Spurs Trade Graham, Second-Round Pick To Hornets; Graham Waived
3:35pm: After officially waiving three players to create additional cap room, the Hornets have completed their trade for Graham and New Orleans’ 2025 second-round pick, per a team release. They sent out cash to San Antonio and immediately waived Graham, as expected.
2:26pm: The Hornets will receive New Orleans’ 2025 second-round pick in the deal, while the Spurs receive cash, sources tell Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).
12:41pm: The Spurs are trading Devonte’ Graham and a second-round draft pick to the Hornets, one of the veteran guard’s former teams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Graham won’t be back in Charlotte for long, though. According to Wojnarowski, the Hornets plan to waive Graham, making him an unrestricted free agent. The guard’s $12.65MM is partially guaranteed for $2.85MM, so Charlotte will have to take his fully salary into its cap room but will only end up on the hook for $2.85MM.
The 6’1″ Kansas alum, 29, played sparingly with the Spurs last season, averaging just 5.0 points per game on a .352/.301/.813 shooting line. He appeared in just 23 contests, logging 13.6 minutes per night.
Graham kicked off his NBA career with the Hornets, for whom he played from 2018-21. He spent 2021/22 and part of ’22/23 with the Pelicans before being traded to San Antonio midway through that season. During his best year, 2019/20, Graham finished fifth in Most Improved Player voting, averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), this deal will give San Antonio some additional cap relief — the team now projects to have up to about $19MM in cap space.
As Gozlan notes, the Spurs could theoretically take back the mid-sized contract of a veteran wing like Harrison Barnes or Kevin Huerter to help orchestrate a three-team sign-and-trade with the Bulls and Kings to send All-Star wing DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento. San Antonio likely has something specific up its sleeve that will require a bit of extra breathing room below the cap, since Graham’s $2.85MM partial guarantee was pretty minimal.
The Hornets are reportedly waiving Davis Bertans in order to open up the cap room necessary to take on Graham’s salary.
Hornets Waive Davis Bertans
3:33pm: The Hornets have cut Bertans, the team confirmed in a press release. He’s on track to clear waivers on Monday.
1:01pm: The Hornets will waive veteran power forward Davis Bertans, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Bertans has a $16MM salary for 2024/25, but only $5.25MM of that total is guaranteed. Charlotte will be on the hook for that partial guarantee, creating more than $10MM in cap room in the move.
Ahead of Charania’s report, cap expert Yossi Gozlan had speculated (via Twitter) that Charlotte might make this move to accommodate the incoming salary of veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham in its trade with the Spurs. The Hornets are acquiring their former guard in exchange for a second-round draft pick from San Antonio. Graham is slated to be waived as well.
Bertans, 31, was dealt to the Hornets from the Thunder midway through the 2023/24 season in the Gordon Hayward trade. He saw his role expand on a lottery-bound Charlotte squad, averaging 8.8 points on a .394/.375/.889 shooting line.
A career 39.6% percent shooter on 4.7 long-range attempts a night, the 6’10” vet could have a decent market for his services as a floor-spacing stretch four. Given that this is at this point his only true skill and he’s now over 30, Bertans will probably be on the hunt for a veteran’s minimum-level deal.
Celtics Sign Baylor Scheierman To Rookie Contract
The Celtics have officially inked No. 30 draft pick Baylor Scheierman to his rookie deal, according to a team press statement.
The 6’6″ swingman enjoyed a decorated five-year collegiate career, splitting his time between South Dakota State and Creighton.
He was twice named an All-Summit League First-Teamer in 2021 and ’22 while with South Dakota State, where he finished as the Summit League Player of the Year. He blossomed at Creighton. During his two-year tenure there, he was named as an All-Big East First-Teamer and an All-American Third-Teamer in 2024.
In his fifth and final NCAA season, Scheierman posted a college-best average of 18.5 points on a .448/.381/.876 shooting line. He also notched 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 0.9 swipes a night.
Now, he’ll be hard-pressed to earn significant run with the reigning champs. Fresh off a 64-18 regular season finish and a 16-3 postseason run to their 18th title, the Celtics have enjoyed an active offseason so far, locking in their various incumbent veterans to defend their title in 2024/25.
Boston already boasts major depth along the wing, but Scheierman could have some value as a catch-and-shoot release valve for the club’s three-point-centric offense. As the final pick of the first round, his contract is expected to be worth about $12.8MM over four years.
Wizards Waive Landry Shamet
2:12pm: The Wizards have officially requested waivers on Shamet, the team confirmed in a press release. He’ll clear waivers on Monday, assuming he goes unclaimed.
1:12pm: The Wizards will cut shooting guard Landry Shamet, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
The 6’4″ vet had a $11MM non-guaranteed salary for next season. With that off the table, he’s on track to become an unrestricted free agent, assuming he clears waivers.
Shamet had initially signed a four-season, $42.5MM extension with the Suns in 2021, but only the first two years of that deal were fully guaranteed.
