Jalen Green Signs Rookie Contract With Rockets
Jalen Green, the second selection in last week’s draft, has signed his rookie contract with the Rockets, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Green is the first of Houston’s four first-round picks to sign, Feigen states, citing a person with knowledge of the deal.
Green signed for 120% of the rookie scale, which is common for first-round picks. He will earn about $8.99MM during his first season and will make up to $40.8MM over the course of the four-year deal.
The 19-year-old was the first major prospect to bypass college and sign with the newly formed G League Ignite team. In 15 games in the G League bubble in Orlando, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per night, cementing his status as one of the best players in the draft.
He is preparing to make his Summer League debut this weekend, Feigen adds.
Hawks Sign Jalen Johnson To Rookie Contract
First-round pick Jalen Johnson has signed his rookie contract with the Hawks, according to the NBA.com transactions page.
Johnson, 19, played just part of his freshman season at Duke before leaving the team the team in February to prepare for the draft. He played 13 games for the Blue Devils, averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night, along with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks.
The 6’9″ forward had been one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, and there was a wide speculation about where he might be drafted, ranging from the late lottery to late in the first round.
Assuming Johnson receives 120% of his rookie scale amount, which most first-rounders do, he will earn $2,659,680 in his first season and could get as much as $12,888,585 over the four-year deal.
LaMarcus Aldridge Seriously Considering NBA Comeback
Veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge, who announced his retirement in the spring due to a heart-related health scare, is seriously contemplating the possibility of returning to the NBA, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
As Wojnarowski explains, Aldridge would require team medical clearance in order to sign a contract and take the court again. He hasn’t made a final decision yet on whether or not to attempt a comeback, but he’s expected to have discussions with teams in the coming weeks, sources tell ESPN.
Aldridge released a Twitter statement on April 15 explaining that he had decided to end his career after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during his last game. He had dealt with heart issues before, being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome during his rookie season in 2007 and missing time due to a heart arrhythmia in 2017.
In a June interview, Aldridge said he felt his heart racing on the morning of his final game, but believed it would go back to normal once he got on the court.
“It was still off after the game, but at like two, three in the morning, it got really, really crazy,” Aldridge recalled. “My heart was beating really crazy, and that’s when it got really bad for me. From two to five in the morning, I was just trying to evoke some breathing and then around 5:30 or so, I texted the team doctor and I went to the hospital. It was probably the scariest night ever.”
The retirement announcement was shocking because Aldridge had been with the Nets for less than three weeks. He chose to come to Brooklyn after reaching a buyout agreement with the Spurs in late March. Aldridge had been shut down in San Antonio while the team searched for a trade partner. He played just five games for Brooklyn, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26 minutes per night.
“It was very tough. I definitely wasn’t ready to hang it up and I still felt like I had more to give to a team and I feel I had a lot to give to the Nets,” Aldridge said. … “Basically, that night being so freaked out — and knowing I have kids, my mom, a lot of people depending on me and a lot of people that I want to see going forward — I just felt like I was blessed by God to play 15 years with this condition, and I didn’t want to push it anymore.”
Aldridge’s situation is similar to that of former Heat big man Chris Bosh, who had to end his career because of a recurring issue with blood clots. Bosh also wanted to attempt a comeback, but was never able to get medical clearance. However, Aldridge elected to retire on his own, while the decision for Bosh was made by the Miami medical staff.
If Aldridge can get medically cleared to play again, he could be a valuable addition for a contender, even at age 36. He was effective for the Spurs last season, starting 18 games at center and averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, before the franchise opted to give more time to younger players.
Trade Rumors: Dinwiddie, Hornets, Ingles, T. Young
Spencer Dinwiddie is close to a deal with the Wizards, but it may take some complex maneuvering to get him there, Fred Katz writes in The Athletic’s free agency recap. The two sides are reportedly hammering out a three-year contract worth $60MM, but Washington is over the cap, so a sign-and-trade will have to be arranged involving the Nets and maybe more teams.
Katz points out that Brooklyn is already over the luxury tax threshold for next season and isn’t interested in adding salary. He suggests the teams may try to tie this deal to the trade sending Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. Katz is confident that Dinwiddie will eventually join the Wizards, but it won’t be easy to work through the details.
In the same piece, Alex Schiffer notes that Brooklyn has been trying to unload DeAndre Jordan‘s contract, which is worth nearly $20MM over the next two years. John Hollinger says the Lakers could send Kyle Kuzma directly to the Nets instead of the Wizards, which would enable Brooklyn to include Jordan and avoid a huge rise in its tax bill.
There’s more on potential trades to watch for:
- The Hornets are one of the few teams that still has flexibility after an active first night of free agency, Hollinger adds. A sign-and-trade of Devonte’ Graham allows Charlotte to have $15MM in cap room or to expand the deal and bring another player, possibly Lauri Markkanen. Hollinger states that the Hornets still need one more guard and another big man.
- The Warriors would be interested in trading for Joe Ingles if the Jazz make him available, sources tell Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Ingles will turn 34 soon, but his passing and shooting would be valuable in Golden State’s system, though Thompson cautions that actually acquiring him would be tricky from a cap perspective. The Warriors still have hope of signing longtime Spurs guard Patty Mills, Thompson adds.
