O’Connor’s Latest: Nuggets, Grizzlies, Warriors, Kings, Hornets
Within his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer confirms a few items we’ve heard elsewhere in recent days. According to O’Connor, Jalen Green‘s workout with the Pistons last week was “outstanding,” the Jazz are willing to attach the No. 30 pick to Derrick Favors in a potential trade, and league sources widely expect Scottie Barnes to be the Magic‘s pick at No. 5.
O’Connor also reiterates that the Rockets continue to explore moving up to No. 1 and says the Thunder have made efforts to trade up, with Green, Cade Cunningham, and Evan Mobley among their presumed targets.
Here are a few more notes of interest from O’Connor’s latest article:
- League sources tell O’Connor that the Nuggets are trying to move up from No. 26 into the top 20, dangling young bench players or future draft assets in those talks.
- Although O’Connor confirms that the Grizzlies are interested in Josh Giddey after trading up to No. 10, he says Memphis could try to move up even further, with an eye on Jonathan Kuminga or James Bouknight.
- Giddey, Kuminga, and Bouknight could also be in the mix for the Warriors at No. 7, according to O’Connor, who says Giddey is thought to be one of Golden State’s “main targets.” O’Connor adds that Keon Johnson‘s ceiling may be the Warriors’ pick at No. 7.
- The Kings continue to be active in shopping the No. 9 pick, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley III in separate trade scenarios, per O’Connor.
- League sources continue to connect the Hornets, who will be seeking a center this summer, to Myles Turner, Richaun Holmes, and Nerlens Noel, according to O’Connor.
NBA To Carry Over Most Of New Two-Way Rules To 2021/22
JULY 27: The NBA has issued a press release confirming the new two-way rules detailed below and announcing that a player on a two-way contract will be capped at 50 games on his team’s active list next season.
JULY 16: The NBA and the NBPA have agreed to carry over many of this season’s adjusted rules for two-way players to the 2021/22 season, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
The league loosened the restrictions on how much time two-way players were permitted to spend in the NBA during the 2020/21 campaign and scrapped the typical midseason deadline for two-way signings. As Marks explains (via Twitter), the following adjustments will apply in 2021/22:
- There will be no in-season deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract.
- The salary for a two-way player will be half of the rookie minimum. Currently, the rookie minimum projects to be $925,258, in which case the two-way salary would be $462,629.
- Two-way players won’t face the usual 45-day NBA limit. However, there will be a cap on how many games they can spend on a team’s active list.
One notable change from this past season will be discontinued next year, according to Marks: A player on a two-way contract won’t be eligible to play in the postseason.
This year, players on two-way contracts were permitted to be active in the playoffs, but in 2021/22, if a team wants its two-way player to be available in the postseason, he’ll have to be converted to a standard deal before the end of the regular season.
Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Lowry, Kawhi, Knicks, Dinwiddie, More
While the Mavericks are expected to show interest in free agent point guard Mike Conley, veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein says Dallas’ focus in free agency will be on pursuing Kyle Lowry and attempting to re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr. Reports to date have suggested that Conley is more likely than Lowry to return to his current team, so it makes sense that the Mavs would prioritize Lowry.
According to Stein, the Mavericks were initially expected to wait to see if Kawhi Leonard gave any indication that he was thinking about leaving the Clippers. However, the team has moved off of those plans, says Stein. That’s probably a signal that Leonard is unlikely to depart Los Angeles.
Here are a few more updates related to free agency:
- At least one key decision-maker in the Knicks‘ front office has “embraced” the idea of signing Spencer Dinwiddie this offseason, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who hears that at least one other club plans to make the point guard a strong offer. Begley also confirms that DeMar DeRozan is among the other free agent guards on New York’s radar, though he says teams monitoring the situation view the Knicks as more likely to go after DeRozan if they’re able to acquire Damian Lillard in a trade.
- The Suns are among the teams eyeing sharpshooter Reggie Bullock as a possible free agent target, Begley writes in a separate SNY.tv story. The Knicks have “significant” interest in re-signing Bullock, Begley adds.
- Despite playing a modest role with the Nuggets down the stretch of the season, JaVale McGee is interested in re-signing with the team, two league sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Singer cautions that the veteran center figures to have multiple suitors on the open market.
- Rockets guard Avery Bradley is expected to draw interest from multiple playoff contenders if he becomes a free agent, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Houston will have to make a decision soon on Bradley’s $5.9MM team option for 2021/22.
Play-In Tournament Will Return Next Season
JULY 27: The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the play-in tournament for 2021/22, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania the format will remains the same and it’s scheduled to take place from April 12-15.
