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Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. Nearing Multiyear Extension

June 30th, 2023 at 9:42pm CST by Rory Maher

After exercising his 2023/24 player option worth $18,785,000, Gary Trent Jr. is closing in on a “lucrative multiyear extension” with the Raptors, league sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Trent will be extension-eligible on July 7, so a new deal would technically have to wait about a week before becoming official.

The 24-year-old had long been expected to opt out of his option in order to hit the open market and sign a longer-term deal worth perhaps $18-20MM annually. It seems as though that will be coming to fruition, but instead of with a new club, the young shooting guard will be staying with Toronto.

As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), Trent’s extension technically could be worth up to $116.4MM with a starting salary of $25.98MM in ’24/25 due to a change in how veteran extensions work in the new CBA. Murphy doesn’t think Trent will receive that robust total, but it gives more wiggle room for negotiating a larger sum.

Trent is coming off a solid two-and-a-half year stint in Toronto in which he averaged 17.7 points per game on .420/.374/.843 shooting while chipping in 1.6 SPG. He was acquired via trade from Portland in March 2021 for Norman Powell.

The Raptors have been active in free agency, re-signing Jakob Poeltl to a four-year deal but losing longtime veteran Fred VanVleet, who received a three-year, maximum-salary contract from the Rockets. Toronto quickly pivoted to replace VanVleet by signing Dennis Schröder.

Oshae Brissett Signs Two-Year Deal With Celtics

June 30th, 2023 at 9:08pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Celtics have officially signed Brissett, the team announced in a press release.

JUNE 30: Oshae Brissett is signing a two-year deal with the Celtics, agent Mike George tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The second year is a player option, Woj adds.

Based on Boston’s financial situation, Brissett will be inking a minimum-salary contract, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe confirms.

A 6’7″ combo forward, Brissett went undrafted in 2019 after two college seasons at Syracuse. He originally signed an Exhibit 10 deal with his hometown Raptors, which was converted into a two-way deal for his rookie season.

Brissett was waived by Toronto in December 2020, later catching on with the Pacers in April 2021 on a couple of 10-day contracts. He played so well for Indiana to close ’20/21 (he averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG on .483/.423/.769 shooting in 24 games) that he earned a multiyear contract for the veteran’s minimum.

His numbers declined in ’21/22, but were still solid enough for his contract. However, his role was further reduced in ’22/23, with Brissett averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG while shooting 31% from three-point range in 65 games (16.7 MPG).

The Celtics likely won’t be expecting much from Brissett beyond providing depth, but he’s still young and clearly they liked him enough to give him a two-year contract. He’ll be looking for a bounce-back season with Boston in order to increase his value going forward.

Julian Champagnie Signs Four-Year Deal With Spurs

June 30th, 2023 at 8:16pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: Champagnie’s deal with the Spurs is official, the team announced in a press release.

JUNE 30: Spurs forward Julian Champagnie is re-signing with San Antonio, but instead of receiving another two-way contract, he’ll receive $12MM over four years on a standard deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). The final year is a team option, Woj adds.

Champagnie went undrafted last year after three college seasons at St. John’s, catching on with the Sixers on a two-way deal. He only made three NBA appearances with Philadelphia, spending most of his rookie year in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The 22-year-old averaged 21.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG and 1.1 SPG on .465/.347/.839 shooting in 14 games (35.1 MPG) during the fall Showcase Cup, then put up 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.9 BPG on .419/.352/.875 shooting in 18 regular season games with the Blue Coats.

The 76ers released Champagnie in February and his two-way deal was claimed on waivers by the Spurs. He spent eight games with their affiliate in Austin, but impressed the NBA club in 15 games down the stretch of the 2022/23 season.

He averaged 11.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .461/.407/.824 shooting in 20.9 MPG over that span for San Antonio, which he parlayed into a multiyear standard contract.

Champagnie is the twin brother of Celtics forward Justin Champagnie.

Lakers Sign Cam Reddish To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 8:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: The Lakers have officially signed Reddish, the team confirmed in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Lakers are signing free agent forward Cam Reddish to a two-year contract, per Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul informs Dave McMenamin of ESPN that the second year of the agreement will be a player option. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reveals (via Twitter) that the contract will be a minimum deal.

