The Cleveland Cavaliers have expressed interest in forward Denzel Valentine, as reported by Chris Fedor
Valentine comes off 4 seasons with the Chicago Bulls. He averaged 6.5 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 2020-21
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has agreed to a four-year, $77.1 million contract extension, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania
The deal is for the maximum amount Smart could sign for on an extension but less than he could have had he waited until free agency. Deal begins for the 2022-23 season and also includes a trade kicker. It does not include a player option.
Josh Hart is staying in New Orleans.
The restricted free agent will sign a three-year, $38 million deal with the Pelicans.
Restricted free agent G Josh Hart is closing in on a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the New Orleans Pelicans, his agents Aaron Mintz, Steven Heumann and Dave Spahn of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 16, 2021
Rookie center Luka Garza has agreed to a Two-Way deal with the Detroit Pistons, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic
Garza had a productive Summer League for the Pistons after he was selected No. 52 in the draft out of Iowa.
The Pelicans are signing second-round pick Herb Jones to a 3-year deal, with the latter year being a team option, reports Will Guillory of The Athletic
Jones is averaging 7.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg in Summer League
According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the Dallas Mavericks are targeting Lauri Markkanen, however the odds of the Finnish landing in Texas are at “30-40%” as of now.
A player that could go to Chicago in return could be Maxi Kleber, whom the Bulls are said to be interested in.
The Toronto Raptors are not currently shopping Pascal Siakam though they are willing to listen to incoming calls. The All Star forward, for his part, wants to remain with the Raptors, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic
Siakam has three seasons and $106 million remaining on his contract. Sources say Ujiri has also made it clear to Siakam and his entourage that he’s not being shopped on the market
The Memphis Grizzlies are “open-minded” about how Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu might fit on their roster following their acquisition of the trio from the Los Angeles Clippers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Memphis has 16 players on guaranteed contracts and will be open to a trade. Both Beverley ($14.3 million) and Rondo ($7.5 million) are on expiring contracts for the 21-22 season.
Yam Madar is expected to join Ratiopharm Ulm if he doesn’t get a contract in the NBA.
Per The Sports Rabbi and Israel Hayom, Israeli guard Yam Madar is a candidate to play with German club Ratiopharm Ulm for the upcoming season should he not receive a contract to play in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. The 20-year old Madar was selected by the Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft with the 47th pick in the second round and is currently playing in the Summer League.
Last season with Hapoel Tel Aviv, Madar scored 17.1 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and handed out 5.2 assists in 30 games. So far in 3 Summer League games with the Celtics the point guard has scored 4.7 points but has had to sit out the last couple with an injury. Madar still has one year left on his Hapoel Tel Aviv contract.
The Charlotte Hornets are in love with LiAngelo Ball.
The brother of Lonzo and LaMelo has averaged 10.5 points a game and shot 41.7% from 3 in Vegas.
Spoke w/#Hornets assistant coach Jay Triano, who said this of @LiAngeloBall: “Great kid. Love him. He was at the facility practicing everyday for two months to play in the Summer League. Shows a ton of character. He can shoot it, great feel, knack for scoring.”
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 15, 2021
Rokas Giedraitis has turned down an offer from the NBA at minimum salary.
The Lithuanian player will remain in Baskonia at least one more season.
The shooter averaged 13.3ppg in ACB and 12.7ppg in EuroLeague last season.
Baskonia forward Rokas Giedraitis has rejected an NBA offer (minimum contract) and will stay in Vitoria for at least one more season, per sources. More on @BasketNews_com
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 16, 2021
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies finalized a trade that involved four players.
Per ESPN, The LA Clippers are trading Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Eric Bledsoe, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The deal saves the Clippers $30 million in luxury tax and creates an $8.3 million traded-player exception that they will have a year to use.
The trade gives the Grizzlies salary-cap flexibility in the summer of 2022, when Bledsoe is guaranteed $3.9 million of the $19.3 million in the last year of his deal. Memphis has 16 guaranteed contracts now and will be open to trades for some of the players returning in this deal, sources said.
The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed guard MaCio Teague (may-SEE-oh). Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Teague (6-4, 195, Baylor) owned averages of 15.9 points on 47.8 percent from the field, along with 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a senior in 2020-21, helping Baylor to a National Championship. The Cincinnati native garnered 2020-21 All-Big 12 Third Team honors for his final standout collegiate season. He spent two seasons at Baylor (2019-21), where he also earned 2019-20 All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team accolades.
