Rockets re-sign center Clint Capela

The best-remaining free agent is off the market, and back where he likely belongs.

The Houston Rockets re-signed restricted free agent center Clint Capela today.

Capela has been an excellent fit on the Rockets, and the team re-sign the defensive-minded, undersized yet highly effective center if they wanted to continue as one of the very best teams in the league.

According to ESPN.com, it’s a a five-year, $90 million. And per ESPN, “had he instead signed a $4.3 million qualifying offer, he would have entered 2019 as an unrestricted free agent.”

Capela was selected by Houston with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was runner-up for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this past season after averaging career-highs of 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.85 blocks. Capela led the league in field goal percentage (.652) while ranking eighth in rebounding and second in blocks.

According to the Houston Chronicle, “Capela had been seeking a deal similar to the contracts received by Rudy Gobert (four years, $102 million) and Steven Adams (four years, $100 million). But those deals were in 2016 when the NBA cap spike sent contracts for free agents that summer skyrocketing. His deal exceeds those for other centers this summer.”

The 24-year-old recorded 42 double-doubles in 74 games played in 2017-18 after having a total of 25 in 154 games played across his first three seasons. The Rockets were 25-2 when he scored at least 15 points, including 11-0 when he scored 20 or more. Houston was also 36-5 when Capela had at least two blocks, including 21-0 when he had three or more.

During the regular season, Capela was the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 13.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 1.80 bpg in fewer than 28.0 mpg. He was also the first player to have averaged at least 12.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, and 2.00 bpg in fewer than 31.0 mpg in a single postseason.

Clippers waive C.J. Williams

The L.A. Clippers waived guard C.J. Williams today.

Williams, 28, appeared in 38 games for the Clippers last season, averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.6 minutes. He appeared in 16 games for L.A.’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario as part of his two-way contract, averaging 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.5 minutes. A four-year letterman at North Carolina State, the 6’5”, 230-pound guard spent time playing internationally with teams in France, Greece and Italy, and in the NBA G League, before signing with the Clippers in October 2017.

Pelicans sign forward Troy Williams

Pelicans sign forward Troy Williams

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent forward Troy Williams.

Williams, 6-7, 220, was a member of the New York Knicks’ 2018 Summer League team, appearing in five contests and averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.6 minutes per game.

During the 2017-18 season, Williams appeared in 21 contests for the Knicks and the Houston Rockets, averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. He also played in 19 games (17 starts) last season for Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, averaging 19.8 points while shooting 46.4% from the field, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.1 minutes per game.

Originally undrafted in 2016 out of Indiana University, Williams has appeared in 51 career regular season games for Memphis, Houston and New York, holding averages of 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 16.9 minutes per game.

Hornets sign Jaylen Barford, Zach Smith and Isaiah Wilkins to training camp roster

The Charlotte Hornets have signed guard Jaylen Barford and forwards Zach Smith and Isaiah Wilkins to the team’s training camp roster.

In two years at Arkansas, the 6-3 Barford averaged 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28.3 minutes per game in 71 contests. An undrafted free agent, Barford recorded averages of 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 35 games as a senior in 2017-18. The Jackson, Tennessee, native finished the season amongst the SEC leaders in the following categories: field goals made (first, 224), points scored (third, 628), points per game (third, 17.9), three-point field goals (fourth, 87) and field goal percentage (sixth, .470). As a junior, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Smith, an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech University, appeared in 117 career games over four years (2014-18). In 117 contests, he finished his collegiate career with averages of 8.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 28.7 minutes per game. The Plano, Texas native averaged 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 23 games as a senior in 2017-18. Smith received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for both of his final two seasons.

Wilkins was a four-year collegiate player at Virginia (2014-18) where he appeared in 132 career games, posting averages of 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. Wilkins recorded averages of 6.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks as a senior in 2017-18. The Lilburn, Georgia, native was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-ACC Defensive Team.

With the addition of Barford, Smith and Wilkins the Hornets roster stands at 18 players.

Celtics sign Walt Lemon Jr. to a two-way contract

The Boston Celtics have signed guard Walt Lemon Jr. to a two-way deal.

Lemon Jr., 25, made his NBA debut on Feb. 23 of last season after signing a pair of 10-day contracts with the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 3.4 points (43.8% FG) and 7.0 minutes in five games played. The Chicago, IL native spent the majority of his season competing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League, where he produced 22.4 points (49.4% FG, 31.3% 3-PT, 76.8% FT), 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.03 steals and 36.6 minutes in 40 games (all starts).

A four-year product of Bradley University from 2010-11 to 2013-14, Lemon Jr. has also competed professionally for multiple teams in Europe.

Jimmy Butler undergoes procedure on hand

Jimmy Butler undergoes procedure on hand

Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward Jimmy Butler underwent an elective right hand procedure on Tuesday, July 24.

The team says that Butler has already returned to offseason activities.

It’s unknown if those offseason activities include playing basketball at regular intensity right away, but the team is clearly suggesting that it was a minor procedure.

Sixers sign Shake Milton to two-way contract

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Shake Milton to a two-way contract.

