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Nuggets, Aaron Gordon Optimistic About Possible Extension

September 26th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be eligible for a four-year contract extension as of Friday, September 27. A four-year extension would require Gordon to decline his $22.84MM player option for 2025/26, with the first year of a potential new deal replacing that option.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, general manager Calvin Booth said he hopes the former No. 4 overall pick remains a Nugget for the foreseeable future.

“Hopefully we have some productive talks with his representation and are able to find a deal,” Booth said (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports). “… We want Aaron here for a long time.”

Gordon also sounded optimistic about a deal coming to fruition, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link)

“I really love this organization,” Gordon said. “I love the players on this team. I love the coaching staff. I hope we get it done. It seems like it’s moving forward in the right direction.”

Gordon, who turned 29 years old last week, played a key role in helping the Nuggets win their first championship in 2023. He’s a highly versatile player on both ends of the court and has excellent chemistry with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Gordon also touched on the tragic passing of his older brother Drew, who died following a car accident at the end of May. Drew played professionally for over a decade, including a stint with the Sixers in 2014/15.

“I always leaned on my brother,” Gordon said. “I understand I can’t take any relationship for granted. My teammates have been there every step of the way. They came to his service and his funeral. These guys have developed into my brothers.”

Gordon changed his jersey from No. 50 to No. 32 to honor his brother, per the NBA (Twitter video link).

“It was my brother’s favorite number, my dad’s favorite number, my sister played in it in college, I played in it in high school… it feels like home,” he said.

Sixers Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal

September 26th, 2024 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26, 3:15pm: Quinones has officially signed his two-way deal, the Sixers announced in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 25, 11:41am: Jones has been waived to make room on the roster for Quinones, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 25, 8:46am: The Sixers and free agent guard Lester Quinones have agreed to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Quinones, who will turn 24 in November, spent last season with the Warriors. He began the year on a two-way deal and then was promoted to Golden State’s standard roster in February. The 6’5″ guard appeared in a total of 37 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 10.6 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .397/.364/.690.

Quinones spent more time in the NBA than in the G League last season, but has been an effective contributor for the Santa Cruz Warriors over the past two years, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .448/.362/.772 shooting in 65 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for Golden State’s NBAGL affiliate.

The Warriors opted not to tender Quinones a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported in early July that the former Memphis Tiger was on the Sixers’ radar.

Philadelphia doesn’t currently have an open two-way slot, so either Justin Edwards, David Jones, or Jeff Dowtin will have to be waived in order to make room on the roster for Quinones.

Warriors Waive Plowden, Sign Post To Two-Way Deal

September 26th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 26: Post’s two-way contract with the Warriors is now official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Warriors have waived two-way player Daeqwon Plowden, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), and are signing second-round pick Quinten Post to a two-way contract, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Golden State was expected to open a two-way spot for Post. Pat Spencer and Reece Beekman hold the other two-way slots.

Plowden was signed to a two-way deal after strong Summer League performances for the Warriors. He averaged 14.6 points and shot 39.6% from three-point range in eight Summer League games combined in the Las Vegas and California Classic leagues.

Plowden, who went undrafted out of Bowling Green in 2022, has spent his first two professional seasons in the G League, playing for the Birmingham Squadron in 2022/23 and the Osceola Magic in ’23/24. In 49 Showcase Cup and regular season outings for Osceola last season, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .472/.397/.797.

According to Slater, the Warriors still intend to bring Plowden to camp to compete for a two-way spot, which suggests Spencer and Beekman aren’t entirely safe yet.

The Hawks’ G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, recently acquired Plowden’s returning player rights, so if he doesn’t earn a roster spot with Golden State, he may end up with the Skyhawks.

As for Post, he spent his last three college seasons with Boston College. Post averaged 17.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season. The 24-year-old 7-footer was selected with the No. 52 overall pick.

Pistons Sign Lamar Stevens To Camp Deal

September 26th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Rory Maher

Free agent forward Lamar Stevens has signed a contract with the Pistons, according to his agency, Priority Sports (Twitter link).

Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that Stevens has agreed to a training camp deal, which means it will be a one-year, minimum-salary contract that is non-guaranteed and won’t count against the cap. It figures to include Exhibit 9 language and perhaps Exhibit 10 language too.

Stevens played for four years at Penn State prior to going undrafted in 2020. He spent his first three NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, initially on a two-way deal before receiving a promotion to a multiyear standard contract at the end of his rookie campaign.

Known for his strength, toughness, athleticism and defensive versatility, Stevens was traded from Cleveland to San Antonio last summer in the three-team deal that saw the Cavs acquire Max Strus from Miami. San Antonio waived Stevens last July, but he caught on with the Celtics last fall for training camp, and was one of three players on Exhibit 9 contracts to make an opening night roster in 2023/24.

