Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Raptors, Celtics, Sumner
The Knicks are hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2021/22 NBA season, with a $104MM new lead guard on the roster in Jalen Brunson. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News assesses the club’s roster, projecting starters and the likely first names off the bench.
Bondy also notes that, in terms of potential future deals, 2019 lottery pick Cam Reddish, acquired in a midseason trade with the Hawks, seems to want to move on. “It’s clear Cam has no place there,” a source close to the 6’8″ small forward told the Daily News. Bondy writes that the big question mark in the team’s starting lineup is at the shooting guard position, where the battle for suiting up as Brunson’s new backcourt mate looks to be between Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Following a return to the playoffs in 2021/22, the Raptors will be looking to build off their 48-34 season. Eric Koreen of The Athletic identifies paths to improvement for Toronto, including All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam‘s pull-up three-pointers, second-year forward Scottie Barnes‘s defense on the wing, and swingman OG Anunoby‘s scoring in isolation.
- The Celtics returned to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years last season. Jared Weiss of The Athletic examines ways in which head coach Ime Udoka could look to preserve the health of injury-prone starting center Robert Williams and 36-year-old starting power forward Al Horford, including giving more minutes to reserve Luke Kornet.
- New Nets wing Edmond Sumner has cleared an injury recovery hurdle, he announced in a tweet. The nature of the step Sumner took was not clarified. “Hit a big milestone today!” Sumner wrote in part. “Been patiently waiting to get up and down. Been grinding and trusting this process not rushing it.” Sumner signed with Brooklyn on a veteran’s minimum deal this offseason, after missing all of 2021/22 with a torn left Achilles tendon.
Mavericks Sign Maxi Kleber To Three-Year Extension
7:41pm: The Mavericks have officially announced Kleber’s extension (via Twitter).
10:43am: Kleber’s extension will be fully guaranteed, sources tell Charania (Twitter link).
9:04am: The Mavericks are finalizing a three-year extension with forward Maxi Kleber, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Kleber’s new contract will be worth $33MM.
Kleber is set to earn $9MM in 2022/23, the final season of the four-year, $34MM deal he signed with Dallas during the 2019 free agent period. His new agreement with the team, which will bump his average annual salary to $11MM, will extend his contract through the 2025/26 season.
An undrafted free agent from Germany, Kleber has spent the last five seasons with the Mavericks. He has appeared in 326 regular season games during that time, starting 136 of them and averaging 7.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .446/.359/.796 shooting in 22.7 minutes per contest.
Kleber, 30, saw his shooting percentages drop off noticeably in 2021/22, as he made just 39.8% of his shots from the floor, including 32.5% of his threes. However, Dallas’ new financial commitment to him suggests the team is confident he’ll bounce back in ’22/23.
With Spencer Dinwiddie‘s and Reggie Bullock‘s salaries for 2023/24 not yet fully guaranteed, there might have been a path for the Mavs to create some cap flexibility next summer. However, their deal with Kleber signals they’re fully preparing to operate over the cap again, even with Christian Wood and Dwight Powell still on expiring deals.
Kleber will become one of three Dallas players under contract through at least ’25/26, joining Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith, who holds a player option for that year.
Because Kleber’s extension will exceed the NBA’s extend-and-trade limits, he’ll be ineligible to be dealt for six months after his signing date. Even if the two sides finalize the agreement shortly, that six-month window will extend into March, well past the 2023 trade deadline, so Dallas won’t be able to move him until next offseason.
Kleber is set to become the 10th player to sign a veteran contract extension so far this offseason, as our tracker shows.
DJ Steward Signs With Kings
The Kings have brought back free agent guard DJ Steward, signing him to a new contract, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.
Last year, Steward also joined Sacramento on a training camp deal, but he was waived by the club ahead of opening night. The 6’2″ guard, who went undrafted out of Duke in 2021, ultimately joined Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate, the Stockton Kings.
Over the course of 30 regular season games (21 starts) with Stockton, he averaged 14.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3.4 APG. The 20-year-old posted shooting splits of .463/.331/.884 while in the G League last season.
