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Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents

August 3rd, 2021 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2021/22 league year lifts at 11:01am central time on Friday, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, over the last 16 hours, more than half of the players from our list of 2021’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.

So who does that leave? Here are the top free agents from our top-50 list who have yet to agree to new deals:

(Note: This list is up-to-date at the time of publication, but won’t be updated throughout the day as some of these players inevitably come off the board.)

  1. Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers
  2. John Collins, F, Hawks (RFA)
  3. DeMar DeRozan, G/F, Spurs
  4. Dennis Schröder, G, Lakers
  5. Spencer Dinwiddie, G, Nets
    • Note: Dinwiddie is reportedly nearing a deal with the Wizards, but there are sign-and-trade obstacles to work out and no agreement is in place yet.
  6. Lauri Markkanen, F, Bulls (RFA)
  7. Kelly Oubre, F, Warriors
  8. Reggie Jackson, G, Clippers
  9. Kendrick Nunn, G, Heat (RFA)
  10. Josh Hart, F, Pelicans (RFA)
  11. Bruce Brown, G/F, Nets (RFA)
  12. Danny Green, G/F, Sixers
  13. Talen Horton-Tucker, G, Lakers (RFA)
  14. Andre Drummond, C, Lakers
  15. Hamidou Diallo, G, Pistons (RFA)
  16. Patty Mills, G, Spurs
  17. Terence Davis, G, Kings (RFA)
  18. Rudy Gay, F, Spurs
  19. Paul Millsap, F, Nuggets
  20. Malik Monk, G, Hornets
  21. Lou Williams, G, Hawks
  22. Victor Oladipo, G, Heat

The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:

While the idea of our top two free agents – Leonard and Collins – still being available may be intriguing, both players are considered highly likely to return to their current clubs.

Leonard chose the Clippers in free agency two years ago and has given no indication he wants to leave. While one report suggested he may be open to listening to pitches from other teams, another report stated that the Clippers are operating as if he’ll be back, and it doesn’t look like there are any clubs preparing to take a run at the star forward.

As for Collins, right before free agency began, a report indicated that he and the Hawks weren’t yet close to a new agreement. But he’s a restricted free agent, which limits his leverage, and multiple reports over the weekend suggested that his potential suitors were becoming resigned to the idea that he’d remain in Atlanta.

Still, while Leonard and Collins may not provide any surprises, there are some interesting names whose destinations remain very much up in the air. We don’t have a clear sense yet of where players like DeRozan, Schröder, Oubre, or Markkanen will end up, so there are plenty of storylines worth keeping an eye on today and the rest of the week.

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Values Of 2021/22 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions

August 3rd, 2021 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The salary cap for the 2021/22 NBA league year has officially been set, with the league announcing that the cap will be $112,414,000, a 3% increase on last year’s number.

Under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of the mid-level, room, and bi-annual exceptions are tied to the percentage that the salary cap shifts in a given year. Because the cap figure for 2021/22 increased by 3%, the values of the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions will increase by the same amount.

Listed below are the maximum annual and total values of each of these exceptions, along with a brief explanation of how they work and which teams will have access to them.

Mid-Level Exception (Non-Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2021/22 $9,536,000
2022/23 $10,012,800
2023/24 $10,489,600
2024/25 $10,966,400
Total $41,004,800

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is the primary tool available for over-the-cap teams to add free agents. As long as a team hasn’t dipped below the cap to use cap space and doesn’t go over the tax apron ($143MM) at all, it can use this MLE, which runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises.

Mid-Level Exception (Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2021/22 $5,890,000
2022/23 $6,184,500
2023/24 $6,479,000
Total $18,553,500

If an over-the-cap team currently projects to be a taxpayer or expects to move into tax territory later in the 2021/22 season, it will have access to this smaller mid-level exception for taxpaying teams.

If a team uses more than $5,890,000 of its mid-level exception, it is forbidden from surpassing the tax apron at any time during the league year. So even if a team isn’t above the apron when it uses its MLE, it might make sense to play it safe by avoiding using the full MLE and imposing a hard cap.

