Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bobby Portis To Decline Option With Bucks

June 29th, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bobby Portis has told the Bucks he will decline his $4.6MM option for next season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 27-year-old forward will be an unrestricted free agent, but there’s a good chance he’ll stay in Milwaukee on a more lucrative deal, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says Portis “seems destined” to sign a new contract worth more than $40MM over four years to remain with the Bucks.

The Bucks have Early Bird rights on Portis and can pay him up to $49MM over four seasons, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Marks adds that a new Early Bird contract must cover at least two seasons with no options in the second year.

Portis played an important role in Milwaukee’s title-winning team in 2020/21 and was just as valuable this past season. He moved into the starting lineup — starting 59 of the 72 games he played — and averaged a career-best 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per night.

Portis was the No. 13 player on our list of 2022’s top 50 free agents.

Celtics Exercise 2022/23 Option On Juwan Morgan

June 29th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have picked up their option on Juwan Morgan for next season, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Morgan’s contract remains non-guaranteed, Smith adds, and he doesn’t have a guarantee date before early January, when all contracts through the league become guaranteed. The option is worth $1,815,677.

The 25-year-old power forward signed a 10-day deal with Boston in late March and then a standard contract on April 9, one day before the end of the regular season. He got into just one game and played a single game for the Raptors as well on a 10-day contract.

Morgan spent his first two NBA seasons with the Jazz, averaging 1.4 PPG while seeing minimal playing time in 50 total games.

Rockets Decline Jae’Sean Tate’s Option, Issue QO

June 29th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 29: The Rockets have declined their option on Tate and issued him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It’s an unexpected move, given that Tate would have been extension-eligible if Houston had picked up his option and would still have been on track for restricted free agency in 2023 if the two sides hadn’t agreed to a new deal.

Presumably, the decision signals the Rockets are confident they’ll be able to lock up Tate to a new multiyear contract on terms they like. Charania says the two sides have “mutual interest” in reaching an agreement.

JUNE 25: As anticipated, the Rockets are picking up the option on Jae’Sean Tate‘s contract for next season, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Tate will earn $1,782,621 next season, according to Spotrac.

It was a mere formality that Houston would exercise that option on a rotation player. Tate started 77 of 78 games in which he appeared last season, averaging 11.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 2.8 APG.

Tate will now be a restricted free agent next summer.

Nets Decline Kessler Edwards’ Option, Issue QO

June 29th, 2022 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets won’t exercise their team option on Kessler Edwards for 2022/23, worth $1,563,518, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. However, Brooklyn has issued a qualifying offer worth a projected $1.84MM, making Edwards a restricted free agent, Smith adds.

The 44th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Edwards showed some promise as a rookie this past season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 48 appearances (20.6 MPG). He posted a .412/.353/.842 shooting line and even made 23 starts when the team’s depth was impacted by injuries and COVID-19.

It may seem unusual for the Nets to turn down Edwards’ option in order to tender him a more expensive qualifying offer, but doing so will give the team the opportunity to sign him to a contract that extends beyond 2022/23.

The Pelicans took this approach with Didi Louzada a year ago, declining his second-year option, issuing him a qualifying offer, then re-signing him to a four-year contract worth a little more than the minimum.

Brooklyn didn’t have the ability to offer Edwards more than a two-year contract last offseason because the team was over the cap and used its full mid-level exception on Patty Mills. Now, the Nets have Edwards’ Non-Bird rights, allowing them to go up to four years on a new deal. They’d also be able to match any offer the former Pepperdine standout signs with another team.

Edwards joins Nic Claxton and David Duke as Brooklyn’s restricted free agents.

Lakers Pick Up Options On Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel

June 29th, 2022 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have exercised their team options for 2022/23 on forwards Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Johnson’s option will pay him a guaranteed salary of $2,351,521. Gabriel’s option is worth $1,878,720, but that salary will remain non-guaranteed until the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January, so the option pick-up doesn’t necessarily assure him of a spot on the regular season roster.

