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.
Chris Paul Intends To Join Spurs After Clearing Waivers
Chris Paul intends to sign with the Spurs once he clears waivers, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets.
Paul was waived by the Warriors at the start of free agency. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent once he goes through waivers but he didn’t wait that long to choose his new team.
He’ll sign a one-year deal worth more than $11MM, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Earlier on Sunday, Marc Stein (Twitter link) reported that San Antonio has “strong” interest. The 12-time All-Star figures to be a natural, if short-term, pick-and-roll partner for Victor Wembanyama.
It’s unclear whether the Spurs intend to use Paul as their starting point guard or if they’ll have him coming off the bench, as he did a majority of this past season in his one year with the Warriors.
San Antonio used a variety of players to initiate the offense in Wembanyama’s rookie season with Tre Jones getting a majority of the starts at that position. Still, given that the Spurs seemed reluctant to make Jones their starter and didn’t do so until January, it seems unlikely that he would get the nod in next year’s starting five over the veteran Paul.
San Antonio’s cap space gave it an advantage over some other potential suitors for Paul. The Spurs could sign him without waiving Devonte’ Graham, whose guarantee date was pushed back to July 8.
Graham’s contract is already partially guaranteed for $2.85MM for next season, but it will increase to $12.65MM if the Spurs retain him. If they waive Graham and their other non-guaranteed players, they would still have a $16MM in cap space at their disposal to sign Paul, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.
At the moment, the Spurs are considered an over-the-cap team. If they stay that way, they could instead sign Paul by using a majority of their $12.8MM mid-level exception, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Golden State had to make a decision today whether to guarantee Paul’s $30MM salary for the 2024/25 season. Both the Warriors and Paul agreed to push back the guarantee date from Friday to Sunday. The Warriors had attempted to include Paul’s contract in a blockbuster deal, including a potential swap with the Clippers for Paul George. However, they were unable to pull anything off.
Paul, who turned 39 in May, remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.
Paul George To Leave Clippers, Likely Headed To Sixers
The Clippers were unable to gain any traction in negotiations with Paul George‘s representative and the veteran forward will sign elsewhere, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link)
Aaron Mintz of CAA, George’s agent, and Clippers president Lawrence Frank spoke a short time ago, Woj reports, but there was no new movement on a contract and George is prepared to join a new team. The Clippers have released a lengthy statement confirming the news, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers announced. “… We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions.
“We will miss Paul. At the same time, we’re excited by the opportunities we’ve now been afforded, including greater flexibility under the new CBA.”
The Clippers now project to operate well below the first tax apron, so they’ll have the $12.9MM mid-level exception and a $4.7M bi-annual exception at their disposal. However, they won’t have the cap room necessary to sign a player capable of replicating George’s production.
Meanwhile, the Sixers will meet with George in California this evening and are the strong frontrunners to sign him, Wojnarowski confirms (Twitter links).
A report earlier on Sunday expressed optimism on the 76ers’ front that they’d land their top free agent target. The Athletic’s Law Murray now reports that George will likely make a decision tonight and no other teams besides Philadelphia are in the running for his services (Twitter link).
Philadelphia is armed with ample cap room to sign a max-level free agent and is reportedly prepared to offer George the four-year, maximum-salary contract the Clippers were unwilling to put on the table. Throughout their negotiations with George, the Clippers remained steadfast on a three-year deal, similar to Kawhi Leonard’s contract extension. Leonard signed a three-year, $152.4MM contract in January.
Another potential suitor, the Magic, essentially took themselves out of the picture by reaching a three-year agreement with another high-level wing, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Warriors Waive Chris Paul
5:25pm: The Warriors have officially waived Paul, the team confirmed (via Twitter).
4:45pm: The Warriors are waiving point guard Chris Paul, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. Paul will now become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers.
Golden State had to make a decision today whether to guarantee Paul’s $30MM salary for the 2024/25 season. Both the Warriors and Paul agreed to push back the guarantee date from Friday to Sunday.
The Warriors had attempted to include Paul’s contract in a blockbuster deal, including a potential swap with the Clippers for Paul George. However, they were unable to pull anything off.
Paul, who turned 39 in May, remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.
The rule prohibiting tax-apron teams from signing a waived player whose previous salary was higher than the full mid-level exception only applies if the player is cut during the regular season. Thus, Paul is free to sign with anyone.
The Suns, who can only offer veteran’s minimum contracts, could be an option for Paul, though John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) dismissed that possibility. The Clippers have also been mentioned as a potential landing spot.
