Hoops Rumors Originals

NBA 2020 Free Agency: Day 3 Recap

The third day of NBA’s 2020 free agency period didn’t feature quite as many fireworks as the first two — outside of the year’s first offer sheet, the most lucrative free agent agreement reached on Sunday was worth just $21MM.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

However, a series of trades and a pair of maximum-salary contract extensions helped keep things pretty interesting as the moratorium lifted and free agent deals began being officially finalized.

We’ll recap the day’s headlines in this space.


Here are Tuesday’s noteworthy free agent contract agreements:

  1. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks finalize four-year, $72MM offer sheet; Kings have until Tuesday night to match.
  2. Juan Hernangomez, Timberwolves agree to three-year, $21MM deal.
  3. Aron Baynes, Raptors agree to two-year, $14.3MM deal.
  4. Chris Boucher, Raptors agree to two-year, $13.5MM deal.
  5. Austin Rivers, Knicks agree to three-year, $10MM deal.
  6. Willie Cauley-Stein, Mavericks agree to two-year, $8.2MM deal.
  7. Jontay Porter, Grizzlies agree to three-year, $6MM deal.
  8. Marc Gasol, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
  9. Isaiah Hartenstein, Nuggets agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
  10. DeAndre’ Bembry, Raptors agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
  11. Damian Jones, Suns agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
  12. Kent Bazemore, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  13. E’Twaun Moore, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  14. Harry Giles, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  15. JaKarr Sampson, Pacers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  16. Willy Hernangomez, Pelicans agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  17. Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets agree to three-year deal (exact terms unknown).
  18. Bryn Forbes, Bucks agree to two-year deal (exact terms unknown).
  19. Sterling Brown, Rockets agree to one-year deal (exact terms unknown).
  20. Torrey Craig, Bucks agree to deal (terms unknown).
  21. Bismack Biyombo, Hornets agree to deal (terms unknown).

Here is today’s activity on the trade market:

  1. Lakers agree to trade JaVale McGee and their 2026 second-round pick to Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell.
  2. Knicks agree to trade Ed Davis to Timberwolves in exchange for Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, and a future second-round pick.
  3. Pacers agree to trade T.J. Leaf and a second-round pick to Thunder in exchange for Jalen Lecque.
  4. Sixers agree to trade Zhaire Smith to Pistons in exchange for Tony Bradley.
  5. Pistons and Nuggets turn Jerami Grant‘s three-year, $60MM deal with Detroit into a sign-and-trade, generating a trade exception for Denver worth about $9.5MM.
  6. Kenrich Williams, Josh Gray, and Zylan Cheatham will be signed-and-traded from the Pelicans to the Thunder in the ever-growing Steven Adams/Jrue Holiday trade that also involves the Bucks and Nuggets.
  7. Previously reported trades involving the Trail Blazers and Rockets, Warriors and Thunder, and Pistons and Jazz were officially completed.

Here are today’s contract extensions:

  1. Donovan Mitchell, Jazz agree to five-year, maximum-salary extension.
  2. Jayson Tatum, Celtics agree to five-year, maximum-salary extension.

These deals are essentially identical — they’ll be worth a projected $163MM (25% of the cap), but can be worth up to $195.6MM (30% of the cap) if Mitchell and/or Tatum earn All-NBA honors in 2021. They also each have a fifth-year player option.


Previously:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2020/21 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker

One of the most notable additions to the NBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, which went into effect at the start of the 2017/18 league year, is the two-way contract.

As we explain in depth in our FAQ, two-way contracts allow NBA teams to carry two extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular season roster. These players typically spend most of their time with the club’s G League affiliate, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises.

During the shortened 2020/21 season, two-way deals will work a little differently than usual. Rather than being limited to spending 45 days with their NBA teams, two-way players will be eligible to be active for up to 50 of their team’s 72 NBA games. And instead of having their salaries by how many days they spend in the NBA, they’ll receive flat salaries of $449,155.

NBA teams have begun to fill in their two-way slots for the 2020/21 league year, so we’ll track all those deals in the space below. Some two-way players from 2019/20 inked two-year contracts and remain under contract for this season, while others have been newly signed.

If a signing hasn’t been officially announced as a two-way contract, but has been reported as such, we’ll make a note of that, and update the info as necessary. Players who are in the first year of two-way contracts that cover two years (the maximum length), will be noted with an asterisk once that info is confirmed.

