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Scotto’s Latest: Jones, Kennard, Martin, Okogie, Knicks, Shamet, Klintman

July 12th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers are showing interest in free agent guard Tyus Jones in sign-and-trade scenarios, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports in his latest around-the-league notebook.

While this is just speculation on Scotto’s part, the Clippers could look to use some combination of the expiring contracts of P.J. Tucker and Russell Westbrook or draft compensation and Bones Hyland in sign-and-trade scenarios for the Wizards guard.

Jones, our No. 15-ranked free agent, averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists per game last season while shooting 48.9% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc.

We have more from Scotto:

The leaguewide expectation is that Luke Kennard will return to the Grizzlies after the organization declined his team option before free agency, Scotto writes. Kennard averaged 11.0 PPG on 45.0% shooting from deep last season.
As we noted earlier Friday, it’s likely the Sixers look to use newly signed KJ Martin‘s contract as a trade chip when he becomes eligible to be moved on Jan. 15. The Sixers could trade for a player making $14MM if they packaged Martin alongside three minimum-salary players in a trade.
The Suns gave Josh Okogie a similar deal to what Martin got and could also look to utilize his salary as a trade chip, Scotto reports. However, unlike Martin, Okogie’s deal can’t be aggregated with other players on Phoenix’s roster due to the team’s position relative to the second tax apron.
The Knicks are trying to add both size and shooting to their roster this offseason, Scotto writes. Davis Bertans has previously been mentioned as an option for the Knicks, and they’re also expressing interest in free agent guard Landry Shamet. As reported, New York has shown interest in Walker Kessler but Utah’s asking price remains high. Meanwhile, Precious Achiuwa remains open to a return to New York.
Outside of the Knicks, Scotto reports that Shamet has drawn “exploratory interest” from the Bucks, Heat and Timberwolves. A return to the Wizards isn’t out of the question either.
The Pistons are attempting to finalize a contract with their No. 37 overall pick Bobi Klintman. Klintman is expected to end up on the 15-man roster on a multiyear contract, according to Scotto. The Pistons were intrigued by his size and shooting ability and are hoping to have him on a standard deal.

Bucks Guarantee A.J. Green’s Salary For 2024/25

July 10th, 2024 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have guaranteed A.J. Green‘s $2,120,693 salary for the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

As our list of early salary guarantee dates shows, Milwaukee would have had to waive Green by July 8 in order to avoid being on the hook for his minimum salary for ’24/25. Scotto’s reporting is confirmation that the two sides didn’t agree to push back that date.

Green, who went undrafted out of Northern Iowa in 2022, caught on with the Bucks on a two-way contract in July 2022 and was promoted to the standard roster on a new multiyear deal one year later. He played sparingly as a rookie, but saw a little more action in his second season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game across 56 appearances off the bench.

A long-distance marksman, the 24-year-old has made 41.2% of his career three-point attempts (113-of-274). The Bucks lost their top three-point shooter (Malik Beasley) in free agency, so they may lean more heavily on Green in his third NBA season for floor-spacing purposes.

With Green’s salary now locked in, the Bucks are carrying 13 standard guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, with second-year guard Andre Jackson holding a partial guarantee on his minimum-salary deal. All three of their two-way contract slots are occupied.

As for Green, he remains under contract for one more season beyond this one — his $2.3MM salary for ’25/26 would become guaranteed if he’s not waived by July 8, 2025.

Bucks Sign Taurean Prince To One-Year Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Bucks have officially signed Prince, according to a team press release.

JULY 3: Free agent forward Taurean Prince intends to sign a contract with the Bucks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), it’s a one-year deal.

Milwaukee isn’t currently in position to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to any outside free agents due to its proximity to the second tax apron, so this figures to be a minimum-salary agreement.

Prince, 30, signed a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the Lakers last season and played a significant rotation role in Los Angeles — his 49 starts and 27.0 minutes per game represented his highest marks since the 2019/20 season. He appeared in 78 games overall, averaging 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per night, with a .396 3PT%.

While Prince was perhaps leaned on too heavily as a starter in L.A., he’s a solid three-and-D reserve who figures to play a regular role off the bench for the Bucks in 2024/25.

