Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Raptors Sign D.J. Wilson To Two-Year Contract

July 8th, 2022 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have signed free agent forward D.J. Wilson to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), it’s a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a $250K partial guarantee.

It’s a reunion for the Raptors and Wilson, who signed three 10-day contracts and appeared in four games with Toronto in 2021/22. The former first-round pick out of Michigan played well in his limited run with the club, averaging 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 13.5 minutes per game while knocking down 11-of-15 shots (73.3%).

Wilson was released from his third and final 10-day contract with the Raptors in March after injuring his knee.

A year ago, the Raptors signed several free agents to multiyear deals with small partial guarantees in the first season and had them compete for spots on the 15-man regular season roster. It’s possible the team will take the same route this year.

Currently, Toronto has 12 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts, with Dalano Banton and Armoni Brooks on partially guaranteed deals. Second-rounder Christian Koloko is also likely in line for a spot on the 15-man regular season roster, which would leave just two openings available for Banton, Brooks, Wilson, and any other free agents the Raptors may sign before the season.

Of course, with the Raptors still being linked to the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, it’s possible the roster could undergo more significant changes by the fall.

Bulls Sign Dalen Terry To Rookie Scale Contract

July 8th, 2022 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have signed first-rounder Dalen Terry to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Appearing in 37 games (all starts) during his sophomore season at Arizona in 2021/22, Terry averaged 8.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.9 APG with a shooting line of .502/.364/.736 in 27.8 MPG. The 6’7″ guard also earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive team.

After declaring for the draft as an early entrant, Terry was selected 18th overall by the Bulls. His new contract will be worth $3.19MM in his rookie season and $15.45MM across four years, unless he accepts less than 120% of the rookie scale amount, which is extremely rare.

As our tracker of draft pick signings shows, Terry is the 26th first-rounder from last month’s draft to officially finalize his rookie contract. Dyson Daniels (Pelicans), Jeremy Sochan (Spurs), Malaki Branham (Spurs), and Walker Kessler (Jazz) haven’t yet put pen to paper, but there’s no reason to believe all four won’t sign soon.

Mohamed Bamba Signs Two-Year Deal With Magic

July 7th, 2022 at 10:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 7: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JUNE 30: The Magic are set to bring back big man Mohamed Bamba on a two-year, $21MM contract, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

By opting to not tender a qualifying offer to Bamba, Orlando made him an unrestricted free agent. Haynes notes that several rival clubs were considering Bamba, who enjoyed a breakout fourth season with the Magic. He started in 69 of 71 available contests for Orlando, having previously started in six games across his first three NBA seasons.

Suiting up in a jumbo-sized frontcourt alongside fellow 2018 lottery draft pick Wendell Carter Jr., Bamba averaged career highs of 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG and 1.2 APG across 25.7 MPG. He posted a tantalizing .480/.381/.781 slash line.

During the 2021/22 season, Bamba at last consistently exhibited the promise that convinced Orlando to draft him with the sixth pick out of Texas. He became one of the league’s better rim protectors and emerged as a reliable long-range option on volume (38.1% on 4.0 attempts a night).

Bamba’s future with the club may see him return to a reserve role. The Magic opted to take Duke power forward Paolo Banchero with the top pick in the 2022 draft, and will most likely start Franz Wagner, the eighth pick in 2021, at small forward. Carter was signed to a four-year, $50MM extension last summer. Though Bamba was also extension-eligible, Orlando ultimately opted to let him reach unrestricted free agency before bringing him back, so it seems likely that Carter will at least start the 2022/23 season at center. Injured power forward Jonathan Isaac, himself the sixth pick in the 2017 draft, is expected to return to the floor at some point during the 2022/23 season as well.

The 7′ big man is returning to a club that will boast a variety of solid players. After kicking off their rebuild in full with a flurry of moves at the 2021 trade deadline, Orlando also’s future already looks bright. In addition to the club’s aforementioned lottery talent in the frontcourt, the team also boasts talented young guard Cole Anthony, 2021 lottery selection Jalen Suggs, and 2017 No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz in the backcourt.

Karl-Anthony Towns Signs Super-Max Extension With Timberwolves

July 7th, 2022 at 8:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 7: Towns has officially signed the contract, according to a team press release.

