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Celtics Sign Payton Pritchard To Four-Year Extension

October 10th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 10: Pritchard’s contract extension is now official, the Celtics have announced in a press release.

“In addition to his great skill, Payton brings toughness, resiliency, and diligence that collectively elevate the room,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “We are excited that he chose to extend with the Celtics and look forward to what’s ahead.”

OCTOBER 8: The Celtics and guard Payton Pritchard are in agreement on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $30MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, Wojnarowski adds.

The 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Pritchard had a promising rookie season, averaging 7.7 points per game with a .440/.411/.889 shooting line in 66 contests (19.2 MPG). He had his role cut back in his second and third seasons though — in 2022/23, he played just 13.4 minutes per night, averaging 5.6 PPG on .412/.364/.750 shooting.

Due to his declining role, Pritchard admitted back in February that he had hoped to be traded at the deadline to a team that intended to use him more. However, following the offseason trades of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, the 25-year-old is expected to have an expanded role in a new-look Boston backcourt behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

Pritchard is apparently confident enough in his new role to sign a long-term deal with the Celtics well in advance of the October 23 deadline for rookie scale extensions. The former Oregon guard has only earned only approximately $6.4MM in his first three NBA seasons and will make $4.04MM in 2023/24, so it certainly makes sense that he’d want to lock in a contract that guarantees him $30MM, exponentially increasing his career earnings.

While Pritchard’s numbers to date have been modest, the Celtics are taking a calculated risk that he’ll increase his value in 2023/24 as he comes off a stint with the USA Select Team and receives a minutes bump. By deciding to extend him in advance of a possible breakout year, Boston now won’t have to worry about warding off potential suitors for Pritchard in restricted free agency next summer.

Pritchard’s new deal will further increase a Celtics payroll that appears likely to go well beyond the luxury tax line again in 2024/25, with big-money cap hits for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, White, and Al Horford already on the books. The club also reportedly has interest in negotiating an extension with Holiday, who holds a $39.4MM player option for ’24/25.

As our extension tracker shows, Pritchard is the seventh player to agree to a rookie scale extension in 2023, joining LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Desmond Bane, Devin Vassell, and Isaiah Stewart. A total of 20 more players are still eligible to sign a rookie scale extension by Oct. 23.

Trail Blazers Pick Up Shaedon Sharpe’s 2024/25 Option

October 10th, 2023 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have exercised their third-year team option on guard Shaedon Sharpe for the 2024/25 season, the team announced in a press release.

The move doesn’t affect Sharpe’s contract status for the coming season — his $6.3MM salary for 2023/24 was already guaranteed. The option pick-up ensures that his $6.6MM salary for the ’24/25 season is now locked in as well.

Sharpe, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, is coming off a promising rookie season in which he averaged 9.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game and posted a .472/.360/.714 shooting line across 80 appearances (15 starts).

The 20-year-old expected to take on a bigger role in his second NBA season following the trade of Damian Lillard. Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and this year’s No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson are viewed as Portland’s backcourt of the future, with Sharpe potentially sliding up to the three at times if the team wants to play the trio together.

The Blazers’ next contract decision on Sharpe will come a year from now — they’ll have until October 31, 2024 to decide whether to exercise his $8.4MM option for 2025/26. Assuming that option is picked up, Sharpe will become extension-eligible for the first time in the summer of 2025.

The rookie scale team option decisions for 2024/25, due by October 31, can be found right here.

Blazers Sign George Conditt, Waive Two Players

October 10th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

2:23pm: In a press release officially confirming the signing of Conditt and the release of Smith, the Trail Blazers announced that they’ve also waived guard Antoine Davis. Like Smith, Davis is a good bet to end up with the Rip City Remix in the G League.

7:42am: Ahead of their preseason opener, the Trail Blazers have made a minor change to their roster, waiving guard Malachi Smith and signing forward/center George Conditt IV, per RealGM’s transaction log. Portland still has a full 21-man preseason roster after completing the pair of moves.

Smith, who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in June after being named the WCC’s Sixth Man of the Year, quickly reached an agreement with the Blazers and then officially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team last week ahead of the start of training camp.