Another intriguing possibility is the Spurs, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link), who says San Antonio has “strong” interest. The 12-time All-Star could be a natural, if short-term, pick-and-roll partner for Victor Wembanyama. There will undoubtedly be other suitors for the future Hall of Famer.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are in the unusual position of being under the tax aprons by shedding Paul’s contract. They currently have $147.2MM in salary commitments among 12 players, nearly $31MM under the first tax apron, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That puts them in position to potentially use the full mid-level exception and/or bi-annual exception. Klay Thompson and Dario Saric are now free agents.
Max Christie Signs Four-Year Deal With Lakers
JULY 6: Christie has officially signed his new contract with the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).
JUNE 30: Restricted free agent Max Christie plans to sign the Lakers’ four-year contract offer, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The deal is worth approximately $32MM and will include a player option in the final year.
It’s a strong commitment by the Lakers to Christie, an early second-round selection in 2022. Christie appeared in 41 games as a rookie, then spent much of last season in the rotation. He posted averages of 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 67 regular-season games, including seven starts. Christie has made 37.8% of his 3-pointers, a total of 180 attempts in all, during his two seasons.
Christie made the jump to the NBA after a one-and-done season at Michigan State. Still just 21 years old, Christie offers good size (6’5”) at the shooting guard spot and could see his role expand under new head coach J.J. Redick, though he’ll have plenty of competition — including first-round pick Dalton Knecht — for minutes behind Austin Reaves.
The Lakers extended a $2.3MM qualifying offer this weekend to Christie to make him an RFA. His younger brother Cam Christie was drafted in the second round by the Clippers on Thursday.
Christie’s contract will put the Lakers approximately $39MM below the $178.1MM first tax apron, but that doesn’t include LeBron James and Bronny James, cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (Twitter link).
Grizzlies To Acquire No. 53 Pick Cam Spencer From Wolves
JUNE 28, 10:33am: The Timberwolves will acquire a future second-round pick from the Grizzlies to move down from No. 53 to No. 57, and cash considerations from the Raptors for No. 57, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
JUNE 27, 5:16pm: The Timberwolves are swapping the No. 53 pick to the Grizzlies for the No. 57 pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweets. Minnesota will then send the No. 57 pick to the Raptors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
UConn shooting guard Cam Spencer was taken with the No. 53 and he’ll now join the Grizzlies. Spencer played a key role in UConn’s championship run this past season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists after transferring from Rutgers. He also played three seasons at Loyola Maryland. Spencer shot 44% from beyond the 3-point arc for the Huskies and knocked 41.7% of his 3s in 132 college games.
He’s the fourth UConn player to get selected in this draft. Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan were chosen in the lottery and Tristen Newton was also selected in the second round.
Cameroon big man Ulrich Chomche was chosen at No. 57 and he’ll join Toronto. He spent this past season with the NBA Academy Africa. He only played three games during the Basketball Africa League qualifiers, in which he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal per game. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 blocks in 26 games last season.
He’s the first player from the NBA Academy to be drafted.
Minnesota, in a cap-saving move, agreed to trade shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr. and the 37th pick to Detroit earlier in the day. The Pistons used that pick to select forward Bobi Klintman.
Essentially, the Timberwolves made three deals to trade out of the second round.
Knicks Acquire No. 34 Pick Tyler Kolek From Blazers
5:53pm: The Blazers have issued a press release confirming the trade is official.
3:40pm: The Trail Blazers are trading the No. 34 pick in the draft for three future second-rounders, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Knicks used the pick to select Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweets.
The Trail Blazers will receive two second-rounders the Knicks acquired in previous trades — a 2027 from Minnesota, and a 2029 that will be the least favorable of Indiana’s or Washington’s pick. New York also included its own 2030 second-round pick, according to Fischer (Twitter link).
Kolek is one of most established floor leaders coming out of the college ranks and provides depth behind star point man Jalen Brunson. Kolek led the nation in assists per game this past season at 7.7. He’s led the Big East in assists per game for three straight seasons.
In his senior season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He’s valued as a passer with excellent footwork and finishing ability. He also improved his 3-point shooting in his last two college seasons, averaging 39.8% and 38.8%.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, there was a “ton of noise” that the Knicks would use one of their late first-rounders on Kolek (Twitter link). As it turned out, he was still available early in the second round.
Heat, Hawks Swap No. 43, No. 44 Selections
[Update: This trade has been folded into a separate agreement and officially completed as a three-team deal.]
