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Pacific Notes: Green, Durant, Allen, Booker, Beal, Lakers, Westbrook, Huerter

October 23rd, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Draymond Green won’t play in the Warriors’ opener on Tuesday, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Green was sidelined prior to training camp by a left lateral ankle sprain. He was cleared for 5-on-5 action on Sunday and participated in Monday’s practice.

“He’s doing really well but we don’t feel like it would be wise to throw him out with so little scrimmage time on the floor,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ll reassess as the days go.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Suns star forward Kevin Durant will play in Golden State on Tuesday for the first time since he left the franchise and signed with Brooklyn. Durant says he’s looking forward to it. “I’m excited to play in front of those fans,” Durant told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I had some incredible moments there and we built a bond that doesn’t really have to be spoken about, me and the fans in the Bay Area. Feel like they’ve been supporting me way before I came there, actually. Then once I became a part of the Warriors, they just went even harder in support of myself and my teammates.”
Durant believes a recent addition to the Suns, wing Grayson Allen, will thrive with so many offensive threats around him, according to Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com. “When he gets the opportunity to play with myself, (Devin Booker) and (Bradley Beal), I think the floor opens up even more for him, and we could play off him a little bit more as well,” Durant said. “He’s just a guy that can fit in. You see how many teams he’s played on and how well he’s played at each stop, so we’re expecting him to have a solid year this year.”
Speaking of Booker and Beal, they’re listed as questionable to play on Tuesday. Booker is dealing with left big toe soreness, while Beal has experienced lower back tightness. “We’re hopeful that they both play,” coach Frank Vogel told Rankin.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Jalen Hood-Schifino won’t play in the Lakers’ opener, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets. Vanderbilt is dealing with left heel soreness while Hood-Schifino has a right patella contusion. Hood-Schifino will be reevaluated by team doctors on Nov. 3.
Russell Westbrook says he’s striving to be a positive force with the Clippers and won’t mind taking criticism if it eases the pressure off of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. “When I’m playing, let me make sure I can make the game as easy as possible,” Westbrook said. “I take all the bullets for anybody. I take all the heat. I don’t really give a (darn) because I know what’s important to my teammates and to me that’s the most important part.”
Kings coach Mike Brown has challenged Kevin Huerter to be tougher defensively and he’s accepted the message, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. “I just think it’s early,” Huerter said. “For me, I’m not worried about the offensive side of the court right now. I think, like you guys have heard throughout this preseason, for us as a team and individually, it’s (about) being better on the other side of the court. We know what we’re capable of — really with anybody on the court — offensively. We’ve just got to continue to buy in and play the right way and do the things we’re supposed to on the other side.”

Pistons Notes: Bogdanovic, Morris, Hayes, Umude, Predictions, Thompson

October 23rd, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bojan Bogdanovic (right calf soreness) and Monte Morris (lower back tightness) won’t play in the Pistons’ opener in Miami on Wednesday, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.

Bogdanovic’s absence will alter the lineup, as he’s penciled as the starting small forward. Morris, acquired from Washington in a trade, is expected to play a key role off the bench.

Killian Hayes, who has been dealing with a left knee sprain, practiced in full on Sunday after missing Friday’s preseason finale. He might fill in for Bogdanovic in the starting lineup.

We have more on the Pistons:

Detroit converted Stanley Umude to a two-way contract on Monday and it was a popular move in the locker room, Sankofa tweets in a video link. “That was probably the best part. seeing how happy they were for me. .. seeing that they knew how hard I worked for it,” Umude said.
Will the Pistons make a trade packaging multiple players? That’s one of the predictions James Edwards III of The Athletic makes, among nine others, regarding this season. Edwards also believes Ausar Thompson will be a All-Rookie First Team selection.
Expanding on that topic, coach Monty Williams marvels at how Thompson has an uncanny ability to snatch rebounds, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes. “Some of the rebounds he comes up with, I mean, you catch yourself on the bench, like, ‘Did you see that?’ ” Williams said. “I think there’s some stat about since Summer League, he’s gotten eight-plus rebounds every time he steps on the floor.”

