Magic Sign 2019 First-Rounder Chuma Okeke
The Magic have officially signed 2019 first-round pick Chuma Okeke to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Orlando drafted Okeke with the 16th overall selection last year, having reached an agreement to essentially redshirt him for his first professional season as he recovered from the ACL injury he suffered during the NCAA tournament while playing for Auburn.
The 22-year-old forward signed a G League contract and spent the year rehabbing with the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate.
Because the NBA’s salary cap didn’t move at all for the 2020/21 season, Okeke will sign the same rookie contract this year that he would’ve received a year ago. Assuming he gets 120% of the standard rookie scale amount, his deal will be worth about $3.12MM in year one and $15.1MM over four years.
Raptors’ Stanley Johnson Opts In For 2020/21
Raptors forward Stanley Johnson has picked up his option for the 2020/21 season, the team announced today (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of The Athletic).
Johnson, who signed a two-year deal with Toronto last summer using the bi-annual exception, earned $3.623MM in 2019/20 and will make $3.804MM in his option year.
After spending the first four years of his career in Detroit and New Orleans, Johnson had an extremely limited role in Toronto last season, averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG in just 25 games (6.0 MPG). While Johnson dealt with some injury issues, he also didn’t show enough to secure a regular rotation spot when healthy and played mostly garbage-time minutes for the Raptors.
If the Raptors believe there’s still more potential to unlock in Johnson, they could bring him back as a member of their regular-season roster in 2020/21. If they want to free up his roster spot, he’ll be a candidate to be traded or released within the next week or two.
Assuming he plays out the season on his current deal, Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
DeMar DeRozan To Exercise 2020/21 Player Option
Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan will exercise his player option for 2020/21, putting off free agency for another year, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The move will guarantee DeRozan’s $27,739,975 salary.
DeRozan, 31, had a strong season for San Antonio in 2019/20, averaging 22.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 5.5 RPG with an impressive .531 FG% in 68 games (34.1 MPG).
Back in March, before the season went on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, one report suggested that DeRozan would likely opt out if he didn’t receive an extension from the Spurs, while a separate report indicated the veteran scorer wasn’t thrilled with his situation in San Antonio.
The financial impact of the pandemic made DeRozan’s decision to opt in a fairly simple one, however. Only two or three teams will have the cap room necessary to have matched his option salary, and those teams finished in the lottery and may not have made DeRozan a top priority. He’ll be better off trying his luck on the open market in 2021, when more clubs will have cap flexibility.
Of course, just because DeRozan is under contract for one more year, that doesn’t mean he’ll spend the entire season with the Spurs. San Antonio is believed to be shopping some of its veterans, including DeRozan, who reportedly drew interest from the Lakers before they agreed to acquire Dennis Schröder. We’ll see if any other suitors pop up in the coming days for the former Raptor.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers’ Mario Hezonja Opting In For 2020/21
Trail Blazers swingman Mario Hezonja will pick up his player option, opting in for the 2020/21 season, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As a result, Hezonja will forgo free agency until 2021 and will lock in a $1,977,011 guaranteed salary with Portland for the upcoming season.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2020/21]
Hezonja, 25, averaged a career-worst 4.8 PPG in a part-time role for the Blazers in 2019/20. In 53 games (16.4 MPG), he chipped in 3.5 RPG and shot just 42.2% from the field, including 30.8% on three-pointers.
Although he was the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, Hezonja has failed to develop into a reliable rotation player in Orlando, New York, or Portland since entering the league. It’s not even a certainty he would have received minimum-salary offers if he had opted for free agency this fall, so his decision to exercise his option comes as no surprise — we’ll see if he sticks with the Blazers or gets included in a trade before the 2021 deadline.
Accounting for Hezonja’s modest salary doesn’t impact the Blazers’ cap outlook in any real way. Portland projects to be an over-the-cap team this offseason.
Rodney Hood, who is coming off an Achilles tear, is the other Blazer who holds a player option for 2020/21. The expectation is that he’ll pick up his $6MM option.
Draft Rumors: Wolves, Edwards, Ball, P. Williams, Hawks, Knicks, More
With the 2020 NBA draft just two days away, several draft experts are publishing their final mocks of the year, nearly five months after the event was initially scheduled to take place. Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Jeremy Woo of SI.com, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report are among those who published new mock drafts today. Let’s round up a few of the key pieces of intel from those mocks…
- Sources tell Vecenie that the Timberwolves still haven’t finalized a decision on what they’ll do with their No. 1 pick, as they expect “real” trade offers to start coming in during the next couple days. However, Givony and Woo have both heard that most teams around the NBA are operating as if the Wolves will select Anthony Edwards if they stay put.
