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Option/QO Notes: Green, Watanabe, Bertans, Barlow, Kings, More

June 30th, 2024 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

Saturday represented the deadline for teams and players to exercise 2024/25 contract options and for teams to issue qualifying offers to players eligible for free agency. While there was a flurry of news about those options and QO decisions yesterday, a few players still slipped through the cracks.

We’ll start with Rockets forward Jeff Green. Reporting last week indicated that Houston planned to exercise his $8MM team option for 2024/25 and the team did just that, per RealGM’s transaction log. Green’s salary technically remains non-guaranteed until July 11 even now that his option has been picked up, but the expectation is that he’ll be retained — his expiring deal could be a useful salary-matching piece in a trade, and he also played rotation minutes for Houston last season, averaging 16.8 MPG in 78 appearances.

While there was no official confirmation on Saturday (as far as we could tell), Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe had long been expected to decline his $2.65MM player option for the 2024/25 season, since he’s on track to return to his home country of Japan and play for the Chiba Jets. There’s no indication that those plans have changed or that he picked up his option, so we’re assuming it was declined and that he’ll be off the board for NBA teams this offseason.

Finally, Davis Bertans‘ option with the Hornets was technically an early termination option rather than a player option, meaning that instead of needing to actively exercise it if he wanted to opt in, he needed to do nothing to opt in. He did just that, and will remain under contract with Charlotte for the time being, rather than becoming a free agent. However, his $16MM option salary is only partially guaranteed for $5.25MM, so he’s not assured of having the rest of that salary guaranteed, especially if the Hornets are looking to maximize their cap flexibility this offseason.

Here are a few more updates left over from a busy Saturday:

Dominick Barlow, a 21-year-old forward who has spent the past two seasons with the Spurs, didn’t receive a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). San Antonio isn’t necessarily planning to part ways with Barlow, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, who tweets that the Spurs still have interest in discussing a new deal. However, he’ll have interest from other teams as well, says Wojnarowski.
The Kings didn’t tender qualifying offers to their three players eligible for restricted free agency (Kessler Edwards, Jordan Ford, or Jalen Slawson), confirms Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link). All three players will be unrestricted free agents.
According to RealGM, players who did receive qualifying offers that weren’t previously reported (that we saw) include no-brainers like Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, as well as Mavericks two-way player Brandon Williams.
We’ve previously published trackers for this year’s team option decisions and player option decisions, which are now fully up to date. We’ll be posting a full qualifying offer recap later this morning.

QO Decisions: Jazz, Okeke, Pacers, Krejci, Celtics, More

June 29th, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz declined to issue qualifying offers to guard Kira Lewis or center Micah Potter ahead of Saturday’s deadline, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links). As a result, both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer rather than restricted.

Lewis, the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, didn’t establish himself as a rotation player during three-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans. He was traded from the Pelicans to the Pacers to the Raptors to the Jazz during the 2023/24 season, and played a limited role in Utah after arriving from Toronto as a salary-matching piece in the deal involving Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. His qualifying offer would have been worth $7.74MM, so it comes as no surprise that it wasn’t tendered.

Potter also played sparingly for the Jazz last season while on a two-way contract, though he has shown some promise in the G League and is part of the U.S. Select Team that will scrimmage with Team USA ahead of the Olympics. His qualifying offer would’ve been for a partially guaranteed minimum-salary deal. According to Jones, a return to Utah is possible, though Potter may receive interest from other teams.

The only Jazz player eligible for restricted free agency who received a qualifying offer is guard Johnny Juzang, Jones reports (Twitter link). Since he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, Juzang wasn’t eligible for another two-way qualifying offer, so his QO is for a partially guaranteed one-year minimum deal.

Here are more qualifying offer updates from around the NBA:

Former Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke didn’t receive a qualifying offer that would’ve been worth about $7.4MM and will become an unrestricted free agent, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Okeke, 25, has played good defense since entering the league in 2020, but hasn’t contributed much offensively, averaging 6.3 points per game on .383/.318/.789 shooting in 189 career contests (20.3 MPG).
The Pacers have tendered qualifying offers to Obi Toppin ($7.74MM), Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way), and Quenton Jackson (two-way), according to a pair of stories from Tony East of SI.com. All three players will now be restricted free agents.
The Hawks have issued a two-way qualifying offer to guard Vit Krejci, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Krejci is a candidate to negotiate a standard contract with Atlanta after finishing the 2023/24 season as a rotation player. He could also sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Hawks would have the right to match it.
After declining Neemias Queta‘s team option for 2023/24, the Celtics tendered him a qualifying offer, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Two-way player Drew Peterson also got a qualifying offer from Boston, but JD Davison didn’t, Smith adds. Queta’s QO will be worth approximately $2.37MM, while Peterson’s will be for another two-way contract.
The following players also received two-way qualifying offers, according to Smith: Lakers big man Colin Castleton (Twitter link), Bulls forward Adama Sanogo (Twitter link), Spurs wing David Duke (Twitter link), and former Warriors guard Nico Mannion (Twitter link), whose RFA rights continue to held by Golden State as he continues his career overseas. San Antonio issued a $2.7MM qualifying offer to big man Sandro Mamukelashvili too, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Smith.
The Clippers opted not to extend qualifying offers to two-way players Xavier Moon and Moussa Diabate, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). The door isn’t closed on a new deal for either player, but it sounds like they’ll explore their options as unrestricted free agents, per Murray. The qualifying offers for Moon and Diabate would have been partially guaranteed minimum-salary offers, since they were ineligible for another two-way QO.
Neither Nate Hinton nor Jermaine Samuels received a two-way qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Both players will be unrestricted free agents.

