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And-Ones: Extensions, Breakouts, B. Smith, Defenders

October 27th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Rory Maher

2023 set a record for rookie scale extensions, with 14 contracts signed before the October 23 deadline. Typically, rookie scale extensions go almost exclusively to stars or at least starters, but that wasn’t the case this year.

John Hollinger of The Athletic classifies it as a “middle-class revolution” with six players signing at or below the projected 2024/25 mid-level exception, and a couple others receiving slightly more than that. Several of those players come off the bench for their respective clubs.

As Hollinger writes, there are several reasons why both teams and players may have been motivated to reach new deals. For players, avoiding restricted free agency was surely a factor — Magic guard Cole Anthony and Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu recently said that was the case for them.

For teams, a salary cap that is projected to rise substantially in the coming years will help “water down” some of the contracts. Mid-sized contracts are also very useful for trade purposes, Hollinger observes, with free agency limitations likely a major consideration for the Celtics (Payton Pritchard) and Nuggets (Zeke Nnaji) due to their payrolls (both project to be over the second apron in ’24/25).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In another article for The Athletic, Hollinger lists 12 players he believes are primed for breakout seasons in 2023/24, with some fairly obvious choices and some under-the-radar picks as well. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and Hornets center Mark Williams are five of the players Hollinger thinks will see “big upticks in production.”
Former Cavaliers forward Bingo Smith has passed away at age 77, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Smith played 10 season for Cleveland from 1970-80. Smith is still sixth in franchise history in points and fourth in games played, among other statistical marks. His No. 7 jersey hangs in the rafters as one of only seven players to have their number retired, Withers adds. “Bingo was always a giving teammate and one of the most fierce competitors I ever played with,” said former Cavs star and current broadcaster Austin Carr. “This is truly a sad moment in our franchise history and my heart goes out to his family.”
Jon Krawczynski and Josh Robbins of The Athletic ran an anonymous poll to see which players coaches identify as the best defenders in the NBA. Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was the only unanimous choice for first-team All-Defense, receiving all 12 votes. The remaining spots were filled by Jaren Jackson Jr. (forward), Brook Lopez (center), Alex Caruso (guard), OG Anunoby, and Draymond Green (the latter two tied for the second forward spot). Holiday was also third in the survey’s Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Jackson and Lopez, who finished first and second for the actual award last season. Evan Mobley, who was third in DPOY media voting last season and named first-team All-Defense, finished sixth in DPOY voting in The Athletic’s coaches poll and was second-team All-Defense.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Brown, White

October 26th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis was showered with profane chants by a New York crowd that used to love him, but that made his Celtics debut even sweeter, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Porzingis posted 30 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday and led a late comeback as Boston showed why it’s one of the early-season favorites to capture the NBA title.

“That was awesome, I’m not going to lie,” Porzingis said. “Playing here at the Garden is always special as the home team, obviously, but also on the road here it’s really fun. At one point it got really crazy when the fans got into it and they made the comeback. But we stayed poised, we stayed calm and we were able to finish out the game.”

Porzingis displayed the versatility he brings to the offense, scoring in a variety of ways while setting a record for most points by a player in his first game with the Celtics. He hit five of the team’s 12 three-pointers on the night, was 9-of-10 from the foul line and sank a game-changing three that gave Boston the lead for good with 1:29 remaining.

“He just makes us that much more dynamic obviously with his size, ability to shoot, make plays off the dribble,” Jayson Tatum said. “Obviously, he can shoot from wherever. I mean, he’s really good. He’s really, really good. We’re lucky to have him.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Jrue Holiday also played his first game with the team Wednesday, and although he only had nine points, he made an immediate impact with his defense, Bontemps adds. Holiday blocked three shots in 34 minutes and contributed to a frustrating night for Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, who shot a combined 11-of-43 from the field.
Al Horford came off the bench against the Knicks, but coach Joe Mazzulla indicated that his starting lineups may vary, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. The Celtics have six players who are used to being starters, and Holiday said they held a meeting to discuss the situation. “Us six went together and talked about it,” he said. “And honestly, it’s about what we can do for the team. No matter who starts, no matter who finishes, we all want to win. We’re all on the same page. So when it comes down to it, winning is our only option and the only thing we really want to do.”
It wasn’t a great night for Jaylen Brown, who was in his first game as the NBA’s highest-paid player after signing a super-max contract this summer, notes Tara Sullivan of The Boston Globe. Brown committed two horrible turnovers late in the game that helped the Knicks build a six-point lead, and Sullivan observes that he seemed to have trouble fitting into an offense that now includes Porzingis and Holiday. “It was just one game, we know how special he is,” Tatum said. “Everyone is going to have not great shooting nights, he still impacted the game in other ways. He had some key rebounds, loose balls at the end to give us more possessions. I’m not going to shoot the ball some nights, it’s all about impacting the game in other ways. JB is going to be fine, he’ll probably have a great game on Friday.”
Although Derrick White didn’t reach an extension before Monday’s deadline, he’s hoping for a long future in Boston, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Eastern Notes: Okoro, Horford, Matthews, P. Williams, Raptors

