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Community Shootaround: 2023/24 NBA Finals Picks

August 25th, 2023 at 10:04pm CST by Rory Maher

An ESPN panel (Insider link) has made predictions for which NBA teams will win the Eastern and Western Conferences in 2023/24, as well as which team will win the championship. A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote was worth three, and a third-place vote received one.

The Bucks were the favored pick to advance out of the East, receiving 86 total points (40% of first-place votes) to narrowly edge the Celtics (80 points; 40%). Those were the top two seeds entering last season’s playoffs, but both clubs were eliminated by Miami — Milwaukee in the first round, and Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Speaking of the Heat, they received the third-most points with 38, but only received 4% of the first-place votes. The Knicks (12 points) were the only other team to receive first-place votes (16%).

In the West, ESPN’s panel has the defending-champion Nuggets as the overwhelming favorites, receiving 106 points, including 76% of the first-place votes. The Suns (60 points; 12%), Warriors (27 points; 8%) and Lakers (24 points; 4%) all received first-place votes as well.

Perhaps unsurprisingly based on the aforementioned results, Denver received the most points (80) and first-place votes (48%) to repeat as NBA champions, followed by the Bucks (49 points; 28%). Interestingly, the Heat received the third-most first-place votes (12%), despite being fifth in total points.

That brings us to our question of the day: Who do you think will advance from the Eastern and Western Conferences, and who will win the title in 2023/24? Head to the comments to weigh in with your picks.

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Early Look At 2024 Rookie Scale Extension Candidates

August 25th, 2023 at 8:57pm CST by Rory Maher

When the NBA’s 2024/25 league year begins next summer, players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts will be eligible for rookie scale extensions.

Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2025/26. If they don’t sign extensions, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.

As of right now, the following players from the 2021 NBA draft class will be eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2024, but this list is tentative — several players could either be waived or have their fourth-year options declined prior to 2023/24.

The following players were selected in the first round of the 2021 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2024 for the reasons noted:

  • Usman Garuba: Went unclaimed after being waived by the Thunder.
  • Joshua Primo: Went unclaimed after being waived by the Spurs.

Our list of players who are currently eligible for rookie scale extensions — as well as the players who have already inked new contracts —  can be found right here.

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Latest On Bronny James

August 25th, 2023 at 6:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Bronny James, an incoming USC freshman, suffered cardiac arrest at the end of July. He was discharged from the hospital less than 48 hours later — an encouraging sign after such a major health scare.

Following consultations with heart specialists, the “probable cause” of the sudden cardiac arrest has been identified as an “anatomically and functionally significant” congenital heart defect, which is treatable, according to a family spokesperson (Twitter link via Shams Charania of The Athletic).

The family is “very confident” James will fully recover from the incident, with a return to the court possibly coming in the “very near future.”

Obviously, that’s terrific news for James, his family, and his future — both on and off the court. The McDonald’s All-American guard is a potential 2024 first-round pick, going No. 17 overall in ESPN’s mock draft back in June.

Lakers superstar LeBron James, Bronny’s father, has spoken repeatedly about wanting to play with his son at the NBA level. With a positive prognosis, perhaps that could still be in the cards down the line. We at Hoops Rumors wish Bronny well as he continues to recover.

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Pacific Notes: Ayton, Curry, Paul, Kobe, Clippers

August 25th, 2023 at 5:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns center Deandre Ayton was the subject of trade rumors earlier this offseason and has faced criticism for his inconsistent play. He spoke last month about wanting to “change the narrative of what people think about me.”

Helping the Bahamas win a pre-qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics was a good start, and the former No. 1 overall pick seems to have rediscovered his joy for basketball while representing his home country, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).

