Free Agency Notes: Collison, Suns, Jerome, White, Cap Room, Joseph
Free agent guard Darren Collison didn’t play in the NBA at all last season and has appeared in just three games since 2019, but he hasn’t given up on earning a spot on an opening-night roster this fall. According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link), Collison worked out last week for the Suns and had a “great showing.”
The Suns, who entered free agency with eight players under contract, have reached deals with seven free agents, so they project to have a full 15-man roster. However, Haynes says the club continues to be “aggressive” in seeking role players.
One way Phoenix could open up a roster spot is by waiving or trading Isaiah Todd, whose inclusion in the Bradley Beal trade seemed to be more about Washington moving off his guaranteed 2023/24 salary than the Suns specifically targeting him. Still, any form of salary dump will be costly for a Suns team that projects to be well over the tax line and doesn’t have any future draft picks left to trade.
Here are a few more notes related to free agency:
- The Warriors withdrew their qualifying offer to Ty Jerome, while the Nuggets did the same with Jack White, per RealGM’s transactions log. Reports on Saturday indicated that Jerome had reached a contract agreement with the Cavaliers and that White is poised to sign with the Thunder. With those qualifying offers no longer on the table, the two players are no longer restricted free agents, clearing the path for them to freely join their new teams as unrestricted FAs.
- Once coveted for its power to attract a top free agent, maximum-salary cap room no longer has the cachet it once did, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who notes that the Rockets were the only team this summer to use a significant chunk of cap space to sign a marquee free agent (Fred VanVleet) to a huge, multiyear deal. Most other teams with room have used it for trades, renegotiations, or smaller (and/or shorter-term) signings. As Hollinger observes, the new contract extension rules in the 2017 CBA have resulted in fewer stars reaching the open market, with 2019 standing out as the last big summer of free agent movement.
- Warriors guards Chris Paul and Stephen Curry are 38 and 35 years old, respectively, and have each dealt with injuries over the years. The addition of Cory Joseph, who agreed to a one-year deal with Golden State on Sunday, will help ensure that those veteran stars get the rest they need during the regular season, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who takes a closer look at what Joseph will bring to the team.
NBA Minimum Salaries For 2023/24
An NBA team that has spent all its cap space and doesn’t have any of its mid-level or bi-annual exception available still always has the ability to sign a player to a minimum-salary contract, unless that club is right up against its hard cap.
Teams with cap room or with access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception will have a little more flexibility to sign players to longer-term minimum-salary contracts. However, teams without cap room and without any other exceptions on hand can still use the minimum salary exception to add as many players as roster limits and the hard cap allow, for contracts of up to two years. Unlike other exceptions, such as the mid-level or the bi-annual, the minimum salary exception can be used multiple times.
[RELATED: Values of 2023/24 mid-level, bi-annual exceptions]
Undrafted free agents and second-round picks are often recipients of minimum-salary contracts, but there are plenty of veterans who end up settling for the minimum too. Because a player’s minimum salary is determined by how much NBA experience he has, many veterans will earn more than twice as much money as a rookie will in 2023/24 on a minimum-salary contract.
Listed below are 2023/24’s minimum salary figures, sorted by years of NBA experience. If a player spent any time on an NBA club’s active regular season roster in a given season, he earned one year of experience. So any player with zero years of experience has not yet made his NBA debut.
These figures represent a 10% increase on last season’s figures, since that’s the amount of the NBA’s salary cap increase for 2023/24.
Here’s the full breakdown:
| Years of Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $1,119,563 |
| 1 | $1,801,769 |
| 2 | $2,019,706 |
| 3 | $2,092,354 |
| 4 | $2,165,000 |
| 5 | $2,346,614 |
| 6 | $2,528,233 |
| 7 | $2,709,849 |
| 8 | $2,891,467 |
| 9 | $2,905,861 |
| 10+ | $3,196,448 |
Because the NBA doesn’t want teams to avoid signing veteran players in favor of cheaper, younger players, the league reimburses clubs who sign veterans with three or more years of experience to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. Those deals will only count against the cap – and against a team’s bank balance – for $2,019,706, the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience.
For instance, Patrick Beverley, who has 11 seasons of NBA experience, will reportedly sign a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers, who will only be charged $2,019,706 for Beverley’s contract. He’ll earn $3,196,448, but the NBA will make up the difference. This only applies to one-year contracts, not to multiyear deals.
If a player signs a minimum-salary contract after the regular season begins, he’ll earn a prorated portion of the amount listed above.
Those figures listed above also only apply to players who are signing new contracts in 2023/24. Players who are in the second, third, or fourth year of a minimum-salary deal will be earning a slightly different predetermined amount.