Sacramento currently has 12 players inked to guaranteed spots on its 15-man standard roster. Three others are signed to non-guaranteed deals, and the team has reportedly reached agreements with KZ Okpala, Quinn Cook, and Kent Bazemore. Shooting guard Keon Ellis and center Neemias Queta occupy the club’s two-way player slots.
According to Anderson, it’s not clear if Steward will join the Kings for training camp or if his new deal is just an Exhibit 10 contract designed to get him a bonus if and when he returns to Stockton. Given all of Sacramento’s other reported signings, the latter scenario seems more likely.
Jerome Robinson Joins Warriors On Training Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 8: The Warriors have officially announced the deal in a press release (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.
AUGUST 31: Free agent guard Jerome Robinson will sign a training camp contract with the Warriors, according to a tweet from ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Robinson, 25, last played in the NBA with the Wizards during the 2020/21 season, but he only got into 17 games and saw limited playing time. Washington decided not to pick up Robinson’s fourth-year option, which would have paid him $5.34MM, and he was waived just before the end of the regular season.
Robinson was a lottery pick in 2018, having been drafted by the Clippers with the 13th selection. He was never able to carve out a role in L.A. and was sent to the Wizards in a three-team deal at the 2020 trade deadline.
He spent last season with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, so he already has a connection to the organization. He appeared in 22 games for Santa Cruz and averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night.
Golden State has 13 guaranteed contracts and may carry just 14 players into the regular season due to luxury tax concerns. That 14th spot will likely be reserved for Andre Iguodala, but if Iguodala retires or if the Warriors decide to carry a 15th man, there would be one available roster spot that Robinson can fight for.
California Notes: Kings, Robinson, Warriors, Lakers
While Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is clearly locked in as the team’s starter at that position, the identity of his backcourt cohort is a bit up in the air. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes stock of the team’s options at shooting guard.
Ham identifies 6’7″ sharpshooter Kevin Huerter, acquired in a trade with the Hawks over the summer, as the option that makes the most sense fit-wise, but notes that free agent signing Malik Monk could get significant consideration as well. Inconsistent wing Terence Davis should get some run in the rotation, while Ham also examines the upside of young swingmen Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis.
There’s more out of California:
- Shooting guard Jerome Robinson faces an uphill battle when it comes to making the Warriors‘ regular season roster. C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle details how the 25-year-old will need to prove his mettle in training camp. In his 2021/22 campaign with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, the former lottery pick recorded averages of 20.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.8 APG in 22 games. Holmes writes that the team may be prioritizing a point guard or more size with the final one or two spots on its standard 15-man roster.
- The Warriors seem fully capable of mounting a solid title defense this season, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan opines in a fresh season preview. Gozlan posits that Golden State’s excellent two-way play and deep roster of veterans, mixed with some intriguing youth, should make the team a formidable threat in the Western Conference.,
- On a recent episode of his podcast The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that the Lakers were never involved in three-team trade talks between the Jazz and Knicks in a potential trade to send Donovan Mitchell to New York. The three-time All-Star was eventually dealt to the Cavaliers instead in a two-team deal. Windhorst adds that the Lakers appear to think that there is no deal for $47MM+ point guard Russell Westbrook, even with their tantalizing 2027 and 2029 first-round picks included, that will significantly upgrade their roster.
Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Offseason Moves, Coaching Changes
What are the Cavaliers getting in newly-acquired star Donovan Mitchell? Cavs beat writer Kelsey Russo recently spoke to Jazz beat writer Tony Jones about that topic in an article for The Athletic.
Jones expects Mitchell’s efficiency to improve playing alongside a talented core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and he believes his off-court fit will be seamless. Mitchell is an excellent three-level scorer and strong ball-handler who is able to manipulate defenses at a high level, Jones writes.
According to Jones, having less of an offensive burden should help Mitchell on the defensive end, where he’s been a net negative and “needs to get better and more competitive.” Jones also states that Mitchell has been working hard this offseason to get in better shape, which played a factor in his poor defense in the playoffs against Dallas last season.
Russo mentions the fact that Mitchell has extensive playoff experience, which Cleveland’s roster lacks. Jones notes that Mitchell’s ability to blow past defenders off the dribble is extremely valuable in the postseason, and he’s had some memorable performances against elite competition.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavs rose to No. 8 in David Aldridge of The Athletic‘s re-ranking of offseason moves that improved teams the most. According to Aldridge, the Cavaliers took a big swing, but it could create a window of contention that the team hasn’t had without LeBron James in a couple of decades.
- Sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) that the Cavs will be making a couple of changes to their coaching staff for 2022/23. Mike Gerrity, formerly a player development coach with the Cavs, will become the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, while former Charge head coach Dan Geriot is heading back to the Cavs as an assistant. The Charge confirmed that Gerrity will be their new head coach in a press release.
- In case you missed it, Fedor reported on Wednesday that Cleveland was hosting several players for free agent workouts this week, including Armoni Brooks and Kelan Martin.
Poll: Dennis Schröder’s Next Team
Veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, currently playing for the German national team in EuroBasket action, is the only unrestricted free agent left on our list of the top 50 NBA free agents of 2022.
It’s hard to believe we’re only a year-and-a-half removed from Schröder reportedly turning down an extension from the Lakers worth $80MM+. Last summer he had to settle for a one-year, $5.9MM deal with the Celtics, who eventually traded him to the Rockets in February.
In 64 games (28.7 MPG) split between Boston and Houston during the 2021/22 season, Schröder averaged 13.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 4.6 APG on .431/.344/.853 shooting — solid production. Still, when a team trades you away in the middle of an extended hot streak and goes on to make the NBA Finals, that raises some red flags.
Schröder, who turns 29 next week, remains a talented scorer and is a plus ball-handler who can set up both himself and teammates. His ability to create shots is a valuable skill. And it’s not as though he’s past his peak physically — he’s still one of the quickest players in the league.
He’s not without flaws, however, as he’s an inconsistent outside shooter whose defensive effort often fluctuates. He also skews a little on the selfish side, preferring to look for his own shot, even though he’s a good passer when he’s so inclined.
More than two months into free agency, there aren’t many teams with roster openings, so the odds of Schröder landing a deal for more than the veteran’s minimum seem remote. Having said that, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t find a team before training camps start later this month.
Things have been pretty quiet on the rumors front. Marc Stein reported that the Lakers were giving “legit consideration” to signing Schröder a couple of weeks ago, but then they traded for Patrick Beverley, making a reunion more uncertain. A couple of high-ranking Mavericks executives recently watched Schröder compete, and Stein subsequently wrote the Mavs have considered adding a veteran ball-handler, but Dallas might not want to carry a 15th roster spot right away due to the luxury tax. All the other rumors about Schröder are months old.
Even though they haven’t been linked in any way that I’m aware of, the Hornets might make the most sense as a potential match. They only have 13 players on guaranteed deals and don’t have a backup point guard behind LaMelo Ball at the moment.
The Suns and Hawks could also be a fit. Both teams only have 13 players on guaranteed deals. Phoenix has Chris Paul and Cameron Payne at the point, but Paul is one of the oldest players in the league and Payne is coming off a down season. Schröder spent his first five seasons with the Hawks, but they already have Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and Aaron Holiday, so minutes might be harder to come by there.
With training camps less than three weeks away, we should learn pretty soon where Schröder will be headed — assuming he finds a team. In the meantime, we want to know what you think. Which team will sign Schröder in the coming weeks?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your two cents!
Jazz Trade Donovan Mitchell To Cavaliers
SEPTEMBER 8: The Jazz officially confirmed the trade of Mitchell in a press release. “Our entire organization wishes him every success in his future,” team owner Ryan Smith said in the release. “Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman.”
SEPTEMBER 3: The Mitchell trade is now official, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell presented us with an incredible opportunity to bring one of the NBA’s most dynamic young All-Stars to Cleveland,” general manager Koby Altman said in the press release announcing the move. “Already a special and proven talent at just 25 years old, Donovan brings a competitive mentality that organically fits with the core group of this team.”