“I couldn’t be prouder to continue my commitment to this franchise and community for years to come,” Towns said. “Minnesota has become my home and I am excited to continue making the fans proud to support the Timberwolves. My first seven years in the league, it has been an amazing journey. It all started with Flip Saunders taking a chance on me and now here we are. I look forward to all the achievements that are ahead for our team and the Timberwolves fanbase.”

JUNE 30: Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed to sign a four-year, super-max extension with the Timberwolves, agent Jessica Holtz tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The deal will begin in 2024/25 and will be worth 35% of that season’s salary cap, with 8% raises in subsequent seasons. Since the ’24/25 cap figure isn’t yet known, neither is the amount of Towns’ extension, but Wojnarowski projects it to be worth about $224MM over four years.

The signing is something of a no-brainer for a Minnesota club on the rise. Towns, still just 26, enjoyed something of a comeback season with Minnesota in 2021/22. Though his stats in recent years remained impressive, the team had been mired in middling lottery-bound purgatory for three straight seasons prior to 2022.

In 2022, the 6’11” center made his first All-Star team since 2019 and his first All-NBA Team since 2018. Towns also won the NBA Three-Point Contest during the 2022 All-Star Weekend, a rarity for a big man. During 74 games last year, Towns averaged 24.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 3.6 APG, with guard-like shooting splits of .529/.410/.822.

The three-time All-Star’s offensive prowess was a big reason the Timberwolves returned to their first playoff berth in four years. Led by Towns and second-year phenom Anthony Edwards, plus guards D’Angelo Russell and Patrick Beverley, the seventh-seeded Timberwolves pushed the second-seeded Grizzlies in a tough, physical first-round series. Minnesota would ultimately fall to Memphis in six games.

A super-max contract extension for Towns, an exceptional offensive talent just reaching his prime, had previously been considered the top priority for Minnesota’s front office this summer.

So far in free agency, the team has also added veteran small forward Kyle Anderson and re-signed tweener forward Taurean Prince to a two-year extension. The team also exercised non-guaranteed team options for 2022/23 on Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell.

In the draft, the Timberwolves added several intriguing young players. Auburn big man Walker Kessler, the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, and Duke small forward Wendell Moore, were selected in the first round. Memphis drafted Memphis swingman Josh Minott and Vanoli Cremona shooting guard Matteo Spagnolo in the second round.

Zach LaVine Signs Five-Year Max Deal With Bulls

July 7th, 2022 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: LaVine has officially signed, the team tweets.

“We are pleased that Zach remains with the Bulls,” executive VP Arturas Karnisovas said in the statement. “His work ethic and character have helped him to become one of the top players in the NBA.”

JULY 1: The Bulls and guard Zach LaVine are in agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary contract that will include a fifth-year player option, agent Rich Paul tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As our chart of maximum salaries for 2022/23 shows, LaVine will earn approximately $43MM per year on his new deal, which will have a total value of $215,159,700.

LaVine has emerged as one of the NBA’s most talented scorers since last reaching free agency in 2018. An All-Star in each of the last two seasons, the 27-year-old averaged 24.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.5 APG on .476/.389/.853 shooting in 67 games (34.7 MPG) in 2021/22, despite battling a left knee issue that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery this spring.

When he was a restricted free agent in 2018, LaVine signed a four-year, $78MM offer sheet with the Kings, which Chicago matched. He significantly outplayed that deal and has long been earmarked for a maximum-salary contract this offseason. His health problems this past season raised some questions about whether that max deal would still be on the table, but the knee injury is reportedly not considered a long-term concern.

LaVine was linked to a number of rival suitors earlier in the offseason and didn’t agree to terms with the Bulls right when free agency opened on Thursday, but was always most likely to remain in Chicago — especially with the team willing to offer a fifth year that other teams couldn’t. The Bulls sweetened the pot further by making that fifth year a player option. That option, which applies to the 2026/27 season, will be worth $48,967,380.

LaVine, who was the No. 2 free agent on our top-50 list, has now received the second-largest commitment among free agents this offseason. Our No. 1 free agent, Bradley Beal, also agreed to a five-year, maximum-salary contract, but Beal is eligible for a higher level of max because he more years of NBA service than LaVine.

