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No QOs For Suns’ Bazley, Cavs’ Windler, Heat’s Yurtseven

June 29th, 2023 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns opted not to issue a qualifying offer to forward Darius Bazley, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As a result, Bazley will become an unrestricted free agent rather than restricted.

The decision doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since Bazley’s qualifying offer would have been worth approximately $6.2MM. While it’s not clear if Phoenix is interested in re-signing the former first-round pick, the team will hold his Bird rights and could probably re-sign him at a more team-friendly rate.

Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler also didn’t receive a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent, reports Scotto (Twitter link).

Windler was never considered likely to get a QO, which would’ve been worth just shy of $6MM. He has been limited by injuries in his first four NBA seasons and hasn’t become a rotation player in Cleveland, appearing in just 84 total games.

Heat center Omer Yurtseven is another player who was eligible for a qualifying offer but didn’t receive one, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Yurtseven’s QO is only worth a projected $2.22MM ($200K more than his minimum salary), but the Heat will be cost-conscious about how they fill out their roster, given that their team salary projects to go well beyond the luxury tax line.

The following players did receive qualifying offers and will be restricted free agents:

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Pacific Notes: Paul, Warriors, LeBron, Schröder, Walker

June 29th, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are looking forward to teaming up with longtime rival Chris Paul, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Paul’s ball-dominant style will bring a new look to Golden State’s backcourt, but Curry believes the combination can be successful.

“Every team that CP has been on gets better,” he said. “That’s the most consistent thing about him, and who he is and what he brings to the team. Everybody’s going to talk about the age. It’s on us to put that all together and figure out how all the pieces work.”

Thompson called Paul one of the best players of his generation and speculated that having him on the court should lead to better shots for everyone. He admits it will be “a little weird” to have Paul on his team after battling him in the playoffs for nearly a decade.

“I think he’s just going to add such a calming presence and leadership component that we need,” Thompson added.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Warriors have been a popular destination for free agents throughout their run at the top of the league, but their reputation will be tested in this year’s free agency, observes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Golden State’s financial crunch, early playoff exit and the loss of general manager Bob Myers may make veteran players less likely to accept veteran’s minimum contracts to join the team.
  • LeBron James won’t pressure the Lakers to make any specific signings or trades during free agency, according to Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. Medina adds that despite his retirement talk after the Western Conference Finals, James is fully expected to play next season in the final year of his current contract.
  • Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is committed to keeping the roster that finished last season intact, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. has five free agents and must decide by today whether to guarantee contracts for Mohamed Bamba and Malik Beasley. “Teams are going to be aggressive,” Pelinka said. “There’s a lot of parity in the league right now, and everyone smells an opportunity to chase the championship, but we’re going to try our best to stay in that pack or at the head of that pack.”
  • The Lakers are hoping to re-sign Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker IV, even though they’re both unrestricted and the team doesn’t have full Bird rights on either player, states Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
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Wolves’ Garza, Ryan Among Players Receiving Two-Way QOs

June 29th, 2023 at 6:48am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Luka Garza and wing Matt Ryan are among several players on two-way contracts who received qualifying offers on Wednesday, according to the official transaction log at RealGM.com.

Besides Garza and Ryan, the following two-way players were issued qualifying offers, making them restricted free agents:

The default qualifying offer for a player on a two-way contract is another one-year, two-way deal, with a small partial guarantee.

A player who has four years of experience or who has spent the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the same time becomes eligible for a QO equivalent to a standard, minimum-salary deal. However, none of these seven players fit that bill.

These two-way restricted free agents will have the option of accepting their qualifying offers or trying to negotiate new contracts. They’re all technically eligible to sign offer sheets with new teams, which their current clubs would have the ability to match. However, that outcome has been a rarity for players coming off two-way deals.

While Garza, Ryan, Mobley, Rhoden, Quinones, and Green all finished the 2022/23 season under contract with their respective teams, Mannion has been out of the NBA since 2021 and recently signed with Baskonia in Spain. Having issued him a qualifying offer in each of the last three seasons, Golden State continues to retain Mannion’s RFA rights in the event that he eventually returns stateside.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors aren’t expected to tender qualifying offers to Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome (two-way). The team still has some level of interest in re-signing one or both players, but that interest may hinge on how the free agent market plays out, Slater explains.

