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Leftover Details On Draft Picks Traded This Summer

August 14th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been over a month since most of this summer’s trades were finalized and more than two weeks since any deal was completed. However, RealGM has updated its invaluable tracker of traded draft picks with new details on some of the picks that changed hands this offseason that we hadn’t seen reported anywhere else.

Here are a few of the clarifications and new details from RealGM’s list that we’d been keeping an eye out for:

The 2025 second-rounders in the six-team Klay Thompson trade

The Hornets created some confusion on July 6 when they announced in a press release that their part of the first ever six-team trade involved sending Philadelphia’s 2025 second-round pick to the Nuggets, which didn’t align with reporting leading up to the deal or with the Mavericks‘ press release announcing the move.

Based on reports out of Minnesota and Denver, we were able to piece together the details, which RealGM has confirmed. Charlotte did send that pick to Denver, but the Nuggets flipped it within the same transaction — the Mavericks will receive the most favorable of the Nuggets’ and Sixers’ 2025 second-rounders, while the Timberwolves will get the least favorable of the two.

To clarify, prior to the trade, the Nuggets controlled their own 2025 second-round pick and Charlotte controlled the Sixers’ 2025 second-rounder, but those picks have essentially now been paired together to create most/least favorable terms for Dallas and Minnesota. I don’t recall ever seeing picks from two separate teams combined like that in a single transaction, but I suppose it wouldn’t be a six-team trade if we weren’t seeing something new.

The Spurs’ 2031 first-round swap rights

The swap rights the Spurs acquired in the three-team DeMar DeRozan trade will allow San Antonio to swap its own 2031 first-round pick for the Kings‘ 2031 first-rounder.

San Antonio had previously acquired the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick, so I’d thought the Spurs might be able to swap the least favorable of those two picks for the Kings’ selection, essentially getting the two most favorable of those three picks. But the Minnesota pick won’t be involved in those swap rights at all — the Spurs will simply acquire it separately.

The Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick

The 2030 second-round pick that the Timberwolves acquired from the Grizzlies in the four-team trade involving Wendell Moore and a series of 2024 second-rounders is top-50 protected. That pick was previously said to be protected, but I hadn’t seen the specific details of that protection reported until now.

If that pick falls between 51-60, Minnesota will get it. Otherwise, the Grizzlies will keep it and their obligation to the Wolves will be extinguished.

You can find the full details on all of this offseason’s trades right here.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Brooklyn Nets

August 14th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

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 Brooklyn Nets.

Free agent signings

  • Nic Claxton: Four years, $97,000,000. Includes $3,000,000 in incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Shake Milton: Three years, $9,162,405. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using Non-Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Knicks.
  • Keon Johnson: Two years, minimum salary ($4,512,814). First year partially guaranteed ($250,000). Second-year team option. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Trendon Watford: One year, $2,726,603. Accepted qualifying offer.

Trades

  • Reacquired their own 2026 first-round pick and control of their own 2025 first-round pick (negating the Rockets’ right to swap either their own 2025 first-rounder or the Thunder’s 2025 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s pick) from the Rockets in exchange for the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick, either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable), swap rights for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick, and swap rights for either the Mavericks’ or Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Acquired Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, swap rights for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ own 2025 second-round pick from the Knicks in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Acquired Ziaire Williams and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick from the Grizzlies in exchange for Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic.

Draft picks

  • None

Two-way signings

  • None

Departed/unsigned free agents

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $167.6MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
  • Five traded player exceptions available (largest worth $23,300,000).

The offseason so far

The Nets attempted to remain competitive after trading away James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving in 2022 and 2023, but after closing the 2022/23 season on a 13-17 run, then posting a 32-50 record in ’23/24, the club had no way to meaningfully improve this summer, with no picks in this year’s draft and no cap room available. Rather than risk getting stuck in the middle for the next several years, management decided to take a step back and go into full rebuilding mode.

That meant trading three-and-D standout Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn’s most valuable player. Perhaps even more importantly, it meant reacquiring control of the Nets’ own 2025 and 2026 draft picks — the club had previously traded swap rights in 2025 and its unprotected 2026 pick to Houston, but paid a steep price (two future Suns first-rounders and two swaps) to get them back.

Without control of those picks, bottoming out in the next year or two wouldn’t have benefited the Nets at all, but now the club is in position to secure a high lottery pick in a loaded 2025 draft.

