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Nuggets, Aaron Gordon Optimistic About Possible Extension

September 26th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be eligible for a four-year contract extension as of Friday, September 27. A four-year extension would require Gordon to decline his $22.84MM player option for 2025/26, with the first year of a potential new deal replacing that option.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, general manager Calvin Booth said he hopes the former No. 4 overall pick remains a Nugget for the foreseeable future.

“Hopefully we have some productive talks with his representation and are able to find a deal,” Booth said (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports). “… We want Aaron here for a long time.”

Gordon also sounded optimistic about a deal coming to fruition, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link)

“I really love this organization,” Gordon said. “I love the players on this team. I love the coaching staff. I hope we get it done. It seems like it’s moving forward in the right direction.”

Gordon, who turned 29 years old last week, played a key role in helping the Nuggets win their first championship in 2023. He’s a highly versatile player on both ends of the court and has excellent chemistry with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Gordon also touched on the tragic passing of his older brother Drew, who died following a car accident at the end of May. Drew played professionally for over a decade, including a stint with the Sixers in 2014/15.

“I always leaned on my brother,” Gordon said. “I understand I can’t take any relationship for granted. My teammates have been there every step of the way. They came to his service and his funeral. These guys have developed into my brothers.”

Gordon changed his jersey from No. 50 to No. 32 to honor his brother, per the NBA (Twitter video link).

“It was my brother’s favorite number, my dad’s favorite number, my sister played in it in college, I played in it in high school… it feels like home,” he said.

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Western Notes: Gordon, Rockets Roster, Divac, Doncic, Kennard

September 22nd, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Aaron Gordon becomes eligible for a four-year contract extension later this week and that will be one of the big storylines at the Nuggets’ training camp, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes. Gordon has a player option for the 2025/26 season but could replace that with the first year of a new deal as part of an extension agreement.

Jamal Murray‘s health and the way Russell Westbrook fits into the Nuggets’ rotation are among the other storylines to watch in Denver, according to Durando.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • With the Rockets buying out and waiving forward AJ Griffin, they have an open spot on the official roster. How will it be filled? It could turn into a competition among players on two-ways and training camp deals, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Jeenathan Williams, Nate Hinton, N’Faly Dante, Jermaine Samuels and Jack McVeigh comprise that group. Houston could also opt to leave that spot open or sign a free agent.
  • Former Kings general manager Vlade Divac made one of the biggest draft blunders in recent years when he passed on Luka Doncic in favor of Marvin Bagley in 2018. Divac admits he made a mistake but explained that he already had a talented floor leader in De’Aaron Fox.  “I could’ve taken Luka, but then I would’ve had to trade Fox,” he said in an interview with Index, a Croatian outlet (hat tip to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Sports Journal).
  • Grizzlies players have been competing in 5-on-5 scrimmages for over a month and Luke Kennard is impressed by the team’s competitiveness and attention to detail. “Something I haven’t really seen before,” Kennard told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re really pushing each other and competing really hard. I think that’s going to go a long way. We start that right now. We’re getting a few steps ahead until the season starts.”
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And-Ones: Sports Betting, NBA Offseason, Injury Returns

September 21st, 2024 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA is in favor of federal regulations for sports betting, the league doesn’t unequivocally support the bill introduced last week in Congress, which is considered to have both positives and negatives, per David Purdum of ESPN.

The Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act, also known as the “SAFE Bet Act,” would prohibit sportsbook advertising from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm (and during live sports broadcasts) and would ban in-game betting. The proposal to eliminate live wagering is one aspect of the bill likely to be opposed by the NBA and other sports leagues, given the increasing popularity of that form of betting, notes Purdum.

A league source tells Purdum that the NBA is keeping an eye on the legislation and views it as a “starting point to a very lengthy process.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the

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Northwest Notes: Cui, Braun, Caruso, Hartenstein

September 21st, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers did not want to hold back Yongxi Cui after he got a better offer from the Nets, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tweets.

