Olympic Notes: Quarterfinals, Holiday, Durant, Giannis
Six of the eight quarterfinalists have been set for the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics, with three teams still in contention for the final two spots and the other three teams no longer in the mix.
The U.S., Germany, and Canada are the group winners, while Australia and France have secured top-two seeds in their respective groups and Brazil has clinched one of the two wild-card spots reserved for third-place teams.
The outcome of the Serbia/South Sudan game on Saturday will determine the last two quarterfinalists. If Serbia wins by three or more points, Serbia and Greece will advance to the single-elimination round. If South Sudan beats Serbia or loses by just one or two points, they’ll advance, almost certainly with Serbia. The only scenario in which Serbia would be eliminated (in favor of South Sudan and Greece) is if South Sudan wins Saturday’s contest by 24 or more points.
Puerto Rico, Japan, and Spain have been eliminated from medal contention.
Here are a few more items of interest from the Olympics:
- Winning Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico by at least five points would assure Team USA of finishing pool play as the top-seeded team, likely creating a more favorable path to the medal round. That’s a priority, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed on Friday, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “We want the No. 1 seed,” Kerr said. “It gives you the best matchup in the quarterfinals. So if we drop down to two or three — which I think is unlikely, but we’ve got to take care of our business — we possibly have a much tougher opponent.”
- Veteran guard Jrue Holiday may return to the U.S. starting lineup on Saturday, but he’ll have to be cleared to play first. According to Windhorst, Holiday sustained a minor ankle injury in Wednesday’s game vs. South Sudan and is considered questionable for Saturday’s contest.
- Kevin Durant has led Team USA in scoring (37 points) and plus-minus (+46) through two games, but he’s comfortable with continuing to come off the bench if that’s what Kerr prefers, Windhorst writes in a separate ESPN.com story. “It’s basketball, it really doesn’t matter who starts,” Durant said. “It’s about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they’re in the game. So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can.”
- Although the Greek national team went just 1-2 in pool play and is in danger of being eliminated before the quarterfinals, Giannis Antetokounmpo is savoring his first Olympic experience, which included serving as Greece’s flag-bearer, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I might win another championship (in the NBA). I might win another MVP. Who knows?” Antetokounmpo said. “But I might never carry the flag again.”
Raptors Sign Bruno Fernando
9:30pm: The Raptors have officially signed Fernando, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
7:11am: The Raptors have agreed to terms on a contract with free agent big man Bruno Fernando, a source tells Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
According to Murphy, it’ll be a non-guaranteed deal that will give Fernando a chance to compete for a spot on Toronto’s 15-man regular season roster. He would assure himself of some guaranteed money by making the team.
The contract won’t include Exhibit 10 language, Murphy adds, so Fernando wouldn’t be ticketed for the Raptors 905 in the G League if he’s waived before the season.
A five-year veteran who was a second-round pick in 2019, Fernando began his NBA career with the Hawks before being traded to Boston in August 2021 and then to Houston in February 2022. He was dealt back to Atlanta in February 2023.
After playing eight games for the Hawks down the stretch of the 2022/23 season, Fernando didn’t play much at all in the first half of ’23/24, appearing in just 13 of Atlanta’s first 49 games for an average of 6.5 minutes per contest. However, he was thrust into a larger role in the second half due to a series of frontcourt injuries, averaging 7.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG while shooting 59.4% from the floor and 70.1% from the line over his final 32 games (18.7 MPG).
Fernando, who will turn 26 later this month, was waived by Atlanta earlier this week before his $2.7MM salary for 2024/25 could become guaranteed.
The Raptors are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus Jamison Battle on an Exhibit 10 contract. Once Fernando’s deal is official, the club will have 19 players under contract, including its three on two-way deals.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto bring in another veteran or two besides Fernando to compete for that 15th regular season roster spot.
Players Who Can’t Be Traded Until January 15
As we detailed in a separate article, players who signed new contracts as free agents during the 2024/25 league year can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever comes later. That means that nearly every team has at least one player – and often more than one – who won’t become trade-eligible until mid-December.
There’s also a small subset of free agent signees whose trade ineligibility lasts for an extra month. These players all meet a specific set of criteria: Not only did they re-sign with their previous team this offseason, but they got a raise exceeding 20%, their salary is worth more than the minimum, and their team was over the cap, using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign them.