Brooklyn did make one major investment this offseason, re-signing starting center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97MM contract. Despite not being in win-now mode, retaining Claxton made sense for the Nets, who didn’t want to lose a promising young player for nothing and could probably trade the big man down the road for positive value. Claxton’s still just 25 years old though, so he could very well be part of the next contending team in Brooklyn.

Outside of locking up Claxton, the Nets’ offseason moves have either been minor transactions or have been focused on the future. In exchange for Bridges, Brooklyn received five first-round picks (four unprotected) and a pick swap from their cross-town rivals in New York, further replenishing a stash of draft assets that was depleted a few years ago when the Nets first traded for Harden. The Nets have loaded up since then by flipping Harden and moving Durant, Irving, and now Bridges.

While regaining control of their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from Houston was more important, it’s worth noting that the Nets also reacquired their 2025 second-rounder from the Knicks in the Bridges deal. If Brooklyn is among the NBA’s worst teams in 2024/25, that could be a top-35 selection.

Up next

The Nets have reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with a handful of free agents, most notably former lottery pick Killian Hayes. Villanova’s Mark Armstrong and Division II guard KJ Jones also reportedly agreed to sign with Brooklyn.

Even after those deals are officially finalized, the team will have a pair of openings on its 21-man offseason roster, but the squad already features 15 players on standard contracts, including 13 on guaranteed salaries. While Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson don’t have full guarantees, they appear more likely than not to make the regular season roster, which may be essentially set.

That projected 15-man roster could still undergo some changes if the Nets make another trade or two before the regular season begins. There has been no indication that anything is close, but talks could pick up again as training camps near, and Brooklyn has no shortage of veteran trade candidates — Ben Simmons, Dennis Schröder, and Bojan Bogdanovic are all on expiring contracts and may not have long-term futures with the franchise, though wings Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson would have more value on the trade market.

The Nets also have a pair of players eligible for rookie scale extensions, with former first-rounders Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe entering the final year of their rookie deals. I expect the front office to explore deals with both players. However, Brooklyn will be wary of overpaying either player ahead of restricted free agency, since Thomas has been a somewhat one-dimensional scorer (albeit a talented one) and Sharpe is a reserve who has never averaged more than 15.1 minutes per game in a season.

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Traded First-Round Picks For 2025 NBA Draft

August 13th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2025 NBA draft is still over 10 months away, but a number of teams have already traded away their first-round picks for ’25, and more clubs may do so before this season’s trade deadline.

We’ll use the space below to keep tabs on each team’s first-round pick for 2025, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year.

We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its first-round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on the 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 first-round pick:

Note: Teams marked with an asterisk (*) have traded away their 2026 first-round pick (either unprotected or with protection) and can’t freely trade away their 2025 first-rounder due to the Stepien Rule.

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics: Own pick.
  • Brooklyn Nets: Own pick.
  • New York Knicks: Traded to Nets (unprotected).
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Traded to Thunder (top-six protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Sixers would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected).
  • Toronto Raptors: Own pick.

Central

  • Chicago Bulls: Traded to Spurs (top-10 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Bulls would instead owe the Spurs their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected).
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Traded to Jazz (unprotected).
  • Detroit Pistons: Traded to Knicks (top-13 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Pistons would instead owe the Knicks their 2026 first-round pick (top-11 protected).
  • Indiana Pacers (*): Own pick.
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Nets (top-four protected) or Pelicans (5-30 protected).
    • The Bucks’ obligation to whichever team doesn’t receive this pick will be extinguished.

Southeast

  • Atlanta Hawks: Traded to Spurs (unprotected).
  • Charlotte Hornets: Traded to Spurs (top-14 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Hornets would instead send the Spurs their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.
  • Miami Heat: Traded to Thunder (top-14 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Heat would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (unprotected).
  • Orlando Magic: Own pick.
  • Washington Wizards: Traded to Knicks (top-10 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Wizards would instead owe the Knicks their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected).

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets: Traded to Magic (top-five protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Nuggets would instead owe the Magic their 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected).
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Jazz (unprotected).
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Own pick.
    • The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick. If the Rockets receive the Thunder’s pick, they would have the right to swap it to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Traded to Bulls (top-14 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Trail Blazers would instead owe the Bulls their 2026 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
  • Utah Jazz: Traded to Thunder (top-10 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Jazz would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected).

