International Notes: Patton, Sarr, Zagars, Canada
Former NBA center Justin Patton has signed with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
The 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Patton only ended up playing in 22 NBA games for the Timberwolves, Sixers, Thunder, and Rockets between 2017-21 before heading overseas. A series of foot injuries derailed the early part of his professional career, but the 26-year-old has been able to stay on the court more frequently in Israel and France over the past two seasons. This will be Patton’s first stint in China.
Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:
- While he’s not as tantalizing a prospect as Victor Wembanyama, another French center – Alexandre Sarr – is certainly earning fans ahead of the 2024 NBA draft, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The 18-year-old, playing for the Perth Wildcats, averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.0 blocks in the team’s two games vs. the G League Ignite last week. “Very intriguing prospect,” one NBA general manager said to Spears. “Top-five pick. In the conversation for the No. 1 pick.”
- Turkish club Fenerbahce is believed to be nearing a deal with World Cup standout Arturs Zagars, according to Aris Barkas and Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. Zagars, whose strong play for Latvia during the World Cup reportedly attracted NBA interest, is expected to be loaned to BC Wolves to start the 2023/24 season if he finalizes an agreement with Fenerbahce, per Eurohoops.
- Zagars’ showcase of his NBA potential is one of six takeaways Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports wrote about in his World Cup round-up.
- Veteran forward Melvin Ejim has never played in the NBA since going pro in 2014, but he has represented Canada in several international competitions, earning bronze medals at the 2015 AmeriCup and 2023 World Cup. As Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net relays, Ejim spoke this week about what it means for the Canadian program to knock off the U.S. and to claim a spot in the 2024 Olympics. “Bronze is amazing, but we have the talent, the people, and the organization to go for gold,” he said. “In the Olympics, we can show that.”
Brandon Ingram Not Expected To Pursue Extension This Offseason
Having signed his current five-year contract with the Pelicans during the 2020 offseason, Brandon Ingram became eligible for a veteran extension earlier this summer. However, multiple sources tell Christian Clark of NOLA.com that Ingram will wait until the 2024 offseason to explore a new deal with the team.
Ingram’s decision isn’t related to his desire to remain in New Orleans long-term — he’ll simply be eligible for a more lucrative extension next offseason than he is now, particularly if he makes an All-NBA team in 2023/24. Within the organization, there’s no “anxiety” about Ingram’s desire to hold off on contract talks until next summer, Clark notes.
Ingram will earn $33.8MM this coming season and a little over $36MM in 2024/25 before his current contract expires. He could sign a three-year extension this offseason that could be worth up to 30% of the ’25/26 cap. If we assume 10% salary cap increases for each of the next two seasons, that would work out to about $160MM.
If Ingram were to wait until next offseason to sign a new contract, his maximum extension would increase to a projected $221MM for four years (based on 10% annual cap increases). If he makes an All-NBA team and becomes eligible for a super-max contract, his maximum extension would jump to $334MM for five years (again, based on 10% cap increases).
There’s no guarantee that the Pelicans would be willing to make that substantial an offer when the time comes, but the fact that Ingram could lock in significantly more guaranteed money by waiting explains why he’s not rushing to sign an extension before the ’23/24 season begins. Once opening night arrives next month, Ingram will become ineligible to sign an extension until the start of the 2024 offseason.
An All-NBA season in 2023/24 is probably a long shot for a player who has made just one All-Star team through seven years in the league, but the fact that players must appear in at least 65 games this season to qualify for an All-NBA team could open up the door for someone like Ingram. Conversely, of course, Ingram himself hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since 2017, so the 26-year-old will need to stay healthier this year in order to have a chance to be an All-NBA candidate.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Ingram averaged a career-high 24.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per game (45 appearances) in 2022/23, posting a shooting line of .484/.390/.882.
NBA Board Of Governors Approves New Player Participation Policy
The NBA’s Board of Governors voted on Wednesday to approve new rules that will strengthen the league’s policy on resting players and will subject teams to fines for violating those rules, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The vote was unanimous, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
We briefly outlined these new rules on Monday when word initially broke that the NBA was planning to implement them. However, in an article worth reading in full, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who refers to the new rules as the “player participation policy,” provides a far more in-depth look at how exactly that new policy will function.
As Marks outlines, an NBA team will be subject to a fine if it rests a healthy “star” (defined as a player who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team during the previous three seasons) in any of the following scenarios:
- If it rests a star player in a game that is nationally televised or in an in-season tournament game.
