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Hornets Waive Kai Jones

October 11th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have waived former first-round pick Kai Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team confirmed the news in a press release.

Jones had been away from the Hornets – with no timetable for a return – for personal reasons. The decision for him not to attend training camp was made after the 22-year-old made a series of unusual social media posts, calling out some of his teammates in a handful of tweets and videos.

The No. 19 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game across 67 total appearances in his first two professional seasons. He had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23.

A 6’11” big man from the Bahamas, Jones publicly requested a trade a couple days ago. The Hornets decided to release him instead, and they will be on the hook for his full $3,047,880 salary for 2023/24 if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Charlotte also declined its fourth-year team option on Jones — worth $4,693,735 — as part of the move.

Charlotte originally acquired Jones’ rights in a draft-night trade with the Knicks. The first-round pick the Hornets sent New York as part of that deal still hasn’t conveyed and will be lottery-protected in 2024 and 2025. If it hasn’t conveyed by then, it will turn into two second-round picks.

As our roster count shows, the Hornets now have 20 players under contract, with all three two-way slots filled.

It’s worth noting that the Hornets have three players — Edmond Sumner (Exhibit 9), Frank Ntilikina ($200K partial guarantee) and JT Thor — on non-guaranteed contracts, not counting their players on Exhibit 10 deals. The odds of all three players making the opening night roster likely increased now that Jones is out of the picture, since Charlotte only has 12 players on guaranteed standard deals.

Klay Thompson “Absolutely” Wants To Spend Rest Of Career With Warriors

October 11th, 2023 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

If he doesn’t sign a contract extension between now and next June 30, Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2024.

However, speaking to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Thompson downplayed any urgency in his contract situation, suggesting that “it’s not going to be a thing” and expressing a strong desire to remain in Golden State for the rest of this career.

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else,” Thompson said. “To play for one franchise, man? That’s so rare. In any sport. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Australian Rules Football. To play for one club is insane. It’s some real legendary stuff. Even what Udonis Haslem did. He’s revered in Miami. Locally. That’s what I cherish.

“Going around the country, going around the world and people from Northern California or Warriors fans in general are just so prideful about the Warriors. And I was here before banners were hung up. So in a way, it’s our baby. You want to ride it out. I’ve just been so lucky to be a part of this franchise. It’d be so hard to envision myself in another uniform.”

Thompson will earn $43.22MM in 2023/24, the final season of the five-year, $190MM contract he signed in 2019. It’s unclear exactly what his next deal might look like. His maximum salary projects to be upwards of $50MM, but he’s extremely unlikely to command the max as he enters his age-34 season.

As Slater writes, Thompson won’t be looking to squeeze every possible dollar out of the Warriors when the two sides negotiate an extension. Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green accepted pay cuts when they signed their latest contracts with the team, but each also received a four-year, nine-figure commitment and a player option. Thompson and the Warriors could reach a similar compromise.

“I know if I just do my job and I’m in shape and I compete at my highest level, I’m going to make money in this league for a long time,” Thompson said. “So I don’t worry about it. I’m blessed beyond measure. Obviously you want to make the most in the window you have as an athlete. But I’m not going to let that get in the way of winning a championship. When you win, everything else will be taken care of.”

Because he’s on an expiring contract, Thompson will remain extension-eligible throughout the regular season even if he and the Warriors don’t reach an agreement before opening night.

Hornets’ James Bouknight To Undergo Left Knee Surgery

October 10th, 2023 at 6:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets guard James Bouknight will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to address a meniscus injury in his left knee, the team announced in a press release.

The third-year guard suffered the injury on Thursday during a training camp practice. Bouknight will be reevaluated in four weeks.

It’s a huge setback for the 2021 lottery pick out of UConn, who has disappointed during his first two NBA seasons. He appeared in just 34 games last season off the bench after seeing action in 31 games as a rookie. He’s averaged 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 12.6 minutes per game during his two-year career.

Bouknight came to camp without a clear role. He’s not guaranteed any money beyond this season. The Hornets must decide this month whether to pick up their $6MM rookie scale option on Bouknight for the 2024/25 campaign.

That seems even more unlikely now that he won’t be available at the start of this season.

Celtics Sign Payton Pritchard To Four-Year Extension

October 10th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 10: Pritchard’s contract extension is now official, the Celtics have announced in a press release.

“In addition to his great skill, Payton brings toughness, resiliency, and diligence that collectively elevate the room,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “We are excited that he chose to extend with the Celtics and look forward to what’s ahead.”

OCTOBER 8: The Celtics and guard Payton Pritchard are in agreement on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $30MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, Wojnarowski adds.

The 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Pritchard had a promising rookie season, averaging 7.7 points per game with a .440/.411/.889 shooting line in 66 contests (19.2 MPG). He had his role cut back in his second and third seasons though — in 2022/23, he played just 13.4 minutes per night, averaging 5.6 PPG on .412/.364/.750 shooting.

