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Lauri Markkanen Not Expected To Sign Extension Until After August 6

August 5th, 2024 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen appears likely to delay signing his new extension until after Tuesday so he can ensure that he won’t be traded this season, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Markkanen will become renegotiation-eligible on August 6, which is exactly six months before the NBA’s trade deadline. Contract renegotiations trigger a six-month moratorium on trades, so if he waits until August 7 or later to accept the new deal, Markkanen can make sure that he’ll spend the entire upcoming season with Utah. Tony Jones of The Athletic previously stated that’s likely what will happen.

Veteran extensions are limited to a 40% raise in the first year, so Markkanen would normally be looking at $25,262,362 as the starting salary in his next contract. But because the Jazz still have more than $35MM in cap room, they can renegotiate his salary for 2024/25 from $18MM up to $42,176,400 and start the extension based on that number, giving him something in the neighborhood of a max deal.

With the clock ticking on Markkanen’s extension eligibility, it appears less likely that he’ll be traded before he can sign a new deal with Utah. The Jazz have reportedly been listening to offers, but have said they aren’t actively trying to move their All-Star forward.

Sources tell Fischer that the Kings and Warriors have both tried to deal for Markkanen since the start of free agency. Sacramento made “significant progress” in negotiations before trade talks collapsed in early July, Fischer adds. Golden State has also made offers for Markkanen, but Fischer’s sources say that Utah has prioritized Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga, who are both viewed as starters for the Warriors this season.

Fischer also hears that the Spurs have expressed interest in Markkanen ever since he was a restricted free agent back in 2021, and San Antonio had hoped to acquire Markkanen in the sign-and-trade deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to Chicago that summer. The Thunder also had interest in Markkanen at the time, Fischer adds.

Fischer points out that Utah already has a large collection of first-round picks and trade swaps, so there’s limited value in acquiring more draft assets in exchange for Markkanen, a 27-year-old who’s playing at an All-Star level and wants to stay in Salt Lake City. Fischer believes that – except for the Kings – much of the trade talk surrounding Markkanen this summer has been “preliminary at best.”

Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon of ESPN also examine the Markkanen situation, including the prospects of a last-minute trade. Their sources indicate that the Warriors and Jazz haven’t come close to reaching a deal, with one source saying Golden State is being “very protective” of Podziemski.

Luka Samanic Signs One-Year Contract With Fenerbahce

August 5th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Jazz power forward Luka Samanic has signed with Fenerbahce in Turkey, according to Eurohoops. It’s a one-year deal, and although there were discussions about adding an option, that didn’t happen, the report states.

Samanic, 24, began his career in Barcelona and later played for Petrol Olimpija before being selected by San Antonio with the 19th pick in the 2019 draft. He appeared in 36 games over two seasons with the Spurs before being waived in October of 2021.

Samanic joined the Knicks on a two-way contract, but spent the entire 2021/22 season in the G League. He signed a training camp deal with the Celtics in September of 2022, but was released before the start of the season.

He came to Utah on a 10-day deal in March of 2023 and made an immediate impact, starting four of the seven games he played and averaging 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per night. That earned him a contract that ran through the end of the 2023/24 season.

Samanic’s role diminished last season, as he appeared in 43 games and made seven starts. He saw just 9.4 minutes per night and his averages dipped to 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Jordan Nwora Signs With Anadolu Efes

August 5th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Nwora, who split last season between the Pacers and Raptors, has signed with Anadolu Efes, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter). The 25-year-old small forward is headed overseas for the first time after four NBA seasons.

Nwora has been part of significant trades the past two winters. He went from the Bucks to the Pacers in the four-team trade in February 2023 that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, then was shipped from Indiana to Toronto in January 2024 in the Pascal Siakam deal.

Nwora saw limited time in 18 games with Indiana last season before being moved. He got a greater opportunity to play with the Raptors and responded by averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 34 games while logging 15.6 minutes per night. However, he wasn’t in Toronto’s long-term plans and became a free agent when his two-year contract expired at the end of last season.

