NBA 2020 Free Agency: Day 3 Recap
The third day of NBA’s 2020 free agency period didn’t feature quite as many fireworks as the first two — outside of the year’s first offer sheet, the most lucrative free agent agreement reached on Sunday was worth just $21MM.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
However, a series of trades and a pair of maximum-salary contract extensions helped keep things pretty interesting as the moratorium lifted and free agent deals began being officially finalized.
We’ll recap the day’s headlines in this space.
Here are Tuesday’s noteworthy free agent contract agreements:
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks finalize four-year, $72MM offer sheet; Kings have until Tuesday night to match.
- Juan Hernangomez, Timberwolves agree to three-year, $21MM deal.
- Aron Baynes, Raptors agree to two-year, $14.3MM deal.
- Chris Boucher, Raptors agree to two-year, $13.5MM deal.
- Austin Rivers, Knicks agree to three-year, $10MM deal.
- Willie Cauley-Stein, Mavericks agree to two-year, $8.2MM deal.
- Jontay Porter, Grizzlies agree to three-year, $6MM deal.
- Marc Gasol, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Isaiah Hartenstein, Nuggets agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
- DeAndre’ Bembry, Raptors agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Damian Jones, Suns agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Kent Bazemore, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- E’Twaun Moore, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Harry Giles, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- JaKarr Sampson, Pacers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Willy Hernangomez, Pelicans agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets agree to three-year deal (exact terms unknown).
- Bryn Forbes, Bucks agree to two-year deal (exact terms unknown).
- Sterling Brown, Rockets agree to one-year deal (exact terms unknown).
- Torrey Craig, Bucks agree to deal (terms unknown).
- Bismack Biyombo, Hornets agree to deal (terms unknown).
Here is today’s activity on the trade market:
- Lakers agree to trade JaVale McGee and their 2026 second-round pick to Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell.
- Knicks agree to trade Ed Davis to Timberwolves in exchange for Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, and a future second-round pick.
- Pacers agree to trade T.J. Leaf and a second-round pick to Thunder in exchange for Jalen Lecque.
- Sixers agree to trade Zhaire Smith to Pistons in exchange for Tony Bradley.
- Pistons and Nuggets turn Jerami Grant‘s three-year, $60MM deal with Detroit into a sign-and-trade, generating a trade exception for Denver worth about $9.5MM.
- Kenrich Williams, Josh Gray, and Zylan Cheatham will be signed-and-traded from the Pelicans to the Thunder in the ever-growing Steven Adams/Jrue Holiday trade that also involves the Bucks and Nuggets.
- Previously reported trades involving the Trail Blazers and Rockets, Warriors and Thunder, and Pistons and Jazz were officially completed.
Here are today’s contract extensions:
- Donovan Mitchell, Jazz agree to five-year, maximum-salary extension.
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics agree to five-year, maximum-salary extension.
These deals are essentially identical — they’ll be worth a projected $163MM (25% of the cap), but can be worth up to $195.6MM (30% of the cap) if Mitchell and/or Tatum earn All-NBA honors in 2021. They also each have a fifth-year player option.
Previously:
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2020/21 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker
One of the most notable additions to the NBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, which went into effect at the start of the 2017/18 league year, is the two-way contract.
As we explain in depth in our FAQ, two-way contracts allow NBA teams to carry two extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular season roster. These players typically spend most of their time with the club’s G League affiliate, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises.
During the shortened 2020/21 season, two-way deals will work a little differently than usual. Rather than being limited to spending 45 days with their NBA teams, two-way players will be eligible to be active for up to 50 of their team’s 72 NBA games. And instead of having their salaries by how many days they spend in the NBA, they’ll receive flat salaries of $449,155.
NBA teams have begun to fill in their two-way slots for the 2020/21 league year, so we’ll track all those deals in the space below. Some two-way players from 2019/20 inked two-year contracts and remain under contract for this season, while others have been newly signed.
If a signing hasn’t been officially announced as a two-way contract, but has been reported as such, we’ll make a note of that, and update the info as necessary. Players who are in the first year of two-way contracts that cover two years (the maximum length), will be noted with an asterisk once that info is confirmed.
This tracker will continue to be updated throughout the 2020/21 league year, and can be found anytime in the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” menu on our mobile site.
