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Option/QO Notes: Green, Watanabe, Bertans, Barlow, Kings, More

June 30th, 2024 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

Saturday represented the deadline for teams and players to exercise 2024/25 contract options and for teams to issue qualifying offers to players eligible for free agency. While there was a flurry of news about those options and QO decisions yesterday, a few players still slipped through the cracks.

We’ll start with Rockets forward Jeff Green. Reporting last week indicated that Houston planned to exercise his $8MM team option for 2024/25 and the team did just that, per RealGM’s transaction log. Green’s salary technically remains non-guaranteed until July 11 even now that his option has been picked up, but the expectation is that he’ll be retained — his expiring deal could be a useful salary-matching piece in a trade, and he also played rotation minutes for Houston last season, averaging 16.8 MPG in 78 appearances.

While there was no official confirmation on Saturday (as far as we could tell), Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe had long been expected to decline his $2.65MM player option for the 2024/25 season, since he’s on track to return to his home country of Japan and play for the Chiba Jets. There’s no indication that those plans have changed or that he picked up his option, so we’re assuming it was declined and that he’ll be off the board for NBA teams this offseason.

Finally, Davis Bertans‘ option with the Hornets was technically an early termination option rather than a player option, meaning that instead of needing to actively exercise it if he wanted to opt in, he needed to do nothing to opt in. He did just that, and will remain under contract with Charlotte for the time being, rather than becoming a free agent. However, his $16MM option salary is only partially guaranteed for $5.25MM, so he’s not assured of having the rest of that salary guaranteed, especially if the Hornets are looking to maximize their cap flexibility this offseason.

Here are a few more updates left over from a busy Saturday:

Dominick Barlow, a 21-year-old forward who has spent the past two seasons with the Spurs, didn’t receive a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). San Antonio isn’t necessarily planning to part ways with Barlow, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, who tweets that the Spurs still have interest in discussing a new deal. However, he’ll have interest from other teams as well, says Wojnarowski.
The Kings didn’t tender qualifying offers to their three players eligible for restricted free agency (Kessler Edwards, Jordan Ford, or Jalen Slawson), confirms Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link). All three players will be unrestricted free agents.
According to RealGM, players who did receive qualifying offers that weren’t previously reported (that we saw) include no-brainers like Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, as well as Mavericks two-way player Brandon Williams.
We’ve previously published trackers for this year’s team option decisions and player option decisions, which are now fully up to date. We’ll be posting a full qualifying offer recap later this morning.

Paul George Will Be A Free Agent, But The Sixers Have Competition

June 29th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the Sixers‘ chances of landing Paul George in free agency now that he has declined his $48.8MM option for next season. George will meet with Sixers officials Sunday night, but Pompey notes that the Magic are also a strong contender and there’s a chance he’ll remain with the Clippers if they add a fourth year to their current offer. Sources tell Pompey that George is expected to be involved in helping to recruit role players if he signs with Philadelphia.

Paul George Declines Option, Will Take Free Agent Meetings

June 29th, 2024 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

6:15pm: George intends to meet with the Clippers, Sixers, and Magic late on Sunday night and into Monday, according to reports from Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

3:43pm: Clippers star forward Paul George has decided to turn down his $48.8MM player option for the 2024/25 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move puts George on track to become an unrestricted free agent, and he intends to schedule meetings with the Clippers – who control his Bird rights – and other suitors with cap room beginning on Sunday evening, says Wojnarowski.

The decision also means that an opt-in-and-trade scenario is off the table for George, so over-the-cap teams who were hoping to acquire him – including the Warriors – will no longer have a realistic path to do so.

George turned 34 in May but has continued to produce like one of the NBA’s best wings in recent years. In 74 games in 2023/24, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33.8 minutes per game, posting a strong shooting line of .471/.413/.907.