This tracker will continue to be updated throughout the 2020/21 league year, and can be found anytime in the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” menu on our mobile site.

Here are 2020/21’s two-way players:

Updated 7-13-21


Atlanta Hawks

  1. Nathan Knight, F/C
  2. Skylar Mays, G

Boston Celtics

  1. Tacko Fall, C
  2. Tremont Waters, PG

Brooklyn Nets

  1. Reggie Perry, PF
  2. Chris Chiozza, PG

Charlotte Hornets

  1. Nate Darling, SG
  2. Grant Riller, G

Chicago Bulls

  1. Devon Dotson, PG
  2. Adam Mokoka, SG

Cleveland Cavaliers

  1. Brodric Thomas, SG
  2. Jeremiah Martin, PG

Dallas Mavericks

  1. Tyler Bey, G/F
  2. Nate Hinton, SG

Denver Nuggets

  1. Markus Howard, PG
  2. Shaquille Harrison, PG

Detroit Pistons

  1. Saben Lee, PG
  2. Frank Jackson, PG

Golden State Warriors

  1. Nico Mannion, PG
  2. Jordan Bell, F/C

Houston Rockets

  1. Anthony Lamb, SF
  2. Armoni Brooks, SG

Indiana Pacers

  1. Cassius Stanley, SG
  2. Amida Brimah, C *

Los Angeles Clippers

  1. Amir Coffey, G/F
  2. Jay Scrubb, G/F *

Los Angeles Lakers

  1. Devontae Cacok, F/C
  2. Kostas Antetokounmpo, F

Memphis Grizzlies

  1. Killian Tillie, F/C
  2. Sean McDermott, G/F *

Miami Heat

  1. Gabe Vincent, PG
  2. Max Strus, G/F

Milwaukee Bucks

  1. Axel Toupane, SF
  2. Justin Jackson, SF

Minnesota Timberwolves

  1. Jordan McLaughlin, PG
  2. Empty

New Orleans Pelicans

  1. James Nunnally, SF
  2. Empty

New York Knicks

  1. Theo Pinson, G/F
  2. Jared Harper, PG

Oklahoma City Thunder

  1. Josh Hall, SF
  2. Jaylen Hoard, F

Orlando Magic

  1. Chasson Randle, PG
  2. Sindarius Thornwell, G

Philadelphia 76ers

  1. Rayjon Tucker, G/F
  2. Gary Clark, F

Phoenix Suns

  1. Ty-Shon Alexander, SG *
  2. Empty

Portland Trail Blazers

  1. Keljin Blevins, G/F
  2. T.J. Leaf, PF

Sacramento Kings

  1. Kyle Guy, G
  2. Louis King, SF

San Antonio Spurs

  1. Quinndary Weatherspoon, SG
  2. Keita Bates-Diop, F

Toronto Raptors

  1. Empty
  2. Empty

Utah Jazz

  1. Trent Forrest, G
  2. Jarrell Brantley, PF

Washington Wizards

  1. Garrison Mathews, SG
  2. Cassius Winston, PG

Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium at the place at the start of the 2020/21 league year lifts at 11:01am central time today, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, over the last two days, many of the players from our list of 2020’s top free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2020 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:

  1. Anthony Davis, F/C, Lakers
  2. Brandon Ingram, F, Pelicans (RFA)
  3. Bogdan Bogdanovic, G/F, Kings (RFA)
  4. Hassan Whiteside, C, Trail Blazers
  5. Dario Saric, F, Suns (RFA)
  6. Aron Baynes, C, Suns
  7. Bryn Forbes, G, Spurs
  8. Marc Gasol, C, Raptors
  9. Juan Hernangomez, F, Timberwolves (RFA)
  10. Kent Bazemore, F, Kings
  11. Markieff Morris, F, Lakers
  12. Langston Galloway, G, Pistons
  13. Harry Giles, C, Kings
  14. Reggie Jackson, G, Clippers

Several of the players listed in our honorable mention section – including Chris Boucher (RFA), Chris Chiozza (RFA), Torrey Craig, Shaquille Harrison, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Frank Kaminsky, Alex Len, Jordan McLaughlin (RFA), E’Twaun Moore, Shabazz Napier, Austin Rivers, and Glenn Robinson – also remain unsigned.