Here are 2020/21’s two-way players:
Updated 7-13-21
Atlanta Hawks
- Nathan Knight, F/C
- Skylar Mays, G
Boston Celtics
- Tacko Fall, C
- Tremont Waters, PG
Brooklyn Nets
- Reggie Perry, PF
- Chris Chiozza, PG
Charlotte Hornets
- Nate Darling, SG
- Grant Riller, G
Chicago Bulls
- Devon Dotson, PG
- Adam Mokoka, SG
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Brodric Thomas, SG
- Jeremiah Martin, PG
Dallas Mavericks
- Tyler Bey, G/F
- Nate Hinton, SG
Denver Nuggets
- Markus Howard, PG
- Shaquille Harrison, PG
Detroit Pistons
- Saben Lee, PG
- Frank Jackson, PG
Golden State Warriors
- Nico Mannion, PG
- Jordan Bell, F/C
Houston Rockets
- Anthony Lamb, SF
- Armoni Brooks, SG
Indiana Pacers
- Cassius Stanley, SG
- Amida Brimah, C *
Los Angeles Clippers
- Amir Coffey, G/F
- Jay Scrubb, G/F *
Los Angeles Lakers
- Devontae Cacok, F/C
- Kostas Antetokounmpo, F
Memphis Grizzlies
- Killian Tillie, F/C
- Sean McDermott, G/F *
Miami Heat
- Gabe Vincent, PG
- Max Strus, G/F
Milwaukee Bucks
- Axel Toupane, SF
- Justin Jackson, SF
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Jordan McLaughlin, PG
- Empty
New Orleans Pelicans
- James Nunnally, SF
- Empty
New York Knicks
- Theo Pinson, G/F
- Jared Harper, PG
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Josh Hall, SF
- Jaylen Hoard, F
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
- Rayjon Tucker, G/F
- Gary Clark, F
Phoenix Suns
- Ty-Shon Alexander, SG *
- Empty
Portland Trail Blazers
- Keljin Blevins, G/F
- T.J. Leaf, PF
Sacramento Kings
- Kyle Guy, G
- Louis King, SF
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
- Empty
- Empty
Utah Jazz
- Trent Forrest, G
- Jarrell Brantley, PF
Washington Wizards
- Garrison Mathews, SG
- Cassius Winston, PG
Pistons Acquire Jerami Grant In Sign-And-Trade With Nuggets
NOVEMBER 22: The Pistons have officially announced the acquisition of Grant. Interestingly, the team’s press release states that it’s a sign-and-trade, with Grant and the draft rights to Nikola Radicevic being sent to Detroit, while Denver receives cash considerations.
The move will allow the Nuggets to create a traded player exception worth about $9.5MM.
NOVEMBER 20: The Pistons are signing veteran free agent Jerami Grant to a three-year contract worth $60MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move will reunite Grant with new Pistons GM Troy Weaver, who worked in Oklahoma City’s front office during the forward’s stint with the team.
Grant, 26, was acquired by the Nuggets during the 2019 offseason from the Thunder in exchange for a first-round pick. He came off the bench for most of the season in Denver, averaging 12.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG with a shooting line of .478/.389/.750 in 71 games (26.6 MPG). He entered the team’s starting lineup in the playoffs due to Will Barton‘s absence and played a key role in Denver’s run to the Western Finals.
Grant’s size, defensive versatility, and ability to knock down outside shots made him a popular free agent this fall, though it’s still a bit surprising that the rebuilding Pistons were the team to land him. Detroit entered this week with cap room but have made a series of moves eating into that cap room and will have re-open some of it to complete the Grant signing.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, will be on the lookout for frontcourt players after two of their key free agents – Grant and Mason Plumlee – agreed to deals with Detroit tonight. According to Denver-area reporter T.J. McBride (Twitter link), the Nuggets offered to match Grant’s three-year, $60MM offer from the Pistons, but he chose Detroit because he wants a bigger role.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Williams, Gray, Cheatham Being Signed-And-Traded To Thunder In Adams Trade
Kenrich Williams, Josh Gray, and Zylan Cheatham will be dealt from the Pelicans to the Thunder as part of the massive multi-team trade that will send Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee and Steven Adams to New Orleans, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Thunder trading Steven Adams to Pelicans]
The Pelicans needed to send out a little more salary in order to accommodate the incoming contracts of Adams ($27.5MM) and Eric Bledsoe ($16.9MM). Because Williams, Gray, and Cheatham were free agents, they’ll have to be signed-and-traded to be included in the deal.
Sign-and-trade contracts must run for at least three seasons, with a fully guaranteed first year, so being included in the trade will work out well for Williams, Gray, and Cheatham, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter). They would have been hard-pressed to find fully guaranteed minimum-salary contracts on the open market.
Darius Miller – who is also being sent to Oklahoma City from New Orleans – is another big winner in the swap, as he’ll have his $7MM salary guaranteed for salary-matching purposes.
With all of those players being included in the deal, Adams will no longer be required to waive his trade kicker, worth about $2MM, tweets Marks. That’ll bump the veteran center’s cap hit to about $29.6MM.
As reported by Charania, the blockbuster Holiday/Adams deal currently looks like this:
- Bucks to acquire Holiday and the draft rights to Sam Merrill (No. 60 pick; from Pelicans).
- Pelicans to acquire Adams, Bledsoe, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), the Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2024 and 2026.
