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NBA Approves Rule Changes On Challenges, Flopping

July 11th, 2023 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA’s Board of Governors approved two new rule changes — expanded use of the coach’s challenge along with an in-game flopping penalty, according to a league press release. Both rule changes will be implemented for the 2023/24 season.

Coaches had been limited to one challenge per game. They’ll now have a second challenge if the first is successful. A team must continue to use a timeout to trigger a challenge.

A team will still retain the timeout used to initiate its first challenge if it is successful. However, it won’t retain its timeout with the second challenge, even if it is successful.

The flopping penalty will result in a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul and the opposing team will be awarded one free throw attempt, which could be attempted by any player in the game. A player will not be ejected from a game based on flopping violations.

Referees will not be required to stop live play to call a flopping violation. They can wait until the next neutral opportunity to stop live play to administer the flopping penalty. A coach cannot challenge a flopping call but the officials can assess a flopping penalty while reviewing a different foul call.

The post-game monetary penalty system for flops has been modified to replicate that of technical fouls, with fines starting at $2,000 and increasing incrementally for repeat offenders.

The league’s Competition Committee – which consists of players, representatives from the Players Association, coaches, governors, team basketball executives and referees – unanimously recommended both the in-game flopping penalty and expanded use of the coach’s challenge to the Board of Governors.

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Pistons Sign Isaiah Stewart To Four-Year Extension

July 11th, 2023 at 3:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 11: Stewart’s extension is now official, the Pistons announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

JULY 10: The Pistons have reached a four-year, $64MM rookie scale extension agreement with big man Isaiah Stewart, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The contract averages out to $15MM per year with $4MM in total performance bonuses that could increase the value to the $64MM figure, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The fourth year will be a team option, he adds.

Stewart, 22, has played power forward and center during his three seasons with Detroit. He was acquired in a draft-day trade and selected with the No. 16 overall pick in 2020. He was part of the first rookie class drafted by current general manager Troy Weaver.

Stewart was limited to 50 games last season due to a left shoulder impingement. He didn’t play after Feb. 25 but did post a career-high 11.3 points per game before he was sidelined. Stewart also averaged 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists while trying to develop his outside game. He took an average of 4.1 three-pointers per contest and made 32.7% of his attempts.

Stewart is noted for his toughness and tenacity. The Pistons reportedly fielded numerous calls regarding Stewart’s availability this offseason — his defensive versatility and improving perimeter game intrigued many teams around the league, but Detroit was intent on keeping him.

With Jalen Duren and James Wiseman likely to share minutes at center, Stewart slots in at power forward on the current Pistons roster. He’ll battle for playing time with Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers unless Weaver makes a trade.

It’s the first rookie scale extension the Pistons have agreed to since Tom Gores became the franchise’s owner in 2011. Andre Drummond signed a second contract following his rookie deal back in 2016 but he was a restricted free agent at the time.

Suns Acquire Three Second-Rounders From Grizzlies For Todd, First-Round Swaps

July 11th, 2023 at 1:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 11: The Grizzlies and Suns have officially announced the trade (Twitter links).

JULY 6: The Grizzlies are trading three second-round picks to the Suns for Isaiah Todd and first-round pick swap rights in 2024 and 2030, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The second-rounders are a 2025 pick originally owned by the Pelicans, as well as Memphis’ own 2028 and 2029 picks.

The first-round pick swaps will involve the less favorable of the Suns and Wizards‘ picks, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). Phoenix gave Washington the right to swap first-rounders in those years as part of the Bradley Beal blockbuster. Todd was also included in the Beal trade, so he’s been involved in two deals so far this summer.

Todd, an early second-round pick in 2021, only appeared in six games for the Wizards last season and wasn’t in the Suns’ plans going forward. He’s owed a guaranteed $1.84MM salary for the 2023/24 season, with a $1.99MM team option for ’24/25.

The trade will allow the Suns to move off Todd’s guaranteed salary and get down to 15 players on standard contracts without requiring the team to waive him and take the luxury-tax hit that would come from adding a replacement. Phoenix will also acquire some future second-rounders after dealing six away to Washington in the Beal trade, putting the team in position to use one or more of those picks as part of a future deal.

