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Hornets Exercise Mark Williams’ 2024/25 Option, Decline Bouknight’s

October 31st, 2023 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are exercising their 2024/25 rookie scale team option on center Mark Williams, but will decline James Bouknight‘s fourth-year option for the same season, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

The decision on Williams was a given. The 15th pick in the 2022 draft, he emerged as Charlotte’s starting center down the stretch of his rookie season and has carried over that role to 2023/24. Through three games this season, Williams is averaging 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per night.

Williams’ $4,094,280 salary for 2024/25 is now fully guaranteed. The Hornets will have to decide a year from now on his $6,276,531 team option for ’25/26.

It’s far rarer for rookie scale team options to be declined, but it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Charlotte will pass on Bouknight’s $6,064,496 salary for ’24/25.

The 23-year-old, who was drafted 11th overall in 2021, has failed to establish himself as a regular rotation player in Charlotte through two NBA seasons, averaging 5.1 points per game on .353/.316/.770 shooting in 65 appearances (12.6 MPG).

Bouknight has also had some legal troubles since becoming a Hornet and is currently recovering from surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee, so he didn’t get an opportunity in the preseason to show he deserves a longer look in Steve Clifford‘s rotation this fall.

The option decision on Bouknight means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The Hornets – or whichever team has Bouknight on its roster at season’s end – won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds his declined option salary of $6,064,496, though rival suitors would have the ability to go higher. Barring a major turnaround from the former UConn standout, those higher offers seem unlikely to materialize.

As our tracker shows, the Hornets only picked up one of their three 2024/25 rookie scale team options. Kai Jones‘ option was also turned down when he was waived by Charlotte earlier this month, meaning neither of the team’s 2021 first-rounders will finish his rookie contract.

Warriors Exercise Fourth-Year Options On Kuminga, Moody

October 31st, 2023 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have picked up their fourth-year options for the 2024/25 season on forward Jonathan Kuminga and wing Moses Moody, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT first reported (via Twitter) that Moody’s option had been exercised.

Kuminga, the No. 7 overall pick in 2021, saw regular minutes for the Warriors in each of his first two NBA seasons. He’s off to a solid start in 2023/24, averaging 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per night through three games off the bench, though he missed Monday’s game due to a knee contusion.

Kuminga’s fourth-year option in 2024/25, worth $7,636,307, is now guaranteed. Today’s decision will also put him on track to become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2024 offseason and – if he doesn’t sign a new deal next year – for restricted free agency in 2025.

Moody has seen less consistent playing time than Kuminga since being drafted 14th overall in 2021 by Golden State. However, he’s logging a career-high 19.3 minutes per game in the very early going this season, recording 9.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.5 SPG in four appearances.

Moody, like Kuminga, will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension next July. Today’s option pick-up guarantees his $5,803,269 salary for 2024/25.

Bulls Pick Up 2024/25 Option On Dalen Terry

October 31st, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have exercised their team option on Dalen Terry for the 2024/25 season, the team confirmed today (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).

The 18th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Arizona, Terry appeared in just 38 games as a rookie, averaging 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per night.

The 6’7″ wing has expressed, on multiple occasions, a desire to earn a more regular role for Chicago in his second NBA season, but that hasn’t materialized in the early going — he has logged just five minutes in two appearances so far and was assigned to the Windy City Bulls in the G League for training camp.

Terry will earn approximately $3.35MM this season and now has his $3.51MM salary for 2024/25 guaranteed as well. The Bulls will have to decide by October 31, 2024 whether or not to pick up his fourth-year option for ’25/26, which is worth just shy of $5.4MM.

Rookie scale options decisions for ’24/25 are due by the end of the day on Tuesday. You can view all those decisions right here.

Wizards Exercise 2024/25 Options On Kispert, Davis, Baldwin

October 30th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards have exercised their 2024/25 options on Corey Kispert, Johnny Davis and Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets.

The fourth-year option for Kispert is worth $5,705,887. It was expected he’d be retained, given that he has established himself as a steady scoring option. Kispert averaged 11.1 points last season and drained 42.4% of his 3-point attempts.

Davis had a disappointing rookie year but Washington wasn’t going to give up on a lottery pick that quickly. Davis, who made his season debut against Boston on Monday after recovering from a left elbow sprain, will make $5,291,160 in his third season.

Baldwin was a bit more of a question mark. He was included in the deal that brought Jordan Poole to Washington and sent Chris Paul to Golden State. Drafted with the No. 28 pick in 2022, Baldwin appeared in 31 regular season games with the Warriors last season and has seen spot duty thus far with Washington. He’ll receive a $2,448,840 salary in 2024/25.

The full list of rookie scale option decisions for ’24/25, which are due on Tuesday, can be found right here.

Clippers Exercise Bones Hyland’s Fourth-Year Option

October 30th, 2023 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are exercising Bones Hyland‘s 2024/25 fourth-year option, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets. The move is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Hyland will make $4,158,439 in ’24/25 after earning $2,306,400 this season.

The Clippers acquired Hyland from Denver for a pair of second-rounders at last year’s trade deadline. A late first-round pick in 2021, Hyland publicly pushed for a bigger role with the Nuggets and they ultimately decided to move on from him. Hyland hasn’t enjoyed an expanded role since the trade but seems more settled and happier in Los Angeles.

Hyland appeared in 111 regular season games with the Nuggets and 14 more with the Clippers last season. He’s off to a solid start on Los Angeles’ second unit this season, averaging 15.7 points and 1.7 assists in 21.7 minutes per game.

