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Lakers Sign Alex Fudge To Two-Way Deal, Waive Cole Swider

July 26th, 2023 at 4:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:51pm: The contract with Fudge is official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).

4:33pm: The Lakers will sign Alex Fudge to a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. They will open up a two-way slot by waiving Cole Swider, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Fudge, a 20-year-old forward, put up modest numbers during his college career at LSU and Florida, averaging 4.6 and 3.9 rebounds over two seasons.

Fudge played for L.A.’s Summer League team, and although his statistics didn’t stand out, he impressed the Lakers enough with his athleticism to earn a two-way opportunity. A previous report had indicated he would be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the team.

Swider, a 24-year-old small forward, signed a two-way contract with L.A. last summer after going undrafted out of Villanova. He appeared in just seven games for the Lakers, spending most of his rookie year in the G League, where he averaged 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 regular season games.

Swider’s contract for the upcoming season is non-guaranteed, so L.A. won’t be on the hook for any more money. Colin Castleton and D’Moi Hodge occupy the team’s other two-way spots.

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Celtics Sign Jaylen Brown To Super-Max Extension

July 26th, 2023 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26: Brown has officially signed his super-max extension, the Celtics announced today (via Twitter).

JULY 25: The Celtics and star wing Jaylen Brown are in agreement on a five-year, super-max contract extension, agent Jason Glushon tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link).

The deal, which is worth a projected $304MM, is fully guaranteed and includes a trade kicker, but doesn’t feature a fifth-year player option, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

It’s the most lucrative deal in NBA history, and a massive investment by the Celtics in Brown, who became eligible for a super-max extension – with a starting salary worth 35% of the cap instead of 30% – by making the All-NBA Second Team this spring.

The 26-year-old averaged a career-best 26.6 points per game on .491/.335/.765 shooting while also contributing 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per night across 67 appearances (35.9 MPG). He earned his second All-Star nod and helped the Celtics get to within one game of the NBA Finals.

Brown had been entering a contract year in 2023/24 and there was a belief that it would be difficult for the Celtics to extend him if he hadn’t become super-max eligible, due to the NBA’s limitations on veteran extensions. Once Brown made an All-NBA team, it opened the door for the two sides to reach an agreement on a deal that will tack on five years to his current contract and ensure he’s under team control through 2028/29, keeping him off next summer’s free agent market.

While it took a few weeks for the two sides to come to terms, reports throughout July consistently maintained that there was optimism it would eventually get done — now it has.

The projected $304MM figure is based on an assumption that the NBA’s salary cap will increase by 10% again in 2024/25, as it has in each of the last two seasons. Assuming that’s the case, Brown will earn approximately $52.4MM in the first year of his new contract; that number would jump all the way up to $69.1MM by year five, resulting in a total of about $303.7MM.

Before his new extension takes effect, Brown will earn a base salary of $28.5MM in 2023/24, with an additional $3.3MM available in incentives.

Brown will become the 12th player to sign a designated veteran contract since the NBA introduced it in 2017. Even if the cap doesn’t increase by a full 10% next offseason, the value of Brown’s extension will comfortably surpass Nikola Jokic‘s five-year, $276.1MM contract with Denver — Jokic’s deal was previously the most lucrative in NBA history.

Brown’s teammate Jayson Tatum also achieved the super-max performance criteria this spring, but won’t have the service time necessary to sign a designated veteran extension of his own until the 2024 offseason. Assuming the Celtics also ink Tatum to a super-max deal, which could become the new richest contract in league history, they’ll have to figure out a way to build and maintain a competitive roster around two massive contracts in the coming years.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), once Brown officially signs his extension, he’ll be ineligible to be traded for a full calendar year.

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Lauri Markkanen A Candidate For Renegotiation In 2024

July 26th, 2023 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is a player to keep an eye on as a strong candidate for a contract renegotiation and extension in 2024, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto made his comments on Markkanen during a podcast with HoopsHype colleague Yossi Gozlan, who said he’d be surprised if the 26-year-old’s contract isn’t renegotiated and extended next offseason.

An NBA team can’t renegotiate a player’s salary downward, but is allowed to use cap room to give him a raise for the current season, as the Jazz did with Jordan Clarkson earlier this month. The club can then negotiate an extension based on that newly renegotiated cap hit, giving him a first-year salary worth as much as 140% of that amount (up to the player’s maximum salary).

