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Suns Won’t Re-Sign Elfrid Payton, Alex Len

June 27th, 2018 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns don’t intend to re-sign either Elfrid Payton or Alex Len in free agency, reports Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter).

Payton is eligible for restricted free agency, but with no plans to re-sign him, the Suns won’t tender Payton a $4.75MM qualifying offer, clearing the way for him to reach unrestricted free agency. As for Len, renouncing the veteran center would clear his $7.96MM cap hold from the Suns’ books, creating additional cap flexibility for the team.

Without trading or releasing any players on guaranteed contracts for 2018/19, the Suns currently project to reach approximately $18MM in cap room. That space should give the team the opportunity to make a competitive offer to one standout free agent, or to make offers to a pair of mid-level type players.

Payton, the 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, never developed into the sort impact player the Magic hoped for. He was traded to Phoenix in a mid-season deal in 2017/18, and posted 11.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 5.3 RPG in 19 starts for his new team. Payton’s inability to make outside shots (.298 career 3PT%) limits his appeal.

Len, meanwhile, was a restricted free agent a year ago and signed his one-year qualifying offer with the Suns, putting himself in line for unrestricted free agency this summer. The 25-year-old, who averaged 8.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 2017/18, has long been expected to leave Phoenix — he said back in March that he’d “probably” end up with another team, and was looking forward to choosing his NBA home for the first time in his career.

Raptors Issue QOs To VanVleet, Miller, De Colo

June 27th, 2018 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have extended qualifying offers to Fred VanVleet, Malcolm Miller, and Nando De Colo, ensuring that all three players will become restricted free agents, the team announced today (via Twitter).

VanVleet, the most notable of the three players, had a breakout season for the Raptors in 2017/18. The leader of the team’s second unit, VanVleet averaged 8.6 PPG and 3.2 APG with a .414 3PT% and was a finalist for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award. His qualifying offer is worth just under $1.7MM.

As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca detailed earlier today, the Raptors are wary of a rival suitor back-loading an offer sheet to VanVleet via the Arenas provision. However, if the 24-year-old doesn’t receive any over-the-top offers from other teams, there’s a good chance he’ll remain in Toronto on a new multiyear deal.

Miller was on a two-way contract with the Raptors in 2017/18, so his QO will be a one-year, two-way contract offer with a $50K guarantee.

As for De Colo, he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, but the Raptors have retained the right of first refusal on the 31-year-old since then by issuing qualifying offers each year. De Colo seems unlikely to return to the NBA at this point, given his success overseas — the CSKA Moscow guard has earned First Team All-EuroLeague honors for three straight seasons. As such, the Raps’ QO looks like a mere formality.

The only Raptors player eligible for restricted free agency who didn’t receive a qualifying offer today is Lucas Nogueira. The team has a couple more days to issue a QO if it changes its mind, but it appears Nogueira will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins.

Hawks’ Delaney, Lee, Magette To Become UFAs

June 27th, 2018 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks won’t tender qualifying offers to Malcolm Delaney, Damion Lee, or Josh Magette, meaning all three players will become unrestricted free agents, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Michael Scotto of The Athletic first reported the team’s decisions on Delaney and Magette (Twitter links).

Delaney and Lee had been on standard NBA contracts in Atlanta, so their qualifying offers would have been worth $3.125MM and approximately $1.54MM respectively. Instead, they’ll reach the open market and will be free to sign outright with any team.

Delaney, 29, has served as a backup point guard for the Hawks over the last two seasons. In 54 games in 2017/18, he averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.0 APG with a .382/.371/.804 shooting line. Lee, meanwhile, joined the roster late in the season and played well, averaging 10.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 15 games (11 starts).

As for Magette, he was one of two Hawks players on a two-way contract last season, splitting his time between Atlanta and Erie. While he averaged a double-double (15.1 PPG, 10.1 APG) in 36 games for the G League’s BayHawks, he struggled with his shot (.374 FG%, .300 3PT%).

Julius Randle Receives Qualifying Offer From Lakers

June 27th, 2018 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have issued a qualifying offer to Julius Randle, making him a restricted free agent, the team announced today in a press release. The move is a procedural one that had been anticipated.

