New York Notes: Irving, Durant, Harris, Grimes, Quickley, Toppin
The Nets have leverage in trade negotiations and intend to use it, which could drag out the process into training camp, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
Kyrie Irving has opted in to the last year of his deal and Kevin Durant‘s four-year extension is just getting underway. So, they can take their time finding the right trade package. It’s also hard to imagine Durant holding out or refusing to play, as Ben Simmons did in Philadelphia, if the Nets don’t deal him.
We have more on the New York teams:
- In the same piece, Lewis quotes a league source as saying the Nets are opposed to the idea of trading Joe Harris. Holding onto Harris could indicate a retooling on the fly, while trading the 3-point specialist would signal a major rebuild. “I know the Nets absolutely do not want to trade Joe under any scenario,” the source told Lewis. “But there are just thousands of different ways this can play out.”
- Quentin Grimes, who is on the Knicks’ summer league squad, could be in the mix for a starting job when the regular season begins, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. The 2021 first-round pick showed some promise last season with his defense and 3-point shooting. A bout with COVID-19 and a dislocated patella marred his rookie season. Grimes could get a shot to start if the Knicks deal Evan Fournier.
- The free agent additions of Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein leave Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin as likely second-unit performers, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. The latter duo finished last season on a high note with expanded roles but they project as reserves next season.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Martin, Hampton, Banchero
The Heat lost P.J. Tucker to the Sixers and reached agreements with Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon but they still have some unfinished offseason business, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.
Restricted free agent Caleb Martin remains unsigned but since the Heat do not have his Bird Rights, they are unable to match offers above the $10.49MM mid-level exception. They are not likely to go above the $6.5MM taxpayer mid-level exception, since that would trigger a hard salary cap. They also have to decide whether to bring back Markieff Morris.
They have both the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions at their disposal to pursue other free agents, but using the bi-annual would also result in a hard cap.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Martin’s restricted free agency buys the Heat a little more time to wait out the Kevin Durant saga while keeping Martin as an option, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. Even if Martin receives an offer sheet in the first day of free agency on Wednesday, the Heat have two days to decide whether to match it.
- R.J. Hampton has impressed the Magic brass by his willingness to play in the Summer League, according to Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. Hampton wanted to play despite appearing in 64 games during his second NBA season. “I only got to play one summer league,” Hampton said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to get run and get extra reps.”
- Top pick Paolo Banchero has been displaying his strength in summer league practices, Price tweets. “He’s a very strong individual. I don’t think he even understands how strong he really is,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of the former Duke forward. “That’s the great part of his willingness to learn and ask questions, that he’s going to find out how he can use his body in different ways to obviously punish defenses but then defensively, how to guard multiple positions.”
Community Shootaround: Donovan Mitchell
The Jazz have made all kinds of noise over the past week.
They got a huge haul for All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Timberwolves, as they will receive Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, four future first-rounders, and a pick swap once the deal becomes official. Three of those first-round picks are unprotected.
They also acquired a first-round pick from the Nets in exchange for wing starter Royce O’Neale,
Utah’s front office now has to answer one lingering question — should it trade All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and go into full rebuild mode, or quickly retool around Mitchell?
Several NBA experts, including ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, say the Jazz are taking the latter approach and have resisted inquiries regarding Mitchell. Other NBA insiders and executives believe Mitchell is available for the right price.
Things can change in a hurry regarding front office approaches or player trade requests, as we’ve seen in the Kevin Durant saga. The Jazz’s long-range future is certainly brighter with those extra picks at their disposal, along with Gobert’s contract coming off their books.
If they choose to deal Mitchell, they can expect a similar – and perhaps even bigger – package from the highest bidder. Mitchell is locked up contractually through the 2025/26 season and there aren’t many players out there who consistently produce 25 points and five assists a game.
On the flip side, those additional assets now provide the ammo for other bold moves designed to get more quality players around Mitchell, who never seemed to truly mesh with Gobert on or off the court.
