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.
Southeast Notes: Valanciunas, Salaun, Simpson, Wagner, Heat
Reaching a three-year agreement with 32-year-old center Jonas Valanciunas seems like an odd move for a rebuilding team. So why did the Wizards do it?
As Josh Robbins and William Guillory of The Athletic see it, Valanciunas’ presence will allow second overall draft pick Alex Sarr to develop at a slow and steady pace. Sarr needs to add bulk and muscle to his seven-foot frame and Valanciunas can match up against more physical centers. The veteran can also serve as a role model to the team’s other younger players.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hornets lottery pick Tidjane Salaun suffered a minor laceration near his knee but is expected to be available for the start of Las Vegas Summer League next week. However, he will unavailable when the team begins mini-camp in Sacramento on Tuesday. Second-round pick KJ Simpson won’t play during either the Sacramento or Las Vegas Summer Leagues as he continues to rehab a hamstring injury suffered during the pre-draft process. He is expected to be fully recovered and available at the start of training camp this fall, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links).
- The Magic have reached an agreement with backup big Goga Bitadze but they’re still interested in re-signing Moritz Wagner, who reciprocates that interest, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Orlando declined its $8MM option on Wagner’s contract prior to free agency.
- Other than reaching a two-year agreement with Kevin Love, the Heat haven’t done much in terms of their 15-man roster during the first two days of free agency. It’s a product of the team’s salary-cap crunch, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. They don’t have much to offer to outside free agents and new restrictions in the CBA make it harder to pull off a trade. Miami also doesn’t have much draft capital to facilitate those deals.
Atlantic Notes: Hartenstein, Pagliuca, George, Nets Rebuild
Money talks and that’s one big reason why Isaiah Hartenstein walked away from the Knicks in free agency. It was a difficult decision for Hartenstein, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes, because he wanted to stay in New York.
But as a player who had earned approximately $23MM so far in his NBA career, Hartenstein couldn’t pass up on the Thunder‘s three-year, $87MM offer, which will pay him about $30MM in year one, especially given the more favorable cost of living in Oklahoma City, Bondy writes. The Knicks held the center’s Early Bird rights, limiting them to a four-year, $72.5MM offer.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca suggested in a statement relayed by Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) that he’s not looking to divest from the team. Earlier on Monday, it was made public that the team’s majority ownership group, led by Wyc Grousbeck, intended to put the franchise up for sale. Pagliuca’s statement reads in part, “Being a co-investor and managing partner of the Celtics has been a great honor and a labor of love. I hope to be a part of the Celtics moving forward and will be a proud participant in the bidding process that has been announced today.”
- The Sixers had little choice but to pursue Paul George on the free agent market in order to keep up with the Eastern Conference contenders, Sam Amick of The Athletic opines. It was the best move available on the board, according to Amick, and keeps them alive in the chase for next year’s conference title.
- The Nets must choose among two paths in their rebuild, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. They could make up to four first-round picks in a loaded 2025 draft and spend $80MM in free agency in an effort to accelerate the process or they could take a longer route. In that scenario, they could trade Ben Simmons, Bojan Bogdanovic and Dennis Schröder — players that come off the cap next summer — this offseason for unwanted multiyear contracts and more picks.
Warriors Confirm Thompson Is Leaving, Pledge To Retire His Jersey
The Warriors organization acknowledged in a press release on Monday that longtime shooting guard Klay Thompson will not return while promising to retire his jersey.
Thompson is headed to the Mavericks in a three-team sign-and-trade deal that will also include the Hornets.
Golden State’s statement reads, in part:
“We can’t overstate Klay Thompson’s incredible and legendary contributions with the Warriors during his 13 years with the team, highlighted by four NBA championships, six trips to the NBA Finals, five NBA All-Star Game appearances and several NBA records, including the most points ever scored in a quarter in NBA history (37) and the most 3-point field goals in a game (14). … Klay’s legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center, where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty—himself included.
“We thank Klay for his contributions and wish him the best as another chapter in his journey is written.”
The statement can be somewhat construed as an olive branch after extension talks fizzled and the relationship between the team and the five-time All-Star reportedly grew strained. That led to Saturday’s news that he intended to leave the Warriors for a new team.
International Notes: Hall, Claver, SGA, Murray, Almansa, FIBA Rosters
Former NBA big man Donta Hall could have an opportunity to return to the league, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports. The American big man has an opt-out clause in his contract with his current team, Monaco, and is believed to be receiving NBA interest. Hall averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.4 minutes over 38 games in EuroLeague action with Monaco last season. Hall has appeared in 22 NBA games with Detroit, Brooklyn and Orlando.
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- Former NBA forward Victor Claver has announced his retirement, according to release from Valencia Basket. Claver, 35, played 18 years professionally, beginning and ending his career with Valencia, Eurohoops notes. Claver appeared in 82 games with the Trail Blazers from 2012-15. He was also a longtime member of the Spanish national team.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray will be playing together on the Canadian national team for the first time. Murray couldn’t play the last two summers while recovering from injuries and long playoff runs. Michael Grange of Sportsnet and Eric Koreen of The Athletic examine how the two star guards will mesh together as they prepare for the Olympics. SGA doesn’t seem worried. “I drive, he shoots,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Simple as that.”
- Izan Almansa, considered a first-round prospect in next year’s draft, has chosen to spend next season in the NBL Next Stars program with the Perth Wildcats, according to an NBL post. It’s the same path taken by this year’s No. 2 pick, Alex Sarr. Almansa, 19, participated in the NBA draft combine but decided to withdraw from this year’s draft and improve his stock for 2025. The 6’10″ big man, who hails from Spain, possesses a 7’1″ wingspan and was named MVP of the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, 2022 FIBA U18 European Championships and 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup.
