Sixers, Other Contenders Expected To Pursue P.J. Tucker
10:59am: The Nets and Hawks are among the other teams likely to pursue Tucker, reports Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. While Tucker and Kevin Durant are friends off the court, Brooklyn would be limited to offering the taxpayer mid-level exception, so Tucker would have to take a pay cut to join the Nets.
10:13am: With P.J. Tucker set to decline his player option and reach unrestricted free agency next week, multiple contending teams will pursue him, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who says those clubs are expected to be willing to offer the full mid-level exception in an effort to land the veteran forward.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday that Tucker would turn down his option with the Heat, which would have paid him $7.35MM for 2022/23.
Despite having turned 37 years old this year, Tucker is in position to earn a raise after a strong season in which he averaged 7.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a .415 3PT% in 71 regular season games (27.9 MPG) and was just as good in the postseason, playing tough, versatile defense for a Miami team that got to within one game of the NBA Finals. This summer may represent his last chance at a big payday.
Although Haynes doesn’t name any specific teams that are expected to be in the mix for Tucker, he’d be an ideal fit for virtually any team with playoff and/or championship aspirations.
Of course, it’s worth noting that using more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception hard-caps a team at the tax apron for the rest of the league year. That means projected taxpayers such as the Warriors and Clippers will only have access to the taxpayer mid-level (projected to be worth $6.39MM) rather than the full MLE (projected to be worth $10.35MM), limiting their ability to make a competitive bid for Tucker.
One team that has been linked to Tucker already is Philadelphia — ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the Sixers‘ interest during a TV appearance and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer has since shared more details, writing that the club is shopping several players, including Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle, along with the No. 23 pick as it looks to create cap flexibility to pursue Tucker.
Unless James Harden takes a massive discount in free agency or they can move Harris in a salary-dump deal, the Sixers are unlikely to actually open up any cap space, but shedding some salary would help create breathing room below the tax apron, allowing them to use the full mid-level exception. Pompey hears from multiple sources that Philadelphia intends to make Tucker a three-year, $30MM offer, which would fit within the non-taxpayer MLE.
Because the Heat only hold Tucker’s Non-Bird rights, they wouldn’t be able to offer him a starting salary higher than $8.4MM without using their mid-level exception. They should have enough room below the tax apron to offer Tucker their full $10MM+ MLE if necessary, though that would reduce their options when it comes to re-signing Caleb Martin or pursuing outside free agents.
Knicks’ Alec Burks Underwent Foot Surgery
Knicks guard Alec Burks recently underwent foot surgery, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Burks is expected to be available for the start of training camp in the fall.
The procedure was completed shortly after the Knicks’ season ended in the spring, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), confirming Katz’s report, also hears from a source that Burks is expected to be ready to go for the start of the 2022/23 season.
Burks has missed time in past seasons due to foot issues, but they didn’t prevent him from appearing in a career-high 81 games for the Knicks in 2021/22 — he missed just a single game in December for personal reasons. His field goal percentage dipped to a career-worst 39.1%, but he was otherwise solid, averaging 11.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.0 APG with a .404 3PT% in 28.6 minutes per contest.
Burks will be entering the second season of a three-year, $30MM deal he signed with the Knicks in the 2021 offseason. The third year of that contract is a team option, so the veteran guard, who will turn 31 next month, is essentially on an expiring deal.
Multiple reports this offseason, including at least two this week, have identified Burks as a strong candidate to be traded. New York is in the market for a starting point guard and may move Burks either in a trade for that player or to help clear salary cap space to sign one in free agency.
It’s unclear how significantly the status of Burks’ foot will impact his value on the trade market, but it’s safe to assume any team acquiring him would want to get a look at his medicals before signing off.
Michael Rubin Selling Stake In Sixers
Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin is selling his stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Sixers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Shams Charania of The Athletic, and Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports.
Rubin’s stake in the Sixers is just 10%, but he’s considered an influential figure in the team’s ownership group due to his relationships with the players, including Philadelphia stars Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Rubin is the CEO of the sports retail business Fanatics, which is branching out into sports gambling. That represents a conflict of interest for Rubin, who has no interest in buying a stake in another team as a result.
