Offseason Check-In

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Phoenix Suns

September 9th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Phoenix Suns.

Free agent signings

Royce O’Neale: Four years, $42,000,000. Includes an additional $2MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
Josh Okogie: Two years, $16,000,000. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.
Bol Bol: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
Tyus Jones: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Damion Lee: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Monte Morris: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Mason Plumlee: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28 pick), the No. 56 pick in the 2024 draft, the Nuggets’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2031 second-round pick from the Nuggets in exchange for the draft rights to DaRon Holmes (No. 22 pick).
Acquired the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Kevin McCullar (No. 56 pick) and the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected).
Acquired E.J. Liddell from the Hawks in exchange for David Roddy.
- Note: Liddell was subsequently waived.

Draft picks

1-28: Ryan Dunn
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $12,998,353).
2-40: Oso Ighodaro
- Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($250K). Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Udoka Azubuike (Buducnost)
Drew Eubanks (Jazz)
Eric Gordon (Sixers)
Saben Lee (Manisa Basket)
Isaiah Thomas (unsigned)
Ish Wainright (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Thaddeus Young (unsigned)

Other moves

Signed Grayson Allen to a four-year, $70,000,000 veteran extension that begins in 2024/25. Includes fourth-year player option.
Waived E.J. Liddell.
Waived Nassir Little.

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and above the second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $219.9MM in salary.
No hard cap.
No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
One traded player exception available (worth $726,547).
One traded player exception frozen/unavailable (worth $1,119,563).

The offseason so far

The Suns’ first season with their “big three” of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal was a disappointing one. Although Phoenix compiled 49 wins, injuries limited the time the three stars spent on the court together – the full trio appeared in just 41 of 82 regular season contests – and the team didn’t win a single playoff game, having been swept out of the first round by Minnesota.

Despite questions about their fit together and their respective injury histories, the Suns weren’t about to give up on their big three so soon. General manager James Jones and team owner Mat Ishbia shot down trade rumors involving Durant, Booker, and Beal this offseason as the front office focused on making changes around those stars, rather than breaking them up.

Those changes began on the sidelines, where Phoenix opted to move on from head coach Frank Vogel less than one year after signing him to a five-year contract worth a reported $31MM. No team embarking on a coaching search this spring moved faster than the Suns, who zeroed in on Mike Budenholzer and announced his hiring less than 48 hours after confirming Vogel’s dismissal.

The Suns have first-hand familiarity with Budenholzer’s championship pedigree, having fallen to his Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals. They clearly believe he’s the right man to take the Suns to similar heights — after making him the sole focus of their search, they signed him to a five-year contract reportedly worth in excess of $50MM.

With Booker, Durant, Beal, and Jusuf Nurkic set to earn nearly $169MM combined in 2024/25, the Suns were always going to be operating over the second tax apron ($188.9MM), which meant they’d have limited resources to upgrade their roster via free agency or trade. As a result, their goals in addressing the roster were threefold:

Re-sign key role players Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, since they’d have no means to replace them if they departed as free agents.
Add inexpensive young talent in the draft.
Make savvy minimum-salary veteran signings.

The offseason was a success on all three fronts.

While you can quibble with the money or the term the Suns committed to Allen (four years, $70MM) or O’Neale (four years, $42MM), losing either player wasn’t a viable option. The team badly needs Allen’s shooting and O’Neale’s defense to complement its stars. Given its lack of leverage in those negotiations, Phoenix is fortunate the final numbers on the contracts don’t look worse.

The Suns were active on draft night, moving six spots down in the first round and 16 spots up in the second. The team ended up coming away with two players it was reportedly high on – forwards Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro – while adding to its depleted stash of future draft picks in the process.

In free agency, the Suns brought back a couple of their own free agents (Bol Bol and Damion Lee) on minimum-salary contracts but did their best work with outside targets, landing center Mason Plumlee and point guards Tyus Jones and Monte Morris. I expected all three players, particularly Jones, to sign for more than the veteran’s minimum, so they look like bargains to me. And Jones and Morris are exactly the type of players Phoenix needed — ball-handling guards who take extremely good care of the ball.

The one signing that looks questionable from a value perspective is Josh Okogie, who received a two-year, $16MM contract that is fully guaranteed for the first year. Giving Okogie an $8.25MM salary for 2024/25 allows the Suns to treat him as a walking trade exception, but without the ability to aggregate his salary with another player’s or take back more than $8.25MM in a trade involving him, it remains to be seen how useful that will be.

Okogie probably doesn’t contribute enough on offense to warrant that $8MM+ salary based solely on his play on the court. Of course, as long as Ishbia is willing to pay the substantial excess tax penalties that come with giving Okogie that $8.25MM salary instead of a minimum contract, there’s no real downside for the Suns, since the deal doesn’t hamstring them in any other ways.

But as Phoenix showed when it waived and stretched Nassir Little‘s and E.J. Liddell‘s remaining salary ahead of the August 31 stretch provision deadline, Ishbia’s pockets aren’t bottomless. The Little move, in particular, will have a long-term impact — he’ll count against the books for $3.1MM through the 2030/31 season.

Up next

After waiving Little and Liddell, the Suns have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and three players on two-way deals. While two-way changes are always possible leading up to opening night, I’m skeptical Phoenix will be eager to add a 15th man to the standard roster. Keeping that spot open to start the season would allow the team to assess its options, save some money, and move quickly in the event that a specific position is hit hard by injuries during the season.

Durant and Nurkic are the two players on the roster eligible for extensions up until October 21, but I wouldn’t expect extending Nurkic – who has two years and $37.5MM left on his existing contract – to be a top preseason priority for the Suns. While Nurkic is Phoenix’s starting center for now, he’s not a lock to still be on the roster beyond his current deal, or even until the end of it.

Durant is a more likely extension candidate. Based on his contract situation (two years left) and the Over-38 rule that prevents him from tacking on two new years, he’s essentially eligible for a slightly less lucrative version of the Stephen Curry deal. A one-year extension for Durant would be worth a projected $59.5MM.

The Suns and Durant don’t have the long history of success together that the Warriors and Curry have, so it remains to be seen whether they’ll be as eager to add another year to their agreement. If it doesn’t get done before opening night, the two sides would have another chance to negotiate an extension next offseason. However, putting off those talks could leave the door open for those trade rumors that popped up earlier this offseason to resurface by February’s deadline — especially if the Suns struggle in the first half.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: New York Knicks

September 6th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

OG Anunoby: Five years, $212,500,000. Fifth-year player option. Includes 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Bird rights.
Precious Achiuwa: One year, $6,000,000. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
Cameron Payne: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Chuma Okeke: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick) and the No. 51 pick in the 2024 draft from the Wizards in exchange for the draft rights to Kyshawn George (No. 24 pick).
Acquired either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable); the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick; the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), and either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is third-most favorable) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick).
Acquired the draft rights to Tyler Kolek (No. 34 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Pacers’ or Wizards’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and the Knicks’ 2030 second-round pick.
Acquired the draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (No. 58 pick), the draft rights to Petteri Koponen, and cash ($1MM) from the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Melvin Ajinca (No. 51 pick).
Acquired the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) and cash ($500K) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Ajay Mitchell (No. 38 pick).
Acquired the draft rights to Kevin McCullar (No. 56 pick) and the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected) from the Suns in exchange for the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick).
Acquired Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) from the Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick (the Nets’ or the Suns’; whichever is most favorable) for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick.