While it’s unclear whether or not Todd will still be on their roster by the start of the regular season, the Grizzlies are essentially betting on their future in the short and long term by giving themselves an opportunity to move up in the first round next June, as well as in 2030.

Blazers GM: Lillard Deal Could Be Months Away

July 10th, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin isn’t in any rush to deal Damian Lillard, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Cronis has explored the market for Lillard but hasn’t found a suitable deal. Lillard has expressed his desire to be traded, specifically to the Heat.

“I think the teams that have ended up in the most positive situations post-trade have been the ones that have been really diligent in taking their time and not been impulsive, or the teams that really kept their urgency under control,” Cronin said during a Monday news conference. “So I think that’s how my approach has been with this and will be with this. We’re going to be patient; we’re going to do what’s best for our team. We’re going to see how this lands. And if it takes months, it takes months.”

Cronin hasn’t had direct contact with Lillard since the perennial All-Star made his trade request on July 1. It came shortly after a meeting between the guard and Portland’s front office, after which Cronin released a short statement that implied Lillard wanted to stay.

The Blazers re-signed veteran forward Jerami Grant but otherwise haven’t done much with the roster since the draft. Cronin selected guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick instead of dealing it for a proven player. He drafted another teenager, Shaedon Sharpe, last year in the lottery.

“Building around Dame has always been the goal all the way, even through the draft,” Cronin said. “The difficult things we ran into were finding the right deals. In the previous two years, we drafted at seven, then we drafted at three. In the meantime we were scouring the market looking for more win now players and what kept happening was those players just weren’t available. … I could see why Dame would look at it and say. ‘Well this isn’t a win-now opportunity as much as, or this isn’t as much of a win-now opportunity as some other places. So from that regard, I mean I understand his position and I respect it and it makes sense to me why he would look to go elsewhere.”

While Cronin respects Lillard’s desire to go to Miami, the GM insists he won’t make that trade unless he gets the right package.

“What the rest of his career looks like matters to us and we care about that,” Cronin said. “At the same time, we have to do what’s best for us and we’ve got to find the right deal and find the right makeup of the team that we’re going to go forward with. So you hope that you can find that perfect situation where that lines up and he goes to a place that he wants to and you get the best return possible. It’s complicated, and usually it doesn’t work out just like that.”

The best solution, according to Cronin, would be for Lillard to change his mind about being traded, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets.

“The goal has always been to have Dame as a Trail Blazer and always will be. We want him to retire as a Trail Blazer,” Cronin said. “So, we’re very open minded to any time Damian wants to be a part of us.”

Pacers Pursuing Pascal Siakam

July 10th, 2023 at 3:49pm CST by Rory Maher

There has been increased talk around the NBA about the Raptors moving Pascal Siakam, with the Pacers viewed as a “legitimate trade contender” for the star forward, league sources tell Marc Stein at Substack.

The Hawks are another team that has been repeatedly linked to Siakam, Stein notes, and other unknown teams are likely in the mix as well.

Stein’s read on the situation in Toronto is that the Raptors want to give Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby a bigger opportunity to expand their offensive games, particularly with Fred VanVleet‘s departure to Houston. Siakam’s heavy usage rate seems to stand in the way of that happening, according to Stein, who points out that Siakam (29) is several years older than Barnes (21) and Anunoby (25).

After a weekend at Summer League, Stein views a trade as a “far more likely outcome” than a contract extension. As of last week, Siakam and the Raptors had yet to formally meet to discuss a possible contract extension.

Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca was first to report the Pacers’ interest in Siakam. He also wrote that the veteran’s absence at Summer League could be viewed as a sign that Siakam might be dealt, with the Raptors hoping to find a deal sooner rather than later.

A two-time All-NBA member, Siakam reportedly doesn’t want to play anywhere but Toronto. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 71 games (37.4 minutes) last season, with the points and assists per game representing career highs.

Sixers Match Jazz’s Offer Sheet To Paul Reed

July 9th, 2023 at 9:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are matching the Jazz‘s offer sheet to restricted free agent Paul Reed, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Philadelphia put out a press release confirming the decision.