JULY 16: The NBA has reached an agreement with the players union to bring back the play-in tournament for 2021/22, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A formal vote from the league’s Board of Governors is expected soon.
Commissioner Adam Silver has long been a proponent of the format, which was introduced in 2020 after the restart in Orlando. The Trail Blazers defeated the Grizzlies in the first play-in game, while the Eastern Conference race wasn’t close enough for the play-in provision to kick in.
The play-in tournament was launched in full and revamped for the 2020/21 season, with the No. 7 team in each conference facing No. 8, while the ninth and 10th teams squared off. The winner of the 7/8 matchup automatically earned a playoff spot, while the loser faced the winner of the other game for the final opening.
In the East this year, the Celtics defeated the Wizards and the Pacers topped the Hornets, with Washington earning the eighth seed by beating Indiana. In the West, the Lakers beat the Warriors and the Grizzlies knocked off the Spurs. Memphis beat Golden State to earn its way into the postseason.
Hawks’ Kris Dunn To Exercise Player Option
Kris Dunn is opting into his contract for next season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who hears from sources that the Hawks guard will pick up his 2021/22 option, worth just over $5MM.
The Hawks signed Dunn last offseason, envisioning him as a player who could share the backcourt with Trae Young and provide stout perimeter defense. However, injury woes derailed Dunn’s first year in Atlanta, as he was sidelined for most of the season while he recovered from ankle surgery.
Dunn made his Hawks debut in late April and ultimately appeared in just four regular season games and five playoff games, primarily in garbage time. In 2019/20, as a Bull, Dunn averaged 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.0 SPG in 51 contests (24.9 MPG).
Although Dunn is now under contract with the Hawks for next season, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be on the club’s opening-night roster in the fall. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link) suggests it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Dunn and his expiring $5MM contract traded during the offseason.
With Dunn’s decision in, we’re still awaiting word on six more player option decisions around the NBA, as our tracker shows.
Nets Issuing Qualifying Offer To Bruce Brown
The Nets are tendering a qualifying offer to Bruce Brown, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The procedural move will ensure that Brown is a restricted free agent this summer.
Brown, who will turn 25 next month, played an important role for the Nets in 2020/21 after being acquired last fall from Detroit. He averaged 8.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG on .556/.288/.735 shooting in 65 games (22.3 MPG) and played tough, versatile defense for Brooklyn.
Because he met the starter criteria, Brown’s qualifying offer is worth approximately $4.7MM. If he accepts that one-year offer, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in 2022, but he’s more likely to negotiate a new multiyear deal with the Nets or a rival suitor. Brooklyn would have the ability to match any offer sheet Brown signs with another team.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Brooklyn Nets]
The Nets hold Brown’s Bird rights, so they won’t face any cap restrictions when it comes to re-signing him — it will simply be a matter of how much further into tax territory team ownership is willing to go.
Draft Rumors: Pistons, Cunningham, Green, Magic, Pelicans, More
Speaking today to reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link), Pistons general manager Troy Weaver confirmed that the team hasn’t made a final decision on what it will do with the No. 1 overall pick.
[RELATED: Pistons Still Mulling Options With No. 1 Pick]
The Pistons have long been expected to select Cade Cunningham with that top pick, and the Oklahoma State guard remains the overwhelming favorite to be the choice. However, John Hollinger of The Athletic has heard whispers that Detroit wasn’t blown away by Cunningham’s private workout, while Marc Stein says Jalen Green‘s workout for the team “made the strongest of impressions.”
Even if those reports are accurate, it’s hard to imagine the Pistons selecting Green over Cunningham with the No. 1 pick. A trade down to No. 2 is a possibility if Detroit really likes Green. But for what it’s worth, Weaver provided a reminder today that not everything you hear leading up to the draft will be accurate.
“I don’t comment on rumors, but don’t believe everything that you read,” the Pistons’ GM said (Twitter link via James Edwards III of The Athletic). “… The rumor mill does nothing for us right now.”
Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft:
- The Magic brought Stanford’s Ziaire Williams back for a second workout during the pre-draft process and some rival teams think Orlando may be eyeing him at No. 8, says Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Two league sources who spoke to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic also believe the Magic have Williams “very high” on their board.
- According to Vecenie, sources around the league view some of the draft’s top “older” shooters – such as Corey Kispert, Trey Murphy, and Chris Duarte – as likely targets for the Pelicans at No. 17. However, there’s no guarantee New Orleans keeps that pick after acquiring it from Memphis. Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link) says the Pelicans could look to move down again or may shop that selection for veteran help.