Nwora was selected by Milwaukee with the 45th pick in the 2020 draft. He spent his first two and a half years with the Bucks and enjoyed his best season in 2021/22 when he appeared in 62 games and averaged 7.9 PPG.

With Anadolu Efes, Nwora will team with former NBA player Shane Larkin, who has become one of the top stars in Europe.

Olympic Notes: Rankings, Germany, Bracket, South Sudan

August 4th, 2024 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Who’s the biggest threat to Team USA for the gold medal? The Athletic’s Sam Amick ranks Germany No. 2 behind the Americans among the teams remaining in the tournament. The Germans won the FIBA tournament last summer and play cohesively with Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner leading the way. Canada, Serbia and France round out Amick’s top five.

We have more Olympic-related news:

Along those lines, Team USA appears to have caught a break with the way the bracket shook out, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Germany, Canada and France are on the other side of the bracket. USA plays Brazil, which lost to Germany and France, then would face the winner of the Serbia-Australia quarterfinal.
South Sudan has been eliminated from the tournament but they gained plenty of respect this summer, Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press writes. South Sudan nearly upset Team USA in an exhibition. They also showed grit in losses to the United States and Serbia in Group play.“I’m proud of South Sudan. I’m proud of our fans. I’m proud of the continent,” federation president Luol Deng said. “We thank everybody that’s been able to help us out. This was a group effort. We showed a way of how to build the basketball going forward. And I think that the rest of the continent and the rest of the countries will follow the similar thing that we’re doing.”
Serbian coach Svetislav Petic had high praise for South Sudan following his team’s victory, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net relays. “They are an unusual team. They play basketball of the future,” he said. “In about 10 years, basketball will be played like this. It won’t be like ice hockey, but it will be fast. They have mental strength. It is important in addition to tactical segments. It is difficult to overcome them.”

Categories:
2024 Olympics

Central Notes: Allen, Pistons, Swider, Brown

August 4th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The three-year, $91MM contract extension that Jarrett Allen signed on Friday gave the Cavaliers more flexibility if they later decide to break up the Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt next season, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Allen is eligible to traded on February 2 — four days before next season’s deadline. It’s believed that the veteran center was essentially obligated to sign the deal before August 6 as a condition of Cleveland extending him at the maximum amount, Stein adds. If he’d signed his new deal after Aug. 6, Allen would have been ineligible to be traded until the summer of 2025.

We have more from the Central Division:

In his Eastern Conference power rankings, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press places the Pistons at No. 12 — ahead of the Hornets, Nets and Wizards. While Detroit endured its worst season in franchise history, it shouldn’t be the worst team in the conference next season after a series of offseason moves. Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley should significantly upgrade the outside shooting, Sankofa notes, and Paul Reed adds depth at center. The team’s young core should continue to grow, particularly Cade Cunningham with more help around him.
Former Heat forward Cole Swider agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers on Saturday. He could be in a competition with Kendall Brown for the 15th spot on the roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star opines. Brown, who is also on a non-guaranteed deal, struggled with his perimeter shooting in the Summer League and committed 12 turnovers in five games. Swider, in contrast, played a key role in the Heat’s run to the Summer League title in Las Vegas.
In case you missed it, the Bulls reportedly haven’t halted their efforts to find a trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Offseason Moves

August 4th, 2024 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Troy Weaver‘s four-year stint running the Pistons was a flop but he did gift his successor, Trajan Langdon, with over $60MM in salary cap space this summer.

Detroit’s new president of basketball operations didn’t make any blockbuster deals, nor did he accumulate many future assets. Instead, Langdon mainly chose to bring in veteran help on short-team deals to make the team more competitive while easing the burden on the team’s star, Cade Cunningham.

The most significant transaction was bringing in free agent Tobias Harris on a two-year, $52MM deal. Harris, 32, wasn’t the difference-maker the Sixers hoped he would be when they signed him to a five-year, $180MM contract in 2019, but he’s a solid, durable and productive starter.

Langdon took on Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s $16.2MM salary in a trade with Dallas with three future second-rounders attached as sweeteners. Free agent Malik Beasley was signed to a one-year, $6MM deal and restricted free agent Simone Fontecchio was brought back on a two-year, $16MM contract.