Draft picks

1-25: Pacome Dadiet
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $13,012,968).
2-34: Tyler Kolek
- Signed to four-year, $9,062,682 contract. First three years guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.
2-56: Kevin McCullar
- Signed to two-way contract.
2-58: Ariel Hukporti
- Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Charlie Brown Jr. (unsigned)
Alec Burks (Heat)
Isaiah Hartenstein (Thunder)
DaQuan Jeffries (unsigned)
Shake Milton (Nets)
Duane Washington (Partizan Belgrade)

Other moves

Signed Jalen Brunson to a three-year, $156,549,124 veteran extension that begins in 2025/26. Includes fourth-year player option and 15% trade kicker.
Exercised Jericho Sims‘ 2024/25 team option ($2,092,344).

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $179.2MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $188,931,000.
Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available.
Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $5,241,072).

The offseason so far

Considered a potential landing spot for top free agents and trade candidates for several seasons, the Knicks managed to climb up the Eastern Conference standings in recent years without ever swinging a major deal for a star.

Their biggest free agent addition during that time, Jalen Brunson, has evolved into an All-NBA player in New York, but that was far from a given when he signed in 2022 — to that point, he only had one season as a full-time starter under his belt and had posted a career average of 11.9 points per game. The Knicks’ biggest trade during that same time period, made midway through the 2023/24 season for OG Anunoby, didn’t involve a single outgoing first-round pick.

If not for injuries to key players like Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, among others, the Knicks had a real shot to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024. They nearly made it anyway, taking the Pacers to seven games in the Eastern Semifinals after winning 50 regular season games for just the second time since 2000.

With the club on the verge of title contention, the time was right this offseason for the Knicks to finally take their big swing and cash in some of those first-round picks they’d been hoarding. They struck a deal with the Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges in exchange for a package that featured four unprotected first-round picks, a fifth lightly protected first-rounder, and a first-round pick swap.

It was a stunning move for multiple reasons. For one, the Knicks and Nets are unlikely trade partners — the two New York clubs hadn’t made a deal with one another since 1983.

Bridges wasn’t widely considered to be available, since the Nets didn’t control their 2025 or 2026 first-round selections and appeared more inclined to build around the forward than to bottom out to increase the value of lottery picks they didn’t own. But at the same time they sent Bridges to New York, the Nets reached a separate agreement with Houston to regain control of their ’25 and ’26 picks, setting them up to rebuild in earnest over the next year or two.

It was also a substantial price to pay for a player who has never made an All-Star team or won a major NBA award. The price wasn’t far off from the one Minnesota paid for Rudy Gobert in 2022 — that package included more useful veterans (Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley) than what the Knicks gave up (Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton), but the draft-pick compensation the Jazz received (three unprotected first-round picks, one lightly protected first-rounder, the rights to No. 22 pick Walker Kessler, and a first-round swap) was nearly identical.

Although the Bridges acquisition was a surprising one, it made perfect sense for the Knicks in many respects. Most of the other trade candidates linked to New York in recent years – such as Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns – were big-time scorers who wouldn’t help much on defense, making them questionable fits on a roster coached by Tom Thibodeau. Bridges, on the other hand, is a two-way force who has hovered around 20 points per game for the past two seasons, has knocked down 37.5% of his career three-point attempts, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022.

Acquiring Bridges also allowed the Knicks to add to their set of Villanova alumni — like new teammates Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, Bridges played for the Wildcats from 2015-17. All four players were on the 2016 championship roster, while Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Bridges won a second national title in 2018. Whether that Villanova connection actually improves the Knicks’ title odds is up for debate, but having a group of long-time friends who genuinely like each other certainly helped create good vibes in New York last season. Bridges’ arrival should only help in that regard.

As steep a price as the Knicks paid to acquire Bridges, the team hasn’t yet fully exhausted its cache of draft assets, so another smaller move or two isn’t out of the question. Plus, if they were going to splurge on anyone, it makes sense for the Knicks to do so on a player on a team-friendly contract who comes with little to no fit concerns.

After agreeing to trade for Bridges, New York re-signed his new partner on the wing, Anunoby, to an eye-popping five-year, $212.5MM contract. The move gives the Knicks two of the NBA’s top three-and-D players, putting them in a great position to match up with a defending-champion Celtics team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

It’s a high price to pay for an oft-injured player like Anunoby, who has missed 29, 34, 15, and 32 games in the past four regular seasons and was hurt again in the second round of the playoffs. His impact, which goes far beyond his scoring output, is so significant that if he manages to play 65-70 games per season for the next few years, the investment will be worthwhile, but it’s a risky one.

The fact that the Knicks were able to lock up Brunson to a below-market contract extension (four years, $156.5MM) on the heels of his fifth-place finish in MVP voting helps offset the high price the club paid to retain Anunoby. Both players are now under contract through at least 2027/28, with player options for ’28/29, and while Anunoby will earn higher salaries than Brunson for the next four years, the overall price the club will pay for the duo is a reasonable one.

While Brunson was the only Knicks player to receive an extension this summer, the team also completed a new long-term deal with Thibodeau, who was set to enter the final year of his existing contract. Thibodeau has his share of critics who argue his tendency to lean too heavily on certain players leads to injuries, but it’d be hard to claim he hasn’t gotten the most out of his rosters during the past couple years, deftly navigating those injury issues to keep the Knicks competitive.

The Knicks also made several minor moves in the draft and free agency to fill out their roster, re-signing Precious Achiuwa, adding Cameron Payne, and drafting Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek.

It wasn’t all good news in New York though, as the club’s spending limitations prevented a new deal with Isaiah Hartenstein, the backup center who became the starter for much of the season due to Robinson’s health problems.

Because they only held Hartenstein’s Early Bird rights, the Knicks were limited to offering approximately $72.5MM for four years, and not quite all of that money would’ve been guaranteed. New York put its best offer on the table, but the Thunder topped it with a three-year, $87MM bid that included nearly $60MM in guaranteed money over the first two seasons. The Knicks’ offer included only about $30MM in guaranteed salary during those same two years.

It’s a significant loss for the Knicks, who benefited greatly from Hartenstein’s defensive versatility and rim-protecting ability, as well as his screening and play-making on offense. Robinson is a very good rim-runner and defender who is more athletic than Hartenstein, but he has dealt with injuries in recent years and isn’t the type of player who can be relied upon for 30 to 35 minutes per night (his career high is 27.5 MPG). His offensive game is somewhat limited too, as he’s not much of a shooter or passer.

