Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Extend Qualifying Offer To Patrick Williams

June 24th, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have issued a qualifying offer to forward Patrick Williams, making him a restricted free agent, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Williams’ qualifying offer is worth $12.97MM. Chicago will now have the option of matching an offer sheet for the No. 4 pick of the 2020 draft.

Williams has not lived up to his draft billing but he’s still only 22 and could still become an impact player. This past season, he averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per night in 43 games, including 30 starts. He has made 41% of his 3-point attempts over the course of his career.

Williams’ season was cut short by left foot surgery in February after being diagnosed with a foot stress reaction. He played his last game on Jan. 25. He was limited to just 17 contests in ’21/22 due to a wrist injury, though he appeared in all 82 games the following season.

A sign-and-trade scenario could develop, as several teams could be intrigued by Williams’ untapped potential. The Thunder are one team that has been linked to Williams.

OG Anunoby To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 24th, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OG Anunoby is declining his $19.9MM player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.

It’s long been anticipated that Anunoby would test the free agent waters. He’ll be one of the most coveted players on the market, coming in at No. 5 among our top 50 free agents this summer. However, it’s unlikely any team would be willing to max him out due to his lack of durability. As noted in our free agent rankings, injuries have cost him 29, 34, 15, and 32 games in the past four seasons.

When Anunoby suits up though, he’s a difference-maker. After the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in December, New York’s net rating in his 802 regular season minutes was an eye-popping +21.7. Both the Knicks’ offensive rating (122.6) and defensive rating (100.9) during those minutes would’ve ranked first in the NBA.

Anunoby, 26, is in the prime of his career that began during the 2017/18 season. In 50 regular-season games in ’23/24, he averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He earned All-Defensive honors in 2022/23 but didn’t qualify this past season due to the 65-game minimum rule in the new CBA.

A recent report suggested that the floor for Anunoby’s next contract is $35MM per year, meaning the non-Knicks suitors will be limited to teams who can create significant cap room or are in position to pull off a sign-and-trade. That list isn’t extensive, but the Sixers are among the cap-room clubs that could have interest. He’d be a fallback option for them if they couldn’t land Paul George in free agency.

Still, the Knicks, who possess Anunoby’s full Bird rights, have the inside track on re-signing him. Discussing the forward’s impending free agency earlier today, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirmed a recent report from Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who hinted that New York’s initial offer wasn’t up to par, but added that New York “remains committed” to re-signing Anunoby and is viewed as the favorite by rival executives.

Reggie Jackson Exercising 2024/25 Player Option

June 24th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets point guard Reggie Jackson is picking up his player option for 2024/25, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision will ensure that Jackson receives a guaranteed salary of $5.25MM next season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2025.

Jackson originally signed with Denver on the buyout market in February 2023 after he was traded from the Clippers to the Hornets and was waived by Charlotte. He struggled down the stretch during the Nuggets’ championship season, making just 38.3% of his field goal attempts (27.9% of his three-pointers) in 16 regular season games before falling out of the rotation for the playoffs.

However, the Nuggets opted not only to retain him for the 2023/24 season but to give him a raise, signing him to a two-year, $10.25MM contract using their taxpayer mid-level exception. The 34-year-old responded with a strong bounce-back season, averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .431/.359/.806.

Jackson was one of just two Nuggets players to appear in all 82 games this past season. He also made 23 starts when Jamal Murray was forced to the sidelines for health reasons.

While Jackson’s option decision will guarantee his 2024/25 salary, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he’ll spend next season in Denver. It’s possible the Nuggets will end up using his expiring contract as a trade chip, though if he returns, Jackson should see once again see rotation minutes as Murray’s backup

With Jackson’s $5.25MM salary on the books, the Nuggets are now up over $172MM in guaranteed salaries for 11 players. That figure doesn’t include the cap hold for Denver’s first-round pick ($2.5MM) or a new contract for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a decision of his own to make on a $15.4MM player option. If KCP exercises that option or signs an even more lucrative contract with the Nuggets, their salary will exceed the second tax apron ($189.5MM), limiting the team’s ability to make additional roster moves.

