Checking In On Unsigned 2023 Draft Picks
When he signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on Thursday, No. 45 pick overall pick GG Jackson became the 54th player selected in the 2023 draft to sign with his NBA team. Two of the 60 picks in this year’s draft were forfeited, which means there are just four players who have yet to sign NBA contracts.
As our tracker shows, those players are as follows:
- Charlotte Hornets: James Nnaji, C
- Washington Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic, F
- Indiana Pacers: Mojave King, G
- Memphis Grizzlies: Tarik Biberovic, G/F
It seems safe to assume we won’t see King and Biberovic in the NBA this season. Reports during or shortly after the draft indicated that they’ll be draft-and-stash prospects who will continue to hone their skills in international leagues while the Pacers and Grizzlies, respectively, control their NBA rights.
It’s possible that Nnaji and Vukcevic will take a similar path, but that has not yet been confirmed.
Speaking in July to Tony Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Eurohoops), Nnaji said his expectation at that point was that he’d spend another season in Europe with FC Barcelona, but his future remained up in the air.
“We have to see how everything goes. The circumstances depend on what happens in the Summer League. But for now, I would say yes,” Nnaji said of returning to Barcelona.
The Hornets currently only have 13 players on guaranteed salaries for 2023/24, so they’d have room on their roster to add Nnaji if they want to.
But Frank Ntilikina, who has a $200K partial guarantee, looks like a good bet to be the 14th man, while JT Thor (non-guaranteed contract) and Theo Maledon (two-way RFA) are candidates for the 15th spot. So Charlotte has options and may prefer to wait a year on the 19-year-old Nnaji, who could use another developmental season in Spain.
As for Vukcevic, Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Twitter link) reported in mid-August that there’s a “strong possibility” the 42nd overall pick will remain with overseas for 2023/24. He’s under contract with Partizan Belgrade, though there were rumors in July that the Serbian club was considering loaning him to Greek team Peristeri BC.
Like Nnaji, Vukcevic isn’t locked into a plan for next season yet, but it would make sense for the 20-year-old to spend at least one more season in Europe, despite his desire to come stateside right away. The Wizards currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, so their standard roster is already pretty crowded. And they wouldn’t be permitted to sign him to a two-way deal if they were to buy him out from Partizan.
We’ll wait for further clarity on the plans for Nnaji and Vukcevic, but it’s possible that Jackson’s deal with the Grizzlies will be the last contract signed by a 2023 NBA draft pick before the ’23/24 season begins.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 8/31/2023
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 10:15 am Central time (11:15 Eastern).
Click here to read the transcript, and join us next Tuesday afternoon for our next live chat, hosted by Dana Gauruder.
Checking In On Notable Remaining Free Agents
The last standard restricted free agent on the market this summer, P.J. Washington officially re-signed with the Hornets on Tuesday. With Washington off the board, 47 of our top 50 free agents from the start of the offseason have now signed, including all of the top 24. However, there are still several notable players who continue to seek a new NBA home.
Big man Christian Wood, our No. 25 free agent, is one. We ranked Wood as high as we did due to his scoring and rebounding prowess — he has averaged 18.1 points in just 29.3 minutes per game across the last three seasons, grabbing 8.9 boards per night during that same stretch.
However, it sounds like concerns about Wood’s professionalism and defense have made teams wary about making him any kind of significant offer. A report in July suggested that there may be a disconnect between what Wood thinks his value is and what teams think his value is. If he were willing to accept a minimum-salary deal, he may already be on a roster.
Veteran forward Kelly Oubre came in at No. 27 on our free agent list after putting up a career-high 20.3 points per game in 48 appearances last season. But averaging 20 PPG isn’t the accomplishment it once was. Oubre was just one of 57 players who achieved that feat while appearing in at least 29 games. And of those 57 players, he ranked 53rd in EFG%, so it’s not like he was scoring particularly efficiently.
