Gary Harris Signs Two-Year Extension With Magic
7:59pm: The Magic have officially issued a press release announcing that the team’s contract extension with Harris is done (Twitter link).
7:53pm: Veteran Magic shooting guard Gary Harris will return to Orlando, per Jeff Zillgit of USA Today Sports (via Twitter). Agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) that the two sides have agreed to a two-season, $26MM contract extension.
The 27-year-old spent his first 6.5 NBA seasons in Denver after the Nuggets traded for his draft rights in 2014. Harris quickly became a valuable two-way starter with the Nuggets beginning in the 2015/16 season. His availability began to be hampered by injury issues towards the end of his Denver tenure. The 6’4″ wing holds career averages of 11.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 SPG, plus shooting splits of .448/.363/.812.
Denver eventually included Harris in its 2021 trade for forward Aaron Gordon. During his first full season with a lottery-bound 22-60 Magic club in 2021/22, Harris proved to be a solid veteran presence on both sides of the ball, averaging 11.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG, plus a .434/.384/.874 slash line.
Because the calendar has yet to roll over to July 1, the NBA technically remains in the 2021/22 season. Thus, Harris was still extension-eligible today and won’t actually become a free agent. He’ll also remain trade-eligible after signing the extension, since it doesn’t exceed the CBA’s extend-and-trade limits.
Harris had previously been signed to a four-year, $84MM extension deal while with the Nuggets.
Clippers Re-Sign Amir Coffey To Three-Year Contract
JULY 6: The Clippers have officially re-signed Coffey, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
JUNE 30: The Clippers will re-sign 25-year-old restricted free agent shooting guard Amir Coffey to a three-year, $11MM contract, agents Bill Duffy and Marlon Harrison have revealed to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
After going undrafted out of Minnesota in 2019, Coffey joined L.A. on a two-way contract. He played sparingly at the NBA level during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, averaging 3.2 PPG across 62 total contests.
Coffey initially returned to the Clippers on a two-way deal in 2021. In five games with the Clippers’ NBAGL club, the Agua Caliente Clippers, Coffey averaged 19.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.2 SPG. He was ultimately promoted to the club’s 15-man roster in March.
In 69 games with Los Angeles during the 2021/22 season, including 30 starts, Coffey averaged 9.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.6 SPG in 22.7 MPG. He posted shooting splits of .453/.378/.863. Presumably, the 25-year-old’s minutes and touches may be reduced with the full-time returns of All-Star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George next season.
Los Angeles has been making sure it re-signs several key role players already during free agency, anticipating a deep postseason run in 2022/23. The team will reportedly extend center Ivica Zubac on a three-year, $33MM deal, and also is set to bring back forward Nicolas Batum on a two-season, $22MM agreement.
JaVale McGee Joins Mavericks On Three-Year Contract
JULY 9: McGee’s contract is official, the Mavericks confirmed (via Twitter).
JUNE 30: The Mavericks have been adding some size this offseason. After trading for big man Christian Wood earlier this month, Dallas is set to sign journeyman veteran center JaVale McGee to a three-year contract, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets that the deal is a three-year, $20.1MM agreement, and the final season is a player option.
That figure suggests the Mavs are using their full taxpayer mid-level exception on McGee, but Marc Stein tweets that the team intends to preserve some of that MLE to sign second-round pick Jaden Hardy to a three-year contract. If that’s the case, McGee’s three-year deal will be worth about $17.2MM, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.
McGee expects to start at the five for Dallas, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). MacMahon adds that this signing will reunite McGee with former Lakers comrades Jason Kidd, now the Mavericks’ head coach, and Dallas assistant coach Jared Dudley. Kidd served as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel and Dudley was a reserve on a title-winning 2020 Los Angeles team along with McGee.
The seven-footer, a three-time NBA champion, raved about his on-court fit with Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic. “I saw some opportunities out there where I was like, ‘Oh yeah, if they had a rolling big, they could dominate in a different aspect,'” McGee said.
After being selected with the No. 18 pick by the Wizards out of Nevada in 2008, the seven-footer flashed plenty of promise with Washington as a hyper-athletic, rim-rolling center, but was ultimately dealt to the Nuggets in 2012. He was re-signed to a pricey extension in Denver, only to be dealt again, this time to the Sixers, in 2015.
