Brooklyn Nets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Clowney, Bridges, Barnes, Quickley

July 9th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ben Simmons‘ agent tells The New York Post’s Brian Lewis that his client will be 100 percent by the start of next season, but there’s plenty of uncertainty regarding his future. The Nets guard played just 15 games last season before he was shut down due to lingering back issues.

“Ben has been doing his rehab and prep work for the upcoming season in Miami. He is through the rehab stage and has moved on to strength and conditioning,” Simmons’ agent, Bernard Lee, said. “Because there have been so many starts and stops previously I’ll simply say he’s in a great place and the expectation is he’s able to start the season 100 percent of himself ready to go.”

Where Simmons fits into the team’s plans next season is unclear. Given his health issues, his value to the club at this point is centered around his $40.3MM expiring deal, which will open up ample cap space next summer if he’s not traded.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

With the Nets trading Mikal Bridges and going into a rebuild, Noah Clowney could get an expanded role in his second season, Lewis notes. Clowley was selected with the 21st pick in 2023. “It’s an opportunity [for me] so I can’t [waste it],” Clowney said. “No shade to [Bridges]; that’s my dog. I love him; but to see us going into more of a rebuilding standpoint, that’s an amazing opportunity to me, and I gotta try to take advantage of that.” Just trying to build with what we’ve got is my main focus. The picks, I leave that to the people who decide all that; I just try to do my part, play hard and be enthusiastic about everything we’re doing. So, opportunities will be fun.”
Bridges expressed his exhilaration over joining the Knicks, where expectations will be sky-high for their first championship since 1973, according to ESPN’s Chris Herring. “It’s surreal. Coming here, it makes me feel like a young kid again, with all the memories. When I think about basketball when I was young, and the old school, it was always the Knicks,” Bridges said during an introductory press conference. “That’s what you think about. MSG. The New York song. All that stuff.”
The Raptors are betting big that they can build around Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. Both players were rewarded with five-year contracts this offseason. To back the front office’s commitment, Barnes needs to play well enough to be considered for an All-NBA team and Quickley needs to become an All-Star level guard, Grange says.

Nets’ Trendon Watford Signs Qualifying Offer

July 9th, 2024 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Nets restricted free agent forward Trendon Watford has accepted his one-year qualifying offer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move will lock in Watford’s $2,726,603 salary for the 2024/25 season, putting him on track to reach unrestricted free agency a year from now.

Watford, 23, spent his first two NBA season in Portland from 2021-23, but was waived by the Trail Blazers last summer before his 2023/24 salary could become guaranteed. He caught on with Brooklyn and appeared in a career-high 63 regular season games, averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 13.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .527/.397/.794.

Because he only had three years of NBA experience under his belt, Watford remained eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, and the Nets took advantage by issuing him a qualifying offer ahead of the June 29 deadline. Signing that QO means that the former LSU standout will have the ability to veto any trade involving him during the 2024/25 league year.

With Watford back under contract, Brooklyn will be carrying 12 players on guaranteed deals, plus Mamadi Diakite and Jalen Wilson on partially guaranteed salaries.

With Watford off the board, Isaac Okoro is the only remaining restricted free agent who didn’t finish last season on a two-way contract.

New York Notes: Nets Rebuild, Bridges, Thomas, Brunson, Hartenstein

July 8th, 2024 at 9:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the stash of assets acquired in the Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Mikal Bridges deals, Nets general manager Sean Marks doesn’t think the franchise will require a lengthy rebuild, according to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.

“This build, do I think it’s going to take time? I mean, I think we’ll be strategic in it,” he said. “But I do think being in this market, with this amount of draft assets, we’ve done it before. And so again, I think, not that it’s going to be expedited by any means, but I don’t think it’s a long process, either.”

Marks clarified that Bridges did not request a trade, adding that New York’s offer was so strong, he couldn’t pass it up. Reports at the time of the deal suggested the forward was interested in joining the Knicks but didn’t necessarily ask to be traded there.

“I think it’s been reported that Mikal wanted to leave or requested a trade. That could not be further from the truth,” Marks said. “That’s just not in Mikal’s character. That’s not who he is and that definitely did not happen. He was told by me when I called him and let him know that we’re at the two-yard line.”

