Clippers Sign Brandon Boston Jr. To Multiyear Deal
AUGUST 9: Boston’s deal is now official, according to an announcement from the Clippers.
AUGUST 8: The Clippers are signing rookie wing Brandon Boston Jr. to a multiyear deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Boston will get two guaranteed years with a third-year team option.
In his single college season at Kentucky, Boston averaged 11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .355/.300/.785 shooting in 25 games (30.4 MPG) for the Wildcats. The 19-year-old is considered a raw prospect who is still adding bulk to his slender frame.
The Grizzlies technically selected Boston with the No. 51 pick on draft night, but by that point the selection had already been part of two trades agreed to before or during the draft. It was sent to the Pelicans as part of a bigger deal earlier in the week and then flipped to the Clippers for cash on draft night.
The Clippers’ willingness to buy their way back into the draft in order to nab Boston – and their willingness to give him two guaranteed years – signals how highly they regard him. According to Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter), Boston’s $2.5MM in guaranteed money will be the most ever for a player drafted in the 50s who wasn’t stashed overseas before coming to the NBA.
Los Angeles will use a portion of its $5.9MM taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing. ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported on Instagram on Sunday that Justise Winslow got about $3.9MM of that exception, which leaves more than enough wiggle room to accommodate Boston’s first-year salary.
Grizzlies Sign Ziaire Williams, Santi Aldama To Rookie Deals
The Grizzlies‘ two first-round picks, forward Ziaire Williams and forward/center Santi Aldama, have officially signed their rookie contracts, the team announced today in a press release.
Williams, who spent a single season at Stanford before declaring for the draft, was the 10th overall pick on July 29. Memphis acquired the selection as part of the Jonas Valanciunas/Eric Bledsoe/Steven Adams deal with New Orleans, moving up from No. 17 in order to secure Williams.
Aldama, meanwhile, was the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft. The Grizzlies packaged the No. 40 selection with two future second-rounders in a deal with Utah in order to move up to the end of the first round to draft the 6’11” Spaniard, who played his college ball at Loyola (Maryland).
Assuming they both received the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale (which nearly all first-round picks do), Williams will earn $4.37MM in his first NBA season, while Aldama will make $1.99MM.
The Grizzlies now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning most of their offseason business is probably done. The team does still have one two-way slot open, with a two-way qualifying offer out to Killian Tillie.
Raptors Sign David Johnson To Two-Way Contract
The Raptors issued a press release on Sunday night announcing that they’ve signed former Louisville guard David Johnson to a two-way contract.
Johnson, the 47th overall pick in July’s draft, played college ball for the Cardinals for two years before declaring for the draft following his sophomore season. In 19 games (35.1 MPG) in 2020/21, he put up 12.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG with a .411/.386/.700 shooting line.
The Raptors previously signed undrafted free agent Justin Champagnie to a two-way contract, so both of the team’s two-way slots have now been filled.
[RELATED: 2021/22 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
No. 46 pick Dalano Banton is the only one of Toronto’s three 2021 draft picks who remains unsigned, as Scottie Barnes finalized his rookie deal earlier today. The Raptors still project to have some openings on their 15-man regular season roster, so Banton seems likely to sign a standard multiyear contract at some point.
Rockets Guarantee Jae’Sean Tate’s 2021/22 Salary
The Rockets have guaranteed Jae’Sean Tate‘s salary for the 2021/22 season, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Tate will earn approximately $1.52MM next season.
Tate, 25, had an impressive rookie season for Houston in 2020/21, averaging 11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG on 50.6% shooting and playing tough defense across 70 games (29.2 MPG). The performance earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.
Tate’s second-year salary wasn’t scheduled to become guaranteed until January, per Basketball Insiders. However, as Feigen explains, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta made the decision to lock in the forward’s salary a few months early. The move was designed to reward Tate for his play last season and to send the message that the team values his “determined play and attitude,” Feigen adds.
Tate’s contract extends for one more year beyond 2021/22 — the Rockets have a $1.78MM team option for ’22/23, which seems likely to be eventually exercised.
