NBA 2020 Free Agency: Day 2 Recap
The list of available NBA free agents continued to shrink on Saturday, which was technically the first full day of 2020’s free agent period. Over two dozen more standard contracts were agreed upon over the course of the day.
Listed below are Saturday’s notable contract and news items. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the moratorium ends on Sunday.
Here are Saturday’s noteworthy contract agreements and signings:
- Gordon Hayward, Hornets agree to four-year, $120MM deal.
- Fred VanVleet, Raptors agree to four-year, $85MM deal.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers agree to three-year, $40MM deal.
- De’Anthony Melton, Grizzlies agree to four-year, $35MM deal.
- Jae Crowder, Suns agree to three-year, $29.2MM deal.
- D.J. Augustin, Bucks agree to three-year, $21MM deal.
- Serge Ibaka, Clippers agree to two-year, $19MM deal.
- Tristan Thompson, Celtics agree to two-year, $19MM deal.
- Rajon Rondo, Hawks agree to two-year, $15MM deal.
- Avery Bradley, Heat agree to two-year, $11.6MM deal.
- Jevon Carter, Suns agree to three-year, $11.5MM deal.
- Paul Millsap, Nuggets agree to one-year, $10MM deal.
- Kris Dunn, Hawks agree to two-year, $10MM deal.
- John Konchar, Grizzlies agree to four-year, $9MM deal.
- Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to two-year, $7.4MM deal.
- Michael Carter-Williams, Magic agree to two-year, $6MM deal.
- Elfrid Payton, Knicks agree to one-year, $5MM deal.
- Nerlens Noel, Knicks agree to one-year, $5MM deal.
- Denzel Valentine signs one-year, $4.64MM qualifying offer with Bulls.
- Gary Clark, Magic agree to two-year, $4.1MM deal.
- Maurice Harkless, Heat agree to one-year, $3.6MM deal.
- Brad Wanamaker, Warriors agree to one-year, $2.3MM deal.
- Wesley Iwundu, Mavericks agree to two-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Carmelo Anthony, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Jeff Green, Nets agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Raul Neto, Wizards agree to one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Jeff Teague, Celtics agree to one-year deal (terms unknown).
Here are a few more of the day’s noteworthy headlines:
- The NBA and NBPA set a December 1 deadline for players with COVID-19 concerns to opt out of the 2020/21 season.
- The Warriors formally requested a disabled player exception in response to Klay Thompson‘s season-ending Achilles tear.
- The Hornets will use the stretch provision on Nicolas Batum to create the cap room necessary to sign Gordon Hayward… unless perhaps they can work out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Celtics.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic is one of the most popular free agents still on the market and is said to be receiving interest from the Hawks and possibly the Pacers.
Previously:
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hoops Rumors’ 2020 NBA Free Agent Tracker
With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements breaking left and right, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams fall. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.
A few notes on the tracker:
- Early in free agency, most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
- Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
- A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker in order to avoid any confusion.
- If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.
Our 2020 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”
The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Pistons, Magic
Joking that having son-in-law Seth Curry on the Sixers will let him see his granddaughter more often, head coach Doc Rivers said this week that it was an easy decision to acquire a sharpshooter like Curry when the team had an opportunity to make a deal with Dallas.
“One of the things we wanted to do – Elton (Brand), Daryl (Morey), and I – when we got here was create as much shooting as possible around Ben (Simmons) and Joel (Embiid),” Rivers said, per Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. “This was a no-brainer.”
Curry wasn’t the only prolific outside shooter the 76ers acquired this week. The team also agreed to trade for Danny Green and used one of its draft picks on Arkansas’ Isaiah Joe, who averaged 3.5 made threes per game over the course of his college career.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics and Hornets were among the teams that exhibited interest in free agent guard Avery Bradley before he signed with Miami, league sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
- After reaching agreements with Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson, the Celtics project to have 16 players competing for 15 roster spots, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, who notes (via Twitter) that one of those players – Javonte Green – is on a non-guaranteed deal. Two other Celtics had their 2020/21 salaries guaranteed today.
- Rod Beard of The Detroit News takes a closer look at how Pistons general manager Troy Weaver has reshaped the team’s roster so far, explaining why the team opted to pay big money to Jerami Grant over Christian Wood and acknowledging that the Mason Plumlee signing was a bit of a “head-scratcher.”