Oubre still has some value, but after earning at least $12MM in each of the last four seasons, he seems unlikely to approach that mark in 2023/24.
The only other unsigned player on our top-50 list is No. 43 Hamidou Diallo. I’m a fan of Diallo due to his athleticism, rebounding ability, defensive energy, and shot selection (he made 59.3% of his two-point attempts last season). But he has an unorthodox game and may not be a fit for many teams.
Here are some other free agents who didn’t make our top 50 but who will likely receive consideration from NBA teams before the season begins:
Guards
Kendrick Nunn played well down the stretch for Washington last season, knocking down 39.2% of his three-pointers in 31 games with the Wizards. Terence Davis and Jaylen Nowell are among the other available ball-handling guards who can score and shoot a little, though Nowell is coming off a down year in which his three-point rate plummeted from 39.4% to 28.9%.
George Hill, Ish Smith, Goran Dragic, and Austin Rivers could hold some appeal for teams looking to fill out their backcourt with a steady veteran. John Wall is also unsigned, though he has a different skill set than those other vets.
Trent Forrest and Theo Maledon are still restricted free agents, but seem likely to end up on two-way deals.
Wings
There aren’t many solid two-way wings left on the board. Danny Green once fit that bill, but at 36 years old, he’s no longer in his prime. Terrence Ross is certainly capable of playing a rotation role, but his outside shot comes and goes (he made just 29.2% in 2021/22) and he’s not an elite defender.
A team interested in adding a shooter might take a look at Svi Mykhailiuk (who has made 36.0% of his career three-point attempts), Will Barton (35.5%), Anthony Lamb (35.3%), two-way RFA Matt Ryan (37.1%), or Edmond Sumner (37.7% in his last two healthy seasons).
Veteran forwards T.J. Warren and Rudy Gay can score, but don’t offer a ton of defensive resistance, and Gay’s best years are behind him — the 17-year veteran is 37 and is coming off his worst season as a pro (5.2 PPG on .380/.254/.857 shooting).
A club focused on bolstering its wing defense may like Lamar Stevens or Javonte Green. Although they don’t provide much offensive punch, they can bring energy off the bench.
Former top-10 picks like Kevin Knox, Jarrett Culver, Justise Winslow, and Stanley Johnson haven’t generated much buzz this offseason, but perhaps there are teams that believe they can extract value from those one-time prospects.
Bigs
There’s no shortage of veteran centers still available on the open market. Bismack Biyombo, Tristan Thompson, Boban Marjanovic, Derrick Favors, Serge Ibaka, and Gorgui Dieng are among the remaining free agents, and JaVale McGee is set to join them when he clears waivers on Thursday.
A team in the market for a less traditional big man might kick the tires on Blake Griffin or JaMychal Green, who had a modest bounce-back year for the Warriors last season after a forgettable 2021/22 campaign in Denver.
Former first-round pick Usman Garuba could hold some intrigue for a club looking for a developmental project rather than a player who could contribute right away. He’s still just 21 years old.
Highest-Paid NBA Players By Team
On Tuesday, we listed the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2023/24 season. Although that list presented a clear picture of the highest earners for the current season, not every NBA team was represented. Six of the league’s 30 franchises – the Pistons, Pacers, Knicks, Magic, Spurs, and Jazz – didn’t have a single player in the top 50.
Our list of highest-paid players for 2023/24 also only provided a snapshot for this year. For example, Kyle Lowry, who cracked the top 50, will be well compensated for the coming season but is on an expiring contract and will almost certainly fall off that list next year.
Today, we’re shifting our focus to the highest-paid players by team. This will allow us to check in on the clubs that weren’t represented on our initial list, as well as identifying some of the league’s most lucrative multiyear commitments — we’ve included each club’s highest-paid player for the current season (by 2023/24 base salary) and its highest-paid player in total (by total guaranteed base salary, including player options).
Let’s dive in…
Atlanta Hawks
- 2023/24: Trae Young ($37,096,500)
- Total: Trae Young (four years, $178,063,200)
- Note: Young’s final year is a player option.