- If it rests more than one star is in the same game.
- If it rests a star in a road game instead of a home game (teams must maintain a balance between the two, with the preference being for rest days to occur in home games).
- If it shuts down a healthy star for an extended period of time (ie. if a tanking team stops playing one if its star players down the stretch).
- If a star who is being rested is not on the bench and visible to fans.
A team will be fined $100K for its first violation of this policy, $250K for its second violation, and $1.25MM for a third violation, per Marks. Fines for additional violations would continue to increase by $1MM in each instance.
The NBA will permit certain exceptions, as Marks outlines, particularly in back-to-back scenarios. If a player meets certain age/experience benchmarks (35 years old on opening night; 34,000+ career regular minutes; or 1,000 career regular season and playoff games) or has an injury history that will require load management, a team can ask the league for permission to rest that player for one of the two games in a back-to-back set.
The NBA would still require the star player to be active for the nationally televised or in-season tournament game in this scenario, unless both games in the back-to-back are on national TV.
Absences for personal reasons or certain other unusual circumstances will also be permitted, per Marks. End-of-season flexibility is another exception worth noting — for example, a team that has clinched its playoff seed may receive approval to rest more than one star in its regular season finale.
The NBA will have the ability to launch an investigation and conduct an independent medical review if it suspects a team is listing a healthy star player out due to a dubious injury. For instance, if the new policy had been in place last season when the Wizards shut down Bradley Beal for the last 10 games of last season due to “knee soreness,” the league may have looked into that, Marks explains.
The league also has the right to investigate in other scenarios, such as recurring one-game road absences for a star player or a case where there are inconsistent public statements about a star’s status.
The list of which players qualify as “stars” will constantly be changing as new All-Star and All-NBA teams are announced, but here are the players who meet the criteria entering the 2023/24 season, per Marks:
- Trae Young (Hawks)
- Dejounte Murray (Hawks)
- Ben Simmons (Nets)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
- DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) *
- Zach LaVine (Bulls)
- Nikola Vucevic (Bulls)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
- Darius Garland (Cavaliers)
- Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) *
- Draymond Green (Warriors)
- Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)
- Chris Paul (Warriors) *
- Fred VanVleet (Rockets)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Paul George (Clippers)
- LeBron James (Lakers) *
- Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Jimmy Butler (Heat)
- Bam Adebayo (Heat)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jrue Holiday (Bucks)
- Khris Middleton (Bucks)
- Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
- Mike Conley (Timberwolves) *
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
- Julius Randle (Knicks)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Joel Embiid (Sixers)
- James Harden (Sixers) *
- Bradley Beal (Suns)
- Devin Booker (Suns)
- Kevin Durant (Suns) *
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Domantas Sabonis (Kings)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
- Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Note: The players marked with an asterisk (*) will either be 35 years old on opening night or have accumulated 34,000+ career regular minutes or 1,000 career regular season and playoff games, making them potentially eligible for pre-approved rest nights on back-to-backs.
The NBA has officially released the full policy right here.
Cavaliers Sign Sharife Cooper, Pete Nance
The Cavaliers have officially signed free agent guard Sharife Cooper and forward Pete Nance, the team announced today in a press release. Cleveland also formally confirmed its deal with Justin Powell, which we previously detailed.
The 48th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cooper spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with Atlanta, then played for the Cleveland Charge in the G League last season. Appearing in – and starting – 25 games for the Charge, he averaged 21.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .431/.316/.853.
Nance’s Exhibit 10 agreement with the Cavs was reported shortly after he went undrafted in June. He has ties to the organization — he’s the son of former Cavs legend Larry Nance and the younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., who spent parts of four seasons with Cleveland.
After spending four seasons with Northwestern, Nance transferred to North Carolina for a “super senior” season in 2022/23, averaging 10.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.1 BPG on .422/.320/.816 shooting in 30 games (30.1 MPG) for the Tar Heels. He had a larger offensive role with the Wildcats in ’21/22, posting 14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.1 BPG on .497/.452/.768 shooting in 30 games (27.2 MPG).
While it hasn’t been confirmed in each case, Cooper, Nance, and Powell likely all received Exhibit 10 contracts, which can be converted into two-way deals before the regular season or would put them on track to earn bonuses worth up to $75K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Charge.
Cleveland now has 20 players under contract, one away from the offseason limit.
