Northwest Notes: Lillard, Jazz, Timberwolves Moves, Brown, Jackson, Braun, Wallace
The Jazz will have internal discussions about getting involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones.
If they make a run for him, the Jazz could put together an impressive package of expiring contracts and future first-round picks for the Trail Blazers All-Star guard, who requested a trade this weekend. He’d instantly transform a team with a suddenly formidable frontcourt and quality depth into a contender.
The downside is Lillard’s age, defensive deficiencies and gargantuan contract. Jones explores the pros and cons of a potential Jazz trade for Lillard and ultimately concludes it would be worth it, as long as they set a strict limit on what they would give up.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves, after extending Naz Reid, made a number of under-the-radar moves in free agency to help them avoid future tax issues, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. They divvied up their mid-level exception to acquire Shake Milton and Troy Brown, as well as re-signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker via his Bird rights. All of the contracts were two-year deals. Thus, their roster is almost all set for next season and the combined salaries are below the luxury tax threshold.
- After losing Bruce Brown in free agency to Indiana, the Nuggets have a huge hole to fill in their rotation. Jones explores how Denver will fill up those available minutes. Reggie Jackson, who is re-signing with the club on a two-year deal, is slated to be the backup point guard. Christian Braun will see his minutes expand, presumably as a combo guard. Denver could also add another piece via free agency to improve its depth.
- Due to trade restrictions, Cason Wallace will miss the Thunder’s three Summer League games in Salt Lake City, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes. Wallace was chosen with the No. 10 pick in a draft-night swap with the Mavericks, who also shipped forward Davis Bertans to OKC in exchange for the No. 12 pick. The trade can’t be finalized until at least Thursday, forcing Wallace to miss those games. However, he’ll be eligible to play in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Raptors’ Pascal Siakam Continues To Draw Trade Interest
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam continues to draw trade interest around the NBA, multiple sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Grange specifically mentions the Hawks as a team that remains in pursuit of the 29-year-old.
A couple days before free agency opened, Grange also identified the Hornets, Mavericks, Rockets, Pelicans and Kings as teams that had inquired on Siakam, though he cautioned that while Toronto was open to listening to offers, conversations hadn’t gotten very far.
An All-Star for the second time in 2022/23, Siakam averaged career highs in points (24.2) and assists (5.8) while chipping in 7.8 rebounds in 71 games last season. His 37.4 minutes per game led the league for the second straight season.
A two-time All-NBA member, Siakam is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $37.9MM in ’23/24. He’s eligible to sign a four-year, $192MM extension, though he’d also be eligible for a super-max extension if he isn’t traded and makes another All-NBA team next season.
Siakam previously put word out that he preferred to remain with the Raptors and likely wouldn’t re-sign with another team. A follow-up report stated that he hoped to spend his entire career with Toronto, the only NBA club he’s ever known after being selected 27th overall in the 2016 draft.
The loss of Fred VanVleet in free agency makes the Raptors less formidable, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who believes they should seriously consider dealing Siakam in order to re-balance the roster around Scottie Barnes, the ’21/22 Rookie of the Year.
Koreen would be less inclined to move OG Anunoby, but he points out that his deal is also expiring and the five-year, $160MM contract Jerami Grant is signing with Portland will likely be Anunoby’s floor next year in free agency, and it’s possible he might get a maximum-salary offer like VanVleet unexpectedly did from Houston. If the Raptors aren’t willing to pay Anunoby that much, they should consider dealing him as well, Koreen opines.
Rockets To Acquire Patty Mills, Flip Him To Thunder
JULY 2, 1:00pm: Mills will be heading to the Thunder, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City will receive unspecified draft compensation as part of the deal.
JULY 2, 8:58am: Mills’ eventual destination remains a mystery for now. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link) says his understanding is that the veteran guard won’t be headed to the Grizzlies.
According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, the Rockets traded for Mills in order to acquire an extra second-round draft pick. That’s not quite the same as saying the Nets are sending a single second-rounder to Houston as part of the deal, but that’s our working assumption for now.
JULY 1, 9:02pm: Mills won’t be staying with Houston, according to Iko, who tweets that the veteran guard will be included in an expanded version of the Brooks sign-and-trade and will be rerouted to a different team. It’s not clear at this point if that team will be the Grizzlies or another club.
JULY 1, 5:39pm: The Rockets continue to fill out their previously youth-heavy roster with more seasoned additions early in the 2023 offseason.
Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic report (Twitter link) that Houston is putting the finishing touches on a trade for sharpshooting Nets veteran combo guard Patty Mills.