“When we first bought the Sixers, Fanatics was only in the merchandise business,” Rubin said to Weitzman. “Now we have the trading card business and the gambling business. By the end of the year, we’ll have individual contracts with thousands of players, and I’ll be taking bets on the Sixers. … No one came to me and said, ‘Hey, Michael, you need to sell.’ It was clear based on these businesses (that) we have no choice but to sell.”
The sale of Rubin’s equity in the Sixers is expected to close “imminently,” according to Charania.
Even though he’ll no longer be an official part of the 76ers’ ownership group, Rubin will continue to be “a presence courtside and a key partner in our collective commitment to be a force for good in Philadelphia,” team governor Josh Harris said in a statement.
“I’ll probably go to less games, but when there’s something going down that’s massive, I’ll stop what I’m doing to help,” Rubin told Weitzman. “That’s who I am. That’s what I like doing. I consider Josh and (co-owner David) Blitzer to be family. I consider Joel and James to be family. And I look at (president of basketball operations) Daryl (Morey) and (head coach) Doc (Rivers) the same way. I have a lot of investment in the group and will do whatever I can to help those guys in whatever small way I can.”
As Charania and Wojnarowski observe, Rubin could potentially exert more influence on behalf of the Sixers as a “super-fan” than he could in his minority ownership role, since he’s no longer prohibited from talking to players on other teams or entering into outside financial partnerships with 76ers players.
Rubin told Weitzman that he believes the Sixers are “really well-positioned” going forward, particularly since he expects Harden to be healthier and more comfortable in his first full season in Philadelphia.
Mason Plumlee’s 2022/23 Salary Becomes Guaranteed
Mason Plumlee‘s $9,080,417 salary for the 2022/23 season became fully guaranteed when he remained on the Hornets’ roster through Tuesday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter).
Plumlee’s contract was already partially guaranteed for $4,262,500 and called for him to receive the full guarantee unless he was waived at least 10 days before the NBA’s July moratorium begins. The moratorium will begin on July 1, which is now just nine days away.
Plumlee, 32, was Charlotte’s starting center in 2021/22 after being acquired from Detroit in an offseason trade. He averaged 6.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 73 games (24.6 MPG). While he’s not among the NBA’s top centers, Plumlee isn’t a bad value on a $9MM expiring deal, and it wouldn’t have made much sense for the Hornets to cut him when nearly half that amount was already guaranteed.
While Plumlee made 73 starts for the Hornets this past season, he’s unlikely to be the team’s full-time center again in 2022/23. Charlotte is said to be in the market for help at the five and has been linked to both trade candidates, such as Myles Turner, and free agents, including Kevon Looney.
Assuming the Hornets also retain their other players without full guarantees – Kelly Oubre, Jalen McDaniels, and Nick Richards – and keep both their first-round picks, they’ll have nearly $117MM on their books for 13 players. That would likely give them the flexibility to stay out of luxury tax territory even if Miles Bridges returns on a max contract or something close to it, but recent reports have suggested they may be looking to shed some salary to create more breathing room below the tax line.
Plumlee is one of several players around the NBA who has a salary guarantee date in the coming days and weeks. Our full tracker is right here.
Scotto’s Latest: Portis, Johnson, Graham, Nets, Batum, More
Within his latest round-up of NBA rumors, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms a number of items that have been previously reported or speculated. According to Scotto, Bucks forward Bobby Portis is widely expected to decline his $4.56MM player option to become a free agent, the Lakers are considered a strong bet to pick up Stanley Johnson‘s $2.35MM team option, and Pelicans guard Devonte’ Graham is available in trade talks.
Scotto’s article includes several other intriguing tidbits related to the draft, free agency, and the trade market. Here are some of the highlights:
- The Nets have fielded trade inquiries on Joe Harris and Cam Thomas, according to Scotto, who says rival executives believe Brooklyn could potentially get a first-round pick in exchange for Thomas. While there’s a sense that Harris might be more available than in previous years due to the Nets’ February acquisition of Seth Curry, the team still believes Harris would be a useful piece on next year’s roster due to his ability to help on the boards and space the floor around Ben Simmons, Scotto writes.
- The Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Bucks are among the teams that have inquired about the No. 14 overall pick, currently held by the Cavaliers, league sources tell HoopsHype. Scotto previously reported that Cleveland would be open to the idea of moving down in the draft if it meant acquiring a future first-round pick.
