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Sixers Sign Marcus Bagley

September 21st, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers officially signed Marcus Bagley, per a team release. The terms of the contract were not disclosed but the deal is almost certainly an Exhibit 10 pact, which was reported back in June.

Bagley, the younger brother of Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III, played three collegiate seasons at Arizona State. The younger Bagley brother was limited to just five games over the past two seasons, but averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his freshman year in 2020/21.

The Sixers now have a full 21-man offseason roster, but are still reportedly signing Kelly Oubre, which would take them over that limit. In order to bring in Oubre, a player will need to be waived or traded. The most likely option is that the Sixers waive a player on an Exhibit 10 deal, potentially Bagley, before signing Oubre. The Sixers also have Javonte Smart and David Duke Jr. signed to training camp deals.

If he’s waived by the Sixers before the season starts, Bagley would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

Central Notes: Hield, Bucks, Lillard, Bulls, Ball

September 21st, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pacers and representatives for shooting guard Buddy Hield are working together to find a potential trade for the eighth-year sharpshooter after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on an extension. Owed roughly $18.6MM on an expiring deal, Hield makes sense as a trade target for several teams across the league. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype breaks down six trade destinations that could work.

Before coming up with hypothetical packages, Gozlan looked into what Indiana might look for in a trade. Gozlan writes that the typical framework for a deal of this nature is to bring in a player with an expiring contract and draft capital. However, Gozlan believes the Pacers should look for a player who can fit into the rotation right now rather than draft picks, given their postseason potential.

Gozlan names the Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Celtics, Nets and Sixers as the teams who would be the best fits for the former Oklahoma standout. The Rockets, who need shooting, could put together an offer using the salary of Kevin Porter Jr, given their recent attempts to trade him, alongside draft capital to entice the Pacers. However, if the Pacers are looking to add players, it’s unlikely they’d consider taking in Porter, even if it’s just for salary purposes, given his uncertain NBA future following his assault and strangulation charges.

The Mavericks, Grizzlies, Celtics and Nets are teams that would be able to provide win-now players for Indiana in a possible trade, Gozlan reasons. Tim Hardaway Jr, Luke Kennard, Malcolm Brogdon and Royce O’Neale are among the players named in the article who could appeal to the Pacers for help on the wing.

As for the Sixers, Gozlan writes that such a partnership could be contingent on a James Harden deal, specifically to the Clippers. If Philadelphia and Los Angeles struck a deal, Indiana could look to get in on the trade by sending Hield to the Sixers and bringing in Norman Powell from L.A, Gozlan says. For my money, Dallas, Boston and Brooklyn make the most sense of the named teams if Indiana wants a strong rotation piece in return.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bucks are another team that could make some level of sense for Hield in a trade, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes in his latest mailbag. However, such a trade would be risky, based on a combination of factors. For starters, it would likely take multiple rotation players being shipped out, and a better player could become available later on, leaving the Bucks without a path to acquire said player. Additionally, Hield has not played in a playoff game since making his NBA debut in 2016, which isn’t ideal for a contending team, Nehm writes.
The potential of Hield coming to Milwaukee is just one of many topics Nehm writes about in his mailbag. Nehm also covers the assets the Bucks have available to trade, whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is better suited for point or post play this season, rotation questions, and more. I recommend reading the article in full here.
With reports surfacing that the Bulls are trying to get in on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago considers what such a move would look like in practice. As reported on Wednesday, Chicago is exploring the possibility of moving Zach LaVine in a multi-team deal that could send a combination of players and picks to Portland. Johnson writes that a move for Lillard would likely come with a DeMar DeRozan extension, meaning the Bulls would have to be 100% certain about a core of Lillard, DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic winning together.
Johnson adds in his mailbag that while the Bulls could theoretically look at moving Lonzo Ball, whose career has been plagued with injury, he gets the sense that nothing happens on that front this season, with Ball working hard to return to the court.

Wizards Sign Chase Audige To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 21st, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards have signed Chase Audige to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced (via Twitter).

Audige went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. After spending his freshman year at William & Mary, the 6’4″ guard transferred to Northwestern, playing three more college seasons with the Wildcats.

As a senior in 2022/23, Audige averaged 14.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG and 2.4 SPG in 34 games (34.4 MPG), though he struggled with scoring efficiency (.368/.325/.832 shooting line).

