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Rookie Scale Option Decisions Still To Come

October 30th, 2019 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday, October 31 is the deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for the 2020/21 season. These options apply to either the third or fourth year of a rookie scale contract for players who were drafted in the first round. If they’re not exercised, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent the following summer.

These decisions must be made a year in advance, so even though Lonzo Ball has just started his third season, the Pelicans are already required to exercise his fourth-year option for $11MM+.

Most clubs facing these options decisions have already made them. As our tracker shows, of the 58 rookie scale options for 2020/21, 48 have been exercised so far. That leaves just 10 outstanding rookie scale options to be picked up or turned down by the end of the day on Thursday.

Here are the 2020/21 rookie scale options that have yet to be exercised:

Marvin Bagley III, Kings (third year, $8,963,640)
Josh Jackson, Grizzlies (fourth year, $8,930,242)
- Note: Memphis won’t exercise Jackson’s option.
De’Aaron Fox, Kings (fourth year, $8,099,627)
Harry Giles, Kings (fourth year, $3,976,510)
Ante Zizic, Cavaliers (fourth year, $3,872,215)
Caleb Swanigan, Kings (fourth year, $3,665,787)
Josh Okogie, Timberwolves (third year, $2,651,040)
Robert Williams, Celtics (third year, $2,029,920)
Jacob Evans, Warriors (third year, $2,017,320)
Omari Spellman, Warriors (third year, $1,988,280)

Teams only have to take action if they intend to pick up these options. Otherwise, they can simply let the deadline pass without exercising them. That’s reportedly what the Grizzlies intend to do with Jackson; we’ll see if any other teams follow suit.

Players like Bagley, Fox, and Okogie are locks to have their options picked up, but that’s not necessarily the case for everyone on this list. Zizic and Swanigan are among the candidates to potentially join Jackson as unrestricted free agents in 2020.

Poll: Which Team Will Stay Winless Longest?

October 30th, 2019 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

On Tuesday, we published a poll asking which of the NBA’s four remaining undefeated teams would be the last to lose. The Nuggets received nearly 40% of the vote, making them the top choice, then promptly lost their first game about 12 hours later.

Today, we’ll shift our focus to the NBA’s three winless teams and see if we have more success forecasting their short-term futures. After eight days, there are three teams around the league that have yet to win a game. The Pelicans and Kings each have 0-4 records while the Pacers are 0-3.

The Pelicans were a popular dark horse playoff pick during the preseason, but they’ve been hit with injuries early on this year — they’re playing without star rookie Zion Williamson, and key veterans Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors have missed time as well. Still, it’s not as if they’ve been blown off the floor in the first week. Despite a pretty tough schedule, New Orleans hasn’t lost by more than 11 points.

The same can’t be said of the Kings, who have been disastrous on the road so far, losing by 29 points in Phoenix and 32 in Utah. They’ve also dropped home games to the Blazers and Nuggets, digging an early hole for themselves as they look to improve upon last year’s 39-43 record and compete for a postseason spot.

De’Aaron Fox (.392 FG%), Buddy Hield (.351), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (.275) haven’t been making shots so far, and the team has missed Marvin Bagley III, who suffered a thumb fracture on opening night. The Kings have too much talent to be this bad, but so far they have the NBA’s worst net rating by a substantial margin, ranking in the bottom five on both offense and defense.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are trying to adjust to having four new players in their starting lineup and are without star guard Victor Oladipo. They can’t blame their schedule for their slow start, as they’ve dropped two games to a Pistons squad without Blake Griffin and one to the Cavaliers. Indiana also hasn’t shown yet that it has the firepower necessary to fight back from a defect, ranking 29th in the NBA in pace and dead last in made three-pointers per game.

