Marcus Smart Leaning Toward Taking QO?
Marcus Smart is likely to accept the Celtics’ $6.1MM qualifying offer and try his luck as an unrestricted free agent next year, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.
Two officials from teams that were interested in signing Smart tell Blakely they now expect him to return to Boston for another season. One of them adds that Smart’s restricted status is the reason he hasn’t received an offer sheet, as teams are convinced the Celtics will match it.
Smart has been frustrated with the free agent market so far and by the Celtics’ unwillingness to reach out to him to negotiate a new contract. Boston’s front office would like to keep Smart, Blakely adds, but it wants to do so based on his market value.
The Celtics also have to keep an eye on the luxury tax, which they will be close to paying, depending on the size of Smart’s contract. Team officials are content to let Smart and his agent find someone willing to give him an offer sheet, then make their decision based on that.
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports that teams are willing to give Smart about $9MM annually, but he is looking for much more. A source close to Smart says he may wait until October to sign the QO from the Celtics, just in case another team decides to clear cap room in an effort to sign him. That same source adds that Smart feels betrayed by the Celtics and there’s a “95% chance” that he won’t sign a long-term deal with them this summer.
Thunder Sign Deonte Burton To Two-Way Contract
The Thunder have signed former Iowa State guard/forward Deonte Burton to a two-way contract, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM. The Thunder also officially announced the signing.
Burton, 24, went undrafted in 2017 before signing with Wonju DB Promy of South Korea’s KBL, where he started 63 games and averaged 23.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game last season.
He is currently playing for the Thunder in the Las Vegas Summer League, who are coached by Mark Daigneault. Daigneault also coaches the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, where Burton is likely to spend most of his time next season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/30/18 – 7/7/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams took a deep dive into the Lakers’ cap situation.
- The salary cap for the 2018/19 league year was officially announced, meaning the following CBA-related figures were set:
- In this week’s Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Will a superteam be formed in L.A.? Specifically, how many of the three – LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard – will end up on the Lakers during the 2018/19 season.
- After the first day of free agency, what deal do you believe to be the best deal of the day?
- In our two Polls this week, we asked:
- If not the Lakers, which team will Leonard end up playing for after all the dust settles?
- Should the NBA adopt a 1-16 Playoff Seeding?
- We introduced the 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker to help our readers navigate the free agency frenzy.
- After the first three days of free agency, we recapped the reported signings:
- On July 2, we reminded our readers of the 30 free agents still available from our Top 50 free agents of 2018.
- On July 4, we again listed some notable free agents yet to sign a new contract.
- Luke Adams broke down the following in regard to free agency:
- Three teams (Hawks, Bulls, Kings) left with cap space.
- Five teams (Pelicans, Bucks, Timberwolves, Spurs, Knicks) now hard-capped.
- We began tracking which rookies drafted in the 2018 NBA Draft have signed contracts.
- We notified our readers of the end of the July Moratorium.
Kevin Durant Re-Signs With Warriors
JULY 7: The Warriors have made it official, announcing that the team has re-signed Durant.
JUNE 30: Kevin Durant will inform the Warriors tonight that he prefers a one-year contract with a player option for 2019/20, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Durant intends to sign a contract for those terms sometime after the moratorium ends, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). It will provide the maximum that Durant can receive on a one-year deal based on his 2017/18 salary, giving him $30MM next season with a $31.5MM option for 2019/20 (Twitter link).
The move saves some money next season for the Warriors, who will be well into the luxury tax, and it sets Durant up for a possible five-year contract with full Bird Rights next summer, when the cap is projected to rise to $109MM.
Golden State currently holds Early Bird rights on Durant, which would permit him to sign for a salary starting at $35,654,150. However, an Early Bird contract can’t span fewer than two guaranteed years, so the team will have to use his Non-Bird rights to honor Durant’s request. That will mean a 20% increase, taking him from $25MM to $30MM.
That savings of about $5.6MM will be huge for the Warriors, who face a significant tax bill for every dollar they spend. They may now be more inclined to use their taxpayer mid-level exception, which starts at $5.337MM.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Five Key Stories: 6/30/18 – 7/7/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest free agent signings, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy signings and other stories from the last seven days.
The most sought-after free agent this summer, all-time great LeBron James, is taking his talents to Hollywood after agreeing to a four-year, $154MM maximum salary contract with the Lakers. The fourth year of the contract will contain a player option, meaning James will remain in Los Angeles at least through the 2020/21 season barring a trade. James also considered re-signing with the Cavaliers – and met with the Sixers as a mere courtesy – but ultimately made a decision based on what he believed to be the best situation for him and his family moving forward. Since making his decision, the Lakers have also begun to fill out their roster with other free agents, including Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee.
In one of the more shocking free agency developments in recent memory, All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins has signed with the Warriors on a one-year, $5.3MM deal. Cousins, who is coming off a torn Achilles suffered during the 2017/18 season, apparently received a two-year offer for $40MM from the Pelicans earlier this year, but after not accepting, saw his market shrink to the point where he reportedly had to call Warriors’ GM Bob Myers after receiving no offers from any other teams. For Cousins, signing a one-year deal will allow him to rebuild his value and return to the free agent market next summer in the hopes of a more lucrative contract.
