Central Notes: Smith, LaVine, Mitchell, Rivers, Bucks’ Staff, Wright
On the surface, the Bulls’ three-year agreement with free agent Jalen Smith may not seem like a big deal. But The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry believes the former Pacers big man could be due for a breakout season.
Smith fits into the Bulls’ aim of getting younger and more athletic. He’s adept at rim-running and offensive rebounding and he’ll improve their interior defense, Mayberry writes, adding that Smith could even become the starter if Nikola Vucevic is dealt.
We have more from the Central Division:
- An NBA insider tells The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley that the relationship between Zach LaVine and the Bulls’ top brass is completely shattered and “filled with mistrust.” The Bulls are trying hard to move LaVine and his big contract. If they fail in those efforts before training camp, the front office and ownership would consider that the worst-case scenario.
- With the Cavaliers getting Donovan Mitchell to agree to an extension, the gamble they made in agreeing to that blockbuster 2022 deal with Utah has paid off for the team and the city, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic opines. Mitchell’s presence in the Cleveland lineup will keep it in contention for the foreseeable future, he adds.
- The Bucks have salary-cap issues and will have to rely more on their younger players to fill in the gaps. Coach Doc Rivers isn’t fazed by that prospect, he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We wanted young talent. We did,” Rivers said. “We think that skill development in our league is becoming more and more important. The more of the young talent you can get to bring up with the veteran talent, the better. And that’s what we’re going to do all summer. Free agency is here right now, and now we’re looking for other guys, more veterans, to add to the mix. I like the mix of guys I think we’re going to end up with and it’s exactly the ratio that we want right now.”
- The Bucks have finalized their coaching staff, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. The Bucks have hired Darvin Ham, Greg Buckner, Jason Love and Spencer Rivers as additions to the staff this summer. Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Pete Dominguez, Joe Prunty and Vin Baker will remain on Rivers’ staff.
- The Bucks are adding veteran guard Delon Wright on a one-year deal and Nehm takes a closer look at what he could bring to the rotation.
L.A. Notes: Bridges, George, Tucker, Gentry, Thompson, Bronny James, Hood-Schifino
The Clippers have some interest in free agent forward Miles Bridges, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Bridges averaged 21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season for the Hornets but his history of domestic violence allegations may have turned off some potential suitors. A sign-and trade would likely be required for the Clippers, with Norman Powell ($19.2MM) and Terance Mann ($11.5MM) among the potential trade pieces if something comes to fruition, Turner writes.
Law Murray of The Athletic confirms that the Clippers are exploring the possibility of adding Bridges, but he believes that the forward has more interest in the potential union than the team does. According to Turner, people close to Bridges view the Clippers as a fit due to the organization’s apparent willingness to give players second chances.
Los Angeles reached a deal earlier in free agency with guard Kevin Porter Jr., who also faced domestic violence allegations, and previously signed Joshua Primo, who was waived by the Spurs after he was accused of exposing himself to multiple women.
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- An interesting side note on the failed Clippers-George negotiations, which led to his departure to Philadelphia: George, a California native, was “increasingly turned off” by the Clippers’ belief that he would stay with the team just so that his family could attend the games, according to The Athletic’s Murray.
- In the same story, Murray reports that the Clippers are expected to part ways with P.J. Tucker this offseason, either by trading or waiving him. Tucker picked up his $11.54MM option for next season. Using the stretch provision to reduce his impact on the 2024/25 cap would be an option if he’s waived, Murray notes.
- The Lakers are interested in adding longtime NBA coach Alvin Gentry to J.J. Redick’s staff, Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Gentry coached Anthony Davis and Redick in New Orleans.
- Klay Thompson upset a member of his family by choosing to go the Mavericks instead of the Lakers, ESPN relays. Father Mychal Thompson, who played for the “Showtime Lakers” in the 1980s, wanted Klay to follow in his footsteps, he said in a SiriusXM NBA interview. “I’m really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can assess, that he would be a Laker,” Mychal said. “And it was close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won out. But you know me, I was hoping and praying he’d finish his career with the Lakers.”