Rockets Exercise 2024/25 Options On Green, Sengun, Smith, Eason

October 30th, 2023 at 5:50pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 30: The Rockets have officially exercised their options on all four players, the team tweets.

OCTOBER 12: While the decisions won’t be formally announced until the end of the month, the Rockets plan to exercise their 2024/25 team options on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

The news was expected, as all four players are considered core pieces for the Rockets. The decisions don’t impact any of the players this season, but will guarantee their contracts for ’24/25.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Green will earn $12,483,048 in 2024/25. Sengun, who was the No. 16 pick of the same draft, will have a $5,424,654 salary in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Both players will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2024.

Smith was the No. 2 pick of last year’s draft. He will earn $9,770,880 in ’24/25, his third season, while Eason, the No. 17 pick in 2022, will make $3,695,160. Next October, the Rockets will have to decide whether or not to pick up Smith and Eason’s fourth-year options, though that also seems like a formality.

A 6’4″ guard, Green averaged 22.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.7 APG on .416/.338/.786 shooting last season. Sengun, a 6’9″ Turkish center, averaged 14.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .553/.333/.715 shooting in ’21/22. Both players are starters, as is Smith. Eason is one of Houston’s main bench players.

Smith, a 6’10” forward, averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .408/.307/.786 shooting as rookie in ’21/22. Eason, another forward, averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .448/.343/.752 shooting last season.

The full list of decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options can be found right here.

Knicks Exercise 2024/25 Team Option On Quentin Grimes

October 30th, 2023 at 1:28pm CST by Tristan Tucker

OCTOBER 30: The Knicks have officially exercised their option on Grimes, the team announced (via Twitter).

OCTOBER 26: The Knicks are exercising their 2024/25 team option on guard Quentin Grimes, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). Because his fourth-year option is being picked up, Grimes will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension next offseason.

Grimes, 23, has averaged 9.2 points per game across 118 career appearances (73 starts). As the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Grimes will earn $4,296,682 in ’24/25. As Begley notes, this is a formality for most players with rookie scale team options and due to their affordable nature, they’re rarely declined, though it does happen.

Grimes has evolved into a key piece during his time with the Knicks, impressing in his rookie season before essentially becoming a full-time starter the following year. He jumped up to averaging 11.3 PPG with New York last season and scored 11 points in his ’23/24 debut on Wednesday against the Celtics.

The full list of decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options can be found right here.

Wolves Exercise 2024/25 Team Option On Wendell Moore Jr.

October 27th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves have picked up their third-year team option on second-year wing Wendell Moore Jr., the team announced in a press release.

Moore, the 26th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Duke, will now have a guaranteed $2,537,040 salary in 2024/25. The Wolves will have until the end of October 2024 to decide if they want to pick up their fourth-year team option on Moore’s rookie scale contract for ’25/26.

The 22-year-old only appeared in 153 regular season minutes over 29 NBA games (5.3 MPG) as a rookie in ’22/23. He was not in Minnesota’s rotation for the team’s season opener on Wednesday.

Moore did receive some run in the G League for the Iowa Wolves last season, appearing in 13 total games (31.1 MPG) during the Showcase Cup and regular season. He averaged 18.8 PPG, 4.7 APG and 4.6 RPG on .451/.370/.793 shooting in those appearances.

Many teams have already made decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options this fall, with the deadline set for next Tuesday, October 31. However, some decisions are still outstanding. The full list can be found right here.

Nets Exercise 2024/25 Team Options On Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe

October 26th, 2023 at 1:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets have exercised their 2024/25 team options on guard Cam Thomas and center Day’Ron Sharpe, the team announced on Thursday (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). Since their fourth-year options have been picked up, both players will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason.

Thomas, the 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft, will earn $4,041,249 in ’24/25. Sharpe, the 29th pick of the same draft, will make $3,989,122.

As Dan Martin of The New York Post writes, Thomas had an excellent offensive performance in Brooklyn’s season opener vs. Cleveland, getting the Nets back in the game by pouring in 36 points (on 13-of-21 shooting) in just 25 minutes off the bench. He missed his final attempt at the end of the game, however, and the Nets lost by one point.

“It felt good, obviously,” Thomas said of his performance. “Obviously, you want to win, but it’s good to always reflect on what you do well.”

Sharpe, meanwhile, played 12 minutes in his 2023/24 debut, notching four points, two rebounds and two blocks. He appeared in 80 games for Brooklyn over the past two seasons, averaging 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per contest.

The full list of decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options can be found right here.

Raptors Exercise 2024/25 Option On Scottie Barnes

October 25th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have exercised the fourth-year option on Scottie Barnes‘ rookie scale contract for the 2024/25 season, the team announced today in a press release.

Barnes’ salary for the 2023/24 season – approximately $8MM – had already been locked in. Today’s move also fully guarantees his $10,130,980 salary for ’24/25, putting him on track to become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2024 offseason.

Barnes, 22, earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 after being drafted fourth overall in 2021. He didn’t take a meaningful step forward in his second NBA season, averaging 15.3 points per game for a second straight year while his FG% (.456), 3PT% (.281), and rebounds per game (6.6) all dipped a little. However, he showed more flashes of potential as a play-maker and continued to display his defensive versatility.

The Raptors remain very high on Barnes’ long-term upside, having reportedly made him unavailable when they got involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes during the offseason.

Barnes’ rookie scale option was the only one Toronto had to make a decision on by the October 31 deadline, as our tracker shows.