For example, Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy – who signed a minimum-salary contract last offseason and now has one year of NBA experience – will earn a $1,719,864 salary in the second year of his contract, shy of the $1,801,769 he would receive if he were signing a new minimum deal this fall. That’s because his second-year salary is based on a 5% raise over last season’s minimum salary for a player with one year of experience, whereas the cap rose by 10%.
Here’s what multiyear minimum-salary contracts signed in 2023/24 will look like:
| Experience |
2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,119,563 | $1,891,857 | $2,221,677 | $2,406,205 |
| 1 | $1,801,769 | $2,120,693 | $2,301,587 | $2,489,752 |
| 2 | $2,019,706 | $2,196,970 | $2,381,501 | $2,698,607 |
| 3 | $2,092,354 | $2,273,252 | $2,581,276 | $2,907,465 |
| 4 | $2,165,000 | $2,463,946 | $2,781,053 | $3,116,326 |
| 5 | $2,346,614 | $2,654,644 | $2,980,834 | $3,325,190 |
| 6 | $2,528,233 | $2,845,342 | $3,180,615 | $3,341,740 |
| 7 | $2,709,849 | $3,036,040 | $3,196,447 | $3,675,917 |
| 8 | $2,891,467 | $3,051,153 | $3,516,095 | $3,675,917 |
| 9 | $2,905,861 | $3,356,271 | $3,516,095 | $3,675,917 |
| 10+ | $3,196,448 | $3,356,271 | $3,516,095 | $3,675,917 |
Technically, a minimum-salary contract could cover five years for a player with full Bird rights, but in actuality, that never happens.
While some second-round picks and undrafted free agents will sign three- or four-year minimum-salary contracts, a minimum deal exceeding two years is rare for a player with more than a year or two of NBA experience under his belt.
Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Kings Sign Colby Jones To Four-Year Deal
The Kings have become the first team to use the NBA’s cap exception for second-round picks, having signed No. 34 overall pick Colby Jones, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Sacramento agreed to give Jones a four-year contract worth $8.76MM. The first two years will be guaranteed, Charania adds.
The second-round pick exception is a new addition to the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. It allows teams to sign their second-rounders without requiring cap room or a cap exception like the mid-level. In past years, the Kings would have had to use a portion of their cap space (or the non-taxpayer mid-level, if they’d operated over the cap) in order to give Jones a four-year contract.
The second-round pick exception requires four-year deals to include a team option in the final year. It allows Jones to receive salaries worth more than the rookie minimum in the first two seasons of the deal, with minimum salaries in the last two.
The signing also won’t count against the Kings’ cap room until the end of July — this is to ensure a club can sign its second-rounders for Summer League play without having to worry about the impact on the team’s financial flexibility.
Jones is coming off a strong junior season at Xavier, where he averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.4 APG with a .509/.378/.653 shooting line in 36 games (34.0 MPG) in 2022/23.
Jones has already been part of two trades in his brief NBA career. The Hornets technically drafted the 6’6″ wing, but his rights were flipped to the Celtics and then to Sacramento. The Kings sent a future second-round pick to Boston in order to move up four spots from No. 38 to land Jones.
Taking into account their reported deals with Alex Len, Trey Lyles, and Sasha Vezenkov, as well as PJ Dozier‘s non-guaranteed contract, the Kings now have 14 players on standard contracts.
Warriors Sign Cory Joseph To One-Year Deal
JULY 6: Joseph is officially a Warriors, according to a press release from the club.
JULY 2: Free agent point guard Cory Joseph is headed to Golden State, having agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Warriors, agents Rich Paul and Brandon Cavanaugh tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Joseph has been one of the NBA’s steadiest backup point guards for years, making stops in San Antonio, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento, and Detroit during the first 12 years of his career.
He was traded from the Kings to the Pistons at the 2021 deadline and has spent the last two-and-a-half seasons in Detroit, averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game with a .450/.397/.854 shooting line in 146 appearances (22.8 MPG) during that time.
Golden State’s massive team salary means the team is limited to minimum-salary offers to outside free agents this summer, and Joseph will indeed be receiving a veteran’s minimum deal, Anthony Slater of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter).
Joseph, who is entering his age-32 season, was one of the oldest players on a rebuilding Pistons squad in 2022/23. He shouldn’t be leaned on as much for veteran leadership as part of a Warriors backcourt that also features Chris Paul (38), Stephen Curry (35), Klay Thompson (33), and Gary Payton II (30), but will provide head coach Steve Kerr with an experienced, reliable backup to the team’s stars.
As Slater tweets, the Warriors’ deal with Joseph will bring them to 12 players on standard contracts. They’re not expected to carry a full 15-man roster to open the season, Slater says, but will need to add at least two more players to fill out their squad. Veteran forward Dario Saric remains on their radar, Slater adds.
Kings Re-Sign Keon Ellis To Two-Way Contract
The Kings have re-signed shooting guard Keon Ellis to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
Sacramento had tendered Ellis a two-way qualifying offer in the days leading up to free agency, making him a restricted free agent, so he may have simply accepted that QO.