We have more on the New York teams:

Nets guard Cam Thomas has joined Octagon as his representative, the agency tweets. Thomas is extension eligible this offseason, otherwise he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. Thomas averaged 22.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 66 games last season.
Jalen Brunson is pondering whether to sign an extension this summer, Fred Katz of The Athletic reports. Brunson could opt for long-term security now, instead of taking any chances by waiting until next offseason. He’s also well aware of how the new tax aprons could hamper the Knicks’ ability to make future moves. However, while he could ink a four-year extension this offseason worth around $156.5MM, he would be eligible to sign a max five-year contract worth a projected $269.1MM next summer. New York can put its extension offer on the table as early as this Friday and Brunson knows it’s coming, Katz writes.
With Isaiah Hartenstein in Oklahoma City and several free agent centers already committed to other teams, where can the Knicks find depth in the middle? The New York Post’s Peter Botte takes a look at some other free agent big men still available, along with potential trades the front office could pursue to fill that need.

Contract Details: George, Martin, Wiseman, Isaac, Hield, More

July 8th, 2024 at 6:49am CST by Luke Adams

Following the end of the July moratorium on Saturday, teams wasted no time in officially finalizing many of the contracts they’d agreed to up until that point.

Now that those contracts have been completed, we have the official details on many of them. Here, via several reporters – including Keith Smith of Spotrac, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, and cap expert Yossi Gozlan – as well as our own sources, are some of those notable details:

Players with trade kickers:

Lakers forward LeBron James (15%), Knicks forward OG Anunoby (15%), Sixers forward Paul George (15%), Sixers forward Caleb Martin (15%), Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson (15%), and Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (5%) received trade kickers on their new free agent deals, while Celtics guard Derrick White (15%) got one on his contract extension.

As an aside, James’ exact starting salary in 2024/25 is $48,728,845, which is $1,258,873 below the maximum he could have earned.

Players who waived their right to veto a trade:

A player who re-signs with his team on a one-year contract (or two-year contract with a second-year option) is typically awarded the right to veto a trade, but has the option to waive that option.

Heat center Thomas Bryant, Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, Raptors wing Garrett Temple, and Magic teammates Gary Harris and Moritz Wagner all surrendered their right to veto a trade in 2024/25 and could be moved freely.

Unlikely incentives:

Nets center Nic Claxton ($97MM base + $3MM incentives), Pacers forward Obi Toppin ($58MM +$2MM), Suns forward Royce O’Neale ($42MM +$2MM), and Sixers forward Martin ($35,040,704 + $5,256,106) are among the players whose contracts include unlikely bonuses that would boost the total guaranteed salary if those incentives are reached.

As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes, the structure of Martin’s contract helped the 76ers maximize their cap room, since his unlikely incentives don’t count toward the cap once he signs.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Martin’s “unlikely” incentives are easier to earn than a typical player’s incentives would be — I don’t expect them to be for making an All-Star team or anything like that. An incentive is considered unlikely for cap purposes if the player wouldn’t have met the criteria the year before. For example, as Nahmad suggests, a bonus related to Martin making 24 or more starts would be considered unlikely because he started 23 games last season. Martin’s bonuses – considered “unlikely” for cap purposes but perhaps “likely” to be earned in reality – could have served as a way to strengthen the Sixers’ offer without sacrificing that extra cap room.

It’s also worth noting that a player’s unlikely incentives can’t exceed 15% of his guaranteed base salary, and Martin’s $5,256,106 in incentives represent exactly 15% of his overall $35,040,704 salary.

Partial or non-guarantees and options:

James Wiseman‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pacers is guaranteed for $500K in year one, with a team option for 2025/26. That team option would be guaranteed for $569,041 if exercised (ie. the same percentage as his first-year salary).

Luka Garza got a similarly structured two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Timberwolves, except his first year is fully guaranteed prior to his second-year team option. That 2025/26 option would be guaranteed if picked up.

As previously reported, Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year, $87MM deal with the Thunder includes a team option for 2026/27. It’s worth $28.5MM, with $58.5MM in guaranteed money across the first two seasons.

Magic teammates Harris ($7.5MM) and Wagner ($11MM) each have second-year team options on their two-year deals.

