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Hornets Exercise Options On Miller, Williams, Smith

October 30th, 2024 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets announced today in a press release that they’ve exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2025/26 season on three players. Those three players – and their newly guaranteed ’25/26 salaries – are as follows:

Brandon Miller (third year, $11,968,800)
Mark Williams (fourth year, $6,276,531)
Nick Smith Jr. (third year, $2,710,680)

Miller, who is currently sidelined due to a glute strain, had a terrific rookie season that was overshadowed to some extent by the Rookie of the Year battle between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, as well as the Hornets’ poor record.

The former Alabama swingman and the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft finished third in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 32.2 minutes per game across 74 outings (68 starts). His shooting line was .440/.373/.827.

Williams, the 15th overall pick in 2022, had a promising rookie season and opened his second year as Charlotte’s starting center, but hasn’t played in a regular season game since last December due to health issues. A back injury kept him out of action for most of last season and he’s currently dealing with a foot ailment. In his 62 healthy contests at the NBA level, the big man has averaged 10.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1.0 BPG.

Smith is the only one of the trio who has yet to establish himself as a productive rotation player. However, there was little doubt the 6’2″ guard’s option would be picked up, given its modest cap hit and the fact that he’s just starting his second season at age 20. The former No. 27 overall pick out of Arkansas also shot the three-ball well in his limited role as a rookie, making 43.2% of 2.9 attempts per game in 51 appearances off the bench.

Williams will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason, while Charlotte will have to decide on its fourth-year options for 2026/27 on Miller and Smith next fall.

The rookie scale option decisions for ’25/26 are due by the end of the day on Thursday. We’re tracking all those moves right here.

Wizards Won’t Exercise Options On Davis, Baldwin

October 29th, 2024 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have decided not to exercise their 2025/26 team options for guard Johnny Davis and forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., a league source tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Rather than having the fourth-year salaries in their respective rookie scale contracts become guaranteed, Davis and Baldwin will be on track to become unrestricted free agents in July 2025, assuming they play out the 2024/25 season on their current deals.

Davis’ fourth-year option for 2025/26 would have been worth $6,746,229, while Baldwin’s was for $4,420,156. It doesn’t come as a huge surprise that the Wizards were unwilling to lock in those salaries, since neither player has established himself as a reliable, productive role player to this point. Davis was also drafted by Washington’s previous front office regime.

The 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Davis has appeared in a total of 80 games for the Wizards, averaging just 4.0 points and 1.7 assists in 13.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .392/.279/.549. Baldwin, the 28th overall pick who began his career in Golden State and was traded to D.C. along with Jordan Poole last summer, has averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest on .390/.348/.676 shooting in 71 total games (10.3 MPG).

By rule, the Wizards won’t be able to offer Davis or Baldwin a starting salary exceeding their 2025/26 option salaries next summer. That restriction only applies to the team that ends the season with the player on its roster — for instance, is Davis is traded and finishes the season with another club, that club would be prohibited from offering a starting salary worth more than $6,746,229.

Davis and Baldwin are two of the three Wizards players whose contracts include rookie scale team options for ’25/26. The Wizards have, unsurprisingly, picked up the third-year option on Bilal Coulibaly, the team confirmed in a press release. That option is worth $7,275,600.

The No. 7 overall pick in last year’s draft, Coulibaly averaged 8.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.7 APG as a rookie in 63 games (27.2 MPG). He’s off to a good start this season, having boosted those averages to 16.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG on .500/.357/.813 shooting through Washington’s first three games.

Raptors Pick Up Options On Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick

October 29th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have exercised their fourth-year option on shooting guard Ochai Agbaji and their third-year option on shooting guard Gradey Dick, the team announced today in a press release.

Both options are for the 2025/26 season, locking in the duo for at least the next two years. Agbaji’s option will pay him a guaranteed salary of $6,383,525, while Dick’s is worth $4,990,560.

Agbaji has been traded twice since being selected 14th overall in the 2022 draft out of Kansas. He was sent from Cleveland to Utah in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster that offseason, then was flipped to Toronto along with Kelly Olynyk at the 2024 trade deadline. The third-year wing is off to a strong start this season, with averages of 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game and a shooting line of .588/.455/.571 through four contests.

Dick, another former Kansas Jayhawk, got off to a slow start last season and spent some time in the G League, then began to find his footing in the second half. Known as a sharpshooter, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft made 36.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc as a rookie and has been part of the Raptors’ starting lineup this fall. He’s averaging 16.0 PPG on .431/.346/1.000 shooting through four games.

Agbaji will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason. The Raptors will have to make a decision on Dick’s fourth-year option for 2026/27 by October 31, 2025.

We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions, which are due on Thursday, right here.

Clippers Exercise 2025/26 Option On Kobe Brown’s Contract

October 28th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have exercised their 2025/26 option on Kobe Brown‘s rookie contract, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets.

Brown is due to make $2,654,692 next season after earning $2,533,920 in ’24/25. The 24-year-old was the 30th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Missouri.

