If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
After a whirlwind night that centered around confusion over the identification of a player for the Grizzlies whose last name was Brooks, the Suns and Wizards finally agreed to a trade that will send Trevor Ariza to the nation’s capital in exchange for Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers. An earlier-agreed upon trade that included the Grizzlies as a third player fell apart when the three teams disagreed upon which player – Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks – the Grizzlies were including in the deal. The Grizzlies were adamant it was MarShon, while both the Suns and Wizards believed the agreement was for Dillon. The Suns and Wizards moved on without Memphis and continued to negotiate, leading to this morning’s trade, which will see the Suns turn Ariza into two young pieces, while the Wizards land a veteran locker room presence, create a trade exception. and lower their tax bill.
The Knicks and two-way player Allonzo Trier reached an agreement on a two-year contract that will elevate Trier to the team’s 15-man roster. And while a promotion to the 15-man squad had long been expected for Trier, his salary was always something up for debate. Ultimately, New York decided to use its bi-annual exception to lock up the 22-year-old through the 2019/20 season. The Knicks now won’t be permitted to use the exception next year, but they anticipate using cap space in free agency, so they wouldn’t have been able to use it anyway. The Knicks used the full value of the exception on Trier, so he’ll make $3.382MM this season and have a team option for next season worth a little bit more than $3.55MM. Meanwhile, to create an opening on their roster, the Knicks waived veteran guard Ron Baker.
The Nets and point guard Spencer Dinwiddie agreed to a contract extension worth $34MM over three years that will run through 2022. The deal includes a player option for the 2021/22 season. Dinwiddie was eligible to receive a four-year extension in the range of $47MM, but opted to sign a shorter deal to reach free agency sooner. The $10.6MM starting salary is roughly equivalent to 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary for this season ($8.838MM), the maximum amount Dinwiddie could have received on an extension.
Fresh off the firing of former coach Fred Hoiberg, new coach Jim Boylen has taken an aggressive approach to his new job and his players evidently aren’t real happy about it. The team held a players-only meeting last Sunday, just one day after a blowout loss to Boston, and it came out later that the meeting was held in lieu of a scheduled practice that would have occurred after back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Sources also reported that in their effort to push back against the idea of another intense practice on Sunday, players discussed the possibility of boycotting the practice via group text. Adding yet another wrinkle to the story is a report that several Bulls’ players contacted the NBPA in response to Boylen’s tactics.
In more interesting Bulls’ news, forward Jabari Parker has been pulled from the team’s rotation, and Chicago has engaged in trade talks with multiple teams regarding Parker’s trade value. Fortunately for Parker, there is said to be “considerable interest” for his services and there’s motivation from both sides to get a deal done. Unfortunately for Parker, his contract may make a deal complicated to complete, as the Bulls would have to take back at least $15MM in any trade involving Parker, and it’s possible they may not accept anything but expiring deals with an eye towards free agency in 2019.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Faced with a slew of injuries, the Nuggets signed veteran swingman Nick Young and waived rookie Brandon Goodwin.
- The Rockets have expressed preliminary interest in acquiring veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith from the Cavaliers.
- Former NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim will take over as president of the G League next month.
- Cavaliers’ center Tristan Thompson has a sprained left foot and is expected to miss two to four weeks.
- The Clippers are transfixed on the idea of wooing both Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant in free agency next summer.
- The Pacers, apparently confident in young point guard Aaron Holiday, may consider trading veteran point guard Darren Collison or Cory Joseph.
- The Lakers didn’t land Ariza, but they’ve also reportedly had interest in veteran wings Wayne Ellington and Terrence Ross
- Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas underwent surgery on his left thumb and is expected to be out at least four weeks.
- Both the Magic and Pistons have expressed interest in trading for injured Sixers’ guard Markelle Fultz.
- After allegedly threatening to move the team to Seattle or Las Vegas, Suns’ owner Robert Sarver clarified that the team will not leave Phoenix.