McGee then enjoyed an initial one-year stint with Dallas during the 2015/16 season. He only really blossomed as one of the best low-usage centers in the league after signing with the Warriors in 2017, winning two titles with a star-studded Golden State franchise. McGee then joined the Lakers in 2018, eventually winning his third championship in 2020. The Lakers sent him to the Cavaliers during the following offseason, before he was dealt to the Nuggets and once again became a valuable reserve on a playoff contender. He spent last-season with yet another starry postseason club, the 64-win Suns, on a one-year, $5MM deal.
In 74 games with Phoenix, McGee averaged 9.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 1.1 BPG across just 15.8 MPG. The 34-year-old connected on an excellent 62.9% of his 6.2 field goals per night.
Pistons Re-Sign Marvin Bagley III To Three-Year Contract
JULY 6: Bagley’s contract is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
JUNE 30: The Pistons have agreed to bring back restricted free agent power forward Marvin Bagley III on a three-year, $37MM contract, writes Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
After being selected by the Kings with the second pick in the 2018 draft over multiple future All-Stars, Bagley struggled through erratic playing time and a variety of injuries with Sacramento, but produced on offense when given some leeway by the team. He holds career averages of 13.6 PPG, on 50.1% shooting, and 7.4 RPG.
Bagley was traded to the Pistons in a four-team deal this February. In 18 games with Detroit, Bagley averaged 14.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.7 SPG across 27.2 MPG. The 6’11” big man, still just 23, has yet to become a plus defender, but has value as a scorer on a rebuilding young Pistons team.
Detroit has already enjoyed a busy 2022 offseason. In this year’s NBA draft lottery, the club selected guard Jaden Ivey and center Jalen Duren. The team also traded for veteran shooting guard Alec Burks and reserve center Nerlens Noel from the Knicks. These new additions will join Bagley, 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, an All-Rookie First Team selection, promising young center Isaiah Stewart, and former lottery pick Killian Hayes as the Pistons continue to look toward the future.
Clippers Re-Sign Nicolas Batum To Two-Year Contract
JULY 6: The Clippers have officially re-signed Batum, the team announced today in a press release.
“Nico is a selfless vet and a winning player whose intelligence, versatility and skill have lifted our team for the past two years,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “We wanted to keep building with him and are honored he wanted the same.”
JUNE 30: Veteran Clippers forward Nicolas Batum has agreed to return to Los Angeles on a two-season, $22MM contract, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
After being selected with the No. 25 pick in 2008, Batum first established himself as a switchable, reliable 3-and-D wing with the Trail Blazers. After becoming a full-time starter on multiple Portland playoff teams, Batum was eventually traded to the Hornets in 2015.
Following a lackluster run with the Hornets on a lucrative five-year, $120MM deal, Batum was waived by Charlotte ahead of the 2020/21 season, which would have been the final year on his deal. Batum joined the Clippers on a minimum contract in 2020, and promptly rebuilt his NBA value as a solid forward on both ends of the floor, capable of playing either small or power forward.
During the 2021/22 season, Batum averaged 8.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.7 BPG for the Clippers across 59 games, including 54 starts. He posted a shooting line of .463/.400/.658. Batum declined a $3.3MM player option with L.A. ahead of the start of free agency today.
Los Angeles is gearing up for an anticipated deep playoff run, with All-Star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both projected to be healthy during the 2022/23 season. In addition to bringing back 33-year-old Batum, the Clippers also are set to add 31-year-old former five-time All-Star John Wall to a team-friendly contract as they shore up veteran depth.
The Clippers are re-signing Batum using the Early Bird exception, which requires the deal to be for at least two years, with no options.
Path To Buyout Materializing For Rockets’ John Wall
The Rockets may soon have a route for buying out pricey point guard John Wall, Marc Stein writes in his newest Substack report.
Wall picked up his $47.4MM player option for the 2022/23 season last week and the expectation is that the Rockets will once again peruse the trade market in search of a new home for the veteran.