The 76ers acquired the draft rights to Milton (No. 54 overall) from Dallas in a draft-night trade in exchange for the draft rights to the No. 56 overall pick, Ray Spalding from Louisville, and the No. 60 overall pick, Kostas Antetokounmpo from Dayton.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Milton averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 2017-18, his junior season at SMU and he improved his scoring and rebounding averages in each of his three seasons with the Mustangs. For his collegiate career, he appeared in 87 games (80 starts) and posted 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.7 minutes per contest.

Over his first two seasons with SMU, the team compiled a 55-10 record, earning a No. 6 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Owasso, Oklahoma native was twice named Second Team All-AAC (2017 and 2018) and, as a freshman, was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team (2016).

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man NBA regular-season roster. A two-way player for the 76ers will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Delaware Blue Coats – but can spend up to 45 days with the 76ers, not including any time spent with Philadelphia prior to the start of Blue Coats’ training camp or following the conclusion of Delaware’s regular season.

Celtics sign Jabari Bird

Bird is back in Boston!

Alright, fine, it’s a different Bird.

The Boston Celtics today signed guard Jabari Bird, who spent his rookie season with the Celtics on a two-way deal in 2017-18

The 6-foot-6, 198-pound guard averaged 3.0 points (57.7% FG, 42.9% 3-PT), 1.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 8.8 minutes in 13 games (one start) that season. He scored a career-high 15 points and shot 7-of-10 from the field against Chicago on April 6.

Selected in the second round (56th overall) by Boston in the 2017 NBA Draft, Bird, 24, also produced 19.3 points (51.7% FG, 32.5% 3-PT), 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.35 steals in 20 games (all starts) for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League.

In four games played with the Celtics during the 2018 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, Bird recorded team highs in points (16.8 ppg) and rebounds (6.0 rpg), while shooting a team-best 57.0% from the field.

Rockets sign Isaiah Hartenstein

Rockets sign Isaiah Hartenstein

The Houston Rockets have signed rookie forward/center Isaiah Hartenstein.

Hartenstein (7-0, 249) was the 43rd overall pick by Houston in the 2017 NBA Draft. He spent last season playing for the Rockets single-affiliation NBA G League partner, Rio Grande Valley. In 38 games with 11 starts for the Vipers, Hartenstein averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.11 blocks in 18.7 minutes per game while shooting 57.1% from the floor.

The 20-year-old started four games for the Rockets at NBA Summer League 2018, averaging 10.3 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds, and 2.25 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game while shooting 52.2% from the floor.

When he was 11 years old, Hartenstein moved with his family from Oregon to Germany, where his father, Florian, was playing professional basketball. Isaiah holds dual citizenship and has represented Germany in four FIBA events as well as playing for the World Select Team at the 2017 Nike Hoops Summit. He has played professionally in both Lithuania and Germany.

According to the Houston Chronicle, “the Rockets hope to sign starting center Clint Capela, who remains a restricted free agent and also have Nene, Zhou Qi and Chinanu Onuaku under contract at center. Tarik Black, the Rockets’ third center last season, is a free agent.”

Sixers sign Jonah Bolden

The Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday signed forward Jonah Bolden.

It’s not yet known if this contract will definitely carry into the regular season or if it’s a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Bolden to training camp.

“We have been following Jonah Bolden for a while and are very excited to bring him into our program as a young, up-and-coming prospect,” Brown said. “He experienced positive growth and development last season at Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team led by Neven Spahija, who is a friend of our program and an excellent coach. Jonah’s style of play is that of a modern-day player and we’re thrilled to grow our team with him.”

The 76ers selected Bolden with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old spent the 2017-18 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, helping the team win the Israeli Basketball Super League title. In 26 BSL games (24 starts), the 6-foot-10 Bolden posted 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.5 minutes per game, as the team compiled a 28-11 record.

In 29 EuroLeague games (28 starts), Bolden averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 21.1 minutes per contest and was named a finalist for the EuroLeague Rising Star Award. The Australia native posted double-figure points on nine occasions as he shot .487 from the field in EuroLeague play, connecting on 77 of his 158 attempts. Bolden ranked fourth in the league in defensive rebounds (125), seventh in steals (34) and eighth in blocks (27).

Bolden has appeared in three summer leagues as a member of the 76ers, most recently appearing in six games with Philadelphia at MGM Resorts Summer League 2018, where he posted 6.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Last summer, the Australia native participated in both the 2017 Utah Jazz Summer League and MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017.

Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, Bolden played for Serbia’s KK FMP, averaging 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds across Basketball League of Serbia and Adriatic League play. He earned the Adriatic League’s Top Prospect Award in 2017, joining teammate Dario Šarić, Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Cleveland’s Ante Zizic as recent award recipients. Bolden spent the 2015-16 season at UCLA, where he appeared in 31 games (11 starts) for the Bruins and tallied 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per contest.

A native of Sydney, Australia, Bolden was a member of the Australian U-19 National Team, representing his home country in the 2013 FIBA U-19 World Championship. His father, Bruce, played 17 seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League, competing against Ben Simmons’ father, Dave, and Brown, who was a coach in the league.