- There’s a belief that the Raptors are high on Evan Mobley, but they’d almost certainly have to trade up from No. 4 to get him and it seems unlikely they’ll be willing to pay that price, says Vecenie.
- Vecenie is the latest to report that the Thunder are fans of James Bouknight, who could be the team’s pick at No. 6. However, Hollinger is unconvinced that the chatter surrounding Bouknight and the Thunder isn’t a smokescreen — he has Jonathan Kuminga going to the OKC at No. 6 in his mock draft.
Raptors, Rodney Hood Push Back Salary Guarantee Date
The Raptors and veteran wing Rodney Hood have agreed to push back the guarantee date on his salary for 2021/22, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.
Hood’s $10.85MM salary was originally set to become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t waived by the end of the day on July 27. Instead, that deadline will be August 3, so the Raptors will get another week to consider their options with the 28-year-old.
There’s no real chance that the Raptors will guarantee Hood’s salary in order to keep him. He’s coming off a down year and was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the deadline deal that sent Norman Powell to Portland and Gary Trent Jr. to Toronto.
In 55 total games for the Blazers and Raptors in 2020/21, Hood averaged 4.5 PPG and 1.9 RPG with a .362 FG% and .301 3PT% in 17.1 minutes per contest (55 games). All of those marks were career lows by a wide margin.
Still, it’s possible that Hood’s expiring contract could prove useful in certain trade scenarios for the Raptors. Pushing his guarantee deadline back a week gives Toronto some more time to continue exploring those scenarios, and leaves the door open for Hood to earn a higher salary than he would if he were waived today and became a free agent.
2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Phoenix Suns
The Suns won just 19 games during the 2018/19 season and had a 26-39 record when the 2019/20 season went on hiatus last March. When play resumed in the Walt Disney World bubble, the Suns – who ranked 13th in the Western Conference at the time – were nearly left out. However, the team showed it belonged by winning all eight games it played in the bubble. While it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs, the performance turned heads and provided a preview of what was to come in ’20/21.
Led by many of the same players who spearheaded the 8-0 bubble run – including Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Payne – and buoyed by newly-acquired point guard Chris Paul, the Suns went 51-21 this past season, good for the second-best record in the NBA.
Despite the team’s regular season success, observers were still skeptical of Phoenix’s ability to win in the postseason, with oddsmakers listing them as first-round underdogs to the seventh-seeded Lakers. But the Suns handled the Lakers, the Nuggets, and the Clippers en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.
The Suns ultimately couldn’t withstand Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s otherworldly performance in the NBA Finals and dropped the series in six games, but it was a remarkably successful season for a franchise that had finished in the lottery 10 straight times and was two years removed from finishing 14 games behind every other team in the West.
The Suns’ Offseason Plan:
The good news for the Suns is that nearly everyone who played a key rotation role in 2020/21 is under team control for multiple years going forward. The bad news? Paul, the team’s lone All-NBA player, can become a free agent, and bringing him back will hamper Phoenix’s ability to make any legitimate upgrades to its roster.
Paul’s contract situation is a fascinating one, as he holds a player option worth just over $44MM for the 2021/22 season. The idea that a 36-year-old would turn down a $44MM+ salary may seem outrageous, but after finishing fifth in MVP voting, Paul is poised to cash in one final time on a longer-term deal.
Assuming the Suns and Paul want to continue their relationship, they have two options: Paul could opt out and negotiate a new contract with the team, or he could opt in and negotiate an extension.
The latter approach might make more sense for both sides. For instance, if the Suns and Paul agreed that he has earned a $90MM commitment for the next three years, a new contract worth that amount would carry cap hits in the neighborhood of $30MM each year, since his salary could only increase or decline by up to 8% per season.
But there’s no limit on the pay cut a player can take in the first year of an extension, so if Paul were to pick up his $44MM option, he and the Suns could work out a two-year extension that pays him closer to $23MM per year for the following two seasons.
That path would ensure that Paul doesn’t have to accept a pay cut in 2021/22, would make him more movable (if necessary) during the last year or two of the contract, and would give the Suns more financial flexibility starting in ’22/23, when new deals for Ayton and Bridges would go into effect.
Ayton and Bridges are eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason and I expect Phoenix to try to lock up both former lottery picks — Ayton figures to earn the max or something close to it, while Bridges’ next deal will likely exceed $20MM per year.