- The Magic appear to be running it back for the 2020/21 season with very few roster changes, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who says it’s somewhat surprising that no trade involving Aaron Gordon or Evan Fournier has materialized. While team officials believe the current group can have a winning record, the front office will face criticism if the club once again finishes in the middle of the pack, failing to make any noise in the playoffs and failing to earn a high lottery pick, says Robbins.
Wizards To Sign Caleb Homesley To Exhibit 10 Deal
After going undrafted on Wednesday, Liberty shooting guard Caleb Homesley has lined up an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards, the school’s basketball program announced (via Twitter).
Homesley averaged 15.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30 games (30.8 MPG), increasing his 3PT% to .369, the best mark of his college career.
In a typical year, players who receive invites to NBA training camps on Exhibit 10 deals would often end up with that team’s G League affiliate and would earn a $50K bonus for spending at least 60 days in the NBAGL. However, with the fate of the G League season up in the air, for now all that’s assured is that camp invite.
Bogdan Bogdanovic Receiving Interest From Pacers?
NOVEMBER 22, 12:40am: A source with knowledge of the situation tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) that the Pacers “aren’t engaged” in sign-and-trade talks with the Kings on a deal that would involve Bogdanovic and Turner.
Anderson clarifies in a follow-up tweet that there’s room for interpretation regarding the Pacers’ level of interest in Bogdanovic, but his source “flatly rejected” the idea of Turner being involved in a deal.
NOVEMBER 21, 10:00pm: The Pacers weren’t able to complete a sign-and-trade deal with Boston to land Gordon Hayward, but the Celtics forward apparently wasn’t the only sign-and-trade target on the team’s radar.
Sources tell James Ham of NBC Sports California that Indiana has shown interest in Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is also drawing interest from the Hawks.
Atlanta has the cap room necessary to sign Bogdanovic to an offer sheet. In that scenario, the Kings would have to elect whether or not to match the offer, and would lose the talented swingman for nothing if they decline to match.
The over-the-cap Pacers would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade with Sacramento in order to give Bogdanovic a contract that reflects his market value (believed to be in the range of $18MM annually). If Indiana is willing to make a player like Myles Turner available in that scenario, that would certainly appeal to the Kings more than the prospect of losing Bogdanovic for nothing, Ham writes.
There would be some cap-related hurdles to overcome in any deal between the Kings and Pacers. And, of course, as the Bucks and the Kings were reminded earlier in the week, Bogdanovic himself would have to sign off on the idea of joining the Pacers over Atlanta or another team. Still, it’s certainly a possibility worth keeping an eye on.
For what it’s worth, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Pacers – as well as the Rockets – expressed some exploratory interest in a possible sign-and-trade for free agent guard Fred VanVleet before he committed to re-sign with the Raptors.
Suns Sign Ty-Shon Alexander To Two-Way Deal
NOVEMBER 24: Alexander has officially signed his two-way contract with the Suns, according to the NBA’s transactions log.
NOVEMBER 22: The Suns have agreed to sign undrafted rookie guard Ty-Shon Alexander to a two-way contract, according to Matt Babcock of Babcock Hoops (Twitter link). Alexander essentially confirmed the report, quoting Babock’s tweet and thanking the Suns for the opportunity.
Alexander played his college ball at Creighton, declaring for the draft this year after his junior season. In 31 games (34.7 MPG) for the Bluejays, he averaged 16.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .431/.399/.860 shooting.
Mike Schmitz of ESPN, ranking Alexander as the ninth-best undrafted prospect, praised his “smooth shooting stroke and stellar defense,” suggesting he has the tools to develop into a three-and-D off guard.
Tariq Owens finished the 2019/20 season as Phoenix’s only player on a two-way contract, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer, so the club will likely look to sign a second two-way player to join Alexander.
Hornets To Sign Javin DeLaurier To Camp Deal
The Hornets will bring undrafted Duke power forward Javin DeLaurier to training camp on a non-guaranteed deal, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Agent Gary Durrant tells Goodwill that DeLaurier will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Charlotte.
DeLaurier, who spent four years at Duke, was one of the Blue Devil’s captains, but didn’t play significant minutes for the team. In 2019/20, he averaged 3.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 31 games (13.2 MPG).
The Hornets have been active on the UDFA market so far, having reportedly reached agreements to sign Kahlil Whitney (Exhibit 10), Keandre Cook (Exhibit 10) and Nate Darling (two-way) as well.
Serge Ibaka Signs With Clippers
NOVEMBER 25: The Clippers have officially signed Ibaka, the team announced in a press release.
