Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Select Bronny James With No. 55 Pick

June 27th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers have drafted All-NBA Los Angeles forward LeBron James‘ son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 pick out of USC.

Bronny James served as a backup combo guard on a middling Trojans team in 2023/24. USC finished with a 15-18 record and missed the NCAA Tournament, with former head coach Andy Enfield departing for SMU in the offseason.

Across his 25 healthy contests last season, the 6’4″ guard averaged just 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals a game. His season got off to a late start because he needed to be cleared after suffering cardiac arrest last July.

Isaiah Collier, who started ahead of James and had been considered a possible lottery prospect heading into 2023/24, fell to the Jazz with the No. 29 pick on Wednesday night.

James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, was apparently contacting rival clubs during the draft to dissuade them from selecting Bronny prior to the Lakers’ pick. According to Bob Myers of ESPN (Twitter video link), Paul informed other teams that, if drafted ahead of Los Angeles’ pick, Bronny would explore pro opportunities with the NBL in Australia.

Now, Bronny James join a revamped Lakers team – coached by former NBA-sharpshooter-turned-analyst-and-podcaster J.J. Redick – that is angling for an extended playoff run in the West. How many minutes the younger James will earn as likely a deep-bench reserve remains to be seen. LeBron has been vocal in the past about hoping to play alongside his son, and the second they step foot on the floor together, it will be the first time in league history that a father-son duo has achieved that feat.

LeBron James has a $51.4MM player option to return to L.A. next season. With his former podcast co-host coaching the team and his son now joining the team’s roster, it seems like to help the Lakers’ cause.

Nuggets To Trade Reggie Jackson To Hornets

June 27th, 2024 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have agreed to trade veteran point guard Reggie Jackson to the Hornets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from a source that Charlotte will also receive three second-round picks in the deal.

The Nuggets will send out their own 2025, 2029, and 2030 second-round picks in the swap, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). They’ll receive cash from the Hornets, tweets Matt Moore of Action Network.

The news comes just three days after Jackson picked up his $5.25MM player option with Denver for the 2024/25 season.

Jackson, who originally signed with Denver on the buyout market in February 2023, struggled down the stretch during the Nuggets’ championship season, making just 38.3% of his field goal attempts (27.9% of his three-pointers) in 16 regular season games before falling out of the rotation for the playoffs.

However, the Nuggets opted not only to retain him for the 2023/24 season but to give him a raise, signing him to a two-year, $10.25MM contract using their taxpayer mid-level exception. The 34-year-old responded with a strong bounce-back season, averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .431/.359/.806.

Despite that solid ’23/24 season, the Nuggets are essentially moving Jackson in a salary-dump deal, attaching future draft assets to move him and create some additional breathing room below the tax aprons.

According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), Denver’s team salary is now right around the $171MM tax line and approximately $19MM below the second apron. If the club wants to remain below that second apron and re-sign veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his $15.4MM player option, additional cost-cutting moves would likely be required.

It’s unclear whether or not Jackson will be in the Hornets’ plans for 2024/25. The team is expected to operate under the cap this offseason, so it could use cap room to take on the guard’s expiring contract. The $8MM room exception can also be used to acquire players via trade now, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.

Jamal Murray Expected To Agree To Four-Year Max Extension

June 27th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets and point guard Jamal Murray are making progress toward a four-year, $208.45MM maximum contract extension this offseason, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The Nuggets will present the offer to Murray and both sides expect an agreement.

Murray is entering the final season of a five-year, $182.8MM contract. He’s due to make $36MM in 2024/25

Under the terms of the extension, Murray would make approximately $46.53MM in 2025/26, $50.25MM in 2026/27, $53.97MM in 2027/28 and $57.7MM in 2028/29, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan. He could’ve added a fifth year worth $61.4MM if he re-signed as a free agent in 2025, according to Gozlan, but Murray has apparently chosen to lock into the long-term security now (Twitter link).

These salary estimates are based on a $141MM cap in 2024/25, then a 10% increase in 2025/26.

Murray won a championship with the Nuggets in 2023 and is generally considered the best active player never to be selected as an All-Star. During the title run, Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 20 games.

