Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Murray, Title Window, Malone, Gordon
Appearing at the Nuggets‘ media day on Thursday after joining the team as a free agent over the summer, Russell Westbrook expressed excitement about his new opportunity and earned praise from teammates and his new head coach alike, as Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post writes.
“He has a competitive, ‘I’m going to get in your s–t’ mindset that I love,” head coach Michael Malone said. “… I think he’s going to help individual players achieve their potential and push them to be the best they can be. I love guys (who) bring it every single night, and that’s what he has done.”
While the former MVP has a much different skill set than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets’ former starting shooting guard who signed with Orlando in July, Malone believes Westbrook is underrated on defense and is capable of making up some of what Denver lost on that end of the court as a result of Caldwell-Pope’s departure.
“When we went back and watched his defense last year with the Clippers, at the end of games, he was on the opposing team’s best player every night,” Malone said.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Jamal Murray struggled in both the postseason in the spring and the Olympics in the summer, and Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said last month that health issues were a significant factor. However, Murray told reporters on Thursday that he has no injury-related limitations entering training camp and that he feels good, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
- The Nuggets believe their championship window remains very much open entering the 2024/25 season, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN relays. “In a best-case scenario, I think Nikola (Jokic) has a prime 10-year contention window,” general manager Calvin Booth said. “I think we’re about halfway through it. So, we probably have about five more similar shots and all the shots count. We hit one of them, that’s great. The earlier we hit it, the more we can have conversations about other things, but it’s going to be incredibly hard to win another one.” According to Malone, Murray has expressed to his teammates that they should feel a sense of urgency to capitalize on that title window. “He reminds his teammates, don’t take this for granted,” Malone said. “He goes, ‘We have a championship window, not every team has a championship window. And what do you do? Do you take advantage of that, or do you look back in 20 years and have regrets?'”
- Booth acknowledged that he’ll be keeping a close eye during the first half of the season on whether the Nuggets have enough shooting in their rotation and will be prepared to move at the trade deadline to address that area if necessary, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post.
- Asked on Thursday about offseason rumors of tension between him and Booth, Malone offered a diplomatic answer, Keeler notes. “Calvin and I shouldn’t always agree. If we’re always agreeing, then we’re not really accomplishing what we need to accomplish,” the Nuggets’ head coach said. “But through those disagreements and through those conversations, you come to a greater good.”
- Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, who becomes eligible on Friday for an extension worth up to $143MM over four years, indicated on Twitter that he’d be interested in representing Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. In case you missed it, Gordon and the Nuggets expressed optimism this week about the possibility of reaching a long-term deal.
- A total of 20 Nuggets games will be televised over the air for free locally in 2024/25, while a new streaming service called Altitude+ will allow subscribers to watch the team’s other non-national broadcasts, according to Durando. Nuggets executive Kevin Demoff told Durando that the team is still looking to resolve a carriage dispute between Altitude Sports and Comcast that would allow local Comcast customers to watch Nuggets games. Altitude had been blacked out on Comcast since 2019.
What Carrying A 15th Man Would (And Wouldn’t) Mean For The Heat
We've spent much of the offseason discussing the roster moves that an NBA team operating over the first or second tax apron can and can't make, and why it makes sense for a front office to do its best to stay under one or both of those aprons if it's in position to do so.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when one of the top free agents left on the market - Nassir Little - agreed to a contract with the Heat, who had been carrying 14 players on standard contracts and were operating approximately $1.64MM below the second apron line. After all, the expectation had been that Miami would stick with a 14-man roster to open the regular season in order to remain below the second apron -- a minimum-salary deal for Little (or any other player) would push them above that threshold.
Now, there are a couple points worth clarifying on Little's contract.
First, his one-year, minimum-salary deal is fully non-guaranteed, with Exhibit 9 language, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. That means that the forward's salary doesn't currently count against the salary cap, and if he's waived before the season begins, the Heat's cap situation will be right back where it was before the signing, about $1.64MM away from the second apron.
Even if Little makes the team, he'd be paid by the day during the season, so if he's waived in the first month or two, Miami would be stuck with only a partial cap hit and would be able to move back below the second apron.
The second point is more complex and it's the one we'll focus on at length today. Let's say the Heat decide they want to keep Little on their opening night roster, then he earns a regular rotation role in the first couple months of the season, making himself indispensable and forcing Miami to guarantee his full-season salary.
In that scenario, the Heat would go from operating under the second apron to operating approximately $449K over it. However, for the most part, their proximity to the apron wouldn't actually change the moves they can and can't make during the season in any material way.
Warriors Sign Kevin Knox
SEPTEMBER 26: The signing is official, according to RealGM’s transaction log.
SEPTEMBER 25: The Warriors and free agent forward Kevin Knox have agreed to a one-year deal, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While Charania doesn’t specify the terms of the contract, Golden State is right up against a first-apron hard cap and can’t sign a player to a standard deal without a corresponding roster move, so it’s safe to assume Knox is inking a non-guaranteed camp contract that won’t count against the cap. It figures to include Exhibit 9 language and possible Exhibit 10 language too.
The ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Knox began last season with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. He signed with the Pistons in early November and was in the NBA for three months before being sent to Utah at February’s trade deadline. The Jazz immediately waived him, and with no NBA opportunities immediately presenting themselves, the 25-year-old eventually reported back to the Remix.
For the season, Knox appeared in 31 games (11 starts) at the NBA level for Detroit, averaging 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. Those averages aren’t far off from the ones he has posted across 306 career outings for the Knicks, Hawks, Trail Blazers, and Pistons (7.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 18.0 MPG), though his field-goal percentage last season (46.2%) was well above his 39.2% career mark.
Knox suited up for Golden State’s Summer League team in July, playing in six total games in the Las Vegas and California Classic leagues. He averaged 16.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG on .471/.351/.792 shooting in those contests.
There’s technically a path for Knox to make the Warriors’ regular season roster if the team makes a trade or cuts either Lindy Waters or Gui Santos, both of whom are non-guaranteed contracts. However, recent reporting has indicated Golden State will likely hang onto Waters and Santos.
Knox isn’t eligible for a two-way contract and his G League rights are still held by Rip City, so unless the Santa Cruz Warriors trade for those returning rights or Golden State finds room for him on the standard NBA roster, the forward’s stay in the organization may only last a few weeks.
Keisei Tominaga Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Pacers
SEPTEMBER 26: The agreement is now official, per a Pacers announcement.
JULY 5: Undrafted Japanese guard Keisei Tominaga has agreed to join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Tominaga, who initially declared for the draft in 2023 before returning to Nebraska for his “super-senior” season, averaged 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.1 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for the Cornhuskers in 2023/24. A strong outside shooter, he made 37.6% of 6.3 three-point attempts per contest after knocking down 40.0% of his threes a year earlier.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Tominaga is the second undrafted rookie to reach an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers — they’re also bringing aboard Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James.
Jazz Sign, Waive Babacar Sane
SEPTEMBER 26: Sane has been released, Utah announced in a press release.
AUGUST 13: The Jazz have added undrafted rookie forward Babacar Sane to their offseason roster, according to RealGM’s transaction log. Tony Jones of The Athletic reported (via Twitter) in June that Sane would be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Utah.
A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season, but I expect the plan for Sane is to have him become an affiliate player for the Salt Lake City Stars.
Sane, who will turn 21 next month, is a native of Senegal who attended the NBA Academy Africa and then played in the Basketball Africa League before coming stateside in 2022. He spent the past two seasons with the G League Ignite before the team was shut down at the end of the ’23/24 campaign.
In 31 Showcase Cup and regular season games last season for the Ignite, Sane averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .445/.263/.699. The 6’6″ forward, who participated in the G League’s Next Up Game at All-Star weekend in each of the past two years, declared for the draft as an early entrant this spring.
It has been a busy week of roster moves for the Jazz. They renegotiated and extended Lauri Markkanen‘s contract last Wednesday, then officially signed Drew Eubanks, Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Filipowski, and Johnny Juzang in recent days, while also swapping out one two-way player (Taevion Kinsey) for a new one (Oscar Tshiebwe).
Utah currently has 18 players under contract, including 14 on standard deals, three on two-ways, and now Sane on an Exhibit 10 pact. The club figures to fill out its 21-man offseason roster at some point between now and the start of training camp this fall.
Sixers Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal
SEPTEMBER 26, 3:15pm: Quinones has officially signed his two-way deal, the Sixers announced in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 25, 11:41am: Jones has been waived to make room on the roster for Quinones, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 25, 8:46am: The Sixers and free agent guard Lester Quinones have agreed to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Quinones, who will turn 24 in November, spent last season with the Warriors. He began the year on a two-way deal and then was promoted to Golden State’s standard roster in February. The 6’5″ guard appeared in a total of 37 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 10.6 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .397/.364/.690.
Quinones spent more time in the NBA than in the G League last season, but has been an effective contributor for the Santa Cruz Warriors over the past two years, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .448/.362/.772 shooting in 65 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for Golden State’s NBAGL affiliate.
The Warriors opted not to tender Quinones a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported in early July that the former Memphis Tiger was on the Sixers’ radar.
Philadelphia doesn’t currently have an open two-way slot, so either Justin Edwards, David Jones, or Jeff Dowtin will have to be waived in order to make room on the roster for Quinones.
Derrick Rose Announces Retirement
Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has announced his retirement as a basketball player.
Rose confirmed the decision in a post on Instagram and, according to Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, by taking out full-page ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played in: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
“Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”
Rose added in a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic: “The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball.”
Rose, who will turn 36 next Friday, was selected first overall in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury.
The 6’3″ guard ultimately made it back to the court on a more regular basis in ’14/15, but he only appeared in more than 51 games in a season twice in his final 10 NBA seasons as he continued to be affected by health issues that sapped him of the speed and explosiveness he displayed in his first few years.
