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Southwest Notes: Alvarado, Pelicans, Morant, Edey, Adams, Rockets

October 26th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

With Dejounte Murray sidelined for at least four-to-six weeks, the Pelicans will be counting on recently extended guard Jose Alvarado to move up the depth chart and take on a bigger role this fall, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.

“Jose’s gotta step up big time for us,” head coach Willie Green said. “We all love Jose and we know he brings it night in and night out and we know he’s going to step right up to the plate and get it done for us.”

Alvarado played 13 minutes on Friday in New Orleans’ first game without Murray and contributed four assists and three steals, but also went scoreless and committed four turnovers. He’ll likely see more minutes in the days and weeks to come, but the Pelicans leaned more heavily on guards CJ McCollum (40 minutes) and Jordan Hawkins (29 minutes) to complete a comeback win over Portland on Friday.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • After missing most of last season due to a shoulder injury, Ja Morant looks fully healthy this fall, but only played 28 minutes in Wednesday’s opener and 24 on Friday. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, noting that Morant sat out three of five preseason games, said the team is still getting its star point guard up to full speed during a stretch of six games in nine days, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re working with him and the medical team about how we want to deploy him over this stretch right now,” Jenkins said. “Obviously he was out for a portion of preseason, so getting his game legs and conditioning right.”
  • At the conclusion of the Grizzlies‘ loss to the Rockets on Friday, rookie Zach Edey met Steven Adams at halfcourt and spent more than two minutes talking to the former Grizzlies center. Edey, referring to the conversation as “big man stuff,” declined to go into specifics after the game, but said he welcomed the opportunity to get some advice from a player whose game he admires. “That’s somebody I’ve been watching for a while,” Edey said, according to Cole. “So everything he’s telling me, I’m listening to.”
  • The combination of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason on the second unit helped provide the shut-down defense the Rockets needed to pull away from Memphis in the second half of Friday’s game. As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details, the defensive potential of that Thompson/Eason duo off the bench is something that excites the team. “We always talk about what we can do defensively and how we’re going to be special if we’re locked in,” Eason said. “We just gave each other that look and talked with (head coach) Ime (Udoka) and knew we had to turn it up a notch.” Houston outscored the Grizzlies 25-11 in the 7:20 the two wings played together in the second half.
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2024/25 NBA Two-Way Contract Conversions

October 26th, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

At Hoops Rumors, we track virtually every kind of transaction, including free agent signings, trades, contract extensions, and many more. One form of roster move that has become increasingly common in recent years is the two-way conversion, involving a player either being converted from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, or from a two-way deal to the standard roster.

We’re going to track all of the two-way conversions (either to or from the standard roster) in 2024/25 in the space below.

Let’s dive in…

Exhibit 10 contracts to two-way contracts:

When a player signs a contract during the offseason that includes Exhibit 10 language, he gives his new team the ability to unilaterally convert his deal into a two-way contract. The deadline to convert such a deal is the day before the season begins — this year that was Monday, October 21.

A player who signs a training camp contract that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language could still sign a two-way deal with his club as long as his camp contract doesn’t include a guarantee exceeding $75K. However, he’d have to clear waivers before inking that new two-way contract.

Here are the players who had their Exhibit 10 contracts converted into two-way deals in 2024/25:

The majority of these players were invited to training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and ultimately earned two-way slots based on their performances in camp and the preseason.

That wasn’t the case for all of them though. Boston and Rhoden were cut at the end of the preseason by the Spurs and Raptors, respectively, then were claimed off waivers by the Pelicans and Hornets and immediately converted to two-way deals just ahead of the start of the regular season.

No additional names will be added to this list for the rest of the 2024/25 season, since players can’t be converted to two-way deals after the regular season begins.

Two-way contracts to standard contracts:

A player who is on a two-way contract can have his deal unilaterally converted a one-year, minimum-salary contract by his team (or a two-year, minimum-salary contract if the player’s two-way deal covers two years, but this is rare).

Generally though, the team’s preference is to negotiate a longer-term contract with the player in order to avoid having him reach free agency at season’s end.

When converting a player from a two-way contract to the standard roster, the team can use cap room or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to negotiate a deal of up to four years; the room exception for a deal up to three years; or the taxpayer mid-level exception, bi-annual exception, or minimum salary exception for a two-year deal.

For any contract that is worth more than the minimum or exceeds the number of years left on the player’s two-way pact, the player must agree to the terms — a team can’t complete that sort of deal unilaterally.

