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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Miami Heat

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Miami Heat.


Free agent signings

  • Haywood Highsmith: Two years, $10,816,000. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Kevin Love: Two years, $8,000,000. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • Thomas Bryant: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Alec Burks: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Zyon Pullin: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Isaiah Stevens: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Pelle Larsson (No. 44 pick; from Rockets) and cash (from Hawks) in a three-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Nikola Djurisic (No. 43 pick; to Hawks).

Draft picks

  • 1-15: Kel’el Ware
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $20,466,072).
  • 2-44: Pelle Larsson
    • Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract ($5,408,801). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed. Third-year team option.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Bam Adebayo to a three-year, maximum-salary veteran extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $165,348,864. Includes third-year player option.
  • Waived Orlando Robinson.

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $184.8MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, but can’t be used due to proximity to second apron.
  • One traded player exception frozen/unavailable (worth $6,477,319).

The offseason so far

For a second consecutive summer, the Heat entered the offseason facing the possibility of losing two key rotation players. After watching Gabe Vincent sign with the Lakers and Max Strus head to Cleveland in 2023, Miami saw Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith reach unrestricted free agency last month.

Technically, there were no cap restrictions preventing Miami from making aggressive bids to retain both players, but the Heat’s front office made it clear – based on its actions and via media reports – that it had no intention of hamstringing itself by surpassing the second tax apron, which would significantly limit the team’s ability to make moves on the trade market. As a result, the club had to hope that the market for Martin and Highsmith wasn’t robust and that the two wings might be inclined to return at a team-friendly price.

While neither Martin nor Highsmith landed as lucrative a contract as we might’ve expected at the start of the summer, Martin still exited Miami, signing with the conference rival Sixers. But the Heat were able to bring Highsmith back into the fold, agreeing to a two-year contract worth a little more than the taxpayer mid-level exception. It’s a good price for a talented defender whose offensive game has grown in the past couple years as he earned a spot in the team’s regular rotation.

After accounting for Highsmith’s deal, a new two-year, $8MM agreement with Kevin Love, and a rookie scale contract for No. 15 overall pick Kel’el Ware, the Heat had little flexibility to fill out the rest of their roster while operating under the second apron.

Using the taxpayer mid-level exception would’ve pushed Miami’s salary over the second apron, so the club had to settle for filling its remaining openings with minimum-salary signings. That included a new deal for returning big man Thomas Bryant, plus minimum-salary commitments to veteran guard Alec Burks and second-round pick Pelle Larsson. The team is currently carrying 14 players on standard contracts and is unable to add a 15th man without surpassing the second apron.

Burks is a solid value on a minimum deal, and based on the Heat’s recent track record in the draft, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ware and/or Larrson develop into reliable contributors sooner or later. I wasn’t as high on the deals with Love and Bryant, however.

Love’s first-year salary is $3.85MM, whereas if he had signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract, he would’ve earned about $3.3MM with a cap hit of $2.1MM. Clearly, the Heat felt they needed to go above the minimum and add a second year to bring one of their veteran leaders back in the fold, but it’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow when they have so little financial flexibility — a one-year minimum deal for Love would’ve provided more room to operate below the second apron, allowing for the addition of a 15th man.

Bryant, meanwhile, was in and out of the Heat’s rotation last season and looked like a player whose days in Miami were numbered. When he declined his minimum-salary player option in order to test the market, it appeared the Heat had lucked out, but perhaps he knew he’d have an offer from his former team waiting for him as a fallback option if he didn’t find a more favorable opportunity elsewhere. I was surprised the Heat re-signed Bryant, but it’s possible they expect to get more from the veteran center now that he has a year with the organization under his belt.

The one big-money move the Heat made this summer was to lock up defensive anchor Bam Adebayo to a three-year, maximum-salary extension. The deal doesn’t go into effect until 2026/27, so Adebayo is now under contract for at least the next four seasons, with a player option for 2028/29.

It’s not out of the question that Adebayo, who has finished in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting for five seasons in a row, could win the award in 2025. If he did – or if he made an All-NBA team – he would’ve become super-max eligible, so it made sense for the Heat to extend one of the league’s best big men sooner rather than later in order to eliminate the possibility of Adebayo increasing his maximum salary.


Up next

Things didn’t go as smoothly with the Heat’s other extension-eligible star this offseason as they did with Adebayo. Reports in the spring indicated that Jimmy Butler would be seeking a new maximum-salary deal; asked about those reports, Heat president Pat Riley expressed reluctance to put such an offer on the table for the 34-year-old, who has battled injuries in recent years.

Despite some trade speculation involving Butler, the situation didn’t come to a head this summer. The six-time All-Star remains committed to the Heat, but has indicated he’ll wait until next offseason – when he could become a free agent by turning down his 2025/26 player option – to sign a new contract. There’s nothing to resolve before the season begins, in other words, but this is a situation worth monitoring into the season in case things take a turn for the worse.

The Heat’s other extension-eligible veteran, Terry Rozier, seems unlikely to sign a new contract before the season begins. He’s still under contract for two more years and has only played 31 games with Miami since being acquired from Charlotte in a mid-season trade. The team will probably want to take a longer look at Rozier’s fit with the rest of the roster in before deciding whether to make a longer-term commitment to him.