The Clippers signed their other star forward – Kawhi Leonard – to a three-year, $152MM contract extension in January and have reportedly attempted to get George locked up to a similar deal, which is below his maximum in terms of both years (he can get up to four) and dollars. The Los Angeles native has been unwilling to sign what his hometown team has put on the table so far and – with the two sides apparently at a stalemate – will weigh his options on the open market.

The Sixers, who will have more than enough cap room to accommodate a maximum-salary contract, have long been viewed as the biggest threat to the Clippers for George. A report last week indicated that Philadelphia’s interest in pursuing George had “waned,” but Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears from sources that the 76ers are still expected to aggressively try to lure George away from the West Coast. The Magic are another team with significant cap room that has been mentioned as a potential suitor.

As our maximum-salary projections for 2024/25 show, rival suitors will be able to offer George up to a projected $212.2MM over four years, while the Clippers could bid up to about $221MM over those four years. Typically, Los Angeles would be able to offer a fifth year to a Bird-rights free agent, but that’s not an option for George due to the over-38 rule.

While a sign-and-trade deal sending George to a new team is technically possible, it likely won’t be a practical option for over-the-cap suitors. A team that takes back salary in exchange for a signed-and-traded player becomes hard-capped at the second tax apron, so acquiring upwards of $40MM in salaries for George probably won’t be viable for the Clippers.

Warriors Preparing To Lose Klay Thompson

June 29th, 2024 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

With Klay Thompson just 24 hours away from reaching unrestricted free agency, the Warriors are preparing to lose their longtime sharpshooter and four-time NBA champion, league sources tell Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Charania and Slater, the Warriors and Thompson haven’t had much contact as of late and the team hasn’t made him a formal contract offer since the exclusive negotiating window opened after the NBA Finals.

The club has expressed interest in circling back to the five-time All-Star after addressing other business, including figuring out what to do with Chris Paul and his non-guaranteed $30MM expiring salary.

However, Thompson’s side believes Golden State’s interest in a reunion has been “disingenuous,” per The Athletic’s duo, who say he “never felt reciprocated love from management about his firm place in the franchise’s plans.”

As a result, the 34-year-old is determined to find a new home, league sources tell Charania and Slater, and both sides believe their 13-year run together is about to come to an end.

The Lakers, Clippers, and Mavericks are expected to be among Thompson’s top suitors, though all three teams project to be over the cap and would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade. Golden State has been open to the idea of accommodating such a deal in order to maximize Thompson’s earning potential, sources tell The Athletic.

Multiple clubs with cap room are expected to be in the mix too, per Charania and Slater. The Sixers and Magic are among the cap-space teams that have been linked to the longtime Warrior in recent days.

Marc Stein, who reported on Friday night that there’s “strong” mutual interest between Thompson and the Mavericks, tweets that LeBron James is hopeful the Lakers can make a bid to challenge Dallas for the veteran swingman. For his part, Thompson is intrigued by the Lakers possibility and plans to talking to both them and the Mavs, among other potential suitors, tweets Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s Option Declined By Sixers

June 29th, 2024 at 4:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Sixers have opted to decline reserve point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr.‘s team option for 2024/25, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

After going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, Dowtin spent the 2020/21 season with the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. The 6’3″ point guard has since logged time with the Warriors, Bucks, and Raptors, often on either 10-day contracts or two-way deals that have seen him split his time with each team’s G League affiliate club.

Dowtin started off the 2023/24 season with Philadelphia’s NBAGL team, the Delaware Blue Coats, before inking a two-way deal with the Sixers. In April, that contract was converted to a standard agreement for the rest of the season, with a second-year team option.

All told, Dowtin boasts career NBA averages of 2.9 points, 1.5 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 steals per night. In 20 games with Delaware last year, Dowtin averaged 19.1 PPG on .491/.387/.906 shooting, along with 5.3 APG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.2 SPG.

Dowtin had been eligible for a qualifying offer, which would have made him a restricted free agent and allowed Philadelphia to match any contract extended his way. It appears that he did not receive one, given that the Sixers are looking to maximize their cap space with free agency looming.

