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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Utah Jazz

October 1st, 2024 at 7:00am 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 Utah Jazz.

This is the final installment of our Offseason Check-In series. All 30 articles can be found here.

Free agent signings

  • Svi Mykhailiuk: Four years, $15,050,000. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.
  • Johnny Juzang: Four years, $11,425,252. Second, third, and fourth years non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • Drew Eubanks: Two years, $9,750,000. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using cap room.
  • Patty Mills: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Max Abmas: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Taevion Kinsey: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Isaiah Wong: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Keshawn Justice: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Justice was subsequently waived.
  • Dane Goodwin: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Goodwin was subsequently waived.
  • Babacar Sane: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Sane was subsequently waived.

Trades

  • Acquired Russell Westbrook, the right to swap their own 2030 second-round pick for the Clippers’ 2030 second-round pick, the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica, and cash ($4.3MM) from the Clippers in exchange for Kris Dunn (sign-and-trade).
    • Note: Westbrook was subsequently bought out.

Draft picks

  • 1-10: Cody Williams
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $24,897,090).
  • 1-29: Isaiah Collier
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $12,903,788).
  • 2-32: Kyle Filipowski
    • Signed to four-year, $12,000,000 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

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 $144.8MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

Two days after the Jazz’s season ended in April, CEO Danny Ainge vowed that the team was prepared to go “big-game hunting” this offseason after finishing below .500 in back-to-back years.

It was an assertion that was met with some skepticism. After all, despite Utah’s consecutive seasons in the lottery, the team hadn’t drafted higher than ninth overall since its rebuild began, and while the front office was able to add some promising young prospects in the 2023 and 2024 drafts, none of them looks like the sort of franchise centerpiece the Jazz can build around for years to come.

It wasn’t a huge surprise then when reports indicated in July that the Jazz’s offseason efforts to acquire an impact player – such as Mikal Bridges – on the trade market had come up short. Giving up five first-round picks for Bridges was a logical next step for the Knicks, who were within a single win of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the spring and presumably considered themselves just a piece or two away from becoming true championship contenders.

Surrendering that sort of package for a player without an All-Star berth on his résumé would have made less sense for the Jazz, who would have been a playoff contender with Bridges on their roster but still wouldn’t have had enough talent to hang with the Western Conference’s very best teams.

It’s also hard to imagine Ainge – whose trades selling off the likes of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rudy Gobert are among the defining moves of his executive career – finding himself on the other end of that sort of deal, which would’ve put a major dent in the Jazz’s stash of future draft assets without making them an elite team.

The biggest decision of Utah’s offseason ultimately wasn’t whether or not to meet the substantial asking price for a trade target like Bridges — it was whether or not to turn star forward Lauri Markkanen into one of those trade chips himself.

Markkanen’s situation this summer was an unusual and complex one. He was in the final year of a contract that was so far below his market value that any over-the-cap team acquiring him would’ve been unable to extend him prior to free agency, since they wouldn’t have been able to offer him more than a 40% raise on his expiring $18MM salary.

The only way to circumvent that restriction was to renegotiate (ie. increase) Markkanen’s 2024/25 salary, then to extend him off that new number. But cap room is required for a renegotiation, and the Jazz were one of the only teams with significant cap room available this summer. Renegotiating and extending Markkanen would have made him a more attractive trade chip for Utah, but it also would have made him ineligible to be dealt for six months.

Markkanen became renegotiation-eligible on August 6. He and the Jazz finalized a renegotiation and extension on August 7, ensuring that he won’t become eligible to be traded until February 7, one day after this season’s deadline.

Utah’s willingness to wait that extra day and still give Markkanen as much money as they possibly could on a long-term, maximum-salary contract signaled the team was comfortable with the idea of keeping the 2023 All-Star on its roster for at least the 2024/25 season. And the comments made publicly by both sides – at the time of the deal and since then – suggest they’re committed to continuing their relationship well beyond that, so we shouldn’t necessarily expect Markkanen to hit the trade block during the 2025 offseason.

The Jazz’s decision not to trade Markkanen is an understandable one. They’ve already been rebuilding for two years — moving Markkanen would’ve extended the process by at least a couple more seasons. And without the inability to extend him before trading him, they would’ve had to move him on an expiring contract, limiting their ability to maximize the return.

Still, a Markkanen trade would’ve clearly defined the Jazz’s direction, essentially guaranteeing that they’d retain the top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick they owe the Thunder and making them one of the leaders in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. With Markkanen on the roster, it’s possible the club will end up in the range of 30-40 wins for a third straight season, not quite good enough to earn a play-in spot and not quite bad enough to have a great shot at a franchise-changing player in the draft lottery.

The Markkanen extension was the most impactful move of a Jazz offseason that didn’t see them commit more than one guaranteed season to any other veteran signee. Svi Mykhailiuk, Johnny Juzang, Drew Eubanks, and Patty Mills all inked free agent contracts with the club, but none of them will earn more than $5MM in 2024/25 and all four could be off Utah’s books by ’25/26 if they don’t impress this season.

The most noteworthy offseason roster additions came in the draft, which saw the Jazz select three players in the top 32: Cody Williams at No. 10, Isaiah Collier at No. 29, and Kyle Filipowski at No. 32.

Williams holds real intrigue as a three-and-D wing if he can increase his shot volume without his percentage dropping off, while the Collier and Filipowski picks saw Utah roll the dice on a pair of prospects who dropped further than initially projected. At one point, both Collier and Filipowski were considered potential lottery selections.

Given that the Jazz’s front office will likely want to hang onto their top-10 protected first-round pick for 2025, I expect we’ll see this year’s crop of rookies and the 2023 first-rounders – Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh – get plenty of run this season.

Up next

The Jazz are carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts and none of them seem likely to be waived before the season begins, so the opening night roster decisions look pretty straightforward.

It’s always possible Utah will swap out one of its two-way players for someone new, but those three roster spots are occupied for now too.

Meanwhile, just two Jazz players are extension-eligible before the regular season begins: John Collins and Collin Sexton. I wouldn’t count on either veteran getting a new deal with two years left on his current contract, but Sexton is the better candidate of the two — I could envision a scenario in which he remains in Utah beyond his existing deal, whereas that’s harder to imagine for Collins.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Washington Wizards

September 30th, 2024 at 12:21pm 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 Washington Wizards.

