Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Walker Kessler Signs Rookie Deal With Jazz

July 9th, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Jazz have officially signed 7’1″ rookie center Walker Kessler to his rookie scale contract, the team announced in a press release. Kessler is the last 2022 first-rounder to ink his deal.

The 20-year-old has yet to play in an NBA game, but is already well-traveled within the league. He was initially selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 22 pick in the 2022 draft out of Auburn, before being traded to the Timberwolves in a draft-night deal. Kessler was later sent to Utah as part of Minnesota’s blockbuster deal for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Kessler averaged 11.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.6 BPG, and 1.1 SPG across 34 games during his second and final college season with the Tigers. He also nailed 60.8% of his field goal attempts. He had spent the 2020/21 season with North Carolina in a more limited role, averaging just 8.8 MPG, before transferring to Auburn. Kessler was named the 2021/22 SEC and NABC Defensive Player of the Year. The big man was also an All-SEC First Team, All-SEC Defensive Team, and AP All-American Third Team selection.

The deal will pay $2,696,400 for the 2022/23 season, and will be worth $13.4MM should Utah pick up both its team options for the center’s third and fourth NBA seasons.

Pelicans Sign Dyson Daniels To Rookie Scale Deal

July 9th, 2022 at 12:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans have officially signed rookie wing Dyson Daniels to a rookie scale contract, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 6’8″ swingman was selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft by New Orleans after spending a year with the G League Ignite. Across 14 contests for the G League Ignite during the 2021/22 season, Daniels averaged 11.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, and 0.7 BPG, while connecting on 44.9% of his field goals and 73.7% of his free throw attempts.

Provided Daniels is compensated with the standard 120% rate above the rookie scale, the 19-year-old’s four-year contract is worth $25,059,949. He’ll earn $5,508,600 in his 2022/23 NBA rookie season.

Daniels is set to make his debut with the Pelicans during the team’s first Summer League contest tonight against the Trail Blazers.

With the inking of Daniels to a deal now official, Jazz rookie center Walker Kessler is now the sole remaining unsigned first-round draft pick.

Cavaliers Sign Darius Garland To Five-Year Max Extension

July 9th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Cavaliers have officially announced Garland’s rookie scale extension, per a press release.

“We’ve quickly seen Darius grow into an NBA All-Star and an integral core piece in our pursuit of sustainable success,” team president Coby Altman said in a statement. “Both on and off the court, Darius has demonstrated a strong commitment to this organization and the community. We look forward to our future and what we can accomplish here in Cleveland.”

JULY 2: The Cavaliers and point guard Darius Garland have reached an agreement on a five-year rookie scale extension that will be the largest deal in franchise history, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

It’s a maximum-salary extension that will will have a starting salary of at least 25% – and possibly up to 30% – of the 2023/24 cap, agent Rich Paul tells Wojnarowski. Based on the NBA’s latest projections for ’23/24, the deal will be worth at least $192.85MM and could be worth as much as $231.42MM.

Garland has steadily improved in each of his three NBA seasons. In 2021/22, he established new career highs in PPG (21.7), APG (8.6), RPG (3.3), and FG% (.462) as he helped lead Cleveland to a play-in spot. The 22-year-old made his first All-Star team and was a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

The Cavaliers made serious strides in 2021/22 behind a core of Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Mobley’s rookie contract covers three more years, while Allen is under contract for the next four seasons, so the franchise now has that core locked up for the foreseeable future.

Garland’s new contract will go into effect as Kevin Love ($28.94MM) and Caris LeVert ($18.79MM) come off the books in 2023, so the Cavaliers will still have some financial flexibility going forward and aren’t in any immediate danger of becoming a taxpayer.

The exact value of Garland’s extension will depend on where the 2023/24 cap (currently projected at $133MM) lands and whether or not he meets the Rose Rule criteria to increase his starting salary to 30% of the cap.

