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Spurs Trade Furphy To Pacers For Nunez, Cash

July 6th, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade sending No. 35 pick Furphy to Indiana in exchange for No. 36 pick Nunez and cash is officially complete, the Pacers announced in a press release. The deal couldn’t be completed until the start of the 2024/25 league year because San Antonio had reached its cash received limit for ’23/24.

JUNE 27: The Pacers and Spurs have agreed to swap places in the second round of the draft, with Indiana moving up one spot to No. 35 and San Antonio moving down to No. 36, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

The Pacers used the No. 35 pick to select Kansas wing Johnny Furphy, while the Spurs picked Spanish point guard Juan Nunez at No. 36.

The Spurs are receiving cash from the Pacers in exchange for moving down one spot, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That means Indiana will be hard-capped at the second tax apron for the 2024/25 league year, since second-apron teams aren’t permitted to send out cash in trades. That shouldn’t have a major impact on the Pacers’ plans, since they were very unlikely to spend that much on next season’s roster anyway.

Furphy, a 6’9″ Australian who was widely viewed as a potential first-round pick, averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game in his first and only college season with the Jayhawks, posting a shooting line of .466/.352/.765. He’s the first player selected in this draft by the Pacers, who sent their first-round pick to Toronto in the Pascal Siakam trade.

As for Nunez, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll join the Spurs for the 2024/25 season, since he has widely been viewed as a draft-and-stash candidate.

Pistons Sign Ron Holland To Rookie Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have signed No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland to his rookie scale contract, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Holland had an up-and-down season for the G League Ignite in 2023/24, filling up the stat sheets with 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in 29 outings, but struggling with both his outside shot (.237 3PT%) and turnovers (3.2 per game) for the last-place team.

Viewed last fall as a potential contender for the No. 1 overall pick, Holland saw his stock dip a little and was considered a candidate to fall out of the top 10 on draft night. However, the Pistons – who were linked more frequently to his Ignite teammate Matas Buzelis in the weeks leading up to the draft – made Holland their first pick in the Trajan Langdon era.

If, as expected, he received the maximum rookie contract for the No. 5 pick, Holland will make approximately $8.25MM as a rookie and about $37.46MM across four years, assuming his third- and fourth-year team options are eventually exercised.

The Pistons also officially signed undrafted rookie Daniss Jenkins to a two-way contract, per the NBA’s transaction log. Jenkins’ agreement with Detroit was reported last Wednesday, shortly after the second round of the draft concluded.

Mavs Trade Hardaway, Second-Round Picks To Pistons For Grimes

July 6th, 2024 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Mavericks and Pistons have issued press releases confirming that their trade is official and that the details reported below are accurate.

JUNE 28: The Mavericks and Pistons are in agreement on a trade that will send veteran wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to Detroit in exchange for swingman Quentin Grimes, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The three draft assets will be Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick and a pair of 2028 second-rounders, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter). Dallas has previously traded away its own 2028 second-rounder, but controls Miami’s pick and the least favorable of the Clippers’ and Hornets’ selections for that year, so those figure to be the ones headed to the Pistons.

This deal was first mentioned as a possibility by Marc Stein on Tuesday.

By moving off of Hardaway’s $16.2MM expiring contract and taking back Grimes (who will make about $4.3MM next season), Dallas will create upwards of $15MM in breathing room below the first tax apron, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan, putting the club in a position to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (projected to be worth about $12.9MM).

Besides creating financial flexibility, the Mavs will also receive an intriguing young three-and-D player in Grimes, who showed promise in 2022/23 by averaging 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 29.9 minutes per game (71 games), with a .468/.386/.796 shooting line. He saw his minutes cut back in New York last season, and a knee injury limited him to just six games after he was acquired by Detroit in February.

Grimes, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, also drew trade interest from the Heat and Hawks, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, new Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon had spoken openly about his club’s willingness to take on unwanted contracts if they’re attached to more valuable assets. While the previous front office regime appeared to be viewing Grimes as a potential keeper, Langdon clearly prioritized the draft picks he’ll receive in this swap.

Hardaway’s value as a player also shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 79 appearances, with a shooting line of .402/.353/.852. After he played a limited role in the playoffs though, there had been a sense that his days with Dallas were numbered.

It’s unclear if the Pistons intend to hang onto Hardaway heading into the 2024/25 season, but the team reportedly has had interest in adding veterans and shooting this summer, making THJ a potential fit. He’s a career 36.0% three-point shooter.

Magic, Tristan Da Silva Finalize Rookie Scale Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 11:36am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Magic have officially signed 2024 No. 18 overall pick Tristan Da Silva to his rookie scale contract, according to a team release (Twitter link).

A four-year player at Colorado, Da Silva averaged 11.7 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 49.3% from the field and 38.6% from deep across 124 career collegiate games. In his senior season, he averaged 16.0 points and shot 39.5% from deep as a 6’8″ forward.