Free agent signings

  • Jonas Valanciunas: Three years, $30,295,000. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Pelicans.
  • Saddiq Bey: Three years, $19,000,000. Includes an additional $1MM in unlikely incentives. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Anthony Gill: Two years, minimum salary ($4,784,366). Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Leaky Black: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Kira Lewis: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jaylen Nowell: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Kyshawn George (No. 24 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick) and the No. 51 pick in the 2024 draft.
  • Acquired Malcolm Brogdon; the draft rights to Carlton Carrington (No. 14 pick); either the Trail Blazers’, Celtics’, or Bucks’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable); the Warriors’ 2028 second-round pick; and the Trail Blazers’ 2030 second-round pick from the Trail Blazers in exchange for Deni Avdija.
  • Acquired Jonas Valanciunas (sign-and-trade) from the Pelicans in exchange for the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (top-50 protected).

Draft picks

  • 1-2: Alex Sarr
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $51,036,398).
  • 1-14: Carlton Carrington
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $21,290,769).
  • 1-24: Kyshawn George
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,336,172).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $161.1MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Approximately $6.4MM of non-taxpayer mid-level exception available; full bi-annual exception ($4.7MM) available.
  • Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $12,402,000).

The offseason so far

When a new front office takes over an NBA team’s basketball operations department, that new group often has little attachment to the club’s incumbent players and looks to gradually fill the roster with its own guys. That’s especially true when the team is in rebuilding mode.

So while I didn’t necessarily expect the Wizards to move Deni Avdija this offseason, it wasn’t a huge surprise that top decision-makers Michael Winger and Will Dawkins decided to capitalize on Avdija’s career year in 2023/24 by cashing in on a player drafted by the previous regime whose value was at an all-time high.

We knew, based on reporting in the spring, that the Wizards, armed with the second and 26th overall selections in June’s draft, were looking to continue stockpiling picks — and specifically to add a third first-rounder for 2024. The Avdija deal helped them do just that. By sending the ascendant forward to Portland and taking on Malcolm Brogdon‘s $22.5MM expiring contract to help the Blazers get out of tax territory, Washington added two future second-round selections and a pair of first-rounders, including this year’s No. 14 overall pick.

It was a savvy trade by the Wizards, who may be able to flip Brogdon later this season for something of value. The veteran guard wasn’t a fit in a crowded Portland backcourt on a team with financial concerns, but he’s a career 39.1% three-point shooter who is just two years removed from winning a Sixth Man of the Year award. If he’s healthy, Brogdon should appeal to teams looking for backcourt help at this year’s trade deadline.

Using the No. 14 pick from that deal, the Wizards selected Pittsburgh guard Carlton Carrington, who flashed intriguing potential at the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in his five outings. Carrington joins No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr and No. 24 selection Kyshawn George (the Wizards gave up their No. 51 pick to move up two spots from No. 26 for George) to make up Washington’s 2024/25 rookie class.

Sarr was considered by several experts to be the top prospect in this year’s draft, and while he didn’t exactly light it up in Vegas like Carrington did (Sarr made just 9-of-47 shots from the field, or 19.1%), the rangy 19-year-old center has the potential to be a long-term defensive anchor in D.C.

At age 20, George is actually the oldest of the Wizards’ three first-rounders, but like Carrington, he was a one-and-done college player who is still very early in his developmental process. The 6’7″ swingman showed off an effective outside shot (.408 3PT%) during his freshman year at Miami and could become a solid shooter and play-maker on the wing, though he’s unlikely to make a significant impact as a rookie.

Having added three youngsters as potential long-term building blocks, the Wizards spent the rest of their offseason focused on filling out their roster with veteran contributors who could make life a little easier for those prospects.

Most notably, the team worked out a sign-and-trade deal with New Orleans to add veteran center Jonas Valanciunas on a three-year contract worth about $10MM annually. Having a steady vet like Valanciunas at the five will allow Washington to take things slow with Sarr. I wouldn’t expect Valanciunas to be part of the Wizards’ next playoff team, but he’s a perfectly fine stopgap starter, and his contract is team-friendly enough to make him a potential trade chip — LeBron James and the Lakers were said to have interest in him this summer, so that could be something worth revisiting down the road.

The Wizards further fortified their frontcourt by bringing back Richaun Holmes on a two-year, $25.9MM extension. It may look like an odd move on the surface for a player who hasn’t logged significant minutes over the past two seasons, but Holmes’ new deal (which begins in 2024/25) replaces a $12.88MM player option and is almost entirely non-guaranteed in year two.

In other words, the Wizards are essentially paying Holmes the same total salary they would have if he’d simply picked up that option, but now he has a slightly lower year-one cap hit and what amounts to a team option for 2025/26. I wouldn’t expect that ’25/26 salary to become guaranteed, but if he recaptures his 2019-21 form, you never know. At the very least, it gives Washington more flexibility with the big man going forward.

The Wizards’ other unorthodox summer signing was to bring in former Pistons and Hawks forward Saddiq Bey on a three-year contract worth $19MM (plus another $1MM in incentives). Bey will likely miss most or all of the 2024/25 season while recovering from an ACL tear, which is perfectly fine with a Washington team not interested in pushing for a playoff spot right away.

Assuming Bey is back to 100% for the start of the ’25/26 campaign, he could be a bargain on the wing in the final two years of his contract — while he had a down year before the injury last season, the former first-rounder showed off a promising three-and-D skill set early in his career.

Up next

The Wizards are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but have some others on non-guaranteed deals who could make cases for roster spots in training camp and during the preseason. Jared Butler, who spent last season on the roster, is in that mix, as are Exhibit 10 camp invitees Kira Lewis, Jaylen Nowell, and Leaky Black.

While Exhibit 10 signees are often simply ticketed for the G League, Lewis and Nowell have several years of NBA experience under their belts and are no longer eligible for two-way deals, so I could see them getting consideration for a 15-man spot.

Patrick Baldwin, a former first-round pick who has played limited minutes across 69 total appearances in his two NBA seasons, could be the odd man out if one of the 15 players on guaranteed deals doesn’t make the team. Another 2022 first-rounder, Johnny Davis, also has an underwhelming NBA résumé so far, though he at least played well in Vegas in July, whereas Baldwin’s Summer League performance was inconsistent.

