Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern). Click here to read the transcript.
Veteran NBA guard Xavier Moon is headed overseas for the 2024/25 season, having signed with Zenit St. Petersburg, the Russian team announced in a press release. It’s a one-year deal, according to the team.
Moon, 29, played in several non-NBA leagues around the world after going undrafted out of Morehead State in 2017. He spent time playing in France, Canada, and Israel before catching on with the Clippers’ G League team in 2021. His strong play in the NBAGL earned him a shot at the NBA level and he has spent parts of the past three seasons under contract with Los Angeles, primarily on two-way deals.
In 28 career NBA appearances, Moon has averaged 3.5 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .406/.235/.571. He has been more effective in the G League, including in 2023/24, when he registered averages of 19.8 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 4.9 RPG and an impressive .480/.410/.900 shooting line across 29 total Showcase Cup and regular season contests.
Moon finished the ’23/24 season with the Clippers, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the club in June and became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
He’ll join a Zenit St. Petersburg team that is coming off a 26-10 season in VTB United League play and will be looking to knock off perennial powerhouse CSKA Moscow next season. Zenit has been prohibiting from EuroLeague competition since February 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A trade kicker is a contractual clause that pays an NBA player a bonus when he’s traded. They’re one of the tools teams have at their disposal to differentiate their free agent offers from the ones put on the table by competing clubs — or to incentivize a player to sign an extension before he reaches free agency.
Sometimes the kicker is worth a fixed amount, but usually it’s based on a percentage of the remaining value of the contract. So, a player who has a 10% trade kicker is eligible for a bonus worth 10% of the amount of money he has yet to collect on his deal (not counting an option year).
Regardless of whether a trade kicker is set at a fixed amount or a percentage, the bonus can’t exceed 15% of the remaining value of the contract. Most trade kickers are worth 15%, the highest percentage allowed.
A trade bonus must be paid by the team that trades the player, rather than the team acquiring him. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement also allows a player to waive part or all of his trade kicker as part of a deal, if he so chooses.
If you want a more detailed explanation of how trade kickers work, check out the Hoops Rumors Glossary entry on the subject.
Here’s a list of the NBA players who have active trade kickers for 2024/25, listed alphabetically, along with the details of those trade bonuses:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (15%)
- OG Anunoby, Knicks (15%)
- Desmond Bane, Grizzlies (15%)
- Nicolas Batum, Clippers (15%)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (15%)
- Jimmy Butler, Heat (15%)
- Anthony Davis, Lakers (15%)
- Draymond Green, Warriors (15%)
- James Harden, Clippers (15%)
- Al Horford, Celtics (15% or $500K, whichever is lesser)
- Brandon Ingram, Pelicans (15%)
- Kyrie Irving, Mavericks (15%)
- LeBron James, Lakers (15%)
- Derrick Jones, Clippers (5%)
- Kyle Kuzma, Wizards (15%)
- Zach LaVine, Bulls (15%)
- Naji Marshall, Mavericks (5%)
- Caleb Martin, Sixers (15%)
- Kevin Porter Jr., Clippers (15%)
- Bobby Portis, Bucks (15%)
- Julius Randle, Knicks (15%): Traded
- Austin Reaves, Lakers (15%)
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics (15%)
- Klay Thompson, Mavericks (15%)
- Matisse Thybulle, Trail Blazers (15%)
- Derrick White, Celtics (15%)
The following players have trade bonuses on their contracts, but those bonuses would be voided if they were to be traded during the 2024/25 league year, since they’re already earning this season’s maximum salary:
- LaMelo Ball, Hornets (15%)
- Devin Booker, Suns (10%)
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (7% or $7MM, whichever is lesser)
- Stephen Curry, Warriors (15%)
- Luka Doncic, Mavericks (15%)
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (15%)
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers (15%)
- Paul George, Sixers (15%)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (15%)
- Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers (15%)
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (15%)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (15%)
- Ja Morant, Grizzlies (15%)
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves (10%): Traded
- Fred VanVleet, Rockets (15%)
- Trae Young, Hawks (15%)
The following players have signed contract extensions that will include trade kickers, but those extensions won’t go into effect until at least the 2025/26 season:
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (15%)
- Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves (7.5%)
- Aaron Gordon, Nuggets (3%)
- Jalen Green, Rockets (10%)
- Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (15%)
- Ivica Zubac, Clippers (5%)
Information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks was used in the creation of this post.