The Heat’s 14-man standard roster looks good to go for the regular season, but it’s possible more changes will come to their two-way slots before opening night. Miami already made one offseason swap, signing Zyon Pullin to a two-way deal, then waiving him in favor of Summer League standout Josh Christopher. Christopher, Dru Smith, and Keshad Johnson currently occupy those two-way slots, but a strong preseason from Pullin, Isaiah Stevens, or another camp invitee could lead to another change.

NBA Teams With Fewest Players On Guaranteed Contracts

As of Wednesday, eight of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are unlikely to have many additional offseason acquisitions in store. Another 17 teams are carrying either 13 or 14 players on guaranteed deals.

As our roster counts page shows, that leaves five clubs carrying 12 or fewer players on fully guaranteed deals. That doesn’t necessarily mean all five of those teams will sign free agents to guaranteed contracts before the regular season begins, but it’s worth checking in on them to take a closer look at their roster situations.

[RELATED: 2024/25 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team]

Cleveland Cavaliers

No NBA team has fewer players on fully guaranteed salaries than the Cavaliers, who are carrying just 10 of them. However, we can probably pencil in two more players for their standard regular season roster — Craig Porter played rotation minutes last season and has a $1MM partial guarantee, while Sam Merrill proved to be a bargain on his non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.

If we assume those 12 players will be on the Cavs’ opening night roster, that leaves three openings. Cleveland reportedly plans to leave one open, and one may be earmarked for restricted free agent Isaac Okoro, but even if Okoro returns, the club will still need to add one more player to its roster as a 14th man. It will be interesting to see if the Cavs target a specific free agent and offer him a guaranteed contract or if they’ll bring multiple non-guaranteed players to camp to compete for that 14th spot.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Lindy Waters and Gui Santos also in the mix on non-guaranteed salaries. Golden State doesn’t currently have the flexibility to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man due to the team’s close proximity to its hard cap of $178.1MM, but either Waters or Santos could be waived to make room for a replacement.

The Warriors gave up a second-round pick in June to acquire Waters, so I doubt the plan is to waive him. Santos’ future is less certain. He barely played in the NBA last season as a rookie, and his G League numbers (including a .437 FG% and 3.1 turnovers per game) weren’t exceptional. If the Dubs want to bring in another player to fill out their regular season roster (they’re reportedly working out Bruno Caboclo this week), Santos looks like the best bet to be the odd man out.

Indiana Pacers

Although the Pacers have just 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, they have at least four players in the mix for the final three spots on their roster, including two with partial guarantees (James Johnson and James Wiseman) and two on non-guaranteed deals (Kendall Brown and Cole Swider).

I expect Johnson and Wiseman to have the upper hand for spots on the 15-man roster, with Brown and Swider potentially fighting for the 15th spot — assuming Indiana even carries a full 15-man squad to open the regular season.

For what it’s worth, the Pacers have shown a willingness in the past to move Johnson on and off their roster. Last season, he signed four separate contracts with the club, including two 10-day deals. But the fact that Indiana gave him a $750K guarantee on his newest contract is an indication the team doesn’t plan on cutting the veteran forward before opening night.

Philadelphia 76ers

While the Sixers technically only have 12 players on guaranteed salaries for the time being, that number will increase to 13 once Guerschon Yabusele officially signs with the team. He’s likely still working out the logistics of the move, including his buyout with Real Madrid and clearance from FIBA.

Once Yabusele has signed, Philadelphia will have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Ricky Council on a non-guaranteed deal. I can’t imagine Council is going anywhere after his promising rookie season, so the only question for the Sixers will be whether or not they want to carry a 15th man to open the year. They’re well into tax territory already, so they may hold that spot open unless there’s a specific player they like and don’t want to get away.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings currently have 14 players on standard contracts — 12 on guaranteed deals, plus Orlando Robinson with a partial guarantee ($500K) and Keon Ellis on a non-guaranteed salary.

Ellis was a rotation player for much of last season and should be a lock for the regular season roster. On the surface, Robinson may not look like a sure thing, but the Kings’ cap situation works in his favor. The club is currently only below the tax line by about $1MM, so eating Robinson’s $500K partial guarantee in order to replace him with a newcomer before the season starts wouldn’t be the most financially prudent move.

I’d expect the Kings to keep their 15th roster spot open to start the season. If they carry someone in that spot, it might be another player on a non-guaranteed deal for the sake of flexibility.

Deadline Looms For Teams To Stretch 2024/25 Salaries

Thursday, August 29 is the last day that an NBA team will be able to waive a player who has a fully or partially guaranteed salary for 2024/25 and stretch that player’s ’24/25 salary across multiple seasons.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Stretch Provision]

The stretch provision deadline has historically been August 31, and while that’s technically still the case, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement tweaked the wording of the rule. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), in order to apply the stretch provision to a player’s current-season salary, a team must now ensure the player clears waivers on or before August 31 rather than simply requesting waivers on him by August 31.

The adjusted wording is similar to the CBA language related to the league-wide salary guarantee date in January. In that case, a team must place a player on waivers on or before January 7 in order to have him clear waivers ahead of the league-wide Jan. 10 guarantee date. In the case of the stretch provision rule, a player whose salary is being stretched now must be waived by August 29 at 4:00 pm Central time to ensure he has cleared waivers prior to September 1.

A player who clears waivers between September 1 and the end of the 2024/25 season can still have his cap hit(s) for 2025/26 and future seasons stretched across multiple years, assuming he’s owed guaranteed money beyond this season. But his ’24/25 cap charge would remain unchanged in that scenario, unless he reaches a buyout agreement with his team.