- Rival executives who spoke to Scotto believe veteran forward Nicolas Batum could be in line for a deal worth $10MM per year after turning down his player option. The Clippers would have the ability to go that high to re-sign Batum using his Early Bird rights.
- Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia has visited Milwaukee and worked out for the Bucks twice during the pre-draft process, Scotto reports. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who previously identified LaRavia as a player on Milwaukee’s radar, has him ranked 28th on ESPN’s big board of 2022 prospects. The Bucks hold the 24th overall pick.
Los Angeles Notes: Ott, Westbrook, Brogdon, Swider, Clippers’ Targets
Darvin Ham‘s Lakers staff is starting to take shape. Nets assistant Jordan Ott will join him on the West Coast and move into a more prominent role in front of the Lakers’ bench, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Ott has been with Brooklyn since 2016. He served as Steve Nash’s offensive coordinator this past season.
We have more from the Los Angeles teams:
- The Lakers discussed trading Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker to the Pacers, with Malcolm Brogdon among the players mentioned as potential acquisitions, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said on “The Lowe Post” podcast (hat tip to Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report). Those talks didn’t gain any traction.
- Syracuse’s Cole Swider worked out for the Lakers for a second time on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets. Jordan Hall (St. Joseph’s), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Kyler Edwards (Houston) and Isaiah Whaley (UConn) were among the other participants. Shareef O’Neal (LSU), the son of former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal was also in attendance, as previously reported.
- Who are some of the under-the-radar free agents the Clippers could target? The Athletic’s Law Murray tackles that topic, naming Otto Porter Jr., Delon Wright and Andre Drummond as some of the players they could pursue.
Bradley Beal To Decline Option, Enter Free Agency
Bradley Beal will decline his $36.4MM player option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reports via a source.
It’s long been anticipated that Beal would decline the option and sign a long-term deal. He indicated in both March and May that he was leaning toward re-signing with the Wizards.
Beal, who missed the final 33 games of the season because of an injured left wrist, is eligible for a new five-year contract with the Wizards worth a projected $247MM+. The most a rival team could offer him in free agency would be a projected $183.6MM over four years.
Beal offered a cryptic reply to the report on Twitter, stating “Wait huh? Lol.”
He said the recovery process from the wrist injury is going well and estimates that 80-90% of his range of motion has returned. He averaged 23.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 4.7 RPG across 40 contests, on .451/.300/.833 shooting.
Beal has been the subject of trade rumors for years but has so far remained loyal to Washington. Presuming he re-signs with the Wizards, he’ll get a chance to play a full season with midseason acquisition Kristaps Porzingis. Beal’s backcourt partner for next season remains a mystery — Washington is expected to clear its logjam at the forward spots and seek to improve its backcourt situation. The team also holds a lottery pick at the No. 10 spot.
2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Golden State Warriors
After injuries scuttled not just the Warriors‘ title hopes but their playoff aspirations in 2020 and 2021, it took a while for the team to get back to full strength in 2021/22. Klay Thompson missed the first third of the season, Draymond Green went down right around the time Thompson made his debut, and Stephen Curry got hurt one game after Green returned. Incredibly, the Warriors’ three veteran stars played just 11 minutes together during the regular season.
It didn’t matter. Even without their full arsenal of weapons, the Warriors stormed out of the gate by winning 18 of their first 21 games and spent the entire season holding onto one of the Western Conference’s top four seeds, ultimately finishing at No. 3.
In the playoffs, the Warriors were finally back at full strength (Curry, Thompson, and Green played 455 postseason minutes together), and while they may not have been quite as dominant as they were with Kevin Durant in the picture in 2017 and 2018, they once again looked like a championship-caliber team.
Golden State made quick work of the shorthanded Nuggets, held off the upstart Grizzlies, and slowed Luka Doncic enough to shut down the Mavericks and reach the NBA Finals, where they came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Celtics and secure their fourth championship in the last eight years.
Having faced scrutiny for maintaining a monster payroll and opting not to trade any of their young prospects or lottery picks for win-now help during their non-playoff seasons, the Warriors were vindicated by their 2021/22 success and won’t be satisfied to stop there. Management is hopeful that youngsters like James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody will be ready to carry the torch and keep the team in title contention in the coming years as Curry, Green, and Thompson enter their mid-30s.