The move will reunite him with Darvin Ham, the former Lakers head coach who trusted him with those significant minutes last season. Ham, who was also an assistant in Atlanta from 2016-18 at the start of Prince’s career with the Hawks, is now part of Doc Rivers‘ coaching staff in Milwaukee.

A minimum-salary deal for Prince will pay him a salary of $2,988,550 and will count against the Bucks’ cap for $2,087,519.

Southwest Notes: Ingram, Grizzlies, Barnes, Spurs

July 8th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks were considered a possible trade suitor for Brandon Ingram this offseason, but they ended up not having much interest in giving the forward his next contract or surrendering either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu in a trade with the Pelicans, league sources tell William Guillory of The Athletic.

As a result, the Pelicans and Hawks instead made a deal involving Dejounte Murray that didn’t include Ingram or either of Atlanta’ centers. Now it’s unclear whether New Orleans will be able to find a trade partner for Ingram, who will be on an expiring contract in 2024/25.

According to Guillory, both the Pelicans and Ingram would prefer not to go into training camp without an extension, since it may become a distraction. That could mean New Orleans will be looking to complete a trade by late September, but it also doesn’t sound like a new contract for the former All-Star is out of the question. Guillory cites “some optimism within the building” that Ingram and the Pelicans could work out an extension below the max that leaves both sides happy.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Grizzlies have officially announced Taylor Jenkins‘ new-look coaching staff for the 2024/25 season (Twitter link). Anthony Carter and Patrick St. Andrews are the only returning assistants, though one newcomer (Jason March) had been coaching the Memphis Hustle, while another (Erik Schmidt) was the Grizzlies’ head video coordinator. Joe Boylan (formerly of the Timberwolves), Patrick Mutombo (from the Bucks), Tuomas Iisalo (Paris Basketball), and Noah LaRoche are the other additions. Former assistants Blake Ahearn, Brad Jones, Scoonie Penn, Sonia Raman, and Vitaly Potapenko have all been replaced, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
LJ Ellis of SpursTalk shares his thoughts on the Spurs‘ impending acquisition of Harrison Barnes, explains why he likes the fit and why he expects the veteran forward to be a starter in San Antonio. As Ellis notes, more minor roster moves will be necessary to open up enough cap room to accommodate Barnes’ incoming salary, so he’s reluctant to give his final assessment of the deal until it’s clear what those moves will be.
As Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News points out (via Twitter), the Spurs wouldn’t have been in position to add both Barnes and Chris Paul if they had kept the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, which carried a cap hit of $6.26MM.

Heat Re-Sign Haywood Highsmith

July 8th, 2024 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

5:25pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.

12:10pm: The Heat have agreed to re-sign free agent forward Haywood Highsmith, agent Jerry Dianis tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Highsmith will receive a two-year, $11MM deal to remain in Miami, per Wojnarowski. The full amount is guaranteed, with no team or player option on the second year, Woj adds (Twitter link).

“We’ve been consistent with Miami with how Haywood felt,” Dianis told Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). “And we felt he wanted to be in Miami. This deal memorializes that.”

Highsmith, who is 6’7″ with a seven-foot wingspan, earned a rotation role in Miami over the last two seasons due primarily due to his defense. However, he has gradually developed into more of a threat on the offensive end, having set new career highs in points per game (6.1), field-goal percentage (46.5%), and three-point percentage (39.6%) while averaging 20.7 minutes per contest across 66 games (26 starts) in 2023/24.

The No. 36 free agent on our top-50 list, Highsmith reportedly drew interest from rival suitors during free agency. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the Bucks and Suns – both of whom were limited to minimum-salary offers – were among the teams pursuing the 27-year-old, with Damian Lillard joining Milwaukee’s recruiting efforts.

However, Highsmith had spoken multiple times in the spring about his desire to remain in Miami. The Heat were limited in their ability to offer much more than the two-year, $11MM contract they put on the table due to their proximity to the second tax apron — and their desire to remain below that apron.

According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), the club projects to have about $1.5MM in breathing room below the second apron, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts. That suggests, barring additional roster moves, that the 15th roster spot may remain open entering the season.

Bucks Sign Tyler Smith To Four-Year Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Smith signed a four-year, $7.9MM contract that will be guaranteed for the first two seasons, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The $7.9MM total indicates that the forward will receive the rookie minimum salary, minimizing the impact on Milwaukee’s projected tax bill.