Achiuwa, Randle, and Jericho Sims will soak up some minutes at center during the regular season, and the Knicks can probably get by with those options for a while, but it’s safe to assume the team will remain on the lookout for a more reliable and more traditional backup center after failing to land one this offseason.

Up next

As detailed above, the hunt for a backup center figures to continue into the fall — and potentially well into the regular season if no good options materialize in the next month-and-a-half.

Although New York still has its full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, there are no free agent centers still on the market who warrant more than minimum-salary investments, so barring a surprise preseason cut, a trade will likely be necessary to address the position. The Knicks can freely aggregate players’ contracts in a trade, but can’t take back more salary than they send out.

The Knicks have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, but may keep it open to maximize their flexibility. That would line them up to bring in a 15th man later if one of their two-way players emerges, injuries necessitate an acquisition at a specific position, or they simply want to add more depth.

Randle isn’t the only extension-eligible player on the roster (Robinson or Sims are also in that group), but he’s certainly the most noteworthy one. He holds a player option for the 2025/26 season, giving him an opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency next July.

Obviously the Knicks won’t want to lose Randle for nothing, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they take extension talks into the season and wait to see how the three-time All-Star looks coming off shoulder surgery as part of the new-look rotation. He could sign a new contract at any time until June 30 as long as he declines his player option as part of the deal (up until October 21, he could exercise the option as part of an extension), so there should be no rush from the team’s perspective.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Oklahoma City Thunder

September 3rd, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Isaiah Hartenstein: Three years, $87,000,000. Third-year team option. Signed using cap room.
Isaiah Joe: Four years, $48,000,000. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights after team option was declined.
Aaron Wiggins: Five years, $45,000,000. Includes an additional $2MM in unlikely incentives. Fifth-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights after team option was declined.

Trades

Acquired Alex Caruso from the Bulls in exchange for Josh Giddey.
Acquired the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable); the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick; the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), and either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is third-most favorable).
Acquired the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick) from the Warriors in exchange for Lindy Waters.
Acquired the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick) and cash.
Acquired the draft rights to Ajay Mitchell (No. 38 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) and cash ($500K).

Draft picks

1-12: Nikola Topic
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $23,030,849).
1-26: Dillon Jones
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $13,460,725).
2-43: Ajay Mitchell
- Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Alex Ducas
Ajay Mitchell

Departed/unsigned free agents

Bismack Biyombo (unsigned)
Gordon Hayward (retired)
Keyontae Johnson (Hornets)
Mike Muscala (retired)
Olivier Sarr (unsigned)

Salary cap situation

Went below the cap to use room.
Now operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
Carrying approximately $159.2MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

Despite maintaining significant cap flexibility and controlling the NBA’s deepest collection of draft assets, the Thunder have operated extremely patiently in recent years, preserving most of those future picks and continuing to gradually build their roster through the draft.

That patience was on display again this June, when Oklahoma City used its lottery pick (No. 12 overall) in the 2024 draft to select Nikola Topic, a player who will spend his rookie season recovering from an ACL tear. Topic isn’t expected to make his NBA debut until the fall of 2025, which is perfectly fine with the Thunder.

The Thunder’s patient approach has reflected the front office’s desire to avoid skipping steps and its goal of building a roster capable of contending for the next decade — not just for a two- or three-year window. But after the team took a huge step forward in 2024/25 by winning 57 regular season games (the most in the Western Conference) and a playoff series (the club’s first series win since 2016), Sam Presti and his top lieutenants acknowledged with a pair of offseason moves that it was time to push down on the gas pedal at least a little bit.

The first of those two moves was a trade that sent former lottery pick Josh Giddey to Chicago in exchange for three-and D standout Alex Caruso. Giddey showed real promise as a ball-handler and play-maker in his first three NBA seasons, but his subpar outside shooting and defense made him a playoff liability, and he was never an ideal fit on a roster led by another ball-dominant guard (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).

With Giddey eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, the Thunder were faced with a choice on whether to pay him or trade him. They took the latter route and got terrific value by finding a trade partner – the Bulls – who badly wanted to land a young point guard.

Caruso is on an expiring contract himself, so he’ll be due a pay raise for 2025 too. But unlike Giddey, he’s not the type of player who will be played off the floor in the postseason. In fact, he should thrive in big games as a shooter, cutter, and secondary ball-handler next to Gilgeous-Alexander, lessening the burden on Oklahoma City’s star by defending opponents’ top guards. The Thunder had the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating last season and Caruso should only make them better on that end of the floor.

The Thunder’s other major offseason move saw them use up virtually all of their cap room ($30MM) to sign center Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks. Hartenstein will help shore up a frontcourt that was led admirably by Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren last season but needed another rebounder — OKC placed 28th in the NBA last season with a rebounding rate of just 48.4%.

It will be interesting to see exactly how the Thunder intend to use Hartenstein. NBA teams typically don’t award $30MM salaries to players they plan to bring off the bench, but Holmgren obviously won’t be moved to the second unit either. Whether or not Hartenstein starts, it’s a safe bet he and Holmgren will share the court frequently, which should make for some fascinating looks on both ends of the court.

The former Knicks center will also provide OKC with crucial insurance at the five in the event of a Holmgren injury, though the big man didn’t miss a game in 2023/24 after sitting out the entire ’22/23 season with a foot issue.

Outside of trading for Caruso, signing Hartenstein, and drafting Topic, the Thunder made a handful of interesting under-the-radar moves this summer, including turning down team options on both Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins in order to re-sign the two rotation wings to team-friendly long-term contracts. The threat of exercising those team options presumably gave Oklahoma City some leverage in negotiations with Joe and Wiggins, who will now earn eight-figure salaries instead of the veteran’s minimum in 2024/25.

Oklahoma City also surrendered a whopping five future second-round picks in order to acquire the No. 26 pick in the draft to select Dillon Jones. It’s the third straight year in which the Thunder took advantage of their excess draft assets to make a trade to nab a player they really like.

That strategy worked out well in each of the past two years. In 2022, the Thunder were reportedly concerned that Jalen Williams wouldn’t make it to them at No. 12, so they traded for the No. 11 pick (they technically used that one on Ousmane Dieng, but the deal ensured Williams was available at No. 12). In 2023, Oklahoma City traded up in the lottery to select Cason Wallace, who emerged as a reliable rotation player as a rookie, making 41.9% of his three-pointers and playing excellent defense.

Will Jones become the Thunder’s next draft-day-trade success story? Maybe, but I wouldn’t necessarily pencil him in for a substantial role in year one, given how deep the roster looks.

Up next

A pair of key Thunder guards are technically extension-eligible, but likely won’t sign new deals before the regular season begins. Gilgeous-Alexander has met the super-max criteria but needs one more year of service in order to officially signed a designated veteran extension, so he’ll almost certainly wait until 2025 to re-up with Oklahoma City.