Pacific

  • Golden State Warriors: Own pick.
  • Los Angeles Clippers (*): Traded swap rights to Thunder.
    • The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick.
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Traded to Hawks (unprotected).
  • Phoenix Suns: Traded to Nets or Rockets (unprotected).
    • The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick; the Rockets have the right to swap whichever pick they end up with to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
  • Sacramento Kings: Traded to Hawks (top-12 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Kings would instead owe the Hawks their 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protected).

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks: Own pick.
  • Houston Rockets (*): Traded swap rights to Thunder (top-10 protected).
    • The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick; the Rockets have the right to swap whichever pick they end up with to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Own pick.
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Own pick.
  • San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.

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

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Pistons Only Team With Cap Room Remaining

August 13th, 2024 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the Jazz have used up their cap room by renegotiating Lauri Markkanen‘s contract and completing a series of minor signings, only one NBA team is still operating under the cap: Detroit.

The Pistons currently have a team salary of $130,348,501, giving them $10,239,499 in space below the cap ($140,588,000). They could increase that figure to nearly $18MM by waiving Paul Reed‘s non-guaranteed $7,723,000 salary, though there’s no indication they plan to do so.

With 14 players on standard contracts, the Pistons have an opening on their projected 15-man regular season roster for 2024/25 and could – in theory – make an aggressive offer to a free agent using their remaining cap room. But the unrestricted free agents who remain unsigned will likely end up on minimum-salary deals or something very close to it, so Detroit is unlikely to make a $10MM offer to any of them.

The lone standard restricted free agent, forward Isaac Okoro, makes sense as a target, given his age, defensive pedigree, and familiarity with new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who coached him in Cleveland. But there haven’t been any hints that the Pistons are considering an offer sheet for Okoro, and they’d probably have to waive Reed to put together an offer strong enough to dissuade the Cavs from matching.

In all likelihood, the Pistons will simply hold their remaining cap space open for now, keeping an eye on the trade market for opportunities that could net them additional assets, like their previous deals for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Wendell Moore.

In past years, it wasn’t unusual for teams to hold significant chunks of cap room open into the regular season, knowing they could use that space at the trade deadline to accommodate salary-dump deals. But the new CBA requires teams to spend up to at least the minimum salary floor before opening night — if they don’t, they lose that cap room and make themselves ineligible to receive the end-of-season payout from taxpaying teams. That’s likely one reason why the league-wide cap room has dried up so early in the year.

The minimum salary floor is $126.5MM this season, so the Pistons have surpassed that threshold.

While the Pistons are the only team with cap room available, clubs operating over the cap and well below the luxury tax line still have a good deal of flexibility to take on extra salary in trades due to the more generous salary-matching rules in the current CBA.

Those rules allow teams below the first tax apron to take back up to 200% of their outgoing salary (plus $250K) for any amount up to $7.5MM; the outgoing salary plus $7.5MM for any amount between $7.5MM and $29MM; and 125% of the outgoing salary (plus $250K) for any amount above $29MM.

For instance, if the Jazz were to trade Jordan Clarkson and his $14,092,577 salary, they could take back up to $21,592,577 (Clarkson’s salary, plus $7.5MM). By comparison, if the Pistons were to trade Hardaway ($16,193,183), they could take back up to $26,682,682 using their leftover cap room. That cap room certainly gives Detroit more financial flexibility in trade talks, but not necessarily significantly more.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Denver Nuggets

August 13th, 2024 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

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 Denver Nuggets.

Free agent signings

  • Dario Saric: Two years, $10,594,400. Second-year player option. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Russell Westbrook: Two years, minimum salary ($6,772,731). Second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Vlatko Cancar: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • DeAndre Jordan: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Gabe McGlothan: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jaylin Williams: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jahmir Young: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to DaRon Holmes (No. 22 pick) from the Suns in exchange for the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28 pick), the No. 56 pick in the 2024 draft, the Nuggets’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2031 second-round pick.
  • Acquired cash from the Hornets in a six-team trade in exchange for Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets’ 2025 second-round pick, the Nuggets’ 2029 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2030 second-round pick.

Draft picks

  • 1-22: DaRon Holmes
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $15,203,657).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

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 $182.6MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $188,931,000.
  • No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
  • One traded player exception available (worth $5,250,000).

The offseason so far

For a second consecutive offseason since winning a championship in June 2023, the Nuggets’ rotation took a major hit. After losing top reserves Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency a year ago, Denver saw starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope depart for Orlando this time around.