Here are the players who have been converted from two-way deals to standard contracts so far in 2024/25, along with the terms of their new contracts, in chronological order:

  • Scotty Pippen Jr. (Grizzlies): Four years, minimum salary (story). First two years fully guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($350K). Fourth-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Jay Huff (Grizzlies): Four years, minimum salary (story). First two years fully guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($379,382). Fourth-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Ariel Hukporti (Knicks): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year non-guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Players on two-way contracts can be converted to standard deals until the last day of the regular season, so this list will continue to grow until mid-April.

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And-Ones: Franchise Valuations, Breakout Candidates, Bitim, More

October 26th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

Forbes has released its NBA franchise valuations for 2024, and according to Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight, the Warriors are the league’s most valuable team for a third straight season, with an estimated valuation of a whopping $8.8 billion. The Knicks ($7.5 billion), Lakers ($7.1 billion), Celtics ($6 billion), and Clippers ($5.5 billion) round out Forbes’ top five.

As Teitelbaum and Knight detail, franchise valuations are up 15% as a whole from last year’s estimates, with an average of $4.4 billion for the league’s 30 teams. Forbes projects that none of those 30 clubs would sell for less than $3 billion if it were put on the market today, with the No. 30 Grizzlies coming in at a valuation of exactly $3 billion.

According to Forbes, new and renovated arenas – which have led to an increase in local revenue via premium seating and sponsorship revenue – have helped spur growth across the league. Teitelbaum and Knight suggest that the Warriors’ total revenue during the 2023/24 season reached $800MM.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • John Hollinger of The Athletic published an 11-player list of prime breakout candidates on Friday, naming Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors forward RJ Barrett, Hornets guard Tre Mann, and Rockets jack-of-all-trades Amen Thompson as a few of the players he believes are poised for big seasons.
  • Relaying reporting out of Turkey, Dario Skerletic of Sportando writes that forward Onuralp Bitim is believed to be drawing interest from Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague after being waived by the Bulls last week. Bitim made his basketball debut with Anadolu Efes earlier in his career and also spent time with multiple other clubs in his native country of Turkey before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in the summer of 2023. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 23 NBA games (11.7 MPG) last season.
  • Grizzlies center Zach Edey sits atop the rookie power rankings published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link). Woo’s list, which ranks players based on their potential to make an immediate impact in 2024/25, also has Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, and Wizards big man Alex Sarr in the top five.
  • Ben Golliver of The Washington Post takes a look at the new court designs for this season’s NBA in-season tournament and explains why last season’s issue with slippery surfaces shouldn’t be a problem this time around.
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Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Davis, LeBron, Dunn

October 26th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

DeMar DeRozan had a strong debut for the Kings on Thursday, scoring 26 points and eight rebounds in nearly 43 minutes of action, with Sacramento outscoring Minnesota by eight points during his time on the court.

Still, the two-point loss to the Timberwolves showed that there will be an adjustment period for the Kings as they get used to DeRozan’s presence, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. After finishing third in the NBA with 39.3 three-point attempts per game last season, Sacramento let it fly from beyond the arc just 29 times in Thursday’s game, well shy of Minnesota’s 50 three-point tries.

“His game is the mid-range,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of DeRozan. “He’s an elite mid-range guy, and so he’s going to take a lot of shots, and that’s going to probably take away from the (three-point shots) some.”

Still, the Kings are confident it won’t take them long to get accustomed to DeRozan’s playing style and believe it will ultimately pay off to have another offensive weapon capable of breaking down defenses and creating his own shot like the 35-year-old can.

“He can run an offense all by himself,” teammate Kevin Huerter said. “There’s times you can just give him the ball and he can go make plays. He doesn’t need plays drawn up for him. As he continues to get more comfortable, we’ll get a lot better. … It’s game one, so we’re early. It’s obviously going to take time. Everybody’s still figuring everything out.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Anthony Davis dominated for a second straight outing in the Lakers‘ Friday win over Phoenix, scoring a game-high 35 points to increase his season total to 71 through two games (both victories). Head coach J.J. Redick‘s plan to make Davis the focus of L.A.’s offense is working as intended so far, according to LeBron James. “It’s very important that he’s the main focal point for us every single night,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We know what he’s going to do defensively, but offensively we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game. And we’ve done that through two games.”
  • Asked during his post-game media session on Friday whether he’ll suit up for the second game of the Lakers‘ back-to-back set on Saturday vs. Sacramento, LeBron told reporters, including McMenamin, that his goal is not to miss a single one of the team’s 82 regular season contests. “I plan on playing every game,” said James, the NBA’s oldest active player.
  • Although the Suns couldn’t pull out a win on Friday vs. the Lakers, they got an encouraging performance from rookie Ryan Dunn. Known as a high-level defender but not much of a shooter during his time at Virginia, Dunn knocked down three-of-five attempts from three-point range and was a plus-8 in his 14 minutes. Dunn’s improvements as a shooter are the result of “a lot of hard work,” he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda in a wide-ranging interview. “I keep having the confidence to keep shooting it even when some nights it might not fall and some nights that it might fall,” said Dunn, who also spoke to Medina about his first impressions of the NBA, meeting some of his long-time basketball idols, and his goals for his rookie season.
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Key In-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines For 2024/25