October 25th, 2023 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro‘s representatives had “productive” talks ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline, but the two sides decided it was best to wait until next summer to address the forward’s contract situation, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Sources tell Fedor that the conversations about a new deal for Okoro were in the neighborhood of the deal signed by Mavericks wing Josh Green (three years, $41MM). However, the Cavaliers want to wait and see how the former lottery pick fits with this year’s roster following the offseason additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang, since he no longer projects to be a starter.

Speaking to Fedor on Wednesday, Okoro said he felt like he “should have gotten an extension” but that playing out his contract year won’t affect the way he approaches the season.

“Of course, I wanted an extension, but it happened the way it happened,” he said. “I love Cleveland. I love being here. I love being around the players, coaches, front office staff, trainers. Built great relationships. I don’t take it as a big deal.”

Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

Celtics big man Al Horford told reporters on Wednesday that he won’t be in the starting lineup when the team’s season tips off in New York tonight, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). That suggests Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will both start alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. For what it’s worth, head coach Joe Mazzulla said over the weekend that the Celtics will use multiple starting lineups this season, while Tatum said today that the team essentially has “six starters” (Twitter links via Jared Weiss of The Athletic and Bontemps).
Hawks swingman Wesley Matthews underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed a mild right calf strain, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to the Hawks, Matthews will be reevaluated in two weeks, so he’ll miss at least Atlanta’s first seven games of the regular season.
While Bulls forward Patrick Williams admitted on Monday that he would “obviously” like to have “a big contract,” he vowed that his lack of rookie scale extension won’t be a distraction at all this season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Anything personal in my life that I’ve been going through, any time I step between those four lines, it’s gone,” Williams said.
Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at the Raptors‘ roster, exploring the team’s cap and tax situation as well as potential next steps for Jeff Dowtin, who didn’t make the regular season cut.

Grizzlies Notes: Adams, Frontcourt, Smart, Bane

October 24th, 2023 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

Sunday’s announcement that Steven Adams will miss the entire 2023/24 season due to right knee surgery feels like a “gut punch” for the Grizzlies, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who writes that the team is facing major frontcourt questions, with backup center Brandon Clarke also expected to miss much of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles.

As Hollinger outlines, the Grizzlies lack size without Adams and Clarke available, and moving reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson from power forward to center isn’t necessarily the obvious solution, since playing the five may exacerbate Jackson’s foul issues — and he’s not a great rebounder. Jackson, who spoke earlier in camp about wanting to improve his rebounding, doubled down on that notion following the news of Adams’ surgery, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“I got to (rebound) even more, like way more,” Jackson said. “I got to be way better just in terms of that end of the floor. That’s something he is the best in the world at. I already had to do that better with him on the floor, and I gotta to do it even better with him not on the floor.”

Head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Monday that there’s no replacing Adams, who is one of the NBA’s best rebounders, especially on the offensive end. However, Jenkins is hopeful that the team can look to “collectively” improve its rebounding rather than relying on a specific player to take on that responsibility. Memphis’ fifth-year coach also acknowledged that a roster addition in the frontcourt is a possibility.

“I’m working with (general manager) Zach (Kleiman) on that,” Jenkins said, per Cole. “There is more to come, for sure. We are having great dialogues right now, you know, with the newness of the news over the weekend. We will sit down and process where this team is at and how we can move forward.”