Clippers Turn Down Team Option On Kai Jones

June 29th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have declined their $2.2MM team option on backup big man Kai Jones, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Team officials hope to work out a new contract with Jones, who will now be an unrestricted free agent, Murray adds.

The 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones wasn’t able to earn rotation minutes during his first two seasons with Charlotte. He was waived in October after a series of unusual social media posts that called out several of his Hornets teammates.

Jones returned to the NBA in March on a 10-day contract with Philadelphia, but didn’t see any game action before it expired. He signed with the Clippers on the final day of the regular season and didn’t get into a game with them either.

Wizards Decline Team Option On Tristan Vukcevic

June 29th, 2024 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have turned down a $2.42MM team option on Tristan Vukcevic, sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The Serbian center, a rookie in 2023/24, was eligible for a qualifying offer, but there’s no indication he received one ahead of Saturday afternoon’s deadline. Unless word of that QO trickles in late, he will be unrestricted when free agency starts on Sunday.

Washington drafted Vukcevic with the 42nd pick in 2023, but he spent most of the season with KK Partizan in Serbia before joining the Wizards in March. He started four of the 10 games he played during his brief time in the NBA, averaging 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per night.

Washington is optimizing its financial flexibility going into free agency, Scotto adds. The Wizards are also expected to be active on the trade market, with several teams expressing interest in Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert and others.

Paul George Declines Option, Will Take Free Agent Meetings

June 29th, 2024 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

6:15pm: George intends to meet with the Clippers, Sixers, and Magic late on Sunday night and into Monday, according to reports from Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

3:43pm: Clippers star forward Paul George has decided to turn down his $48.8MM player option for the 2024/25 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move puts George on track to become an unrestricted free agent, and he intends to schedule meetings with the Clippers – who control his Bird rights – and other suitors with cap room beginning on Sunday evening, says Wojnarowski.

The decision also means that an opt-in-and-trade scenario is off the table for George, so over-the-cap teams who were hoping to acquire him – including the Warriors – will no longer have a realistic path to do so.

George turned 34 in May but has continued to produce like one of the NBA’s best wings in recent years. In 74 games in 2023/24, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33.8 minutes per game, posting a strong shooting line of .471/.413/.907.

The Clippers signed their other star forward – Kawhi Leonard – to a three-year, $152MM contract extension in January and have reportedly attempted to get George locked up to a similar deal, which is below his maximum in terms of both years (he can get up to four) and dollars. The Los Angeles native has been unwilling to sign what his hometown team has put on the table so far and – with the two sides apparently at a stalemate – will weigh his options on the open market.

The Sixers, who will have more than enough cap room to accommodate a maximum-salary contract, have long been viewed as the biggest threat to the Clippers for George. A report last week indicated that Philadelphia’s interest in pursuing George had “waned,” but Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears from sources that the 76ers are still expected to aggressively try to lure George away from the West Coast. The Magic are another team with significant cap room that has been mentioned as a potential suitor.

As our maximum-salary projections for 2024/25 show, rival suitors will be able to offer George up to a projected $212.2MM over four years, while the Clippers could bid up to about $221MM over those four years. Typically, Los Angeles would be able to offer a fifth year to a Bird-rights free agent, but that’s not an option for George due to the over-38 rule.

While a sign-and-trade deal sending George to a new team is technically possible, it likely won’t be a practical option for over-the-cap suitors. A team that takes back salary in exchange for a signed-and-traded player becomes hard-capped at the second tax apron, so acquiring upwards of $40MM in salaries for George probably won’t be viable for the Clippers.

Bol Bol Re-Signs With Suns

June 29th, 2024 at 6:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 7: The agreement is now official, per the NBA’s transactions log.

JUNE 29: Free agent big man Bol Bol will return to the Suns on a one-year contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Phoenix holds Bol’s Non-Bird Rights, so he’s eligible for a new deal worth up to 20% more than the veteran’s minimum salary, though Woj’s report doesn’t specify whether that’s what his new contract will be worth.

