Celtics Rumors: Green, Gay, Bradley, Olynyk, Dunn, Fournier
The Celtics prefer to use their mid-level exception to go after an experienced veteran player who can bring size and shooting to the team, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Former Celtic Jeff Green is thought to be one of Boston’s primary targets, Himmelsbach reports.
The Celtics aren’t far from the tax line and may be limited to the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception this offseason, since using the non-taxpayer version would hard-cap the club for the rest of the 2021/22 league year. The taxpayer MLE is expected to be worth about $5.9MM, which should be enough to make a competitive offer for Green.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Rudy Gay, Avery Bradley, and Kelly Olynyk are among the other free agents the Celtics may pursue, a league source tells Himmelsbach. Himmelsbach also confirms the club’s previously-reported interest in Patty Mills.
- League sources tell Himmelsbach that the Celtics will likely try to flip Kris Dunn, who is being sent from Atlanta to Boston in a not-yet-official trade.
- Himmelsbach also confirms that the Celtics are losing confidence in their ability to re-sign Evan Fournier in free agency. The acquisition of Josh Richardson was viewed as a contingency for the possibility of Fournier landing elsewhere.
- Former UConn star Jalen Adams worked out for the Celtics earlier this week, according to Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). Adams has played in the G League and in France since going undrafted in 2019.
Thunder Tender Qualifying Offer To Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
The Thunder have tendered a qualifying offer to swingman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, a league source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As a result of the move, Mykhailiuk will be a restricted free agent.
Mykhailiuk, a second-round pick in 2018, began his career with the Lakers before being traded to Detroit. After two years with the Pistons, he was flipped to the Thunder along with a second-round pick for Hamidou Diallo in a pre-deadline deal this March.
Playing a career-high 23.0 minutes per game in 30 appearances for the Thunder, Mykhailiuk averaged 10.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG on .438/.336/.700 shooting.
The 24-year-old’s qualifying offer will be worth about $2.08MM. If he accepts that offer, he’d reach unrestricted free agency next summer, but he may try to work out a more lucrative – and possibly multiyear – deal with the Thunder or another team. Oklahoma City will have the ability to match any offer sheet Mykhailiuk signs with a rival club as long as that QO remains on the table.
No QOs For Frank Ntilikina, D.J. Wilson, Mike James, Others
Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina is among the players who didn’t receive a qualifying offer in advance of Sunday’s deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link).
The Knicks’ decision on Ntilikina doesn’t come as a surprise. Despite the years the team spent trying to develop the former No. 8 overall pick into a reliable rotation player, he wasn’t used often in 2020/21, logging just 9.8 minutes per game in 33 contests as he battled some injury issues. A qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent would have been worth $7MM+, a figure he’s unlikely to match or exceed on the open market.
Here are updates on a few of the other players who didn’t receive QOs today:
- The Rockets didn’t issue a qualifying offer to forward D.J. Wilson, who will become an unrestricted free agent, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson’s QO would’ve been worth $6.4MM.
- The Nets didn’t issue a qualifying offer to guards Mike James or Chris Chiozza, according to reports from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Both players will become unrestricted free agents.
- Brandon Goodwin didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Hawks, a league source tells Scotto (Twitter link). Goodwin averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG in 47 games (13.2 MPG) for Atlanta in 2020/21.
Kawhi Leonard To Opt Out, Become UFA
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is turning down his $36MM player option for the 2021/22 season and will become an unrestricted free agent, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Today was the deadline for Leonard’s option decision.
The opt-out comes as no surprise — that decision had been expected since Leonard signed his three-year deal with Los Angeles back in 2019, and it doesn’t mean he’s leaving the Clippers. Speaking last December about his contract situation, Kawhi acknowledged that “the best decision” from a financial perspective would be to turn down his option.
Of course, when Leonard made those comments at the start of the 2020/21 season, he included a caveat: “If I’m healthy.” That’s not the case, as he recently underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of his right ACL. There’s a fear that the two-time Finals MVP could miss part or even all of the ’21/22 campaign.
Still, even taking that injury into account, opting out makes the most sense for Leonard, who will receive a new maximum-salary contract despite the fact that he won’t be ready to play this fall. He now has 10 years of NBA experience under his belt, which means he can bump his salary for next season to 35% of the cap – a projected maximum of $39.3MM – and perhaps lock in some additional years.
While the Mavericks and a handful of other teams are expected to kick the tires on Leonard, the Clippers are considered the overwhelming favorites to sign him to a new deal, as Haynes confirms.
The Clips only hold Leonard’s Early Bird rights, which will limit the team to a four-year offer (worth a projected $176.3MM). If he wants to maximize his long-term earnings, Kawhi could sign a one-plus-one contract this offseason and then opt out again next summer to sign a new five-year contract with the Clippers once they have his full Bird rights.