The Wizards do have a two-way slot available as well — Black is the only camp invitee who could be directly converted to fill it, but the team could look outside of the organization. Butler would also be eligible, though he’d have to be waived and re-signed.

Corey Kispert isn’t the only Wizard who is extension-eligible this fall, but he’s probably the only legitimate candidate for a new deal. He and the team have until October 21 to attempt to work out a rookie scale extension.

Kispert has steadily improved over the course of his three NBA seasons, having made 40.2% of his three-point attempts over the past two years. He’s the sort of player who would fit nicely on a lot of teams and who could generate real interest if he reaches free agency in 2025, so it would be in the Wizards’ best interest to lock him up now if they can get him at a reasonable price.

It’s worth noting that Kispert is another player who was drafted by the previous front office, which may reduce the odds of the two sides reaching a deal in the coming weeks. But like Avdija, who signed a rookie scale extension last fall, Kispert would be a valuable trade chip down the road if he’s on a favorable long-term contract and the Wizards ultimately decide he’s not in their plans.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: San Antonio Spurs

September 29th, 2024 at 8:26pm 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 San Antonio Spurs.

Free agent signings

  • Chris Paul: One year, $10,460,000. Includes an additional $1,568,999 in unlikely incentives. Signed using cap room.
  • Charles Bassey: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Sandro Mamukelashvili: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Brandon Boston Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Malachi Flynn: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Nathan Mensah: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Riley Minix: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jameer Nelson Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Nelson was subsequently waived.

Trades

  • Acquired the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick and the right to swap 2030 first-round picks with the Timberwolves (top-one protected) in exchange for the draft rights to Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Juan Nunez (No. 36 pick) and cash in exchange for the draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35 pick).
  • Acquired cash from the Hornets in exchange for Devonte’ Graham and the Pelicans’ 2025 second-round pick.
  • Acquired Harrison Barnes and the right to swap 2031 first-round picks with the Kings in a three-team trade in exchange for RaiQuan Gray (two-way; to Bulls).

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

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 $145MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

After earning All-NBA votes and finishing as the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award as a 20-year-old rookie, Victor Wembanyama is on a trajectory to become one of the league’s very best players sooner rather than later. However, the Spurs made it clear with their offseason moves that they won’t rush the process of building a contending team around him.

Rather than going all-in on win-now pieces or taking an extreme long-term view by surrounding Wembanyama with several more young prospects, San Antonio split the difference. The team entered June’s draft armed with a pair of picks in the top eight, but only kept the first of the two, using it to select guard Stephon Castle fourth overall and then sending the No. 8 pick to Minnesota in exchange for two far-off draft assets — an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a top-one protected pick swap in 2030.

It’s a risky move, given the wide range of outcomes for those two assets. It’s entirely possible that the ’31 pick ends up in the 20s and the ’30 swap doesn’t get used at all.

But the logic behind the move makes sense. The 2024 draft class wasn’t particularly loaded, so that No. 8 pick was unlikely to produce a star; the Wolves – given their cap situation – are a team whose long-term sustainability is worth betting against; and the Spurs don’t necessarily need to bet on those picks to land in the top halves of the 2030 and 2031 drafts, since they could use them as trade chips well before that in order to add players who will complement Wembanyama as he enters his prime.

Adding two rookies to a young roster also might not have the been the best approach for optimizing Wembanyama’s development, which was certainly a consideration for the Spurs this offseason. That’s a key reason why the team used essentially all of its available cap room to bring in a pair of veterans: Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes.

Paul, who was waived by the Warriors so they could avoid guaranteeing his $30MM salary for 2024/25, ended up signing with San Antonio for about a third of that amount. The future Hall of Famer could have chosen to join one of any number of teams closer to title contention, but the opportunity to play for head coach Gregg Popovich and alongside a young phenom like Wembanyama made the Spurs an appealing option.

Wembanyama spent much of his rookie year playing next to “point guards” like Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham before veteran Tre Jones was eventually reinserted into the starting lineup. Sochan and Branham are promising young players, but they’re not point guards, as last year’s experimentation confirmed. Wembanyama was most effective offensively with Jones on the court, and should benefit tremendously from having either Jones or Paul running the offense in his second year.

Barnes won’t necessarily have the same sort of direct impact on Wembanyama’s on-court production, but the forward is a solid defender who should help make the big man’s life a little easier on that end of the floor. Wembanyama should also reap the benefits of Barnes’ and Paul’s knowledge and experience — the two veterans have a combined 31 NBA seasons and three Olympic gold medals under their belts, and Barnes has won a championship.

Outside of bringing back reserve free agent centers Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Spurs didn’t make any other moves of note this summer, but they’re well stocked with future draft picks that will put them in position to continue adding talent to this core, either by drafting players or using those picks as trade pieces.

Up next

With 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and no players eligible for contract extensions, the Spurs are unlikely to have a particularly active October.

They’re only carrying a pair of players on two-way deals right now, so they have a decision to make on who will fill the third slot. Brandon Boston, Nathan Mensah, and Riley Minix are on the roster on Exhibit 10 contracts and could be candidates to have those deals converted to two-ways. Boston is probably the best candidate of the bunch if San Antonio wants a player capable of competing for minutes — he has appeared in 105 regular season games over the past three seasons for the Clippers.

The Spurs could also look outside the organization to fill that slot, either with a current free agent or with a player on another team’s roster who gets waived before the season begins.

It’s also worth noting that the Spurs are one of the few teams with a ton of flexibility below the luxury tax line, so they’re a good candidate to help accommodate a trade between two cap-strapped clubs, like the Hornets are doing in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Philadelphia 76ers

September 24th, 2024 at 3:40pm 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 Philadelphia 76ers.

Free agent signings

  • Paul George: Four years, maximum salary ($211,584,940). Includes fourth-year player option and 15% trade kicker. Signed using cap room.
  • Tyrese Maxey: Five years, maximum salary ($203,852,600). Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Caleb Martin: Four years, $35,040,704. Includes fourth-year player option, 15% trade kicker, and $5,256,106 in additional unlikely incentives. Signed using cap room.
  • Kelly Oubre: Two years, $16,365,150. Includes second-year player option. Re-signed using room exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • KJ Martin: Two years, $16,000,000. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Andre Drummond: Two years, $10,000,000. Includes second-year player option. Signed using cap room.
  • Eric Gordon: Two years, minimum salary ($6,772,731). Includes second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Reggie Jackson: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Kyle Lowry: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Guerschon Yabusele: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jared Brownridge: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Brownridge was subsequently waived.
  • Max Fiedler: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Judah Mintz: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick from the Mavericks in a six-team trade in exchange for Buddy Hield (sign-and-trade; to Warriors).