While Garland is reportedly receiving Rose Rule language in his new deal, it may not be as simple as a spot on the All-NBA Third Team increasing his starting salary to 30% of the cap. Teams and players can negotiate different starting salaries based on what specific criteria the player meets. For instance, Garland may need to make the All-NBA First Team or Second Team in order to get the full 30% — we’ll have to wait for more details.

Even if he doesn’t make an All-NBA team next season, Garland is in line for a starting salary of $33.3MM on his extension, with subsequent 8% raises. He’ll also join the NBA’s list of designated rookies, which we outlined earlier today.

With Garland’s deal done, the Cavaliers figure to shift their focus to a new deal for another guard, Collin Sexton, who is still a restricted free agent.

Spurs Sign Jeremy Sochan To Rookie Contract

July 9th, 2022 at 8:22am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed forward Jeremy Sochan to a rookie scale contract, according to a team press release.

The lottery pick became the first top-10 selection for San Antonio since Tim Duncan went first overall in 1997. The Spurs used the No. 9 overall pick on Sochan, who played one season at Baylor and was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 9.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG while appearing in 30 games.

Assuming the usual 120% rate above rookie scale, Sochan’s four-year deal is worth $23,046,751. He’ll make $5,063,520 during his rookie campaign.

Sochan won’t play in the Summer League after missing all of the team’s pre-Vegas practices due to COVID-19. He also suffered a hamstring injury, Paul Garcia of Project Spurs relays via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The injury occurred prior to the draft, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.

This leaves Dyson Daniels (Pelicans) and Walker Kessler (Jazz) as the only unsigned first-round selections.

Lakers Sign Second-Rounder Max Christie

July 8th, 2022 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have signed Max Christie, the 35th pick of last month’s draft, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link). The Lakers drafted him after acquiring the 35th pick from the Magic in exchange for a 2028 second-rounder and cash.

Christie was a highly-touted prospect entering college last season, but he struggled a bit in his freshman season for Michigan State, averaging 9.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 1.5 APG on .382/.317/.824 shooting in 35 games (30.8 MPG). With the caveat that it’s Summer League (therefore disorganized), in three contests (22.7 MPG) at the California Classic in San Francisco, Christie averaged 6 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 2 APG while shooting 25% from the floor.

Still, Los Angeles’ front office is high on the 19-year-old, with GM Rob Pelinka calling him a “consensus” choice with the team’s lone draft pick.

The terms of Christie’s deal were not disclosed, but the Lakers used their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Lonnie Walker and are now limited to minimum-salary deals, so a two-year, minimum contract seems likely.

Considering he’s only 19 and the Lakers are trying to contend, Christie will probably spend a good amount of time in the G League this season with L.A.’s affiliate, South Bay.

The Lakers have undergone a roster overhaul of their role players in free agency thus far after going 33-49 and missing out on the postseason in 2021/22, reportedly prioritizing speed, defense and shooting with the signings of Lonnie Walker, Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant.

Bucks Re-Sign Lindell Wigginton

July 8th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have re-signed guard Lindell Wigginton, the team announced in a press release.

Wigginton, 24, played 19 games (10.5 MPG) as a rookie for Milwaukee last season while on a two-way contract, averaging 4.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 1.2 APG. The terms of his new deal were not disclosed, but considering both of the team’s two-way spots are currently occupied (by Sandro Mamukelashvili and AJ Green), Wigginton was likely signed to an Exhibit 10 deal.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract that makes the player eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived before the regular season begins and then joins his team’s G League affiliate. It can also be converted into a two-way deal before the season.

The Canadian point guard spent most of last season with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 4.9 APG in 25 total games. After going undrafted out of Iowa State in 2019, Wigginton spent his first two pro seasons playing for the G League’s Iowa Wolves, as well as a couple of international stops in Israel and Canada.

Spurs Sign Malaki Branham To Rookie Scale Contract

July 8th, 2022 at 6:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs have signed first-round pick Malaki Branham to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

In 32 games (29.6 MPG) as a freshman for Ohio State, Branham averaged 13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2 APG on .498/.416/.833 shooting. He was named Big Ten Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Third Team for his efforts.