In the short term, bringing back Paul at $44MM+ would push the Suns well over the cap and may prevent them from using their entire non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so they’ll have to get creative when it comes to upgrading the roster around the edges. They’ll have a portion of the mid-level and the No. 29 pick at their disposal. It would also help significantly if Jalen Smith is ready to take on an expanded role in his second season, since it would reduce the need for another frontcourt piece.
Among the Suns’ own free agents (besides Paul), Payne looks like the highest priority. He has earned a raise on his minimum salary and Phoenix – with his Early Bird rights in hand – should be able to accommodate that bump as long as bidding doesn’t get too crazy.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.
Guaranteed Salary
- Devin Booker ($31,650,600)
- Deandre Ayton ($12,632,950)
- Jae Crowder ($9,720,900)
- Dario Saric ($8,510,000)
- Mikal Bridges ($5,557,725)
- Jalen Smith ($4,458,000)
- Cameron Johnson ($4,437,000)
- Jevon Carter ($3,650,000)
- Ty-Shon Alexander (two-way)
- Total: $80,617,175
Player Options
Chris Paul ($44,211,146): Bird rights- Total: $44,211,146
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
- None
Draft Picks
- No. 29 overall pick ($2,009,040)
- Total: $2,009,040
Extension-Eligible Players
- Deandre Ayton (rookie scale)
- Mikal Bridges (rookie scale)
- Devin Booker (veteran)
- Chris Paul (veteran) 1
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Abdel Nader ($1,669,178): Bird rights
- Cameron Payne ($1,669,178): Early Bird rights
- Torrey Craig ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Langston Galloway ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Frank Kaminsky ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- E’Twaun Moore ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Cheick Diallo ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights 2
- Total: $11,684,246
Offseason Cap Outlook
If we assume Paul picks up his option and the Suns keep their first-round pick, the result would be nearly $127MM in guaranteed commitments for 11 roster spots. That should allow the club to remain below the tax line (projected to be in the $136-137MM range). If the Suns are willing to go a little over the tax line, they’d have more flexibility to re-sign Payne and use their mid-level exception rather than focusing on minimum-salary players.
If Paul opts out to sign a new contract, it would likely give Phoenix more room to maneuver below the tax threshold, opening up the full mid-level execption and even the bi-annual exception. On the other hand, if Paul departs in free agency, this outlook changes drastically, and the Suns could actually generate upwards of $28MM in cap room. But that won’t be the team’s first choice and I don’t think it’ll be CP3’s preference either.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 3
- Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 3
- Trade exception: $898,310
Footnotes
- Paul would only be extension-eligible if he exercises his player option.
- The cap hold for Diallo remains on the Suns’ books from a prior season because it hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- These are projected values. If the Suns approach or cross the tax line, they may forfeit these exceptions, instead gaining access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM). If they decide to operate under the cap, they’d forfeit these exceptions and would gain access to the room exception ($4.9MM).
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.
Scotto’s Latest: Harrell, Cavaliers, Knicks, Trent Jr., Jones
Lakers center Montrezl Harrell remains undecided on his player option as a Saturday deadline looms, sources tell Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. Harrell is described as “50-50” on the option, which would pay him $9.7MM for next season.
Picking up the option would make the 27-year-old a trade chip for the Lakers, who are hoping to add another star to their roster. There was a report over the weekend that L.A. has discussed moving Kyle Kuzma and the 22nd pick to the Kings in exchange for Buddy Hield, and multiple sources tell Scotto that Harrell has been included in several variations of that hypothetical trade.
Sacramento may view Harrell as a replacement for Richaun Holmes, who is headed toward free agency. Scotto reiterates that the Mavericks, Hornets and Raptors are among the teams likely to enter the bidding for Holmes. He adds that the Lakers offered Kumza and the 22nd choice to the Pacers for pick No. 13 and salary filler, but Indiana turned it down.
There’s more from Scotto:
- The Cavaliers have been contacted about the No. 3 pick by the Raptors, Thunder, Warriors and Knicks, but Oklahoma City didn’t talk to Cleveland about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was reportedly part of an offer the Thunder made to the Pistons for the top overall selection. Cleveland would like to acquire another top-10 pick, Scotto adds.
- Before the Pelicans agreed to trade the 10th pick to the Grizzlies, the Knicks made an unsuccessful offer involving the 19th and 21st selections, according to league sources. New York is believed to be focused on Oregon’s Chris Duarte.
- Several people around the league believe that Gary Trent Jr., who received a qualifying offer from the Raptors on Monday, could get an offer in the neighborhood of $18-$20MM per season.
- The Grizzlies are making back-up point guard Tyus Jones available in trade talks, league sources tell Scotto. Jones will make $8.38MM next season in the final year of his contract.