Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign LaMelo Ball To Five-Year Max Extension

July 6th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: The Hornets and Ball have officially finalized their deal, with the team issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

JULY 1: The Hornets and LaMelo Ball are finalizing a five-year designated rookie extension that will be worth the maximum salary, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Agent Sam Permut tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) that the two sides have reached an agreement.

Ball’s starting salary on the new deal will pay him at least 25% of the 2024/25 cap. Charania’s report suggests there will be Rose Rule language that could increase that figure to 30% of the cap if Ball earns All-NBA honors next season.

The exact value of the contract will depend on where the ’24/25 cap lands and whether Ball meets the Rose Rule criteria, but even in a worst-case scenario, it will be worth well north of $200MM. In a best-case scenario (30% starting salary, 10% cap increase), it would be worth $260MM.

Charlotte selected the 6’7″ point guard with the third overall pick in the 2020 draft. He immediately emerged as a lethal and creative scorer all over the floor, and was named the 2020/21 Rookie of the Year despite being limited to just 51 out of 72 possible games (31 starts) in his first season due to injuries.

Ailments have been a recurring theme in Ball’s young career, outside of a relatively healthy 75-game run in 2021/22, during which he made his first All-Star team as an injury replacement.

A right ankle fracture ended his 2022/23 campaign early. He played in just 36 contests for the 27-55 Hornets. When Ball did play last year, he remained his stellar statistical self, though it didn’t particularly contribute to winning. He notched 23.3 PPG on .411/.376/.836 shooting splits, 8.4 APG, 5.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG.

Charlotte is undergoing some major changes this summer. The team selected highly-touted Alabama forward Brandon Miller, widely considered to be another All-Star caliber prospect, using the second pick in this year’s draft. Former longtime majority owner Michael Jordan also sold most of his shares in the club to a new ownership group, led by tech investor Ian Loring and several notable North Carolinians. The Hall of Famer will still retain a stake in the franchise moving forward.

Cavs Acquire Max Strus In Three-Team Sign-And-Trade

July 6th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is official, the Heat announced (via Twitter). As part of the deal, Miami will also swap second-round picks with the Spurs, with Miami receiving a 2027 selection and San Antonio receiving a 2026 pick. The Cavs are also sending cash to the Spurs.

JULY 1: The Cavaliers, Heat, and Spurs have agreed to a three-team deal that will land Max Strus in Cleveland via sign-and-trade, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Wojnarowski that Strus has agreed to a four-year, $63MM contract with the Cavs.

Miami will acquire a second-round pick and will create a trade exception in the deal, while San Antonio will receive Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second-round pick, according to Wojnarowski.

The second-rounder going to Miami is the Lakers’ 2026 pick, while the one headed to San Antonio is Cleveland’s 2030 selection, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Strus had been repeatedly mentioned as a top target for the Cavs in the days and hours leading up to free agency. A report on Thursday indicated Cleveland hoped its $12.4MM mid-level exception would be enough to land the 27-year-old, but with rumors suggesting his market was above the MLE, a report on Friday suggested the Cavs were looking into three-team sign-and-trade scenarios.

Right before free agency opened, Marc Stein reported that a scenario in which the Cavs sign-and-trade for Strus and use their mid-level exception to add Georges Niang appeared “increasingly likely.” Sure enough, Cleveland is poised to add both players, having reached an agreement with Niang on Friday night.

A former undrafted free agent who had brief stints in Boston and Chicago early in his career, Strus blossomed into a reliable rotation player in Miami during the last two seasons. In 148 games since the start of 2021/22, he has averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .423/.376/.845. He moved ahead of Duncan Robinson in the Heat’s rotation during that time in large part due to his more stable presence on defense.

The Cavs had been on the lookout for a wing to complement starters Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley for the better part of the year. Strus should slot into that role nicely along with Caris LeVert, who also agreed to return to Cleveland.

In moving off Osman and Stevens in this trade, the Cavs should still be about $12.5MM below the luxury tax line with 10 players on the books, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

The Heat, who project to be a taxpayer in 2023/24, had been bracing for Strus’ departure, recognizing that they weren’t prepared to match his price on the open market. They reportedly didn’t want to take any salary back in a sign-and-trade and were able to achieve that goal. The traded player exception they generate as part of the transaction will be worth half of Strus’ first-year salary — based on the reported terms of his deal, that TPE should come in at about $7MM.

As for the Spurs, they entered the day with more leftover cap room than any other NBA team and will use a portion of it to add a second-round pick and two forwards who are on expiring contracts and who should be in the mix for rotation roles if they remain on San Antonio’s roster.

