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Warriors Sign Quinn Cook Through 2018/19

April 10th, 2018 at 10:28am CST by marksuleymanov

APRIL 10, 10:28am: The Warriors have officially signed Cook to his new two-year deal, tweets Charania. As cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter), Cook’s new contract will pay him just shy of $15K for this season, but will cost Golden State about $54K in additional tax penalties. He’ll get a guaranteed minimum salary for 2018/19.

APRIL 8, 3:10pm: The Warriors have agreed to a multi-year deal with point guard Quinn Cook that he is expected to sign by Tuesday, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports. As we noted earlier today, Golden State waived forward Omri Casspi to open a roster spot for Cook.

The guaranteed NBA contract makes Cook eligible for the NBA playoffs. With two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry sidelined for the first round of the playoffs, Cook will enter the postseason as the Warriors’ starting point guard.

Cook has filled in admirably for Curry, averaging 9.4 PPG and 2.7 APG while shooting 44.8% from three-point range in 31 games (16 starts).

The 25-year-old split last season between the Mavericks and Pelicans, appearing in just 14 games. The Duke University product went undrafted in 2015 and spent time in the G League until receiving his first NBA opportunity last season.

Lakers Sign Andre Ingram

April 9th, 2018 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

3:32pm: The Lakers have officially signed Ingram, the team announced today in a press release.

2:42pm: The Lakers are signing veteran G-Leaguer Andre Ingram to a rest-of-season contract that will cover the last two games of the 2017/18 campaign, reports Bill Oram of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). L.A. currently has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding roster move will be required.

Ingram, a 6’3″ guard, has played in the G League for 10 seasons, appearing in 384 games for the Utah Flash (now known as the Delaware Blue Coats) and the South Bay Lakers (formerly the Los Angeles D-Fenders).

In 2017/18, Ingram averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 47 games (22.8 MPG) for South Bay. He’s a three-point specialist, having converted 47.5% of his long-distance attempts this season, and an NBAGL-record 713 over the course of his career (46.1%).

Despite his extensive G League experience, Ingram has never played in an NBA game. At age 32, he’s unlikely to be part of the Lakers’ long-term plans, and his contract won’t extend until next season, given L.A.’s desire to maximize its 2018 cap room. As such, the move looks like an opportunity to give Ingram a chance to play in the NBA for a couple games, and to get him two or three days’ worth of an NBA salary.

A three-day minimum salary for Ingram would be worth just shy of $14K.

Clippers Sign C.J. Williams To Three-Year Deal

April 9th, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

1:05pm: The Clippers have signed Williams to a new three-year contract, a source tells Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). According to Turner, as expected, the second and third years of the deal won’t be guaranteed.

9:03am: The Clippers are set to elevate swingman C.J. Williams from his two-way contract to a spot on the 15-man NBA roster, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, the two sides are finalizing a three-year agreement.

Williams, 28, went undrafted out of North Carolina State back in 2012, and had played for a handful of international and G League teams since then. He made his NBA debut for the Clippers earlier this season and has now appeared in 36 games (16 starts) on his two-way deal, averaging 5.3 PPG on .446/.310/.813 shooting.

As we noted on Friday, the Clippers are one of seven NBA teams that still have an open roster spot available, so the club won’t have to cut anyone to make room for Williams. It makes sense that L.A. is opting to fill that roster opening with one of its two-way players — both Williams and guard Tyrone Wallace made strong cases to earn a standard NBA contract heading into the offseason.

As for the details of Williams’ new contract, Charania doesn’t offer many specifics, but the fact that it covers three years (2017/18, plus two more seasons) suggests that the Clips are using their mid-level exception to finalize the signing. The minimum salary exception would only allow for a two-year deal.

The Clips previously used their MLE to sign Milos Teodosic, Jawun Evans, and Sindarius Thornwell, leaving about $775K remaining on it. A portion of that money figures to be used to sign Williams, with minimum salaries likely to follow for 2018/19 and 2019/20 — those salaries almost certainly won’t be fully guaranteed.

Hornets Hire Mitch Kupchak As President, GM

April 8th, 2018 at 5:14pm CST by marksuleymanov

5:14pm: The Hornets have officially named Kupchak their president of basketball operations and general manager, per a team press release.