Randle, 23, enjoyed a breakout season in 2017/18, appearing in all 82 games for the Lakers and starting the final 49. In those 49 starts, the former lottery pick averaged an impressive 18.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG with a .560 FG%.

As detailed earlier this offseason in our Lakers cap digest, Randle will receive a qualifying offer worth $5,564,134, though his cap hold will be $12,447,726, eating into the Lakers’ cap space as long as the big man is unsigned and his QO remains on the table.

If the Lakers decide they need to move that money off their books in order to create the space necessary to land a pair of maximum-salary free agents, they can withdraw their qualifying offer and renounce Randle, but for now, the team will keep its options open. Randle is a good bet to be retained by Los Angeles if the club doesn’t need its cap room for other moves.

The Mavericks are among the teams viewed as potential suitors for Randle in restricted free agency.

Cavs Issuing Qualifying Offer To Rodney Hood

June 27th, 2018 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers will tender a qualifying offer to Rodney Hood this week, ensuring that he’ll become a restricted free agent on July 1, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Because Hood narrowly missed meeting the starter criteria this past season, his qualifying offer will be worth $3,472,887. Hood will have the option of accepting that one-year offer or seeking out a new deal with the Cavaliers or a rival suitor once he reaches free agency. As long as the Cavs don’t withdraw their qualifying offer, they’ll have the right of first refusal on Hood, allowing them to match any offer sheet he signs.

Hood, 25, averaged a career-high 14.7 PPG in 60 total games for the Jazz and Cavs in 2017/18. However, his numbers dipped across the board upon his arrival in Cleveland, and he struggled in the playoffs, refusing to enter one game in the fourth quarter and later falling out of the rotation for several contests.

While Hood’s late-season inconsistency likely hurt his earning potential, it may benefit the Cavs, who still view the shooting guard as part of their future, a source tells Vardon. If Cleveland wants to lock up Hood to a longer-term contract, it probably won’t be as expensive as it once looked.

Mavericks Withdraw QO For Doug McDermott

June 27th, 2018 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Doug McDermott won’t become a restricted free agent on Sunday after all, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Mavericks have withdrawn their qualifying offer to the four-year veteran.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Mavs, after we heard on Tuesday that the team had extended a qualifying offer to McDermott. According to Lowe, Dallas still has interest in retaining McDermott, but this decision will make the sharpshooter an unrestricted free agent. It will also clear extra cap room for the Mavs, since McDermott’s cap hold as a restricted free agent would have been worth nearly $9.9MM.

McDermott, 26, recorded 9.0 PPG on .478/.494/.857 shooting in 26 games with the Mavericks last season after coming over from New York in a deadline deal. While the former 11th overall pick has never averaged double-digit points in a season, he has been a reliable three-point threat since entering the league, making 40.3% of his outside attempts.

The Mavericks, who added Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in last week’s draft, have been linked to a number of big men in free agency, including DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Julius Randle, and Clint Capela. If they decline Dirk Nowitzki‘s $5MM team option, as suggested by Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), the Mavs could get up to approximately $26MM in cap space, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Marks (Twitter link).

If Dallas requires all its available cap room to make a play for one of those bigs, it could offer the $4.4MM room exception to Nowitzki or McDermott. However, since the Mavs will no longer have the right of first refusal, the team won’t be able to stop McDermott from signing outright with another suitor.

Blazers Tender Qualifying Offer To Jusuf Nurkic

June 27th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have issued a qualifying offer to Jusuf Nurkic, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The offer ensures that Nurkic will be a restricted free agent when the new league year begins this weekend.

Nurkic, acquired by Portland before the 2017 trade deadline, started 79 games for the Blazers in 2017/18, averaging 14.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 26.4 minutes per contest. While Nurkic was somewhat inconsistent and wasn’t necessarily a game-changing force in the middle for the Blazers, he provided solid production at the five and is still entering his prime — he’ll turn 24 in August.