Markkanen will earn approximately $17.26MM in 2023/24 and $18.04MM in ’24/25. Under the NBA’s veteran extension rules, he’d be eligible next offseason for a four-year extension worth approximately $113MM, including a 40% raise to $25.26MM for ’25/26.

Renegotiating Markkanen’s contract using cap room to give him a raise in 2024/25 would allow the Jazz to increase their extension offer well beyond $113MM, putting them in a better position to lock up the Finnish star for the long term. Utah currently only projects to have about $99MM in salaries on its cap for ’24/25, and not all of that money is guaranteed, so the team would have plenty of flexibility to operate under the cap and give Markkanen a raise.

After being traded from the Cavaliers to the Jazz in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster, Markkanen enjoyed a breakout season in Utah, earning his first All-Star nod and blowing away his previous career high by averaging 25.6 points per game in 66 contests (34.4 MPG). He posted an impressive shooting line of .499/.391/.875 and also grabbed 8.6 rebounds per night.

Markkanen will technically become extension-eligible this offseason, but the Jazz aren’t in position to renegotiate his contract yet, since they’ve used up their 2023/24 cap room. That means the most he could get on an extension prior to next offseason is $81.9MM over three years.

NBA contract renegotiations have typically been pretty rare, but they’ve enjoyed a renaissance within the last year. Clarkson, Domantas Sabonis (Kings), and Myles Turner (Pacers) have all renegotiated their contracts with their respective teams since January. Before that, no player had agreed to a renegotiation since Robert Covington in 2017.

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Spurs Considered Lucrative Offer Sheet For Austin Reaves

July 26th, 2023 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Austin Reaves revealed in a recent interview that the Spurs and Rockets were among his potential options in free agency before he reached a deal to remain in Los Angeles.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype has since provided more details on those what-if scenarios, citing league sources who say San Antonio considered an offer sheet for Reaves that would have been worth $21MM per season.

However, according to Scotto, the Spurs were concerned that the Lakers would simply match their offer sheet and that they might miss out on other opportunities to use their cap room while they awaited L.A.’s decision. The Lakers wouldn’t have had to officially match an offer sheet for Reaves until the end of the day on July 7 and could have tied up San Antonio’s space in the meantime.

As for the Rockets, they were “closely monitoring” Reaves and were prepared to put together a lucrative offer sheet if they had failed to land top target Fred VanVleet, sources tell Scotto. When VanVleet agreed to a three-year, maximum-salary deal with Houston, the team didn’t see the need to spend big on another backcourt player.

Reaves’ restricted free agency was an uncommon case, since he had accumulated just two years of NBA experience and was therefore subject to the Gilbert Arenas provision.

Although the Lakers could only offer Reaves about $53.8MM over four years using his Early Bird rights, the Arenas provision allowed a rival team with cap room to give him a bigger, back-loaded offer sheet worth up to nearly $102MM over four years — the Lakers would have had the right to match any offer sheet despite not being able to offer Reaves that much money directly.

Ultimately, no rival suitors decided to aggressively pursue Reaves, allowing the Lakers to bring him back on his maximum Early Bird deal, worth $53.8MM across four seasons. Following a breakout season in which he averaged 13.0 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game with an excellent .529/.398/.864 shooting line, the 25-year-old may turn out to be a bargain at that price.

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James Harden On Lillard’s Push For Miami: “I See Both Sides”

July 25th, 2023 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an interview with Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports (YouTube link) to weigh in on the Damian Lillard situation in Portland and the subject of NBA player empowerment in general, Sixers star James Harden says he understands the perspective of both the team and the player when a trade request is made.

“I see both sides because I went through it,” Harden said. “The organization wants to do what’s best for them. They don’t want to just give a player that basically is one of the best players they’ve ever had in the organization away for nothing, or for less than what (he’s worth). So I get the organization’s side.

“And then I get the player’s side, as far as wanting to play and wanting to be somewhere, whether it’s because it’s the right situation for you — for your family or yourself or whatever that person is going through. So I see both sides. If they can meet in the middle and kind of come to an agreement and figure it out, then that’s the best scenario.

“I wouldn’t want an organization to send someone somewhere where they wouldn’t (want to) be. Because you built a real relationship with that person. That person has done so many great things for your organization, your franchise. But then you don’t want to give that player for nothing, so I get both sides. It’s just find a balance, meet in the middle, and hopefully both sides can come to an agreement.”

Harden’s comments were ostensibly about the situation in Portland, where Lillard has requested a trade and has reportedly expressed that he only wants to play for the Heat.