The taxpayer MLE can be used to sign a player for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.

Room Exception:

Year Salary
2021/22 $4,910,000
2022/23 $5,155,500
Total $10,065,500

Although this is also a mid-level exception of sorts, it’s colloquially known as the “room” exception, since it’s only available to teams that go below the cap and use their cap room.

If a club goes under the cap, it loses its full mid-level exception, but gets this smaller room exception, which allows the team to go over the cap to sign a player once the team has used up all its cap space. It can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise for the second season.

Bi-Annual Exception:

Year Salary
2021/22 $3,732,000
2022/23 $3,918,600
Total $7,650,600

The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Of the NBA’s 30 clubs, only three – the Nuggets, Lakers, and Bucks – used it in 2020/21, so they won’t have access to it in 2021/22. The league’s other 27 teams could theoretically use it this season.

Still, even if a team didn’t use its BAE in ’20/21, that club doesn’t necessarily have access to it for the coming year. As is the case with the non-taxpayer MLE, this exception disappears once a team goes under the cap. It’s also not available to teams over the tax apron — using the BAE creates a hard cap at the apron.

The BAE can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one.

Note: Be sure to check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary for more information on the mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception.

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NBA Maximum Salaries For 2021/22

August 3rd, 2021 at 7:31am CST by Luke Adams

Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2021/22 league year at $112,414,000, we have a clear idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season. Conveniently, the cap increase came in at almost exactly 3%, which is precisely what the NBA had been forecasting all year, so our projections won’t change much.

Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2021/22. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

These figures will apply to a number of players who signed maximum-salary contract extensions that will go into effect in 2021/22: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox. They’ll also apply to anyone who signs a maximum-salary contract as a free agent this offseason — Kawhi Leonard is the most viable candidate.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players.

In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Tatum, Mitchell, Adebayo, and Fox; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Beal; and the “10+ years” column applies to the league’s most experienced vets or those who qualified for the super-max, including Antetokounmpo, George, and Lillard.

Here are the maximum salary figures for 2021/22:

A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2021/22 $28,103,500 $33,724,200 $39,344,900
2022/23 $30,351,780 $36,422,136 $42,492,492
2023/24 $32,600,060 $39,120,072 $45,640,084
2024/25 $34,848,340 $41,818,008 $48,787,676
2025/26 $37,096,620 $44,515,944 $51,935,268
Total $163,000,300 $195,600,360 $228,200,420

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2021/22 $28,103,500 $33,724,200 $39,344,900
2022/23 $29,508,675 $35,410,410 $41,312,145
2023/24 $30,913,850 $37,096,620 $43,279,390
2024/25 $32,319,025 $38,782,830 $45,246,635
Total $120,845,050 $145,014,060 $169,183,070

It’s worth noting that none of the maximum-salary figures listed above will apply to extension-eligible players whose new contracts would start in 2022/23.

This group includes players like Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who appear on track to sign extensions with the Warriors and Heat, respectively. It also includes players who will sign maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Even if they officially sign new deals sooner rather than later, the exact value of their next contracts will depend on where the cap lands for 2022/23. The NBA has announced that the cap for ’22/23 is projected to come in at $119MM, but there’s plenty of time for that estimate to fluctuate between now and next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:44am CST by Luke Adams

It was an extremely busy first day of NBA free agency on Monday. By our count, a whopping 56(!) free agents agreed to new contracts after the free agent negotiating period officially began at 5:00pm CT.

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on Friday.

Here are today’s free agent agreements:

Note: Some of these salary figures may includes options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Chris Paul, Suns agree to four-year, $120MM contract.
  2. Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers agree to five-year, $100MM contract.
  3. Kyle Lowry, Heat agree to three-year, $90MM contract (sign-and-trade)
  4. Norman Powell, Trail Blazers agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
  5. Duncan Robinson, Heat agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
  6. Lonzo Ball, Bulls agree to four-year, $85MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  7. Evan Fournier, Knicks agree to four-year, $78MM contract.
  8. Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks agree to four-year, $72MM+ contract.
  9. Mike Conley, Jazz agree to three-year, $68MM+ contract.
  10. Gary Trent Jr., Raptors agree to three-year, $54MM contract.
  11. Devonte’ Graham, Pelicans agree to four-year, $47MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  12. Richaun Holmes, Kings agree to four-year, $47MM contract.
  13. Derrick Rose, Knicks agree to three-year, $43MM contract.
  14. Doug McDermott, Spurs agree to three-year, $42MM contract.
  15. Kelly Olynyk, Pistons agree to three-year, $37MM contract.
  16. Alex Caruso, Bulls agree to four-year, $37MM contract.
  17. Daniel Theis, Rockets agree to four-year, $36MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  18. T.J. McConnell, Pacers agree to four-year, $35MM contract.
  19. Will Barton, Nuggets agree to two-year, $32MM contract.
  20. Nerlens Noel, Knicks agree to three-year, $32MM contract.
  21. Reggie Bullock, Mavericks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
  22. Alec Burks, Knicks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
  23. Zach Collins, Spurs agree to three-year, $22MM contract.
  24. Cameron Payne, Suns agree to three-year, $19MM contract.
  25. JaMychal Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $17MM contract.
  26. P.J. Tucker, Heat agree to two-year, $15MM contract.
  27. Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
  28. David Nwaba, Rockets agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
  29. Torrey Craig, Pacers agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  30. Jeff Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  31. Cory Joseph, Pistons agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  32. Maurice Harkless, Kings agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  33. Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  34. Alex Len, Kings agree to two-year, $7.65MM contract.
  35. Mike Muscala, Thunder agree to two-year, $7MM contract.
  36. Nicolas Batum, Clippers agree to two-year, $6.5MM contract.
  37. Sterling Brown, Mavericks agree to two-year, $6.2MM contract.
  38. JaVale McGee, Suns agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
  39. Trey Lyles, Pistons agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
  40. Gorgui Dieng, Hawks agree to one-year, $4MM contract.
  41. Garrett Temple, Pelicans agree to three-year contract (sign-and-trade).
  42. Gabe Vincent, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  43. Max Strus, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  44. Trevor Ariza, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  45. Kent Bazemore, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  46. Wayne Ellington, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  47. Dwight Howard, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  48. Semi Ojeleye, Bucks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  49. Otto Porter, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  50. Cody Zeller, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  51. Dewayne Dedmon, Heat agree to one-year contract.
  52. Blake Griffin, Nets agree to one-year contract.
  53. Solomon Hill, Hawks agree to one-year contract.
  54. Boban Marjanovic, Mavericks agree to one-year contract.
  55. Ben McLemore, Trail Blazers agree to one-year contract.
  56. Austin Rivers, Nuggets agree to one-year contract.

Here are today’s contract extension agreements:

  1. Trae Young, Hawks agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  3. Jimmy Butler, Heat agree to four-year, maximum-salary veteran extension.

Here are today’s tentative trade agreements:

  1. The Heat are expected to acquire Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors that will involve Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa, but the full terms aren’t yet known.
  2. The Bulls are expected to acquire Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), and a future second-round pick.
  3. The Pelicans are expected to acquire Devonte’ Graham in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets in exchange for New Orleans’ own 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
  4. The Rockets are expected to acquire Daniel Theis in a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls in exchange for cash.

For as much action as there was on Monday, five of the top 11 free agents on our top-50 list – including the top two – have yet to agree to new deals, so there’s still plenty to look forward to this week.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker

August 3rd, 2021 at 2:23am CST by Luke Adams

With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements breaking left and right, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams fall. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Early in free agency, most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker in order to avoid any confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2021 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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2021 NBA Free Agency Primer

August 2nd, 2021 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2021 free agency period officially begins on Monday at 5:00 pm central time. At that point, we can expect news of contract agreements to start pouring in, continuing well into the night.

By our count, 34 free agents agreed to deals on day one of free agency in 2020 — we’ll see if that number is matched or exceeded later today.

