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Qualifying Offer Decisions: Caboclo, M. Brown, Paige

June 29th, 2018 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings won’t tender a qualifying offer to former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo, league sources tell ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Caboclo will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

A qualifying offer, which would have been worth $3.5MM+, was never expected for Caboclo, who has appeared in just 35 games in his NBA career since being picked 20th overall in the 2014 draft.

At the time the Raptors selected him, draft guru Fran Fraschilla infamously referred to Caboclo as “two years away from being two years away,” but after four NBA seasons, the 6’9″ forward doesn’t appear to be on the verge of breaking through. In 10 games (10.0 MPG) with the Kings after being included in a midseason trade, the 22-year-old averaged 2.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG with a .310/.200/.833 shooting line.

Here are a couple more updates on qualifying offer decisions:

The Rockets have issued a qualifying offer to two-way player Markel Brown, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. The one-year, two-way contract offer, which includes a $50K guarantee, will give Houston the opportunity to match an offer sheet for Brown.
Former UNC guard Marcus Paige, who was on a two-way contract with the Hornets, won’t be receiving a qualifying offer from the team, according to a press release. The decision ensures that Paige will become an unrestricted free agent.

Pacers Decline Team Option On Joe Young

June 29th, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have decided not to exercise Joe Young‘s option for the 2018/19 season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The move ensures that Young will become a free agent on July 1.

Indiana could technically still issue a qualifying offer to Young to make him a restricted free agent, but that seems unlikely. Assuming today’s deadline passes with no qualifying offer from the Pacers, the 26-year-old will be unrestricted on Sunday.

Young, who spent three seasons in Indiana, appeared in 127 total games for the club, but never played major minutes, averaging only 8.5 MPG. In 2017/18, he averaged 3.9 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 10.5 MPG, with a .430/.379/.759 shooting line.

The Pacers are one of the only NBA playoff teams projected to have cap room this offseason. Having been linked to a handful of free agent targets, Indiana will now have a little more flexibility to make offers with Young off the books for 2018/19.

Enes Kanter Exercises Player Option

June 29th, 2018 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 29, 1:22pm: Kanter has officially picked up his option, his manager Hank Fetic confirms to Begley (Twitter link).

JUNE 29, 9:19am: Kanter plans to exercise his 2018/19 option later today, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

JUNE 28, 10:54am: Knicks center Enes Kanter is leaning “heavily” toward exercising the 2018/19 player option on his contract, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Begley, Kanter will continue to survey his market in advance of Friday’s deadline, but he’s a strong bet to ultimately opt in.

If Kanter does pick up his option, he’ll be in line for a guaranteed salary worth $18,622,514 next season. He could probably exceed that figure in terms of total value if he were to hit the open market and sign a new multiyear contract. However, in that scenario, he’d almost certainly have to accept a more modest starting salary for 2018/19.

Kanter, a former third overall pick, enjoyed a productive season for the Knicks after coming over in last September’s Carmelo Anthony trade with Oklahoma City. In 71 games (all starts), he averaged a double-double, recording 14.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG.

In the wake of his solid 2017/18 showing, Kanter said in his exit interview with the media that he was leaning toward opting out of his deal to sign a longer-term agreement. However, agent Mark Bartelstein quickly walked back his client’s comments, saying that it was too early to make any decisions. Kanter claimed earlier this week that he’d draw interest from at least four or five teams if he were to opt out.

Assuming Kanter formally exercises his option, it will essentially eliminate the Knicks’ chances of creating cap room for the 2018 offseason, barring major trades or cuts. Kanter’s $18MM+ cap hit would increase New York’s total team salary to approximately $94MM for 10 players. That figure doesn’t count non-guaranteed salaries for Trey Burke or Troy Williams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings’ Garrett Temple Opts In For 2018/19

June 29th, 2018 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings guard Garrett Temple has informed Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he’ll exercise his player option for 2018/19. Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee confirms (via Twitter) that the option has been picked up. The move will put Temple in line for a guaranteed salary of $8MM next season.

