Atlantic Notes: C. Johnson, Petrusev, Bamba, Keels
Cameron Johnson‘s new four-year contract with the Nets is front-loaded, with a cap hit of approximately $25.7MM in 2023/24. His cap charges in the subsequent three seasons will all be lower than that, including a drop to $21.6MM in ’25/26.
Discussing his new deal on Tuesday, Johnson explained that he hopes the structure of the contract will help the Nets be more financially flexible in future years than they would have been if he had agreed to traditional annual raises.
“Yes, that’s a big part of it,” Johnson said, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I want to be surrounded by the best players possible. I want to be on the best team possible. So as to how the contract is weighted, it’s not like they’re taking or adding anything to it, it’s just a distribution of it. So I was trying to be as flexible as possible in allowing the best for the team situation.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Will draft-and-stash prospect Filip Petrusev sign his first NBA contract with the Sixers this offseason? Head coach Nick Nurse seemed to suggest as much during an appearance on Tyrese Maxey‘s Maxey on the Mic podcast, referring to the 2021 second-rounder as a player “who’s going to be on the roster this year” (hat tip to Eurohoops). With James Harden‘s trade request still unresolved and Philadelphia bringing back Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell to go along with new addition Mohamed Bamba, it would be a little surprising if the team is fully committed to bringing Petrusev – another center – stateside for 2023/24, but it sounds like it might happen.
- Speaking of Bamba, he spoke to reporters on Monday about his decision to sign with the Sixers and the role he expects to play with his new NBA team. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, the former lottery pick will be looking to show that he can be relied upon as a regular rotation player. “The next step for me is just consistency,” Bamba said. “Barring any injuries, just being out there and, you know, doing what I do best, protecting the rim, touching the floor and being so much more of a lob threat.”
- Restricted free agent guard Trevor Keels is looking to show the Knicks with his Summer League play that he deserves to be part of the team’s plans going forward, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. He’s off to a shaky start, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting during his first two games in Las Vegas — New York has been outscored by 52 points during his 33 minutes on the floor, per Braziller.
Warriors Notes: Open Roster Spots, Gay, Quinones, Centers, Martin
Although the Warriors aren’t closing the door on the possibility of filling all 15 slots on their standard roster to open the 2023/24 season, the team seems unlikely to carry more than 14, says Anthony Slater of The Athletic. That means that once the Dario Saric signing is official, Golden State will probably just have one standard roster spot left to fill.
There’s no rush to add a 14th man though, according to Slater, who explains that the club already addressed its top two offseason priorities by adding a steady veteran guard (Cory Joseph) and a frontcourt player who can shoot (Saric). Slater expects the Warriors to exercise patience from here on out rather than looking to sign another player right away.
As Slater observes, there are already a few buyout candidates on rosters around the NBA, and more could emerge if certain star trade candidates get moved and roster shake-ups occur. The Warriors may be reluctant to commit a guaranteed contract to a 14th player without knowing which other veterans will reach free agency.
Slater identifies veteran forward Rudy Gay as one player worth keeping an eye on, since the Warriors have had interest in him in the past. He’s being traded from Atlanta to Oklahoma City, and the Thunder seem unlikely to hang onto him due to his age (37 next month) and a roster crunch in OKC.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Slater hears from team sources that Golden State would also be OK with the idea of making the 14th roster spot available in a training camp competition. If the club puts that spot up for grabs, it might make Lester Quinones more inclined to accept his two-way qualifying offer, recognizing that he’d have an opportunity to earn a promotion to the standard roster before the season begins, Slater writes.
- While the Warriors don’t appear to be in love with any of the free agent centers currently on the market, they’re certainly not opposed to adding another player at that spot. According to Slater, the team looked into veteran bigs like Mason Plumlee or Alex Len early in free agency before both players re-signed with their respective teams.
- General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. confirmed on Monday that the team is open to adding another center, either using a standard roster spot or a two-way slot. However, Dunleavy cautioned that it’s hard to find big men who fit the Warriors’ system and stressed that they don’t just want “somebody who’s tall” (Twitter video link via Slater). “We’ve got to be careful with the way we play, the way the league works,” Dunleavy said. “… You’ve gotta be skilled. You’ve gotta have feel. You’ve gotta know how to play.”
- The Warriors looked into the idea of trading for Kenyon Martin Jr. before Houston sent him to the Clippers, league and team sources tell Slater. Golden State has a trade exception that would have fit Martin without any outgoing salary required, but those negotiations never reached the final stages.
Kings RFA Queta Has Stress Reaction, Sprain In Foot
Kings restricted free agent Neemias Queta has been diagnosed with a stress reaction and a metatarsal capsule sprain in his right foot, the team announced in a press release.
