Pistons Sign Javante McCoy, Waive Two Players

G League guard Javante McCoy has joined the Pistons on an Exhibit 10 contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The team has waived Devon Higgs and Sam Peek, whose signings were reported earlier today, Scotto adds.

McCoy, 26, was acquired in August by the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, which is where he’ll likely play this season. The Exhibit 10 deal makes him eligible for a $77.5K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Cruise. Higgs and Peek are believed to have signed Exhibit 10 contracts as well, so they’ll be able to earn the same bonus.

McCoy has played in the G League since going undrafted out of Boston University in 2022. He originally signed with the Lakers and spent one year with their affiliate in South Bay, then joined the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 deal last September and played for Austin, where he averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 regular season games.

The Pistons now have 18 players under contract, three short of the offseason limit. The team also has pending Exhibit 10 agreements with Dereon Seabron and Aaron Estrada.

Hawks Sign Kevon Harris To Exhibit 10 Contract

Free agent guard Kevon Harris will join the Hawks on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The deal is official, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

A report last month indicated Harris had reached a training camp agreement with the Clippers that included the opportunity to compete for a roster spot. Scotto’s tweet doesn’t mention what happened with L.A., but Harris appears to have gotten an offer from Atlanta that he liked better.

The 27-year-old joined the Magic in 2022 on a two-way contract that covered two seasons. He appeared in 34 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per night, but he was limited to two games last season after missing the first part of the year with a knee issue.

Harris excelled in the G League, putting up 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27 regular season games with the Osceola Magic and earning a spot in the league’s Up Next game at All-Star weekend.

Harris became an unrestricted free agent in late June when the Magic decided not to extend a qualifying offer.

The Hawks have 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so Harris’ best chance to earn a roster spot might be as a two-way player. Seth Lundy, Keaton Wallace and Dominick Barlow currently hold Atlanta’s two-way slots.

If Harris gets waived, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.

Harris’ signing brings Atlanta’s roster count to 19 players.

Timberwolves Sign Jaedon LeDee To Exhibit 10 Contract

Former San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Timberwolves, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The deal is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

LeDee, 25, joined Minnesota’s Summer League team after going unselected in this year’s draft. He appeared in five games in Las Vegas, averaging 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per night.

In his senior season with the Aztecs, LeDee received the Karl Malone Award as the best power forward in college basketball. He was also selected as a second-team All-American by NABC and the Sporting News and was a third-team choice by the Associated Press after posting 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 36 games.

LeDee began his collegiate career at Ohio State, but transferred to TCU after his freshman season. He moved on to San Diego State two years later and was part of the 2023 Final Four team. He originally declared for the draft in 2023, but withdrew his name to spend one more season in college.

The Wolves currently have 14 players on standard contracts and all three of their two-way slots filled, so LeDee faces long odds to earn a roster spot. He’ll likely end up with the team’s G League affiliate in Iowa, where he’ll be eligible to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K by remaining with the team for 60 days.

LeDee’s signing brings Minnesota’s roster to 20 players, one off the 21-man offseason limit.

Philadelphia Mayor Announces Agreement With Sixers For New Arena

A tentative agreement has been reached to keep the Sixers in Philadelphia, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced on Twitter (video link). The deal, which must be approved by city council, involves a new arena in Center City.

“This is a historic agreement,” Parker said. “It is the best financial deal ever entered into by a Philadelphia mayor for a local sports arena. I wholeheartedly believe it is the right deal for the people of Philadelphia.”

The new arena would be located on Market Street East, which Jeff Gammage, Sean Collins Walsh and Ximena Conde of The Philadelphia Inquirer describe as a “beleaguered” section of the city. Parker promises that the new facility will generate tax revenue for the city and local schools, create hundreds of new jobs and launch “the start of an unprecedented revival of Market Street.”

According to the Inquirer, Parker’s statement followed a meeting with leaders from Chinatown, who have opposed development in the area. Dozens of Chinatown residents gathered outside City Hall on Wednesday to protest the proposed arena, vowing that they will continue to fight it.

