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Pistons’ Cory Joseph Opting In For 2022/23

June 21st, 2022 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Pistons point guard Cory Joseph will pick up his player option for 2022/23, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The decision will lock in Joseph’s $5,155,500 salary for next season.

An 11-year veteran who has appeared in over 700 regular season games, Joseph had a productive 2021/22 season in Detroit, averaging 8.0 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.7 RPG with a .445/.414/.885 shooting line in 65 games (24.6 MPG). He started a career-high 39 contests, with most of those starts coming alongside Cade Cunningham as the two point guards exhibited an ability to play alongside one another.

While it’s possible Joseph could have matched his option salary or gotten a multiyear deal as a free agent, the fact that he opted for the guaranteed money suggests that his market may not have been especially hot.

Given Joseph’s solid production in a rotation role in 2021/22, Detroit could simply bring the 30-year-old back for next season. However, he doesn’t really fit the young team’s timeline, and the Pistons have been linked to free agents such as Jalen Brunson and Dennis Schröder in recent weeks, which suggests they may not envision as significant a role for Joseph going forward.

As such, it wouldn’t be surprise if Joseph emerges as a trade candidate once he officially opts in — playoff teams in need of a reliable backup point guard would likely have interest.

Joseph had been the No. 41 player on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents. Since he’s opting in, he’ll be removed from that list, but he remains a part of our free agent prediction contest. If you’re entering that contest, be sure to list Joseph’s destination as Detroit to earn a free point, even if he’s traded later in the offseason.

All of this year’s player option decisions can be found right here.

Clippers’ Batum To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 21st, 2022 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward Nicolas Batum won’t pick up his player option for the 2022/23 season, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Batum will become an unrestricted free agent, though he and the Clippers are expected to have mutual interest in negotiating a new deal next week, according to Wojnarowski.

Batum’s option would have paid him $3,328,530 next season if he had exercised it. Based on his strong play in Los Angeles over the last two seasons, the 33-year-old has earned a raise on that figure.

Across two seasons and 126 games with the Clippers, Batum has averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG with a .402 3PT% in 26.2 minutes per contest while playing solid, versatile defense. We ranked him 23rd overall last week in our list of 2022’s top 50 free agents.

Although Batum won’t come anywhere close to matching the five-year, $120MM contract he signed with the Hornets back in 2016, he seems like a good bet to receive interest as a mid-level target. The full mid-level exception for 2022/23 projects to be worth $10.35MM, while the taxpayer MLE would come in at $6.39MM, based on a $122MM cap.

The Clippers will be well above the luxury tax line next season, but will hold Batum’s Early Bird rights, giving them the opportunity to make a competitive offer without using their mid-level exception. Los Angeles should be able to offer a starting salary up to approximately $11MM using the Early Bird exception. An Early Bird offer would have to be for at least two years, with no player or team option on that second year (though the second year doesn’t need to be fully guaranteed).

Batum spoke enthusiastically in May about the impact head coach Tyronn Lue has had on him and his desire to remain with the Clippers.

Batum is the only Clipper holding a player option for the 2022/23 season, but L.A. has a team option decision to make on Ivica Zubac before free agency begins. Zubac’s $7.5MM option salary is relatively team-friendly, so I’d expect it to be exercised.

The full list of player option decisions can be found right here. We’re also tracking team option decisions here, though none have been officially made yet.

P.J. Tucker To Become Unrestricted Free Agent

June 20th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat forward P.J. Tucker will decline his $7.35MM option for next season, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Tucker will be an unrestricted free agent and several contending teams are expected to compete for his services.

It’s still possible Miami could re-sign him on a longer deal and/or more money. Miami president Pat Riley declared in his postseason press conference that bringing back the defensive ace was a high priority.

“P.J. is a cornerstone,” Riley said. “I would love to have Tuck back next year. He’s part of our core. He’s special.”

Non-taxpayer teams could pursue Tucker using their mid-level exception, worth a projected $10.349MM in the first year.

Miami holds Tucker’s Non-Bird rights and could offer him up to four years on a salary starting at 120% of his previous cap hit ($7MM this past season).

Tucker had been planning to opt out in search of a raise, but Miami is optimistic about retaining his services, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets.