Due to his declining role, Pritchard admitted back in February that he had hoped to be traded at the deadline to a team that intended to use him more. However, following the offseason trades of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, the 25-year-old is expected to have an expanded role in a new-look Boston backcourt behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

Pritchard is apparently confident enough in his new role to sign a long-term deal with the Celtics well in advance of the October 23 deadline for rookie scale extensions. The former Oregon guard has only earned only approximately $6.4MM in his first three NBA seasons and will make $4.04MM in 2023/24, so it certainly makes sense that he’d want to lock in a contract that guarantees him $30MM, exponentially increasing his career earnings.

While Pritchard’s numbers to date have been modest, the Celtics are taking a calculated risk that he’ll increase his value in 2023/24 as he comes off a stint with the USA Select Team and receives a minutes bump. By deciding to extend him in advance of a possible breakout year, Boston now won’t have to worry about warding off potential suitors for Pritchard in restricted free agency next summer.

Pritchard’s new deal will further increase a Celtics payroll that appears likely to go well beyond the luxury tax line again in 2024/25, with big-money cap hits for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, White, and Al Horford already on the books. The club also reportedly has interest in negotiating an extension with Holiday, who holds a $39.4MM player option for ’24/25.

As our extension tracker shows, Pritchard is the seventh player to agree to a rookie scale extension in 2023, joining LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Desmond Bane, Devin Vassell, and Isaiah Stewart. A total of 20 more players are still eligible to sign a rookie scale extension by Oct. 23.

Former NBA Coach Brendan Malone Passes Away

October 10th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA head coach Brendan Malone has passed away at age 81, the Nuggets announced today (via Twitter). He was the father of current Denver head coach Michael Malone.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the passing of longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone, who holds a special place amongst the organization and will be a Denver Nugget forever,” the team said in a statement. “Coach Brendan Malone was a great man who left behind a great legacy in the world of basketball, but he will be remembered even more for the amazing husband, father, son, and grandfather that he was and the profound impact he had on the friends, family, and colleague who were lucky enough to know him.

“Our thoughts are with the entire Malone family and all of Brendan’s loved ones who are feeling this loss today.”

The elder Malone, who spent a decade as a coach at the NCAA level before moving to the NBA, was hired by the Knicks as an assistant in 1986 and then joined the Pistons in 1988. He was part of two championship teams in Detroit under Chuck Daly in 1989 and 1990 and helped to establish the Pistons’ “Jordan Rules” to thwart Michael Jordan and the Bulls in those postseasons. Malone eventually left Detroit for Toronto, where he was the first head coach of the expansion Raptors in 1995/96.

Following a one-year stint in Toronto, Malone was an assistant for most of the next decade with the Knicks, Pacers, and Cavaliers. He also briefly served as Cleveland’s interim head coach in 2005, then was an assistant with the Magic from 2007-12 and with the Pistons from 2014-16.

Brendan was hired by the Kings in 2013 as an assistant under his son Michael, but stepped down just before the start of that season.

We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Brendan’s friends and family.

Hornets’ Kai Jones Requests Trade

October 9th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets big man Kai Jones has submitted a trade request, he announced on social media (Twitter link).

Jones is indefinitely away from the Hornets — with no timetable for a return — due to personal reasons. That announcement came after the 22-year-old made a series of strange social media posts, including calling out some of his teammates.

A former first-round pick (19th overall in 2021), Jones has averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 total games with the Hornets (9.1 minutes per night). He has had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23.

Jones will earn a guaranteed $3.05MM this season after the Hornets picked up their third-year option on his rookie scale contract last fall. However, based on recent events and his limited role during his first two seasons, it’s looking extremely unlikely that they will pick up his $4.69MM option for 2024/25.

It’s hard to envision any type of trade market materializing for Jones’ services at this point. Charlotte waiving him outright seems more plausible, given his modest contributions and odd behavior.

He also may face a fine from the NBA for making a public trade request.

USA Basketball Aggressively Pursuing Jrue Holiday For Olympics

October 8th, 2023 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jrue Holiday has had a whirlwind offseason. The new Celtics point guard now has something else to ponder — a spot on Team USA’s roster for the Olympics.

USA Basketball is aggressively pursuing Holiday to return to Team USA and play in Paris, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Holiday, 33, is still mulling whether to accept the offer. There are 12 coveted spots on Team USA’s Olympic roster.

USA Basketball is trying to bounce back from this summer’s disappointing showing in the FIBA World Cup, in which it failed to win a medal. Many of the country’s star players skipped the World Cup.

USA Basketball officials considered Holiday the second-most-impactful player, after Kevin Durant, on the 2021 gold medal team. Holiday’s on-ball defense, play-making and leadership are among the factors behind USA Basketball’s recruitment, Wojnarowski adds.

The Olympic team is expected to include LeBron James, Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum, if they accept invitations. Some other star players who publicly volunteered recently won’t be extended invitations, according to Wojnarowski. There’s no timetable on a Holiday decision.