Queta’s injury occurred during the second quarter of Sacramento’s Summer League game against the Clippers on Monday. The big man, who will celebrate his 24th birthday on Thursday, had a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) in the Kings’ first game in Las Vegas on Friday, but has been ruled out for the rest of Summer League.
Queta’s recovery process will be worth keeping an eye on going forward because he’s not yet under contract for the 2023/24 season. The former Utah State standout finished last season on a two-way deal with the Kings and received a qualifying offer from the club in June, making him a restricted free agent.
Because Queta was on a two-way contract with Sacramento for consecutive seasons, his qualifying offer is equivalent to a minimum-salary deal with a $75K partial guarantee.
While he has the option of accepting that QO, Queta’s grip on a roster spot might be precarious in that scenario due to his small partial guarantee — he’d likely prefer to negotiate a new standard contract with the Kings that includes a little more protection. He has also indicated that he’d be open to signing another two-way deal if that’s what it takes to stick with the organization.
Queta only appeared in five NBA games for Sacramento last season, but thrived at the G League level, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team and finishing second in MVP voting. He averaged 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game across 29 regular season appearances for the Stockton Kings.
Once Sasha Vezenkov officially signs his reported deal with the Kings, the club will have 13 players on standard contracts and two on two-way pacts, not counting Queta.
Magic Re-Sign Moritz Wagner
JULY 11: The signing is official, the team’s PR department tweets. A league source tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) that the second year of Wagner’s deal is a team option.
JULY 1: The Magic are re-signing unrestricted free agent forward/center Moritz Wagner, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wagner will receive a two-year, $16MM contract, Woj adds.
Wagner, 26, has been a rotation regular for the Magic over the last two seasons, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.4 APG on .499/.321/.826 shooting in 120 games (17.2 MPG).
Returning to Orlando will give Wagner the opportunity to continue playing alongside his brother Franz Wagner, who was the Magic’s lottery pick in 2021 and has emerged as a building block for the franchise.
Because Moritz has a minimum-salary cap hold and full Bird rights, the Magic will be able to use up all their cap room before going over the cap to complete his deal, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. Orlando could also still choose to operate as an over-the-cap team this season, since Joe Ingles‘ reported two-year, $22MM deal would fit into the mid-level exception.
It’s unclear whether the second year of Wagner’s contract will be guaranteed. The Magic have made a habit during the last two offseasons of signing free agents to two-year deals with only one guaranteed year, taking that route with Mohamed Bamba, Gary Harris, and (reportedly) Ingles.
And-Ones: Expansion, I. Thomas, Rubio, K. Chandler
NBA commissioner Adam Silver once again addressed the possibility of expansion during a press conference on Monday, telling reporters – including Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic – that the league will more seriously consider that possibility after completing the next media rights deal. The current media deal expires after the 2024/25 season.
Silver acknowledged that Las Vegas and Seattle are two markets the NBA will consider if and when the time comes, but stressed that the league hasn’t started that process and that it would involve more than just those two cities.
“We will look at this market,” he said from Vegas. “There’s no doubt there’s enormous interest in Seattle. That’s not a secret. There are other markets that have indicated interest. For the people who hear or read about this interview, we are not engaged in that process now. We’re not taking meetings right now with any potential groups. What we’re saying to everyone, privately is the same thing I’m saying publicly that there’ll be a very open process at the time already to consider expansion. But that’s not yet. That’s not yet now.”
Silver also addressed several other topics during his press conference in Las Vegas, including the influence of gambling on the sport and sovereign wealth funds purchasing stakes in NBA franchises. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and Tim Bontemps of ESPN have quotes from Silver on those issues, among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As first tweeted by Jamal Crawford and later confirmed by the guard himself, Isaiah Thomas is among the veteran free agents conducting workouts for teams in Las Vegas as he looks to get back into the NBA. John Wall, Dion Waiters, and Harry Giles are a few of the other free agents who have worked out for NBA clubs in Vegas.
- Could this be Ricky Rubio‘s last season in the NBA? According to a report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the veteran point guard is considering returning to his home country and playing for Barcelona in 2024. Rubio is under contract with the Cavaliers for two more seasons, though his ’24/25 salary is only partially guaranteed.
- After being waived by Memphis last season, guard Kennedy Chandler is owed guaranteed salaries for the next two seasons. However, he’s not satisfied to simply cash those pay checks, telling Brian Lewis of The New York Post that he’s determined to get back on an NBA roster in 2023/24. “I don’t really care that they still have to pay me for two years. I really don’t care about that because I want to get paid more,” he said. “It’s not just about the money. I could say ‘Nah, I’m good.’ I could sign a regular G-League, or a two-way. But I want to push myself and get back on a contract with another team and get back to what I used to do and be me, be myself.”
