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NBA Rumors: JaVale McGee, Utah Jazz, Matteo Spagnolo and Patrick Gardner

The following is a look at NBA rumors and news for August 30.

NBA Rumors: JaVale McGee, Utah Jazz, Matteo Spagnolo and Patrick Gardner

Teams Interested In JaVale McGee

The Dallas Mavericks, as previously reported would, waived center JaVale McGee on Tuesday. He will become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday afternoon.

McGee signed a three-year, $17.2 million contract with Dallas last offseason but only appeared in 42 games, including seven starts in 2022-23. The 7-footer  averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in a career-low 8.5 minutes per game.

Waiving McGee yesterday was necessary if Dallas plans on using the NBA’s stretch provision as previously thought. By stretching McGee, the Mavs save about $7 million in cap space over the next two seasons. Therefore, they have more flexibility to make other moves. The deadline for teams planning on using the provision is August 31.

Dallas now has 14 players on standard contracts. However, the Mavericks are expected to sign Markieff Morris to take the final roster spot. Morris appeared in 35 games last year, including eight for the Mavs. Morris produced 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while compiling a shooting slash line of .409/.394/1.000 over 10 minutes in 2022-23.

Best Fit For McGee

Despite coming off a career worse season and advanced age, McGee is expected to garner interest from several clubs due to his shot-blocking and rebounding prowess. The 36-year-old has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, who have an open roster spot and need to add frontcourt depth.

According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Sacramento Kings are also interested in McGee.

Sacramento currently has 15 players on standard contracts, though Neemais Queta and Nerlens Noel hold partial guarantees. It is unknown whether the Kings plan on carrying 14 or 15 players. Even without McGee, the Kings have plenty of centers, with Alex Len and Trey Lyles expected to be Domantas Sabonis‘ primary backup. Queta and Noel are fighting for a roster spot, a battle which McGee would be part of if he joins the Kings.

Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers make the most sense of the three mentioned teams. McGee fits the Warriors culture, having played for Steve Kerr and the Dubs from 2016-18. Kings’ coach Mike Brown was on Kerr’s staff when McGee was with the Warriors, so there’s familiarity there, too. Like the Warriors, the Lakers are looking to compete for a championship this year, so they want veterans who will be happy filling a role. The Kings already have that with Noel and Queta, and their window is theoretically longer than the Lakers and Warriors.

There are possibly other teams that will pursue McGee. The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets come to mind, but they would have to come to mind. Regardless of where McGee ends up, if he signs with a team, he will only play if there are injuries. It wouldn’t surprise me that he or teams decide to wait to see as the season plays out and then find a fit around January or so.

Utah Jazz Roster Moves

The Utah Jazz made a trio of roster moves on Wednesday. The Jazz agreed to training camp deals with Travion Kinsey, Romeo Langford, and Nick Ongenda. The Athletic’s Tony Jones and Shams Charania reported that Langford’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language.

Langford is a slasher who can defend, although he struggled on that end this past season. However, he doesn’t shoot it well at all.

Langford played in 43 games for the San Antonio Spurs this past season. The 24-year-old, who made 21 starts, produced career-highs across the board in 2022-23. He holds career averages of 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds with a shooting slash line of .467/.262/.697.

It is likely that Kinsey and Ongenda’s agreement is also an Exhibit-10 deal. Therefore, if they are waived, they can earn bonus money by spending at least 60 days with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G-League franchise.

Kinsey and Ongena went undrafted this past June. Both played for the Jazz’s summer league team.

Kinsey, a 6-5 wing of Marshall, had his up-and-down during summer league games. H was much better in Salt Lake City than Las Vegas. Kinsey averaged 5.8 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 rebounds in eight games with a shooting slash line of .485/.364/.917.

Ongenda, a 6-11 center out of DePaul, didn’t see much playing time this summer but was productive on the court. The 23-year-old rebounded the ball well, was efficient around the rim, and a solid rim-protector. Ongenda averaged 4.7 points, 3.7 boards (1.1), and 1.0 blocks while shooting 61.9% from the field over 12.7 minutes. Overall, he scored in double-figures twice and produced one double-double in seven contests.

With the three additions, Utah has a full training camo roster. The Jazz’s also appear content with their roster as they have 15 players on standard contracts, with 13 fully guaranteed. Omer Yurtseven (partially guaranteed) and Kris Dunn (nonguaranteed) are the exceptions.  The Jazz also have all three of their two-way spots. Therefore, expect Langford, Kinsey, and Ongenda to start the season in the G-League.

Other News

  • Undrafted rookie Patrick Gardner, who agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets in July, has had a busy summer. After going undrafted out of Marist, the 6-11 center played for the Miami Heat in the summer league and is now playing for Egypt in the FIBA World Cup.

Gardner has been a pleasant surprise for Egypt. The 24-year-old turned in a well-rounded (20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists) performance while helping the Egyptians upset Mexico in their final match of group play on August 29. Gardner also tallied 13 points against Montenegro, averaging 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three tournament games.

Gardner told FIBA.com  that he expects to begin the 2023-24 season with the Long Island Nets. But hopes to make an impression during training camp.

“I was fortunate enough to get a training camp invite for the Nets, then depending how I do here and in general, hopefully I could just keep moving up from there. I think I’m gonna be with the G League team, but you never know what could happen, just got to be prepared for all options.”

  • While New York Knicks wing Evan Fournier doesn’t believe he will play for the team again, the 31-year-old told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net that he can help a team. Fournier, who had the worst season of his career last year, has played well for France at the FIBA World Cup. Fournier has scored 17 points in each of the French’s three group stage games, topping the 20-point mark against Latvia and Canada.

“Obviously, I want to play again. I want to have success. I know I can help. I know I can play, I know I can do many things,”

  • Gardner isn’t the only youngster trying to make a name for himself at the FIBA World Cup. Draft-and-Stash prospect Matteo Spagnolo, a 2022 second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves,  is playing for Italy at the FIBA World Cup. The 20-year-old combo guard hasn’t seen much time with Italy, but Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly told  The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski that he is impressed with the youngster.

“He’s certainly a guy that every time he gets out there, you see, I think, a kid that’s getting better. At his age, the physicality of this competition really stands out. To be comfortable with that level of physicality and the expectations of your national team, and you still produce relative to being so young, I think it’s really encouraging.”

Spagnolo has moved to German club Alba Berlin for the 2023-24 season after spending last year in Italy with Trento. Spagnolo averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 43 games last season.

 

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