2024 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker
With another regular season in the books, multiple teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2024/25 campaign.
In the space below, we’ll provide regular updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the offseason, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.
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Updated 11-6-24 (1:30pm CT)
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Brooklyn Nets
- New coach:
- Jordi Fernandez (story)
- Previous coach:
- Kevin Ollie (interim)
- Other finalists:
- Also reportedly considered:
After parting ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February, the Nets launched their head coaching search well before the regular season ended, though they did so in relative secrecy. While they reportedly cast a wide net, considering – and interviewing – many candidates, there were few leaks until word broke on April 13 that it was down to Fernandez, Budenholzer, and Young.
With Budenholzer’s contract demands said to be quite high in terms of both years and dollars, the Nets turned to a first-time NBA head coach, picking Fernandez over Young. While Fernandez has never led an NBA team, he’s not entirely without head coaching experience — he coached the Canton Charge in the G League from 2014-16 and is the current leader of the Canadian national team, which won bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Nets general manager Sean Marks has gone through several head coaches during his tenure in Brooklyn, but this was his most exhaustive search process since he hired Kenny Atkinson back in 2016. Atkinson took over a rebuilding club and got them back to the postseason in his third season. With more foundational pieces in place this time around, the Nets are hoping Fernandez can turn things around even faster.
Charlotte Hornets
- New coach:
- Charles Lee (story)
- Previous coach:
- Steve Clifford (transitioning to front office position)
- Reportedly interviewed:
- Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
- King assistant Jordi Fernandez (interviewed before being hired by Nets)
- Kings’ G League head coach Lindsey Harding (story)
- Rockets assistant Royal Ivey (story)
- Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga (story)
- Lakers assistant Jordan Ott (story)
- ESPN analyst J.J. Redick (story)
- Former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (interviewed before being hired by BYU)
- Also reportedly considered:
The Hornets were able to get a head start on their head coaching search when Clifford announced during the first week of April that he would be stepping down from his role at season’s end. The team has changed ownership and revamped its front office since Clifford was hired in 2022, so this was new management’s first opportunity to hire a head coach.
The Hornets ultimately chose a familiar face. After being mentioned most frequently as the frontrunner for the job, Celtics assistant Charles Lee agreed to a four-year deal to become Charlotte’s new head coach. Lee, who has received consideration from several teams seeking head coaches in recent years, was an assistant with the Hawks from 2014-18. New Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson was in Atlanta’s front office at the time, while co-owner Rick Schnall was a minority stakeholder in the Hawks beginning in 2015.
Charlotte, which is building around young players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, was said to be seeking a first-time head coach who specializes in player development to lead its young squad. Lee, 39, fits that bill and also has some championship experience under his belt, having served as an assistant with the Bucks during their 2021 championship run.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- New coach:
- Kenny Atkinson (story)
- Previous coach:
- J.B. Bickerstaff (dismissed)
- Reportedly interviewed:
- Also reportedly considered:
Bickerstaff led the Cavaliers to a 48-win season and the franchise’s first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993. It wasn’t enough to save his job though, with a report following Cleveland’s elimination from the postseason indicating that Donovan Mitchell and other Cavs players didn’t necessarily have full confidence in the veteran coach.
The Cavaliers were said to be seeking a “fresh approach” as they sought to hire a new head coach capable of taking the team deeper into the postseason. Atkinson and Borrego were each identified as the presumed favorite during the process, and it sounded as if Cleveland’s decision came down to the two former head coaches, with Atkinson winning out and receiving a five-year contract.
Atkinson, who previously coached Cavaliers like Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in Brooklyn, was the choice in part because Cleveland believes he’s the best candidate to bring out the best in rising young star Evan Mobley. He’ll get that opportunity after spending the past three years as Steve Kerr‘s top assistant in Golden State.
Detroit Pistons
- New coach:
- J.B. Bickerstaff (story)
- Previous coach:
- Monty Williams (dismissed)
- Reportedly interviewed:
- Also reportedly considered:
It was just one year ago that Williams signed a six-year, $78.5MM deal that was the most lucrative contract for a head coach in NBA history. After a dismal season that saw the Pistons go 14-68 and set a new single-season record for longest losing streak (28 games), Detroit replaced Troy Weaver with Trajan Langdon as the new head of basketball operations, then decided on a fresh start on the sidelines as well, eating the estimated $65MM remaining on Williams’ contract.
As last season’s record shows, the Pistons aren’t close to contending, so they didn’t need to target a veteran coach with championship experience. While they’d like to take a step forward sooner rather than later, player development remains the priority in Detroit.
