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Southwest Notes: Rockets, McGee, Spurs, Pelicans

July 8th, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Rockets became convinced on draft day that the Magic were going to use the first overall pick on Paolo Banchero, Houston made Orlando a trade offer for that No. 1 pick, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

As MacMahon and Windhorst explain, the Rockets had been expecting to end up with Banchero and had only recently been given Jabari Smith‘s medical information from his agent, Wallace Prather. Bill Duffy, Chet Holmgren‘s agent, told the Rockets he’d only give them Holmgren’s medicals if he got the sense that both Orlando and Oklahoma City were passing on his client.

According to ESPN’s duo, the Rockets were comfortable staying at No. 3 if Smith fell to them, but were worried about having to make a decision on Holmgren without getting much time to look over his medicals, which was why they inquired about moving up. After the Magic turned them down, the Thunder took Holmgren at No. 2, with Smith falling to Houston at No. 3 — all three teams ultimately left the draft happy, and while Banchero and Smith were surprised by where they ended up, neither was upset by the outcome.

“Jabari ended up in a place that fits who he is,” Prather said. “There was nothing but excitement on Jabari’s part about going to Houston. We love their young core. We love the city. We love the passion of their fan base.”

For what it’s worth, Banchero got the upper hand on Smith in their respective Summer League debuts on Thursday, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The Magic forward scored 17 points in Orlando’s win over Smith and the Rockets.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

A coaching assistant last season with the Rockets, Will Dunn has been promoted to an assistant coach position, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link), Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed that the plan is to insert newly-signed big man JaVale McGee into the starting five. McGee told ESPN when he agreed to a deal with Dallas last week that he expected to be the team’s starting center.
The Spurs ruled out Jeremy Sochan and Joe Wieskamp for the entire Las Vegas Summer League, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Sochan missed all of the team’s pre-Vegas practices due to COVID-19, while Wieskamp, who remains a restricted free agent for San Antonio, sprained his ankle in a Tuesday practice.
Noting that the Pelicans‘ front office has shown a knack for identifying under-the-radar talent, Christian Clark of NOLA.com identifies three players on the team’s Summer League roster who could warrant a longer look from the club.

Spurs Officially Waive Danilo Gallinari

July 8th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Spurs have waived forward Danilo Gallinari, sources tell ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Acquired by San Antonio in the Dejounte Murray trade in June, Gallinari was used as a salary-matching piece in that deal. The $5MM partial guarantee on his $21.45MM salary for 2022/23 was increased to $13MM to help make the deal work, according to Marks.

Additionally, Gallinari’s salary guarantee date was pushed back from June 29 to July 8. By waiving him today, the Spurs will avoid paying the remaining non-guaranteed portion ($8.45MM) of his ’22/23 salary.

Gallinari has already lined up a deal with the Celtics and will be able to officially sign with Boston after he clears waivers on Sunday. He is reportedly receiving $13MM across two seasons on his new contract, which will include a second-year player option. The Celtics are completing the signing using their taxpayer mid-level exception.

Although he won’t help improve the Celtics’ top-ranked defense, Gallinari is a talented scorer and shooter who can play several positions. He has connected at 38.1% from three-point range during his career and averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game with the Hawks last season.

Lakers, Nets Explore Involving Spurs In Westbrook/Irving Talks?

July 8th, 2022 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers and Nets are exploring the possibility of getting the Spurs involved in a multi-team trade that would feature Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving, sources tell Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Los Angeles and Brooklyn don’t appear to be on the verge of finalizing any deal involving Westbrook and Irving, with their discussions to date being characterized as “preliminary.” Irving reportedly wants to play for the Lakers, but the Nets don’t seem to have much interest in taking back Westbrook’s pricier expiring contract, even with draft assets attached, leading to speculation that a third team will have to be included.

The Spurs are the obvious choice to be that third team because they have about $30-35MM in projected cap room remaining. That doesn’t give them enough space to absorb Westbrook’s $47MM salary outright, but they could potentially get there by sending out Doug McDermott ($13.75MM) or Josh Richardson ($12.2MM), as Pincus observes.

In a scenario where Irving heads to L.A. and Westbrook goes to San Antonio, any sweeteners (ie. future draft picks) the Lakers would have sent to Brooklyn would presumably be re-routed to the Spurs as an incentive for taking on Westbrook’s unwanted contract.

While the structure of such a deal makes some sense, three-team deals are never easy to negotiate and this one would be especially complicated.

The Nets may want to resolve Kevin Durant‘s trade request before making a move with Irving, and don’t appear eager to rush into a deal involving either player.