Injuries limited him to 59 regular-season games this past season, when he averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-best 6.5 assists. In Denver’s 12 postseason games, he averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

He’s a career 45.2% shooter, including 38% from beyond the 3-point line. A 2016 lottery pick, Murray is still just 27 years old.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 27th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has decided to decline his $15.4MM player option with the Nuggets for the 2024/25 season, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran wing will become an unrestricted free agent.

The decision doesn’t necessarily mean Caldwell-Pope won’t return to Denver, but the Nuggets figure to face plenty of competition for the three-and-D specialist. Multiple teams with cap room are expected to pursue him, per Charania and Jones.

Caldwell-Pope, 31, played an important role on the Lakers team that won a title in 2020 and the Nuggets squad that won the 2023 championship. He has knocked down 40.3% of his three-point attempts over the last five seasons and is a strong perimeter defender.

While Denver would obviously like to bring back its starting shooting guard, a strong offer for Caldwell-Pope would likely push the team’s salary above the restrictive second tax apron. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth expressed a desire to re-sign Caldwell-Pope but suggested that the team has contingency plans prepared – including potentially sliding Christian Braun into the starting five – in the event that KCP leaves.

“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”

The Sixers and Magic are among the cap-room teams who have been mentioned as possible suitors for Caldwell-Pope, the No. 11 free agent on our top-50 list.

Suns’ Eric Gordon To Opt For Free Agency

June 27th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns veteran wing Eric Gordon will turn down his $3.36MM player option for the 2024/25 season and become an unrestricted free agent, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While a recent report from The Athletic had indicated that Gordon was “50-50” on his player option decision, plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 subsequently stated that he didn’t expect the 35-year-old to be back in Phoenix next season. According to Charania, multiple contenders are expected to pursue Gordon.

Gordon is no longer the 20+ PPG scorer that he was earlier in his career, but the 16-year veteran has remained a reliable rotation piece for contending teams in recent years. After accepting a minimum-salary contract to join the Suns last summer, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .443/.378/.797.

During his foray into free agency in 2023, Gordon prioritized the ability to play a significant role for a contending team over seeking out the most lucrative offer, since he almost certainly could’ve earned more than the veteran’s minimum from another club. We’ll see if his priorities remain the same this summer.

Gordon is one of four Suns who had a player option decision to make by June 29 and will join Drew Eubanks among those who are opting out. Josh Okogie‘s and Damion Lee‘s decisions have yet to be reported.

Wolves Trading Wendell Moore Jr. To Pistons In Pick Swap

June 27th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons will acquire shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr. and the 37th pick in today’s draft from the Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Minnesota will receive the 53rd selection in return.

The trade serves as a slight salary dump for the Wolves, who unload Moore’s $2.5MM contract for next season and will likely fill that roster spot with a minimum-salary player. Minnesota picked up the third-year option on Moore last October.

Moore, 22, was drafted by Dallas with the 26th pick in the 2022 draft and was shipped to Houston and then Minnesota in a pair of draft-day trades. He has seen limited playing time at the NBA level, appearing in 54 total games, including 25 this past season when he averaged just 3.0 minutes per night.

The Pistons will move up 16 spots in the second round, putting them in position to grab a player ranked higher on their board without sacrificing much of their projected cap room. They’re still on track to create over $60MM in room once the new league year begins.

Detroit will have until the end of October to decide whether or not to exercise the $4.57MM option on Moore’s contract for the 2025/26 season. Turning down that option would put him on track for unrestricted free agency next summer, while picking it up would set him up for possible restricted free agency in 2026.

This is the first reported deal on what is expected to be an active day of trading as the NBA draft has expanded to two days for the first time.

Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

Kristaps Porzingis Will Be Sidelined 5-6 Months Following Surgery

June 27th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have announced that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His projected recovery timeline means he’ll miss at least the first month or two of next season.

Porzingis wasn’t available for most of the Celtics’ playoff run because of a strained right calf he suffered in the first-round series against Miami. He was able to return for the start of the NBA Finals, but was knocked out of action in Game 2 with the new left leg injury that forced him to have surgery. He made a brief return as Boston won the title in Game 5, but he admitted that he probably made his condition worse by playing.

Injuries have plagued Porzingis throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy for most of the regular season, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per night. He negotiated a two-year, $60MM extension after being traded to Boston last summer and is under contract through 2025/26.