Prior to Baylor, he spent two seasons a UNC-Asheville (2016-18), where he averaged 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 67 career games (64 starts) and was named to the All-Big South First Team twice (2017, 2018), also collecting 2016-17 Big South Freshman of the Year and All-Big South Freshman Team honors.
We have signed guard MaCio Teague.https://t.co/aoWV6t9OeN
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 15, 2021
Fonte: NBA.com.
The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Markus Howard to a two-way contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.
Howard, 5-11, 180, appeared in 37 games (one start) for Denver during the 2020-21 season, averaging 2.8 points in 5.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in nine games for the Nuggets in the playoffs, posting 4.7 points on 42.3% shooting from three-point range in 12.4 minutes per game.
Howard went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft after a prolific four-year career at Marquette University. In 29 games (all starts) as a senior in 2019-20, Howard led the nation in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game, adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shooting 44.4% from the field and 41.2% from three in 33.2 minutes. He was unanimously named to the 2019-20 All-America First Team.
The Morristown, New Jersey, native set the Big East all-time scoring record with 1,587 points over his four-year career and ranks 21st on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list with 2,761 points. Howard also broke school records in scoring, free throws made (599) and three-pointers made (434). He scored 51 points vs. USC on November 29th, 2019 becoming the third major-conference player to record a 50-point game in three consecutive seasons, joining Wayman Tisdale and Pete Maravich.
We've re-signed @markushoward11 to a two-way contract!
🔗 https://t.co/IcChyUcECP #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/70zZEN5NMM
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 15, 2021
Fonte: NBA.com.
Sacramento Kings decided to release Justin James before his contract became guaranteed, Jason Jones reports.
The former Wyoming swingman spent the last two seasons with the Californian team (3.8 ppg in 2020/21).
James was the No.40 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Kings have released Justin James league sources tell The Athletic. His salary for this coming season would have been guaranteed if he wasn’t cut by today.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) August 15, 2021
According to Donatas Urbonas of Basketnews, Emmanuel Mudiay will sign with Zalgiris Kaunas if he fails to secure an NBA contract.
Mudiay, the No.7 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, last played in the NBA in the 2019/20 season (7.3 ppg, 2.1 apg with Utah Jazz).
He owns NBA career averages of 11 points and 3.8 assist.
Former No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft 2015 Emmanuel Mudiay is expected to continue his career in Zalgiris Kaunas, per BasketNews sources. The 25-year-old guard won't join Zalgiris only if he gets an NBA contract, sources say BasketNews. More on @BasketNews_com
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) August 14, 2021
The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie forward Greg Brown III, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
Brown, 19, was selected by the Pelicans with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. The Trail Blazers acquired his draft rights on draft night in exchange for a future second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
As a freshman at Texas during the 2020-21 season, Brown (6-9, 205) averaged 9.3 points (42.0% FG, 33.0% 3-PT, 70.8% FT), 6.2 rebounds and 1.00 block in 26 games (24 starts). He was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and was named to the All-Big 12 Newcomer Team and Freshman Team.
Brown attended Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas. As a senior, he was a McDonald’s All-American and selected as the 2019-20 Gatorade Texas Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
We've officially signed @gb3elite 🙌
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 12, 2021
Fonte: NBA.com.
Free agent Devon Dotson has signed his qualifying offer with the Chicago Bulls, reports The Athletic.
Dotson, who played 11 games with Chicago last season, will be on a two-way contract
The Toronto Raptors are signing Dalano Banton to a two-year, $2.5m rookie deal, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Blake Murphy
Banton is the 46th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft
The LA Clippers have re-signed free agent Nicolas Batum, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
“Nico is a terrific player, a selfless teammate and a consummate professional, who lifts us in a lot of different ways,” Frank said. “He fit in perfectly from the beginning, and we’re grateful he’s chosen to return.”
Batum, 32, appeared in 67 games for the Clippers last season. The versatile veteran averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.4 percent. During the Clippers run to the 2021 Western Conference Finals, Batum averaged 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 29.2 minutes. The 6-foot-8 forward has appeared in 856 career games with averages of 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over 13 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and Clippers.
From Lisieux, France, Batum has been a member of the French National Team since 2009, representing his country in the 2012 and 2021 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2014 FIBA World Cup, and 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 FIBA European Championships. He led France to a gold medal in the 2013 European Championship, silver medals in the 2011 European Championship and the 2021 Olympics, and bronze medals in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2015 European Championship.