“The best teammates I’ve ever been around on and off the court,” Ayton said last weekend after defeating Argentina in the final. “Just understanding how it feels to fight for your country and everybody on the same mission. It was a phenomenal feeling.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

  • Mark Medina of Sportskeeda recently spoke to Stephen Curry‘s trainer, Brandon Payne, about a number of topics, including Curry’s offseason work with new Warriors addition Chris Paul. “It was great,” Payne said. “They are two guys that have the same mindset: ‘We’re here to win, so let’s do it.’ I was very impressed with the instant chemistry those guys had. It was fun to watch. There was so much ball movement. For a pick-up basketball game, that was some of the most impressive ball movement I’ve ever seen.”
  • The Lakers will unveil a statue of the late Kobe Bryant outside Crypto.com Arena on February 8, 2024, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. “Kobe Bryant was one of the most extraordinary athletes of all time, and one of the most iconic individuals in the history of Los Angeles,” said Lakers governor Jeanie Buss. “There is no better place for Kobe to honored with a statue than here, at the center of our city, where everyone can celebrate him and be inspired by his incredible achievements.” The Hall-of-Fame shooting guard spent all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers, making 15 All-NBA appearances and winning five championships.
  • With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George possibly entering the final year of their respective contracts (both have player options for 2024/25), Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports wonders if the Clippers‘ title window has already closed. As Goodwill writes, Leonard and George have dealt with numerous injuries during their four years in L.A., so it’s hard to envision the Clippers being open to lucrative long-term extensions with the star wings.
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Checking In On NBA’s Two-Way Contract Slots

August 25th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As our two-way contract tracker shows, 70 of the 90 two-way slots available around the NBA are currently occupied, with 20 still open.

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement permits teams to carry three players on two-way deals instead of just two, increasing the league-wide total to a maximum of 90 instead of 60. In other words, that total of 70 active two-way players is a new record, and it only figures to continue rising as the regular season nears.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract]

Here are a few details on this year’s two-way contracts and slots:

  • A total of 64 two-way contracts have been signed during the 2023/24 league year. Two of those players who signed two-way deals – Knicks guards Trevor Keels and Duane Washington – were subsequently waived, but the other 62 are still under contract.
  • A total of 13 two-way contracts carried over from last season, since they were for two years instead of one. Eight of those deals are still active. The other five? Nets forward RaiQuan Gray, Hornets forward Xavier Sneed, Lakers forward Cole Swider, and Wizards guard Quenton Jackson were waived, while Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell was converted to a standard deal, agreeing to a three-year contract with New Orleans.
  • Three two-way qualifying offers remain on the table. Hawks guard Trent Forrest, Hornets guard Theo Maledon, and Timberwolves wing Matt Ryan still have the option of accepting those qualifying offers and returning to their respective teams on new two-way contracts. All three clubs have one two-way slot available, so no corresponding moves would be necessary to clear roster space.
  • Of the 64 two-way contracts signed this year, seven have been for two years; the other 57 have been for just one year, putting those players on track for restricted free agency in 2024. The seven players who signed two-year deals are Hornets forward Leaky Black, Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr., Clippers forward Jordan Miller, Lakers forward Alex Fudge, Bucks guard Omari Moore, Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark, and Knicks wing Jaylen Martin.
  • The Warriors and the Pelicans are the only clubs with a pair of two-way openings. Every team is carrying at least one player on a two-way contract, and the other 28 besides Golden State and New Orleans are carrying at least two.
  • In 2022, 14 players had their Exhibit 10 contracts converted to two-way contracts before opening night. If roughly the same number of Exhibit 10 conversions occur this fall, many of the 20 two-way slots that remain open may not be filled for a while. However, it’s worth noting that – since two-way deals feature such modest guarantees ($75K) and don’t count against the salary cap – teams typically don’t hesitate to shuffle players in and out of those slots. So there could still be plenty of turnover in the coming weeks beyond those 20 openings.
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Key 2023 NBA Preseason Dates, Deadlines

August 25th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The most notable dates of the 2023 NBA offseason are behind us now that we’re well clear of the draft and the free agent period. However, there are still a number of dates and deadlines to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months before teams take the court for the 2023/24 regular season.

Here’s the breakdown:

August 31

  • Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2023/24 salaries.

September 5

  • Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks; those players become free agents on September 6 if not tendered.

September 10

  • 2023 FIBA World Cup ends.

October 2

  • NBA media day. With teams and players reporting to training camp, many coaches and general managers will speak to reporters on this date for the first time in months.

October 3

  • Training camps begin.
  • Note: Teams playing exhibition games outside of North America are expected to hold their media days and open their training camps a few days earlier.