- LaMelo Ball‘s private workouts with teams last week were strong, according to Givony, who suggests that the Warriors were among the teams impressed by what they saw from Ball. Still, Givony and other draft experts view James Wiseman as Golden State’s most likely pick at No. 2.
- There has been plenty of chatter about Florida State forward Patrick Williams, whose ceiling is as high as No. 4 to the Bulls, according to both Woo and Givony.
- Opposing front offices say the Hawks (No. 6) have been the most active team in trade talks, according to Givony, who says Atlanta could push for an impact player (such as Jrue Holiday or Victor Oladipo) or trade down and pick up another young player.
- Sources tell Wasserman that the Knicks (No. 8) appear to be “looking hardest” at Devin Vassell, Isaac Okoro, and Kira Lewis Jr. Sources have also linked Obi Toppin to New York for some time, per Woo, though the Dayton forward is less likely to be on the board at No. 8.
- Assuming the Suns keep the No. 10 pick, sharpshooter Aaron Nesmith is thought to be high on their list, says Wasserman.
- While the Celtics have looked into packaging their three first-rounders (Nos. 14, 26, and 30) for a mid-lottery pick, interest in that sort of deal appears to be lukewarm, according to Woo, who says Boston may be more likely to make smaller trades with their picks.
- Sources tell Wasserman that the Trail Blazers (No. 16) have expressed interest in Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski, while Vecenie says Jay Scrubb‘s name is the one he has heard linked most frequently to Portland.
- The Bucks‘ pick at No. 24 is one to watch in trade talks as Milwaukee tries to upgrade its roster, writes Vecenie. If they keep the pick, Josh Green is among the options the Bucks are eyeing, per Wasserman.
Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Opting Out
As expected, Lakers veterans Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Rajon Rondo are officially opting out of their contracts in order to reach free agency, according to reports from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Shams Charania of The Athletic, and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (all Twitter links).
Those decisions had been considered formalities at this point, as reports a month ago indicated that Davis, Caldwell-Pope, and Rondo all planned to turn down their player options for 2020/21. Those plans have now been confirmed.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2020/21]
Davis will technically be the No. 1 free agent on the open market this fall, but he’s not expected to consider any pitches from rival teams. The plan is to re-sign with the Lakers for the maximum salary ($32.74MM), which is higher than his option salary ($28.75MM) would have been.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers intend to present several different contract options to Davis and agent Rich Paul and will work with him on the deal that makes him feel most comfortable. A five-year contract is considered unlikely — the two sides are more likely to agree to a two- or three-year deal that features a player option in its final season.
Rondo and Caldwell-Pope, meanwhile, are expected to receive plenty of interest from rival suitors. Turner cites the Clippers and Hawks as two clubs expected to pursue Rondo, whom the Lakers are reportedly bracing to lose.
As for Caldwell-Pope, teams are under the impression that he’s open to offers, and he’s expected to have several suitors, according to Charania, who previously identified Atlanta as one team likely to “emerge with interest.” The Lakers and KCP are believed to have strong mutual interest — after having agreed to trade Danny Green, the Lakers will likely make it a priority to re-sign their free agent three-and-D wing.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Rondo, Hawks, Magic
The Pacers are adding Calbert Cheaney to Nate Bjorkgren‘s coaching staff as an assistant, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). An Indiana native who played his college ball for the Hoosiers, Cheaney spent 13 years in the NBA as a player. He has been an assistant for Atlanta’s G League affiliate for the last two seasons.
Cheaney is the latest addition to a new-look coaching staff that will also feature Kaleb Canales and Greg Foster, in addition to returning Pacers assistant Bill Bayno. Indiana recently issued a press release confirming that all three of those coaches will be part of Bjorkgren’s staff in 2021.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Knicks will likely turn to the trade market or free agency to find their starting point guard for the coming season, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team doesn’t view Frank Ntilikina as its starter of the future, may not retain Elfrid Payton, and is still considering the possibility of trading Dennis Smith Jr., according to Berman. New York could draft a point guard in the lottery, but wouldn’t want to rely on that player to become an immediate starter, given the quick turnaround between the draft and the preseason.
- Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who is turning down his player option and will become a free agent, is expected to draw interest from the Hawks in addition to the two L.A. teams, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers, who reached a deal to acquire Dennis Schröder over the weekend, are bracing for the possibility of losing Rondo.
