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Brandon Ingram’s Future Remains Question Mark For Pelicans

September 5th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Brandon Ingram‘s standing with the Pelicans remain in question with less than a month to go until the team reports to training camp, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. It seems like Ingram will play out the final year of his contract with New Orleans, but his name has consistently appeared in trade rumors since the beginning of the offseason.

As we’ve previously outlined, Ingram is in the final year of a contract that pays him approximately $36MM this season. He’s seeking a contract extension that includes a pay raise, but the Pelicans have been hesitant to make that sort of long-term investment.

Ingram’s production on its face is worthy of an increase in pay, as he averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.2% on three-pointers in his five seasons with the Pelicans. However, he expressed disappointment with his role late last season after being benched in the fourth quarter of the play-in game. That brings into question how Ingram will respond this season without a clear indication of his future, Guillory writes.

According to Guillory, Ingram did not attend a week-long mini-camp held by New Orleans players in California that featured every player on the roster outside of him and Daniel Theis. The Pelicans believed Ingram would show up, but he never did. This is an event Ingram organized in the past, Guillory writes, so it was notable that he wasn’t there.

With Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray on lucrative contracts, the Pelicans don’t seem eager to dole out more big money, especially with an extension for Trey Murphy on the horizon. The new CBA limitations also complicate potential trade options, especially before the season, since any team acquiring Ingram would need to be confident in its ability to lock him up long-term in order to warrant giving up valuable assets in a trade.

Whether or not he has fallen out of favor, the Pelicans need Ingram’s shot creation if they want to maximize the potential of the current roster, Guillory reasons.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, LaVine, Zubac, Suns

September 5th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Tristan Tucker

As has been covered at length this summer, the Lakers‘ only outside additions to their standard roster this offseason came in the form of draftees Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.

“They’re stuck,” one Eastern Conference executive said of the Lakers, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

A Western Conference executive who spoke to Woike said the Lakers should consider adding Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. LaVine’s contract (he’s owed nearly $138MM over the next three seasons, including a 2026/27 player option) has been a holdup in getting a deal done. If the Lakers were to pursue such a trade, Woike points out that it would have to be constructed around D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and either Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent to match salary since L.A. can’t take in more than it sends out.

The downside would be LaVine’s injury concerns and his questionable fit in a role that would require more from him on defense and less on offense. However, Woike doesn’t get the sense the Lakers are all that interested in LaVine, suggesting that they’re more concerned with seeing how a roster with more continuity performs. Additionally, Woike reasons the Bulls could stand to hold LaVine and try to rebuild his value this season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers center Ivica Zubac received a 5% trade kicker as part of his three-year extension, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). That means if Zubac is traded, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth 5% of the remaining salary on his contract. The highest percentage allowed on a trade kicker is 15%.
Despite being one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the league, the Suns only ranked 25th in attempts, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes. That should change in 2024/25, with Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and a healthy Damion Lee among players who could help in that regard. Bourguet runs through several statistical red flags the Suns should look to address under Mike Budenholzer, including how they attack the rim and playing more in transition.
In a similar article for PHNX Sports (subscriber link), Bourguet outlines one area for improvement for every player on the Suns‘ roster, excluding rookies and two-way players. For my money, it’ll be interesting to see how Bradley Beal continues to adapt to being an off-ball third option. His scoring decreased last season (to 18.2 PPG) as he played fewer than 60 games for the third straight season. If he’s fully healthy, it will be intriguing to see if he can resemble the form of the player who recorded back-to-back 30 PPG seasons from 2019-21.

Heat Exercise 2025/26 Options On Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic

September 5th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat have exercised their 2025/26 team options on wing Jaime Jaquez and forward Nikola Jovic, the team announced (Twitter link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press).

Jaquez is now guaranteed to earn $3,861,600 in ’25/26, which will be his third season, while Jovic will earn $4,445,417 during his fourth campaign. Jovic will also become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.

As our tracker shows, Miami is the first NBA team to make decisions on its rookie scale team options for the ’25/26 season. The outcome was a mere formality after both players had strong seasons in ’23/24.

The No. 18 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Jaquez averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.0 SPG in 75 regular season contests for the Heat (28.2 MPG). His excellent play earned him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team.

Jovic, who is two-plus years younger than Jaquez (21 vs. 23) despite being drafted a year earlier (No. 27 in 2022), spent the beginning of last season in the G League before emerging as a rotation regular down the stretch. In 46 regular season games (19.5 MPG), Jovic averaged 7.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.0 APG. The Serbian won a bronze medal this summer at the Olympics in Paris.

The deadline for teams to pick up 2025/26 rookie scale options is October 31, 2024.