Atlantic Notes: McCain, Thomas, Hauser, Scheierman

June 28th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyrese Maxey is one of the few definite members of the Sixers‘ roster next season, but that didn’t deter the team from drafting another small guard Wednesday night. Philadelphia used the No. 16 pick on Duke’s Jared McCain, a 6’2″ scoring specialist whose skills seems to overlap with Maxey’s.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted that having an undersized backcourt isn’t ideal, but he added that McCain has learned how to be effective despite his stature (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

“He’s got a strong frame, very strong, good rebounder,” Morey said. “We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He was being targeted at Duke, but as the season wore on he was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that coach (Nick) Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got 95th percentile approach to the game, good teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck with taking kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Cam Thomas, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, was the Nets‘ leading scorer this season and his opportunities should increase now that Mikal Bridges is being traded to New York, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis expects Thomas’ usage rate to soar, possibly among the league leaders, but until Brooklyn starts winning he’ll never be able to escape the reputation of putting up good stats on a bad team. “I’ve always gone through that stuff,” Thomas said. “Whenever I … have a big season or leap, it goes a little under the radar or unnoticed. If other players do it, it’s all talked about a lot. Obviously, I’m kind of used to it in a way. I don’t really care. I go out there and play for my guys and the organization to be the best player I can be. … I want to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
With Sam Hauser entering the final season of his minimum contract, the Celtics may have drafted his eventual replacement when they took Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Scheierman is a similar type of player, and Weiss points out that he ran some of the same sets in college that Boston uses to create shots for Hauser. The Celtics will be well into tax territory for multiple seasons after expected extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, so they’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the extra tax bill to re-sign Hauser. Team president Brad Stevens appears willing to make that commitment, telling reporters, “We want him to be here for a long time.” (Twitter link from Brian Robb of MassLive)
With most of the roster already under contract for next season, Stevens doesn’t expect any major changes to the team this offseason, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
A judge granted the Raptors‘ motion to compel arbitration in their legal dispute with the Knicks, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver will make the final decision on whether the case will be arbitrated. All parties must update the court on the status of arbitration by December 13.

Trade Rumors: Wiggins, Warriors, Rockets, Ingram, Kings, Jazz

June 28th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Wiggins is no longer in the mix for the Canadian national team this summer, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto (Twitter link), who says the Warriors are “playing hardball” with a player they are “looking to move.”

Wiggins was insured and medically cleared by Canada Basketball, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but it sounds like the Warriors don’t want to risk his health during trade negotiations after he dealt with an ankle issue last season. While Grange says the veteran forward isn’t thrilled about the decision, Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) refers to it as a mutual one.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Wiggins is one of several Warriors veterans who is considered a potential outgoing piece if Golden State makes a major deal. Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II fall into that category, as does Chris Paul, whose $30MM salary remains non-guaranteed for the time being. The Warriors’ decision on Paul’s non-guaranteed salary is due on Friday, but it’s possible the team will give him a partial guarantee in exchange for pushing back that deadline, says Fischer.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

While some trade rumors earlier this week linked Kevin Durant to Houston, the Rockets are more interested in pursuing younger trade targets whose timeline matches up better with their core, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Amick and Slater name Suns guard Devin Booker, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson as some players who would fit that bill for Houston, acknowledging that there’s no indication any of those players will be available this summer.
Exploring potential trade partners for the Pelicans and forward Brandon Ingram, Fischer mentions the Kings, Sixers, Hawks, and Cavaliers as possibilities. However, he says that Atlanta and New Orleans haven’t had substantive discussions since talking about Dejounte Murray in February, while Cleveland remains reluctant to part with any of its four core players, including potential Pels target Jarrett Allen. It’s also unclear how high Ingram ranks on Philadelphia’s list of possible targets, Fischer adds. Sacramento, meanwhile, has been in the market for help on the wing this offseason, though Fischer doesn’t explicitly say the Kings have talked to New Orleans about Ingram.
Although rival teams are expected to continue calling to register interest in Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz‘s goal continues to be extending the veteran forward and acquiring another star to complement him, Fischer writes. Adrian Wojnarowski expressed a similar sentiment during ESPN’s draft broadcast this week. Utah talked to the Hawks about Murray in February and also expressed interest in Mikal Bridges before Brooklyn agreed to send him to New York, says Fischer.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, George, Thompson, Bridges, More

