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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.

Spurs Waive Cameron Payne

September 11th, 2023 at 4:20pm CST by Rory Maher

4:20pm: The Spurs have officially waived Payne, the team announced in a press release.

1:01pm: The Spurs are releasing Cameron Payne, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Assuming he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire, San Antonio will be on the hook for Payne’s 2023/24 salary, which is fully guaranteed at $6.5MM. Wojnarowski says there will be a “significant market of contending teams” interesting in signing the veteran guard if he clears waivers.

Phoenix traded Payne to San Antonio a couple months ago in a salary-dump deal. The Spurs picked up a 2025 second-rounder and $5.7MM in cash as part of the trade, while the Suns received a protected 2024 second-rounder.

Payne appeared in 48 games for the Suns last season, averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .415/.368/.766. The 29-year-old will be one of the top players left on the free agent market after a solid run as a backup with Phoenix.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Spurs are facing a roster crunch — even after waiving Payne, they still have 17 players on guaranteed contracts. That number will need to be trimmed to 15 by the start of the season.

Payne freely admitted last month that he’d rather be in Phoenix than San Antonio. However, league rules forbid Payne from re-signing with the Suns, Marks notes.

With a packed roster and in the midst of a rebuild, Payne clearly wasn’t part of the Spurs’ plans. They now have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.

Heat Frontrunner For Kelly Oubre?

September 11th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Teams around the league expect free agent wing Kelly Oubre to eventually sign with the Heat, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, who publishes his articles on Substack.

However, there’s an important caveat: Miami would need to trade for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard first. As Stein writes, the Heat would likely have a hole on the wing if they can pull off a Lillard deal, and Oubre could help fill that void.

Oubre, 27, is the highest-ranked player left on our list of 2023’s top-50 free agents, coming in at No. 27. He averaged 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals on .431/.319/.760 shooting in 48 games (32.3 minutes) for Charlotte last season.

Unless they can shed a significant amount of salary, the Heat will be limited to a minimum-salary offer for Oubre, which would be just shy of $2.9MM for a player with his amount of experience (he just finished his eighth NBA season). That’s a significant pay cut — Oubre has earned $12MM or more in each of the past four seasons.

Miami isn’t expected to have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception (a maximum of $10.25MM over two years) due to its proximity to the second tax apron, and it used its bi-annual exception last season to sign Kevin Love. As the name implies, the bi-annual exception can’t be used in consecutive years.

Still, the fact that Oubre remains unsigned likely means there hasn’t been much of a market for him above the veteran’s minimum to this point — otherwise, he presumably would have landed with a team already. The Cavaliers and Mavericks are rumored to have shown some level of interest in the former first-round pick, but obviously nothing has come to fruition.

Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. Arrested For Assault, Strangulation

September 11th, 2023 at 12:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York and charged with assault and strangulation, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link).

Police arrived at a hotel at 6:45am Eastern time following a 911 call.

“Upon arrival officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck,” a New York Police Department spokesperson said. “A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around her neck.”

The woman was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

According to Aaron Katersky of ABC 7 New York, Porter arrived at the Times Square hotel early Monday morning after a night out, and his girlfriend, a former WNBA player, wouldn’t let him into the room because she was upset at the hour of his return. Porter gained access to the room with the help of security and that’s when the alleged assault occurred, police sources tell Katersky.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone declined to comment on the incident, according to Feigen.

Porter was considered one of the top prospects in his draft class, but he fell to 30th overall in 2019 in part due to off-court concerns — he was suspended indefinitely during a portion of his lone college season at USC for personal conduct issues. During his rookie season with Cleveland, he was suspended for a game for making improper conduct with an official.

During the 2020 offseason, Porter was arrested for improper handling of a firearm following a car accident. He opened 2020/21 on the inactive list due to the gun charge, which was later dropped.

In January 2021, Porter had a locker room outburst, which caused the Cavaliers to publicly say they would either trade or waive him. The Rockets basically got him for nothing in return — they gave up a heavily protected second-round pick.

The following January, Porter was suspended by Houston for a game following a verbal altercation with then-assistant coach John Lucas. The 23-year-old reportedly threw an object in the locker room and left the arena before the game ended.

Porter is undeniably talented — he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals on .442/.366/.784 shooting in 59 games (34.3 minutes) last season. However, it’s pretty clear that the Rockets aren’t entirely sold on him being a centerpiece of their future.

For example, Porter signed a four-year, $63.4MM+ rookie scale extension with Houston last October, but only his 2023/24 salary ($15.86MM) is guaranteed. He has a $1MM partial guarantee for ’24/25, followed by a non-guaranteed salary in ’25/26 and a non-guaranteed team option in ’26/27, the final year of the deal.

The Rockets also drafted guard Amen Thompson fourth overall a few months ago and gave Fred VanVleet a three-year, maximum-salary contract in free agency (the third year is a team option), so Porter’s role will likely be reduced this season — assuming he remains on the team following his latest off-court incident.

NBA Set To Impose New Rules On Resting Star Players

September 11th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is expected to approve new guidelines this week involving rest for star players, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Competition Committee has endorsed a stricter policy on sitting out players in nationally televised games and resting more than one star on the same night, according to Wojnarowski, who adds that the Board of Governors will vote on the measure on Wednesday.

If approved, the league will be able to impose larger fines on teams that violate the new rule, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The fines would be $100K for a first violation, $250K for a second violation and $1MM more than the last penalty for each additional violation, according to Woj’s sources.

A star will be defined as anyone who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team over the past three seasons, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Load management has become a more common practice in recent years, and the NBA has been searching for ways to get its best players on the court more often, especially in marquee games. One provision of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement requires players to participate in at least 65 games to be eligible for All-NBA or All-Defensive honors as well as major postseason awards.

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