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Christmas Day Games Include Sixers-Celtics, Lakers-Warriors

August 8th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA’s leaked slate of Christmas Day games will feature several heavy hitters.

Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that, as usual, five games will be broadcast, highlighted by a marquee matchup between two longtime Eastern Conference foes, the revamped Sixers and the Celtics. Boston, the reigning league champion, will host.

The schedule will be rounded out by several clashes between starry clubs, from veteran-laden squads to young up-and-comers. The Spurs will travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks. A Western Conference Finals rematch is also on the docket, as the Mavericks will host the Timberwolves.

The newly Klay Thompson-less Warriors will host the Lakers, and the Nuggets will travel to Phoenix to face the retooled Suns.

Philadelphia almost completely overhauled its roster around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The new additions are headlined by nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George, who departed the Clippers to sign a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Sixers. Philadelphia also signed seasoned free agents like forward Caleb Martin, center Andre Drummond, and shooting guard Eric Gordon while bringing back wing Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Celtics retained all of their own key players after going 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the playoffs. A pair of new extensions for All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White highlighted the team’s transactions, though longer-term uncertainty looms as owner Wyc Grousbeck is looking to sell the franchise.

Led by Defensive Player of the Year and impending Olympic medalist Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs figure to improve on their paltry 21-61 record in 2023/24. The team signed 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a one-year deal this summer, and traded for veteran combo forward Harrison Barnes. San Antonio also used its No. 4 pick in the lottery on NCAA championship-winning UConn guard Stephon Castle, the 2023/24 Big East Freshman of the Year.

The Knicks, meanwhile traded for former All-Defensive small forward Mikal Bridges this summer to maximize their ability to switch on the wing. The team also re-signed free agent forward OG Anunoby to a long-term contract and free agent center/power forward Precious Achiuwa to a shorter-term deal, inked All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson to a contract extension, and brought aboard veteran point guard Cameron Payne for extra depth.

Fresh off its first NBA Finals appearance with star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas added future Hall of Famer Thompson away from the Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade, while also acquiring young guard Quentin Grimes from the Pistons. Dallas also signed free agent wing Naji Marshall to a three-year deal.

After winning their first (two) playoff series in 20 years this spring, the Timberwolves traded for the draft rights to No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham and retained several of their own free agents.

While Golden State did lose out on Thompson, the Warriors quickly pivoted on the perimeter, signing free agent guard De’Anthony Melton and signing-and-trading for free agent wings Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. The team is hoping to rebound from a finish as the West’s No. 10 seed and a quick play-in tournament exit.

Denver let free agent starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency and brought in reserve guard Russell Westbrook.

The Suns hired title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer and signed Tyus Jones to a steal of a veteran’s minimum contract. Phoenix also brought back several of its own free agents, including wings Josh Okogie and Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee. The team also inked free agents Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris to minimum-salary contracts.

The most questionable omission from all this Christmas scheduling is clearly the Thunder, who claimed the West’s No. 1 overall seed last season and added ex-Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein via a lucrative three-year, $87MM deal. Oklahoma City also dealt guard Josh Giddey – who fell out of the starting lineup in the playoffs – to Chicago for All-Defensive wing Alex Caruso.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having finished as the MVP runner-up last year and young pieces Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to develop, the Thunder look poised to contend for the West’s top seed once again.

France To Face Team USA For Olympic Gold

August 8th, 2024 at 4:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Host nation France pulled off its second consecutive upset by defeating 2023 World Cup champion Germany in the semifinals of men’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.

Led by Guerschon Yabusele (17 points, seven rebounds, two assists), Isaia Cordinier (16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals), and a stifling defense anchored by Victor Wembanyama (11 points, seven rebounds, three blocks), France edged Germany, 73-69.

While reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Wembanyama struggled with his shot (4-of-17) for the second consecutive game, his impact was felt all over the court, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“Of course, it’s part of a dream come true,” Wembanyama said, per ESPN. “We can be part of a goal that we set for ourselves months back. We can write history, even more. A once-in-a-lifetime dream.”

The French national team will advance to its second consecutive Olympic final after finishing with the silver medal in Tokyo three years ago.