Utah offered a unique three-year, $23MM contract to Reed, who was Joel Embiid‘s primary backup last season.

Only the first year of the contract is guaranteed. The Jazz used their $7.7MM room exception to complete Reed’s offer sheet.

The last two years of the contract, totaling $15.7MM, will become guaranteed if the Sixers reach the conference semifinals next season. The same unusual contract clause of reaching the conference semifinals would have applied to the Jazz if Philadelphia had declined to match.

Considering that the Sixers have gotten past the first round in five of the last six seasons, it’s more likely they will advance past the first round next season than the Jazz — though Utah is on the upswing after shaking up its roster last offseason.

The approach used by the Jazz certainly gave Philadelphia more pause to match the offer sheet but the team ultimately decided to hold onto a valuable reserve.

By matching, the Sixers have created more luxury tax issues for themselves. They’ll exceed the $165MM luxury tax threshold at a cost of an estimated $14MM in tax penalties. Reed will also have the option to veto trades for a year, due to the Sixers’ decision to match.

The Sixers now have a crowded frontcourt behind Embiid after agreeing to re-sign Montrezl Harrell and signing free agent Mohamed Bamba.

Reed saw his role expand in his third NBA season as he averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 69 regular-season games.

Hawks Sign Dejounte Murray To Four-Year Extension

July 9th, 2023 at 9:01pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

“DJ is someone we want to continue to build with. He’s a dynamic talent with the heart of a leader. He leads by example, is an unselfish teammate, and truly cares about winning,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said.

JULY 7: Murray’s deal will include a fourth-year player option, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

JULY 6: The Hawks and Dejounte Murray are finalizing an agreement on a four-year contract extension, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).

Murray, who is on an expiring contract, will earn a base salary of approximately $17.7MM in 2023/24, with $500K in likely incentives and another $1MM in unlikely incentives. The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a first-year raise of up to 140% of the player’s previous salary in the first year of an extension, and it sounds like Murray will receive that maximum raise.

Based on a 40% first-year increase, Murray’s new deal would have a base value of approximately $111MM, with nearly $10MM in additional incentives. If he achieves all his bonuses, the four-year contract would max out at around $120.5MM.

There was a sense that Murray might wait until he reached unrestricted free agency in 2024 to sign a new deal, since he’ll be eligible for a far bigger payday at that time. The fact that he’s willing to lock in an extra four years now is a big win for the Hawks, who gave up three first-round picks (two unprotected) and a pick swap to acquire the guard from the Spurs last offseason.

Reports at the time of the trade suggested that San Antonio was concerned about its ability to extend Murray prior to free agency. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports indicated on Wednesday that the Hawks were increasingly optimistic about their own chances of working out a new deal.

In his first year in Atlanta, Murray averaged 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 36.4 minutes per game across 74 contests. He shot a career-best 46.4% from the field, including 34.4% on three-pointers, and provided his usual solid perimeter defense alongside Trae Young in the Hawks’ backcourt.

There were rumors earlier in the offseason that the Hawks were willing to discuss trading anyone except Young, but a new extension for Murray will officially take him off the trade market for the rest of 2023. Never considered a legitimate candidate to be moved this summer, the 26-year-old will become ineligible to be dealt for six months once he signs his new extension.

Jerami Grant Signs Five-Year Deal With Trail Blazers

July 9th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 9: Grant has officially signed the contract, the team tweets.

JUNE 30: Jerami Grant is re-signing with the Trail Blazers, having agreed to a five-year, $160MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Grant reportedly turned down a four-year extension worth nearly $113MM from Portland during the 2022/23 league year. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, a primary reason the veteran forward decided to wait until free agency was to add the fifth year onto the end of the deal, significantly increasing its total value (Twitter link).

As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets, Portland projects to be $21MM below the luxury tax line when accounting for Grant’s new contract. The Blazers will still have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which starts at $12.4MM) and a $8.3MM trade exception at their disposal in an effort to build around star Damian Lillard, Gozlan adds.

