Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern). Click here to read the transcript.
Appearing on Podcast P with Paul George on Monday (YouTube link), new Kings forward DeMar DeRozan explained that finding an opportunity to contend for a championship was his top priority when he entered free agency this July, which is why he and the Bulls didn’t work out a new deal despite having previously expressed mutual admiration.
“I had a hell of a time in Chicago,” DeRozan said. “… Great city, great place. I think I was just looking for an opportunity just to win at a high level, wherever that was going to be. I think coming out of last season, that was my view and my approach on this upcoming season.”
DeRozan noted with a laugh that he had to wait for George to make his free agent decision before he was able to get clarity on his own options. After George agreed to sign with the 76ers, there were no contenders with cap room pursuing DeRozan, but Sacramento expressed interest in bringing him in and had the ability to make him a competitive contract offer via a sign-and-trade deal.
“Sac came about and they were showing interest. Like, real interest,” DeRozan said. “So when I sat back and looked at it and analyzed the team, great players, great coach. I just always remember the last couple years always seeing them light the damn beam and winning and all that.”
When George interjected to observe that the Kings have built “a movement” during the past couple years, snapping a lengthy playoff drought and gaining respectability under head coach Mike Brown, DeRozan agreed.
“That’s definitely one thing you always want to be a part of, is a contagious culture of an organization that wants to win,” DeRozan said. “When I looked at all that, I just felt like it fit. It was a big key piece that I felt like I could bring from a leadership standpoint and definitely from a skill standpoint that could kind of push us over the edge. It became more and more appealing as I weighed it. I kind of took a while to sign because I just wanted to make sure the next decision I made gave me the best opportunity to win. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Asked by George what other teams he considered in free agency, DeRozan identified Philadelphia as one possibility he looked at, though the Sixers may have been eliminated as an option after using most of their cap space to sign George. DeRozan said he also considered another Eastern Conference contender, along with his two hometown teams.
“I was thinking about Philly. Philly definitely was an option. Lakers was an option, always. Clippers was an option. And the Heat was an option,” DeRozan said. “I’d say those teams, for sure, were the real, legitimate options for me, that I was considering.”
The Lakers and Heat are operating right up against the second tax apron, so they would’ve needed to shed salary to acquire DeRozan unless he was willing to take a substantial pay cut.
Veteran NBA forward Davis Bertans has signed with Dubai Basketball Club, the team announced on social media (Instagram link).
Rumors circulated over the weekend that Bertans was on the verge of heading back overseas and joining Dubai on a multiyear deal that will include NBA outs. The newly formed franchise, which is entering its first season, will compete in the ABA (Adriatic) League in 2024/25.
“Davis Bertans clearly brings exceptional basketball talent to the table,” head coach Jurica Golemac said in a statement. “As an eight-season NBA player with substantial European experience, his arrival underscores the commitment and ambition of our project, while also greatly enhancing the credibility of our newly established franchise.”
The 42nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Bertans played in his home country of Latvia in addition to Slovenia, Serbia, and Spain from 2007-16 before eventually making the move stateside. The 6’10” forward began his career with the Spurs, then enjoyed a breakout 2019/20 season in Washington that earned him a five-year, $80MM contract from the Wizards as a free agent in the summer of 2020.
However, Bertans’ production and playing time dipped following the signing of that contract, and he was eventually traded to Dallas in 2022’s Kristaps Porzingis deal before being salary-dumped to Oklahoma City during the 2023 draft when the Thunder moved up for Cason Wallace. Bertans was subsequently sent to Charlotte as the primary salary-matching piece in the Gordon Hayward trade at the 2024 deadline, then was waived by the Hornets earlier this offseason.
Over the course of his eight NBA seasons, Bertans established himself as an extremely dangerous outside shooter, making 39.6% of his career three-point attempts. While his combination of size and floor-spacing ability had value, the 31-year-old didn’t bring a whole lot else to the table. He averaged 7.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game across 475 career regular season contests (41 starts).
Bertans had been planning to work out for the Warriors in the hopes of receiving an opportunity to compete for a roster spot, but will forgo that opportunity in favor of guaranteed money in Dubai.
Former NBA center DeMarcus Cousins won’t reach out to NBA teams to get another chance to play in the league, he said on the Club 520 podcast (hat tip to Hoops Hype).
“I’m not going to go out trying to convince these guys anymore,” he said. “You know what I bring to the floor. It’s been proven. If you really wanted to know who I am, you’d take the time to get to know me instead of listening to somebody else. I’m past trying to reach out. If an opportunity comes that makes sense, I’ll consider it, but I’m done with the convincing.”