The Grizzlies have a full roster, but will be granted an extra roster spot after the season’s first five games, when Ja Morant can be moved to the suspended list for the remainder of his 25-game ban.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

In a separate story for The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Cole explores the various tools the Grizzlies have at their disposal to address the center spot – including the mid-level exception and a trade exception – and speculates about which players on the free agent and trade markets might be fits in Memphis.
Speaking to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, former Celtics guard Marcus Smart said he wasn’t shocked by the trade that sent him to the Grizzlies, but was a bit surprised by when and how it went down. “If I’m being quite frank, I knew I would be traded eventually,” Smart said. “Just figured it would be the next season, just based off my contract and with the new CBA. We already knew that. But it was just the way it happened. I was told everything was good after asking multiple times. Like, ‘I’m hearing (rumors), what’s going on?’ And they’re like, ‘No, you’re good, you’re good, you’re good.’ And then when I do hear about the trade, it’s from Shams (Charania) on Twitter before I hear from the team.”
While the Grizzlies intend to share the play-making responsibilities until Morant returns, Desmond Bane looks like the player that will assume the brunt of that role, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who takes a look at how Bane might respond to becoming more of a primary ball-handler.
The pressure is building on the Grizzlies, who are no longer the Western Conference’s young, upstart team and will need to show soon that they’re capable of making an extended postseason run, Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. While this isn’t necessarily a make-or-break year for team leaders like Kleiman or Jenkins, the sense of urgency in Memphis has increased following last season’s first-round playoff exit, Cole adds.

Three Players On Exhibit 9 Contracts Make Opening Night Rosters

October 24th, 2023 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in a glossary entry, Exhibit 9 contracts are generally handed out by NBA teams to players who will only be with the team during training camp and/or the preseason.

The Exhibit 9 clause protects the team in case the player suffers an injury before the season begins. In that scenario, the club wouldn’t have to pay him his full salary until he gets healthy enough to play — it would only have to pay a maximum lump sum of $15K when it waives the player.

While most Exhibit 9 signees were released in advance of the regular season, three NBA veterans who signed Exhibit 9 contracts survived the cut and made their respective teams’ regular season rosters. Here are those three players:

Ryan Arcidiacono (Knicks)
Harry Giles (Nets)
Lamar Stevens (Celtics)

Note: Hornets guard Edmond Sumner was initially included in this list, but Charlotte waived him on Tuesday ahead of its season opener.

These three players will now be on one-year, minimum-salary contracts that will remain non-guaranteed until January 10. In order to secure their full-season salaries, they’ll have to stay under contract beyond January 7 (a player cut on Jan. 8 or 9 wouldn’t clear waivers prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date of Jan. 10).

As our list of non-guaranteed contracts by team shows, Arcidiacono, Giles, and Stevens are three of the 31 players on standard deals whose salaries for the 2023/24 season aren’t fully guaranteed.

Several of these players will receive partial guarantees by remaining on rosters through the start of the regular season, and a few more have November or December trigger dates that will increase their guarantees. However, none of those 31 players will lock in their full salary until Jan. 10.

Here are a few more items of interest about the NBA’s opening night rosters for ’23/24, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):

The Spurs have the NBA’s youngest roster, while the Clippers have the oldest.
Players are earning a combined total salary of $4.8 billion for the 2023/24 season. The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Heat, Bucks, Pelicans, Sixers, and Suns are the biggest contributors to that pool, as they’re all currently over the luxury tax line.
As our roster counts page shows, there are 12 open spots on standard 15-man rosters around the NBA. Those openings belong to the Celtics, Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons, Warriors (two), Lakers, Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Kings.
The Nets and the Suns are the only two teams that haven’t filled all three of their two-way slots, as our tracker shows. They’re each carrying a pair of two-way players, meaning 88 of the 90 spots around the league are occupied.

Nathan Knight Signs Two-Way Deal With Celtics

October 22nd, 2023 at 12:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:04pm: The Celtics have officially signed Knight to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release. As expected, Boston waived Scrubb to make room for Knight.

10:45am: The Celtics will sign Nathan Knight to a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 26-year-old big man was waived by the Knicks on Thursday. He signed a two-way deal with New York in July, but wasn’t able to secure a regular season roster spot.

At 6’10”, Knight will provide another big body for a Celtics team in need of frontcourt depth. He appeared in 38 games with Minnesota last season, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per night. The Timberwolves declined their team option on Knight for the upcoming season and didn’t issue a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Celtics currently have all three of their two-way slots filled with JD Davison, Neemias Queta and Jay Scrubb, but Scrubb suffered a torn ACL earlier this month, making him the likeliest release candidate.

Atlantic Notes: Barnes, O. Porter, Harden, Beverley, Celtics

October 21st, 2023 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Third-year Raptors forward Scottie Barnes exited Friday’s preseason finale against the Wizards with a sprained right foot and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.