October 5

  • Preseason begins.

October 20

  • Preseason ends.

October 21

  • Last day for players on fully non-guaranteed contracts to be waived and not count at all against a team’s 2023/24 cap. They must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season.

October 23

  • Last day of the 2023 offseason.
  • Roster limits decrease from 21 players to 18 (4:00 pm CT). Teams will be limited to carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals as of this deadline.
  • Last day for teams to sign a player to a rookie scale extension (5:00 pm CT).
    [RELATED: Players eligible for rookie scale extensions]
  • Last day for teams to sign an extension-eligible veteran player with multiple seasons left on his contract (such as Donovan Mitchell) to an extension. An extension-eligible veteran player on an expiring deal (like Klay Thompson) can still be extended after October 23.
  • Last day for teams to complete sign-and-trade deals.
  • Last day for teams to convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract.

October 24

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

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World Cup Notes: Canada, Fournier, USA, Mills, Towns

August 25th, 2023 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Canadian national team hasn’t had a ton of success in international competition in recent years and is missing top players like Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins at this year’s World Cup. However, Team Canada looked formidable its first group-play game on Friday, outscoring a talented French club by 27 points in the second half en route to a 95-65 win.

“We got our ass kicked,” French wing Evan Fournier told reporters after the game, per Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. “… They were really physical with us. Taking us out of our set plays. And as a team I think they kind of forced us to do things that we don’t want to do.”

The Canadians leaned heavily on their NBA talent in the victory, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all playing at least 20 minutes. Melvin Ejim was the only other player to log more than five minutes in the game.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the standout, racking up 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in just 27 minutes of action. Powell (+35 in 23 minutes) and Brooks (+33 in 26 minutes) anchored Canada’s aggressive defense.

Canada will face Lebanon on Sunday, while France will look to bounce back against Latvia.

Here’s more on the World Cup:

  • In an Insider-only story, Jonathan Givony and Kevin Pelton of ESPN pick their 15 most interesting players at the World Cup, including reigning NCAA national player of the year Zach Edey (Canada), projected 2024 first-rounder Juan Nunez (Spain) and Fournier (France), who scored a team-high 21 points on Friday after spending most of last season glued to the Knicks‘ bench. A strong World Cup could help earn Fournier a new NBA opportunity via trade or buyout, Pelton notes.
  • Team USA entered Friday as the strong frontrunners to win the 2023 World Cup, but head coach Steve Kerr knows the team can’t afford to get overconfident, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. “Last time through this tournament, we finished seventh, we lost (two) games,” Kerr said. “We recognize how hard this is. These are not the days of 1992. … We may be one of the favorites, but I don’t think anybody’s clear cut. I think there’s a lot of teams that have a shot at this thing.”
  • Following an eventful offseason that saw him traded from Brooklyn to Houston to Oklahoma City to Atlanta, veteran guard Patty Mills provided a reminder on Friday of what he can bring to a team. The Hawks guard scored a team-high 25 points in Australia’s resounding win over Finland. “No surprises there,” Jack White said of Mills’ performance, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. “We know he can turn it on; that’s what he does… he’s a hell of a leader and it’s what we expect from him.”
  • Prior to the start of the World Cup, Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns spoke to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about why he’s playing for the Dominican Republic and what it means to him to represent his mother’s native country. Towns and the Dominican Republic team got off to a strong start on Friday, defeating the host Philippines in a game that set a new World Cup attendance record (38,115), as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press details. Towns scored 26 points in the 87-81 win.
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Longest-Tenured NBA Players By Team

August 25th, 2023 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team in August 2022, more than a third of the players on that list have either changed teams or – in the case of long-tenured Heat big man Udonis Haslem – retired.

Haslem, who made his Heat debut in 2003, was with the franchise for two decades. No players on the list below are close to reaching that benchmark yet, but Haslem’s retirement means that we have a new player atop our list of the longest-tenured players by team: Stephen Curry is about to enter his 15th season with the Warriors, having been drafted by the club in 2009. No active NBA player has been with his current team longer than that.