Assuming Houston can’t find a taker for the final year of Wall’s lucrative maximum contract, Stein indicates that there are “serious murmurs” the team and the 6’3″ guard could reach a buyout agreement. How much of his contract Wall is willing to give up in buyout talks could be a sticking point, but according to Stein, a pathway to a buyout appears to be “at last materializing.”
Stein notes that the 31-year-old Wall, a former five-time All-Star with the Wizards, has played in just 72 regular season contests since the 2017/2018 NBA season.
The rebuilding Rockets opted to not play a nominally-healthy Wall as a reserve behind its young starting backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., for a single minute during the 2021/22 season, as the two sides agreed to have him remain away from the team.
As Stein writes, the Clippers and Heat have been floated as possible Wall destinations for a while and presumably would still have interest if he reaches the open market. In a new wrinkle, Stein also reports that another star-studded club, the Lakers, would consider adding Wall if he’s bought out.
Texas Notes: Murray, Spurs, Wall, Gordon, Eason
The Spurs drafted three high-upside 19-year-olds on Thursday, with the hopes that one or more of their new prospects can help All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray reach new heights on the court — or perhaps replace him as the next face of the franchise, writes Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News.
San Antonio is hopeful that pesky ex-Baylor center Jeremy Sochan, selected with the ninth pick in the draft, sharpshooting wing Malaki Branham, and defensive-oriented guard Blake Wesley will all develop into solid contributors.
Given the fact that Murray is now an All-Star talent on a desirable below-market contract, Finger notes that the Spurs may be wary of giving the 25-year-old point guard a maximum contract extension that would pay in the neighborhood of $40MM annually. If the team decides Murray isn’t capable of being the best player on a title team, it may still look to move him for a solid haul and hope that one of the new players in this rebuild can become the team’s next All-Star.
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- The Spurs‘ front office is satisfied with its latest draft picks, per Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “We approach every draft trying to find the best available talent,” Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. “We walked away from this one feeling pretty good about what we ended up with. We had all three guys with draft grades inside of [the top] 20.” Osborn notes that the 6’8″ Sochan, a versatile defender honored as the 2022 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, was drafted with the highest pick the Spurs have used since 1997. “As you see now, teams playing smaller and guys being able to guard multiple positions, do different things on the floor,” Wright said. “We think he complements the group really well. He’s a connector, right? He connects you on both ends of the floor.”
- After the Rockets enjoyed a robust draft last week, adding three intriguing youngsters in the first round, the team is set to turn its attention to the futures of veteran guards John Wall and Eric Gordon, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Both players could be in the final season of their lucrative contracts: Wall’s deal expires in the summer of 2023, and Gordon has a non-guaranteed $20.9MM team option for the 2023/24 season. Feigen says that Gordon’s defensive skills may make him a solid trade target for contenders, but cautions that teams may temper their trade package offers given that Houston will be hoping to offload him for whatever offer they can finagle.
- Though new Rockets forward Tari Eason, selected with the No. 17 pick out of LSU, did not even start in college, he is confident he can excel in Houston, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. A speedy, defensively-oriented 6’8″ forward with a 7’2″ wingspan, Eason noted that his emergence as something of a late-blooming prospect helped fuel him. “I’ve always had a pretty good defensive mindset just from my competitive nature from high school, even before then,” Eason said. “I wasn’t heavily recruited so I always carried that chip on my shoulder and that real edge that has helped me carry through.” Eason was not without some pedigree by the time he finished his NCAA tenure: he was voted the 2022 SEC Sixth Man of the Year and made the 2022 All-SEC First Team.
Nuggets Notes: Braun, Free Agency, Booth, Campazzo
The Nuggets opted to draft champion Kansas shooting guard Christian Braun with the No. 21 selection due to his cumulative abilities, writes Mike Singer of the Denver Post.
“I comment to myself, ‘Man, that was a nice play, but what is he?’” Denver general manager Calvin Booth said of assessing Braun’s fit at the next level. The 6’7″ swingman, who played both forward spots with the Jayhawks, projects as a helpful contributor on both sides of the ball.
In an interesting wrinkle, Singer notes that Booth was concerned Braun might be selected by former Denver front office executives Arturas Karnisovas, selecting for the Bulls at No. 18, or Tim Connelly, who was slated to pick at No. 19 for the Timberwolves before trading down.