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Free Agency Rumors: Brown, Temple, Green, Suns

June 28th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are strongly interested in signing versatile Nuggets free agent Bruce Brown, multiple sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Brown, who is in line for a substantial raise after playing an important role in Denver’s first NBA championship, turned down his $6.8MM player option last week.

The Nuggets only hold Non-Bird rights on Brown, which limits them to an offer around $7.8MM — a 20% raise on what he made last season. L.A. may have access to its full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be approximately $12.4MM.

Brown was an ideal addition when Denver picked him up as a free agent last summer. He averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game during the regular season and logged the most minutes of any Nuggets bench player in the postseason.

There are more free agency rumors to pass along:

  • The Pelicans have reached an agreement with Garrett Temple to extend the deadline for guaranteeing his $5.4MM contract for next season, moving it from Thursday to July 7, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). New Orleans is currently $2.8MM below the luxury tax, and pushing back Temple’s guarantee date provides time for other cost-cutting moves, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Temple only appeared in 25 games last season, averaging 6.5 minutes per night. The Pelicans still face several decisions by Thursday, Lopez notes, as they have to determine whether to pick up team options for Herbert Jones ($1.8MM), Naji Marshall ($1.9MM) and Willy Hernangomez ($2.6MM), along with whether to make a qualifying offer to Jaxson Hayes.
  • Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link) is dismissing an internet rumor that Draymond Green traveled to Portland to meet with Damian Lillard about signing with the Trail Blazers. Fentress’ sources say Green is still considered very likely to re-sign with the Warriors.
  • Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop and Nets forward Yuta Watanabe are free agents who might be interested in joining the Suns on minimum deals, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM.
  • The Sixers aren’t expected to give Louis King a qualifying offer, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The 24-year-old forward, who played in just one NBA game last season, will become an unrestricted free agent.
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Raptors Rumors: VanVleet, Poeltl, Siakam, Trent, Anunoby, Poole

June 28th, 2023 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors believe that they can be “a factor” in the East next season by bringing back the same core, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Although Toronto missed the playoffs in 2022/23, the team is apparently confident that a coaching change and a full offseason for this group will help make a difference in ’23/24.

Returning the same core would mean re-signing point guard Fred VanVleet and center Jakob Poeltl, two of the top free agents on the 2023 market. According to Grange, the Raptors are expected to meet with VanVleet in Los Angeles on Friday when free agency opens and are working out plans to link up with Poeltl as well.

Like other reporters, Grange has heard that Houston may be preparing a two-year contract offer in excess of $80MM for VanVleet, which would probably be more than Toronto is willing to pay on an annual basis. However, the Raptors – who might be open to a three- or four-year deal – believe the veteran guard wants to remain in Toronto and is still confident about their ability to bring him back.

As for Poeltl, there has been a belief that the big man will be back in the fold if the Raptors make a four-year offer in the neighborhood of $80MM, Grange says. However, multiple league sources tell Sportsnet.ca that the Spurs – keen on pairing Victor Wembanyama with a veteran center – have inquired about the possibility of reuniting with Poeltl. The Spurs will have the cap room necessary to make life difficult for Toronto if they choose to pursue the 27-year-old, who was dealt from San Antonio to Toronto in February.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • Multiple teams have inquired about Pascal Siakam‘s availability, Grange reports. Besides the Hawks, Grange identifies the Hornets, Mavericks, Rockets, Pelicans, and Kings as clubs that have made calls about the two-time All-NBA forward. The Raptors have been open to listening, but not many of the conversations they’ve had about Siakam even qualify as “preliminary” trade discussions, according to Grange.
  • While Gary Trent Jr.‘s camp has conveyed interest in working out an extension after he picked up his 2023/24 player option, the Raptors are taking a wait-and-see approach and haven’t made plans to formally discuss a new deal with Trent in the near future, Grange writes.
  • Before agreeing to trade Jordan Poole to Washington, the Warriors reached out to the Raptors to see if they’d be interested in a deal centered around Poole and forward OG Anunoby, reports Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Toronto didn’t have interest in exploring the idea further.
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International Notes: Fernandez, Canada, Paris, Almansa, More

June 28th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez will replace Nick Nurse of the Sixers as the head coach of the Canadian national team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Canada Basketball has officially confirmed the news, indicating in a press release that the leadership change will take place immediately. Nurse, who coached the Raptors – Canada’s only NBA team – for five seasons before being dismissed this spring, subsequently stepped down from his position with the national team. Fernandez will take the reins for the 2023 World Cup, which begins in less than two months.