These three teams have the following games on tap as they look to get in the win column:

Pelicans: vs. Den (10/31), @ OKC (11/2), @ Bkn (11/4), vs. Tor (11/8), @ Cha (11/9)
Kings: vs. Cha (10/30), vs. Utah (11/1), @ NYK (11/3), @ Tor (11/6), @ Atl (11/8)
Pacers: @ Bkn (10/30), vs. Cle (11/1), vs. Chi (11/3), @ Cha (11/5), vs. Wsh (11/6)

New Orleans probably has the most challenging short-term schedule, and would become this season’s last winless team by default if Sacramento and Indiana both win tonight. But the Pels have arguably looked the best of the three teams so far, and Holiday and Favors appear close to returning.

What do you think? Which of the NBA’s three winless teams will be the last to earn a victory?

Vote in our poll, then head to comment section below to weigh in!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Pacific Notes: Kuzma, Kings, Curry

October 29th, 2019 at 10:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kyle Kuzma will travel with the Lakers for their upcoming road trip and it’s possible that he makes his season debut over the next three games, Bill Oram of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). The team travels to Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago over the next week.

Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

James Ham of NBC Sports California wonders if the Kings should replace Dewayne Dedmon in the starting lineup with Richaun Holmes. Dedmon, who came to Sacramento on a three-year deal, is struggling to make an impact and Holmes is performing admirably off the bench.
Sacramento’s problems this season are not new, Jason Jones of The Athletic contends. The 0-4 Kings have issues on both sides of the court and Jones cites the team’s lack of energy as a major reason why the squad is underperforming.
Don’t expect the Warriors to turn Stephen Curry into James Harden, as head coach Steve Kerr told the media in Northern California. “We could turn him into James Harden and give him the ball every play,” Kerr said (via Nick Friedell of ESPN.com). “That’s really hard to do and you have to build a team for that. Houston has put five shooters on the floor for years now with Harden to give him that space. We don’t have that kind of personnel, so there’s not the same spacing. And that kind of basketball wears you out, too.”

Kings Notes: Walton, Giles, Bogdanovic

October 26th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luke Walton’s tenure as head coach of the Kings is off to a difficult start, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Preseason was conducted around 20-hour flights to and from India, and the regular season started with a 29-point loss that saw Marvin Bagley break his right thumb. Some fans are angry that Bagley was on the court in the final minutes of a blowout, but Walton defends the decision, saying it’s part of building a winning organization.

“Marvin is a huge part of our future, so we’ve got to get the time and the reps with him,” Walton said. “But to speak on who Marvin is, he fractures his thumb two days ago and he was at shootaround (Friday), in the weight room, running sprints with our strength coach. He’s going to do everything he can possibly do to stay in shape and even get better. I’ve already informed him that I want him sitting next to our coaches during games so he can talk to them about what he sees and (we can) continue to coach him.”

There’s more Kings news to pass along:

Knee issues have been a long-time concern for Harry Giles, but he insists the latest one is nothing to be concerned about, relays Jason Jones of the Athletic. Giles practiced just once during training camp and wasn’t cleared for contact until this week. Still, he has declared himself healthy on social media and in a session with reporters last night. “Nothing happened,” he said. “Just ramped it up from workouts and my knee flared up a little bit. When you have a knee or something like that, there’s players that go through that all the time. It happens year-round, you’ve just got to approach it and treat it the right way.” The team hasn’t set a timetable for his return.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is denying a report that he’s unhappy as a reserve, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. He stressed that he’s willing to play any role to help the Kings win.
Bogdanovic’s decision to turn down an extension offer makes him more likely to be traded, writes Tommy Beer of Forbes. Bogdanovic is headed for restricted free agency, and the Kings already have nearly $200MM tied up in Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield, with extensions looming for De’Aaron Fox and Bagley the next two summers. Beer suggests the Knicks might be interested, as Bogdanovic would fill their need for an outside shooter.

Bogdanovic Isn't Thrilled About Bench Role

October 25th, 2019 at 7:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bogdan Bogdanovic isn’t thrilled about the prospect of being a sixth man with the Kings, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst (hat tip to NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman). There’s no spot for him in the lineup with Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes at the wings and locked into long-term contracts. Bogdanovic, who scored just two points points in 22 minutes during the Kings’ opener, will be a restricted free agent after the season.

