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Wesley Matthews To Decline Player Option

November 15th, 2020 at 7:45pm CST by JD Shaw

Bucks swingman Wesley Matthews plans to decline his $2.7MM player option for the 2020/21 season and enter unrestricted free agency, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Matthews averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 24.4 minutes per game with Milwaukee last season, seeing an average of 24.4 minutes per contest. He’s expected to be one of the more sought-after three-and-D wings on the open market, with multiple contenders likely to express interest. As such, it makes sense for him to turn down an option worth the veteran’s minimum.

Among the teams with an early interest in the 34-year-old is the Lakers, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Los Angeles is expected to trade Danny Green as part of the team’s deal to acquire Dennis Schroder from Oklahoma City and reportedly view Matthews as a potential replacement for Green next season.

Matthews has played 11 NBA seasons in his career, making past stops with Utah, Portland, Dallas, New York, Indiana and Milwaukee. He went undrafted back in 2009 after spending four seasons at Marquette.

Pistons’ Tony Snell To Pick Up 2020/21 Option

November 15th, 2020 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons swingman Tony Snell is exercising his player option for the 2020/21 season, sources tell James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move comes as no surprise, since Snell was extremely unlikely to match his $12.2MM option salary on the open market.

Snell, who turned 29 last Tuesday, appeared in 59 games for the Pistons in 2019/20, averaging 8.0 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG in 57 starts (27.8 MPG). He also made over 40% of his three-point attempts for the third time in four seasons, finishing with a .402 3PT%.

The move will keep Snell under contract with the Pistons for the time being, though the team may consider shopping his expiring deal in trade talks this fall. Assuming he plays out the season on his current contract, he’ll reach the unrestricted free agent market in 2021.

Since Snell had always been expected to opt in, his decision doesn’t affect the Pistons’ cap projections. The team should have at least $25-30MM available to work with this offseason.

Nicolas Batum Exercising Player Option

November 15th, 2020 at 7:38pm CST by JD Shaw

Hornets forward Nicolas Batum plans to exercise his $27.13MM player option for the 2020/21 season and return to Charlotte, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Batum appeared in just 22 games last season and holds career-averages of 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. The 31-year-old has been with the Hornets since the 2015/16 season, having been acquired in a trade during the summer of 2015. He inked a five-year, $120MM deal with the team in 2016.

Batum’s option decision was one of the most obvious of 2020, as there was no chance of him matching or exceeding his $27MM salary on the open market. He’ll reach free agency in 2021.

Meanwhile, Charlotte has players such as Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez set to enter unrestricted free agency this fall. The team could extend a qualifying offer to guard Dwayne Bacon to make him a restricted free agent.

The Hornets finished with a 23-42 record this past season and last made the playoffs during the 2015/16 campaign.

Evan Fournier To Exercise Player Option

November 15th, 2020 at 7:34pm CST by JD Shaw

Magic guard Evan Fournier is exercising his $17MM player option for the 2020/21 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Fournier, 28, will return to Orlando and bypass free agency. He’s spent the past six seasons with the Magic, averaging 18.5 points and 3.2 assists per game last year.

The Magic are still waiting for James Ennis‘ official decision on his player option, worth $2.1MM, and also have D.J. Augustin and Michael Carter-Williams set to become unrestricted free agents. In addition, the team could extend qualifying offers to Wesley Iwundu ($2MM) and Gary Clark ($1.8MM) in order to make them restricted free agents.

Orlando finished with the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference last season at 33-40. The club sports a talented young core consisting of Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and others.

Fournier’s option decision pushes the Magic’s total guaranteed salaries up to approximately $113MM, all but guaranteeing that the club will operate over the cap in 2020/21.

Udonis Haslem Plans To Re-Sign With Heat

November 13th, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Heat big man Udonis Haslem announced today that he intends to return to the franchise for at least one more season, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Haslem, 40, has been a member of the Heat since 2003, having made his debut with the team over 17 years ago. During that time, he has appeared in 858 regular season games for Miami, plus another 147 postseason contests. He has won three titles with the organization, averaging 7.6 PPG and 6.7 RPG for his career.

In recent years, Haslem’s on-court role has declined significantly. In 2019/20, he appeared in just four regular season games, logging a total of 44 minutes. It was the fourth straight year in which he has played no more than 130 minutes.

However, the Heat value Haslem’s veteran leadership and presence on the bench, and appear willing to continue to signing him to one-year, minimum-salary contracts as long as he wants to continue his career.

