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Kevin Durant Declining 2019/20 Player Option

June 26th, 2019 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Kevin Durant will decline his team option for the 2019/20 season and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The option would have paid Durant a salary worth $31.5MM, per Basketball Insiders.

While there was some speculation after Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals that picking up his option could become a more viable path, he was always expected to turn it down. Even in the wake of his Achilles tear, which is expected to sideline him for all of the 2019/20 season, KD figures to field multiple long-term, maximum-salary offers on the open market.

Currently, Durant and business manager Rich Kleiman are in New York evaluating their options for free agency, per Wojnarowski. Woj writes that Durant’s camp is keeping the process private, while Anthony Slater of The Athletic hears from sources that KD has yet to make a final decision on where he wants to continue his NBA career.

The Warriors can – and likely will – offer Durant a five-year contract worth a projected $221MM+. Although there have been some rumblings that the circumstances surrounding Durant’s calf and Achilles injuries resulted in a breakdown in trust between him and the Warriors, that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Wojnarowski. Woj said on ESPN’s free agency special on Tuesday night that the Warriors and KD’s camp have continued to communicate since the injury (Twitter link via Sagar Trika).

Other contenders for Durant will be limited to four-year offers worth up to about $164MM. The Nets and Knicks are viewed as the most likely outside suitors for the two-time Finals MVP, and Chris Mannix of SI.com writes that both teams are expected to offer max deals. The Mavericks will try to get into the mix, per Mannix, though that’s a longer shot. The Clippers are also said to have interest in Durant.

There has been talk for much of the year about the possibility of good friends Durant and Kyrie Irving teaming up for one of the New York teams. Irving is widely believed to be leaning toward signing with the Nets, but it’s not clear if Durant is willing to join him in Brooklyn. The Knicks have been linked more frequently to the All-NBA forward, and they’d still be interested in signing him as a “solo act,” a league source tells Mannix.

Despite some speculation that the Warriors might consider a “delayed sign-and-trade” agreement with Durant in order to get him his full five-year max without necessarily locking him into a long-term stay in the Bay Area, that’s not a concept being seriously explored by Golden State, says Slater. As Slater points out, it would be difficult and awkward and may be viewed as circumvention of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Durant will be able to start talking to teams to schedule meetings as of 6:00pm eastern time on June 29, and could begin taken those meetings – or could reach an agreement with a team – as soon as 6:00pm ET on June 30.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Extend Qualifying Offer To Khem Birch, Amile Jefferson

June 25th, 2019 at 4:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Magic have extended qualifying offers to both Khem Birch and Amile Jefferson, the team announces in a press release. Orlando had until June 29 to make a decision on the pair.

Birch, who appeared in 50 games for Orlando last season, is reportedly generating substantial interest on the market. As a restricted free agent, the Magic would have the right to match any offer sheet he receives. His qualifying offer is worth roughly $1.82MM.

Jefferson played under a two-way contract last season, appearing in just 12 games with the franchise. He spent much of his time in the G League for the team’s affiliate. Jefferson’s qualifying offer will be for another two-way contract with $50K of it guaranteed.

Blazers Issue Qualifying Offer To Jake Layman

June 25th, 2019 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have tendered a qualifying offer to forward Jake Layman, the team announced today (via Twitter). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) that Portland would give a QO to Layman to make him a restricted free agent.

Layman, 25, has spent the first three years of his NBA career with the Blazers, but didn’t emerge as a reliable rotation player for the club until 2018/19. In 71 games (33 starts) last season, the former Maryland standout averaged 7.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .509/.326/.704 shooting in 18.7 minutes per contest.

The Blazers hold Layman’s Bird rights, so there will be no cap restrictions preventing the club from re-signing him. Portland does project to be a potential taxpayer though, so luxury tax considerations could dissuade the team from going too high on Layman if he draws interest from other suitors. His qualifying offer is worth $1,931,189, as we noted in our look at the Blazers’ cap situation last month.

Layman was the only Blazer eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so no further QOs are forthcoming. He’ll join teammates Al-Farouq Aminu, Seth Curry, Rodney Hood, and Enes Kanter – all of whom are unrestricted free agents – on the open market.

