Southeast Notes: KCP, Fultz, Okeke, Ware, Highsmith, McGowens, Wizards
The Magic‘s promising future played an important role in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s decision to join the team in free agency, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Caldwell-Pope won titles with the Nuggets in 2023 and the Lakers in 2020, and he likes his chances to pick up a third ring in Orlando.
“I’m always chasing the championship,” Caldwell-Pope said. “… Seeing their progress, they just made it to the playoffs, taking Cleveland to a Game 7. That was enough for me. They got a little bit of a taste of that pressure and what it takes to make it past the first round. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Caldwell-Pope will become a veteran leader on a team that has amassed an impressive collection of young talent over the last few drafts. He’s looking forward to playing alongside Paolo Banchero, who became an All-Star in his second NBA season.
“His knowledge of the game,” Caldwell-Pope responded when asked what stands out about Banchero. “Him being patient in certain situations, making plays for his teammates to get his teammates involved. Being so much of a little bit of a leader that I’ve seen from him.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic renounced their free agent rights to Markelle Fultz and Chuma Okeke to clear up cap room for other moves, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Both players are still eligible to sign new contracts with Orlando.
- The Heat want rookie center Kel’el Ware to gain weight before the start of the season, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). The first-round pick weighed in at 230 pounds when he arrived at Summer League camp, and he said the team would prefer him to be between 240 and 245.
- Free agent forward Haywood Highsmith still has interest in returning to the Heat, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Sixers were considered a potential landing spot for Highsmith, Chiang adds, but that seems less likely after Philadelphia signed Caleb Martin.
- Bryce McGowens, who was waived earlier today, will continue to be part of the Hornets‘ Summer League team, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
- Brown University assistant coach T.J. Sorrentine was thrilled to get the chance to join Brian Keefe‘s staff with the Wizards, relays Bill Koch of The Providence Journal. “My family was happy. I was in a great spot,” Sorrentine said. “But going through a day with coach Keefe and meeting with people, I left here and I called my wife (Emily) and I was like, ‘Man, it’s going to be really hard to come back to college.’ This was a unique opportunity. That’s when I knew it was time to go. I was ready. I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity.” Adam Caporn, director of development with the Nets’ coaching staff, has also accepted a job with Washington, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). Caporn’s hiring had been anticipated.
Sidney Lowe Joining J.B. Bickerstaff In Detroit
Sidney Lowe has agreed to become an assistant to J.B. Bickerstaff with the Pistons, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Lowe also worked for Bickerstaff during his time in Cleveland.
Lowe is the first reported hiring since the organization confirmed that Bickerstaff will be its new head coach on Wednesday. Bickerstaff took the job a little more than a month after being dismissed by the Cavaliers following a second-round playoff exit.
Lowe, 64, played for five NBA teams in seven years after winning an NCAA title at North Carolina State. He moved into coaching in 1991 and spent time with numerous organizations over the past three decades.
This will be his third stint in Detroit, where he served as an assistant during the 2005/06 season and again from 2018 to 2021.
Grizzlies Sign Zach Edey To Rookie Contract
No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey has signed a rookie scale contract with the Grizzlies, the team announced (via Twitter).
The 7’4″ Edey was named National Player of the Year in each of his last two seasons at Purdue. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season as the Boilermakers reached the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. His other honors as a senior include All-Big Ten First Team, NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Midwest Region Most Valuable Player.
Despite his college accolades, Edey was originally viewed as questionable to be taken in the lottery because of doubts regarding how well he can adapt to the NBA game. He’ll join a Memphis team that’s in need of size and should give him plenty of playing time right away.
The Canadian center was on the preliminary roster for his country’s Olympic team, but he recently withdrew to concentrate on preparing for his first NBA season.
Assuming Edey received the maximum contract for the ninth pick, he will earn about $5.76MM as a rookie and approximately $26.2MM over the four-year deal. The Grizzlies will hold his third- and fourth-year options.
Johnnie Bryant To Be Associate Head Coach In Cleveland
Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant will become Kenny Atkinson‘s associate head coach with the Cavaliers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Bryant, who has been on Tom Thibodeau’s staff for the past four years, was still under contract in New York, so he had to get approval from Knicks ownership before he could accept the new job, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link). Begley notes that Bryant interviewed for the head coaching job in Cleveland and has a strong relationship with Donovan Mitchell, whom he previously coached in Utah.
A college point guard at San Francisco and Utah, Bryant broke into the NBA as a player development assistant with the Jazz in 2012. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2014.
Bryant is the latest addition to a staff that is coming together quickly after Atkinson was hired in late June. Former NBA player DeMarre Carroll and ex-Lakers assistant Jordan Ott are also joining Atkinson’s staff as assistants.