In fact, Saturday’s Olympic final will be rematch, with France set to face the United States, which won gold in Tokyo. Team USA trailed by as many as 17 points in its semifinal matchup with Serbia and was down 13 entering the final frame, but mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback to secure a 95-91 victory.

Stephen Curry (a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds, two assists), Joel Embiid (19 points, four rebounds, two assists), and LeBron James (16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) were instrumental down the stretch for the Americans, while Serbia was led by Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points, four rebounds, three assists), Nikola Jokic (17 points, five rebounds, 11 assists), and Aleksa Avramovic (15 points, four rebounds, three assists).

In a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, Germany will face Serbia for the bronze medal on Saturday at 5:00 am ET. France will face the U.S. for gold at 3:30 pm ET.

Bulls Hiring E’Twaun Moore As Scout

August 8th, 2024 at 2:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls are hiring former NBA guard — and former Bull — E’Twaun Moore as a scout, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Moore hails from East Chicago, Indiana, which is approximately 18 miles from downtown Chicago, Illinois.

Moore, 35, was last under contract in 2021/22 with Orlando, though he didn’t appear in any regular season games for the Magic. He was waived in February 2022 to make room on Orlando’s roster just before the trade deadline.

The 55th pick of the 2011 draft after starring in college at Purdue, Moore spent 11 seasons in the NBA with Boston, Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans and Phoenix. He played for the Bulls from 2014-16.

Moore hasn’t officially announced his retirement from playing, but he’s been out of the league for two consecutive seasons now. As of January 2023, Moore was still working out in the hope of receiving a call from an NBA team; however, he was also preparing for his post-playing career, including some successful investments.

The 6’3″ guard averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .455/.388/.742 shooting in 598 regular season games over the course of his career, including 191 starts (21.0 minutes per contest).

Pacers Sign Enrique Freeman To Two-Way Deal

August 8th, 2024 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

1:55pm: Freeman’s two-way deal is now official, the Pacers announced in a press release. Cole Swider‘s non-guaranteed standard contract is also official, per the team.

12:40pm: The Pacers are signing Enrique Freeman to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Freeman was the No. 50 overall pick of June’s draft.

Freeman is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, who played five years of college basketball at Akron, where he had highly decorated career. The 24-year-old forward made the MAC All-Defensive team four consecutive times, was a three-time All-Conference honoree, was MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021/22 and the conference’s Player of the Year in ’23/24.

As a senior last season for the Zips, Freeman averaged 18.6 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on .584/.370/.728 shooting in 35 games (32.5 minutes per contest).

Freeman had been one of a handful of 2024 draft picks who remained unsigned. Now that he’s inking a two-way deal, that list is down to three players: Duke big man Kyle Filipowski, the No. 32 pick (Jazz); Serbian guard Nikola Djurisic, the No. 43 pick (Hawks) who recently underwent surgery for a broken foot; and Dutch big man Quinten Post, the No. 52 pick (Warriors) who played college basketball at Mississippi State and Boston College.

As for Indiana, Freeman will fill the team’s third and final two-way spot, with guards Quenton Jackson and Tristen Newton also on two-way contracts.

The Pacers still have a two-way qualifying offer out to Oscar Tshiebwe as well, but since two-way deals can be swapped in and out and don’t count against the salary cap, they could potentially release him if he accepts the QO and isn’t in their long-term plans. Newton and Freeman’s roster spots are probably a little more secure than Jackson’s since they were just selected in the second round (Newton was the No. 49 pick).

Trent Forrest Signs With Baskonia

August 8th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Trent Forrest has signed a two-year contract with Baskonia, Sportando relays. The Spanish club announced the signing on its Twitter feed.

Forrest spent the past two seasons with the Hawks. He signed a new two-way contract in September after spending the 2022/23 on a two-way deal with Atlanta.

Forrest had his contract converted to a standard, rest-of-season deal in late February. He became an unrestricted free agent after the season and appeared in two Las Vegas Summer League games with the Lakers.

