And-Ones: Summer League, Rondo, Offseason Questions, Key Dates
The Las Vegas Summer League will have 75 games spanning 11 days, the league announced in a press release, and the first day could bring some extra attention. The Magic, who own the No. 1 pick, will face the Rockets, who have the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s draft. The Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing five games apiece.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- An emergency protective order filed last month against Rajon Rondo by the mother of his two children in Louisville, Kentucky has been dismissed, according to ESPN. The protective order, which was filed on May 13, was dismissed on Thursday after the “parties reached an agreement.” In the request for the protective order, the woman alleged Rondo threatened her with a gun and said that she feared for the safety of her children.
- The Lakers’ moves to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis get back to championship contention, and Deandre Ayton‘s landing spot are among the 10 questions hovering over this offseason, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes a comprehensive look at key dates this offseason, including qualifying offer deadlines, contract guarantee dates, and team/player option deadlines.
Sixers, Suns Pursuing Rockets’ Eric Gordon?
The Sixers and Suns are two of the teams interested in a trade with the Rockets for veteran guard Eric Gordon, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Gordon, who averaged 13.4 PPG and shot 41.2% from 3-point range this past season, will make $19.57MM next season and has another non-guaranteed season left on his contract after that. Gordon could provide a perimeter boost to either playoff contender and would reunite with former Rockets teammate Chris Paul if he winds up in Phoenix.
Windhorst and Zach Lowe offered a number of interesting nuggets on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link):
- The Sixers also have interest in veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who is opting out of the final year of his contract with the Heat.
- The Hawks are looking at “five or six potential deals,” according to Windhorst, with everyone but Trae Young and possibly De’Andre Hunter in play. They could part with the No. 16 pick in certain scenarios.
- The Hornets aren’t expected to hold onto both of their first-round picks at No. 13 and No. 15 and might even move both of them, along with a big salary, as they try to clear cap space to re-sign restricted free agent Miles Bridges. Charlotte could also be angling for the Pacers’ Myles Turner, according to Lowe.
- The Grizzlies, with two picks late in the first round, are looking to clear a backcourt logjam and could move up or down the draft board as they try to maximize their trade chips. De’Anthony Melton, in particular, has drawn “a lot” of interest around the NBA, says Lowe.
Kendrick Nunn Exercises 2022/23 Player Option
Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn has elected to pick up his player option for the 2022/23 season, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
We knew this was coming, since Nunn referred to the decision as a “no-brainer” back in April. The option, which will pay Nunn a salary of $5.25MM, has been officially exercised, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
After spending two-plus seasons in Miami, Nunn signed a two-year, $10.25MM deal with the Lakers during the 2021 offseason, but a knee issue sidelined him for the entire ’21/22 campaign. The injury was one of many factors that contributed to Los Angeles’ struggles this past year, as the team didn’t get anything out of the player it used its mid-level exception to sign.
Nunn is expected to be on the trade block this offseason and may never end up appearing in a regular season game for the Lakers. But if he returns and if he’s fully healthy, he could still be an asset in L.A.’s backcourt.
The 26-year-old averaged 15.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.9 RPG on .458/.364/.881 shooting in 123 games (29.4 MPG) with Miami from 2019-21.
With Nunn’s salary locked in, the Lakers will have four players on guaranteed contracts for next season — LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Nunn. We can safely pencil in Russell Westbrook to that group too, since there’s virtually no chance he’ll turn down his $47MM+ player option. Austin Reaves (non-guaranteed contract) and Stanley Johnson (team option) are also good bets to return, but L.A. will still need to fill out about half its roster, with limited resources to do so.
Our player option decision tracker can be found right here.
Rockets’ John Wall Opts In For 2022/23
Rockets guard John Wall has exercised his player option for the 2022/23 season, with agent Rich Paul informing the team of the decision, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had long been expected, since the option will pay Wall a salary of $47,366,760 next season after he didn’t play a single game for Houston in 2021/22. There was no chance he’d come close to matching that figure if he opted out to become an unrestricted free agent.
Although Wall is now officially under contract for 2022/23, it’s unlikely that he’ll spend another full season under contract with the Rockets and away from the team. Charania reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are expected to make an effort to resolve Wall’s situation in the “near future.”
The Rockets would love to find a trade partner willing to acquire Wall, but his exorbitant cap hit will make it virtually impossible without attaching an asset or two, which the rebuilding club has no interest in doing.
