Free Agent Rumors: KCP, George, Thompson, Bridges, More
Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his 2024/25 player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, appears more likely than not to switch teams this offseason, Marc Stein writes at Substack, citing league sources.
Stein, who has previously mentioned the Sixers and Magic as potential suitors for Caldwell-Pope, once again names them as teams who are well-positioned to make runs at the 31-year-old if they so choose, noting that Denver has luxury tax and apron concerns to consider. The veteran wing is considered to be a “strong possibility” for Orlando, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
According to Stein, the Mavericks are another potential suitor to watch for Caldwell-Pope, with league sources saying there’s mutual interest between the two sides. However, Dallas is operating over the cap and would need to make a sign-and-trade deal to make a competitive contract offer to Caldwell-Pope. There’s a sense that the Nuggets won’t have interest in accommodating a sign-and-trade with a conference rival, Stein writes, even if it means losing their starting shooting guard for nothing.
Here are a few more free agent rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Within a look at Paul George‘s potential free agency, Amick and Slater of The Athletic confirm that the Warriors‘ interest in the Clippers star is “legitimate” if he decides to go the opt-in-and-trade route instead of declining his 2024/25 player option. The Nuggets also recently had interest in George in that scenario, but don’t appear prepared to pursue a deal that would see them give up Michael Porter Jr. and “significant” draft capital, per The Athletic’s duo. For what it’s worth, Denver only has one tradable future first-round pick.
- Despite a report from their colleague Shams Charania indicating that the Sixers‘ interest in pursuing George has “waned,” Amick and Slater cite a source who advises not to rule out Philadelphia entirely. The 76ers could offer George a maximum-salary deal using their cap room if he reaches the open market.
- The Sixers also have interest in Klay Thompson, who continues to have little contact with the Warriors as he nears free agency, according to Amick and Slater, who add that the Nuggets also have Thompson on their list of potential replacements if they lose Caldwell-Pope. It’s hard to see how Denver, whose team salary is right at the luxury tax line, could make Thompson a strong offer unless more cost-cutting moves are made.
- Discussing unrestricted free agent forward Miles Bridges, Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson confirmed reporting that has suggested the team wants to re-sign Bridges. “I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet,” Peterson said (story via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
- Isaiah Hartenstein and Nic Claxton top John Hollinger’s list of free agent centers at The Athletic by a wide margin over the rest of the class, with Hollinger’s BORD$ formula favoring Hartenstein. Claxton already has a four-year deal lined up to remain in Brooklyn, making Hartenstein the clear top option on the open market.
Nuggets To Sign Auburn’s Jaylin Williams, Maryland’s Jahmir Young
The Nuggets have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal with Auburn forward Jaylin Williams, who went undrafted on Thursday, reports Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
Not to be confused with the Jaylin Williams (or Jalen Williams) in Oklahoma City, this Jaylin Williams is a 6’8″ forward who has spent the past five years with the Tigers. He enjoyed his best college season in 2023/24, setting new career highs in PPG (12.4), FG% (.574), and 3PT% (.395) across 34 games (24.1 MPG).
Denver has also agreed to sign undrafted rookie free agent Jahmir Young to an Exhibit 10 contract, per Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).
Young has a decorated college résumé that includes a trio of All-Conference USA nods with Charlotte during his first three NCAA seasons and a pair of All-Big Ten berths during the past two seasons with Maryland. In 2023/24, the 6’2″ guard averaged 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per game across 32 starts, with a shooting line of .404/.324/.900.
The Nuggets have been busy since the second round of the draft ended on Thursday. Besides lining up Exhibit 10 deals for Williams and Young, they’ve also already reportedly reached two-way agreements with PJ Hall and Trey Alexander.
Yongxi Cui Intends To Sign Exhibit 10 Contract With Blazers
Undrafted rookie free agent Yongxi Cui plans to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Trail Blazers, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Also known as “Jacky,” Cui is a 6’8″ wing who graduated from the NBA Global Academy and played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association this past season.
The 21-year-old also suited up for China’s World Cup team last summer before posting solid numbers in the CBA in 2023/24 — he averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in 56 appearances for Guangzhou, with a .520/.365/.783 shooting line.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract 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 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Pacific Notes: George, Harden, Bronny, Knecht, Carter, Dunn
Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the Clippers “love” Paul George and “very much want to retain” him, but acknowledged that the team doesn’t have full control over the process, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George holds a $48.8MM player option for 2024/25. If he doesn’t get a contract offer he likes from the Clippers, he could turn down that option to become a free agent — or pick it up and request a trade.