Plus, a few noteworthy veterans have hit the free agent market since we published our list, having cleared waivers after being released. That group includes Taj Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, and Wayne Ellington.

Now, while the idea that Davis and Ingram are still out there may seem tantalizing, the idea that either of those players will leave his current team is probably misguided. Davis has always planned to re-sign with the Lakers and simply intends to take his time before finalizing an agreement. It’s possible it won’t happen until after Thanksgiving, or even early December.

As for Ingram, his restricted status means the Pelicans would be able to match any offer he receives and the assumption is that the team would do so. The more likely scenario is that Ingram and New Orleans will simply work out their own maximum-salary agreement.

So if we’re considering the top free agents who are still legitimately available, the list probably starts with Bogdanovic. We’ll see if anything happens with him today once the moratorium ends — if he were to sign an offer sheet at that point with the Hawks (who are very interested), the clock would start immediately on the Kings, who would have two days to decide whether or not to match.

The complete list of available free agents can be found right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA 2020 Free Agency: Day 2 Recap

The list of available NBA free agents continued to shrink on Saturday, which was technically the first full day of 2020’s free agent period. Over two dozen more standard contracts were agreed upon over the course of the day.

Listed below are Saturday’s notable contract and news items. For the most part, 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 deals sometime after the moratorium ends on Sunday.


Here are Saturday’s noteworthy contract agreements and signings:

  1. Gordon Hayward, Hornets agree to four-year, $120MM deal.
  2. Fred VanVleet, Raptors agree to four-year, $85MM deal.
  3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers agree to three-year, $40MM deal.
  4. De’Anthony Melton, Grizzlies agree to four-year, $35MM deal.
  5. Jae Crowder, Suns agree to three-year, $29.2MM deal.
  6. D.J. Augustin, Bucks agree to three-year, $21MM deal.
  7. Serge Ibaka, Clippers agree to two-year, $19MM deal.
  8. Tristan Thompson, Celtics agree to two-year, $19MM deal.
  9. Rajon Rondo, Hawks agree to two-year, $15MM deal.
  10. Avery Bradley, Heat agree to two-year, $11.6MM deal.
  11. Jevon Carter, Suns agree to three-year, $11.5MM deal.
  12. Paul Millsap, Nuggets agree to one-year, $10MM deal.
  13. Kris Dunn, Hawks agree to two-year, $10MM deal.
  14. John Konchar, Grizzlies agree to four-year, $9MM deal.
  15. Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to two-year, $7.4MM deal.
  16. Michael Carter-Williams, Magic agree to two-year, $6MM deal.
  17. Elfrid Payton, Knicks agree to one-year, $5MM deal.
  18. Nerlens Noel, Knicks agree to one-year, $5MM deal.
  19. Denzel Valentine signs one-year, $4.64MM qualifying offer with Bulls.
  20. Gary Clark, Magic agree to two-year, $4.1MM deal.
  21. Maurice Harkless, Heat agree to one-year, $3.6MM deal.
  22. Brad Wanamaker, Warriors agree to one-year, $2.3MM deal.
  23. Wesley Iwundu, Mavericks agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
  24. Carmelo Anthony, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  25. Jeff Green, Nets agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  26. Raul Neto, Wizards agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
  27. Jeff Teague, Celtics agree to one-year deal (terms unknown).

Here are a few more of the day’s noteworthy headlines:

  1. The NBA and NBPA set a December 1 deadline for players with COVID-19 concerns to opt out of the 2020/21 season.
  2. The Warriors formally requested a disabled player exception in response to Klay Thompson‘s season-ending Achilles tear.
  3. The Hornets will use the stretch provision on Nicolas Batum to create the cap room necessary to sign Gordon Hayward… unless perhaps they can work out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Celtics.
  4. Bogdan Bogdanovic is one of the most popular free agents still on the market and is said to be receiving interest from the Hawks and possibly the Pacers.

Previously:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors’ 2020 NBA Free Agent Tracker

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 2020 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.

NBA 2020 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

An eventful opening night of the 2020 free agent period saw more than 30 NBA free agents reach agreements on deals, including six whose new contracts will be worth at least $60MM in overall value.

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 Sunday.