That made Bickerstaff a logical choice. While he was let go in Cleveland in part due to the team’s modest postseason results over the last two years, he played a key role in the developmental process that made Darius Garland and Evan Mobley into an All-Star guard and All-Defensive big man, respectively, and in turning the Cavaliers from a lottery team into a solid playoff club.
Bickerstaff reportedly received a five-year deal from the Pistons that includes four guaranteed seasons.
Los Angeles Lakers
- New coach:
- J.J. Redick (story)
- Previous coach:
- Darvin Ham (dismissed)
- Darvin Ham (dismissed)
- Reportedly interviewed:
- Also reportedly considered:
- Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (story)
Shortly after the Lakers’ season ended, a pair of reports from ESPN and The Athletic classified Ham’s job as being in serious danger and pointed to several specific reasons why. It was clear at that point that Ham wasn’t going to be back in his role as head coach, but the team took three more days to make it official.
Seeking a new head coach to lead a team they still feel is capable of contending, the Lakers reportedly had serious interest in the guy coaching their cross-town rivals. However, the Clippers were said to be highly motivated to retain Lue and backed that up by signing him to a long-term extension.
With Lue off the table, the Lakers cast a wide net and took their time as they consider options ranging from former head coaches (such as Atkinson and Borrego) to veteran assistants (like Adelman, Cassell, and Quinn, among others) to total newcomers (Redick). They reportedly want a “grinder” capable of challenging Lakers players and holding them accountable.
The search took an unexpected turn when a report stated that the Lakers’ top target was actually Hurley, whom L.A. attempted to lure away from the college ranks with a six-year, $70MM deal. However, Hurley passed on that offer in favor of seeking a third consecutive national title at UConn, sending the Lakers back to the drawing board. They ultimately circled back to Redick, who has no coaching experience at the NBA level, agreeing to a four-year, $32MM deal with the ESPN analyst.
Although Redick is LeBron James‘ podcast co-host, reports stated that the Lakers star wasn’t involved in the search and that management was infatuated by Redick’s potential as a coach, given his “basketball IQ” and his “ability to connect with players.” The goal will be to surround him with an experienced coaching staff to help accelerate his learning curve.
Phoenix Suns
In his first season as the head coach in Phoenix, Vogel led the Suns to a 49-33 record and a top-six seed in a competitive Western Conference. However, the club was quickly eliminated from the playoffs, failing to win a single game against the Timberwolves in the first round.
With little flexibility to make major moves affecting their roster this offseason, the Suns decided to make a head coaching change, dismissing Vogel just one season into the five-year, $31MM contract he signed with the franchise last spring. He’ll be replaced by Budenholzer, another veteran coach with a championship on his résumé.
Word broke that the Suns had decided on Budenholzer less than 24 hours after Vogel was fired, so it’s clear the team had a specific candidate in mind and didn’t feel the need to conduct a lengthy search. There was no indication that Phoenix seriously considered anyone else besides the former Bucks head coach, who reportedly agreed to a five-year contract worth in excess of $50MM.
Washington Wizards
- New coach:
- Brian Keefe (story)
- Previous coach:
- Brian Keefe (interim); replaced Wes Unseld Jr. during season (story)
- Reportedly interviewed:
- Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson (story)
- Also reportedly considered:
The Wizards technically made their head coaching change in January, when they removed Unseld from his position and had him transition into a front office role. Keefe was promoted from assistant coach to head coach at that time and was ultimately named Unseld’s permanent replacement in May.
It’s a little surprising that Washington’s new front office, led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, ultimately ended up landing on the in-house option who posted an 8-31 record after taking over for Unseld. But Keefe improved the defense in the second half and is known as a player development specialist, which was the priority for a rebuilding Wizards club.
It’s unclear whether any other candidates received serious consideration for the job. While a May 10 story indicated that interviews would begin soon, there were few leaks throughout the process and little indication of which other contenders received interviews.
Eastern Notes: Lillard, Giannis, Wright, Raptors, Hornets
After Shams Charania reported earlier today that Damian Lillard‘s availability for Game 4 of the Bucks‘ series with Indiana is uncertain, head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that the star guard is dealing with an Achilles strain, telling reporters that Lillard underwent an MRI.
Rivers didn’t know the results of that MRI when he spoke to the media, but he indicated that he isn’t necessarily counting on having Lillard available on Sunday, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Not looking great, but we don’t know yet,” Rivers said.
