2022 July | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Herro, D. Robinson, Banchero, Manek

July 16th, 2022 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

A potential extension for Tyler Herro will probably wait until the Heat have more clarity on the Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade situations, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2022/23 regular season begins. If he and the team can’t agree on terms, he will become a restricted free agent next offseason.

Miami would likely have to include Herro in any package for Durant or Mitchell, but if he has an extension already in place, he would be subject to the “poison pill provision” until next July 1. That means if he’s traded between the time the extension is signed and when it takes effect, Herro’s trade value for the team that acquires him would be the average of the salaries of the final year of his rookie contract and each year of the extension. However, the outgoing salary for Miami would only be $5.7MM, which is what he will make next season.

Herro, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and the Heat’s second leading scorer last season at 20.7 PPG, has been mentioned prominently in trade rumors with both the Nets and Jazz. Neither of those teams appear to be in a hurry to unload their stars, so Herro’s wait for an extension could drag all the way into the fall.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The length of Duncan Robinson‘s contract may limit his value to the Heat on the trade market, suggests Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Robinson is signed for the next three seasons at $16.9MM, $18.2MM and $19.4MM and he has a 50% guarantee on his $19.9MM salary for 2025/26. That adds up to about $65MM in guaranteed money, Winderman notes, which is a large investment for a player coming off a down season.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports takes an inside look at the Magic’s draft night surprise, which even caught No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero off guard. Banchero said he met with Orlando officials at the draft combine, but throughout most of the process he expected to fall to the Rockets with the third pick. “All the reports were that they weren’t really considering me,” he said. “And then they made it clear before the draft that none of those reports were true and that they were very much interested in me. And so that’s when I kind of knew that it might not be Houston.”
After going undrafted out of North Carolina, Brady Manek is hoping to be considered for an open two-way slot with the Hornets, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Manek considered several possibilities before accepting a Summer League invitation from Charlotte. “I just wanted to get a chance just to be able to play, get to show what I’m about,” Manek said. “I’ve shown what I’m about. I’m not going to become a point guard overnight. I’m still Brady. I’m still going to be able to shoot it.”

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Wiseman, Wiggins, Mahlalela, Looney

July 16th, 2022 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s been speculation that the Warriors might consider moving some of their young talent to acquire another star, but Jonathan Kuminga hopes to play alongside fellow lottery pick James Wiseman for many years to come, writes Jarod Castillo of NBC Sports Bay Area. Kuminga discussed the possibility in a TV interview during Friday’s Summer League game (video link).

“Hopefully we play like that together for like the next 10 years, 15 years,” Kuminga said. “Just building our chemistry at a young age, it means a lot.”

Summer League is the only time that Kuminga, 19, and Wiseman, 21, have played together because Wiseman missed all of last season following knee surgery. They have been effective, combining for 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in Friday’s game, and they’ll likely both have larger roles next season because Golden State has lost five players in free agency.

There’s more on the Warriors:

A Western Conference executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that Andrew Wiggins might become too expensive for Golden State to keep in the long run. The unidentified executive expects the Warriors to engage in extension talks with Wiggins and then eventually explore their trade options after he has a new deal in place.
Assistant coach Jama Mahlalela, who was promoted to replace Mike Brown on the front of the Warriors’ bench, had a huge impact in his first year with the club, notes Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News. Mahlalela came to Golden State from Toronto and was given credit for helping Wiggins and Gary Payton II become important parts of the title-winning team. “He’s very forward-thinking,” owner Joe Lacob said. “He’s not reactive, he’s proactive about things. I don’t want to say we’ve never had somebody like that, but he’s a different breed from any coach we’ve had.”
Kevon Looney‘s new contract will become fully guaranteed for the 2024/25 season if the Warriors capture another championship in 2023 or 2024, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. After a strong playoff run, Looney signed a three-year deal to stay with Golden State, but the final season only carries a $3MM guarantee on his $8MM salary.

Spurs Notes: K. Johnson, Primo, Wesley, Branham, Engelland

July 16th, 2022 at 5:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are locking up one of the keys to their rebuilding project by agreeing to a four-year, $80MM extension with Keldon Johnson, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Even though Johnson is only 22, he’s among the most experienced players on the roster following the trade of Dejounte Murray to Atlanta.

“I kind of have been in the system the longest,” Johnson said after the Murray deal was announced. “So just lead these guys, tell them the ins and outs. We are all going to have learning moments in the upcoming years, but just stay even-keeled throughout it.”

After earning an Olympic gold medal last summer, Johnson turned in his best NBA season so far, posting career highs with 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and shooting 39.8% from three-point range. With Murray and Lonnie Walker both gone, Johnson will have to become an on-court leader for a team with the league’s second-youngest roster.

“Definitely a big opportunity,” he said. “We lost some big pieces, but it’s time to step up. You got to keep evolving, keep getting better, keep grinding. I am ready.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

San Antonio is counting on a pair of 19-year-old guards to play major roles this season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The Spurs were hoping to get a long look at 2021 lottery pick Joshua Primo during Summer League, but he was limited to two games after testing positive for COVID-19. Blake Wesley, the 25th overall pick this season, had issues with shooting and turnovers in Las Vegas, but ranked 14th in scoring coming into today’s games. “Blake Wesley and Josh Primo are the modern-day guards,” Spurs Summer League coach Mitch Johnson said. “They are not classic throwback point guards. They are not classic throwback shooting guards in terms of how we used to define those things years ago. They are attacking guards, so that’s going to be a thing we will continue to develop, evolve, grow, teach, partner with them on.”
Summer League has been a learning process for another young guard, Malaki Branham, who was taken with the 20th pick last month, Orsborn adds. “I would rate myself grade-wise probably a C, C-plus,” Branham said. “I feel I need to be more aggressive. I’m looking for my shot but also creating for others. Just learning every game and learning every play as well.”
Assistant coach Chip Engelland, who has been with the team since 2005, will leave after his current contract expires, tweets Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Jazz To Hire Jason Terry As Assistant Coach

July 16th, 2022 at 4:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA player Jason Terry is finalizing a deal to join Will Hardy‘s coaching staff with the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Terry turned to coaching after his 19-year playing career ended in 2018. He spent one year as an assistant at the University of Arizona, then took over as head coach of the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold before the start of this season.

Terry interviewed for the head coaching job in Utah shortly after Quin Snyder’s departure in June. He was among at least 15 potential candidates who were linked to the position before the team selected Hardy.

Although there’s no definite word on Hardy’s other assistants, there have been reports that Bryan Bailey, Irv Roland, Alex Jensen and Lamar Skeeter could all be retained.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Ball, Harrell, Hornets, Beal

July 16th, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Tyler Herro is eligible to sign a multi-year extension this offseason, which may cause a sense of urgency within the team to trade for Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

Miami is known to covet Durant and Mitchell, both of whom would require giving up several assets in a trade. The main piece of any deal would likely be Herro, who averaged 20.7 points per game as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season.

The Heat and Herro have until mid-October to reach an extension, which could be worth as much as $188MM across five seasons. A more realistic ballpark for Herro would be somewhere in the four-year, $100MM+ range. That, coupled with the poison pill provision, would make it difficult to trade Herro next season, as Chiang explores.

Here are some other notes from the Southeast:

Hornets summer league player LiAngelo Ball remains hopeful for a true shot with the team, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes. Ball is playing summer league with Charlotte for the second straight year. “Every little chance I get, I’ve got to come in and do everything right and play hard,” Ball said as part of a larger quote. His brothers, LaMelo and Lonzo, currently start for the Hornets and Bulls, respectively.
Montrezl Harrell‘s court date has been pushed back until August, according to Sara Coello of the Charlotte Observer. Harrell was caught driving with three pounds of marijuana in Kentucky back in May. As Coello notes, Harrell’s offense could result in getting one-to-five years in prison, plus receiving a fine of up to $10K. Harrell finished last season with the Hornets and is now an unrestricted free agent.
Despite receiving interest from the Warriors last summer, Bradley Beal had no interest in being traded to Golden State, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Dan Patrick Show (hat tip to RealGM). The Warriors ultimately won the championship, while Beal re-signed with the Wizards on a five-year, $251MM deal.

Heat Sign Garrett, Days To Two-Way Deals; Waive Smart, Mulder

July 16th, 2022 at 12:36pm CST by JD Shaw

The Heat have signed Marcus Garrett and Darius Days to two-way contracts, the team announced in a press release. Miami had to waive Javonte Smart and Mychal Mulder to create space for Garrett and Days, who signed ahead of the club’s final summer league game.

Garrett, a defensive-minded guard, has impressed the Heat with his effort and athleticism. Miami signed him to a two-way contract after last year’s summer league, then waived the 23-year-old in January.

Days, 22, went undrafted this year after spending four seasons at LSU. He averaged 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in his senior year. At 6’7″ and 245 pounds, he possesses the size to play and defend multiple positions for Miami.

Days had been playing summer league with the Spurs, and a report last month indicated that he had reached an agreement to sign San Antonio. Either their deal was only for summer league, or Days decided to take a two-way offer from Miami over an Exhibit 10 contract from the Spurs.

Smart struggled during the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, but he is only 23 years old. Mulder, 28, is a proven three-point specialist who shot 40% from deep with the Warriors in 2020/21.

The Heat remain in the hunt for Nets superstar Kevin Durant and Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, both of whom would require Miami to part with several young assets. The team appears eager to examine two young players as the possibility of a blockbuster deal looms.

And-Ones: In-Season Tournament, Lillard, Beal, Williams, Ferrell

July 16th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

Earlier this week, the NBA’s Board of Governors decided to make the play-in tournament a regularly scheduled event. At the same meeting, the Board also discussed the possibility of an in-season tournament, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the format would have all 30 teams competing, with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination round to determine the winner. The NBA’s “Final Four” would be held at a neutral site. However, the in-season tournament won’t happen until at least the 2023/24 season.

We have more from around the basketball world:

It’s inevitable the extensions given by the Trail Blazers to Damian Lillard and by the Wizards to Bradley Beal will come back to haunt those franchises, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. Lillard is projected to make a cap-killing $63MM in 2026/27 when he’s 36, Hollinger notes. The Wizards gave Beal a five-year deal that pays him $70MM more than he could have gotten elsewhere and they added a no-trade clause, both of which could doom the franchise to mediocrity.
Former NBA forward Derrick Williams has agreed to a one-year deal with Panathinaikos Athens, according to Sportando. Williams played for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 draft hasn’t played an NBA game since the 2017/18 season.
Former NBA guard Yogi Ferrell is re-signing with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, according to Sportando. He averaged 12.6 PPG in ABA Liga games, 15.3 PPG in EuroCup and 13.8 PPG in domestic league contests for the Slovenian team last season. Ferrell played for the Clippers in the 2020/21 regular season and playoffs before going overseas.
From stars sitting out regular-season games to high draft picks getting shut down in the Summer League, the league has a major problem with its recognizable players simply not playing enough, argues Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Hawks Sign Second-Rounder Tyrese Martin

July 16th, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have signed second-round draft pick Tyrese Martin, the team announced in a press release.

It’s a two-year contract, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.

Martin, the No. 51 overall pick, was acquired with a draft-night trade with the Warriors. Martin was dealt to Atlanta, along with cash considerations, in exchange for the draft rights to Ryan Rollins, the No. 44 pick.

Through four Summer League contests, the former UConn swingman is averaging 12.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 1.8 APG in 24.2 MPG. He had a game-high 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the floor in Atlanta’s 95-88 win over Miami on July 12.

Martin saw action in 29 games for the Huskies last season, averaging 13.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 1.9 APG in 32.1 MPG. He transferred to UConn following a two-year stint at Rhode Island.

Martin is the 14th Hawk to receive a standard contract for 2022/23.

Latest On Donovan Mitchell

July 16th, 2022 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

A potential Donovan Mitchell trade could be an “extended process” rather than an imminent event, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (video link).

Utah is “talking throughout the league,” but there are not everyday negotiations going on involving the All-Star guard, according to Wojnarowski, who says the Jazz have “time on their side” due to Mitchell being signed through the 2025/26 season (including a player option in the final year).

Utah exec Danny Ainge has a reputation of waiting teams out to get the best possible trade package. “I think it’s going to be the same thing with Donovan Mitchell,” Wojnarowski said, though he added that the Knicks are a “motivated suitor.”

We have more on the Mitchell trade front:

According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, the notion that the Jazz were not open to offers for Mitchell prior to this week is a false narrative. They had discussed Mitchell trades before Rudy Gobert was dealt to the Timberwolves.
ESPN’s Insiders look at five potential Mitchell deals involving the Knicks, Heat, Raptors, Thunder and a four-way swap. Responding to ESPN’s proposed trades, Larsen tweets that the proposed packages from New York, Miami, Toronto, and Oklahoma City would all fall short of what the Jazz are seeking. ESPN’s hypothetical four-team deal involving Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Deandre Ayton might’ve appealed most to Utah, according to Larsen, but it’s no longer an option now that Ayton is back under contract with Phoenix.
With the Knicks apparently ready to give up a boatload of assets for Mitchell, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post looks at past deals for star players that failed to turn the fortunes of the franchise.
Dealing Mitchell would be the best thing for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News opines. After dealing Gobert, the Jazz would have to give up numerous assets in trades just to remain in the playoff picture if they retain Mitchell.
A group of ESPN analysts explored some potential trade packages for Mitchell on NBA Today (video link).

Markus Howard To Sign With Baskonia

July 16th, 2022 at 8:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Markus Howard has agreed to a two-year contract with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

The news that the two sides were close to an agreement was first reported by Home of Glory.

Howard played last season with the Nuggets on a two-way contract. He became an unrestricted free agent when he was not extended a qualifying offer.

The undrafted guard out of Marquette suffered a sprained knee early last season, then appeared in 31 regular-season games after he returned. He averaged 4.1 PPG in 5.7 MPG.

During his rookie season in 2020/21, Howard has averaged 4.3 PPG in 37 games with Denver. He also saw action in nine postseason contests.

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