Marvin Bagley To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Thumb Fracture

October 24th, 2019 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After a disappointing start to the season on Wednesday night in Phoenix, the Kings got some more bad news today. According to a press release issued by the team, second-year big man Marvin Bagley III will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks after being diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb.

Bagley had a double-double on Wednesday, recording 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t much help against a Suns team that opened the season with a 29-point blowout over the division-rival Kings. As they look to bounce back from that loss, the Kings will likely have to lean on Nemanja Bjelica and Harrison Barnes to play increased minutes at the four.

Harry Giles will also be an option up front for Sacramento once he gets healthy. He’s dealing with left knee soreness, but returned to practice today and is getting closer to returning, per James Ham of NBC Sports California (Twitter link).

If Bagley is able to get back on the court in four weeks, that would still rule him out for the Kings’ next dozen games. A six-week timeline would cost him the next 19 games and would push back his return until December.

Kings Notes: Hield, Giles, Gabriel, Outlook

October 23rd, 2019 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

No player who signed a rookie scale extension this week has more potential variance from year to year than Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield. While his new deal has a base value of $86MM over four seasons, Hield can reportedly earn an extra $5MM in annual incentives, increasing the total value of the extension to $106MM.

However, maxing out on all those incentives won’t be easy, as Jason Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic detail. For instance, more than half of Hield’s annual bonuses are tied to the following achievements:

Being named an All-Star ($1MM)
Kings make the playoffs ($500K)
Kings make it to Western Semifinals ($250K)
Kings make it to Western Finals ($500K)
Kings make it to NBA Finals ($1MM)

Another $2MM in annual incentives are more reachable, but are hardly locks. According to Jones and Amick, Hield could earn up to $2MM if he appears in at least 70 games and achieves the following benchmarks:

Makes at least 85.0% of his free throws ($500K)
Averages fewer than two turnovers per game ($500K)
Leads the NBA in made three-pointers ($500K)
Has a defensive rating below 110.5 ($500K)

Hield wasn’t an All-Star in 2018/19 and the Kings didn’t make the playoffs. However, he appeared in all 82 games and made 88.6% of his free throw attempts, averaged 1.8 turnovers per game, and had a defensive rating of 110.0. So if he were to repeat those numbers, he’d earn $1.5MM in bonus money.

Here are a couple more notes on the Kings:

Big man Harry Giles won’t be ready to start the regular season, head coach Luke Walton confirmed earlier this week (link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Giles, who is dealing with left knee soreness, isn’t yet participating in the contact portion of Kings’ practices.
Wenyen Gabriel‘s new contract with the Kings is a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth the minimum, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Gabriel, who was moved to the 15-man roster on Monday, would be a restricted free agent at season’s end if he finishes the contract.
James Patrick of The Sacramento Bee explores the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Kings in 2019/20.

Kings Add Wenyen Gabriel To 15-Man Roster

October 21st, 2019 at 8:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:29pm: The roster moves are official, according to a team press release.

6:56pm: Wenyen Gabriel will have his two-way contract converted to a standard contract as part of the Kings’ roster tinkering, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.

An opening on the 15-man roster will be created by waiving forward Tyler Lydon. As previously reported, Sacramento has claimed undrafted swingman DaQuan Jeffries from the Magic.

Jeffries will take Gabriel’s previous spot on a two-way deal, according to Ham. Rookie guard Kyle Guy has the other two-way contract.

Gabriel, 21, averaged 6.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG as a sophomore in 2017/18 at Kentucky but was not drafted. He signed a two-way contract with Sacramento last July, but has yet to make his NBA debut, spending his rookie season with the Stockton Kings. He averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 12.9 MPG during four preseason games this fall.

Kings Sign Buddy Hield To Four-Year Extension

October 21st, 2019 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: Hield’s extension is now official, according to a press release issued by the Kings.