The Rockets used their full bi-annual exception to give Holiday a two-year deal worth $9,569,400 that includes a second-year team option ($4,901,400).

Neemias Queta‘s three-year, minimum-salary contract with the Celtics is fully guaranteed in year one with a partial guarantee of exactly 50% ($1,174,789 of $2,349,578) in year two, plus a third-year team option for 2026/27. The third-year option ($2,667,944) would be guaranteed for 50% ($1,333,972) if exercised. Since his minimum deal covers more than two years, a team wouldn’t be able to acquire Queta via the minimum salary exception if he’s traded down the road.

Jonathan Isaac‘s new long-term deal with the Magic is partially guaranteed ($8MM of $14MM) in 2026/27, with non-guaranteed salaries of $14.5MM in 2027/28 and $15MM in 2028/29. However, each of those salaries would become fully guaranteed if Isaac plays at least 52 games in the prior season. For instance, if Isaac were to appear in 54 games in 2026/27, his $14.5MM salary for ’27/28 would be fully guaranteed.

Sign-and-trade contracts:

Interestingly, Kyle Anderson‘s and Buddy Hield‘s new contracts with the Warriors have the exact same salaries for the first three seasons: $8,780,488, $9,219,512, and $9,658,536. Anderson’s three-year deal is fully guaranteed for the first two years and non-guaranteed in year three.

As for Hield, his four-year contract is fully guaranteed for the first two years, with a partial guarantee of $3MM for year three. His fourth year is a $10,097,560 player option that would be partially guaranteed for $3,136,364 if exercised.

Klay Thompson’s three-year contract with the Mavericks comes in at exactly $50MM, as reported — it starts at $15,873,016 and features 5% annual raises.

Jonas Valanciunas‘ three-year contract with the Wizards is worth $30,295,000 in total, beginning at $9.9MM (which is the amount of the trade exception generated for the Pelicans). It’s fully guaranteed for the first two seasons and non-guaranteed in year three.

Cody Zeller got a three-year, $11,025,000 deal in the sign-and-trade that sent him from New Orleans to the Hawks. The first year is guaranteed for $3.5MM, with two non-guaranteed seasons after that.

Finally, as part of the Mikal Bridges trade, new Nets guard Shake Milton got a three-year, $9,162,405 contract that has a guaranteed first-year salary of $2,875,000, with two non-guaranteed years after that ($3MM in 2025/26 and $3,287,406 in ’26/27). His teammate Mamadi Diakite, who was also sent to Brooklyn in the trade, had his $2,273,252 salary partially guaranteed for $1,392,150.

Milton’s $2,875,000 salary, Diakite’s $1,392,150 partial guarantee, and Bojan Bogdanovic‘s $19,032,850 salary add up to $23.3MM, which is equivalent to Bridges’ salary — the exact amount of outgoing salary the Knicks needed to send to avoid being hard-capped at the first tax apron.

New York Notes: Bridges Trade, Hartenstein, Nets, Gaitley

July 7th, 2024 at 10:29am CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks‘ blockbuster trade with the Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges stunned his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, as Bradley Locker of The New York Post relays.

“I never thought it would happen,” Brunson said on the Roommates Show podcast he co-hosts with Hart. “When’s the last time the Nets made a trade with the Knicks?”

Hart answered Brunson’s question — 1983 — and elaborated on his own skepticism of a deal coming together.

“You don’t think it’s really going to happen, but you’re like, ‘You know what? Let me just go mess with ‘kal,’” Hart said, referring to postgame discussions in matchups between the Knicks and Nets. “Because that’s my guy.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