Draft picks

  • 1-16: Jared McCain
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $19,448,588).
  • 2-41: Adem Bona
    • Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract ($7,895,796). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed ($977,689). Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Joel Embiid to a three-year, maximum-salary veteran extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $192,907,008. Includes third-year player option.
  • Waived Paul Reed.

Salary cap situation

  • Went below the cap to use room.
  • Now 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 $181.5MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
  • No traded player exceptions available.

The offseason so far

It used to be relatively common for NBA teams to hoard cap room in the hopes of landing an All-NBA caliber player as a free agent. That’s famously how the Heat landed LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010. It’s how the Warriors were able to lure Kevin Durant to Golden State in 2016. And it’s how stars like Durant (Nets), Kyrie Irving (Nets), and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) joined new teams in 2019.

Since 2019, however, with tweaks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement allowing veteran contract extensions to become more common than ever, it had become increasingly rare for star players to change teams as free agents. In recent years, players like Fred VanVleet (to the Rockets in 2023), pre-All-Star Jalen Brunson (Knicks in 2022), and post-prime Gordon Hayward (Hornets in 2020) were among the most prominent free agents to change teams via cap room.

All that is to say, when the Sixers decided during the 2023 offseason not to sign Tyrese Maxey to a rookie scale extension, telegraphing their intent to maximize their 2024 cap room in the hopes of landing a star, it was a risky play.

While the 76ers could offer a top free agent the opportunity to team up with Maxey and star center Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, they wouldn’t have the ability to outbid that star’s incumbent team for the right to sign him. It’s entirely possible that each of this year’s top six or seven free agents could have re-signed with their previous clubs, putting the Sixers in a position where they’d have to decide whether to splurge on a couple second-tier free agents like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Miles Bridges or perhaps target a high-priced trade candidate like Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine.

Fortunately for the Sixers and their fans, it didn’t play out that way. While four of the top five free agents on our top-50 list (including Maxey) remained with their current teams, Philadelphia was able to secure a commitment from the fifth one – Paul George – after the forward’s negotiations with the Clippers soured.

Like Embiid, George hasn’t been a paragon of health during his prime seasons, having missed time in both the regular season and playoffs due to various injuries over the years, so it’s not as if the four-year, maximum-salary deal the Clippers gave him is risk-free.

But few players in the NBA would have been better fits alongside Maxey and Embiid than George, who is essentially the ideal version of the three-and-D archetype that has become so popular in the league in the last decade. He can handle the toughest wing assignments on defense while also sharing ball-handling and scoring responsibilities on offense with the 76ers’ two other stars.

Maxey’s willingness to wait on his new contract shouldn’t be overlooked or undersold. Keeping his modest $13MM cap hold on the books at the start of free agency instead of having him on the cap for $35MM+ put the Sixers in position to open up maximum-salary cap room for George. It all worked out for Maxey in the end, as he parlayed a Most Improved Player award in 2023/24 into a five-year, maximum-salary deal.

Would he have gotten that same contract if he had torn his ACL on opening night last fall and missed the entire season? Maybe, but it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t just the Sixers who took a risk by going the cap-space route — Maxey could have insisted on long-term security last summer, but by betting on himself and the team, he eventually got his max deal and a new All-Star running mate.

After signing George and Maxey to $200MM+ free agent contracts, the Sixers later extended Embiid on a maximum-salary deal that could pay him nearly $300MM over the next five seasons. Despite his injury history, it was presumably an easy decision for the front office, considering Embiid is a perennial MVP finalist if he’s healthy.

Having made such a huge investment in their three stars, the 76ers didn’t have a ton of flexibility to add complementary pieces around them, but they cleverly used every dollar of their leftover cap room to sign Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond, both of whom should play significant roles. Martin was a valuable two-way contributor in Miami in recent years, while Drummond has been one of the league’s best backup centers and is capable of stepping into the starting lineup if and when Embiid misses time.

Most of the rest of the Sixers signings – including Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, Guerschon Yabusele, and second-round pick Adem Bona – were for the minimum. It’s unlikely that all of those players will become productive regular contributors, but the team did pretty well given its salary limitations.

Philadelphia also used its No. 16 overall pick to add rookie guard Jared McCain, its room exception to re-sign starting forward Kelly Oubre, and KJ Martin‘s Bird rights to re-sign him to a two-year, $16MM deal that’s only guaranteed for one season.

That price tag for Martin looks high on the surface, but it’s more about his value as a trade chip than what he’ll provide on the court. Outside of their three stars, no Sixers players are earning more than $8.15MM (Caleb Martin) in 2024/25, so having KJ Martin on a $7.98MM deal could make him a useful salary-matching piece in an in-season deal.

Up next

The Sixers are carrying 14 players on standard contracts, so they could add one more minimum-salary free agent to their roster before opening night if they don’t mind paying the accompanying tax penalty.

They’re approximately $4.6MM away from the second tax apron, but since they can’t take back more salary than they send out in a trade, they should be able to easily avoid surpassing that threshold during the season, even if they carry a 15th man.

It should be a fairly straightforward preseason in Philadelphia though, now that Embiid has signed his extension. Of the 14 players on standard deals, 13 have signed new contracts since July and the 14th (Ricky Council) is in the second year of his deal, so no one else is extension-eligible.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Sacramento Kings

September 21st, 2024 at 1:45pm 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 Sacramento Kings.

Free agent signings

  • Malik Monk: Four years, $77,975,308. Fourth-year player option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • DeMar DeRozan: Three years, $73,710,000. Includes an additional $3MM in unlikely incentives. Third year partially guaranteed ($10MM). Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Bulls.
  • Alex Len: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Jordan McLaughlin: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Orlando Robinson: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($500K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Boogie Ellis: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired Jalen McDaniels from the Raptors in exchange for Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (No. 45 pick), and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick.
  • Acquired DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade) from the Bulls in a three team-trade in exchange for Harrison Barnes (to Spurs), Chris Duarte (to Bulls), the Kings’ 2025 second-round pick (to Bulls), the Kings’ 2028 second-round pick (to Bulls), the right to swap 2031 first-round picks (to Spurs), and cash (to Bulls).