However, Harden is also the NBA player whose current circumstances most closely resemble Lillard’s. Like Dame, Harden requested a trade right around the start of free agency this summer. And like Dame, he reportedly has a preferred landing spot that he’s solely focused on — in Harden’s case, it’s the Clippers. It’s easy to apply his statement to his own situation in addition to Lillard’s.

With all that in mind, Harden’s comments have to be at least a little encouraging for Sixers fans. As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com writes, it’s “about as fair of a stance as Harden could have taken publicly.” The 33-year-old’s suggestion that a player and team should be willing to “meet in the middle” indicates he’s open to compromising.

Still, Neubeck isn’t sure what a middle ground might look like for Harden and the Sixers if the Clippers aren’t willing to increase their trade offer, and he’s unconvinced that the former MVP’s public comments mean he’ll be any more enthusiastic about a potential return to Philadelphia. While Harden may have expressed a reasonable stance when discussing another player’s trade request, that doesn’t mean he won’t continue to push as hard as he can to achieve his preferred outcome when it comes to his own request.

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Bronny James Suffers Cardiac Arrest, In Stable Condition

July 25th, 2023 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Incoming USC freshman and potential 2024 first-round pick Bronny James collapsed on the court during a workout on Monday at the Galen Center and suffered cardiac arrest, according to reports from TMZ and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

After being rushed to the hospital, James – the son of NBA superstar LeBron James – is said to be in stable condition. A family spokesperson issued the following statement to TMZ and Charania:

“Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.

“LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”

A 2023 McDonalds All-American and a consensus four-star recruit, Bronny committed to the Trojans for the 2023/24 season and is widely expected to enter the ’24 NBA draft. LeBron has spoken repeatedly about a desire to play alongside Bronny at the NBA level.

Bronny’s NBA potential has been a subject of much speculation leading up to his first college season, with ESPN placing him 17th on its most recent mock draft for 2024. For now though, his health is the primary concern. We at Hoops Rumors wish Bronny and his family all the best during his recovery.

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Team USA Finalizes Select Team Roster

July 25th, 2023 at 7:34am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has officially announced its Select Team roster, announcing in a press release that 14 players will get the opportunity to train with and scrimmage against the primary 12-man national team roster as it prepares for the 2023 World Cup.

Those 14 players, most of whom have been previous reported, are as follows:

As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press notes (via Twitter), Galloway, Jenkins, and Mika aren’t currently in the NBA but were among the players who suited up for Team USA during the qualifying games for the World Cup, ensuring that the U.S. earned a spot in the tournament. They’ll be rewarded for their contributions by getting spots on the select team and taking part in the lead-up to the World Cup.

“We are confident that our USA Men’s Select Team will do a great job helping prepare the men’s national team for the 2023 Men’s FIBA World Cup,” national team managing director Grant Hill said in a statement. “We have a good mix of young NBA players and those who helped us qualify for the World Cup, all of who will play a huge role in our success in Manila, as we continue to develop the national team pipeline for years to come.”

The select team will be coached by Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who will be joined by assistants Jim Boylen and Matt Painter. Boylen, a former Bulls head coach and current Pacers assistant, was Team USA’s head coach during the qualifying contests. Painter has been the longtime head coach at Purdue.

As we’ve previously noted, members of the U.S. select team would be candidates for promotion if any players from the national team roster have to withdraw from the World Cup for any reason.

Even if no substitutions are necessary, the players on the select team could eventually be called upon by USA Basketball to join future Olympic or World Cup teams. Brandon Ingram, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Mikal Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jalen Brunson are among those on this year’s World Cup roster who were members of the U.S. select teams for the 2016 Olympics, 2019 World Cup, or 2021 Olympics.

In addition to Ingram, Edwards, Haliburton, Bridges, Jackson, and Brunson, the U.S. World Cup roster consists of Cameron Johnson, Austin Reaves, Paolo Banchero, Bobby Portis, Josh Hart, and Walker Kessler.

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Suns’ James Jones Talks About Rebuilding Roster

July 24th, 2023 at 10:40am CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns president of basketball operations James Jones gives himself an “eight out of 10” for how he was able to construct the team’s roster around its new Big Four. Jones was limited in the moves he could make after trading for Bradley Beal to team with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton, but he found an intriguing mix of veterans and young talent.

Eric Gordon turned down better offers and accepted a veteran’s minimum deal for the chance to win a title. Yuta Watanabe, Chimezie Metu, Drew Eubanks, Keita Bates-Diop and Bol Bol also agreed to sign for the minimum.