While it would be easy to cite the new tax apron rules as the reason why they couldn’t retain Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets had the ability to outbid the Magic for him without derailing the rest of their summer plans if they’d been willing to commit to a significant luxury tax bill. This ownership group has typically been averse to operating too deep into the tax, however, even with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in his prime and championship contention within reach.

Losing Caldwell-Pope allowed the Nuggets to free up their taxpayer mid-level exception, which they used to sign stretch forward/center Dario Saric. Saric is a solid role player who should play a role off the bench, but he won’t have the same kind of two-way impact that Caldwell-Pope has in recent years.

The Nuggets’ other major offseason addition was Russell Westbrook, who agreed to a two-year, minimum-salary deal (including a second-year player option) after being bought out by Utah. It remains to be seen how Westbrook will fit in Denver, but landing a former MVP and talented play-maker capable of breaking down defenses looks like a win for a team limited to minimum-salary offers.

Still, it’s fair to question the Nuggets’ offseason as a whole. Caldwell-Pope’s exit was a major blow, and the team’s work on the trade market raised eyebrows too — Denver surrendered a whopping six second-round picks in order to shed Reggie Jackson‘s expiring $5.25MM contract and to move up six spots in the first round to draft DaRon Holmes, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during his Summer League debut.

Even if Holmes had remained healthy, it’s unclear whether he would’ve been ready to play a major role as a rookie, so giving up all that future draft capital to select him and to move off a relatively small contract may not have been the best use of the Nuggets’ limited resources.

Denver also re-signed veteran center DeAndre Jordan, who played a limited role in 36 appearances last season, and forward Vlatko Cancar, who is coming off a torn ACL and didn’t play well for Slovenia in Olympic qualifiers this summer (he made just 3-of-19 shot attempts and was a -49 in three games). It’s possible the Nuggets will be able to get productive minutes from one or both big men, but expectations should be modest.

Up next

The Nuggets have 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts, three on two-way deals, and three more on Exhibit 10 pacts, so their roster looks set for the regular season.

The primary outstanding question in Denver this offseason is whether a lucrative new long-term contract for Jamal Murray will be finalized in the near future. A report in June indicated that Murray and the Nuggets were expected to come to terms on a four-year, maximum-salary extension that would begin in 2025/26 and would be worth nearly $208MM, based on the NBA’s latest cap projections.

Subsequent reporting indicating that the two sides would wait until after the Olympics to complete a new deal. Well, the Olympics are over, so are the Nuggets still planning to move forward on that maximum-salary extension? Presumably, we’ll get our answer soon.

That four-year extension is a worthwhile investment if Denver is getting the peak version of Murray, but he has battled injuries in recent years and certainly wasn’t at his best in the NBA playoffs (.402 FG%, .315 3PT%) or at the Olympics (.290 FG%, .143 3PT%).

I wouldn’t expect the Nuggets to get cold feet and back out of the deal completely, but with no formal agreement in place yet, maybe there’s some wiggle room for the team to protect itself a little with some injury language or a partially guaranteed final year. A fully guaranteed contract worth an average of $52MM annually for a player who has infamously never made an All-Star team would be risky and would create additional financial constraints for an organization already being affected by its high payroll.

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20 Players Remain Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions

August 12th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Four players have signed rookie scale extensions so far this offseason.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes was the first domino to fall, later being joined by Magic forward Franz Wagner, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley. All four received five-year, maximum-salary deals containing Rose rule language.

[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

That leaves a total of 20 players who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions, which can be signed up until the day before the start of the regular season. Those 20 players are as follows:

Some players on this list almost certainly won’t sign new contracts this offseason. Guys like Hyland, Duarte, Mitchell, Springer and Williams, for instance, haven’t yet established themselves as reliable rotation players who are worth long-term investments, so it would be pretty surprising if they were extended.

There are plenty of other viable extension candidates on this list though. Of these 20 players, Sengun probably has the strongest case for a lucrative multiyear commitment. The Turkish big man has also publicly expressed his desire to sign a long-term deal. But there has been speculation the Rockets might preserve cap flexibility for 2025 by not extending Sengun or Green, and one report stated both were unlikely to get max offers before the season begins.

Kuminga and Johnson are reportedly looking for max deals, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. While both forwards have flashed tantalizing two-way upside, neither player has a long track record of NBA success. Still, they’re certainly possibilities for nine-figure commitments.