The Thunder and Carmelo Anthony have decided to part ways, with both the team and Anthony’s camp expected to work together to figure out whether Anthony will be traded, waived and stretched, or bought out and stretched. Both sides hope to have a plan in place and executed before the summer ends. While Oklahoma City is making this move in an effort to cut costs, Anthony is also on board because recognizes that he’d be in line for a reduced, and perhaps back-up role, if he remains with the Thunder. The early favorites to land Anthony once he becomes a free agent are the Rockets, Heat, and Lakers.
Zach LaVine, one of the top restricted free agents on the market this summer, received a substantial offer sheet from the Kings worth $78MM over four seasons. The Bulls, who have both a plethora of potential cap room and LaVine’s Bird rights, are expected to match the Kings’ offer within the 48-hour deadline. The Bulls decision to match the Kings’ offer came relatively quickly considering the fact that the only offer they had made to LaVine prior was reportedly lower by a significant amount. The purported contract for LaVine contains no options and is fully guaranteed.
Another prominent restricted free agent, forward Kyle Anderson, has signed a four-year $37.2MM offer sheet with the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, who are over the cap, plan to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Anderson, and become hard-capped in the process, should the Spurs opt not to match the offer sheet. The offer from Memphis also includes a 15 percent trade kicker.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines (among many others) from the last week:
- The Nuggets and Sixers completed a trade that sent Wilson Chandler and the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round selection to Philadelphia. The Sixers will also have the right to swap second-round picks with Denver in 2022.
- Despite a story rumoring that Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving have interest in playing together in the near future, the Timberwolves plan to offer Butler a multi-year contract extension.
- The Suns and Devin Booker have met to discuss a potential five-year, $158MM maximum contract extension.
- After being traded from the Hornets, Dwight Howard and the Nets have finalized a buyout agreement that will allow Howard to sign a deal with the Wizards.
- The Warriors and Kevin Durant came to an agreement on a two-year, $62MM contract with a player option in season two.
- Chris Paul and the Rockets have agreed on a four-year, maximum-salary contract worth nearly $160MM.
- The Thunder have officially signed Paul George to a four-year, $137MM contract with a player option in the final season.
- Long-time Spurs stalwart Tony Parker has agreed to sign with the Hornets and former assistant coach James Borrego for $10MM over two seasons.
- DeAndre Jordan has officially signed a one-year, $22.9MM contract with the Mavericks.
- The Suns have officially signed swingman Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15MM contract.
Kings Waive Nigel Hayes
The Kings have placed the contract of forward Nigel Hayes on waivers, reports James Ham of NBC Sports California. Hayes’ deal was non-guaranteed until January 10, so the Kings will not be on the hook for any of Hayes’ salary, nor will the team incur a cap hit.
Hayes, who was scheduled to earn $1.38MM this season, was a casualty of the Kings’ offer sheet to Zach LaVine. To clear the required $19.5MM in cap space to fit LaVine’s offer, the Kings were also forced to renounce their rights to Vince Carter and Bruno Caboclo, whose combined cap holds totaled nearly $17MM.
It’s also likely that the acquisition of Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles’ expected return from injury made Hayes expendable; however, per Ham, Hayes remains a member of the Kings’ Las Vegas Summer League team. Accordingly, Sacramento may still plan to bring him back at a later date.
Hayes, 23, played nine games during his rookie season in 2017/18, where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game.
Yogi Ferrell Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer
The Mavericks expect reserve guard Yogi Ferrell to sign his $2.92MM qualifying offer and re-enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent next summer, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Per MacMahon, the Mavs are reticent to sign Ferrell to any deal that would increase his cap hold because the team may need all of its remaining cap space to sign Dirk Nowitzki if the team is able to find a free-agent bargain upon which to use its $4.4MM room exception. The Mavs can still create about $7MM in cap space.
However, the Mavs are still confident they can retain Ferrell for his QO because he has stated previously that he would like to remain with the Mavericks, the team who gave him his first real opportunity in the NBA after signing him to a 10-day contract during the 2016-17 season.
Moreover, it’s possible given the market for restricted free agents so far this summer that $2.92MM is the best offer Ferrell has received. As such, it makes sense that Ferrell is leaning towards signing his qualifying offer.
The 25-year-old Ferrell was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after the 2016/17 season, but saw his numbers reduced last season with the addition of rookie first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. He’ll likely compete with J.J. Barea for backup minutes should he remain in Dallas as the within report suggests.
Blazers Re-Sign Jusuf Nurkic To Four-Year Deal
JULY 7, 12:20pm: Per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, Nurkic’s partial guarantee in the final season of his new contract – 2021/22 – is for $4MM.
JULY 7, 7:23am: The Trail Blazers have officially re-signed Nurkic, the club early on Saturday morning in a press release.