That quartet should dramatically improve the team’s woeful perimeter shooting while tapping into Cunningham’s play-making ability. They’ll also greatly boost the professionalism for a team that endured the worst season in franchise history. It’s quite possible some of the veterans will be flipped for assets during the season.

Detroit also claimed big man Paul Reed off waivers, though his contract doesn’t become full guaranteed until midseason.

The other major move, unrelated to the cap, was firing Monty Williams and hiring J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach. Bickerstaff was eager to get another coaching job after getting fired by the Cavaliers. Williams had to be coaxed by owner Tom Gores into coaching last season via a lucrative six-year contract. Gores was willing to eat the remaining years on Williams’ contract in order to give Langdon and the organization a fresh start.

The Pistons only have 13 players on guaranteed deals and still have around $10.2MM in cap space, so it seems likely Langdon will make another free agent move or trade before training camp.

Langdon swung for the fences in the lottery, choosing Ron Holland with the fifth overall pick, which many experts considered a reach. The Pistons front office hopes Holland, who played well in the Las Vegas Summer League, can develop his offensive game to match his physical skills.

That brings us to our topic of the day: How do you view the Pistons’ offseason? Should they have made a bigger splash or added more assets? Or was Langdon wise to use his cap room to bring in veteran players on short-term deals?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Team USA Notes: Puerto Rico Game, Brazil, Durant, LeBron

August 4th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The star-studded Team USA men’s basketball program bested Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado and the rest of Team Puerto Rico 104-83 in their final game of Olympic pool play, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

“I never thought I would come to a city like this,” Suns All-Star Kevin Durant said after the win. “But Lille was incredible to us. I love being here.”

Durant has emerged as a critical bench scorer for the program. He is hoping to earn his fourth gold medal, which would be a new men’s basketball record.

When asked about the prospect of retirement, Durant’s 39-year-old returning teammate LeBron James seemed noncommittal. The 6’9″ Lakers All-Star is averaging 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists for Team USA thus far.

“I don’t get asked that much, to be honest,” James said. “Everyone expects me to play 10 more years for some odd reason.”

There’s more from Team USA:

With the quarterfinal round of the Olympics set, the U.S. is not taking its Tuesday opponent, Brazil, for granted, Windhorst writes in another ESPN story. “They’re very physical,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “They’ve got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard. They compete play after play, so we’ll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be on edge and ready for them because they’re not going to back down.” Windhorst notes that Warriors forward Gui Santos is the only current NBA player on Brazil’s roster, but the team boasts six others who previously played in the league: Marcelinho Huertas, Didi Louzada, Raul Neto, Bruno Caboclo, Maozinha Pereira, and Cristiano Felicio.
Kerr does not plan to change Durant’s current bench role despite his productivity, he stated in an ESPN interview (YouTube video link). “If Kevin had been here from day one, chances are he would be starting,” Kerr said. “That was the plan coming in. But given that he missed all our friendlies and came in late, we had kind of established a lineup that we liked… There’s no plans on changing [his current role].”
Kerr once again went out of his way to praise James, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “It’s just amazing to watch him,” Kerr said. “He loves the game so much. He loves the work. He loves his teammates. There’s an energy and a joy to LeBron that just sort of spreads through the locker room and so he’s obviously one of the very best all-time players but it’s it goes so far beyond one thing. It’s just everything, the whole package, he’s just brilliant.” James has emerged as the de facto leader for Team USA, as he plays for his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Brunson, Randle, Tsai, Marks

August 4th, 2024 at 1:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After going 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the playoffs en route to their 18th title this June, the Celtics already look like the team to beat next season. In a reader mailbag, Brian Robb of MassLive.com speculates as to which players could improve even more in 2024/25.

Robb believes that reserve big man Xavier Tillman, who has dealt with knee troubles in the last two seasons, still has room to grow at age 25. Robb also believes that Finals MVP swingman Jaylen Brown could improve his scoring efficiency.