Here are a few links to prepare for you one of the most exciting days on the NBA calendar:

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2021 NBA Qualifying Offer Recap

August 2nd, 2021 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Players eligible for restricted free agency don’t become restricted free agents by default. In order for a team to make a player a restricted free agent, it must extend a qualifying offer to him. The qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract offer, varies in amount depending on a player’s previous contract status.

A qualifying offer is designed to give a player’s current team the right of first refusal. Because the qualifying offer acts as the first formal contract offer a free agent receives, his team then has the option to match any offer sheet the player signs with another club. If a player doesn’t receive a qualifying offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team — his previous club is given no formal opportunity to match.

You can read more about qualifying offers here.

Listed below are the details on which players did and didn’t receive qualifying offers this summer. Our list is based on various reports and team announcements leading up to the August 1 deadline, along with information from RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

It’s possible that one or two qualifying offers slipped through the cracks and will be reported later today before free agency officially gets underway — if so, we’ll update this list. For now though, this is what the qualifying offer landscape looks like. The players who received QOs will be restricted free agents, while the players who didn’t will be unrestricted.

Received qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Qualifying offers for two-way players are one-year, two-way contracts with a $50K guarantee unless otherwise indicated.

Did not receive qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Some players who finished the season on two-way contracts signed two-year deals, making them ineligible for free agency this summer. They remain under contract. Additionally, some of the players listed below did not have spent enough time on an NBA active roster to be eligible for a qualifying offer.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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Top 50 NBA Free Agents Of 2021

August 2nd, 2021 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s free agent period will tip off on Monday evening at 5:00 pm central time, with deals permitted to be officially consummated as of Friday at 11:01 am CT.

Listed below are our top 50 free agents for the 2021/22 NBA season. The players on this list are on track to become free agents tonight.

Our rankings take into account both a player’s short-term and long-term value. If we were to consider solely a player’s worth for the 2021/22 season, veterans like Danny Green and P.J. Tucker would likely place higher, while younger free agents with upside, such as Talen Horton-Tucker or Josh Hart, might be ranked a little lower.

In addition to the players listed below, there are plenty of other notable free agents available this summer. You can check out our breakdowns of free agents by position/type and by team for the full picture.

Here are our top 50 free agents of 2021:

1. Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers
Leonard’s free agency is reminiscent of Kevin Durant hitting the market in 2019 after suffering a torn Achilles. An injured Durant earned a four-year, maximum-salary deal two years ago, and Leonard could do the same this offseason, despite an expectation that he’ll miss much of next season while he recovers from ACL surgery. A reunion with the Clippers appears likely for Kawhi, who chose Los Angeles in 2019 despite having just won a title in Toronto.

2. John Collins, F, Hawks (RFA)
Collins bet on himself when he turned down Atlanta’s reported extension offer of $90MM+ over four years last offseason. He should do better than that as a restricted free agent, and he might not even have to go shopping for an offer sheet — recent reports have indicated rival suitors aren’t optimistic about their odds of prying him away from the Hawks.

3. Chris Paul, G, Suns
Two years ago, suggesting that Paul might turn down the $44MM+ option on his contract for 2021/22 would’ve gotten you laughed out of the room. But after earning All-NBA Second Team honors and leading Phoenix to its first NBA Finals in nearly three decades, Paul is poised for one last big payday after opting out of his previous deal. Rumors are circulating that he and the Suns will work out a new three-year contract worth at least $90MM.

4. Kyle Lowry, G, Raptors
Lowry isn’t in the conversation alongside Paul as one of the all-time best point guards, but there are plenty of similarities between the two veterans, who both have a major impact on winning that goes beyond the box score. Count the Heat, Mavericks, and Pelicans among the many teams that recognize Lowry’s value — they all reportedly made him their top free agent target, with Miami currently considered the frontrunner to land him.

5. Mike Conley, G, Jazz
There’s no shortage of All-Star veteran point guards on this year’s free agent market, and you could make a case that Conley is a safer long-term bet than Paul or Lowry, given their respective ages. It sounds like the Jazz are prepared to make that bet on Conley to the tune of a three-year offer worth upwards of $25MM annually.