As for the Bucks’ other injured star, Rivers said that Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf strain) will be working out “hard” on Sunday morning and that the team would “make a decision” on him after that (Twitter link via Jamal Collier of ESPN).
Asked if Antetokounmpo could be available for Game 4 following his Sunday morning workout, Rivers replied, “I doubt it, but we’ll see.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- In addition to missing Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, and Josh Richardson due to injuries, the Heat will be without guard Delon Wright for Game 3 vs. Boston on Saturday as a result of a personal family matter, the team announced (via Twitter). Wright provided a spark off the bench in the first two games of the series, averaging 11.0 PPG on 63.6% shooting in 22.8 MPG.
- Keith Smith’s latest offseason previews for Spotrac cover the Raptors and the Hornets. Locking up Scottie Barnes to a rookie scale extension and Immanuel Quickley to a free agent contract will top Toronto’s to-do list this summer, while Charlotte will focus on building around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, with a decision to make on unrestricted free agent Miles Bridges.
- In a mailbag looking ahead to the Hornets‘ summer, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer answers questions on whether the team would consider trading Ball, what Tre Mann‘s role in Charlotte will look like going forward, and what qualities the front office is seeking in its new head coach, among other topics.
Knicks Notes: Officiating, Robinson, Anunoby, DiVincenzo, Hart
After the Sixers ripped the officiating following their Game 2 loss, it was the Knicks who had grievances to express during their post-game media session following Game 3. As Peter Botte of The New York Post writes, head coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t happy with the fact that Joel Embiid went to the line 21 times while his team as a whole was awarded just 19 free throw attempts.
“I’ll look at it again, and I’ll send my clips in like I do every game and they’ll say, ‘marginal contact,’ and then we’ll have marginal contact on Embiid and he’ll be at the line 21 times,” Thibodeau said after Thursday’s loss. “So that’s the way it works.”
While some Knicks players suggested they’d expected the officiating in Game 3 to favor the Sixers after how Game 2 ended, they took exception to an Embiid foul on Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter. After Embiid fell to the floor on defense, he grabbed Robinson’s legs as the Knicks center attempted to rise up for a layup attempt (video link). Donte DiVincenzo called it a “dirty” play, while Josh Hart said Robinson was fortunate to avoid a significant injury.
“I’m all for tough fouls, tough playoff fouls, but that’s something that can put a guy out for a significant amount of time,” Hart said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “So we’re lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt during that time.”
Embiid – who was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play, rather than flagrant 2 that would have ended his night – explained to reporters after the game that he had “flashbacks” to a play earlier this year when Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee. He said he wanted to avoid a repeat of that incident.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” Embiid said. “I just … in those situations I gotta protect myself, because I’ve been in way too many situations where I’m always the recipient of the bad end of it.”
Here’s more on the Knicks as they prepare for Sunday’s Game 4:
- Robinson’s status for Game 4 remains up in the air, but he didn’t practice on Saturday, according to Thibodeau (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic). If Robinson is unable to play, the pressure will be on Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa to respond to and match Embiid’s physicality on Sunday, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
- OG Anunoby and DiVincenzo were two of the Knicks’ most reliable role players during the regular season, but they’ve been up and down so far in the playoffs, according to Botte, who says New York needs more consistency out of the two wings going forward. The Knicks outscored opponents with Anunoby on the floor in every single one of his 23 regular season games with the team, but have a negative net rating during his minutes in two of three postseason contests.
- The fact that so many key Knicks contributors played their college ball at Villanova has been a fun subplot of the first-round series between New York and Philadelphia. As Bondy details for The New York Post, both Hart and DiVincenzo spoke this week about how they hoped to be drafted by the Sixers when they came into the NBA. “Yeah, I wanted to go (to Philadelphia),” said Hart, who was the No. 30 pick in the 2017 draft. “They were at 25 and did a draft-and-stash, some European guy that I can’t pronounce the name.” The 76ers used that pick on Anzejs Pasecniks, who spent the next two seasons overseas, then had his rights renounced by Philadelphia in 2019.
Amazon Prime Video Poised To Reach Deal For NBA Rights
The NBA has the framework of an agreement in place with Amazon Prime Video that will make the streaming giant one of the league’s primary homes beginning in 2025/26, reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
According to Marchand, Prime Video is on track to secure the rights to “significant” regular season and postseason games, including possibly some conference finals. The expectation is that Amazon’s deal with the NBA will cover at least 10 years.
