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Nets Agree To Exhibit 10 Deals With KJ Jones, Mark Armstrong

June 29th, 2024 at 7:41am CST by Luke Adams

June 29: Armstrong is joining the Nets on an Exhibit 10 deal, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com reports (Twitter link). The Nets currently have just one player signed to a two-way contract for next season (Jaylen Martin), so it’s feasible that Armstrong winds up competing for one of those two-way slots. Armstrong is a former four-star prospect with USA Basketball experience.

June 27: The Nets have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 contract with high-scoring Division II guard KJ Jones, according to Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).

Jones, who played his college ball at Emmanuel University in Georgia, has averaged 26.2 points per game in back-to-back seasons and scored more than 3,600 total points over the course of his five-year collegiate career. He posted a shooting line of .482/.371/.868 across those five seasons, also logging career averages of 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.

As Chepkevich notes, Jones was the only Division II prospect to receive an invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this spring.

Villanova’s Mark Armstrong may also be joining the Nets’ offseason roster, with Jake Weingarten of StockRisers.com tweeting that Brooklyn has reached a deal with the former Villanova standout. However, there are no additional details on that agreement (ie. whether it’s for a two-way contract, an Exhibit 10 deal, etc.), so it’s possible Armstrong is just joining the team for Summer League for now.

The former Wildcats guard registered averages of 8.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.3 RPG on .417/.282/.776 shooting as a sophomore in 2023/24 before declaring for the draft as an early entrant.

Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes Picking Up 2024/25 Player Option

June 29th, 2024 at 1:17am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes is exercising his minimum-salary ($2.46MM) player option for the 2024/25 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hayes spent his first four NBA seasons in New Orleans before signing with Los Angeles last summer. Although he appeared in 70 games for his new team, the fifth-year center played a limited role in the Lakers’ frontcourt, averaging a career-low 12.5 minutes per game. He contributed 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest in that modest role.

As Charania points out, if he remains on the Lakers’ roster through the offseason, Hayes will get the opportunity to reunite with J.J. Redick, L.A.’s new head coach and Hayes’ former teammate in New Orleans.

The Lakers entered the offseason with five veterans holding player options. Big man Christian Wood picked up his $3.04MM option in May, while Russell ($18.69MM) and Hayes ($2.46MM) are said to be opting in too. Cam Reddish ($2.46MM) and, of course, LeBron James ($51.42MM) still have decisions to finalize before Saturday’s deadline.

Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Exercising 2024/25 Player Option

June 29th, 2024 at 1:03am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell intends to exercise the player option on his contract for the 2024/25 season, he tells Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures (Twitter link). Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirms the news, as does ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).

“I love what (new Lakers head coach) J.J. (Redick) is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level,” Russell told McMenamin.

The move will guarantee Russell’s $18,692,307 salary for next season. Rather than becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, the 28-year-old will postpone his free agency until 2025, remaining on the two-year, $36MM deal he signed with the Lakers last July.

Russell is coming off one of the best seasons of his NBA career. He averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game across 76 regular season outings (69 starts), posting a shooting line .456/.415/.828.

However, for a second straight spring, he struggled vs. Denver in the postseason. His 2024 playoff averages dipped to 14.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 2.8 RPG on .384/.318/.500 shooting. A year earlier, he shot just 32.3% (13.3% on threes) in the Western Conference finals vs. the Nuggets and was removed from the starting five.

Russell’s player option decision was considered one that could go either way, since opting out would’ve given him more control over his future. Opting in will lock in his ’24/25 salary, but it doesn’t necessarily ensure he’ll remain in Los Angeles, since he looks like a prime trade candidate for a Lakers team seeking roster upgrades.

Russell ($18.7MM), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), and Gabe Vincent ($11MM) have been viewed as a few possible outgoing salary-matching pieces in the event L.A. takes a swing on the trade market for another impact player to complement star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Of those three players, only Russell is on an expiring contract — Hachimura and Vincent each have guaranteed salaries for 2025/26.

The Lakers are expected to be “aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades,” team and league sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. If Russell does remain with the Lakers, he’d be in position to reclaim his starting point guard role next season, but Buha says the team considers the Russell/Austin Reaves backcourt duo to have a “clear ceiling” and prefers to keep Reaves, who is younger, a better defender, and on a more team-friendly contract.

Southeast Notes: Atlanta, Young, Butler, Ware, Hornets

June 28th, 2024 at 10:29pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Hawks‘ trade of Dejounte Murray will make the roster cheaper, more coherent, and a better fit around star guard Trae Young, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. However, it’s not clear whether Young remains in the franchise’s long-term plans.