6. Jarrett Allen, C, Cavaliers (RFA)
The Cavaliers surrendered a first-round pick for Allen earlier this year and are unlikely to let him get away, even after using the No. 3 overall pick to draft Evan Mobley, whose best long-term fit may be at center. Allen appears to be in line for a long-term deal in the range of at least $15-20MM per year, and that number could creep even higher if a suitor with cap space emerges to put some pressure on the Cavs.

7. Lonzo Ball, G, Pelicans (RFA)
Although Ball has taken positive steps forward – shooting a career-best 37.8% on three-pointers in 2020/21 – and has earned praise from star teammates Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans seem lukewarm on the idea of bringing him back, having been linked to a handful of other free agent point guards in recent weeks. If New Orleans misses out on its top targets, perhaps its relationship with Ball will continue. Otherwise, the Bulls look like the top suitor to watch.

8. DeMar DeRozan, G/F, Spurs
DeRozan’s lack of a three-point shot (he has made 35 in the last three seasons) is an oddity for a wing in the modern NBA, but his mid-range game is deadly and he has become a legitimately dangerous play-maker, averaging a career-best 6.9 assists per game in 2020/21. DeRozan probably won’t make $27.5MM per year on his next deal like he did on his last one, but he’s one of the most talented offensive players available this summer and shouldn’t be overlooked.

9. Norman Powell, G, Trail Blazers
Powell picked a good time to have a career year, racking up 18.6 PPG on .477/.411/.871 shooting in 69 games for Toronto and Portland. He’s a versatile contributor on both offense – where he can comfortably score at the rim or knock down a corner three – and on defense, where he’s capable of guarding multiple positions. He’s a lock to get a raise on last year’s $10.9MM salary.

10. Dennis Schröder, G, Lakers
Schröder reportedly turned down a four-year extension offer worth more than $80MM during the season, perhaps believing that he could squeeze the Lakers for a more lucrative deal in the offseason. Now that Los Angeles has agreed to trade for Russell Westbrook though, a reunion with Schröder seems like a long shot, meaning he may have to seek out a team with cap space or try to figure out a sign-and-trade deal that gets him in the ballpark of his asking price.

11. Spencer Dinwiddie, G, Nets
Dinwiddie missed nearly the entire 2020/21 season due to a partial ACL tear, but has apparently been generating plenty of interest leading up to free agency, having been linked to the Wizards, Pelicans, Heat, and Knicks, among several other teams. I initially projected Dinwiddie’s contract to be a step down from the ones signed by Ball and Schröder, but now I’m not so sure.

12. Duncan Robinson, F, Heat (RFA)
A career 42.3% shooter from three-point range, Robinson will hit the market a year after sharpshooters Joe Harris and Davis Bertans got long-term deals worth $16-18MM per year. There’s no reason for Robinson not to pursue a similar payday with the Heat, who should make a strong effort to keep him.

Read more

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2021 NBA Offseason Trades

July 31st, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As we did with last year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2020/21, Hoops Rumors will be keeping track of all of the trades made this offseason, right up until the start of the 2021/22 season, updating this post with each transaction.

Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. Trades that are agreed upon but aren’t yet official are listed in italics.

For our full story on each trade, click on the date above it. For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks. We’ll continue to update this list with the latest specific details on picks and other compensation, as they’re reported.

Here’s the full list of the NBA’s 2021 offseason trades:

2021/22 NBA League Year:

October 6

October 6

  • Rockets acquire Sekou Doumbouya and the Nets’ 2024 second-round pick.
  • Nets acquire cash ($110K).

September 15

  • Celtics acquire Juan Hernangomez.
  • Grizzlies acquire Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap either the Pacers’ or Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) for the Celtics’ 2026 second-round pick.

September 10

  • Grizzlies acquire Marc Gasol, the Lakers’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($250K).
  • Lakers acquire the draft rights to Wang Zhelin.

September 4

  • Pistons acquire DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ 2022 second-round pick, either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), either the Warriors’ or Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), the Nets’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash ($5.785MM).
  • Nets acquire Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya.