Tucker averaged 7.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 2.1 APG while making 41.7% of his 3-point attempts with Miami this past season while starting in 70 of 71 regular season games. He averaged 7.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.8 APG in 18 playoff games.

Tucker won a championship with the Bucks in 2021, starting 19 of Milwaukee’s 23 postseason games during its run.

Nuggets’ Jeff Green Exercises 2022/23 Player Option

June 19th, 2022 at 10:22am CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 19: Green has officially picked up his player option for 2022/23, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

JUNE 17: Nuggets forward Jeff Green is expected to exercise his $4.5MM player option for next season, a league source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

The deadline for Green to pick up the option is June 20, Singer notes.

In 75 regular season games with Denver, including 63 starts (24.7 MPG), Green averaged 10.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .524/.315/.833 shooting. He struggled in the team’s first-round loss to Golden State, averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .353/.375/.800 shooting in five games (22.6 MPG), with his shot attempts cut in half.

However, he has had postseason success in the past, including previous stops with Boston, Houston and Cleveland, reaching the NBA Finals with the Cavs in 2017/18.

Green, who turns 36 in August, is a well-traveled veteran (Denver is his 11th team) and clearly enjoyed his first season with the Nuggets, since he’s picking up his option. He’s still quite athletic despite his advancing age, and is a heady cutter who excels in the open court.

After Green exercises the option, he and fellow forwards Aaron Gordon and Zeke Nnaji will all be under contract for 2022/23. Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) is expected to return to action as well, and he’s signed to a long-term, maximum-salary deal.

As Singer writes, with a pretty set forward rotation, the Nuggets are expected to focus on improving the team’s perimeter depth in the 2022 draft. Denver controls the Nos. 21 and 30 picks after agreeing to trade JaMychal Green to the Thunder. Singer says “it’s likely” that GM Calvin Booth knew of Jeff Green’s intention to exercise the option prior to the trade.

Nuggets are reportedly interested in packaging their picks in order to move up to the middle of the first round.

In case you missed it, Green was ranked No. 45 on our list of top 50 free agents for 2022, and if you enter our free agent prediction contest, you’ll get a freebie as long as you pick the Nuggets as Green’s destination.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo Exercises Player Option

June 18th, 2022 at 9:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has exercised his $1.88MM player option for next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Giannis Antetokounmpo‘ brother, who turns 30 this summer, saw action in 48 regular season games last season, including six starts. He averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 9.9 MPG. He also saw spot action in eight postseason games after playing in 13 playoff contests during the Bucks’ championship run in 2020/21.

As Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets, if Thanasis had declined the option and signed a new minimum-salary contract, it would’ve saved Milwaukee a small amount of money on next season’s cap and tax bill. However, he was always a good bet to get a contract with the Bucks for next season, one way or another.

Thanasis played two games with the Knicks back in 2015/16 and has been on the Milwaukee roster for three seasons. He signed a two-year deal worth approximately $3.6MM last August.

Prior to the 2019/20 season, the 6’6″ forward had played for a handful of international and G League teams.

Thunder’s Derrick Favors Picks Up 2022/23 Player Option

May 17th, 2022 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder center Derrick Favors has officially exercised his player option for the 2022/23 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The move had been expected, with Favors telling reporters after Oklahoma City’s season ended last month that he planned to opt in. The $10.18MM option will pay him more next season than he could realistically expect to earn if he turned it down and sought a new contract as a free agent.

Favors, who was traded from Utah to Oklahoma City last July, didn’t play a ton for his new team in 2021/22, averaging a modest 16.7 minutes per game in 39 appearances. His season came to an early end due to a back issue.

When he did play, Favors averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG. Although he’s still a solid rebounder and can score around the basket, the 30-year-old didn’t have much of a role on a rebuilding Thunder team that was more focused on developing its young players.

Now that he’s on an expiring contract and presumably isn’t in OKC’s long-term plans, Favors should be viewed as a trade candidate this offseason. However, it doesn’t sound like he’d be opposed to returning to the Thunder.

Favors recently said that playing with the young club brought back the “joy of playing basketball and not worrying about the business part,” and told the media during his exit interview that he expected to be back with the Thunder next season.

We’re tracking all of this year’s player option decisions right here.

