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James Harden Picking Up Option, Working With Sixers On Trade

June 29th, 2023 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star James Harden has decided to exercise his $35.6MM player option for 2023/24, but he doesn’t intend to return to Philadelphia, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, the plan is for Harden to work together with the 76ers to find him a new home via trade.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) confirms that Philadelphia and Harden have begun to explore trade scenarios, adding that the expectation is that the 10-time All-Star has played his last game as a Sixer.

The news comes as a major surprise. For several months, Harden’s anticipated free agency was considered likely to be a battle between the Sixers and his former team, the Rockets.

Within the last week or two, Philadelphia had seemingly emerged as a clear frontrunner based on reporting from several outlets. However, the 33-year-old won’t actually reach free agency after all, opting into the second season of his two-year deal with the 76ers in order to make it easier to trade him.

The Clippers have expressed interest in acquiring Harden, a league source tells Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link). Wojnarowski (Twitter link) confirms L.A.’s interest and says the Knicks are also expected to engage in trade conversations with the Sixers.

The Clippers, armed with several movable contracts and a long-standing desire to add a backcourt play-maker, are an intriguing potential trade partner for Philadelphia. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Los Angeles – which has been gauging the trade market for Marcus Morris and Norman Powell – have also inquired about Sixers forward Tobias Harris.

The Knicks, meanwhile, also possess a handful of tradable contracts, including Evan Fournier‘s expiring $18.9MM deal, and control several extra future first-round picks.

Still, Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) cautions that the Clippers and Knicks won’t be Harden’s only suitors. Philadelphia is already casting a “wide net,” according to Mannix, who says the club will be seeking a package of players who can fit alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid.

The Rockets could make a play for Harden via trade if they so choose, but they’ve seemingly shifted their focus to free agent point guard Fred VanVleet, and Harden is focused on a move to a contender, according to Wojnarowski.

Although Harden missed out on All-Star honors this year for the first time since 2012, he still posted strong numbers during the regular season, averaging 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game with a .441/.385/.867 shooting line in 58 appearances (36.8 MPG). He was expected to be among the top free agents available this weekend if he had opted out.

Because Harden is on a two-year contract, he won’t be eligible to sign an extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2024. If he’s moved, he’ll be playing for his fourth team in four years. He was dealt from Houston to Brooklyn in January 2021 and from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in February 2022.

Lakers To Decline Malik Beasley’s Team Option

June 29th, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Rory Maher

In addition to waiving Mohamed Bamba before his salary became guaranteed, the Lakers also won’t exercise their team option on Malik Beasley for 2023/24, making him an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

However, a reunion could still be in the works. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Lakers will retain Beasley’s Bird rights, and McMenamin reports that the Lakers plan to keep in touch with both players, with new contracts a possibility. Los Angeles will lose Bamba’s Bird rights after waiving him.

As our team option tracker shows, Beasley’s option was worth $16,524,106. He didn’t play up to that type of contract in ’22/23, so it’s not a surprise that it will be declined, though there was some thought that it might be exercised in order to explore sign-and-trade scenarios.

A long-range shooting specialist who holds a career mark of 37.8% from deep, Beasley shot just 35.7% last season, including 35.3% with the Lakers. He was acquired from Utah at the trade deadline in the deal involving Russell Westbrook.

Overall, the 26-year-old appeared in 81 games last season, including 27 starts (25.8 MPG). The Lakers had hoped he would provide an offensive jolt, but his numbers declined with L.A. and he was a non-factor in the postseason, appearing in 11 games while shooting 26.9% from three in 8.3 MPG.

While Beasley is an extremely streaky shooter who doesn’t bring a whole lot else to the table, he did shoot 38.9% from beyond the arc in 252 games from 2018-2022. That, combined with his age, should make him a popular target in free agency.

Knicks Exercising Team Option On Miles McBride

June 29th, 2023 at 3:21pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are exercising their $1.84MM team option on Miles McBride for 2023/24, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 36th pick of the 2021 draft after two years at West Virginia, McBride just finished his second NBA season, both with the Knicks. The 22-year-old point guard had a limited role in ’22/23, averaging 3.5 PPG on .358/.299/.667 shooting in 64 games (11.9 MPG).