NOVEMBER 21: The Clippers will sign free agent big man Serge Ibaka, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Ibaka will receive $19MM over two years on his new deal, signaling that Los Angeles will use its full mid-level exception to complete the signing. Charania adds (via Twitter) that the contract will feature a second-year player option.
The agreement represents a major coup for the Clippers, who lost center Montrezl Harrell to the rival Lakers early in free agency and saw power forward JaMychal Green leave for a deal in Denver. Ibaka, who can play either the four or five, will help replenish the team’s frontcourt depth, giving L.A. a big man who can knock down outside shots on offense and protect the rim on defense.
After starting his career in Oklahoma City and spending a brief stint in Orlando during the 2016/17 season, Ibaka has been in Toronto for the last three-and-half seasons, winning a title with the Raptors (with Kawhi Leonard) in 2019. This past season, he averaged 15.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG with an impressive .512/.385/.718 shooting line in 55 games (27.0 MPG).
By committing their full mid-level exception to Ibaka, the Clippers will hard-cap themselves for the 2020/21 league year and they don’t have a whole lot of wiggle room below the $138.93MM apron. However, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (via Twitter), the club can create a little extra breathing room by waiving non-guaranteed contracts for Joakim Noah and Justin Patton. Bringing back Noah on a new one-year, minimum-salary deal would cost the team about $1MM less than his current deal.
The Clippers remain in the market for a play-making guard and another big man, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. However, the team will likely be limited to minimum-salary offers or perhaps a portion of the bi-annual exception.
The Raptors, one of the many teams that made an effort to sign Ibaka, were believed to be averse to offering multiyear money, since it would compromise their projected cap room for the summer of 2021. They reportedly offered the big man a one-year, $12MM deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Suns Re-Sign Jevon Carter To Three-Year Deal
NOVEMBER 23: The Suns have officially announced their new deal with Carter.
“We are excited to bring back Jevon,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “Intensity and effort are constants for him, both in games and in the work he puts in every day in the gym. His fearless mentality provided us a spark last season and we look forward to his return.”
NOVEMBER 21: The Suns and restricted free agent guard Jevon Carter have reached an agreement on a new contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Carter will sign a three-year, $11.5MM deal, per Wojnarowski.
The 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, Carter began his NBA career with the Grizzlies before being traded to Phoenix in the summer of 2019. As a backup point guard for the Suns last season, he averaged 4.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.4 APG on .416/.425/.852 shooting in 58 games (16.3 MPG).
The Suns made Carter a restricted free agent by issuing him a qualifying offer earlier this week, so the team would have been eligible to match any offer sheet he signed elsewhere. Instead, he negotiated a new deal directly with Phoenix and will now look forward to backing up newly-acquired All-Star point guard Chris Paul in 2020/21.
In addition to acquiring Paul, the Suns have reached a deal to sign Jae Crowder in free agency. However, the club still has some outstanding business to address, as Dario Saric remains on the restricted free agent market. Phoenix is prioritizing re-signing the RFA forward.
Celtics Sign Jeff Teague
NOVEMBER 30: The Celtics have officially signed Teague, the team announced today in a press release.
NOVEMBER 21: The Celtics are signing veteran point guard Jeff Teague to a one-year deal, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
The move comes on the heels of a report that former Celtics point guard Brad Wanamaker has reached an agreement to sign Golden State. Teague, a former All-Star, figures to play a similar role to the one Wanamaker played in 2019/20, serving as the primary backup for Kemba Walker.
Teague, 32, averaged just 24.8 minutes per contest this past season – his lowest mark since 2010/11 – in 59 total games for the Timberwolves and Hawks. However, he was still relatively productive, averaging 10.9 PPG and 5.2 APG with a .436/.368/.873 shooting line on the season.
A few weeks before reaching free agency, Teague spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about his priorities, indicating that – after spending last season with two lottery-bound teams – he wasn’t eager to join another rebuilding team.
“Honestly, I just want to go to a team where we’re playing to win. I want to win,” Teague said at the time. “… If that’s starting or coming off the bench, I just want to play a significant role in winning. That’s really it for me. I know if I get a chance to play and compete, I’m going to play well. I’m not really worried about an exact situation, or I need to be able to start or whatever.”
He’ll get a chance to play for a winning team in Boston, as the Celtics look to make another deep playoff run after earning a spot in the Eastern Finals in three of the last four seasons.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.