Draft picks

  • 1-13: Devin Carter
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $22,141,696).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $169.7MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
  • Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $6,341,464).

The offseason so far

Entering the offseason, there were two notable NBA free agents whose Early Bird rights were considered potentially insufficient to retain them. One of those was Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed a three-year, $87MM contract with the Thunder that the Knicks were unable to match using the Early Bird exception. However, the second of those two free agents, Malik Monk, reached an early deal with the Kings, agreeing to accept Sacramento’s best possible offer well ahead of the start of July.

To be clear, it’s not as if Monk magnanimously accepted a deal way below his market value. His new four-year, $78MM contract is easily the most lucrative of his career, and the $19.5MM annual salary represents an entirely reasonable rate for an effective, offense-first sixth man.

Still, there was a belief that he might’ve been able to secure an even bigger payday on the open market, so the Kings benefited from new NBA rules that permitted them to begin contract talks with Monk immediately after the Finals ended, rather than having to wait until the end of June to open those negotiations.

Having agreed to terms early with Monk, the Kings were able to approach the rest of the summer with the knowledge that their top free agent would be back, and their subsequent roster moves accounted for that. With Monk returning, for instance, Sacramento needed to shed some salary in order to stay out of luxury tax territory, so the club sent Sasha Vezenkov and Davion Mitchell to Toronto, along with two second-round picks, in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.

Vezenkov ended up agreeing to give up his entire $6.66MM salary for the 2024/25 season in order to get out of his contract. If the Kings had known he’d be willing to do that, trading him wouldn’t have been necessary, but it’s possible he only finalized that decision when faced with the prospect of moving to a new country for the second time in two years.

It’s also unfortunate that Sacramento had to give up on Mitchell, a 2021 lottery pick, but his offensive game never really developed and he found himself surpassed on the depth chart last season by undrafted free agent Keon Ellis. While that No. 9 overall pick was a miss for the Kings, they can take some solace in the fact that the teams right behind them in the 2021 draft didn’t do any better — Ziaire Williams, James Bouknight, Joshua Primo, and Chris Duarte were the four players selected right after Mitchell (though Corey Kispert, Alperen Sengun, Trey Murphy, and Jalen Johnson all went later in the top 20).

Speaking of Duarte, he was a throw-in salary-matching piece in the Kings’ biggest move of July, a sign-and-trade deal for six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. Duarte was packaged with Harrison Barnes (sent to San Antonio), a pair of second-round picks, a 2031 first-round pick swap, and cash in order to bring DeRozan aboard on a three-year contract without adding any salary to the team’s books for 2024/25.

A two-way forward probably would’ve been a better all-around fit for the Kings’ lineup, and it’s not as if Sacramento hadn’t been trying to acquire that sort of player — the team reportedly pursued both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam last season before the Raptors traded them elsewhere. But DeRozan was the only impact player available this summer at the price Sacramento was willing to pay, both in terms of the trade package and the contract.

While the Kings will have no shortage of offensive firepower in 2024/25, head coach Mike Brown – who has preached defense since arriving in Sacramento – may not have the personnel for an above-average defense after swapping out Barnes for DeRozan. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox aren’t bad on that end of the court, but neither is a top-tier defender; DeRozan and Monk certainly aren’t either. The pressure will be on 2022 lottery pick Keegan Murray to continue making defensive strides and to try to slow down opponents’ top wings while the Kings’ top scorers are simply asked to play solid team D within Brown’s scheme.

The Kings’ other veteran offseason additions were minimum-salary free agent signings — Alex Len will return for a fourth season, with Orlando Robinson joining him in the frontcourt and Jordan McLaughlin signed for backcourt depth. Robinson’s salary isn’t fully guaranteed, so Sacramento could swap him out for a new addition at some point if he doesn’t impress.

In addition to signing McLaughlin, the Kings used their lottery pick to select Devin Carter, a former Providence guard who looked like he might be able to step into an immediate role in the backcourt after a huge year for the Friars in 2023/24. Unfortunately, Carter underwent a shoulder surgery in early July that is expected to sideline him for six months.

It’s possible we’ll see Carter on the court in Sacramento during the season’s second half, but it’s probably unfair for the club to expect anything from him as a rookie, since he wasn’t able to take part in Summer League and won’t be a full participant in training camp or the preseason.

Up next

The Kings are currently carrying just 14 players on standard contracts, with neither Ellis nor Robinson on a fully guaranteed deal, so they have the ability to make some changes at the back of their projected regular season roster, including bringing in a 15th man.

Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this is the group that the team sticks with for opening night. Ellis isn’t going anywhere, Robinson has a partial guarantee, and adding a 15th man would push Sacramento’s team salary into luxury tax territory. As long as the roster stays relatively healthy, there’s probably no need to take on another player who won’t see rotation minutes, especially when the club is so close to the tax line.

The Kings’ prime preseason extension candidate is Fox, who is eligible for a new deal worth up to the maximum that would tack on three years to the two left on his current contract. However, reporting in June indicated that the star guard had decided not to sign an extension this offseason, preferring to put off those talks until 2025.

If Sacramento has a disappointing season in 2024/25, Fox’s contract situation might become a cause for concern, but the team shouldn’t be worried about it at this point. The 26-year-old could qualify for a super-max extension if he makes an All-NBA team next spring, which is reason enough for him to wait a year. Even if he misses out on the super-max, Fox would be eligible to sign a slightly longer-term deal beginning next July.

Kevin Huerter is the only other King who is currently extension-eligible. I wouldn’t expect Huerter to get a new deal at this point after he saw his minutes cut back to a career-low 24.4 per game last season.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Toronto Raptors

September 18th, 2024 at 2:40pm 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 Toronto Raptors.

Free agent signings

  • Immanuel Quickley: Five years, $162,500,000. Includes an additional $12.5MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Garrett Temple: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Bruno Fernando: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jamison Battle: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jared Rhoden: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (No. 45 pick), and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick from the Kings in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.
    • Note: Vezenkov was subsequently bought out.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick) from the Grizzlies in a four-team trade in exchange for cash ($1MM; to Timberwolves).