- Thunder to acquire George Hill, Miller, Williams, Gray, Cheatham, the Nuggets’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), the Wizards’ 2023 second-round pick (from Pelicans), and the Hornets’ 2024 second-round pick (from Pelicans).
- Nuggets to acquire the draft rights to RJ Hampton (No. 24 pick; from Bucks).
It’s not clear if that’s what the trade will look like in its final form or if more pieces will be added before it becomes official.
The Bucks are taking the protections off the 2022 first-round pick they previously sent to the Cavaliers, and Cleveland is getting an extra second-round pick for Milwaukee for accommodating that change, which frees up the future first-rounders to be sent to New Orleans. That pick going to the Cavs will be Indiana’s 2025 second-rounder, per John Hollinger of The Athletic.
The Bucks/Cavaliers aspect of the deal could be completed separately, as cap expert Albert Nahmad tweets. But if it gets rolled into this trade, it would mean a fifth team joining the fray once it becomes official.
Raptors Sign Aron Baynes To Two-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 25: The Raptors have officially signed Baynes, according to the NBA’s transactions log. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca has reported that the second year of the big man’s deal will technically be non-guaranteed rather than a team option.
NOVEMBER 22: Having lost Marc Gasol to the Lakers and Serge Ibaka in a signing with the Clippers, the Raptors have moved quickly to reach an agreement to sign free agent center Aron Baynes to a two-year, $14.3MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The second year of Baynes’s contract will be a team option, allowing the Raptors to preserve their 2021 cap flexibility, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Toronto will use a chunk of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.
Though the 33-year-old Baynes may lack the passing acumen or career accolades of the 35-year-old Gasol or the defense of the 31-year-old Ibaka, Baynes is more mobile than the former and has developed into a solid outside shooting threat in his own right. During his 2019/20 season with the Suns, Baynes connected on 35.1% of his 4.3 three-pointers per game, significant career highs as he took pains to modernize his game.
During his lone season in Phoenix, the 6’10” Baynes also set new career-best benchmarks in points and assistants, averaging 11.5 PPG and 1.6 APG in a career-most 22.2 MPG. He also averaged a solid 5.6 RPG. Baynes began his career with the Spurs, with whom he won a title as a deep bench contributor in 2014. He also had two-year stops with the Pistons and Celtics.
Baynes looks to slot in as the Raptors’ starting center, replacing Gasol. In a separate deal today, Toronto is also set to re-sign center/power forward Chris Boucher, who emerged as a consistent rotation option behind Gasol and Ibaka. Boucher may now become Baynes’s primary backup as he continues to develop.
Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this report.
Wolves Pull QO For Kelan Martin
The Timberwolves have rescinded their two-way qualifying offer for wing Kelan Martin, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move makes him an unrestricted free agent.
Martin emerged as a rotation player in Minnesota last season, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 31 games (16.0 MPG), though he struggled with his shot (.392 FG%, .260 FT%).
Although the Wolves liked him enough to initially make him a restricted free agent, there likely wouldn’t have been enough minutes to go around for him next season, given the team’s wing depth, tweets Krawczynski.
The Wolves still have a qualifying offer out to their other two-way free agent, Jordan McLaughlin.
Wolves Sign Juan Hernangomez To Three-Year Deal
NOV. 28: The Timberwolves have made the deal official, per a press release on Saturday.
NOV. 22: After striking a deal with Malik Beasley on Friday, the Timberwolves are now finalizing an agreement with their other key restricted free agent, Juan Hernangomez.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Hernangomez will sign a three-year, $21MM contract to remain in Minnesota. The deal will include a third-year team option, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Hernangomez spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career in Denver. Although he was a solid part of the Nuggets’ rotation in 2018/19, the 25-year-old saw his minutes cut back in ’19/20 after the team added Jerami Grant. With not enough minutes to go around for Hernangomez and Beasley, they were sent to the Timberwolves at the deadline.
With an increased role, Hernangomez elevated his game after being traded from Denver to Minnesota, averaging 12.9 PPG with a .420 3PT% in 14 contests as the Timberwolves’ starting power forward. That strong finish helped him earn a nice multiyear commitment from the Wolves in free agency.
It’s been an eventful week so far in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves drafted Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday, agreed to reacquire Ricky Rubio in a trade with the Thunder, and now have secured commitments from their top two free agents.
While most of the top players on the free agent market are now off the board, the Wolves do still have their exceptions available and could make an additional move or two.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Suns Sign E’Twaun Moore To One-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 29: The Suns have officially signed Moore, per RealGM’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 22: Free agent shooting guard E’Twaun Moore has reached an agreement to sign a one-year deal with the Suns, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Stein reports that the deal will be worth $2.4MM, which suggests it’s likely a minimum-salary pact, rounded up. Moore’s minimum salary this year, as a nine-year veteran, will be $2,331,593.