Here are today’s free agent agreements:

  1. Davis Bertans, Wizards agree to five-year, $80MM contract.
  2. Joe Harris, Nets agree to four-year, $75MM contract.
  3. Marcus Morris, Clippers agree to four-year, $64MM contract.
  4. Danilo Gallinari, Hawks agree to three-year, $61.5MM contract.
  5. Jerami Grant, Pistons agree to three-year, $60MM contract.
  6. Malik Beasley, Timberwolves agree to four-year, $60MM contract.
  7. Jordan Clarkson, Jazz agree to four-year, $52MM contract.
  8. Christian Wood, Rockets agree to three-year, $41MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  9. Goran Dragic, Heat agree to two-year, $37.4MM contract.
  10. Derrick Favors, Jazz agree to three-year, $27MM contract.
  11. Jakob Poeltl, Spurs agree to three-year, $27MM contract.
  12. Mason Plumlee, Pistons agree to three-year, $25MM contract.
  13. Rodney Hood, Trail Blazers agree to two-year, $21MM contract.
  14. Meyers Leonard, Heat agree to two-year, $20MM contract.
  15. Montrezl Harrell, Lakers agree to two-year, $19MM contract.
  16. Derrick Jones, Trail Blazers agree to two-year, $19MM contract.
  17. Justin Holiday, Pacers agree to three-year, $18MM contract.
  18. JaMychal Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $15MM contract.
  19. Trey Burke, Mavericks agree to three-year, $10MM contract.
  20. Pat Connaughton, Bucks agree to two-year, $8.3MM contract.
  21. Alec Burks, Knicks agree to one-year, $6MM contract.
  22. Garrett Temple, Bulls agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
  23. Wesley Matthews, Lakers agree to one-year, $3.6MM contract.
  24. Drew Eubanks, Spurs agree to three-year, minimum-salary contract.
  25. Jahlil Okafor, Pistons agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  26. Dwayne Bacon, Magic agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  27. Dwight Howard, Sixers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  28. Udonis Haslem, Heat agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  29. Patrick Patterson, Clippers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  30. Facundo Campazzo, Nuggets agree to two-year contract (terms unknown).
  31. Josh Jackson, Pistons agree to two-year contract (terms unknown).
  32. Anthony Gill, Wizards agree to two-year contract (terms unknown).
  33. Robin Lopez, Wizards agree to one-year contract (terms unknown).
  34. James Ennis, Magic agree to one-year contract (terms unknown).

Today’s trades are trickier to round up, since most of them involved adding new parts to previously agreed-upon deals. Here’s a recap of what happened:

  1. The Thunder are sending Steven Adams to New Orleans as part of the Jrue Holiday deal between the Pelicans and Bucks. We still don’t know all the moving parts involved in that one, but Oklahoma City will acquire – you guessed it – more draft picks.
  2. The Thunder, Mavericks, and Pistons agreed to a three-team trade that sends Delon Wright to Detroit, James Johnson to Dallas, and Trevor Ariza, Justin Jackson, and draft compensation to Oklahoma City.
  3. The Pistons agreed to sign-and-trade Christian Wood to the Rockets as part of their previously agreed-upon deal involving Trevor Ariza (before Detroit reroutes him to OKC).
  4. The Trail Blazers officially acquired Enes Kanter from the Celtics, folding that deal into a Grizzlies/C’s draft-night agreement.
  5. The Timberwolves officially finalized their trade for Ricky Rubio.

Here are some of the day’s other major headlines:

  1. De’Aaron Fox and the Kings agreed to a five-year, maximum-salary extension (starts in 2021/22; projected value of between $163-196MM).
  2. Wizards point guard John Wall is reportedly seeking a trade out of Washington.
  3. The Raptors will play their home games in Tampa, Florida to start the 2020/21 season.
  4. The Rockets and Magic discussed a Russell Westbrook trade, but didn’t gain traction.
  5. Anthony Davis will take his time signing his new contract with the Lakers.
  6. Davis is one of several players expected to sign maximum-salary contracts soon, along with Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell.
  7. Gordon Hayward is hoping to land a four-year, $100MM contract via a sign-and-trade to the Pacers.