Magic Pick Up Wesley Iwundu’s 2019/20 Option

June 25th, 2019 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

12:01pm: The Magic have made it official, announcing that they’ve exercised Iwundu’s option.

11:35am: The Magic are exercising their 2019/20 team option to retain Wesley Iwundu, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The move will lock in Iwundu’s salary for next season, which is worth $1,618,520, per Basketball Insiders.

Iwundu, the 33rd overall pick in the 2017 draft, played a regular rotation role for Orlando in his second NBA season, averaging 5.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG with a .412/.367/.816 shooting line in 68 games (18.1 MPG).

The 24-year-old small forward is also one of Orlando’s top perimeter defenders. The team’s defensive rating with Iwundu on the court last season was 102.4, compared to 107.5 when he sat. The Magic even managed to post a 93.8 defensive rating during Iwundu’s 60 postseason minutes vs. the eventual-champion Raptors.

With his option exercised, Iwundu is now on track to reach restricted free agency during the summer of 2020.

Knicks Decline 2019/20 Option On Billy Garrett

June 25th, 2019 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are turning down their 2019/20 team option on shooting guard Billy Garrett, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The move doesn’t come as a surprise. Even if they don’t land their top targets in free agency, the Knicks want to maximize their cap room, and clearing Garrett’s modest $1,416,852 option from their books creates a little bit of added flexibility.

Garrett, 24, made his NBA debut in April for the Knicks, posting 6.5 PPG and 1.8 APG in four games (15.8 MPG) for the club down the stretch.

Garrett will technically be eligible for restricted free agency since he only has one year of NBA experience under his belt, but New York almost certainly won’t tender him a qualifying offer since that QO would also eat into the club’s cap space. The former DePaul standout will instead be on track for unrestricted free agency.

Blazers, Hawks Swap Evan Turner, Kent Bazemore

June 24th, 2019 at 6:07pm CST by Luke Adams

6:07pm: The trade is official, according to a league press release.

2:55pm: The Trail Blazers and Hawks have agreed to a trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the teams are swapping veterans Evan Turner and Kent Bazemore.

Turner and Bazemore signed nearly identical four-year, $70MM contracts during the summer of 2016, so both players will be on expiring deals during the 2019/20 season. Since Bazemore’s contract was a little more backloaded, he’ll be slightly more expensive next season, earning a salary of $19.27MM compared to Turner’s $18.61MM.

For Portland, Bazemore will be a three-and-D piece who could help space the floor around the team’s play-making guards. The veteran swingman struggled in 2018/19, battling some health issues and finishing with just 11.6 PPG on .402/.320/.726 shooting in 67 games (24.5 MPG). However, he has been a more reliable rotation player in the past, having made 36.5% of his three-pointers in his first four years in Atlanta, including 39.4% in 2017/18.

Bazemore should be a good fit on a Trail Blazers roster that could use another three-point marksman on the wing. In the postseason, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Meyers Leonard were fairly reliable from outside, but the only wings making threes for Portland were Seth Curry and Rodney Hood — both players are free agents this summer.

Turner, on the other hand, has never been much of an outside threat, but can be a secondary play-maker, having taken on a good deal of ball-handling responsibilities on the Trail Blazers’ second unit last season. He averaged 6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .460/.212/.708 shooting in 73 games (22.0 MPG).

The Blazers believe that 2018 first-rounder Anfernee Simons can take on a bigger play-making role off the bench next season, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic.

With sharpshooter Allen Crabbe arriving in a trade with Brooklyn, Atlanta views Turner’s skill set as more of a fit than Bazemore’s on this year’s roster. The Hawks envision Turner in the backup point guard role and want to open up some minutes for young players like De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Kevin Huerter as well, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

The Blazers and Hawks won’t have to wait until the new league year begins to consummate this deal, since Turner’s and Bazemore’s cap charges are so similar.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Arcidiacono To Get Qualifying Offer From Bulls

June 24th, 2019 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls will extend a qualifying offer to guard Ryan Arcidiacono but don’t plan to give one to Wayne Selden, Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com tweets.