The well-traveled guard was an All-Rookie Teamer in 2018/19 after being selected by the Sixers with the No. 26 pick out of Wichita State.
Beyond the Sixers, Suns, and Wizards, Shamet has also suited up for the Clippers and Nets. Across 46 healthy games with the Wizards last season, he averaged 7.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 15.8 minutes per night off the bench.
As a 38.4% long-range sniper on 4.9 three-point attempts per game, Shamet should generate interest once he clears waivers. He is now one of the top veteran free agent backcourt options available on the open market.
Warriors Acquire No. 52 Pick Quinten Post From Blazers
JULY 6: The trade sending Post’s rights from Portland to Golden State in exchange for cash is now official, according to announcements from both the Trail Blazers and Warriors.
JUNE 27: The Warriors have agreed to reacquire the No. 52 pick from the Trail Blazers in exchange for cash considerations, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports and Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Twitter links).
The Warriors used the pick to select center Quinten Post out of Boston College.
As Highkin notes, Portland shipped out its No. 34 selection the Knicks for three future second-rounders, received cash from the Thunder to move down from No. 40 to 52, and have now moved off the No. 52 pick as well.
After starting the draft Wednesday with four draft selections, a rebuilding Portland club finishes with just one pick, No. 7, which it used on center Donovan Clingan. The Trail Blazers have $46.4MM in salaries committed to veteran centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.
Sending out cash to obtain the No. 52 selection will hard-cap Golden State at the NBA’s second apron for the 2024/25 season. The No. 52 pick was dealt by the Warriors to the Thunder in a trade for Lindy Waters earlier today, was sent from Oklahoma City to Portland, and has now has landed back in Golden State.
Creighton’s Trey Alexander Signs Two-Way Deal With Nuggets
JULY 3: Alexander has officially signed his two-way contract with Denver, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
JUNE 27: Creighton guard Trey Alexander has agreed to sign a two-way deal with the Nuggets, sources tell Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (via Twitter).
The 6’4″ guard was named a Big East All-Freshman with the Bluejays in 2021/22 and made the All-Big East Second Team in 2023/24. This past season, his best individually in college, the junior averaged 17.6 points per game on .446/.339/.824 shooting splits. He also chipped in 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per bout. Alexander started in all 72 games he played across his final two NCAA seasons.
Denver also agreed to a two-way deal with former Clemson center PJ Hall, a player whom the Nuggets projected as a first-round talent. The team now has just one of its three two-way slots available to be used on another free agent.
It has been an eventful day of roster activity in Denver, as word also broke that the Nuggets are on track to lock up starting point guard Jamal Murray to a four-season, $208MM+ extension once he’s eligible to sign in July.
Warriors Sign Reece Beekman To Two-Way Contract
JULY 3: Beekman’s two-way contract has been officially completed, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
JUNE 27: The Warriors are signing former Virginia point guard Reece Beekman to a two-way contract, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Last season, the 6’3″ senior posted averages of 14.3 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per night while starting all of his 34 games.
The 22-year-old was twice named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year across his past two seasons with the Cavaliers, and was a three-time ACC All-Defensive player overall. He was named to the All-ACC Second-Team in 2024 and the All-ACC Third-Team in 2023.
However, Beekman’s jump shot could use some work. For his entire collegiate career, he averaged shooting splits of .429/.319/.767. Only once did he connect on at least 35% of his three-point tries, as a junior in 2022/23. That year, Beekman shot 35.1% from long range on a fairly modest 2.4 attempts per game.
After not making a pick on day one of the draft, the Warriors added Boston College center Quinten Post at No. 52 on day two before heading to the undrafted free agent market and reaching a deal with Beekman.
Northwest Notes: Topic, Jones, Mitchell, Nori, Nuggets
Newly-drafted Thunder rookie Nikola Topic has confirmed that he will have surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). This approach had been expected prior to the draft, but that didn’t stop Oklahoma City from selecting the 6’6″ point guard with its No. 12 selection late in the lottery.
Last year with Mega MIS in ABA league play, Topic posted averages of 14.5 points on a .523/.259/.855 shooting line, along with 7.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
Whenever he does return – likely at the start of the 2024/25 season – he’ll join a loaded Thunder roster fresh off securing the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed and a 57-25 record in 2023/24. This year, Oklahoma City is no doubt hoping to build on that success. To wit, the team has already flipped underperforming young guard Josh Giddey for a two-time All-Defensive vet in his absolute prime, 30-year-old former Bulls guard Alex Caruso, as it looks to shore up its perimeter coverage.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- During their introductory presser, Thunder rookies Topic, Dillon Jones, and Ajay Mitchell seemed excited about joining such an impressive Oklahoma City squad, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Jones, a Weber State alum, is going to be a versatile fit on an exciting young Thunder team, per Lorenzi. Topic was impressed with the team’s professionalism. “As I said before, I’m really grateful for the time here, and it’s really probably the best organization I’ve been to,” Topic said. Mitchell, drafted out of Santa Barbara, is open to whatever roster role the team decides is best.