Listed below are the players who meet this criteria and can’t be traded until at least January 15, 2025. We’ll continue to update this page over the next few months, if necessary.
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
International Notes: Caboclo, Galloway, Paschall, Cousins
Former NBA first-round pick Bruno Caboclo helped keep Brazil’s hopes for a men’s basketball Olympic medal alive on Friday, leading the team to a 102-84 win over Japan and securing the Brazilians a spot in the quarterfinals. Caboclo racked up 33 points and 17 rebounds on 13-of-19 shooting in 30 minutes of action, making all four of his three-point attempts.
The veteran forward was reported earlier this summer to be at odds with KK Partizan and was said to be on the lookout for an NBA opportunity, but it sounds like he’ll be remaining in Europe for the upcoming season. Caboclo told reporters on Friday that he expects to play for the Belgrade-based club next season and referred to Partizan’s Zeljko Obradovic as one of the world’s best coaches, per BasketNews.com.
As for a potential return to the NBA down the road? The 28-year-old suggested he hasn’t ruled it out.
“I think I still have a little hope of getting into the NBA, but if I don’t, I will not be sad,” Caboclo said. “I’ll keep doing my best and whatever God has for me.”
Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:
- Before he joined the Bucks last season, Australian wing Jaylin Galloway signed a three-year contract with the Sydney Kings. Now that he has been waived by Milwaukee, could he be headed back to Sydney? According to Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link), the Australian club has kept a roster spot open in case Galloway returns, though he’s expected to continue exploring potential NBA options and only shift his focus to the NBL if nothing materializes stateside. If he wants to play in the NBL, his three-year deal with Sydney would resume.
- Former NBA forward/center Eric Paschall has signed with Pistoia Basket, the Italian team announced on Instagram. The former Villanova standout, who was the No. 41 overall pick in the 2019 draft, appeared in 158 total regular season games for Golden State and Utah from 2019-22. This will be his first time playing professionally in Europe.
- Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is suiting up for the Zamboanga Valientes of the Philippines for the final leg of the Asian Tournament, according to Kennedy Caacbay of ABS-CBN News. The veteran center has been competing in Puerto Rico and Taiwan in recent years, having not played for an NBA team since 2022.
Players Who Can’t Be Traded Until December 15
As teams explore the trade market for potential deals to complete their rosters for training camp, there are a number of trade restrictions those clubs must take into account. Most notably, newly signed free agents can’t be dealt until at least December 15.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a free agent who signs with an NBA team can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever is later. There are also some recently signed players who meet a few specific criteria and can’t be traded until January 15. That list of players can be found right here.
The players who aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15 are listed below.
Players whose contracts haven’t been officially finalized aren’t yet listed below. Players who have the ability to veto trades in 2024/25 are marked with a caret (^). Players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts are marked with an asterisk (*). Players on Exhibit 10 contracts won’t be listed here unless they make the regular season roster.
We’ll continue to update this page over the next few months as players are signed or waived.
Updated 10-19-24 (3:49pm CT)
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
- Seth Curry ^
- Taj Gibson *
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Pacific Notes: Jones, Durant, Podziemski, Christie
While Tyus Jones surely expected to sign for more than the veteran’s minimum when he first reached free agency on July 1, he’s thrilled about his new opportunity in Phoenix despite settling for a one-year, $3MM deal. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, Jones raved during his introductory media session this week about what he views as an ideal fit with the Suns.
“I’m excited. I’m ready for the opportunity, ready to seize it, but for me, again, going back to the fit. I felt like the fit was perfect,” Jones said. “I’m ready for the season to be here already. I know we got some time, but I just want to hoop. I want to get out there with the guys, build our camaraderie, build our chemistry and ultimately compete for a championship. That’s our end goal.”
Jones told reporters that the Suns did a “great job” recruiting him and that the strength of the roster helped convince him to sign in Phoenix. He’s looking forward to serving as a facilitator within a high-powered offense led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
“Just trying to make their job easy,” Jones said of his role. “Last year, I know Book, Brad had to do a lot of playing the one, kind of facilitating, orchestrating the offense. The fact that they can do that, but what they really do is put the ball in the basket and so I know it’s going to be up to me to put them in the right spots. Put KD in the right spots, put Book in the right spots, put Brad in the right spot, everybody.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- It’s unclear if Durant will receive the one-year, $59.7MM extension he’s eligible for before the regular season begins, but Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein tells Rankin that the relationship between the star forward and the organization is in a great place. “The most important thing is Kevin loves being here and we love having Kevin here,” Bartelstein said. “… I talk to (Durant’s manager) Rich Kleiman, who works with Kevin, all the time. Conversations are great not just on extension stuff, but on all things that have been going on.”