Following a brief stint with the Blazers, Smith appears likely to report to the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Remix, he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus, which can be worth up to $75K.

As for Conditt, his Exhibit 10 agreement with the Blazers was reported a month ago. The big man, who went undrafted out of Iowa State in 2022, played for teams in Puerto Rico and Greece in his first professional season.

Conditt subsequently suited up for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Cup. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 30.6 minutes per night (five games) for the Puerto Rican team in the tournament.

Conditt appears likely to follow Smith’s trajectory and land with the Remix, but his non-guaranteed deal could also be converted into a two-way contract or a standard contract if he impresses during the preseason.

Clippers Waive Brodric Thomas, Sign Nate Darling

October 9th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have waived Brodric Thomas and brought back Nate Darling on an Exhibit 10 deal, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

Thomas was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in late September. He appeared in a total of 44 NBA regular season games from 2020-22 for the Rockets, Cavaliers, and Celtics, averaging 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per contest.

Thomas will likely to end up with the Ontario Clippers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. He would earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by L.A. and then spends at least 60 days with Ontario.

Darling was waived by the Clippers shortly after they signed him to a two-way deal. He played 21 games for Ontario last season, including 11 starts, and averaged 21.3 points in 31.3 minutes per game. His NBA regular season experience is limited to seven outings with Charlotte during the 2020/21 season.

Kings Waive Jeremy Lamb

October 9th, 2023 at 6:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings have waived veteran guard Jeremy Lamb, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.

Lamb was signed earliler this month on an Exhibit 10 contract. He’s expected to join Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton after clearing waivers, according to Anderson. Lamb would receive a bonus of $75K if he stays with the Stockton franchise at least 60 days.

Lamb saw action in Sacramento’s preseason opener on Sunday, scoring six points in six minutes.

Lamb, 31, is a former lottery pick who has appeared in 573 career regular season games since 2012 for four teams, including – most recently – the Kings. However, the veteran swingman wasn’t in the league last season following a down year in 2021/22. He averaged 7.3 PPG on .383/.324/.840 shooting in 56 games (16.7 MPG) for Indiana and Sacramento in ’21/22.

Sacramento had a full roster of 21 players entering camp, as our roster count shows. They’ll have to shed two more to get down the 15-man limit (not counting their three two-way players) by opening night.

Jarkel Joiner, Keaton Wallace Waived By Hawks

October 8th, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Training camp invitees Jarkel Joiner and Keaton Wallace have been waived by the Hawks, Atlanta announced in a press release.

Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the two guards seem likely to next suit up with Atlanta’s NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.

Wallace spent most of his 2022/23 season with the Clippers’ G league affiliate, the Ontario Clippers. Across 49 NBAGL contests, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals with a shooting line of .463/.382/.745.

Joiner went undrafted out of North Carolina State this summer. During his final NCAA season in 2022/23, the 6’1″ guard averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.3 SPG en route to a second-team All-ACC selection.

As Exhibit 10 signings, Joiner and Wallace will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $75K, should they remain with the Skyhawks for at least 60 days.

The Hawks’ preseason roster has now been trimmed to 18 players, with all 15 standard roster spots and all three two-way spots currently occupied.

Nets Sign, Waive Trey McGowens, Kameron Hankerson

October 6th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Luke Adams

6:45pm: McGowens and Hankerson have been waived, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com. The Nets’ roster now stands at 18 players under contract.

9:29am: The Nets have signed a pair of free agent guards, adding Trey McGowens and Kameron Hankerson to their training camp roster, the team announced today.

While details of the two deals aren’t known, they’re almost certainly Exhibit 10 contracts, aimed at getting McGowens and Hankerson some bonus money (up to $75K) if they report to the Long Island Nets in the G League after being waived by Brooklyn.

Both McGowens and Hankerson played for Long Island last season.

McGowens, who went undrafted out of Nebraska in 2022, came off the bench in 23 regular season games for the NBAGL club, averaging 3.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 10.3 minutes per night. He’s the older brother of Hornets rookie Bryce McGowens.

Hankerson, appearing in 44 total regular season and Showcase Cup contests for Long Island, registered 6.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 16.3 MPG, with a shooting line of .431/.339/.857. He previously spent a couple seasons playing in Germany after going undrafted out of Green Bay in 2020.