While the roster might fit better together now, the Hawks have gone 161-157 over the past four seasons and don’t necessarily appear any closer to being a contender in the Eastern Conference. However, due to the original acquisition of Murray, the Spurs control the Hawks’ first-round picks for the next three drafts (unprotected in 2025 and 2027 and an unprotected swap in 2026)

That’s why, Hollinger writes, the Spurs are the most logical trade partner for any deal involving Young. San Antonio is looking for an elite point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama, and the combined salaries of Devonte’ Graham (whose guarantee date was just pushed back), Zach Collins and Tre Jones match Young’s, Hollinger points out.

Outside of Young, offers for the likes of Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter have been lacking, Hollinger hears from league sources, but more moves out of Atlanta are expected.

For now though, this is Young’s team and the trade of Murray allows for more roster flexibility, including unlocking the non-taxpayer mid-level exception as a result of ducking under the luxury tax line.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Heat star Jimmy Butler is planning to play out the 2024/25 season and then opt out of his contract and hit unrestricted free agency next year, without signing an extension. While it isn’t the ideal outcome for either side, it represents a middle ground that allows Butler to bet on himself and buys the Heat time to figure out their future. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Miami understands Butler is the key to any postseason success this season. Still, Guillory wonders if it might make more sense to turn the page on the Butler era as the team quietly continues building a strong young core.
The Heat introduced the newest member of that young core to the media on Friday, with No. 15 overall pick Kel’el Ware making his press debut. “We feel very fortunate that we were able to get the specific player we wanted, that can complement our team, can complement Bam [Adebayo],” Heat president Pat Riley said, per the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. Ware immediately becomes the tallest player on Miami’s roster.
The Hornets waiving Seth Curry and declining the team option on JT Thor‘s contract suggest they’re preparing to operate as a cap room team if they lose free agent forward Miles Bridges, Hollinger writes in a separate post. The Hornets could create up to $23MM in cap space if they waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Aleksej Pokusevski and Bryce McGowens.
The Hornets also introduced draft picks Tidjane Salaün and KJ Simpson on Friday. The duo represents vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson‘s first two pieces of his roster vision and culture. “[Salaün and Simpson] just embody everything that we want to be about,” Peterson said, per The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone. “They are extremely unselfish. They work, they understand the importance of putting the time in. It’s the only way you are going to get the results that you want. They compete and they just have an amazing outlook and approach in terms of how to get better on a daily basis. So these two guys just embody exactly what we want to be about going forward.“

Klay Thompson, Mavericks Have “Strong Mutual Interest”

June 28th, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Tristan Tucker

“Strong mutual interest” is expected between Klay Thompson and the Mavericks when free agency opens on Sunday night, NBA insider Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack post.

Reports have long indicated the lack of contact between Thompson and the Warriors, the team with which he’s won four rings and played since 2011. Now, Stein says he’s heard from multiple sources that the Mavs are likely to emerge as the favorites to sign the Splash Brother.

Having agreed to send Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons, the Mavericks will have some additional financial flexibility and are expected to be able to make a competitive multiyear contract offer to the five-time All-Star, Stein writes. However, with no cap room available, Dallas would likely need Golden State’s cooperation for a sign-and-trade deal — it’s not “immediately clear” whether such a deal could be negotiated, Stein acknowledges.

It’s also not known whether the Mavs would be able to retain Derrick Jones Jr. if they were to land Thompson, Stein adds. Jones, who was an instrumental piece en route to the Mavs’ NBA Finals appearance, is poised to sign with Klutch Sports for representation as he prepares to enter free agency, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

As has been reported, teams with cap space like Orlando and Philadelphia are expected to show interest in Thompson if he doesn’t return to the Warriors, but it’s believed that his preference is to remain in the Western Conference, according to Stein.

QO Updates: Heat, Magic, Quinones, Lundy, Williams, Nuggets

June 28th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have issued qualifying offers to two of their three two-way players, announcing in a press release that they’ve made forward Cole Swider and guard Alondes Williams restricted free agents. Miami’s other two-way player, forward Jamal Cain, isn’t mentioned in the announcement, with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald tweeting that Cain isn’t expected to receive a qualifying offer.

Because Cain has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Heat, his qualifying offer would have been a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a small partial guarantee, whereas the QOs for Swider and Williams will be for one-year, two-way deals.

According to Chiang, the expectation is that Cain won’t be back with the Heat next season. Not getting a QO means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

We have more qualifying offer news from around the NBA:

It appears that guard Trevelin Queen will be the only Magic two-way player to receive a qualifying offer this offseason. Orlando put out a press release (via Twitter) confirming that Queen has been given a QO, making him a restricted free agent. However, swingman Kevon Harris won’t get a QO and Admiral Schofield – who also wasn’t mentioned in the Magic’s announcement – has signed to play in France next season. Harris and Schofield both would’ve been eligible for minimum-salary qualifying offers, while Queen’s QO is for another two-way contract.
The Warriors aren’t tendering a qualifying offer to guard Lester Quinones, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Quinones will become an unrestricted free agent after averaging 4.4 points per game on .397/.364/.690 shooting in 37 appearances off the bench for Golden State.
The Hawks have made a qualifying offer to guard Seth Lundy, tweets Scotto. Lundy, who was on a two-way contract this past season, had a strong year in the G League, averaging 20.4 points per game and making 40.0% of his three-point attempts in 25 regular season and Showcase Cup contests for the College Park Skyhawks. His qualifying offer is the equivalent of another two-way deal.
The Rockets are issuing a two-way qualifying offer to shooting guard Jeenathan Williams, according to Scotto (Twitter link). Williams appeared in 22 games for Houston and 10 for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League in 2023/24.
Nuggets two-way players Collin Gillespie and Braxton Key aren’t expected to get qualifying offers from the team, so they’ll become unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins, sources tell Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Pistons To Decline Evan Fournier’s Team Option