Draft picks

  • 1-19: Ja’Kobe Walter
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $16,785,132).
  • 2-31: Jonathan Mogbo
    • Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
  • 2-45: Jamal Shead
    • Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
  • 2-57: Ulrich Chomche
    • Signed to two-year, two-year contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Scottie Barnes to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Barnes meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Exercised Bruce Brown‘s 2024/25 team option ($23,000,000).
  • Bought out Sasha Vezenkov.
  • Waived Javon Freeman-Liberty.
  • Waived Mouhamadou Gueye (two-way).

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $161.5MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Full mid-level exception ($12.8MM) available.
  • Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $5,107,652).

The offseason so far

Having lost Fred VanVleet in free agency last summer, the Raptors traded OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam during the 2023/24 season, signaling that they’d decided to build around Scottie Barnes going forward and envisioned newly acquired point guard Immanuel Quickley as his running mate. It was appropriate then that the team’s two biggest moves of the 2024 offseason were locking up those cornerstone pieces to long-term contracts.

Barnes’ five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension is essentially the same deal that his fellow 2021 lottery picks Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner all signed this summer. And while there’s no guarantee that Barnes will be the best player in that group across the next five or six years, you can make a strong case that, of the four, he was the most deserving of a big-money investment. After all, Barnes beat out the other three for Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and is the only player from the ’21 draft class who has made an All-Star team so far.

Barnes, 23, will need to keep making strides as a scorer and shooter in order to provide a positive return on that $224MM+ deal, but the Raptors couldn’t reasonably have expected to lock him up for anything less.

It’s not as easy to make the same claim about Quickley, whose new five-year contract includes $162.5MM in guaranteed money and an additional $12.5MM in incentives. That’s a huge price to pay for a player who had never averaged more than 15 points per game and hadn’t emerged as a full-time starter before arriving in Toronto midway through the 2023/24 season.

Quickley finished the year strong, averaging 18.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game across 38 games (all starts) for Toronto. Still, his career résumé to date isn’t any stronger than that of players like Jordan Poole or Tyler Herro, who each signed long-term contracts in 2022 that were one year shorter and slightly less lucrative than Quickley’s new deal — and those contracts don’t exactly look especially team-friendly two years later.

As with Barnes’ deal, the Raptors’ investment in Quickley is more about what he can become than what he is right now. If he doesn’t improve upon his .421 career FG% or further increase his scoring and assist totals, that $32.5MM annual salary will feel like an overpay. On the plus side, it features a flat structure, meaning it’ll be worth a smaller percentage of the cap in each subsequent season.

Besides splurging on Barnes and Quickley, the Raptors didn’t make a ton of major roster moves this offseason. Garrett Temple was the only other free agent to receive guaranteed money, and he re-signed for the veteran’s minimum. Bruno Fernando also got a minimum-salary deal, and while his contract isn’t guaranteed, he has a shot to make the roster as the 15th man. Toronto opted not to bring back Gary Trent Jr., whose asking price reportedly exceeded what the club was comfortable paying.

The Raptors took on some salary in a trade with Sacramento, acquiring Sasha Vezenkov, Davion Mitchell, and a pair of second-round picks in exchange for Jalen McDaniels. It was a savvy move for a team with some breathing room below the luxury tax line and looked even better when Vezenkov agreed to give up his entire $6.66MM guaranteed salary in a buyout agreement.

As a result, the Raptors essentially took on an extra $1.7MM in salary to swap out a dud of a 2023 free agent signing (McDaniels) for a former lottery pick with some defensive upside (Mitchell) while adding a pair of second-round picks in the process. One of those second-rounders was No. 45 selection Jamal Shead, who became one of three rookies to join Toronto’s 15-man roster, along with No. 19 pick Ja’Kobe Walter and No. 31 pick Jonathan Mogbo.

Once a highly regarded program capable of turning late first-rounders (Siakam) and undrafted free agents (VanVleet) into All-Stars, the Raptors’ player development staff hasn’t had as many wins in recent years. Between this year’s rookie class and last year’s No. 13 overall pick Gradey Dick, they’ll have no shortage of developmental opportunities in 2024/25, even after having traded away their own 2024 lottery selection.

Up next

With 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Raptors’ roster is essentially set for the regular season. Barring a preseason trade or a two-way change, the only real decision will be whether or not to carry a 15th man.

Fernando is the favorite for that opening, but his salary would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Raptors attempt to push back that guarantee date, allowing him to remain on the roster and essentially be paid by that day for the first few weeks of the regular season. Before he was waived by the Hawks in July, Fernando agreed to push back his guarantee date multiple times, so he’s no stranger to that type of arrangement.

After picking up Bruce Brown‘s $23MM option in June, Toronto was expected to try to find a taker for the veteran swingman and his expiring contract, but no deal materialized. Brown, who played a key role off the bench for the 2023 champion Nuggets, is the sort of jack-of-all-trades contributor who would fit in on just about any playoff team, so he’ll remain a prime trade candidate as long as he’s on the roster. While the Raptors could revisit the market this fall, an in-season move is probably more likely.

The Raptors have two players eligible for extensions, but I don’t think either Mitchell (rookie scale) or Chris Boucher (veteran) is a great candidate to sign a new contract before opening night. Mitchell has yet to play a game with Toronto and Boucher had an inconsistent role last season, averaging just 14.1 minutes per game.

I expect the Raptors to take their chances with Mitchell in restricted free agency next summer, if he’s even still on the roster by then. As for Boucher, he’ll remain extension-eligible for the entire league year, so if he enjoys a nice bounce-back season, the front office could open negotiations at any time.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Portland Trail Blazers

September 16th, 2024 at 4:00pm 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 Portland Trail Blazers.

Free agent signings

  • Devonte’ Graham: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Henri Drell: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired 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 from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Tyler Kolek (No. 34 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick) and cash from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick).
  • Acquired cash from the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick).
  • Acquired Deni Avdija in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon; the draft rights to Carlton Carrington (No. 14 pick); either the Trail Blazers’, Celtics’, or Bucks’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable); the Warriors’ 2028 second-round pick; and the Trail Blazers’ 2030 second-round pick.