It has been an eventful offseason for the Nuggets and The Athletic’s Tony Jones breaks down all the meaningful developments. They lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency but the front office is convinced Christian Braun can handle a larger role. The Nuggets are also encouraged by Julian Strawther‘s Summer League performances and think he’ll add much-needed shooting to the rotation.
The Nuggets believe Russell Westbrook will fortify their offense and they’ll also need free agent addition Dario Saric to produce in a backup frontcourt role, especially with first-rounder DaRon Holmes having suffered a torn Achilles during Summer League action. If Saric doesn’t deliver, the Nuggets could be forced to use Aaron Gordon as the de facto backup center, Jones writes.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- If the Jazz plan on trading Lauri Markkanen, they’re certainly doing a good job hiding their intentions. Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post that the Jazz recently sent multiple coaching staff representatives to Finland to assist Markkanen in workouts with second-year guard Keyonte George. That gives the impression they’re not looking to deal their starting power forward, regardless of whether he signs an extension.
- The Mavericks had a solid offseason with the addition of Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with Golden State. They also signed free agents Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie and acquired Quentin Grimes in a trade. Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com takes a closer look at what each player could bring to the defending Western Conference champions.
- The Thunder‘s front office is wise to keep a roster spot open on the 15-man roster, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated opines. Any free agent they could bring in now probably wouldn’t play much and keeping that spot open could facilitate a trade involving multiple players, Stiles notes. It could also make it easier to add a player in the buyout market during the season to fill a need.
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has signed with Klutch Sports and CEO Rich Paul as his representative, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
The third pick in last year’s draft, Henderson is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer of 2026. How he develops over the next two seasons will determine his earning power.
Henderson appeared in 62 games last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per contest, but shot just 38.5% from the field and 32.5% on 3-point tries.
We have more on the Trail Blazers:
- Jerami Grant‘s name remains prominent among trade circles. Grant would prefer not have a cloud of uncertainty around him during next season, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Grant is enjoying the stability of the five-year, $160MM contract he signed prior to last season and doesn’t want to be moved mid-season.
- The franchise will eventually be sold but no timeline has been determined, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. The NBA’s new broadcasting agreements were one of the things the Blazers’ current ownership was likely waiting on before starting the sale process. The fees paid by potential expansion franchises, as well as ongoing lease negotiations for the team’s current arena, Moda Center, will likely also affect the timeline for selling the franchise.
- In the same mailbag post, Highkin says he anticipates guard Rayan Rupert will spend the bulk of his time with the G League’s Remix next season. Rupert, a 2023 second-rounder, appeared in 39 games for the banged-up Blazers last season, including 12 starts.
The defending champion Celtics have been on a spending spree, re-signing their own free agents and locking up rotation players to lucrative extensions.
The Sixers made the biggest free agent splash, signing Paul George. The Knicks made a stunning trade, acquiring Mikal Bridges from their crosstown rival. The Cavaliers have given out extensions to three starters. The Bucks still have the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
So it’s easy to forget that the Pacers were in the Eastern Conference Finals. Their biggest star is Tyrese Haliburton, currently the 12th man on Team USA’s loaded roster. Haliburton pulled a hamstring in Game 2 against the Celtics, though the Pacers were heavy underdogs anyway. But it may have made the series a little more competitive if he had stayed healthy.
Haliburton had some ups and downs during the playoffs but delivered in a big way in his best outings. Now, he’s wondering why the Pacers are being overlooked as one of the top contenders in the East.