Suggs, Murphy, Thomas and Giddey are among the other players listed who could receive lucrative extensions this offseason — there have been multiple reports stating that extending Murphy is a priority for New Orleans, though the two sides had “differing viewpoints” on the sharpshooter’s value in July.

Kispert, Aldama, Grimes, Moody, Mann, Jackson and Sharpe fall somewhere in the middle. I’d expect at least a couple of them to receive new contracts, but they likely won’t be for as much money.

Typically, after the first wave of slam-dunk rookie scale extension candidates sign their deals in early July, there isn’t a ton of action on this front until we get much closer to the October deadline. But we should expect several more deals to be completed in the fall — in each of the last four offseasons, at least 10 players have inked rookie scale extensions. If that trend continues, at least six of the 20 players above will have new deals in hand by the time the regular season tips off.

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Designated Veteran Contract

August 12th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s maximum salary is determined by a player’s years of NBA experience. Players with between zero and six seasons under their belts are eligible for a starting salary worth up to 25% of the salary cap. That figure increases to 30% for players with seven to nine years of NBA experience, and to 35% for players with 10+ years of service.

However, there are certain scenarios in which a player can achieve a higher maximum salary than his years of service dictate. When a player who would normally qualify for the 30% max becomes eligible for a starting salary worth up to 35% of the cap before he gains 10+ years of NBA experience, he can sign a Designated Veteran contract, also known as a “super-max” deal.

A player who has seven or eight years of NBA service with one or two years left on his contract becomes eligible for a Designated Veteran contract extension if he meets the required performance criteria. A Designated Veteran contract can also be signed by a player who is a free agent if he has eight or nine years of service and meets the required performance criteria.

However, a player can’t sign a Designated Veteran deal with a new team — only his current team. Additionally, if he has been traded at any time since his first four years in the NBA or previously changed teams via free agency at any point in his career, he becomes ineligible for such a deal.

That means players like Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, and Jalen Brunson would have had no path to becoming eligible for Designated Veteran deals with their current teams, but Brandon Ingram (who was traded during his first four seasons) could become eligible if he remains with the Pelicans and meets the performance criteria.

Speaking of that performance criteria, here’s what it looks like. At least one of the following must be a true for a player to be eligible to sign a Designated Veteran contract:

  • He was named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
  • He was named NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.
  • He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.

Given the exclusivity of the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, players who qualify for a Designated Veteran contract do so most often by earning All-NBA nods.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was the only player eligible to sign a Designated Veteran contract this offseason. Tatum actually met the performance criteria a year ago by making his second consecutive All-NBA team, but he only had six years of NBA service at the time. He was able to sign his super-max extension this offseason once he registered his seventh year of service.

Tatum was named an All-NBA first-teamer again in 2024, but would have been eligible even if he’d missed out on an All-NBA spot this year, since his nods in 2022 and 2023 ensured he’d made an All-NBA team in at least two of the past three seasons.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic are following in Tatum’s footsteps. Both players have made All-NBA teams in each of the past two seasons but still have just six years of service under their belts. They’ll meet the service time criteria next summer and will be eligible to sign Designated Veteran contract extensions in July 2025 whether or not they earn All-NBA honors in 2024/25.

As outlined above, if the Thunder were to trade Gilgeous-Alexander or the Mavericks were to trade Doncic, they would no longer be super-max eligible. But obviously those 2024 MVP finalists aren’t going anywhere in the next year.

While the Designated Veteran rule allows players with fewer than 10 years of NBA experience to qualify for contracts that begin at 35% of the cap instead of 30%, the “Rose Rule” allows players with fewer than seven years of service to qualify for contracts that begin at 30% of the cap instead of 25%.

Those are technically two separate rules, and we’ve discussed the Rose Rule at greater length in a separate glossary entry. However, they’re closely linked, and both types of contracts are sometimes referred to a “super-max” deals.

Here are a few other rules related to Designated Veteran contracts:

  • Even if a player qualifies for a Designated Veteran contract, his team isn’t obligated to start its extension offer at 35% of the cap. The player is eligible for a salary up to that amount, but the exact amount is still a matter for the two sides to negotiate. For example, after becoming super-max eligible in 2020, Rudy Gobert signed a contract with the Jazz that began at just over 31% of the cap.
  • A Designated Veteran extension can’t exceed six years, including the number of years left on the player’s contract. So if a player signs a Designated Veteran extension when he has two years left on his current contract, he could tack on four new years to that deal.
  • A player signing a Designated Veteran contract as a free agent can’t sign for more than five years.
  • A Designated Veteran extension can only be signed between the end of the July moratorium and the last day before the start of the regular season.
  • If a player signs a Designated Veteran contract, he is ineligible to be traded for one year.
  • Under the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team wasn’t permitted to carry more than two players on Designated Veteran contracts at a time. However, that rule didn’t carry over to the 2023 CBA and that limit no longer applies.