Johnson, 26, joined the Lakers on a minimum-salary contract in January after signing a series of 10-day deals with the team. He earned a spot in the regular rotation, averaging 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG on .466/.314/.716 shooting in 48 appearances (22.8 MPG). The former eighth overall pick has never been a major offensive weapon, but is a useful depth piece, given his athleticism, energy, and versatility.

Gabriel, meanwhile, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in March, then was promoted to the standard roster in April. The 25-year-old averaged 6.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 19 contests (16.4 MPG) for the Lakers after spending time earlier in the season with the Nets, Clippers, and Pelicans as well.

With Johnson’s option exercised, the Lakers now have six players on guaranteed contracts for 2022/23. Gabriel and Austin Reaves are on non-guaranteed deals, leaving seven openings on the 15-man roster, one of which will likely go to second-round pick Max Christie.

Pacers Exercise Oshae Brissett’s 2022/23 Team Option

June 29th, 2022 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

12:11pm: The Pacers have officially exercised Brissett’s option, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

10:11am: The Pacers are picking up their team option on forward Oshae Brissett for 2022/23, reports James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Brissett’s $1,846,738 salary for next season will remain non-guaranteed after the option is exercised, but it’s a safe bet he won’t be waived.

Brissett, who turned 24 this month, has been a regular part of Indiana’s rotation over the last season-and-a-half, averaging 9.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG with a .368 3PT% in 88 games (23.7 MPG).

Given how modest his option salary is, there was never doubt that the Pacers would retain Brissett, but there was some question about whether or not they’d pick up his option.

Turning down the option would have made the former Syracuse standout a restricted free agent this offseason, whereas exercising it will put him on track for unrestricted free agency next year.

The Pacers have apparently decided to keep Brissett on a low cap number for one more year and will take their chances with locking him up beyond 2022/23, knowing that they won’t have the right of first refusal on any offer he signs as a free agent next summer.

We’re tracking all of the ’22/23 team option decisions right here.

Lakers’ Russell Westbrook Picks Up Option For 2022/23

June 29th, 2022 at 6:15am CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 29: Westbrook has officially exercised his option, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

JUNE 28: Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook will exercise the player option on his contract for 2022/23, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). The move, which had long been expected, will lock in Westbrook’s $47,063,478 salary for next season.

Acquired by the Lakers during the 2022 offseason, Westbrook was meant to be the final piece of a Big Three that would lead L.A. back to title contention. However, as fellow stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis battled injuries, Westbrook struggled to fit in with his new team.

Westbrook’s scoring average (18.5 PPG) was his lowest mark since 2009/10, and his 29.8% shooting percentage on three-point attempts was below his career rate. Although Westbrook started all 78 games he played for the Lakers, the team was more effective when he was off the court (-1.6 net rating) than when he was on it (-4.0).

Westbrook’s up-and-down performance was far from the only factor in the Lakers’ disappointing season, but it negatively impacted his value, making it a lock that he would opt into the final year of his maximum-salary contract rather than trying his luck on the open market.

It also makes the 33-year-old an unlikely trade candidate, since L.A. would have to attach assets and/or take on unwanted long-term contracts to move his $47MM+ salary, though the team will likely reassess its options on the trade market now that he is officially opting in.

New head coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Pelinka have both spoken about Westbrook returning to the Lakers next season and embracing a defense-first philosophy, suggesting that the organization is hopeful Ham can connect with Westbrook and get more out of him than former head coach Frank Vogel did.

Westbrook is now on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2023.

Kings Exercise Trey Lyles’ Team Option

June 29th, 2022 at 6:10am CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 29: The Kings have officially picked up Lyles’ option, per RealGM’s transactions log.

JUNE 28: The Kings are expected to exercise Trey Lyles‘ $2.625MM team option for 2022/23, a league source tells James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat (Twitter link).

