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Southwest Notes: Murray, Paul, Barnes, K. Thompson, Robinson, A. Thompson

July 11th, 2024 at 9:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans’ success next season will likely hinge on the partnership between newly acquired Dejounte Murray and incumbent franchise player Zion Williamson. Murray wants to make Williamson an ever bigger threat, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press.

“I told him I’m going to push him,” said Murray, who was officially dealt to the Pelicans over the weekend. “If I see something I think he can be better at, if he sees something to me, we’re going to be open to that. … I’m excited to push him to the next level because there are a bunch of levels he can reach.”

Murray’s name was prominent in the rumor mill prior to last season’s trade deadline. He made it known through his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, that the Pelicans appealed to him.

“One of the things Rich said to us was, ‘You really need to go try to get Dejounte Murray,'” said Pelicans executive VP David Griffin, per Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “We sort of laughed. We said, ‘We tried to do that at the trade deadline. We weren’t able to make something happen that made sense for both sides.’ But when he shared for us the excitement Dejounte had for our situation, it was really an eye-opening thing. It was meaningful to us.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

After getting waived by the Warriors, Chris Paul chose the Spurs despite his lack of a championship ring. Paul will likely return to a starting role with San Antonio and that was a deciding factor, according to Andrew Lopez on ESPN. “I want to play more than anything,” he said. Newly-acquired Harrison Barnes had a 10% trade bonus that he waived in order to help facilitate the deal involving the Kings, Spurs and Bulls. Barnes called it “a pretty easy decision,” adding, “It’s funny, with the new CBA, the trade kicker became more of a play than I was expecting, but I think the opportunity just to come here and to be able play for Pop (Gregg Popovich) and play with this group I think is exciting.”
Klay Thompson said during his introductory press conference that the Mavericks are a perfect fit for him at this stage of his career, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays. “Whether you play basketball or work in the corporate world, sometimes change can spur greatness and a new change of scenery can do wonders,” Thompson said. “And I’m very grateful for my time at Golden State. But I just felt like moving on could re-energize me and do something special for the rest of my career. … When I was watching the Mavs make a run for the championship, I just saw myself fitting in really well with this team. They looked like they had fun playing with each other and they played for each other. That was very attractive for me. That’s really all I needed to see.”
Former Heat big man Orlando Robinson is on the Rockets’ Summer League roster, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Robinson was waived on July 7 before his $2.1MM contract became guaranteed. He cleared waivers on Tuesday. Robinson appeared in 36 contests for Miami in 2023/24, averaging 2.8 points on a .500/.533/.760 shooting line. Robinson also chipped in 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per night.
Rockets guard Amen Thompson, who is a member of the USA Select Team this summer, said Houston coach Ime Udoka is “reasonably hard” on his players, he told Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “He’s kind of similar to some coaches I’ve had in the past. The thing that’s different about him is he can get in the mix with us, like he’s a player,” he said. “I’ve never had a coach that played in the NBA. When he talks, I gotta listen because he’s been there. He’s reasonably hard on everybody. He doesn’t go crazy, but he’s reasonably hard.”

Tyus Jones, Gary Trent, Isaac Okoro Among Top Remaining FAs

July 11th, 2024 at 7:08am CST by Luke Adams

The 2024/25 league year began just 10 days ago, but our list of this year’s top 50 free agents has been picked pretty clean. Of those 50 players, 42 have either agreed to deals or officially signed new contracts, leaving just eight still on the board.

Here are those eight players:

Tyus Jones, G
Gary Trent Jr., G
Isaac Okoro, F (Cavaliers RFA)
Luke Kennard, G
Precious Achiuwa, F/C
Markelle Fultz, G
Cedi Osman, F
Gordon Hayward, F

Jones’ ongoing availability surprises me a little, given that he’s coming off a career year. Considered one of the league’s top backup point guards for several seasons, Jones got his first opportunity to be a full-time starter in 2023/24 and delivered — his .489 FG%, .414 3PT%, 12.0 PPG, and 7.3 APG were all career highs, and no one in the league is better at protecting the ball (his 1.0 turnover per game in ’23/24 was the worst mark of his career).