Our list of the players who have signed Designated Veteran contracts since their inception in 2017 can be found right here.

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.

Previous versions of this glossary entry were published in 2018 and 2023.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Boston Celtics

August 12th, 2024 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

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 Boston Celtics.

Free agent signings

  • Neemias Queta: Three years, minimum salary ($7,180,128). Second year partially guaranteed ($1,174,789). Third-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
  • Xavier Tillman: Two years, minimum salary ($4,784,366). Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Luke Kornet: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Tristan Enaruna: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Ron Harper Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • None

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Jayson Tatum to a five-year, super-max contract extension that begins in 2025/26. The deal includes a fifth-year player option and has a projected value of $313,933,410.
  • Signed Derrick White to a four-year, $118,048,000 contract extension that begins in 2025/26. The deal includes $7,840,000 in incentives and a 15% trade kicker.
  • Exercised Sam Hauser‘s 2024/25 team option ($2,092,344); signed Hauser to a four-year, $45,000,000 contract extension that begins in 2025/26.

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 $196.6MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
  • Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $2,019,706).

The offseason so far

The Celtics dominated the 2024/25 campaign, posting the NBA’s best regular season record (64-18) and net rating (+11.7) by a wide margin, then losing just three playoff games (no more than one in any series) en route to a league-record 18th championship.

It’s no surprise then that the front office’s strategy this offseason was simply to keep this group intact, especially since the team’s position relative to the tax aprons made it difficult to bring in outside help.

Of the seven Celtics players who reached free agency this offseason, five are back under contract with the team — big men Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta each returned on minimum-salary contracts, while Drew Peterson and JD Davison signed new two-way deals.

Little-used wing Svi Mykhailiuk is the only free agent to join a new team (Utah), while another reserve wing, Oshae Brissett, is the only one who remains unsigned. The Celtics still have one open 15-man roster spot, so it’s not out of the question that Brissett returns, but it looks like the team will be happy adding a pair of draft picks (Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson) to the back of the roster and entering the fall with that last spot still open.

Besides re-signing most of their own free agents, the Celtics agreed to long-term extensions with All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, All-Defensive guard Derrick White, and sharpshooting reserve Sam Hauser. With the exception of 38-year-old big man Al Horford, the Celtics’ top eight rotation players are now under contract for multiple seasons, with five of them locked up for at least the next four years.

It hasn’t been a perfect offseason in Boston. Top assistant Charles Lee left Joe Mazzulla‘s staff to take the head coaching job in Charlotte, and the Celtics’ majority ownership group put control of the franchise up for sale, raising some questions about the long-term feasibility of maintaining one of the NBA’s most expensive rosters, which will only get pricier in 2025/26 as many of those aforementioned extensions take effect.

For now though, the outlook in Boston remains overwhelming positive, with the Celtics poised to enter the 2024/25 season as the favorites to repeat.

Up next

It’s possible the Celtics’ offseason business is over. The team has 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, so the roster is regular-season-ready.

The only remaining extension-eligible player is fourth-year guard Jaden Springer, who probably hasn’t shown enough to warrant a long-term investment at this point. He logged just 7.6 minutes per game across 17 regular season appearances with the Celtics after being acquired from Philadelphia at the 2024 trade deadline, and only saw garbage-time action in four playoff contests.

With two open spot on Boston’s 21-man offseason roster, the team will probably bring in a couple more camp invitees on Exhibit 10 contracts. And maybe those players will even get the opportunity to compete for one of the two-way spots currently held by Davison or Peterson (I wouldn’t expect Watson, who holds the third two-way, to be cut before his rookie season).

But for the most part, a quiet fall should be in store for the Celtics, who will be eager to get their title defense underway this October.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Dallas Mavericks

August 10th, 2024 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

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 Dallas Mavericks.