- The rosters for the 24 participating teams in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments have been confirmed. They can be viewed at this Eurohoops post. Those tournaments, which will determine the final four qualifiers for the Paris Olympics, tip off on Tuesday.
Hinton, Samuels Rejoining Rockets On Exhibit 10 Deals
Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. have agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with the Rockets that are expected to eventually be converted to two-way deals, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
They were on two-way deals with Houston last season, then briefly became unrestricted free agents when Houston didn’t extend a qualifying offer to either player.
Hinton appeared in 15 games with Houston last season but only averaged 5.0 minutes in those outings. He’s also played for Dallas (21 games) and Indiana (two games) after going undrafted out of the University of Houston.
Samuels played 14 games as a rookie last season but only averaged 4.3 minutes. He went undrafted out of Villanova.
Both players spent a chunk of time last season with the G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Hinton got a “max” Exhibit 10 deal, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets, meaning he could earn a bonus of $77.5K. The maximum Exhibit 10 bonus, which was $75K last season, increases at the same rate as the salary cap.
Magic Re-Sign Goga Bitadze On Three-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Magic have officially re-signed Bitadze, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1: The Magic have reached a three-year agreement with one of their own free agents, center Goga Bitadze, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The contract will be worth $25MM.
Orlando signed Bitadze midway through the 2022/23 season after the Pacers waived the former first-round selection. The Magic then exercised their $2.07MM team option on him last summer.
Bitadze started 33 games last season, appearing in 62, and averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Bitadze has a minimum cap hold that will put the Magic in position to go over the cap to re-sign him with his Early Bird rights, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets. That would allow the Magic to preserve their remaining $27MM in cap space and still have the $8MM room exception at their disposal.
The Knicks were viewed as a possible suitor for Bitadze, but reporting earlier today indicated that the Magic were prepared to offer more for him that New York could realistically put on the table.
Bitadze figures to once again back up Wendell Carter Jr. Orlando declined its team option on Moritz Wagner but could still work out another contract with the 27-year-old big man.
Thunder To Add Buddy Boeheim On Exhibit 10 Deal
The Thunder have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with wing Buddy Boeheim, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets.
Boeheim cleared waived on Monday after the Pistons cut him loose over the weekend. He had a two-way contract that ran through next season.
Boeheim, 24, appeared in 10 games for the Pistons last season, averaging 3.4 points per contest on .310/.320/.800 shooting. He appeared in 31 games for the G League Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists while draining 43.1% of his 3-point attempts.
The son of longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim also appeared in 10 games with Detroit during the 2022/23 season.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Cavs President Believes Mitchell Will Sign Extension
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman expressed optimism that the club will reach an extension agreement with star guard Donovan Mitchell this offseason, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Altman and new head coach Kenny Atkinson visited Mitchell this past weekend in Los Angeles when the guard hosted a summer camp.
“We feel good about Donovan,” Altman said. “He’s in a great space mentally. He’s healthy. He was out there with those young high school players, hooping in a really good space. Really enjoyed the fact that him and Kenny could sit down and talk about the future, talk about the team. He is still under contract right now, so I think we can talk about him as a Cavalier. He’s invested. He’s really invested in what we’re doing, and hopefully soon we’ll have more of a decisive answer on [a contract extension] for you. But he’s been great. He’s been super involved and super collaborative and very, very much pro-Cleveland.”
Mitchell is eligible to sign a four-year, $200MM+ extension as early as Saturday (July 6), when the league’s moratorium ends. A new deal would see the see the 27-year-old decline his $37.1MM player option for 2025/26. He’ll make $35.41MM in ’24/25.
Mitchell’s involvement with the franchise this offseason included his input during the Cavs’ coaching search. He had a conversation with Atkinson and at least one other candidate during the search, according to Fedor. Mitchell endorsed the hiring of the former Warriors assistant.
Atkinson said they connected on a personal level. That’s a key, since Mitchell reportedly was unhappy with former coach J.B. Bickerstaff last season over a number of issues.
“We had a great sitdown,” Atkinson said. “We also have a little bit of East Coast, similar backgrounds. We didn’t grow up far from each other really, if you think about it.”
If Mitchell decides not to sign an extension, Cleveland would look into potential trades, Fedor writes. However, he says all the momentum is headed in the other direction.
Jazz Waive Omer Yurtseven
JULY 1: The Jazz have officially waived Yurtseven, the team announced today in a press release. He’ll become a free agent on Wednesday if he goes unclaimed.
JUNE 30: The Jazz are planning to waive center Omer Yurtseven, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Yurtseven, who spent one season with Utah after two years with the Heat, had a non-guaranteed $2.66MM contract. Yurtseven appeared in 48 games this past season, including 12 starts, and averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.
With the Jazz drafting Kyle Filipowski in the second round, Yurtseven became more expendable, though it’s certainly not out of the question they could re-sign Yurtseven on a more cap-friendly deal. A new minimum-salary pact would have a lower cap hit than his previous contract.
Yurtseven became an unrestricted free agent last summer when the Heat opted not to give him a qualifying offer. He had a promising rookie year, but was limited to nine games in 20222/23 after undergoing ankle surgery.
With a glut of centers on the free agent market, it wouldn’t be surprising if he looked at overseas options. He received interest from two Turkish teams before deciding to sign with the Jazz last year.