3:58pm: The Hornets and Mitch Kupchak have agreed to a deal that will make him the president and general manager of the organization, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A press conference will be held sometime next week to introduce Kupchak, Wojnarowski notes.

A report earlier this week noted that the Hornets formally offered the vacant position to Kupchak. In addition to Kupchak, the Hornets interviewed several other candidates, including Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, Sixers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon.

Charlotte started their search for a new general manager after informing Rich Cho he wouldn’t be retained back in February. Cho, who was also the GM of the Trail Blazers, took over the job for Charlotte in 2011.

Kupchak, a three-time NBA champion as a player, took over the Lakers’ basketball operations job in the summer of 2000. He helped lead Los Angeles to four NBA championships in that stretch. Kupchak revitalized the team with a major trade for Pau Gasol in 2008, which led to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

In recent years, the Lakers entered a rebuilding stage with acquisitions such as Steve Nash and Dwight Howard not panning out. Kupchak was relieved of his duties in February 2017 as the Lakers underwent a front office overhaul.

As Wojnarowski writes, Kupchak and Hornets owner Michael Jordan — who favored Kupchak for the role — have a longstanding relationship built from their ties to the University of North Carolina and late coach Dean Smith.

Kupchak will be tasked with building a playoff-caliber team as the Hornets will miss the postseason for the second straight season. He will also have to work under monetary confines as the Hornets are capped out with every player except two ( Michael Carter-Williams and Treveon Graham) under contract for 2018/19.

Warriors Waive Omri Casspi; Quinn Cook Signing Imminent

April 8th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

In a long-anticipated move, the Warriors have waived veteran forward Omri Casspi to create a roster opening for Quinn Cook, writes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News.

Cook, Golden State’s starting point guard with Stephen Curry sidelined by injury, must have his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA contract by Tuesday to be eligible for the postseason. The Warriors have discussed a two-year arrangement that will run through the 2019/20 season, but don’t plan to officially sign Cook until Tuesday, when playoff rosters must be finalized.

The Warriors were facing a deadline of 5pm Eastern today to waive Casspi because he has a guaranteed contract, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. The deadline allows 48 hours for Casspi to pass through waivers and is set for today because some teams wrap up the season on Tuesday, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Golden State’s front office was hoping to keep Casspi, but decided the team needed all of its centers — Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones — to provide more flexibility for playoff matchups, adds Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). It’s an unfortunate outcome for Casspi, who bypassed a potentially better deal with the Nets last summer to sign for the veteran’s minimum with the Warriors in hopes of winning a title, Stein adds (Twitter link). Even if another team were to claim him, Casspi wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs because he was on Golden State’s roster past March 1 (Twitter link).

The decision on Casspi was influenced by a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of the past 10 games, Medina notes. A recent MRI showed inflammation in the ankle and he had discomfort when making hard cuts. Casspi appeared in 53 games this season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds and shooting .455 from 3-point range.

Cavaliers Sign Okaro White For Rest Of Season

April 7th, 2018 at 2:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Okaro White has reached a deal with the Cavaliers that will cover the remainder of the season, the team announced on its website.

White was with the Cavs on a 10-day contract last month, although he didn’t see any game action. He has been a free agent since the deal expired March 28. Cleveland has been limiting its roster size in an effort to save money under the luxury tax. The Cavaliers now have 14 players with the addition of White, but they have been dropping down to 13 for two weeks at a time, which is the limit allowed under league rules.

White, 25, spent parts of two seasons in Miami, averaging 2.9 points in 41 games. At this year’s deadline, the Heat traded him to the Hawks, who waived him the same day. White was a G League All-Star last season in Sioux Falls and has played in Italy and Greece.

Jazz Sign David Stockton For Rest Of Season

April 6th, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

3:51pm: The Jazz have officially signed Stockton, per the NBA’s transactions log.

8:09am: David Stockton‘s second 10-day contract with the Jazz expired overnight, but he won’t be going anywhere, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). League sources tell Charania that Utah intends to sign Stockton to a new contract that covers the rest of the season.

Stockton, the son of former Jazz star John Stockton, has played sparingly for his father’s old team during his 20 days in Utah, averaging 3.3 PPG in 3.0 MPG over the course of three games.