The 12th overall pick of the 2015 draft, Lyles has bounced between five different teams in his seven NBA seasons, and never really lived up to his status as a former lottery pick. However, he had arguably his best overall season in ’21/22, averaging 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds on .466/.321/.802 shooting across 75 games (20.5 minutes) split between Detroit and Sacramento, so picking up his modest team option was likely an easy decision for the Kings.

Lyles, 26, appeared in 24 games for the Kings last season, including 20 starts, posting a very respectable .489/.365/.851 shooting slash line. He also got to the line at a career-best rate, averaging 3.2 attempts per game on the season in a fairly limited role.

Lyles was part of the trade that sent Marvin Bagley III to the Pistons and Donte DiVincenzo to the Kings at the trade deadline in February. Bagley received a qualifying offer from Detroit earlier today, making him a restricted free agent, but we’re still awaiting word on whether Sacramento plans to tender DiVincenzo a QO.

Sacramento drafted Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick of the draft last week, and the Kings have Harrison Barnes for the other forward spot, so Lyles is likely to be in a reserve role next season. Given his age and solid production, the power forward should be a decent depth piece as the team attempts to break its long streak of missing out on the postseason.

Lyles will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 once the Kings officially pick up the option.

Bulls Center Tony Bradley Opts In For 2022/23

June 29th, 2022 at 6:09am CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 29: Bradley’s opt-in is official, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

JUNE 28: Bulls center Tony Bradley is exercising his $2MM player option for next season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Bradley’s decision has some cap implications, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains (Twitter link). Chicago now has 11 players on guaranteed contracts totaling $103MM.

However, Zach LaVine‘s $29.25MM cap hold moves the Bulls over the salary cap threshold. Assuming LaVine re-signs on a maximum-salary deal, the Bulls would have the full $10.5MM mid-level exception available, but using all of it would likely push them into luxury tax territory.

Bradley’s exact opt-in salary is $2,036,318, less than the projected minimum of $2,104,726 he could receive if he declines the option and signs a new deal. That suggests Bradley wasn’t confident about receiving another guaranteed contract in free agency.

Bradley, who entered the league during the 2017/18 season, appeared in 55 regular season games last season, including seven starts. He averaged 3.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.0 MPG.

Clippers Sign Ivica Zubac To Three-Year Extension

June 28th, 2022 at 8:37pm CST by Luke Adams

8:37pm: The Clippers have officially announced their extension with Zubac, issuing a press release to confirm the move.

“For four seasons, Zu has been a pillar of our team, durable and dependable,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He does whatever is needed: setting screens, rolling to the rim, anchoring the interior of the defense. He is a reliable teammate and a consistent pro, just entering the prime of his career. We are excited to continue growing with him.”

4:12pm: The Clippers and Ivica Zubac have agreed to a contract extension that will cover the next three years and will be worth $33MM, agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Clippers held a team option on Zubac for the 2022/23 season worth $7,518,518, but will decline that option as part of the extension agreement, Wojnarowski reports.

The new deal, which will run through the 2024/25 season, won’t include any options, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Zubac, 25, was the Clippers’ starting center in 2021/22, appearing in a career-high 76 games and starting all of them. He also established new career highs in PPG (10.3), RPG (8.5), APG (1.6), and BPG (1.0) in 24.4 minutes per contest.

Zubac will be the second Clippers player to receive an extension between the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA’s 2022/23 league year, joining Robert Covington.

Los Angeles now has more than $171MM in guaranteed money on its books for next season without accounting for their reported agreement with John Wall – rumored to be worth the taxpayer mid-level exception – or possible new deals for free agents like Nicolas Batum, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Amir Coffey. The team’s tax bill projects to be worth at least $80MM, assuming a taxpayer MLE contract for Wall, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, and that number could continue to grow.

Zubac won’t be eligible to be traded for six months once he officially signs the extension, since it exceeds the extend-and-trade limits.