Also known as Jacky, Cui officially signed a two-way contract with the Nets on Friday. He had previously agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Blazers, but hadn’t officially signed it.

If he’d come to camp in Portland he would have been competing for a two-way spot, according to Highkin. When the Nets offered him one outright, Portland didn’t want to stand in the way of the undrafted rookie.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • In a subscriber-only piece, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com takes a look at how defenses will adjust to the Nuggets’ starting five with third-year guard Christian Braun replacing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Braun appeared in all 82 regular-season games last season but made just four starts and only played 28 regular-season minutes with Denver’s other four starters on the court. Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic early in free agency.
  • There’s been plenty of talk regarding the defensive impact of newcomers Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein on the Thunder. However, their offensive contributions will be just as key, Esfandiar Baraheni of Sportscasting.com writes. Caruso will help the team in the underrated roles of screener and secondary play-making. Hartenstein’s solid screening and short-roll game will also add to the versatility of Oklahoma City’s offense.
  • In case you missed it, we took a look at every Northwest Division team’s roster as training camps approach.
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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Northwest Division

September 20th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Northwest Division. Let’s dive in…

Denver Nuggets

Under general manager Calvin Booth, the Nuggets have typically set their training camp roster early in the offseason and not made any changes to the back end until the preseason is underway. Last year, for instance, Denver maxed out its 21-man roster on August 3 and didn’t make another roster move until October 13.

It looks like the team will probably stick to that pattern this year, taking the current group to camp and then rotating some Exhibit 10 signees on and off the roster during the preseason. With 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, Denver’s projected regular season roster also looks set.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Although the Timberwolves have some back-end roster flexibility, they also have significant projected luxury tax penalties, and with the battle for control of the franchise headed to arbitration this fall, it’s still unclear who exactly will be on the hook for that tax bill.

With that in mind, I’d be surprised to see the Wolves carry a full 15-man standard roster into the regular season. And it’s probably safe to assume Dozier will start the season as the 14th man, since he has a $1MM partial guarantee that the team would have to eat if he’s waived and replaced with a newcomer. Minnesota could potentially make a change at that 14th spot before the league-wide guarantee date on January 7 if Dozier doesn’t prove in the first half that he deserves it, but his place on the opening night roster looks relatively safe.

While I expect some more Exhibit 10 shuffling in the coming days and weeks, the Wolves could set their camp roster by simply completing Randle’s deal, which would get them to the 21-man limit.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Even if they finalize their reported Exhibit 10 deals with Boeheim and Leons before October 1 and have both players with them in training camp, the Thunder would only have 19 players under contract, so they likely have more moves up their sleeve in the coming week or two.

The Thunder are one of the few NBA teams well positioned to bring in another veteran free agent who could make the 15-man standard roster. While Jaylin Williams will make the team, that still leaves the 15th spot open, and Oklahoma City is more than $11MM away from the luxury tax line, so another minimum-salary signing wouldn’t be a problem financially. With Topic out for the season and Kenrich Williams seemingly unlikely to be ready for opening night, the club could also use another depth piece.

It’s unclear whether the Thunder are perusing the free agent market with an eye toward adding a 15th man, but one more wing would make sense to me, with Oshae Brissett, Nassir Little, Justin Holiday, and Reggie Bullock among the available players who could fit.

Portland Trail Blazers

Banton’s big numbers (16.7 PPG, 3.6 APG) down the stretch for the Trail Blazers were the result of significant usage (27.2%) rather than a jump in scoring efficiency (he shot .408/.311/.780). Still, I’d give him the edge over Graham for the 15th roster spot in Portland since he’s younger and has a small partial guarantee. That spot’s not set in stone though.

The Trail Blazers still have one opening on their 21-man preseason roster. Unless the Blazers intend to bring in another player to compete with Banton and Graham to be the 15th man, that roster spot could be used to churn through Exhibit 10 signees for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz‘s roster looks pretty close to ready for the regular season, with 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and all three two-way spots occupied. Utah’s roster moves this fall may just consist of rotating Exhibit 10 players in and out before making final cuts at the end of the preseason.