Osman, who will earn $6.7MM in 2023/24 before reaching unrestricted free agency, has been a rotation player in Cleveland for the last six seasons, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG with a .353 3PT% in 404 games (23.6 MPG) during that time.

Stevens, a solid defensive wing who doesn’t provide much on offense, has a $1.93MM non-guaranteed salary — some or all of that money will become guaranteed as part of this deal in order to satisfy the NBA’s salary-matching rules.

The Spurs will still have approximately $23-26MM in cap space available.

Celtics Sign Jordan Walsh To Four-Year Deal

July 6th, 2023 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

4:42pm: The deal is official, according to a press release issued by the Celtics.

3:44pm: The Celtics have reached an agreement on a four-year contract with second-round pick Jordan Walsh, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Walsh’s four-year deal will be worth $7.6MM, league sources tell Scotto.

Boston made a series of trades on draft nights, moving down multiple times and ultimately ending up with just one pick, at No. 38 overall. The club used that selection to nab Walsh, who declared for the 2023 draft as an early entrant following his freshman year at Arkansas.

In his first and only college season, the 6’7″ forward averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 24.4 minutes per game (36 contests) with a shooting line of .433/.278/.712. Despite his modest college stats, Walsh intrigued NBA teams due to his athleticism and defensive versatility.

The NBA’s new second-round pick exception will allow the Celtics to sign Walsh to a four-year deal without requiring cap room or the mid-level exception to do so. Based on the terms reported by Scotto, it sounds like Walsh will receive the rookie minimum salary across all four seasons. As our minimum-salary chart shows, a rookie signing a four-year, minimum-salary contract in 2023/24 will be in line for a total of $7,639,302.

The second-round pick exception requires that the final year of the contract be a team option, but teams and players can negotiate the guarantee amounts on the earlier seasons. I’d expect Walsh to receive at least one or two fully guaranteed years on his first NBA deal.

Bucks Officially Sign Middleton, Lopez, Beasley

July 6th, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have officially completed three of their reported free agent signings, having re-signed forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez while also adding swingman Malik Beasley, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Middleton reached a deal with the Bucks during the first couple hours of free agency last Friday evening, reportedly agreeing to terms on a three-year contract that will pay him $102MM.

Middleton turned down a $40.4MM player option in order to secure a more significant overall financial commitment, though he’ll accept a lower salary in 2023/24. That reduction should help the Bucks’ luxury tax situation in the short term.

Lopez, who drew significant free agent interest from the Rockets, ultimately rebuffed Houston’s advances in order to return to Milwaukee on a two-year deal worth a reported $48MM. He and the Bucks reached that agreement on Saturday.

The veteran center and former All-Star had one of his best NBA seasons in 2022/23, bumping his scoring average to 15.9 PPG (his best mark since his Brooklyn days) and finishing as the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

As for Beasley, he’s joining the Bucks on a one-year, minimum-salary contract after finishing last season with the Lakers. The veteran wing, who agreed on Monday to sign with Milwaukee is a career 37.8% three-point shooter on 5.8 attempts per game, so he’ll help spread the floor for his new team in 2023/24.

The Bucks are still on track to formally complete deals with Jae Crowder, Robin Lopez, and A.J. Green as well.

Julian Strawther Signs Rookie Contract With Nuggets

July 6th, 2023 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have signed No. 29 overall pick Julian Strawther to his rookie scale contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.

Strawther, 21, played three college seasons at Gonzaga before putting his name in the 2023 draft as an early entrant. In 37 games (31.2 MPG) with the Bulldogs in 2022/23, the small forward averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on .469/.408/.776 shooting.

The Celtics originally held the No. 29 pick, but traded it to the Pacers last year in the Malcolm Brogdon deal. The Pacers sent the rights to the Nos. 29 and 32 picks to Denver as part of a four-team trade last month.

Speaking of the No. 32 pick, Jalen Pickett‘s four-year contract with the Nuggets is now official, per NBA.com, as is Hunter Tyson‘s (No. 37). Denver also acquired the rights to Tyson in the four-team deal.

Assuming he receives the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale amount, which virtually every first-rounder does, Strawther will earn approximately $2.4MM as a rookie and nearly $12.5MM if he plays out his full four-year rookie contract. The first two years are guaranteed, while the third and fourth are team options.

Warriors, Wizards Officially Complete Chris Paul, Jordan Poole Trade

July 6th, 2023 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have officially traded point guard Chris Paul to the Warriors, completing a deal that was first reported on draft day. The Warriors confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).