Not only did Stevens make Boston’s opening night roster, but he had his salary fully guaranteed in January. However, he rarely received playing with the Celtics, who traded him to Memphis — along with two second-round picks — for Xavier Tillman at the February deadline.

The 27-year-old played pretty well for an injury-ravaged Grizzlies squad, averaging 11.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .446/.289/.791 shooting in 19 appearances with Memphis (23.0 MPG). The team chose not to re-sign him this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Overall, Stevens has appeared in 203 regular season games over the course of his four seasons in the league, averaging 5.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .463/.286/.726 shooting in 15.7 MPG.

The Pistons currently have 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts, with big man Paul Reed on a non-guaranteed deal. Stevens will likely be vying for the 15th and final standard roster spot in training camp, assuming Detroit chooses to carry a full roster.

Junior Bridgeman Purchases 10% Stake In Bucks

September 26th, 2024 at 11:15am CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 26: Bridgeman has officially become a part-owner of the Bucks, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

“I’m overjoyed to return to the Bucks, where I spent the heart of my NBA playing career, to join their world-class ownership group,” Bridgeman said. “… I hope that my life journey serves as an aspiration to current and future players who dream of joining an NBA ownership group. I look forward to cheering the Bucks on this season alongside our great fans.”

SEPTEMBER 12: Junior Bridgeman, who played 12 NBA seasons from 1975-87, including 10 in Milwaukee, is purchasing a 10% stake in the Bucks, three sources familiar with the deal tell Michael Ozanian and Jessica Golden of CNBC.

According to CNBC’s report, the transaction values the Bucks at $4 billion but Bridgeman is receiving a “preferred limited partner discount” of 15%, or a $3.4 billion valuation. That means Bridgeman will pay approximately $340MM for his minority share.

Bridgeman, who turns 71 years old next week, starred in college at Louisville prior to being selected No. 8 overall in the 1975 draft. The 6’5″ wing averaged 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 84.6% from the line in 849 regular season games with the Bucks and Clippers (25.0 minutes per contest).

In late July, Baxter Holmes of ESPN wrote a feature story on Bridgeman and how he has built his wealth over the years. Bridgeman earned a total of just under $3MM in salaries during his playing career and has been extremely successful as a businessman, with a net worth of nearly $600MM.

As Ozanian and Golden observe, when the Haslam Sports Group purchased its 25% stake in the Bucks in April 2023, the team was valued at $3.2 billion. This new deal — which is the first time a portion of a team has been sold since the media rights agreements were announced — shows the franchise continues to increase in value.

Bridgeman was rumored to be interested in buying a stake in the Bucks back in 2014. His No. 2 jersey was retired by the Bucks in 1988.

Derrick Rose Announces Retirement

September 26th, 2024 at 6:16am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has announced his retirement as a basketball player.

Rose confirmed the decision in a post on Instagram and, according to Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, by taking out full-page ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played in: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.

“Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”

Rose added in a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic: “The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball.”

Rose, who will turn 36 next Friday, was selected first overall in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record.

The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.

However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury.

The 6’3″ guard ultimately made it back to the court on a more regular basis in ’14/15, but he only appeared in more than 51 games in a season twice in his final 10 NBA seasons as he continued to be affected by health issues that sapped him of the speed and explosiveness he displayed in his first few years.

Rose was still an effective role player when healthy, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, but his injury woes prevented him from fully delivering on the potential to be a longtime NBA star that he showed early in his career.

Rose will call it a career with averages of 17.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 723 career regular season games (30.5 MPG). He also made 52 postseason appearances and put up 21.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in those outings. He made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls during his MVP year in 2011, though he never played in the NBA Finals. In addition to suiting up for the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, he spent time with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies.

Rose had been under contract with Memphis for the 2024/25 season, but requested his release and gave up his full $3.3MM guaranteed salary for the year as part of that agreement.

As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network tweets, there are no immediate plans for Rose to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Bulls, but the organization will almost certainly honor its former star at some point this season.

Kawhi Leonard Underwent Knee Procedure This Offseason

September 24th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard underwent a procedure on his right knee in the offseason, Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic report (Twitter link).

It’s a troubling development as the Clippers head into training camp. Leonard will be limited in training camp, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank isn’t sure if Leonard will be ready to play by the season opener. But Frank also indicated during a press conference on Tuesday that he expects Leonard to have a “great year” and that his star forward feels he’s trending in the right direction (Twitter links here).