John Hollinger of The Athletic succinctly summed up Jones’ dilemma in free agency this week, writing, “(Jones) wants to be a starter and wants to do it for a team better than the Wizards, but he might have to settle for 50 percent of those goals.”

Of course, a lack of spending power and available roster spots around the NBA is also starting to become an issue for the top free agents left on the board. Only the Jazz and Pistons have significant cap room remaining, with Utah leading the way at about $35MM.

But the Jazz may end up needing about $24MM of that room in order to renegotiate Lauri Markkanen‘s salary up to his maximum next month in order to get an extension done with the star forward. If that’s the plan, they’re not in position to offer a free agent more than about $11-13MM (depending on what they do with a pair of partially guaranteed contracts).

The Pistons used up some of their cap room when they claimed Paul Reed‘s $7.7MM salary off waivers this week. If Detroit wants to free up more space, Reed could always be waived, since his salary is still non-guaranteed. As long as he’s the books, the team could get up to about $20MM by completing Malik Beasley‘s reported one-year, $6MM deal using the room exception instead of cap space.

There are plenty of teams around the NBA who still have the full $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception on hand, but most of those clubs won’t use it due to financial concerns. For instance, the Pacers haven’t touched their MLE and have an open roster spot, but they’re only about $2.5MM below the luxury tax line, so they’ll likely be inclined to stay out of tax territory. Virtually every other team that still has the full mid-level available is in a similar position and would become a taxpayer if they used their entire MLE.

Jones, Trent, and Okoro presumably all entered free agency hoping to easily exceed the non-taxpayer mid-level exception on their next contracts, but it’s getting harder to see how all of them will get there.

Okoro – a strong wing defender whose offensive game remains a work in progress – is perhaps the most interesting name left on the market. While there are still technically eight restricted free agents still on the board, Okoro is the only one who finished last season on a standard contract rather than a two-way deal, and he’s the only one who seems in line for a sizable payday this summer.

The Pistons were identified on June 30 as a potential suitor to watch for Okoro, who has spent his entire NBA career under new Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. If their interest is real, they’re in position to put some pressure on Cleveland with an aggressive offer sheet. The Cavaliers aren’t expected to balk at matching an offer in the $12-13MM range, but anything higher than that would put them well over the luxury tax line and potentially even over the first tax apron, so it wouldn’t be a no-brainer.

Trent and Kennard are reliable three-point threats, but don’t bring a whole lot else to the table, which has presumably limited their market. The Grizzlies still appear very interested in bringing back Kennard, whereas the door appears nearly closed for Trent’s return to the Raptors.

The Pistons looked like a potential fit for Trent at the start of free agency, but their deal with Beasley likely rules out the immediate need for another three-point gunner. Trent may have to find a team willing to bring him aboard using a portion of the mid-level exception or via sign-and-trade.

The most likely outcome for Achiuwa still seems to be a return to New York, given that the Knicks need help up front and hold his Bird rights. There hasn’t been much chatter about the remaining three free agents from our top 50 – Fultz, Osman, and Hayward – but I expect them to find NBA deals eventually.

Besides the players listed above, there are plenty of other veterans worth keeping an eye on in free agency, many of whom will likely end up on minimum-salary deals.

Teams in need of a point guard could look to Spencer Dinwiddie or Kyle Lowry, or perhaps to Patrick Beverley or Dennis Smith Jr. if they’re seeking a defense-first player. Sharpshooters like Seth Curry, Doug McDermott, Evan Fournier, and Davis Bertans are still available. So are solid backup wings like Justin Holiday, Lonnie Walker, Josh Okogie, Robert Covington, Jae Crowder, and Troy Brown. Both Morris brothers (Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris) remain unsigned as well, though Markieff appears likely to return to Dallas.

Our full list of available free agents can be found right here.

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Timberwolves Re-Sign Daishen Nix On Two-Way Contract

July 10th, 2024 at 10:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves have re-signed free agent guard Daishen Nix to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was first to note the news (via Twitter).