Porzingis’ early-season absence increases the Celtics’ urgency to keep at least one of their backup centers. The team will want to be careful with Porzingis when he does return, along with veteran big man Al Horford, who recently turned 38.

Boston holds a $2.2MM team option on Neemias Queta, but Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents.

Brian Robb of MassLive suggests the front office should be aggressive on the free agent market in trying to find another big man willing to accept a veteran’s minimum contract, which is all Boston can offer as a second-apron team. He lists former Celtic Daniel Theis as one possibility, along with Mason Plumlee, Andre Drummond and Drew Eubanks.

Timberwolves Acquire No. 8 Pick Rob Dillingham From Spurs

June 26th, 2024 at 11:17pm CST by Luke Adams

11:17pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.

8:04pm: The Spurs used the No. 8 pick in tonight’s draft on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, but he won’t begin his NBA career in San Antonio, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are acquiring Dillingham’s rights from the Spurs.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), San Antonio is receiving Minnesota’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in the deal. The ’30 swap will be top-one protected, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Neither of the Wolves’ 2024 picks (No. 27 and No. 37) are involved in the trade, confirms Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Minnesota’s ability to make roster moves this offseason will be extremely limited due to the fact that team salary will be above the second tax apron. That means the Wolves won’t be able to aggregate players in trades, take back more salary than they send out in trades, or sign outside free agents to contracts worth more than the minimum.

However, the second apron doesn’t prohibit them from acquiring a player’s draft rights, which don’t count as incoming salary for trade purposes as long as the player has not yet signed his rookie contract. That means they’ll be able to trade for Dillingham without sending out any players.

In his first and only college season with the Wildcats, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game, posting an impressive shooting line of .475/.444/.796

Despite the Wolves’ ongoing ownership dispute, it appears management has been given the go-ahead to keep adding pieces. The addition of Dillingham, who projects to earn about $6.28MM as a rookie, will increase the club’s projected tax bill to approximately $100MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) estimates Minnesota’s projected tax bill at $84MM, but that number is fluid depending on how the club fills out its roster.

As for the Spurs, after adding Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick, they clearly weren’t in love with any of the prospects available to them at No. 8, opting instead to continue adding to their stockpile of future draft picks by acquiring a pair of assets far down the road with little to no protection.

Clearing the $6.28MM cap hold for the No. 8 pick from their books will put the Spurs in position to create additional cap room this summer.

Jimmy Butler To Stay With Heat, Won’t Sign Offseason Extension

June 26th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Star Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is set to remain with Miami for the 2024/25 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, who has a player option for 2025/26, will not complete a contract extension with the Heat or agitate for a trade prior to the 2025 offseason, sources inform Charania, who says Butler “has an affinity” for Miami and wants to remain with the organization.

While Miami could still unilaterally decide to trade Butler, there’s no indication they want to do so, Charania adds, especially since he’s reportedly unwilling to sign an extension with any team, which would limit his value on the trade market.

There had been speculation this spring that Butler may seek a change of scenery due to the fact that he was reportedly seeking a two-year, maximum-salary extension and Heat president Pat Riley publicly expressed reluctance to put that deal on the table for the 34-year-old, who has battled injuries in recent years.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (YouTube video link) stated earlier today during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that Butler had informed rival clubs of his preference to stick with the Heat, even without a new deal in place.

“Even if there’s no extension, he’s going to focus on next season. He’s got a player option in the summer of 2025 next year that he can use,” Windhorst reported on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think Jimmy Butler wants to be in Miami. There’s teams that have definitely said ‘Hey, are you looking to get out?’ And I think he said, ‘I’m solid in Miami.’ I think that’s been communicated with the Heat. We’ll see what happens next summer.”

The 6’7″ swingman submitted another impressive season when he was available. Across 60 healthy contests, Butler averaged 20.8 points (on .499/.414/.858 shooting), 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for the 46-36 Heat in 2023/24. However, he was unavailable for the team’s first-round series loss to Boston due to an MCL sprain.

Since joining Miami in a sign-and-trade during the summer of 2019, the Marquette alum has led the team to two Finals appearances, plus three Eastern Conference Finals berths.

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), Butler and the Heat could revisit extension talks at some point in the 2024/25 season.