October 25th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2024/25 NBA season underway, our calendar of important 2024 preseason dates and deadlines can be retired in favor of a list of the key in-season dates for the ’24/25 campaign.

Here’s a breakdown of the deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the NBA:

October 26

  • NBA G League draft.

October 28

  • NBA G League training camps open.

October 31

November 8

  • NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins.

November 12

  • Emirates NBA Cup (in-season tournament) begins.

December 1

  • Priority order for waiver claims is now based on 2024/25 record, rather than 2023/24 record. Teams with the worst records receive the highest waiver priority.

December 3

  • Emirates NBA Cup group play concludes.

December 10-11

  • Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals.

December 14

  • Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

December 15

December 17

  • Emirates NBA Cup final.

December 19-22

  • NBA G League Winter Showcase and Tip-Off Tournament championship.

December 27

  • NBA G League regular season begins.

January 5

January 7

  • Last day to waive non-guaranteed NBA contracts (including two-way contracts) before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.

January 15

February 1

  • Former first-round picks who were stashed overseas may sign rookie scale NBA contracts for the 2025/26 season.

February 6

  • Trade deadline (2:00pm CT).

February 7

February 14-16

  • All-Star weekend in San Francisco.

February 29

March 1

  • Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
  • Last day for a restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet.

March 4

March 10

March 29

  • NBA G League regular season ends.

April 1

  • NBA G League playoffs begin.

April 10

  • Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2025/26 (4:00pm CT).

April 13

  • Last day of the NBA regular season.
  • Last day players can sign contracts for 2024/25.
  • Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
  • Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

April 14

  • Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 15-18

  • NBA play-in tournament.

April 19

  • NBA playoffs begin.

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.

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Southwest Notes: Zion, Pelicans, Kidd, Klay, Grizzlies

October 25th, 2024 at 9:36pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing the Pelicans‘ regular season opener on Wednesday, Zion Williamson was cleared to make his season debut on Friday in Portland, writes Anne M. Peterson of The Associated Press. Head coach Willie Green, who said it was “huge” to get Williamson back, told reporters that the star forward will be on a minutes restriction, though he didn’t share a specific target.

“It won’t be full throttle, but we’ll see how he feels once he gets on the floor,” Green said.

Williamson took Dejounte Murray‘s place in the Pelicans’ starting five after the team’s new starting point guard went down with a broken bone in his hand on Wednesday.

As Christian Clark of NOLA.com points out (via Twitter), after months of speculation about what New Orleans’ new starting lineup would look like, the Murray injury resulted in the team’s starters on Friday looking nearly identical to last season’s group, with Daniel Theis taking departed center Jonas Valanciunas‘s place. Since Murray it expected to be sidelined until at least late November – and likely into December – it will be a while before Green get a chance to get a look at his preferred starting five.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Many people within the Mavericks organization believe head coach Jason Kidd is “uniquely suited” to maximize the contributions of star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes. In an in-depth feature story, MacMahon explores how Kidd has gotten the most out of Doncic and Irving and how the Mavs coach will handle the new challenge of incorporating future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson this season.
  • Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) takes a closer look at Thompson’s early days with the Mavericks, detailing the steps the veteran sharpshooter has taken to fit in and get acclimated to his new NBA home. “When you’re on such a talented team, you don’t have to be a hero,” Thompson said of adjusting to his Mavs role. “That’s what attracted me to come here. I think these guys can help me get the best out of myself. And have fun. When you’re playing with a smile on your face, basketball is the best.” As we detailed earlier today, Klay had 22 points in 26 minutes in his Mavs debut.
  • The Grizzlies are missing multiple rotation players due to injuries and begin their season with six games in nine days, so head coach Taylor Jenkins plans to rely on his depth to get through that stretch and avoid leaning on any of his starters too heavily in the early going, writes Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. That approach includes using reserves like rookie Jaylen Wells, who admitted he was surprised to be one of the first players off the bench in Wednesday’s season opener. “I was not expecting that,” Wells told reporters. “I’m not even going to lie. I think they (yelled for) Scotty (Pippen Jr.). And I thought they only said, ‘Scotty!’ And then they said my name a second time. And I definitely wasn’t expecting that.”
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G League Notes: Knicks, Shamet, Ryan, Bronny, Knox, More

October 25th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate, announced on Friday (via Twitter) that they’ve traded the No. 2 pick in Saturday’s NBAGL draft to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the No. 3 pick and the returning rights to two players (forwards Troy Baxter Jr. and Milhan Charles).