The agreement with the Sixers comes after an offer from New Jersey to provide $400MM in tax credits and build a multi-purpose arena once the lease at Wells Fargo Arena expires in 2031. The team currently rents the arena from Comcast Spectacor and has plans to build a $1.3 billion facility when a location is officially secured.

The Sixers released a statement expressing optimism about the new agreement, relays Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

“We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal,” the statement reads, “and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council.”

Javon Freeman-Liberty Signs With Manisa Basket

Former Raptors guard Javon Freeman-Liberty will continue his career overseas. Turkish club Manisa Basket announced on Wednesday (via Instagram) that Freeman-Liberty has joined the team (hat tip to Sportando).

Freeman-Liberty, who went undrafted in 2022 out of DePaul, spent his rookie season with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.

The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. Although his contract with Toronto covered two years, his salary for ’24/25 was partially guaranteed for just $100K, so he was waived in July before that partial guarantee increased.

Freeman-Liberty appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.

Freeman-Liberty is the second player who spent the 2023/24 season in the NBA to join Manisa Basket this offseason. Saben Lee also signed with the club in August.

In addition to competing in the Basketball Super League in Turkey, Manisa will be part of Europe’s Basketball Champions League for the first time next season. Manisa Basket posted a 16-14 mark in domestic play last season, finishing sixth out of 16 Turkish teams. The club was eliminated in the first round of the postseason by Besiktas.

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Toronto Raptors

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Toronto Raptors.


Free agent signings

  • Immanuel Quickley: Five years, $162,500,000. Includes an additional $12.5MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Garrett Temple: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Bruno Fernando: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jamison Battle: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jared Rhoden: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (No. 45 pick), and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick from the Kings in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.
    • Note: Vezenkov was subsequently bought out.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick) from the Grizzlies in a four-team trade in exchange for cash ($1MM; to Timberwolves).

Draft picks

  • 1-19: Ja’Kobe Walter
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $16,785,132).
  • 2-31: Jonathan Mogbo
    • Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
  • 2-45: Jamal Shead
    • Signed to three-year, $6,113,913 contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
  • 2-57: Ulrich Chomche
    • Signed to two-year, two-year contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Scottie Barnes to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Barnes meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Exercised Bruce Brown‘s 2024/25 team option ($23,000,000).
  • Bought out Sasha Vezenkov.
  • Waived Javon Freeman-Liberty.
  • Waived Mouhamadou Gueye (two-way).

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $161.5MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
  • Full mid-level exception ($12.8MM) available.
  • Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $5,107,652).

The offseason so far

Having lost Fred VanVleet in free agency last summer, the Raptors traded OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam during the 2023/24 season, signaling that they’d decided to build around Scottie Barnes going forward and envisioned newly acquired point guard Immanuel Quickley as his running mate. It was appropriate then that the team’s two biggest moves of the 2024 offseason were locking up those cornerstone pieces to long-term contracts.

Barnes’ five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension is essentially the same deal that his fellow 2021 lottery picks Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner all signed this summer. And while there’s no guarantee that Barnes will be the best player in that group across the next five or six years, you can make a strong case that, of the four, he was the most deserving of a big-money investment. After all, Barnes beat out the other three for Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and is the only player from the ’21 draft class who has made an All-Star team so far.

Barnes, 23, will need to keep making strides as a scorer and shooter in order to provide a positive return on that $224MM+ deal, but the Raptors couldn’t reasonably have expected to lock him up for anything less.

It’s not as easy to make the same claim about Quickley, whose new five-year contract includes $162.5MM in guaranteed money and an additional $12.5MM in incentives. That’s a huge price to pay for a player who had never averaged more than 15 points per game and hadn’t emerged as a full-time starter before arriving in Toronto midway through the 2023/24 season.

Quickley finished the year strong, averaging 18.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game across 38 games (all starts) for Toronto. Still, his career résumé to date isn’t any stronger than that of players like Jordan Poole or Tyler Herro, who each signed long-term contracts in 2022 that were one year shorter and slightly less lucrative than Quickley’s new deal — and those contracts don’t exactly look especially team-friendly two years later.