In exchange for Paul, Washington received guards Jordan Poole and Ryan Rollins, forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., the Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected), Golden State’s 2027 second-round pick, and cash, per a Wizards announcement.

One of the most accomplished point guards in NBA history, Paul holds career averages of 17.9 points, 9.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game on .472/.369/.870 shooting in 1214 regular season appearances across 18 NBA seasons. His 13.9 PPG in 2022/23 represented a career low, but he still shot the ball well (.440/.375/.831) and contributed 8.9 APG, 4.3 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 59 regular season contests.

In Golden State, CP3 will team up with Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in search of his first NBA championship. Golden State will also create long-term cap flexibility in the deal by replacing Jordan Poole’s four-year, $123MM+ extension with Paul’s pseudo-expiring $30.8MM contract. Paul is under contract for 2024/25 too, but his $30MM salary for that season is non-guaranteed.

The Wizards, who initially acquired Paul from the Suns in their Bradley Beal blockbuster, will roll the dice on Poole and a pair of 2022 draftees while also securing a pair of draft assets in the deal.

Because draft picks can’t be protected more than seven years out, the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick won’t roll over to 2031 if it doesn’t convey in ’30. The exact terms of the protection aren’t yet known, but I expect Washington will instead receive Golden State’s 2030 second-rounder if that first-rounder lands in the top 20.

You can read more about this trade in our initial June report.

Cameron Johnson Signs Four-Year Contract With Nets

July 6th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

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

“Re-signing Cam was our top priority throughout this free agency period, and we are thrilled to have him remain in Brooklyn as a core member of the Nets for years to come,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Since the moment he arrived last season, Cam immediately embraced a leadership role both on and off the court. His versatile skillset as a two-way wing has proven to be an ideal fit with our roster, and we look forward to the positive impact he will continue to bring to our team and the Brooklyn community.”

JUNE 30: Restricted free agent forward Cameron Johnson wasted no time in coming to a contract agreement with the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Johnson will sign a four-year, $108MM contract to remain in Brooklyn, agent Steven Heumann tells Wojnarowski.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype clarifies (via Twitter) that Johnson will be able to earn up to $108MM with incentives, so it sounds like the base value of the deal will be a little lower than that.

The 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Johnson immediately emerged as a rotation player for the Suns as a rookie and has steadily improved since then, increasing his scoring average in each of his three subsequent seasons.

Johnson, who was dealt from Phoenix to Brooklyn in February’s Kevin Durant blockbuster, saw his 2022/23 season debut delayed by a knee injury, but played well after returning, averaging 15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.5 minutes per night across 42 appearances for the Suns and Nets.

Johnson’s shooting is his calling card. His shooting line this past season was an impressive .470/.404/.842, and he has made 39.3% of 5.6 three-point attempts per game over the course of his career. And while he’s not an elite defender, he has the size and versatility to guard either forward spot.

The Pistons were rumored to be considering a play for Johnson in free agency, but they reached an agreement with the Nets earlier in the day on Friday to acquire Joe Harris in a trade. That move essentially took the Pistons out of the running for Johnson, since Harris gave them the shooter they sought while taking up a significant chunk of their cap room. The move also gave the Nets more flexibility below the luxury tax line to make a strong offer to Johnson.

With Mikal Bridges locked up for the next three seasons and Johnson secured for the next four, the Nets are poised to build around the two former Suns forward who came over in the Durant trade.

Pacers Sign Tyrese Haliburton To Rookie Scale Max Extension

July 6th, 2023 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 6: The Pacers have officially Haliburton to his maximum-salary rookie scale extension, the team announced today.

The contract doesn’t feature a player option, but does have a 15% trade kicker, according to Tony East of SI.com (Twitter link), who confirms that a spot on any of the three All-NBA teams next season will bump Haliburton up to the full 30% max.

JUNE 30: Point guard Tyrese Haliburton is signing a five-year, rookie scale max extension with the Pacers, agents Dave Spahn and Aaron Mintz tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As a designated rookie, Haliburton will earn at least 25% of the 2024/25 salary cap, which is when his extension will officially kick in. However, Wojnarowski suggests the contract will feature Rose rule language that could boost the value to 30% of the cap over five years.

To receive the 30% max, Haliburton will have to meet one of three performance criteria next season: All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, or MVP. If he earns one of those honors and the cap increases by 10% in ’24/25, Haliburton’s deal would be worth $260MM.

