Eastern Notes: Rose, Brunson, Barrett, Wright, Hachimura
Knicks president Leon Rose had his eyes on Jalen Brunson well before the team signed him in free agency, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. During his first meeting with the team’s scouts in March 2020, Rose named Brunson as one of his future targets. That came as a surprise to some of those scouts, considering Brunson was a second-year player averaging less than 10 points off Dallas’ bench that season.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Knicks wing RJ Barrett is thrilled he signed a rookie scale extension, Berman relays. Barrett was speaking at season ticket holder event hosted by MSG Network’s Monica McNutt. “I feel honored and blessed. This is a place I wanted to be,” Barrett said. “I was happy they first drafted me and now with the extension, to be here four more years, will be great and I’m excited to get to work.’’ Barrett, who received a four-year extension with a base value of $107MM and a maximum value of $120MM, has no worries about blending his talents with Brunson. “Being around him, I’ve gotten to gravitate toward him. When we’re together, we’ll play well, especially with us both lefties.’’
- Free agent addition Delon Wright will make steals while limiting his own turnovers for the Wizards. That’s what analytics indicate about the veteran point guard, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. Wright also excels in isolation plays and open 3-point looks while avoiding mid-range shots.
- It’s a pivotal season for another Wizards player, Rui Hachimura, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 2019 lottery pick has yet to make a major impact and if he doesn’t receive a contract extension before opening night, he’ll need to improve his game to secure a big payday in free agency next summer. Robbins interviews multiple scouts, who break down the forward’s strengths and weaknesses.
Collin Sexton “100 Percent” Heading Into Season
Collin Sexton considers himself 100% healthy heading into his first season with the Jazz, Joe Coles of the Deseret News writes.
Sexton agreed to a four-year contract worth $71MM while getting dealt to Utah in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster trade with the Cavaliers.
Sexton, 23, missed all but 11 games in 2021/22 due to torn meniscus in his left knee, which required surgery. The previous season, he averaged 24.3 PPG and 4.4 APG on .475/.371/.815 shooting in 60 games (35.3 MPG).
Sexton was in limbo as a restricted free agent much of the summer, as negotiations between his reps and the Cavaliers dragged on. He tried not to get frustrated by the situation.
“I just know my agent was pretty much just telling me just to stay patient and everything will work out now we be playing whether it was in Cleveland or another team, I will be wearing an NBA jersey,” he said. “So that was pretty much my mindset. I just wanted to just continue to work on the things that I needed to improve on and I let the rest take care of itself.”
Sexton spoke to new coach Will Hardy this week and was excited about his positive energy.
“He’s understanding that we’re going to be young, but he also understands like it’s going to be fun and I can’t wait to just be coached by him just because his energy and how he talks to us and how he’s so uplifted and how he has high spirits each and every day,” Sexton said. “That rubs off on everybody in the building as well.”
Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Wizards have signed guard Jordan Goodwin to an Exhibit 10 contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Goodwin signed a 10-day hardship exception contract with the Wizards last season and appeared in two games, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors notes (Twitter link). He averaged 16.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 31 games with their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.
Goodwin also played five games in Las Vegas with Washington’s Summer League squad in July.
The 23-year-old went undrafted last year following a four-year college career with Saint Louis. He can earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then ends up joining the Capital City Go-Go once again.
The Wizards now have a full 20-man offseason roster.
And-Ones: Schröder, Free Agents, Hammon, Noel, Paul
Free agent guard Dennis Schröder continues to make a case to NBA teams for a contract offer. He scored a team-high 26 points and added five assists until he got ejected in the late going of Germany’s 107-96 victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the EuroBasket quarterfinals, as Eurohoops.net relays.
Magic second-year forward Franz Wagner added 19 points for the victors. Antetokounmpo was ejected with five minutes remaining for committing his second unsportsmanlike foul.
There’s a “rising buzz” in league circles regarding Schröder’s job prospects, Marc Stein tweets.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of free agents, Eric Pincus notes in a Bleacher Report post that there are plenty of veterans still looking for jobs. Pincus takes a closer look at where players like Schröder, Eric Bledsoe, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin and others might land.
- Becky Hammon is showing NBA teams what they’re missing after she wasn’t offered a head coaching position, Nancy Armour of USA Today opines. Hammon has the Las Vegas Aces on the verge of a WNBA championship with a more creative offense while maintaining a solid defense. The former Spurs assistant was passed over the Orlando and Portland head coaching jobs in 2021.
