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Pistons Sign Cade Cunningham To Rookie Contract

August 8th, 2021 at 7:59pm CST by Luke Adams

This year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, has signed his rookie contract, the Pistons announced today (via Twitter).

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Viewed for months as the overwhelming favorite to come off the board first on draft night, Cunningham played a single season at Oklahoma State, averaging 20.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG on .438/.400/.846 shooting in 27 games (35.4 MPG). He was a consensus All-American and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year as a freshman.

Cunningham, who is making his Summer League debut in Las Vegas on Sunday night, will be the highest-paid rookie in the 2021 class. As our breakdown shows, he’s in line for a rookie salary of $10MM+ and will make more than $45MM over the life of his four-year contract with Detroit.

The Pistons also formally confirmed the signing of second-rounder Isaiah Livers, which we previously relayed.

Thunder Sign Josh Giddey, Tre Mann To Rookie Contracts

August 8th, 2021 at 5:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have signed first-round picks Josh Giddey and Tre Mann to their rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.

Having entered draft night with the sixth, 16th, and 18th overall picks in the first round, Oklahoma City traded the No. 16 selection to Houston, but used No. 6 to pick Giddey and No. 18 to nab Mann. The two rookies are projected to earn first-year salaries of $5.99MM and $2.9MM, respectively.

Giddey, a member of the Adelaide 36ers in 2020/21, averaged 10.9 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 7.4 RPG in 28 games, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors. The 18-year-old Australian was a surprise pick at No. 6 over the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and James Bouknight, but his size (6’8″) and play-making ability make him an intriguing fit for the rebuilding Thunder.

As for Mann, he spent two seasons in college, emerging as a full-time starter in the Florida Gators’ backcourt in 2020/21. The 6’5″ guard put up 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a shooting line of .459/.402/.831 in 24 games as a sophomore before entering the draft.

As our tracker shows, No. 32 pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is now the Thunder’s lone unsigned 2021 draftee.

Knicks Sign Jericho Sims To Two-Way Deal

August 8th, 2021 at 3:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Knicks have added forward Jericho Sims on a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). The deal will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Sims, selected with the No. 58 pick out of Texas, will be eligible to appear in 50 games with New York while on his two-way contract. If the Knicks want to play Sims in more than 50 games, his contract would need to be converted to a standard deal.

As a two-way player, Sims also figures to spend time with the Knicks’ Westchester affiliate during the season for further development. A four-year college player, the 22-year-old was honored with an All-Big 12 Team selection during his final season in Austin.

The 6’10” big man averaged 9.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.1 BPG across 27 games for the 2020/21 NCAA regular season, including 26 starts. He also connected on 69.6% shooting from the field, the second-best field goal percentage in UT’s history for a single year.

It was previously rumored that Sims, currently with New York’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas, would most likely join the Knicks on a two-way deal. The Knicks still have a second slot in which to ink a two-way player for the upcoming 2021/22 season.

Dwayne Bacon Waived By Magic

August 8th, 2021 at 3:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran shooting guard Dwayne Bacon has been waived by the Magic, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Bacon had joined Orlando on a two-year minimum deal during the 2020 offseason, but his $1,824,003 salary for the 2021/22 season was not yet guaranteed, so Orlando won’t carry any dead money as a result of the move.

The 6’6″ Bacon played in every single game for the Magic during the truncated 72-game 2020/21 NBA season, including 50 starts. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG across 25.7 MPG, with a shooting line of .402/.285/.824.

The 25-year-old was selected with the No. 40 pick in the 2017 draft out of FSU, and had spent his prior three seasons in the league with the Hornets, also moonlighting with Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, during that time.

Bacon’s proven reliability during a compressed season and his positional fluidity could make him an appealing player for a playoff club looking to take a minimum-salary or partially-guaranteed contract flyer on a young wing with remaining upside.

Scottie Barnes Signs Rookie Contract With Raptors

August 8th, 2021 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have signed Scottie Barnes to his first NBA contract, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.

The Florida State forward was something of a surprise pick at No. 4, but Toronto was attracted to his potential to be a difference-maker on defense. He was named ACC Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year during his lone season with the Seminoles, averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Assuming he gets 120% of the rookie scale, Barnes will make $7.28MM during his first season. His contract could be worth up to $33MM over four years.

Barnes will play his first Summer League game later today, Lewenberg adds.

Kevin Durant Gets Four-Year Extension From Nets

August 8th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 8: Durant’s extension is official, the Nets announced.

“We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever,” owner Joe Tsai said. “On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.”

“Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” added general manager Sean Marks. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”

AUGUST 6: The Nets and Kevin Durant are in agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension that will go into effect during the 2022/23 season, according to Shlomo Sprung of The Boardroom. Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman confirmed the deal, which will replace the star forward’s ’22/23 player option.

Durant will be eligible for a 5% raise on his 2021/22 salary of $42MM, so his new deal will start at about $44.1MM in ’22/23. That figure exceeds the default maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of experience, but a player’s individual maximum salary on a new contract is always at least 105% of his previous salary.

In total, Durant’s new extension will be worth $197.7MM over four years and will cover his age 34-37 seasons.

Durant, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Nets in 2019, missed his entire first season in Brooklyn while recovering from an Achilles tear and was limited to just 35 regular season games in 2020/21. However, he looked like his old self in those games, averaging 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG on a scorching .537/.450/.882 shooting line.

In 12 postseason games, Durant put up 34.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG on .514/.402/.871 shooting, but he couldn’t quite lead the Nets past the eventual-champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, despite a 48-point performance in a Game 7 overtime loss.

All three Brooklyn stars are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. Now that they have a deal in place for Durant, the Nets figure to shift their focus to trying to lock up James Harden and Kyrie Irving as well.