It’s unclear exactly what the Rockets are sending to Brooklyn in the deal, but the Nets aren’t taking back any players, per NetsDaily (Twitter link).
The 6’1″ vet remains a reliable catch-and-shoot option even 14 years into his NBA career. Last season for a playoff-bound Brooklyn team, the 34-year-old Saint Mary’s alum averaged 6.2 PPG on .411/.366/.833 shooting splits, 1.4 APG and 1.1 RPG across 14.2 MPG, his lowest output since the 2012/13 season.
Mills was a huge bench contributor on two NBA Finals-bound Spurs clubs in 2013 and 2014, winning it all in ’14. A deal for him would mark just the latest move clearly made with an eye towards expediting Houston’s timeline.
The Rockets, a team already loaded with recent lottery picks, have also inked experienced free agents Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jock Landale during this free agency period. Houston also signed controversial former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka with an eye toward professionalizing its locker room identity.
Trade Rumors: Lillard, Harden, Brogdon, Fournier, Rockets
The Trail Blazers told rival teams that they are “open for business everywhere in the league” regarding a Damian Lillard trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (YouTube link).
Lillard, who asked for a trade on Saturday after weeks of speculation, reportedly hopes to end up in Miami, where he could be part of a title contender. However, the Heat may not be able to offer the best trade package, and Portland GM Joe Cronin intends to focus on the team’s needs rather than Lillard’s preference while negotiating a deal.
“For Portland, they’re going to go out into the marketplace and try to find the best deal they can,” Wojnarowski said, “a combination of young players, draft picks, salary cap relief, all the things you want when a star of Damian Lillard’s magnitude asks to be traded.”
Woj adds that he doesn’t expect a Lillard deal to be completed quickly and that Miami doesn’t have any advantage because Lillard wants to go there. The Blazers haven’t told Lillard whether they intend to comply with his request to join the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
There are more trade rumors to pass along:
- The Sixers‘ asking price for James Harden has been “really high,” Wojnarowski said in the same segment, noting that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tends to seek a lot in return when a star player wants to be traded. Harden picked up his $35.6MM player option this week, and reports have indicated that he wants to be dealt to the Clippers. Wojnarowski adds that it’s “not an easy trade to make” because Philadelphia has to get value in return to pair with MVP Joel Embiid and keep the team in title contention. Woj speculates that trade talks could extend beyond Summer League action.
- The Celtics aren’t trying to trade Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Brogdon was involved in an early version of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, but that fell through when the Clippers pulled out due to medical concerns about Brogdon. Himmelsbach adds that Brogdon is expected to be ready for the start of next season, even though he’s considering surgery for a right elbow injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals.
- The Knicks will continue to explore trades involving Evan Fournier, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv, but they don’t need to open any more cap flexibility to add Donte DiVincenzo after agreeing to send Obi Toppin to the Pacers. New York doesn’t seem to be actively pursuing either Lillard or Harden, according to Begley.
- David Weiner of ClutchFans.net (Twitter link) suspects the Rockets will fold multiple reported trade agreements into their sign-and-trade deal for Dillon Brooks in order to maximize their cap room. After acquiring Patty Mills and using up their remaining cap space, Weiner posits, Houston will package Josh Christopher (to the Grizzlies), Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington (to the Hawks), and Mills (destination TBD), whose combined salaries will be enough to match Brooks’ expected first-year salary (approximately $21.6MM) without requiring room.
Wizards Sign Bilal Coulibaly To Rookie Contract
The Wizards have officially signed first-round pick Bilal Coulibaly to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
Coulibaly, who wasn’t originally projected to be a lottery pick in the 2023 draft, saw his stock rise over the course of the 2022/23 season as he submitted a strong performance alongside Victor Wembanyama for Metropolitans 92 in his home country of France.
Coulibaly put up modest numbers in 27 games in the French LNB Pro A league, including 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. However, he showed intriguing upside as a shooter (.452 3PT%) and defender, and he’s still just 18 years old (19 later this month).
The Wizards ended up sending two future second-round picks to the Pacers in order to trade up to No. 7 to snag Coulibaly. That means, as our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, he’ll be in line for a first-year salary of $6.6MM and a four-year deal worth $30MM.
Pistons Sign Ausar Thompson, Jared Rhoden, Malcolm Cazalon
The Pistons have signed Ausar Thompson to his rookie scale contract, the team announced (via Twitter).
The fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, Thompson is eligible to receive $7,977,480 in his first season and can make $36,246,405 over the four-year contract, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.