Central Notes: Thompson, Theis, Pistons, Giannis
Tristan Thompson‘s new contract with the Cavaliers is a one-year, minimum-salary deal that is guaranteed for just $200K, Hoops Rumors has learned. Thompson will earn his full $3.2MM salary if he remains under contract through at least January 7, though Cleveland’s cap hit for the season would be just $2.02MM, with the NBA covering the difference.
Here’s more
- It has been a roller coaster year for Pacers center Daniel Theis, who has battled injuries and seen his NBA role cut back but played a key role for Germany en route to a World Cup gold medal this summer. Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscriber link) takes a look at the up-and-down journey and considers what’s next for Theis, who is on a pseudo-expiring contract in 2023/24 — his deal includes a $9.5MM team option for ’24/25 that is unlikely to be exercised.
- One of the challenges facing new Pistons head coach Monty Williams will be how he uses big men Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman, and Marvin Bagley III. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explores some frontcourt lineup options for Williams.
- Appearing on the 48 Minutes podcast, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said that he intends to travel to Houston to work out with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon before the 2023/24 season begins, as Dalton Sell of Behind the Buck Pass relays.
Former Celtics, Magic Forward Brandon Hunter Dies At 42
Former NBA forward Brandon Hunter has died at age 42, according to announcements from his college coach Jeff Boals (Twitter link) and the Magic (Twitter link).
A standout at Ohio University from 1999 to 2003, Hunter was selected 56th overall in the 2003 draft by the Celtics. He appeared in 36 games for Boston as a rookie, then was picked in the 2004 expansion draft by the then-Bobcats, who traded him to Orlando.
Hunter played in 31 games for the Magic in 2004/05 before making the move to international basketball. He spent time in Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, Israel, Turkey, Latvia, Germany, France, and Uruguay between 2006-13. As an NBA player, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per night across his 67 appearances (12 starts).
Boals’ announcement refers to Hunter as “one of the best to ever put on the green and white” for the Ohio Bobcats. The former standout forward is still the program’s all-time leading rebounder, having grabbed 1,103 boards during his four college seasons. He averaged a double-double (21.5 PPG, 12.6 RPG) as a senior, earning his third consecutive All-MAC first team nod.
Our condolences go out to Hunter’s friends and family.
Cavaliers Sign Justin Powell
SEPTEMBER 13: Powell’s deal with the Cavaliers is official, according to the transaction log at RealGM.com.
SEPTEMBER 12: The Cavaliers have agreed to sign undrafted rookie free agent Justin Powell, agent George Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Powell played for Auburn as a freshman, Tennessee as a sophomore, and Washington State as a junior before declaring for the NBA draft as an early entrant this spring. The 6’6″ wing was a full-time starter for the Cougars last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest (34 games), with a shooting line of .408/.379/.811.
After going undrafted, Powell suited up for the Heat‘s Summer League team in Sacramento and Las Vegas. A June report indicated that he had agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami, but it appears that agreement either fell through or was reported erroneously.
While Scotto’s report today doesn’t include any additional details on Powell’s deal with Cleveland, it seems likely end up signing an Exhibit 10 contract. That would put him on track to earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the regular season and then spends at least 60 days with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate.
The Cavaliers currently have four open spots on their 21-man offseason roster, so no one would need to be cut to make room for Powell.
Draymond Green Believes Warriors Can Still Win Multiple Titles
After re-signing with the Warriors on a four-year, $100MM contract, Draymond Green isn’t just trying to one win more title with the franchise — he remains optimistic that Golden State’s current core is capable of making it back to the NBA Finals and winning it multiple times, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.
“I don’t like to necessarily put a number on things,” Green told ESPN. “But I don’t see why we can’t get two more championships. Why not?”
The Warriors’ playoff loss to the Lakers this past spring represented the first time since 2014 that the team had dropped a postseason series to a Western Conference opponent. Golden State won titles in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, won the West in 2016 and 2019, and missed the playoffs altogether in 2020 and 2021. Green expressed confidence that the Warriors can start a new streak of intra-conference postseason victories in 2024.
“[The Lakers have] done it once, and that’s great,” he said. “Now someone has to do it again and again.
And I don’t foresee that happening.”
Here are a few more highlights from Youngmisuk’s story on Green and the Warriors:
- Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he sought out input from Green and the club’s other core players when the front office was considering trading for Chris Paul this summer. “Really anytime we make a big move, whether it’s going to Steph, Klay, Draymond, you want to kind of feel it out and see what they think,” Dunleavy said, per Youngmisuk. “All of them initially, including Chris, sort of had some pause. But then they thought about it and real quick became like, ‘Let’s do this. This is going to be great.'”