“We hope Paul’s decision is to be here. He’s been awesome,” Frank said. “He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”
In addition to George, the Clippers have another key player facing unrestricted free agency, with James Harden set to reach the open market on Sunday if he doesn’t agree to a new deal before then. Frank said talks with Harden’s camp so far have been productive.
“We think James has been terrific for us,” Frank said. “We hope he’s had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. … We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”
Re-signing both George and Harden would likely make the Clippers a second-apron team for a second straight season, with more punitive roster-building restrictions taking effect this offseason for clubs above the second tax apron. Frank admitted that’s a factor the organization can’t ignore as it weighs potential roster moves.
“This is a business and the reality of the new CBA impacts teams like us,” he said, according to Youngmisuk. “When your better players are in their 30s and you’re trying to build a sustainable roster, it impacts it. Like if there was no CBA, with (Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer, it would be carte blanche. With the new CBA, it’s not even about the money as it is how are you going to build a sustainable roster, maintain your tools to have transactional flexibility? And with that comes really, really hard decisions.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Discussing the Lakers‘ decision to draft Bronny James with the No. 55 pick on Thursday, head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka praised the former USC guard’s character, work ethic, and three-and-D potential, and said it would be “magical” to see him and his father LeBron James play alongside one another next season, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. While it’s safe to assume LeBron is happy with the pick, McMenamin says star big man Anthony Davis supported it too. “He’s very good defensively,” Davis said of Bronny. “He can read the floor very well. I think he’s a really good play-maker. I saw him work out a couple times besides the (Klutch Sports) pro day and working with a big — his reads, reading the defense, making the right passes — that was really impressive to me. I think he’s going to be fine, man.”
- The Lakers were thrilled to land Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17 on the first day of the draft, McMenamin writes in a separate story for ESPN. “If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him. So, to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary,” Pelinka said, adding that new head coach J.J. Redick immediately started drawing up plays for the sharpshooter in the Lakers’ draft room. Viewed as a potential top-10 pick, Knecht slipped due to concerns about his age (23) and defense, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
- No. 13 overall pick Devin Carter is dealing with a shoulder injury and his status for Summer League is up in the air, Kings general manager Monte McNair told reporters on Wednesday. However, McNair suggested the injury isn’t a serious one, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think we got to get him in here and get with our doctors and just see what it is,” the Kings’ GM said. “But when we get through the draft process, our docs are confident. We’ve been in touch with his team. We’re confident it’s not a long-term issue.”
- Suns general manager James Jones acknowledged that first-round pick and defensive standout Ryan Dunn has room to improve as a shooter, but expressed confidence that will be possible in Phoenix, as Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports relays (Twitter video link). “I’m confident with our staff, with (Mike Budenholzer), our coaches, that he’ll be primed to improve as a shooter,” Jones said. “If he can do that and do it quickly, I think we found a gem.”
Celtics Sign Tristan Enaruna To Exhibit 10 Contract
July 11: Enaruna’s Exhibit 10 deal with Boston is official, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.
June 27: Undrafted rookie free agent Tristan Enaruna has agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).
A 6’8″ Dutch-born wing, Enaruna spent his first two college seasons at Kansas from 2019-21 before transferring to Iowa State for 2021/22 and then to Cleveland State for 2022-24. After playing a modest role through his junior year, he broke out with the Vikings over the past two seasons as a starter, averaging 19.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 33.2 minutes per game across 35 outings in 2023/24.
Enaruna, who has been named to the All-Horizon League first team in each of the past two years, was the No. 40 prospect on ESPN’s list of undrafted rookies. He also earned MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this spring, notes Chepkevich.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract 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 for a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate. The maximum Exhibit 10 bonus was $75K last season and will increase at the same rate as the salary cap in 2024/25.
No free agent contracts for the 2024/25 season can be signed until July, so Enaruna’s deal with Boston is just tentative for now.
Suns Acquire No. 40 Pick Oso Ighodaro From Knicks
7:59pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Suns. Rather than trading the No. 51 pick back and forth, the Knicks are simply receiving No. 56 pick Kevin McCullar and the Celtics’ top-45 protected 2028 second-round pick in exchange for Ighodaro.
4:32pm: Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports has clarified (via Twitter) that the Suns sent Boston’s 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected) to the Knicks for No. 51, then traded No. 51 back to New York along with No. 56 in exchange for No. 40.
Essentially, then, the Knicks are receiving No. 56 and Boston’s protected 2028 second-rounder for No. 40 (Ighodaro), while still holding No. 51.
4:21pm: Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro was selected with the 40th overall pick in Thursday’s draft. We can say that with certainty. Tracking which team controls that pick is a little trickier.
