Western Notes: Kidd, Collins, Bailey, Harper
The Mavericks are expected to extend head coach Jason Kidd‘s contract again before the start of next season, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report (via Substack). Kidd received an extension after last season and general manager Nico Harrison indicated last week that Kidd would remain the team’s head coach next season.
Of course, the Knicks were interested in talking to Kidd about their head coaching vacancy. Although the Mavericks denied the Knicks’ request to speak to their head coach, there has been persistent speculation that Kidd would wind up in New York unless he received an extension.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Jazz big man John Collins picked up his $26.5MM option last week. That probably means he’ll remain on Utah’s roster entering next season, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who tweets that there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for Collins, who averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds this past season, but he was limited to 40 games and didn’t return after suffering a left ankle sprain on March 12.
- Jazz lottery pick Ace Bailey didn’t work out for the team amid reports that his preferred destination was Washington. Bailey expressed surprise when Utah drafted him but he claims he never considered not reporting to the club. “Not at all,” Bailey said in a press conference on Sunday, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I mean, just blessed to be in this position. Not a lot of people sit in these chairs and have great teammates as I got on (here). So I’m just blessed to be here.”
- No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, Bailey’s teammate at Rutgers, predicts the Spurs will make the postseason next season, according to ESPN’s Michael C Wright. “That’s going to change really quick,” Harper said of San Antonio’s recent struggles. “We’re going to make the playoffs. I think for the Spurs fans and everyone else, our group is very exciting. There’s a lot to look forward to. The sky’s the limit for this group we’ve got.” Harper could become the team’s third consecutive Rookie of the Year Award winner. “I don’t think I feel no pressure [to win ROY], but I definitely want to keep that going,” Harper said. “That’s definitely a goal of mine.”
Jaxson Robinson To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Cavs
Undrafted rookie Jaxson Robinson has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express tweets.
The well-traveled Robinson played for four Division I teams during his college career. He suited up for Texas A&M, Arkansas and BYU before winding up at Kentucky last season.
He started 24 games for the Wildcats, averaging 13 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 28 minutes per game. He shot 43.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent on 3-point tries.
Robinson’s season was cut short by an injury. He suffered a torn ECU tendon in his right wrist during a practice collision in February and underwent surgery in early March.
Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed but include bonuses of up to $85K if the player is waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate. In Robinson’s case, that G League team would be the Cleveland Charge. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, so Davis will try to make his case for a promotion during Summer League and training camp.
Mike Brown Considered Frontrunner For Knicks Job
Former Cavaliers, Lakers and Kings head coach Mike Brown is considered the favorite to become the Knicks‘ head coach, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
The New York Post reported on Monday that Brown would be the first candidate to receive a second interview. Brown has been in New York for the past two days, according to The Stein Line. They also report that the Knicks have been telling free agents since the market opened on Monday that their lengthy search to replace Tom Thibodeau is nearing an end.
However, Brown still needs a solid endorsement from Knicks owner James Dolan before he’ll get the job.
Taylor Jenkins, Micah Nori and James Borrego are also known to have interviewed for the head coaching position. Jenkins was let go by the Grizzlies late in the regular season. Nori is one of the Timberwolves top assistants, while Borrego is New Orleans’ associate head coach after a stint as the Hornets head coach.
One scenario that the Knicks are considering is hiring Brown as their new head coach and adding Borrego as Brown’s top assistant.
The Stein Line has also hears that Rick Brunson, father of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, is expected to remain part of the Knicks’ coaching staff, as well as some of Thibodeau’s other assistants.
Heat Sign-And-Trade Duncan Robinson To Pistons
July 7: The sign-and-trade deal sending Robinson from Miami to Detroit in exchange for Fontecchio is now official, according to a press release from the Pistons (Twitter link).
July 1: Free agent wing Duncan Robinson is headed to the Pistons on a three-year, $48MM contract via a sign-and-trade, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter). Detroit is sending backup forward Simone Fontecchio to Miami in the deal, Charania adds in another tweet.
While there are no options on the third year of the deal, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter links), it’s only partially guaranteed in year two and non-guaranteed in year three. Contracts signed via sign-and-trade must cover at least three seasons.
Robinson terminated his contract with the Heat in order to become a free agent. Had Robinson opted into the final year of his deal, his $19.9MM salary for ’25/26 would have become partially guaranteed for $9.9MM, which would have forced Miami to decide whether to guarantee his remaining $10MM or waive him in order to create $10MM in savings.