Despite a busy Friday, there are still plenty of stories to watch over the course of the weekend — five of the top six free agents on our top-50 list don’t yet have new deals in place.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rookie Scale Salaries For 2020 NBA First-Round Picks

With the NBA’s salary cap set once again at $109,140,000 for the 2020/21 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure. While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2020’s first-round picks. Players will sign for these amounts unless they accept a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If they do, we’ll adjust their amounts below. Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Here’s the 2020 breakdown:

Player 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Total
Anthony Edwards $9,757,440 $10,245,480 $10,733,400 $13,534,817 $44,271,137
James Wiseman $8,730,240 $9,166,800 $9,603,360 $12,119,440 $39,619,840
LaMelo Ball $7,839,960 $8,231,760 $8,623,920 $10,900,635 $35,596,275
Patrick Williams $7,068,360 $7,422,000 $7,775,400 $9,835,881 $32,101,641
Isaac Okoro $6,400,920 $6,720,720 $7,040,880 $8,920,795 $29,083,315
Onyeka Okongwu $5,813,640 $6,104,280 $6,395,160 $8,109,063 $26,422,143
Killian Hayes $5,307,120 $5,572,680 $5,837,760 $7,413,955 $24,131,515
Obi Toppin $4,862,040 $5,105,160 $5,348,280 $6,803,012 $22,118,492
Deni Avdija $4,469,160 $4,692,840 $4,916,160 $6,263,188 $20,341,348
Jalen Smith $4,245,720 $4,458,000 $4,670,160 $5,954,454 $19,328,334
Devin Vassell $4,033,440 $4,235,160 $4,437,000 $5,887,899 $18,593,499
Tyrese Haliburton $3,831,840 $4,023,600 $4,215,120 $5,808,435 $17,878,995
Kira Lewis Jr. $3,640,200 $3,822,240 $4,004,280 $5,722,116 $17,188,836
Aaron Nesmith $3,458,400 $3,631,200 $3,804,360 $5,634,257 $16,528,217
Cole Anthony $3,285,120 $3,449,400 $3,613,680 $5,539,771 $15,887,971
Isaiah Stewart $3,121,080 $3,277,080 $3,433,320 $5,266,713 $15,098,193
Aleksej Pokusevski $2,964,840 $3,113,160 $3,261,480 $5,009,633 $14,349,113
Josh Green $2,816,760 $2,957,520 $3,098,400 $4,765,339 $13,638,019
Saddiq Bey $2,689,920 $2,824,320 $2,959,080 $4,556,983 $13,030,303
Precious Achiuwa $2,582,160 $2,711,280 $2,840,160 $4,379,527 $12,513,127
Tyrese Maxey $2,478,840 $2,602,920 $2,726,880 $4,343,920 $12,152,560
Zeke Nnaji $2,379,840 $2,498,760 $2,617,800 $4,306,281 $11,802,681
Leandro Bolmaro * $2,284,800 $2,399,160 $2,513,040 $4,264,629 $11,461,629
RJ Hampton $2,193,480 $2,303,040 $2,412,840 $4,220,057 $11,129,417
Immanuel Quickley $2,105,520 $2,210,640 $2,316,240 $4,171,548 $10,803,948
Payton Pritchard $2,035,800 $2,137,440 $2,239,200 $4,037,278 $10,449,718
Udoka Azubuike $1,977,000 $2,075,880 $2,174,880 $3,923,484 $10,151,244
Jaden McDaniels $1,964,760 $2,063,280 $2,161,440 $3,901,399 $10,090,879
Malachi Flynn $1,950,600 $2,048,040 $2,145,720 $3,873,025 $10,017,385
Desmond Bane $1,936,440 $2,033,160 $2,130,240 $3,845,083 $9,944,923

* Bolmaro isn’t expected to sign his rookie contract this season.

2020 NBA Qualifying Offer Recap

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 players believed to be eligible to receive qualifying offers this season, with details on which players did and didn’t get them. Our list is based on information from RealGM’s official NBA transactions log, along with various reports and team announcements leading up to the November 19 deadline.

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 may 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. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Greg Whittington Eyeing NBA Deal

Free agent Greg Whittington is eyeing an NBA deal after spending the past three years overseas, he told Hoops Rumors in a phone interview.

Whittington, a 6-foot-9 forward, is expected to join the league for the 2020/21 season following impressive stints in Turkey and Israel over the past two years. Multiple contenders have expressed interest in his services, according to his agent, Jerry Dianis.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment. We worked hard to get here,” Whittington said. “We’ve received interest from multiple teams, but we have one on our list that could be the one. I’m just trying to keep my focus and keep working hard. Whatever we do in free agency, I just want to bring that championship-level attitude to a team, help them win and keep working.”