While Haslem is off the list because he has retired, most of the other long-tenured players who have been removed from our list changed teams via trade. Most notably, Bradley Beal – who had been with the Wizards since 2012 – and Marcus Smart – a Celtic since 2014 – were included in offseason deals.

In addition to the Wizards, Heat and Celtics, eight other teams have a new longest-tenured player since our last update. Those teams, with their former longest-tenured player listed in parentheses, are the Cavaliers (Kevin Love), Rockets (Eric Gordon), Nets (Joe Harris), Magic (Terrence Ross), Jazz (Donovan Mitchell), Hawks (John Collins), Grizzlies (Dillon Brooks), and Spurs (Jakob Poeltl).

Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team:

(Note: This is a snapshot as of August 2023 and won’t be updated throughout the season. This list features each team’s longest-tenured player, so only one player per team is listed.)

  1. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
  2. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), June 2012
  3. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
  4. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
  5. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
  6. Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell (trade), December 2014
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns (draft), June 2015
  8. Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (draft), June 2015
  9. Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
  10. Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown (draft), June 2016
  11. Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam (draft), June 2016
  12. Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox (draft), June 2017
  13. Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac (draft), June 2017
  14. Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo (draft), June 2017
  15. Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine (draft trade), June 2017
  16. Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. (draft), June 2018
  17. Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young (draft trade), June 2018
  18. Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges (draft trade), June 2018 (*)
  19. New York Knicks: Mitchell Robinson (draft), June 2018
  20. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (free agent), July 2018
  21. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (draft), June 2019
  22. Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland (draft), June 2019
  23. Brooklyn Nets: Nic Claxton (draft), June 2019
  24. Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac (trade), February 2019
  25. San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson (draft), June 2019
  26. Oklahoma City Thunder: Luguentz Dort (free agent), July 2019
  27. Utah Jazz: Jordan Clarkson (trade), December 2019
  28. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes (draft), November 2020
  29. Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija (draft), November 2020
  30. Houston Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate (free agent), November 2020

* Note: Bridges was a free agent for the entire 2022/23 season, but the Hornets retained his RFA rights during that time and brought him back this offseason, extending his tenure with the team. If we don’t count Bridges, Charlotte’s’ longest-tenured players are Cody Martin and – if he re-signs – P.J. Washington, both of whom were selected in the 2019 draft.

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Franz Wagner Expected To Undergo MRI On Ankle

August 25th, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Germany got off to a strong start in the 2023 World Cup on Friday, defeating Japan by a score of 81-63. However, the victory was marred to some extent by an injury to Magic forward Franz Wagner, who didn’t finish the game after turning his ankle.

Speaking after the game to reporters, Germany head coach Gordon Herbert said that it “looks like a slight sprained ankle” for Wagner, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

“We’ll know more after an MRI,” Herbert added, suggesting that Wagner’s ankle will undergo further testing before Germany’s next group-play game on Sunday vs. Australia.

If Wagner has a mild ankle sprain, as Herbert speculated, it shouldn’t have any impact on his availability for the Magic this fall. There are still several weeks until training camp, giving the former eighth overall pick plenty of time to recover.

However, it’s possible the ankle injury will affect Wagner’s availability for the German national team in the next few days. While Friday’s victory over Japan was a good start, Germany is in a tough group and will almost certainly need at least one more win in the first round – over either Australia on Sunday or Finland on Tuesday – to advance to the round of 16. Obviously, the Germans would like to have Wagner on the court for those games, if possible.

Wagner, who will turn 22 on Sunday, averaged 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 32.6 minutes per game across 80 appearances in 2022/23 for the Magic. He’s entering the third year of his rookie scale contract and will become extension-eligible during the 2024 offseason.

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2025 NBA Free Agents

August 25th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2025 free agents is below. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2024/25 season. The player’s 2025 age is in parentheses.

Players who are currently free agents are not seen here. Players with team or player options for the 2025/26 season are listed below, unless they’re still on their rookie scale contracts.

This list will be continually updated. You’ll be able to access it anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or in the “Free Agent Lists” section of our mobile menu. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 11-16-24 (11:04am CT)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

Restricted Free Agents

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

Player Options

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

Team Options

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

Two-Way Free Agents

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

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