- Speaking to Howard Beck of GQ, veteran agent David Falk – who represented Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, among other stars in the 1990s – explained why he finds NBA free agency “a little bit boring” these days. In Falk’s view, the league’s cap and contract rules have limited agents’ ability to get creative when they negotiate contracts. “The nature of being an agent, it’s become so restrictive that it doesn’t require a lot of skills,” he said. “Mathematically, only 30 percent of the contracts are negotiated. And I think that most players really don’t need agents today.”
Bucks Notes: Beasley, Point Guards, Jackson, Green
In an extensive interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Bucks general manager Jon Horst explained the thinking behind many of the team’s offseason moves, including contract agreements with Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jae Crowder.
Some of Horst’s most interesting comments were about signings that will certainly be less impactful than the new deals for starters like Middleton and Lopez. For instance, in discussing the team’s minimum-salary deal with Malik Beasley, the Bucks’ GM indicated that he believes that Milwaukee’s system and personnel can put the 26-year-old swingman in position to thrive.
“I think that he could benefit from playing with a guy like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Khris and Jrue (Holiday) and our system,” Horst said. “You’ve seen in the past. We’ve had players who are good shooters and really become kind of elite shooters in our system. I think he’s one of those guys that is capable of doing that because, again, he has a willingness and a desire to let it go and he’s proven that he can make it efficiently.”
The fact that the Bucks were able to get Beasley to sign for the veteran’s minimum could pay off in a big way, according to Horst: “He’s really ready to prove to the league that he’s better than where his market was this year, and I think it’ll be a great fit.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Asked about the lack of a backup point guard on the roster, Horst told Nehm that Milwaukee is “at peace with where we’re at right now,” pointing out that the team has “a lot of secondary ball-handlers,” along with guards Lindell Wigginton and Omari Moore on two-way contracts. However, he didn’t close the door on a possible addition at that spot. “I think (head coach Adrian Griffin)’s excited for that challenge to figure out how we utilize it and we’ve ultimately made a talent bet on where we wanted to put our money and our minutes and felt like we could cover that position with the roster we have,” Horst said. “If that doesn’t work, we’ll figure it out.”
- The contract that No. 36 overall pick Andre Jackson signed with the Bucks is a four-year, minimum-salary deal using the NBA’s new second-round pick exception. Only the first year is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. The second year is 50% guaranteed (approximately $946K) while the third season is non-guaranteed and the fourth is a team option.
- A.J. Green‘s new three-year contract with the Bucks also has just one guaranteed season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Green will earn a guaranteed $1.9MM salary in 2023/24, with non-guaranteed minimum salaries in each of the following two years.
Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Kyrie, Bane, Rockets, Liddell
Victor Wembanyama‘s Summer League experience is over after just two games, the Spurs confirmed on Monday (story via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press). Wembanyama had an up-and-down debut on Friday, making just 2-of-13 shots from the floor, but showed on Sunday why he’s considered the best prospect to enter the NBA in years, racking up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes of action vs. Portland.
As Reynolds writes, shutting down Wembanyama at this point will give the Spurs an opportunity to evaluate other young players during the club’s remaining games in Vegas. It will also give the No. 1 overall pick a much-needed break — his season in France didn’t end until June, and he has had a demanding schedule of media obligations since arriving stateside last month.
“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50% of my schedule,” Wembanyama said on Sunday. “I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m glad it’s over. Honestly. I just want to hoop. I just want to work out, lift because this is my life. Obviously, every first pick is going to go through this. And it just makes me better for the future.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Kyrie Irving‘s new three-year, $120MM+ contract with the Mavericks features a 15% trade kicker, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). There’s also a 15% trade kicker in Desmond Bane‘s five-year, $197MM+ extension with the Grizzlies, Hoops Rumors has learned.
- New Houston forward Dillon Brooks sees similarities between his new team and his old one, suggesting that the Rockets are where the Grizzlies were a few years ago, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link). “I feel like it’s almost the exact same team,” Brooks said. “Three, four years ago, we had almost the same type of players. Jalen Green (is) like Ja Morant. Jabari (Smith) is like Jaren (Jackson Jr.). Young guys that can expand their game to be among the best or the best in the league. I feel like those two guys are almost the same type of deal.”
- After missing his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear, E.J. Liddell was thrilled to get a promotion from his two-way deal to the Pelicans‘ standard roster, as he tells William Guillory of The Athletic. “They told me how happy they were about my approach during the recovery process, and that meant everything to me,” said Liddell, whom New Orleans signed using a small slice of the mid-level exception. “I’m just going to keep embracing this opportunity. Keep showing up and doing what I’ve got to do everyday. I’ve just got to keep being me, and it’s great to know they appreciate me for being me. It means the world.”