A former McDonald’s All-American who went undrafted in 2021 after one season with the G League Ignite, Nix spent his first two NBA seasons with Houston. The Rockets waived him in June 2023 before his salary for the 2023/24 season became guaranteed.

Nix, 22, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Timberwolves last September and then was converted to a two-way contract in October. He only appeared in 15 NBA games last season for a total of 50 minutes.

Nix appeared in 13 Showcase Cup and regular season games in ’23/24 for Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, putting up impressive averages of 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.5 steals in 36.3 minutes per contest. He struggled with scoring efficiency, however, posting a .397/.244/.643 shooting line.

As our tracker shows, Nix fills Minnesota’s third and final two-way spot, joining Jaylen Clark and Jesse Edwards.

Hornets Notes: Smith, Lee, Offseason, Simpson

July 10th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Nick Smith Jr., a first-round pick in 2023, is hoping to carve out consistent rotation minutes in 2024/25 under new Hornets head coach Charles Lee, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

The 20-year-old appeared in 51 games as a rookie last season, averaging 5.9 RPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.2 APG on .391/.432/.867 shooting in 14.3 MPG. He pointed to solid defense as his path to regular playing time.

“That’s what’s going to get you on the court,” Smith said. “I’m a guard, small guard, at that for the NBA. I’m 6-3 and have a long wingspan, but I’ve got to be able to guard the best guards in the country, and the best guards in the NBA, and the best wings at times. And I want my team to count on me to get those stops, because I want that challenge.

“And I’m pretty sure everybody knows I want that challenge, too. So, it’s just repping it each and every day, especially coming out here and just not taking any games lightly, it’s playing with the team. The team understands that winning comes first, defense comes first and Coach Lee has definitely preached that.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

First-year head coach Lee is drawing rave reviews from his players even though he’s only been around the team for a handful of weeks, according to Boone. Lee decided to lead the summer league squad after finishing out last season as an assistant for the title-winning Celtics. “No. 1, I’m so excited to be part of this Hornets organization and also love the game, love to coach,” Lee told The Observer. “And I feel like I’ve been away from the guys as I went on that playoff run. And now’s my opportunity to start building with them, start learning some terminology, learning the players and also just create an environment of, ‘We’re all going to get down to work like nobody’s above anything.’ And so I was just ready to hit the ground running.”
The Hornets have been very active this offseason, making changes to the back end of the roster and agreeing to re-sign Miles Bridges to a three-year, $75MM contract. Those series of moves suggest that new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and new co-owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall are focused on improving the team’s talent pool rather than going with the status quo, Boone writes for The Observer.
Rookie guard KJ Simpson, the 42nd overall pick of last month’s draft, signed a two-way contract that covers two seasons, a league source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). A two-time All-Pac-12 honoree during his three-season stint with the Colorado Buffaloes, the 6’0″ Simpson averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.9 APG and 1.6 SPG in ’23/24.

Jontay Porter Pleads Guilty To Felony, Likely Facing Prison Time

July 10th, 2024 at 7:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Raptors big man Jontay Porter pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, reports Jennifer Peltz of The Associated Press.

“I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” said Porter, who was released on a $250K bond signed by his mother and wife, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Porter’s sentencing is set for December 18 in New York.

Prosecutors estimated that Porter could receive 41 to 51 months in prison, but the final say will come from a judge, who could impose no time or up to a maximum of 20 years. The 24-year-old is also likely to be docked “hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution and fines,” per Peltz.

Porter, who told the court he is in therapy and has received inpatient rehabilitation for a gambling addiction, was banned from the NBA in April following an investigation into betting-related irregularities.

Porter is tied to another federal case involving four men who are also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants are accused of profiting from prop bets based on the knowledge that Porter would exit a pair of games early. The complaint also alleges that Porter – who isn’t identified by name but fits the description of the player described – was supposed to receive a portion of the winnings. Porter was allegedly pressured by one of the defendants due outstanding gambling debts. The four defendants have yet to enter pleas.

In 26 games for Toronto in 2023/24, Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 13.8 minutes per night. He earned $415K last season while on a two-way contract with the Raptors.