The Warriors’ Offseason Plan:
Two key Warriors role players are unrestricted free agents this summer, with Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II set to reach the open market.
Looney bounced back from a couple injury-plagued seasons to start 80 regular season games (and play in all 82) for the Warriors and proved his value as a versatile frontcourt defender who can play alongside offensive weapons without needing the ball himself. Looney’s stats don’t jump off the page, but centers who can stay on the court in playoff series against a variety of lineups are valuable assets in today’s NBA, so he’ll likely draw mid-level interest from teams in need of frontcourt help.
Payton, meanwhile, emerged as an important rotation piece in Golden State after a few years of brief minimum-salary auditions around the NBA. Like Looney, Payton doesn’t need the ball much on offense, but benefited from the attention defenses dedicated to players like Curry, Thompson, and Jordan Poole, making well-timed cuts to the basket and shooting 61.6% from the floor, an impressive mark for a guard. Of course, his primary contributions came on the defensive end, where he followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming one of the league’s top perimeter defenders.
Assessing the market for Looney and Payton is tricky, since they fit better in their defined roles with the Warriors than they might with a new team. Golden State has the cap flexibility to make competitive offers to both players – the team holds Looney’s Bird rights and Payton’s Early Bird rights – but the tax implications of giving either player a sizable raise would be substantial. If Looney and Payton don’t accept “hometown” discounts to stay in the Bay Area, it will be fascinating to see how high the Dubs are willing to go to retain them.
If Looney and Payton return, the Warriors would have seven of their eight most-used players from the postseason under contract for next season, with only Otto Porter Jr. facing free agency. The club did well to secure Porter and Nemanja Bjelica to minimum-salary contracts last summer, but Porter in particular will probably get an offer from another team that the Warriors can’t realistically match, since they only have his Non-Bird rights.
I suspect Golden State would welcome players like Porter, Bjelica, and Damion Lee back on minimum deals, but if the price goes any higher, the team may have to look elsewhere to fill those roster spots, perhaps trying to strike gold on the minimum-salary market again.
The Warriors hold the No. 28 overall pick in this year’s draft, but are reportedly looking into trading that pick, which makes sense. If they expect Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody to take on greater roles next season, the Warriors don’t need to add another rookie to the mix, and they’d save some money by carrying another minimum-salary player instead of that first-rounder. Shopping the 28th pick to either acquire multiple second-rounders or a future protected first-rounder seems reasonable.
Besides addressing the potential holes in their 2022/23 rotation, the Warriors will have to start seriously thinking about the long-term futures of players like Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, while Wiggins is also extension-eligible as he enters a contract year.
Both Poole and Wiggins played important roles on this year’s title team and should be rewarded for that, but the Warriors are under no pressure to rush into a deal with either player. Neither player’s value is likely to get significantly higher during the 2022/23 season, so Golden State is in position to wait another year and assess its options at that point if either player drives a hard bargain during this year’s negotiations. But if the Warriors can get a team-friendly rate on either player – maybe $18-20MM per year for Poole or $23-25MM annually for Wiggins – they shouldn’t hesitate to complete an extension.
Green and Thompson are also extension-eligible this offseason, and if either player is extended in the coming weeks or months, I’d expect it to be Green — Thompson has two guaranteed years left on his contract and didn’t quite look like his old self on a consistent basis in 2021/22. There will be no urgency to give him another maximum-salary extension that begins at age 34 without seeing next season if he still has that All-Star level in him.
Green, on the other hand, has just one guaranteed year left, with a player option for 2023/24. He continues to provide value on both ends of the court despite not being a scoring threat, and I imagine the Warriors will want to do right by him, given that he has earned far less than Curry and Thompson (and Wiggins, for that matter) in recent years. Still, the Warriors won’t simply write him a blank check — if he picks up his ’23/24 option, a max extension would start at $33MM+ in his age-34 season, which may make the club nervous.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.