The athletic 6’8″ small forward is already pretty well-traveled as he embarks on just his fifth NBA season in 2023/24. The Hawks selected him with the tenth overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Duke. He has since suited up, briefly, for the Knicks and Trail Blazers.

Splitting his 2022/23 season between New York and Portland, he averaged 9.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.0 APG in 40 contests.

Los Angeles has enjoyed a very proactive first few hours of free agency. Beyond taking this flyer on Reddish, the Lakers have also already re-signed restricted free agent power forward Rui Hachimura and added point guard Gabe Vincent and combo forward Taurean Prince.

L.A. will now determine the fates of restricted free agent shooting guard Austin Reaves, plus unrestricted free agent guards D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schroder, and Lonnie Walker IV, all of whom helped the club return to its first Western Conference Finals since 2020.

Kevin Love Signs Two-Year Deal With Heat

June 30th, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 6: The Heat have made it official, issuing a press release to announce their new deal with Love.

JUNE 30: Veteran power forward Kevin Love is returning to the Heat on a two-year contract, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The second year will include a player option (Twitter links).

The Heat are using their Non-Bird rights to re-sign Love, which will result in a $3.7MM cap hit for next season, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang tweets. Miami could have gone as high as $3.84MM to retain Love, so they’ll get a little cap relief if the $3.7MM figure is correct.

In either case, it’ll be a bargain for a five-time All-Star and 34-year-old rotation player. After reaching a buyout with the Cavaliers, Love appeared in 21 regular-season games with the Heat, including 17 starts. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists, though the 37% career 3-point shooter struggled from long range (29.7%).

Love played 20 postseason games with Miami, including 18 starts, and produced an average of 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17 minutes. His 3-point shooting perked up to his usual level (37.5%).

While it remains to be seen how the rest of the Heat’s roster moves shake out, Love will likely be a starter or key second-unit player once again for the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Lakers Sign Rui Hachimura To Three-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 7:44pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Lakers have officially re-signed Hachimura, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Lakers have reached an agreement with Rui Hachimura, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania that the restricted free agent forward will sign a three-year, $51MM contract to remain in Los Angeles.

According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), Hachimura’s deal will be fully guaranteed.

The ninth pick of the 2019 draft, Hachimura spent his first three-plus NBA seasons with the Wizards, averaging 13.0 PPG and 5.1 RPG on .479/.356/.776 shooting in 177 games over that span (118 starts, 27.8 MPG). In 30 games with the Wizards in 2022/23, he averaged 13.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG on .488/.337/.759 shooting in 24.3 MPG off the bench.

Hachimura was traded to the Lakers in January in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. His regular-season numbers actually declined with L.A., with the Japanese forward posting 9.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .485/.296/.721 shooting in 33 games (nine starts, 22.4 MPG).

However, he had a scorching hot playoff run, posting a .557/.487/.882 shooting line across 16 postseason appearances. He also chipped in 12.2 PPG and 3.6 in 24.3 MPG during the Lakers’ journey to the Western Conference Finals.

Hachimura was eligible for a rookie scale extension before last season started and reportedly received an offer in the range of $12-14MM per year, but passed on that opportunity in search of a bigger deal in free agency. It turned out to be a wise financial decision, as he’ll be making $17MM annually on his new contract.

In case you missed it, the Lakers have also reached free agent agreements with guard Gabe Vincent and forward Taurean Prince.

Josh Richardson Signs Two-Year Contract With Heat

June 30th, 2023 at 7:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 2: Richardson’s deal with the Heat is now official, according to a press release from the team.

JUNE 30: Veteran free agent swingman Josh Richardson is reportedly inking a two-year, minimum-salary contract to return to the Heat, report Shams Charania of The Athletic and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links).

Jackson notes that the deal includes a player option for 2024/25. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra reached out to Richardson at the start of the free agent period to recruit Richardson, per Jackson. Jackson tweets that a rival club offered the 6’5″ shooting guard/small forward more money, but he was swayed by the conversation with one of the league’s best coaches.

Mike Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Timberwolves and Celtics also were hoping to sign Richardson. Scotto reveals that team president Pat Riley was also involved in the recruitment call to reacquire Richardson.