The Heat are flipping the No. 43 pick to the Hawks for the No. 44 pick and cash, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter links here).
The Hawks will thus be receiving guard Nikola Djurisic at No. 43, while the Heat will wind up with Arizona Wildcats guard Pelle Larsson, the No. 44 pick.
Significantly, Atlanta will now be hard-capped at the second tax apron as a result of sending out cash.
Djurisic, 20, has played three-plus seasons with Mega in the Adriatic League. He averaged 15.4 points and 3.5 assists last season. He’s a potental draft-and-stash candidate.
Larsson, 23, played three seasons with the Wildcats after one year at Utah. He’s a prolific 3-point shooter — 39.7% in 133 career college games. Last season at Arizona, he averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He shot 51.9% from the field and 42.6% from deep.
Jamal Murray Expected To Agree To Four-Year Max Extension
The Nuggets and point guard Jamal Murray are making progress toward a four-year, $208.45MM maximum contract extension this offseason, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The Nuggets will present the offer to Murray and both sides expect an agreement.
Murray is entering the final season of a five-year, $182.8MM contract. He’s due to make $36MM in 2024/25
Under the terms of the extension, Murray would make approximately $46.53MM in 2025/26, $50.25MM in 2026/27, $53.97MM in 2027/28 and $57.7MM in 2028/29, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan. He could’ve added a fifth year worth $61.4MM if he re-signed as a free agent in 2025, according to Gozlan, but Murray has apparently chosen to lock into the long-term security now (Twitter link).
These salary estimates are based on a $141MM cap in 2024/25, then a 10% increase in 2025/26.
Murray won a championship with the Nuggets in 2023 and is generally considered the best active player never to be selected as an All-Star. During the title run, Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 20 games.
Injuries limited him to 59 regular-season games this past season, when he averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-best 6.5 assists. In Denver’s 12 postseason games, he averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
He’s a career 45.2% shooter, including 38% from beyond the 3-point line. A 2016 lottery pick, Murray is still just 27 years old.
Southeast Notes: Ware, Highsmith, Martin, Wizards, Lee, Ball
Kel’el Ware gained a reputation of having a low motor during his one season at Oregon. He played with much more effort during his one season with Indiana and that’s why the Heat had no qualms about selecting him with the No. 15 pick, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.
“I think that’s a low-hanging-fruit description of him,” Adam Simon, the Heat’s VP of basketball operations, said. “Kel’el is not that. I think he went to Oregon, was playing behind an established player, an older player. He played in every game out there, saw a better situation for himself to go to Indiana. For him, he showed what he can do. He played with a motor. He played with intensity. And I think we’re talking about a young player that has an edge to him.”
Simon has another description of Ware in terms of what he brings to the table, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“Kel’el is a three-and-D center,” he said. “It is not easy to find 7-footers who can play out on the perimeter offensively and also be able to defend with his ability to shot block and defend the post. For us, that was very appealing.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Don’t expect the Heat to re-sign both Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin in free agency, Chiang reports in a separate story. Highsmith is set to become an unrestricted free agent and Martin holds a $7.1MM option on his contract, which he will likely decline. With the Heat’s payroll already near the second apron, the best Miami can realistically hope for is to re-sign one or the other, Chiang writes.
- The Wizards’ moves in recent days signal that they’re attempting to build for four or five years down the road, while focusing on the crucial 2025 and 2026 draft lotteries, Josh Robbins of The Athletic opines. They made three selections in Wednesday’s first round. If that trio plays significant minutes as rookies, it’s almost a given the Wizards will be on the fast track to the bottom of the standings the next two seasons as they develop.
- Charles Lee, the new Hornets coach, said that LaMelo Ball is focused on being durable next season after a couple of injury-riddle campaigns. “I think that he’s just doing all that he can possibly do to make sure that he’s more available this year, a little bit healthier,” Lee told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Obersver. “Injuries are going to happen, but if you can do a lot of the work on the front end, hopefully you can create some luck where you avoid one or two of these little minor, nagging injuries. And then outside of that, I just think that offensively, he’s going to be a big component or a big part of us being able to play fast.”
- The Hornets are coming off a 21-win season but Lee is impressed with the talent level within the roster, according to the Associated Press. “We have a very, very good team here,” Lee said. “We’ve been snakebit with some injuries. … But this group is focused on the right things. The expectations are that we are going to compete every night, whether it’s a home game, road game or whoever is playing. This is going to be a group that is together offensively and defensively, no matter who is on the floor.”