However, McBride is an excellent defensive player who makes a real difference on that end of the court, so it’s not surprising that his minimum-salary option was exercised. As our team option tracker shows, the Knicks previously declined their option on Derrick Rose‘s contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Bulls’ Andre Drummond Opts In For 2023/24

June 29th, 2023 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls center Andre Drummond has exercised his player option for 2023/24, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move will guarantee Drummond a $3.36MM salary for next season.

Drummond, who will turn 30 in August, put up big numbers on a per-minute basis as a reserve center for the Bulls in 2022/23, averaging 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes per game (67 games).

However, for the first time in his 11-year NBA career, Drummond didn’t make a single start, playing a limited role behind primary center Nikola Vucevic. His scoring and rebounding averages were career lows, as were his 12.7 minutes per night.

While Drummond might be the NBA’s best rebounder and can certainly score around the basket, the rest of his offensive game is limited, and he’s not a mobile defensive player or an elite rim protector. Once a maximum-salary player, the two-time All-Star presumably determined that he wasn’t assured of topping a $3.36MM guarantee on the open market and chose the safety of the opt-in.

It’s unclear whether Drummond remains in Chicago’s plans for 2023/24 or whether the team will look to trade his expiring contract. A report on Thursday morning indicated that the Mavericks were eyeing the veteran center, but Marc Stein later clarified (via Twitter) that Dallas’ interest was contingent on a separate trade that hadn’t happened yet.

Drummond is one of two Bulls veterans who had player option decisions to make this month. While the big man is picking up his $3.36MM option, Derrick Jones elected to turn down an identical $3.36MM option of his own.

Lakers Waiving Mohamed Bamba

June 29th, 2023 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have decided to waive Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3MM salary for the 2023/24 season becomes guaranteed, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bamba spent his first four-and-a-half NBA seasons in Orlando before being dealt to the Lakers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

Although he has flashed the ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim, Bamba saw his role with the Magic decline after the team added Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero, and played a limited role in Los Angeles before spraining his ankle in March.

In total, Bamba appeared in 49 games in 2022/23, averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest. He posted a shooting line of .485/.387/.661.

Bamba is still just 25 years old and may have untapped upside, but it didn’t make sense for the Lakers to retain him at a price of $10MM+. Cutting him will give Los Angeles some extra cap flexibility entering a crucial offseason and may open the door for the club to use the full, non-taxpayer version of the mid-level exception.

Celtics Notes: Bates-Diop, Green, Azubuike, Madar, G. Williams

June 29th, 2023 at 2:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Keita Bates-Diop and Javonte Green could be a couple of relatively low-cost options for the Celtics in free agency, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

Bates-Diop posted career highs in several categories with San Antonio in 2022/23, including points (9.7), assists (1.5), three-point percentage (39.4%), free throw percentage (79.3%), games played (67), starts (42) and minutes per game (21.7).

However, a league source tells Deveney that the Spurs might just re-sign Bates-Diop or possibly look to sign-and-trade the 27-year-old combo forward.

As for Green, he started his NBA career with the Celtics and “would welcome” a return to Boston, a source tells Deveney.

Although he’s undersized for a forward at 6’4″, Green is an explosive athlete and a tenacious defender. He played well for the Bulls the past few seasons, but unfortunately he struggled to return from knee surgery during ’22/23, which leaves his future up in the air.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Free agent center Udoka Azubuike, a former first-round pick who spent the past three seasons with the Jazz, will be suiting up for Boston’s summer league squad, a team source tells Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Azubuike dealt with major ankle injuries during his tenure with Utah, but Weiss believes he could be a candidate for a two-way deal if he can improve in a couple areas.
Draft-and-stash prospect Yam Madar, an Israeli guard who has been playing overseas since he was a second-round pick in 2020, could be another option for a two-way contract, multiple league sources tell Weiss.
The Celtics are still actively involved in trade talks to improve their roster, Weiss adds.
A rival front office executive is skeptical Grant Williams will get more than the full mid-level exception in free agency, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “There are definitely teams that like him, but I think no matter how it plays out and where he winds up, he’s probably going to come in for about mid-level exception money, around $12 million a year,” the executive said. “I don’t think he’s a cap-room offer — a guy you use room under the cap to sign. He’s more of an exception slot guy. I’m not sure you want to burn cap room on Grant Williams.” The Celtics recently issued Williams a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, but it will be tricky to keep him around if they want to avoid the second tax apron after trading for Kristaps Porzingis. Still, Williams recently said he was open to returning — assuming it works out financially for both sides.