The Lakers look like Irving’s only legitimate suitor for the time being, so they don’t want to overpay for him, especially since he’s on an expiring contract of his own. But they could feel some pressure to make a move if star forward LeBron James, who becomes extension-eligible next month, is pushing for it.

The Spurs, meanwhile, will probably have other opportunities to use their cap room to acquire draft assets from teams looking to shed salary, so they’ll have to consider all their options.

Appearing today on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), Brian Windhorst said he believes a deal sending Irving to the Lakers will “eventually” get done, but said it’s probably going to be “a fight along the way.”

Fischer’s Latest: Ayton, Durant, S. Barnes, Kyrie

July 6th, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Deandre Ayton appears to have been the free agent most directly affected by the ongoing Kevin Durant sweepstakes, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

As Fischer outlines, Ayton’s restricted free agency has been stalled in part because he could theoretically be an outgoing piece in a Suns deal for Durant and also because teams with interest in both players – including Toronto – won’t want to give up assets in a sign-and-trade for Ayton before seeing what happens with Durant.

According to Fischer, the Pacers and Raptors have been the teams most frequently linked to Ayton, with the Jazz described as a less likely destination for the young center. The Pacers and Spurs are the only teams that have the cap flexibility necessary to realistically extend an offer sheet to Ayton. It’s unclear whether he’d rather try to pursue a deal with one of them or wait for a possible sign-and-trade opportunity to a team closer to contention, Fischer says.

One hypothetical scenario is a multi-team trade that sends Durant to Phoenix; Ayton to Indiana in a sign-and-trade; and Myles Turner, multiple Suns wings, and draft capital to Brooklyn. However, Fischer hears from sources that such a package is unlikely to meet the Nets’ high asking price for Durant.

Here’s more from Fischer:

League personnel have begun to discuss the possibility of the Nets simply hanging onto Durant and Kyrie Irving into the regular season, according to Fischer. “Rudy Gobert getting traded for an arm, a leg and two mountains is helping their cause. There’s no way the Nets will ever trade Kevin Durant for anything less than what Rudy Gobert got Utah,” a Western Conference executive told Fischer. “If nothing comes, I can see them saying (to the players), ‘We just all have to come back.’ If I’m them, I just try to string this out as long as possible.”
As has been previously reported, there’s skepticism that the Suns will be able to build a package that appeals to the Nets without getting at least one more team involved. “Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and five picks still isn’t enough to me for KD,” one GM said to Bleacher Report.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell Fischer that the Raptors remain unwilling to part with Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
Fischer’s league sources “strongly discounted” the idea that either the Mavericks or Sixers is a serious suitor for Irving. The Lakers remain Brooklyn’s most obvious trade partner for Kyrie, but there’s a sense that they may need to involve a third team to meet the Nets‘ asking price — a package of Russell Westbrook and draft assets wouldn’t maximize Brooklyn’s chances of contending in the short term, Fischer explains.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, M. Wright, Rockets, Grizzlies

July 6th, 2022 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Jakob Poeltl has been the subject of trade speculation dating back to February’s deadline, and while Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link) doesn’t believe the Spurs‘ signing of Gorgui Dieng and waiver claim of Isaiah Roby signal the end of Poeltl’s time in San Antonio, he suggests the team should be gauging the trade market for the big man.

In the wake of the trade sending Dejounte Murray to Atlanta, McDonald (Twitter link) views anyone on the Spurs’ roster over the age of 24 as “imminently available.” That would include sharpshooter Doug McDermott in addition to Poeltl, though it sounds like that’s just speculation for the time being.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Despite earning a spot on the All-G League First Team as a rookie this past season, forward Moses Wright wasn’t tendered a two-way qualifying offer by the Mavericks and is now an unrestricted free agent. As Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes, Wright is playing for Dallas’ Summer League team in Las Vegas and is determined to show he deserves a training camp invite, whether from the Mavs or another team. “I want to be the most dominant big (man) out there,” Wright said. “Whether it’s talking, rebounding, defensive presence, no matter what I do, just be dominant at what I do.”
Kelly Iko of The Athletic wonders if there’s a way for the Rockets to get involved in a multi-team trade scenario involving Kevin Durant in order to land restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton. Iko acknowledges that Ayton’s positional overlap with Alperen Sengun isn’t ideal, but believes it would still make sense for Houston if the price was right.
The Grizzlies, whose only move in free agency has been a new two-year agreement with Tyus Jones, believe time is on their side and are operating with patience this summer rather than making any significant roster changes, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (subscription required).

Spurs Claim Isaiah Roby Off Waivers

July 5th, 2022 at 4:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs have used a waiver claim to add Isaiah Roby to their roster, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein was the first to report (via Twitter) that there was a “strong expectation leaguewide” that Roby would be claimed on the waiver wire.

