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Wizards Trade Monte Morris To Pistons

July 6th, 2023 at 6:42pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Wizards and Pistons have officially completed the Morris trade, according to press releases from both teams. Washington will receive either the Nets’ or Mavericks’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).

JUNE 30: The Wizards and Pistons have agreed to a trade that will send point guard Monte Morris to Detroit, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Omari Sankofa of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), Washington will acquire a future second-round pick in exchange for Morris. No other players will be involved in the swap, Sankofa adds.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the pick will be a 2027 second-rounder. The Wizards will also create a $9.8MM trade exception — equivalent to Morris’ salary — as part of the deal, per Robbins.

As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets, the Wizards are facing a roster crunch, particularly in the backcourt. Moving Morris helps address both of those issues. The Wizards now have 16 players under contract and have multiple mid-sized trade exceptions after previously dealing away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, Gozlan notes.

Morris’ contract will be absorbed into Detroit’s remaining cap room and the deal will be completed July 6, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Pistons still have the $7.8MM room exception to work with, says Marks, who adds that the Wizards are $30.5MM below the luxury tax line.

A former second-round pick and Michigan native, Morris spent his first five seasons with the Nuggets before being traded to the Wizards last summer. The 28-year-old had a solid first season with Washington in 2022/23, averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds on .480/.382/.831 shooting in 62 games (61 starts, 27.3 minutes).

Morris, who has been one of the league’s best at taking care of the ball throughout his career, including a 5.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, is ideally used as a backup, because he’s not a great defensive player. His measured, efficient approach should mesh well with a young Pistons team looking to take the next step in their rebuild.

Morris is entering the final year of his contract, which explains, to some extent, the limited return the Wizards received in the deal. The fact that they were able to shed his salary without taking any on themselves must have held some appeal as well.

Pelicans Convert Liddell’s Two-Way Contract To Three-Year Deal

July 6th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:59pm: The signing is now official, according to NBA’s transactions log.

5:37pm: The Pelicans are signing forward E.J. Liddell to a new three-year, $6,224,049, with a team option in the third season, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic tweets.

Liddell is having his two-way contract converted to a standard one. He suffered a torn right ACL in summer league last summer.

Liddell, a 6’6” forward, was the 41st pick in the 2022 draft out of Ohio State. Liddell occupied one of the Pelicans’ two-way slots last season despite his inability to play.

As The Athletic’s John Hollinger points out (Twitter link), handing Liddell a standard contract actually helps New Orleans in terms of the luxury tax. It’s cheaper for the Pelicans to give Liddell a minimum deal than signing another player on a veteran’s minimum to fill their 14th roster spot.

Liddell will return to action on Friday night when he returns to Las Vegas for the New Orleans Pelicans’ summer league opener, Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.

“Wooh, lot of nerves,” Liddell said. “If you see me smiling, a lot of nerves. But just know (I’m) super excited to be out there.”

During a 2021/22 NCAA season in which he was named a Third Team All-American, an All-Big Ten First Teamer, and a Big Ten All-Defensive Team honoree, Liddell averaged 19.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 BPG and 2.5 APG for the Buckeyes.

Kings Trade Richaun Holmes, Olivier-Maxence Prosper To Mavs

July 6th, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 6: The trade between the Kings and Mavericks is official, according to an announcement from the Mavs (Twitter link). Dallas acquired Holmes into the trade exception created in the Bertans deal, along with the rights to Prosper, in exchange for cash considerations.

JUNE 22: The Kings will trade center Richaun Holmes and the 24th pick to the Mavericks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper was the selection at No. 24.

Holmes is under contract for 2023/24 at $12MM and holds a $12.8MM player option for the following season. Dallas will acquire him using the traded player exception it created earlier in the night by sending Davis Bertans to Oklahoma City.

Holmes, who had been Sacramento’s starting center for two-and-a-half seasons, saw his playing time slip dramatically after the 2022 trade deadline as Domantas Sabonis took over the starting job. Holmes averaged just 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 42 games while playing 8.3 minutes per night.

The Mavericks continue to add frontline depth after landing Duke center Dereck Lively II with the 12th pick. It appears likely that Holmes will have a larger role in Dallas as the team tries to rebuild its supporting cast around Luka Doncic and the expected return of Kyrie Irving.

Prosper was able to raise his draft stock with an impressive showing at the combine and strong showings throughout the workout process. He reportedly held workouts with at least 16 teams.

The Kings’ return in the deal is not yet known, but it will likely be minimal, since Holmes is considered a salary dump. Sacramento now has the ability to create more than $30MM in cap room this offseason.

Hornets Sign LaMelo Ball To Five-Year Max Extension

July 6th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: The Hornets and Ball have officially finalized their deal, with the team issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

JULY 1: The Hornets and LaMelo Ball are finalizing a five-year designated rookie extension that will be worth the maximum salary, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Agent Sam Permut tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) that the two sides have reached an agreement.