- As Youngmisuk writes, Green admitted that he didn’t immediately warm to the idea of teaming up with Paul, a longtime playoff foe for the Warriors. However, the idea quickly grew on him, and he’s making it one of his goals this season to help the veteran point guard win his first NBA title. Both Paul and Green are accustomed to being offensive facilitators, but Golden State is confident the two veterans will figure out how to effectively coexist. “The way they’ll fit together is their competitiveness and their intelligence,” Dunleavy said. “We will see how the skill set aligns and anytime you add another player like Chris Paul, I think there’s things you got to figure out.”
- While Green has gotten used to the idea of being teammates with Paul, he knows there will still be work to be done to establish chemistry on the court. He says he’s excited about going through that process, according to Youngmisuk. “We’ve gotten together as a team, we’ve kicked it together and the vibe feels great,” Green said. “And I’m a student of the game of basketball and Chris Paul is a master, and I’m looking forward to learning from him.”
Hawks Re-Sign Trent Forrest To Two-Way Deal
The Hawks have re-signed Trent Forrest to a two-way contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.
Forrest had spent the offseason as a restricted free agent after finishing last season on a two-way deal with Atlanta. The Hawks issued him a qualifying offer that was the equivalent of another one-year, two-way contract, so Forrest may have simply accepted that QO rather than negotiating a new deal. The qualifying offer prevented him from signing outright with a new team.
Forrest, 25 has appeared in 113 total regular season games over the last three years for the Jazz and Hawks since going undrafted out of Florida State. He has averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per contest over the course of his professional career.
With Forrest back under contract, the Hawks’ roster looks just about set for the regular season — the team has 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and three (Forrest, Seth Lundy, and Miles Norris) on two-way deals. Atlanta will likely fill out its 21-man preseason squad with non-guaranteed signees before training camp gets underway.
Now that Forrest has re-signed with the Hawks, only two restricted free agents remain unsigned. Both are two-way RFAs: Theo Maledon (Hornets) and Matt Ryan (Timberwolves).
Rockets Notes: Brooks, Sengun, Landale, Porter
Dillon Brooks‘ strong World Cup performance for Canada – which earned its first-ever medal at the event – came as no surprise to Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Brooks’ combination of scoring (15.1 PPG), shooting (.588 3PT%), and defense were what Stone was counting on when Houston signed him to a four-year, $86MM contract in July.
“I’m really happy for Dillon,” Stone said. “Largely, he’s the player that we thought we were signing. So, it’s not at all surprising. But it’s great. And more so than any player I can really remember in recent memory, there’s a narrative about him that’s odd and wrong. And I think kind of the whole world over the last week has kind of owned that he’s a really good basketball player.
“The thing he does at a truly elite level, in a funny way is the one thing that every fan and every coach says is the most important thing. Every single day, every single possession, he competes and he’s always ready. And so, it’s kind of funny that that guy, who embodies that ethos, has taken as (much criticism) in the past few months as he has. But I also think … people are going to realize he’s a really good player. And most importantly, he just competes his butt off. Obviously, we really like him. He played like we would expect him to, and we’re really excited to get him back and get him integrated.”
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Although Turkey wasn’t part of the 2023 World Cup, Turkish center Alperen Sengun suited up for his national team during an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament this summer. The Rockets liked what he saw from the young center at that event, as Feigen relays. “Alpi is on the path we want him to be on. I thought he was moving really, really well,” Stone said. “I thought his decision-making was good. I liked his defensive effort, overall.”
- Stone said he expects the entire Rockets roster to be healthy for the start of training camp next month, per Feigen (Twitter link). Jock Landale missed the World Cup due to an ankle injury and hasn’t been cleared for 5-on-5 work, but should be soon, per Stone.
- Prosecutors at Kevin Porter Jr.‘s arraignment in New York City on Tuesday stated that his alleged attack on his girlfriend left her with a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her right eye, according to Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press. Manhattan’s assistant district attorney Mirah Curzer referred to the incident as a “serious domestic violence case” and indicated that Porter has a history of abusing his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. The Rockets guard, who wasn’t required to enter a plea during Tuesday’s court appearance, was ordered to post $75K in cash or obtain a $100K bond to secure his release.