As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report previously noted, Roby earned more than the minimum salary in the first year of his four-year contract with the Thunder, so the Spurs will have to use some of their cap space to absorb his $1,930,681 salary for 2022/23. Waivers claims are rare for non-minimum players, but Roby has shown some promise, so San Antonio will be taking a relatively cheap flier on him contributing next season.

In his third season with the Thunder in ’21/22, the 6’8″ Roby averaged a career-best 10.1 PPG along with 4.8 RPG on .514/.444/.672 shooting in 45 games (21.1 MPG). Oklahoma City had previously picked up his club option, but then the Thunder waived him before his contract would have become fully guaranteed. Because his salary guarantee deadline was July 3, his $1.93MM will now be fully guaranteed.

The Spurs recently agreed to sign Gorgui Dieng and now added Roby, so clearly adding frontcourt depth was a priority with their final roster spots. Once all of San Antonio’s first-round picks are signed to their rookie deals (only Blake Wesley has been signed thus far, but the other two should be formalities), the Spurs will tentatively have a full 15-man roster.

Even accounting for the new additions, the Spurs still have well over $30MM in cap room this offseason, so they have plenty of options to work with going forward.

Blake Wesley Signs Rookie Contract With Spurs

July 5th, 2022 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have signed first-round pick Blake Wesley, the team announced in a press release.

Assuming Wesley receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, he will be paid approximately $2.39MM in his first season and $12.24MM over the life of the four-year contract.

[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

The 19-year-old guard out of Notre Dame was the 25th pick in last month’s draft. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during his lone season with the Fighting Irish and was a second-team All-ACC selection.

Wesley was one of three players selected by the Spurs in the first round of the June 23 draft. There have been no announcements yet on Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham, but it likely won’t be long before they sign their own rookie contracts.

Spurs, Pacers, Pistons Still Have Cap Room Available

July 4th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

While many free agent agreements have been reported since last Thursday evening, few will become official until the NBA’s moratorium period ends this Wednesday. That means the terms that have been reported – and the cap space or cap exceptions teams will use to complete those signings – haven’t yet been locked in.

Still, we have a pretty good sense of what the cap room situation looks like for teams around the league. Here’s a snapshot, as of the morning of July 4, of which clubs still have the most spending power:

Teams with cap room:

By our count, the Spurs project to have about $38MM in remaining cap room, and could push that number even higher by stretching Danilo Gallinari‘s partial guarantee across three years when they officially waive him. However, it’s very unlikely they’d do so unless they have a specific need for that extra room. San Antonio could also create some extra space by waiving Keita Bates-Diop or Tre Jones, who have non-guaranteed salaries for 2022/23, though there has been no indication that will happen.

The Pacers, meanwhile, should have a little over $26MM in cap room once the Malcolm Brogdon trade is finalized, based on our projections. Like San Antonio, Indiana has a couple players without full guarantees (Duane Washington and Terry Taylor) and could create more cap space by waiving one or both.

The Pistons have already committed a chunk of their cap room to taking on Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, and Kemba Walker from New York, but haven’t used it all yet. If Walker gives back his minimum salary in a reported buyout agreement and Detroit uses its room exception to sign Kevin Knox to his two-year, $6MM deal, the team could have $14MM+ in space — or even more, if Walker’s dead money is stretched across three seasons.

It remains unclear what the Spurs, Pacers, and Pistons will do with their remaining cap room. All three teams have been linked to restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton at some point during the offseason and could theoretically still make a run at him, with Indiana and Detroit perhaps sending back players in a sign-and-trade deal to fit a max deal for the big man under the cap. Still, there’s a sense the Pistons have backed off Ayton after landing Jalen Duren on draft night, and it’s unclear whether the Spurs or Pacers have serious interest.

Accommodating salary-dump trades to acquire more assets could be an option for all three teams, either in the offseason or close to the trade deadline.

The Knicks are the other team expected to use cap room this summer, but after signing Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein, they won’t have much left over. Even if they waive Taj Gibson and sign Brunson and Hartenstein to the lowest starting salaries possible based on their reported contract terms, New York projects to have less than $5MM in remaining room.

Mid-level exception teams:

The Hornets, Grizzlies, Thunder, Magic, and Jazz all still have their full non-taxpayer mid-level exceptions available, giving them the ability to offer up to about $10.5MM to a free agent. It’s worth noting though that Utah’s cap situation remains in flux as we wait to see what other moves the team has up its sleeve after trading Royce O’Neale and then agreeing to a blockbuster deal involving Rudy Gobert.