- Nerlens Noel‘s $58MM lawsuit against Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group has been dismissed, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. As previously noted, the case is instead heading to NBPA arbitration. The judge ruled a “valid, enforceable agreement to arbitrate” existed between the parties.
Celtics Expected To Sign Jake Layman, Justin Jackson
The Celtics intend to sign free agent forward Jake Layman to a training camp contract, a source tells Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. The report has since been confirmed by Souichi Terada and Brian Robb of MassLive.com.
A second-round pick in 2017, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. Although he was a regular rotation player for the Timberwolves in 2019/20 after signing a three-year contract with the team, Layman was limited to 23 appearances that season due to a toe injury and didn’t have a consistent role during the following two seasons.
In total, the former Maryland forward – who is a Massachusetts native – has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
Within his report on Layman, Manning says the same source confirmed that Justin Jackson will be joining the Celtics for training camp as well. Jackson, a forward who was drafted with the No. 15 overall pick in 2017, had a strong Summer League run with Boston in July and has long been rumored as a possible camp invitee.
Jackson signed two 10-day contracts with the Suns last season and one with the Celtics, appearing in seven total games (just one with Boston). In Las Vegas this summer, he averaged 15.0 PPG in four appearances (29.0 MPG) for Boston’s Summer League squad.
Assuming the Celtics make it official with both Layman and Jackson, the two veterans join the competition for one of the team’s open regular season roster spots. Boston has 10 players with guaranteed contracts, plus Al Horford with a significant partial guarantee. That leaves three – or possibly four – spots available for a group of players with non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed salaries.
Luke Kornet, Noah Vonleh, and Bruno Caboclo have already been added to the Celtics’ training camp roster. Layman, Jackson, and Denzel Valentine are expected to join them. If all three officially sign, the club will have 19 total players under contract, including JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele on two-way deals.
Pacific Notes: Sarver, Ayton, Crowder, Kings, Reaves
In the wake of the NBA’s announcement that Suns owner Robert Sarver would be suspended for one year and fined $10MM following an investigation into his workplace conduct, the team issued a series of statements this afternoon, including one attributed to Sarver, as Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports relays (via Twitter).
“While I disagree with some of the particulars of the NBA’s report, I would like to apologize for my words and actions that offended our employees,” Sarver said. “I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain, and these errors in judgment are not consistent with my personal philosophy or my values.
“I accept the consequences of the NBA’s decision. This moment is an opportunity for me to demonstrate a capacity to learn and grow as we continue to build a working culture where every employee feels comfortable and valued.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Within the second part of his Q&A with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscription required), Suns general manager James Jones said that the team is on the same page as center Deandre Ayton (“the contract stuff is behind us”) and forward Jae Crowder. Crowder posted a cryptic tweet earlier in the offseason in which he stated it was “time for a change,” but Jones dismissed that as “noise” and said the Suns and Crowder are “good.”
- It has been over a month since Quinn Cook agreed to sign with the Kings and nearly two months since the team reached an agreement with KZ Okpala, and neither deal is official yet. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), both Cook and Okpala are still expected to be in camp with the team, but roster situations are fluid at this time of year, Anderson notes, so it’s possible that could change.
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves spoke to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) about his path to the NBA, playing with LeBron James, and his willingness to play whatever role the team asks of him in 2022/23.
Agent Says Joe Harris Is “100 Percent” After Ankle Surgeries
Nets swingman Joe Harris is fully recovered after undergoing two surgeries on his left ankle and will be ready for the start of training camp, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Bartelstein confirmed that Harris has been medically cleared for 5-on-5 play.
“He’s doing great. He’s great,” Bartelstein said. “He’s 100 percent. He’s in a great place.”
Harris was limited to 14 games last season after injuring the ankle in mid-November. His first surgery was to remove a bone particle in the ankle, and he was projected to return within four to eight weeks. Brooklyn announced in March that he would need ligament reconstruction surgery and would miss the rest of the season.
The Nets’ three-point shooting suffered without Harris, who led the NBA in that category during the 2020/21 season by hitting 47.5% from beyond the arc. Lewis notes that Brooklyn had an effective field-goal percentage of .563 during the brief time that Harris played last season, but that number fell to .537 without him.
Harris is one of five Nets who will be coming off surgery when training camp opens, along with Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner.
There was a report in July that Brooklyn wanted to unload Harris’ contract, which pays him $38.6MM over the next two seasons, in trade talks with the Lakers involving Kyrie Irving. However, Lewis hears that the team had always planned to keep him.
