NBA free agency continues to limp along into day ten, following a very Toronto Raptors filled day of trades yesterday. Today saw the Phoenix Suns re-sign power forward Alan Williams, the San Antonio Spurs sign center Joffrey Lauvergne and the Orlando Magic part ways with point guard C.J. Watson.
Alan Williams is staying in Phoenix
The Phoenix Suns and restricted free agent Alan Williams have finally come to an agreement on a three-year, $17 million dollar deal, with 'The Vertical' first reporting the signing.
Williams will be making $6 million in the deal's first year and then $5.5 million each of the final two seasons. The 24-year-old, who went undrafted in 2015, finally saw regular playing time in the final few months of last season after veteran center Tyson Chandler was shut down.
Last season, Williams only played in 47 games, averaging 15.1 minutes per game. He averaged 7.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks. He shot 51.7% from the field and 62.5% from the free throw line. Williams had 13 double-doubles last year, including five-in-a-row in early March. Clearly, the team likes his potential as it builds a young core of talented players.
Spurs added Joffrey Lauvergne to team
The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a two-year deal with Joffrey Lauvergne, with financial terms of the deal having not yet been disclosed. Lauvergne suddenly became a free agent on Saturday, after the Chicago Bulls rescinded his qualifying offer. This move prompted interest from a number of teams but the Frenchman chose the Spurs, who needed frontcourt help after Pau Gasol, David Lee and Dewayne Dedmon all opted out to become free agents. Last season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Bulls, Lauvergne averaged 5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.6% on three-pointers.
The Magic part ways with C.J. Watson
The Orlando Magic have released veteran point guard C.J. Watson a day before he would have been guaranteed $5 million dollars.
By making this move the Magic will incur a $1 million cap hit but will now have at least $8.3 million in cap room. Watson was expendable for the Magic following their signing of Shelvin Mack a few days ago. Last season was Watson's second with the Magic, he played in 62 games and started 9 of them. He averaged 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 38.7% from the field and 30.5% on three-pointers.