For Whittington, 27, a return to the NBA would mark his first stint in America since helping the Sioux Falls Skyforce — G League affiliate of the Heat — win a championship during the 2015/16 season. This past year, he posted averages of 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 14 EuroCup contests with Galatasaray, shooting an impressive 52.8% from 3-point range. He also received both forward of the year and All-EuroCup All-Imports Team honors.

The season before, he averaged a respectable 18.4 points per game in Israel, shooting 41.5% from deep while leading the country in rebounding (9.6 per contest). His consistent play has intrigued NBA teams as free agency nears.

“Greg’s performed in the brightest of lights and received top-of-the-line accolades this past year,” Dianis said. “Because of his versatility — a 6-foot-9, jumbo wing that could play on both sides of the ball — he’s ready to contribute to an NBA roster today.

“Greg’s a flat-out hooper. There’s not much on the basketball court he can’t do.”

Whittington spent the offseason working on his strength, three-point shooting and ball-handling, he said, and will enter unrestricted free agency without any buyout provisions. The veteran forward turned down offers from multiple overseas teams during the summer, formally declaring his intentions for the NBA.

“During my time overseas, I learned that the culture changes everywhere in life,” Whittington said. “And then, on the court, you have to be focused and bring it every night. You figure out quickly that some leagues are just as tough as being in the NBA — they don’t have a three-second violation, for example. Everybody’s (in the paint) helping. 

“I’ve matured by learning how to sharpen up my moves, be quicker and not take too much time. Getting to your spot before the defense could help, because they’re already there to help (overseas). So I learned that you have to be one or two steps ahead of the defense at every moment.”

Whittington is expected to take the next step in his basketball journey during free agency. He went undrafted back in 2015 after spending two seasons at Georgetown, later joining the Heat for Summer League and attending training camp with the team that fall. In addition to Turkey, he’s also held stints in Australia, Sioux Falls, Japan and Israel, carrying what he’s learned throughout every stop in his career.

Free agency is set to open on Friday at 5:00pm CT, with players allowed to sign their respective contracts starting Sunday at 11:01am. The 2020/21 regular season will tip-off on December 22.

Top 50 NBA Free Agents Of 2020

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

Listed below are our top 50 free agents for the 2020/21 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 2020/21 season, a veteran like Goran Dragic would likely place higher, while younger free agents with upside, such as Dragic’s teammate Derrick Jones, 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 2020:


1. Anthony Davis, F/C, Lakers
There’s no mystery about where this year’s top free agent will sign. After winning a title during his first year in Los Angeles, Davis opted out of his contract, but only so that he can ink a new contract with the Lakers that increases his salary and potentially locks him in for multiple years.

2. Brandon Ingram, F, Pelicans (RFA)
Besides Davis, Ingram is the only 2020 All-Star eligible for free agency this offseason. And like Davis, he’s unlikely to go anywhere. The Pelicans have the right to match any offer sheet Ingram signs, and will certainly bring him back after a breakout season in which he averaged a career-best 23.8 PPG.

3. Fred VanVleet, G, Raptors
VanVleet has only started 82 games in his NBA career, but has emerged as one of the most popular free agents of 2020. That’s partly due to a lack of star power on this year’s market, but also because of the impressive step forward he has taken since the 2019 postseason. He established new career highs in several categories in 2019/20, including PPG (17.6) and APG (6.6).

4. Gordon Hayward, F, Celtics
At one point, Hayward looked like a lock to exercise his $34.2MM player option for 2020/21. The fact that he turned down that option suggests he’s pretty confident he’ll land a lucrative long-term deal on the open market, either from Boston or another team. We’ll trust his confidence. If Hayward doesn’t sign a three- or four-year contract with an overall guarantee that doubles – or even triples – the amount of his option, I’d be surprised.

5. Danilo Gallinari, F, Thunder
Gallinari has battled injuries at times during his 12-year NBA career, but has been relatively healthy and very productive during the last couple seasons. A 41.8% shooter from beyond the arc over the last two years, the 32-year-old will appeal to teams looking for a frontcourt player who can stretch the floor without being a major defensive liability.

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