The stretch provision allows teams to gain some short-term relief at the cost of reduced long-term flexibility. It’s used most frequently by teams in the luxury tax who want to lower their projected tax bill (or duck out of tax territory entirely) or by teams who want to create a little extra cap room to accommodate a specific roster move.

Teams haven’t employed the stretch provision all that frequently in recent years, but three players waived this week will have their guaranteed money stretched across multiple seasons. The Suns are stretching the $21.75MM owed to Nassir Little for the next three years, as well as the $2,120,693 owed to E.J. Liddell for 2024/25, while the Grizzlies are stretching Mamadi Diakite‘s $1,392,150 partial guarantee for ’24/25.

Since the stretch provision allows a team to spread the player’s remaining salary across twice the remaining years on his contract, plus one additional year, the new cap hits for those players will be as follows:

  • Little (Suns): $3,107,143 for seven seasons (through 2030/31)
  • Liddell (Suns): $706,898 for three seasons (through 2026/27)
  • Diakite (Grizzlies): $464,050 for three seasons (through 2026/27)

The Suns’ moves reduce their projected tax bill, while the Grizzlies’ move creates a little additional breathing room below the tax line.

We likely won’t see a flurry of cuts today and tomorrow in order to take advantage of this rule, but the deadline is still worth keeping in mind for the possibilities it will take off the table. Any player on a guaranteed expiring contract who is waived after August 29 will have his remaining salary count entirely against his team’s ’24/25 books.

Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

It has been another eventful year on the NBA’s head coaching carousel, with eight teams making coaching changes since the calendar flipped to 2024.

That group includes the Cavaliers, whose previous head coach – J.B. Bickerstaff – ranked sixth on the list of the NBA’s longest-tenured coaches prior to his dismissal this spring. Bickerstaff ultimately found a new job in Detroit, so he’s back on the list below — but he now ranks 30th, since he’s the head coach who was most recently hired.

Improbably, after Bucks coach Adrian Griffin and Suns coach Frank Vogel placed 28th and 29th on this list last year as two of the league’s most recent hires, Milwaukee and Phoenix have moved up to 24th and 27th on this year’s iteration despite each making coaching changes in 2024.

Six new head coaches have been hired since the Bucks named Doc Rivers as Griffin’s replacement in January, while three head coaches were hired this summer after the Suns tabbed Mike Budenholzer to replace Vogel in May.

Here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:


  1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
  2. Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
  3. Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
  4. Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
  5. Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
  6. Tom Thibodeau, Knicks: July 2020
  7. Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 2020
  8. Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 2020
  9. Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
  10. Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
  11. Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
  12. Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
  13. Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
  14. Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
  15. Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021
  16. Mike Brown, Kings: May 2022
  17. Will Hardy, Jazz: June 2022
  18. Joe Mazzulla, Celtics: September 2022
    • Note: Mazzulla became the Celtics’ interim head coach in September 2022 and was named the permanent head coach in February 2023.
  19. Quin Snyder, Hawks: February 2023
  20. Ime Udoka, Rockets: April 2023
  21. Nick Nurse, Sixers: June 1, 2023
  22. Darko Rajakovic, Raptors: June 13, 2023
  23. Brian Keefe, Wizards: January 25, 2024
    • Note: Keefe became the Wizards’ interim head coach in January 2024 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2024.
  24. Doc Rivers, Bucks: January 26, 2024
  25. Jordi Fernandez, Nets: April 2024
  26. Charles Lee, Hornets: May 9, 2024
  27. Mike Budenholzer, Suns: May 11, 2024
  28. J.J. Redick, Lakers: June 24, 2024
  29. Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: June 28, 2024
  30. J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: July 2024

There was above-average stability among the top half of the league’s longest-tenured coaches in the past year — Bickerstaff was the only one in the top 15 to be replaced.

Still, this list reflects how difficult it is for an NBA head coach to stick in one place. Only five active coaches have more than four seasons under their belts with their current clubs, while exactly half of the league’s current coaches have been with their teams for no more than two seasons.

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Sign-And-Trade

Each summer when the NBA offseason arrives, a multitude of free agents sign new contracts and teams around the league consummate dozens of trades. On some occasions, these two forms of transactions are combined into something called a sign-and-trade deal.

What is a sign-and-trade?

Sign-and-trades occur when a team re-signs its own free agent, only to immediately send him to another team in exchange for players, draft picks, and/or cash. For the most part, they function like a normal NBA trade, except one of the pieces involved in the trade is a free agent who receives a new contract as part of the deal.

In order for a sign-and-trade deal to be completed, the following criteria must be met:

  • A free agent must be signed-and-traded by the team with whom he finished the most recent season. For instance, the Cavaliers could sign-and-trade Isaac Okoro this offseason, but another team couldn’t sign Okoro and immediately move him. Cleveland also wouldn’t be permitted to sign-and-trade Raul Neto, even though the Cavs were his most recent team, because he finished the 2022/23 season with the club, rather than the ’23/24 season.
  • If the free agent is restricted, he can’t be signed-and-traded after he signs an offer sheet with a rival team.
  • A team acquiring a player via sign-and-trade cannot be over the first tax apron upon the conclusion of the deal and becomes hard-capped at the first apron for the rest of the league year.
  • A free agent can’t be signed-and-traded once the regular season is underway.
  • A free agent can’t be signed-and-traded using any exception that doesn’t allow for a three-year contract.
  • A player receiving a designated veteran contract can’t be signed-and-traded.

