Western Notes: Merrill, J. Hall, Micic, Suns
Sam Merrill‘s new two-year contract with the Kings is, as expected, worth the veteran’s minimum. Merrill received a $150K partial guarantee for the 2022/23 season, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Merrill’s full minimum salary for ’22/23 would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through the league-wide guarantee deadline in January. If the Kings forward plays out the full first year of his deal, his second-year minimum salary would become guaranteed on June 29, 2023.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Jordan Hall‘s two-way contract with the Spurs covers two seasons, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Hall is one of four players this offseason to have signed a multiyear two-way deal.
- While there was a sense the asking price could have been brought down, the Thunder were believed to be seeking a first-round pick for Vasilije Micic‘s NBA rights before he decided to remain with Anadolu Efes, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “I think that was where it was a little too much for teams,” one Western Conference executive told Deveney. “No one wanted to give up a pick plus everything else it would take. The guy can play, I think he’d be good in the NBA. But no one wanted to give up picks and money for him.” Deveney suggests Micic would’ve sought a salary in the $6-7MM range and a sizable rotation role in order to make the move to the NBA.
- Former Suns head of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo said he’d “love to see” Kevin Durant land in Phoenix, according to Doug Haller of The Athletic, who draws parallels between a possible Durant acquisition and Colangelo’s trade that brought Charles Barkley to the Suns back in 1992.
Giannis: “Everybody Would Love To Play For Chicago”
The Bulls have won just three playoff games in the last seven seasons, but they’re still viewed as a marquee franchise and a desirable landing spot by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Highlighting the organization’s six championships and the hugely successful career that Michael Jordan enjoyed in Chicago, Antetokounmpo praised the Bulls during an appearance on The Sports Zone on Fox 32 Chicago (video link) when asked about someday playing for the club.
“I think anybody you ask that question that plays basketball, if he said no, he would be a liar,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s a team that won multiple championships; it’s a team that one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player who ever played this game, played for. So it’s a no-brainer. Everybody would love to play for Chicago.”
Giannis is under contract with the Bucks for three more seasons, with a player option for a fourth year, and has shown no inclination to leave Milwaukee. But the two-time MVP drove his point about the Bulls home by suggesting that he wouldn’t close the door on one day playing in Chicago himself.
“Down the line, you never know. You never know how life brings it, maybe I play for Chicago,” Antetokounmpo said. “But right now I’m committed to Milwaukee.”
The Bulls have been a major player in free agency over the last two summers. After landing forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Lonzo Ball in blockbuster sign-and-trade deals a year ago, the team locked up Zach LaVine this offseason to a five-year, $215MM contract, the richest deal in franchise history.
Udonis Haslem Still Undecided On Re-Signing With Heat
Veteran big man Udonis Haslem, who has been with the Heat since 2003, has yet to make a decision on whether or not he’ll re-sign with the team and play a 20th NBA season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“I don’t know,” Haslem said on Monday during an appearance at Nova Southeastern University. “We’re thinking about it. But either way, I’m always going to be a part of the Heat family. I ain’t going nowhere, whether I play or not. I’m always going to impact that organization.”
The Heat seemingly made their offseason moves with an eye toward saving a spot for Haslem on the 15-man roster. Currently, the team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and would be able to sign a 14th (but not a 15th) to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing the luxury tax line. That spot will presumably be Haslem’s if he wants it.
Haslem, who turned 42 in June, has spoken in the past about wanting to make it to a 20th NBA season and indicated on Monday that the two-decade mark was something that he and his father used to talk about. Haslem’s father passed away nearly a year ago.
“I had a lot of things that I had to really, really think about,” Haslem said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Twenty years was a conversation that I had with my father. But as he passed, we think about now and things change. He’s not here no more and goals change, my vision has changed a little bit. But it’s still something that I battled with because it’s something that we talked about and it’s something that we wanted to do in a specific way.”
As Winderman observes, Haslem made his decision to re-sign with the Heat for the 2021/22 season on August 15, exactly one year ago. Of course, free agency started in early August in 2021 due to the COVID-related changes to the NBA’s offseason calendar, so Haslem’s deliberations are taking a little longer this time around.
While coaching would seemingly be the next step for a veteran who has long served as a mentor to younger Heat players, Haslem hasn’t shown much interest in formally taking on that sort of role. Instead, he has repeatedly spoken about his desire to get involved in Heat ownership.
“Hopefully one day we talk about ownership and being in that situation where I continue to be somewhat of a leader, but more be a hybrid owner,” Haslem said on Monday, according to Chiang. “An owner that gets out there and does more than just sit on the sideline, cross his legs and watch. I want to work. I want to continue to push the culture and continue to impact the next generation of winning for the Miami Heat.”