Fernandez, who was born in Spain, was an assistant coach on the Nuggets’ staff from 2016-22 before joining the Kings under Mike Brown last year. He’s considered a rising head coaching candidate, having interviewed for the coaching vacancies in Phoenix and Toronto earlier in the offseason.

Here are a few more updates from around the international basketball world:

  • After playing a regular season game in France in 2020 and again in 2023, the NBA is on track to return to Paris in 2024, according to a report from L’Equipe, which states that the Nets and Cavaliers are the teams expected to compete in that game. There’s hope that French phenom Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will play a game in Paris as soon as 2025, per L’Equipe.
  • Izan Almansa, a 6’10” Spanish big man who spent the last two years with Overtime Elite and projects to be a first-round pick in 2024, has signed with the G League Ignite, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Almansa, the last prospect to join the Ignite for 2023/24, will be part of a star-studded group that includes potential top-five picks Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis.
  • Gianni Petrucci, the president of the Italian Basketball Federation, wasn’t thrilled by Paolo Banchero‘s decision to play for the United States instead of Italy at the upcoming World Cup, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport that the Magic forward “fooled us.” However, Petrucci clarified that he was more upset about a lack of communication from Banchero rather than the decision itself. “It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us,” Petrucci said, per BasketNews.com. “Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers.”
  • German forward Louis Olinde, who has spent the past three seasons with Alba Berlin, is hoping to make the move to the NBA this offseason, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Olinde has worked out for the Warriors and Thunder and has a session lined up with the Trail Blazers too. The 25-year-old is also expected to play for the Suns at the Las Vegas Summer League.
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Donte DiVincenzo To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 27th, 2023 at 4:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo will decline his $4,725,000 option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Kendra Andrews of ESPN tweets.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that DiVincenzo would not pick up his option. He figures to have plenty of suitors in free agency after a solid season with Golden State.

DiVincenzo appeared in a career-high 72 games, including 36 starts, with the Warriors. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. The 6’4” guard, who made a career-best 39.7% of his 3-point attempts, also appeared in 13 playoff games this spring.

The Timberwolves, Rockets, Knicks and Lakers are reportedly among the teams who might pursue DiVincenzo, who could command the full $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

That would easily top what the Warriors can offer — a four-year, $23.2MM deal — due to cap restrictions. They only held Non-Bird rights, preventing them from offering a higher starting salary than $5.4MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.225MM contract with the Warriors last offseason, which included the player option. He spent three-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee and also had a 25-game stint with Sacramento during his walk year.

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Kings Rumors: Barnes, FA Targets, Kuzma, Lyles, Sabonis

June 27th, 2023 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Harrison Barnes‘ departure from Sacramento this offseason appears increasingly likely, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who identifies the Pacers as a “strong contender” to sign the Kings‘ free agent forward.

As previously reported, Barnes’ connections to Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle could make Indiana an appealing landing spot for him. Fischer says Barnes is close with Haliburton, who played with him in Sacramento, and has support from Carlisle, who coached him in Dallas.

Here’s more on the Kings:

  • Sacramento’s decision to trade Richaun Holmes and the No. 24 pick in Thursday’s draft to Dallas in order to generate additional cap room has rival executives speculating that the Kings have a specific move in mind for free agency, says Fischer. While Khris Middleton and Draymond Green have been floated as possible targets, those veterans are considered likely to remain with the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to Fischer, who hears that the Trail Blazers and Pistons may nonetheless make a run at Green.
  • The name gaining the most traction as a possible Kings free agent target is Kyle Kuzma, according to Fischer. The Jazz‘s trade for John Collins should take a rival suitor for Kuzma off the market, Fischer explains, since Utah is unlikely to pursue another significant frontcourt piece in free agency after adding Collins.
  • Besides using their $33MM+ in cap room to pursue Kuzma, the Kings will also likely look to bring back free agent forward Trey Lyles and renegotiate and extend Domantas Sabonis‘ contract, Fischer reports, estimating that a new deal for Sabonis could be worth in the neighborhood of $120MM over four years.
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Damian Lillard To Meet With Trail Blazers Officials About His Future

June 26th, 2023 at 1:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:37pm: The meeting will take place on Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, will also be present.