The Jazz are currently looking to secure a top-four seed in the West and then will head into the playoffs next week, so Stockton is unlikely to see his minutes increase in the near future. However, the 26-year-old point guard will be postseason-eligible on his new deal and will serve as an insurance policy in Utah’s backcourt.

Once Stockton officially inks his new deal with the Jazz, the team will have a full NBA roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts.

Grizzlies Sign Omari Johnson, Cut Marquis Teague

April 6th, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made a roster change today, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed forward Omari Johnson to a multiyear contract. To create an opening on the roster, Memphis has waived guard Marquis Teague.

Johnson, 28, went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2011 and has played for a variety of professional teams since then, spending time in Canada, Spain, and Lithuania, as well as in the G League. This season, the 6’9″ forward has played for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 16.5 PPG and 6.4 RPG with a .460/.418/.824 shooting line in 44 games.

Johnson’s salary for 2018/19 will be non-guaranteed, notes Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link).

As for Teague, he only signed his rest-of-season deal with the Grizzlies three days ago, so his stint on a standard contract didn’t last long. Memphis may have preferred to get a longer look at a forward instead of Teague this summer after signing another guard – MarShon Brooks – to a multiyear deal today. Or the Grizzlies may have simply wanted to reward Teague with an NBA salary despite him not being a part of their long-term plans.

It’s also worth noting, according to Wallace (Twitter links), that the Grizzlies will be without forwards Jarell Martin (ankle) and Chandler Parsons (knee) for the season’s final four games, creating a need for some frontcourt depth. Wayne Selden (knee) will miss the rest of the season too, Wallace notes.

Celtics Sign Jonathan Gibson

April 6th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 6: The Celtics have officially signed Gibson, the team confirmed today in a press release. Boston’s announcement doesn’t mention Silas, but the assumption is that his 10-day deal was terminated a day early in order to accommodate the signing of Gibson.

APRIL 5: The Celtics will be signing free agent point guard Jonathan Gibson to a rest-of-season contract, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Gibson, who appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks during the 2016/17 season, has otherwise spent his professional career playing for a variety of international teams. Since going undrafted in 2010, Gibson has made stops in Turkey, Israel, Italy, Iran, and China.

In 2017/18, the former New Mexico State standout appeared in 38 Chinese League games for Qingdao, averaging 33.7 PPG with 6.8 RPG and 4.7 APG.

Gibson will be a much-needed backcourt addition for a Celtics team that will be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season. Marcus Smart also remains sidelined with a thumb injury, while Shane Larkin has missed Boston’s last two games with an illness and Terry Rozier has been dealing with an ankle issue.

[RELATED: Kyrie Irving to miss playoffs]

The Celtics currently have a full roster, with Xavier Silas serving as the team’s 16th man via a hardship exception. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), Gibson will replace Silas on the roster. Silas’ 10-day deal had been set to expire on Friday night, but the team could opt to terminate it before it expires in order to sign Gibson — Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald suggests (via Twitter) that the Gibson signing won’t become official until Friday at the earliest.

Boston’s hardship exception, which allows the club to carry a 16th man, won’t extend into the playoffs. As such, Gibson won’t be postseason-eligible unless the C’s cut another player, which seems unlikely.

Grizzlies Sign MarShon Brooks To Multiyear Deal

April 6th, 2018 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially locked up shooting guard MarShon Brooks to a new multiyear contract, the club announced today in a press release. Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported late last night that Brooks would be signing a new deal with Memphis after his first 10-day contract expired.

As Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports, Brooks’ deal will be fully guaranteed for the rest of this season and for the 2018/19 campaign. Memphis faced some competition for Brooks, who drew interest from multiple playoff-contending teams as his 10-day deal neared an end, according to Charania. However, the 29-year-old was able to work out a new agreement with the Grizzlies. Charania suggests the club used its leftover mid-level exception money to give Brooks a slight salary bump for the rest of this season.

No NBA player has posted more impressive numbers on a 10-day contract this season than Brooks, who returned to the league after a four-year absence and posted three consecutive 20-point games. In total, the former first-round pick has averaged 23.3 PPG and 3.7 APG so far, with a scorching .571/.647/.846 shooting line.

Brooks had been occupying the 15th and final spot on the Grizzlies’ NBA roster, so the club no longer has any openings as the regular season nears an end.