Cousins recently joined Wuxi WenLv, a Chinese team on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour. Cousins, who has been out of the NBA since 2022, has played for professional teams in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and the Philippines since that point.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Jamal Murray‘s contract extension agreement with the Nuggets is good news for Canada’s basketball program, Michael Grange of Sportsnet opines. Murray took a lot of criticism during the Paris Olympics for his subpar performances and there were long-term concerns about his health. The possibility that Murray’s performances for Canada would be used against him in contract negotiations was a scenario the program didn’t want or need. It could have been the kind of cautionary tale that could create obstacles regarding team-building in the future, according to Grange.
- Several prospects in the NBA’s next two draft classes have boosted their stock this summer and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a look at some of those risers. That group includes Baylor freshman guard V.J. Edgecombe and Illinois swingman Kasparas Jakucionis, as well as Cameron Boozer (draft-eligible in 2026).
- Bulls top executive Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, Bucks GM Jon Horst and coach Doc Rivers, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, and Nuggets GM Calvin Booth are among the GMs, presidents and coaches who have the most to prove this NBA season, according to ESPN’s Insiders.
Cedi Osman did not turn down a training camp invite from the Lakers before signing with Panathinaikos in Greece, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.
A Eurohoops.net report indicated Osman had an offer on the table from the Lakers to join the team for training camp but that he turned it down without having assurances he’d make the regular season roster. Stein’s report suggests that wasn’t the case.
The Lakers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are less than $50K away from exceeding the second apron, so even if Osman had joined them in training camp, it wouldn’t have made sense to retain him on a standard contract. Osman hopes he can play his way back to the NBA next season, Stein adds.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Head coach J.J. Redick isn’t concerned about LeBron James and Anthony Davis shortening their usual offseason regimens after playing in the Paris Olympics, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com relays via a ‘Spectrum’s Lakeshow Podcast.’ “I mean, look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word,” Redick said. “My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on Oct. 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern. We’re gonna work with (athletic trainer Mike Mancias and associate athletic trainer Jon Ishop) making sure that they feel that they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and the preseason here in September, as well as preseason games.”
- Former head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks are among the assistants on Redick’s staff. The first-year head coach is thrilled with what he’s seen so far, Starkand notes from the same podcast. “I couldn’t be happier with the staff that we’ve built here, we have a blend of youth, experience,” Redick said. “Obviously Nate and Scotty, but also Bob Beyer, who has been at the front of the bench for almost two decades in the NBA. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff and I think I’ve accomplished that. They’re grinders.”
- In case you missed it, Christian Wood required knee surgery that will sideline him for the early weeks of the season. Get the details here.
Could Ausar Thompson and Simone Fontecchio be part of the Pistons’ starting lineup? James Edwards III of The Athletic speculates that could be the case, noting that Thompson’s defense and Fontecchio’s shooting would mesh well with Cade Cunningham‘s skills and responsibilities. That would leave summer acquisitions Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. on a much improved second unit. Edwards takes an educated guess on how the team’s depth chart will shake under a new coaching staff.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat are unlikely to make a substantial move prior to the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman doubts there will be an upcoming blockbuster deal in the league on the scale of the Damian Lillard trade, which occurred just ahead of training camps last September. Depending on how Jimmy Butler’s contract situation plays out, the Heat could do something big before the February trade deadline or just wait for Butler’s opt-out decision next offseason. Butler said early this summer he wouldn’t sign an offseason extension.
- The Nets‘ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, traded their 2025 first- and second-round draft picks to the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves‘ NBAGL squad, in exchange for the returning player rights to forward Tyrese Martin last week. That could be a prelude toward Martin receiving a training camp deal from Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily.com. The G League trade opens the door for Martin to sign an Exhibit 10 contract. Martin was the most productive player on the Summer League roster whose rights weren’t controlled by Brooklyn, the story notes.
- The Magic‘s NBA G League team made a trade, acquiring the returning player rights to big man Robert Baker II and a 2024 second round NBA G League draft pick from the Hawks’ G League club, the College Park Skyhawks, the Osceola Magic announced (via Twitter). The Skyhawks acquired Daeqwon Plowden‘s returning rights. Baker, 26, played five games in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Skyhawks, averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. Plowden signed a two-way deal with the Warriors this season. Atlanta won’t be able to use those returning rights unless he’s waived by Golden State. It’s possibly a sign that the Warriors don’t plan to retain Plowden.