Sign-and-trade contracts must cover either three or four seasons. However, only the first year of the deal needs to be fully guaranteed.

A sign-and-trade contract can be worth any amount up to the player’s maximum salary (with 5% annual raises) for a player who has full Bird rights. However, players with Non-Bird or Early Bird rights are subject to the restrictions of those exceptions.

For example, a player who only has Non-Bird rights and is signed-and-traded would be limited to a first-year salary worth up to 120% of his previous salary, 120% of his minimum salary, or the amount of his qualifying offer (if the player is a restricted free agent)

If a sign-and-trade contract includes a signing bonus, either team can agree to pay it, though if the signing team pays it, it counts toward that club’s limit for cash included in trades for that league year, so that’s uncommon. If a trade bonus is included, it would kick in upon any subsequent trade rather than as part of the sign-and-trade transaction itself.

The benefits and challenges of the sign-and-trade

Prior to the NBA’s 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, a free agent could receive a five-year contract via sign-and-trade, but that’s no longer the case — the contract restrictions for players acquired via sign-and-trade are the same as those that apply to a player signing outright with a new team via cap room (four years and 5% raises).

The goal of that change was to encourage top free agents to remain with their own clubs in order to maximize their earnings, rather than allowing them to sign similarly lucrative long-term contracts while changing teams.

In more recent CBAs, including the 2023 agreement, a specific set of circumstances is often required for teams and players to be incentivized to participate in sign-and-trades. If a player wants to change teams, it often makes more sense for him to sign with the new team outright, rather than making that club give up assets to complete the acquisition. Even the player’s old team may prefer to simply let the free agent walk and claim the resulting cap space, rather than taking back unwanted assets in a sign-and-trade.

There are other potential roadblocks complicating sign-and-trade deals as well. A signed-and-traded player’s salary may be viewed differently for salary-matching purposes than it would be in a standard trade, which can compromise a team’s ability to meet those salary-matching requirements. We outline those rules in our glossary entry on base year compensation.

However, if a potential suitor is operating over the cap and under the first apron, a sign-and-trade can make sense — especially if that club wants to sign the player for more than the mid-level amount, or if the club can offer the free agent’s prior team something of value.

Sign-and-trades can also come in handy when a team needs to aggregate one more contract in a trade for salary-matching purposes, or when a team that has already used its mid-level exception wants to add a second free agent in that mid-level range.

2024 sign-and-trades

During the 2024 offseason, eight players have changed teams via sign-and-trade. Five of those players were what we’d call “traditional” sign-and-trade participants — DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Klay Thompson (Mavericks), Buddy Hield (Warriors), Kyle Anderson (Warriors), and Kris Dunn (Clippers) were each acquired by teams who didn’t otherwise have the ability to offer the salaries those players received via sign-and-trade.

DeRozan’s and Thompson’s deals exceeded the mid-level exception and were completed by teams without cap room available; Hield, Anderson, and Dunn all got contracts in the mid-level range from clubs who had already used their MLE on another player.

A sixth player, Jonas Valanciunas, could’ve been signed using the Wizards‘ mid-level exception, but the Pelicans agreed to sign-and-trade him to Washington because it was a win-win for the two teams — New Orleans received a heavily protected second-round pick and a trade exception in the deal, while the Wizards absorbed Valanciunas using a trade exception and preserved their full MLE. They used a portion of that mid-level to sign Saddiq Bey, while the remainder could prove useful later in 2024/25.

The final two sign-and-trade contract recipients of the 2024 offseason, Shake Milton and Cody Zeller, were used as salary-matching pieces in the Mikal Bridges and Dejounte Murray trades, respectively.

Because Milton and Zeller were essentially salary filler in those deals and the Nets and Hawks weren’t specifically targeting them, both players received salaries just large enough to meet the matching rules and received only one guaranteed season on their new three-year contracts.

The second apron tweak

While it has become relatively common knowledge among NBA fans that teams above the first tax apron can’t acquire a player via sign-and-trade, a new wrinkle was introduced in the 2023 CBA affecting teams above the second tax apron.

A team that sends out a player via sign-and-trade cannot take back salary – either simultaneously or non-simultaneously – in exchange for that outgoing player if that team is operating above the second tax apron. A team that takes back salary for a signed-and-traded player becomes hard-capped at the second apron for the rest of the season.

For example, when the Timberwolves – who are operating above the second apron in 2024/25 – signed-and-traded Anderson to Golden State, they were prohibited from taking back any salary using Anderson’s outgoing salary for matching purposes. Although the Wolves technically created a trade exception worth approximately $8.8MM (Anderson’s new salary) in that deal with the Warriors, they’ll be ineligible to use that exception as long as their team salary remains above the second apron.


Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were published in 2013, 2019, and 2020.

Longest-Tenured NBA Players By Team

Since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team one year ago, many of the players on that list have remained with their respective teams despite reaching free agency (e.g. LeBron James, Miles Bridges, Nic Claxton) or being considered trade candidates (e.g. Zach LaVine, Trae Young, Darius Garland, Jae’Sean Tate).