According to Winderman (Twitter link), Haslem said today that he still thinks he can contribute, but won’t push for minutes. The veteran declined to say whether or not 2020/21 will be his final season, tweets Winderman.

Now that Vince Carter has retired, Haslem may begin the ’20/21 campaign as the NBA’s oldest player, unless Jamal Crawford or another veteran free agent in his 40s signs a new contract.

Mike Conley Opting In With Jazz For 2020/21

November 12th, 2020 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz point guard Mike Conley won’t exercise the early termination option on his contract for the 2020/21 season, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Unlike a standard player option, an early termination option must be exercised in order for the player to reach free agency immediately — as its name suggests, it ends the contract early. By waiving that ETO, Conley is essentially opting into the final year of his contract in ’20/21. He’ll earn a $34.5MM salary next season before becoming a free agent in 2021.

Conley’s decision doesn’t come as a surprise. Following a somewhat up-and-down first year in Utah in 2019/20, the 33-year-old was unlikely to come anywhere close to matching his $34.5MM salary if he had opted for free agency and signed a new deal — especially with the NBA’s salary cap remaining flat at $109MM.

After 12 seasons with the Grizzlies, Conley was sent from Memphis to Utah last summer. He averaged 14.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a .409/.375/.827 shooting line in 47 games (29.0 MPG) for the Jazz. The veteran guard got more consistent and found his footing as the season went on, recording 19.8 PPG and 5.2 APG on .484/.529/.864 shooting in five postseason contests.

With Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert all locked up for next season and Bojan Bogdanovic expected to be back following wrist surgery, the Jazz will be looking to make a deeper playoff run in 2021. The team is expected to focus on bolstering its wing defense this offseason, as well as possibly extending both Mitchell and Gobert.

Accounting for Conley’s substantial cap hit, Utah is now an over-the-cap team, with approximately $112MM in guaranteed money committed to eight players. Even after adding the cap hold for their first-round pick and multiple non-guaranteed salaries to that figure, the Jazz should have the flexibility to use their full mid-level exception and/or re-sign Jordan Clarkson.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Expected To Decline Player Option

October 15th, 2020 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to be among the Lakers turning down a player option for the 2020/21 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Earlier reports indicated that Rajon Rondo is likely to opt out and that Anthony Davis plans to do the same.

The second-year option on Caldwell-Pope’s for next season is worth approximately $8.54MM, but there’s a perception that he has outperformed that figure and could be in line for a raise and/or a longer deal after essentially acting as the Lakers’ third option during the team’s NBA Finals victory.

Having put up relatively modest numbers (9.3 PPG on .467/.385/.775 shooting) during 69 regular season games (25.5 MPG), Caldwell-Pope made some big shots in the playoffs, knocking down 42.1% of his three-point attempts in the first three rounds and then averaging 12.8 PPG in the Finals, the third-highest scoring average on the team behind LeBron James and Davis. He also provided strong perimeter defense.

Caldwell-Pope has spent the last three seasons with the Lakers and the two sides have “significant mutual interest” in reaching a new agreement, per Charania. Los Angeles holds KCP’s Bird rights, giving the club plenty of flexibility to sign him to a new contract worth essentially any value up to the max.

The 27-year-old is expected to receive interest from a handful of external suitors, according to Charania, who identifies the Hawks as one team that could “emerge with interest.”

Besides Caldwell-Pope, Rondo, and Davis, the Lakers with player options for 2020/21 include Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee. They’re also candidates to opt out, though their intentions remain unclear for now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anthony Davis Plans To Opt Out, Re-Sign With Lakers

October 15th, 2020 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Anthony Davis isn’t expected to exercise his $28.75MM player option for the 2020/21 season, but there’s also no expectation that he’ll leave Los Angeles, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the star big man intends to opt out and then re-sign with the Lakers.

As Charania details, the plan is for Davis and agent Rich Paul to hold meetings in the coming weeks leading up to free agency to discuss the situation and determine the contract length and structure that is “most sensible” for the 27-year-old.

The Lakers are expected to offer Davis whatever form of max contract he wants, whether it’s for one year or five, so it will be up to AD and Paul to decide the best route for the seven-time All-Star.

There are several factors to consider, including the state of the NBA’s salary cap for the next couple seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Davis will be eligible for a more lucrative “maximum” salary in 2022, when he’ll have 10 years of NBA experience and will be eligible for a starting salary worth 35% of the cap instead of 30%.