Caruso, meanwhile, could be extended anytime, but until December 21 (six months after the trade), he’ll be limited to a maximum deal of three years and $48.9MM. Those numbers would increase to four years and $81.1MM at the six-month mark. While it’s not necessarily a sure thing that he’ll receive that maximum four-year offer, Caruso is better off waiting until Dec. 21 to maximize his bargaining position in negotiations.

Big man Jaylin Williams may actually be the best OKC candidate for a preseason extension, but with his role projected to decline following the arrival of Hartenstein, it would likely have to be a pretty team-friendly deal for the Thunder to pull the trigger.

The Thunder actually have one open spot on their projected 15-man roster and plenty of flexibility to make a move using that roster spot, since they’re still more than $11MM below the luxury tax line.

There aren’t really any free agents left worth splurging on (OKC’s $8MM room exception wouldn’t be enough to pry Isaac Okoro away from the Cavs), so I expect Presti and the front office to continue scouring the trade market to see if there’s a target who makes sense. The team can afford to be patient, perhaps starting the season with a 15th man on a non-guaranteed contract and then revisiting the trade market in January or February.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Milwaukee Bucks

August 30th, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Taurean Prince: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Gary Trent Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Delon Wright: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
James Akinjo: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Liam Robbins: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

None

Draft picks

1-23: AJ Johnson
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,616,287).
2-33: Tyler Smith
- Signed to four-year, minimum-salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year non-guaranteed team option.

Two-way signings

Anzejs Pasecniks
Stanley Umude

Departed/unsigned free agents

Thanasis Antetokounmpo (unsigned)
Malik Beasley (Pistons)
Patrick Beverley (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Jae Crowder (unsigned)
Danilo Gallinari (unsigned)
TyTy Washington (Suns)

Other moves

Waived Jaylin Galloway (two-way).

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and above the second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $191.9MM in salary.
No hard cap.
No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (both worth $2,019,706).

The offseason so far

While the Bucks’ season ended with a disappointing first-round playoff exit for a second straight year in 2024, their ability to meaningfully upgrade their roster this offseason was restricted by their proximity to the second tax apron, which hindered their ability to aggregate salaries in trades or to sign free agents to more than the veteran’s minimum.

Milwaukee could have shaken up its roster by trading one of its six highest-paid players – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, or Pat Connaughton – and reportedly at least considered the idea of moving Lopez. But that was never a practical path to upgrading the roster, since those players are generally more valuable to the Bucks on their current contracts and in their current roles than they would be as trade chips.

Instead, the Bucks added talent this summer via the draft and by shopping in the minimum-salary aisle in free agency. Faced with the departures of veterans like Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, and Jae Crowder, Milwaukee arguably upgraded each of those spots by signing Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright, and Taurean Prince.

Like Beasley, Trent is a high-volume three-point shooter who doesn’t provide much in the way of play-making or defense. But Trent has a more well-rounded offensive game and more defensive upside than Beasley, having shown the ability to generate turnovers during his time in Toronto.

Beverley certainly talks a bigger game than Wright, but his fiery playing style isn’t always a plus, as he showed when he earned himself a suspension by firing a basketball at fans in Indiana during the last game of the Bucks’ season this spring. There’s little risk of that sort of temper tantrum from Wright, a consummate pro whose length and versatility on defense has long made him an underrated asset.

Crowder, meanwhile, isn’t the three-and-D dynamo he once was, and contributed next to nothing during his two playoff runs with the Bucks, making 6-of-25 shots (24.0%), including 1-of-13 three-pointers (7.7%), as the team was outscored by 43 points during his 83 playoff minutes. It’s no surprise he wasn’t re-signed. His replacement, Prince, was probably asked to do too much as a frequent starter for the Lakers last season, but as a reserve on a minimum-salary contract, the 37.6% career three-point shooter looks like a bargain.

Although the Bucks did a great job in free agency adding rotation-caliber veterans on team-friendly deals, their approach to the draft drew mixed reviews. They used the 23rd and 33rd overall picks, respectively, to select a pair of 19-year-olds, AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith. Both players will be developmental projects for the coaching staff, with neither one considered ready to earn regular minutes at the NBA level as rookies.

That’s a defensible strategy in a vacuum, but it’s a somewhat questionable approach for a team that’s looking to capitalize on a championship window and is already carrying several little-used young players on its roster (MarJon Beauchamp, A.J. Green, Andre Jackson, and Chris Livingston each averaged fewer than 13 minutes per game last season).

It may not be fair to expect the Bucks’ front office to draft this year’s Jaime Jaquez or Brandin Podziemski, but there were players in that 23-33 range who will have a better chance of contributing right away. Presumably, the club is counting on some of those returning prospects – starting with Beauchamp – to take a step forward, reducing the need for Johnson and Smith to play much until year two or three.

Financial considerations may also have factored into Milwaukee’s draft decisions — Johnson is one of the only first-round picks in recent years to accept a salary worth less than 120% of his rookie scale amount, while Smith was the lone draft pick in the top 37 who agreed to a minimum salary for 2024/25. It’s a safe bet the Bucks knew prior to drafting them that Johnson and Smith would sign those contracts, which will save ownership some tax dollars.

Up next

I’d be surprised if the Bucks make any major trades prior to opening night, but there are several contract situations to watch on this roster. Lopez is on an expiring deal, while Middleton, Portis, and Connaughton all have the ability to join him in unrestricted free agency next summer by turning down 2025/26 player options.

Lopez and Middleton won’t be extension-eligible in 2024/25, but Portis and Connaughton can both sign new deals anytime between now and June 30, 2025. They’re two of the Bucks’ best potential in-season trade chips, so it will be interesting to see whether the team decides to hold off on extensions, since signing them could make the duo ineligible to be dealt this season, depending on the terms.

Barring trades, the Bucks shouldn’t have any challenging roster decisions to make this fall. A two-way shake-up is a possibility – Stanley Umude, Anzejs Pasecniks, and Ryan Rollins occupy those spots for now – but Milwaukee’s standard roster looks pretty set, with 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries and Jackson on a partially guaranteed deal.

If the club isn’t encouraged by the progress Jackson is making, perhaps he’ll be waived to open up that 15th roster spot down the road, but there’s no point in doing it before opening night. His $946K partial guarantee ensures the Bucks will essentially get a free look at him during the first half, since that cap hit would be the same whether he’s waived on October 20 or January 7.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: New Orleans Pelicans

August 29th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Javonte Green: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Daniel Theis: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Matt Ryan: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Antonio Reeves (No. 47 pick) from the Magic in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in 2030 and 2031.
Acquired the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (top-50 protected) from the Wizards in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas (sign-and-trade).
Acquired Dejounte Murray from the Hawks in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller (sign-and-trade), the Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick, and either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-four protected).

Draft picks

1-21: Yves Missi
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $15,654,827).
2-47: Antonio Reeves
- Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract ($5,408,801). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed team option.