Thunder Sign Draft Picks Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell
The Thunder have signed first-round picks Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones to rookie scale contracts, the team announced in a press release. Second-round selection Ajay Mitchell inked a two-way deal.
Chosen with the 12th pick, Topic was originally viewed as a potential top-five selection, but a partially torn ACL caused his draft stock to tumble. The 6’6″ point guard averaged 15.1 points, 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds for Crvena Zvezda this year in the Adriatic League. He’s not expected to play next season, giving the injury plenty of time to heal.
Jones, the 26th overall pick, was acquired from New York in a draft night trade. The 6’5″ small forward out of Weber State led the Big Sky Conference in scoring this season at 20.8 PPG, while adding 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per night. He was a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Mitchell, a 6’4″ shooting guard out of UC Santa Barbara, was the 38th pick in the draft. He averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals this season and was a First Team All-Big West selection the past two years.
Assuming they both got the maximum rookie contract they were eligible to receive, Topic will earn about $4.9MM in his first season and $23MM across four years, while Jones will be paid $2.6MM as a rookie and $13.5MM on his four-year deal. Oklahoma City will have third- and fourth-year team options on both players.
Patrick Williams Signs Five-Year Deal With Bulls
JULY 6: The Bulls have officially re-signed Williams, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JUNE 29: Free agent forward Patrick Williams will re-sign with the Bulls for $90MM over five years, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The fifth season will be a player option, tweets Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Williams, 22, was expected to be a cornerstone of the franchise when Chicago selected him with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft. He hasn’t lived up to that billing due to injuries and inconsistent play, but executive Arturas Karnisovas decided to make keeping him a priority as part of his effort to build a younger and more athletic roster.
Williams received a $12.97MM qualifying offer this week, making him a restricted free agent. That means the Bulls could have matched any offer he received, but they opted to bypass that possibility by negotiating a new deal before free agency begins Sunday evening.
A stress reaction in Williams’ left foot cut short his season and forced him to undergo surgery in February. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 43 games, but he wasn’t able to play after January 25.
A report this week indicated that the Bulls were optimistic about their chances of working out a new contract with Williams. The Thunder were believed to be among the teams that had interest in pursuing him.
Williams will get a healthy raise after earning $9.8MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract. When he and the Bulls discussed a possible rookie scale extension last fall, the forward turned down a four-year, $64MM offer and was believed to be seeking something closer to De’Andre Hunter‘s contract (four years, $90MM), per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. This new deal represents a compromise for the two sides.
Derrick White Signs Four-Year Extension With Celtics
JULY 6: The Celtics have officially signed White to his extension, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“Derrick is a great player who has immersed himself in the Boston community since joining us in the spring of 2021,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “Derrick brings a joy and selflessness to our building every single day. He’s committed to improving and has shown that in each year of his career. More importantly, he cares most about the things that matter, including building great relationships and competing with integrity. We are very lucky that Derrick is a Celtic and are thrilled he’ll be here for years to come.”
Boston also formally announced its super-max extension for Tatum.
JULY 1: Derrick White has agreed to a four-year, $125.9MM extension with the Celtics, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal includes a player option in the final season, Wojnarowski adds.
The extension will take effect with the 2025/26 season, and White’s yearly salaries will be $28.1MM, $30.3MM, $32.6MM and $34.8MM, per Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). It’s the maximum amount White was eligible to get based on his current deal, but he might have landed more if he had waited for free agency next summer.
Signing White to a long-term contract was an offseason priority for the Celtics, who are also hoping to reach extensions with Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser. Boston is reportedly re-signing Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta, so the core of the championship roster is likely to remain together for a while.
If Tatum agrees to a super-max extension this summer, as expected, Boston could have the most expensive team in league history next season and may top $200MM in salary by 2025/26, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Tax penalties are set to increase next year under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, so management will have to determine how long it’s willing to accept that extra expense.
White, 29, has excelled in Boston since being acquired from San Antonio at the 2022 trade deadline. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 73 games last season while earning a second-team spot on the All-Defensive team.
White wasn’t a highly touted prospect when the Spurs selected him out of Colorado with the 29th pick in the 2017 draft. He established himself as a starter in San Antonio and is now considered one of the league’s best two-way guards.
Magic Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Three-Year Contract
JULY 6: Caldwell-Pope has officially signed with the Magic, the team confirmed today in a press release (Twitter link).
“We are thrilled to add a player like Kentavious to our roster,” team president Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “He is not only an outstanding defender and an excellent shooter, he brings high character and a championship pedigree to our backcourt. We’re very excited to welcome Kentavious to the Orlando Magic family.”
JUNE 30: The Magic are set to sign free agent wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year contract, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). The deal will be worth $66MM, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), and it includes a player option for the final season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Caldwell-Pope is one of the top prizes in the 2024 free agent class after playing an important role for the Nuggets over the past two years and helping to spark the team’s 2023 title run. His blend of defense and outside shooting makes him a perfect fit in Orlando.