SEPTEMBER 1: The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with the Jazz and will acquire star guard Donovan Mitchell, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Cleveland is sending three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps to Utah as part of the deal. Lauri Markkanen, first-round pick Ochai Agbaji, and Collin Sexton are also headed to the Jazz in the blockbuster trade, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Sexton is a restricted free agent, so he’ll need to be signed-and-traded as part of the agreement. His new deal with the Jazz will be worth $72MM over four years and will be fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
The three first-round picks going to Utah will be in 2025, 2027, and 2029, since Cleveland already owes its lottery-protected 2023 first-rounder to Indiana, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The Jazz will have the ability to swap first-rounders with the Cavs in 2026 and 2028, tweets Wojnarowski.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 first identified the Cavaliers last week as a team with interest in Mitchell, and Ian Begley of SNY.tv subsequently reported that Cleveland had “touched base” with Utah about the three-time All-Star guard.
Still, today’s news comes as a major surprise. Begley reported last Friday that the Cavs were removing themselves from the Mitchell negotiations, while Brian Windhorst of ESPN said Cleveland had made it clear to the Jazz in their earlier discussions that Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen weren’t on the table. That seemingly made it difficult for the Cavs to meet Utah’s asking price.
However, the Cavs’ package will include most of the other noteworthy assets at their disposal, including all their tradable first-round picks, this year’s No. 14 overall selection (Agbaji), and Sexton, who is just one year removed from averaging 24.3 PPG and 4.4 APG on .475/.371/.815 shooting in 60 games (35.3 MPG).
As good as Sexton was in 2020/21, Mitchell represents an upgrade at the shooting guard position in Cleveland. In his last two seasons, he has averaged 26.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in 120 appearances (33.6 MPG), with a shooting line of .444/.368/.849 shooting line. He’ll earn a $1.68MM trade bonus as part of the deal, Marks notes (via Twitter).
With a core of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Allen, the Cavs will be led by a pair of star duos — an offensively-minded pairing in the backcourt and a rim-protecting duo in the frontcourt.
All of those cornerstone players will be under contract for at least the next three years. Garland signed a new five-year extension this offseason, Mobley’s rookie contract runs through 2025, Allen is in the second year of a five-year contract, and Mitchell is locked up through at least the 2024/25 season (he has a player option for ’25/26).
With their three-for-one trade, the Cavs no longer have to worry about a logjam on their 15-man roster and should, in fact, have one open spot to fill. Once the deal is official, they’ll have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade on non-guaranteed deals. They’ll also create a $3.9MM trade exception in the swap and remain $2.47MM below the tax line, according to Marks (Twitter link).
The Knicks had long been viewed as the frontrunners for Mitchell, but they were never willing to offer more than two unprotected first-round picks (in addition to other protected first-rounders), per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Unprotected first-round picks and swaps had been the trade chips that Danny Ainge and the Jazz coveted most, as was the case when they acquired a similar return in exchange for Rudy Gobert earlier this summer.
The Knicks and Jazz reportedly reached an impasse earlier this week when the Knicks set an informal Monday night deadline to either agree to a Mitchell trade or extend RJ Barrett, who was being discussed as a possible centerpiece in several permutations of a Mitchell deal. New York ultimately decided to sign Barrett to an extension, which complicated salary matching in a potential trade due to the poison pill provision and brought those trade talks to a temporary halt.
While there was an expectation that the Knicks and Jazz would reengage in the coming weeks, their stalemate opened the door for Cavs general manager Koby Altman to circle back to Utah general manager Justin Zanik, according to Wojnarowski, who says (via Twitter) the two teams “reassembled” a deal they’d been discussing in previous weeks.
The Jazz are now in full rebuilding mode, having traded their two All-Stars in the two most significant deals of the NBA offseason. Taking into account the trades for Mitchell, Gobert, and Royce O’Neale, Utah has acquired eight future first-rounders this summer, and all but one of those picks is unprotected (the eighth is top-five protected). The Jazz also acquired three pick swaps and a pair of players who were drafted in the first round this June (Agbaji and Walker Kessler).
While the Jazz appear to be in teardown mode, their four-year investment in Sexton suggests he’s a major part of their long-term plans. Fischer had reported back in July that Utah was exploring a possible sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old, so he has been on the club’s radar for some time.
Sexton is coming off a lost season due to a torn meniscus, but should be fully healthy this fall and has shown in his first four NBA seasons that he’s capable of becoming one of the league’s highest-scoring guards. Utah also views Markkanen and Agbaji as keepers going forward, tweets Wojnarowski.