That brings us to our question of the day: Should the Jazz trade Donovan Mitchell and enter a total rebuild? Or should they focus on retooling quickly around Mitchell?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Sixers, Raptors, Haliburton
The Pistons entered last week with plenty of cap space and used a good portion of it on their impending trade with the Knicks for Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel and their free agent deals with Marvin Bagley and Kevin Knox. They have a full roster but still need more shooting, plus they have an overload of big men, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes. It’s possible the Pistons could get involved in another trade, rather than dipping again into the free agent market.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers added grit and toughness by securing commitments from P.J. Tucker and Danuel House in free agency but there’s more work to be done, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. They still need to replace starting wing Danny Green and they’re still too dependent on Joel Embiid‘s health and a bounce back from James Harden to reach the top of the Eastern Conference.
- Going all in for a spirited run at Kevin Durant is far from a no-brainer for the Raptors, Eric Koreen of The Athletic argues. While the Raptors have the pieces to make the Nets a substantial offer, they have been built around draft successes and development. They have to decide whether to risk the future for another championship run or count on incremental growth to keep open their window of opportunity for several more seasons.
- By agreeing to trade Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics, the Pacers essentially gave Tyrese Haliburton the keys to the franchise, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. It was a clear signal that they’re building around their potential All-Star guard. He is now the team’s unquestioned backcourt leader and the Pacers could potentially have three first-round picks next year. They also now have the cap flexibility to make a max contract offer to restricted free agent Deandre Ayton, if they choose that route.
Western Notes: Wiseman, Lundberg, Dorsey, Brunson, Tampering
Warriors center James Wiseman remains on track to play in the Las Vegas Summer League, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Wiseman played 5-on-5 full contact on Sunday for the first time since he had a setback in his right knee rehab late in the regular season. The No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft missed all of last season.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Gabriel Lundberg is not on the Suns’ summer league roster and he could be on the move, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Lundberg, who signed a two-way contract with Phoenix in March and appeared in four regular season games, has a possible deal overseas, Rankin hears. Lundberg left CSKA Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Tyler Dorsey had a private workout with the Mavericks on Sunday, Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports tweets. Dorsey appeared in a combined 104 regular season games for Atlanta and Memphis from 2017-19. He played for Olympiacos (Greece) last season and was the team’s second-leading scorer.
- Will the Knicks be penalized for tampering after securing a commitment from Mavericks free agent guard Jalen Brunson? Fred Katz and Tim Cato of The Athletic tackle that subject, with Katz hearing that there’s an expectation around the league that the Knicks will get charged with tampering, unless they work out a sign-and-trade with Dallas. Katz notes that New York started dumping salary on draft night and continued to do so amid reports prior to the start of free agency that Brunson was going to the Knicks.
Bismack Biyombo Re-Signs With Suns
JULY 3: Biyombo has officially re-signed with the Suns, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. That means it’s a minimum-salary deal for the veteran big man, since minimum signings can be completed during the July moratorium.
JULY 2: The Suns are re-signing free agent center Bismack Biyombo, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Biyombo, 29, appeared in 36 regular-season games last season for Phoenix, averaging 5.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 14.1 MPG. Biyombo, who spent the bulk of his NBA career with Charlotte, also appeared in nine playoff games last season.
Biyombo provides depth in the middle with Deandre Ayton‘s status with the franchise still very much up in the air.
Biyombo joined Phoenix last season on a 10-day contract, then signed a rest-of-the-season deal in early January for the prorated veteran’s minimum.
And-Ones: Wembanyama, Take Fouls, Grant, Trade Requests
Victor Wembanyama, the top-ranked prospect for the 2023 draft, has opted out of his contract with ASVEL Villeurbanne and is signing a two-year deal with Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 from Paris, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports.
The 7’3” Wembanyama was also pursued by the G League Ignite, Australian NBL, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Basket and many others, Givony adds. While the terms of the latest contract were not disclosed, it’s logical to assume he’ll have an opt-out clause after the first season, so that he can play in the NBA during the 2023/24 season if he chooses.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Players being intentionally fouled to prevent fast break buckets has been a point of contention in recent seasons. The NBA is addressing that issue in Summer League games, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Those fouls will result in one free throw, plus the ball. It’s likely a precursor for what’s to come, Reynolds adds, with the Board of Governors expected to make the final change regarding transition take fouls later this month.