JULY 5: The Bucks have officially signed second-round pick Tyler Smith to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The Bucks didn’t reveal any additional details, but the league’s transaction log indicates it’s a standard deal rather than a two-way, which is no surprise for a No. 33 overall pick. Milwaukee will have used the second-round pick exception to complete the signing, which means it’ll be either a three-year or four-year contract — either way, there will be a team option on the final season.

Smith, 19, was selected after spending the 2023/24 season with the G League Ignite. The 6’9″ forward averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game across 43 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Ignite. His shooting line was .474/.360/.732.

Smith spent time in the Overtime Elite program before joining the Ignite.

With Smith and first-rounder AJ Johnson now under contract and Delon Wright and Taurean Prince reportedly joining the team on free agent contracts, the Bucks project to have 14 roster spots filled. Of those 14 players, 12 are on guaranteed contracts, with A.J. Green on a non-guaranteed deal (until Monday) and Andre Jackson holding a partial guarantee.

Bucks Sign AJ Johnson To Rookie Contract

July 5th, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: Johnson’s contract with the Bucks will pay him approximately 114% of the standard rookie scale amount in the first season of the deal, a notch below the 120% max allowed, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). He’ll make $2,795,294 instead of $2,943,120, netting the Bucks nearly $150K in savings.

JULY 5: Bucks rookie AJ Johnson has officially signed his first NBA contract, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

A 6’5″ guard, Johnson was born and raised in California but opted against playing college basketball stateside. He spent the 2023/24 season in Australia’s National Basketball League, playing for the Illawarra Hawks as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program.

Johnson’s playing time was limited as a Hawk — he logged just 7.9 minutes per game across 25 contests, with averages of 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds and a shooting line of .355/.286/.538. However, he had a strong showing at the draft combine, intriguing teams within his athleticism, and is viewed as a player with plenty of upside. He won’t turn 19 until December, making him one of the NBA’s youngest players heading into next season.

As the No. 23 pick in the draft, Johnson will have a first-year salary of about $2.94MM and a four-year total of approximately $14.76MM if he signed for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale. While that has yet to be confirmed, it’s rare for a player to sign for less than 120%.

Half of this year’s 30 first-round picks have now formally signed their rookie scale contracts, as our tracker shows.

Eastern Notes: LaVine, Maxey, Vezenkov, Knicks, Prince

July 4th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Bulls continue to explore the trade market for a possible Zach LaVine deal, agent Rich Paul wants it known that his client is handling the situation professionally and isn’t agitating for a move or taking issue with the team’s actions, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“I want to make this clean and clear: This whole idea that Zach has been anything but professional in this situation is false,” Paul told Johnson over the phone. “This guy has played hurt. He has represented the franchise with class. A lot has taken place during his time with the Bulls and he’s taken the high road every time. Does every player get frustrated at times? Yes. But Zach has been the ultimate professional and deserves better. The Bulls have business to do. And we’re letting them handle their business.”

LaVine’s trade value is at an all-time low, primarily due to his contract — the three years and $138MM left on his deal look especially onerous in the NBA’s tax apron era. He’s also coming off foot surgery that ended his season in January, but Johnson reports that LaVine is healthy and going through his typical offseason routine after having beaten the estimated recovery timeline of four-to-six months following his procedure.