Northwest Notes: Lillard, T. Brown, Milton, J. Collins, OKC
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter (YouTube link) on Monday night to provide an update on the Damian Lillard trade talks, Adrian Wojnarowski said it’s still “very early” in the process, pointing out that there’s no deadline looming to force the Trail Blazers into action — or to push potential Lillard suitors to submit their best offers.
While the Clippers would “love to be part of this process,” they don’t necessarily have the sort of assets the Blazers are seeking for Lillard, according to Wojnarowski. Portland also isn’t particularly moved by what what the Heat has to offer, but that Miami package may be the best the Blazers can get, Woj suggests.
“Now it’s going to be a process over perhaps this month, August, maybe into September, for Portland to try to extract as much as they can from Miami,” Wojnarowski said. “It isn’t like Miami comes to the table and says, ‘Here’s everything we have for Damian Lillard. Here you go.’ It doesn’t start that way. They’re gauging what Portland has (had) offered to them elsewhere.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Troy Brown‘s two-year, $8MM deal with the Timberwolves is only guaranteed for one year, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Brown’s $4MM salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed. The Wolves used the same structure when they signed Shake Milton, whose $5MM salary for ’23/24 is guaranteed while his $5MM salary for ’24/25 isn’t, Hoops Rumors has learned. Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s two-year, $9MM contract, on the other hand, is fully guaranteed.
- After being the subject of trade speculation for years in Atlanta, John Collins is looking forward to getting a fresh start with the Jazz, he said during an interview on the team’s official website. “I was excited going to a place that I knew really wanted me and was trying to have me in the organization,” Collins said. “It’s always very nice to hear and know coming to a place that really wants you and really wants you to excel here. It’s a big sigh of relief knowing that all the trade talks are over and I can go to my new home and start anew.”
- The Thunder‘s decision to use their cap room to accommodate salary dumps like Davis Bertans, Victor Oladipo, and Patty Mills this offseason reflected the team’s focus on its young core, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. As Mussatto explains, with potentially pricey extensions coming down the road for players like Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City didn’t want to compromise future cap flexibility by signing a free agent to a long-term deal.
Hoops Rumors’ 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker
With most of the free agent signings reported in late June and early July now official and updates on new contract agreements still coming in, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason.
To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.
A few notes on the tracker:
- Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
- Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in some cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
- Players who have reportedly agreed to training camp/Exhibit 10 deals won’t be added to the tracker until those deals are official.
- A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid any confusion.
- If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.
Our 2023 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”
The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.
Atlantic Notes: Beverley, Harden, J. Brown, Duke, Knicks
Patrick Beverley played with James Harden in Houston for five seasons from 2012-17 and is hoping to get the opportunity to reunite with his old backcourt mate in Philadelphia. Acknowledging that the decision on how to handle Harden’s trade request is “above my pay grade,” Beverley said during his introductory press conference on Monday that he’d love it if Harden is still with the Sixers when the season begins.
“One of my decisions coming here was because James Harden was here,” Beverley said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So I hope he stays. Hope that everybody can kind of work something out and put that behind us and kind of move forward. I think it’s important.
“… I love him. James, I love you, bro. Stay. … I’m very familiar with James. And I’m excited. I’m excited to get it going. He knows I’m here. So we’ll see.”
Beverley officially signed his one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers over the weekend. Harden’s future – or lack thereof – in Philadelphia will be one of the factors that determines what Beverley’s role looks like in 2023/24.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Extension discussions between Jaylen Brown and the Celtics have progressed as expected so far, and the two sides appear to be moving closer to an agreement, potentially within the next week, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Weiss adds that the three teams involved in the Grant Williams sign-and-trade – Boston, Dallas, and San Antonio – are still finalizing the details on all the draft picks involved in that complex deal, which should become official soon.
- Although he didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Nets in June, David Duke has been playing for their Summer League team and remains hopeful about returning to Brooklyn, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Duke, who finished the season on a standard contract with the Nets after being promoted from his two-way deal, admitted that he was a little surprised not to be given a QO. “You know, things don’t always happen as you really expect it. So yeah, I can say that I was expecting (a qualifying offer),” he said. “But my whole career I feel like there’s been things that have kind of been thrown at me that I didn’t expect, so it’s not really something that shook me or anything like that. … I think if I take care of the stuff on the court, everything will fall into place.”
- In a story for The Athletic, Fred Katz examines the impact Donte DiVincenzo could have on the Knicks‘ defense, outlines the unlikely incentives in DiVincenzo’s new contract, and weighs the value of the second-round picks the team got back in the Obi Toppin trade with Indiana.