Knicks Rumors: Mitchell, L. Rose, Brunson, Durant, Irving
Even if the Jazz decide to trade Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks might not be first in line to acquire him, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. A New York City native, Mitchell has been rumored as a prime Knicks target for some time. The Jazz have indicated they plan to keep Mitchell and rework the roster around him, but sources tell Begley that several teams believe he would be available at the right price.
However, there’s no guarantee that New York’s front office will meet that price. Sources close to the Knicks indicated to Begley before the draft that the team was reluctant to part with the mix of players and draft picks that would be necessary to land a talent like Mitchell, fearing that the remaining roster would be too thin to compete. Since then, New York has reached an agreement with free agent guard Jalen Brunson, but Begley doesn’t believe that will change the team’s philosophy toward a potential Mitchell trade.
There’s more from New York:
- The Knicks may have signed their top target this year by luring Brunson away from the Mavericks, but it’s still not clear that team president Leon Rose was the best choice to run the organization, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Rose and William Wesley were highly touted when they took over the Knicks because of their connections to the league’s top players. The results have been uninspiring, according to Bondy, as the team hasn’t landed a true star and has committed nearly $500MM in guaranteed money over the past two summers to an average roster.
- Brunson’s father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, has been telling friends for months that Jalen wanted to come to New York, but there were concerns about whether the team could create enough cap space to make a competitive offer, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Brunson family has a strong connection to Rose, but Jalen wasn’t willing to sign for less than his market value.
- The Knicks may have dodged a bullet when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decided to sign with Brooklyn three years ago, suggests Steve Popper of Newsday. The Knicks pursued the two stars, but Popper believes they would have run into the same chaos the Nets are experiencing now.
Julian Champagnie Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
JULY 2: Champagnie’s contract is official, the team announced in an email.
JUNE 24: St. John’s swingman Julian Champagnie is signing a two-way deal with the Sixers, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).
In 31 games (34.2 MPG) as a junior for the Red Storm last season, Champagnie averaged an impressive 19.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG. His shooting numbers were less impressive, as his .414/.337/.781 slash line was down from two seasons ago, when he shot .433/.380/.887.
Champagnie, the twin brother of Raptors two-way wing Justin Champagnie, was a All-Big East First Team selection each of the past two seasons.
Nets, Lakers Discussing Irving-Westbrook Deal
7:06pm: The Nets are characterizing trade talks with the Lakers as “preliminary,” Haynes tweets.
6:47pm: The Nets and Lakers are holding active discussions about a trade that would include Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Haynes cites “palpable optimism” that a deal can be finalized, but sources tell him there are several details to be worked out.
The Nets want to include sharpshooting guard Joe Harris, who is owed $38.6MM over the next two years, according to Haynes. Harris is coming off left ankle surgery and was limited to 14 games this season.
The Lakers are reluctant to take on Harris’ contract and want the Nets to give up Seth Curry instead. Curry is also a proficient outside shooter and has an $8.5MM expiring contract.
Irving and Westbrook both picked up their player options this week, but the two sides have to figure out how to match salaries. Irving will make $36.5MM next season, while Westbrook is owed $47MM. The Nets are also seeking draft compensation in the deal.
Haynes notes that Brooklyn isn’t in a hurry to complete an Irving trade and is sifting through numerous offers for Kevin Durant at the same time.
Kings Sign Neemias Queta, Keon Ellis To Two-Way Contracts
The Kings have filled both of their two-way contract slots, announcing in a press release that center Neemias Queta and guard Keon Ellis have signed two-way deals.
A seven-footer out of Utah State University, Queta was the 39th overall pick in the 2021 draft and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Sacramento. He played sparingly at the NBA level, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 14 games (8.6 MPG), but was the starting center for the Stockton Kings in the G League, putting up 16.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 14 regular season NBAGL contests (28.4 MPG).
Queta received a two-way qualifying offer from the Kings, so it’s not clear if he accepted that QO or signed a new two-way deal with the team. Either way, he’s back under contract with Sacramento.
The Kings’ other two-way slot belongs with Ellis, an undrafted rookie free agent whose agreement with the team was reported shortly after the draft wrapped up last week.
The 6’6″ guard averaged 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.9 SPG in his senior year at Alabama. He made 43.7% of his field goal attempts and 36.6% of his 3-point tries. Ellis began his college career at Florida Southwestern State before playing his final two seasons for the Crimson Tide.
Cavaliers Re-Sign RJ Nembhard To Two-Way Deal
The Cavaliers have re-signed free agent shooting guard RJ Nembhard to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
After going undrafted out of TCU in 2021, Nembhard spent his rookie season with the Cavs. He joined the team for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract, had it converted to a two-way deal, was promoted to the 15-man roster in March, then was waived and signed another two-way contract near the end of the season.
Nembhard only played 63 total minutes across 14 appearances at the NBA level for the Cavs, but was a key member of the Cleveland Charge in the G League, averaging 24.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG in 15 regular season games (38.3 MPG).
The Cavs liked what they saw from Nembhard enough to issue him a two-way qualifying offer earlier this week. It’s possible he simply accepted that QO, which is for another two-way deal with a $50K guarantee.