Pelicans To Exercise Team Option On Naji Marshall

June 29th, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans plan to exercise their $1.93MM team option on Naji Marshall, keeping him on the roster for 2023/24, reports Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Marshall went undrafted in 2020 out of Xavier, originally signing a two-way contract with the Pelicans that was later converted into a standard deal. A hard-nosed defensive player, the 25-year-old small forward was rotation regular in his third season in ’22/23, averaging 9.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.5 APG on .433/.303/.789 shooting in 77 games (21 starts, 23.3 MPG).

Once his option is officially picked up, Marshall will be on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024. We’re still awaiting team option decisions on center Willy Hernangomez and guard/forward Herbert Jones, as our tracker shows.

Free Agent Rumors: Brown, Lakers, Bridges, Cavs, Heat, Love

June 29th, 2023 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are “increasingly confident” about their chances of signing Bruce Brown using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, multiple sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

The Denver Post first reported on Wednesday that the Lakers have “significant” interest in Brown. A subsequent report suggested that the Nuggets‘ free agent guard may receive offers worth more than the mid-level, which would be virtually impossible for L.A. to match. However, Buha’s latest report suggests the Lakers still feel good about their odds of landing the versatile guard.

As Buha details, there’s a path for the Lakers to re-sign D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura while also using the full mid-level exception, which would hard-cap their team salary at approximately $172MM. That path would require the club to decline Malik Beasley‘s $16.5MM team option and waive Mohamed Bamba, whose $10.3MM salary is non-guaranteed.

Here are a few more free agent rumblings from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers have interest in Hornets restricted free agent Miles Bridges, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, with only the mid-level exception to offer, Cleveland is a long shot to land Bridges, given that Charlotte would match a mid-level offer sheet “in an instant,” Fedor writes. Sources tell Cleveland.com that Bridges’ camp is expecting a significantly higher per-year salary.
Elsewhere within his look at the Cavaliers‘ options in free agency, Fedor says Max Strus would be near the top of the team’s wish list if he’s attainable with the mid-level exception, which he may not be. Fedor adds that Cleveland is in the market for more forward depth in addition to a two-way wing, naming Georges Niang as a possible target.
The Heat and Kevin Love have mutual interest in working out a new deal, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami only holds Love’s Non-Bird rights, so he’d likely have to accept a minimum-salary contract or something slightly above that if he wants to return.
In an entertaining piece for GQ.com, Howard Beck speaks to a number of anonymous team executives about their expectations for the NBA’s 2023 offseason.

Hawks To Guarantee Garrison Mathews’ Contract

June 29th, 2023 at 1:10pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks intend to guarantee Garrison Mathews‘ contract for the 2023/24 season, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Today was the deadline for Atlanta to determine what to do with Mathews, whose $2MM salary was non-guaranteed. According to Williams, Mathews will now receive his full salary after being acquired via trade in February.

Guaranteeing Mathews’ deal makes sense for a few different reasons. The Hawks could simply value what he provides on the court, as he draws a lot of attention with his outside shooting (36.7% career from three on high volume) and gets to the free throw line at a solid clip. The guard’s salary is slightly less than the projected cap hit for a player on a veteran’s minimum salary, making him very affordable.

Keeping Mathews also means he could be included in trades in the future. The Hawks hold a non-guaranteed $2.23MM team option on his salary for ’24/25. Overall, the 26-year-old had a modest role with Houston and Atlanta last season, averaging 4.8 points while shooting 35% from deep in 54 games (12.7 minutes per night).

Rockets Waiving Daishen Nix

June 29th, 2023 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are waiving guard Daishen Nix, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The move is a money-saving one for the Rockets, who would’ve been on the hook for Nix’s full $1,836,096 salary if he had remained on the roster beyond today, as our list of early salary guarantee dates shows.

Nix, 21, signed with the Rockets after going undrafted in 2021 and appeared in 81 games for the club over the last two seasons. He didn’t make a significant impact at the NBA level during that time, averaging a modest 3.7 PPG and 2.1 APG on .355/.283/.606 shooting in 14.5 MPG.

Nix did flash some potential in the G League in 2021/22, putting up 20.6 PPG, 7.7 APG, and 5.9 RPG on .486/.400/.592 shooting in 18 regular season appearances (34.2 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate.

Nix’s contract included a team option for the 2024/25 season, but it was also non-guaranteed, so the Rockets won’t owe him any additional money once they officially waive him. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Saturday.