ESPN/ABC (Disney) also appears set to return as an NBA rights holder, according to Marchand, who says the NBA Finals are expected to remain on ABC through the next TV deal. Like Amazon’s deal, a new agreement between ESPN/ABC and the league will likely run for at least a decade beginning in ’25/26, Marchand adds.
As has been previously reported, after years of having deals in place with two major rights holders (ESPN/ABC and TNT Sports), the league is looking to expand to accommodate at least three media rights holders in these negotiations. So the fact that TNT Sports (Warner Bros. Discovery) doesn’t yet have a deal lined up doesn’t mean that the network won’t continue to broadcast the NBA beyond the 2024/25 season.
However, unless the NBA reaches deals with four separate partners – which is a possibility – TNT Sports may end up going head-to-head with NBC (and its streaming service Peacock) for the final package of games, per Marchand. Warner Bros. Discovery would have the right of first refusal, Marchand notes, but NBC could try to structure a deal in a way that would make its offer difficult to match.
As existing rights holders, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery had an exclusive negotiating window with the NBA this spring, but that window closed on Monday night, opening the door for the league to talk to Amazon, NBC, and other potential partners.
Although Amazon and ESPN/ABC have serious momentum toward deals with the NBA, there are still some details to work out, according to Marchand, who points out that the existing TV packages will have to be reduced slightly to make room for the incoming third partner. For example, in one scenario that has been discussed, ESPN’s per-season inventory would be cut back from about 100 games to 80ish, executives briefed on the talks tell The Athletic.
The NBA’s current nine-year, $24 billion media rights deal runs through the 2024/25 season, so there’s no urgency to complete the new agreement in the immediate future, but it sounds like it will likely be done sooner rather than later. Previous reports suggested the league would likely have a new media rights deal in place by this summer.
Southwest Notes: Ryan, Morant, Grizzlies, Gafford, Mavs
When the Pelicans converted Matt Ryan from his two-way deal to a standard contract on the day before their regular season finale, they used their mid-level exception to sign him to a three-year deal that paid him $1.5MM in guaranteed money for the final two days of this season, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
In exchange for that substantial end-of-season payday, Ryan gave the Pelicans two additional years of low-cost control — he’s under contract for a non-guaranteed minimum salary ($2,196,970) in 2024/25, with a non-guaranteed minimum-salary team option ($2,381,501) for ’25/26.
Ryan’s salary for ’24/25 would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through the start of the regular season, but there are no trigger dates before that point, so New Orleans won’t necessarily need to make a decision on him until the fall.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is now being represented by Lift Management, according to a tweet from the agency. Morant reportedly parted ways with longtime agent Jim Tanner earlier this spring. The two-time All-Star has seen his stock drop following multiple suspensions for his off-court behavior, along with a shoulder injury that cost him nearly all of the 2023/24 season, but his maximum-salary contract runs for four more seasons.
- Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at what the Grizzlies want to see from their young players this summer, including projected Summer League participants like GG Jackson and Scotty Pippen Jr. As Cole observes, it’ll also a big offseason for Jake LaRavia, who will be entering his third NBA season, but it’s rare for former first-round picks to return for a third year of Summer League.
- With center Daniel Gafford listed as questionable for Game 3 vs. the Clippers on Friday due to back spasms, the Mavericks could be forced to make a change to their starting lineup, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Dereck Lively would likely be the top candidate to move into the starting five, though Maxi Kleber – who has averaged 27.0 minutes per game so far in the series – would also play a major role. Dwight Powell and Markieff Morris are also in the mix as depth options.
Pacific Notes: M. Brown, Moody, Westbrook, Durant
While there has been some chatter about Mike Brown‘s contract situation since the Kings‘ season ended last week, Brown denied on Wednesday that the issue is “top of mind” as he enters the summer, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
“It’s not, really, at the end of the day,” Brown said. “I have one year left on my deal. Everybody knows that, but I’m excited about being here. I’m excited about our future, so I’m going to go into this summer trying to figure out how we can be better next year.”
Brown technically has two years left on his contract, but the 2025/26 season is a mutual option, meaning both he and the Kings would have to opt in. Since ’24/25 is his last guaranteed season, the two sides may feel compelled to try to get a new deal done sooner rather than later. Brown is reportedly expected to seek a deal that’s in line with the new market for head coaches after Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and Monty Williams signed lucrative contracts in the past year.