Isaiah Hartenstein left the Knicks to join the Thunder in part because he believes he’ll have an opportunity to broaden his game, “especially offensively,” writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “If you’re an NBA player, you have to adapt to certain roles. And that’s what I did in New York,” Hartenstein said. “My passing only came out in the last year. My first year, I had to adapt to a certain role. So I feel like I can get back to that shooting aspect. Before, I was shooting, so I want to get back to that even more.” Hartenstein’s front-loaded three-year contract with Oklahoma City became official on Saturday. It will guarantee him $58.5MM over the next two seasons, with a third-year team option.
On the same Roommates Show podcast, Hart and Brunson expressed frustration that the Knicks were only able to offer Hartenstein a four-year, $72.5MM contract because he only had Early Bird rights, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). “I feel like in those situations, you shouldn’t be restricted on what you can sign your own guys for,” Hart said of Hartenstein. “Especially, like, he signed a two-year, $16 [million contract], he played well for you guys, under your coaches, your system. Then you should be rewarded in helping develop that guy and should be able to offer him whatever. You guys did really good, he played well. [But] let’s slow down, you can only offer him this? That’s idiotic.”
New head coach Jordi Fernandez will have his work cut out for him with the rebuilding Nets, according to Evan Barnes of Newsday (subscription required). Although there may be less pressure on Fernandez in some ways since Brooklyn will likely be a lottery team in 2024/25, trying to get buy-in from veterans on the trade block while developing the team’s young players will be a difficult balance to strike, Barnes observes.
The Nets are hiring Dutch Gaitley as an assistant coach, a source tells Net Income of NetsDaily.com (Twitter link). Gaitley, who previously spent four years with Charlotte, worked with Fernandez the past two years in Sacramento as the Kings‘ director of player development.

Nets, Knicks Officially Complete Mikal Bridges Trade

July 6th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have officially acquired star forward Mikal Bridges from the Nets, the teams announced today in a pair of press releases.

“We are thrilled to add a player of Mikal’s caliber to the Knicks family. His ability to score, shoot and defend at an elite level will add to a team that continues to grow,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “Not only does he demonstrate excellence on the court but Mikal’s strength of character, diligence and dedication to the game of basketball are vital to the culture we continue to build in New York.”

The two clubs reached an initial agreement on June 25, then finalized an expanded version of the deal on Thursday to allow the Knicks to avoid becoming hard-capped at the first tax apron ($178.1MM). New York will instead be hard-capped at the second apron ($188.9MM).

The final terms are as follows:

Knicks acquire Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
Nets acquire Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick.

The addition of Vaulet’s rights is new, and we now have the details on the draft pick headed to New York in the deal, but otherwise these are the terms that had been previously reported.

Milton’s new three-year contract is worth $9.16MM in total, with a $2.86MM guaranteed salary in year one, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Brooklyn will be hard-capped at the first apron in 2024/25 as a result of acquiring him via sign-and-trade.

The Nets almost certainly used existing traded player exceptions to take on their incoming players, which means they’ll generate a sizable new TPE worth Bridges’ outgoing salary ($23.3MM). They’ll have one year to use it.

For more details on one of the summer’s biggest trades, be sure to check out our original stories on the agreement.

Nets Re-Sign Nic Claxton On Four-Year Deal

July 6th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Nets have officially re-signed Claxton, the team announced today in a press release.

“We are thrilled to have Nic remain in Brooklyn as a core player for our team going forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Nic has made strides in his game in each of his first five seasons, developing into one of the top defenders in the league. With his outstanding work ethic and dedication, we know that Nic will continue to be relentless in his efforts to maximize his talents and expand his game. Off the court, Nic and his family have embraced being a part of the Brooklyn community and we look forward to the impact he will continue to have on our borough.”

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), Claxton’s contract will start at $27.6MM and descend from there. It’ll feature $97MM in guaranteed money, with another $3MM in potential bonuses.

JUNE 26: Free agent center Nic Claxton intends to sign a four-year, $100MM contract to remain with the Nets, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the deal will include $96MM in guaranteed money. The signing can be made official after the moratorium period ends on July 6.

Claxton, the 31st overall pick in the 2019 draft, spent his first three seasons in Brooklyn in a modest reserve role before signing a two-year contract worth $17.25MM (plus incentives) in 2022. He has since been the Nets’ full-time starting center, averaging 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 2.0 assists per game with a .667 FG% in 147 games over the past two seasons (29.8 MPG), earning himself a significantly larger payday.

While a $25MM annual salary for Claxton may raise eyebrows, the 25-year-old has established himself as a real defensive asset — he earned Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2023 and was referred to as a future Defensive Player of the Year by his new head coach, Jordi Fernandez. He’s also arguably the top free agent center on the market this summer, ahead of bigs like Isaiah Hartenstein and Jonas Valanciunas.