“All I keep seeing is, ‘Who’s going to win the East? Boston, Milwaukee, New York, or Philly?’” Haliburton said recently. “It’s like, what are we doing [not being included]? But again, we’re Indiana, people didn’t even know, people didn’t even watch us play until the playoffs. People didn’t watch us play until the second round. But again, that respect comes with winning. So if we want to gain that respect, we just got to keep having success as a team. And it’s coming.”
Like Boston and Cleveland, the Pacers’ offseason has been highlighted by locking in some of their regulars to new contracts. Pascal Siakam received a max four-year deal in free agency and Andrew Nembhard, who posted big numbers in Games 3 and 4 of the conference finals with Haliburton out, signed a three-year contract extension. Siakam’s backup, restricted free agent Obi Toppin, was also re-signed.
Myles Turner remains one of the most productive centers in the league and the Pacers also have a solid young 1-2 punch at small forward in Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin. Head coach Rick Carlisle is one of the best in the business, a future Hall of Famer with a championship on his resume.
Undeniably, there’s plenty of quality pieces all over the roster. But are they still lacking that one major impact player to put them over the top? Haliburton could be a perennial All-Star but is he more suited to being the No. 2 player on a championship team than the franchise player?
Those are a couple of questions some experts have about the Pacers, though there’s no reason to expect that they’ll regress. In fact, with the experience they gained in the postseason, they could be even more dangerous next season.
That brings up to today’s topic: Do you feel the Pacers are underrated? Where do they currently rank in the Eastern Conference’s pecking order? Do they need another impact player or can they win a championship with the roster they’ve already built?
Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Team USA plays Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday and coach Steve Kerr says that his team’s preparation has been centered on defense, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“We know what wins a FIBA game,” Kerr said, referring to the international rules played at the Olympics. “We are just completely focused on our defense … and then the beauty of our team and the talent, the depth of our talent is that from one game to the next, we’ve got lots of guys who have the ability to get rolling.”
No one has been the focal point of the offense from game to game, which makes Team USA even more dangerous as it exits group play.
“That’s how we can overwhelm teams. It’s just everybody has to be ready for your moment whenever it is,” Stephen Curry said. “I think that’s a challenge because you don’t know from quarter to quarter from game to game who it’s going to be, [but] it’s a fun way to play. If you’re bought into ‘Let’s just win the basketball game’ and after that, who cares what it looks like.”
We have more on the Olympics:
- The other quarterfinal matchups will also be played on Tuesday — Germany vs. Greece, Serbia vs. Australia, and France vs. Canada. Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy previews all of those matchups, taking a deeper dive into the France/Canada showdown.
- In what areas are Team USA most vulnerable? Rebounding and half-court offense, according to Windhorst, who looks at the main strengths and weaknesses of all eight remaining teams.
- Curry has struggled somewhat offensively during the tournament but he’s excelled as a screener, as The Athletic’s Joe Vardon details. Curry has set screens for LeBron James, leading to smaller overmatched defenders switching onto James. “I’m a good screener and can cause some confusion for a guy like (LeBron) having the ball,” Curry said. “We do it a little bit in Golden State where you have somebody else having the ball and me setting it, and I have a lot of different actions you can run, but if you get (LeBron) going downhill, good luck to anybody trying to stop him and having me come off into space.”
- James is the game’s global ambassador, Tania Ganguli of The Athletic writes, and now some who idolized him in their youth are facing him in Paris.
5:55pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR department tweets.
11:59am: The Knicks have reached an agreement with second-round pick Kevin McCullar on a two-way contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old small forward out of Kansas was selected with the 56th pick in this year’s draft. He was held out of Summer League due to a knee issue.
McCullar earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season while averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists as a super senior for the Jayhawks. In 2023, he was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team and earned third-team all-conference honors. He played three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Kansas in 2022.
New York will have a two-way opening left after McCullar’s deal becomes official. Ariel Hukporti is also on a two-way contract with the Knicks. The team also still has a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Jacob Toppin.