While the Trail Blazers entered the day with control of No. 40, they agreed to trade it in a deal with the Thunder involving the No. 52 pick, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Oklahoma City then agreed to send it – along with cash – to the Knicks in a deal for the No. 38 pick, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the Knicks subsequently reached a deal to send No. 40 to the Suns, who will ultimately control Ighodaro’s draft rights. Phoenix is sending No. 56 to New York as part of that trade, tweets Charania.
We’re still waiting for details on what else Portland is getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 52 and what else the Knicks are getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 56. Wojnarowski reported (via Twitter) that New York is receiving the No. 51 pick in addition to 56, but the Knicks already acquired that pick from Washington in an earlier deal.
We’ll update this story when we have more clarity on those trade details.
Thunder Officially Confirm Three Trades
The Thunder have issued a press release confirming that three separate minor trades reported earlier in the day have been officially completed. The following trades were finalized, per the team:
- The Thunder sent Lindy Waters to the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to No. 52 pick Quinten Post (story).
- The Thunder then sent Post’s rights and cash to the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to No. 40 pick Oso Ighodaro (story).
- Finally, the Thunder sent the rights to Ighodaro and cash to the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to No. 38 pick Ajay Mitchell (story). The Knicks received $500K in cash, per Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While the deals were completed as three separate transactions, the upshot is that the Thunder sent out Waters (to the Warriors) and cash (to both the Blazers and Knicks) in exchange for Mitchell, the No. 38 pick in today’s second round.
Post eventually landed with Golden State, while Ighodaro was sent to Phoenix.
[RELATED: 2024 NBA Offseason Trades]
A native of Belgium, Mitchell had an impressive junior season for UC Santa Barbara in 2023/24, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals on .504/.393/.858 shooting in 29 games (31.5 minutes per contest).
Hawks Trade AJ Griffin To Rockets In Three-Team Deal
6:42pm: The trade is now officially complete, according to press releases from the Hawks and Rockets. Because Atlanta ended up trading the No. 44 pick (Pelle Larsson) and cash to Miami in exchange for No. 43 pick Nikola Djurisic, that trade agreement between the Heat and Hawks has been folded into this one, making it a three-team deal.
1:14pm: The Hawks and Rockets have agreed to a trade that will send forward AJ Griffin to Houston in exchange for the No. 44 pick in Thursday’s draft, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Griffin, the 16th overall pick in the 2022 draft, had a promising rookie season in which he averaged 8.9 points per game with a .465/.390/.894 shooting line in 72 contests (19.5 MPG).
However, he missed time due to leg and ankle issues and personal reasons in 2023/24 and didn’t play much when he was available, averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest in 20 appearances. His scoring numbers cratered to 2.4 PPG on 29.0% shooting (.256 3PT%).
Despite his forgettable sophomore season, Griffin had been a player of interest in Houston for a while, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Rockets, who will be operating over the cap but have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, will be able to acquire the 20-year-old without sending out a player because they have a $4.5MM trade exception from last year’s Kevin Porter trade that Griffin will fit into, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Using a trade exception created last year will hard-cap Houston at the first tax apron for 2024/25.
Griffin will earn a guaranteed $3.89MM salary for next season and the Rockets will have until the end of October to decide whether or not they want to exercise his $5.97MM team option for the ’25/26 season.
The Hawks have been exploring possible deals involving Griffin since February’s trade deadline, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The move will help them out a bit financially — as Marks tweets, Atlanta’s projected team salary is now right at the luxury tax line, though it would increase to first tax apron territory in the event that Saddiq Bey gets a qualifying offer.
The Hawks, whose own second-round pick at No. 40 is controlled by Portland, will now have the opportunity to select a player in a similar range at No. 44 tonight.
2024 NBA Draft Results
The 2024 NBA draft is in the books, and we tracked all of this year’s picks in the space below, taking into account each trade agreed upon over the course of the draft.