He’ll now join a Pistons team in need of shooting after losing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder in free agency while their top three-point threat this past season and another unrestricted free agent, Malik Beasley, is under investigation on gambling allegations.
Beasley was said to be in serious talks with the Pistons about a three-year, $42MM contract before word broke about the gambling allegations. It seems that money – and potentially a little extra, if he plays out the full contract – is going to Robinson instead.
Detroit secured a two-year agreement on Monday with Hawks free agent wing Caris LeVert, who like Robinson played his college ball at the University of Michigan. The LeVert deal is expected to be completed using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Robinson, 31, brings one major talent to the table — the ability to stretch the floor. He has knocked down 39.7 percent of his three-point tries during his 423-game NBA regular-season career.
Robinson made 74 appearances this past season, half of which were starts. He averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. He shot 43.7 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from distance.
Fontecchio appeared in 75 games with the Pistons, all off the bench. He averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game but made a disappointing 33.5 percent of his threes after knocking down 40.1 percent in 66 games with Utah and Detroit the previous season. Fontecchio has one year and $8.3MM left on his contract.
Detroit needed to send out at least $7.5MM in matching salary to make the sign-and-trade work and Fontecchio’s contract fits nicely, cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (Twitter links). The Heat will also come out with a trade exception in the deal, which Gozlan estimates will be worth $6.9MM.
The Heat now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, while the Pistons are still operating with a few open roster spots and plenty of spending flexibility below the tax threshold.
Larry Nance Jr. Returns To Cavaliers
July 6: Nance has officially finalized his new deal with the Cavaliers, per a press release from the team.
July 1: Veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., who finished the season with the Hawks, is signing a free agent contract with the Cavaliers, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets.
It’s a one-year agreement, per ESPN. As a second-apron team, the Cavaliers can only offer Nance a veteran’s minimum deal.
The journeyman, an Ohio native, will enter his second stint with Cleveland. He played for the Cavaliers from 2017-21.
Nance, 32, appeared in just 24 games in his lone season with Atlanta after two-plus years with New Orleans. The big man underwent surgery for a broken bone in his right hand in January and had his season cut short by a knee ailment. He averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
Nance has long been valued for his toughness, rebounding and locker room leadership. He could see action at both power positions behind starters Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Nance is taking a significant pay cut, as he made $11.2MM last season.
He had been the No. 44 free agent on our top-50 list.
Gary Trent Jr. Remains With Bucks On Two-Year Deal
July 8: Trent’s new contract is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
June 30: Free agent guard Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a two-year, $7.5MM deal to remain with the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The second year includes a player option.
It’s slightly above the veteran’s minimum, so Milwaukee will apparently use its Non-Bird rights, which allows a team to re-sign a player for up to 120% of his previous salary or 120% of the league’s minimum salary (whichever is greater).
Trent played on the veteran’s minimum this past year despite being at least a part-time starter for Toronto the previous three seasons.
By getting a player option, Trent positions himself for another shot at free agency next summer when more teams are expected to have cap space.
Still just 26, Trent has been in the league since 2016. In his first season with the Bucks, he appeared in 74 games, making nine starts. He averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
Trent made 43.1 percent of his shots, including a near career-high 41.6 percent from deep. Of the 8.9 shots he took per game, a majority (5.9) were beyond the three-point arc.
After Damian Lillard went down with an Achilles injury, Trent had two huge offensive games in the playoffs. He scored 37 points in Game 3 against Indiana and 33 in Game 5 during Milwaukee’s first-round loss.
Hawks Sign Luke Kennard On One-Year Contract
July 8: The Hawks have made it official with Kennard, the team announced in a press release.
“We’re excited to add Luke to our group,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in a statement. “Luke is a great connector. He’s an elite shooter and proven play-maker with a high basketball IQ and team-first mentality. He fills multiple needs for us, and we believe he’s going to make our team better.”
June 30: The Hawks are signing free agent wing Luke Kennard on a one-year, $11MM contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).
Quite a few teams were rumored to be interested in Kennard and he chose to go to the Hawks, who also agreed to a sign-and-trade on Monday to acquire another prominent wing, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Hawks will use a majority of their mid-level exception to sign Kennard. The 29-year-old has long been regarded as one of the top 3-point shooters in the league. He has knocked down 43.8 percent of his 3s during his 460-game career.