Ellis, who went undrafted out of Alabama in 2022, signed a two-way contract with the Kings last July and spent his entire rookie season within the organization. He was deployed sparingly at the NBA level in 2022/23, appearing in 16 games and playing just 71 total minutes.
Ellis played extensively for the Stockton Kings in the G League, however, averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night in 23 regular season appearances (30.4 MPG) while registering an impressive shooting line of .517/.444/.784.
Sacramento still has two-way slots available for 2023/24 after bringing back Ellis. The team also tendered a qualifying offer to its other two-way player from ’22/23, Neemias Queta, but because Queta has been on a two-way deal with the Kings for two seasons instead of just one, his QO is equivalent to a standard (partially guaranteed) minimum-salary deal rather than another two-way contract.
Stein’s Latest: Mavs, Thybulle, J. Allen, Maxey, D. Powell
In addition to their previously reported interest in Grant Williams, the Mavericks have their eye on another restricted free agent, Matisse Thybulle of the Trail Blazers, league sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack story).
It’s unclear if Dallas has a real shot at either player — according to Stein, the Celtics and Blazers have been sending “behind-the-scenes signals” that they plan to match any offer sheet on their respective RFAs, and the over-the-cap Mavericks will be limited to the mid-level exception.
Besides pursuing another wing, the Mavericks would still like to upgrade their center spot. They explored trades for Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton and would have been interested in Naz Reid if he had reached free agency, Stein writes. For now, Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes appears poised to vie for the starting job as lottery pick Dereck Lively adjusts to the NBA.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest look around the league:
- There have been some “whispers” this week that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen may be more available via trade than the team is letting on, says Stein. Allen was an All-Star in 2021/22 and had another solid season in ’22/23, but struggled to make an impact during Cleveland’s first-round playoff loss to New York.
- Stein, like some other reporters, has heard that the Sixers have essentially made Tyrese Maxey untouchable in trade discussions. A team source tells Stein that Philadelphia views Maxey as an integral part of the club’s future and is adamant that he won’t be available in any trade.
- According to Stein, Dwight Powell received “serious” interest from the Rockets before deciding to remain with the Mavericks. Houston pivoted to Jock Landale after Powell chose Dallas, Stein explains.
Nuggets Sign Justin Holiday To One-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Nuggets have officially signed Holiday, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
JULY 2: Veteran swingman Justin Holiday has found a new home in free agency, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Holiday has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the defending champion Nuggets.
A 10-year NBA veteran, Holiday will be joining the 10th team of his career. The 34-year-old has 622 regular season games under his belt, including 46 last season for the Hawks and Mavericks. He averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game in limited roles for the two teams.
Holiday isn’t a big-time scorer, but can make an outside shot (.363 career 3PT%) and is a solid, versatile wing defender with good size (6’6″). He should be a good fit in the Nuggets’ locker room as another veteran leader, even if he may not play a whole lot, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post tweets.
Because they’ve committed their $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception to Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets are limited to offering minimum-salary contracts to outside free agents. Singer confirms that’s what Holiday will receive (Twitter link).
Holiday will earn just shy of $3.2MM on a veteran’s minimum contract, while Denver will take on a cap hit of about $2.02MM.
Wizards Sign Bilal Coulibaly To Rookie Contract
The Wizards have officially signed first-round pick Bilal Coulibaly to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
Coulibaly, who wasn’t originally projected to be a lottery pick in the 2023 draft, saw his stock rise over the course of the 2022/23 season as he submitted a strong performance alongside Victor Wembanyama for Metropolitans 92 in his home country of France.
Coulibaly put up modest numbers in 27 games in the French LNB Pro A league, including 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. However, he showed intriguing upside as a shooter (.452 3PT%) and defender, and he’s still just 18 years old (19 later this month).
The Wizards ended up sending two future second-round picks to the Pacers in order to trade up to No. 7 to snag Coulibaly. That means, as our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, he’ll be in line for a first-year salary of $6.6MM and a four-year deal worth $30MM.
Rookie Scale Salaries For 2023 NBA First-Round Picks
With the NBA’s salary cap set at $136,021,000 for the 2023/24 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.
In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.
While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.
Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2023’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2023/24, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.