- Note: Young’s final year is a player option.
Boston Celtics
- 2023/24: Kristaps Porzingis ($36,016,200)
- Total: Jaylen Brown (six years, $33,5565,047)
- Note: The projected value of Brown’s super-max extension is based on a 10% salary cap increase for 2024/25.
- Note: The projected value of Brown’s super-max extension is based on a 10% salary cap increase for 2024/25.
Brooklyn Nets
- 2023/24: Ben Simmons ($37,893,408)
- Total: Cameron Johnson (four years, $90,000,000)
- Note: Johnson could earn another $18MM in incentives.
- Note: Johnson could earn another $18MM in incentives.
Charlotte Hornets
- 2023/24: Gordon Hayward ($31,500,000)
- Total: LaMelo Ball (six years, $227,854,130)
- Note: The projected value of Ball’s maximum-salary extension is based on a 10% salary cap increase for 2024/25. His projected six-year earnings could increase to $271,244,829 if he makes an All-NBA team in 2024.
Chicago Bulls
- 2023/24: Zach LaVine ($40,064,220)
- Total: Zach LaVine (four years, $178,063,200)
- Note: LaVine’s final year is a player option.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2023/24: Darius Garland ($34,005,250)
- Total: Darius Garland (five years, $197,230,450)
Dallas Mavericks
- 2023/24: Luka Doncic ($40,064,220)
- Total: Luka Doncic (four years, $178,063,200)
- Note: Doncic’s final year is a player option.
Denver Nuggets
- 2023/24: Nikola Jokic ($47,607,350)
- Total: Nikola Jokic (five years, $276,122,630)
- Note: Jokic’s final year is a player option.
- Note: Jokic’s final year is a player option.
Detroit Pistons
- 2023/24: Bojan Bogdanovic ($20,000,000)
- Total: Isaiah Stewart (four years, $50,266,713)
- Note: Stewart could earn another $3MM in incentives and an additional $15MM (plus a potential $1MM in incentives) if his 2027/28 team option is exercised.
Golden State Warriors
- 2023/24: Stephen Curry ($51,915,615)
- Total: Stephen Curry (three years, $167,283,648)
Jazz, Romeo Langford Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Jazz have agreed to sign free agent wing Romeo Langford to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Langford, who will turn 24 this October, was drafted 14th overall by the Celtics in 2019 when current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was Boston’s head of basketball operations.
The former Indiana Hoosier spent his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons in Boston before being traded to San Antonio, where he has played since February 2022. He became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after the Spurs opted not issue him a qualifying offer.
Langford is a solid defender, but has struggled to make much of an impact on the offensive end of the floor. In 141 career regular season games, he has averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .430/.288/.659.
Since he has four years of NBA service under his belt, Langford will be ineligible to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal. However, if he doesn’t earn a spot on Utah’s standard 15-man regular season roster and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, he’d be in line for a bonus worth up to $75K.
With 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Jazz currently have three open spots on their 21-man offseason roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create space for Langford.
World Cup Notes: Edwards, RHJ, Hart, Ingram, Thanasis, Canada
Even though Team USA’s 48-point win over Jordan on Wednesday wasn’t exactly a tightly contested affair, former Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson enjoyed going back and forth at each other in the third and final first-round game at the World Cup, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Edwards had a game-high 22 points, edging out Hollis-Jefferson, who scored 20. The two were on Minnesota’s roster together for a brief period during the 2020 preseason, when RHJ served as a veteran mentor ahead of Edwards’ rookie year. Hollis-Jefferson didn’t end up making the Wolves’ regular season roster.
“We haven’t seen each other since then, so it was fun,” Edwards said. “And yeah, we was talking with smack out there for sure.”
U.S. head coach Steve Kerr made one lineup change ahead of the game vs. Jordan, replacing Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram in the starting five with Knicks forward Josh Hart. As Windhorst observes, Ingram had struggled as spot-up shooter with the first unit and was able to have the ball in his hands more as a reserve. It sounds like the change could stick.