- There are many skeptics, but Redick said second-round pick Bronny James “earned” his way onto the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Rob (Pelinka) and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick said. “Bronny has earned this. … Bronny has earned this through hard work.” LeBron James‘ son said he’s ready for the spotlight. “For sure, amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it on social media and stuff, and the internet and stuff and talking about that I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with st life. So it’s nothing different, but it’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.” Bronny will sign a standard contract.
- Lakers 2023 first-rounder Jalen Hood-Schifino won’t be on the club’s Summer League roster, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He’s still rehabbing from back surgery.
Stotts, Stackhouse Expected To Join Warriors’ Staff
The Warriors are planning to hire Terry Stotts as Steve Kerr‘s lead assistant coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Jerry Stackhouse is also expected to join the staff.
Stotts, 66, has a long career as an NBA head coach and assistant. Stotts was the Trail Blazers’ head coach from 2012-21 and was also head coach of Atlanta and Milwaukee. Stotts was hired as Adrian Griffin‘s lead assistant with the Bucks last offseason but abruptly left the organization before the regular season started when they clashed over scheme and philosophy.
Stotts will take the spot previously held by Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers’ new head coach. Stotts was also on Cleveland’s radar during its head coaching search.
Stackhouse, 49, interviewed for the Hornets coaching job that eventually went to Charles Lee. Stackhouse was hired as Vanderbilt’s head coach in 2019. The school parted ways with him after last season. The former All-Star guard was previously an assistant with the Raptors and Grizzlies and was also the head coach of the G League 905 Raptors.
Jazz’s Williams, Collier Sign Rookie Scale Contracts
The Jazz have signed first round picks Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier, according to a team press release.
The 10th pick in last week’s draft, Williams will make $5,469,120 in his first season, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale figure given out by most teams to first-rounders. He’s due to make $24,897,090 during his first four years in the NBA.
Collier, the 29th pick, is eligibile to receive $2,512,680 in his first year and a total of $12,903,788 through his first four seasons.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
The 6’8” Williams posted averages of 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 28.4 minutes per contest as a Colorado freshman. The 6’5” Collier, a 2023-24 Pac-12 All-Freshman team honoree at USC, averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in 27 games.
Kyle Anderson Headed To Warriors Via Sign-And-Trade
Free agent forward Kyle Anderson is headed to the Warriors via a sign-and-trade transaction with the Timberwolves, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link). He’ll be signing a three-year, $27MM contract. The third year is non-guaranteed, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
The Timberwolves will receive a future second-round pick swap and cash in the sign-and-trade, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
Anderson will slot into the traded player exception created in the Klay Thompson three-team deal with Dallas and Charlotte. The acquisition will put the Warriors a projected $3.2MM below the $170.8MM luxury tax line with 13 players rostered, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets. They’ll be hard-capped at the first tax apron ($178.1MM).
It had been speculated that Anderson, always a solid role player, would be difficult for Minnesota to retain due its salary-cap issues. The Timberwolves are a second-apron team, severely limiting their flexibility. They won’t be able to use the TPE generated by the Anderson sign-and-trade because of the restrictions for second-apron teams under the current CBA.
Rated No. 30 on our list of top 50 free agents, Anderson will jump right into the Warriors’ rotation. He appeared in 79 regular season games last season, including 10 starts, averaging 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per contest.
The 30-year-old is highly regarded for his defensive versatility, intangibles, and ability to serve as a secondary ball-handler, though he doesn’t provide much offensive punch. Anderson averaged double digits in points just once in a career that began in the 2014/15 season and is a 33.8% career 3-point shooter.
Ryan Dunn Signs Rookie Scale Contract With Suns
Ryan Dunn has signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns, according to the NBA transactions log.
