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Warriors, Wizards Officially Complete Chris Paul, Jordan Poole Trade

July 6th, 2023 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have officially traded point guard Chris Paul to the Warriors, completing a deal that was first reported on draft day. The Warriors confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).

In exchange for Paul, Washington received guards Jordan Poole and Ryan Rollins, forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., the Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected), Golden State’s 2027 second-round pick, and cash, per a Wizards announcement.

One of the most accomplished point guards in NBA history, Paul holds career averages of 17.9 points, 9.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game on .472/.369/.870 shooting in 1214 regular season appearances across 18 NBA seasons. His 13.9 PPG in 2022/23 represented a career low, but he still shot the ball well (.440/.375/.831) and contributed 8.9 APG, 4.3 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 59 regular season contests.

In Golden State, CP3 will team up with Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in search of his first NBA championship. Golden State will also create long-term cap flexibility in the deal by replacing Jordan Poole’s four-year, $123MM+ extension with Paul’s pseudo-expiring $30.8MM contract. Paul is under contract for 2024/25 too, but his $30MM salary for that season is non-guaranteed.

The Wizards, who initially acquired Paul from the Suns in their Bradley Beal blockbuster, will roll the dice on Poole and a pair of 2022 draftees while also securing a pair of draft assets in the deal.

Because draft picks can’t be protected more than seven years out, the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick won’t roll over to 2031 if it doesn’t convey in ’30. The exact terms of the protection aren’t yet known, but I expect Washington will instead receive Golden State’s 2030 second-rounder if that first-rounder lands in the top 20.

You can read more about this trade in our initial June report.

Cameron Johnson Signs Four-Year Contract With Nets

July 6th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Nets have officially re-signed Johnson, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“Re-signing Cam was our top priority throughout this free agency period, and we are thrilled to have him remain in Brooklyn as a core member of the Nets for years to come,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Since the moment he arrived last season, Cam immediately embraced a leadership role both on and off the court. His versatile skillset as a two-way wing has proven to be an ideal fit with our roster, and we look forward to the positive impact he will continue to bring to our team and the Brooklyn community.”

JUNE 30: Restricted free agent forward Cameron Johnson wasted no time in coming to a contract agreement with the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Johnson will sign a four-year, $108MM contract to remain in Brooklyn, agent Steven Heumann tells Wojnarowski.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype clarifies (via Twitter) that Johnson will be able to earn up to $108MM with incentives, so it sounds like the base value of the deal will be a little lower than that.

The 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Johnson immediately emerged as a rotation player for the Suns as a rookie and has steadily improved since then, increasing his scoring average in each of his three subsequent seasons.

Johnson, who was dealt from Phoenix to Brooklyn in February’s Kevin Durant blockbuster, saw his 2022/23 season debut delayed by a knee injury, but played well after returning, averaging 15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.5 minutes per night across 42 appearances for the Suns and Nets.

Johnson’s shooting is his calling card. His shooting line this past season was an impressive .470/.404/.842, and he has made 39.3% of 5.6 three-point attempts per game over the course of his career. And while he’s not an elite defender, he has the size and versatility to guard either forward spot.

The Pistons were rumored to be considering a play for Johnson in free agency, but they reached an agreement with the Nets earlier in the day on Friday to acquire Joe Harris in a trade. That move essentially took the Pistons out of the running for Johnson, since Harris gave them the shooter they sought while taking up a significant chunk of their cap room. The move also gave the Nets more flexibility below the luxury tax line to make a strong offer to Johnson.

With Mikal Bridges locked up for the next three seasons and Johnson secured for the next four, the Nets are poised to build around the two former Suns forward who came over in the Durant trade.

Pacers Sign Tyrese Haliburton To Rookie Scale Max Extension

July 6th, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Pacers have officially Haliburton to his maximum-salary rookie scale extension, the team announced today.

The contract doesn’t feature a player option, but does have a 15% trade kicker, according to Tony East of SI.com (Twitter link), who confirms that a spot on any of the three All-NBA teams next season will bump Haliburton up to the full 30% max.

JUNE 30: Point guard Tyrese Haliburton is signing a five-year, rookie scale max extension with the Pacers, agents Dave Spahn and Aaron Mintz tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As a designated rookie, Haliburton will earn at least 25% of the 2024/25 salary cap, which is when his extension will officially kick in. However, Wojnarowski suggests the contract will feature Rose rule language that could boost the value to 30% of the cap over five years.