Da Silva has a chance to immediately contribute as a rookie even on a competitive team like the Magic, adding much-needed spacing to Orlando’s bench.

As the No. 18 overall pick in the draft, Da Silva will have a first-year salary of about $3.63MM and will earn $17.57MM over four years if he’s signed to the maximum 120% of the rookie scale. That hasn’t been confirmed, but it’s rare for a player to take less than 120%.

Wizards Sign First-Rounders Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George

July 6th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have signed a pair of their first-round picks, locking up big man Alex Sarr and swingman Kyshawn George to their rookie scale contracts, per the NBA’s official transaction log.

Sarr, 19, spent the 2023/24 season in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with the Perth Wildcats. The 7’1″ center, who has elite upside as a rim protector and defensive presence, was considered a strong candidate to be the first overall pick in the 2024 draft but ultimately ended up going to the Wizards at No. 2. He’ll be a cornerstone for Washington to build around for years to come.

George, the No. 24 overall pick out of Miami, will be another one of the Wizards’ long-term building blocks going forward. A 6’8″ wing, George started 16 of the 31 games he played for Miami in his freshman season in 2023/24. While his averages of 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.0 minutes per contest were relatively modest, the youngster can handle the ball and has displayed a promising outside shot, having knocked down 40.8% of 4.2 three-pointers per game.

The Wizards actually made three first-round selections in last week’s draft, but don’t yet officially have the third one – No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington – on their roster, since that pick was part of the Deni Avdija/Malcolm Brogdon trade that still needs to be formally completed. That should happen soon now that the moratorium period has ended, putting Carrington on track to ink his rookie contract too.

Assuming they sign for the maximum allowable 120% of the standard rookie scale amount, Sarr will get a four-year deal worth about $51MM ($11.25MM in year one), while George’s four-year contract will be worth approximately $14.34MM ($2.83MM as a rookie).

Hawks Sign No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher To Rookie Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, has officially signed his rookie scale contract with the Hawks, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

A 19-year-old French forward who was born in Spain, Risacher began his professional career with ASVEL Basket in France in 2021. He spent the past season on loan to another French team, JL Bourg, where he showed promise as a shooter, ball-handler, and versatile defender.

The 6’9″ forward averaged 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 24.0 minutes per game across 17 EuroCup appearances in 2023/24, with a .566/.561/.659 shooting line. In 32 contests in France’s LNB Elite, he averaged 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG on .439/.352/.740 shooting.

As our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows, Risacher will almost certainly earn a first-year salary of $12.57MM, with a four-year total of $57MM on his rookie deal. Those figures are equivalent to 120% of the standard rookie scale amount, which is what nearly every first-rounder receives.

Risacher is expected to make his Hawks debut at the Las Vegas Summer League, which tips off next week.

Thunder Sign Isaiah Hartenstein To Three-Year Deal

July 6th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: With the July moratorium over, the Thunder have officially signed Hartenstein, the team confirmed in a press release.

JULY 1: Free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein is headed back west, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Hartenstein and the Thunder are in agreement on a three-year contract worth $87MM.

Hartenstein, who began his NBA career in Houston in 2018 and had a breakout year with the Clippers in 2021/22, has spent the past two seasons in New York, primarily serving as Mitchell Robinson‘s backup at the five. However, when Robinson went down with an ankle injury midway through the ’23/24 season, Hartenstein entered the starting lineup and acquitted himself extremely well.

In 75 regular season games (49 starts), Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 25.3 minutes per contest, making 64.4% of his shots from the floor and playing solid defense. He continued to start for the Knicks in the playoffs, where he registered 8.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 29.8 MPG.

Although the Knicks wanted to retain Hartenstein, they were limited to a maximum offer of approximately $72.5MM over four years, since they only held his Early Bird rights, which allowed for a raise of up to 75% on his $9.25MM cap hit from 2023/24.

New York put that offer on the table for the 26-year-old, Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms (via Twitter). The Thunder blew it out of the water by comfortably exceeding the total value of the Knicks’ best offer across just three years instead of four, though Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link) hears that the frontloaded contract won’t be guaranteed in the final season.

Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren was the Thunder’s starting center last season and excelled in that role. However, Holmgren lacks the bulk to match up physically with some of the NBA’s bigger centers, and Oklahoma City was among the worst-performing teams on the boards, ranking 28th in rebounding percentage (48.4%).

Hartenstein will help out in both areas while also giving the Thunder another rim protector and a talented frontcourt passer. On top of that, he’ll be a crucial insurance policy at the five in the event of an injury. While Holmgren didn’t miss a game in 2023/24, he sat out his entire rookie season in ’22/23 due to foot surgery.

Their deal with Hartenstein is the latest move in an impressive offseason for the Thunder, who kicked off their summer by trading ill-fitting guard Josh Giddey to Chicago in exchange for three-and-D ace Alex Caruso. OKC will use the rest of its cap room to sign Hartenstein, then will go over the cap to complete reported long-term agreements with Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

The Knicks, meanwhile, will be in the market for a center. Robinson and Jericho Sims remain under contract in New York, but with Hartenstein gone and Precious Achiuwa in unrestricted free agency, the team will need to add at least one big man.