The Rockets have also officially signed David Nwaba, Feigen reports.
Nets Sign David Duke Jr.
The Nets have officially signed undrafted rookie guard David Duke Jr. to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Duke first announced on Twitter shortly after the draft ended that he’d be joining Brooklyn — it appears it’ll be for more than just Summer League.
Duke, who declared for the draft following his junior season at Providence, averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.8 APG on .387/.389/.792 shooting in 26 games (37.1 MPG) in 2020/21.
The terms of Duke’s contract aren’t yet known, but it seems likely to be a training camp deal that includes Exhibit 10 language. Exhibit 10 contracts, which can be converted into standard or two-way deals, give players the opportunity to earn bonuses worth up to $50K if they end up joining the club’s G League affiliate after being cut.
The Nets now have 14 players under contract, with that total set to rise to 16 once Blake Griffin and Patty Mills officially sign. Three of Brooklyn’s second-round picks also remain unsigned, and the team has a two-way qualifying offer out to Reggie Perry.
Pistons Sign Cade Cunningham To Rookie Contract
This year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, has signed his rookie contract, the Pistons announced today (via Twitter).
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
Viewed for months as the overwhelming favorite to come off the board first on draft night, Cunningham played a single season at Oklahoma State, averaging 20.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG on .438/.400/.846 shooting in 27 games (35.4 MPG). He was a consensus All-American and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year as a freshman.
Cunningham, who is making his Summer League debut in Las Vegas on Sunday night, will be the highest-paid rookie in the 2021 class. As our breakdown shows, he’s in line for a rookie salary of $10MM+ and will make more than $45MM over the life of his four-year contract with Detroit.
The Pistons also formally confirmed the signing of second-rounder Isaiah Livers, which we previously relayed.
Central Notes: Pistons Contracts, McConnell, Allen, Bulls
The Pistons‘ three-year deal with Kelly Olynyk has a partial guarantee in year three, with only $3MM of the big man’s $12.2MM salary assured in 2023/24, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Detroit also gave Trey Lyles a two-year, $5.125MM deal that includes a second-year team option, Smith adds (Twitter link).
While those contract details are similar to what was reported earlier in free agency, the specifics on the Pistons’ deals for Saben Lee and second-round pick Isaiah Livers didn’t surface until today.
According to Smith (Twitter link), the Pistons used cap space to give Lee a three-year, minimum-salary contract that includes two fully guaranteed years followed by a third-year team option. As for Livers, his new deal with Detroit is also for three years with a third-year team option, tweets Smith. The No. 42 pick got slightly more than the rookie minimum in his first year, followed by the veteran’s minimum in years two and three.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- T.J. McConnell‘s new four-year contract with the Pacers, originally said to be worth $35MM, actually has a base value of $33.6MM and includes some unlikely bonuses, according to Smith (Twitter link). The fourth-year salary of $9.3MM is partially guaranteed for $5MM.
- Contract negotiations between Jarrett Allen and the Cavaliers “never grew contentious,” writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. The team always wanted to lock up Allen, and the big man wanted a nine-figure deal, so the five-year, $100MM agreement made both sides happy.
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic explores what role newly-acquired wing Grayson Allen will play for the Bucks in 2021/22, noting that Allen would be in line for more minutes if Donte DiVincenzo, coming off ankle surgery, still has limitations to start the season.
- K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago explains why the NBA is looking into the Bulls‘ sign-and-trade agreement with Lonzo Ball and what to expect from the investigation.
Suns Notes: Jack, Payne, Nader, Shamet
The Suns announced some coaching changes this week, stating in a press release that Kevin Young has been promoted to associate head coach and Bryan Gates and Steve Scalzi have officially joined Monty Williams‘ staff.
Perhaps the most notable name included in the announcement was that of Jarrett Jack, a longtime NBA guard who has been hired as an assistant in Phoenix. The 37-year-old, who spent 13 seasons in the NBA, hasn’t been in the league since he appeared in 62 games for the Knicks in 2017/18.