To receive the 30% max, Haliburton will have to meet one of three performance criteria next season: All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, or MVP. If he earns one of those honors and the cap increases by 10% in ’24/25, Haliburton’s deal would be worth $260MM.

The 23-year-old averaged 20.7 PPG, 10.4 APG, 3.7 RPG and 1.6 SPG on an excellent .490/.400/.871 shooting line in 56 games (33.6 MPG) in ’22/23, earning his first All-Star nod in the process. The former first-round pick just finished his third season, making him eligible for a rookie scale extension.

Several draft analysts had Haliburton high on their boards, but he wound up falling to the Kings at No. 12 overall in 2020. He played very well in his stint with Sacramento, but his fit with fellow point guard De’Aaron Fox was less than perfect, particularly defensively, so the Kings memorably traded him in February 2022 for a package headlined by big man Domantas Sabonis.

The deal has worked out well for both teams. Sabonis helped the Kings break their record-long playoff drought, while Haliburton has shined in a featured role with Indiana.

Advanced stats nearly universally say Haliburton has been the top player from the 2020 draft class through three seasons. His efficiency and excellent decision-making stand out.

The 23-year-old only averaged 2.5 turnovers per game last season, good for a 4.15-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio – an top-tier mark. Indiana went 28-28 with him in the lineup, versus 7-19 without him.

The Pacers are looking to take a step forward in ’23/24, which will be the final year of Haliburton’s rookie deal. They agreed to two-year, $45MM contract with Bruce Brown, who helped the Nuggets win their first championship in June, and have their eyes set on the playoffs.

Mavericks Trade Davis Bertans, Cason Wallace To Thunder

July 6th, 2023 at 11:46am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 6: The Mavericks have officially acquired Lively’s rights in exchange for Bertans and the rights to Wallace, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JUNE 22: The Mavericks and Thunder have agreed to a trade, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Davis Bertans and the No. 10 pick are headed to Oklahoma City in exchange for the No. 12 pick.

The Thunder selected Kentucky guard Cason Wallace at No. 10, Charania adds, while Dallas will get off Bertans’ pricey multiyear contract. The No. 12 pick that Dallas acquired was used on Duke big man Dereck Lively II, Shams Charania of The Stadium tweets.

The Mavericks will generate a $17MM trade exception with this trade, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). They’ll now be approximately $74MM under to projected luxury tax line, which will help them make other moves, such as re-signing Kyrie Irving.

[UPDATE: Mavs to use trade exception to acquire Richaun Holmes]

The Mavs were looking to move down in the lottery, get off a bad contract and acquire a veteran starter, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). They accomplished the first two goals with this deal. They also add a promising young rim protector in Lively, who will fill a hole in the Dallas frontcourt with the team considered unlikely to re-sign big man Christian Wood.

Bertans had a career year in 2019/20 with the Wizards and cashed in with a five-year, $80MM deal. Dallas acquired Bertans as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade with Washington.

The Thunder now pick up the two remaining years left on his deal — $17MM next season and $16MM in 2024/25 with an early termination option. The final year is only partially guaranteed for $5MM.

Oklahoma City’s desire to move up was motivated by the concern that another team might jump the Thunder by making a trade with Orlando, which held the No. 11 pick, Jeremy Woo of ESPN tweets. The Raptors, who held the No. 13 selection, were a potential trade-up suitor for Wallace.

Nets Trade Joe Harris To Pistons

July 6th, 2023 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is official, the Nets and Pistons confirmed in a pair of press releases. Detroit received Harris, the Mavericks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Bucks’ 2029 second-rounder from Brooklyn in exchange for cash ($110K).

JUNE 30: The Nets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Joe Harris to the Pistons, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), Brooklyn will also send two second-round picks to Detroit in the deal and will generate a traded player exception worth $19.9MM, the amount of Harris’ 2023/24 salary.

The picks being acquired by the Pistons are the Mavericks’ 2027 second-rounder and the Bucks’ 2029 second-rounder, per Charania (Twitter link).

No players are going from Detroit to Brooklyn in the trade, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The Pistons are instead sending the Nets $110K to complete the deal, per Edwards (Twitter link). That’s the minimum amount of cash a team can include in a trade.

While the deal looks like a simple salary dump on the surface, it’s a fascinating agreement that will have a major ripple effect on both teams’ offseasons. The Pistons had frequently been cited as a potential suitor for Nets restricted free agent Cameron Johnson in the weeks leading up to free agency and there had been a belief that they could make life difficult on Brooklyn by signing the forward to a lucrative offer sheet.