“We just felt like it was important to take a look at Josh with the starting group and Brandon with the next group to see if the combinations fit,” Kerr said after the victory. “I liked what I saw. The game wasn’t competitive, but there was good flow with both groups.”
“They thought it was a better fit for me playing with Tyrese [Haliburton] and playing with some guys that are a little less ball dominant than Jalen [Brunson] and Ant,” Ingram told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “They just talked about it being a better fit, and I agreed with them.”
Here are a few more World Cup notes:
- Hollis-Jefferson is one of nine non-U.S. players identified by Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype as breakout performers through three World Cup games. Bulls guard Carlik Jones (South Sudan), Wizards forward Xavier Cooks (Australia), and Heat forward Nikola Jovic (Serbia) are among the NBAers who have impressed, as De Roa details.
- Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who injured his left adductor in Monday’s loss to the U.S., returned to action for Greece on Wednesday. However, Antetokounmpo played a limited role in the win over New Zealand that clinched the Greeks a spot in the second round, recording more fouls (4) than points (2) in his 14 minutes.
- The Canadian national team – which had the best point differential (+111) of any club in the first round – is finally realizing its potential on the international stage, says Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Canada has had no shortage of players in the NBA over the last decade, but those players haven’t always participated in international competitions and have struggled to quickly establish chemistry in the events they’ve played.
And-Ones: Lewis, Ignite, Best Draft Assets, RSNs
Veteran NBA referee Eric Lewis has retired, the league announced today in a brief press release (Twitter link). Lewis officiated more than 1,000 regular season NBA games over the course of his career and has worked several NBA Finals contests since 2019.
Back in May, the NBA opened an investigation into a possible Twitter burner account run by Lewis. The Twitter account, which has since been deleted, responded to many posts about NBA officiating to defend Lewis and other referees. League rules prohibit referees from publicly commenting on the officiating without authorization.
According to today’s announcement, since Lewis has decided to retire, the NBA has closed its investigation into his social media activity.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Having previously announced the prospects that are joining the program for the 2023/24 season, the G League Ignite issued a press release revealing the veteran players who will serve as mentors. John Jenkins and Eric Mika will be returning to the team and will be joined by former NBA guards Jeremy Pargo and David Stockton, as well as guard Admon Gilder, who has played in a handful of international leagues since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2020.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranked all 30 NBA teams based on their future draft assets, from the Thunder (No. 1) and Spurs (No. 2) to the Timberwolves (No. 29) and Suns (No. 30).
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at where things stand with the NBA and the Bally Sports regional sports networks after parent company Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy. The league has been informed, according to Vorkunov, that Diamond Sports Group has the capital to honor its NBA commitments for the upcoming season, though one industry source told The Athletic that it’s a “very fluid situation.”
NBA Confirms Mavs’ Exhibition In Spain, Releases Full Preseason Schedule
As previously reported, the Mavericks will play an exhibition game against Real Madrid in Spain this fall, with the contest scheduled to take place on October 10 at the WiZink Center in Madrid, the NBA confirmed today.
Real Madrid is Luka Doncic‘s former team, as well as the reigning EuroLeague champion, having defeated Olympiacos to win this year’s Final Four in May. The club features several former NBA players, including point guard Facundo Campazzo, who had a brief stint with the Mavericks last season.
In addition to confirming that exhibition game, the NBA announced (via Twitter) its full preseason schedule for 2023, starting with the Mavs facing the Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi on October 5. The first game in the U.S. will take place two days later, as the Lakers visit the Warriors on Oct. 7.
The preseason will wrap up on Oct. 20, with 15 NBA teams playing their final preseason game on that Friday before the regular season begins. The Magic will face Brazilian team Flamengo in one of that day’s eight games.
In addition to Real Madrid and Flamengo, the international clubs participating in the NBA’s preseason are the Cairns Taipans (Australia), the New Zealand Breakers, and Maccabi Ra’anana (Israel).