Grant is in the middle of his prime and was one of the top free agents in the 2023 class. The 28-year-old combo forward averaged 20.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .475/.401/.813 shooting in 63 games last season (35.7 MPG).

While Grant is a talented two-way player who brings valued versatility, a five-year deal worth $32MM annually is obviously an enormous commitment — both in years and dollars — to a player who has never been an All-Star.

Grant is a developmental success story, slowly working his way up the ranks with the Sixers, Thunder and Nuggets before breaking out as a 20-point scorer with the Pistons, who traded him to Portland last summer. He entered the NBA with a poor jump shot, but has continued to improve his game year-over-year.

Grant is the third former second-round pick (39th overall in 2014) to land a nine-figure deal this summer, joining Draymond Green and Khris Middleton.

John Wall Schedules Private Workout In Hopes Of NBA Comeback

July 8th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

John Wall will hold a private workout for several teams Sunday in Las Vegas, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT.

The 32-year-old point guard attempted a comeback with the Clippers last season after the Rockets elected to hold him out for all of 2021/22. However, he appeared in just 34 games, averaging 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per night, before being traded back to Houston at the deadline. The Rockets waived him three days later, and he has remained out of the league.

Wall was a five-time All-Star with the Wizards before Achilles and left heel injuries derailed his career. He hasn’t played in more than 41 games since the 2016/17 season, but he hopes to show teams that he’s still worthy of an NBA contract.

Former first-round picks Dion Waiters and Harry Giles III are also planning workouts in Las Vegas, Haynes adds (Twitter link). They’ll hold separate sessions on Monday for interested teams.

Waiters, 31, has been out of the NBA since the 2019/20 season, when he played 10 combined games for the Heat and Lakers. He attended a mini-camp with the Mavericks last summer, but wasn’t able to land a job.

Giles, 25, has been plagued by knee injuries since he was in high school. His last NBA action came with the Trail Blazers during the 2020/21 season, but he also spent time with the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers before an injury ended his season in January of 2022.

Anthony Edwards Signs Five-Year Max Extension With Timberwolves

July 8th, 2023 at 8:06pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The extension is official, the Wolves confirmed on Twitter (video link).

JULY 3: The Timberwolves and rising star Anthony Edwards have reached an agreement on a five-year, designated rookie extension that will pay him the maximum salary, agents Bill Duffy and Joe Branch tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski reports that the deal can be worth up to $260MM, though that would hinge on Edwards making an All-NBA team in 2024 and the salary cap rising by the maximum 10% for the 2024/25 league year. With a 10% cap increase and no All-NBA spot for Edwards, the five-year extension would be worth $217MM.

It will be a straight five-year contract with no player or team option, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“I’m humbled, appreciative and excited to remain in Minnesota as a part of this incredible Timberwolves organization,” Edwards said in a statement to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). “It’s amazing to see where hard work can take you.”

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Edwards has increased his scoring average and efficiency in each of his NBA seasons to date. He averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals with a .459/.369/.756 shooting line in 79 games (36.0 MPG) in 2022/23, earning his first All-Star nod.

Even though the Wolves also have Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on maximum-salary contracts, there was a strong belief entering this offseason that Edwards, the player the franchise will likely build around for years to come, would get a max deal of his own. He looks poised to officially sign it as soon as he becomes eligible to do so later this week.

Edwards will play one more season on his rookie scale contract, which will pay him in $13.5MM in 2023/24, before he receives a massive raise. If the cap increases by 10% to $149.6MM in ’24/25 and Edwards makes an All-NBA team, he, Towns, and Gobert would earn a combined $141MM that season, and that number would only increase further in ’25/26.

While those three max deals – and a potential extension for Jaden McDaniels – figure to hamper the Timberwolves’ financial flexibility going forward, any eventual moves made to address that issue are more likely to involve Towns or Gobert than Edwards.

Edwards is the third 2020 first-rounder to agree to a “Rose Rule” rookie scale extension that can start at up to 30% of the cap instead of 25%. Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers and LaMelo Ball of the Hornets will also reportedly sign those deals, while Desmond Bane of the Grizzlies is getting a rookie scale extension worth the standard 25% max.