Audige played for the Heat’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.4 PPG, 1.4 APG and 1.2 SPG over five games (14.0 MPG). Miami reportedly had interest in signing him to an Exhibit 10 deal ahead of training camp, but Audige decided to accept an Exhibit 10 offer from an unknown team — which turned out to be the Wizards — because he thought he’d have a better shot at making the regular season roster.

The decision makes sense. While Washington’s standard roster will have to be trimmed to 15 before the season begins (it currently has 17 players on guaranteed deals), the Wizards have one two-way slot open, and Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals. The Heat currently do not have a two-way opening.

Audige would also be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

The Wizards had 20 players under contract — one shy of the offseason limit — prior to signing Audige, so they won’t have to make another roster move to add him. Their roster is now full ahead of training camp.

Connelly Says Wolves Want McDaniels “To Be Here As Long As Possible”

September 21st, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Rory Maher

As a former first-round pick entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2023/24 regular season starts.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said after last season ended that both Anthony Edwards and McDaniels would receive lucrative extension offers this offseason once they became eligible. Edwards signed a maximum-salary deal in July, but McDaniels has yet to ink his own new contract.

Speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic on his podcast, Connelly was hopeful about coming to terms on an extension with the young forward, who turns 23 next week.

“We’d love to get something done,” Connelly told Krawcyznski. “We want Jaden to be here as long as possible. Oftentimes those back-and-forths pick up more as the season gets closer, but fingers crossed. In my experience in Denver and here, we like to reward people who earned it. Jaden is a huge part of what we’re doing now. He’s going to get better and better and better. Great kid. And we think his best basketball is in front of him.

“As I told Jaden and his representation, the cool thing about extension talks is they should be overwhelmingly positive. The fact that you want an extension speaks to the team’s excitement about his upside. Very few guys are fortunate to get extensions, so again we’re hopeful we can meet that point where we’re both happy with something moving forward. I think he’s going to have a good year and we hope he’s here for a long, long time.”

Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in ’24/25. If they don’t sign extensions this offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

When we covered him as an extension candidate, we projected McDaniels could receive a deal in the range of $25MM annually — it will be interesting to see how much he actually makes if a deal comes to fruition.

Middleton On Giannis’ Comments: “Business As Usual”

September 21st, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Bucks wing Khris Middleton says he wasn’t surprised to hear two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo openly discuss the possibility of leaving Milwaukee in the future if a better opportunity to win titles presents itself.

Eric Nehm of The Athletic previously wrote that the Bucks were well aware that Antetokounmpo’s foremost desire is to continue winning championships, which Middleton confirms.

“I think it’s kind of business as usual either way,” Middleton told ESPN. “It doesn’t affect me personally. I don’t think it affects us as a team. I think this is something he said almost every year he’s come up in contract extension talks.

“We always want him back for sure. Let’s be for sure and let everyone know that. We want this guy to come back because he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s one of the best players in franchise history. So when he says things like that, I think he just wants to challenge the team, the organization, to keep putting us in position to win championships.

“But I think it’s just something that he just wants to keep putting pressure on everybody. And that’s himself also. He’s not just pointing a finger at everybody else saying, ‘You guys have to do this for me.’ I think he’s putting that pressure on himself to be better, to come in and be great every year. So there’s no pressure on, there’s no added pressure when he says that to us as a team, or me as a person, that I have to be better.”

Here are a few more highlights from Bontemps’ interview with Middleton, which is worth reading in full:

A three-time All-Star, Middleton re-signed with the Bucks this offseason on a three-year deal that could be worth up to $102MM, though the base value is $93MM. He admits he wasn’t sure if he would return after the East’s No. 1 seed lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2022/23. “I didn’t have a feel of what was going to happen,” Middleton said. “I was a free agent also, (and a player) that was coming off two injuries. I didn’t know if I was going to be the one that, you know, was going to move on, or a coach or another player. I think this time it just happened to be (former head coach Mike Budenholzer), which kind of caught us by surprise a little bit. But I think we kind of knew something was going to happen. Something was going to have to change for us to get to that next level as a team, as an organization.” The Bucks hired first-time head coach Adrian Griffin to replace Budenholzer.
Bontemps brought up the team’s aging core, with Middleton (32), Jrue Holiday (33) and Brook Lopez (35) all well into their 30s. Like Middleton, Lopez re-signed with Milwaukee in free agency, inking a two-year, $48MM deal. Holiday, meanwhile, could be a free agent next summer if he declines his player option for ’24/25. Despite their advancing ages, Middleton thinks the team still has a runway to contend for titles. “I know Jrue’s a guy that he still has a lot left in the tank no matter his age. … I hope he’s excited to come back, to sign an extension and be with us for a couple more years. … I think we have a good amount of years left where we could play at a high level and be a contender. And that doesn’t happen unless we have Jrue back also.”
After being limited to just 33 regular season games last season, Middleton said he’s glad to be healthy entering ’23/24. As Bontemps outlines, Middleton had wrist surgery in the 2022 offseason and dealt with a knee injury throughout ’22/23, which eventually required surgery. “This summer’s just been kind of about getting myself back together into being back to my old, natural self, as healthy as I can be, which I think I’m headed in that direction,” Middleton said.