The Taipans will play in Washington on Oct. 10 and Toronto on Oct. 15; the Breakers will be in Portland on Oct. 10 and Utah on Oct. 16; Maccabi Ra’anana will visit Brooklyn on Oct. 12, Cleveland on Oct. 16, and Minnesota on Oct. 17.
World Cup Second Round Set; Australia Earns Spot In 2024 Olympics
The field for the second round of the 2023 World Cup has been set following Wednesday’s games, with 16 of the tournament’s 32 teams set to advance while the other 16 will compete in consolation (classification) games for the Nos. 17-32 spots, having been eliminated from medal contention.
The four second round groups are as follows:
- Group I: Serbia (3-0), Dominican Republic (3-0), Italy (2-1), Puerto Rico (2-1)
- Group J: United States (3-0), Lithuania (3-0), Montenegro (2-1), Greece (2-1)
- Group K: Slovenia (3-0), Germany (3-0), Australia (2-1), Georgia (2-1)
- Group L: Canada (3-0), Spain (3-0), Brazil (2-1), Latvia (2-1)
The second round will consist of two more group-play games, taking place on Friday and Sunday, with each team playing the two clubs in its group that it has yet to face. For instance, Team USA will go up against Montenegro and Lithuania, having already defeated Greece in the first round.
A team’s record and point differential from the first round will carry over to the second round, so the 3-0 clubs in each group will have a leg up and a little more room for error. After two more games (five total), the top two teams in each group will advance to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.
A total of seven nations will qualify for the 2024 Olympics based on the World Cup results. The tournament’s top two teams from the Americas and Europe will earn spots in the Olympics, while the top team from Africa, Asia, and Oceania, respectively, will also make the cut.
So far, just one Olympic qualifier has been determined — with New Zealand’s elimination today, Australia is the last Oceania team standing and has secured its place in the 2024 Olympics, joining France (the host nation).
Since no teams from Asia or Africa made it through to the round of 16, the classification games will determine those two Olympic qualifiers.
There are still several teams from the Americas and Europe alive in the main draw. In order to clinch an Olympic berth, the U.S. will have to finish among the top two of the five Americas teams left standing — Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil are the other four.
Once the World Cup concludes, eight of the 12 teams competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be set. The remaining four spots will be up for grabs in Olympic qualifying tournaments next year.
Former Lottery Pick Yi Jianlian Announces Retirement
Chinese big man Yi Jianlian, the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, has announced his retirement as a professional player, according to a China Global Television Network report.
“Time flies; in the blink of an eye, basketball has been by my side for 21 years,” Yi wrote as part of a larger statement on the social media site Webio. “After much contemplation, I have made the decision to officially bring my basketball career to a close.
“… Farewell is not the end, but rather a new beginning. I will cherish the memories of the past while continuing to move forward, embracing new chapters in my life. Goodbye, my beloved basketball.”
A seven-foot forward, Yi played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China from 2002-07 before entering the NBA draft. He was selected with the No. 6 pick by the Bucks and spent his rookie season in Milwaukee, despite a desire to play in a U.S. market with a larger Chinese community.
Following his rookie year, Yi was traded from Milwaukee to New Jersey in a deal that sent Richard Jefferson to the Bucks. He played for the Nets for two seasons from 2008-10, then spent one year in Washington and one in Dallas before returning to China, where he played for Guangdong from 2012-23.
Yi had another brief stint stateside in 2016, when he joined the Lakers for the preseason, but he was cut that fall when the regular season began. In 272 total NBA regular season appearances, the 35-year-old averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .404/.333/.780.
Although he didn’t have much success in the NBA, Yi has enjoyed a long, productive career in China, representing the national team in several international competitions and earning 12 All-Star berths in the Chinese Basketball Association. He also won six CBA titles with Guangdong, most recently in 2020, and was named the CBA Finals MVP three times.