Once the trade is official, the Jazz will have 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so more roster moves – either cuts, trades, or both – will be coming before opening night. Veterans like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Malik Beasley, and Jordan Clarkson could still be on the trade block.
While it shouldn’t have much of an impact on their roster moves, it’s also worth noting that the Jazz will face a hard cap of $156.98MM for the rest of the 2022/23 league year once they formally sign-and-trade for Sexton. For now, they’re $1.7MM below the tax line ($150.27MM), tweets Marks.
Mavericks, Knicks Eyeing Bojan Bogdanovic
The Mavericks and Knicks are among the teams with interest in Jazz veteran Bojan Bogdanovic, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link), who states that Utah is looking for draft picks and players on expiring contracts in return.
In addition to Dallas and New York, Gambadoro reports that the Lakers and Suns remain interested in the sharpshooting forward, but he notes that the Jazz might not have as much interest in Phoenix’s first-round picks because they are expected to be one of the top teams once again in 2022/23 after having the NBA’s best record last season (64-18).
The Lakers’ interest in Bogdanovic has been well-documented, and Gambadoro reported a week ago that the Suns inquired about his services as well. Bogdanovic, who is on a $19.55MM expiring contract, is a talented scorer and shooter, averaging 18.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG on .461/.403/.860 shooting over the past four seasons. He’s currently competing in EuroBasket action with the Croatian national team.
If the Jazz are looking for expiring deals, the Mavs don’t have a clean one-for-one fit for salary-matching purposes. Reaching an extension agreement with Maxi Kleber rules him out, and it’s highly unlikely that they’d consider moving Christian Wood after just acquiring him in June.
That only leaves Dwight Powell‘s $11MM expiring deal, plus former first-rounder Josh Green and Frank Ntilikina to match salaries. Green has a team option for $4.77MM in ’23/24.
The Knicks could pull it off a little easier, at least in theory, by trading Derrick Rose‘s $14.5MM pseudo-expiring contract (team option in ’23/24) plus someone like Cam Reddish, who will make $5.95MM in the final season of his rookie deal.
As Gambadoro mentioned, either package would have to include draft picks to land the highly-coveted forward.
The Jazz are in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild after trading their two best players, three-time All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, plus veterans Royce O’Neale and Patrick Beverley. They’ve targeted first-round picks and/or young players in all four deals.
Players Currently Affected By Trade Restrictions
The NBA has no shortage of rules affecting which players can and can’t be traded at any given time, which complicates our understanding of which players are truly moveable. That’s especially true leading up to the regular season, when players who recently signed free agent contracts, extensions, and rookie contracts all face different sets of trade restrictions.
In an effort to clear things up, we’re looking today at which players around the NBA are currently affected by trade restrictions of one kind or another. Let’s dive in…
Recently signed free agents
For the most part, a free agent who signed a contract in the offseason is ineligible to be traded until December 15.
Currently, our list of players who will become trade-eligible on December 15 features 78 names, including Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the most notable free agent to change teams this summer. But the list is technically even longer than that, since we haven’t included players who signed Exhibit 10 contracts. Most of those players will be waived by opening night, but if they earn spots on regular season rosters, the December 15 trade restriction would apply to them too.
It’s worth noting that Knicks big man Jericho Sims falls into this category too, despite not being a free agent this summer. A player who has his two-way deal converted to a standard contract during the offseason, like Sims did, also doesn’t become trade-eligible until December 15.
A select group of recently signed free agents won’t become trade-eligible until January 15. These 20 players all meet a specific set of criteria: Not only did they re-sign with their previous team this offseason, but they got a raise of at least 20%, their salary is worth more than the minimum, and their team was over the cap, using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign them.
A free agent who signs after September 15 won’t become trade-eligible until three months after his signing date. So, if a player signs with a team on September 29, he’d become eligible for a trade on December 29. Because the 2023 trade deadline is set to land on February 9, a free agent who signs a contract after November 9 won’t be trade-eligible this season.
The above rules apply to players who sign standard contracts, not two-way deals. A player who signs a two-way contract is ineligible to be traded for 30 days. So Malcolm Hill, who signed with the Bulls on Wednesday, will become trade-eligible on October 7. Two-way players are virtually never traded anyway though.