Hawks, Bruno Fernando Agree To Push Back Guarantee Date

July 10th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Maher

For the second time this summer, the Hawks and Bruno Fernando have reached an agreement to push back his salary guarantee date, reports Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (via Twitter).

The two sides originally postponed Fernando’s guarantee date from June 29 to July 10. According to Rowland, the new guarantee date is August 1.

Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier on Wednesday that the Hawks and Fernando were discussing postponing the deadline again.

Fernando has some incentive to give Atlanta more time with the decision if it increases his odds of remaining on the roster and earning his full $2.72MM salary for 2024/25. In 2023, Atlanta moved Fernando’s salary guarantee deadline from June 29 to July 10, then ultimately kept him on the roster, guaranteeing his full $2.58MM salary for ’23/24.

The 34th pick of the 2019 draft after two college seasons at Maryland, Fernando has appeared in 203 regular season games over the course of his five-year NBA career, having suited up for Atlanta, Boston and Houston. Most of those appearances (142) have come with the Hawks.

A 6’9″ center from Angola who possesses a 7’3″ wingspan, Fernando didn’t play much at all in the first half of last season, appearing in just 13 of Atlanta’s first 49 games for an average of 6.5 minutes per contest. However, he was thrust into a larger role down the stretch due to a series of frontcourt injuries, averaging 7.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG while shooting 59.4% from the floor and 70.1% from the line over his final 32 games (18.7 MPG).

Timberwolves Promote Matt Lloyd to General Manager

July 10th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have promoted senior VP of basketball operations Matt Lloyd, announcing today in a press release that he has been named the team’s new general manager.

The promotion cements Lloyd’s place as the No. 2 man in Minnesota’s front office, behind only president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

“We are thrilled for Matt and his well-earned promotion,” Connelly said in a statement. “He’s a wonderful teammate whose tireless work ethic and positivity have made a huge impact on our organization.”

Lloyd was one of Connelly’s first hires back in 2022 after having previously served in Orlando’s front office as an assistant general manager, interim GM, and VP of basketball operations. He also had a lengthy stint in the Bulls’ front office earlier in his career.

Lloyd was a finalist in Charlotte when the Hornets were seeking a new head of basketball operations earlier this year. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), even after they hired Jeff Peterson in that role, the Hornets offered Lloyd a similar role in their new-look front office to the one he had in Minnesota, but he opted to remain with the Wolves. Now he has been rewarded with a promotion.

Mavericks Re-Sign Brandon Williams To Two-Way Contract

July 10th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have re-signed point guard Brandon Williams to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Williams, 24, has been playing professionally since going undrafted in 2021, bouncing between the G League and the NBA during the past three seasons. He joined the Mavericks last December on a two-way deal and appeared in 17 regular season games for Dallas the rest of the way, averaging 3.2 points and 1.0 assist in 6.6 minutes per night.

In 19 outings at the G League level for the Osceola Magic and the Texas Legends in 2023/24, Williams averaged an impressive 25.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in 34.9 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .475/.345/.842.

The Mavericks issued Williams a two-way qualifying offer at the end of June, ensuring they’d have the right to match any offer he received from another team. Instead, he’s back under contract with Dallas on a new two-way deal, possibly having simply accepted that QO.

Dallas now has one available two-way slot, with Alex Fudge and Williams filling two of the three.

Pistons Sign Cade Cunningham To Five-Year Max Extension

July 10th, 2024 at 3:17pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 10: Cunningham’s maximum-salary extension is official, the Pistons announced today in a press release.

Cunningham is the third player to sign a max rookie scale extension this offseason, joining Scottie Barnes of the Raptors and Franz Wagner of the Magic.

JULY 9: The Pistons and Cunningham are in agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension, agents Jeff Schwartz and James Dunleavy tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski says it’s a $224MM deal that could be worth up to $269MM, which means it will include Rose rule language that could bump the starting salary from 25% of the 2025/26 cap to 30% if Cunningham makes an All-NBA team

JUNE 30: The Pistons intend to sign 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham to a five-year, rookie scale max extension, sources tell Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The exact value of Cunningham’s extension is currently unknown. If the salary cap rises by 10% in 2025/26, which is when the extension will kick in, it would be worth approximately $224MM.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks hears (via Twitter) that while Detroit and Cunningham have discussed an extension, a deal doesn’t appear to be imminent. However, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press has sources who say it’s on track to get done. The guard can’t officially sign anything until July 6.