Thompson, 20, was named MVP and Finals MVP last season in the Overtime Elite league. The versatile small forward averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists as the City Reapers captured the championship.
Detroit also announced the signing of guards Jared Rhoden and Malcolm Cazalon to two-way contracts (Twitter link).
Rhoden was a two-way player last season with the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, and played 14 games in the NBA. He received a two-way qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent.
Cazalon spent the past three seasons with Mega MIS in Serbia. In 25 games last season, he averaged 11.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .462/.337/.800 shooting line in 25.5 minutes per night. He’s still just 21 years old.
The Pistons still have one two-way slot open.
Darius Days Re-Signs With Rockets
The Rockets have re-signed Darius Days to another two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Houston claimed Days last October after he was waived by the Heat and inked him to a two-way contract. He spent almost the entire season with the organization’s G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, earning second team all-league honors by averaging 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 made three-pointers per game.
The 23-year-old forward also saw minimal playing time in four NBA games.
The Rockets submitted a two-way qualifying offer to Days earlier this week, which serves as another one-year contract as a two-way player with a small financial guarantee attached.
Houston has also re-signed Trevor Hudgins, its other two-way player from last season. The club still has an open two-way slot, since teams can carry up to three players on two-way deals starting in 2023/24.
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Parker, Pacers’ Coaches
The Bucks kept their core intact by re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, but it will be challenging to fill out the roster while remaining under the second tax apron, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The two new contracts bring Milwaukee’s projected spending for next season to nearly $170MM for eight players, leaving six more to be added without reaching the $182.79MM apron. Nehm points out that they can’t avoid the apron if they use their full $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception and will have to complete the roster mostly through veteran’s minimum contracts and re-signing their own players through Bird rights.
A new one-year deal with Jae Crowder will help, Nehm adds. The Bucks parted with five second-round picks to acquire the veteran forward in February, but he wasn’t a lock to return because he didn’t have the impact on defense that the team was expecting. Thanasis Antetokounmpo will likely be back, according to Nehm, but the Bucks are expected to wait until later this summer to officially sign him to retain their financial flexibility.
Nehm notes that finding a backup point guard will be a priority after losing Jevon Carter to the Bulls. He names Kendrick Nunn as a potential low-cost option, along with Cory Joseph, who is on the market after spending the last two seasons in Detroit.
Nehm suggests that Milwaukee could look for bargains with its other open roster spots. He mentions Kings shooting guard Terence Davis and Raptors point guard Dalano Banton as possibilities, as well the Lakers’ Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker if they’re willing to accept minimum offers for one year to join a title contender.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Instead of signing free agents, the Pistons used their cap room to trade for two veterans, which sets them up for big moves at the deadline and next summer, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Joe Harris at $19.9MM and Monte Morris at $9.8MM use up virtually all of Detroit’s $30MM in cap space, but they both have expiring contracts that could be valuable at the deadline in February. Sankofa notes that the same is true for Alec Burks‘ $10.5MM deal, while Bojan Bogdanovic is virtually expiring because his 2024/25 contract only carries a $2MM guarantee.
- A family matter will prevent Jabari Parker from joining the Bucks for the Las Vegas Summer League, Nehm tweets. The former No. 2 overall pick is hoping for another NBA opportunity after sitting out all of last season.
- Pacers assistant Ronald Nored will join Quin Snyder‘s staff with the Hawks, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana will move Jenny Boucek to the front of the bench and make Jim Boylen an assistant after he served as a consultant last season.
Rookie Scale Salaries For 2023 NBA First-Round Picks
With the NBA’s salary cap set at $136,021,000 for the 2023/24 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.
In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.
While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.
Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2023’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2023/24, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.