“Buddy has made tremendous growth each season since joining the team and we are thrilled that he will remain a King as we continue to build an exciting future here in Sacramento,” general manager Vlade Divac said in a statement. “He has quickly established himself as an elite shooter in the league and is an important part of our young, dynamic core.”

11:24am: The Kings and shooting guard Buddy Hield have reached an agreement on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $86MM in guaranteed money, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Amick, the deal will feature another $20MM in incentives. Carmichael Dave of KHTK Sports 1140 (Twitter link) first reported that the two sides were expected to finalize an agreement in advance of today’s deadline.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the four-year deal is worth $94MM and can reach up to $106MM, which suggests that perhaps $8MM of that $20MM in bonus money is tied to “likely” incentives rather than “unlikely” incentives, though we’ll have to wait for the full details.

A source tells Amick (Twitter link) that Hield’s incentives will be both team- and player-based, with All-Star berths and NBA Finals appearances among the ways the sharpshooter can maximize his earnings. Woj adds (via Twitter) that there will be “reachable” incentives related to three-point shooting.

Hield’s salaries will also descend annually, per Amick. Like Harrison Barnes‘ new four-year, $85MM contract with the Kings, Hield’s deal will start in the $24MM range and decline to $18MM+ by year four. That will allow the franchise to maximize its cap flexibility in later years, when pricey new deals for De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley could go into effect.

Hield’s four-year extension won’t feature any team or player options, notes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Hield enjoyed an underrated breakout season in 2018/19, establishing new career highs in PPG (20.7), RPG (5.0), APG (2.5), and several other categories. He increased his productivity while maintaining his impressive efficiency, converting 42.7% of 7.9 three-point attempts per game.

His 278 three-pointers in ’18/19 placed him seventh on the NBA’s all-time list for threes in a single season. Only Stephen Curry (four times), James Harden (2018/19), and Paul George (2018/19) have ever made more outside shots in a season.

Despite Hield’s impressive ascent, he and the Kings had a gap to bridge in contract negotiations this fall as they attempted to get something done before the season and avoid having the former first-round pick become a restricted free agent next summer. Hield used increasingly escalating rhetoric in conversations with reporters, even hinting at a trade demand if he and the Kings couldn’t work out a new long-term deal.

A recent report indicated that Hield was seeking $110MM over four years, while Sacramento was offering $90MM. While we don’t know for sure that those numbers were accurate, the terms of his new deal suggest a compromise — at worst, he’ll earn $86MM over four seasons, but that number could be significantly higher if he hits several of his bonus benchmarks.

If Hield had reached the open market in 2020, he would’ve been eligible for a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet worth up to an estimated $124.7MM, based on the league’s latest cap projections. However, he always seemed willing to accept less than the max from the Kings in order to avoid a year of uncertainty. Amick notes (via Twitter) that players and agents are also a little worried about the China situation negatively impacting the cap next year and beyond.

With another $24MM+ in guaranteed salary on their books for 2020/21, the Kings are extremely unlikely to be a major player in free agency next summer. And with Hield off the market, an already weak ’20 free agent class looks even less intriguing.

Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Domantas Sabonis (Pacers), and Malik Beasley (Nuggets) are among the top extension-eligible players who still have until 6:00pm eastern time to sign new deals to avoid restricted free agency next year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Claim Forward DaQuan Jeffries

October 21st, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings have claimed rookie swingman DaQuan Jeffries off waivers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jeffries was one of five players waived by the Magic on Saturday. The 6’5” Jeffries, who played college ball at Tulsa, was ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as the fourth-best prospect who wasn’t drafted in 2019. He posted 13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his final college season, shooting .502/.366/.755. Jeffries made five brief appearances during Orlando’s preseason games but didn’t score.

Tyler Lydon will likely be waived to clear a roster spot for Jeffries, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The former Nuggets forward signed a two-year, minimum-salary pact with Sacramento in July but only $50K was guaranteed in the first year.