Hornets Sign Keyontae Johnson

September 5th, 2024 at 2:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have signed free agent forward Keyontae Johnson, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

The news of Johnson landing with Charlotte was announced last month by his agency. At the time, it was unclear what type of contract he would be signing. By process of elimination, it appears the 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 9 contract, likely with Exhibit 10 language.

Players who sign Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 contracts don’t appear on NBA.com’s official transactions log, but RealGM does track those deals. Exhibit 9/10 players only show up on NBA.com’s log when they’ve been waived (Jared Brownridge is a recent example).

The No. 50 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Johnson spent his entire rookie campaign on a two-way contract with Oklahoma City. He only appeared in nine games with the Thunder last season for a total of 66 minutes, but had a significant role with their NBA G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

The Thunder declined to give Johnson a two-way qualifying offer after the 2023/24 season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Although they’re not technically required to, virtually every Exhibit 10 contract also contains an Exhibit 9 clause, which provides a team protections when a player on a non-guaranteed training camp contract suffers an injury. If a team wants to sign a player to a deal that includes both an Exhibit 9 and Exhibit 10 clause, it must already be carrying at least 14 players on standard contracts. The Hornets currently have 14 players on standard deals.

If Johnson signed an Exhibit 10 deal, he could receive a $77.5K bonus if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and the Hornets currently have one two-way opening.

Clippers Sign Elijah Harkless To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 5th, 2024 at 2:08pm CST by Rory Maher

September 5: Harkless’ Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

July 29: Free agent guard Elijah Harkless will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers, a source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Harkless went undrafted in 2023 after playing five seasons of college basketball with three different schools (Cal State Northridge, Oklahoma and UNLV). As Murray notes, Harkless recently suited up for the Clippers during Summer League action.

The 24-year-old spent his first professional season playing for the Clippers’ NBA G League affiliate in Ontario, California. He put up solid numbers off the bench in 27 Showcase Cup and regular season games, averaging 11.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.0 SPG on .493/.419/.750 shooting (20.7 MPG).

Exhibit 10 deals, which are non-guaranteed, can be converted to two-way contracts, and the Clips do have a two-way opening. They can also ensure a player receives a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived before the regular season begins and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate.

Jazz Sign Patty Mills To One-Year Contract

September 5th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

September 5: Mills’ contract with the Jazz is now official, the team announced in a press release.

August 14: The Jazz have agreed to sign veteran point guard Patty Mills to a one-year contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski says it’s a $3.3MM deal, which is equivalent to Mills’ minimum salary for 2024/25 ($3,303,771). It will be fully guaranteed, Woj adds.

Mills, who turned 36 on Sunday, will be entering his 16th NBA season this fall. The 2009 second-round pick has appeared in 892 total regular season games for five teams and spent most of his prime years in San Antonio, where he won a title in 2014 and overlapped with current Jazz head coach Will Hardy from 2015-21, when Hardy was an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff.

Mills has seen his playing time and production fall off in recent years. In 2023/24, he appeared in 32 games for the Hawks and Heat and averaged just 4.0 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game while shooting 35.1% from the field and 27.6% from the beyond the arc, far below his career averages of 42.4% and 38.6%, respectively.

However, the Australian showed during this year’s Paris Olympics that he still has something left in the tank. He averaged 16.5 PPG with a .409 3PT% over the course of the Boomers’ four games.

Mills figures to serve as a locker room leader and a mentor for the Jazz’s young players, including second-year guard Keyonte George. He projects to fill the 15th and final spot on Utah’s regular season roster, providing depth at point guard.

The club is carrying 14 other players on standard guaranteed contracts, as well as three players on two-way deals. While it’s possible the front office will continue to wheel and deal during the rest of the offseason and preseason, the Jazz’s roster will essentially be regular-season-ready once Mills is officially signed.

Bulls Sign Talen Horton-Tucker To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 5th, 2024 at 1:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

September 5: Horton-Tucker’s contract with the Bulls — which features Exhibit 10 language, according to multiple reports — is now official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

September 4: Free agent guard Talen Horton-Tucker will join the Bulls on a partially guaranteed contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Charania notes that it’s a homecoming for the 23-year-old Chicago native, who has five years of NBA experience with the Lakers and Jazz. He appeared in 51 games with Utah last season, making 11 starts and averaging 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per night.

Shooting has been a persistent issue for Horton-Tucker, and he connected at a career-low 39.6% from the field last season, along with 33% from three-point range.

The Jazz renounced their free agent rights to Horton-Tucker last month to clear cap room for Lauri Markkanen‘s new contract. Reports surfaced this summer that the Rockets and Mavericks might have interest in signing him, but nothing ever materialized.