“CB playing with (Nikola) Jokic, what a good cutter CB is,” Braun’s college head coach Bill Self said. “You stop and think about, I don’t know if CB could play with a better big man than that dude because he’s such a good cutter and mover without the ball, and (Jokic is) such a great passer.”
During his final collegiate season, Braun was a key member of the team’s 2022 title-winning squad, being named to the NCAA All-Region Team and the All-Big 12 Second Team. Across 40 games, including 39 starts, he averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 34.4 MPG. He posted solid shooting marks of .495/.386/.733.
There’s more out of Denver:
- Booth indicated following the 2022 draft that while Denver is excited about its three draft picks (Braun, Peyton Watson and Ismael Kamagate), the team has more work to do this offseason. The Nuggets intend to sign quality defenders in free agency to bolster the roster on that end of the floor, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).
- When it comes to making additions to the club in free agency this week, Booth has been given the green light by Nuggets ownership to use the club’s taxpayer mid-level exception, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). That exception currently projects to be worth $6.4MM this summer.
- Nuggets second-year reserve point guard Facundo Campazzo has indicated that he is open to moving on from the NBA as he enters free agency this summer, according to an interview with Pablo Brunetto of TN Sports (h/t to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops). That said, the 5’10” vet seems likely to take stock of his stateside options first. “Personally, it would be naive to be obsessed with staying in the NBA,” Campazzo said. “Maybe I don’t get any offers. (Former team) Real Madrid has always been like a second home for me, but I must wait. That is my only choice right now.” During the 2021/22 season, the 31-year-old averaged 5.1 PPG on 36.1% field goal shooting, plus 3.4 APG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 65 contests.
Pacers Acquire No. 48 Pick Kendall Brown From Timberwolves
JUNE 24: The trade is official, according to the Pacers, who say they’ve acquired Brown’s draft rights from the Timberwolves in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and cash (Twitter link).
The pick is expected to be the least favorable of the Pacers’, Heat’s, and Spurs’ 2026 second-rounders.
JUNE 23: The Timberwolves are sending out the No. 48 pick, Baylor swingman Kendall Brown, to the Pacers, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Brown was a Big 12 All-Freshman Team honoree during his single season for the Bears. The 19-year-old averaged 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 SPG across 34 contests, all starts, during the 2021/22 NCAA season. The athletic 6’8″ guard/forward posted shooting splits of .584/.341/.689.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets that Indiana will be sending the Timberwolves a future second-round selection in exchange for Brown.
Minnesota has been proactive when it comes to dealmaking during this draft. First, the club sent the No. 19 selection in tonight’s draft to the Grizzlies in exchange for the Nos. 22 and 29 picks. The Wolves then sent that No. 29 pick, plus two future second-round selections, to the Rockets for the No. 26 pick, Duke’s Wendell Moore.
Earlier in the second round, the team acquired the draft rights to Memphis wing Josh Minott and a 2023 second-round pick from Charlotte.
Grizzlies To Sign Kenneth Lofton Jr. On Two-Way Deal
The Grizzlies are set to add undrafted Louisiana Tech rookie power forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. on a two-way deal, One Legacy Sports agent Mike George informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Lofton played for two seasons with the Bulldogs. During his 2021/22 sophomore tenure, he averaged 16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.7 BPG across 33 games, all starts. He connected on 53.9% of his field goal looks and 67.2% of his 5.5 charity stripe takes.
The 6’7″ forward was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year of the 2020/21 season. He was a Third-Team All-Conference USA selection in 2021 and First-Team All-Conference USA honoree in 2022. Lofton also won a gold medal for Team USA in the 2020 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He averaged 13.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG in the tournament.
Memphis has had a busy draft night. The Grizzlies traded for the right to select Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia with the No. 19 pick, and subsequently dealt guard De’Anthony Melton to the Sixers for the draft rights to Colorado State wing David Roddy with the No. 23 pick. In the second round, the Grizzlies selected Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler at No. 38, who had been projected to be a first-round pick, and VCU forward Vince Williams with the No. 48 pick.