The former Rookie of the Year appeared to roll his ankle/foot on a non-contact play, as Esfandiar Baraheni of SDPN relays (Twitter video link). However, after the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic downplayed the injury, telling reporters that Barnes is “completely fine,” per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

After missing most of last season due to a foot injury, Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. returned to action on Friday, playing for the first time since November 14, notes Lewenberg (Twitter link). As Murphy tweets, Rajakovic is enthusiastic about Porter’s fit on the roster, but said the team will be “careful” about how it uses him following his extended layoff, prioritizing his long-term health.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) suggests that the Bulls and Heat could be potential trade partners for the Sixers if their James Harden negotiations with the Clippers remain at an impasse. However, Pompey isn’t citing any sources saying that Chicago or Miami is actually talking to Philadelphia, so it sounds more like speculation than anything solid. Harden remained away from the 76ers on Friday and missed the preseason finale due to what the club is calling a personal matter.
Patrick Beverley, who joined the Sixers as a free agent this summer, has taken on a familiar role of veteran leader and defensive spark-plug, Pompey writes in another article for The Inquirer. Beverley’s leadership has impressed his new head coach. “He’s putting in a tremendous amount of work pre- and post-practice,” Nick Nurse said. “He really, really does a good job of organizing, and that’s important. We need a veteran guy that can get us organized, settled down, and all those kinds of things and then he’s a got a little bit on the other end, too.”
In a mailbag for NBC Sports Boston, Chris Forsberg considers what the Celtics‘ regular season rotation might look like, evaluating which players beyond the team’s top eight might emerge as reliable contributors.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Celtics Sign, Waive James Banks, Reginald Kissoonlal

October 20th, 2023 at 6:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics have signed and waived free agent centers James Banks and Reginald Kissoonlal, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. Both players will likely be heading to Maine to play for Boston’s G League affiliate.

Banks went undrafted in 2020 out of Georgia Tech. After spending 2020/21 — his first pro season — playing in Israel, the 25-year-old returned stateside and has been playing in the G League the past two seasons.

In 41 career regular season contests with the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans’ affiliate) and the Texas Legends (Mavs’ affiliate), Banks has averaged 6.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 19.0 MPG.

Kissoonlal, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2019 out of Marian University. He spent his first three professional seasons in Europe prior to signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics last fall. He was waived the same day. The 27-year-old averaged 5.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 18 regular season games with the Maine Celtics in 2022/23 (10.6 MPG).

Boston now has 17 players under contract.

Celtics Waive Wenyen Gabriel, DJ Steward

October 20th, 2023 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

5:40pm: Both Gabriel and DJ Steward have been officially waived by the Celtics, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

9:56am: The Celtics are placing big man Wenyen Gabriel on waivers ahead of the regular season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A four-year NBA veteran, Gabriel spent last season with the Lakers, appearing in 68 games and averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per night.

Gabriel signed with Boston at the start of training camp after the team included Robert Williams in its trade package for Jrue Holiday. Given the hit the Celtics’ frontcourt depth took in that deal, it appeared the 26-year-old had a path to a regular season roster spot.

However, Gabriel only received a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, which offered no assurances beyond training camp and the preseason, and he was outperformed by two-way player Neemias Queta this month. Boston has also typically kept a 15-man roster spot open into the regular season in recent years, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

In addition to their 10 players with guaranteed salaries, the Celtics have Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, and Lamar Stevens on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, with DJ Steward on an Exhibit 10 pact. It seems likely that Steward will be cut when Boston sets its regular season roster, with the other four making the team, though that has yet to be confirmed.

As for Gabriel, it’s unclear where his next stop might be. Since his contract with Boston didn’t include an Exhibit 10 bonus, he’s not an obvious candidate to join the Maine Celtics, the club’s G League affiliate.

Celtics Sign James Banks To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 20th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center James Banks has signed with the Celtics, according to the Real GM transactions log.

It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, who adds that Banks will ultimately be sent to Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine. The team recently completed a trade for Banks’ returning player rights. The Exhibit 10 language gives Banks an opportunity to earn a bonus up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Maine.

Banks, 25, has played the last two years in the G League with the Birmingham Squadron and the Texas Legends. He averaged 5.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in nine regular season games with Texas last season.

With the addition of Banks, the Celtics have 19 players on their preseason roster.