Assuming the cap doesn’t increase for the 2020/21 season, Davis would be in line for a max salary of $32,472,000 next season, which is why he’ll turn down his $28,751,774 option. If he tacks on extra years to his new deal, he can receive 8% annual raises, regardless of future salary cap increases. With so much uncertainty surrounding the cap, a multiyear deal that locks in those raises could end up being more player-friendly.

If Davis signs a two-year deal with a second-year player option or a three-year deal with a third-year player option, he’d be in a position to sign a new long-term contract in 2022. The hope would be that the NBA has mostly recovered from the impact of the coronavirus by that point and that the cap would be on the rise again. Even if it the cap hasn’t significantly increased by then though, it’d be a good time for Davis to sign a new contract that would start at 35% of the cap.

Davis, who was sent from New Orleans to Los Angeles last summer in a blockbuster trade, had a monster first year with the Lakers, averaging 26.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 BPG in 62 regular season games (34.4 MPG).

He finished sixth in MVP voting and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, helping lead the club to the West’s No. 1 seed. He followed up a dominant regular season by recording 27.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.4 BPG in 21 postseason contests en route to the first title of his career.

Given the success he enjoyed as a Laker, there has never been any real doubt that Davis would re-up with the franchise, even if he was noncommittal when asked about it earlier this week following the team’s Game 6 win.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rajon Rondo Expected To Decline 2020/21 Option

October 15th, 2020 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo is likely to decline his $2.69MM player option for the 2020/21 season, a source familiar with the situation tells Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Chris Sheridan of BasketballNews.com first reported that Rondo is expected to opt out of his contract.

The deadlines for ’20/21 player option decisions remain up in the air, but will likely fall sometime in late November, so Rondo still has plenty of time to reverse course and opt in. However, it makes sense that he’d seek a new deal, even if he intends to remain in Los Angeles.

Rondo’s current two-year contract is worth the veteran’s minimum and he arguably outperformed it by playing a key role in the Lakers’ run to this year’s championship.

After returning from a broken thumb during the second round vs. Houston, the veteran guard averaged 8.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 16 games (24.7 MPG) off the bench. He even provided some reliable outside shooting, knocking down 40.0% of 3.1 three-point attempts per game during the postseason.

Assuming the salary cap remains at the same level in 2020/21 as in ’19/20, Rondo’s minimum salary would be about $2.56MM, so if he has to settle for another minimum deal, he’d miss out on the 5% raise that his option would have afforded him. But that difference is minimal and the opportunity for a more lucrative offer makes declining the option worth the risk.

The Lakers will hold Rondo’s Early Bird rights, giving the team the ability to offer him a starting salary worth up to approximately $10MM (105% of the league-average salary in the previous season). However, contracts signed using the Early Bird exception must run for at least two years, without a second-year option. Los Angeles could potentially get around that rule by not fully guaranteeing the second year of an offer to Rondo.

Another potential path for the Lakers would be to re-sign Rondo using the Non-Bird exception. That would allow for a one-year deal (with or without a second-year option) and would give the 34-year-old veto rights on any trade, though his salary would be limited to about $3.08MM (120% of the minimum).

The Lakers will also have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available, but may prefer to use those exceptions to bring in outside help or to re-sign Non-Bird free agents Markieff Morris and/or Dwight Howard.

Of course, rival suitors could make life difficult for the Lakers by pursuing Rondo with mid-level type offers, but I imagine that – after winning a title with the team – the point guard’s first choice will be to stick with L.A.

Rondo is one of five Lakers with player options for the 2020/21 season. Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, and JaVale McGee are all candidates to opt out in search of new deals as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Sign Justin Anderson As Substitute Player

July 18th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:24pm: The signing is official, the team announced on Twitter.

3:42pm: Justin Anderson will sign with the Nets later today, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Rumors of the 27-year-old swingman joining the team began in late June and continued last week when he discussed the possibility on a radio show (YouTube link). However, Brooklyn opted for Lance Thomas instead, making the deal official earlier this week.

Another spot opened up when veteran forward Michael Beasley tested positive for COVID-19 when he arrived in Orlando and failed to clear quarantine. It’s possible the Nets already knew they’d be replacing Beasley when they signed Thomas instead of Anderson last week.

Anderson signed a 10-day contract with the Nets in January and averaged 1.0 PPG in three games before being released by the organization. He also spent part of the season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island. A first-round pick by the Mavericks in 2015, Anderson had brief stops with the Sixers and Hawks as well.