As with Barnes’ deal, the Raptors’ investment in Quickley is more about what he can become than what he is right now. If he doesn’t improve upon his .421 career FG% or further increase his scoring and assist totals, that $32.5MM annual salary will feel like an overpay. On the plus side, it features a flat structure, meaning it’ll be worth a smaller percentage of the cap in each subsequent season.

Besides splurging on Barnes and Quickley, the Raptors didn’t make a ton of major roster moves this offseason. Garrett Temple was the only other free agent to receive guaranteed money, and he re-signed for the veteran’s minimum. Bruno Fernando also got a minimum-salary deal, and while his contract isn’t guaranteed, he has a shot to make the roster as the 15th man. Toronto opted not to bring back Gary Trent Jr., whose asking price reportedly exceeded what the club was comfortable paying.

The Raptors took on some salary in a trade with Sacramento, acquiring Sasha Vezenkov, Davion Mitchell, and a pair of second-round picks in exchange for Jalen McDaniels. It was a savvy move for a team with some breathing room below the luxury tax line and looked even better when Vezenkov agreed to give up his entire $6.66MM guaranteed salary in a buyout agreement.

As a result, the Raptors essentially took on an extra $1.7MM in salary to swap out a dud of a 2023 free agent signing (McDaniels) for a former lottery pick with some defensive upside (Mitchell) while adding a pair of second-round picks in the process. One of those second-rounders was No. 45 selection Jamal Shead, who became one of three rookies to join Toronto’s 15-man roster, along with No. 19 pick Ja’Kobe Walter and No. 31 pick Jonathan Mogbo.

Once a highly regarded program capable of turning late first-rounders (Siakam) and undrafted free agents (VanVleet) into All-Stars, the Raptors’ player development staff hasn’t had as many wins in recent years. Between this year’s rookie class and last year’s No. 13 overall pick Gradey Dick, they’ll have no shortage of developmental opportunities in 2024/25, even after having traded away their own 2024 lottery selection.


Up next

With 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Raptors’ roster is essentially set for the regular season. Barring a preseason trade or a two-way change, the only real decision will be whether or not to carry a 15th man.

Fernando is the favorite for that opening, but his salary would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Raptors attempt to push back that guarantee date, allowing him to remain on the roster and essentially be paid by that day for the first few weeks of the regular season. Before he was waived by the Hawks in July, Fernando agreed to push back his guarantee date multiple times, so he’s no stranger to that type of arrangement.

After picking up Bruce Brown‘s $23MM option in June, Toronto was expected to try to find a taker for the veteran swingman and his expiring contract, but no deal materialized. Brown, who played a key role off the bench for the 2023 champion Nuggets, is the sort of jack-of-all-trades contributor who would fit in on just about any playoff team, so he’ll remain a prime trade candidate as long as he’s on the roster. While the Raptors could revisit the market this fall, an in-season move is probably more likely.

The Raptors have two players eligible for extensions, but I don’t think either Mitchell (rookie scale) or Chris Boucher (veteran) is a great candidate to sign a new contract before opening night. Mitchell has yet to play a game with Toronto and Boucher had an inconsistent role last season, averaging just 14.1 minutes per game.

I expect the Raptors to take their chances with Mitchell in restricted free agency next summer, if he’s even still on the roster by then. As for Boucher, he’ll remain extension-eligible for the entire league year, so if he enjoys a nice bounce-back season, the front office could open negotiations at any time.

And-Ones: Expansion, EuroLeague, G League Trades, Hawes

What would it look like if the NBA awarded expansion teams to a pair of new cities? In an entertaining story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks broke down the rules governing expansion drafts, then submitted lists of protected players for each team to Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, who conducted a mock expansion draft on behalf of the two hypothetical new franchises.

As Marks details, the rules for expansion drafts aren’t specifically laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but in the past, each existing NBA team has been permitted to protect up to eight players in the spring, including pending restricted free agents and/or players holding options. In those instances, expansion teams weren’t allowed to select more than one player from any of the NBA’s existing clubs.

Marks also lays out how expansion teams would be incorporated into the annual rookie draft (they’re typically not given the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick during their first couple seasons) and how the salary cap would work for them (their cap would be two-thirds of the league-wide cap in year one, 80% in year two, and the full cap in year three).