Leonard was sidelined at the end of the 2023/24 season due to right knee inflammation. He missed the last eight games of the regular season and first game of the playoffs due to the ailment. The 33-year-old returned for Game 2 and Game 3 vs. Dallas, then sat out the final three contests of the Clippers’ first-round loss.

Leonard was on Team USA’s roster but was replaced shortly before the Paris Olympics due to health concerns.

Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 34.3 minutes per game last season. He started 68 regular season games, the most he’s appeared in since he started 74 games for San Antonio in the 2016/17 season. He signed a three-year max extension with the Clippers in January.

Heat Sign Nassir Little To Non-Guaranteed Contract

September 24th, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 24: The Heat have officially signed Little, the team announced today in a press release.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Little’s one-year contract is fully non-guaranteed.

SEPTEMBER 23: Nassir Little has agreed to a one-year contract with the Heat, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

The free agent forward had worked out for a number of other teams, including the Celtics, Warriors and Kings.

The Heat already have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals, plus others on training camp or non-guaranteed contracts. They have major luxury tax considerations and would surpass the second tax apron threshold by carrying a 15th man, so it remains to be seen what kind of contract Miami offered. It’s likely to be a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal.

Little, 24, has been a free agent since Phoenix waived him late last month. The combo forward appeared in 45 games for the Suns last season, making two starts and posting 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per night. The former No. 25 overall pick spent his first four NBA seasons in Portland before coming to Phoenix in a three-team trade last September.

Grizzlies Waive Derrick Rose

September 23rd, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:54pm: The Grizzlies have officially waived Rose, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

4:00pm: The Grizzlies plan to waive veteran point guard Derrick Rose, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Rose had one year left on the two-year, veteran’s minimum contract he signed with Memphis last offseason.

According to Ian Begley of SNY TV (Twitter link), Rose requested to be released from his contract. Expect the former MVP to provide an update on his status later in the week, Begley adds. It remains to be seen whether Rose is contemplating retirement or seeking out another opportunity.

Rose had been expected to battle for playing time behind starting point guard Ja Morant. Memphis’ decision to waive Rose may signal that it will offer a standard contract to Scotty Pippen Jr., who is currently on a two-way deal. However, the Grizzlies will likely target more depth at that position, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).

There are some veteran point men still on the free agent market, including Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr. As our Offseason Check-In displays, the Grizzlies have exceptions available if they choose to use them but would risk surpassing the luxury tax line if they offer anyone more than the veteran’s minimum, assuming Rose didn’t give up any of his salary.

Rose, who turns 36 next month, only appeared in 24 games with the Grizzlies last season, including seven starts. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 assists in 16.6 minutes. He battled knee, hamstring, ankle and back ailments last season. He hasn’t appeared in more than 27 games in any of the past three seasons after playing in a combined 50 games with Detroit and New York in 2020/21.

The first overall pick of the 2008 draft, Rose made three All-Star teams before knee injuries plagued his career. He has appeared in 723 regular season games, averaging 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 30.5 minutes.

Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Season

September 23rd, 2024 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson won’t be available at the start of the regular season, according to reports from Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports (Twitter link) and Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Robinson underwent surgery on his left ankle in May to address a stress injury after having undergone a procedure on the same ankle last December. His recovery is ongoing, and both Weitzman and Begley suggest that the Knicks and Robinson are targeting a return in December or January.

Weitzman’s and Begley’s sources say that New York is proceeding cautiously with Robinson’s recovery process, given the troubles that ankle has given him in the last year, and that the team is confident in the “depth and versatility” of its frontcourt, which will have to get by without the Knicks’ starting center for the first couple months of the season.

The Knicks’ depth at center has already been a source of some concern entering the 2024/25 season, given that the club lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and didn’t add a replacement for the big man. Further complicating matters is the fact that Julius Randle is recovering from a surgery of his own (on his shoulder) and isn’t guaranteed to be available for opening night, though his recovery process is believed to be further along than Robinson’s.

When Randle underwent his shoulder procedure in early April, the team announced that he’d be reevaluated in five months, which would be early September. However, the team hasn’t provided any formal update on the three-time All-Star — that update will likely come on Media Day next week.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has spoken about the possibility of Randle playing some small-ball center this season, but even if Randle is available by opening night, the team will have to lean more heavily on big men like Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa until Robinson is ready to return. It’s also worth noting that Robinson’s unavailability this fall could help give power forward Marcus Morris a leg up on guard Landry Shamet in the battle for the 15th and final spot on the Knicks’ standard roster.

Robinson is an athletic rim-runner and rim protector who holds career averages of 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game across 320 career outings (196 starts). He has been impacted by injuries in recent years though, as he has missed 125 of 318 total regular season games and 12 of 29 playoff contests since the start of the 2020/21 season.