The Bulls have presented “upwards of 15” LaVine trade proposals to various teams this offseason, according to Johnson, who hears that the Kings and Golden State have shown the most interest in the two-time All-Star. However, the Warriors‘ imminent additions of De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson probably signal that they’re going in a different direction, Johnson acknowledges.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Speaking to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said management is “doing a good job so far” in free agency adding players who will help the team win, adding that he was happy his willingness to wait a year for his own long-term contract helped Philadelphia open up enough cap room to land Paul George. “When we talked about it last year, it’s a trust thing,” Maxey said. “I trusted (the front office), and I feel like it worked out for us so far. It’s a cool deal. I wasn’t too worried about it.”
Rumors about a possible return to Europe continue to swirl around Sasha Vezenkov. According to Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops, Vezenkov and his former EuroLeague team Olympiacos have agreed in principle on a lucrative long-term deal, but the 28-year-old forward remains under contract with the Raptors (with a $6.66MM cap hit in 2024/25), so his return to Greece would likely be contingent on negotiating a buyout with Toronto. Recent reporting indicated the Raptors expect Vezenkov to be with them in camp in the fall.
Ever since they agreed to an early version of the Mikal Bridges trade last week, the Knicks sought to expand it, making it clear to the Nets that they’d eventually circle back with more details, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Now that New York has amended the Bridges deal to ensure its hard cap is at the second apron instead of the first apron, Katz explores what’s next for the team, suggesting that re-signing Precious Achiuwa and adding another player using the taxpayer mid-level exception should be doable, assuming Achiuwa’s price is modest enough.
Following up on news that the Bucks have agreed to sign Taurean Prince, Eric Nehm of The Athletic considers what the veteran forward will bring to Milwaukee, opining that Prince looks like a good fit for the roster and should see regular minutes next season.

And-Ones: Porter, Pate, Adams, 2025 Mock, Ownership Changes

July 3rd, 2024 at 8:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Raptors forward Jontay Porter is being charged with a federal felony in connection to the sports betting scandal that caused him to be banned from the NBA in April, according to a report from The Associated Press.

While a specific court date and charges haven’t been specified, the case is known to be related to an existing charge of four men who schemed with a player to cash in on tips from said player (Porter) regarding his plans to exit two games early. The four men appeared in court in June, but haven’t yet entered pleas. They were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the AP.

The NBA’s investigation into Porter found that he tipped off those four men about his health and then exited one game with illness, causing anyone who bet his unders to cash in. He also gambled on games he didn’t play in, including against his own team.

Porter appeared in 26 games with the Raptors last season on a two-way contract. He is not permitted to sign another NBA contract, as per his ban.

We have more from around the basketball world:

With the G League Ignite shut down, projected 2025 first-round pick Dink Pate is signing with the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes for next season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Pate became the youngest professional basketball player last season at age 17 — he was not eligible for the 2024 draft because he doesn’t turn 19 until the 2025 calendar year. In 31 games with the Ignite last season, Pate averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest. The G League formally announced the move in a press release (Twitter link).
Alabama’s men’s basketball program is hiring Pistons assistant coach Brian Adams as an assistant under head coach Nate Oats, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Adams had NBA experience with both the Sixers and Clippers before joining Detroit midway through last season. He’s served as a collegiate assistant at Harvard and Marist as well.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg is ESPN’s top prospect for 2025, but a pair of Rutgers guards aren’t far behind in a mock draft from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (ESPN+ link). Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper sit at No. 2 and 3, respectively, in the mock, and are each currently viewed by some teams as the top prospect in the class. Givony and Woo name Pate, Duke’s Tyrese Proctor, South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles and UConn’s Alex Karaban as some of the top returning players to watch.
The NBA has made a change to its ownership rules, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov. Ownership groups are no longer allowed to have governors rotate control. The Bucks did this with Marc Lasry and Wes Edens, with Lasry serving as governor until he sold his share with Edens taking over in 2028. The Hornets are doing the same with Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. Those two franchises will be grandfathered in, according to Vorkunov, meaning they aren’t impacted by this rule change.

Rivers Has Finalized Coaching Staff

July 2nd, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have salary-cap issues and will have to rely more on their younger players to fill in the gaps. Coach Doc Rivers isn’t fazed by that prospect, he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We wanted young talent. We did,” Rivers said. “We think that skill development in our league is becoming more and more important. The more of the young talent you can get to bring up with the veteran talent, the better. And that’s what we’re going to do all summer. Free agency is here right now, and now we’re looking for other guys, more veterans, to add to the mix. I like the mix of guys I think we’re going to end up with and it’s exactly the ratio that we want right now.”
The Bucks have finalized their coaching staff, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. The Bucks have hired Darvin Ham, Greg Buckner, Jason Love and Spencer Rivers as additions to the staff this summer. Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Pete Dominguez, Joe Prunty and Vin Baker will remain on Rivers’ staff.
The Bucks are adding veteran guard Delon Wright on a one-year deal and Nehm takes a closer look at what he could bring to the rotation.