In his second season with the Bulls, Arcidiacono appeared in 81 games and started 32, averaging 6.7 PPG and 3.3 APG in 24.2 MPG while shooting 37.3% from long range. His qualifying offer is a modest $1,818,486 and the Bulls, who hold his Early Bird rights, can now match any offer for the 6’3” Villanova product.

Selden appeared in 43 games, including 13 starts, with the Bulls after being acquired in early January from the Grizzlies. The Kansas alum averaged 8.0 PPG and 1.7 APG in 22.9 MPG. His qualifying offer was $1,931,189 but now he’ll head into unrestricted free agency unless the Bulls have a last-minute change of heart.

By making efforts to retain Arcidiacono and drafting point guard Coby White, Kris Dunn‘s status on the team is all the more precarious.

Sixers Waive Haywood Highsmith

June 24th, 2019 at 4:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have waived swingman Haywood Highsmith, Serena Winters of NBCSPhilly tweets.

That opens up a two-way contract slot, since Highsmith was signed in that manner during January.

The 6’7” Highsmith got a taste of NBA action, appearing in five games and averaging 1.8 PPG in 8.0 MPG. The 22-year-old Highsmith, a former Division II standout who played his college ball at Wheeling Jesuit, spent most of last season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He appeared in 46 G League contests, averaging 12.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 2.7 APG in 32.2 MPG.

Suns To Decline Jimmer Fredette’s Team Option

June 24th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Suns will decline Jimmer Fredette‘s team option for the 2019/20 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The option would have paid Fredette a salary of $1,988,119 if it had been exercised, per Basketball Insiders.

Warriors assistant GM Larry Harris confirmed earlier today that Fredette would be a part of Golden State’s Summer League roster in July. It wouldn’t have been possible for the former BYU standout to play for the Warriors in Summer League if he were still under contract with Phoenix.

Fredette, 30, returned to the NBA near the end of the 2018/19 campaign after spending multiple seasons in China. The sharpshooter struggled in six games with Phoenix down the stretch, averaging 3.7 PPG on 27.6% shooting in six games (10.8 MPG). He missed all 13 of his three-point attempts.

Fredette had been lighting up in China in recent years, putting up massive scoring numbers for the Shanghai Sharks. While he has never developed into a particularly effective NBA rotation player since being drafted 10th overall in 2011, his Summer League agreement with the Warriors suggests that he’s going to keep trying to make his way onto an NBA roster for 2019/20.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raptors Issue QOs To Patrick McCaw, Nando De Colo

June 24th, 2019 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have tendered qualifying offers to guards Patrick McCaw and Nando De Colo, making them restricted free agents, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. RealGM’s log of official transactions confirms that Toronto issued those QOs on Friday.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, qualifying offers are essentially one-year contract offers worth a set amount that give a team the right of first refusal on a free agent. If McCaw or De Colo signs an offer sheet with another team, Toronto will now have the opportunity to match that offer.

McCaw, who had a lengthy restricted free agency standoff with the Warriors last summer, briefly joined the Cavaliers before eventually ending up with the Raptors. The 23-year-old played a modest role in Toronto, averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 26 games (13.2 MPG). McCaw, who won his third consecutive NBA title in 2019, has a QO worth about $1.88MM.

As for De Colo, he hasn’t actually played in the NBA since 2014, but the Raptors have held his rights since then by issuing him a qualifying offer every year while he played overseas. The veteran guard recently left CSKA Moscow and is looking to return to the NBA, so it will be interesting to see whether Toronto makes it a priority to retain him. His QO is worth about $1.83MM.

In other Raptors news, the team agreed to a deal with undrafted rookie Sagaba Konate out of West Virginia, a league source tells Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link). Scotto’s report doesn’t include additional details, but Blake Murphy of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that Kobate will sign an Exhibit 10 contract, which would give him a spot on Toronto’s 20-man offseason roster.

A 6’8″ forward, Konate was limited to just eight games in 2018/19 due to a lingering knee injury, but opted to go pro as an early entrant anyway. In his last full college season in ’17/18, he averaged 10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.2 BPG in 36 games as a sophomore.