The Bulls’ projected 2022/23 team salary remains below the tax line, but the team would likely cross into the tax if it uses its full mid-level exception.

Timberwolves Sign Wendell Moore To Rookie Deal

July 7th, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have signed Wendell Moore to his rookie scale contract, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

Moore was selected with the No. 26 pick. The Mavericks held the pick and agreed to trade it to Houston as part of the Christian Wood deal. Houston then re-routed the pick to Minnesota for the rights to TyTy Washington and two future second-rounders.

The former Duke wing’s four-year deal is worth $11,839,563, assuming the usual 120% rate above the rookie scale. His first-year salary would come out to $2,306,520.

Bucks Sign MarJon Beauchamp To Rookie Contract

July 7th, 2022 at 5:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have signed shooting guard MarJon Beauchamp to his rookie scale contract, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

Beauchamp, who averaged 15.1 PPG in 12 games for the G League Ignite last season, was the 24th pick in the draft.

Assuming Beauchamp signed for the usual 120% of the rookie scale amount, his four-year contract would be worth $12,544,796 with a first-year salary of $2,420,400.

Grizzlies, John Konchar Finalize Three-Year Extension

July 7th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Rory Maher

5:00pm: Konchar’s extension is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

11:54am: The Grizzlies are signing John Konchar to a three-year, $19MM extension, his agent George Landberg tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, the deal will be fully guaranteed, and Konchar will now be locked up through the next five seasons, as he still has two years left on his current contract.

As we relayed a few days ago, Konchar’s $2.3MM salary for 2022/23 became guaranteed once he remained on the roster through this past Sunday. He had already been owed a partial guarantee of $840K.

Konchar, 26, went undrafted out of Purdue-Fort Wayne in 2019 after a four-year college career. As shown by Basketball Reference, Konchar is the only known former Mastodon to reach the NBA.

He was a solid role player for the Grizzlies in ’21/22, averaging 4.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .515/.413/.551 shooting in 72 games (17.9 MPG). An excellent rebounder for a guard, Konchar holds a career mark of 8.9 boards per 36 minutes.

In addition to his rebounding prowess, Konchar holds impressive career shooting percentages of 61.2% on twos and 40.6% on threes in 134 games (52.2% from the field overall). He’s also an intelligent ball-mover and solid defender, with a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.3:1.

De’Anthony Melton, another backup guard, was traded to Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago, so it’s possible that Konchar could have a bigger role next season. Either way, clearly the Grizzlies value his contributions, as evidenced by the fact that Konchar is under contract through ’26/27.

Once the extension becomes official, Konchar won’t be trade-eligible for six months.

Raptors Re-Sign Chris Boucher To Three-Year Deal

July 7th, 2022 at 2:48pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 7: Boucher has officially re-signed with the Raptors, the team announced (via Twitter).

JUNE 30: The Raptors have agreed to bring back big man Chris Boucher on a three-year contract worth a reported $35.25MM, agent Sam Permut tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Toronto is using Boucher’s Bird rights to re-sign him to a deal worth a little more than the full mid-level exception. It’s a fully guaranteed deal, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

After going undrafted out of Oregon in 2017 at age 24, Boucher has slowly emerged as one of the best player development stories in the NBA. He was the G League MVP and Defensive Player of the year in 2018/19 with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s affiliate, then emerged as a rotation regular in ’19/20, averaging 6.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in just 13.2 MPG (62 games).

His development led to a two-year, $13.5MM deal in 2020, which he easily outperformed the last couple of seasons. Boucher averaged 13.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 1.9 BPG on .514/.383/.788 shooting in ’20/21 (60 games, 24.2 MPG). His numbers fell off to 9.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .464/.297/.777 shooting in 80 games (21.1 MPG) last season, partially as a result of finger surgery during preseason.

Boucher is an athletic, energetic big man who can block shots and limited opponents to 43.9% shooting this past season. He’s an unusual player in a lot of ways, standing 6’9″ but weighing just 200 pounds. Although Boucher often plays center, he’s capable of switching across multiple positions on defense using his speed and 7’4″ wingspan.

Clearly, the Raptors value Boucher highly, despite his down shooting year and limitations (he has 116 career assists in 123 games). Yet those limitations haven’t been a hindrance, as the team been markedly better when he’s on the court over the last two seasons.