Hornets Tender QO To Devonte’ Graham, Make Malik Monk UFA
The Hornets have made point guard Devonte’ Graham a restricted free agent by tendering him a qualifying offer, but won’t give shooting guard Malik Monk a QO, according to Rod Boone of SI.com (Twitter links).
Graham, the 34th overall pick in the 2018 draft, had a breakout season for Charlotte in 2019/20, when he averaged 18.2 PPG and 7.5 APG in 63 games. He saw his role dialed back a little this past season due to the emergence of fellow point guard LaMelo Ball, but was still a solid backcourt contributor for the Hornets, recording 14.8 PPG and 5.4 APG with a .375 3PT%.
Graham’s qualifying is worth approximately $4.7MM. While he could accept that one-year offer, it’s more likely that he’ll work out a more lucrative – and longer-term – agreement with the Hornets or another team. According to Boone, Charlotte considers Graham a part of the team’s core and is hopeful the two sides can work out a new deal.
The Hornets’ decision on Monk is the more interesting of the two. The former 11th overall pick struggled in his first three NBA seasons, making just 32.2% of his three-point attempts and serving a drug-related suspension in 2020. However, he emerged as a reliable role player in 2020/21, averaging 11.7 PPG on .434/.401/.819 shooting in 42 games (20.9 MPG).
With a crowded backcourt – one that now includes 11th overall pick James Bouknight – the Hornets opted against issuing Monk a $7MM+ qualifying offer, so he’ll be free to seek out a new home as an unrestricted free agent. Teams in need of shooting on the wing could give the former Kentucky standout a look this week.
The Hornets also didn’t tender a qualifying offer to two-way player Grant Riller, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that the team and player aren’t ruling out a new deal.
Bulls Declining Ryan Arcidiacono’s Option
The Bulls won’t pick up their $3MM team option on Ryan Arcidiacono for the 2021/22 season, reports K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).
Arcidiacono has been a Bull for the last four seasons, but had his role reduced this past year, playing a career-low 10.2 minutes per game in 44 regular season contests. He averaged 3.1 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 1.3 APG in his limited role, with a .419/.373/.650 shooting line.
Because he has four years of NBA service, Arcidiacono isn’t eligible for a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent after having his option declined.
Johnson suggests that a return to Chicago on a minimum-salary deal is a possibility for Arcidiacono, but adds that the 27-year-old guard is expected to receive interest from some other clubs as well.
Heat Considered Frontrunners For Kyle Lowry
Chatter about the possibility of free agent point guard Kyle Lowry joining the Heat has increased significantly since the team announced this afternoon that it has picked up Goran Dragic‘s $19MM+ team option for 2021/22.
In the wake of the Dragic decision, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated (via Twitter) that the move was considered a possible precursor to a sign-and-trade deal that would send Lowry from the Raptors to the Heat, while Marc Stein (Twitter link) referred to Miami as the “favorite” to land the 35-year-old point guard.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) also hears that the Heat are viewed as the frontrunners for Lowry, and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets that there’s “growing optimism” a deal will come together.
Meanwhile, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link) outlines a pretty specific scenario in which Dragic and Precious Achiuwa would be outgoing pieces in a sign-and-trade for Lowry, who would receive a three-year contract starting at about $26MM. Dragic would subsequently be bought out by the Raptors, Winderman adds. Technically, sign-and-trade discussions about a free agent aren’t permitted by rule until Monday night, but Winderman’s tweet sounds like more than just speculation.
Still, while momentum appears to be in Miami’s favor for now, we’re still 24 hours away from free agency and the Lowry sweepstakes certainly aren’t over yet. As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), the Raptors would have to be satisfied by the picks and/or young players they get for Lowry in order to accept a sign-and-trade deal, since they could open up a chunk of cap room by simply letting him walk.
The Pelicans, Mavericks, and Sixers all remain in the hunt for the six-time All-Star too, says Chiang. However, the Heat may be Lowry’s top choice for a handful of reasons, including his friendship with Jimmy Butler and his respect for the organization, per Jackson.
Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Noel, Raptors, Pistons, L. Williams
The Bulls and Lauri Markkanen are open to working out a sign-and-trade deal that would send him to a new team, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Chicago issued Markkanen a qualifying offer this week that will ensure he’s a restricted free agent, giving the team some leverage in negotiations.
Scotto identifies the Timberwolves – who have long been on the hunt for a power forward – as one team to watch as a possible sign-and-trade destination for Markkanen. The Spurs and Thunder are also among the teams with Markkanen on their radar, per Scotto. San Antonio and Oklahoma City would have the cap flexibility necessary to issue Markkanen an offer sheet without giving up an asset in a sign-and-trade if they’re confident Chicago won’t match.
Here are a few more updates on free agency from Scotto:
- Following a strong season in New York, free agent big man Nerlens Noel is expected to draw interest from the Raptors, Knicks, Pistons, and Kings, writes Scotto.