The 26-year-old appeared in a total of 38 games for Atlanta last season, all off the bench. He averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 assists in 10.9 minutes per game. During the previous season, he saw action in 23 Hawks games, including three starts.

Forrest suited up for Utah in his first two NBA seasons after going undrafted out of Florida State in 2020. Overall, he has appeared in 151 NBA contests, including nine starts. He has averaged 2.8 points and 1.9 assists in 11.6 minutes per game, converting 44.4% of his field goal attempts but just 18.5% of his three-point tries.

Jeremy Lamb Retiring From Basketball

August 7th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA guard Jeremy Lamb is retiring from basketball, he announced on Wednesday (Instagram link). He appeared in 573 career games from 2012-22, enjoying stints with Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Indiana and Sacramento.

“Basketball has been good to me throughout my entire life, so this decision didn’t come easy,” Lamb said in his post on Instagram.

“I know I wouldn’t be where I’m at without the love and support from my family and friends, so I want to take a moment to express my appreciation. I’m thankful for the many ways you’ve been there throughout my career.”

Lamb was drafted 12th overall in 2012 by Houston but was immediately traded to Oklahoma City in the move that brought James Harden to the Rockets. He played a regular role off the bench for the contending Thunder in his second season, helping them to the playoffs. After three years in OKC, he was dealt to Charlotte, where he played from 2015-19, putting up his best statistical seasons.

Lamb helped the Hornets achieve a 48-34 record in 2015/16, their best mark in the past decade, while appearing 66 games off the bench that year. In 2018/19, he recorded career highs of 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

Lamb went on to play a big role for the ’19/20 Pacers before finishing his NBA career with the Kings. In total, he averaged 10.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in his 573 games (136 starts).

“I also want to acknowledge my teammates, who have made this experience unforgettable,” Lamb wrote. “To my coaches, thank you for your guidance and belief in me. Your impact on my life goes beyond the court. Now it’s time to catch another dream!“

Jazz Renegotiate, Extend Lauri Markkanen’s Contract

August 7th, 2024 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: Markkanen has renegotiated and extended his contract, agent Michael Lelchitski confirms to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Jazz have officially announced the deal (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, the agreement actually features $220MM in new money. That works out to a total of approximately $238MM over the next five seasons after accounting for his previous $18MM salary for 2024/25.

That means, in addition to having his salary bumped up to the ’24/25 maximum (just over $42MM), Markkanen has tacked on another $196MM across the next four seasons.

As noted below, based on the NBA’s latest cap projections for 2025/26, Markkanen’s maximum four-year extension would have been worth about $208MM, so his new deal is much closer to the max than Tuesday’s reporting suggested. The extension features no options, Wojnarowski adds.

“They’ve all showed their belief in me, from the ownership to the front office to (head coach) Will (Hardy),” Markkanen told ESPN. “It’s a comfortable environment and those guys’ resumes speak for themselves. I trust in the organization to help grow me as a person and a player, to build our team and I’m ready to take on the challenge.”

Markkanen is now officially ineligible to be traded until the 2025 offseason.

AUGUST 6: Star forward Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz are expected to finalize an agreement on a contract renegotiation and a long-term extension that will be signed on August 7 or later, according to Shams Charania, Tony Jones, and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

The Jazz will be able to use their cap room to renegotiate Markkanen’s 2024/25 salary ($18,044,544) all the way up to his maximum of $42,176,400, then extend him based off of that number. Extending him based on his previous salary would have limited his maximum extension to about $113MM over four new years, for a total of approximately $131MM over five years.

League sources tell The Athletic that Markkanen’s new deal is expected to be worth upwards of $200MM over the next five seasons (including ’24/25).

Markkanen became eligible for a contract renegotiation on August 6. If he were to sign today, he’d become trade-eligible on February 6, the day of the 2025 deadline. However, multiple recent reports stated that signing on Aug. 7 or later is the more likely outcome, and The Athletic’s latest story confirms that’s the plan.

Because players are prohibited from being dealt for six months after completing a contract renegotiation, the former All-Star will become ineligible to be traded for the entire 2024/25 regular season once he signs.