As a result of the deal, the Knicks’ G League team now holds the top two picks in Saturday’s draft, and Marc Stein (Twitter links) reports that there’s an expectation Westchester will use those selections to nab veteran wings Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, both of whom are draft-eligible in the NBAGL this fall.

As Stein explains, the Knicks want Landry Shamet to be able to rehab his dislocated shoulder within the organization and have been eyeing Ryan as a potential roster addition at the NBA level. Having both players at Westchester wouldn’t stop another NBA team from poaching them, but it would put the Knicks in good position to promote one or both of them to the NBA squad at some point this season.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), there’s still optimism within the organization that Shamet will be able to avoid surgery on his right shoulder injury.

Here are a few more G League notes ahead of Saturday’s draft:

  • Lakers guard Bronny James will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6 and then will begin bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who share more details on the Lakers’ plans for the rookie. The NBAGL’s fall “Tip-Off Tournament” begins on Nov. 8.
  • The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, acquired the returning rights for Kevin Knox in a three-team trade with the Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers) and Westchester Knicks, per a press release. Knox had been in camp with the Warriors, but his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it didn’t appear he was planning to join the team’s G League affiliate. Santa Cruz’s trade suggests that may happen after all.
  • The San Diego Clippers acquired Tosan Evbuomwan‘s returning rights along with the No. 31 pick in Saturday’s G League draft from the Motor City Cruise (Pistons) in exchange for this year’s No. 12 pick and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link). The deal ensures that Evbuomwan, who was signed and waived by the Clippers last week, will be eligible for his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus as a returning rights player for L.A.’s affiliate.
  • The Texas Legends (Mavericks) have traded the returning rights for guard Mike Miles to the Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves) in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 international draft pick, the team announced in a press release. Miles averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game across 29 appearances for the Legends last season.
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NBA Teams With Most Roster Continuity, Turnover Entering 2024/25

October 25th, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Roster continuity is typically viewed as a positive trait for NBA teams. It's not uncommon for players to express appreciation for the opportunity to spend multiple seasons getting comfortable with the same teammates rather than having to deal with significant personnel changes from year to year.

Still, it's roster turnover - rather than continuity - that draws the most headlines during the NBA offseason and generates the most hype entering the fall. That's why we spent way more time talking about teams like the Knicks and Sixers in the weeks and months leading up to opening night than we did discussing the Cavaliers, who added exactly one new player (rookie Jaylon Tyson) to the standard roster they carried into the end of last season.

There's no set formula to NBA success -- carrying over a significant number of players from last year's team doesn’t necessarily give a club a leg up entering a new season. But continuity was a signifier of success in 2023/24.

Of the seven teams who carried over at least 13 players (including two-ways) from their end-of-season rosters in 2022/23 to the start of the '23/24 season, five improved their records and a sixth equaled its win total from the previous season. The Grizzlies were the only exception, and they were hurt far more by injuries than they were by a lack of roster changes.

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Injury Notes: Wiseman, Jackson, Ball, Jackson, Eason, Hornets

October 25th, 2024 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers center James Wiseman underwent successful surgery on Thursday night to repair his torn left Achilles tendon, as Shams Charania of ESPN first reported (via Twitter). While Achilles tears are typically season-ending injuries, Indiana is still determining Wiseman’s recovery timeline, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, and head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Friday that Wiseman hasn’t been ruled out for the season yet.

“This was terrible luck,” Carlisle said in discussing the injury. “Great kid who had an amazing summer of preparation, really good preseason. Training camp was also really good. It’s just one of those things. Just a very odd circumstance. Very unlucky.”

The Pacers’ other backup center, Isaiah Jackson, missed Wednesday’s regular season opener due to a right groin strain, but he has been cleared to suit up for Friday’s game in New York, Dopirak writes in a separate story for The Indy Star. Still, with Wiseman seemingly unlikely to play again this season, Carlisle didn’t rule out the possibility of adding another center to the roster.