Brown saw action in 44 regular season games as a rookie, though he only averaged 9.0 minutes per contest. He posted averages of 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists in those 44 games and made 18 starts at the G League level as well.

Brown also appeared in three postseason games but has yet to see any action this season.

With the Clippers signing Kawhi Leonard, Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac to extensions this calendar year, plus James Harden holding a $36.3MM option on his contract for the 2025/26 season, they need some low-cost options to round out the roster. This locks in Brown for another season as he continues to develop his game and attempts to become a rotation player.

Brown excelled in Summer League action, averaging 16.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 4.2 APG.

Grizzlies Sign Jay Huff To Four-Year Contract

October 28th, 2024 at 3:32pm CST by Tristan Tucker

8:55pm: Huff has officially signed the multiyear deal, according to a team press release.

3:32pm: The Grizzlies are converting center Jay Huff from his two-way deal to a standard, four-year contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Memphis has an open 15-man roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Huff has been outstanding for the Grizzlies to begin the year, averaging 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 63.6% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc. He has helped the Grizzlies win two of their first three games to open the season.

The Grizzlies could theoretically have kept Huff on his two-way deal well into the season, as teams are permitted to have two-way players active for 50 games apiece if they have 15 players on the standard roster or 90 combined games if they have 14 (like the Grizzlies did).

However, given the way Huff impressed the team in training camp, the preseason, and the regular season, the front office decided there was no reason to wait on promoting him.

As in recent years, Memphis is rewarding an impressive young player who had been on a two-way deal with a team-friendly long-term contract. GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. each followed a similar path, with Pippen’s promotion occurring less than two weeks ago.

Huff went undrafted in 2021 after playing his college ball at Virginia. He spent time on two-ways with the Lakers, Wizards and Nuggets, but didn’t catch on with any of them at the NBA level despite earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the G League in 2023.

The Grizzlies now have a two-way slot available. They can fill that with any player with fewer than four years of NBA experience. Maozinha Pereira, who earned a 10-day contract with the team and spent training camp with the Grizzlies, is one option worth keeping an eye on.

Nets Exercise Third-Year Options For Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead

October 28th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets have exercised the third-year rookie scale team options on Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead for the 2025/26 season, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).

Clowney, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is continuing to increase his playing time with Brooklyn. He appeared in just 23 games (making four starts) with the Nets in his rookie season, but he gradually grew into his role. Clowney made 10 appearances from the beginning of last year to mid-spring, but he played in the final 13 games of the season, averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per night.

Through three games this fall, Clowney is averaging 9.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG off the bench. He’s on the books for $3.24MM this season and about $3.40MM in 2025/26.

Whitehead was drafted just one spot after Clowney at 22nd overall last year. However, he was sidelined with a left shin injury and has only made a total of three NBA appearances. His contract becoming guaranteed for a third year was less certain than Clowney after he shot 14.6% from the field in summer league and 22.2% in the preseason. Still, he’s just 20 years old and has tantalizing athletic upside, so he makes sense for a young Brooklyn squad.

He’s under contract for $3.11MM this season and $3.26MM in 2025/26.

As we outlined on Sunday, rookie scale options for ’25/26 are due Thursday.

Rudy Gobert Signs Three-Year Extension With Timberwolves

October 25th, 2024 at 3:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 25: Gobert’s extension with the Timberwolves is now official, the team announced today in a press release.

Gobert was permitted to sign the contract after the regular season began because it’s a veteran extension and he declined his 2025/26 player option as part of the agreement.

The deal begins at $35MM in 2025/26 and increases to $36.5MM in ’26/27, with a $38MM player option for ’27/28, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links), who adds that Gobert’s trade kicker is worth 7.5%.

OCTOBER 22: The Timberwolves and center Rudy Gobert have agreed to a three-year, $110MM contract extension, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.

The move comes on the heels of Minnesota trading away Gobert’s frontcourt partner, Karl-Anthony Towns, this offseason at the start of Towns’ max extension, which created more long-term cap flexibility for the club.

Gobert, 32, is scheduled to make $43,827,587 this season on his current deal. He had a $46,655,173 option for the 2025/26 season, which he’ll decline and replace with a smaller number in order to lock in two additional years beyond that.

The new extension will include a player option for 2027/28, as well as a trade kicker, Charania adds (Twitter link).

Minnesota will get some cap relief with Gobert declining that 2025/26 option, giving the team more flexibility to make moves next offseason. Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the team’s other main frontcourt players, could become free agents if they decline their own ’25/26 player options next summer.

Gobert is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, having won the award for a fourth time this past spring. After a rocky first season with the organization following the blockbuster deal between Minnesota and Utah, Gobert settled in last season and played an integral role on a team which reached the Western Conference Finals.

Gobert is also one of the more durable players in the league by current standards. He hasn’t appeared in fewer than 66 regular season games since the 2018/19 season.

Last season, he made 76 starts and averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per night. He also started 15 postseason games, averaging 12.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG.

The Wolves had a +8.0 net rating during the regular season when Gobert was on the court, compared to a +3.0 mark when he sat. During the playoffs, that gap increased to +9.8 in the center’s minutes and -6.3 when he on the bench.

