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Brandon Ingram Not Expected To Pursue Extension This Offseason

September 13th, 2023 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Having signed his current five-year contract with the Pelicans during the 2020 offseason, Brandon Ingram became eligible for a veteran extension earlier this summer. However, multiple sources tell Christian Clark of NOLA.com that Ingram will wait until the 2024 offseason to explore a new deal with the team.

Ingram’s decision isn’t related to his desire to remain in New Orleans long-term — he’ll simply be eligible for a more lucrative extension next offseason than he is now, particularly if he makes an All-NBA team in 2023/24. Within the organization, there’s no “anxiety” about Ingram’s desire to hold off on contract talks until next summer, Clark notes.

Ingram will earn $33.8MM this coming season and a little over $36MM in 2024/25 before his current contract expires. He could sign a three-year extension this offseason that could be worth up to 30% of the ’25/26 cap. If we assume 10% salary cap increases for each of the next two seasons, that would work out to about $160MM.

If Ingram were to wait until next offseason to sign a new contract, his maximum extension would increase to a projected $221MM for four years (based on 10% annual cap increases). If he makes an All-NBA team and becomes eligible for a super-max contract, his maximum extension would jump to $334MM for five years (again, based on 10% cap increases).

There’s no guarantee that the Pelicans would be willing to make that substantial an offer when the time comes, but the fact that Ingram could lock in significantly more guaranteed money by waiting explains why he’s not rushing to sign an extension before the ’23/24 season begins. Once opening night arrives next month, Ingram will become ineligible to sign an extension until the start of the 2024 offseason.

An All-NBA season in 2023/24 is probably a long shot for a player who has made just one All-Star team through seven years in the league, but the fact that players must appear in at least 65 games this season to qualify for an All-NBA team could open up the door for someone like Ingram. Conversely, of course, Ingram himself hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since 2017, so the 26-year-old will need to stay healthier this year in order to have a chance to be an All-NBA candidate.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Ingram averaged a career-high 24.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per game (45 appearances) in 2022/23, posting a shooting line of .484/.390/.882.

Danny Green Signs One-Year Deal With Sixers

September 13th, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 13: Green has officially signed with the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 5: Free agent wing Danny Green has agreed to a one-year deal with the Sixers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Green gives the Sixers 20 players on their camp roster, including their reported camp deal with David Duke. The Sixers had 13 players with guaranteed deals — it’s likely Green accepted a veteran’s minimum contract, though it’s uncertain whether he got a full guarantee.

Green finished last season with the Cavaliers after he was bought out by the Rockets. Green was sent from Memphis to Houston at the trade deadline as a salary-matching piece.

Green spent most of the season recovering from an ACL tear and didn’t play at all until February 1. He averaged 14.3 minutes in three games with the Grizzlies and didn’t suit up for the Rockets. Green, 36, played eight regular-season games for the Cavaliers and also appeared in four games during the postseason.

Green, of course, has a history in Philadelphia. He played for the Sixers during the 2020/21 season and part of the following year.

The career 40% 3-point shooter gives the Sixers another veteran wing option.

NBA Board Of Governors Approves New Player Participation Policy

September 13th, 2023 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to approve new rules that will strengthen the league’s policy on resting players and will subject teams to fines for violating those rules, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The vote was unanimous, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

We briefly outlined these new rules on Monday when word initially broke that the NBA was planning to implement them. However, in an article worth reading in full, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who refers to the new rules as the “player participation policy,” provides a far more in-depth look at how exactly that new policy will function.

As Marks outlines, an NBA team will be subject to a fine if it rests a healthy “star” (defined as a player who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team during the previous three seasons) in any of the following scenarios:

If it rests a star player in a game that is nationally televised or in an in-season tournament game.
If it rests more than one star is in the same game.
If it rests a star in a road game instead of a home game (teams must maintain a balance between the two, with the preference being for rest days to occur in home games).
If it shuts down a healthy star for an extended period of time (ie. if a tanking team stops playing one if its star players down the stretch).
If a star who is being rested is not on the bench and visible to fans.

A team will be fined $100K for its first violation of this policy, $250K for its second violation, and $1.25MM for a third violation, per Marks. Fines for additional violations would continue to increase by $1MM in each instance.