Ball’s starting salary on the new deal will pay him at least 25% of the 2024/25 cap. Charania’s report suggests there will be Rose Rule language that could increase that figure to 30% of the cap if Ball earns All-NBA honors next season.

The exact value of the contract will depend on where the ’24/25 cap lands and whether Ball meets the Rose Rule criteria, but even in a worst-case scenario, it will be worth well north of $200MM. In a best-case scenario (30% starting salary, 10% cap increase), it would be worth $260MM.

Charlotte selected the 6’7″ point guard with the third overall pick in the 2020 draft. He immediately emerged as a lethal and creative scorer all over the floor, and was named the 2020/21 Rookie of the Year despite being limited to just 51 out of 72 possible games (31 starts) in his first season due to injuries.

Ailments have been a recurring theme in Ball’s young career, outside of a relatively healthy 75-game run in 2021/22, during which he made his first All-Star team as an injury replacement.

A right ankle fracture ended his 2022/23 campaign early. He played in just 36 contests for the 27-55 Hornets. When Ball did play last year, he remained his stellar statistical self, though it didn’t particularly contribute to winning. He notched 23.3 PPG on .411/.376/.836 shooting splits, 8.4 APG, 5.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG.

Charlotte is undergoing some major changes this summer. The team selected highly-touted Alabama forward Brandon Miller, widely considered to be another All-Star caliber prospect, using the second pick in this year’s draft. Former longtime majority owner Michael Jordan also sold most of his shares in the club to a new ownership group, led by tech investor Ian Loring and several notable North Carolinians. The Hall of Famer will still retain a stake in the franchise moving forward.

Cavs Acquire Max Strus In Three-Team Sign-And-Trade

July 6th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is official, the Heat announced (via Twitter). As part of the deal, Miami will also swap second-round picks with the Spurs, with Miami receiving a 2027 selection and San Antonio receiving a 2026 pick. The Cavs are also sending cash to the Spurs.

JULY 1: The Cavaliers, Heat, and Spurs have agreed to a three-team deal that will land Max Strus in Cleveland via sign-and-trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Wojnarowski that Strus has agreed to a four-year, $63MM contract with the Cavs.

Miami will acquire a second-round pick and will create a trade exception in the deal, while San Antonio will receive Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second-round pick, according to Wojnarowski.

The second-rounder going to Miami is the Lakers’ 2026 pick, while the one headed to San Antonio is Cleveland’s 2030 selection, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Strus had been repeatedly mentioned as a top target for the Cavs in the days and hours leading up to free agency. A report on Thursday indicated Cleveland hoped its $12.4MM mid-level exception would be enough to land the 27-year-old, but with rumors suggesting his market was above the MLE, a report on Friday suggested the Cavs were looking into three-team sign-and-trade scenarios.

Right before free agency opened, Marc Stein reported that a scenario in which the Cavs sign-and-trade for Strus and use their mid-level exception to add Georges Niang appeared “increasingly likely.” Sure enough, Cleveland is poised to add both players, having reached an agreement with Niang on Friday night.

A former undrafted free agent who had brief stints in Boston and Chicago early in his career, Strus blossomed into a reliable rotation player in Miami during the last two seasons. In 148 games since the start of 2021/22, he has averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .423/.376/.845. He moved ahead of Duncan Robinson in the Heat’s rotation during that time in large part due to his more stable presence on defense.

The Cavs had been on the lookout for a wing to complement starters Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley for the better part of the year. Strus should slot into that role nicely along with Caris LeVert, who also agreed to return to Cleveland.

In moving off Osman and Stevens in this trade, the Cavs should still be about $12.5MM below the luxury tax line with 10 players on the books, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

The Heat, who project to be a taxpayer in 2023/24, had been bracing for Strus’ departure, recognizing that they weren’t prepared to match his price on the open market. They reportedly didn’t want to take any salary back in a sign-and-trade and were able to achieve that goal. The traded player exception they generate as part of the transaction will be worth half of Strus’ first-year salary — based on the reported terms of his deal, that TPE should come in at about $7MM.

As for the Spurs, they entered the day with more leftover cap room than any other NBA team and will use a portion of it to add a second-round pick and two forwards who are on expiring contracts and who should be in the mix for rotation roles if they remain on San Antonio’s roster.

Osman, who will earn $6.7MM in 2023/24 before reaching unrestricted free agency, has been a rotation player in Cleveland for the last six seasons, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG with a .353 3PT% in 404 games (23.6 MPG) during that time.

Stevens, a solid defensive wing who doesn’t provide much on offense, has a $1.93MM non-guaranteed salary — some or all of that money will become guaranteed as part of this deal in order to satisfy the NBA’s salary-matching rules.

The Spurs will still have approximately $23-26MM in cap space available.

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.