“We knew going into it who our four top players were,” Jones said. “The guys who were going to lean on heavily to reach our goals. I think that gave us more clarity and I think it gave the players more clarity around how we would play and how they could fit with our team.

“So when it comes to minimums, I think it’s that label or contract value that people look at, but I look at it more from a perspective of identifying the guys who have the attributes and skills that would complement our group and finding players that believe that this environment will increase their productivity and give them a boost for their careers going forward. This was more forward looking than backwards looking for us and for the players that we targeted.

“I think that clarity allowed us to move quickly and efficiently through the free agency process because we knew exactly who we wanted and we knew exactly who wanted us.”

Jones addresses several other topics in the discussion with Rankin:

On the decisions to re-sign Josh Okogie and trade Cameron Payne to the Spurs:

“Just balancing versatility, and I’m not just talking about from a player skill set and roster construction perspective, but it just gives us options. It gives us options from a roster perspective. It also gives us options going forward. JO is someone who had a tremendous impact on our team last year in a specific role that we think can grow and Cam was someone who had an impact on our team, but he was part of a team that was a different team that played differently. Those two moves allowed us to create balance and gave us some versatility and options to continue to build a more complete team.”

On Bol’s potential after a promising season with Orlando:

“He’s going to get a chance to compete. He fits the profile of the team we’re trying to build. Long, athletic, skilled. Has played some high-level basketball. Has dealt with high expectations and has bounced back from some tough setbacks. The mental grit, the resilience and adaptability that he’s displayed is something that I think will help improve our team and if he can play the way he envisions himself playing, it just gives us another high-level player that we can count on and rely on as we try to march toward a championship.”

On new owner Mat Ishbia’s input during his first offseason with the team:

“He talked about speed, focus and understand what it is we’re trying to accomplish and get after it. Don’t second-guess it, don’t overthink it. Trust your instincts, trust your team and then go out there, find the best options for us and then make those options work. For me, it’s clear focus. He’s given me clear direction that allows me to focus on the things I enjoy the most, which is figuring out how to maximize the environment for our players and coaches and get a win.”

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NBA’s Board Of Governors Approve Sale Of Hornets

July 23rd, 2023 at 4:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Hornets to a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Michael Jordan agreed to sell his majority stake in the franchise last month after a 13-year run as the team’s majority owner. The Hall of Famer is expected to remain involved with the franchise as a minority shareholder.

The completed sale of the team, which was purchased at an approximate $3 billion valuation, is expected to be formally executed within the next two weeks. Jordan, who had been the league’s lone Black majority owner, paid $275MM for a majority stake in the franchise in 2010.

Schnall, the co-owner of a private equity firm, and Plotkin are not newcomers to NBA ownership. Schnall had been a minority owner of the Hawks, while Plotkin had a minority share of the Hornets. They’ll now serve as the franchise’s co-governors.

Plotkin, founder and chief investment officer of Melvin Capital, acquired his minority share from Jordan in 202o. Another minority owner of the franchise, Daniel Sundheim, is also part of the purchasing group.

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Ayo Dosunmu Re-Signs With Bulls

July 23rd, 2023 at 9:18am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 23: The Bulls have officially re-signed Dosunmu, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 21: The Bulls will retain shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu on a three-year deal worth $21MM, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The contract was confirmed by Dosunmu’s agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Basketball, Wojnarowski adds.

Chicago made Dosunmu a restricted free agent by extending a $5,216,324 qualifying offer last month. The Bulls would have been able to match any offer he received, which likely limited his interest on the open market. The Raptors were the only team reported to be considering Dosunmu over the past three weeks.

The 23-year-old guard appeared in 80 games last season, making 51 starts and averaging 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.2 minutes per night. However, his playing time and effectiveness both decreased after Chicago signed Patrick Beverley late in the season.

Chicago selected Dosunmu with the 38th pick in the 2021 draft and he made an immediate impact, starting 40 of the 77 games he played as a rookie. He earned a combined $2.49MM during his first two years in the league, so the new contract represents a significant raise.

Once Dosunmu’s contract becomes official, the Bulls will have 13 players on guaranteed contracts and will be about $3MM below the luxury tax, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Carlik Jones is also on the roster, but his $1.9MM deal is non-guaranteed until opening night.

The Bulls also re-signed Coby White this summer and brought in free agent guard Jevon Carter, so the competition for backcourt minutes will have to be worked out in training camp.

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