Guaranteed Salary
Stephen Curry ($48,070,014)- Klay Thompson ($40,600,080)
- Andrew Wiggins ($33,616,770)
- Draymond Green ($25,806,468)
- James Wiseman ($9,603,360)
- Jonathan Kuminga ($5,739,840)
- Jordan Poole ($3,901,399)
- Moses Moody ($3,740,160)
- Total: $171,078,091
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Juan Toscano-Anderson ($2,126,991 qualifying offer / $2,126,991 cap hold): Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,126,991
Two-Way Free Agents
- Chris Chiozza ($1,941,833 qualifying offer / $1,941,833 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Quinndary Weatherspoon ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $3,557,877
Draft Picks
- No. 28 overall pick ($2,196,240)
- No. 51 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 55 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total: $2,196,240
Extension-Eligible Players
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.
- Draymond Green (veteran)
- Jordan Poole (rookie scale)
- Klay Thompson (veteran)
- Andrew Wiggins (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Kevon Looney ($9,839,287 cap hold): Bird rights
- Matt Barnes ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 1
- Nemanja Bjelica ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Andrew Bogut ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 1
- Andre Iguodala ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Jonas Jerebko ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 1
- Damion Lee ($1,811,516 cap hold): Bird rights
- Gary Payton II ($1,811,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Otto Porter Jr. ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- David West ($1,811,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights 1
- Nico Mannion ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights 1
- Total: $27,758,975
Offseason Cap Outlook
With $171MM in guaranteed money already committed to eight players, the Warriors are a lock to be operating above the projected tax line of $149MM next season. The only question will be how big their bill gets. By our count, they spent more than $345MM (in salaries and taxes) on their 2021/22 roster, and that number looks like a good bet to increase going forward.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $6,392,000 2
- Trade exception: $1,782,621
Footnotes
- These cap holds remain on the Warriors’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. These players can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Southwest Notes: Kleber, Wiltjer, Elmore, Pelicans’ Draft, Fertitta
Maxi Kleber remains a big part of the Mavericks’ plans despite the impending acquisition of Houston’s Christian Wood, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Kleber’s $9MM salary isn’t guaranteed until July 4, but that is considered a formality, according to MacMahon. Kleber, who has been a rotation player for Dallas for the past five seasons, projects as Wood’s backup if Dwight Powell is moved this offseason.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Kyle Wiltjer and Lydell Elmore are among the free agents participating in the Mavericks’ mini-camp, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Dallas is hosting more than 30 players this week, many of whom have some NBA experience. Wiltjer was previously with the Rockets, while Elmore played for the G League’s Westchester Knicks this past season.
- Should the Pelicans draft Bennedict Mathurin or Dyson Daniels if both prospects are available with the No. 8 pick? The Athletic’s Will Guillory ponders that question. However, if Shaedon Sharpe falls to that spot, New Orleans shouldn’t pass up on his potential, in Guillory’s estimation.
- The Rockets come into the draft with the No. 3 and 17 picks and will wind up with another at 26 when the Wood deal with Dallas is completed. Owner Tilman Fertitta anticipates there are more trades on the horizon on draft night. “In talking about the draft, look at the maneuvering that basketball ops did last year to pick up Al-P (Alperen Sengun) by moving things around,” Fertitta said. “I can promise you one thing: The way it looks on paper, it will not be exactly like that come Thursday. Stuff just happens. People call you. You’re calling people.”
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Reddish, Raptors’ Draft, Celtics’ Summer Roster, Boucher, Young
The Knicks have checked in with the Pistons regarding the No. 5 pick in the draft, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports. Cam Reddish‘s name has come up in those conversations but it would take a significant package for Detroit to trade down the lottery. New York owns the No. 11 pick. The Knicks have also reportedly explored trading with the Kings for the No. 4 pick with their eyes on point guard Jaden Ivey.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have an early second-round pick at No. 33 and GM Bobby Webster says the team is looking for a “versatile” player at that spot, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. “You kinda know what we’re doing here – versatile, defensive (minded), if they can make a shot; great,” Webster said. “Looking at those types of players typically.”
- Sam Hauser, Yam Madar, Juhann Begarin, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Matt Ryan and Brodric Thomas will be among the players on the Celtics’ summer league roster, assistant GM Austin Ainge told the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmselbach. Aaron Nesmith might also be on the squad.
- Raptors big men Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young are headed to free agency and Minnesota might have some interest in both players, Eric Koreen of The Athletic speculates. Koreen breaks down other potential landing spots for the duo if they don’t return to Toronto.