- Appearing on The Dinner Table podcast, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski made it clear he’s not bothered by the fact that his name has popped up in trade rumors this summer. In fact, he thinks it’s “fun” to see the discourse on whether or not he should be included in an offer for Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, as Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “No one likes to admit it, but everybody sees … the good and the bad,” Podziemski said. “For me, I think the bad can just be used as motivation. Obviously, my name has been in the Markkanen trade a lot, so if the trade doesn’t go through and I’m still here, to have a good second year and be like, ‘Good thing we didn’t trade him,’ would be cool for me.”
- The Lakers are counting on third-year guard Max Christie to become a more significant part of their rotation as he begins a new four-year, $32MM contract, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In particular, Christie expects to match up on defense with opponents’ top wing or backcourt scorers and has been working this offseason on building up his stamina in preparation for those assignments. “When you’re guarding the best player, all the actions are being run for him,” Christie said. “You’re running through screens, so that’s tiring. It’s hard. And then, especially if you’re chasing shooters … it’s fatiguing. … I want to keep growing my game, obviously defensively, looking ahead to next season.”
Cavs Sign Jarrett Allen To Three-Year Extension
AUGUST 2: Allen’s extension is official, the Cavaliers announced in a press release.
“We couldn’t be more excited that Jarrett Allen chose to extend in Cleveland for the prime of his career,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said. “Jarrett’s growth as a player, at just 26 years old, was accelerated when he earned his first All-Star selection in 2022. He is the anchor of our core group of players and his presence fits our vision for sustainable success. Jarrett also embodies the culture and values of our organization, and we look forward to achieving even greater things together.”
JULY 31: The Cavaliers and center Jarrett Allen have agreed to a three-year extension that will begin in 2026/27, when the big man’s current deal expires, agent Derrick Powell tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
According to Wojnarowski, the deal will be worth the maximum that Allen can receive on a veteran extension, which is just shy of $91MM over three years.
Players are permitted to receive up to 40% raises in the first year of an extension and Allen will make $20MM in 2025/26. That means he’ll earn $28MM in the first year of his new deal, followed by salaries of $30.24MM in ’27/28 and $32.48MM in ’28/29, for a total of $90.72MM.
Allen, 26, has spent the past three-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, emerging as one of the NBA’s most reliable starting centers during that time. After starting his career in Brooklyn, he became a Cavalier as a result of the four-team blockbuster trade in January 2021 that sent James Harden to Brooklyn, then re-signed with the Cavs on a five-year, $100MM contract during the summer of 2021.
Allen was named an All-Star in 2022 and has averaged 15.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game with a .642 FG% across 252 outings (241 starts) since arriving in Cleveland. He established new career highs in PPG (16.5) and APG (2.7) this past season, but a rib injury in April ended his season early, sidelining him for the Cavs’ last eight playoff games, including the entire second-round series vs. Boston.
Allen is the third Cavaliers starter to agree to a lucrative multiyear contract extension this offseason, joining Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Cleveland will now have its top four players – Mitchell, Mobley, Allen, and Darius Garland – under contract through at least 2027 — Mitchell holds a player option for 2027/28.
While Allen has been the subject of some trade speculation in recent years – the Pelicans are known to have significant interest in him – signing this extension will make him ineligible to be dealt for six months.
Unless he waits until August 7 or later to sign his new contract, Allen will become trade-eligible prior to the February 6 trade deadline.
Sixers, Cavs Among Teams In Mix For Marcus Morris
Veteran forward Marcus Morris remains unsigned over a month into free agency, but it sounds like he has no shortage of options. Sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers, Cavaliers, Hornets, Pistons, Heat, Pelicans, and Timberwolves have all shown some level of interest in Morris.
According to Pompey, Philadelphia and Cleveland appear to be the most likely landing spots for Morris. The Sixers are the 34-year-old’s hometown team and could use a power forward, but they’re limited to offering a minimum-salary contract. Morris finished last season with the Cavaliers, who are willing to offer him nearly double the minimum salary, sources tell Pompey.