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Hardy, Alvarado, Zion, VanVleet, Green, Rockets

October 23rd, 2023 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Good news for the Mavericks — Luka Doncic and Jaden Hardy practiced in full on Monday, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

The team will reevaluate Doncic, who has been dealing with a calf strain, after Tuesday’s practice before a decision on whether he’s good to go for the season opener against San Antonio. Hardy has been dealing with an ankle injury.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

It’s not looking like Jose Alvarado will be ready for the Pelicans’ opener. The spark-plug guard was unable to practice on Monday, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. Alvarado has been dealing with a right ankle sprain suffered during an offseason workout.
The Pelicans explored trading Zion Williamson over the summer, multiple executives told Clark, but there was never any serious traction on a deal. A better outcome would be for Williamson to stay healthy and fulfill his promise. Williamson is hopeful changes to the performance staff will help him reach that goal. “The Pelicans have put in a lot of things this offseason to not only prevent things like that, but to react to it in the best way possible,” Williamson said. “I think what the Pelicans have done, there is good structure.”
The Rockets made a huge investment in Fred VanVleet and their new point guard believes they signed him at just the right time, he told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “It’s the perfect time for me to be here in this situation after the last three years that this organization has had,” he said. “Hiring Ime (Udoka) here, bringing a couple more vets with the young guys that they have, I think it’s just a perfect fit and it’s perfect timing.”
Josh Green‘s salary structure in his rookie scale extension begins with a $12,654,321 salary next season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. He’ll make $13,666,667 the following season and $14,679,012 in 2026/27.
In a subscriber-only story, the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen discusses how the Rockets’ young core realizes that it’s time for them to start posting wins.

Maxey, Quickley, Williams Among Players Who Didn’t Sign Extensions

October 23rd, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

An unusual number of players who were eligible to sign rookie scale extensions prior to Monday’s deadline inked new deals. A total of 14 players received rookie scale extensions in 2023, blowing away the previous single-year record of 11.

However, nearly half of the 27 eligible players didn’t sign a contract and thus will head to restricted free agency, if they are extended qualifying offers by their respective teams after the season. Otherwise, they’ll be unrestricted free agents next summer.

Perhaps the biggest name on the list is Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey, though that comes with an asterisk. The Sixers front office and Maxey mutually agreed to put off an extension so that Philadelphia could maximize its cap room next summer.

Immanuel Quickley and Patrick Williams are two of the other big-time names on the list who didn’t reach agreements with their teams. While the Knicks and Quickley’s reps — as well as the Bulls and Williams’ reps — held extension talks as the deadline neared, they couldn’t come to terms on the numbers.

Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn (Raptors), Saddiq Bey (Hawks), James Wiseman and Killian Hayes (Pistons), Kira Lewis (Pelicans), Chuma Okeke (Magic), Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers), Aleksej Pokusevski (Thunder) and Obi Toppin (Pacers) are the other eligible players who didn’t sign extensions.

A full list of the players who did, or did not, sign rookie scale extensions this offseason can be found here.

Hawks Sign Onyeka Okongwu To Four-Year Extension

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

5:46pm: The deal is official, the Hawks have confirmed in a press release.

4:47pm: The Hawks have reached an extension agreement with center Onyeka Okongwu, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from agent Sam Goldfeder that the two sides are completing a four-year, $62MM deal.

Okongwu, who will turn 23 in December, was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has primarily come off the bench in his first three professional seasons, starting just 28 of 178 games for Atlanta.

However, Okongwu has gradually taken on a more significant role each year, setting new career highs in points (9.9), rebounds (7.2), and minutes (23.1) per game in 80 appearances in 2022/23 and posting impressive offensive rebounding numbers following the arrival of Quin Snyder, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). He projects to take on more responsibilities in the Hawks’ frontcourt this season with big man John Collins no longer on the roster.

While $15.5MM per year is a substantial price to pay for a reserve, it could turn out to be a bargain if Okongwu continues to improve and eventually replaces Clint Capela as Atlanta’s starting center. Capela’s name popped up in trade rumors this offseason and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that happens again in the coming months now that the team has made a long-term commitment to Okongwu.