Draft picks

  • 1-7: Donovan Clingan
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $31,085,018).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $167.1MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
  • Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $8,778,377).
    • Note: The $8,778,377 exception expires on 9/27. The second-largest TPE is worth $6,875,000.

The offseason so far

After finishing the 2023/24 season with a 21-61 record, worst in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers entered the offseason projecting to be a taxpayer in ’24/25, which wasn’t exactly ideal for a team still far away from contention.

As a result, Portland had two primary goals this summer: First, continue adding young talent to its core. And second, shed enough salary to get under the tax line and avoid paying a premium for a roster almost certain to finish in lottery territory again.

Armed with the Nos. 7, 14, 34, and 40 picks in the 2024 draft, the Trail Blazers were well positioned to add more prospects to their roster, but opted against keeping all of those draft assets, recognizing they could use one of those lottery picks to help address both of their offseason goals. Rather than hanging onto the No. 14 pick, Portland packaged it with Malcolm Brogdon, a future first-rounder, and a pair of second-round picks to acquire Deni Avdija from the Wizards.

While it may look like a significant price to pay for Avdija, Brogdon didn’t have a long-term place in a crowded Portland backcourt, this year’s draft class was considered weak, and the future first-round pick the Blazers surrendered is just a second-most favorable pick in 2029, meaning they’ll still hold a more favorable first-rounder in the spring of ’29.

Plus, even though Avdija is a four-year veteran, he just turned 23 years old this year and is on a team-friendly contract that he signed last fall prior to an impressive breakout season in 2023/24. The four-year, $55MM deal starts at about $15.6MM and descends from there, making it a relative bargain for a player who posted career highs in PPG (14.7), RPG (7.2), APG (3.8), FG% (.506), and 3PT% (.374) last season. The former Wizard immediately becomes a long-term building block in Portland.

The trade also ensured the Blazers will stay out of tax territory in 2024/25. Brogdon’s $22.5MM expiring contract exceeds Avdija’s ’24/25 cap charge by nearly $7MM, and the No. 14 pick would’ve received a salary just shy of $4.5MM, so Portland essentially trimmed eight figures worth of salary in the transaction.

Besides acquiring Avdija, the only other major addition the Blazers made this offseason was drafting center Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in June.

It was a somewhat curious choice, given that Portland has no shortage of centers already under contract (Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams, Duop Reath). But the Blazers are still early enough in their rebuild to favor a “best player available” approach to the lottery, and Clingan – who was widely considered a possible top-three pick leading up to draft night – presumably fit that bill for them.

It’s not as if the Blazers already have a star at the position either. Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick, but he has been inconsistent, isn’t an elite rim protector, and didn’t cement his place as the long-term answer in the middle during his first year in Portland. Williams, meanwhile, missed most of last season due to knee surgery, and Reath projects as more of a second or third option on the depth chart.

Interestingly, after trading away the 14th overall pick in the draft, the Blazers also opted not to use either No. 34, which they traded to New York for three future second-rounders, or No. 40, which they sold for cash.

I was a little surprised that a rebuilding and cost-conscious Portland team didn’t hang onto at least one of those selections, which would’ve allowed them to add another rookie on the cheap. But the front office must feel as if there are already enough projects on the roster for the coaching staff to develop — six Blazers players, including lottery picks Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, were selected in either the 2022 or 2023 draft.

Up next

The Blazers’ logjam at center makes them a logical candidate for a preseason or in-season trade. Ayton would be difficult to move due to his maximum-salary contract, but Williams is earning around the mid-level and could be an intriguing target if he’s able to show he’s back to 100% health.

The situation in the backcourt may not be best described as a “logjam,” but the Blazers are clearly hoping that Henderson and Sharpe will be their starting guards of the future. In the present, Anfernee Simons has the stronger résumé and probably wouldn’t be thrilled if he finds himself out of the starting five. That’s not to say that finding a taker for Simons is a top priority in the short term (there should be plenty of playing time to go around for all three guards), but it wouldn’t be surprising if his name pops up in trade rumors prior to February’s deadline.

Simons, Ayton, and Williams are all eligible for veteran extensions up until October 21, but are unlikely candidates to sign new contracts by that point — they each have two years left on their current deals, so if the Blazers do decide one or more of them are keepers, they could try to work out longer-term contracts during the 2025 offseason.

Jabari Walker is the least heralded but perhaps most viable extension candidate of the bunch. He’s entering the final year of his minimum-salary contract after averaging 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in a part-time role (23.6 MPG) last season.

As for the Blazers’ projected regular season roster, they’re currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so barring trades, only the 15th standard spot looks up for grabs. Dalano Banton is probably the favorite for that last opening, with camp invitee Devonte’ Graham also in the mix.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Orlando Magic

September 12th, 2024 at 8:12pm 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 Orlando Magic.

Free agent signings

  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Three years, $66,000,000. Third-year player option. Signed using cap room.
  • Goga Bitadze: Three years, $25,000,000. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • Moritz Wagner: Two years, $22,000,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Gary Harris: Two years, $15,000,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Cory Joseph: Two years, minimum salary ($6,772,731). Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jarrett Culver: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Myron Gardner: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Tre Scott: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jalen Slawson: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the right to swap their own 2030 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2030 second-round pick and the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2031 second-round pick from the Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to Antonio Reeves (No. 47 pick).

Draft picks

  • 1-18: Tristan Da Silva
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $17,567,626).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Franz Wagner to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 (27.5% of the cap) or $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Wagner meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Renegotiated and extended Jonathan Isaac‘s one-year, $17.4MM contract. Increased 2024/25 salary by $7.6MM to $25MM. Added four years, $59,000,000. Partially guaranteed in 2026/27 ($8MM). Non-guaranteed in 2027/28 and ’28/29.

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 $150.4MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

For the past several years, the Magic have built their roster patiently and incrementally, frequently re-signing their own veteran free agents to flexible, short-term deals and adding young talent through the draft while forgoing major splashes on the trade and free agent markets.

In some ways, they stuck to that approach again this offseason. Role players Goga Bitadze, Moritz Wagner, and Gary Harris all got new deals as free agents, with Wagner and Harris signing what have become Orlando specials: two-year contracts with strong first-year guaranteed salaries and team options on the second year.