Miami, which as of now is already in luxury tax terrain in terms of its current contracts, has done well in adding a quality 3-and-D rotation wing on a team-friendly deal. The annual cap hits on a minimum deal for Richardson will be $2,891,467 in 2023/24 and $3,051,153 in 2024/25.

Miami first drafted Richardson out of Tennessee with the No. 40 pick in 2015, and flipped him to the Sixers as part of the deal that brought All-NBA wing Jimmy Butler to South Beach.

Across 65 games split between the Spurs and Pelicans in 2023/24, Richardson averaged 10.1 PPG on .431/.365/.852 shooting splits, along with 2.7 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.1 SPG.

Pelicans Re-Sign Herbert Jones To Four-Year Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 7:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: Jones’ new deal is now official, according to a press release from the Pelicans.

JUNE 30: Pelicans free agent combo forward Herbert Jones is set to re-sign with New Orleans, his Priority Sports agents Mark Bartelstein and Kieran Piller inform Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).

New Orleans Jones turned down a cheaper team option for 2023/24 in order to ink the 6’8″ forward to a fresh new four-year, $54MM contract, which is the Early Bird maximum the team is able to offer. In making him a restricted free agent, the club probably had a pretty good idea that the third-year player would accept the agreement.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com reports (via Twitter) that the deal is fully guaranteed.

A rival team could have theoretically offered him a back-loaded Arenas provision offer sheet, which the Pelicans would have been able to match. This four-year, $54MM deal represented the most New Orleans they could offer the 24-year-old directly.

Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that Jones will net $12MM in the first season of the new contract, adding that his new contract now pushes the Pelicans $4.5MM into the league’s luxury tax. Worth monitoring now is how the club will handle the non-guaranteed $5.4MM deal of veteran New Orleans shooting guard Garrett Temple for 2023/24, which would become fully guaranteed on July 7.

Jones immediately emerged as a versatile defensive option for a playoff-bound Pelicans club during his first season out of Alabama, and was named to the 2021/22 All-Rookie Second Team for his superlative efforts.

Last year, he averaged 9.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.6 BPG across 66 games, all starts, for a 42-40 New Orleans club.

Shake Milton To Sign Two-Year Deal With Timberwolves

June 30th, 2023 at 6:47pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Shake Milton is leaving the Sixers, having agreed to a two-year, $10MM deal with the Timberwolves, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 54th pick of the 2018 draft after three seasons at SMU, Milton originally signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia, which was converted into a four-year, minimum-salary contract after his rookie season. That expired after 2022/23, making Milton an unrestricted free agent.

While Milton isn’t a great athlete or a defensive stopper, he has been quite productive when given a chance at a bigger offensive role throughout his pro career. For example, in 11 starts (38.3 minutes) last season, he averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds on a sparkling .518/.413/.970 shooting line.

His overall numbers have been more modest, with the 26-year-old averaging 9.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds on .458/.368/.830 shooting in 234 games (45 starts, 21.4 MPG) over the past four seasons. Still, that’s solid production for a reserve.

Based on the contract value, it appears as though Milton will be getting part of Minnesota’s mid-level exception. The team also re-signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker and added Troy Brown, so the Wolves have been quite active in free agency, prioritizing young players to fill out their backcourt and wing depth.

Joe Ingles Signs Two-Year Contract With Magic

June 30th, 2023 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 7: Ingles has officially signed with the Magic, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

JUNE 30: Free agent swingman Joe Ingles is joining the Magic on a two-year, $22MM contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported earlier (Twitter link) that the two sides were close to an agreement. Similar to the deals Orlando reached with Gary Harris and Mohamed Bamba last offseason, the Magic will hold an option on the second year of Ingles’ contract, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. Harris had his 2023/24 salary guaranteed by the Magic earlier in the day.

He’ll add a veteran presence off the bench at the wing positions in Orlando.

Ingles spent last season with the Bucks, seeing action in 46 games off the bench. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 22.7 minutes. He also saw action in five postseason games.

Ingles tore the ACL in his left knee the previous season while playing for the Jazz. Ingles, 35, played regularly for eight seasons in Utah.