2023 June | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Bruce Brown To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Brown has officially signed with the Pacers, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JUNE 30: Fresh off a championship run with the Nuggets, Bruce Brown is leaving Denver for Indiana, per Alex Golden of Setting The Pace (Twitter link).

Brown is getting a significant pay raise from the Pacers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll sign a two-year contract worth $45MM, agents Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann tell ESPN’s duo.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Brown’s new deal will include a second-year team option, so it sounds like only the first year will be guaranteed. Still, it’s a huge pay bump for Brown, who had only earned a total of $15MM across his first five NBA seasons.

Having signed with the Nuggets last summer following a two-year stint in Brooklyn, Brown averaged a career-best 11.5 points per night on .483/.358/.758 shooting in 80 games (28.5 MPG) this past season.

The 26-year-old also contributed 4.1 RPG and 3.4 APG while handling a variety of defensive assignments. In the postseason, he played the most minutes of any Denver reserve, bumping his scoring average to 12.0 PPG while shooting 51.1% from the floor.

Because Brown signed with the Nuggets just one year ago, the team only held his Non-Bird rights, which limited their maximum offer to about $7.8MM, a 20% raise on his previous $6.5MM salary. The club reportedly made that offer, but it didn’t come close to the deal the Pacers put on the table.

Brown was the No. 14 free agent on our top-50 list. His deal will come out of Indiana’s cap room. The team still projects to have nearly $15MM in space after accounting for Brown’s contract, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

Bulls Re-Sign Coby White To Three-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Rory Maher

July 7: White’s deal is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.

June 30: Restricted free agent guard Coby White is re-signing with the Bulls, agreeing to a three-year, $33MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) the deal is worth $40MM, with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago clarifying (Twitter link) that it could “potentially” be worth $40MM. That implies there will be incentives in the contract that could increase the value.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that White was likely to return to Chicago on a three-year deal worth north of $30MM. Chicago made White a restricted free agent on Wednesday by extending him a $7,744,600 qualifying offer.

White is entering his fifth NBA season after being drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in 2019. He appeared in 74 games (two starts) last season, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.7 APG with a .443/.372/.871 shooting line in 23.4 MPG.

Several of those counting stats from ’22/23 represented career lows for White. However, he’s only 23 years old and improved in key developmental areas last season, including defense, ball-handling, decision-making and passing.

White figures to receive regular minutes again in ’23/24 with Lonzo Ball‘s status very much up in the air. Ball unfortunately had a third knee surgery that may sideline him all of next season — if not indefinitely.

Lakers Sign Taurean Prince

June 30th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Lakers’ deal with Prince is now official, the team announced in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Lakers have agreed to sign free agent forward Taurean Prince, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Prince cleared waivers today after being waived by the Timberwolves on Wednesday.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), Prince’s deal with the Lakers will be worth $4.5MM for one year.

Los Angeles intends to use its bi-annual exception to complete the signing, which would leave the full mid-level exception available, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Using the BAE will hard-cap the Lakers at the first tax apron ($172.3MM) in 2023/24.

Prince was a reliable rotation piece in Minnesota for the last two years. In 123 games since the start of the 2021/22 season, he has averaged 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 19.3 minutes per night, with a solid shooting line of .460/.378/.799.

However, the Wolves ultimately decided that Prince’s $7.46MM salary for 2023/24 was a higher price than they wanted to pay and waived him before that money became fully guaranteed.

Prince had been the No. 37 player on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

Trey Lyles Re-Signs With Kings On Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 7: Lyles’ two-year deal is official, the Kings announced (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 News).

June 30: Power forward Trey Lyles is re-signing with the Kings, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. It’s a two-year deal, James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com tweets.

The base value of the contract is $16MM, plus bonuses, Sam Amick of The Athletic tweets. There are no team or player options in the deal.

Lyles proved to be a valuable reserve for a franchise that finally ended its long postseason drought this past season. Lyles expressed his desire to stay late last season, saying he felt “at home” in Sacramento. Lyles has also played for Utah, Denver, San Antonio and Detroit.

Lyles appeared in 74 regular season games off the bench for Sacramento, averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game. Lyles, who also saw action in seven postseason contests, played for a modest $2.625MM salary last season.