I’m not sure there was another team out there prepared to give Wagner $11MM or Harris $7.5MM for the 2024/25 season, but Orlando, operating far below the luxury tax line, can comfortably afford those salaries. And the fact that the Magic were willing to go a bit higher than other teams might have earned them a couple key concessions — not only do both contracts have second-year team options, but both players agreed to waive their right to veto a trade, so if the Magic have the opportunity to make an in-season deal for a higher-salary player, Wagner and/or Harris could be used for matching purposes.

Bitadze’s deal, meanwhile, is guaranteed for three seasons, signaling his value in a free agent class that lacked many reliable options at center beyond Nic Claxton and Isaiah Hartenstein. Bitadze remains somewhat underrated. He’s entering his age-25 season, made 33 starts for a playoff team, and hit a career-high 60.3% of his field goals while blocking 1.2 shots in just 15.4 minutes per game. With Wendell Carter and Wagner also in the mix at center, the Magic have three solid – if unspectacular – options in the middle.

The two most lucrative contracts the Magic handed out this summer were to players who were already under contract for 2024/25. As a result of their extensions, Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac are now under team control through 2030 and 2029, respectively.

The Wagner investment (a projected $224MM+ over five years, beginning in 2025/26) is a bit of a tough pill to swallow for a player who has never averaged 20 points per game, made 28.1% of his three-pointers last season, and put up a dud in Game 7 of the first-round playoff loss to Cleveland (six points on 1-of-15 shooting). That deal is more about what the Magic believe the 23-year-old will become than what he is right now. Still, I’d feel a little better about it if Orlando could have gotten Wagner to agree to even a Desmond Bane-type contract, a little below the max.

The Isaac renegotiation and extension ($84MM in total money over the next five seasons) actually might be the better value of the two deals. That may sound odd on the surface, given that the forward averaged just 15.8 minutes per game in 58 appearances last season. But it was his first full year back after missing most of three seasons due to knee issues, and when he’s healthy, Isaac is one of the league’s most impactful defensive players.

The Magic had a +10.9 net rating when Isaac was on the court last season, compared to a -0.3 mark when he sat. Plus, his new contract – which dips to around $15MM annually beginning in 2025 – is only fully guaranteed for the next two years, with a partial guarantee in 2026/27 and non-guaranteed salaries in the final two seasons.

Besides re-signing their own players, the Magic continued to add young talent to their roster in the draft. This year’s No. 18 selection was Orlando’s lowest top pick since 2012, so the team likely won’t count on Tristan Da Silva to play a significant role as a rookie. Still, the former Colorado forward, who made 39.5% of his three-pointers over his last two college seasons, makes sense on a roster that finished dead-last among 30 NBA teams in three-pointers made in 2023/24.

The summer of 2024 deviated from the Magic’s recent offseasons in one crucial way. After winning 47 games, the team was ready to take a bigger swing by adding a top veteran free agent to its young core. Orlando made use of its cap room to land Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a three-and-D wing who has been a starter for two separate champions teams (the 2020 Lakers and 2023 Nuggets) in the past five seasons.

A 40.6% three-point shooter over the past four years, Caldwell-Pope should provide much-needed floor spacing for the Magic while further fortifying a defense that ranked third in the NBA last season. Perhaps just as importantly, he and fellow newcomer Cory Joseph will join Harris as the only players on Orlando’s roster who have won an NBA postseason series.

The Magic’s guaranteed deal with Joseph was a little surprising, given that he was waived by Golden State halfway through the 2023/24 season and didn’t find a job down the stretch. But like Caldwell-Pope, he has championship experience – having won a title with the Spurs in 2014 – and will provide veteran leadership in the locker room.

I had thought Orlando might target a point guard capable of playing a larger on-court role, especially with Markelle Fultz and secondary play-maker Joe Ingles departing in free agency. But the Magic appear set to rely on former No. 6 overall pick Anthony Black to take on increased responsibilities alongside ball-handlers like Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, Wagner, and rising star forward Paolo Banchero.

Up next

The Magic’s projected 15-man regular season roster looks full, but the team does have a pair of two-way spots open, with Trevelin Queen the only player currently on a two-way deal in Orlando. Non-guaranteed signees like Mac McClung, Jalen Slawson, Tre Scott, and Myron Gardner could end up competing for those spots; the club could also keep an eye on the waiver wire to see if any intriguing targets shake loose before opening night.

It’s worth noting that the Magic are operating about $20MM below the luxury tax line. Few NBA teams have that sort of financial flexibility at this point — only the Pistons, Jazz, and Spurs have smaller team salaries for 2024/25. That could make Orlando a popular trade partner for clubs looking to shed a little salary, though a deal along those lines is more likely to materialize during the season than in the preseason.

Two Magic rotation players are eligible for extensions up until October 21 and both are interesting cases. We’ll start with Jalen Suggs, a former No. 5 overall pick who is up for a rookie scale extension.

Unlike Wagner, Suggs won’t receive a maximum-salary offer, but after a season in which he knocked down 39.7% of his three-pointers and earned All-Defensive second team honors, the 23-year-old’s stock is on the rise and an extension won’t come cheap.

In the year before he signed a five-year, $131MM rookie scale extension with Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels averaged 12.1 PPG with a .398 3PT% and excellent defense. It’s safe to assume Suggs’ representatives will bring up that deal in negotiations with Orlando and make the case that Suggs (12.6 PPG, .397 3PT%, excellent defense) deserves a similar payday, or even a larger one, given his additional offensive responsibilities.

Carter will become eligible for a veteran extension on October 1, giving Orlando a three-week window to get something done. He still has a couple years left on his current contract, so if the two sides don’t work something out this offseason, they’ll have another chance in 2025.

As outlined above, Orlando has no shortage of options at center, but Carter – a solid defender who can stretch the floor – is the best of the bunch and has been a coveted target for teams in need of a big man (including the Pelicans). If the Magic can lock him up at a fair price, I expect they’ll do so, but it will likely take a significant bump on his current contract, which will pay him $22.8MM over the next two seasons. The Magic would be limited to offering him a starting salary worth up to 140% of next season’s estimated average salary.

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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

Other moves

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:

  1. 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.
  2. Add inexpensive young talent in the draft.
  3. 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.

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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: New York Knicks

September 6th, 2024 at 2:29pm 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 New York Knicks.

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

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.

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