Charania states that Horton-Tucker will be given a chance to earn a roster spot with the Bulls. Chicago currently has 14 players with fully guaranteed contracts, plus Onuralp Bitim, whose deal is non-guaranteed until opening night and then carries a $350K guarantee until the league-wide guarantee date in early January.

Lakers Sign, Waive Vincent Valerio-Bodon

September 5th, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

September 5: Valerio-Bodon has been waived, the Lakers announced (Twitter link). He’ll likely be heading back to South Bay for the upcoming season.

September 4: Vincent Valerio-Bodon has signed with the Lakers, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 23-year-old swingman from Hungary was in training camp with L.A. last fall, but was waived before the start of the season. He joined the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate in the G League, where he averaged 5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10 games.

L.A. has a full complement for training camp already, so it will be difficult for Valerio-Bodon to earn a roster spot. The Lakers have 15 players on standard contracts, and all three two-way spots are filled. In addition, the team signed Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts last month, plus it reached an agreement Tuesday with Jordan Goodwin and reportedly plans to sign Sean East II. With a 21-man roster limit for camp, someone will have to be released before all the moves can be completed.

Assuming Valerio-Bodon winds up with South Bay again, he will be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the team.

Central Notes: Horton-Tucker, Bulls, Bucks, Pistons

September 5th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Talen Horton-Tucker will reportedly be signing with his hometown Bulls. According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the five-year veteran will sign an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp.

Shams Charania of The Athletic, who broke the news of both deals, said that Horton-Tucker and Mac McClung (Magic) received partially guaranteed contracts. From the players’ perspective, that’s not wrong in a sense — the Exhibit 10 language in their contracts makes them eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K (on top of their G League salaries) if they’re waived and spend at least 60 days with their clubs’ NBAGL affiliates.

It is misleading though, because for NBA teams, Exhibit 10 deals are one-year, minimum-salary contracts that are non-guaranteed. For example, if Horton-Tucker is immediately cut after the deal is official, the Bulls won’t carry any dead money toward the salary cap. That’s different than a player like Keon Johnson — if the Nets waive him today for whatever reason, they would owe him his full $250K partial guarantee while carrying an identical dead-money cap hit for 2024/25.

Here’s more from the Central:

In another story for NBC Sports Chicago, Johnson attempts to predict the Bulls‘ starting lineup and rotation. Despite the obvious defensive shortcomings, Johnson believes Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic is the “most logical” outcome for the starting five. However, only Ayo Dosunmu and free agent addition Jalen Smith seem like locks for rotation minutes off the bench, per Johnson.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic answers mailbag questions related to the Bucks, including whether they should reduce Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s workload during the upcoming season to try to keep him fresh ahead of a potential playoff run. Nehm also examines whether Taurean Prince could be used at power forward in small-ball lineups featuring Antetokounmpo at center.
Will the Pistons carry a 15th player on their standard roster to open the season? What about their remaining cap room — will they use it before the season starts or carry it over until the trade deadline? Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explores those questions.

And-Ones: Toscano-Anderson, Shackelford, Roberson, Beverley

September 5th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Juan Toscano-Anderson is playing for G League United at the third annual NBA G League Fall Invitational this month. The veteran wing is hoping for another NBA opportunity, he told Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I want to show teams that if they were to pick me up, I can enhance the team atmosphere as a player but also as a teammate in the locker room,” Toscano-Anderson said.

He appeared in 11 games with the Kings last season and spent much of the year playing for the Mexico City Capitanes.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

In other G League news, the Valley Suns received the returning player rights to guard Jaden Shackelford from the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League team, in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick, the Suns’ G League team tweets. The Thunder signed and waived Shackelford last October and he spent the season with the Blue.
Former NBA swingman Andre Roberson has signed with the French club Cholet, according to Eurohoops.net. Roberson spent most of his NBA career with the Thunder and most recently played five games with Brooklyn in 2020/21. Earlier this year, he participated in an international tournament in Dubai with former NBA players and, in July, took part in the TBT tournament in Louisville.
Patrick Beverley is getting the superstar treatment with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The longtime NBA guard says he feels like LeBron James after appearing in a preseason game in Belgrade, Basketnews.com relays. “I know how LeBron feels. I leave games, and the guys that I play against want pictures. Coaches that I play against want pictures,” Beverley said on his podcast. “The fans that I go against, they boo me, I leave out and it’s 30 kids outside, and they all want pictures. And this is every country we go to.” Beverley agreed to play with the Israeli team in July after finishing last season with the Bucks.