Kennard appeared in 65 games with the Grizzlies this past season, the most action he’s seen since he played 70 games with the Clippers in 2021/22. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists while making 43.3 percent of his long-range shots in 2024/25.
Kennard will provide guard/forward depth to a Hawks team that’s clearly looking to move up in what appears to be a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Give Trae Young an assist: He helped recruit Kennard to Atlanta, Charania adds in another tweet.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Heads To Hawks In Sign-And-Trade
July 6: The sign-and-trade deal sending Alexander-Walker to Atlanta is complete, according to press releases from the Hawks and Timberwolves.
June 30: Free agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has agreed to a four-year, $62MM deal with the Hawks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).
The contract includes a fourth-year player option and a trade kicker, according to Charania (Twitter link).
The Hawks will acquire Alexander-Walker via a sign-and-trade using the $25MM trade exception created by last year’s Dejounte Murray trade, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). This will generate a trade exception for the Timberwolves worth half of Alexander-Walker’s starting salary.
The Timberwolves are also receiving cash considerations and a future second-rounder, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The pick is the Cavaliers’ 2027 second-rounder, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
By going the sign-and-trade route, Atlanta will be able to preserve its non-taxpayer mid-level exception and still has room under the luxury tax line to make use of it.
The Hawks were considered the frontrunners to acquire Alexander-Walker after the Timberwolves reached agreements with two of their other prominent players, Naz Reid and Julius Randle. According to insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Trae Young was instrumental in recruiting NAW to Atlanta.
Alexander-Walker emerged as one of the biggest names on the free agent market due to his three-and-D skills. He had a 23-point, six-assist outing against OKC in the Western Conference Finals.
The 26-year-old appeared in every regular season game this season, including 10 starts, averaging 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He made 38.1 percent of his threes and has knocked down 36 percent of them in his career. He now slots in as the Hawks’ sixth man, backing up Dyson Daniels at shooting guard.
Clint Capela Agrees To Three-Year Contract With Rockets
9:12pm: The Rockets are acquiring Capela in a sign-and-trade with the Hawks, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who reports that Houston is giving Atlanta a second-round pick swap in 2031 and cash to complete the deal.
7:03pm: The Rockets continued to retool their frontcourt by agreeing to a three-year, $21.5MM contract with Hawks free agent Clint Capela, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The contract is fully guaranteed, Charania adds (Twitter link).
It’s no surprise that Capela, who lost his starting job in the second half of this past season, was leaving Atlanta. The Hawks are acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics to be their starting big man, at least for next season.
Going to the Rockets, where he started his career, is somewhat of a surprise, given they already have one of the league’s top young big men in Alperen Sengun.
Houston also signed Steven Adams to a three-year extension in mid-June. Where Capela fits on the depth chart remains to be seen.
As for the contract terms, how they’ll acquire Capela is another mystery. Houston also agreed to a four-year deal with forward Dorian Finney-Smith on Monday, apparently via their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That would mean the Rockets would have to work out a sign-and-trade to bring in Capela.
This past season, Capela started 41 of 55 games and averaged 8.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21.4 minutes. That was the first time in eight seasons Capela didn’t average a double-double. He was the Hawks’ regular starting center the previous four seasons after a six-year stay with Houston.
Kevon Looney Signs With Pelicans On Two-Year Deal
July 7: The Pelicans have put out a press release formally announcing their deal with Looney.
“Kevon Looney is an elite professional with a proven championship pedigree,” Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “He is a warrior in the trenches and brings an incredible work ethic along with invaluable experience, toughness, and selfless leadership to our locker room. His commitment to doing the little things that win games embodies our team values, and we’re excited to welcome him to New Orleans.”
Looney’s new contract includes a second-year team option, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
June 30: Kevon Looney‘s lengthy stay with the Warriors is ending. The veteran big man has agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract with the Pelicans, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
Looney joins a frontcourt that includes Yves Missi, late lottery pick Derik Queen, Zion Williamson and Herbert Jones, among others.
Looney is noted for his defensive work and durability. He has appeared in at least 74 games over the past four seasons, including 76 this past season.
He was on the second unit much of the season, as his minutes were cut to 15 per game while Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post saw their roles expand. Looney averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Looney’s Pelicans debut will be his 600th career regular season appearances. He played a major role in Golden State’s run to the NBA championship in 2018 and 2022. He’s been on the Warriors’ roster since he was a late first-round pick in 2015.
The Pelicans will use a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Looney. The signing will hard-cap the team at the first tax apron.