Spurs assistant has made a play for a longtime Spur. The Sixers and Brett Brown were unable to lure Manu Ginobili to Philadelphia in 2016, but Borrego and the Hornets were able to secure Parker’s services this time around.

Parker’s deal figures to be completed using a portion of the Hornets’ mid-level exception, since the team is over the cap. The trade that sent Dwight Howard to Brooklyn helped Charlotte create the flexibility to complete a signing like this one without going into tax territory.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

International Moves: Peters, Kulboka, Goudelock

July 23rd, 2018 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Suns forward Alec Peters, the 54th pick in the 2017 draft, is headed to Russia to play for CSKA Moscow, the team announced today. Peters spent the 2017/18 on a two-way contract, appearing in 20 games for Phoenix. He averaged 4.1 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 11.3 minutes per contest. Having not received a qualifying offer from the Suns at season’s end, Peters will continue his career overseas.

“I could not be more excited to join such a prestigious and well-known organization as CSKA Moscow,” Peters said in a statement. “I appreciate the belief of coaching staff and management, who know my set of skills and think that my style of playing will fit the team. I know that I come to the first-class organization and look forward to help the team win the EuroLeague title.”

Here are a few more international transactions of note:

Lithuanian forward Arnoldas Kulboka is back with German club Brose Bamberg after being loaned to Orlandina in Italy last season, according to an announcement from the team (hat tip to Sportando). Kulboka was selected by the Hornets with the 55th overall pick in the 2018 draft, so Charlotte will retain his NBA rights and could have the opportunity to bring him stateside in a future season.
Former NBA guard Andrew Goudelock, who appeared in 49 total games with the Lakers and Rockets, has signed with the Shandong Golden Stars in China, per an announcement from his agency (hat tip to Sportando). International basketball journalist David Pick first reported earlier this month (via Twitter) that Goudelock was signing a $1.5MM+ deal with Shandong to replace Ty Lawson.
French big man Jonathan Jeanne, who was considered a potential 2017 NBA draft pick before he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, has officially signed with Iberojet Palma in Spain after being medically cleared earlier this year.

Mavericks Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki

July 23rd, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 23: The Mavericks have officially re-signed Nowitzki, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 19: Dirk Nowitzki will accept a one-year deal with the Mavericks worth $5MM, but the contract may not be finalized for a while, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Charania states that neither side is in a hurry to sign the deal, but the news means Nowitzki, 40, will return for his 21st season in Dallas.

The Mavs declined Nowitzki’s $5MM team option in June, but wound up giving him the same figure, which will use up the last of their cap space. That will set the stage for several other signings, Bobby Marks posts on ESPN Now.

The team will go over the cap to re-sign Yogi Ferrell with his Early Bird rights, then Ryan Broekhoff and Salah Mejri with minimum exceptions. That will give Dallas 14 guaranteed contracts with the $4.4MM mid-level exception still available.

[UPDATE: Yogi Ferrell backs out of deal with Mavs, agrees to sign with Kings]

Nowitzki is the most prolific player in franchise history, making 13 All-Star appearances and ranking sixth on the NBA’s career scoring list. He started 77 games last season, averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per night.

After two straight seasons out of the playoffs, Dallas could be back in contention after adding free agent center DeAndre Jordan and trading up to get EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic in the draft. Team owner Mark Cuban recently suggested that Nowitzki could be persuaded to keep playing beyond the 2018/19 season if the team became competitive again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Carmelo Anthony Plans To Sign With Rockets

July 23rd, 2018 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony plans to sign with the Rockets once he officially becomes a free agent, two people with knowledge of his plans tell Marc Stein of The New York Times. According to Stein, Anthony is expected to finalize a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Houston.

Anthony is still technically a member of the Thunder, but a three-team trade that would send him to Atlanta has been agreed upon and should be made official at some point in the coming days. The Hawks would waive the 34-year-old after acquiring him, clearing the way for him to join the Rockets 48 hours later, once he clears waivers. Due to his $27.93MM salary, there’s no chance of Anthony being claimed off waivers by another team.

While Anthony reportedly drew interest from the Heat and possibly the Lakers too, the Rockets have long been considered the frontrunners for his services. Houston lost a pair of forwards in free agency earlier this month when Trevor Ariza headed to the Suns and Luc Mbah a Moute agreed to a deal with the Clippers.

Anthony isn’t exactly a three-and-D wing like Ariza and Mbah a Moute are, but he’ll provide the Rockets with another scorer to complement James Harden and Chris Paul. In his first and only season in Oklahoma City, Anthony averaged 16.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG with a shooting line of .404/.357/.767.