As a result, we don’t need to make a ton of changes to this year’s list, though a few notable names have been removed for the 2024 version. That group starts with Damian Lillard, who had been with the Trail Blazers since being drafted in June 2012 before he was traded to Milwaukee last September.

The Raptors are one of the other teams with a new longest-tenured player this season after parting ways with Pascal Siakam in January. Siakam had been with the franchise since 2016 before being dealt to Indiana midway through the 2023/24 season. With the 2024 departures of Killian Hayes and Deni Avdija, the Pistons and Wizards also have new names on the list below.

The top name on our list remains unchanged, as Stephen Curry – a Warrior since 2009 – is still the player who has been with his current club for the longest period, having cracked the 15-year mark this summer.

Because our list includes just one player per team, Draymond Green doesn’t show up in the space below, but if we were simply listing the players who have been with their current clubs the longest, he’d own the No. 2 spot behind Curry, having been in Golden State since being drafted in 2012.

Khris Middleton (a Buck since July 2013), Kevon Looney (a Warrior since June 2015), and Jamal Murray (a Nugget since June 2016) are among the others who would place highly on that version of the list.

Here is each team’s longest-tenured player, along with how he was acquired:


(Note: This is a snapshot as of August 2024 and won’t be updated throughout the season. Because this list only features each team’s longest-tenured player, one player per team is listed.)

  1. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
  2. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
  3. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
  4. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
  5. Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell (trade), December 2014
  6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns (draft), June 2015
  7. Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (draft), June 2015
  8. Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
  9. Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown (draft), June 2016
  10. Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox (draft), June 2017
  11. Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac (draft), June 2017
  12. Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo (draft), June 2017
  13. Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine (draft trade), June 2017
  14. Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. (draft), June 2018
  15. Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young (draft trade), June 2018
  16. Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges (draft trade), June 2018 (*)
  17. Portland Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons (draft), June 2018
  18. New York Knicks: Mitchell Robinson (draft), June 2018
  19. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (free agent), July 2018
  20. Toronto Raptors: Chris Boucher (free agent), July 2018
  21. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (draft), June 2019
  22. Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland (draft), June 2019
  23. Brooklyn Nets: Nic Claxton (draft), June 2019
  24. Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac (trade), February 2019
  25. San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson (draft), June 2019
  26. Oklahoma City Thunder: Luguentz Dort (free agent), July 2019
  27. Utah Jazz: Jordan Clarkson (trade), December 2019
  28. Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart (draft trade), November 2020
  29. Houston Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate (free agent), November 2020
  30. Washington Wizards: Anthony Gill (free agent), November 2020

* Note: Bridges was a free agent for the entire 2022/23 season, but the Hornets retained his RFA rights during that time and brought him back for the following season, extending his tenure with the team. If we don’t count Bridges, Charlotte’s’ longest-tenured player is Cody Martin, who was selected in the 2019 draft.

While it’s a safe bet that many players on this list – especially a few near the top – will remain the same when we check in again during the summer of 2025, it’s a lock we’ll see some changes too. For instance, I’d be a little surprised if LaVine and Boucher are still members of the Bulls and Raptors, respectively, at this time next year. Clarkson and Tate are a couple others worth watching.

Which players do you expect to change teams and come off this list in the next 12 months?

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Minnesota Timberwolves

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Minnesota Timberwolves.


Free agent signings

  • Luka Garza: Two years, minimum salary ($4,512,184). Second-year team option. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Joe Ingles: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • PJ Dozier: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick) from the Spurs in exchange for the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick and the right to swap their 2030 first-round pick for the Timberwolves’ 2030 first-round pick (top-one protected).
  • Acquired the Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick (top-50 protected; from Grizzlies) and cash ($1MM; from Raptors) in a four-team trade in exchange for Wendell Moore (to Pistons) and the draft rights to Bobi Klintman (No. 37 pick; to Pistons).
  • Acquired either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Hornets/Nuggets), the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick for the Warriors’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash (from Warriors) in a six-team trade in exchange for Kyle Anderson (sign-and-trade; to Warriors).

Draft picks

  • 1-8: Rob Dillingham
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $28,491,575).
  • 1-27: Terrence Shannon
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $13,076,519).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and above the second tax apron ($188.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $205.6MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
  • One traded player exception available (worth $2,537,040).
  • Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $8,780,488).

The offseason so far

The Timberwolves’ proximity to the second tax apron hampered their ability to make roster moves this offseason, limiting them to minimum-salary offers for free agents and preventing them from aggregating contracts or taking back more salary than they sent out in trades.

Moving out of second-apron territory likely would’ve required the Wolves to part with one of their highest-paid impact players, an unappealing option after a run to to the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the front office decided to live with those second-apron restrictions and figure out how to replace three departing ball-handlers – point guards Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin, along with versatile wing Kyle Anderson – using limited resources.

Minnesota made its biggest offseason move on draft night, using its unprotected 2030 first-round pick and a lightly protected 2031 first-round swap to move into the lottery and then selecting Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 overall pick. It was a creative deal that cleverly circumvented the second apron restrictions — because the Wolves were acquiring Dillingham’s draft rights before he signed his rookie contract, he counted for $0 in incoming salary.

The Wolves also used their own pick – 27th overall – to select Terrence Shannon, another guard. Once viewed as a potential lottery pick, Shannon saw his stock affected by sexual assault allegations during his final college season, but he was found not guilty of all charges ahead of the draft.