Officially official.
Bon retour parmi nous, @nicolas88batum! pic.twitter.com/dDT2p6YCJb
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) August 13, 2021
Fonte: NBA.com.
The Golden State Warriors have announced that Kenny Atkinson and DeJan (DAY-hahn) Milojević (mi-lo-yo-vihch) have been added as assistant coaches and Jama (Jah-MAH) Mahlalela (MAH-la-lay-lah) has been added as Director, Player Development/Assistant Coach on Head Coach Steve Kerr’s staff.
Atkinson joins the Warriors after spending the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers. Previously, Atkinson spent three-plus seasons as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, finishing his tenure in Brooklyn ranked third in franchise history in games coached (308) and fourth in wins (118). He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks (2012-16), four seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks (2008-12) and one season as the Director of Player Development for the Houston Rockets (2007-08). A native of Huntington, New York, Atkinson played professionally for 14 years (1990-2004), beginning his pro career in the CBA and USBL before competing for teams in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain.
Mahlalela recently completed his second stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors during the 2020-21 season. Mahlalela spent two seasons (2018-20) as head coach for Raptors 905 in the NBA G League, where he accumulated a 51-42 (.548) record. Prior to his time with Raptors 905, Mahlalela spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Raptors (2013-18) and two seasons working in the front office as director of player development. He was also an assistant coach with the University of Toronto for four seasons (2004-08). A native of Mbabane, Swaziland (now Eswatini), Mahlalela played collegiately at the University of British Columbia.
Milojević spent the 2021 season as head coach of KK Budućnost in the Adriatic League in Montenegro. Prior to KK Budućnost, Milojević served as the head coach for KK Mega Basket in Belgrade, Serbia, for eight seasons (2012-20). In December 2019, he was named an assistant coach for the Serbian national team under Igor Kokoškov. Milojević was a member of the Atlanta Hawks Summer League staff in 2016, the San Antonio Spurs in 2017 and the Houston Rockets in 2018. A native of Belgrade, Milojević enjoyed a 14-year international playing career and was named the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player three times (2004-06).
A full list of basketball operations staff changes will be announced at a later date.
OFFICIAL: Kenny Atkinson, Jama Mahlalela, and DeJan Milojević have been added to Head Coach Steve Kerr’s staff.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 13, 2021
Fonte: NBA.com.
The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed rookie guard Jared Butler. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Butler (6-3, 195, Baylor) ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring in 2020-21, averaging 16.7 points to go with 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range as a junior. The 20-year-old guard helped lead Baylor to a 2021 NCAA Championship, posting 22 points and seven assists in the title game and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Butler earned 2020-21 Consensus All-America First Team, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Big 12 Defensive Team honors.
The Reserve, La. native spent three seasons at Baylor, appearing in 94 games (81 starts) with averages of 14.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 29.1 minutes per game.
Pen to paper 📝@J_Hooper11 has been signed!https://t.co/YF3aCN0JXP
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 12, 2021
Thanasis Antetokounmpo will stay with his brother Giannis in Milwaukee.
The Greek forward has reached a new two-year agreement with the Bucks.
Thanasis has appeared in 57 regular season games and 13 playoffs games in 2021-2022.
Milwaukee Bucks F Thanasis Antetokounmpo has agreed to a new two-year deal, sources tell ESPN. He played 57 games in Bucks’ championship season, plus 13 more in the playoffs.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 13, 2021
The LA Clippers have re-signed free agent Kawhi Leonard, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
Continuing our journey together.
We have officially re-signed @kawhileonard. pic.twitter.com/cqjChAR0ZT
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) August 12, 2021
“Kawhi is a transcendent player and a relentless worker who improves himself every day,” said Frank. “We share many of the same goals, which include a long-term relationship. This agreement marks another important moment for our franchise and our fans, as we strive to create a championship-caliber organization, where players find the success and fulfillment they seek. We’re eager to continue building with Kawhi. For now, we will do whatever we can to support him in his recovery from injury. We look forward to seeing him back where he wants to be, on the court with his teammates.”