- The Raptors and Pistons should have a little cap flexibility and will likely look to the free agent market to address the center position. Scotto reiterates that Jarrett Allen and Richaun Holmes are on Toronto’s radar, and names Kelly Olynyk as a potential Detroit target. Some people around the league believe Olynyk will end up signing a deal worth $10-12MM per year, Scotto adds.
- Despite mutual interest in a new deal between the Hawks and Lou Williams, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year will receive interest from other clubs, including the Pacers and Bucks, says Scotto. Williams is seeking a multiyear deal.
Pistons Waive Cory Joseph, Deividas Sirvydis, Tyler Cook
5:07pm: The Pistons have officially waived Joseph and Sirvydis, the team confirmed in a press release. Detroit also announced that Cook has been waived. As noted below, his salary for 2021/22 had been fully non-guaranteed.
3:36pm: The Pistons are waiving a pair of players from their roster, according to Shams Charania and James Edwards III of The Athletic, who report (via Twitter) that Cory Joseph and Deividas Sirvydis will be released.
Joseph’s $12.6MM salary for the 2021/22 season was only partially guaranteed for $2.4MM. Sirvydis had a fully guaranteed salary for the coming season, but his cap hit was just $1.52MM and his 2022/23 salary was non-guaranteed.
Detroit will have the option of either applying the dead money for Joseph and Sirvydis solely to the team’s 2021/22 cap or stretching those cap charges across multiple seasons to generate more space this offseason. That possibility shouldn’t be ruled out, since the Pistons’ trade of Mason Plumlee suggested the club is looking to open up cap room for free agency.
John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link) estimates that Detroit could get up to about $22MM in cap space by stretching Joseph and Sirvydis and cutting Rodney McGruder and Tyler Cook, who have non-guaranteed contracts.
Joseph, who will turn 30 in August, began last season with Sacramento and was sent to Detroit at the March trade deadline. He played well with the Pistons down the stretch, averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.2 RPG on .506/.368/.878 shooting in 19 games (26.4 MPG). Joseph should be an appealing target for teams in the market for a backup point guard.
A Lithuanian wing, Sirvydis was the No. 37 pick in the 2019 draft and was stashed for a year overseas before signing his first NBA contract in the 2020 offseason. His rookie season was uninspiring, as he played limited minutes in 20 games, averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 6.7 MPG. A return to Europe seems like a possibility for Sirvydis.
2021 NBA Offseason Trades
As we did with last year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2020/21, Hoops Rumors will be keeping track of all of the trades made this offseason, right up until the start of the 2021/22 season, updating this post with each transaction.
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. Trades that are agreed upon but aren’t yet official are listed in italics.
For our full story on each trade, click on the date above it. For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks. We’ll continue to update this list with the latest specific details on picks and other compensation, as they’re reported.
Here’s the full list of the NBA’s 2021 offseason trades:
2021/22 NBA League Year:
- Nets acquire Edmond Sumner and the Heat’s 2025 second-round pick (top-37 protected).
- Pacers acquire the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet.
- Rockets acquire Sekou Doumbouya and the Nets’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Nets acquire cash ($110K).
- Celtics acquire Juan Hernangomez.
- Grizzlies acquire Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap either the Pacers’ or Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) for the Celtics’ 2026 second-round pick.
- Grizzlies acquire Marc Gasol, the Lakers’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($250K).
- Lakers acquire the draft rights to Wang Zhelin.
- Pistons acquire DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ 2022 second-round pick, either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), either the Warriors’ or Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), the Nets’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash ($5.785MM).
- Nets acquire Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya.
- Cavaliers acquire Lauri Markkanen (sign-and-trade).
- Trail Blazers acquire Larry Nance.
- Bulls acquire Derrick Jones, the Trail Blazers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected; from Cavaliers).
- Timberwolves acquire Patrick Beverley.
- Grizzlies acquire Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez.
- Knicks acquire Evan Fournier (sign-and-trade), the Hornets’ 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and either the Thunder’s, Wizards’, Heat’s, or Mavericks’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Celtics acquire cash ($110K).
- Note: If either the Heat’s or Mavericks’ 2023 second-round pick is the least favorable of the four, the Knicks would instead receive the second-least favorable pick of the four.
- Clippers acquire Eric Bledsoe.
- Grizzlies acquire Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu.
- Bulls acquire DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade).
- Spurs acquire Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, the Bulls’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected), either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Note: If the Bulls don’t convey their 2023 first-round pick (top-four protected) to Orlando in 2023, the first-round pick they send the Spurs will be pushed back until at least 2026.
- Note: The Spurs already had the ability to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable). Now they’ll receive the Lakers’ pick and the most favorable of the Pistons’ and Bulls’ picks.