By convincing the Pistons to take Harris instead, the Nets will gain more financial flexibility to re-sign Johnson and stay out of luxury tax territory. They also may take their biggest competitor for Johnson’s services out of the mix, since Harris will take up a significant chunk of Detroit’s cap room and will reduce the need for the Pistons to go out and acquire another sharpshooter.

It’s not a bad arrangement from the Pistons’ perspective either. Rather than potentially overpaying Johnson on a four-year, nine-figure offer sheet and hoping the Nets won’t match it, they’ll get one of the NBA’s best outside shooters on a short-term contract, retaining long-term flexibility and picking up a pair of future second-rounders in the process.

[UPDATE: Nets, Cameron Johnson agree to four-year deal]

Injuries limited Harris to just 14 games in 2021/22, and he played a reduced role when he returned to action this past season, averaging just 20.6 minutes per game, his lowest mark since ’15/16. However, he remains as effective as ever from beyond the arc, knocking down 42.6% of his three-point attempts in 74 games last season. He has now hit at least 42.4% of his threes in five straight seasons, leading the NBA in three-point percentage twice during that time.

NBA’s 2023 July Moratorium Ends

July 6th, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2023 July moratorium has officially ended, as of 11:00am central time, meaning teams are now allowed to conduct official business. The moratorium is the period at the start of the NBA league year when teams are permitted to agree to trades and free agent contracts, but can’t yet formally finalize them.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

There are a number of types of deals that can be finalized during the moratorium, as we’ve seen this week. Teams can sign first- or second-round picks to their rookie contracts, two-way contracts can be made official, and players signing minimum-salary contracts can also finalize those deals. Still, most of the deals agreed upon since June 30 are not yet official.

Although the end of the moratorium signals the beginning of official business for many teams, those teams aren’t obligated to immediately finalize deals reached during the moratorium. Salary-cap machinations and intertwined trades mean that patience will be required on certain moves.

The Rockets, for instance, will acquire Dillon Brooks via sign-and-trade, but doing so will use up most of the team’s remaining cap room, so Houston will likely want to use that room before going over the cap to complete its acquisition of Brooks.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Offseason Trades]

Now that the moratorium has lifted, we’ll be updating our stories of contract and trade agreements to reflect when they become official.

For top headlines from the last week, like the deals involving Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving, Jerami Grant, and other big-name free agents, we’ll bump those stories to the top of the site or publish new stories so you don’t miss news of them becoming official. Completed trades will also be moved to the top of the site.

However, since we don’t want to bury new news amidst confirmation of old signings, our stories on smaller deals won’t be moved to the top of our feed unless there are new developments or details.

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Newsstand

Mavs To Sign Thybulle To Offer Sheet; Blazers Will Have Right To Match

July 5th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

8:30pm: Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report believes there’s a “strong chance” the Blazers will match the offer sheet (Twitter link).

8:20pm: Thybulle will sign the offer sheet on Thursday, Haynes reports (via Twitter). Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that it will be a three-year, $33MM deal (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that the Mavs would likely pay the 26-year-old slightly below the full mid-level exception.

With the Mavs poised to land Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade deal involving Reggie Bullock, team salary projects to be above the $172.3MM hard cap based on the salary figures reported for Thybulle and Williams, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Either some of Dallas’ signings will come in lower than reported or the team would have to shed some salary if it lands Thybulle.

11:18am: Restricted free agent forward Matisse Thybulle intends to sign an offer sheet with the Mavericks, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). The Trail Blazers will have the right the match the offer to retain Thybulle.

One of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, Thybulle has earned two All-Defensive nods during his first four years in the league. However, he has struggled to make an impact on the other side of the ball.

In 245 games with the Sixers during his first three-and-a-half seasons in the league, Thybulle averaged just 4.4 points per game on .448/.325/.667 shooting. He bumped those numbers to 7.4 PPG on .438/.388/.625 shooting in 22 contests with the Blazers following a February trade that sent him to Portland.

The Mavericks don’t have any cap room available, but they haven’t used any of their $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so their offer sheet for Thybulle will presumably come out of that figure. While the terms of the offer aren’t yet known, it will have to cover at least two seasons.

Marc Stein, who previously reported Dallas’ interest in Thybulle, said at the time that Portland has sent “behind-the-scenes signals” that it will match any reasonable offer sheet on the restricted free agent wing. It appears the Mavs are prepared to test the Blazers’ commitment to the 26-year-old, perhaps hoping that the uncertainty surrounding Damian Lillard‘s future will cause the team to waver on locking in Thybulle.