After a promising ’21/22 campaign which saw Cunningham finish third in Rookie of the Year voting, the 22-year-old was limited to just 12 games due to season-ending surgery in ’22/23. Despite the Pistons finishing with the NBA’s worst record in ’23/24, Cunningham had a strong third season, averaging 22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.5 APG and 0.9 SPG on .449/.355/.869 shooting in 62 games (33.5 MPG).

Assuming Cunningham’s contract comes to fruition, which seems likely, he would join Raptors forward Scottie Barnes as the second player from the 2021 draft class to agree to a rookie scale extension. The full list of players eligible for rookie scale deals can be found right here.

While Barnes agreed to an extension that features Rose rule language, potentially allowing him to earn 30% of the ’25/26 salary cap instead of 25%, the terms Charania and Edwards reported suggest that Cunningam might not have gotten that offer from Detroit. Either way, it’s a major commitment to the 6’6″ guard, who will earn $13.94MM in ’24/25, which is the final season of his rookie scale contract.

NBA Finalizes Media Rights Deals With ESPN, NBC, Amazon

July 10th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has finalized deals with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime, reaching agreements to make the three broadcasters its media rights partners for the next decade-plus, reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. According to Marchand, the 11-year contracts – which will go into effect with the 2025/26 season – will be worth a total of approximately $76 billion.

These agreements had been anticipated for quite some time, but they still don’t entirely close the book on the NBA’s latest round of media rights negotiations.

The next step, Marchand explains, will be for the league’s Board of Governors to officially approve the deals with the three prospective TV partners. That’s viewed as a formality and is expected to happen when the board meets in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Once the Board of Governors signs off on the contracts, they’ll be sent to TNT Sports, the NBA’s longtime media partner, which was unable to agree to terms with the league during this round of negotiations. TNT’s previous deal with the NBA reportedly includes some form of matching rights, so the broadcaster will have five days to decide whether it wants to attempt to exercise those rights.

If TNT passes on that opportunity, the NBA is expected to officially announce its new media rights deal prior to the start of the Olympics later this month, according to Marchand.

If TNT opts to match one of the offers – the expectation is that Amazon’s package would be the target, per Marchand – it could extend the process. The expectation is that there could be a legal battle over whether TNT’s matching rights would be valid, given the differences between what a cable channel like TNT and a streaming giant like Amazon could offer the league.

Marchand provides some additional details on the broadcast plans, assuming ESPN, NBC, and Amazon ultimately move forward as the NBA’s partners:

ESPN would slightly reduce its total number of games, from about 100 to 80 per season. During the NFL season, ESPN would air games on Wednesday and Sundays, with ABC getting Saturday night games. ESPN would also air Friday games after the NFL season concludes.
NBC would air Sunday night games after the NFL season ends, emulating its “Sunday Night Football” broadcasts. NBC is also expected to broadcast games on Tuesday throughout the season, with Monday games on Peacock, its streaming service.
Amazon Prime Video is expected to air games on Thursday nights after the NFL season wraps up, similar to its “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts during the NFL season. Amazon will also likely broadcast games on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the season.
Amazon will be the home of the NBA’s in-season tournament.
All three broadcast partners will air playoff games. Amazon and NBC will each have a conference finals every other year, while ESPN will have one every year. ESPN/ABC will also get the NBA Finals each season.

ESPN is expected to pay about $2.6 billion per season for its rights, while NBC will pay $2.5 billion and Amazon will pay $1.8 billion, per Marchand.

The NBA’s previous media rights agreement with TNT and ESPN, which began in the 2016/17 season, was worth $24 billion over nine seasons. The new money that came in as a result of that deal generated a significant salary cap spike in 2016 (approximately 35%), but the NBA and NBPA have taken steps to ensure that won’t happen again this time around, with annual cap increases capped at 10%.

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