The 23-year-old averaged 20.7 PPG, 10.4 APG, 3.7 RPG and 1.6 SPG on an excellent .490/.400/.871 shooting line in 56 games (33.6 MPG) in ’22/23, earning his first All-Star nod in the process. The former first-round pick just finished his third season, making him eligible for a rookie scale extension.

Several draft analysts had Haliburton high on their boards, but he wound up falling to the Kings at No. 12 overall in 2020. He played very well in his stint with Sacramento, but his fit with fellow point guard De’Aaron Fox was less than perfect, particularly defensively, so the Kings memorably traded him in February 2022 for a package headlined by big man Domantas Sabonis.

The deal has worked out well for both teams. Sabonis helped the Kings break their record-long playoff drought, while Haliburton has shined in a featured role with Indiana.

Advanced stats nearly universally say Haliburton has been the top player from the 2020 draft class through three seasons. His efficiency and excellent decision-making stand out.

The 23-year-old only averaged 2.5 turnovers per game last season, good for a 4.15-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio – an top-tier mark. Indiana went 28-28 with him in the lineup, versus 7-19 without him.

The Pacers are looking to take a step forward in ’23/24, which will be the final year of Haliburton’s rookie deal. They agreed to two-year, $45MM contract with Bruce Brown, who helped the Nuggets win their first championship in June, and have their eyes set on the playoffs.

Nets Officially Trade Patty Mills To Rockets

July 6th, 2023 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The pick the Nets received in the trade is their own 2024 second-rounder with top-55 protection, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Houston acquired Brooklyn’s 2024 second-rounder in a prior trade and will retain it if it lands between 31-55 next June.

JULY 6: The Nets and Rockets have officially completed their trade sending guard Patty Mills to Houston, according to a pair of press releases from the clubs.

Along with Mills, Houston acquired the Bucks’ 2028 second-round pick. The Rockets sent a protected future second-rounder to Brooklyn. While the exact details on that pick aren’t known, it’ll have top-55 protection, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Mills will only be a Rocket temporarily. He’s being flipped to the Thunder as part of Houston’s Dillon Brooks sign-and-trade acquisition, as Adrian Wojnarowski first reported over the weekend.

Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) suggests Oklahoma City will be receiving three second-round picks as part of its deal for Mills, though we’re still waiting for clarity on the full terms of that trade agreement. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Rockets will actually send two second-round picks to Oklahoma City and will amend the terms of a previously traded second-rounder.

A veteran combo guard who will turn 35 next month, Mills was no longer a major part of the Nets’ rotation last season — his 14.3 minutes per game represented his lowest average since the 2012/13 season. He averaged 6.2 points and 1.4 assists in 40 appearances, with a shooting line of .411/.366/.833.

“Patty was an exemplary representative of the Nets during his two years in Brooklyn, both for his contributions on the court and his impact in the community,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “We thank Patty for all he has brought to our organization and wish him and Alyssa nothing but the best in their next chapter.”

Mills is earning $6.8MM on an expiring contract in 2023/24. By acquiring him using cap space and using him as a salary-matching piece in a subsequent deal, the Rockets will be able to preserve a bigger chunk of cap room before eventually abiding by salary-matching rules to go over the cap in their sign-and-trade for Brooks. That deal is expected to involve four or five teams, including the Grizzlies and Hawks — as noted above, the full details aren’t yet known.

It’s not clear if the Thunder plan to hang onto Mills once they acquire him. If they cut him, he’d be eligible to sign with any team besides Houston (including Brooklyn).

Aaron Holiday Signs One-Year Contract With Rockets

July 6th, 2023 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 10: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 6: Aaron Holiday is signing a one-year contract with the Rockets, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported earlier today that the Hornets and Rockets were among the teams interested in the free agent guard.

Holiday spent his first three NBA seasons with the Pacers, the team that selected him 23rd overall in the 2018 draft. He was sent to the Wizards two years ago as part of the massive five-team deal that saw Russell Westbrook head to the Lakers, and was later sent to the Suns at the 2022 trade deadline for cash.

Phoenix chose not to give Holiday a qualifying offer last summer in order to make him a restricted free agent, and he wound up signing a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum with the Hawks. Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the combo guard will once again be on a minimum-salary contract.

The Rockets were on the lookout for guard depth after trading TyTy Washington and Josh Christopher (to different teams) and releasing Daishen Nix, Iko adds (Twitter link).

Holiday, 26, appeared in 63 games for the Hawks in 2022/23, but his role was quite limited, averaging career lows in points (3.9) and assists (1.4) in 13.4 minutes per contest. The 6’0″ guard is a 37.7% career three-point shooter and converted 36 of his 88 attempts last season (40.9%).