Brooklyn now has 20 players under contract, one off the 21-man preseason limit.

Celtics Sign, Waive Kylor Kelley

October 5th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 5: As expected, the Celtics have waived Kelley, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 3: The Celtics have signed free agent center Kylor Kelley to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Kelley, 26, has played in England, Denmark, Canada, and the G League since going undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020. The seven-footer appeared in 21 NBAGL games for the Raptors 905 last season, averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 15.3 minutes per night. He most recently played for the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this spring and summer.

Kelley’s G League rights were traded from the Raptors 905 to the Maine Celtics in a deal last month. That’s a strong signal that Boston intends to waive Kelley before the regular season begins and have him report to Maine.

Assuming Kelley spends at least 60 days with the Celtics’ G League team, he’ll be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus. Those bonuses can be worth up to $75K.

Boston now has 19 players officially under contract. The team has also reportedly reached an agreement with big man Wenyen Gabriel that hasn’t yet been finalized.

Reggie Bullock Signs With Rockets

October 4th, 2023 at 7:35pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 4: The signing is official, the Rockets announced (via Twitter). Bullock’s contract is a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

OCTOBER 3: Veteran swingman Reggie Bullock intends to sign with the Rockets, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bullock, who finalized a buyout agreement with the Spurs over the weekend, received interest from multiple clubs, according to Charania. He’ll join a Rockets team that had been seeking another rotation player to replace Kevin Porter Jr., who is not expected to play another game for Houston following his arrest last month.

Bullock, who was traded from the Mavericks to the Spurs as part of the three-team Grant Williams deal in July, spent the past two seasons with Dallas, serving as a part-time starter. His scoring average dipped to 7.2 points per game last season, his lowest mark since 2016/17. However, he still made 38.0% of his three-point attempts, which is right in line with his 38.4% career rate.

The Rockets have made an effort this offseason to bring in veteran talent in the hopes of moving up the standings following three consecutive seasons with no more than 22 wins. Bullock will join Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jeff Green among the team’s veteran newcomers.

Charania’s report says Bullock will sign with Houston after he clears waivers, but NBA.com’s official transaction log indicates that the 32-year-old was officially cut on Saturday, meaning he would’ve cleared waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Monday. That means he should be free to complete his deal with the Rockets anytime.

While details of Bullock’s deal haven’t been reported, it seems likely to be a one-year, minimum-salary contract. Houston has an open spot on its 21-man preseason roster and won’t have to cut anyone to make room for Bullock.

Magic Exercise 2024/25 Options On Wagner, Suggs, Banchero

October 4th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have exercised a series of rookie scale team options, guaranteeing the 2024/25 salaries for forward Franz Wagner, guard Jalen Suggs and forward Paolo Banchero, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

All three players already had guaranteed salaries for the upcoming season (2023/24). Now they’re locked for in at least one more season beyond that.

Wagner’s and Suggs’ fourth-year options for 2024/25 are worth $7,007,092 and $9,188,385, respectively. Both players will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason. As for Banchero, he’ll earn $12,160,800 in ’24/25 now that his third-year option has been picked up. Orlando will have to exercise his fourth-year option for ’25/26 next fall.

Wagner averaged 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 32.6 minutes per night across 80 appearances in his second NBA season. The 22-year-old forward, who posted a strong shooting line of .485/.361/.842 in 2022/23, helped lead Germany to a World Cup gold medal this summer.

Suggs, the fifth overall pick in 2021, has had a couple up-and-down seasons since going pro, shooting just .387/.271/.752 with averages of 10.8 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 3.3 RPG in 101 total NBA games (25.3 MPG). However, Orlando remains confident enough in his growth to commit to him beyond the coming season.

As for Banchero, the rising star is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in which he averaged a team-high 20.0 PPG to go along with 6.9 RPG and 3.7 APG on .427/.298/.738 shooting in 72 games (33.8 MPG). He’ll be looking to improve his shooting efficiency in year two and has spoken about wanting to become an All-Star.

The full list of rookie scale team option decisions, which are due October 31, can be found right here.