- The Pistons‘ decision to hire J.B. Bickerstaff as their next coach has guaranteed that top Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori will stay with Minnesota next season, reports The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (Twitter link). Nori has been with Minnesota under head coach Chris Finch since 2021. Nori stepped in to act as Finch’s legs after an injury forced Finch to stay static on the team’s bench during most of its run to the Western Conference Finals this spring. Not only will Nori stick around in Minnesota, he’ll likely earn a raise after going above and beyond the line of duty this postseason, reports Darren Wolfson of KSTP Sports (Twitter link).
- As they approach the start of free agency this afternoon, a lot of the Nuggets‘ roster needs hinge on whether or not they’ll be able to re-sign unrestricted shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The team’s other free agent rotation wing, journeyman vet Justin Holiday, is not expected to return to Denver, reports Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Wind notes that, after trading Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets will be in the market for a backup point guard as well as a veteran reserve center. Although the team has just re-signed backup big man DeAndre Jordan, it doesn’t appear to view him as an actual rotation piece, but more as a locker room leader.
Derrick Jones’ Free Agency Complicated By Agent Change
Fresh off a 50-32 season and a run to the NBA Finals, the Mavericks are hoping to build on their success this offseason. As Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes, Dallas agreed to ship the expiring $16.2MM contract of bench swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons in part to create the financial flexibility to re-sign starting small forward Derrick Jones, whose defensive ferocity helped the minimum-salaried vet emerge as a critical role player during the Mavericks’ Finals run.
Across 76 healthy regular season contests last year with Dallas, Jones averaged 8.6 points on .483/.343/.713 shooting, along with 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 dimes, 0.7 steals and 0.7 rejections per game. The Hardaway deal should open up the Mavs’ non-taxpayer mid-level exception for the 6’5″ wing.
However, according to the CBA, players are not officially permitted to sign a deal with a new agent for 15 days after ending their contracts with their prior representatives, Fischer notes. Because Jones ended his association with his most recent reps on June 26, that could throw a wrench in the Mavericks’ plans to retain him.
According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, Jones’ new agency, Klutch Sports, will thus be unable to negotiate on his behalf until July 11, by which time most top free agents will be off the board. This could complicate a Jones return to a Mavericks team looking to build up its roster through a series of connected moves.
Cato notes that Jones could theoretically still work out a future contract with now-terminated representative Aaron Turner of Verus Management negotiating on his behalf. Turner and Jones could also reach an agreement to disregard the standard 15-day waiting period between representatives, which would let Klutch instantly take over.
Despite the complications created by Jones’ agency change, the Mavericks remain optimistic about their chances of retaining him, tweets Marc Stein.
In addition to hoping to re-sign Jones, the Mavs are also considered a top suitor for Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson. A league source tells Monte Poole of NBC Bay Area (Twitter link) that Dallas is “chasing Thompson extremely hard.” The plan would be to acquire Thompson via sign-and-trade and re-sign Jones with the mid-level exception.
The Mavs’ thinking, according to Stein, is that if they have to trade away Josh Green as part of a sign-and-trade deal for Thompson, the club would still have plenty of wing depth, with Thompson coming aboard, Quentin Grimes being acquired in the Hardaway trade, and Jones potentially returning.
Obi Toppin Signs Four-Year Contract With Pacers
JULY 6: Toppin has officially re-signed with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release.
“Obi Toppin embraced our city, our team, and his role from the moment he arrived, and then proved time and again to be an integral part of the success we achieved last season in reaching the Eastern Conference Finals,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “Obi’s style of play, selfless attitude, and work ethic are all consistent with the culture we’ve built here, and we’re confident he will play a key role for us moving forward.”
JUNE 30: Restricted free agent Pacers power forward Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60MM contract to stay in Indiana, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
As Wojnarowski notes, the 6’9″ Dayton alum emerged as a critical bench contributor for a Pacers club that advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals this past spring for the first time in a decade.
The eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Toppin was traded from New York to Indiana a year ago in exchange for a pair of second-round picks after he spent his first three professional seasons with the Knicks. In his first year as a Pacer, the 26-year-old set new career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (3.9), and assists (1.6) per game, as well as field goal percentage (57.3%) and three-point percentage (40.3%).
With tentative deals in place for Pascal Siakam (four years, maximum salary) and Toppin, the Pacers’ team salary for 2024/25 projects to be about $6.4MM below the luxury tax line with at least two roster spots still to be filled, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
While it’s technically possible for the Pacers to use their full mid-level exception and stay below the first tax apron, doing so would make them a taxpayer, so that’s unlikely. It also remains to be seen whether the team will have room under the tax to bring back free agent big man Jalen Smith on a new deal after he opted out of his contract on Saturday. Of course, a cost-cutting move to create additional spending flexibility is always a possibility.
Toppin had been the No. 27 player on our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents.