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Celtics Sign Robert Williams To Rookie Contract

July 5th, 2018 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed first-round pick Robert Williams to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll be a four-year deal worth a total of approximately $9.28MM, with third- and fourth-year team options.

Williams, considered a potential lottery pick heading into the draft, slipped further than expected and landed in Boston at No. 27 overall. While one reason for that fall may have been a lack of medical information available to some teams, there were also reported character concerns about the big man coming out of Texas A&M.

Williams didn’t exactly quiet those whispers to start his NBA career. After sleeping through an introductory conference call on the day after the draft, the rookie missed his flight to Boston for the start of Summer League practices over the weekend. Upon eventually arriving, he called it a “real wake-up call” and took responsibility for the mistake.

With Williams under contract, 24 of 30 first-round picks have now formally signed their rookie contracts. No real negotiations are involved for those deals due to the rookie scale, and teams have no reason to wait on them, since they can be finalized during the July moratorium.

Jared Terrell Signs Two-Way Deal With T-Wolves

July 5th, 2018 at 12:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 5, 12:19pm: Terrell’s contract is official, the Wolves announced on Twitter.

JUNE 23, 8:55am: Rhode Island guard Jared Terrell has agreed to a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, the school’s men’s basketball team tweets.

Despite getting passed over on Thursday night, Terrell had attracted Minnesota’s attention during the pre-draft process. Terrell worked out twice for the club.

Terrell was a four-year starter for the Rams and his senior season was his best. The 6’3” Terrell averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.5 SPG. His shooting also improved, as he drained 41.4% of his 3-point tries.

Terrell led Rhode Island to the NCAA Tournament, where it defeated Oklahoma and Trae Young in overtime during the first round of the Midwest Region before succumbing to Duke.

Knicks Sign First-Rounder Kevin Knox

July 5th, 2018 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are the latest team to lock up their first-round pick to his first NBA contract, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Kevin Knox to his rookie deal.

[RELATED: 2018 Draft Pick Signings]

Like all other rookie contracts for first-round picks, Knox’s deal will be a four-year pact with two guaranteed years, followed by team options in years three and four. As our chart of rookie salaries shows, his earnings project to exceed $18.5MM if he plays out the full four-year contract.

Knox, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, won’t turn 19 years old until next month, but there’s already talk in New York about the possibility of him entering the team’s starting lineup in his rookie year.

In his lone season at Kentucky, the versatile forward averaged 15.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG with a shooting line of .445/.341/.774.

Sixers’ Deal With Nemanja Bjelica Falls Apart

July 5th, 2018 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 17: The Sixers’ agreement with Bjelica has fallen apart, with the forward opting to return to Europe for the 2018/19 season. We have more details right here.

JULY 5: The Sixers will sign Nemanja Bjelica to a contract, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link). According to Fischer, Bjelica will receive Philadelphia’s room exception, which is worth $4.449MM in 2018/19. It’ll be a one-year deal, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Bjelica began July as a restricted free agent, but when the Timberwolves reached an agreement to sign Anthony Tolliver, they withdrew their qualifying offer to Bjelica, making him unrestricted. As such, Minnesota won’t be able to match Philadelphia’s offer to the veteran forward.

Bjelica, 30, was a key contributor off the Wolves’ bench in 2017/18, averaging 6.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG with a .461/.415/.800 shooting line in 67 games (21 starts). In Philadelphia, he’ll fill a stretch-four role vacated by Ersan Ilyasova, who reached a three-year deal with the Bucks early in free agency.

Bjelica will be officially signed after the Sixers use up their cap room to re-sign J.J. Redick and acquire Wilson Chandler from the Nuggets.

The acquisition of Bjelica is the latest in a string of offseason additions for the Sixers. So far this summer, the club has drafted and signed Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet, agreed to re-sign Redick and Amir Johnson, struck a deal to acquire Chandler, and now reached an agreement with Bjelica.

Philadelphia entered the offseason with 11 players already under contract, so the team will have to trade or waive at least a couple players by mid-October to get down to the 15-man regular-season roster limit. More roster trimming would be required if the club brings draft-and-stash prospect Jonah Bolden stateside for the coming season or signs second-rounder Shake Milton to an NBA contract.

Jerryd Bayless and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are among the players on guaranteed salaries whose roster spots could be at risk. T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes are on non-guaranteed contracts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers Sign First-Rounder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

July 4th, 2018 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have signed 11th overall pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to his rookie contract, according to the NBA’s official transactions log. The Clips have yet to confirm the move, so the team may be waiting for fellow first-rounder Jerome Robinson to finalize his rookie deal before announcing both signings at once.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s draft rights were traded last month, as he was dealt from the Hornets to the Clippers shortly after being selected. L.A. moved up one spot from No. 12 to nab the former Kentucky point guard, sending Charlotte a pair of future second-round picks in the deal. The Hornets ended up with Miles Bridges at No. 12.

At 6’6″, Gilgeous-Alexander’s size and versatility make him attractive to NBA scouts, some of whom believe he could become the best point guard in the 2018 draft. The youngster did a little of everything during his first and only season with the Wildcats, averaging 14.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.6 SPG with a .485/.404/.817 shooting line in 37 games (24 starts).

Assuming he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale, Gilgeous-Alexander will receive a 2018/19 salary of about $3.38MM. His four-year contract will have an overall value of nearly $17MM.

Sixers Sign Landry Shamet To Rookie Deal

July 4th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have now locked up both of their 2018 first-round picks, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Landry Shamet to his rookie contract. The club previously made it official with Zhaire Smith.

Shamet, a 6’4″ guard, entered the 2018 NBA draft after averaging 14.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a .489/.442/.825 shooting line in his junior year at Wichita State.

The 26th overall pick, Shamet will be in line for a first-year salary of approximately $1.7MM, and will earn $9.5MM+ if he plays out the full four-year contract. The third and fourth years of the deal are team options.

The Sixers entered the offseason with 11 players under contract, so with Smith and Shamet locked up, J.J. Redick set to return, and Wilson Chandler arriving in a trade, the team’s roster for 2018/19 is taking shape.

Timberwolves Re-Sign Derrick Rose To One-Year Deal

July 4th, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by marksuleymanov

JULY 4: The Timberwolves have officially re-signed Rose, the team announced today in a press release. While most signings can’t be finalized until after the July moratorium, deals that use the minimum salary exception are permitted, so Minnesota didn’t have to wait until Friday.

JULY 1: Former MVP Derrick Rose is finalizing a one-year deal to return to the Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a one-year, minimum salary contract.

Since Rose has 10 years of NBA experience, his full salary for 2018/19 figures to be $2,393,887, the minimum for a 10-year veteran.

Rose, 29, is coming off a mostly disappointing season in 2017/18 as he appeared in 25 total games split between the Cavaliers and Timberwolves. Despite starting the year as Cleveland’s starting point guard, injuries — a familiar theme in his career — derailed Rose’s season, and multiple reports suggested he might retire. Instead, the Cavaliers shipped Rose to Utah as part of a three-team deal at the deadline and he was promptly released by the Jazz.

The Timberwolves, anchored by Rose’s former head coach with the Bulls, Tom Thibodeau, brought the veteran aboard in early March for their charge to the postseason. Rose appeared in just nine games with Minnesota, averaging 5.8 PPG in 12,4 minutes per contest. All told, Rose averaged 8.4 PPG and 1.4 APG between Cleveland and Minnesota.

However, Rose showed some life in the postseason as the Timberwolves faced the Rockets in the first round. Coming off the bench, Rose posted double-digits in four of the games, including back-to-back 17-point performances as the Wolves fell to Houston in five games. For the series, Rose averaged 23.6 minutes per game.

While it’s clear that he is far removed from his past MVP form, Rose’s postseason rejuvenation proved he is still a useful role player. Barring any other moves, the veteran will likely back up Jeff Teague along with Tyus Jones.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavaliers Sign Collin Sexton To Rookie Contract

July 4th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have officially signed their first-round pick, former Alabama guard Collin Sexton, to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com first reported that the deal was done.

Sexton, the eighth overall pick, landed in Cleveland by way of last year’s Kyrie Irving blockbuster, which sent the Nets’ 2018 first-round selection from Boston to Cleveland. The Cavs’ new point guard will also wear Irving’s old No. 2 on his jersey.

The third point guard selected in the 2018 draft after Luka Doncic and Trae Young, Sexton enjoyed a productive freshman year at Alabama, averaging 19.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.6 APG in 33 games. He declared for the draft and went pro after just one college season.

As our breakdown of rookie salaries shows, Sexton will be in line for a first-year salary exceeding $4MM, with an overall value of $20MM on his four-year rookie contract. The first two years of the deal will be guaranteed, with team options for years three and four.

Joffrey Lauvergne Finalizes Deal With Fenerbahce

July 4th, 2018 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Former Spurs big man Joffrey Lauvergne officially has a new team, according to agent Misko Raznatovic, who tweets that his client has signed a two-year contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce. The club has officially confirmed the signing as well (via Twitter).

Lauvergne, who signed a minimum-salary contract with the Spurs a year ago, played just 9.7 minutes per contest in 55 games for the club, averaging 4.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG.

Although Lauvergne had a player option for 2018/19 and could have remained in San Antonio, he turned down that option, with reports at the time suggesting he was on track to complete a deal with Fenerbahce. While it’s not clear how his new salary will compare to his $1.656MM option, Lauvergne will be on track for a larger role in Turkey.

Lauvergne has had a well-traveled professional career since 2009, playing for teams in France, Spain, Serbia, and Russia before arriving in the NBA in February 2015. Over the course of his four-season NBA career, Lauvergne was unable to find a long-term home or a consistent role, having spent time with Denver, Oklahoma City, and Chicago in addition to San Antonio.

Knicks Sign Allonzo Trier To Two-Way Deal

July 3rd, 2018 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 3: The Knicks have officially signed Trier to his two-way deal, the team announced in a press release. He’ll join Hicks in New York’s two-way slots, with Kornet getting a promotion to a standard NBA contract.

JUNE 21: Arizona’s Allonzo Trier will join the Knicks on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

New York is currently at its allotment of two-way players with Luke Kornet and Isaiah Hicks, but both are on one-year deals, so Trier can be added when they expire at the end of June.

Trier, 22, missed part of his junior season after testing positive for a banned substance. He was second on the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game, trailing only tonight’s No. 1 pick, Deandre Ayton.