- The Wizards aren’t expected to ink forward Otto Porter to an extension this fall, preferring instead to see how he develops this season before committing to him for the long-term, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com writes.
- Former NBA player Eric Maynor, who missed the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn ACL, has signed with the Italian club Varese, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). Maynor last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he split time between the Sixers and the Wizards.
JULY 26, 2:15pm: The Wizards have finally made it official with Beal after using up the rest of their cap room, announcing today that they’ve re-signed their standout guard.
“Bradley has proven himself as one of the top young shooting guards in the league, and we feel that he has the potential to rise to an elite level as he enters the prime of his career as one of the cornerstones of our team,” president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “He is an outstanding member of the community and a great example of the type of player and person we want to represent our franchise.”
JULY 1, 9:46am: The two sides have agreed to a five-year, maximum salary contract, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
JUNE 30, 11:24pm: The Wizards are close to reaching the first major free agent agreement of 2016, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Washington is nearing a five-year, maximum-salary deal for Bradley Beal (Twitter link).
While The Vertical pegs the value of the five-year contract at $128MM, the exact total won’t be known until the NBA announces the salary cap amount for 2016/17, which won’t happen until next week. Based on a $94MM salary cap, a five-year max deal for Beal would be worth about $126.5MM. Either way, it would be a huge payday for the former third overall pick.
Beal, who turned 23 on Tuesday, is a talented scorer when healthy, averaging a career-high 17.4 points per game on 44.9% shooting in 2015/16. However, he also established a new career low in games played this past season, appearing in just 55 contests. The former third overall pick has never played more than 73 games in a season, due to injuries.
Still, the Wizards’ max offer to Beal comes as no surprise, as a report earlier in the offseason indicated the team would put such an offer on the table when free agency began. Beal’s cap hold is only worth about $14MM, so Washington figures to hold off on finalizing his new contract — if the team finds other uses for its cap room, it can make those moves first, then go over the cap to lock up Beal.
Despite rumors that he was happy in Europe, Tomas Satoransky always planned to come to the NBA, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The 6’7″ combo guard, who has played overseas since being drafted in 2012, signed with the Wizards Thursday for $9MM over three seasons. Satoransky had frequent meetings with team vice president Tommy Sheppard during his time in Europe, Michael reports. Satoransky was reluctant to commit to Washington earlier because he believed he needed more experience and wasn’t sure there was room on the roster for him. The Wizards have since gotten rid of Andre Miller, Ramon Sessions, Gary Neal and Garrett Temple. Satoransky sought a $5.5MM mid-level exception from the Wizards in 2014, but they decided to use the money on Paul Pierce. They now have Satoransky signed for the next three years at about half that price. “I’m realistic,” he said. “I know it will take some time for me to adjust for a new type of game, for an NBA style of game.”
- Combo guard Tomas Satoransky expects to go through a significant adjustment period when he joins the Wizards this season, Gene Wang of the Washington Post reports. The 2012 draft-and-stash prospect officially joined Washington Thursday on a three-year, $9MM deal. “The game is quicker,” Satoransky told Wang and other media members during a conference call. “For sure, it’s better athleticism in the NBA than what I’m used to Europe, so I’ll have to adjust as soon as possible for that.” Satoransky could emerge as John Wall‘s primary backup at point guard, Wang adds.
JULY 21: The Wizards have officially signed Satoransky, the team announced today. “We are very pleased to be able to bring Tomas to the organization after monitoring his development overseas for the last several years,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “He will provide energy and athleticism at both guard positions, giving us more depth and versatility in the backcourt.”
JULY 3: The Wizards and Tomas Satoransky, a 6-foot-7 guard and draft-and-stash prospect from Europe, have agreed to a deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Satoransky was the 32nd pick of the 2012 draft. The deal is for three years and $9MM, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
The deal has no options and is a solid value for the Wizards, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post tweets. This is another bench piece for the Wizards, who have added enter Ian Mahinmi, power forward Andrew Nicholson and Trey Burke all in the last 24 hours.
The addition of Satoransky would give Washington another young player to develop behind backcourt mainstays John Wall and Bradley Beal. Satoransky averaged 9.5 points in 24.0 minutes per game with 38.8% 3-point shooting for his Spanish team this past season, and the year before he shot 43.5% from behind the arc.
Pat Riley anointed Justise Winslow as the Heat’s starting small forward for next season, but he hasn’t addressed the larger question of power forward, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. Riley expressed his confidence in Winslow during a news conference Saturday, saying the rookie will be penciled in as the starting three for 2016/17. But if Chris Bosh isn’t medically cleared to play, that leaves Josh McRoberts, Luke Babbitt and Udonis Haslem as candidates to start alongside Winslow and Hassan Whiteside on the front line. Riley said even though Winslow is only 20, he’s ready to be an NBA starter. “I remember when James Worthy came to the Lakers and Jamaal Wilkes was incumbent,” Riley said, “and then there came that time, there came that time when it was just a matter of time when James Worthy was going to take his position.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Dwight Howard hopes his return home to Atlanta will revitalize his career, according to Steve Hummer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 30-year-old center, who signed a three-year deal worth $70.5MM with the Hawks, has even changed his number to 8 to signify “a new beginning.” Howard insists that his back, which required surgery in 2012, is no longer a problem. “My back hasn’t been an issue,” he said, “and I don’t think I’ll ever have an issue out of my back for the rest of my career.”