The NBA will permit certain exceptions, as Marks outlines, particularly in back-to-back scenarios. If a player meets certain age/experience benchmarks (35 years old on opening night; 34,000+ career regular minutes; or 1,000 career regular season and playoff games) or has an injury history that will require load management, a team can ask the league for permission to rest that player for one of the two games in a back-to-back set.

The NBA would still require the star player to be active for the nationally televised or in-season tournament game in this scenario, unless both games in the back-to-back are on national TV.

Absences for personal reasons or certain other unusual circumstances will also be permitted, per Marks. End-of-season flexibility is another exception worth noting — for example, a team that has clinched its playoff seed may receive approval to rest more than one star in its regular season finale.

The NBA will have the ability to launch an investigation and conduct an independent medical review if it suspects a team is listing a healthy star player out due to a dubious injury. For instance, if the new policy had been in place last season when the Wizards shut down Bradley Beal for the last 10 games of last season due to “knee soreness,” the league may have looked into that, Marks explains.

The league also has the right to investigate in other scenarios, such as recurring one-game road absences for a star player or a case where there are inconsistent public statements about a star’s status.

The list of which players qualify as “stars” will constantly be changing as new All-Star and All-NBA teams are announced, but here are the players who meet the criteria entering the 2023/24 season, per Marks:

Trae Young (Hawks)
Dejounte Murray (Hawks)
Ben Simmons (Nets)
Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) *
Zach LaVine (Bulls)
Nikola Vucevic (Bulls)
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
Darius Garland (Cavaliers)
Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Stephen Curry (Warriors) *
Draymond Green (Warriors)
Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)
Chris Paul (Warriors) *
Fred VanVleet (Rockets)
Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
Paul George (Clippers)
LeBron James (Lakers) *
Anthony Davis (Lakers)
Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
Jimmy Butler (Heat)
Bam Adebayo (Heat)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Jrue Holiday (Bucks)
Khris Middleton (Bucks)
Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
Mike Conley (Timberwolves) *
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
Julius Randle (Knicks)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
Joel Embiid (Sixers)
James Harden (Sixers) *
Bradley Beal (Suns)
Devin Booker (Suns)
Kevin Durant (Suns) *
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
Domantas Sabonis (Kings)
De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)

Note: The players marked with an asterisk (*) will either be 35 years old on opening night or have accumulated 34,000+ career regular minutes or 1,000 career regular season and playoff games, making them potentially eligible for pre-approved rest nights on back-to-backs.

The NBA has officially released the full policy right here.

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Kings Waive Nerlens Noel, Neemias Queta

September 12th, 2023 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:12pm: The duo has officially been waived, according to a team press release.

5:02pm: The Kings are waiving centers Nerlens Noel and Neemias Queta, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Both big men were signed by Sacramento this offseason to partially guaranteed one-year deals, but the Kings subsequently signed JaVale McGee to a guaranteed one-year deal after he cleared waivers.

The Kings want to give Noel and Queta an opportunity to hook on with another organization before training camp rather than hanging onto them and then waiving them shortly before the season begins.

Noel was signed to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal as a free agent this summer. He received a $300K guarantee, which would have increased to $600K if he made the 15-man opening night roster.

Noel has appeared in 467 career regular season games since being drafted sixth overall in 2013 but didn’t play much in 2022/23. After being traded from New York to Detroit during the 2022 offseason, the 29-year-old appeared in 14 games for the Pistons, who bought him out at the end of February. He signed a 10-day contract with Brooklyn and played in three games for the Nets, but didn’t get a second 10-day and finished the season as a free agent.

The Kings signed Queta to a two-year, minimum-salary contract. His $2,019,706 salary for the upcoming season included a $250K guarantee, while the second season was non-guaranteed. The guarantee for the upcoming season would have doubled if he was on the opening night roster.

Queta has been on Sacramento’s roster the past two seasons, appearing in a total of 20 NBA games. The 7’0” Queta was a second-round pick in 2021 out of Utah State.

Noel and Queta were projected to fight for one roster spot as the No. 3 center behind Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len. That changed when the Mavericks waived McGee and the Kings signed him after he cleared waivers. Sacramento has 14 guaranteed contracts and could explore other options, or just leave open the 15th roster spot.

Thunder Close To Securing New Arena

September 12th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder are close to getting a new home.