Free agent signings

  • Klay Thompson: Three years, $50,000,000. Includes 15% trade kicker. Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Warriors.
  • Naji Marshall: Three years, $27,000,000. Includes 5% trade kicker. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Spencer Dinwiddie: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jazian Gortman: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Emanuel Miller: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jamarion Sharp: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Melvin Ajinca (No. 51 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (No. 58 pick), the draft rights to Petteri Koponen, and cash ($1MM).
  • Acquired Quentin Grimes from the Pistons in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr., the Raptors’ 2025 second-round pick, the Heat’s 2028 second-round pick, and either the Clippers’ or Hornets’ 2028 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Acquired Klay Thompson (sign-and-trade) and either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ second-round pick (whichever is more favorable in a six-team trade in exchange for Josh Green (to Hornets) and the Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick (to Sixers).

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and above the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $176.1MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Approximately $4.25MM of mid-level exception available; full bi-annual exception ($4.67MM) available.
  • Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $16,193,183).

The offseason so far

The vibes were good in Dallas after the Mavericks made an unexpected run to the NBA Finals this spring, with general manager Nico Harrison suggesting after the team’s loss to Boston that his plan was to simply keep the core intact and to find a way to re-sign starting small forward Derrick Jones.

The Mavs’ ability to give Jones a raise on his previous minimum-salary contract was limited because they only held his Non-Bird rights, but Harrison vowed that bringing back the talented defensive swingman was “priority 1A and 1B” for the organization.

When Dallas struck a deal to send Tim Hardaway Jr. and some future second-round picks to Detroit in exchange for Quentin Grimes, the team’s intentions looked pretty clear — having created nearly $12MM in extra cap flexibility as a result of that move, the Mavs gained the ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to re-sign Jones.

That didn’t happen though. Instead, Jones opted to sign a three-year, $30MM contract with the Clippers, prompting the Mavs to pivot to another free agent, Naji Marshall. Dallas used a portion of its MLE to bring in Marshall – a three-and-D forward – on a three-year, $27MM deal.

That signing hard-capped the Mavs at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2024/25 league year, but the front office wasn’t done wheeling and dealing yet. The club reached an agreement with the Warriors and Hornets on a three-team trade that would send Josh Green to Charlotte and Klay Thompson to Dallas on a three-year, $50MM contract. The move was eventually combined with a handful of other transactions and completed as a six-team deal.

When the dust settled, the Mavs had essentially replaced three wings – Jones, Hardaway, and Green – with three new ones in Thompson, Marshall, and Grimes. Thompson isn’t the perennial All-Star he once was, and Grimes is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season, but between Thompson’s shooting ability and Marshall’s and Grimes’ three-and-D skill sets, Dallas has a good chance to come out ahead in the series of wing swaps, strengthening a roster that just won the West.

The Mavs also brought back Spencer Dinwiddie, who had a down year with the Nets and Lakers in 2023/24, but thrived in Dallas during the one-year period from the 2022 trade deadline (when he was acquired in the deal sending Kristaps Porzingis to Washington) to the 2023 deadline (when he was sent out as part of the package for Kyrie Irving). A potential bargain on a minimum-salary deal, Dinwiddie will provide additional depth behind the star-studded backcourt of Irving and Luka Doncic.

Up next

The Mavericks have 15 players on standard contracts, but they’ll likely make a change to their 15th spot at some point before training camp. Reports throughout the summer have indicated that veteran forward Markieff Morris is expected to return to Dallas on a new deal.

A.J. Lawson, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, would almost certainly be waived if Morris officially re-signs, since he’s the clear 15th man and the Mavs don’t have enough flexibility below their hard cap to eat a guaranteed salary.

Dallas also still has a two-way slot available alongside Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards. It’s unclear if the Mavs have anyone specific in mind for that opening or if the team’s current Exhibit 10 players (Jazian Gortman, Emanuel Miller, and Jamarion Sharp) might get a chance to compete for that last two-way deal.

The Mavs have several players who are either already extension-eligible or will become eligible for new deals prior to opening night, though it’s possible none of them will sign contracts before the regular season tips off.

Maxi Kleber and P.J. Washington each have one more guaranteed season on their respective contracts after 2024/25, so there’s no urgency to work something out this year. Still, I’d expect Dallas to at least explore a long-term deal for Washington, who played very well in a significant role after being acquired from Charlotte in February.

Grimes, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension, has yet to suit up for the Mavs and will likely need to prove 2023/24 was an aberration before the team is willing to invest long-term in him. Doncic could technically sign an extension now, but despite meeting the performance criteria for a super-max contract, he needs to have one more year of experience under his belt to actually sign that super-max, so he’ll wait until 2025.