Two-way signings

Jamal Cain

Departed/unsigned free agents

Naji Marshall (Mavericks)
Dereon Seabron (unsigned)
Cody Zeller (Hawks)

Other moves

Exercised Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s 2024/25 team option ($2,196,970).
Exercised Jose Alvarado‘s 2024/25 team option ($1,988,598).
Signed draft-and-stash prospect Karlo Matkovic to a three-year, $5,658,801 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
Claimed Trey Jemison (two-way) off waivers.

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and below the first tax apron ($178.1MM).
Carrying approximately $172.4MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $9,900,000).

The offseason so far

The Pelicans entered the summer with three key items on their to-do list — upgrading at point guard, finding a starting center, and resolving the Brandon Ingram situation.

Of those three goals, the Pelicans clearly achieved one of them, striking a deal with the Hawks to acquire Dejounte Murray to fortify their backcourt. The cost – including a rotation big man (Larry Nance Jr.), a former lottery pick with untapped potential (Dyson Daniels), and two future first-round picks – wasn’t cheap, but Murray should bring an intriguing new element to a Pelicans team that has relied on CJ McCollum to run the point in recent years.

While McCollum did OK in that role, Murray is more of a natural play-maker whose presence will allow McCollum to operate more off the ball, or perhaps even to run the second unit. And while Murray’s defensive numbers dropped off in Atlanta, he has an All-Defensive nod on his résumé and has the tools to bounce back on that side of the ball, upgrading the Pelicans’ perimeter defense.

The other two top items on the Pelicans’ offseason checklist remain a work in progress.

New Orleans is unwilling to offer Ingram a long-term, maximum-salary extension as he enters a contract year, and has rising sharpshooter Trey Murphy in the wings waiting to step into Ingram’s starting role. The team also lost its top two centers – Nance and Jonas Valanciunas – this offseason, with Valanciunas leaving for Washington in free agency.

The two-in-one solution to those issues would be to trade Ingram for a starting-caliber center, but New Orleans has explored that path with no success so far, as targets like Jarrett Allen, Nic Claxton, and Wendell Carter remained with their respective teams this summer. As a result, the cap-strapped Pelicans had to turn to free agency for a temporary solution at the five, bringing in veteran big man Daniel Theis on a minimum-salary deal.

Theis is better suited to be a backup, but he’s the best option the Pelicans have at center in the short term, with newly added rookies Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic unlikely to play major roles right away and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl seemingly lacking starter upside. In a perfect world, Missi would enjoy a Dereck Lively-esque debut season and pair with Theis to form a reliable platoon in the middle. But it’s more likely that center will remain an area of need for New Orleans into the season.

As for Ingram, the Pelicans are said to be open to discussing an extension below the maximum, but with Zion Williamson occupying one forward spot and Murphy and Herbert Jones having earned significant roles, investing heavily in Ingram may not be the preferred path for the organization. As talented a scorer as he is, the former No. 2 overall pick isn’t an elite three-point shooter or defender, making him a somewhat awkward fit next to Williamson, who shares those traits.

Of course, those are the same reasons why another team might be reluctant to trade for Ingram and commit to paying his next contract, which hurts the Pelicans’ ability to extract a ton of value for him on the trade market. Ingram’s presence also gives New Orleans some high-level insurance in the event of a Williamson injury, which hasn’t exactly been a rare occurrence in recent years. It’ll be fascinating to see whether a trade or a new contract with New Orleans is the next step for the 2020 All-Star.

Up next

As detailed above, Ingram’s future with the franchise remains up in the air, but it’s possible no resolution comes before opening night. The forward will remain extension-eligible throughout the season, all the way up until June 30, 2025, and the Pelicans could trade him at anytime up until February’s deadline — or even in a sign-and-trade deal next summer. So while it would be nice to have an answer sooner rather than later, the two sides can afford to enter the regular season without an extension or trade.

The Pelicans have two more extension candidates with whom they’ll likely explore new deals before the season begins. Like Ingram, Jose Alvarado will be extension-eligible all year, but the team faces an October 21 deadline in its talks with Murphy. If Murphy hasn’t signed a rookie scale extension by that time, he’ll become a restricted free agent next July.

Murphy, 24, hasn’t made fewer than 38.0% of his three-point attempts in any of his three NBA seasons and has increased his shot volume every year, from 3.0 attempts per game as a rookie to 7.8 last season.

A player who can shoot like that and hold his own on defense is an extremely valuable asset and that will be reflected in his next contract. RJ Barrett, Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro, Jaden McDaniels, and Devin Vassell all received four- or five-year rookie scale extensions ranging from $107-135MM during the 2022 and 2023 offseasons. I expect Murphy to seek a deal at least in that neighborhood.

The cost for Alvarado shouldn’t be as high, but he’ll certainly be due a raise on his current minimum-salary contract after having established himself as a reliable rotation player for the Pelicans. The 26-year-old would be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so I expect New Orleans will make an effort to stop him from reaching the open market, but it remains to be seen how high the front office will be comfortable going for a reserve like Alvarado.

The Pelicans are currently carrying 15 players on standard contracts on three on two-way deals, so barring a preseason trade involving Ingram and/or a center, the roster looks pretty close to being set for the regular season.

We’ll see whether 15th man Matt Ryan opens the season on the roster or is waived for financial reasons. It’s also possible New Orleans will make a change or two to its two-way players — Malcolm Hill, whose two-way deal carried over from 2023/24, didn’t appear in a single game for the Pelicans last season, so it’s unclear whether he’s in their plans going forward. For what it’s worth, he had a strong year in the G League.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Miami Heat

August 28th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Haywood Highsmith: Two years, $10,816,000. Re-signed using Bird rights.
Kevin Love: Two years, $8,000,000. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
Thomas Bryant: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
Alec Burks: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Zyon Pullin: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Isaiah Stevens: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Pelle Larsson (No. 44 pick; from Rockets) and cash (from Hawks) in a three-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Nikola Djurisic (No. 43 pick; to Hawks).

Draft picks

1-15: Kel’el Ware
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $20,466,072).
2-44: Pelle Larsson
- Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract ($5,408,801). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed. Third-year team option.

Two-way signings

Josh Christopher
Keshad Johnson
Zyon Pullin
- Note: Pullin was subsequently waived and re-signed to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Dru Smith

Departed/unsigned free agents

Caleb Martin (Sixers)
Patty Mills (Jazz)
Cole Swider (Pacers)
Alondes Williams (unsigned)
Delon Wright (Bucks)

Other moves

Signed Bam Adebayo to a three-year, maximum-salary veteran extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $165,348,864. Includes third-year player option.
Waived Orlando Robinson.

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $184.8MM in salary.
No hard cap.
Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, but can’t be used due to proximity to second apron.
One traded player exception frozen/unavailable (worth $6,477,319).

The offseason so far

For a second consecutive summer, the Heat entered the offseason facing the possibility of losing two key rotation players. After watching Gabe Vincent sign with the Lakers and Max Strus head to Cleveland in 2023, Miami saw Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith reach unrestricted free agency last month.