Temple, 32, enjoyed a solid 2017/18 campaign for the Kings, averaging a career-best 8.4 PPG to go along with 2.3 RPG and 1.9 APG. He also posted a shooting line of .418/.392/.769.

While Temple’s numbers were respectable, he almost certainly would have been unable to match his $8MM option salary on the open market, so his decision doesn’t come as a surprise. Sacramento had been planning for Temple to opt in, and should still have more cap room available than most NBA teams next week.

The Kings, who have been linked to free agents like Jabari Parker, Zach LaVine, and Mario Hezonja, project to have approximately $18.7MM in cap room, assuming they don’t trade or release any players with guaranteed contracts.

Spurs’ Joffrey Lauvergne Won’t Pick Up Player Option

June 29th, 2018 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs big man Joffrey Lauvergne has decided not to exercise his player option for the 2018/19 season, and is now on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News first reported in mid-June that Lauvergne was considering declining his player option, which is worth $1,656,092. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando confirmed earlier today that the 26-year-old was leaning toward opting out.

Both of those reports suggested that there was a good chance Lauvergne would continue his career overseas, and it appears that will be the case. In a second tweet, Wojnarowski confirms a report from Istanbul-based reporter Ismail Senol, who says (via Twitter) that the big man will sign with Turkish team Fenerbahce.

Lauvergne, who signed a minimum-salary contract with the Spurs a year ago, played just 9.7 minutes per contest in 55 games for the club. He averaged 4.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG. Over the course of his four-year NBA career, Lauvergne was unable to find a long-term home or a consistent role, having spent time with Denver, Oklahoma City, and Chicago as well.

As our player-option decision tracker shows, Lauvergne is just seventh veteran to turn down a player option this offseason.

LeBron James Won’t Exercise Player Option

June 29th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James‘ agent Rich Paul has informed the Cavaliers that James won’t exercise his $35.61MM player option for the 2018/19 season, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. As a result, James will reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent this Sunday.

While the move ensures that James will be free to sign with any team that can afford him next week, his decision isn’t necessarily bad news for the Cavaliers. LeBron’s only realistic path to joining certain over-the-cap teams would have been via an opt-in and trade. Becoming an unrestricted free agent will make it extremely challenging for potential suitors like the Rockets or Heat to find a way to acquire him.

James’ decision looks like good news for teams with cap room, such as the Lakers and Sixers, who will have the opportunity to sign the four-time MVP outright. Los Angeles could have enough cap space for two maximum-salary free agents, while Philadelphia would have to make a roster move or two – likely involving Jerryd Bayless – to create the room necessary to offer LeBron a maximum-salary contract, which is currently projected to start at $35.35MM.

As for the Cavs, they remain in the mix for James since they hold his Bird rights, which allow them to go over the cap – and into the tax – to re-sign their star forward. Cleveland is the only team eligible to offer LeBron a five-year contract, which would be worth a projected $205MM+. James could sign a four-year contract with another team, though in recent years he has shown a preference for shorter-term deals that allow him to maximize his flexibility.

With James now on track to officially become a free agent on Sunday, the real fun is set to begin. The Lakers and Sixers, LeBron’s top two non-Cleveland suitors, are said to be considering strong pushes to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs. While San Antonio won’t rush into a deal involving Leonard, L.A. and Philadelphia reportedly believe that trading for Leonard would improve their chances of winning the LeBron sweepstakes, so both teams could be aggressive in the coming days.

For what it’s worth, Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports reported on Thursday that Leonard has reached out to James to express interest in playing alongside him. According to Schultz, Kawhi pointed out that his defensive ability would alleviate the pressure on LeBron on that end of the court.