Cavaliers Re-Sign Caris LeVert To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: LeVert’s new deal with the Cavaliers is now official, the team confirmed (via Twitter).

JUNE 30: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement to re-sign free agent swingman Caris LeVert, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Agent Austin Brown tells Wojnarowski that it’ll be a two-year, $32MM deal.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com had reported in the days leading up to free agency that LeVert would be offered a contract in the range of $15-18MM annually, so the terms come as no surprise. At that price, Cleveland still has the flexibility to continue adding to to its roster while remaining below the luxury tax line.

When the Cavaliers first traded for LeVert in 2021, they envisioned him as a scorer and play-maker who would frequently have the ball in his hands. Following the emergence of Darius Garland and the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland asked him to play off the ball more in 2022/23, an adjustment which was reflected in his statistics — LeVert’s 18.7% usage rate was easily his lowest since his rookie year, and his 12.1 points per game were well below the 18.5 PPG he averaged across the three previous seasons.

However, LeVert adjusted to his new role without complaint and expanded his game. His .392 3PT% last season was a career high and he took on more challenging defensive assignments to alleviate the pressure on Garland and Mitchell.

LeVert’s new deal puts him on track to return to unrestricted free agency in 2025 at age 30.

Pre-FA Updates: Toppin, Cavs, Niang, Strus, Draymond, Warriors, More

June 30th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

With just minutes before free agency begins and a flurry of contract agreements are reported, we have a few items to pass along:

The Pacers have emerged as the leading candidate to trade for Knicks forward Obi Toppin, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who confirms that the two sides have recently been in contact about a potential Toppin deal, says New York is seeking draft compensation and notes that Indiana could potentially acquire the forward and his $6.8MM expiring contract using cap room, so the Knicks wouldn’t have to take a player back.
A scenario in which the Cavaliers sign Georges Niang and acquire Max Strus – either via sign-and-trade or by signing him outright – is being viewed as “increasingly likely,” according to Stein (Twitter link).
The latest whispers Stein from has heard from his sources suggest Draymond Green may get a four-year, $100MM deal to re-up with the Warriors (Twitter link).
Former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker is back with the team that drafted him, at least for a few games in July. The Bucks announced today that Parker is on their Las Vegas Summer League roster.
The Timberwolves have hired former NBA forward Corliss Williamson as an assistant coach, they announced today in a press release. Williams was previously a member of coaching staffs in Sacramento, Orlando, and Phoenix.

Jock Landale To Become Unrestricted Free Agent

June 30th, 2023 at 4:44pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns have decided to withdraw their qualifying offer to Jock Landale, making the center an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links).

As Fischer explains, the Suns plan to target minimum-salaried players for backup center minutes behind Deandre Ayton. Landale’s QO was $2,219,706, which is slightly above the projected minimum.

Withdrawing the qualifying offer means Phoenix will lose the right of first refusal, so the Suns will be unable to match a contract offer for Landale and he is free to sign with any team. Still, it’s worth noting that the Suns will keep his Early Bird rights if other plans fall through, notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (via Twitter).

Landale previously expressed interest in signing a long-term contract with Phoenix, effusively praising the city, fans and the organization. Fischer reported earlier today that the Suns planned to re-sign the 27-year-old, but obviously there was a change of plans.

The Australian becomes one of the more interesting backup options in a market that isn’t exactly flush with quality big men. He averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 69 regular season games with the Suns (14.2 MPG), and played quite well in the team’s second-round playoff loss to the Nuggets, who went on to win their first championship.

Wolves Expected To Guarantee Jordan McLaughlin’s Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves are expected to guarantee Jordan McLaughlin‘s salary for 2023/24, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North.

Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has heard similarly from a league source (Twitter link).

The veteran point guard’s $2.32MM contract was fully non-guaranteed, but it certainly sounds like the Wolves will keep him around. As our list of early salary guarantee dates shows, we’re still waiting on decisions for several other players who have a Friday deadline for their contracts to become guaranteed.

McLaughlin, 27, had a strong showing in the 2021/22 playoffs, but suffered a significant calf injury that limited him for much of last season. He ultimately appeared in 43 games off the bench, averaging 3.7 PPG and 3.4 APG on .421/.308/.833 shooting in 15.8 MPG.

Known as a player who takes excellent care of the ball, McLaughlin has spent all four of his NBA seasons with Minnesota. According to Hine, both sides are hopeful McLaughlin will have a bounce-back ’23/24 season with better health.