Bol, 24, signed a one-year contract with Phoenix last July, shortly after being waived by Orlando. He appeared in 43 games, all off the bench, and averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.

Re-signing low-salaried free agents is important to a Suns team facing limited options for filling out its roster due to second-apron restrictions. Eric Gordon, Drew Eubanks, Josh Okogie and Damion Lee have all declined their player options for next season and decided to test free agency, though one or more of them could return to Phoenix on new deals.

Pistons Waive Troy Brown Jr., Buddy Boeheim

June 29th, 2024 at 6:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

6:01pm: The Pistons have officially waived Brown, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.

Detroit also cut wing Buddy Boeheim, whose two-way contract with the team ran through the 2024/25 season. Boeheim appeared in 10 games for the Pistons last season, averaging 3.4 points per contest on .310/.320/.800 shooting.

1:53pm: The Pistons have decided to not guarantee swingman Troy Brown Jr.‘s $4MM contract for the 2024/25 season and instead will waive him, report James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Brown inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Timberwolves during the 2023 offseason. He earned $4MM in the first year, with a non-guaranteed $4MM for year two. That salary would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through Sunday.

The 6’6″ small forward was flipped from Minnesota to Detroit midway through the 2023/24 season as part of a trade package for Monte Morris. For the year, he posted cumulative averages of 4.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.0 APG in 14.0 MPG for the two clubs, while suiting up for 59 total contests (15 starts). Brown also logged a middling shooting line of .372/.333/.865.

A journeyman 3-and-D bench wing, Brown played for the Wizards, Bulls, and Lakers from 2018-23 before splitting last season between the Timberwolves and Pistons. Now, it appears he’ll be on the move again.

Though he doesn’t possess much of a handle, he was — prior to this season, anyway — a capable jump shooter and a solid man-to-man perimeter defender. That skill set still should have value on the open market, though at what cost remains to be seen.

Richaun Holmes Declines Option, Signs Extension With Wizards

June 29th, 2024 at 5:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Richaun Holmes has reached a two-year contract extension with the Wizards after turning down his $12.88MM player option. The move, which was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), is official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The new deal for the 30-year-old center is valued at $25.9MM over two years, according to Charania, but it only carries a $250K guarantee on Holmes’ $13.3MM salary for the 2025/26 season. It looks like Holmes will receive roughly (or maybe exactly) the same amount of guaranteed money as if he had exercised his option.

Holmes was acquired at the February trade deadline in the deal that sent Daniel Gafford to Dallas. He appeared in 17 games for Washington, making eight starts and averaging 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per night.

The veteran big man is in contention to be the Wizards’ starting center next season and may fill the role until first-round pick Alexandre Sarr is ready to take over. Holmes, a second-round selection by Philadelphia in 2015, he has been with five teams in nine-year NBA career.

Pistons Turn Down Options On Chimezie Metu, Stanley Umude

June 29th, 2024 at 5:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have declined team options valued at $2.65MM for Chimezie Metu and $2.12MM for Stanley Umude, league sources tell Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype (Twitter link). Both players will be unrestricted when free agency begins Sunday afternoon.

The moves will give Detroit a little more cap room to utilize in free agency. With more than $58MM to spend, the Pistons are expected to be among the most active teams on the market.

Metu, a 27-year-old center/power forward, came to Detroit on a 10-day contract in March and later signed for the rest of the season. He appeared in 14 games, starting seven, and averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per night.

Umude, a 25-year-old shooting guard, played on a two-way contract before having it converted to a standard deal in February. He saw action in 24 games, averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per night.

Knicks Didn’t Extend Qualifying Offer To Precious Achiuwa

June 29th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks opted not to extend a $6.3MM qualifying offer to Precious Achiuwa, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The decision means the 24-year-old big man will be unrestricted when he enters free agency on Sunday.

New York hasn’t ruled out re-signing Achiuwa, Katz adds, but the team didn’t want to risk the possibility of having him quickly accept the QO, which would have affected its hard cap situation as it tries to work out the details of the trade to acquire Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn.

The Knicks acquired Achiuwa in late December as part of the OG Anunoby deal. He wound up playing a significant role amid long-term injuries to Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and others. Achiuwa appeared in 49 games after the trade, making 18 starts and averaging 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per night.

The Knicks have picked up their $2MM team option on Jericho Sims for next season, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). The backup center still only has a $651K partial guarantee on his $2.09MM salary, with trigger dates in July and August. Sims, who has spent the past three seasons with New York, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The team has declined DaQuan Jeffries‘ $2.5MM option, Katz tweets. Jeffries, who saw action in 17 games, will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

The Knicks extended a qualifying offer to two-way forward Jacob Toppin, making him a restricted free agent, Katz tweets. However, two-way players Duane Washington Jr. and Charlie Brown Jr. did not receive QOs (Twitter links).