“I know he’s someone they value at the highest level,” Bartelstein said. “There’s no question about that.”
Sixers Sign Montrezl Harrell To Two-Year Deal
SEPTEMBER 13: Harrell’s contract is official, the Sixers announced in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 6: Free agent big man Montrezl Harrell has agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the second year will be a player option.
While Wojnarowski doesn’t specify the terms of the agreement, Philadelphia has already used its full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, respectively, and doesn’t have a ton of breathing room below the hard cap. As such, it seems safe to assume Harrell’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum.
A minimum-salary contract would pay Harrell $2,463,490 in 2022/23, with a $2,760,026 player option for ’23/24.
Harrell’s deal with the Sixers comes less than a week after word broke that the felony drug trafficking charge he had faced in Kentucky was reduced to a misdemeanor possession charge. If the 28-year-old remains in good legal standing for the next 12 months, the misdemeanor charge will be removed from his record.
Harrell was initially charged after police found three pounds of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop in Richmond, Ky. His legal situation appeared to affect his free agent market, as it took more than two months for him to find a new NBA home after he spent last season in Washington and Charlotte.
A seven-year veteran, Harrell appeared in 71 total games for the Wizards and Hornets in 2021/22, averaging 13.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG on 64.5% shooting in 23.1 minutes per contest. He’s just two years removed from winning a Sixth Man of the Year award with the Clippers in 2020.
Harrell will provide the 76ers with some reliable depth at the five behind perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who has battled a series of injuries over the course of his career. Veterans like Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond, and DeAndre Jordan had filled that role within the last couple seasons, but none are still under contract with the team, leaving youngsters Paul Reed and Charles Bassey as the top candidates to back up Embiid.
With Harrell under contract, it’s no longer a lock that both Reed and Bassey will make the 15-man regular season roster. Assuming Harrell’s contract is fully guaranteed, Philadelphia will have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Trevelin Queen, Isaiah Joe, Reed, and Bassey on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts. The team will have to trade or release at least two players before opening night.
Following the signing of Harrell, the Sixers will be just $766K below the hard cap, but they should get some extra relief if and when they waive players who don’t have guaranteed salaries, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/13/2022
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today.
Click here to read the transcript, and join us on Saturday at noon CT for our next live chat, with Dana Gauruder.
Suns’ Robert Sarver Fined $10MM, Suspended One Year
The NBA has concluded its investigation into the alleged workplace misconduct of Suns owner Robert Sarver and has announced in a press release that Sarver has been suspended for one year and fined $10MM for engaging in behavior that “clearly violated common workplace standards.”
According to the NBA, the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – which led the independent investigation – interviewed 320 individuals, including current and former Suns employees, and examined more than 80,000 documents.
The firm found that Sarver had used racially insensitive language in the workplace, including using the N-word when recounting other people’s statements on at least five occasions.
The investigation also confirmed that the Suns’ owner engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees, made “many” sex-related comments in the workplace – including inappropriate comments about female employees’ physical appearances – and treated team employees in a “demeaning and harsh” manner.
The investigation into Sarver’s behavior began last November following the publication of an ESPN report, which contended that the Suns owner used racially inappropriate language and engaged in inappropriate and misogynistic behavior, creating a toxic workplace. The full report from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz directly addresses many of the specific allegations made in that ESPN article.
The $10MM fine that Sarver faces is the maximum allowed by the NBA’s constitution and by-laws. That money will be donated to organizations committed to addressing race- and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace, according to the league.
During his one-year suspension – which also applies to his involvement with his WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury – Sarver won’t be permitted to attend any NBA or WNBA games. He also can’t be present at team facilities or be involved in any way with his franchises’ business or basketball operations. Additionally, he’ll be required to completed a training program related to appropriate workplace conduct.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Sarver’s ban from the Suns’ business and basketball operations comes at a time when the team is facing some key contract decisions and has crossed the luxury tax line for the first time in over a decade.
While it’s a severe punishment for Sarver, there’s no indication that he’ll be required to sell the franchise, as former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was in 2014 when recordings surfaced of him making racist comments. Within today’s press release, the NBA stated that investigators “made no finding that Sarver’s workplace misconduct was motivated by racial or gender-based animus.”
Although the NBA said Sarver “cooperated fully” with the investigation, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes (Twitter link) that he was “unaccepting” of the idea that he deserved to be suspended for one year and fined $10MM. “The punitive part of the process became largely acrimonious,” Woj writes.