June 28th, 2024 at 7:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons will not pick up guard Evan Fournier‘s team option for next season worth $19MM, according to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). The deadline to make a decision on Fournier’s option was Saturday.

This was an expected move, since Detroit will operate under the cap, meaning declining the option frees up $19MM in room. The Pistons acquired Fournier at the 2023/24 trade deadline from the Knicks alongside Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

Fournier averaged 7.2 points in 29 games with the Pistons after the deadline after playing sparingly for the Knicks over the past two seasons. A skilled three-point shooter, the 31-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent and could help out a playoff team on a small salary.

Fournier had the most productive stint of his career with the Magic, where he averaged 16.2 PPG across 435 games with the franchise. For his career, Fournier has averaged 13.6 PPG on a 37.4% three-point clip (5.2 attempts per game).

Spurs, Devonte’ Graham Move Back Contract Guarantee Date

June 28th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Spurs and guard Devonte’ Graham are moving back his contract guarantee date to July 8, according to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez (Twitter link).

Graham’s contract is already partially guaranteed for $2.85MM for next season, but it was set to increase to $12.65MM by July 1. Now, the Spurs have an extra week to mull over options for Graham, including potential trades.

The Spurs acquired Graham in 2023 from New Orleans in a move that also involved Josh Richardson going to the Pelicans.

In one-and-a-half seasons with the Spurs, Graham has averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game and has shot 33.8% from beyond the arc. The 34th overall pick in the 2018 draft began his career with the Hornets, playing modest minutes in his first season before breaking out and averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists in 2019/20, finishing fifth in Most Improved Player voting.

However, his production has gradually declined since that season. At 29 years old and a career 35.4% shooter from beyond the arc, Graham could provide value to prospective playoff teams, but likely not on his current contract. In 336 career games (171 starts), Graham holds career averages of 11.1 points and 4.3 assists per game.

Heat’s Josh Richardson Exercising 2024/25 Player Option

June 28th, 2024 at 6:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat wing Josh Richardson is picking up his minimum-salary player option for 2024/25, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move will guarantee Richardson’s $3,051,153 salary for next season, lining him up to be a free agent in 2025.

Richardson began his career in Miami in 2015 and spent his first four NBA seasons with the team. After bouncing around the league from 2019-23, with stints in Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, San Antonio, and New Orleans, he returned to the Heat as a free agent last summer, signing a two-year, minimum-salary deal that included a player option on year two.

The reunion didn’t play out quite as hoped, as health issues limited Richardson to 43 games and ended his season early. When he was available, he averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 25.7 assists per night, with a shooting line of .444/.347/.944.

Richardson, who underwent a labrum procedure in March to repair right shoulder instability, is still recovering from that surgery, making it an inopportune time for him to return to free agency, so it comes as no surprise that he’ll opt in for 2024/25.

While Richardson’s expiring contract could make him a trade candidate, the Heat – who are navigating the luxury tax – will likely welcome him back at a team-friendly rate of $3MM if he’s healthy. According to Charania, the 30-year-old is expected to make a full recovery before the start of the season.

As our tracker shows, Richardson is one of four Heat veterans whose contracts include player options for 2024/25. Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, and Thomas Bryant still have decisions to make on their options.

Nuggets To Sign Gabe McGlothan To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 28th, 2024 at 5:27pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Undrafted Grand Canyon forward Gabe McGlothan is signing with the Nuggets on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

As Charania notes, McGlothan helped Grand Canyon to a victory in the NCAA Tournament this year and went on to win the collegiate slam dunk contest. McGlothan averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023/24 while shooting 47.7% from the field and 39.8% from beyond the arc.

McGlothan spent his freshman season at Southeast Missouri State in 2018/19 before transferring to Grand Canyon and spending the subsequent five seasons there (redshirted in ’19/20). In 156 collegiate appearances (111 starts), McGlothan averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.

After not owning a second round pick, the Nuggets have been proactive in adding undrafted talent to their roster. They reportedly agreed to two-way contracts with Creighton’s Trey Alexander and PJ Hall last night, as well as reportedly lining up Exhibit 10 deals with Auburn’s Jaylin Williams and Maryland’s Jahmir Young.