- Josh Robbins of The Athletic considers whether or not it makes sense for the Magic to consider blowing up their roster.
Pistons Trading Bruce Brown To Nets For Dzanan Musa, Second-Rounder
The Pistons and Nets have reached an agreement on a minor trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Detroit is sending guard Bruce Brown to Brooklyn in exchange for forward Dzanan Musa and a 2021 second-round pick. The Pistons will also receive cash in the swap, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
Brown, the 42th overall pick in the 2018 draft, has started 99 games in his first two professional seasons, appearing in 132 in total. Last season, he averaged 8.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG with a .443/.344/.739 shooting line in 28.2 minutes per contest.
Musa was the 29th overall pick in the same draft, but has less of a professional track record than Brown, having only logged minutes in 49 total games so far. He recorded just 4.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .372/.244/.750 shooting in 40 games (12.2 MPG) in 2019/20.
The 2021 second-round pick being sent to Detroit in the deal won’t be the Nets’ own pick, which Brooklyn traded away in a previous move. It’ll be Toronto’s ’21 second-rounder, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Brown has a non-guaranteed minimum salary ($1.66MM) for 2020/21 which will have to be guaranteed to make the trade work. He’ll be a restricted free agent in a year. As for Musa, he’ll earn a guaranteed $2MM salary next season, and Detroit will have until December 29 to decide whether or not to pick up his $3.62MM fourth-year option for 2021/22.
It’s easy to see why the deal makes sense for the Nets, who will save a little money and pick up a more reliable role player. They’re high on Brown’s defensive ability, Wojnarowski notes. Plus, as Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer observes (via Twitter), Brown gives the club added depth in the event of a possible Spencer Dinwiddie trade.
The Pistons’ motivation is a little less clear, but it’s worth noting that a new general manager – Troy Weaver – is making personnel decisions in Detroit now, so he wouldn’t have had any real attachment to Brown. Woj suggests (via Twitter) that Weaver’s first trade as the Pistons’ GM is the start of the process of “gathering future picks and assets.”
The NBA’s trade moratorium will end at noon eastern time today, so the Pistons and Nets can officially finalize their deal anytime after that point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: Daigneault, Nuggets, Blazers, Holiday, Jazz
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault took a rather unique path toward his new position, starting out as a manager at UConn several years ago, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes.
“I’ve been with people that have definitely seen potential in me and definitely believe in me,” Daigneault said, “but they’ve given me these opportunities well before I’ve earned them. They’ve invested rather than rewarded.”
Oklahoma City promoted Daigneault, 35, as the franchise’s new coach this month, making him the second-youngest head coach in the league besides Minnesota’s Ryan Saunders. He first joined the organization in 2014 as head coach of the team’s G League affiliate.
“When Sam called me and offered me the job the other day,” Daigneault said, “I was just so overwhelmed thinking about all the people that have had their fingerprints on my life and career.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:
- Mike Singer of the Denver Post explores the Nuggets‘ thinking ahead of the draft, with team president Tim Connelly offering his own perspective on the upcoming event. “Collectively teams are probably less certain what might be happening around them, what other teams are thinking, because we’ve lacked those avenues to get together and talk about what this team’s doing, that team’s doing,” Connelly said. “It should make for a fun night. There’s some clarity on the very top of the draft, and then after that, it’ll largely be a free-for-all.”
- The Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor (Twitter link). O’Connor added that a potential trade between the teams remains unlikely, however, citing Portland’s lack of potential assets to include in an offer.
- Sarah Todd of the Deseret News examines five prospects the Jazz should consider in Wednesday’s NBA draft. Utah owns the No. 23 pick this year, which could be used on a player such as Tyler Bey (Colorado) or Robert Woodard II (Mississippi State).
Otto Porter Jr. To Exercise 2020/21 Option
Bulls forward Otto Porter Jr. plans to pick up his $28.4MM player option and return to Chicago for the 2020/21 season, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes tweets.
Porter, a seven-year NBA veteran, holds career averages of 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was acquired by the Bulls in February of 2019 in exchange for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and a 2023 second-round pick.
Viewed as the Bulls’ answer at small forward, Porter was limited to just 14 games in 2019/20 due to a foot injury. Now, his future in Chicago is up in the air — if he remains on the roster through next season, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Chicago could have multiple players enter restricted free agency later this week, including Kris Dunn ($7MM qualifying offer), Denzel Valentine ($4.69MM) and Shaquille Harrison ($2MM).
The team finished with a 22-43 record last season, good for fifth-worst in the Eastern Conference.