June 28th, 2024 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his 2024/25 player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, appears more likely than not to switch teams this offseason, Marc Stein writes at Substack, citing league sources.

Stein, who has previously mentioned the Sixers and Magic as potential suitors for Caldwell-Pope, once again names them as teams who are well-positioned to make runs at the 31-year-old if they so choose, noting that Denver has luxury tax and apron concerns to consider. The veteran wing is considered to be a “strong possibility” for Orlando, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Stein, the Mavericks are another potential suitor to watch for Caldwell-Pope, with league sources saying there’s mutual interest between the two sides. However, Dallas is operating over the cap and would need to make a sign-and-trade deal to make a competitive contract offer to Caldwell-Pope. There’s a sense that the Nuggets won’t have interest in accommodating a sign-and-trade with a conference rival, Stein writes, even if it means losing their starting shooting guard for nothing.

Here are a few more free agent rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within a look at Paul George‘s potential free agency, Amick and Slater of The Athletic confirm that the Warriors‘ interest in the Clippers star is “legitimate” if he decides to go the opt-in-and-trade route instead of declining his 2024/25 player option. The Nuggets also recently had interest in George in that scenario, but don’t appear prepared to pursue a deal that would see them give up Michael Porter Jr. and “significant” draft capital, per The Athletic’s duo. For what it’s worth, Denver only has one tradable future first-round pick.
Despite a report from their colleague Shams Charania indicating that the Sixers‘ interest in pursuing George has “waned,” Amick and Slater cite a source who advises not to rule out Philadelphia entirely. The 76ers could offer George a maximum-salary deal using their cap room if he reaches the open market.
The Sixers also have interest in Klay Thompson, who continues to have little contact with the Warriors as he nears free agency, according to Amick and Slater, who add that the Nuggets also have Thompson on their list of potential replacements if they lose Caldwell-Pope. It’s hard to see how Denver, whose team salary is right at the luxury tax line, could make Thompson a strong offer unless more cost-cutting moves are made.
Discussing unrestricted free agent forward Miles Bridges, Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson confirmed reporting that has suggested the team wants to re-sign Bridges. “I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet,” Peterson said (story via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
Isaiah Hartenstein and Nic Claxton top John Hollinger’s list of free agent centers at The Athletic by a wide margin over the rest of the class, with Hollinger’s BORD$ formula favoring Hartenstein. Claxton already has a four-year deal lined up to remain in Brooklyn, making Hartenstein the clear top option on the open market.

Sixers To Sign David Jones, Max Fiedler

June 27th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers are signing Memphis guard David Jones to a two-way contract, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Philadelphia will also be signing Rice big man Max Fiedler to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter).

Both Jones and Fiedler went undrafted in 2024, making them unrestricted free agents.

A 6’6″ wing, Jones had a highly productive junior campaign for the Tigers, averaging 21.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 2.2 SPG on .459/.380/.797 shooting in 32 games (32.3 MPG) in 2023/24. A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones was ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s best available list. He had previous collegiate stops at DePaul and St. John’s before transferring to Memphis.

Fiedler, meanwhile, spent all five of his college seasons with the Owls. As a “super senior” last season, he averaged 9.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 5.3 APG in 32 games (29.9 MPG).

If Fiedler is released by the 76ers before the ’24/25 season begins and spends at least 60 days with their G League affiliate (the Delaware Blue Coats), he could earn a bonus worth up to nearly $78K.

Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

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