Dillingham and Shannon won’t provide the sort of veteran savvy that Morris and McLaughlin brought to the table and may not be ready to play regular roles right away, but their youth, athleticism, and scoring ability will give the Wolves some real upside off the bench going forward.

While there’s hope that they’ll get something out of their rookies in 2024/25, the Wolves needed another insurance policy behind starting point guard Mike Conley, who will turn 37 before the regular season begins. The club turned to the free agent market and landed veteran forward Joe Ingles, who will be reuniting with former Jazz teammates Conley and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

Ingles’ skill set bears some similarities to Anderson’s — both players have the size to guard wings and forwards and can serve as secondary play-makers on offense. Even if the rookies don’t contribute immediately, the Wolves should have enough alternatives to Conley at the point, with Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Ingles all capable of operating with the ball in their hands.


Up next

The Timberwolves currently have 13 players on guaranteed salaries, with PJ Dozier penciled in as their 14th man on a partially guaranteed deal. With Dozier’s salary not fully locked in yet and one additional roster spot still available, Minnesota certainly has the flexibility to bring in one more player to fill out its regular season roster.

Still, the Wolves are way over the luxury tax line, so adding a 15th man or eating Dozier’s $1MM partial guarantee would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties than it would in base salary. With that in mind, I’d expect Minnesota to enter the season with Dozier as the 14th man and be prepared to make a change or add a 15th man only if it’s needed.

Gobert is the most notable extension candidate to monitor ahead of opening night — he holds a player option for the 2025/26 season, so he could reach unrestricted free agency as early as next summer.

Gobert is coming off a Defensive Player of the Year season, but I imagine the Wolves will approach extension talks cautiously rather than jumping headlong into another multiyear deal in the range of his current salary ($43.8MM in 2024/25). Minnesota’s cap situation is already somewhat precarious, with Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns on maximum-salary deals, and Gobert wasn’t exactly dominant in the Western Finals vs. Dallas or at the Paris Olympics, where he played limited minutes in a couple of France’s best wins.

Gobert will remain extension-eligible all season as long as his player option is replaced as part of a new deal, so the Wolves aren’t facing an October deadline to get something done.

Finally, while it’s worth keeping an eye on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight, the next step in that battle between Glen Taylor and the Marc Lore/Alex Rodriguez group won’t happen until after the season begins. An arbitration hearing is scheduled for November.

Community Shootaround: Best, Worst Big-Money Offseason Signings

Since the 2024/25 league year began, six free agents have signed contracts that are worth $100MM or more. Here are those six players, with their accompanying contract details:

  • OG Anunoby (Knicks): Five years, $212.5MM (fifth-year player option)
  • Paul George (Sixers): Four years, $211.6MM (fourth year player option)
  • Tyrese Maxey (Sixers): Five years, $203.9MM
  • Pascal Siakam (Pacers): Four years, $189MM
  • Immanuel Quickley (Raptors): Five years, $162.5MM (includes $12.5MM in unlikely incentives)
  • LeBron James (Lakers): Two years, $101.4MM (second-year player option)

On top of that, another 10 players have signed contract extensions exceeding $100MM in total value. Those 10 players – whose extensions will take effect in 2025/26, with one exception – are as follows:

  • Jayson Tatum (Celtics): Five years, $313.9MM (fifth-year player option) *
  • Scottie Barnes (Raptors): Five years, $224.2MM *
  • Cade Cunningham (Pistons): Five years, $224.2MM *
  • Evan Mobley (Cavaliers): Five years, $224.2MM *
  • Franz Wagner (Magic): Five years, $224.2MM *
  • Lauri Markkanen (Jazz): Four years, $195.9MM (includes an additional $24.1MM applied to 2024/25 cap hit, for a total of $220MM in new money)
  • Bam Adebayo (Heat): Three years, $165.3MM (third-year player option) *
    • Note: Extension begins in 2026/27.
  • Jalen Brunson (Knicks): Four years, $156.5MM (fourth-year player option)
  • Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers): Three years, $150.3MM (third-year player option) *

Contracts marked with an asterisk (*) include projected salary figures based on 10% cap increases for the next two seasons. Barnes’, Cunningham’s, Mobley’s, and Wagner’s contracts could be worth up to as much as $269.1MM if certain Rose Rule performance criteria are met.

Even with the NBA’s salary cap set to continue increasing at a pretty rapid rate in the coming years, these deals represent massive significant investments for their respective teams.

In some cases, those commitments were no-brainers. Maxey, for example, is 23 years old, made his first All-Star team last season, and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Paying him big money for his prime years was an easy decision for the Sixers.

Brunson’s $156.5MM contract with the Knicks is well below the maximum he could have earned if he had waited until free agency to sign a new deal. And after finishing fifth in MVP voting last season, the veteran point guard appeared to be on a maximum-salary trajectory, so New York presumably didn’t hesitate to sign off on that extension.

Some other deals on these lists carry more risk. Anunoby and George have worrisome injury histories, and George is 34 years old. Quickley, Cunningham, Mobley, and Wagner have never made an All-Star team (neither has Anunoby). James is turning 40 later this year, though he has shown no signs of slowing down and his two-year contract is the shortest-term deal in this group.

We want to know what you think. From a team’s perspective, which of these nine-figure contracts would you feel most comfortable carrying? Which one would make you the most nervous?