Chance Comanche Signs Training Camp Contract With Kings

September 21st, 2023 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 21: The signing is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Kings will sign Chance Comanche, a source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

The 27-year-old big man played for Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton last season, averaging 13.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 32 regular season games. He was also part of the Kings’ entry in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League.

No details were given on Comanche’s contract, but it will likely include Exhibit 10 language. That will allow him to earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with Stockton. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, but the Kings currently have all three of their two-way spots filled.

Comanche has been hoping for an NBA opportunity since going undrafted out of Arizona in 2017. He has played for three organizations in the G League and spent a season in Turkey as well. He signed with the Trail Blazers on the final day of the 2022/23 season, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds in 21 minutes during his NBA debut.

Once Comanche’s contract becomes official, Sacramento will have 18 players, including 14 with fully guaranteed deals. The Kings will be able to add three more before the start of training camp.

Magic’s Mosley Talks Banchero, F. Wagner, Fultz, More

September 21st, 2023 at 12:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley recently spoke to Michael Scotto on the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast. The conversation covered a number of topics, including how Mosley got his start in coaching, working with former Hall of Fame players and current stars, his time coaching the U.S. Select Team this summer, and, of course, the Magic.

Mosley is bullish on Orlando’s young talent. Reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero played for Team USA at the World Cup, and while the Americans had a disappointing fourth-place finish, Mosley liked what he saw from the 2022 No. 1 overall pick.

“I think the sky is the limit (for 2023/24),” Mosley said. “(Banchero) being with Team USA and seeing the different aspects of how people adjusted their games to fit in with what was trying to be accomplished. He did that. He’s capable of doing so many things. At the beginning of the year, he played basically point for us at times with Franz Wagner when we had our guards down. More importantly, I watched his jump defensively and ability to switch pick-and-rolls and stay in coverage. They had him playing the five mixed with the four. I thought it was great that he expanded his game in real time. I think it’ll do wonders for him on the court.

“Even more importantly, his voice and leadership. I watched him during a practice in Las Vegas and the way he carried himself and projected his voice in certain drills. I think that’s going to go so far when he’s back with the Magic because it’s a level of leadership you’re asking him to step into. I think he recognizes and feels that. It was a great experience for him to be around that group of players and those coaches.”

As for Wagner, who helped Germany to a gold medal, Mosley said he wasn’t surprised by the third-year forward’s success, and once again focused on the less glamorous end of the court.

“For Franz, I think people got to see a glimpse of what we’ve known for quite some time,” Mosley told Scotto. “Since we’ve drafted him, we’ve talked about his high basketball IQ, his work ethic, care for the game and attention to detail. He has all of those pieces. I joke with him that he’s a 40-year-old man in a 22-year-old body. He just sees the game so differently, and he cares about the little things. He cares about people.

“What I saw was his defensive ability to show. Franz did a great job of switching when it came to guard certain guards. I think that’s going to be the biggest key as he comes back here. Our ability to guard, which I was so happy to watch them (Banchero and Wagner) do at times, is going to skyrocket us to what we’re capable of doing.”

When Scotto asked about the Magic’s offseason, Mosley said he was happy to have “consistency and stability” with most of the roster returning. Regarding expectations for 2023/24, the coach said he’s more focused on the Magic improving via “continuity, joy, togetherness, and grit” rather than wins and losses, because if they handle those aspects the “wins will take care of themselves.”

Another former No. 1 overall pick, guard Markelle Fultz, is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $17MM in 2023/24. Mosley thinks Fultz is ready to take “big strides” ahead of free agency next summer.