Recently signed draft picks
Like a player who signs a two-way contract, a draftee who signs his first NBA contract is ineligible to be traded for 30 days. Currently, this restriction only impacts Raptors second-rounder Christian Koloko, who signed on August 26 and will become trade-eligible on September 25.
The rest of this year’s draftees can currently be traded. That list includes all the players besides Koloko who have signed, since more than 30 days have passed since their officially completed their deals.
It also includes those players who remain unsigned, such as E.J. Liddell or Kendall Brown, since their draft rights can be traded until they sign their contract. Once they officially sign, they’ll become trade-ineligible for 30 days.
Players with veto ability
Wizards star Bradley Beal is the only NBA player who has a genuine no-trade clause in his contract, but several other players have the ability to veto trades this season due to various quirks of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The most notable of those players is Suns center Deandre Ayton, whose consent is required because Phoenix matched his offer sheet from the Pacers this offseason. Sixers guard James Harden also has the ability to veto a trade in 2022/23.
The rest of the list, which consists of 16 more names, is significantly less star-studded — Drew Eubanks, Nathan Knight, Theo Pinson, and Luca Vildoza are among the players who can veto trades this season, for example.
Players who have signed veteran extensions
A player who signs a rookie scale extension becomes more difficult to trade due to the “poison pill provision,” but he could theoretically be moved immediately.
That’s not necessarily the case for a player who signs a veteran contract extension. A player who signs a veteran extension that locks him up for more than three total years (including his current contract) and/or includes a raise higher than 5% become ineligible to be traded for the next six months.
With the help of our extension trackers, here are the players currently affected by that rule, along with the dates they’ll become trade-eligible:
- December 28: Ivica Zubac (Clippers)
- January 7: John Konchar (Grizzlies)
- January 9: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- January 18: Pat Connaughton (Bucks)
- January 20: Kenrich Williams (Thunder)
- February 18: LeBron James (Lakers)
- March 8: Maxi Kleber (Mavericks)
- Note: Since the trade deadline will be February 9, James and Kleber won’t be eligible to be traded until the 2023 offseason.
Five players who signed veteran extensions in recent months received new contracts that didn’t exceed three total years or include raises greater than 5%, meaning they remain eligible to be traded. Those players are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Nuggets), Robert Covington (Clippers), Thaddeus Young (Raptors), Gary Harris (Magic), and Taurean Prince (Timberwolves).
Players who have signed Designated Veteran extensions
A Designated Veteran contract is also known as a “super-max” deal — it’s a maximum-salary contract that starts at 35% of the cap instead of 30% because the player has met certain performance criteria before achieving 10 years of NBA service.
A player who signs a Designated Veteran contract or extension can’t be traded for one full year after his signing date.
Three star players have signed Designated Veteran extensions this offseason. Here are those players, along with the dates they’ll become trade-eligible:
- July 6: Devin Booker (Suns)
- July 7: Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
- July 8: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Players affected by aggregation restrictions
When a team trades for a player via salary-matching or using an exception (ie. not by absorbing the player into cap room), that team can’t “aggregate” the player in another trade for two months. Aggregating a player means combining his salary with another player’s for matching purposes.
For instance, when the Jazz acquired Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Leandro Bolmaro in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster on July 6, they were prohibited from aggregating any of those players in a second deal until at least September 6. Utah ultimately moved Beverley on August 25 and was able to do so because he was the only outgoing player in that trade.
Since most of this offseason’s trades were completed in late June or early July, this restriction is no longer affecting many players. By the end of the coming weekend, only a small handful of players will still be ineligible to be aggregated in a trade. Here are those players, along with the dates they’ll become eligible to be aggregated:
- October 25: Patrick Beverley (Lakers), Talen Horton-Tucker (Jazz), Stanley Johnson (Jazz)
- November 3: Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz), Ochai Agbaji (Jazz)
- Note: New Jazz guard Collin Sexton will still be ineligible to be traded at this point because he signed a new free agent contract.
Any player who is traded this season after December 9 (without being acquired via cap room) won’t be eligible to be flipped prior to the trade deadline in a second deal that aggregates his salary with another player’s.