A plan has been finalized to construct a new downtown arena that will keep them in Oklahoma City until at least 2050, according to an Oklahoma City government press release. The city and the Thunder plan to open the arena for the 2029/2030 NBA season, if not sooner.

The plan for the new arena and the commitment from the Thunder is conditional on passage by Oklahoma City voters on December 12 of a temporary one-cent sales tax. A simple majority of Oklahoma City’s city council is required to call for the December 12 vote, and a simple majority of voters is required for passage.

The Thunder’s current arena, Paycom Center, is the smallest in the NBA by square footage and it has the second-smallest capital investment of all NBA arenas. The project cost for the new arena will be a minimum of $900MM.

The franchise’s owner will make a $50MM contribution for the publicly owned arena. All three of Oklahoma City’s previous downtown arenas have been paid for entirely by taxpayers.

“Perhaps the most important aspect of the deal is the length – this is twice the commitment we received in 2008 and will keep the Thunder here beyond 2050,” mayor David Holt said. “My children will be my age when this agreement ends.”

The Thunder will continue playing at Paycom Center while the new arena is designed and constructed. The Thunder have committed to play their home games in OKC for 25 years in the new arena, provided the voters approve the funding for a new arena and related legal documents are completed.

The current arena opened in 2002.

Cavaliers Sign Tristan Thompson

September 12th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 12: The Cavaliers have officially signed Thompson, per NBA.com’s transaction log. His deal includes a partial guarantee, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.

SEPTEMBER 11: The Cavaliers are finalizing a contract with free agent big man Tristan Thompson, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It will be a reunion between the two sides, as Thompson spent his first nine NBA seasons in Cleveland after the team selected him fourth overall in the 2011 draft. The 32-year-old was a key member of the Cavs’ championship run in 2016, starting all 21 playoff games and averaging 6.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while playing solid defense.

It would be shocking if Thompson received anything but a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, considering he barely played at all in 2022/23. He signed with the Lakers on the final day of the regular season, appearing in six of the team’s 16 playoff games for 32 total minutes.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com confirms Charania’s report (via Twitter), noting that the Cavs currently only have 13 players on standard contracts. Teams are required to carry at least 14 players for the majority of the season, so it seems Thompson will hold that spot for now.

Thompson averaged 9.4 points and 8.7 boards over his 619 regular season games with Cleveland. He signed a two-year deal Boston as a free agent in 2020, but only lasted one year, having been traded in August 2021. He played for three different teams — Sacramento, Indiana and Chicago — in ’21/22.

We’ll have to wait and see if Thompson receives any guaranteed money from the Cavaliers. His level of play has certainly dropped off in recent years, but he had some good moments during his brief stint with the Lakers, and he’ll provide frontcourt depth and veteran leadership for Cleveland.

Once Thompson’s deal is complete, the Cavs will have 17 players under contract, with all three two-way slots filled.

Hawks Re-Sign Trent Forrest To Two-Way Deal

September 12th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have re-signed Trent Forrest to a two-way contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.

Forrest had spent the offseason as a restricted free agent after finishing last season on a two-way deal with Atlanta. The Hawks issued him a qualifying offer that was the equivalent of another one-year, two-way contract, so Forrest may have simply accepted that QO rather than negotiating a new deal. The qualifying offer prevented him from signing outright with a new team.

Forrest, 25 has appeared in 113 total regular season games over the last three years for the Jazz and Hawks since going undrafted out of Florida State. He has averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per contest over the course of his professional career.

With Forrest back under contract, the Hawks’ roster looks just about set for the regular season — the team has 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and three (Forrest, Seth Lundy, and Miles Norris) on two-way deals. Atlanta will likely fill out its 21-man preseason squad with non-guaranteed signees before training camp gets underway.

Now that Forrest has re-signed with the Hawks, only two restricted free agents remain unsigned. Both are two-way RFAs: Theo Maledon (Hornets) and Matt Ryan (Timberwolves).

Lillard Would Report To Any Team’s Camp; Desire To Play For Heat Unchanged

September 11th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Damian Lillard would report to any team that traded for him but he wouldn’t be happy about it unless he’s dealt to the Heat, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Earlier on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic stated on “The Rally” that Lillard would only report to training camp as a member of the Trail Blazers or Heat.