Even if the Lakers don’t land Leonard, the team’s cap flexibility makes L.A. an intriguing landing spot for LeBron, with Vardon reporting that James’ interest in joining the Lakers is “strong.” The Lakers are considered a serious suitor for free agent forward Paul George, and have a strong young core of players if they want to target another veteran star in a trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Won’t Issue Qualifying Offer To Nik Stauskas

June 29th, 2018 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Former eighth overall pick Nik Stauskas is on track to become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Nets won’t extend a qualifying offer to the 24-year-old guard.

Stauskas, who began his NBA career with the Kings, has been traded twice since then, first to Philadelphia and then to Brooklyn. Stauskas posted decent numbers for the Sixers in 2016/17, putting up 9.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG with a .496/.368/.813 shooting line. However, he fell out of the team’s rotation early in the 2017/18 campaign and was sent to the Nets along with Jahlil Okafor.

In 35 games for Brooklyn, Stauskas averaged 5.1 PPG in 13.7 minutes per contest, with a .404 3PT%. His qualifying offer would have been worth $4,333,932 after he failed to meet the starter criteria.

The Nets did issue a qualifying offer to two-way player Milton Doyle, per Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link). That QO is a one-year, two-way contract offer with $50K guaranteed, and gives Brooklyn the right of first refusal if Doyle signs an offer sheet with another club.

Rockets Exercise Team Option On Aaron Jackson

June 29th, 2018 at 8:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have picked up their team option on Aaron Jackson, keeping him on the roster for now, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Jackson, 32, signed with the Rockets on the last day of the 2017/18 regular season and made his NBA debut in Houston’s regular-season finale. Jackson played 35 minutes in that contest, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds.

Although Jackson’s contract with the Rockets included a team option for 2018/19, his $1,378,242 salary remains non-guaranteed even now that the option has been exercised. Keeping the veteran guard around gives Houston a few more trade options — if the Rockets need to include him in a trade to match salaries, his salary would become guaranteed. Otherwise, he’ll likely be released at some point before the team is on the hook for his salary.

Because he can’t be traded within three months of his signing, Jackson will become trade-eligible after July 11.

While it’s not clear while Jackson will ultimately spend next season, a return to the EuroLeague seems unlikely. Jackson, who spent several seasons with CSKA Moscow, tweeted this week that he doesn’t have interest in returning to Europe due to the “10-month season” there (hat tip to Sportando).

Montrezl Harrell, Tyrone Wallace Receive Qualifying Offers

June 28th, 2018 at 10:15pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers have tendered a qualifying offer to forward Montrezl Harrell, RealGM’s Keith Smith tweets. The third-year big man averaged 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on the season but saw his production climb steadily and significantly over the course of the campaign.

Harrell, a 2015 second-round pick, joined the Clippers in the flurry of deals prior to the Rockets’ acquisition of Los Angeles guard Chris Paul last June. The 24-year-old now stands to be a prominent part of L.A.’s rotation heading forward.

The extension of the $1.8MM qualifying offer will make Harrell a restricted free agent on July 1, giving the Clippers the opportunity to match any offer sheets that come in for his services.

The Clippers also tendered an offer to two-way guard Tyrone Wallace, Smith reports.

Celtics Extend Qualifying Offers To Marcus Smart, Jabari Bird

June 28th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Austin Kent

The Celtics have tendered a qualifying offer to guard Marcus Smart, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets. The 24-year-old will now head into July as a restricted free agent, giving Boston first right of refusal in the event that he lands an offer sheet from another team.

Smart stands to draw interest on the market, although the number of teams with enough cap space to land him will be limited.

If Smart doesn’t like what he hears when free agency begins, he can sign the qualifying offer, worth $6MM for 2018/19, and then take another chance on the open market as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Smith adds in a subsequent tweet that Smart’s cap hold until he inks a new contract will be $13.6MM.

Smart averaged 10.2 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Celtics this season and has established himself as a gritty guard capable of contributing to a contender.

The Celtics have also extended a qualifying offer for two-way guard Jabari Bird.

Smith adds that the club decided not to tender a qualifying offer to Jonathan Gibson, freeing him to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.