While the Blazers have indicated they’d like to retain Nurkic, it may be challenging for the club to match a lucrative offer sheet for the young center. Portland already has $110MM+ in guaranteed money on its 2018/19 cap for just eight players, so a big raise for Nurkic figures to put the club over the tax line with several roster spots still to fill.

Because he met the starter criteria in 2017/18, Nurkic’s qualifying offer is worth $4,749,591. The Blazers will also have to make decisions on QOs for Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton, who are both eligible for restricted free agency.

Spurs Tender Qualifying Offer To Davis Bertans

June 27th, 2018 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have issued a qualifying offer to Davis Bertans, making him a restricted free agent, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bertans, who was on a minimum-salary contract, will have a QO worth approximately $1.7MM.

Bertans, 25, played regular minutes for the Spurs in 2017/18, averaging 5.9 PPG and 2.0 RPG with a .440/.373/.816 shooting line in 77 games (14.1 MPG). A 6’10” power forward, Bertans is capable of guarding frontcourt players while also stretching the floor (1.2 threes per game).

Unless Bertans receives an aggressive offer from a rival suitor, he appears to be a good bet to remain in San Antonio. He could choose to accept his one-year qualifying offer, but it’s more likely that he and the Spurs will negotiate a new contract.

Bertans is one of three Spurs eligible for restricted free agency this summer. The team also figures to tender qualifying offers to Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes before Saturday’s deadline.

Clippers, Wizards Swap Austin Rivers, Marcin Gortat

June 26th, 2018 at 10:29pm CST by clarkcrum

10:29pm: Both teams have now officially announced the trade.

6:29pm: The Clippers are trading guard Austin Rivers to the Wizards in exchange for center Marcin Gortat, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, making it perhaps even more likely that center DeAndre Jordan is on his way out of L.A.

It was reported earlier today that Jordan, who has yet to decide on his 2018/19 player option, is considering exercising his option in order to facilitate a trade to another team, a la former teammate Chris Paul last season. While nothing has been reported officially, it seems odd that the Clippers would trade for Gortat if they have any expectation of keeping Jordan in Los Angeles.

After drafting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson in the lottery last week, Rivers appears to be a casualty of the Clippers’ guard heavy roster moving forward, especially given his price tag of $12.65MM, which is approximately twice the amount that the Clippers will pay their two rookies combined.

Meanwhile, it had already been reported that the Wizards were hoping to move on from Gortat. The Wizards needed a proven reserve guard to give John Wall and Bradley Beal some backup and, as detailed by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, to move on from Gortat from a locker room standpoint. As was highly publicized, Gortat and Wall had an inconsistent relationship, culminating in a public social media spat last season.

The Wizards now figure to enter the free agent period this weekend in search of a center. Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith are currently under contract for next season.

From a salary cap perspective, the salaries of Rivers and Gortat match nicely, with Gortat scheduled to make $13,565,218 next season, only $915,218 more than Rivers. Assuming the swap is made official before the new league year begins on Sunday, the Wizards will create a trade exception worth $957,609, the difference between the two players’ 2017/18 salaries.

The Wizards will also save about $1.4MM in luxury tax penalties by taking on Rivers’ salary in exchange for Gortat’s, as noted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Both Rivers and Gortat are in the final year of contracts, and will become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavericks Extend Qualifying Offers To McDermott, Mejri

June 26th, 2018 at 9:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Mavericks have extended qualifying offers to Doug McDermott and Salah Mejri, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW tweets. Both players will become restricted free agents.

McDermott’s qualifying is worth approximately $4.3MM. It would have been slightly over $4.5MM had he met the “starter criteria,” but since he did not, he’ll settle for the lower figure.

A player meets the criteria if he plays 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency. A player can also reach this distinction by averaging either of those marks in over the two seasons prior to hitting free agency.

McDermott only started 13 games in his entire career and he came up 232 minutes short of the 2,000 mark during the 2017/18 campaign. Teammate Yogi Ferrell, who also received a qualifying offer from the Mavs, met the starter criteria.

Mejri, whose offer is worth slightly over $1.8MM, did not meet the criteria after playing just 729 minutes this past season.