“I would think that our people are getting a few phone calls today from agents and stuff like that,” Carlisle said. “I’ve not been focusing on that. The good news for us is Isaiah Jackson will be back and available. That’s very good news. We will just right now focus on the guys we have on the roster that are ready to go and come out with guns blazing. That’s what you gotta do in this situation.”

The Pacers have an open 15-man roster spot, and while they don’t have a ton of breathing room below the luxury tax line, they could add a free agent big man on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract and stay out of tax territory while maintaining the flexibility to waive that player before the league-wide salary guarantee date.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • Lonzo Ball‘s limit of 16 minutes per game is going to remain in place “for some time,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. But the veteran point guard came away from his regular season debut on Wednesday feeling fine and will play in Saturday’s home opener vs. Oklahoma City after sitting out the first end of Chicago’s back-to-back in Milwaukee on Friday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). Wednesday represented Ball’s first regular season action since January 2022 due to multiple knee surgeries.
  • Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. won’t play on Friday vs. Houston, having been ruled out due to his left hamstring strain (Twitter link). The team was said to be targeting this weekend for Jackson’s return, so we’ll see if he’s able to make his season debut on Saturday at home vs. Orlando.
  • After describing Steven Adams‘ availability as “game-to-game” as he returns from knee surgery that cost him the entire 2023/24 season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said forward Tari Eason is in a similar boat, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Eason, who missed most of last season due to leg surgery, was active on Wednesday and isn’t on the injury report for Friday’s game vs. Memphis, but may not suit up for the second end of Houston’s back-to-back set on Saturday in San Antonio (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
  • Josh Green (left Achilles soreness) and Tidjane Salaun (left finger sprain) have been upgraded to available for the Hornets‘ game in Atlanta on Friday. Neither player has made his Hornets regular season debut, but both could see action tonight.
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Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Nets, Sixers, Murphy, Springer, Tucker

October 25th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Kuminga was believed to be seeking a maximum-salary or near-max contract ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline, which is why he and the Warriors didn’t agree to terms on a deal, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said today on the B/R App. However, Fischer believes Golden State will be comfortable paying Kuminga big money if he shows this season that his impressive stretch from January to March was no fluke and continues to take strides toward stardom.

“The Warriors will be happy to pay Jonathan Kuminga that top dollar if that sample size is stretched out over the entire course of the 2024/25 season,” Fischer said.

Still, Fischer noted that Kuminga isn’t necessarily a lock to remain with the Warriors long-term and suggested two potential suitors worth keeping an eye on for the fourth-year forward (video clip).

One is no surprise: Brooklyn is currently the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room and Fischer says Kuminga has “come up” in past trade talks between the Nets and Warriors. The Nets aren’t necessarily specifically targeting the 22-year-old, Fischer clarifies, but their cap situation makes them a potential threat when Kuminga reaches restricted free agency, especially since general manager Sean Marks has shown a willingness in the past to sign RFAs to lucrative offer sheets.

The other team worth watching, according to Fischer, is the Sixers, who would only have a chance to acquire Kuminga on the trade market. Philadelphia has conveyed a willingness to give up draft capital to add another impact player, Fischer explains, and could use KJ Martin‘s pseudo-expiring contract as a salary-matching piece.

That sort of deal may not appeal to the Warriors, and acquiring Kuminga and then paying him in free agency would result in a massive payroll in 2025/26 and beyond for the 76ers, who already have three players on maximum-salary contracts. But Fischer suggests Philadelphia has “a lot of willingness” to go deep into luxury tax territory for the right opportunity to “cement (their) title window.”

Here are a few more trade notes and rumors from around the league:

  • According to Fischer, Trey Murphy was another player believed to be on the Nets‘ and Sixers‘ radars as a potential free agent and trade target, respectively, but he’s off the table after signing a four-year, $112MM extension with the Pelicans.
  • After identifying Celtics guard Jaden Springer as a trade candidate last week, Fischer reiterated that point in his rumor round-up on Friday, noting that moving Springer at or before the February trade deadline would create tax savings for Boston and would open up a roster spot for Lonnie Walker or another player. Fischer added that the Celtics recently called a number of teams to gauge Springer’s trade value.
  • The Sixers, Heat, Bucks, and Suns are among the teams that have spoken to P.J. Tucker‘s representation about a possible trade, sources tell Kelly Iko and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). As we relayed on Thursday, the Clippers have granted Tucker’s agent Andre Buck permission to talk to potential trade partners to try to find his client a new home, but the veteran forward’s $11.54MM cap hit will make it difficult to find a deal that works for L.A.
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