JULY 6: Restricted free agent center Jusuf Nurkic has agreed to a four-year, $48MM contract to remain with the Trail Blazers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The deal includes a partial guarantee in the fourth season, Wojnarowski adds. The contract could be worth up to $53MM, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The 7-foot Nurkic, who turns 24 in August, posted averages of 14.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 1.4 BPG last season. Nurkic started all 79 games in which he played.
Nurkic could have signed for more money a few months ago, according to Wojnarowski’s follow-up story, but turned down that offer. With the market shrinking, Nurkic decided to take the Blazers’ revised offer.
Nurkic’s career took off when the Nuggets traded him to Portland during the 2016/17 season. He was one of the top big men available on the free agent market this summer, coming in at No. 16 overall on our list of 2018’s top 50 free agents.
With Nurkic back under contract, the Blazers have now made three signings this week, adding Nik Stauskas and Seth Curry to the mix as well. Those new deals project to take Portland over the tax line, though there’s still plenty of time for the team to dip back below it — last year, for instance, the Blazers went well over that threshold before moving Allen Crabbe and Noah Vonleh to avoid becoming a taxpayer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Sign Aaron Gordon To Four-Year Deal
JULY 7: Per Robbins, the four-year deal between Gordon and the Magic only amounts to $76MM in total value, with an average annual salary of $19MM. Gordon’s 2018/19 salary will be worth $21,590,909, decreasing by 8% of that amount each season through 2022.
JULY 6: The Magic have officially completed the signing of Gordon, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links), who notes that the annual salaries on the deal will decline each season, creating slightly more cap flexibility for Orlando in future years.
Orlando also finalized the signing of free agent point guard Isaiah Briscoe.
JULY 1: The Magic have reached an agreement on a four-year deal with restricted free agent Aaron Gordon, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charania reports that the four-year agreement will be worth $84MM, for an average annual value of $21MM.
According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link), no team or player options are included in the agreement. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) first reported that the Magic and Gordon were closing in on a deal.
Gordon had been a restricted free agent, so while he could have agreed to a new contract with another team, Orlando would have had the right to match any offer sheet he signed. As such, it made sense for the two sides to negotiate a new deal directly.
Gordon, 22, enjoyed a breakout season for the Magic in 2017/18. After averaging 9.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG in his first three years in the NBA, the former fourth overall pick upped his numbers to 17.6 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 58 games last season.
Gordon’s shooting numbers were slightly down in 2017/18, as he posted a career-worst .434 FG%. However, that was largely a result of his increased willingness to launch outside shots. Gordon attempted 5.9 threes per game, knocking them down at a 33.6% rate.
Although Gordon suggested multiple times as his free agency approached that he’d love to land a maximum-salary contract, that was always a long shot, given the lack of cap space available around the NBA. Still, the former Arizona Wildcat did well to land a guarantee in excess of $80MM. It’s the largest overall free agent commitment so far in 2018 for a player who didn’t get a max deal.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
With Gordon back in the fold, the Magic will be an over-the-cap team and will have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available if they continue to explore free agent signings.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
FA Rumors: Jerebko, Warriors, Thomas, Magic, Smart
After being waived by the Jazz today, Jonas Jerebko is already being eyed by the Warriors, among other teams, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, there’s strong mutual interest between Jerebko and Golden State, one of the teams the forward will consider upon clearing waivers.
There’s a possibility that Jerebko won’t make it to free agency, but in order to claim him, a team must have cap room or a trade exception worth $4.2MM. If Jerebko does become a free agent and wants to join the Warriors, he’ll have to settle for the minimum, since the Dubs already committed their taxpayer mid-level exception to DeMarcus Cousins, and won’t have access to the bi-annual exception.
Here are a few more notes and rumors on free agents from around the NBA:
- According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the word in Las Vegas is that the Magic discussed a potential deal with Isaiah Thomas, but are unlikely to complete an agreement at this time, preferring to maintain flexibility to see what other opportunities develop. As Kyler notes, a patient approach to free agency helped net the club Jonathon Simmons last summer after San Antonio eventually withdrew Simmons’ qualifying offer.
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe provides an update on the Marcus Smart situation in Boston, confirming that Smart is frustrated by the negotiations – or lack thereof – with the Celtics so far. However, according to Himmelsbach, the C’s still consider Smart an “integral” part of their future and don’t view the current situation as a “standoff.” Himmelsbach also reports that there’s interest around the league in Smart at a price point of about $9MM per year, but he wants more, and could ultimately sign his $6MM qualifying offer if the offers don’t improve.
- Tony Parker, who reached an agreement with the Hornets on Friday, tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he received offers from the Spurs and Nuggets before deciding on Charlotte. I’d imagine those other offers didn’t come with the guarantee of as much money and/or as significant a role.
- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton explores whether Carmelo Anthony – who is headed for a split with the Thunder – would fit best with the Lakers, Heat, or Rockets, three teams said to be interested in his services.