According to The Athletic’s trio, Markkanen has repeatedly expressed a desire to stay in Utah and wants to be part of the team’s rebuild. The Jazz, in turn, view him as a potential franchise cornerstone who can be part of their long-term plans. The front office reportedly pursued Jrue Holiday in 2023 and Mikal Bridges earlier this offseason in an effort to get Markkanen more help.

Still, Utah had been willing to listen to trade inquiries on the Finnish forward and has had trade conversations with the Warriors, Kings, and Spurs, among other teams, since the offseason began. Sacramento reportedly made progress in negotiations before those discussions collapsed in early July.

Golden State made an offer centered around Moses Moody and several draft assets, including first-round picks, second-round picks, and swaps, per The Athletic. However, the Warriors kept Brandin Podziemski out of their proposal, which was a sticking point for the Jazz and prevented the two sides from gaining any real momentum. Talks between the two teams were most active in early July and have been more infrequent in recent weeks as Golden State became resigned to the fact that a long-term extension for Markkanen was the most likely outcome, league sources tell The Athletic.

Because a contract renegotiation requires cap room, the Jazz are the only team in position to give Markkanen a raise up to his 2024/25 maximum salary this offseason, which also complicated trade talks. Any team that acquired the 27-year-old would likely have had to be comfortable going to unrestricted free agency with him next summer.

The only scenario in which Markkanen could realistically have been both extended and traded before next offseason would be if he signed a new deal today and then was moved on Feb. 6. If Utah had considered it a top priority to ensure Markkanen became trade-eligible at the deadline, the team could have played hardball in extension negotiations, making a lucrative long-term offer that would come off the table as of Aug. 7.

But it benefits the Jazz to lock up Markkanen now to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency next summer — he’ll still be trade-eligible during the 2025 offseason and could have more value at that time on a four-year contract than he does now on an expiring deal, so this new extension doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll spend the next five seasons in Utah.

For what it’s worth, if The Athletic’s five-year, $200MM estimate includes a $42MM salary for ’24/25, that would mean the four-year extension would be worth about $158MM, which is well below Markkanen’s potential maximum (approximately $208MM). Those figures suggest the Jazz were able to use some leverage to get more favorable terms in later years, though we’ll have to wait for the specific contract details to know that for sure.

Renegotiating Markkanen’s contract to give him a significant raise this season will allow the Jazz to surpass the minimum salary floor ($126.5MM). It’s unclear if the Jazz will officially complete their reported agreements with free agents Drew Eubanks and Johnny Juzang once the Markkanen situation is resolved or if the team will continue to retain as much cap room as possible for now as it explores the trade market for other possible deals.

Markkanen, who was sent to Utah from Cleveland as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade in 2022, has averaged 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 33.8 minutes per game across 121 appearances with the Jazz, recording a shooting line of .490/.395/.885.

Markkanen’s strong play has helped the Jazz remain relatively competitive in each of the past two seasons, especially in the first half. Utah won 37 games in 2022/23 and 31 in ’23/24, which resulted in the team picking no higher than No. 9 in either of the past two drafts.

Securing a higher lottery pick in a loaded 2025 draft is expected to be a priority for the Jazz, so it will be interesting to see how the team manages its lineup and rotation next season. The expectation is that Utah will give its young players, including Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Cody Williams, significant playing time and lean less heavily on its veterans.

Furkan Korkmaz Signs With AS Monaco

August 7th, 2024 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the past seven seasons in the NBA, Furkan Korkmaz is returning to Europe, having signed a contract with AS Monaco Basket, according to a press release from the team. The deal includes one guaranteed season, with a second-year option.

The 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Korkmaz was initially a draft-and-stash prospect who made the move to the NBA in 2017. Across seven seasons with the Sixers, he averaged 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 16.6 minutes per game across 328 total outings (49 starts). He posted a career shooting line of .406/.356/.761.

Korkmaz’s time in Philadelphia came to an end in February, when he was traded to Indiana as part of the three-team deal that sent Buddy Hield to the 76ers. He was immediately waived by Indiana and has been a free agent since then. Earlier this week, he sent a belated farewell message (via Twitter) to the fans in Philadelphia.