Keita Bates-Diop Exercises Option For 2024/25

June 24th, 2024 at 10:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Nets forward Keita Bates-Diop has picked up his $2.65MM player option for next season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bates-Diop appeared in just 14 games after being acquired from Phoenix in February in a three-team deal that also included Memphis. He averaged 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 4.9 minutes per night before his season ended in late March when he underwent a procedure for a stress fracture in his right tibia.

The player option was part of a two-year, $5MM deal Bates-Diop signed with the Suns in 2023. The 28-year-old has also spent time with Minnesota, Denver and San Antonio since coming into the league in 2018. He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, assuming he remains under contract until then.

We’re tracking this year’s player option decisions right here. All of those decisions must be made by June 29.

Celtics’ Brissett To Decline Option, Become Free Agrent

June 23rd, 2024 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Oshae Brissett will decline his $2.5MM option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Spotrac’s Keith Smith tweets.

Brissett signed a two-year contract with the Celtics at the start of free agency late last June. He appeared in 55 regular-season games with the Celtics, including one start, and averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 11.5 MPG.

The 26-year-old came off the bench in 10 postseason contests, averaging 1.6 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.5 MPG. His biggest impact during the championship run came in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana when he collected three rebounds and three steals in 12 minutes.

A 6’7″ combo forward, Brissett went undrafted in 2019 after two college seasons at Syracuse. He originally signed an Exhibit 10 deal with his hometown Raptors, which was converted into a two-way deal for his rookie season.

Brissett was waived by Toronto in December 2020, later catching on with the Pacers in April 2021 on a couple of 10-day contracts. He played so well for Indiana to close ’20/21 (he averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG on .483/.423/.769 shooting in 24 games) that he earned a multiyear contract for the veteran’s minimum.

His numbers declined in ’21/22, but were still solid enough for his contract. However, his role was further reduced in ’22/23, with Brissett averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG while shooting 31% from three-point range in 65 games (16.7 MPG).

Brissett will have a busy summer as he looks for a new team, though he could still circle back and re-sign with Boston. He has also been named to Team Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster.

Nuggets To Decline 2024/25 Team Option On Vlatko Cancar

June 23rd, 2024 at 11:14am CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have decided to decline their 2024/25 team option on Vlatko Cancar, a source tells Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter links).

However, it sounds like there’s mutual interest in a reunion.

As Durando observes, the Nuggets are declining the $2,346,606 option due to luxury tax concerns. But if Cancar re-signs with Denver on a minimum-salary deal, he would project to make $2,432,511 in ’24/25 while the Nuggets would carry a cap hit of $2,093,637.

Durando believes the 27-year-old is “likely” to return to the Nuggets on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract.

Cancar missed the entire ’23/24 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee last summer. As Durando notes, Cancar has been preparing to play with the Slovenian national team ahead of the country’s Olympic qualifying tournament, which takes place early next month in Greece.

A former second-round pick who was stashed overseas for a couple years before coming stateside in 2019, Cancar averaged 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .476/.374/.927 shooting in 60 games (14.8 MPG) in ’22/23, when the Nuggets won their first championship.

The full list of team option decisions for next season can be found right here. June 23 was the deadline for Denver’s decision on Cancar, but most other decisions aren’t due until June 29.

Suns’ Drew Eubanks Declining 2024/25 Player Option

June 21st, 2024 at 2:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns center Drew Eubanks is declining his $2.65MM player option for 2024/25 to become an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Eubanks, 27, signed a one-plus-one (second-year player option) deal with Phoenix last summer, appearing in 75 games and averaging 5.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 0.8 BPG as the team’s primary backup center (15.6 MPG).

Most players who decline their options have an idea of potential interest from rival teams — that seems likely to be the case here too, though that’s just my speculation.

As Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports observes (via Twitter), Eubanks didn’t fit particularly well in his lone season with the Suns, so the decision for him to opt out could be mutually beneficial. Phoenix will be on the lookout for a backup center with Eubanks presumably switching teams.

A former undrafted free agent who played three years of college ball for Oregon State, Eubanks got his NBA start with the Spurs on a two-way deal back in ’18/19. He spent three-plus seasons with San Antonio before being traded and then released by Toronto. He caught on with the Blazers a couple weeks later, finishing the ’21/22 and ’22/23 seasons with Portland.

The 6’9″ big man holds career averages of 5.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 323 regular season games, including 71 starts (15.9 MPG). He has shot 60.6% from the field and 73.4% from the free throw line over the past six seasons.

The full list of 2024/25 player option decisions can be found here.

LeBron James Reportedly Expected To Decline Player Option

June 21st, 2024 at 12:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers superstar forward LeBron James is expected to decline his $51.4MM player option for 2024/25 to become an unrestricted free agent, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The four-time MVP faces a June 29 deadline to finalize that decision.

Woike’s report isn’t surprising. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, James’ agent, referred to his longtime friend and client as an impending free agent during a TNT Sports altcast at the end of last month before attempting to walk back the comment. Opting out would give James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the opportunity to negotiate a full no-trade clause if he re-signs with with the Lakers. A return to L.A. is widely viewed as the likely outcome.

Due to the Over-38 rule, James will be limited to a three-year contract, though the 39-year-old is reportedly may not be looking to play for more than a couple more seasons.

In his 21st season in ’23/24, James averaged 25.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .540/.410/.750 shooting across 71 regular season contests (35.3 MPG). He averaged 27.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 8.8 APG, 2.4 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .566/.385/.739 shooting in the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to Denver.

James extended his own NBA record last season by making his 20th All-NBA team, all of which have come consecutively. Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan are all tied in second place with 15 total nods each. James also made his 20th straight All-Star appearance in ’23/24.

Woike’s story is largely focused on the Lakers’ decision to hire J.J. Redick as their new head coach. Woike confirms the Lakers were genuinely interested and optimistic about their pursuit of UConn’s Dan Hurley, who ultimately spurned L.A. to stay with the Huskies. According to Woike, one person in a “prominent” role with the Lakers said they had “never been more shocked” in their life when they learned of the team’s secretive pursuit of Hurley.

Thunder Trade Josh Giddey To Bulls For Alex Caruso

June 21st, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have officially traded Josh Giddey to the Bulls for Alex Caruso, the two teams confirmed in press releases. Our full trade breakdown from Thursday can be found here.

While Chicago’s statement doesn’t have any quotes from the front office, Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti was remarkably transparent, at least from his perspective, about how and why the trade transpired.

“We want to thank Josh for his many contributions to our team and know he will capitalize on the opportunities before him in Chicago.

“When we drafted Josh in 2021 he was an essential aspect of our vision for the next iteration of the Thunder. Since then, our team has evolved rapidly and dynamically in ways we could never have anticipated. Therefore, as we began our internal discussions this offseason, it was determined that bringing Josh off the bench next season was our best option to maximize his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes.

“As we laid out to Josh how he could lean into his strengths and ultimately optimize our current roster and talent, it was hard to for him to envision, and conversations turned to him inquiring about potential opportunities elsewhere. As always was the case, Josh demonstrated the utmost professionalism throughout the discussions. Josh has All-Star potential, but accessing that in the current construct of the Thunder would not be optimal for the collective. Based on these discussions we decided to move forward and prioritize what was best for the organization.

“Alex Caruso is a player we have always highly valued and followed. He is the quintessential Thunder player; he is an exceptional competitor and teammate with a multi-dimensional skillset. His presence and game will help elevate the core of our team as we continue to strive to build a sustainably elite program in Oklahoma City. Alex is a player that began his professional career with the Thunder/Blue and the opportunity to add him was something we felt would truly enhance our team and culture. We could not be more excited to see Alex in Thunder blue (again).”