A two-way shake-up is always a possibility, but Potter, Preston, and Tshiebwe all played well in the G League last season, so one of the non-guaranteed camp invitees would have to make a strong impression in October for the team to make a change there.

Previously:

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Northwest Notes: Gupta, Mays, Singer, Jazz Offseason

September 17th, 2024 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves executive Sachin Gupta is changing sports. He’s leaving his post as executive vice president of basketball operations to take a prominent position with soccer’s Chelsea FC, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets.

Gupta, 42, has been in the Timberwolves’ front office since May 2019. He also had stints with the Rockets, Sixers and Pistons. Gupta served as the interim head of basketball operations in Minnesota following the 2021 dismissal of Gersson Rosas before the organization hired Tim Connelly in 2022.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Timberwolves’ NBA G League franchise, the Iowa Wolves, has acquired the returning player rights to guard Skylar Mays from the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the returning player rights to guard Vit Krejci and a 2025 G League first round pick, according to a Wolves press release. The Timberwolves signed Mays to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday. By trading for Mays’ returning player rights, the Wolves can offer him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves.
  • A former Nuggets beat writer is joining their organization. Denver is hiring former Denver Post reporter Mike Singer as their director of intelligence and strategy, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. In addition to hiring Singer, the Nuggets are promoting Todd Checovich to the position of scouting director. Drew Nicholas, who held that position for two years, accepted a new job with the Nets this summer.
  • Many of the Jazz players stayed close to their NBA home during the offseason. Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton spent the majority of the summer working out in Utah, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
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Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Watson, Braun, Murray, Gordon

September 14th, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Russell Westbrook was already a hero to many of the young Nuggets players before he joined the team in free agency this summer, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While they were learning to play the game, Westbrook was a star in Oklahoma City, displaying an intensity and competitiveness that was easy to admire.

“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” Peyton Watson said, “being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor. … As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from (in Long Beach, California).” 

Christian Braun also cites Westbrook as an important influence on his basketball development. Westbrook has already shown himself to be a good teammate to Braun on one important issue, according to Durando, agreeing to take No. 4 as his uniform number instead of asking for Braun’s No. 0 and imploring fans to “leave our young star alone.”

“Downhill. Athletic. Tough. Mean. In-your-face,” Braun says of Westbrook’s playing style. “… Those are the type of guys I loved, and I learned from.”

There’s more from Denver:

  • Kevin Pelton of ESPN declined to give a grade to Jamal Murray‘s new four-year max extension, but he speculates that the Nuggets must have encouraging information about Murray’s health to agree to the deal. The contract is projected to be worth nearly $208MM and will run through the 2028/29 season. Pelton notes that it eliminates worries about Murray leaving in free agency next summer and states that it will be a wise investment if he continues to produce at the level he did last season.
  • After finalizing the deal with Murray, the next step should be a long-term contract for Aaron Gordon, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Keeler sees Gordon as a perfect complement to Murray and Nikola Jokic, providing much-needed athleticism and a strong defensive presence as well as a high basketball IQ. Gordon has a $22.8MM player option for the 2025/26 season, and Keeler advises the Nuggets to work out an extension before he has the chance to test free agency.
  • Denver’s media day could be among the most interesting in the league, Marc Stein states in his latest Substack article (subscriber only). In addition to Murray’s extension, topics should include how much help Westbrook can provide at this point in his career and coach Michael Malone‘s rumored dissatisfaction with the front office after losing Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency in consecutive summers.
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Nuggets Sign Jamal Murray To Four-Year Max Extension

September 11th, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 11: Murray’s extension is official, the Nuggets confirmed in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 7: The Nuggets and star guard Jamal Murray have reached an agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension that will begin in 2025/26, agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike George tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Assuming the salary cap increases by the maximum allowable 10% next summer, as projected, Murray’s four-year deal will be worth $207,845,568. Taking into account his $36,016,200 salary for the ’24/25 season, the 27-year-old is now on track to earn just shy of $244MM over the next five seasons.