- Olimpia Milano has parted ways with former NBA guard Jerian Grant after one season, according to Sportando. Grant has 279 NBA games on his resume, mostly recently during the 2019/20 season, when he appeared in six Wizards contests.
- Kevin Durant‘s desire to be traded after signing an extension which doesn’t kick in until next season is something the owners want to fix, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. It has been suggested that owners may want to recoup money the earlier a player is into his contract and a trade request is honored. However, it may be impossible to have a punitive enough deterrent for players who are signing massive deals.
Pistons Sign Lottery Pick Jaden Ivey
The Pistons have signed lottery pick Jaden Ivey to his rookie scale contract, the team tweets.
The Purdue point guard was chosen with the No. 5 overall pick. Ivey’s deal, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale, will be for four years and $32,951,083. His first-year salary, under those terms, will be $7,252,200.
Ivey is expected to jump right into Detroit’s rotation and pair up in the backcourt with last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham.
Detroit is also acquiring No. 13 overall pick, center Jalen Duren, from a draft-night trade. However, it cannot officially sign Duren until that trade becomes official.
Grizzlies Sign Three Draft Picks, Kenneth Lofton Jr.
The Grizzlies have signed first-round draft picks Jake LaRavia and David Roddy to multi-year contracts, the team tweets.
LaRavia, who played for Wake Forest last season, was acquired by Memphis with the No. 19 overall pick pursuant to a draft-night trade with the Timberwolves. His rookie scale contract, under the latest salary cap, could go four years and can be worth up to $14,763,367.
Roddy, who played for Colorado State last season, was acquired by the Grizzlies with the No. 23 overall pick after a trade with the 76ers. His rookie scale deal can go four years and be worth up to $12,985,886.
[RELATED: Rookie Scale Salaries For 2022 NBA First-Round Picks]
The Grizzlies also announced that wing Vince Williams Jr. and big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. have signed two-way contracts (Twitter link).
Williams Jr., the No. 47 overall pick of this year’s draft, was selected to the 2021/22 All-Atlantic 10 First Team during his senior year at VCU.
The Grizzlies’ decision to give Lofton a two-way deal was previously reported. He was named to the All-Conference USA First Team during his sophomore year at Louisiana Tech last season but went undrafted.
With Williams and Lofton on two-way deals, the Grizzlies have waived guard Tyrell Terry, who signed a two-year, two-way contract last season. Terry, drafted by Dallas in 2020, appeared in two games with Memphis in ’21/22.
The Grizzlies still have one unsigned draftee, No. 38 pick Kennedy Chandler. His deal will likely be completed once the July moratorium ends.
Western Notes: Clippers Roster, DiVincenzo, Nuggets, Monk
After landing John Wall, the Clippers have one opening on their 15-man roster. There’s no rush to fill it, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. While they could use a backup center, the team is more interested in staying flexible rather than quickly adding a player. The team is already looking at a $143MM tax bill for next season and another signing would add to that.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Donte DiVincenzo was believed to have offers for the full taxpayer mid-level exception of $6.479MM. However, he chose the Warriors’ offer of two years and $9.3MM with a player option. The option was key to his decision to take a $4.5MM salary next season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. He has a chance to join a championship team and pump up his value. If he does that, he can re-enter the free-agency market. If he doesn’t, he’s protected with a second-year player option worth $4.8MM.
- Nuggets GM Calvin Booth is carrying out his stated agenda of improving the team’s defense, Mike Singer of the Denver Post notes. By trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, agreeing to sign free agent Bruce Brown, re-signing Davon Reed and drafting Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, Booth targeted players who could switch on defense, disrupt passing lanes, play bigger than their height and stay on the floor in the postseason.
- Malik Monk has been friends with De’Aaron Fox since high school. That played a role in his decision to ditch the Lakers and agree to a two-year, $19MM contract with the Kings, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.