A former sixth overall pick who is still only 21 years old, Giddey was brought off the bench for the first time in his career during the Thunder’s second-round series vs. Dallas due to shooting and defensive struggles. The Australian guard/forward, who is a very talented rebounder and passer, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension with Chicago this offseason.

Caruso, meanwhile, has become one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, earning All-Defensive team nods each of the past two seasons. He’s also a more accomplished shooter than Giddey, with superior accuracy (38.0% vs. 31.0%) from three-point range during his career. The 30-year-old is headed for unrestricted free agency in 2025 if he doesn’t sign an extension before the 2024/25 campaign ends.

Bulls, Thunder To Swap Alex Caruso, Josh Giddey

June 20th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls and Thunder have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, with guard Josh Giddey heading to Chicago, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The deal isn’t official yet, but it sounds like it will be a straight-up, one-for-one swap. It won’t include any draft compensation, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman and Marc Stein (Twitter links)

Caruso, one of the NBA’s best point-of-attack defenders, has earned All-Defensive nods and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old has also developed into a reliable three-point shooter, making 40.8% of his 4.7 attempts per game in 2023/24 to push his career rate to 38.0%.

In 71 total games for the Bulls last season, Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest, with a .468/.408/.760 shooting line. He’ll add even more defensive firepower to a Thunder team that ranked fourth in defensive rating (111.0) in ’23/24 and also features lockdown defenders like Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace.

The Bulls had resisted trade offers for Caruso in recent years, but decided to part with him as he enters the final year of his current contract. He’ll earn $9.89MM in 2024/25 and will be extension-eligible beginning in July, though he won’t become eligible for his maximum extension (four years, $78MM+) until six months after the trade.

If he doesn’t sign a new contract with Oklahoma City at some point during the coming league year, Caruso will reach unrestricted free agency next summer. However, Wojnarowski (Twitter links) reports that the Thunder had pursued the veteran guard for a while and are making the deal with an eye toward keeping him long-term.

As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer points out (via Twitter), it will be a reunion for Oklahoma City and Caruso, who played for the OKC Blue in the G League under Mark Daigneault in 2016/17.

Giddey, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, started all 210 regular season games he played for the Thunder over the past three seasons and showed intriguing upside as a play-maker during that time. His best season came in 2022/23, when he averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on .482/.325/.731 shooting.

However, Giddey took a step back in ’23/24, averaging a career-low 12.3 PPG and 4.8 APG as his playing time dipped from 31.1 MPG to 25.1 MPG. While he improved his three-point percentage to 33.7%, he remained inconsistent from beyond the arc, resulting in opposing defenses sagging off of him. That led to the Thunder eventually moving him to the second unit for the first time in his career during the team’s second-round playoff series vs. Dallas.

Giddey was also the subject of investigations by the NBA and local police due to allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, but both the league and police closed their investigations into that matter due to a lack of corroborating evidence.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Bulls had been “determined” to find a play-maker capable of replacing Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined due to knee problems since January of 2022 and is entering the final year of his contract. There’s optimism in Chicago that Giddey, still just 21 years old, will have a clearer path to realizing his full potential in a situation where he has the ball in his hands more often — he often ceded ball-handling duties to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City.

The deal will save the Bulls a little money in 2024/25, with Giddey set to earn $8.35MM in the final year of his rookie contract. The difference between that figure and Caruso’s isn’t massive, but could end up being significant, given that Chicago’s team salary could approach or surpass the luxury tax line this offseason.

Like Caruso, Giddey will be extension-eligible with his new team. The Bulls will have until the day before the start of the regular season to negotiate a rookie scale extension with their new lead guard. If they don’t come to terms by that point, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2025.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), this will be the first time the Bulls have made a trade involving a player since August 2021. It sounds like it probably won’t be the last deal the team makes this summer, with Zach LaVine and Ball said to be among the other trade candidates to watch.