These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2023/24. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Here’s the 2023 breakdown, with the help of data from RealGM:
| Player | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | $12,160,680 | $12,768,960 | $13,376,880 | $16,868,246 | $55,174,766 |
| Brandon Miller | $10,880,400 | $11,424,600 | $11,968,800 | $15,104,626 | $49,378,426 |
| Scoot Henderson | $9,770,880 | $10,259,160 | $10,748,040 | $13,585,523 | $44,363,603 |
| Amen Thompson | $8,809,320 | $9,249,960 | $9,690,600 | $12,258,609 | $40,008,489 |
| Ausar Thompson | $7,977,480 | $8,376,000 | $8,775,000 | $11,117,925 | $36,246,405 |
| Anthony Black | $7,245,480 | $7,607,760 | $7,970,280 | $10,106,315 | $32,929,835 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | $6,614,280 | $6,945,240 | $7,275,600 | $9,240,012 | $30,075,132 |
| Jarace Walker | $6,059,520 | $6,362,520 | $6,665,520 | $8,478,541 | $27,566,101 |
| Taylor Hendricks | $5,569,920 | $5,848,680 | $6,127,080 | $7,805,900 | $25,351,580 |
| Cason Wallace | $5,291,400 | $5,555,880 | $5,820,240 | $7,420,806 | $24,088,326 |
| Jett Howard | $5,026,800 | $5,278,320 | $5,529,720 | $7,337,938 | $23,172,778 |
| Dereck Lively | $4,775,640 | $5,014,560 | $5,253,360 | $7,239,130 | $22,282,690 |
| Gradey Dick | $4,536,720 | $4,763,760 | $4,990,560 | $7,131,510 | $21,422,550 |
| Jordan Hawkins | $4,310,160 | $4,525,680 | $4,741,320 | $7,021,895 | $20,599,055 |
| Kobe Bufkin | $4,094,280 | $4,299,000 | $4,503,720 | $6,904,203 | $19,801,203 |
| Keyonte George | $3,889,800 | $4,084,200 | $4,278,960 | $6,563,925 | $18,816,885 |
| Jalen Hood-Schifino | $3,695,040 | $3,879,840 | $4,064,640 | $6,243,287 | $17,882,807 |
| Jaime Jaquez | $3,510,600 | $3,685,800 | $3,861,600 | $5,939,141 | $16,997,141 |
| Brandin Podziemski | $3,352,440 | $3,519,960 | $3,687,960 | $5,679,458 | $16,239,818 |
| Cam Whitmore | $3,218,160 | $3,379,080 | $3,539,760 | $5,458,310 | $15,595,310 |
| Noah Clowney | $3,089,520 | $3,244,080 | $3,398,640 | $5,414,034 | $15,146,274 |
| Dariq Whitehead | $2,966,040 | $3,114,240 | $3,262,560 | $5,366,911 | $14,709,751 |
| Kris Murray | $2,847,480 | $2,990,040 | $3,132,000 | $5,315,004 | $14,284,524 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | $2,733,720 | $2,870,400 | $3,007,080 | $5,259,383 | $13,870,583 |
| Marcus Sasser | $2,624,040 | $2,755,080 | $2,886,720 | $5,198,983 | $13,464,823 |
| Ben Sheppard | $2,537,160 | $2,663,880 | $2,790,720 | $5,031,668 | $13,023,428 |
| Nick Smith | $2,463,960 | $2,587,200 | $2,710,680 | $4,890,067 | $12,651,907 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | $2,448,600 | $2,571,480 | $2,693,760 | $4,862,237 | $12,576,077 |
| Julian Strawther | $2,431,080 | $2,552,520 | $2,674,200 | $4,826,931 | $12,484,731 |
| Kobe Brown | $2,413,320 | $2,533,920 | $2,654,880 | $4,792,058 | $12,394,178 |
Scotto’s Latest: Bridges, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, Blazers, Brown, DSJ
While it’s possible the Nets will get involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, Mikal Bridges is “not for sale,” league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That was the case leading up to the draft when the Trail Blazers‘ No. 3 pick was rumored to be on the trade block, and it will be the case again if Brooklyn makes a play for Lillard.
While the Nets aren’t Lillard’s preferred landing spot – he’s reportedly focused on Miami – they could put together a strong package of draft picks and quality players on team-friendly contracts, such as Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. According to Scotto, in trade negotiations involving those two forwards, Brooklyn has been unwilling to part with O’Neale for less than the equivalent of a first-round pick or Finney-Smith for the equivalent of two first-rounders.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Trail Blazers are expected to discuss Jusuf Nurkic in their Lillard trade talks, Scotto confirms. Meanwhile, even though Jerami Grant is re-signing with Portland, Scotto expects the forward to emerge as a trade candidate down the road, since he may not fit the Blazers’ post-Lillard timeline. The Pistons and Pacers were among the teams expected to have interest in Grant before word broke that he’d be re-signing with the Blazers, Scotto writes.
- Before he agreed to accept a two-year, $45MM offer from the Pacers, Bruce Brown received six offers in the neighborhood of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM), according to Scotto, who says other teams with cap room also inquired on the popular free agent guard.
- The Nets‘ one-year deal with Dennis Smith Jr. is worth $2.53MM, league sources tell Scotto. That makes it a minimum-salary contract — the veteran’s minimum this season for a player with Smith’s six years of NBA experience is $2,528,233.