Mavericks Exercise 2025/26 Options On Lively, Prosper

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks have exercised the third-year rookie scale team options on center Dereck Lively and combo forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Dallas revealed (Twitter link).

The two players now have guaranteed contracts through at least the next two seasons, with Lively assured of earning $5.25MM in ’25/26 while Prosper will make $3MM.

Though both were first-round draft picks last summer, there was a significant difference between the roles the two rookies played on the Finals-bound Mavericks in 2023/24.

A 7’1″ big man out of Duke, Lively was the No. 12 overall pick and played regular minutes in the Mavs’ frontcourt from day one. Though he didn’t close the year as the team’s starting five, he made 42 regular season starts and was arguably just as important as veteran Daniel Gafford.

Both Gafford and Lively are athletic, rim-rolling big men with high motors who became easy lob partners for All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Across 55 regular season bouts as a rookie, Lively averaged 8.8 points on 74.7% shooting from the field, plus 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 assists per night. He contributed 7.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.0 BPG off the bench in 21 playoff games.

Prosper was drafted with the No. 24 pick out of Marquette, but didn’t emerge as a rotation piece for Dallas in his first year. The 6’8″ forward appeared in just 40 contests for the Mavericks, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.

Thunder Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Four Players

October 23rd, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on four second- and third-year players, the team announced today in a press release.

All four players were already on guaranteed contracts for 2024/25 and have now had their salaries locked in for the following season too. Those players – and their ’25/26 salaries – are as follows:

Chet Holmgren, C (fourth year, $13,731,368)
Ousmane Dieng, F (fourth year, $6,670,882)
Jalen Williams, F (fourth year, $6,580,997)
Cason Wallace, G (third year, $5,820,240)

Holmgren and Williams were full-time starters in the frontcourt last season for a Thunder team that won 57 games, claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and won a playoff series.

The runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting, Holmgren played all 82 regular season games and averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks in just 29.4 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old also posted a strong shooting line of .530/.370/.793.

Williams, 23, took a significant step forward across the board after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. The former No. 12 overall pick registered averages of 19.1 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .540/.427/.814 shooting in 71 games (31.3 MPG) in his second NBA season.

Wallace, 20, immediately emerged as a rotation player for Oklahoma City as a rookie, earning regular minutes with his strong perimeter defense. Like Holmgren, he appeared in all 82 games during the regular season, averaging 6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a .491/.419/.784 shooting line in 20.6 MPG.

Dieng, 21, is the only one of these four players whose option decision wasn’t a mortal lock. The 6’10” forward, who was drafted 11th overall in 2022, has yet to emerge as a regular contributor in OKC, having appeared in just 33 games off the bench last season. However, the Thunder remain encouraged by Dieng’s play in the G League, where he averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG in 33 Showcase Cup and regular season outings in 2023/24.

Holmgren, Dieng, and Williams will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the 2025 offseason, and it’s safe to assume the Thunder will make an effort to lock up at least Holmgren and Williams at that time. The team’s decision on Wallace’s fourth-year option for 2026/27 will be due next fall.

Next Thursday (October 31) is the deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for 2025/26. We’re tracking those decisions right here.

Hardy Signs Three-Year Extension With Mavs; No Extension For Grimes

October 22nd, 2024 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 22: Hardy has officially signed his extension, according to Mavs PR (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 21: Third-year guard Jaden Hardy has agreed to a three-year, $18MM extension with the Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The final year of Hardy’s extension will include a team option, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.

Hardy was a second-round pick in 2022 and the contract he’s signing is considered a veteran extension rather than a rookie scale extension.

He was eligible to sign at any point this season, unlike some other veterans who faced a Monday deadline. However, Hardy and the team chose to get the deal done sooner rather than later.

In related news, the Mavericks won’t be signing Quentin Grimes to a rookie scale extension, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Grimes will be headed to restricted free agency next summer.

Hardy has proved to be a valuable rotation player in his two NBA seasons. He saw action in 73 regular season games last season, including seven starts, averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13.5 minutes per contest. He’s established himself as a reliable three-point threat in his two seasons in Dallas (37.9%).

The 6’4” Hardy also played regularly in the postseason, albeit in limited minutes. He averaged 4.2 PPG in 6.8 MPG. He could have an opportunity for more minutes early in the 2024/25 season with Dante Exum sidelined due to wrist surgery.

Low-cost rotation players are extremely valuable to contenders with max contract players on their ledger, so Hardy’s willingness to sign for an average of $6MM per season was naturally an incentive for the Western Conference champions.

The Grimes news comes somewhat as a surprise, considering he was reportedly negotiating a three-year extension with Dallas. According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), despite some initial optimism, the two sides were unable to bridge a gap in their discussions during the final days leading up to Monday’s deadline.

Grimes, a late first-rounder in 2021, spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks, then was dealt to the Pistons at the February trade deadline. Detroit included Grimes in the offseason Tim Hardaway Jr. deal.