The Hawks, Nets, Heat, Pelicans, and Suns haven’t committed any mid-level money to free agents yet, but unless they shed salary, they’ll probably be limited to the taxpayer MLE (worth about $6.5MM) due to their proximity to the tax line.

The Bulls have used a small portion of their mid-level exception and should still have $7MMish available to spend, but doing so would push them into luxury tax territory, which ownership may be against.

There are some teams that could theoretically open up part or all of their mid-level exception if they’re able to turn reported free agent agreements into sign-and-trades. For example, Ricky Rubio agreed to a three-year, $18.4MM deal with the Cavaliers that will presumably use the MLE, but if Cleveland and Indiana were able to work out a sign-and trade deal involving Rubio, it would free up the Cavs’ mid-level to use on another move.

Southwest Notes: Popovich, Spurs, McGee, Williams, Williamson

July 3rd, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by JD Shaw

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is facing a long rebuilding process if he remains with the team, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes. The Spurs recently traded Dejounte Murray to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari‘s expiring contract, three first-round picks, and a pick swap, choosing to further shift their focus from the present to the future.

As Finger notes, Popovich has expressed reservations in the past about the idea of coaching a losing team, most notably when his former – and newly re-hired – assistant Brett Brown left San Antonio to coach the “Process” Sixers.

“I couldn’t do it,” Popovich said in 2015 when asked about Brown’s new job in Philadelphia. “I’d last a month.”

However, in recent years, Popovich seems to have embraced the concept of coaching a young team without realistic championship aspirations. He recently helped orchestrate the re-hiring of Brown as an assistant coach and appears motivated to return to the sidelines in San Antonio next season.

Here are some other notes from the Southwest Division:

Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News examines the fit between Luka Doncic and JaVale McGee, who agreed to sign with the Mavericks and can serve as a rebounder, rim-protector and lob threat for Doncic. McGee reportedly expects to start for Dallas, but Caplan isn’t sure the coaching staff has made that decision yet.
The Grizzlies‘ two-way deal with Vince Williams Jr. covers two years, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Edwards, who was drafted No. 47 overall by Memphis last Thursday, averaged 14.1 points per game at VCU last season, shooting 38.7% from three-point range.
While it’s a massive investment, Zion Williamson‘s maximum-salary extension with the Pelicans was something the team simply couldn’t pass up, Scott Kushner of NOLA.com writes. Williamson has only played 85 games in his three NBA seasons, but he has shown in his limited NBA action that he’s a special player, says Kushner. It’s still unclear how much of Williamson’s new five-year deal will be fully guaranteed.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Wizards, Magic, Hornets

July 2nd, 2022 at 4:34pm CST by JD Shaw

Dejounte Murray is excited to team up with Trae Young and had been talking to his new partner in the Hawks‘ backcourt about the possibility for the past two to three weeks, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Speaking at press conference Friday, Murray said Atlanta was the only team he wanted to join and told reporters that he probably would still be with the Spurs if it hadn’t been for the opportunity with the Hawks.

Atlanta paid a premium price to acquire Murray, sending Danilo Gallinari and a sizable package of draft assets to San Antonio. General manager Landry Fields said the Hawks took time to assess the risks before committing to the trade.

“This wasn’t one of those that came about in a day,” Fields said. “Looking at what we were going to part with up front was one thing and then once we started to engage with San Antonio, it turned into another thing. We took time between talks to sit and think about how this was going to impact us in the future, how was this going to impact our current team, projection-wise what we are going to look like in several years, after factoring all of that in, we got to a place we were comfortable with.”

Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:

Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless, who are being acquired from the Kings in the Kevin Huerter trade, are both expected to be on the Hawks’ opening night roster. Kirschner adds. He also states that Atlanta continues to listen to offers for John Collins.
The Wizards were able to retain star free agent Bradley Beal in free agency, but questions remain about whether it was the right move for the team, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Washington agreed to a five-year, $251MM deal with the three-time All-Star, prompting Robbins to explore whether keeping Beal at that price will keep the Wizards stuck in mediocrity due to their limited cap flexibility.
The Magic‘s free agency moves further prove the team believes in its young core, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Orlando reached agreements with Mohamed Bamba, Gary Harris and Bol Bol, and guaranteed Moritz Wagner‘s salary. The team appears ready to run it back and continue developing its own players rather than adding outside help.
The Hornets are expected to hire Tyrone Corbin and Bob Beyer to Steve Clifford‘s coaching staff, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets. Corbin worked for Clifford in Orlando, while Beyer coached under Clifford in Charlotte. Corbin and Beyer hold over 30 years of combined NBA coaching experience.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.