Technically, there were no cap restrictions preventing Miami from making aggressive bids to retain both players, but the Heat’s front office made it clear – based on its actions and via media reports – that it had no intention of hamstringing itself by surpassing the second tax apron, which would significantly limit the team’s ability to make moves on the trade market. As a result, the club had to hope that the market for Martin and Highsmith wasn’t robust and that the two wings might be inclined to return at a team-friendly price.

While neither Martin nor Highsmith landed as lucrative a contract as we might’ve expected at the start of the summer, Martin still exited Miami, signing with the conference rival Sixers. But the Heat were able to bring Highsmith back into the fold, agreeing to a two-year contract worth a little more than the taxpayer mid-level exception. It’s a good price for a talented defender whose offensive game has grown in the past couple years as he earned a spot in the team’s regular rotation.

After accounting for Highsmith’s deal, a new two-year, $8MM agreement with Kevin Love, and a rookie scale contract for No. 15 overall pick Kel’el Ware, the Heat had little flexibility to fill out the rest of their roster while operating under the second apron.

Using the taxpayer mid-level exception would’ve pushed Miami’s salary over the second apron, so the club had to settle for filling its remaining openings with minimum-salary signings. That included a new deal for returning big man Thomas Bryant, plus minimum-salary commitments to veteran guard Alec Burks and second-round pick Pelle Larsson. The team is currently carrying 14 players on standard contracts and is unable to add a 15th man without surpassing the second apron.

Burks is a solid value on a minimum deal, and based on the Heat’s recent track record in the draft, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ware and/or Larrson develop into reliable contributors sooner or later. I wasn’t as high on the deals with Love and Bryant, however.

Love’s first-year salary is $3.85MM, whereas if he had signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract, he would’ve earned about $3.3MM with a cap hit of $2.1MM. Clearly, the Heat felt they needed to go above the minimum and add a second year to bring one of their veteran leaders back in the fold, but it’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow when they have so little financial flexibility — a one-year minimum deal for Love would’ve provided more room to operate below the second apron, allowing for the addition of a 15th man.

Bryant, meanwhile, was in and out of the Heat’s rotation last season and looked like a player whose days in Miami were numbered. When he declined his minimum-salary player option in order to test the market, it appeared the Heat had lucked out, but perhaps he knew he’d have an offer from his former team waiting for him as a fallback option if he didn’t find a more favorable opportunity elsewhere. I was surprised the Heat re-signed Bryant, but it’s possible they expect to get more from the veteran center now that he has a year with the organization under his belt.

The one big-money move the Heat made this summer was to lock up defensive anchor Bam Adebayo to a three-year, maximum-salary extension. The deal doesn’t go into effect until 2026/27, so Adebayo is now under contract for at least the next four seasons, with a player option for 2028/29.

It’s not out of the question that Adebayo, who has finished in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting for five seasons in a row, could win the award in 2025. If he did – or if he made an All-NBA team – he would’ve become super-max eligible, so it made sense for the Heat to extend one of the league’s best big men sooner rather than later in order to eliminate the possibility of Adebayo increasing his maximum salary.

Up next

Things didn’t go as smoothly with the Heat’s other extension-eligible star this offseason as they did with Adebayo. Reports in the spring indicated that Jimmy Butler would be seeking a new maximum-salary deal; asked about those reports, Heat president Pat Riley expressed reluctance to put such an offer on the table for the 34-year-old, who has battled injuries in recent years.

Despite some trade speculation involving Butler, the situation didn’t come to a head this summer. The six-time All-Star remains committed to the Heat, but has indicated he’ll wait until next offseason – when he could become a free agent by turning down his 2025/26 player option – to sign a new contract. There’s nothing to resolve before the season begins, in other words, but this is a situation worth monitoring into the season in case things take a turn for the worse.

The Heat’s other extension-eligible veteran, Terry Rozier, seems unlikely to sign a new contract before the season begins. He’s still under contract for two more years and has only played 31 games with Miami since being acquired from Charlotte in a mid-season trade. The team will probably want to take a longer look at Rozier’s fit with the rest of the roster in before deciding whether to make a longer-term commitment to him.

The Heat’s 14-man standard roster looks good to go for the regular season, but it’s possible more changes will come to their two-way slots before opening night. Miami already made one offseason swap, signing Zyon Pullin to a two-way deal, then waiving him in favor of Summer League standout Josh Christopher. Christopher, Dru Smith, and Keshad Johnson currently occupy those two-way slots, but a strong preseason from Pullin, Isaiah Stevens, or another camp invitee could lead to another change.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Minnesota Timberwolves

August 27th, 2024 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Luka Garza: Two years, minimum salary ($4,512,184). Second-year team option. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
Joe Ingles: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
PJ Dozier: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick) from the Spurs in exchange for the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick and the right to swap their 2030 first-round pick for the Timberwolves’ 2030 first-round pick (top-one protected).
Acquired the Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick (top-50 protected; from Grizzlies) and cash ($1MM; from Raptors) in a four-team trade in exchange for Wendell Moore (to Pistons) and the draft rights to Bobi Klintman (No. 37 pick; to Pistons).
Acquired either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Hornets/Nuggets), the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick for the Warriors’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash (from Warriors) in a six-team trade in exchange for Kyle Anderson (sign-and-trade; to Warriors).

Draft picks

1-8: Rob Dillingham
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $28,491,575).
1-27: Terrence Shannon
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $13,076,519).

Two-way signings

Jesse Edwards
Daishen Nix

Departed/unsigned free agents

Kyle Anderson (Warriors)
Jordan McLaughlin (Kings)
Monte Morris (Suns)
T.J. Warren (unsigned)

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and above the second tax apron ($188.9MM).
Carrying approximately $205.6MM in salary.
No hard cap.
No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
One traded player exception available (worth $2,537,040).
Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $8,780,488).

The offseason so far

The Timberwolves’ proximity to the second tax apron hampered their ability to make roster moves this offseason, limiting them to minimum-salary offers for free agents and preventing them from aggregating contracts or taking back more salary than they sent out in trades.

Moving out of second-apron territory likely would’ve required the Wolves to part with one of their highest-paid impact players, an unappealing option after a run to to the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the front office decided to live with those second-apron restrictions and figure out how to replace three departing ball-handlers – point guards Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin, along with versatile wing Kyle Anderson – using limited resources.

Minnesota made its biggest offseason move on draft night, using its unprotected 2030 first-round pick and a lightly protected 2031 first-round swap to move into the lottery and then selecting Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 overall pick. It was a creative deal that cleverly circumvented the second apron restrictions — because the Wolves were acquiring Dillingham’s draft rights before he signed his rookie contract, he counted for $0 in incoming salary.

The Wolves also used their own pick – 27th overall – to select Terrence Shannon, another guard. Once viewed as a potential lottery pick, Shannon saw his stock affected by sexual assault allegations during his final college season, but he was found not guilty of all charges ahead of the draft.