- Kent Bazemore‘s comments at the press conference after he re-signed with the Hawks showed how much he wanted to stay in Atlanta, relays K.L. Chouinard of NBA.com. Bazemore, who landed a four-year, $70MM contract in free agency, said it was important to remain with the team he joined two seasons ago. “This is one of the high points of my life,” he said, “and I couldn’t choose a better place to be. I said I wasn’t going to get emotional, but I just love it here, you know. People have just embraced me and it just feels like home, man.”
- It’s hard to understand why the Wizards re-signed Marcus Thornton so early in free agency, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. Thornton, who received a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, projects as a fifth guard, Standig contends, adding that it’s unusual for teams to fill roster spots with those type of players before Summer League begins.
The Wizards were close to an agreement with Zaza Pachulia on a two-year deal worth $20MM, sources tell J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet. According to Michael, Washington became noncommittal, which caused the big man to look elsewhere. Pachulia ended up signing a one-year, $2.9MM contract with the Warriors and the Wizards signed Ian Mahinmi.
- Despite doling out a four-year, $64MM deal to Mahinmi, the Wizards don’t have any plans to trade starting center Marcin Gortat, Michael reports in the same piece.
The Wizards have agreed to a two-year deal with undrafted free agent Danuel House, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). House had played for Washington’s Summer League squad this month, but didn’t officially have a spot on the team’s 20-man fall roster.
With his new deal, House will be in attendance at training camp for the Wizards later this year, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, who tweets that the Texas A&M alum got a partial guarantee as part of the agreement. Michael had written this morning that, given House’s solid showing in Summer League play, the Wizards might end up regretting it if they had let him go.
House, a 6’7″ forward, was ranked as 2016’s 87th-best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The 23-year-old averaged 15.6 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 36 appearances during his senior year at Texas A&M.
In other Wizards news, the team won’t have to make a decision right away on whether or not to keep Jarell Eddie, writes Michael at CSNMidAtlantic.com. Eddie’s contract was originally set to become guaranteed if he remained on Washington’s roster beyond today, but the two sides have agreed to push back that deadline until the start of the regular season. That will allow the 24-year-old forward to compete for a roster spot this fall, rather than being cut today.
Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica turned down a minimum salary offer from the Wizards and is headed back overseas instead, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has inked a a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano in Italy, Pick notes. Raduljica last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, playing in five games for the Timberwolves and averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes per game. His shooting line was .375/.000/1.000.
- The Wizards have invited forward Michael Eric to training camp, but that offer doesn’t include any salary, merely a shot at making the roster, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com relays (Twitter links). The 28-year-old spent last season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ D-League affiliate.
This past spring, the Bulls, Wizards, Magic, Bucks, Knicks, Nets, and 76ers all failed to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, finishing in the lottery. All seven of those teams have been very active so far this offseason, signing free agents and adding players to their roster via trades and/or the draft.
The Bulls and Knicks have perhaps been the most visible of the Eastern lottery teams in recent weeks, beginning with the five-player trade they completed that sent Derrick Rose to New York and Robin Lopez to Chicago. Since then, the Bulls have added Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in free agency, while the Knicks have signed Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings, among others.
The two lottery teams from the Southeast – the Wizards and Magic – have also undergone some roster upheaval this summer. Washington re-upped restricted free agent Bradley Beal and made changes elsewhere, bringing in Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, and Jason Smith, while letting go of Nene, Jared Dudley, and Ramon Sessions. Orlando was even more active, re-signing Evan Fournier, trading for Serge Ibaka, and adding D.J. Augustin, Jeff Green, and Bismack Biyombo.
The Bucks have been a little quieter, but they secured a pair of solid role players in free agency, signing Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic. They also drafted Thon Maker, adding another athletic prospect with upside to a promising young core.
Like Milwaukee, the Sixers didn’t make a huge splash, but with Gerald Henderson, Jerryd Bayless, and Sergio Rodriguez entering the mix, the rebuilding franchise has more of a veteran presence. And if Dario Saric finalizes a deal with Philadelphia, the club feels it has three players – Saric, Joel Embiid, and No. 1 pick Ben Simmons – capable of competing for the Rookie of the Year award.
Finally, the Nets missed out on two RFA targets, when their offer sheets for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched. Their other free agent signings, including Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez, Trevor Booker, Luis Scola, and Justin Hamilton – have been modest.
Today’s discussion question focuses on these seven teams, and their offseason transactions. Which team do you think improved the most? Which series of moves do you like best? Which of these non-playoff teams do you think is most likely to end up qualifying for the postseason next spring?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the Bulls, Wizards, Magic, Bucks, Knicks, Nets, and Sixers. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.