August 28

  • Cavaliers acquire Lauri Markkanen (sign-and-trade).
  • Trail Blazers acquire Larry Nance.
  • Bulls acquire Derrick Jones, the Trail Blazers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected; from Cavaliers).

August 25

August 17

  • Knicks acquire Evan Fournier (sign-and-trade), the Hornets’ 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and either the Thunder’s, Wizards’, Heat’s, or Mavericks’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Celtics acquire cash ($110K).
  • Note: If either the Heat’s or Mavericks’ 2023 second-round pick is the least favorable of the four, the Knicks would instead receive the second-least favorable pick of the four.

August 16

August 11

  • Bulls acquire DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade).
  • Spurs acquire Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, the Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected), either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick.
  • Note: If the Bulls don’t convey their 2023 first-round pick (top-four protected) to Orlando in 2023, the first-round pick they send the Spurs will be pushed back until at least 2026.
  • Note: The Spurs already had the ability to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable). Now they’ll receive the Lakers’ pick and the most favorable of the Pistons’ and Bulls’ picks.

August 8

August 7

  • Spurs acquire Doug McDermott (sign-and-trade), the Pacers’ 2023 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and the right to swap their own 2026 second-round pick for either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Pacers acquire the Spurs’ 2023 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

August 7

  • Rockets acquire Daniel Theis (sign-and-trade).
  • Bulls acquire cash ($1.1MM).

August 7

August 7

  • Bucks acquire Grayson Allen and cash ($1MM).
  • Grizzlies acquire Sam Merrill, either the Pacers’, Cavaliers, or Jazz’s 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
  • Note: If the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks are the two most favorable of the three, the Grizzlies would acquire the least favorable of those two picks.

August 7

  • Jazz acquire Eric Paschall.
  • Warriors acquire the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick (top-42 protected).

August 7

  • Grizzlies acquire the draft rights to Santi Aldama (No. 30 pick).
  • Jazz acquire the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40) pick, the Grizzlies’ 2022 second-round pick, and the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick.

August 7

  • Clippers acquire the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. (No. 51 pick).
  • Pelicans acquire the Kings’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected) and cash ($2.5MM).

August 7

August 6

  • Lakers acquire Russell Westbrook, the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick (from Wizards), either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Wizards), and the Wizards’ 2028 second-round pick.
  • Wizards acquire Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade), Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, the draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick), and cash ($1MM; from Pacers).
  • Nets acquire either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards), the right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards), and the draft rights to Nikola Milutinov.
  • Spurs acquire Chandler Hutchison and either the Bulls’, the Lakers’, or the Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards).
  • Pacers acquire the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 pick).

August 6

August 6

August 6

2020/21 NBA League Year

August 2

  • Cavaliers acquire Ricky Rubio.
  • Timberwolves acquire Taurean Prince, the Wizards’ 2022 second-round pick, and cash ($2.5MM).

July 31

July 30

  • Thunder acquire Derrick Favors and the Jazz’s 2024 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
  • Jazz acquire either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Pacers’, or Heat’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) and cash ($2MM).
  • Note: If the Jazz don’t convey their 2022 first-round pick (top-six protected) to Memphis in 2022, the first-round pick they send the Thunder will be pushed back until at least 2025.

July 30

  • Pacers acquire the draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick).
  • Bucks acquire the draft rights to Sandro Mamukelashvili (No. 54 pick), the draft rights to Georgios Kalaitzakis (No. 60 pick), either the Pacers’, Cavaliers, or Jazz’s 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
  • Note: If the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks are the two most favorable of the three, the Bucks would acquire the least favorable of those two picks.

July 30

  • Hornets acquire the draft rights to Kai Jones (No. 19 pick).
  • Knicks acquire the Hornets’ 2022 first-round pick (top-18 protected).

July 30

  • Clippers acquire the draft rights to Keon Johnson (No. 21 pick).
  • Knicks acquire the draft rights to Quentin Grimes (No. 25 pick) and the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick.

July 30

July 30

  • Rockets acquire the draft rights to Alperen Sengun (No. 16 pick).
  • Thunder acquire the Pistons’ 2022 first-round pick (top-16 protected) and the Wizards’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

July 30

  • Trail Blazers acquire the draft rights to Greg Brown (No. 43 pick).
  • Pelicans acquire the Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick and cash ($2MM).