Denver would have preferred to keep its starting lineup intact, but other financial commitments made it difficult to retain Caldwell-Pope. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post p0ints out (via Twitter) that the $22MM annual salary Caldwell-Pope received from Orlando would have pushed the Nuggets into the second apron if they had given him that much.
However, Tony Jones of The Athletic hears that Denver made a three-year offer at close to the amount that Caldwell-Pope received from the Magic (Twitter link).
Speaking to reporters after the first night of the draft on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth seemed resigned to the fact that Caldwell-Pope was likely leaving.
“I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling,” Booth said. “… I think if (Christian Braun) has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”
Caldwell-Pope is joining a Magic team loaded with young talent that just made its first playoff appearance in four years. He will presumably start alongside Jalen Suggs in the backcourt and will provide a three-point shooting threat that the team has lacked. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer notes (via Twitter) that Orlando ranked 29th in three-point attempts and 24th in three-point percentage this season. Caldwell-Pope is a career 36.9% shooter from long-distance and connected at 40.6% this year.
The Magic’s agreement with KCP ends the Sixers’ hopes of finding a way to add both Paul George and Caldwell-Pope to a vastly revamped roster.
Timberwolves Re-Sign Luka Garza
JULY 5: Garza’s new contract with the Wolves is now official, per the NBA’s transaction log.
JULY 1: Luka Garza will return to the Timberwolves on a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It’ll be a minimum-salary deal, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
The 25-year-old center saw limited playing time in 25 games last season, averaging 4.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.9 minutes per night. He’s stuck behind Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid in Minnesota’s frontcourt.
Garza was one of the top players in college basketball at Iowa in 2021, but he wasn’t drafted until the 52nd pick because of concerns about how his game might translate to the NBA.
He spent his first season with Detroit, then joined the Wolves in 2022 on a two-way contract that was converted to a standard deal in April.
While Garza hasn’t seen a ton of playing time at the NBA level, he has excelled in the G League, averaging 31.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game with a .618/.442/.778 shooting line for the Iowa Wolves in 18 NBAGL outings over the past two seasons.
The agreement with Garza leaves Minnesota with five remaining free agents: Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, T.J. Warren, Jordan McLaughlin and Daishen Nix.
Pistons Hire J.B. Bickerstaff As Head Coach
JULY 3: The Pistons have officially confirmed that Bickerstaff will be the team’s new head coach, announcing the hiring in a press release (Twitter link).
“I am pleased to have J.B. joining our franchise and commend our front office team on leading an extensive search,” team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “This is a pivotal time, and we need a leader who can immediately instill a culture of growth, development, and inspiration. After spending time with J.B., it’s clear he is a passionate teacher with a competitive spirit who knows what it takes to win in today’s NBA. He’s also a strong communicator, which provides great synergy with Trajan and the front office team we have assembled. He will be an outstanding partner in helping our players maximize their potential and compete consistently.”
JUNE 30: J.B. Bickerstaff will be the Pistons‘ next head coach, agreeing to a five-year contract with the team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The first four seasons of the deal will be guaranteed, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.
The 45-year-old coach lands his next job just weeks after being fired in Cleveland. He inherits a talented young roster, much like the one he had when he took over the Cavaliers in 2020.
Bickerstaff was one of three candidates who reportedly interviewed for the position in Detroit, as our head coaching search tracker shows. The competition thinned out on Friday when Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego opted to pull his name out of the search and remain in New Orleans.
Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney was the other finalist for the job, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The Pistons are looking for a new direction after a disastrous season under Monty Williams, who guided them to a franchise-worst 14-68 record before being dismissed earlier this month. New head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made the decision to fire Williams, who still had five seasons remaining on his six-year, $78.5MM contract, along with general manager Troy Weaver.
The mission to turn the franchise around now belongs to Bickerstaff, who led the Cavs to playoff appearances in the past two seasons. He compiled a 170-159 record in four-plus years in Cleveland, but players reportedly expressed doubts behind the scenes about his “strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures.”
Bickerstaff, the son of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, broke into the league in 2004 as an assistant with Charlotte. He moved onto assistant jobs in Minnesota and Houston, then was promoted to head coach of the Rockets early in the 2015/16 season. He wasn’t brought back despite posting a 37-34 record and reaching the playoffs. He moved onto Memphis as an assistant and later became head coach, compiling a 48-97 record.
Bickerstaff will be expected to build a winning team around Cade Cunningham, something the franchise has been unable to do since he was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. The new coach will have a roster filled with recent lottery picks, including Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and this year’s first-round selection Ron Holland. The Pistons also have more than $58MM in cap room, allowing them to be aggressive when free agency gets underway this evening.