Bobby Marks: Chicago makes it official on the Antonio Blakeney waiver. The 22-year old guard gave back $100K of his $1.58M salary. Blakeney should be able to recoup the lost earnings on either a partial/10-Day or a possible Two Way.
Antonio Blakeney Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 10/04/96
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:197 lbs. / 89.4 kg.
Salary: $1,588,231
Born: 10/04/96
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:197 lbs. / 89.4 kg.
Salary: $1,588,231
Bobby Marks: Once Antonio Blakeney goes through waivers, the guard is eligible to be claimed by any team in the NBA except for Golden State and Miami. Both teams are restricted because of the hard cap. Blakeney last yr. signed a two-year minimum contract that carries a $1.6M cap hit in 19-20.
Shams Charania: Antonio Blakeney and the Bulls reached agreement on a contract buyout today, sources said, allowing him to be a free agent after clearing waivers.
Bulls releasing Antonio Blakeney
Shams Charania: The Chicago Bulls and guard Antonio Blakeney are parting ways, with the team planning to release him, league sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
KC Johnson: Bulls have discussed waiving Antonio Blakeney and have publicly disclosed they’re open to right Kris Dunn trade, which could be an uneven one. Don’t need to be at 15 contracts now but eventually. Kornet, official soon, would be 15.
Game-ifying in practices can produce clear results in game. This season, the Hawks rank second — behind the Houston Rockets — in corner 3 attempts. In Chicago, reserve guard Antonio Blakeney has made 14 3s from the left corner, tied for the fourth most in the NBA, despite playing just 16.6 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Budenholzer’s squares have helped propel Milwaukee to the highest-scoring team and the third-highest offensive rating in the league, and 7-foot center Brook Lopez is earning attention for his deep 3-point shooting while making a career-high 2.5 triples per game. The 76ers’ transition defense appears to be benefiting from their 12-foot arc, as Philly is allowing 1.05 points per chance (fifth best in the NBA) on transition plays this season, according to Second Spectrum data.
Allow me to start with a bit of housekeeping. I was unfair to Antonio Blakeney and former coach Fred Hoiberg. In my story last week about the Bulls’ waning faith in Hoiberg, I wrote that Blakeney directed some colorful language toward Hoiberg in asking why he was being removed from a game earlier this season. I cited team sources in the report — which The Athletic stands by. But I didn’t hear the comment myself, and while scrambling to report and write the piece I never gave Blakeney nor Hoiberg a chance to address the allegation. I’ve spent much of this hectic past week trying to make it right as best I can, and after careful consideration of a handful of ideas I settled on this format. Blakeney denies ever saying it. Hoiberg, who has chosen to not be quoted, said Blakeney didn’t say it either. Blakeney respectfully refuted the allegation on Twitter upon learning of the comments I attributed to him in my story. I immediately retweeted Blakeney’s response and realized then I had been unfair. To be fair to Blakeney, who has been professional and a stand-up guy since I began covering him last season, I circled back to him so that he could address the allegation.
Here, in full, is Blakeney’s side of it: “Obviously, I saw the report saying I cursed coach Fred asking him why I came out of the game. No, I didn’t say that. Obviously, me being a younger player in the league and a minimum (salary) guy who is just trying to make it, an undrafted guy, that’s nothing I would ever even think in my mind to say. I’ve never been that type of person. Even in high school. I was a McDonald’s All-American. I never cursed the coach or anything like that. So I don’t really know where that came from, but I kind of just wanted to clear the air on that because I don’t want that image out there of me. I don’t want anybody to think that of me. I don’t want any coach in the league or any coach anywhere to think that I would say that to them.
At one point during a mid-November game at Milwaukee, guard Antonio Blakeney took exception to Hoiberg subbing him out and asked, in what team sources say was a show of rebellion, “Why the fuck are you taking me out?” His query was posed loudly in front of the team bench. Hoiberg later re-inserted him without reproach, sources said. Two weeks later, Blakeney mysteriously was supplanted in the rotation by Cameron Payne, whose inconsistency caused him to slip from emergency starter to third-stringer.
Blakeney, remember, is not a high-prized lottery pick. He’s the reigning G-League Rookie of the Year clawing to stay in the league. If he can get away with that, what could Zach LaVine pull? The answer is anything he wanted, according to a team source who said LaVine was given carte blanche by Hoiberg. Internally, there was concern players would revolt more as the season marched on, with the defiance manifesting itself in numerous ways, be it players taking ill-advised shots or talking out of turn.
Mike McGraw: Now it’s official. @blakeney96 #Bulls
The Bulls plan to sign Blakeney to a minimum deal Thursday, sources said.
Antonio Blakeney: Appreciate the love bro @Kevin Durant !! #Respect
Antonio Blakeney: RIP🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
13 Apr 18
KC Johnson: Can’t remember last time this happened: Athletic trainer Jeff Tanaka is being made available to reporters to explain Blakeney injury on Monday and Blakeney playing on Wednesday.
KC Johnson: Update: This is no longer occurring.
Vincent Goodwill: Don’t expect Justin Holiday to play tonight. Bulls will give extended look to Antonio Blakeney. Robin Lopez will start and go through first quarter
KC Johnson: Fred Hoiberg said plan is for Antonio Blakeney to remain with Bulls for remainder of season and play occasional rotational minutes.
Blakeney’s two-way deal, which was signed last July, has another season remaining on it but can be converted to an NBA contract anytime. Blakeney could be putting pressure on the Bulls to accelerate the timeline. He’s leading the G-League in scoring at 32 points per game for the Windy City Bulls and has crafted a handful of performances with Chicago that continues to prove he’s capable of replicating his scoring knack at the NBA level. The good news is the Bulls really like Blakeney and are intrigued by what he could be as a scorer off the bench. “He’s a guy that can create his own shot. He can get to the basket,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said of Blakeney earlier this year. “He’s one of the few guys we have on this roster that when we get the switch and we get the right matchup, he can take advantage of it and get a shot up, a quality shot that you think is going in.”
KC Johnson: Antonio Blakeney is with the Bulls.
Darnell Mayberry: Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg says the decision to waive Kay Felder was a move for flexibility. Says there’s a chance they sign two-way player Antonio Blakeney to an NBA contract. #Bulls #BullsNation
Wade is one of the NBA’s most active and savvy social media users. Two posts after Saturday’s first day of his camp were intriguing. The first, on his Instagram account, showed Wade with Antonio Blakeney, whom the Bulls signed to a two-way contract after he starred for their summer league team.
Adam Zagoria: LSU’s Antonio Blakeney and Louisville’s Mangok Mathiang are confirmed for the @ProBBallCombine, per source.