In two years, will any of these players find themselves in a situation like Zach LaVine‘s in Chicago (ie. a trade candidate whose contract is too onerous to move)? Or will some of these deals look like smarter investments in two years than they do now?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the most lucrative contracts of the 2024 offseason!

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Indiana Pacers

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Indiana Pacers.


Free agent signings

  • Pascal Siakam: Four years, maximum salary ($188,950,272). Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Obi Toppin: Four years, $58,000,000. Includes $2MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • James Wiseman: Two years, minimum salary ($4,784,366). First year partially guaranteed ($500,000). Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • James Johnson: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($750,000). Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Cole Swider: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Kyle Mangas: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Cameron McGriff: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35 pick) from the Spurs in exchange for the draft rights to Juan Nunez (No. 36 pick) and cash.

Draft picks

  • 2-35: Johnny Furphy
    • Signed to four-year, $8,589,485 contract. First three years fully guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.
  • 2-49: Tristen Newton
    • Signed to two-way contract.
  • 2-50: Enrique Freeman
    • Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Andrew Nembhard to a three-year, $58,650,480 veteran extension that begins in 2025/26. The first year of the extension replaces Nembhard’s $2,187,699 team option for ’25/26.

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $170.4MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $188,931,000.
  • Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.

The offseason so far

The Pacers finished with a solid but not spectacular 47-35 record last season and would have had to go through the play-in tournament to secure a playoff berth if not for a favorable tiebreaker that gave them the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Heading into the 2024/25 season, there are at least five teams (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland) widely believed to be ahead of Indiana in the East, and maybe one or two more, depending on how you feel about the Magic and Heat.

Still, this club is coming off an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, even without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton operating at full health. Of course, Haliburton was still able to suit up and play for most of the postseason, which is more than can be said for a few notable opposing players during the first two rounds, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Julius Randle. But the Pacers beat the teams in front of them in each of those two rounds and showed themselves to be a growing threat in the East.

The Pacers operated this offseason as if they’re confident last season’s results weren’t a mirage, investing heavily to bring back starting power forward Pascal Siakam (four years, maximum salary) and key reserve Obi Toppin (four years, $58MM, plus incentives).

As a result, Indiana’s team salary is hovering right around the luxury tax line, a threshold the small-market franchise rarely crosses. Barring another mid-season splash similar to last year’s Siakam acquisition, the Pacers should be able to remain out of the tax for at least this season, but with a couple rotation players due for raises next season, that may not be the case for much longer, assuming the club wants to continue pushing toward title contention.

Outside of their significant long-term investments in Siakam and Toppin, the Pacers’ front office mostly shopped in the bargain bin this summer. That included taking a flier on former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who signed a partially guaranteed minimum-salary contract covering the next two seasons. With Jalen Smith departing in free agency, Isaiah Jackson will likely get the first shot to be Myles Turner‘s primary backup at the five, but Wiseman should have the opportunity to show he deserves minutes in that role.

The Pacers didn’t have a first-round pick in 2024 as a result of last season’s Siakam trade, but they had three second-rounders in the 35-50 range. Two of those players, Tristen Newton and Enrique Freeman, will start their professional careers on two-way deals, while No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy has a spot on the 15-man roster.

A projected first-round pick who slipped to day two, Furphy is one of just two second-rounders in this year’s class to receive three fully guaranteed years on his first NBA contract, signaling that the Pacers are high on him. Indiana has a good recent track record of finding gems near the end of the first round (Ben Sheppard) or the start of the second round (Andrew Nembhard) — we’ll see if Furphy can join that group.

Speaking of Nembhard, he signed a new three-year extension that replaces his minimum-salary team option for 2025/26 and tacks on two new years beyond that. The $58.7MM the Pacers gave him is the most they could have offered on a veteran extension for those three years.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a reliable rotation piece and played some of the best basketball of his career in the Eastern Finals with Haliburton sidelined. Still, it was a little surprising to see the terms of his new deal, as it would’ve made more sense for the Pacers to begin Nembhard’s extension after his ’25/26 team option in order to keep him on that bargain contract for one additional season.

On the other hand, it’s possible Nembhard wouldn’t have agreed to that structure, and while Indiana could have waited a year to sign him to the same extension, the team likely didn’t want to risk making the mistake Dallas did with Jalen Brunson. The Pacers guard may not have Brunson’s upside, but if Haliburton misses extended time at any point in the next season or two, Nembhard could thrive in a larger role and significantly increase his value. Locking him up sooner rather than later allows the Pacers to avoid a scenario in which his price tag soars by 2026.


Up next

After extending Nembhard, the Pacers will have to weigh whether or not to reward another important part of their backcourt rotation with a new deal — T.J. McConnell is extension-eligible as he enters a contract year.

McConnell will turn 33 during the upcoming season and may not be part of the long-term plan in Indiana, but he has posted very strong numbers (9.4 PPG, 5.4 APG, .550/.427/.823 shooting) in a reserve role over the past two seasons. He began last season out of the rotation, but ultimately proved so invaluable off the bench that he ended up earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in the spring.

I expect Indiana to make a strong effort to lock up McConnell for another year or two beyond 2024/25 as long as the price is in the neighborhood of his current $9.3MM salary. Mike Conley‘s two-year, $20.75MM contract with Minnesota could serve as a useful point of comparison in negotiations — Conley is a starter for the Wolves, but he’s also nearly five years older than McConnell.