“Thank you to the Sixers organization, to the amazing fans, and to my coaches and teammates,” he wrote. “Your support and love have been incredible. I’ve made incredible friendships along the way, and I’m grateful for every moment spent on and off the court. We’ve shared so many good and tough times together. Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love, you will always hold a special place in my heart.

“Thank you for the memories and the journey. Now, a new chapter begins in my career.”

Korkmaz, who was born in Istanbul, is no stranger to international basketball, having played for Anadolu Efes, Pertevniyal, and Banvit in his home country of Turkey between 2013-17.

He’ll be joining an AS Monaco club that’s coming off an impressive season in 2023/24 — the team went 29-5 in the LNB Elite (France’s top league) and had a 23-11 record in EuroLeague competition. Monaco won a championship in France, but was knocked off by the lower-seeded Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague playoffs.

Warriors Showing No Interest In Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine

August 6th, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After not acquiring Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz, the Warriors are reportedly not currently showing interest in vying for the services of either Brandon Ingram of the Pelicans or Zach LaVine of the Bulls, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Tony Jones and Anthony Slater.

Even though the Warriors didn’t land either of their high-profile targets of the offseason after also striking out on Paul George, they aren’t panicking. They’re reportedly comfortable entering the season with their current 14-man group.

Both Ingram and LaVine have experienced limited trad markets this offseason, primarily due to their contract situations. LaVine has three years and approximately $138MM left on his deal, while Ingram – who is on an expiring $36MM contract – appears to be seeking a lucrative long-term extension.

The Warriors lost Klay Thompson this offseason but added De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters. They also held firm on their refusal to include Brandin Podziemski in any potential trade for Markkanen, so they’ll be counting on him and fellow young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis to continue to develop.

Golden State viewed Markkanen as a terrific fit due to his age and contract situation, but now that he’s on track to renegotiate and extend his contract with Utah, they know he’ll be unavailable until at least the 2025 offseason and will continue to evaluate their roster, per The Athletic.

Owning all but one of their future first-rounders (with the exception of a heavily protected 2030 pick) alongside their young players makes the Warriors a threat to pull off a blockbuster at any point of the season, and they’ll look to be buyers up to the February trade deadline.

Until then, the Warriors may seek smaller-scale trades through August and September more actively than what is typical from NBA teams, according to The Athletic’s report.

Luke Travers Departs Melbourne United, Pursuing NBA Opportunities

August 6th, 2024 at 9:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Forward Luke Travers, the No. 56 overall pick in the 2022 draft, was granted release from his contract with Melbourne United, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports (Twitter link).

According to Uluc, the release was mutual so that Travers can “pursue NBA opportunities.” Travers’ rights are owned by the Cavaliers, so unless his rights are traded in the near future, the only contract he could sign would be with Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are in an interesting place, with first-round pick Jaylon Tyson representing their only offseason addition so far. They signed three players to extensions but have kept their roster flexibility as open as it can be. They have three standard contract spots open and are the only team to not have a player signed to a two-way contract for next season.

Their holdup in making moves is almost certainly tied to restricted free agent Isaac Okoro, who is the biggest domino left to fall in free agency. The Cavs have reportedly had talks about re-signing him and about possible sign-and-trade deals with other teams. Regardless, they seem to be in a holding pattern until that situation is resolved.

But if the team re-signs Okoro (or signs-and-trades him in a move that brings back just one player), they’d still have multiple open roster spots to fill. Of their own free agents, Marcus Morris and Emoni Bates seem the most likely to return.

Travers would be eligible to sign either a standard or two-way contract with the team. If they wanted to save some money, it would make sense to sign him to a deal that’s similar in structure to the one Gui Santos, picked one slot before Travers, received from Golden State last year.

Travers, 22, has spent three straight years with Cleveland’s summer league team. Across 15 total summer league appearances spanning 2022-24, he has averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks. During his last season with Melbourne, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds across 36 games.

A 6’7″ forward, Travers would provide versatile youth and depth. If he signed, he would be the second-youngest player on the roster.

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