Dillingham and Shannon won’t provide the sort of veteran savvy that Morris and McLaughlin brought to the table and may not be ready to play regular roles right away, but their youth, athleticism, and scoring ability will give the Wolves some real upside off the bench going forward.

While there’s hope that they’ll get something out of their rookies in 2024/25, the Wolves needed another insurance policy behind starting point guard Mike Conley, who will turn 37 before the regular season begins. The club turned to the free agent market and landed veteran forward Joe Ingles, who will be reuniting with former Jazz teammates Conley and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

Ingles’ skill set bears some similarities to Anderson’s — both players have the size to guard wings and forwards and can serve as secondary play-makers on offense. Even if the rookies don’t contribute immediately, the Wolves should have enough alternatives to Conley at the point, with Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Ingles all capable of operating with the ball in their hands.

Up next

The Timberwolves currently have 13 players on guaranteed salaries, with PJ Dozier penciled in as their 14th man on a partially guaranteed deal. With Dozier’s salary not fully locked in yet and one additional roster spot still available, Minnesota certainly has the flexibility to bring in one more player to fill out its regular season roster.

Still, the Wolves are way over the luxury tax line, so adding a 15th man or eating Dozier’s $1MM partial guarantee would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties than it would in base salary. With that in mind, I’d expect Minnesota to enter the season with Dozier as the 14th man and be prepared to make a change or add a 15th man only if it’s needed.

Gobert is the most notable extension candidate to monitor ahead of opening night — he holds a player option for the 2025/26 season, so he could reach unrestricted free agency as early as next summer.

Gobert is coming off a Defensive Player of the Year season, but I imagine the Wolves will approach extension talks cautiously rather than jumping headlong into another multiyear deal in the range of his current salary ($43.8MM in 2024/25). Minnesota’s cap situation is already somewhat precarious, with Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns on maximum-salary deals, and Gobert wasn’t exactly dominant in the Western Finals vs. Dallas or at the Paris Olympics, where he played limited minutes in a couple of France’s best wins.

Gobert will remain extension-eligible all season as long as his player option is replaced as part of a new deal, so the Wolves aren’t facing an October deadline to get something done.

Finally, while it’s worth keeping an eye on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight, the next step in that battle between Glen Taylor and the Marc Lore/Alex Rodriguez group won’t happen until after the season begins. An arbitration hearing is scheduled for November.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Indiana Pacers

August 26th, 2024 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Pascal Siakam: Four years, maximum salary ($188,950,272). Re-signed using Bird rights.
Obi Toppin: Four years, $58,000,000. Includes $2MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
James Wiseman: Two years, minimum salary ($4,784,366). First year partially guaranteed ($500,000). Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
James Johnson: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($750,000). Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
Cole Swider: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Kyle Mangas: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Cameron McGriff: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35 pick) from the Spurs in exchange for the draft rights to Juan Nunez (No. 36 pick) and cash.

Draft picks

2-35: Johnny Furphy
- Signed to four-year, $8,589,485 contract. First three years fully guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.
2-49: Tristen Newton
- Signed to two-way contract.
2-50: Enrique Freeman
- Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Doug McDermott (unsigned)
Jalen Smith (Bulls)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Jazz)
Isaiah Wong (unsigned)

Other moves

Signed Andrew Nembhard to a three-year, $58,650,480 veteran extension that begins in 2025/26. The first year of the extension replaces Nembhard’s $2,187,699 team option for ’25/26.

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
Carrying approximately $170.4MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $188,931,000.
Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.

The offseason so far

The Pacers finished with a solid but not spectacular 47-35 record last season and would have had to go through the play-in tournament to secure a playoff berth if not for a favorable tiebreaker that gave them the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Heading into the 2024/25 season, there are at least five teams (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland) widely believed to be ahead of Indiana in the East, and maybe one or two more, depending on how you feel about the Magic and Heat.

Still, this club is coming off an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, even without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton operating at full health. Of course, Haliburton was still able to suit up and play for most of the postseason, which is more than can be said for a few notable opposing players during the first two rounds, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Julius Randle. But the Pacers beat the teams in front of them in each of those two rounds and showed themselves to be a growing threat in the East.

The Pacers operated this offseason as if they’re confident last season’s results weren’t a mirage, investing heavily to bring back starting power forward Pascal Siakam (four years, maximum salary) and key reserve Obi Toppin (four years, $58MM, plus incentives).

As a result, Indiana’s team salary is hovering right around the luxury tax line, a threshold the small-market franchise rarely crosses. Barring another mid-season splash similar to last year’s Siakam acquisition, the Pacers should be able to remain out of the tax for at least this season, but with a couple rotation players due for raises next season, that may not be the case for much longer, assuming the club wants to continue pushing toward title contention.

Outside of their significant long-term investments in Siakam and Toppin, the Pacers’ front office mostly shopped in the bargain bin this summer. That included taking a flier on former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who signed a partially guaranteed minimum-salary contract covering the next two seasons. With Jalen Smith departing in free agency, Isaiah Jackson will likely get the first shot to be Myles Turner‘s primary backup at the five, but Wiseman should have the opportunity to show he deserves minutes in that role.

The Pacers didn’t have a first-round pick in 2024 as a result of last season’s Siakam trade, but they had three second-rounders in the 35-50 range. Two of those players, Tristen Newton and Enrique Freeman, will start their professional careers on two-way deals, while No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy has a spot on the 15-man roster.

A projected first-round pick who slipped to day two, Furphy is one of just two second-rounders in this year’s class to receive three fully guaranteed years on his first NBA contract, signaling that the Pacers are high on him. Indiana has a good recent track record of finding gems near the end of the first round (Ben Sheppard) or the start of the second round (Andrew Nembhard) — we’ll see if Furphy can join that group.

Speaking of Nembhard, he signed a new three-year extension that replaces his minimum-salary team option for 2025/26 and tacks on two new years beyond that. The $58.7MM the Pacers gave him is the most they could have offered on a veteran extension for those three years.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a reliable rotation piece and played some of the best basketball of his career in the Eastern Finals with Haliburton sidelined. Still, it was a little surprising to see the terms of his new deal, as it would’ve made more sense for the Pacers to begin Nembhard’s extension after his ’25/26 team option in order to keep him on that bargain contract for one additional season.

On the other hand, it’s possible Nembhard wouldn’t have agreed to that structure, and while Indiana could have waited a year to sign him to the same extension, the team likely didn’t want to risk making the mistake Dallas did with Jalen Brunson. The Pacers guard may not have Brunson’s upside, but if Haliburton misses extended time at any point in the next season or two, Nembhard could thrive in a larger role and significantly increase his value. Locking him up sooner rather than later allows the Pacers to avoid a scenario in which his price tag soars by 2026.

Up next

After extending Nembhard, the Pacers will have to weigh whether or not to reward another important part of their backcourt rotation with a new deal — T.J. McConnell is extension-eligible as he enters a contract year.