These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2023/24. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Here’s the 2023 breakdown, with the help of data from RealGM:
| Player | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | $12,160,680 | $12,768,960 | $13,376,880 | $16,868,246 | $55,174,766 |
| Brandon Miller | $10,880,400 | $11,424,600 | $11,968,800 | $15,104,626 | $49,378,426 |
| Scoot Henderson | $9,770,880 | $10,259,160 | $10,748,040 | $13,585,523 | $44,363,603 |
| Amen Thompson | $8,809,320 | $9,249,960 | $9,690,600 | $12,258,609 | $40,008,489 |
| Ausar Thompson | $7,977,480 | $8,376,000 | $8,775,000 | $11,117,925 | $36,246,405 |
| Anthony Black | $7,245,480 | $7,607,760 | $7,970,280 | $10,106,315 | $32,929,835 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | $6,614,280 | $6,945,240 | $7,275,600 | $9,240,012 | $30,075,132 |
| Jarace Walker | $6,059,520 | $6,362,520 | $6,665,520 | $8,478,541 | $27,566,101 |
| Taylor Hendricks | $5,569,920 | $5,848,680 | $6,127,080 | $7,805,900 | $25,351,580 |
| Cason Wallace | $5,291,400 | $5,555,880 | $5,820,240 | $7,420,806 | $24,088,326 |
| Jett Howard | $5,026,800 | $5,278,320 | $5,529,720 | $7,337,938 | $23,172,778 |
| Dereck Lively | $4,775,640 | $5,014,560 | $5,253,360 | $7,239,130 | $22,282,690 |
| Gradey Dick | $4,536,720 | $4,763,760 | $4,990,560 | $7,131,510 | $21,422,550 |
| Jordan Hawkins | $4,310,160 | $4,525,680 | $4,741,320 | $7,021,895 | $20,599,055 |
| Kobe Bufkin | $4,094,280 | $4,299,000 | $4,503,720 | $6,904,203 | $19,801,203 |
| Keyonte George | $3,889,800 | $4,084,200 | $4,278,960 | $6,563,925 | $18,816,885 |
| Jalen Hood-Schifino | $3,695,040 | $3,879,840 | $4,064,640 | $6,243,287 | $17,882,807 |
| Jaime Jaquez | $3,510,600 | $3,685,800 | $3,861,600 | $5,939,141 | $16,997,141 |
| Brandin Podziemski | $3,352,440 | $3,519,960 | $3,687,960 | $5,679,458 | $16,239,818 |
| Cam Whitmore | $3,218,160 | $3,379,080 | $3,539,760 | $5,458,310 | $15,595,310 |
| Noah Clowney | $3,089,520 | $3,244,080 | $3,398,640 | $5,414,034 | $15,146,274 |
| Dariq Whitehead | $2,966,040 | $3,114,240 | $3,262,560 | $5,366,911 | $14,709,751 |
| Kris Murray | $2,847,480 | $2,990,040 | $3,132,000 | $5,315,004 | $14,284,524 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | $2,733,720 | $2,870,400 | $3,007,080 | $5,259,383 | $13,870,583 |
| Marcus Sasser | $2,624,040 | $2,755,080 | $2,886,720 | $5,198,983 | $13,464,823 |
| Ben Sheppard | $2,537,160 | $2,663,880 | $2,790,720 | $5,031,668 | $13,023,428 |
| Nick Smith | $2,463,960 | $2,587,200 | $2,710,680 | $4,890,067 | $12,651,907 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | $2,448,600 | $2,571,480 | $2,693,760 | $4,862,237 | $12,576,077 |
| Julian Strawther | $2,431,080 | $2,552,520 | $2,674,200 | $4,826,931 | $12,484,731 |
| Kobe Brown | $2,413,320 | $2,533,920 | $2,654,880 | $4,792,058 | $12,394,178 |
Scotto’s Latest: Bridges, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, Blazers, Brown, DSJ
While it’s possible the Nets will get involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, Mikal Bridges is “not for sale,” league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That was the case leading up to the draft when the Trail Blazers‘ No. 3 pick was rumored to be on the trade block, and it will be the case again if Brooklyn makes a play for Lillard.
While the Nets aren’t Lillard’s preferred landing spot – he’s reportedly focused on Miami – they could put together a strong package of draft picks and quality players on team-friendly contracts, such as Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. According to Scotto, in trade negotiations involving those two forwards, Brooklyn has been unwilling to part with O’Neale for less than the equivalent of a first-round pick or Finney-Smith for the equivalent of two first-rounders.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Trail Blazers are expected to discuss Jusuf Nurkic in their Lillard trade talks, Scotto confirms. Meanwhile, even though Jerami Grant is re-signing with Portland, Scotto expects the forward to emerge as a trade candidate down the road, since he may not fit the Blazers’ post-Lillard timeline. The Pistons and Pacers were among the teams expected to have interest in Grant before word broke that he’d be re-signing with the Blazers, Scotto writes.
- Before he agreed to accept a two-year, $45MM offer from the Pacers, Bruce Brown received six offers in the neighborhood of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM), according to Scotto, who says other teams with cap room also inquired on the popular free agent guard.
- The Nets‘ one-year deal with Dennis Smith Jr. is worth $2.53MM, league sources tell Scotto. That makes it a minimum-salary contract — the veteran’s minimum this season for a player with Smith’s six years of NBA experience is $2,528,233.