There were some rumors leading up to the 2022 trade deadline about a possible swap of Wall and Russell Westbrook, but Houston reportedly sought a first-round pick in those talks, which the Lakers weren’t willing to surrender. I wouldn’t count on L.A.’s stance changing this summer.
Assuming the Rockets can’t find a taker for Wall, the two sides are expected to explore buyout talks. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported in April, the 31-year-old would like to have a role on a winning team, if possible.
Wall last suited up for the Rockets in 2020/21, when he averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 40 games (32.2 MPG). His shooting line that season was just .404/.317/.749.
Givony’s Latest: Sharpe, Magic, Kings, Duarte, Suns, Knicks, More
Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, perhaps the biggest enigma of the 2022 NBA draft, is the subject of several rumors in Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link).
Givony has Sharpe coming off the board at No. 7 to Portland, writing that Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is believed to be a fan of the young guard, despite the fact that Sharpe is 12 years younger than Lillard and is on a “completely different timetable.”
A pair of teams picking later in the lottery may also have their sights set on Sharpe. The Thunder, who hold the No. 12 pick, continue to pursue trade-up opportunities, according to Givony, who says Sharpe and Jaden Ivey are among the players Oklahoma City appears to be targeting.
Meanwhile, Sharpe is also said to intrigue the Hornets if they trade up from No. 13, Givony writes, noting that the Kentucky guard surprised other teams when he opted to work out for Charlotte.
Here are a few more of the most interesting tidbits from Givony’s newest mock:
- Virtually every NBA team expects the Magic to select Jabari Smith first overall and would be surprised if they go in a different direction.
- The Kings are considered more likely to stand pat than to trade the No. 4 pick, but they’ve had discussions with almost every team behind them in the lottery and even some outside of the lottery, per Givony. Pacers wing Chris Duarte is among the possible trade targets the Kings have done their homework on, Givony adds.
- Surprisingly, Givony has heard the Suns are among the clubs exploring trade scenarios involving the Pelicans‘ No. 8 pick. Givony suggests Phoenix could potentially include a player like Cameron Johnson in its offer to help create more long-term cap flexibility to retain Deandre Ayton.
- There’s a widespread belief that the Knicks won’t end up picking at No. 11, Givony reports. they’re “aggressively” exploring scenarios in which they trade back or trade out of the first round.
- Rival teams believe the Cavaliers are high on Ousmane Dieng, though he could be off the board by No. 14, says Givony.
- Echoing multiple recent reports, Givony identifies Hawks big man John Collins as a major draft-day trade candidate. Givony goes a step further, suggesting that Collins could even be packaged with Kevin Huerter in a deal involving the Kings‘ No. 4 overall pick.
- The Bucks (No. 24) are eyeing older prospects who could help them win right away, such as Andrew Nembhard, Jake LaRavia, Christian Braun and Ismael Kamagate, according to Givony, who has heard from rival teams that Milwaukee has also conveyed some interest in trading up into the teens, possibly for a big man like Mark Williams and Walker Kessler.
Heat Issue Qualifying Offer To Caleb Martin
The Heat have officially issued a qualifying offer to forward Caleb Martin, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
A qualifying offer is essentially a one-year contract offer that a team must make to a player eligible for restricted free agency if it wants to avoid him becoming unrestricted. The QO can be accepted by the player, but it’s often just a placeholder, giving his current team the right of first refusal in the event that he signs an offer sheet with a new team.
After spending his first two NBA seasons in Charlotte, Martin was waived by the Hornets last August, then signed a two-way contract with Miami, where he outperformed that two-way deal and was converted to a standard contract. In 60 games (22.9 MPG) for the Heat, the 26-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal on .507/.413/.763 shooting.
Martin’s qualifying offer will be worth his minimum salary plus $200K. Based on a $122MM salary cap, a player with three years of NBA experience projects to have a minimum salary of $1,876,674 in 2022/23, so his QO would be worth $2,076,674. That number will be adjusted slightly upward or downward if the cap doesn’t come in at exactly $122MM.
Because the Heat only hold Martin’s Non-Bird rights, it may be a challenge for them to make him a competitive offer if he draws serious interest on the open market. If they want to give Martin a starting salary higher than about $2.25MM, the Heat will have to dip into their mid-level exception to do so.
Martin is the No. 31 player on our list of 2022’s top 50 free agents.
Raptors’ Mykhailiuk Exercises 2022/23 Player Option
Raptors guard Svi Mykhailiuk has exercised his player option for the 2022/23 season, reports Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary option that will pay Mykhailiuk $1,878,720.