Rose was still an effective role player when healthy, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, but his injury woes prevented him from fully delivering on the potential to be a longtime NBA star that he showed early in his career.
Rose will call it a career with averages of 17.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 723 career regular season games (30.5 MPG). He also made 52 postseason appearances and put up 21.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in those outings. He made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls during his MVP year in 2011, though he never played in the NBA Finals. In addition to suiting up for the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, he spent time with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies.
Rose had been under contract with Memphis for the 2024/25 season, but requested his release and gave up his full $3.3MM guaranteed salary for the year as part of that agreement.
As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network tweets, there are no immediate plans for Rose to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Bulls, but the organization will almost certainly honor its former star at some point this season.
Kings Sign, Waive Dexter Dennis
5:17pm: The Kings have now waived Dennis, according to the NBA’s transaction log.
2:04pm: The Kings have signed free agent swingman Dexter Dennis, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Dennis, 25, went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2023 and caught on with the Mavericks for training camp, earning a two-way contract at the end of the preseason. However, he appeared in just four NBA games for Dallas before being waived in December.
Dennis played in a total of 44 Showcase Cup and regular season games in the G League as a rookie, including 29 for the Texas Legends and 15 for the Cleveland Charge, who traded for him in February. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 29.3 minutes per game with a shooting line of .430/.350/.778.
Dennis is also considered a strong defender, having won the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 at Wichita State.
The Charge traded Dennis’ G League returning rights to the Stockton Kings earlier this month, so in all likelihood, he’ll be waived before the NBA season begins and will subsequently report to Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where his Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.
The Kings still have one open spot on their 21-man preseason roster and have reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with both Skal Labissiere and Justin Powell, so more back-of-the-roster transactions are likely coming in Sacramento.
And-Ones: WBD Lawsuit, Top Storylines, G League Trade, More
The legal battle between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery took another step forward in recent days. Responding to the NBA’s motion to dismiss their lawsuit, TBS and WBD filed a 33-page memorandum last Friday attempting to convince New York Judge Joel M. Cohen to deny that motion, per Michael McCann of Sportico.
The parent company of TNT Sports, filed a lawsuit against the NBA in July, alleging that the league was in breach of contract after it refused to recognize TNT’s right to match Amazon’s new broadcast deal with the NBA.
The latest filing from TBS/WBD insists that the league acted in bad faith to “circumvent” the network’s matching rights by including certain terms in its deal with Amazon that it knew TBS/WBD couldn’t specifically match. For instance, one clause in the NBA/Amazon agreement requires NBA games to be aired on a platform that also broadcasts NFL games. Amazon has a deal with the NFL, whereas TBS/WBD does not.
If the case continues to advance through the legal system, court records suggest a trial would be held sometime in April 2025, according to McCann.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Paul George‘s impact in Philadelphia and the Knicks’ potential hole at center are among the key storylines to monitor in the Eastern Conference this season, in the view of Fred Katz and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Katz and Amick also took a look at the top storylines to watch in the West, including whether Victor Wembanyama is ready to take the leap to superstardom, Ja Morant‘s potential redemption tour, and which second-tier team could move into the top group of contenders.
- The South Bay Lakers, College Park Skyhawks (Hawks), and Texas Legends (Mavericks) have completed a three-team trade, with South Bay acquiring the returning rights to forward Chris Silva and center Jake Stephens in the deal, per a press release. The Skyhawks received Joirdon Nicholas‘ rights, while the Legends received multiple G League draft picks from the Lakers’ affiliate.
- Responding to a pair of U.S. senators who criticized the NBA for partnering with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in a letter that the league has followed “the lead of the U.S. government as to where it’s appropriate to engage in business around the world,” according to Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN. “If American policies were to change regarding business activities in and relating to Rwanda or any other BAL (Basketball Africa League) market, our actions would of course change accordingly,” Tatum said, adding that the NBA has promoted multiple social impact initiatives in Rwanda.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman are among the individuals across the NBA who are facing the most pressure entering the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Pina of The Ringer, whose top five is rounded out by Knicks forward Julius Randle and Heat wing Jimmy Butler.
Pelicans Sign Jalen Crutcher To Exhibit 10 Deal
Free agent guard Jalen Crutcher has signed a contract with the Pelicans, according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. It’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Since going undrafted out of Dayton in 2021, Crutcher has spent three seasons in the G League, including two with the Greensboro Swarm and one with New Orleans’ affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.
In 49 total games for the Squadron last season, Crutcher averaged 17.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 35.4 minutes per game and shot the ball well, with a 40.5% mark from beyond the three-point line and 86.3% from the free throw stripe. His strong play in Birmingham earned him a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in February — he appeared in just one game for the team, making his NBA debut on Feb. 27.
A player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract can have it converted to a two-way deal before the regular season or can qualify for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Given that the Pelicans don’t have a two-way opening and the Squadron already hold Crutcher’s NBAGL returning rights, the latter scenario appears more likely for the 25-year-old.