Celtics Prospect Juhann Begarin To Remain In France
Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Juhann Begarin will remain with Paris Basketball for the 2022/23 season rather than coming stateside, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
A 6’5″ French shooting guard, Begarin was selected by Boston with the 45th overall pick of the 2021 draft. The 20-year-old, who has played for Paris since 2019, has yet to sign his first NBA contract — the Celtics have opted to allow him to continue developing overseas before they seriously consider adding him to their roster.
In 2021/22, which was Paris’ first season in France’s top league (LNB Pro A), Begarin averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 29 contests (28.0 MPG). He has room to improve his shooting efficiency (.432/.309/.563), but made a strong impression as a 19-year-old playing a significant role.
Begarin has also played for the Celtics’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in each of the last two years and performed especially well last month, putting up 18.2 PPG and 5.6 RPG on .427/.333/.769 shooting in five games, all starts (31.1 MPG).
Begarin is one of two recent second-round picks the Celtics have stashed overseas. The other is 2020’s No. 47 overall selection, Yam Madar, who has played in Israel and Serbia since being drafted.
Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Projections For 2023/24
Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of various salary cap exceptions like the mid-level and bi-annual were established years in advance, but the league’s current CBA tweaked how those exceptions are calculated.
Rather than being determined ahead of time, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions – along with several other cap-related figures and exceptions – are dependent on the movement of the salary cap from year to year. If the cap increases by 5% from one league year to the next, the exceptions increase by the same rate.
As such, we don’t know yet exactly what those exceptions will be worth in 2023/24, but we can make an educated estimate. When the NBA updated its salary cap estimates on June 1, the league projected a $136MM cap for the ’23/24 season. That’d be a 9.98% increase on this year’s $123,655,000 cap. We’ll round up to the maximum allowable 10% and assume the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would also increase by 10%.
[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2023/24]
This season’s projections are further complicated by the fact that the new CBA calls for an additional increase of 7.5% to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a one-time 30% bump to the room exception. Meanwhile, the taxpayer mid-level exception has been reduced to a flat $5MM.
Based on a $136,021,000 cap, here’s what the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would look like in 2023/24:
Mid-Level Exception
| Year | Standard MLE |
Taxpayer MLE | Room MLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | $12,405,000 | $5,000,000 | $7,723,000 |
| 2024/25 | $13,025,250 | $5,250,000 | $8,109,150 |
| 2025/26 | $13,645,500 | $8,495,300 | |
| 2026/27 | $14,265,750 | – | – |
| Total | $53,341,500 | $10,250,000 | $24,327,450 |
The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams that haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and don’t go over the tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the tax apron for the rest of the league year.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception]
The taxpayer mid-level exception is for in-the-tax teams, or teams that want the flexibility to surpass the tax apron later. It can run for up to two years, with 5% annual raises.
The room exception is for teams that go under the cap and use their space. Once they’ve used all their cap room, they can use this version of the mid-level exception, which runs for up to three years with 5% annual raises.
Bi-Annual Exception
| Year | BAE Value |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | $4,516,000 |
| 2024/25 | $4,741,800 |
| Total | $9,257,800 |
The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and under the tax apron.
It can also only be used once every two years, which will disqualify the Sixers and Heat from using it in 2023/24 — Philadelphia and Miami are the only teams to use their BAEs in 2022/23.
Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker
We’re now a month-and-a-half into the 2022 free agent period, and all but one of the NBA’s 30 teams have signed at least one free agent (the Pelicans are the only one that hasn’t). With training camps set to tip off next month, 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 become 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 2022 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.
Community Shootaround: Best Free Agent Value Signings
After taking a closer look last week at the most lucrative multiyear contracts signed during the NBA’s 2022 free agent period, we’re focusing today on some deals that may have flown more under the radar. These are the contracts that came in around the cost of the mid-level exception – or below it – and represent good values for the teams that signed them.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
The Heat only held Non-Bird rights on Caleb Martin entering the offseason, which limited their ability to offer him much of a raise on last year’s minimum salary. However, Miami decided to use the full taxpayer portion of its mid-level exception to bring back Martin, determining that money was better spent on him than any outside free agent who would’ve signed at that price. I liked that three-year, $20.4MM deal for the Heat, as it allowed them to lock up an emerging wing who shot 41.3% on three-pointers and played versatile defense.
Kyle Anderson‘s two-year, $18MM contract with the Timberwolves was another mid-level signing I liked, since Anderson is the type of player who can help a team in a variety of ways on both ends of the court. He’s a solid defender and rebounder who can be a secondary ball-handler and play-maker on offense and has improved his three-point shooting in recent years (35.1% over the last two seasons). He’s a good complementary piece for a Wolves team that will have two or three ball-dominant scorers.
I thought Bruce Brown was a steal a year ago for the Nets when he signed a one-year contract worth $4.7MM and was surprised that he didn’t get much of a raise this year — he’ll fit in nicely as a Swiss Army knife-type player on a Nuggets team that was able to lock him up on a two-year, $13.3MM pact (the second year is a player option).