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 Phoenix Suns.
Free agent signings
Royce O’Neale: Four years, $42,000,000. Includes an additional $2MM in unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.- Josh Okogie: Two years, $16,000,000. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Bol Bol: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Tyus Jones: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Damion Lee: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Monte Morris: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Mason Plumlee: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28 pick), the No. 56 pick in the 2024 draft, the Nuggets’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2031 second-round pick from the Nuggets in exchange for the draft rights to DaRon Holmes (No. 22 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Kevin McCullar (No. 56 pick) and the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected).
- Acquired E.J. Liddell from the Hawks in exchange for David Roddy.
- Note: Liddell was subsequently waived.
Draft picks
- 1-28: Ryan Dunn
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $12,998,353).
- 2-40: Oso Ighodaro
- Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract ($7,895,796). First two years guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($250K). Fourth-year team option.
Two-way signings
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Udoka Azubuike (Buducnost)
- Drew Eubanks (Jazz)
- Eric Gordon (Sixers)
- Saben Lee (Manisa Basket)
- Isaiah Thomas (unsigned)
- Ish Wainright (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
- Thaddeus Young (unsigned)
Other moves
- Signed Grayson Allen to a four-year, $70,000,000 veteran extension that begins in 2024/25. Includes fourth-year player option.
- Waived E.J. Liddell.
- Waived Nassir Little.
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and above the second tax apron ($188.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $219.9MM in salary.
- No hard cap.
- No form of mid-level or bi-annual exception available.
- One traded player exception available (worth $726,547).
- One traded player exception frozen/unavailable (worth $1,119,563).
The offseason so far
The Suns’ first season with their “big three” of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal was a disappointing one. Although Phoenix compiled 49 wins, injuries limited the time the three stars spent on the court together – the full trio appeared in just 41 of 82 regular season contests – and the team didn’t win a single playoff game, having been swept out of the first round by Minnesota.
Despite questions about their fit together and their respective injury histories, the Suns weren’t about to give up on their big three so soon. General manager James Jones and team owner Mat Ishbia shot down trade rumors involving Durant, Booker, and Beal this offseason as the front office focused on making changes around those stars, rather than breaking them up.
Those changes began on the sidelines, where Phoenix opted to move on from head coach Frank Vogel less than one year after signing him to a five-year contract worth a reported $31MM. No team embarking on a coaching search this spring moved faster than the Suns, who zeroed in on Mike Budenholzer and announced his hiring less than 48 hours after confirming Vogel’s dismissal.
The Suns have first-hand familiarity with Budenholzer’s championship pedigree, having fallen to his Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals. They clearly believe he’s the right man to take the Suns to similar heights — after making him the sole focus of their search, they signed him to a five-year contract reportedly worth in excess of $50MM.
With Booker, Durant, Beal, and Jusuf Nurkic set to earn nearly $169MM combined in 2024/25, the Suns were always going to be operating over the second tax apron ($188.9MM), which meant they’d have limited resources to upgrade their roster via free agency or trade. As a result, their goals in addressing the roster were threefold:
- Re-sign key role players Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, since they’d have no means to replace them if they departed as free agents.
- Add inexpensive young talent in the draft.
- Make savvy minimum-salary veteran signings.
The offseason was a success on all three fronts.
While you can quibble with the money or the term the Suns committed to Allen (four years, $70MM) or O’Neale (four years, $42MM), losing either player wasn’t a viable option. The team badly needs Allen’s shooting and O’Neale’s defense to complement its stars. Given its lack of leverage in those negotiations, Phoenix is fortunate the final numbers on the contracts don’t look worse.
The Suns were active on draft night, moving six spots down in the first round and 16 spots up in the second. The team ended up coming away with two players it was reportedly high on – forwards Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro – while adding to its depleted stash of future draft picks in the process.
In free agency, the Suns brought back a couple of their own free agents (Bol Bol and Damion Lee) on minimum-salary contracts but did their best work with outside targets, landing center Mason Plumlee and point guards Tyus Jones and Monte Morris. I expected all three players, particularly Jones, to sign for more than the veteran’s minimum, so they look like bargains to me. And Jones and Morris are exactly the type of players Phoenix needed — ball-handling guards who take extremely good care of the ball.
The one signing that looks questionable from a value perspective is Josh Okogie, who received a two-year, $16MM contract that is fully guaranteed for the first year. Giving Okogie an $8.25MM salary for 2024/25 allows the Suns to treat him as a walking trade exception, but without the ability to aggregate his salary with another player’s or take back more than $8.25MM in a trade involving him, it remains to be seen how useful that will be.