8:51am: The Trail Blazers’ lottery luck and the addition of a strong rookie class weren’t enough to change Damian Lillard‘s mind about playing with a young team, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.

General manager Joe Cronin said over the weekend that he’ll talk with Lillard once the star guard returns from a vacation in France (Twitter link from Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland). That meeting is expected to take place early this week, giving Lillard and the Blazers time to map out their future before the start of free agency on Friday.

Portland landed the No. 3 pick in this year’s lottery and was able to add a potential future star in Scoot Henderson. The Blazers also picked up Kris Murray at No. 23 and Rayan Rupert at No. 43, adding three more prospects to the collection of young talent already on hand.

However, it’s not the type of team that Lillard prefers as he nears his 33rd birthday next month. Lillard declared after the regular season ended that he wants Cronin to add some veterans who will help turn the Blazers into a contender, and he has repeated that stance in subsequent interviews.

Amick hears that Lillard’s dream scenario is to re-sign Jerami Grant and add Draymond Green in free agency. The Warriors are reportedly confident about their chances to keep Green, but Amick states that the size of his contract could still become an issue.

Amick also points out that the Blazers don’t currently have enough cap room to sign Green, who’s believed to be seeking a new deal with a starting salary in the $20MM range. A sign-and-trade could be possible, although Amick believes a third team would have to be involved to make the financial aspects work.

Amick mentions Raptors forwards Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby as other possibilities, but he notes that Toronto has numerous teams that are interested in both players.

An important part of this week’s meeting will be for Lillard to gauge the front office’s commitment to upgrading the roster in time for next season, sources tell Amick. If he believes Cronin and owner Jody Allen are serious about building a contender, then he’ll hold off a decision about his future through at least the early part of free agency. If he’s not convinced, Lillard could decide to ask for a trade, possibly before free agency begins.

If that happens, Amick singles out the Heat as the main team to watch. Lillard has “serious interest” in going to Miami, sources tell Amick, and the Heat are believed to be equally interested in acquiring him.

Lillard’s desired destination will factor into any trade because of his years of service in Portland and the size of his contract, Amick adds. With four seasons left at $216MM, including a $63MM player option for 2026/27, Amick states that it’s hard to imagine any team trading for Lillard unless he wants to go there.

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And-Ones: Mannion, Qualifying Offers, 2024 Draft, D-Lo, Hayward

June 25th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Warriors guard Nico Mannion is signing with Baskonia in Spain, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets, calling it a done deal. Mannion played the last two seasons in his home country of Italy with Virtus Segafredo Bologna. He played 30 games with Golden State during the 2020/21 season after being drafted in the second round.

Because the Warriors issued a two-way qualifying offer to Mannion in 2021 and again in 2022, they still control his RFA rights in the event that he decides to return to the NBA. That would change if they decide not to extend that QO this year or in a future season.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

  • Good news for restricted free agents in future seasons — there’s a 10% increase in qualifying offers that teams must make to those players or else they become unrestricted. However, according to Mike Vornukov of The Athletic (Twitter link), it doesn’t apply to restricted free agents this summer — instead, the stipulation in the new CBA begins with this year’s rookie class. In another tweak, offer sheets for future restricted free agents will have a new deadline. If a team that has to make a decision on whether to match an offer sheet receives it before noon ET, that team has until 11:59 p.m. ET the next day to match. If it’s received after 12 p.m. ET, that team has until 11:59 pm ET two days later.
  • Now that the 2023 draft is behind us, what might the 2024 draft look like? ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo provide an early glimpse of next year’s draft class, doing a mock draft that includes both rounds. They predict G League Ignite guards Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis will be the first players off the board.
  • With the Lakers drafting Jalen Hood-Schifino, it may decrease the possibility they will try to re-sign free agent D’Angelo Russell, Cydney Henderson of USA Today writes. Gordon Hayward‘s future with the Hornets is very much in doubt with the addition of forward and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller, Henderson also notes.
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