The two teams could theoretically still negotiate a sign-and-trade agreement, but that won’t be possible once Thybulle officially signs his offer sheet. At that time, the Blazers would simply have to decide whether to match it or whether to let him go to Dallas.

If Thybulle formally signs an offer sheet and Portland receives it before the July moratorium ends on Thursday at 12:00 pm Eastern time, the Blazers will have until 11:59 pm on Friday to make their decision. Players can sign offer sheets during the moratorium, but the clock on the matching team doesn’t start ticking until the moratorium is over.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams have one full day to match an offer sheet received before noon and two full days to match an offer sheet that comes in after noon. For example, if the Blazers were to receive Thybulle’s signed offer sheet at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday, they’d have until 11:59 pm on Saturday to make their decision.

The Mavericks were also said to have interest in restricted free agent forward Grant Williams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Underwent Clean-Up Procedure On Knee

July 5th, 2023 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee two weeks ago, casting doubt on his availability for Greece in this year’s World Cup, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A report out of Greece previously indicated that Antetokounmpo was less than 50/50 to play for Greece this summer due to a leg injury, as BasketNews.com relayed.

It’s unclear whether the procedure reported by Charania was on Antetokounmpo’s left or right knee. He missed some time during the first half of the 2022/23 season due to left knee soreness, but was affected in the second half by soreness in his right knee.

Either way, given that Giannis still hasn’t been entirely ruled out for the World Cup, which begins in late August, it sounds like there’s no concern at this point that his recovery process will extend into the start of the NBA regular season in October.

Antetokounmpo is entering the third season of his five-year, super-max contract with the Bucks and has the ability to opt out of that contract in 2025. He’ll become extension-eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Magic Promote Anthony Parker To GM

July 5th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA wing Anthony Parker is receiving a promotion and will become the Magic‘s new general manager, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Veteran executive John Hammond previously held that GM role in Orlando under president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman. However, Hammond has decided to transition to a senior advisory role, according to Wojnarowski. Hammond, who is 68, wanted to move into a position where he didn’t have to be a daily presence, adds Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).

A first-round pick in the 1997 NBA draft and the older brother of longtime WNBA star Candace Parker, Anthony Parker appeared in nearly 500 regular season games across nine NBA seasons. He played in Philadelphia and Cleveland from 1997-2000 before spending several years in Israel and Italy. He returned to the NBA in 2006 and was with the Raptors for three years, then with the Cavaliers for three more.

After retiring as a player, Parker was a scout for the Magic from 2012-17. He became the general manager of the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League team, in 2017 and was promoted to become the Magic’s assistant GM in 2021.

According to Wojnarowski, Parker has been a “sought-after” executive during much of his tenure in Orlando, but opted to remain with the Magic and prepare for eventually becoming a senior member of the front office.

In addition to promoting Parker, the Magic are elevating associate GM Pete D’Alessandro to executive vice president of basketball operations, sources tell Wojnarowski. D’Alessandro, who previously held the GM title in Sacramento, has been in Orlando since 2017.

The Magic have issued a press release (via Twitter) confirming the front office changes.

Magic Waive Bol Bol

July 4th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have waived forward/center Bol Bol, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Bol had been on an expiring contract, with a non-guaranteed $2.2MM salary for 2023/24. That money was originally on track to become guaranteed if the big man remained on the roster through June 30, but he and the team agreed to push back the deadline.

The new guarantee date was Tuesday, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks, so Orlando decided to cut Bol before locking in his $2.2MM for the coming season.

Bol’s unique skill for his slender 7’2″ frame – including an ability to handle the ball – has long intrigued teams and fans, but he was limited to 53 games in Denver during his first three NBA seasons due to injuries. He enjoyed his best NBA season in 2022/23, staying on the floor for 70 games and averaging 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 21.5 minutes per night.

While Bol’s overall numbers were solid, it was a tale of two seasons for the former second-round pick. He put up 11.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG with an impressive .584/.361/.740 shooting line in his first 41 appearances. In his final 29 games, he scored double-digit points just three times and had averages of 5.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.7 BPG on .447/.098/.806 shooting.

It sounds like the Magic determined after the season that Bol wasn’t part of their plans going forward. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Orlando was exploring trading him around the time of the draft. The Suns and Mavericks were two teams mentioned as possible landing spots, though it’s not clear if either would still have interest, Fischer says.

A team would require $2.2MM in cap room or a trade exception that could cover that amount in order to place a waiver claim on Bol. If he’s not claimed, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday.

The roster move gets Orlando down to 15 players on standard contracts for 2023/24.