Moore, 31, has spent the last four seasons in New Orleans, bouncing back and forth between roles as a starter and a backup during that time. He has been an effective scorer and shooter for the Pelicans, averaging 10.7 PPG on .474/.404/.736 shooting in his four years with the team.
Moore represents the latest intriguing addition for a Phoenix team that appears to be poised to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference in 2020/21. Having kicked off their offseason by acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with Oklahoma City, the Suns have since reached free agent agreements with Jae Crowder and Moore, as well as their own restricted free agent guard Jevon Carter.
The team also drafted big man Jalen Smith with the No. 10 pick on Wednesday and reportedly wants to re-sign RFA forward Dario Saric.
Knicks, Lakers Exploring JaVale McGee Trade
As the Lakers look to clear some salary to strengthen their offer to free agent center Marc Gasol, the Knicks have emerged as a potential trade partner in a possible deal involving JaVale McGee, sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Due to their hard-cap constraints, the Lakers are probably limited to only offering Gasol a one-year, minimum-salary deal for the time being. Clearing some salary would allow them to offer Gasol more than the minimum if the Raptors are willing to do a sign-and-trade. It would also allow them to offer a two-year minimum deal (which carries a higher first-year cap hit), as John Hollinger of The Athletic notes (via Twitter).
If the Knicks are going to take on McGee’s contract using their cap room, they’ll need some sort of sweetener. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype points out (via Twitter), New York got two second-round picks from Utah for taking on Ed Davis‘ $5MM expiring deal and would likely seek a similar haul for accepting McGee’s $4.2MM expiring contract.
The Lakers, who will probably only make a deal if they have an agreement lined up with Gasol (or another free agent), would have to decide how much they’re willing to pay in extra assets to upgrade from McGee at center.
The Knicks have been prioritizing 2023 second-round picks in trades this week, having already acquired – or agreed to acquire – three of them. The team reportedly expects that to be the first draft that high school players will once again permitted to enter, which would make for an extra-talented class. I imagine if a McGee deal gets done between the two teams, the Knicks may well come out of it with the Lakers’ 2023 second-rounder.
Thunder Complete Trade Sending Kelly Oubre To Warriors
NOVEMBER 22, 2:43pm: Erik Horne of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that the Warriors’ first-round pick headed to Oklahoma City will be top-20 protected. If it doesn’t convey, per Horne, the Thunder will instead receive Minnesota’s 2021 second-round pick (along with the Nuggets’ 2021 second-rounder, which they’ll get either way).
NOVEMBER 22, 2:27pm: The trade is now official, the Thunder announced in a press release. Oubre is headed to Golden State in exchange for the Warriors’ protected 2021 first-round pick and Denver’s 2021 second-round pick, per the team.
NOVEMBER 19, 8:10pm: The Thunder and Warriors are finalizing a swap that will send Oubre to Golden State in exchange for the Warriors’ protected 2021 first-round pick, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets that it has top-20 protection.
The Thunder will create a trade exception worth Oubre’s $14.4MM salary, assuming they intend to remain over the cap as they complete their offseason moves.
NOVEMBER 19, 3:55pm: The Thunder are engaged in serious talks about a trade that would send Kelly Oubre to the Warriors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The two sides are nearing an agreement, adds Adrian Wojnarowsi of ESPN (Twitter link).
It remains to be seen what the Thunder would acquire in a deal involving Oubre, but it’s a safe bet that GM Sam Presti would be looking to add at least one more future draft pick to his constantly-growing collection of them.
A deal sending Oubre to Golden State would almost certainly see the Warriors absorb his $14.4MM salary using the team’s $17.2MM trade exception. That exception allows the Dubs to acquire up to $17.2MM in salary without sending out any salary themselves.
Although a trade along these lines has long been the subject of speculation, it’s still a little surprising that the Warriors are willing to take on the increased tax bill that adding Oubre’s salary would create. As Bobby Marks of ESPN explains (via Twitter), based on current projections, Oubre would increase Golden State’s projected tax payment by about $68MM, resulting in a total increase of over $82MM after taking into account his actual salary.
The Warriors would likely get a bit of a break on that, since the NBA has said tax penalties will be reduced by the same amount that the league falls short of its revenue projection in 2020/21, but it’s still a massive commitment by the franchise.
However, Warriors ownership has exhibited a willingness to spend, and Oubre – who turns 25 next month – is a logical addition for a team that needed help on the wing even before word broke that Klay Thompson had suffered a torn Achilles.
In 2019/20, Oubre averaged a career-high 18.7 PPG in 56 games (34.5 MPG) for the Suns, chipping in 6.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG with a .453/.352/.780 shooting line. Phoenix, recognizing he wasn’t part of the team’s long-term plans, sent him to Oklahoma City in the Chris Paul blockbuster earlier this week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.