Jarrett Allen, who signed a five-year, $100MM deal with the Cavaliers in 2021, was presumably a point of reference for Claxton. At the time Allen received that contract, his NBA résumé was similar to Claxton’s and his $20MM annual average salary represented just under 18% of the 2021/22 cap. A $25MM annual salary for Claxton will come in at nearly the exact same percentage of the ’24/25 cap.

The Pelicans and other teams around the NBA were said to have interest in Claxton as a potential sign-and-trade target or cap-room signing, but a return to Brooklyn has always been the most likely outcome, even after the team seemingly pivoted to a rebuild by agreeing to trade Mikal Bridges. A report earlier today indicated that the Nets were still focused on retaining their starting center.

Claxton had been the No. 8 player on our list of 2024’s top 50 free agents. He’s the fourth player in the top 10 of that list to reach a contract agreement during the new exclusive negotiating window allowing teams to talk to their own free agents between the end of the NBA Finals and June 30.

Trade Rumors: DeRozan, Kings, Lakers, Grant, Cavs, Finney-Smith, Okoro, More

July 5th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Kings are among the teams believed to have some interest in Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, there has been a growing sense entering the weekend that Sacramento is more focused on free agent forward DeMar DeRozan, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Earlier reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski named the Kings as a legitimate suitor for DeRozan, who would need to be acquired via sign-and-trade, with a third team likely taking on salary from Sacramento in the deal.

Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link) confirms there’s “mutual interest” between DeRozan and the Kings, while James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link) confirms Sacramento has talked to the Bulls about a sign-and-trade and suggests that a third team has been “lined up.”

However, there continues to be competition from rival suitors for the 34-year-old’s services, Ham adds. As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, it also won’t be easy to construct a three-team trade that gets DeRozan the type of salary he wants, ensures the Bulls don’t take back much money, and has the Kings sending out enough assets to Chicago and a third team to incentivize them to make the deal.

Although there are other teams who could open up a little cap room, Detroit and Utah are the only two teams with significant space still available, and the Pistons are rumored to be keeping their room open for trade opportunities, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Chicago and Sacramento have been talking to Detroit in relation to a possible DeRozan deal.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers and Lakers have had conversations about Jerami Grant, but if the Blazers are going to send him to Los Angeles, they’d want both of the future first-round picks the Lakers can trade (2029 and 2031), along with matching salaries, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. The Lakers have been unwilling to meet that price and Portland isn’t in any rush to move its top forward, so the talks haven’t gotten far, Highkin writes, noting that – outside of Rui Hachimura – the Blazers wouldn’t have much interest in the players L.A. could put in a package for Grant.
After Zach Lowe reported earlier today that Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is a possible trade target to watch for the Cavaliers, Scotto confirms that Cleveland likes Finney-Smith and has monitored him since Brooklyn acquired him in 2023. Scotto adds that Cavs restricted free agent Isaac Okoro is viewed as a potential sign-and-trade candidate (in general, not specifically for Finney-Smith).
Nuggets forward/center Zeke Nnaji and Sixers free agent KJ Martin are two trade candidates to keep an eye on, according to Scotto. Nnaji is beginning a four-year, $32MM contract after not playing a regular role in Denver last season, so his value on the market would be limited. As for Martin, his small cap hold could allow the Sixers to get creative by signing-and-trading him in order to take back more salary than they would be able to accommodate with the cap room they’ll have left over once their major signings are complete.
Speaking of the Sixers, they’re on track to add Paul George as a straight free agent signing rather than in a sign-and-trade, according to Marc Stein at Substack. That comes as no surprise, since acquiring George via sign-and-trade would hard-cap Philadelphia at the first tax apron, potentially limiting the team’s flexibility for the rest of 2024/25.

Scotto’s Latest: Beasley, Hield, Nuggets, Martin, Pelicans, Mavs, Cavs

July 5th, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Coming off a season in which he made a career-high 41.3% of his three-point attempts, free agent swingman Malik Beasley was considered the Mavericks‘ Plan B for outside shooting help if they were unable to land Klay Thompson, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

With Dallas no longer in the mix for Beasley, the 27-year-old sharpshooter is receiving interest from the Pelicans, who like the idea of having him stretching the floor alongside Zion Williamson, league sources tell Scotto.