However, Jack spent last season on the G League Ignite, acting as a mentor to the young prospects on the developmental squad, including eventual lottery picks Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. After serving as something of an informal coach on the Ignite, Jack will officially take on that role in Phoenix under Williams, whom he played for in Portland (2005-08) and New Orleans (2010-12) early in his career.
Here’s more out of Phoenix:
- Cameron Payne‘s three-year, $19MM contract with the Suns is partially guaranteed in its final year, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, who tweets that the point guard is only assured of $2MM of his $6.5MM salary in 2023/24.
- Abdel Nader‘s two-year deal with the Suns includes a team option on year two, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
- The Suns ended up not making any picks on draft night after attaching the No. 29 pick to Jevon Carter in a trade with Brooklyn. However, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details, the player Phoenix acquired in that trade – Landry Shamet – has a more versatile offensive game than Carter and should immediately step into a regular rotation role.
Thunder Sign Josh Giddey, Tre Mann To Rookie Contracts
The Thunder have signed first-round picks Josh Giddey and Tre Mann to their rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.
Having entered draft night with the sixth, 16th, and 18th overall picks in the first round, Oklahoma City traded the No. 16 selection to Houston, but used No. 6 to pick Giddey and No. 18 to nab Mann. The two rookies are projected to earn first-year salaries of $5.99MM and $2.9MM, respectively.
Giddey, a member of the Adelaide 36ers in 2020/21, averaged 10.9 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 7.4 RPG in 28 games, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors. The 18-year-old Australian was a surprise pick at No. 6 over the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and James Bouknight, but his size (6’8″) and play-making ability make him an intriguing fit for the rebuilding Thunder.
As for Mann, he spent two seasons in college, emerging as a full-time starter in the Florida Gators’ backcourt in 2020/21. The 6’5″ guard put up 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a shooting line of .459/.402/.831 in 24 games as a sophomore before entering the draft.
As our tracker shows, No. 32 pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is now the Thunder’s lone unsigned 2021 draftee.
Eastern Contract Details: Lowry, Birch, Heat, Dinwiddie, Niang, More
Kyle Lowry‘s new three-year, $85MM contract with the Heat is a standard increasing deal, starting at about $26.98MM and rising annually by 5%, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Based on Lowry’s 2021/22 salary, we now know the value of the traded player exception the Raptors created in their sign-and-trade deal with the Heat, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. That TPE will be worth $4,832,848, which is the difference between Lowry’s new salary and the combined cap hits of Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa.
Murphy also confirms that Khem Birch‘s three-year, $20MM deal with the Raptors is a standard increasing contract with no options or partial guarantees — it eats up about $6.35MM of Toronto’s mid-level exception, leaving $3.187MM on that MLE.
Here are more contract details from around the East, courtesy of Smith:
- As expected, the new deals for Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven, and Gabe Vincent with the Heat are each two-year, minimum-salary contracts with one year guaranteed and the second year non-guaranteed (Twitter link). P.J. Tucker, meanwhile, got a two-year, $14.35MM contract that uses $7MM of Miami’s mid-level exception in year one. Tucker’s second year is a player option (Twitter link).
- Spencer Dinwiddie‘s three-year contract with the Wizards only has a base value of $54MM, rather than the previously-reported total of $60MM+ (Twitter link). The deal, which features unlikely incentives that could push its value higher, has a partial guarantee worth $10MM (of $18.86MM) in year three.
- Georges Niang‘s deal with the Sixers came in at $6.765MM over two years, both of which are fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
- Trae Young‘s five-year, maximum-salary extension with the Hawks includes a 15% trade kicker (Twitter link).
- The numbers are also in for the finalized deals between Jarrett Allen and the Cavaliers (Twitter link), Bobby Portis and the Bucks (Twitter link), George Hill and the Bucks (Twitter link), and Danny Green and the Sixers (Twitter link), with no surprises among that group. As expected, Green’s second year is non-guaranteed and Portis has a second-year player option, while Allen and Hill have fully guaranteed salaries.