Murray is considered perhaps the most accomplished active player not to have made an All-Star team. He holds career averages of 17.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game, with a .452/.380/.867 shooting line across 469 total appearances for the Nuggets, who drafted him with the seventh overall pick in 2016.

Murray has been even better (24.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.9 RPG, .459/.389/.911 shooting) in 65 postseason contests and played a key role in helping Denver win the 2023 championship.

Last season, he matched his career high with 21.2 PPG. His 6.5 APG and .425 3PT% were also career bests, though he was limited to 59 games due to health issues.

Word broke in late June that Murray and the Nuggets were expected to finalize a four-year max extension. When more than two months passed without a deal, there was speculation that Denver may be rethinking that $52MM-per-year investment, especially after the veteran guard struggled in the 2024 postseason and at the Paris Olympics as a member of the Canadian national team.

However, it seems the Nuggets’ commitment to Murray hasn’t wavered. His new contract will make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid guards and will run through the 2028/29 season.

Murray, superstar center Nikola Jokic, and forward Michael Porter Jr. will earn a combined $140MM for Denver in 2025/26, with that total increasing to roughly $150MM in ’26/27. Jokic and Porter are each eligible to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027 (Jokic holds a ’27/28 player option).

The Nuggets’ roster may get even more expensive if the team is able to work out a new contract with its other starting forward, Aaron Gordon. Gordon will earn $22.8MM in 2024/25 and holds a player option worth the same amount for ’25/26. He’ll become extension-eligible later this month and would be able to negotiate a new deal at any time this season.

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2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division

September 11th, 2024 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2024/25 NBA regular season set to tip off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2023/24, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’24/25?

We’ll continue our series today with the Northwest Division…

Oklahoma City Thunder

Minnesota Timberwolves

Denver Nuggets

Utah Jazz

Portland Trail Blazers

Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (58.8%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
  • Toronto Raptors (30.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (19.5 wins): Over (54.3%)

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): Over (78.0%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): Under (65.6%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (46.5 wins): Under (60.6%)
  • Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (36.5 wins): Under (52.9%)

Southeast

  • Orlando Magic (47.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
  • Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (35.5 wins): Under (66.4%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (29.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
  • Washington Wizards (20.5 wins): Under (56.6%)
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And-Ones: Cousins, Murray, Draft Prospects, Hot Seats

September 9th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA center DeMarcus Cousins won’t reach out to NBA teams to get another chance to play in the league, he said on the Club 520 podcast (hat tip to Hoops Hype).

“I’m not going to go out trying to convince these guys anymore,” he said. “You know what I bring to the floor. It’s been proven. If you really wanted to know who I am, you’d take the time to get to know me instead of listening to somebody else. I’m past trying to reach out. If an opportunity comes that makes sense, I’ll consider it, but I’m done with the convincing.”

Cousins recently joined Wuxi WenLv, a Chinese team on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour. Cousins, who has been out of the NBA since 2022, has played for professional teams in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and the Philippines since that point.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Jamal Murray‘s contract extension agreement with the Nuggets is good news for Canada’s basketball program, Michael Grange of Sportsnet opines. Murray took a lot of criticism during the Paris Olympics for his subpar performances and there were long-term concerns about his health. The possibility that Murray’s performances for Canada would be used against him in contract negotiations was a scenario the program didn’t want or need. It could have been the kind of cautionary tale that could create obstacles regarding team-building in the future, according to Grange.
  • Several prospects in the NBA’s next two draft classes have boosted their stock this summer and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a look at some of those risers. That group includes Baylor freshman guard V.J. Edgecombe and Illinois swingman Kasparas Jakucionis, as well as Cameron Boozer (draft-eligible in 2026).
  • Bulls top executive Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, Bucks GM Jon Horst and coach Doc Rivers, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, and Nuggets GM Calvin Booth are among the GMs, presidents and coaches who have the most to prove this NBA season, according to ESPN’s Insiders.
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