Here are 2024’s NBA draft results:
First Round:
- Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, F, JL Bourg (story)
- Washington Wizards: Alexandre Sarr, F/C, Perth (story)
- Houston Rockets (from Nets): Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky (story)
- San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle, G, UConn
- Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite
- Charlotte Hornets: Tidjane Salaun, F, Cholet
- Portland Trail Blazers: Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Raptors via Spurs): Rob Dillingham, G, Kentucky
- Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey, C, Purdue
- Utah Jazz: Cody Williams, G/F, Colorado
- Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis, F, G League Ignite
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Rockets): Nikola Topic, G, Crvena Zvezda
- Sacramento Kings: Devin Carter, G, Providence
- Washington Wizards (from Warriors via Trail Blazers): Carlton Carrington, G, Pittsburgh
- Miami Heat: Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana
- Philadelphia 76ers: Jared McCain, G, Duke
- Los Angeles Lakers: Dalton Knecht, F, Tennessee
- Orlando Magic: Tristan Da Silva, F, Colorado
- Toronto Raptors (from Pacers): Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Jaylon Tyson, G, California
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Bucks): Yves Missi, C, Baylor
- Denver Nuggets (from Suns): DaRon Holmes, F/C, Dayton
- Milwaukee Bucks (from Pelicans): AJ Johnson, G, Illawarra
- Washington Wizards (from Mavericks via Knicks): Kyshawn George, G, Miami
- New York Knicks: Pacome Dadiet, G/F, Ratiopharm Ulm
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers via Wizards and Knicks): Dillon Jones, G/F, Weber State
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon, G, Illinois
- Phoenix Suns (from Nuggets): Ryan Dunn, F, Virginia
- Utah Jazz (from Thunder): Isaiah Collier, G, USC
- Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman, G/F, Creighton
Second Round:
- Toronto Raptors (from Pistons): Jonathan Mogbo, F/C, San Francisco
- Utah Jazz (from Wizards): Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke
- Milwaukee Bucks (from Trail Blazers): Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite
- New York Knicks (from Hornets via Trail Blazers): Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
- Indiana Pacers (from Spurs): Johnny Furphy, G, Kansas
- San Antonio Spurs (from Raptors via Pacers): Juan Nunez, G, Ratiopharm Ulm
- Detroit Pistons (from Grizzlies via Timberwolves): Bobi Klintman, F, Cairns
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Jazz via Knicks): Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Nets): Jaylen Wells, G, Washington State
- Phoenix Suns (from Hawks via Trail Blazers, Thunder, and Knicks): Oso Ighodaro, F, Marquette
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Bulls): Adem Bona, C, UCLA
- Charlotte Hornets (from Rockets): KJ Simpson, G, Colorado
- Atlanta Hawks (from Heat): Nikola Djurisic, G, Mega Basket
- Miami Heat (from Warriors via Rockets): Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona
- Toronto Raptors (from Kings): Jamal Shead, G, Houston
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Pacers): Cam Christie, G, Minnesota
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Magic): Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky
- San Antonio Spurs (from Lakers): Harrison Ingram, F, UNC
- Indiana Pacers (from Cavaliers): Tristen Newton, G, UConn
- Indiana Pacers (from Pelicans): Enrique Freeman, F, Akron
- Dallas Mavericks (from Suns via Wizards and Knicks): Melvin Ajinca, G, Saint-Quentin
- Golden State Warriors (from Bucks via Warriors, Thunder, and Trail Blazers): Quinten Post, C, Boston College
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Knicks via Pistons and Timberwolves): Cam Spencer, G, UConn
- Boston Celtics (from Mavericks): Anton Watson, F, Gonzaga
- Los Angeles Lakers (from Clippers): Bronny James, G, USC (story)
- New York Knicks (from Timberwolves via Nuggets and Suns): Kevin McCullar, G/F, Kansas
- Toronto Raptors (from Thunder via Grizzlies and Timberwolves): Ulrich Chomche, C, NBA Academy Africa
- New York Knicks (from Celtics via Mavericks): Ariel Hukporti, C, Melbourne
Nuggets To Trade Reggie Jackson To Hornets
The Nuggets have agreed to trade veteran point guard Reggie Jackson to the Hornets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from a source that Charlotte will also receive three second-round picks in the deal.
The Nuggets will send out their own 2025, 2029, and 2030 second-round picks in the swap, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). They’ll receive cash from the Hornets, tweets Matt Moore of Action Network.
The news comes just three days after Jackson picked up his $5.25MM player option with Denver for the 2024/25 season.
Jackson, who originally signed with Denver on the buyout market in February 2023, struggled down the stretch during the Nuggets’ championship season, making just 38.3% of his field goal attempts (27.9% of his three-pointers) in 16 regular season games before falling out of the rotation for the playoffs.
However, the Nuggets opted not only to retain him for the 2023/24 season but to give him a raise, signing him to a two-year, $10.25MM contract using their taxpayer mid-level exception. The 34-year-old responded with a strong bounce-back season, averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .431/.359/.806.
Despite that solid ’23/24 season, the Nuggets are essentially moving Jackson in a salary-dump deal, attaching future draft assets to move him and create some additional breathing room below the tax aprons.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), Denver’s team salary is now right around the $171MM tax line and approximately $19MM below the second apron. If the club wants to remain below that second apron and re-sign veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his $15.4MM player option, additional cost-cutting moves would likely be required.
It’s unclear whether or not Jackson will be in the Hornets’ plans for 2024/25. The team is expected to operate under the cap this offseason, so it could use cap room to take on the guard’s expiring contract. The $8MM room exception can also be used to acquire players via trade now, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.