His long-term contract agreement with the Hawks ensures that Okongwu becomes part of a record-setting class of rookie scale extension recipients in 2023. He’s the 14th players to agree to a rookie scale extension this year, blowing away the previous record of 11, which was set in 2021 and matched in 2022.

Hawks forward Saddiq Bey was also among the players eligible to sign a rookie scale extension by Monday’s 5:00 pm CT deadline, but he didn’t reach a deal with the team, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Rockets To Waive Two-Way Player Trevor Hudgins

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets are waiving two-way player Trevor Hudgins, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

That opens up a two-way slot for Houston, which also has Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Jeenathan Williams on two-way deals.

Hudgins signed a two-way contract with Houston prior to last season after going undrafted out of Northwest Missouri State. He spent the season almost entirely in the G League, where he averaged 19 points per game for Rio Grande Valley. Hudgins, a guard, also appeared in five NBA games as a rookie.

He remained on the roster after accepting the Rockets’ two-way qualifying offer this summer.

Wolves Sign Jaden McDaniels To Five-Year Extension

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

5:18pm: The Timberwolves have officially announced McDaniels’ extension, issuing a press release to confirm the deal.

2:53pm: McDaniels’ new deal will actually be worth $131MM, with another $5MM available via incentives that are currently considered unlikely, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

1:20pm: The Timberwolves and forward Jaden McDaniels are in agreement on a five-year rookie scale extension worth $136MM, agents Nima Namakian and Bill Duffy tell Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania notes (via Twitter), by agreeing to give McDaniels a significant contract extension, the Wolves project to be a taxpayer starting in 2024/25, which is when the new deal kicks in. Minnesota hasn’t been a taxpaying team in almost 20 years, Charania adds.

McDaniels will make $3.9MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently said on his Lowe Post podcast that the five-year, $135MM+ extension that Spurs wing Devin Vassell signed threw a “grenade” into some other rookie scale extension negotiations around the NBA, including McDaniels’ talks.

While Lowe believed that McDaniels would be warranted in seeking an annual salary of at least $30MM per year, his ESPN colleague Bobby Marks suggested that an extension worth in the neighborhood of $134MM over five years (just below Vassell’s deal) might make sense for both the player and the team. Marks turned out to be almost exactly right.

When I covered McDaniels’ extension candidacy in late June, I projected he could get about $25MM annually. If the deal is fully guaranteed, he’ll make a couple million per year more than that.

The 23-year-old is one of the top wing defenders in the league. He’s coming off a career year in which he averaged 12.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .517/.398/.736 shooting in 79 games, all starts (30.6 MPG). McDaniels also posted a career-best 58.8% two-point percentage in ’22/23, with a major leap in scoring efficiency (61.1% True Shooting percentage, vs. 55.2% and 55.3% in his previous two seasons).

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and Skor North was speaking to Wolves owner Glen Taylor on Monday and he said a deal would be completed prior to the 5:00 p.m. CT deadline (Twitter link). Taylor also said the Wolves were able to lower McDaniels’ asking price, with Vassell’s contract cited in talks, according to Wolfson.

McDaniels is the 11th former first-round pick to agree to a rookie scale extension this offseason, tying the record of the past two years. The full list of players who have signed new deals — as well as those who remain eligible — can be found right here.

Blazers Re-Sign Duop Reath To Two-Way Contract

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

5:14pm: The Blazers have officially signed Reath and waived Badji, according to the opening night rosters announced by the NBA (Twitter link).

4:36pm: After being waived by the Trail Blazers on Saturday, center Duop Reath is returning to the team on a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Reath, 27, has played overseas since going undrafted out of LSU in 2018, spending time with teams in Serbia, Australia, China, and Lebanon over the last five years. Reath averaged 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games for Portland’s Summer League team in July, then represented Australia in the 2023 World Cup, starting at center for the Boomers.

Although Reath was on a training camp contract with the Blazers this month, his deal only included Exhibit 9 language, not an Exhibit 10 clause, so he was ineligible to be converted directly to a two-way deal. Portland had to put him through waivers in order to re-sign him to a two-way contract.