Okogie probably doesn’t contribute enough on offense to warrant that $8MM+ salary based solely on his play on the court. Of course, as long as Ishbia is willing to pay the substantial excess tax penalties that come with giving Okogie that $8.25MM salary instead of a minimum contract, there’s no real downside for the Suns, since the deal doesn’t hamstring them in any other ways.
But as Phoenix showed when it waived and stretched Nassir Little‘s and E.J. Liddell‘s remaining salary ahead of the August 31 stretch provision deadline, Ishbia’s pockets aren’t bottomless. The Little move, in particular, will have a long-term impact — he’ll count against the books for $3.1MM through the 2030/31 season.
Up next
After waiving Little and Liddell, the Suns have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and three players on two-way deals. While two-way changes are always possible leading up to opening night, I’m skeptical Phoenix will be eager to add a 15th man to the standard roster. Keeping that spot open to start the season would allow the team to assess its options, save some money, and move quickly in the event that a specific position is hit hard by injuries during the season.
Durant and Nurkic are the two players on the roster eligible for extensions up until October 21, but I wouldn’t expect extending Nurkic – who has two years and $37.5MM left on his existing contract – to be a top preseason priority for the Suns. While Nurkic is Phoenix’s starting center for now, he’s not a lock to still be on the roster beyond his current deal, or even until the end of it.
Durant is a more likely extension candidate. Based on his contract situation (two years left) and the Over-38 rule that prevents him from tacking on two new years, he’s essentially eligible for a slightly less lucrative version of the Stephen Curry deal. A one-year extension for Durant would be worth a projected $59.5MM.
The Suns and Durant don’t have the long history of success together that the Warriors and Curry have, so it remains to be seen whether they’ll be as eager to add another year to their agreement. If it doesn’t get done before opening night, the two sides would have another chance to negotiate an extension next offseason. However, putting off those talks could leave the door open for those trade rumors that popped up earlier this offseason to resurface by February’s deadline — especially if the Suns struggle in the first half.
Lakers big man Christian Wood underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee on Monday, the team announced today.
According to the Lakers, Wood will be reevaluated in approximately eight weeks. That timeline indicates he’ll miss all of training camp and the preseason, as well as the start of the regular season. He’ll remain sidelined until at least early November, if not longer.
It’s the second procedure Wood has undergone on that troublesome knee this year. His 2023/24 season came to an early end when he was sidelined by a left knee injury in February that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery in March. The veteran forward/center was technically cleared to play in the final two games of the Lakers’ first-round series vs. Denver, but the club opted not to use him after such a long layoff.
After signing a two-year, minimum-salary contract with Los Angeles a year ago, Wood played a limited role for the team in his first year in L.A., averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game (50 games). His shooting percentages – 46.6% from the floor and 30.7% on three-pointers – were well below his career rates.
On the heels of a down year, it came as no surprise when the 28-year-old exercised his minimum-salary player option for 2024/25, guaranteeing his $3.04MM salary for the coming season.
Today’s Wood news is the second discouraging health update out of Laker Land within the past few days. A recent report indicated that forward Jarred Vanderbilt isn’t as far along as hoped in his recovery from the foot issue that kept him on the shelf for much of last season. However, with no formal word on that front from the team or the player, that should still be treated as a rumor for now.
With Wood unavailable to open the season, Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes figure to handle the brunt of the minutes at center for the Lakers.
After working out a contract extension with head coach Mike Brown earlier this offseason, the Kings announced some additional coaching news on Monday, revealing in a press release that Jay Triano has been promoted to associate head coach.
Triano, who has been on Brown’s staff as an assistant since 2022, has built an impressive coaching résumé over the last two-plus decades. He served as a head coach in Toronto (2008-11) and Phoenix (2017-18) and had stints as an assistant with the Raptors (2002-08), Trail Blazers (2012-16), Suns (2016-17), and Hornets (2018-22) before arriving in Sacramento.
Triano will take the position previously occupied by Jordi Fernandez, who left the Kings this spring to take the head coaching job in Brooklyn.
The Kings announced a few more changes to their coaching staff in Monday’s release, confirming that former Trail Blazers G League coach Jim Moran and Arizona Wildcats assistant Riccardo Fois have been hired as assistants under Brown. The additions of Moran and Fois were both previously reported.
Sacramento also announced the following promotions:
- Jawad Williams has been named assistant coach and director of player development.