The Pacers’ top two centers – Turner and Jackson – are also entering contract years, but Turner, who signed his last contract midway through the 2022/23 season, won’t be extension-eligible this season, so Indiana can’t get anything done with him before he reaches unrestricted free agency.

Jackson is extension-eligible until October 21 and may be in line for an increased role in his fourth year, but he averaged a career-low 13.1 MPG last season. I’d be surprised if the cap-conscious Pacers aggressively pursue a long-term deal for him this fall.

Indiana will have some questions at the back of their roster to answer before the regular season begins. The team is currently carrying just 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Wiseman and James Johnson on partially guaranteed deals and Kendall Brown and Cole Swider on non-guaranteed contracts.

Those partial guarantees probably give Wiseman and Johnson the inside track for spots on the roster. The Pacers certainly aren’t obligated to carry a full 15-man squad entering opening night, but if they do, Brown may have to hold off camp invitee Swider for the final spot.

Traded Second-Round Picks For 2025 NBA Draft

We’re using the space below to keep tabs on each NBA team’s second round pick for 2025, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year. Our list of traded first-round picks for 2025 can be found right here.

We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its second round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on protections for each traded pick, including what happens to the pick in 2026 if it doesn’t change hands in 2025.

Here’s the full breakdown on the status of each 2025 second-round pick:


Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics: Traded to Knicks or Magic.
    • The Knicks will receive the most favorable pick of the Celtics’ and Grizzlies’ second-rounders; the Magic will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • Brooklyn Nets: Own pick.
  • New York Knicks: Own pick.
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Possibly traded to Hornets.
    • The Sixers will receive the more favorable pick of the Sixers’ and Nuggets’ second-rounders; the Hornets will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • Toronto Raptors: Traded to Pistons.

Central

  • Chicago Bulls: Traded to Kings.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Own pick.
  • Detroit Pistons: Traded to Celtics, Mavericks, Wizards, Knicks, Bucks, or Grizzlies.
    • Details outlined at bottom of article.
  • Indiana Pacers: Own pick.
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Cavaliers.

Southeast

  • Atlanta Hawks: Traded to Trail Blazers or Thunder.
    • The Trail Blazers will receive this pick if it lands between 31-40; the Thunder will receive if it lands between 41-59. The Hawks’ obligation to whichever team doesn’t receive the pick will be extinguished.
  • Charlotte Hornets: Traded to Pacers (top-55 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Hornets will keep it and their obligation to the Pacers will be extinguished.
  • Miami Heat: Traded to Pacers or Warriors.
    • The Pacers will receive this pick if it lands between 31-37; the Warriors will receive if it lands between 38-59. The Heat’s obligation to whichever team doesn’t receive the pick will be extinguished.
  • Orlando Magic: Own pick.
  • Washington Wizards: Possibly traded to Celtics or Mavericks.
    • Details outlined at bottom of article.

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets: Traded to Sixers or Hornets.
    • The Sixers will receive the more favorable pick of the Nuggets’ and Sixers’ second-rounders; the Hornets will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Clippers.
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Traded to Grizzlies or Rockets.
    • The Grizzlies will receive the more favorable pick of the Thunder’s and Rockets’ second-rounders; the Rockets will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Traded to Raptors.
  • Utah Jazz: Traded to Timberwolves.

Pacific

  • Golden State Warriors: Traded to Celtics, Mavericks, Wizards, Bucks, or Grizzlies.
    • Details outlined at bottom of article.
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Traded to Jazz.
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Own pick.
  • Phoenix Suns: Traded to Wizards, Bucks, or Grizzlies.
  • Sacramento Kings: Traded to Bulls.

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks: Traded to Celtics or Jazz.
    • Details outlined at bottom of article.
  • Houston Rockets: Traded swap rights to Grizzlies.
    • The Grizzlies will receive the more favorable pick of the Rockets’ and Thunder’s second-rounders; the Rockets will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Traded to Knicks or Magic.
    • The Knicks will receive the more favorable pick of the Grizzlies’ and Celtics’ second-rounders; the Magic will receive the least favorable of the two.
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Traded to Hornets.
  • San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.

Here are the details on how the Pistons‘, Wizards‘, Warriors‘, and Mavericks‘ second-round picks will be distributed:

The Celtics will receive the most favorable of the following picks:

  1. The Wizards’ second-round pick.
  2. The Warriors’ second-round pick.
  3. The Mavericks’ second-round pick.
  4. The Pistons’ second-round pick (56-59 protected).

The Jazz will receive the least favorable of the following picks:

  1. The Mavericks’ second-round pick.
  2. The most favorable of the Wizards’ second-round pick, the Warriors’ second-round pick, and the Pistons’ second-round pick (56-59 protected).

(Note: The following language remains tentative for now.)

The Wizards will receive the most favorable of the following picks, while the Bucks will receive the second-most favorable and the Grizzlies will receive the least favorable:

  1. The Suns’ second-round pick.
  2. The least favorable of the Wizards’ second-round pick and the Warriors’ second-round pick.
  3. The least favorable of the following picks:
    • The more favorable of the Wizards’ second-round pick and the Warriors’ second-round pick.
    • The Pistons’ second-round pick (56-59 protected).

If the Pistons’ pick lands in the 56-59 range, it will be sent to the Knicks. In that scenario, the Bucks would receive the more favorable of the first two picks listed above and the Grizzlies would receive the least favorable of the two.


Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.