McConnell will turn 33 during the upcoming season and may not be part of the long-term plan in Indiana, but he has posted very strong numbers (9.4 PPG, 5.4 APG, .550/.427/.823 shooting) in a reserve role over the past two seasons. He began last season out of the rotation, but ultimately proved so invaluable off the bench that he ended up earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in the spring.

I expect Indiana to make a strong effort to lock up McConnell for another year or two beyond 2024/25 as long as the price is in the neighborhood of his current $9.3MM salary. Mike Conley‘s two-year, $20.75MM contract with Minnesota could serve as a useful point of comparison in negotiations — Conley is a starter for the Wolves, but he’s also nearly five years older than McConnell.

The Pacers’ top two centers – Turner and Jackson – are also entering contract years, but Turner, who signed his last contract midway through the 2022/23 season, won’t be extension-eligible this season, so Indiana can’t get anything done with him before he reaches unrestricted free agency.

Jackson is extension-eligible until October 21 and may be in line for an increased role in his fourth year, but he averaged a career-low 13.1 MPG last season. I’d be surprised if the cap-conscious Pacers aggressively pursue a long-term deal for him this fall.

Indiana will have some questions at the back of their roster to answer before the regular season begins. The team is currently carrying just 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Wiseman and James Johnson on partially guaranteed deals and Kendall Brown and Cole Swider on non-guaranteed contracts.

Those partial guarantees probably give Wiseman and Johnson the inside track for spots on the roster. The Pacers certainly aren’t obligated to carry a full 15-man squad entering opening night, but if they do, Brown may have to hold off camp invitee Swider for the final spot.

Hoops Rumors’ 2024 Offseason Check-In Series

August 26th, 2024 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

In advance of training camps, Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’re taking a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins.

All of our Offseason Check-In articles are linked below, sorted by conference and division.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers (coming in September)
Toronto Raptors (coming in September)

Central

Southeast

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic (coming in September)
Washington Wizards (coming in September)

Western Conference

Northwest

Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers (coming in September)
Utah Jazz (coming in September)

Pacific

Southwest

Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio Spurs (coming in September)

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Memphis Grizzlies

August 24th, 2024 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings

Luke Kennard: One year, $9,250,000. Includes $1,387,500 in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights after team option was declined.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Cam Spencer (No. 53 pick) from the Pistons in a four-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick; to Raptors) and the Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick (top-50 protected; to Timberwolves).
Acquired Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic in exchange for Ziaire Williams and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick.

Draft picks

1-9: Zach Edey
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $26,202,576).
2-39: Jaylen Wells
- Signed to four-year, minimum-salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year non-guaranteed team option.
2-53: Cam Spencer
- Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Jay Huff
Cam Spencer

Departed/unsigned free agents

Jordan Goodwin (unsigned)
Lamar Stevens (unsigned)
Yuta Watanabe (Chiba Jets)

Other moves

Waived Trey Jemison (two-way).

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
Carrying approximately $170MM in salary.
No hard cap.
Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
Four traded player exceptions available (largest worth $12,600,000).

The offseason so far

It has been a quiet summer in Memphis, where the Grizzlies will bet on the return of a handful of starters and rotation players from injuries to propel them to a bounce-back season in 2024/25. There’s reason to believe that could be a fruitful strategy. After all, this roster is pretty similar to the one that racked up 56 wins in 2021/22 and 51 more in ’22/23.

Injuries to Desmond Bane (he played 42 games last season), Marcus Smart (20 games), Brandon Clarke (six games), Luke Kennard (39 games), Steven Adams (zero games), and especially Ja Morant (nine games) derailed Memphis in 2024/25, but the team will have all of those players back on the court next season, with the exception of Adams, who was sent to Houston ahead of the February trade deadline.

While the Grizzlies didn’t lose any key players this offseason, they still had a hole to fill up front, where they lost Adams and Xavier Tillman during the season. Operating right up against the luxury tax line, Memphis wasn’t in position to add an impact veteran center, but the club used its lottery pick to bring in a potential long-term answer at the position, drafting Zach Edey ninth overall.

Edey is coming off a monster college career at Purdue, where he was named the NCAA’s player of the year in each of the past two seasons. And he showed some promise when he was able to suit up in Summer League last month, averaging 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 21.0 minutes per game, though he was limited to just two appearances (one in Salt Lake City and one in Las Vegas) due to ankle issues.

Still, it remains to be seen how the 22-year-old will adjust to the speed and athleticism of the NBA game, especially with opposing offenses looking to lure him away from the rim and out to the perimeter. If Edey’s not ready to take on a substantial role as a rookie, the Grizzlies will otherwise have to rely on non-traditional fives like Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama, and Clarke.

Edey represents the only major addition of the summer for the Grizzlies, who also re-signed Kennard to a new one-year deal and drafted a couple players in the second round in June — Jaylen Wells will have a spot on the team’s 15-man roster, while Cam Spencer begins his career on a two-way deal.

Of the offseason departures, Ziaire Williams is the most notable. He was drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2021, but never developed into a consistent contributor and was dealt to Brooklyn in a salary dump.

Up next

The Grizzlies currently have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Mamadi Diakite occupying the 15th roster spot — his $2.27MM salary is partially guaranteed for approximately $1.39MM.

Due to that partial guarantee, the Grizzlies don’t have the ability to waive Diakite and then sign a new 15th man for the veteran’s minimum without surpassing the luxury tax line — unless they cut Diakite within the next week and stretch his partial guarantee across three seasons.

I haven’t gotten the sense that Memphis is especially motivated to bring in a new 15th man, so the team may ultimately stick with Diakite for now. If the Grizzlies need to create a little spending flexibility below the tax line down the road, he could probably be traded relatively easily, perhaps with just some cash attached rather than any future draft assets.

Scotty Pippen Jr., who was impressive down the stretch for Memphis last season, may be the leading candidate to eventually supplant Diakite as the club’s 15th man. For the time being, Pippen is on a two-way deal and there will likely be no real urgency to promote him until he nears his 50-game limit.

The Grizzlies do have a few extension candidates on their roster worth watching, starting with Aldama, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension. After a promising sophomore season in 2022/23, Aldama didn’t take a significant step forward in year three, but if Memphis believes that was just a blip in an otherwise ascendant trajectory, the team could look to lock him up this fall rather than risk having his price tag go up in 2025.

Jackson and Smart are each eligible for a veteran extension this offseason, though both players are also under team control through 2026, so if nothing gets done before the season begins, that’s not a cause for concern. A new deal for Smart seems unlikely, given that he barely played due to health problems during his first year in Memphis.

Jackson is a better bet to be a long-term fixture with the franchise, but if he wants to try to make himself super-max-eligible by winning another Defensive Player of the Year award or earning an All-NBA spot in 2024/25, he’ll wait a year to sign anything. He may wait anyway, since his $23.4MM salary for ’25/26 will make it hard for the Grizzlies to offer him a deal worthy of his on-court value (they’re limited to a 40% raise in year one, with 8% annual raises after that).

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