Holiday, of course, has other things on his mind as he tries to adapt to another Eastern Conference contender. He was traded twice in recent weeks, first to Portland from Milwaukee in the Damian Lillard blockbuster and then to the Celtics.

Celtics’ Jay Scrubb Suffers Torn ACL

October 8th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics reserve Jay Scrubb suffered a torn right ACL during practice on Saturday, the team’s PR department tweets.

Scrubb, a second-round pick in 2020, signed a two-way contract with Boston in mid-July after a strong Summer League showing. He averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in those four games.

A 23-year-old guard, Scrubb finished last season with the Magic after signing a two-way contract in late March. He was waived in June.

Scrubb appeared in two games for Orlando late in the season, but spent most of his time in the G League. He averaged 22.2 points for the Lakeland Magic over 28 games, including 25 starts.

He previously played for the Clippers, appearing in a total 22 NBA games over two seasons.

Kawhi: Confident About Clippers Extension But No Rush

October 7th, 2023 at 5:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has been extension-eligible for a few months, but a new deal has yet to come together.

When Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times asked Leonard about the topic, he said he has a “good” relationship with the team’s front office and expressed confidence that an extension will eventually be reached, though it certainly doesn’t sound imminent (Twitter link).

“For sure,” Leonard said. “It hasn’t even been nothing that we’ve been rushing on their side, or my side. So, we’re good.”

Leonard, 32, can become a free agent next summer if he declines his $48.8MM player option for 2024/25. He will earn $45.6MM this season.

If Leonard signs an extension during the ’23/24 season, he would have to decline his ’24/25 player option as part of the agreement. He could make more money if he goes that route, assuming he’s offered another max deal.

A five-time All-NBA member, two-time Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Leonard has been excellent for the Clippers when healthy, averaging a combined 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals on .496/.396/.881 shooting in 33.3 minutes per game. During the playoffs, he has been even better, averaging 29.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 5.1 APG and 2.2 SPG on .528/.375/.871 shooting in 26 games (39.3 MPG).

The problem, of course, is that Leonard has been injured for much of his tenure with Los Angeles. He has appeared in just 161 of a possible 308 regular season games in four years with the Clippers, having missed the entire ’21/22 season with a partially torn right ACL.

Leonard sustained a torn meniscus in the same knee during last season’s playoffs, which required another surgery, but is “fully healthy” entering ’23/24.

Fellow star wing Paul George also holds a ’24/25 player option and is extension-eligible. He recently confirmed he has discussed a new deal with the Clippers but said there was work to be done to reach an agreement.

Booth: Nuggets Preparing For Potential Super-Max Deal For Murray

October 7th, 2023 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is one of the players who would become eligible for a super-max veteran extension – worth 35% of the cap instead of 30% – if he earns All-NBA honors in 2023/24.

On the surface, that seems like a long shot for Murray, who has never received a single All-NBA vote, let alone made one of the three end-of-season teams. However, speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, general manager Calvin Booth said the Nuggets believe Murray can and will secure an All-NBA berth this season, suggesting that the organization is looking ahead to giving him a super-max contract extension.

“He’s really focused and locked in. I think he’s going to have a big season. We’re anticipating that we’re probably paying him the super-max. He’ll probably make All-NBA,” Booth said. “Everybody knows it’s out there, so we might as well talk about it. He obviously knows that carrot is out there for him. But more than the financial reward for it, he’s a competitor. I definitely think, even if he doesn’t say it out loud, that will definitely be on his mind and will be approaching the season that way.”

The Nuggets are already on the hook for one super-max contract for two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Adding a second one to their long-term payroll would reduce their financial flexibility going forward and would mean dedicating a significant portion of their cap to two players. Still, Booth’s comments to Medina make it sound like Denver would be open to offering a super-max extension if Murray qualifies for one.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a hit to our salary cap, but I love seeing people reach their potential when they play the way he can,” Booth said. “So if he accomplishes a goal and makes All-NBA, I know Josh [Kroenke] and Mr. K [Stan Kroenke] are big Jamal guys. So, we’ll step up and do what we need to do.”

Murray is currently eligible to sign a three-year extension that could be worth up to 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap (with 8% annual raises). If he claims a spot on an All-NBA team this season, he’d be eligible next summer to sign a five-year extension that begins at 35% of the ’25/26 cap.

We don’t yet where exactly the cap will land for that season, but the total value of Murray’s extension could double if he waits until 2024 and receives a super-max deal. With that in mind, it’s no surprise then that a recent report indicated the 26-year-old likely wouldn’t sign a new extension before the season.

Murray will likely have to make a statistical leap in 2023/24 to earn an All-NBA nod. He has had some memorable postseason runs – including this past spring, when he averaged 26.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per night in 20 games en route to a title – but his regular season numbers have never been quite that gaudy. Last season, he put up 20.0 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .454/.398/.833 shooting.

It’s also worth noting that Murray will have to appear in at least 65 games to qualify for All-NBA honors. Last season, his first one back following a torn ACL that forced him to miss all of 2021/22, he appeared in exactly 65.