According to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link), another big man, Ibou Badji, will be waived to open up a two-way slot for Reath.

Badji, 21, spent much of last season on a two-way contract with Portland, though he didn’t appear in an NBA regular season game.

A 7’1″ Senegalese center with a 7’9″ wingspan, Badji played in Spain from 2019-22 and joined the Wisconsin Herd (the Bucks’ G League affiliate) to begin the 2022/23 campaign after going undrafted last year. He joined the Blazers last November and signed a second two-way contract with the team this July.

Rockets Cut Darius Days, Convert Jeenathan Williams To Two-Way Deal

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Luke Adams

5:12pm: The Rockets have officially waived Days and converted Williams to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

2:27pm: The Rockets are waiving forward Darius Days ahead of Monday’s regular season roster deadline, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

Days, who turned 24 on Friday, had been on a two-way contract with Houston, having accepted his qualifying offer from the team at the start of the offseason. He spent the entire 2022/23 season on a two-way deal with the Rockets, appearing in just four NBA games but enjoying an excellent year for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate.

In 47 total regular season and Showcase Cup games for the Vipers last season, Days averaged 21.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .487/.359/.816. He finished third in NBAGL Rookie of the Year voting and claimed a spot on the All-G League second team.

Despite Days’ strong 2022/23 campaign, he became the victim of a roster crunch this fall, as the Rockets needed to open up a two-way slot for preseason standout Jeenathan Williams, per Feigen.

A 6’5″ shooting guard, Williams put up 8.6 PPG on 63.3% shooting despite logging just 10.2 MPG in five preseason appearances. He had been on an Exhibit 10 contract but remained on the roster through Saturday, which is when virtually every other player on an Exhibit 10 deal was cut so that they could clear waivers before the regular season began. That was a signal that the Rockets intended to keep him around by converting him to a two-way contract.

Once Houston officially waives Days, converts Williams, and cuts Robinson-Earl – whose fate was reported earlier this afternoon – the team will be within the regular season roster limit, carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Rockets Waive Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

October 23rd, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

5:10pm: The Rockets have officially waived Robinson-Earl, per NBA.com’s transaction log. The club also converted Williams to a two-way contract and cut Darius Days in order to set its regular season roster.

1:18pm: The Rockets will waive center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ahead of the regular season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Robinson-Earl, who will turn 23 in November, was the 32nd overall pick in the 2021 draft. He spent his first two NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, averaging 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game across 92 appearances, with a shooting line of .427/.344/.781.

The Thunder included Robinson-Earl last week in the trade that sent Victor Oladipo to Houston in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr. and a pair of future second-round picks. Robinson-Earl had fallen behind Jaylin Williams on OKC’s frontcourt depth chart and was projected to have his role reduced further in 2023/24 with Chet Holmgren healthy. As such, he became a victim of the Thunder’s preseason roster crunch.

While I speculated at the time of the trade that the Rockets might keep Robinson-Earl and waive the injured Oladipo, they’ll go the other direction, preferring to keep Oladipo’s $9.45MM expiring contract on their books for potential trade purposes rather than adding the healthy Robinson-Earl to their group of developing young players.

Houston already has Jock Landale and Boban Marjanovic as projected backups behind starting center Alperen Sengun and presumably saw no need to add a fourth big man to that mix, despite Robinson-Earl’s modest salary. He’ll earn a guaranteed $1.9MM salary this season, but the Rockets won’t be on the hook for his $1.99MM team option for 2024/25.

Unless a team uses cap room a trade exception to claim Robinson-Earl off waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent later this week, free to sign a standard contract with any team except Oklahoma City or a two-way deal with any team besides the Thunder or the Rockets. A team can’t sign a player it traded away if his new team waives him; additionally, a club that cuts a player is ineligible to re-sign him to a two-way contract if he was owed more than $75K in guaranteed money.

Houston now has 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so one more move will be necessary today to set their roster for the regular season. Jeenathan Williams, who is on an Exhibit 10 contract, seems likely to be converted to a two-way deal, in which case the Rockets would have to waive one of their current two-way players.