While expansion is likely still at least two or three years away, ESPN’s exercise is an informative one that helps illustrate with practical examples how new teams would fill out their rosters.

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

  • Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required) takes a look at 10 notable players in the EuroLeague who are on expiring contracts and will reach free agency in 2025. Mathias Lessort, Kevin Punter, and Chima Moneke are among the headliners on Urbonas’ list who figure to be monitored by NBA teams in 2024/25.
  • The Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – completed a pair of trades on Tuesday. Westchester sent Dmytro Skapintsev‘s returning rights to the Maine Celtics in exchange for the rights to Brandon Slater and Joe Wieskamp; in a separate deal, the Knicks’ NBAGL team acquired Brandon Williams‘ returning rights and a 2025 G League international draft pick from the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to Charlie Brown Jr. (Twitter links). The NBA’s Celtics signed Skapintsev to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday.
  • Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype spoke to former NBA big man Spencer Hawes about the ups and downs of his playing career, which saw him appear in 684 regular season games for six teams from 2007-17. A 7’1″ center who made 35.0% of his career-three pointers, Hawes was asked if he felt like he arrived in the league a few years too early. “I kind of joke about my buddies. I missed the max (contract) by a couple of years,” Hawes said. “Well, I think the game just wasn’t in such a good place and my game as well. I came in kind of as a more traditional old-school post-up player and I realized that pretty quickly that wasn’t working. So, I kind of had to figure out a different way to try and get on the floor and help the team win.”

Pistons Sign Three Players To Camp Contracts

The Pistons have signed free agents Devon Higgs, Sam Peek, and Tolu Smith to training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Higgs, who went undrafted in 2023, spent his first professional season in the G League, appearing in a total of 26 games for the College Park Skyhawks and Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate. The 6’5″ guard averaged 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.2 minutes per game in the G League, with a shooting line of .451/.340/.517, then was on the Pistons’ Las Vegas Summer League roster in 2024.

Peek, a 6’7″ forward, also finished last season with the Cruise and then was part of the Pistons’ Summer League team. He averaged 6.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 14 games (19.9 MPG) for Motor City in 2023/24 after starting the season with the Wisconsin Herd.

Smith, meanwhile, went undrafted this June after wrapping up his college career at Mississippi State. The 6’10” forward averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game across 108 games in four years with the Bulldogs. Before that, he spent his freshman season with Western Kentucky.

Like Higgs and Peek, Smith played for the Pistons in Las Vegas in July. He had a significant Summer League role, putting up 11.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in five starts (22.1 MPG).

In all likelihood, the three newest Pistons received Exhibit 10 contracts and will be waived well before the regular season begins, lining them up to join the Cruise this fall. They’d be eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Detroit’s G League team.

The Pistons now have 19 players under contract and have also reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with Dereon Seabron and Aaron Estrada.

Adrian Wojnarowski Leaving ESPN To Become St. Bonaventure GM

Adrian Wojnarowski, the longtime NBA reporter who has worked at ESPN since 2017, announced today (via Twitter) that he’s retiring from ESPN and from the news industry as a whole.

“I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN’s campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it all.

“This craft transformed my life, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make. Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.”

While Wojnarowski’s statement didn’t include any details on the next phase of his career, his fellow news-breakers at ESPN – Adam Schefter (NFL), Jeff Passan (MLB), and Pete Thamel (NCAAF) – reported that Woj has agreed to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater.

The school confirmed the news in a press release, indicating that Wojnarowski’s responsibilities in his new role will include “name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.”

While Wojnarowski has been a regular presence on ESPN’s NBA broadcasts and studio programming over the past seven years, he’s best known for having been the league’s most prominent news-breaker for well over a decade. The term “Woj bomb” was coined to describe Wojnarowski’s scoops on Twitter, where he and former protégé Shams Charania have battled over the years to be the first to report the NBA’s biggest trades, signings, and other news.

I’d wager that no reporter’s name has shown up more on Hoops Rumors since our inception in 2012 than Wojnarowski’s. His career change will be a significant loss for the NBA news industry, but we wish him well as he prepares to begin work with the Bonnies.