Mykhailiuk, 25, signed with the Raptors last summer after spending his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers, Pistons, and Thunder. He played a limited role in Toronto, averaging 4.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG with a career-worst .306 3PT% in 56 games (12.8 MPG) and falling out of the rotation by January.
The former Kansas Jayhawk showed an ability to knock down three-pointers more consistently during his first three years in the NBA, making 36.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc during that time.
Now that Mykhailiuk is locked in for next season, the Raptors have nine players on guaranteed salaries, plus Dalano Banton and Armoni Brooks on partial guarantees.
However, if Mykhailiuk isn’t in Toronto’s plans going forward, it’s possible he could be traded or even waived at some point this offseason. Given his modest cap hit, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to find a taker if the Raptors take that path.
Stein’s Latest: Beal, Robinson, Gobert, Hornets, Atkinson
The comments made Monday by president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard seemed to indicate the Wizards don’t have any reservations about giving Bradley Beal a full maximum-salary contract, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column. Beal, who missed the final 33 games of the season because of an injured left wrist, is eligible for a new five-year deal worth a projected $247MM+.
Stein states that Sheppard had “ebullience” when talking about Beal and the chance to team him up with Kristaps Porzingis next season. Beal has to make a decision by next week on a $36.4MM player option for 2022/23, but it sounds like a long-term offer will be waiting no matter what he does with the option.
Sheppard said Beal can be a franchise centerpiece and notes that he has improved his defense and become more versatile since he arrived in the NBA. He points out that Beal can handle either backcourt spot, adding, “We have no problem playing Bradley Beal at point guard.”
There’s more from Stein:
- While the Knicks would like to clear cap space before free agency kicks off, Stein has heard strong rumblings that they’re prepared to sign Mitchell Robinson to a new multiyear contract. The fourth-year center is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 8.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 72 games, and his minimum-salary cap hold means that retaining him won’t complicate any efforts to create cap room. Stein confirms a report that New York is looking for takers for Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, along with Kemba Walker, to make a run at a free agent guard like Jalen Brunson or possibly Kyrie Irving.
- Appearing Monday on Spotify Live, Stein suggested that the Bulls are the most likely destination if the Jazz decide to trade Rudy Gobert. He clarifies that statement in today’s column, saying Chicago has “ongoing reservations” about dealing for Gobert, while the Raptors are still a team to watch. Stein adds that Gobert isn’t considered a sure thing to be traded this summer.
- In the wake of Kenny Atkinson‘s decision to remain with the Warriors, the Hornets are still in the market for someone with experience as a head coach, such as Mike D’Antoni, the other finalist, who is scheduled to meet with owner Michael Jordan today. Stein suggests that family reasons factored into Atkinson’s decision, as did the fact that Golden State was willing to pay him more than assistant coaches usually make.
Malcolm Brogdon Considered “Likely” To Be Traded
Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon may have a new team by draft night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link from The Trade Deadline).
Wojnarowski calls Brogdon “likely” to be traded this week, citing the Knicks and Wizards as teams to watch. New York, which holds the 11th pick, and Washington at No. 10 are both in the market for point guards and are hoping to move up in the draft.
Wojnarowski suggests both teams are making an effort to acquire the No. 4 pick from the Kings to select Jaden Ivey, who is the top-rated guard in the draft. Woj says Brogdon will become an alternative if they’re unsuccessful, adding, “especially Washington as they look to sign Bradley Beal.”
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony also hints at a Brogdon trade in his latest mock draft, stating that “many around the league” expect the Pacers to work out a deal with the Knicks.
A move involving Brogdon has been considered possible since Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton from Sacramento in February. Brogdon, 29, has dealt with injuries throughout his career and played just 36 games this season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per night. He has three years and $67.6MM remaining on his contract.
Trading with either the Knicks or Wizards would give the Pacers two lottery picks and may increase speculation that center Myles Turner could be on the move as part of a full-scale rebuild. Wojnarowski doesn’t expect anything to happen right away with Turner, suggesting that trade talks might continue “into the summer.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/21/2022
With the 2022 NBA draft just two days away, Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat this afternoon. Click here for the transcript.
Our usual Thursday morning chat won’t be happening this week, but Alex Kirschenbaum will be hosting a super-sized draft chat on Thursday evening that will get underway just before the draft does and will run through the entire first round (and possibly a good chunk of the second round too).