Fentress’ sources told him that Lillard would show up and play for any team that acquired him, but his desire to play for the Heat wouldn’t change. That could discourage other potential suitors from giving up major assets for an unhappy perennial All-Star slated to make $45,640,084 during the upcoming season and $48,787,676 for the 2024/25 season, even before his two-year extension estimated at $121,774,03 kicks in.

Lillard, who requested a trade at the beginning of the free agency period in July, originally took a firm stance regarding where he’d report, Fentress adds. However, he backed off when the NBA sent out a memo to all teams in late July, which threatened punishment if he or his agent made further public comments regarding his desire to play for the Heat.

Lillard’s feelings about the Trail Blazers haven’t changed, either. If he’s not dealt before training camp, he’ll show up and play for Portland, but his desire to be dealt to Miami won’t wane. He doesn’t view the Blazers as a serious contender as currently constructed, Fentress adds.

Griffin Embraces Giannis’ Comments, Doesn’t Feel Added Pressure

September 11th, 2023 at 5:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Bucks heaed coach Adrian Griffin is unfazed by recent comments made by superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo regarding his future, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Antetokounmpo revealed in a New York Times interview that he wouldn’t sign an extension this offseason and only wanted to stay in Milwaukee long-term if he felt the franchise could compete for championships on a regular basis.

“The real question’s not going to be this year — numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But next year, next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know. … I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”

Griffin indicated he’s on the same page with the two-time MVP.

“He wants to win and I want to win and it’s that simple,” Griffin said. “So I respect him. I respect what he’s accomplished in this league and we’re here together to win. So I have no problem with that. I think it’s a great partnership. We’re going to lead the team together. When he leads, the others will follow, so I think it’s great.”

Griffin doesn’t believe Antetokounmpo’s comments will add any extra pressure on him or the organization.

“Absolutely not. We’re here. We’re aligned. We’re here to win,” Griffin said. “And the one thing I talked to my team and our staff about is just embracing expectations. I have a really good roster. Instead of running from it, we want to embrace it. It just takes one day at a time though. Yes, we want to go far and deep into April, May and June but it’s about just one step at a time and taking care of our controllables and it starts with practice.”

Griffin has been in frequent contact with his top player, who underwent an offseason procedure on his knee. The new coach anticipates that Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, who also underwent offseason knee surgery, will be ready to go by the start of camp.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “They’ve been working their butts off, getting in the gym every day and just grinding.”

Latest On Kevin Porter Jr.

September 11th, 2023 at 4:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York City on Monday for assault and strangulation following an alleged incident with his girlfriend. Both charges are felonies, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

While Rockets general manager Rafael Stone previously declined to comment, both the team and the NBA later released statements acknowledging the incident.

“We are in the process of gathering information surrounding the matter involving Kevin Porter Jr.,” the Rockets said, per MacMahon. “We have no further comment at this time.”

The NBA’s statement, which was through spokesperson Mike Bass, was quite similar.

“The league office is in contact with the Houston Rockets and in the process of gathering more information.”

ESPN’s Bobby Marks doesn’t expect the league to take any discipline against the 23-year-old guard until a full investigation has been completed (Twitter link).

That’s what happened with Hornets forward Miles Bridges, who remained unsigned all of last season following felony domestic abuse charges — he pleaded no contest and later received a 30-game suspension once the league’s investigation concluded. Twenty games of that suspension were applied retroactively, so Bridges will be inactive for the first 10 games of ’23/24.

Bridges’ situation was different than Porter’s because he wasn’t under contract last season — Porter has a guaranteed $15.86MM salary for ’23/24.

As Marks notes, Houston could tell Porter to stay away from the team in the short term. The NBA technically has the power to void his contract as well, Marks adds, though that seems unlikely to occur, particularly in the near future.

The incident will be a tricky one to navigate for the Rockets, because Porter’s extension is uniquely structured due to his prior off-court incidents.

According to Marks, Porter’s $1MM partial guarantee for ’24/25 will increase to $3MM if he isn’t waived by the first day of the upcoming regular season. It will increase from $3MM to $6MM if he isn’t released five days after the trade deadline.

June 30, 2024, is a huge date to watch as far as Porter’s contract goes, per Marks. If he isn’t waived by that date, his full $15.86MM salary for ’24/25 will become guaranteed, as will his identical cap hit for ’25/26. The final year of Porter’s contract, which is a team option, will become guaranteed if he isn’t waived by June 30, 2025.