July 29

  • Clippers acquire the draft rights to Jason Preston (No. 33 pick).
  • Magic acquire the Pistons’ 2026 second-round pick and cash.

July 29

  • Sixers acquire the No. 53 pick in the 2021 draft.
  • Pelicans acquire cash ($2MM).

June 18

  • Thunder acquire Kemba Walker, the No. 16 pick in the 2021 draft, and either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
  • Celtics acquire Al Horford, Moses Brown, and either the Thunder’s, Wizards’, Mavericks’, or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Note: If the Mavericks’ and Heat’s 2023 second-round picks are the two least favorable of the four, the Celtics would acquire the most favorable of those two picks.
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James Ennis Eyeing Free Agency After Impressive Stint With Magic

July 31st, 2021 at 10:29am CST by JD Shaw

One of many players impacted by the NBA’s shortened offseason last fall, James Ennis entered the 2020/21 campaign with one goal in mind: putting forth the best season of his seven-year career.

Ennis, who went on to average 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24 minutes per contest, managed to succeed in his mission during the games he played. He made 41 appearances — missing some due to calf, hamstring, and groin injuries — and shot 47.3% from the floor, including a scorching 43.3% from deep.

With teams and players able to negotiate free-agent deals beginning on Monday at 6:00pm ET, the 31-year-old will enter the new league year as a coveted three-and-D wing.

“I’ve been in the league for a while,” Ennis told Hoops Rumors in a phone interview this week. “I’m in the league for a reason, obviously. Good vet, a good locker room guy, good teammate all-around. I just want to win. That’s my biggest thing.”

Ennis is one of a number of intriguing role-playing forwards set to reach the open market, along with teammate Otto Porter, P.J. Tucker, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gay, Doug McDermott, Trevor Ariza, and Kent Bazemore, among others.

At 6’6” and 215 pounds, Ennis plays a position of need in the modern game and can make an impact on both ends of the floor. He’s expected to receive interest from multiple playoff contenders, with the Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, Bucks, Mavericks, and Sixers among the potential fits.

“I can guard one-through-four. I can switch, I’m versatile and I can spread the court with my shooting ability,” he explained.

Ennis’ injury woes were a blemish on an otherwise impressive campaign, but he has several healthy seasons on his résumé. Ennis appeared in 69 games during the compressed 2019/20 season and played a key role in the Sixers’ rotation the year before that, averaging 15.8 minutes per game for the team that took Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

“There were a lot of injuries for Orlando this year,” he said. “I feel like that really made the front office go toward rebuilding. They had that same team there for what, four years? 

“For me, I had an okay season. If I didn’t get injured so much due to the short offseason — it was a quick turnaround. I felt like that’s what caused my injuries. There were a lot of injuries, in general, this year. I only averaged 8.4 (points per game), but if I was healthy and played more games, I probably would’ve been at 10-to-13 (PPG) this past year.”

Following the Magic’s first-round playoff exit last August, Ennis began his shortened offseason by immediately getting to work on his jump shot for the coming year. He would work out during the daytime — including basketball or weight-lifting training, depending on the day — and make 500 threes each night.

He concentrated on the small – but important – details: holding his follow-through, keeping his balance, and practicing on a daily basis. The shooting repetitions paid off, as his 43.3% rate on three-pointers was the second-best mark of his career and his best since 2015/16.

Ennis’ future remains unclear as the Magic continue their rebuilding phase – they went 21-51 this season and traded Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier before the deadline – but he would welcome a return if the right dominoes fell, he said.

The veteran forward will enter free agency armed with a respectable 41-game sample that should make him an appealing under-the-radar target for teams in need of a wing.

“I like Orlando a lot. When I first got here, I got an opportunity — and that’s all you can ask from a coach,” said Ennis, who was dealt from the Sixers to the Magic at the 2020 deadline. “I’ve definitely enjoyed the city and I’ve made a lot of good memories with my daughter.” 

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