McCullar is among a handful of 2024 draft picks who are still without a contract. Utah’s Kyle Filipowski, Atlanta’s Nikola Djurisic, Indiana’s Enrique Freeman and Golden State’s Quinten Post still remain unsigned.
A handful of NBA teams are making contingency plans for local broadcasting deals during the upcoming season. If Diamond Sports Group emerges from bankruptcy in the coming weeks or months, the company has discussed eliminating the RSN contracts for as many as five of its NBA teams — the Pelicans, Thunder, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Pistons, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reports.
The decision is fluid, Friend adds, who hears the number could drop to three teams. Those five franchises are aware of the situation and most likely will offer their games over-the-air for free, if necessary. They would also each add a direct-to-consumer digital product.
We have more news from around the basketball world:
- The USA’s 3×3 team in the Olympics failed to challenge for medal contention at the Paris Olympics. Adding injury to insult, its most prominent member — former NBA guard Jimmer Fredette — suffered an adductor tear that will require a six-month recovery period, Eurohoops.net relays. Fredette revealed the injury on social media. “I had an injury that took place in the beginning minutes of our second game against Poland,” he wrote. “I tore two different ligaments completely in my adductor, which prevented me from being able to compete. This will lead me to have a recovery of around six months.”
- Another former NBA player, Chase Budinger, had his dreams of an Olympic medal dashed on Monday. Budinger and his beach volleyball partner, Miles Evans, won their first match against a duo from France but then lost to the Netherlands and Spain before falling to Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, the defending gold medalists from Tokyo. Budinger will still cherish the memories, per ESPN News Services. “Playing in the Olympics, playing in this venue, will definitely be up there with some of my greatest basketball moments, for sure,” Budinger said.
- Will the Kyle Anderson and Isaiah Hartenstein additions prove disappointing to the Warriors and Thunder, respectively? Will Tyus Jones and Chris Paul end up as the biggest bargains in free agency? The Athletic’s Josh Robbins, Kelly Iko and Darnell Mayberry provide their insights and opinions on the free agent moves and trades made during this offseason.
The Lakers have formally announced the coaching staff that will work under J.J. Redick during his first season in Los Angeles, issuing a press release to confirm its assistant coaching hires.
Most of the Lakers’ hires, headlined by former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, have been previously reported, but here’s the full list of assistants in one place:
- McMillan, who has compiled a 760-668 (.532) career regular season record as the head coach of the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Hawks.
- Brooks, who most recently served as an assistant in Portland and was a longtime head coach in Oklahoma City and Washington. He had a 521-414 (.557) regular season record and a 49-48 (.505) postseason mark, having led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012.
- Bob Beyer, a veteran assistant who spent time with the Raptors, Magic, Warriors, Bobcats, Pistons, Thunder, Kings, Pelicans, and Hornets from 2003-24.
- Greg St. Jean, who was a Lakers player development coach from 2019-21 before spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach in Dallas (2021-23) and Phoenix (2023/24).
- Lindsey Harding, the reigning G League Coach of the Year for the Stockton Kings and the first full-time female assistant coach in Lakers franchise history.
- Beau Levesque, who has held the title of player development coordinator with the Clippers for the past four seasons.
The Lakers also announced that they hired Michael Wexler as their head video coordinator. He was a coaching associate last season with the Suns and previously served as the head video coordinator for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
The Lakers’ goal was to surround Redick, a first-time NBA coach, with an experienced staff that could help him learn the ropes, which is why the club targeted former head coaches like McMillan and Brooks and a longtime assistant like Beyer to lead the group.
“Through an international and thorough process, we’ve brought together an experienced, diverse, and dedicated coaching staff,” Redick said in a statement. “Our goal from day one is about fostering a high-performing environment of player development and team alignment through relentless work, daily collaboration and innovation. Players and staff are here to enjoy the pursuit of excellence every time they step on the court. The expectations are clear, and my staff and I are committed to doing everything we need to do to ensure success at the highest level.”