Magic big man Goga Bitadze has been mentioned as a possible target for the Knicks, but Begley (Twitter video link) hears that Bitadze has an offer on the table from Orlando that New York likely won’t be able to top. The Magic had been mentioned as a possible Hartenstein suitor, so presumably they’re more likely to bring back Bitadze with Hartenstein off the board.

NBA’s 2024 July Moratorium Ends

July 6th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2024 July moratorium has officially ended, as of 11:00 am Central time, meaning teams are now allowed to conduct all official business. The moratorium is the period at the start of the NBA league year when teams are permitted to agree to trades and free agent contracts, but can’t yet formally finalize them.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

There are a number of types of deals that can be completed during the moratorium, as we’ve seen this week. Teams can sign first- or second-round picks to their rookie contracts, two-way contracts can be made official, and players signing minimum-salary contracts can also finalize those deals. Still, the majority of the deals agreed upon since the end of the NBA Finals are not yet official.

Although the end of the moratorium signals the beginning of official business for many teams, those teams aren’t obligated to immediately finalize deals reached during the moratorium. Salary-cap machinations and intertwined trades mean that patience will be required on certain moves.

The Sixers, for instance, are signing Tyrese Maxey to a five-year, maximum-salary contract, but doing so will increase his cap charge from approximately $13MM (his cap hold) to over $35MM (his new salary). Philadelphia will wait until it has used up all its cap room and then will go over the cap to complete that signing, so as not to unnecessarily sacrifice $22MM in space.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Offseason Trades]

Now that the moratorium has lifted, we’ll be updating our stories of contract and trade agreements to reflect when they become official.

For top headlines from the last week, like the deals involving Paul George, LeBron James, and other big-name free agents, we’ll bump those stories to the top of the site or publish new stories so you don’t miss news of them becoming official. Completed trades will also be moved to the top of the site.

However, since we don’t want to bury new news amidst confirmation of old signings, our stories on smaller deals won’t be moved to the top of our feed unless there are new developments or details.

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Free Agent Rumors: DeRozan, Westbrook, Fournier, Saric

July 6th, 2024 at 10:38am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Spurs have emerged as a potential third-team facilitator as the Kings continue to pursue free agent forward DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). Previous reports have indicated that Chicago is willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade but is insistent on a third team being involved so as to not take back much, if any, salary.

On the #thisleague UNCUT podcast (Twitter link), Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report stated that the Kings, Heat and Clippers are teams exploring avenues to acquire DeRozan via a three-team sign-and-trade. Haynes also mentions San Antonio as a landing spot for unwanted salary alongside Detroit.

We have more free agent rumors:

Russell Westbrook may be more likely to go to the Nuggets through free agency rather than by way of trade, DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind opines (Twitter link). The Clippers could either buy out Westbrook or send him to another team that would buy him out, clearing the path for him to sign with Denver. For what it’s worth, finding a trade that makes sense for both sides appears difficult.
As was reported earlier this year, Stein indicates in his latest Substack post that free agent swingman Evan Fournier‘s preference is to remain in the NBA rather than to accept a EuroLeague deal. According to Stein, Fournier is expected to receive some NBA interest as free agency winds on.
Greek club Panathinaikos is reportedly interested in adding free agent forward Dario Saric, according to Sportando. The 30-year-old forward averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 37.6% from deep as a reserve for the Warriors last season. It would be a little surprising to see Saric make the jump to Europe so soon after free agency begins given his productive season last year and the chance for more NBA interest to trickle in.

Bucks Sign Tyler Smith To Four-Year Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Smith signed a four-year, $7.9MM contract that will be guaranteed for the first two seasons, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The $7.9MM total indicates that the forward will receive the rookie minimum salary, minimizing the impact on Milwaukee’s projected tax bill.

JULY 5: The Bucks have officially signed second-round pick Tyler Smith to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The Bucks didn’t reveal any additional details, but the league’s transaction log indicates it’s a standard deal rather than a two-way, which is no surprise for a No. 33 overall pick. Milwaukee will have used the second-round pick exception to complete the signing, which means it’ll be either a three-year or four-year contract — either way, there will be a team option on the final season.

Smith, 19, was selected after spending the 2023/24 season with the G League Ignite. The 6’9″ forward averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game across 43 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Ignite. His shooting line was .474/.360/.732.

Smith spent time in the Overtime Elite program before joining the Ignite.

With Smith and first-rounder AJ Johnson now under contract and Delon Wright and Taurean Prince reportedly joining the team on free agent contracts, the Bucks project to have 14 roster spots filled. Of those 14 players, 12 are on guaranteed contracts, with A.J. Green on a non-guaranteed deal (until Monday) and Andre Jackson holding a partial guarantee.