- Bulls acquire Lonzo Ball (sign-and-trade)
- Pelicans acquire Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), the Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($1.2MM).
- Spurs acquire Doug McDermott (sign-and-trade), the Pacers’ 2023 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and the right to swap their own 2026 second-round pick for either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Pacers acquire the Spurs’ 2023 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Rockets acquire Daniel Theis (sign-and-trade).
- Bulls acquire cash ($1.1MM).
- Celtics acquire Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando, and the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick (from Hawks).
- Kings acquire Tristan Thompson.
- Hawks acquire Delon Wright.
- Bucks acquire Grayson Allen and cash ($1MM).
- Grizzlies acquire Sam Merrill, either the Pacers’, Cavaliers, or Jazz’s 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Note: If the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks are the two most favorable of the three, the Grizzlies would acquire the least favorable of those two picks.
- Jazz acquire Eric Paschall.
- Warriors acquire the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick (top-42 protected).
- Grizzlies acquire the draft rights to Santi Aldama (No. 30 pick).
- Jazz acquire the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40) pick, the Grizzlies’ 2022 second-round pick, and the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick.
- Clippers acquire the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr. (No. 51 pick).
- Pelicans acquire the Kings’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected) and cash ($2.5MM).
- Pelicans acquire Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte’ Graham (sign-and-trade), the draft rights to Trey Murphy (No. 17 pick), and the draft rights to Brandon Boston (No. 51 pick).
- Grizzlies acquire Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, the draft rights to Ziaire Williams (No. 10 pick), the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40 pick), and the Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected; from Pelicans).
- Hornets acquire Wesley Iwundu, the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), the draft rights to Tyler Harvey, and cash ($2MM; from Pelicans).
- Lakers acquire Russell Westbrook, the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick (from Wizards), either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Wizards), and the Wizards’ 2028 second-round pick.
- Wizards acquire Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade), Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, the draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick), and cash ($1MM; from Pacers).
- Nets acquire either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards), the right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards), and the draft rights to Nikola Milutinov.
- Spurs acquire Chandler Hutchison and either the Bulls’, the Lakers’, or the Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards).
- Pacers acquire the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 pick).
- Heat acquire Kyle Lowry (sign-and-trade).
- Raptors acquire Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa.
- Hornets acquire Mason Plumlee and the draft rights to JT Thor (No. 37 pick).
- Pistons acquire the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica (No. 57 pick).
- Suns acquire Landry Shamet.
- Nets acquire Jevon Carter and the draft rights to Day’Ron Sharpe (No. 29 pick).
2020/21 NBA League Year
- Cavaliers acquire Ricky Rubio.
- Timberwolves acquire Taurean Prince, the Wizards’ 2022 second-round pick, and cash ($2.5MM).
- Celtics acquire Josh Richardson.
- Mavericks acquire Moses Brown.
- Thunder acquire Derrick Favors and the Jazz’s 2024 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
- Jazz acquire either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Pacers’, or Heat’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) and cash ($2MM).
- Note: If the Jazz don’t convey their 2022 first-round pick (top-six protected) to Memphis in 2022, the first-round pick they send the Thunder will be pushed back until at least 2025.
- Pacers acquire the draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick).
- Bucks acquire the draft rights to Sandro Mamukelashvili (No. 54 pick), the draft rights to Georgios Kalaitzakis (No. 60 pick), either the Pacers’, Cavaliers, or Jazz’s 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Note: If the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks are the two most favorable of the three, the Bucks would acquire the least favorable of those two picks.
- Hornets acquire the draft rights to Kai Jones (No. 19 pick).
- Knicks acquire the Hornets’ 2022 first-round pick (top-18 protected).
- Clippers acquire the draft rights to Keon Johnson (No. 21 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Quentin Grimes (No. 25 pick) and the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Thunder acquire the draft rights to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (No. 32 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Rokas Jokubaitis (No. 34 pick) and the draft rights to Miles McBride (No. 36 pick).
- Rockets acquire the draft rights to Alperen Sengun (No. 16 pick).
- Thunder acquire the Pistons’ 2022 first-round pick (top-16 protected) and the Wizards’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Trail Blazers acquire the draft rights to Greg Brown (No. 43 pick).
- Pelicans acquire the Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick and cash ($2MM).
- Clippers acquire the draft rights to Jason Preston (No. 33 pick).
- Magic acquire the Pistons’ 2026 second-round pick and cash.
- Sixers acquire the No. 53 pick in the 2021 draft.
- Pelicans acquire cash ($2MM).
- Thunder acquire Kemba Walker, the No. 16 pick in the 2021 draft, and either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Celtics acquire Al Horford, Moses Brown, and either the Thunder’s, Wizards’, Mavericks’, or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Note: If the Mavericks’ and Heat’s 2023 second-round picks are the two least favorable of the four, the Celtics would acquire the most favorable of those two picks.