The Warriors lost some key bench pieces in free agency this summer, but did well to land Donte DiVincenzo (two years, $9.2MM; second-year player option) and JaMychal Green (one year, minimum salary) without breaking the bank. Both veterans are coming off down years, but have shown in previous seasons that they can be starter-caliber players.
Aaron Holiday (Hawks), Damian Jones (Lakers), T.J. Warren (Nets), and Robin Lopez (Cavaliers) are some of the other minimum-salary signings I liked.
What do you think? Which free agent signings do you think were this summer’s best bargains and will provide the most value going forward?
Eastern Notes: Pistons, D. Green, Celtics, Sixers
An Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com believes the Pistons are a team to watch if Draymond Green doesn’t sign an extension with the Warriors before he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023. Green was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, attended Michigan State, and grew up rooting for the Pistons, who have long had interest in acquiring him, according to the executive.
“(Pistons owner Tom) Gores is a Michigan State guy, and they wanted to give Draymond an offer sheet when he was a free agent (in 2015), but by then, the Warriors were going to match any offer,” the executive told Heavy.com. “So they just have not had the chance. If they can show some improvement this year with their young guys, they could get themselves in the mix.”
The idea of Green playing a mentor role on a young Pistons team is an intriguing one, and the combination of his local connection, Detroit’s projected 2023 cap room, and the rising cost of the Warriors’ roster make it a possibility worth considering. But for now, this feels more like idle speculation by a rival executive than anything concrete.
If Green and the Warriors are far apart in contract talks and he seriously considers leaving in 2023, Detroit could certainly emerge as an option, but there’s no reason at this point to think that Golden State won’t make every effort to lock up one of the cornerstones of its recent dynasty.
Here are a few more notes from around the East:
- In a separate story for Heavy.com, Sean Deveney spoke to a pair of assistant coaches about veterans the Celtics could theoretically target with one of their trade exceptions if they want to fortify their frontcourt. Alex Len, Tony Bradley, and Marquese Chriss are among the names mentioned, though I suspect the team may simply fill that spot on the depth chart with a minimum-salary signing.
- Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com considers the best- and worst-case scenarios for newly-signed Sixers forward P.J. Tucker, noting that the veteran’s age (37) increases the risk of a decline in his performance.
- Addressing recent rumors linking Kevin Durant to the Sixers, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the team needs to answer two important questions: Do the 76ers have the assets necessary to acquire Durant? And if so, would it make sense to cash all of them in for the two-time Finals MVP?
Timberwolves To Hire Joe Connelly As Director Of Scouting
After Tim Connelly left Denver for Minnesota to become the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations earlier this year, his brother Joe Connelly will make the same move, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who reports (via Twitter) that Joe will become the Wolves’ director of scouting.
Joe Connelly has spent the last few years with the Nuggets, working in a player development role and in the organization’s scouting department. His most recent title in Denver was director of pro personnel. According to Singer (Twitter link), Joe was a major advocate for Bones Hyland leading up to last year’s draft — the Nuggets ultimately selected Hyland with the No. 26 pick.
Tim Connelly is continuing to reshape Minnesota’s front office after changing teams within the Northwest Division this spring, and this isn’t the first of his recent moves that involves an executive heading from the Nuggets to the Timberwolves. Singer reported on Thursday that former Nuggets scouting coordinator Jon Wallace is becoming the Wolves’ director of player personnel and G League general manager.
Dell Demps, Matt Lloyd, and Steve Senior are among the other veteran executives who have joined the Timberwolves’ front office this offseason, while assistant GM Joe Branch is moving on from the team.
Kings Officially Announce Mike Brown’s Coaching Staff
The Kings have finalized their coaching staff for Mike Brown‘s first season in Sacramento, according to a press release from the team.
As previously reported, former Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez is joining the Kings as associate head coach after working with Brown on the Nigerian national team. Jay Triano, Doug Christie, Luke Loucks, and Leandro Barbosa will also be assistant coaches on Brown’s staff, as anticipated.
Dutch Gaitley and Lindsey Harding will be assistants as well, with Gaitley serving as director of player development. Harding and Deividas Dulkys, whose hiring was previously reported, will be player development coaches.
Robbie Lemons (senior director of coaching analytics and strategy), Charles Allen (head video coordinator/special assistant to the head coach), and Garrius Adams (assistant video coordinator) will fill out the staff, which Brown referred to as a “diverse and talented group.”
Roy Rana, Mike Longabardi, and Rico Hines are among the veteran assistants on former head coach Alvin Gentry‘s staff who won’t be returning to Sacramento for the 2022/23 season. Longabardi joined the Hawks, Hines joined the Raptors, and Rana got a job coaching a team in Japan.