The 28th pick in last week’s draft, Dunn will make $2,530,800 in his first season, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale figure given out by most teams to first-rounders. He’s due to make $12,998,353 during his first four years in the NBA.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Dunn played two years at Virginia before declaring for the draft. A defensive-minded forward, he averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in 34 starts last season.
Suns Sign Collin Gillespie On Two-Way Deal
JULY 2: The signing is official, according to a press release from the Suns.
JULY 1: Collin Gillespie has agreed on a two-way deal with the Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Gillespie played for the Nuggets last season but didn’t receive a qualifying offer this past weekend, making him an unrestricted free agent. The point guard appeared in 24 games with Denver last season but only averaged 9.4 minutes in those appearances.
He also appeared in 12 total regular season and Showcase Cup games with the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold, filling the stat sheets with averages of 20.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.
After going undrafted in 2022 out of Villanova, Gillespie suffered a lower leg fracture. He still received a two-way contract from Denver that offseason and remained on its roster despite the injury. The Nuggets then retained him on a two-way deal for 2023/24.
Gillespie averaged 15.6 PPG for the Wildcats in his final college season, shooting 41.5% from three-point range.
Reed Sheppard Signs Rookie Scale Contract With Rockets
Guard Reed Sheppard has signed his rookie scale contract with the Rockets, according to the NBA transactions log.
The third overall pick in the draft, Sheppard will make $10,098,960 in his first year, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale figure given out by most teams to first-rounders. He’s due to make $45,853,024 in his first four years in the NBA.
Sheppard is the highest pick in this year’s draft thus far to sign his rookie deal.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Sheppard wasn’t even a starter in his lone college season at Kentucky, but he averaged 28.9 minutes per game as the Wildcats’ sixth man and impressed NBA evaluators with his shooting, play-making, and good hands on defense.
In 33 games, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per contest while making 53.6% of his field goals, including 52.1% of his three-point tries. He also shot 83.1% from the free throw line.
Magic Re-Sign Gary Harris On Two-Year Contract
JULY 6: Harris’ contract is official, the Magic announced today in a press release (Twitter link). The deal is worth $7.5MM annually, with a team option on year two, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
JULY 2: Harris’ deal will actually be worth $15MM over two years, a source tells Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
JULY 1: The Magic are re-signing veteran swingman Gary Harris on a two-year, $14MM contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Harris’ name had been bandied about as a reasonably-priced free agent option for numerous clubs but he opted for continuity. Harris is taking a pay cut — he made $13MM in each of the last two seasons.
Harris has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with Orlando after playing six-and-a-half seasons with the Nuggets. The 29-year-old has been a starter most of his career but came off the bench in half of his 54 regular-season appearances last season. He averaged 6.9 points — his lowest output since his rookie season — along with 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24 minutes per game.
During his 570-game NBA career, Harris has averaged 11 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He’s a career 37% 3-point shooter.
He’ll likely slot in as the second-unit shooting guard behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic’s splashy free agent acquisition. KCP agreed to a three-year, $66MM deal to leave Denver.
Celtics Re-Sign Neemias Queta To Three-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Celtics have officially re-signed Queta, according to a press release from the team.
JULY 2: Queta’s deal will be for three years, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, who tweets that the Celtics are using the center’s Non-Bird rights to give him a deal longer than what the minimum salary exception allows.
JUNE 30: The defending champion Celtics continued to pursue roster stability, reaching a multiyear agreement with big man Neemias Queta, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Boston made Queta a restricted free agent on Saturday by extending a qualifying offer of approximately $2.37MM. That came after the club declined its team option on his contract.
Queta averaged a career highs of 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per night with the Celtics across 28 contests, earning a promotion from his two-way contract to the 15-man roster.
He was not part of the club’s rotation during its title run, appearing for cameos in just three contests.
The Celtics also reached a one-year agreement with another of their backup big men, Luke Kornet. That depth should come in handy with starter Kristaps Porzingis sidelined 5-6 months after undergoing left leg surgery.