Don’t worry if you missed any of this week’s biggest NBA headlines, because we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
LeBron James has chosen to forego the final year of his contract and not exercise his $35.61MM player option for the 2018/19 season. As a result, James will reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent tonight at midnight. Because teams like the Rockets likely needed James to opt in to his contract in order to facilitate a trade, only three suitors realistically remain for James – the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Sixers.
The Nuggets intend to sign big man Nikola Jokic to a five-year, maximum-salary contract worth approximately $146.45MM once free agency begins tonight. In order to make Jokic a restricted free agent, the team declined Jokic’s $1.6MM team option and extended a qualifying offer. Jokic, 23, could have been kept him under team control for his $1.6MM option next season, but the Nuggets chose not to do so for fear of alienating Jokic and his representatives and potentially losing him in unrestricted free agency next summer.
Approximately a week after Spurs general manager R.C. Buford told reporters that the club still hoped to smooth things over with Kawhi Leonard, it now appears that the Spurs are ready to move on, with San Antonio “fully engaged” in Leonard trade talks with a number of teams, including the Lakers, Celtics, and Sixers. The Lakers, who hope to woo James to Los Angeles, are reportedly feeling pressure to make a deal for Leonard in order to help convince James to leave Cleveland.
The league held its second annual NBA Awards Show on Monday night, with the following players taking home the following awards:
- Ben Simmons – Sixers – Rookie of the Year
- Victor Oladipo – Pacers – Most Improved Player
- Rudy Gobert – Jazz – Defensive Player of the Year
- Lou Williams – Clippers – Sixth Man of the Year
- James Harden – Rockets – Most Valuable Player
Two other notable free agents, Paul George and DeAndre Jordan, have also chosen not to exercise their player options for next season. Jordan is reportedly interested in going to Dallas, while George is likely to decide between the Thunder and Lakers. James, George, and Jordan represent a minority of players who opted not to exercise player options this year, as the market has shrunk since the salary cap boom in the summer of 2016.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Knicks big man Enes Kanter has opted to exercise his $18.6MM player option for the 2018/19 campaign.
- Clippers guard Milos Teodosic exercised his $6.3MM player option for next season.
- Hawks frontcourt player Mike Muscala opted in to his $5MM player option.
- The Suns and 2018 second-round draft pick Elie Okobo have agreed to a four-year contract worth approximately $6MM.
- The Magic waived veteran reserve point guard Shelvin Mack.
- Lance Stephenson had his $4.36MM team option declined by the Pacers, putting him on track to be an unrestricted free agent.
- Spurs veteran guard Danny Green exercised his $10MM player option for next season.
- Pacers forward Thaddeus Young opted in to the final year of his contract for next season worth $13.7MM.
- Kings guard Garrett Temple has opted to exercise his $8MM player option for the 2018/19 season.
- The Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr are finalizing a contract extension that will make Kerr one of the NBA’s highest paid coaches.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.