Asked on Friday about the possibility of teaming up with Anthony, Harden expressed enthusiasm about the idea, as Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle details.

“It would be a great acquisition for us,” Harden said. “Melo’s a proven vet. He just wants to win at this point, so it would be great for him to be on our team. The current roster we have now, we’ve got good guys back and we keep making forward progress.”

For Anthony, joining the Rockets will mean reuniting with Mike D’Antoni, who previous coached the 10-time All-Star in New York. The two men had a rocky relationship during their time together with the Knicks, but recent reports have indicated that D’Antoni welcomes the chance to coach Anthony again, having made it clear during a meeting earlier this month that the circumstances would be much different this time around.

By signing Anthony to a minimum-salary contract, the Rockets will retain their $5.34MM taxpayer mid-level exception. While there may not be many free agents left who are worth using that exception on this summer, it could come in handy during the season if there’s a player Houston likes on the buyout market.

Although the Rockets aren’t technically into luxury-tax territory yet, they’re expected to blow past that threshold when they eventually re-sign restricted free agent Clint Capela. At that point, using their MLE or adding salary in other ways would become exponentially more expensive unless the Rockets can shed salary in another move.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Johnathan Williams Lands Camp Deal With Lakers

July 21st, 2018 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers have signed Johnathan Williams to a training camp contract, the team announced on its website. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, so it’s not certain if Williams will receive any guaranteed money.

Williams went undrafted out of Gonzaga after averaging 13.5 PPG and 8.3 RPG during his senior season and earning first team All-WCC honors. He played for the Lakers’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night in seven games.

Williams is the third training camp signing for the Lakers this week, joining Joel Berry and Jeffrey Carroll. L.A. now has 19 players headed to camp with one spot still open.

Hornets To Sign Isaiah Wilkins To Camp Deal

July 21st, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hornets have agreed to a training camp deal with Isaiah Wilkins, the stepson of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

Wilkins averaged 6.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals as a senior last season at Virginia before being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He managed to shoot 48.5% from the field but only a disappointing 17.6% from three.

While it’s unlikely that Wilkins ends up on the Hornets’ 15-man regular season roster, he’s probably a good bet to end up playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

Nemanja Bjelica Signs Three-Year Deal With Kings

July 21st, 2018 at 1:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 21, 1:57pm: The deal is official, per a media release from the Kings.

JULY 20, 9:08pm: The Kings have reached a three-year, $20.5MM agreement with free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. The third year will not be guaranteed, Charania adds.

This completes Bjelica’s unusual odyssey in free agency. The former Timberwolves reserve originally agreed to a one-year, $4.45MM deal with the Sixers early in free agency, then backed out of that agreement on Tuesday. He stated publicly he would likely head back to Europe, explaining that he wanted to create “some kind of stability” for his family.

Kings general manager Vlade Divac and other teams then reached out to Bjelica, trying to convince him to remain in the NBA. Sacramento’s offer won him over.

“The organization’s belief in and commitment to me overwhelmed me and my family,” he told Charania. “I am ready to do everything I can to help the Kings and be a part of the Sacramento community.”

It helped the Kings’ cause that EuroLeague powerhouses like Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow reportedly were not interested in him at this time.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor noted in a conversation last week with Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 that Bjelica entered the offseason seeking a multiyear NBA contract. The stretch four has been a rotation player with Minnesota the past three seasons. He averaged 6.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 67 games last season, including 21 starts.

Where Bjelica fits in with the Kings is a mystery. Sacramento already has No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III, Zach Randolph and Harry Giles at the power forward spot. His path to playing time may be at small forward.

Hawks Waive Antonius Cleveland

July 21st, 2018 at 11:52am CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks have waived Antonius Cleveland, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Cleveland, 24, saw action in four games with the Hawks last season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. He was signed to a multi-year contract in March after signing consecutive 10-day contracts earlier in the season.

As Vivlamore noted previously, the Hawks essentially had to waive Cleveland in order to open up the cap room necessary to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Thunder and Justin Anderson from the Sixers.

Adding both Anthony and Anderson to the Hawks’ will increase the team’s total salary to approximately $102.8MM, about $1MM over the cap. Per CBA rules, this is not permitted, as the Hawks are using cap space to complete the trade. Waiving Cleveland lowers Atlanta’s total salary – with Anthony and Anderson – to $101.4MM, safely within the 2018/19 salary cap of $101.869MM.

Cleveland’s 2018/19 salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the Hawks will not be on the hook for any of his salary.