Morris said that he “really enjoyed” his time in Cleveland and referred to the organization as “top-notch,” but also admitted he likes the idea of returning to his hometown team in Philadelphia.
“It felt like it was something that just helped my career,” Morris said of playing for the Sixers earlier in the 2023/24 season. “You know sometimes you’ve been doing it for so long that you find different things that get you up for playing. Being home is one of those things for me. … I just felt so free. I just felt so much love. So it’s like, yeah, man, I would definitely entertain coming back. I just hope … we can get something going hopefully.”
As Pompey explains, the 76ers currently have 13 players on standard contracts and will likely keep a 15-man roster spot open to start the regular season, so they’ll likely add just one more player. It’s unclear if Morris is their top target. Sources tell The Inquirer that Philadelphia also has some interest in sharpshooting power forward Davis Bertans.
As for the Cavs, this is just my speculation, but they may want resolution on Isaac Okoro‘s restricted free agency before they move forward with other free agents. Whether they re-sign Okoro or sign-and-trade him, resolving his situation would give them a better idea of where their team salary stands relative to the luxury tax line and tax aprons.
As Morris weighs his options and waits for offers, he tells Pompey that he’s willing to be patient as he prioritizes finding the right fit.
“I know the game. I’ve been around 14 years. I’m still playing,” the veteran forward said. “I just want to come in and help a team, be a voice, be a vet, but still compete at a high level. I also want to be somewhere I already know what the team needs. I want to be a piece that’s versatile and playing, either starting or coming off (the bench), and helping younger guys and things like that.
“… I’m just taking my time, because everybody needs a vet that can still play and (be a part of a) good situation in the locker room. I’m just taking my time to see what comes to be, what’s good for both sides.”
The Complexities Of The Lauri Markkanen Situation
On the surface, the Lauri Markkanen situation in Utah looks relatively straightforward.
The Finnish forward is a star on an expiring contract playing for a team very much still in a rebuilding stage. The Jazz will have to make a decision that lottery teams face all the time. Does it makes more sense to trade Markkanen now in order to bottom out ahead of the 2025 draft and ensure they don't lose him later for nothing, or to hang onto the 27-year-old and attempt to sign him long-term to make him part of the core moving forward?
It's not simply a matter of choosing one course or the other though. A confluence of factors, such as the Jazz's $30MM+ in cap room, Markkanen's contract situation (including an unusually low cap hit for a former All-Star), and a series of rules in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, create added complications.
The Jazz will have decisions to make beyond just whether or not to trade Markkanen. He, in turn, will face decisions of his own, as soon as next week.
Grizzlies Sign Luke Kennard To One-Year Deal
9:10pm: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
11:54am: Free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard is returning to the Grizzlies, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who hears from sources that the two sides have reached an agreement on a one-year, $11MM deal.
The Grizzlies turned down Kennard’s $14.8MM team option for the 2024/25 season on June 29, making him an unrestricted free agent, but the expectation was always that he’d agree to a more team-friendly deal to remain in Memphis.
Reporting at the time his option was declined indicated that Kennard and the team were “eager” to discuss a new contract, and the 28-year-old was never linked to any other suitors during the month he spent on the open market.
Kennard was limited to just 39 games (22 starts) this past season for health reasons, including a left knee bone bruise, but was effective when he was available, with averages of 11.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game.
One of the NBA’s best three-point shooters, the 6’5″ wing has made at least 44.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc in each of the past four seasons, including 45.0% in 2023/24.
Kennard was the No. 29 player on our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents. He was the only unrestricted free agent in the top 40 who remained unsigned.
Prior to officially re-signing Kennard, the Grizzlies are carrying 13 players on standard contracts, with a team salary of approximately $160.75MM. Assuming the $11MM salary reported by Wojnarowski is accurate, Kennard’s new deal would push team salary above the luxury tax line by about $1MM. That figure would increase if Memphis wants to add a 15th man or decides to waive Mamadi Diakite (whose salary is partially guaranteed) to replace him with another minimum-salary player.
Still, as Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, that surplus is small enough that it likely wouldn’t be too difficult for the Grizzlies to duck out of luxury tax territory at some point later in the season. A team’s tax bill isn’t calculated until the end of the season.