Third-year guard Jaden Hardy is an interesting extension candidate, but unlike the four aforementioned players, he’ll remain eligible for the entire 2024/25 season, not just until October 21, so the Mavs could postpone their decision on him until the winter or the spring.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Atlanta Hawks

August 9th, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Luke Adams

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 Atlanta Hawks.

Free agent signings

  • Cody Zeller: Three years, $11,025,000. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using Non-Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Pelicans.
  • Vit Krejci: Four years, $10,185,213. Second year partially guaranteed ($1.5MM). Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.

Trades

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $169.5MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
  • Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $25,266,266).

The offseason so far

The Hawks’ offseason began with a bang, as the team unexpectedly landed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, moving up nine spots from No. 10 in the pre-lottery odds.

In another year (say, 2023), that stroke of luck might’ve fundamentally changed the direction of the franchise. However, the 2024 draft class didn’t feature a generational prospect – or even a clear-cut top option – so moving up to first overall didn’t really alter Atlanta’s offseason goals. The team still had a backcourt situation to address, with either Dejounte Murray or Trae Young considered likely to be traded

It was ultimately Murray who was on the move, sent to the Pelicans in exchange for a package that included a promising young guard (Dyson Daniels), a useful role player (Larry Nance Jr.), a couple salary-matching pieces, and some draft assets.

While Atlanta made two more minor deals this summer, trade candidates like Young, Clint Capela, and De’Andre Hunter remain on the roster, with little indication that the club is aggressively looking to move any of them. And it was a quiet summer in free agency for the Hawks, whose only signings were Cody Zeller (part of the Murray deal via sign-and-trade) and Vit Krejci (who got a promotion after finishing last season on a two-way deal).

The Hawks now appear caught somewhere in between contending and rebuilding. With Young, Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and rising star Jalen Johnson on the roster, Atlanta isn’t about to bottom out, but there’s not enough talent spread throughout the rest of the roster to make the team a legit threat to win the Eastern Conference. The development of No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher will also require some patience, as he’s unlikely to become a high-level rotation player right away.

The Hawks’ roster underwent some changes this summer, but it still feels like more could be coming, either in the fall or at the 2025 trade deadline.

Up next

With Murray gone, I wouldn’t expect Young to go anywhere this summer or fall, but his situation will be worth monitoring going forward if the Hawks remain stuck in the middle. Capela is the more likely trade candidate in the short term, given that he’s entering a contract year and the club has his potential long-term replacement (23-year-old Onyeka Okongwu) under team control through 2028.

The Hawks currently have 15 players on guaranteed standard deals and are operating just under the tax line, so if they do make a deal, they won’t want to take on any extra salary. It wouldn’t be a surprise if this is the group they take into the regular season.

Even if that’s the case, there’s one more major contract situation to address: Johnson is eligible for a rookie scale extension up until October 21, the day before the regular season begins. And after a breakout year in which he averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 33.7 minutes per game across 56 contests, he’ll have some leverage in those negotiations.

On the latest episode of Yahoo Sports’ No Cap Room podcast (YouTube link), Jake Fischer indicated that the fourth-year forward is hoping for a maximum-salary deal and that his agency – Klutch Sports – will likely open negotiations with Atlanta by asking for that amount, if that hasn’t happened already.

“The Hawks made basically everyone available for trade since February besides him,” Fischer said. “So of course you’re going to be thinking, ‘Well, pay me that way.'”

Still, as Fischer points out, Johnson has had some injury issues and played an extremely limited role prior to the 2023/24 season, so the Hawks won’t just hand him a maximum-salary contract. If that’s his demand, he’ll likely reach restricted free agency in 2025 and have to show in ’24/25 that he’s worth that sort of investment. If he’s willing to compromise with the club, perhaps the two sides will work something out by this year’s Oct. 21 deadline.

No. 43 overall pick Nikola Djurisic‘s situation is also worth keeping an eye on. He’s one of the last remaining unsigned 2024 draftees, but he’s recovering from foot surgery and will miss the start of the season, while Atlanta doesn’t currently have a 15-man or two-way roster spot available.

It’d be easy enough for the Hawks to open up a two-way spot if that’s the plan for Djurisic, but he looks like a candidate to become a draft-and-stash prospect. That would mean spending the 2024/25 season either playing overseas or as a member of the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate.

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