Meanwhile, the Pistons “flirted” with potentially offering Buddy Hield a one-year contract and have considered doing the same for Beasley, Scotto writes, but for now Detroit wants to keep its salary cap space open for trade purposes, since the team is well positioned to take on an unwanted contract or two and receive draft assets for its trouble.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The Nuggets and Heat were among the teams to express interest in Hield before he agreed to join the Warriors, per Scotto. However, neither team could realistically match the $8.7MM starting salary Hield got from Golden State. Denver is shopping in free agency with its $5.2MM taxpayer mid-level exception in the hopes of adding a player who can help fill the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope-sized hole in the team’s rotation, Scotto notes.
When he declined his $7.1MM player option with Miami, Caleb Martin was hoping for a deal worth at least the full mid-level exception ($12.9MM) and possibly more than that, sources tell HoopsHype, but nothing has materialized so far. The Sixers are among the teams with interest in Martin, but his asking price would have to drop for that to be realistic, according to Scotto.
While the Pelicans continue to peruse the trade market for centers – with Wendell Carter of the Magic among the targets on their radar – veteran big man Daniel Theis has been linked to New Orleans as a possible cheaper option in free agency, Scotto writes.
The Mavericks, in the market for one more guard, have considered a possible reunion with Spencer Dinwiddie or Dennis Smith Jr., according to Scotto, who hears that Malachi Flynn is another playing Dallas is considering if Dinwiddie and Smith end up elsewhere.
Johnnie Bryant (Knicks), Jared Dudley (Mavericks), and Trevor Hendry (Nets) are among the coaches the Cavaliers are eyeing as possible assistants for Kenny Atkinson‘s staff, Scotto reports. Bryant was close with Donovan Mitchell from their days in Utah together, while Dudley and Hendry were with Atkinson in Brooklyn (Dudley as a player, Hendry as a staffer).

And-Ones: Team USA, Bonuses, Summer League, Draft, Tavares

July 5th, 2024 at 7:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The members of the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Paris this summer have arrived in Las Vegas, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Team USA will hold a pre-Olympic camp in Vegas from July 6-8 and will be joined by a 15-man Select Team for scrimmaging purposes.

Led by LeBron James (two Olympic gold medals, 20 All-Star berths) and Kevin Durant (three gold medals, 14 All-Star berths), the 12-man Olympic roster is as formidable as any team USA Basketball has fielded in the 21st century, with 84 combined All-Star nods. It will make picking a starting lineup a challenging task for head coach Steve Kerr.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Kerr said on Friday, per Reynolds. “I’m guessing that all 12 players on this roster will be in the Hall of Fame someday. So, how do you pick five out of 12? The idea is, you find combinations that click, and you find two-way lineups that can be effective at both ends. Our big job in Las Vegas is to find five-man combinations that fit and to just ask all 12 guys to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal no matter what it looks like, no matter who’s playing.”

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

Expect NBA teams to include unlikely incentives less frequently in player contracts going forward, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Those unlikely bonuses don’t count against the cap if they’re not earned, but they do count when determining a team’s position relative to the tax aprons, giving high-spending teams less wiggle room below those aprons. For instance, the Heat – who are operating in between the first and second aprons – would presumably prefer not to have to account for the $1.5MM unlikely bonus Tyler Herro would earn for winning Defensive Player of the Year.
With the Bulls, Magic, Nets, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Hawks among the teams announcing their Summer League rosters on Friday, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points has updated his tracker of the Summer League squads from around the NBA.
While no concrete decisions have been made yet about next year’s draft schedule, the expectation is that the NBA will want the second round (ie. the second day) to start in the evening instead of the afternoon, Marc Stein writes at his Substack. The second day of the 2024 draft began at 4:00 pm Eastern time on June 27 so as not to compete with the U.S. presidential debate that was scheduled for that evening.
There had been some speculation in the spring that Walter Tavares might try to make an NBA comeback this summer, but the former Hawks and Cavaliers big man – who has been a star in Europe since 2017 – won’t be going anywhere, having signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish team announced in a press release. The all-time EuroLeague blocks leader, Tavares has won a pair of EuroLeague championships with Madrid in 2018 and 2023.