“I think Markelle’s ability to continue to lead because he’s such a selfless point guard,” Mosley said, per Scotto. “He wants to share and enjoys seeing the success of his teammates. That’s what we’re going to ask more of him. Defensively, being able to guard the ball because his level of physicality is up there. I think he’s going to set the tone in a lot of ways for us. He has such a high ceiling of where he can go because of how he’s been working this summer.”

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/21/2023

September 21st, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today.

Click here to read the transcript, and join us on Tuesday afternoon for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Southwest Notes: Hield, Thompson, Mamukelashvili, Marjanovic

September 21st, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

With Buddy Hield reportedly on his way out of Indiana, he could be the outside shooter that the Grizzlies need, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column. Shams Charania broke the news Wednesday night that the Pacers have agreed to work with Hield’s representatives to find a trade after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on an extension.

While there should be plenty of interest around the league in Hield, Iko sees him as a great fit in Memphis, considering the need for another wing player and someone outside of Desmond Bane and Ja Morant who can consistently score. Hield also contributes on defense, as Iko notes that Indiana was a plus-2.6 in that category with him on the court last season.

The Grizzlies lost Dillon Brooks to free agency this summer, and there’s not an obvious replacement currently on the roster. Iko adds that Ziaire Williams could have been in line for that role, but he was a huge disappointment in his second NBA season, shooting just 25.8% from three-point range and posting a 15% turnover rate.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Amen Thompson suffered an ankle injury in his first Summer League game, but he’s fully recovered and will be ready when the Rockets open training camp, Iko states in the same piece. The No. 4 overall pick is working with lead assistant Ben Sullivan to improve his jump shot and will focus in camp on how to break down NBA defenses. Thompson was at full speed during a recent scrimmage at the team facility, according to Iko.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is looking forward to his first full season with the Spurs after seeing limited playing time with the Bucks to start his NBA career, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio claimed Mamukelashvili off waivers in early March and he averaged 23.3 minutes per night in 19 games. “It was hard with Milwaukee to find my spot and to gel,” Mamukelashvili said. “We had a lot of older guys who took me under their wing like a little brother, but here (in San Antonio) everything is more my age. We’re all in the same situation.”
Boban Marjanovic‘s new $2.89MM (minimum-salary) contract with the Rockets includes a $1.3MM guarantee, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Marjanovic also waived his right to veto a trade this season, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Henderson, Markkanen, Gobert, Towns

September 21st, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on the “It Is What It Is” podcast, Damian Lillard said he wasn’t upset when the Trail Blazers used their lottery pick to draft Scoot Henderson. The electrifying point guard is projected to be Lillard’s eventual replacement as the star of Portland’s backcourt, but Lillard won’t mind sharing the court with the rookie until he gets the trade he wants.

“Me and Scoot, we’ve had a few conversations with him coming into the league,” Lillard said. “That wasn’t a deal breaker for me at all. I respect his game. I think in that position he was the best player available, so that’s what you’ve gotta do if you’ve got the pick. But no, I wasn’t offended at all, because at the end of the day, you’ve gotta come in and play. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so to me that wasn’t a knock on me or anything.”

With trade talks between the Blazers and Heat reportedly at a standstill and other teams reluctant to make their best offers because of Lillard’s preference to play in Miami, it appears there’s a good chance that Lillard and Henderson will begin the season as teammates.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Lauri Markkanen is one of the best values in the NBA, but the Jazz need to consider his future beyond his current contract, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Markkanen has two seasons left at $17.3MM and $18MM, with only a $6MM guarantee for the final year. Larsen notes that Utah can either let him play out the deal and take advantage of about $41MM in cap space next summer or renegotiate the final year and sign him to an extension. The new CBA places a 140% limit on extensions, so Markkanen would have to get to about $35MM in 2024/25 to be eligible for a max deal of $49MM the following season.
The Timberwolves are hoping for improvement in the second year of the Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns pairing, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic states in an overview of Minnesota’s roster. He adds that Gobert was dealing with knee soreness following EuroBasket last fall while Towns missed most of training camp because of an infection, so there’s hope that better health will lead to better results.
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice has fined Timberwolves assistant trainer Jesse Geffon $500 for treating players without a license for part of last season, per Paul Walsh of The Star-Tribune. Geffon joined the team in September, but didn’t apply for his license until February.