- Charles Allen has been named player development coach.
- Dipesh Mistry has been named head video coordinator and player development coach.
- Shandon Goldman has been named video assistant.
Beginning in 2024/25, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, room exception, and bi-annual exception can all be used to acquire players via waiver claims, giving teams new ways to land other clubs’ roster casualties whose salaries don’t exceed the MLE (approximately $12.8MM in ’24/25)
[RELATED: Values Of 2024/25 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions]
In the past, in order to claim a player off waivers, a team generally had to be able to fit the player’s entire salary into cap room, a traded player exception, or a disabled player exception.
Despite the new options available to teams eyeing a player who has recently been cut, waiver claims will likely continue to be infrequent going forward. Once the draft and the early part of the free agent period have passed, many teams around the NBA aren’t in position to take on additional salary or don’t have excess roster spots available for newcomers. Plus, most of the players who end up on waivers are being cut because their current contracts aren’t considered great values.
With all that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that the players most frequently claimed on waivers are those on minimum-salary deals, since any club is eligible to place a claim on those players using the minimum salary exception.
Even for minimum-salary claims, there are some caveats — the minimum salary exception can only be used to sign players for up to two years, so the same rules apply to waiver claims. If a player signed a three-year, minimum salary contract, he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception, even if he’s in the final year of his deal. And if a player received more than the minimum salary in an earlier season, he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception.
Essentially, the minimum salary exception can only be used to claim a player whose current contract could have been signed using the minimum salary exception.
Taking into account all the factors that reduce the odds of a waiver claim, it makes sense that nearly all of the players who get released ultimately clear waivers. The 2021/22 and ’22/23 league years each featured just six waiver claims, for instance, while there were just three in ’23/24.
Despite how infrequent they are, we still want to track all the waiver claims that take place during the 2024/25 league year, since you never know which claim may end up being crucial. Last season, for instance, the Pelicans claimed Matt Ryan off waivers from Minnesota in October. Ryan ended up spending the entire year in New Orleans and remains on the team’s roster heading into training camp in 2024.
We’ll track this year’s waiver claims in the space below, updating the list throughout the season to include the latest moves. Here’s the current list:
- Pistons claim Paul Reed from Sixers (July 9) (story)
- Reed enjoyed a career year in 2023/24, setting new personal highs in points (7.3), rebounds (6.0), blocks (1.0), and minutes (19.4) per game, while appearing in all 82 contests and making 24 starts for the Sixers. But his $7,723,000 salary, which was fully non-guaranteed, became expendable when Philadelphia needed to create a little extra cap room to finalize its signings of Paul George, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond. The Pistons, one of the NBA’s few teams with cap space still remaining, used some of that space to claim Reed. The big man will provide frontcourt depth in Detroit, still has some upside, and comes with little risk, since his full-season salary doesn’t become guaranteed unless he remains under contract through January 7.
- Pelicans claim Trey Jemison from Grizzlies (July 26) (story)
- A year after claiming Ryan and having him fill one of their two-way slots, the Pelicans are looking to replicate that success with Jemison, whose two-way deal with Memphis – signed in February – included a second year. Jemison played pretty well in 23 games (14 starts) for Memphis last season, averaging 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 24.9 minutes per night. The Grizzlies decided to waive him when they signed Jay Huff to a two-way contract, but Jemison will remain in the Southwest and could play a role for a New Orleans team that lost big men Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance over the summer. It’s worth noting that, like minimum-salary contracts, two-way deals can be claimed off waivers without requiring cap room or any special exceptions.
- Pelicans claim Brandon Boston Jr. from Spurs (October 21) (story)
- October 21 was the deadline this season for a team to convert a player on an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal. Because most players on Exhibit 10 contracts were cut on October 19, that meant teams around the NBA had an opportunity to place a claim on one of those players and convert him to a two-way before the regular season tipped off. That’s what the Pelicans did with Boston after he was waived by the Spurs. Boston gained 105 games of regular season experience with the Clippers in his first three NBA seasons and was among the more seasoned options available to New Orleans for its last two-way slot.
- Hornets claim Jared Rhoden from Raptors (October 21) (story)
- Like the Pelicans with Boston, the Hornets took advantage of the two-way conversion option for players on Exhibit 10 contracts, claiming Rhoden and his Exhibit 10 deal after he was cut by the Raptors, then converting him to a two-way just before the season began. Rhoden will provide some additional backcourt depth in Charlotte after appearing in 31 total games for the Pistons while on two-way deals over the past two years.