Additionally, Robb touches on Tatum’s inconsistent postseason scoring, the team’s contracts, and what in-game elements the club can improve.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson inked a four-year, $156.5MM contract extension with New York this summer — far less than the five-year, $269MM contract he could have signed as an unrestricted free agent last year. In an Insider-only story, Bobby Marks and Tim Bontemps of ESPN reflect on how the superstar guard’s below-market deal could impact the future of All-Star power forward Julius Randle – who has just become extension-eligible himself – and the rest of the roster.
Nets owner Joe Tsai has “absolute confidence” that general manager Sean Marks can rebuild the club’s roster, a source informs Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Marks’ history of finding talent outside of the draft lottery is a major factor in ownership’s belief in the team’s longtime GM. “[Tsai has] absolute confidence in the ability of the front office to draft well,” that source said. “Sean’s track record there is very good: Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Nic Claxton. [They took] Nic Claxton 31st in the draft. [Tsai] has every confidence in Sean.”
In case you missed it, new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez believes his experience coaching the Canadian national team helped him book the Brooklyn gig.

International Notes: Fournier, France, Okobo, Zagars, Lundberg

August 4th, 2024 at 12:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent swingman Evan Fournier, who is currently competing with France at the Olympics in Paris, was critical of his team’s tactics following its group stage loss to Germany, as BasketNews.com relays.

“I think we lack fundamentals,” Fournier told Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe. “We have to move on. At times, I think we get it wrong in the way we want to play. And we pay the price for that. These days, the best defense is offense. It’s no longer the game of the 1990s or 2000s where you could defend half-court. Offense is essential. Balance on the court, transition game. Especially when you play a team as strong in transition as Germany is.”

The French national team, which went 2-1 in group play, will face undefeated Canada in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Here are a few more international notes:

French point guard Elie Okobo, who did not make the cut for the Olympics, has signed a two-year extension with EuroLeague squad A.S. Monaco Basket, the team announced in a press release. The 31st pick of the 2018 draft, Okobo spent two seasons with Phoenix from 2018-20.
Latvian guard Arturs Zagars will play for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce during the 2024/25 season, the team announced on Sunday (hat tip to Kevin Martorano of Sportando). Zagars, who drew NBA interest last summer but has never played in the league, sustained a meniscus injury last fall while on loan with the BC Wolves of Lithuania.
Former NBA guard Gabriel Lundberg recently spoke to Vreme Citanja of Mozzart Sport about his decision to sign with Serbia’s Partizan. “I am excited. I will be part of a new project, a new team is being built,” Lundberg said, per Matorano of Sportando. “I could not miss the opportunity to play in Belgrade: Every time I played against Partizan it was incredible. I always told myself that one day I would like to play here, and I am happy that this wish came true. I am on a legendary team, with a legendary coach and a fan base that is all over Europe. I really imagined playing in front of those fans one day.” A 29-year-old guard from Denmark, Lundberg spent the past two seasons with Virtus Bologna of Italy after playing four games with Phoenix in 2021/22 while on a two-way deal.

Bulls Reportedly Still Trying To Trade LaVine, Vucevic

August 4th, 2024 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

Marc Stein reported a couple weeks ago that while Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls.

Apparently it isn’t for lack of effort from the front office though. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas continues to actively explore deals for the former All-Stars, but obviously the team hasn’t found anything suitable to this point.

LaVine is owed about $138MM over the next three seasons (including a $49MM player option for 2026/27), while Vucevic will earn $41MM through 2026. That salary differential is one reason why Vucevic is viewed as more likely to be moved than LaVine, though Stein wrote that a trade for the 33-year-old big man might not come together until after the season begins.

Cowley’s article is mostly focused on the Bulls’ rotation, which will be difficult for head coach Billy Donovan to manage if the roster remains intact. As Cowley writes, the backcourt, in particular, could be problematic, with Josh Giddey, LaVine and Coby White — three offense-first guards — seemingly likely to start, with Patrick Williams and Vucevic rounding out the first five.

Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Jevon Carter, and perhaps even Lonzo Ball will be among the guards off the bench, Cowley notes, further illustrating the rotational dilemma Donovan could face this fall.