The 19-year-old put up 15 points and three rebounds on 6-15 shooting in his Summer League debut this evening, a 99-90 loss to the Cavaliers.

Branham was the 20th overall pick by San Antonio and will earn $2,925,600 as a rookie and $14,177,433 over the course of four seasons, assuming he receives 120% of the rookie scale amount, which is standard. As with all first-rounders, both the third and fourth seasons are team options.

Branham is the 27th first-round pick from last month’s draft to officially finalize his rookie contract, as shown by our tracker of draft pick signings. Dyson Daniels (Pelicans), Jeremy Sochan (Spurs), and Walker Kessler (Jazz) are the lone holdouts, but there’s no reason to believe they won’t join their fellow first-rounders soon.

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.

Nuggets Sign Nikola Jokic To Super-Max Extension

July 8th, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: Jokic’s super-max extension is now official, the Nuggets announced today in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Nuggets and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic have agreed to terms on a five-year, super-max extension that projects to be the richest contract in NBA history, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jokic has one year remaining on his current contract, so his new deal will begin in 2023/24 and will be worth 35% of that year’s cap, with subsequent 8% raises.

With the NBA now projecting a $133MM cap for ’23/24, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), Jokic is on track to earn a starting salary of $46.55MM and a total of $269.99MM across five seasons.

The contract will include a player option in the fifth year, per Charania. Jokic’s salary for that season (2027/28) projects to be worth $61.45MM. The deal will also include a trade kicker, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jokic, who met the criteria for a super-max extension a year ago when he won his first Most Valuable Player award, wasn’t technically eligible to sign such a deal until this year, when he had seven years of NBA experience under his belt.

He cemented his case for that super-max deal by winning a second MVP award in 2021/22, establishing new career highs in PPG (27.1), RPG (13.8), and FG% (.583) while also averaging 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 74 contests (33.5 MPG).

This extension agreement had long been anticipated. Jokic’s agent Misko Raznatovic said earlier in the year that he anticipated his client would sign a super-max extension, and the center himself confirmed in April that he’d accept the offer if the Nuggets put it on the table.

James Harden Plans To Sign Two-Year Deal With Sixers

July 8th, 2022 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

After turning down a $47.4MM player option for the 2022/23 season, star guard James Harden will accept a starting salary about $15MM below that on a new deal with the Sixers, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That would result in a ’22/23 salary in the $32-33MM range.

According to Charania, Harden intends to sign a two-year contract with Philadelphia that includes a player option for ’23/24. While the exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, Charania’s reporting suggests a total value in the neighborhood of $66-68MM.

When Harden declined his option last week, reports at the time indicated that he planned to sign a new contract with the Sixers that included a lower first-year salary in order to help the team accommodate other roster moves.

Philadelphia has since used its full mid-level exception to sign P.J. Tucker and its bi-annual exception to sign Danuel House, hard-capping team salary at approximately $157MM for the season. Harden’s new deal should leave the 76ers with about $2MM in wiggle room below that hard cap, tweets Derek Bodner of The Daily Six.

According to Charania (Twitter link), Harden’s close relationships with key figures in the Sixers organization, including president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and minority owner Michael Rubin (who is selling his stake in the franchise but is expected to remain involved), were major factors in establishing trust between the two sides during negotiations.

There was a sense after Harden declined his option that he’d be rewarded with a long-term contract that would give him more total guaranteed money, but the one-plus-one structure will give him the chance to opt out and sign a new maximum-salary contract next summer. It will also give him veto power on any trade during the 2022/23 league year.

Harden, who was traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia midway through the 2021/22 season, had a down year by his standards and was hampered by a hamstring injury. The 10-time All-Star finished the season with 22.0 PPG, 10.3 APG, and 7.7 RPG on .410/.330/.877 shooting in 65 total games (37.2 MPG) for the Nets and Sixers.

Charania reported last week that the former MVP has resumed his workout and on-court program much earlier than usual this offseason and has communicated to Sixers officials that he’s focused on winning a championship in 2023.