Spurs Acquire Doug McDermott In Sign-And-Trade

August 8th, 2021 at 9:18am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: McDermott has joined the Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal, the Pacers announced in a press release.

Indiana got a future second-round pick in return, while San Antonio received McDermott, a future second-rounder and the option to swap second-round picks in a future draft. The Pacers also created a $7.3MM trade exception in the deal, equivalent to McDermott’s 2020/21 salary.

AUGUST 2: Pacers free agent forward Doug McDermott has agreed to a three-year, $42MM deal with the Spurs, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

McDermott cashed in off a career year with Indiana in which he averaged 13.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.3 APG. He’s a career 40.7% 3-point shooter, though he’s more than just a perimeter threat. He averaged a career-high 10.1 shot attempts and made 53.2% of them in his walk year.

McDermott’s most recent contract, which he signed with Indiana in 2018, was a three-year deal worth $22MM.

Retaining McDermott at the number he agreed to with the Spurs would have added to the Pacers’ luxury tax concerns, though they were hoping to re-sign him.

The Pelicans, Suns, and Nuggets were among the teams that were rumored to be potential suitors for the 29-year-old McDermott. The Spurs had an edge over many other teams due to ample cap space, while many others could only offer their $9.536MM mid-level exception.

San Antonio could simply sign McDermott with its cap room or work out a sign-and-trade with Indiana.

Jarrell Brantley Accepts Qualifying Offer From Jazz

August 8th, 2021 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have re-signed forward Jarrell Brantley, according to Paul Garcia of Project Spurs (Twitter link). Utah issued Brantley a qualifying offer last week to make him a restricted free agent and he has accepted that offer, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Because Brantley had spent two seasons on a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was eligible this summer for a one-year, minimum-salary qualifying offer that includes a modest partial guarantee.

In past seasons, that partial guarantee has been equivalent to the salary a two-way player would earn if he spent the entire season in the G League, which has been about $84K. This season, all two-way players will earn a salary in the neighborhood of $463K, even if they spend the entire season in the NBAGL, but there has been no indication the partial guarantee on QOs like Brantley’s has increased to reflect that change.

Brantley, 25, has seen limited action at the NBA level since joining the Jazz in 2019, appearing in just 37 total games and averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.3 minutes per contest. The former No. 50 overall pick did have a big year for the Salt Lake City Stars in 2019/20, putting up 18.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG in 33 games (32.4 MPG) to earn All-NBAGL First Team honors.

While Brantley is back under contract with Utah for now, the small partial guarantee on his new deal means he’s probably not a lock for a regular season roster spot.

Rockets Acquire Daniel Theis In Sign-And-Trade

August 7th, 2021 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls is official, the Rockets announced in a press release, with Chicago getting cash considerations in return.

“Daniel is a versatile center who impacts both ends of the court,” Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said. “We’re looking forward to adding his skillset to our young core and giving Coach (Stephen) Silas even more flexibility with his lineups.”

Theis’ new four-year contract includes a 15% trade kicker, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

AUGUST 2: The Rockets will fortify their frontcourt by signing Daniel Theis to a four-year contract worth $36MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Theis was frequently linked to Houston in the days leading up to free agency. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Houston’s plan is to work with the Bulls, Theis’ old team, to complete a sign-and-trade deal that would allow the Rockets to fit the center into their leftover trade exception from the Victor Oladipo trade.

That trade exception is worth about $8.2MM and could be used to sign Theis to a contract worth up to $35.6MM over four years. Taking that approach would preserve Houston’s mid-level exception for another signing (or multiple signings).

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), the Rockets are expected to send cash to the Bulls to finalize the sign-and-trade.

Theis, 29, averaged a career-high 9.6 PPG in 2020/21 in 65 games (24.6 MPG) for Boston and Chicago. He also contributed 5.5 RPG and 0.9 BPG while shooting 54.1% from the floor and even launching the occasional three-pointer (32.2% on 2.3 attempts per game).

While Theis isn’t particularly dangerous on the offensive end, he’s a solid defender who will give the Rockets another reliable veteran in the frontcourt alongside Christian Wood.

Kings Acquire Tristan Thompson In Three-Way Deal

August 7th, 2021 at 4:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 7: The three-team trade is now official, the Kings, Celtics, and Hawks all announced today in press releases.

The 2023 second-round pick that the Hawks are sending to Boston originally belonged to the Trail Blazers and was shipped to Atlanta by the Clippers in the Lou Williams trade in March, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

JULY 30: The Celtics are trading veteran big man Tristan Thompson to the Hawks for guard Kris Dunn, forward Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

However, Thompson isn’t staying with the Hawks. He’s being forwarded to the Kings, with guard Delon Wright going to Atlanta.

All the players in the three-way deal have expiring contracts. Thompson will make $9.7MM next season, while Dunn will secure just over $5MM and Fernando will collect $1.8MM. Wright will make approximately $8.5MM next season.

The move pushes the Celtics another $3MM below the luxury tax threshold, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Dunn had a player option on his contract and opted in earlier this week, which made the trade viable.

After nine seasons in Cleveland, Thompson played in 54 regular-season games with the Celtics, including 43 starts. He averaged 7.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG.

Dunn’s lone season in Atlanta was a washout due to an ankle injury. He only appeared in four regular-season games, but does give the Celtics another option for their backcourt rotation with Kemba Walker getting traded this offseason.

Fernando, an early second-round pick in 2019, appeared in 89 regular-season games during his first two years in the league.

Thompson gives the Kings some frontcourt insurance with Richaun Holmes entering free agency.

Wright averaged 10.0 PPG and 3.6 APG in 27 games with Sacramento after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. Wright can play either guard spot and will likely slide into a backup role with Atlanta.