“Look at a two-year horizon here, which is when Coach Brown and his staff came in, and (there are) a lot of positives,” general manager Monte McNair said on Wednesday. “We’re certainly disappointed this year, and Mike and I will sit down and try to figure out how we get back to where we want to get to. And, yeah, we’ll have all those conversations here starting soon.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Within a discussion about a few Warriors-related subjects, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes that it will be an interesting offseason for Moses Moody. The former 14th overall pick will be extension-eligible beginning in July and should be in line for a larger role next season, especially if Klay Thompson leaves in free agency or if Golden State trades Andrew Wiggins. “I think it’s really important coming into year four for (Moody) that there is some reasonable playing time available for him where he can impact our team and be out there and continue to improve,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said this week.
- The Clippers have been better both offensively and defensively when Russell Westbrook is on the court during the first two games of their series against Dallas, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who suggests that Westbrook’s contributions are critical to counter the Mavericks’ small lineups. Westbrook can become a free agent this offseason if he turns down a $4MM player option for 2024/25.
- In a feature for ESPN.com, Baxter Holmes explores Kevin Durant‘s return from a 2019 Achilles tear, an injury that the Suns‘ star forward thought might end his run as an All-NBA-level player. As Holmes writes, Durant’s intense love of the game helped fuel his recovery process and allowed him to eventually regain his All-NBA form.
Potential First-Rounder Juan Nunez Declares For Draft
Spanish point guard Juan Nunez has decided to enter the 2024 NBA draft, he announced today on Twitter.
Nunez, who will turn 20 this June, has spent the past two seasons with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany after beginning his professional career with Real Madrid. According to Basketball-Reference, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 25.9 minutes per game across 14 EuroCup appearances this season, with a .505/.361/.537 shooting line.
Nunez has already built an impressive international résumé, having won a Spanish League title with Real Madrid in 2022 and a German League title with Ratiopharm Ulm in 2023. He suited up for the Spanish national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, playing regular minutes as Spain’s starting point guard at age 19.
When he tested the draft waters a year ago, Nunez barely cracked the top 60 on ESPN’s big board, but he’s up to No. 26 this time around, making him a potential first-round pick. Presumably, that increases the odds that he’ll remain in the draft this year after withdrawing from the 2023 pool.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony describes Nunez as an “elite pick-and-roll player with outstanding ball-handling, vision, creativity and overall basketball instincts,” though he cautions that the youngster’s defense is a concern and his jump shot can be streaky.
Magic Notes: Banchero, Isaac, Carter, Suggs
The Magic shot a dismal 34.3% from the floor during their two losses in Cleveland to open their first-round series, then got off to an ominous start on Thursday in Game 3, missing their first eight field goal attempts.
However, as Kendra Andrews of ESPN details, the shots eventually started falling for Orlando, which ultimately had one of the best offensive playoff performances in team history. The Magic blew out the Cavaliers by a score of 121-83 for their first home playoff win since 2011.
“Give credit to us being home and backed by the fans,” forward Paolo Banchero said. “Starting your first two playoff games on the road in that environment was tough for everybody … Being home just calms you down.”
As Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, it was a big night for Banchero, one of several young Magic players who are competing in the playoffs for the first time. Last season’s Rookie of the Year racked up a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action as Orlando ran away with Game 3.
“He’s a winner,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Banchero. “That’s who he is. We challenged them today to go after some more rebounds, and he did it. That’s the thing about him: He’s going to find whatever way necessary to help his team win.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- After starting Jonathan Isaac alongside Banchero and Franz Wagner in the frontcourt in the first two games of the series, Mosley inserted center Wendell Carter in Isaac’s place for Game 3. “You’ve gotta try something new,” Mosley replied before the game when asked about the adjustment (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “You drop two. You’ve gotta change it up.”
- The starting lineup change was an effective one. While Carter only had two points and five rebounds on the night, Orlando outscored Cleveland by 19 points in his 25 minutes of action. Banchero credited Carter for helping the Magic control the glass — after being out-rebounded 102-81 in the first two games, Orlando grabbed 51 boards to Cleveland’s 32 in Game 3. “We thought we had been playing pretty good defense but we had been giving up way too many rebounds. We really wanted to put an emphasis on neutralizing their bigs, keeping them off the boards and I think Wendell Carter was a huge part of that,” Banchero said, per Andrews.
- Jalen Suggs showed no ill effects from the injury scare he sustained in Game 2. Suggs scored 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting and was deployed as the primary defender on Donovan Mitchell. He was a +25 in his 28 minutes on the court. “What we did tonight was special,” said Suggs, one of two Magic youngsters – along with Wagner – who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
- In an entertaining and in-depth profile for ESPN, Tyler R. Tynes looks at the growth Banchero has shown since being drafted first overall in 2023 and his importance to the organization. “We call him The Franchise because he is The Franchise. We’re just the supporting cast,” Cole Anthony told ESPN. “Man, he had 23 a game for most of the year. And until Wendell got his rebounding up, he was leading our team in every statistical category except steals. That’s what you call a franchise.”
Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2024
When the NBA’s 2024/25 league year begins this summer, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, the first day of the new league year (July 1) is the first day they can agree to rookie scale extensions. Those players, who were all 2021 first-round selections, will have until October 21 – the day before the 2024/25 regular season starts – to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2025/26. If they don’t sign extensions during the coming offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
Fourteen players who were eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2023 offseason signed new deals. That total easily surpassed the previous record of 11 (set in 2021 and matched in 2022), and continued a recent trend — we’ve seen an uptick in rookie extensions during the last several offseasons as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency.
We should expect several more rookie scale extensions to be signed between July and October of this year.
Here are the players who will be eligible to sign rookie scale extensions during the 2024 offseason:
- Santi Aldama (Grizzlies)
Scottie Barnes (Raptors): Extended- Cade Cunningham (Pistons): Extended
- Chris Duarte (Bulls)
- Josh Giddey (Bulls)
- Jalen Green (Rockets): Extended
- Quentin Grimes (Mavericks)
- Bones Hyland (Clippers)
- Isaiah Jackson (Pacers)
- Jalen Johnson (Hawks): Extended
- Corey Kispert (Wizards): Extended
- Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)
- Tre Mann (Hornets)
- Davion Mitchell (Raptors)
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers): Extended
- Moses Moody (Warriors): Extended
- Trey Murphy (Pelicans): Extended
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets): Extended
- Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets)
- Jaden Springer (Celtics)
- Jalen Suggs (Magic): Extended
- Cam Thomas (Nets)
- Franz Wagner (Magic): Extended
- Ziaire Williams (Nets)
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions this year for the reasons noted:
- James Bouknight: Fourth-year option declined by Hornets in 2023; waived in 2024.
- Josh Christopher: Waived by Grizzlies in 2023.
- Usman Garuba: Waived by Thunder in 2023.
- Keon Johnson: Waived by Suns in 2023.
- Kai Jones: Waived by Hornets in 2023.
- Joshua Primo: Waived by Spurs in 2022.
DaRon Holmes, Zacharie Perrin Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants
After testing the draft waters in 2023, Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II has once again entered the draft this year, according to David Jablonski of The Dayton Daily News, who says the junior forward filed his paperwork earlier this month.
The No. 53 prospect on ESPN’s big board of 2024 prospects, Holmes has built an impressive NCAA résumé with the Flyers. He was named the Atlantic 10’s Defensive Player of the Year and co-Player of the Year in 2024 in addition to making the All-Atlantic 10 first team for a second consecutive season. He was also a consensus second-team All-American.
Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game for Dayton in 2023/24, posting an impressive shooting line of .544/.386/.713 in 33 games (all starts).
Another player on ESPN’s big board (at No. 75), French power forward Zacharie Perrin announced on Instagram that he’s entering the 2024 NBA draft after spending the season playing for the Antibes Sharkes in France’s LNB Pro B. Perrin began the 2022/23 season at Illinois, but appeared in just one game for the Fighting Illini before leaving the program.
Here are more updates on the early entrants declaring for the NBA draft:
- Thierry Darlan, a Central African guard who graduated from the NBA Academy Africa and spent the past season with the G League Ignite, is entering the draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Once projected by Givony to be a probable second-round pick in 2024, Darlan no longer shows up on ESPN’s top-100 list for this year after playing a modest role on an Ignite team that finished the G League season with a dismal 2-32 record.
- Miami freshman guard Kyshawn George, who previously announced that he would be entering the 2024 draft, will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and go pro, he confirmed to Givony. George currently ranks 24th overall on ESPN’s board.
- Yongxi Cui, a 6’7″ wing who graduated from the NBA Global Academy and played for Guangzhou in China this past season, has entered the NBA draft, according to Givony (Twitter link). The 20-year-old played for China’s World Cup team in 2023 before posting solid numbers in the CBA this season (15.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.1 APG).
- A trio of players represented by Misko Raznatovic have declared for the draft, the agent announced in a series of tweets. Slovakian forward Timotej Malovec (Mega Basket), Montenegrin combo guard Luka Bogavac (SC Derby), and Serbian power forward Bogoljub Markovic (Mega Basket) are all putting their names in the 2024 draft pool.