Last season, Leonard’s second with the Clippers, he appeared in 52 games and led the NBA in offensive rating (121.4), ranked fourth in net rating (12.2), and tied for fifth in steals per game (1.6). The five-time NBA All-Star averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and a career-high 5.2 assists while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 88.5 percent from the free-throw line. A 6-foot-7 forward, Leonard scored 30 points or more with zero turnovers in four regular-season games, most in the NBA.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was named to his seventh All-Defensive team after helping the Clippers finish the season eighth in defensive rating (110.6) and second in net rating (6.1). Leonard was also named to his third All-NBA First Team, the only player to average at least 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals.
Originally selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Leonard has appeared in 576 career games, averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Clippers. In 2012, Leonard was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
A native of Moreno Valley, Calif., Leonard played two seasons of college basketball at San Diego State University, averaging 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds, and was named second-team All-American after his sophomore year. His No. 15 jersey was retired by the Aztecs in Feb. 2020.
Fonte: NBA.com.
Kawhi Leonard is remaining in Los Angeles.
The two time NBA champion has signed a four-year, $176.3M contract with the Clippers, as reported by Shams Charania.
Yahoo Sports adds that fourth season is a player option.
Kyle Korver is retiring to join the Brooklyn Nets as a player development assistant coach on Steve Nash’s staff.
Korver has played 17 seasons in the NBA.
After 17 NBA seasons, one-time All-Star Kyle Korver is joining the Brooklyn Nets as a player development assistant coach on Steve Nash's staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 12, 2021
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed Killian Tillie to a Two-Way contract.
Tillie (6-10, 220), who has averaged 14.5 points in 22.4 minutes through Memphis’ first two games of NBA Summer League 2021 in Las Vegas, appeared in 18 games (one start) as a rookie for the Grizzlies last season and averaged 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.1 minutes. The 23-year-old signed his first two-way contract with the team on Nov. 24, 2020, after going unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Fonte: Realgm.
New York Knicks announced today that the team has signed four-time NBA All-Star guard Kemba Walker. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are beyond thrilled to bring native New Yorker Kemba Walker back to the city he’s proud to call home. He’s a tremendous talent whose skill and leadership will be a huge addition to our organization,” said New York Knicks President Leon Rose. “We’ve already seen how well he performs on The Garden stage and can’t wait to witness it on a nightly basis in front of his family, friends and the best fans in the league.”
Walker, 6-1, 184-pounds joins New York after averaging 19.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds over 31.8 minutes in 43 games (all starts) for the Boston Celtics last season. In two seasons with Boston, he averaged 19.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds over 99 games (all starts). In 2019-20, he was selected as an NBA All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference.
Welcome back home, @KembaWalker! #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/JCACfj1jO0
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) August 11, 2021
.@nyknicks Sign 4x All-Star and Bronx-Native Kemba Walker pic.twitter.com/afVnSvE0HK
— NY Knicks PR (@NY_KnicksPR) August 11, 2021
The Denver Nuggets have re-signed free agent guard Will Barton III to a multi-year deal, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.
Barton III, 30, has spent the previous seven seasons in Denver and has been an integral part to the Nuggets’ ascension up the Western Conference standings, helping the team appear in three straight playoffs.
Last season, Barton III appeared in 56 games (52 starts), averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and a career-high 38.1% from three-point range. He scored 20 or more points on nine occasions and made five or more threes in six games.
The Baltimore, Maryland native was acquired by Denver in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 19, 2015, and since then has appeared in 408 games in a Nuggets uniform, the second-most games of any Nuggets player since the 2014-15 season. He currently sits third all-time in the team’s NBA franchise history with 647 career three-point makes.
Barton III has appeared in 408 games (208 starts) over seven seasons with Denver, averaging 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. Barton III was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Memphis with the 40th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft.
𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦
🔗 https://t.co/Y3bVBTNbjS#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/Rwhzp7OdM6
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 11, 2021
Fonte: Nuggets.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Georgios Kalaitzakis, the 60th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Kalaitzakis spent the 2020-21 season with Panathinaikos where he averaged 2.6 points and 1.0 rebounds across 27 games in both Greek Basket League and EuroLeague action.
The Bucks acquired the draft rights to Kalaitzakis from the Indiana Pacers along with the draft rights to Sandro Mamukelashvili, the 54th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and two future second round draft picks in exchange for Isaiah Todd, the 31st overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Kalaitzakis has been added to the Bucks Summer League roster and is expected to suit up for the team as they take on the Brooklyn Nets today at 3 p.m. CT in Las Vegas.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Georgios Kalaitzakis, the 60th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.https://t.co/VHcJzq2P45
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 11, 2021
Fonte: Milwaukee Bucks.
