Tag: Derrick Favors

Chicago Bulls sign Derrick Favors, former No. 3 pick, to training camp contract

The Chicago Bulls have signed veteran big man Derrick Favors, a former third-overall pick, to a training camp contract.

According to an official announcement made by the team, the Chicago Bulls have signed big man Derrick Favors to a training camp contract. Favors was the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, selected over guys like DeMarcus Cousins (fifth), Gordon Hayward (ninth), and Paul George (10th).

The 6-foot-9 center is 32 years old, and last appeared in an NBA game with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2021-22 season. That year, he played in 39 games, starting 18 of them, and averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 51.6% from the field. Favors joined the Atlanta Hawks on a 10-day contract in January of last season but never appeared in a game.

In all likelihood, Favors’ training camp deal will lead to him joining the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate. However, this could be an intriguing situation to watch.

As things stand, the Bulls only have two big men on the main roster – Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. Rookie Adama Sanogo is also on the team, but he’s on a two-way contract.

Vucevic played in all 82 games last season, and Drummond has played in over 65 games in each of the past two years, but that’s still not a lot of depth at the five.

Favors isn’t a great fit for what the Bulls should be looking for. For a team that desperately needs help on the offensive end, he’s a guy who doesn’t shoot threes and has never been a great scorer. That said, he’s been an effective backup big in the past and could be a decent enough failsafe option.

Should Vucevic or Drummond miss time, Sanogo should be next up to get minutes at the center position, but having Favors in the G League is a smart backup plan.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dead money easily tops current money for 2022-23 Houston Rockets

In 2022-23, the #Rockets are spending significantly more money on players who aren’t playing for them than they are for the current team. Here’s a look at how we got here.

As part of the franchise’s rebuilding plan, the Houston Rockets are clearly prioritizing future draft assets and playing time for younger players. Yet, they have to work within the confines of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement and its salary cap rules.

For example, in the trade sending Eric Gordon to the Clippers for a first-round pick swap in 2023, the Rockets had to take back veterans John Wall and Danny Green for salary matching purposes. Both were quickly waived, allowing them to sign elsewhere while maximizing internal playing time for younger prospects.

Years earlier, in the trade sending Russell Westbrook to the Wizards, the Rockets received a first-round draft pick (eventually used as part of the package to trade for Alperen Sengun) but were required to take Wall back for salary purposes. Eventually, Wall was held out of games and eventually bought out to make room for Kevin Porter Jr.’s playing time as the starting point guard.

That’s led to a dubious situation in 2022-23 in which Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is spending much more money on players who aren’t playing for his team than he is on those who actually are. (Per HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan, the gap is more than $30 million.)

The good news for general manager Rafael Stone is that none of these obligations extend beyond the 2022-23 season, and Houston is currently positioned to have a league-leading figure of up to $60 million in approximate salary cap room this offseason.

For now, courtesy of HoopsHype salary data, here’s a look at who’s on the books for the Rockets. Money spent on players no longer on the roster is widely known as “dead money.”

Should the Boston Celtics consider pursuing big man Derrick Favors?

Friday’s overtime preseason loss to the Raptors might forebode frontcourt problems until Timelord returns.

After the Boston Celtics were out-rebounded 67-56 by the Toronto Raptors in Montreal on the way to a 137-132 overtime loss in the Celtics’ final preseason game of their 2022-23 slate, it’s looking like the team needs some help on the glass.

The solution could very well be on the roster already, but with interim head coach Joe Mazzulla electing to play big man Noah Vonleh less than 10 minutes of game time and reserve center Luke Kornet no time at all, it could signal a lack of faith in those options while starting big man Robert Williams III remains out healing up his surgically-repaired knee.

If Boston is indeed even slightly uncertain about the potential of their frontcourt depth, it would be wise of them to be on the phone with the agent of recently-cut veteran big man Derrick Favors.

With Shams Charania reporting that the Georgia Tech alum would be waived by the Houston Rockets, the Celtics would be wise to bring on the 12-year vet who averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 boards per game last season in 16.7 minutes per game.

While only 6-foot-9, Favors has the girth to be pushed around less than many of the options the Celtics turned to on Friday, and is likely the best rebounding big who will hit free agency before the start of the season on Tuesday.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

[mm-video type=video id=01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y playlist_id=01eqbzegwgnrje4tv2 player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y/01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y-d3782afd18d8c693fcc2a9fb22caf35f.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=110594,110588,110641,110637,110627,110632]

[listicle id=110582]

[listicle id=110589]

[listicle id=110642]

[listicle id=110626]

Report: Former Thunder center Derrick Favors waived by Rockets

Derrick Favors was owed $10.2 million this season.

Former Oklahoma City Thunder center Derrick Favors will seek a new home to continue his career after he was waived by the Houston Rockets, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Favors was sent to the Rockets in the massive eight-player trade in late September. The 31-year-old was owed $10.2 million this season after picking up his player option during the offseason.

The move comes hours after former Thunder guard Theo Maledon, who was also part of the eight-player trade, signed a two-way deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

Favors is entering his 13th season in the league and spent last season with the Thunder, where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games.

[mm-video type=video id=01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y/01gf7aaz6zvrmj6j1m0y-d3782afd18d8c693fcc2a9fb22caf35f.jpg]

[listicle id=461174]

Report: Rockets planning to waive Derrick Favors to finalize roster

The Rockets plan to waive veteran big man Derrick Favors, per Shams Charania, which would finalize their roster among standard contracts.

With the roster deadline looming for the NBA’s 2022-23 regular season, the Rockets plan to release veteran big man Derrick Favors, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Favors was acquired just two weeks ago for salary reasons as part of a trade with Oklahoma City that netted Houston a second-round draft asset.

Teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason and throughout training camp, but that must be trimmed to a maximum of 15 standard contracts and two two-way deals by the regular season. While waiving Favors would make the Rockets set among standard contracts, they could still have flexibility with their two-way slots.

Favors is on a $10.3-million guaranteed salary this season, and there was thought he could have been useful to Houston as potential matching salary in trade discussions. However, that would have forced a the team to release someone else, such as Daishen Nix, Garrison Mathews or Boban Marjanovic. It appears general manager Rafael Stone wasn’t willing to let any of them go.

The argument could also be made that with Houston poised to have significant salary cap space in the 2023 offseason, the odds of executing a major trade during the 2022-23 regular season (which could potentially eat into that room) might be diminished, which would make it less important to have a salary filler such as Favors.

[lawrence-related id=105971,105961]

[listicle id=105980]

Derrick Favors embracing leadership role with young Rockets

Derrick Favors on joining the Rockets: “This is a young team, and they play hard. It was a little bit unexpected, but I’m happy to be here. I think I can provide some good leadership.”

Veteran NBA big man Derrick Favors wasn’t expecting the recent trade that sent him from the Thunder to the Rockets, which was primarily completed for financial reasons (on Oklahoma City’s end) and draft compensation (on Houston’s end).

But now that he’s arrived, Favors is ready to make the most of it — regardless of whether he plays or watches from the bench.

In comments prior to Friday’s preseason victory over Toronto, which was the first for Favors as an active player for the Rockets, he said:

I’m happy to be here. This is a young team, and they play hard. It was a little bit unexpected, for me, but I’m happy to be here. I think I can provide some good leadership to the team, and help them in any way that they need help.

I’ve been on young teams before. This isn’t my first rodeo with this. I know how to approach it.

Favors played 8 minutes off Houston’s bench Friday, collecting 3 rebounds versus the Raptors to go with a steal and an assist. Now 31 years old, the 6-foot-9 big man has averaged 10.6 points (53.4% FG) and 7.1 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game over his career.

“Whatever they need,” Favors said of his potential on-court value to the Rockets. “A presence in the paint, toughness. I’m just going to go out there and play my game.”

Going forward, Favors would seem to be in the mix as a potential backup center option behind second-year prospect Alperen Sengun. Other options include Bruno Fernando and Usman Garuba. The Rockets will have two more preseason opportunities to evaluate those players; the next comes Monday night at Miami.

[lawrence-related id=105823,105753]

[listicle id=105803]

Podcast: Rockets-Thunder trade reaction and preseason opener preview

In today’s podcast, @BenDuBose and @PauloAlvesNBA share key takeaways from #Rockets training camp, along with a breakdown of Houston’s eight-player trade with OKC.

Friday’s episode of “The Lager Line” podcast features reaction from Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves to an eight-player trade between the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal brought Derrick Favors and a second-round pick to Houston along with three other players.

Discussion topics include financial and draft motivations for the complex deal, along with a look at its basketball merits.

The episode concludes with a preview of Sunday’s preseason opener versus San Antonio and a look back at the first week of training camp, with an emphasis on the defensive culture being established by rookie Jabari Smith Jr. and insight on how Stephen Silas is tweaking Houston’s offense to best utilize Alperen Sengun.

Friday’s full podcast can be listened to below. Each episode of the show is also available via flagship radio station SportsTalk 790, as well as to all major podcast distributors under “The Lager Line.”

[lawrence-related id=105362,105320]

[listicle id=105371]

Rockets trade four players to OKC for package led by Derrick Favors, future second-round draft pick

The Rockets are trading four veteran players to Oklahoma City in a deal bringing Derrick Favors, a future second-round draft pick, and more to Houston. Here’s our analysis of the move.

In a trade between rebuilding rivals in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is trading Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Moe Harkless, Theo Maledon, and a 2025 second-round pick via Atlanta to the Houston Rockets for David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

All of the players involved have expiring contracts (see Rockets books, Thunder books), so it shouldn’t materially impact either team’s long-term salary cap planning. Oklahoma City is also sending $6.3 million in cash considerations to compensate for the substantial gap in salaries, per Jackson Gatlin of Locked on Rockets.

The Rockets had acquired Brown, Burke, and Chriss for salary matching purposes as part of the trade sending Christian Wood to Dallas in June, but none were in Houston’s future plans.

Keeping those players into the 2022-23 regular season, which begins in under three weeks, would have been difficult because the NBA’s offseason roster limit of 20 players shrinks to 15 standard contracts and two two-way deals. Thus, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone was searching to make something of those assets before the roster deadline would force many (if not all) of those players to be released.

Of the four players acquired from the Thunder, only Favors — a veteran who could figure into Houston’s backup center mix — would seem to have a plausible path to rotation minutes this season. While Houston is likely to evaluate all or most in the upcoming preseason, the roster deadline is likely to force a handful of releases.

Beyond any value from Favors, now 31 years old, as a player, the primary trade benefits would appear to be his salary and the future second-round draft pick via Atlanta. At $10.2 million, Favors could potentially help the Rockets match salary in trades closer to the 2022-23 trade deadline next February, yet he only occupies one roster spot. To reach that figure prior to this trade, the Rockets would have had to commit multiple roster spots due to the smaller annual salaries.

Moreover, because the Rockets are taking in more money than they are sending out and reducing Oklahoma City’s potential luxury tax figure, the Thunder are compensating Houston with a future second-round draft pick and cash. In effect, the Rockets are buying a future pick by absorbing a contract from a team looking to shed payroll, similar to the 2024 second-round pick they got from Brooklyn last preseason in a deal involving Sekou Doumbouya, who was subsequently waived by the Rockets.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Houston’s newly acquired 2025 second-round pick via Atlanta is protected for picks 31-40. If that doesn’t convey, the Rockets would then receive the second-best 2026 second rounder between Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Philly (all are currently owned by the Thunder).

Scroll on for recent statistics of players involved in the trade, along with further analysis and reaction to the move.

Report: Thunder send Derrick Favors to Rockets in an 8-player deal

The Oklahoma City Thunder will send Derrick Favors to the Houston Rockets in a large deal that includes eight players.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are done wheeling and dealing as they continue with training camp on their way to preparing for the 2022-23 season.

The Thunder, who are rebuilding, made a large deal Thursday night in terms of players but a minor one in terms of impact. They are sending Derrick Favors, Theo Maledon, Moe Harkless, Ty Jerome and a 2025 second-round pick to the Houston Rockets for Trey Burke, David Nwaba, Marquese Chriss and Sterling Brown.

All in all, it’s more of a deal for salary cap relief. The Thunder gain two trade exceptions, and they drop roughly $10 million below the luxury tax. OKC also gains some intriguing players to continue their rebuild.

Favors was a respected veteran who was a nice presence for the youngsters. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games in the 2021-22 season as he now heads to Houston where he could be moved again.

The Thunder had recently acquired Harkless in a trade earlier in the week while Jerome and Maledon will be looking for fresh starts with the Rockets.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=460843]

[lawrence-related id=460840,460836,460833]

Four back up big man trade targets for the Boston Celtics to use their $17.1 million traded player exception on

These are some of our favorite potential backup big man trade targets if the Celtics were to use part of their $17.1 million TPE.

The Boston Celtics were widely seen as unlikely to use their $17.1 million traded player exception (TPE) before it expires on July 17 after trading for Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon given the team is now roughly $20 million into the league’s luxury tax, but recent reporting from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss related that Boston isn’t done looking for ways to put it to use.

This would most likely be for a backup big man given that is the only real need on one of the deepest teams in the NBA, but with that big tax bill pending as the roster currently sits, suggests that any such move to bring in a pricier big man would likely see a rotation player like Derrick White, Grant Williams, or Payton Pritchard going out to help balance the books.

Such trades could wear out even the most ardent trade machine fans with the possibilities, so we won’t explore actual deals themselves.