Nembhard and second-round pick Isaiah Mobley now hold the Cavs’ two-way contract slots.
Keegan Murray Signs With Kings
Keegan Murray, the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft, has officially signed with the Kings, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320.
Assuming Murray receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, he will make approximately $8MM during his first season and $36.4MM during the four-year contract.
Murray was a first-team All-American as a sophomore at Iowa, averaging 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He was also a first team All-Big 10 selection and was named MVP of this year’s conference tournament.
Murray, who will turn 22 next month, was among the oldest prospects in this year’s draft and there was some speculation that his age might work against him. The Kings weren’t concerned, however, and selected Murray ahead of Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, who had been projected as a top-four pick.
“Keegan is an incredibly versatile, well-rounded player with a high basketball IQ,” said Sacramento general manager Monte McNair. “He will be a tremendous asset to our team, and we are excited to welcome him to the Kings family.”
Heat Sign Nikola Jovic
First-round pick Nikola Jovic has officially signed with the Heat, the team announced in a press release.
The Serbian forward was the 27th pick in this year’s draft. Assuming he receives the full 120% of the rookie scale, which is standard, Jovic will earn approximately $2.2MM in his first season and $11.5MM across the four-year deal.
The 19-year-old averaged 11.7 points per game this season while playing for Mega Basket in Europe’s ABA League. He was named the league’s top prospect for the just-completed season and was Junior ABA League MVP in 2021.
Jovic is making his debut with Miami in today’s Summer League California Classic in San Francisco.
Leandro Barbosa To Join Kings’ Coaching Staff
New Kings head coach Mike Brown will add one of his Warriors associates to his coaching staff, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Leandro Barbosa, who served as a player development coach with Golden State, will become an assistant to Brown in Sacramento.
Barbosa, 39, spent time with five teams during a 14-year NBA career that ended in 2017, and then played two overseas seasons after that. He also had extensive international experience with the Brazilian national team.
Barbosa’s coaching career began when the Warriors hired him in September of 2020.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Wizards, Magic, Hornets
Dejounte Murray is excited to team up with Trae Young and had been talking to his new partner in the Hawks‘ backcourt about the possibility for the past two to three weeks, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Speaking at press conference Friday, Murray said Atlanta was the only team he wanted to join and told reporters that he probably would still be with the Spurs if it hadn’t been for the opportunity with the Hawks.
Atlanta paid a premium price to acquire Murray, sending Danilo Gallinari and a sizable package of draft assets to San Antonio. General manager Landry Fields said the Hawks took time to assess the risks before committing to the trade.
“This wasn’t one of those that came about in a day,” Fields said. “Looking at what we were going to part with up front was one thing and then once we started to engage with San Antonio, it turned into another thing. We took time between talks to sit and think about how this was going to impact us in the future, how was this going to impact our current team, projection-wise what we are going to look like in several years, after factoring all of that in, we got to a place we were comfortable with.”
Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:
- Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless, who are being acquired from the Kings in the Kevin Huerter trade, are both expected to be on the Hawks’ opening night roster. Kirschner adds. He also states that Atlanta continues to listen to offers for John Collins.
- The Wizards were able to retain star free agent Bradley Beal in free agency, but questions remain about whether it was the right move for the team, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Washington agreed to a five-year, $251MM deal with the three-time All-Star, prompting Robbins to explore whether keeping Beal at that price will keep the Wizards stuck in mediocrity due to their limited cap flexibility.
- The Magic‘s free agency moves further prove the team believes in its young core, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Orlando reached agreements with Mohamed Bamba, Gary Harris and Bol Bol, and guaranteed Moritz Wagner‘s salary. The team appears ready to run it back and continue developing its own players rather than adding outside help.
- The Hornets are expected to hire Tyrone Corbin and Bob Beyer to Steve Clifford‘s coaching staff, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets. Corbin worked for Clifford in Orlando, while Beyer coached under Clifford in Charlotte. Corbin and Beyer hold over 30 years of combined NBA coaching experience.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Cavaliers Sign Ochai Agbaji, Isaiah Mobley
The Cavaliers have officially signed 2022 draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Isaiah Mobley, the team announced today in a press release.
The 14th overall pick in last week’s draft, Agbaji received the rookie scale contract that is standard for first-round picks. Assuming he signed for the full 120% of the rookie scale, which is the norm, he’ll earn approximately $3.9MM in year one and $18.7MM across four years.
The 22-year-old Agbaji won an NCAA championship with Kansas as a senior in 2021/22 and enjoyed his best college season, averaging 18.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a shooting line of .475/.407/.743 in 39 games (35.1 MPG).
Mobley, the brother of rising Cavaliers star Evan Mobley, signed a two-way contract. Isaiah, who played alongside Evan at USC in 2020/21, stuck with the Trojans for another year and averaged 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 32 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior before declaring for the draft. He was the 49th overall pick last Thursday.
The Cavs’ other draftee, No. 56 overall pick Luke Travers, remains unsigned. It’s unclear if he’ll be stashed overseas for the 2022/23 season or if he’s in the mix for Cleveland’s other two-way slot.