Clippers Sign Robert Covington To Two-Year Extension

May 8th, 2022 at 1:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MAY 8: The Clippers have confirmed that they will have extended Covington on a two-year deal, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

MAY 5: The Clippers and forward Robert Covington have reached a two-year, $24MM contract extension agreement, agent Andrew Morrison of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Covington was headed to unrestricted free agency this summer, but has opted to stay put rather than testing the market.

Because he was traded less than six months ago, Covington was ineligible to sign an extension longer than two years or worth more than $27.9MM prior to the start of free agency in July. His new deal fits within both of those limits.

Covington was acquired along with Norman Powell from the Trail Blazers in early February in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick.

The Clippers were without superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and went a good chunk of the season without their other star, Paul George. Covington could play a key defensive role with the high-scoring duo back in the lineup.

In 23 games with the Clippers, Covington averaged 10.4 PPG on 50% shooting, including 45% on 3-point attempts. He had a career-high 43 points on a franchise-record 11 3-pointers against the Bucks on April 1.

Covington stated after L.A.’s play-in tournament loss to New Orleans that he was excited about the possibility of re-signing with the Clippers.

“The way that we played tonight when we went small, imagine PG and Kawhi in that lineup,” he said. “That’s a lot of versatility … Once them guys come back next year, if I’m here, I’m really looking forward to that.”

Clippers executive Lawrence Frank recently expressed interest in retaining Covington: “RoCo was very, very good for us. I’m excited to hear that he likes it here. We look forward and we’d like to be able to keep him here.”

Covington, 31, has played for Houston, Philadelphia and Minnesota as well as Portland and the Clippers.

Derrick Favors Plans To Pick Up Player Option

April 12th, 2022 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder big man Derrick Favors expects to exercise his player option for 2022/23 and to be back in Oklahoma City next season, he said today (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman).

The three-year deal Favors signed with Utah in 2020 included two guaranteed years and a $10.18MM option for ’22/23. The veteran center was traded from the Jazz to the Thunder during the 2021 offseason and didn’t play a ton for his new team this season, averaging a modest 16.7 minutes per game in 39 appearances. His season came to an early end due to a back issue.

Favors averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in his part-time role for Oklahoma City in 2021/22. Although he’s still a solid rebounder and can score around the basket, the 30-year-old didn’t have much of a role on a rebuilding Thunder team that was more focused on developing its young players.

Once he officially picks up his player option, Favors should be viewed as a trade candidate, since he’ll be on an expiring deal and likely isn’t part of OKC’s long-term plans. However, his $10MM+ salary may be more than some teams are comfortable paying a backup center.

Suns Convert Wainright’s Two-Way Deal Into Standard Contract

April 10th, 2022 at 2:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:23pm: The Suns have officially converted Wainright’s contract from a two-way to a standard deal, the team confirmed (via Twitter).

1:28pm: The Suns are converting the two-way contract of rookie forward Ishmail Wainright into a standard deal, making Wainright eligible for the playoffs, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Wainright has seen action in 44 Suns games this season, averaging 2.1 PGG and 1.2 RPG in 7.4 MPG. The 27-year-old signed his two-way contract in October after being waived by Toronto during training camp.

It’s unlikely that Wainright will see much action in the playoffs, but he might be employed as a defensive specialist in certain situations.

Wainright, who went undrafted out of Baylor in 2017, played for a number of international leagues prior to this season.

Jazz Convert Trent Forrest’s Two-Way Contract To Standard Deal

April 10th, 2022 at 1:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:24pm: The transaction is official, according to a team press release.

10:25am: Two-way player Trent Forrest will receive a standard contract from the Jazz, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move will make him eligible to participate in the playoffs, which two-way players cannot do.

The 23-year-old point guard is in his second season as a two-way player with Utah. He has appeared in 60 games so far in 2021/22, making six starts, and is averaging 3.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12.8 minutes per night.

Undrafted out of Florida State in 2020, Forrest reached a two-way agreement with the Jazz in November of that year and appeared in 30 games as a rookie. He signed another two-way deal before the start of this season’s training camp.

Once the move is official, Utah will have a full 15-man roster heading into the postseason. The Jazz are currently tied for fifth in the West at 48-33 and hold a tiebreaker advantage over the Nuggets.