- Several contending teams and younger teams are interested in getting Thaddeus Young from the Bulls, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago is hoping to resolve the situation with Markkanen before making a decision on Young.
- There’s still a chance the Raptors could keep Goran Dragic– who is being acquired from the Heat in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade – rather than flipping him to another team, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link).
Magic Sign Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner To Rookie Contracts
The Magic have signed lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner to their first NBA contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).
Suggs, a freshman guard out of Gonzaga, was expected to be a top four pick, but slid to Orlando at No. 5 on draft night. He will make about $6.59MM in his first season, assuming he receives the maximum 120% of the rookie scale.
Suggs was a standout player for the Zags, who went undefeated until the NCAA championship game, averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 30 games. He figures to make an immediate impact on the Magic’s young backcourt.
Wagner, the eighth overall pick, will make about $5MM as a rookie. He averaged 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG as a sophomore at Michigan.
Knicks To Re-Sign Taj Gibson
Taj Gibson will re-sign with the Knicks for another year, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Gibson will be a veteran’s minimum deal worth about $2.64MM.
The 36-year-old center/power forward is a favorite of coach Tom Thibodeau and was with him in Chicago and Minnesota as well.
Gibson played for the Knicks in 2019/20, then returned to the team in early January and was part of the frontcourt rotation for the rest of the season, averaging 5.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 45 games.
Gibson is the Knicks’ fourth free agent to commit to staying with the team, joining Derrick Rose, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel. The club is also adding Evan Fournier on a four-year deal.
Since Gibson’s new deal will be worth the minimum, the Knicks can use up all their cap room before going over the cap to finalize the signing.
James Johnson Signs With Nets
AUGUST 6: The Nets and Johnson have made it official, per a team press release.
AUGUST 3: Free agent forward James Johnson will join the Nets on a one-year deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Johnson, 34, divided last season between the Mavericks and Pelicans, averaging a combined 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 51 games.
Johnson is known for his toughness, size, and length, which allows him to guard multiple positions and comfortably switch on defense. He will provide another veteran big man off the bench for Brooklyn, which is losing Jeff Green to the Nuggets.
With the Nets already in luxury tax territory, Johnson’s deal is likely for the veteran’s minimum.
Bucks Sign Rodney Hood
AUGUST 6: Hood, who was cut by the Raptors on Tuesday and cleared waivers on Thursday, has officially signed with the Bucks, according to the team (Twitter link).
AUGUST 3: Rodney Hood will sign a one-year deal with the Bucks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Hood is still on the Raptors‘ roster after agreeing last week to delay his salary guarantee date until today. Toronto plans to release Hood, who will sign with Milwaukee after clearing waivers, Woj adds (Twitter link).
The 28-year-old swingman started last season with the Trail Blazers before being shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline. He saw his playing time cut to a career-low 12.7 minutes per game with the Raptors and averaged 3.9 PPG and 1.8 RPG.
In Milwaukee, Hood will help make up for the loss of P.J. Tucker, who is headed to Miami in free agency. Hood’s contract is likely for the veterans minimum, considering the Bucks’ salary situation.
Bruce Brown Accepts Qualifying Offer From Nets
AUGUST 8: Brown is officially back under contract with the Nets, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 3: Bruce Brown will remain with the Nets after opting to accept a $4.7MM qualifying offer, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The news was confirmed by Brown’s agent, Ty Sullivan of CAA.
The one-year offer made Brown a restricted free agent, which would have limited his options on the open market. He will be unrestricted next summer as a result of accepting his qualifying offer.
Brooklyn holds Bird rights on the third-year combo guard and can work out a long-term deal. If the team were to trade Brown during the 2021/22 league year, he’d lose those Bird rights, so he’ll have the power to veto any trade involving him until he becomes a free agent in 2022.
Brown, 24, became a part-time starter in his first season with the Nets after being acquired from the Pistons in an offseason trade. He started 37 of the 65 games he played, averaging 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per night while playing tough, versatile defense for Brooklyn.
Brown is one of two Nets free agents who has agreed to return to the team so far, joining Blake Griffin.
Warriors Sign Nemanja Bjelica
AUGUST 6: The Warriors have officially announced their deal with Bjelica, confirming the move in a press release.
Despite reportedly receiving interest from several other teams willing to offer more than the minimum, Bjelica said his decision to sign with Golden State took “less than a minute,” per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
AUGUST 3: Free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Heat acquired Bjelica from the Kings at the trade deadline in March, but he played in just 11 games for Miami, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per night. He had been relegated to a bench role in Sacramento after being a starter for the past two seasons.
The 33-year-old gives Golden State another veteran shooting option as they try to move back into title contention. He had the best year of his NBA career in 2019/20 with the Kings, putting up 11.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .481/.419/.821 shooting in 72 games (27.9 MPG).
The Warriors still have their taxpayer mid-level exception to make further moves, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who reports that Bjelica’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum (Twitter link).