McLaughlin is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2024.

Eastern Notes: Dinwiddie, Bol, Pistons, Harris, Heat, Maxey

June 30th, 2023 at 4:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Spencer Dinwiddie is eligible for an extension later this offseason and there’s support within the Nets organization to add years to his current contract, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV.

Dinwiddie is entering his walk year with a cap hit of $20,357,143. After being reacquired from Dallas last season, Dinwiddie started 26 regular-season games and averaged 16.5 points and 9.1 assists in 35.3 minutes.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Magic have pushed back their decision regarding Bol Bol‘s contract, Jamie Seh of WKMG-TV tweets. Bol has a non-guaranteed $2.2MM salary for next season and the original deadline to guarantee his deal was Friday. If they don’t guarantee his contract, he’ll end up on waivers.
By trading for Joe Harris and his expiring contract rather than pursuing a high-level free agent, the Pistons are protecting the cap space for next summer while avoiding a potentially bad contract, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. Handing a huge offer sheet to restricted free agent Cameron Johnson, as had been anticipated, would have meant overpaying for a role player. They could easily have $60MM in cap space to play with next summer for a better free agent market. Detroit won’t give up a player to the Nets in the trade for Harris, who will provide shooting and wing depth.
Agent Mark Bartelstein said Harris has spoken with Pistons GM Troy Weaver, coach Monty Williams and executive Arn Tellem, Mark Medina tweets. According to Bartelstein, the Pistons have wanted Harris “for a couple of years” and “he’ll have a great role there.”
The Heat only have veteran’s minimum contracts to offer to free agents, Barry Jackson of Miami Herald tweets. The cap-strapped Heat don’t have a trade lined up to clear enough cap space to use exceptions within league cap rules.
While the Sixers aren’t expected to pursue a rookie scale extension with Tyrese Maxey, they haven’t made him available in trade discussions, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice tweets.

Free Agent Rumors: Lopez, Rockets, DiVincenzo, Warriors, Saric, Mavs, Gordon, FVV, More

June 30th, 2023 at 3:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks center Brook Lopez is expected to be offered a two-year contract worth approximately $40MM from the Rockets, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports.

Houston, which has the most cap space this summer, has a meeting lined up with Lopez. The veteran center’s free agent decision is expected to come down to remaining in Milwaukee or joining the Rockets. The Rockets have a 20-year-old center in Alperen Sengun, a 2021 first-rounder, but Lopez could serve as a mentor to Houston’s youthful big men while stabilizing its defense and stretching the floor offensively.

We have more free agent news:

Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo has four meetings lined up on Friday and Saturday, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. DiVincenzo entered the market when he declined his $4.7MM option. The Knicks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Pistons, Rockets, Magic, and Bulls have all been mentioned as potential pursuers for DiVincenzo, who could command the full $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Warriors can only offer a four-year, $23.2MM deal due to cap restrictions since they only held his Non-Bird rights.
The Warriors are likely to land unrestricted free agent Dario Saric, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Golden State is looking for a stretch four with a high basketball IQ and solid all-around skills. The 29-year-old Saric would also fit the team’s win-now approach. Saric, who tore his ACL during the 2021 playoffs, appeared in a total of 57 regular-season games with the Suns and Thunder this past season. The Warriors are generally seeking to sign swingmen and frontcourt players who shoot well on veteran’s minimum contracts, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears tweets.
Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams will likely have to be patient to find an interested bidder, according to Fischer. Though the Celtics have acquired Kristaps Porzingis, it’s not out of the question Boston could match an offer sheet for Williams, who reportedly will have difficulty finding an offer above the non-taypayer mid-level exception.
The Mavericks has been linked to various wings and forwards, including Williams, Jae Crowder, Eric Gordon, and Malik Beasley, Fischer adds. League executives who have spoken to Yahoo Sports believe Gordon, who will enter the market after the Clippers decided not to guarantee his contract, could command the full mid-level or close to it.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is meeting with Toronto’s brass at the start of free agency and there’s optimism within the organization they can keep him in the fold, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. According to Grange, a four-year deal averaging $30MM might be enough to convince VanVleet, who declined a $22.8MM option in order to enter free agency, to re-sign.

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