Celtics Exercising 2022/23 Options On Nesmith, Pritchard
The Celtics are picking up their team options for 2022/23 on swingman Aaron Nesmith and guard Payton Pritchard, a league source tells Brian Robb of MassLive.com. The moves had been expected. Boston also exercised its ’22/23 options on Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, as we relayed earlier today.
The 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Nesmith averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG with a .370 3PT% in 46 games (14.5 MPG) as a rookie. He’s off to a slow start this season, having missed his first 10 field goal attempts in three games, but the Celtics have seen enough from the 22-year-old to feel comfortable guaranteeing his $3,804,360 salary for ’22/23.
Pritchard, who was selected 12 spots after Nesmith at No. 26 in the 2020 draft, had a bigger role as a rookie, putting up 7.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .440/.411/.889 shooting in 66 games (19.2 MPG). He remains a part of Boston’s backcourt rotation and is under contract at a bargain rate — $2,137,440 this season and $2,239,200 in ’22/23.
We’re tracking all of the 2022/23 rookie scale option decisions right here.
Celtics Pick Up Options On Grant Williams, Romeo Langford
The Celtics have picked up a pair of team options for 2022/23, according to a series of reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Jordan Schultz of the Pull Up Podcast, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (all Twitter links).
Boston exercised its fourth-year option on forward Grant Williams, per Charania and Schultz, as well as its fourth-year option on guard Romeo Langford, per Wojnarowski. Williams is now guaranteed his $4,306,281 salary for the 2022/23 season, while Langford will earn $5,634,257.
Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2019, has taken on a bigger role for Boston in the early part of this season. He has started two of six games for the team so far and is averaging 9.8 PPG in 22.8 MPG, both career highs. His shooting line so far is a scorching .576/.500/.917.
Langford’s time in Boston since he was selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft has been marred by injuries. The 22-year-old has appeared in just 53 career games, including three of six so far this season, but the Celtics remain high on his potential. He has played a rotation role when healthy this season, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 18.7 MPG.
The Celtics also have to officially make decisions on 2022/23 options for Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard by the end of the day. Both are good bets to have their options picked up.
Suns Declining 2022/23 Option On Jalen Smith
The Suns won’t exercise the 2022/23 option on 2020 lottery pick Jalen Smith, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Suns Exercise Cameron Johnson’s 2022/23 Option]
As a result, Smith will become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2022, two years before his rookie contract normally would have expired and two years after being drafted 10th overall. Phoenix – or whichever team finishes the season with Smith on its roster – won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds $4,670,160, the amount of his declined option.
Smith, 21, appeared in just 27 games as a rookie last season, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.8 minutes per contest. The big man flashed some promise in recent months with his play in Summer League (16.3 PPG, 12.5 RPG) and during the preseason (9.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG).
It’s rare for teams to decline options (especially third-year options) on rookie scale contracts, since it’s still so early in the player’s career and the price is typically pretty reasonable. As our tracker shows, Smith is the first player still on a rookie contract whose third-year option is being turned down this year. Jarrett Culver‘s fourth-year option is reportedly being declined by Memphis.
Passing on Smith’s ’22/23 option should allow the Suns, who project to be a taxpayer, to replace him with a minimum-salary player next season.
Reports during the offseason indicated that Smith was a potential trade chip. It’s safe to assume Phoenix will continue shopping him leading up to this year’s trade deadline, though the fact that the team turned down his option signals that he doesn’t have a ton of value.
Suns Exercise Cameron Johnson’s 2022/23 Option
The Suns have picked up their fourth-year team option on Cameron Johnson‘s rookie scale contract, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
The move locks in Johnson’s $5,887,899 salary for the 2022/23 season. The 25-year-old forward will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2023.
Johnson, the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft, was a regular member of the rotation for the Suns team that made the Western Conference Finals in 2020/21. He averaged 9.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 60 regular season games (24.0 MPG), then put up 8.2 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .446 3PT% in 21 playoff contests (21.1 MPG).
The Suns also have an option decision to make on second-year center Jalen Smith, as we noted earlier today. Phoenix hasn’t yet picked up Smith’s option, according to Fischer, though that doesn’t mean the team won’t do so before today’s deadline.
[UPDATE: Suns Declining Option On Jalen Smith]
Warriors 2020 Second-Rounder Jessup Returns To Australia
Justinian Jessup, who was selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2020 draft, will remain with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s National Basketball League for the coming season, the team announced in a press release. Jessup is part of the NBL Next Stars program in Australia.
Drafted out of Boise State with the 51st overall pick in 2020, Jessup averaged 13.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG on .420/.343/.750 shooting in 38 games (30.9 MPG) for Illawarra as a rookie last season. Hawks coach Brian Goorjian said the team is “delighted” to welcome Jessup back for another year.
“Justinian’s growth was evident throughout last season, and he played a pivotal role in helping us reach the semi-finals,” Goorjian said. “He is one of the league’s best shooters and helps us tremendously on the offensive end of the floor. We look forward to Justinian’s continued rise and believe he is poised to have another big season.”
Although the Warriors haven’t brought Jessup stateside yet, there haven’t been any indications that the 23-year-old is no longer in their plans for the future. He was a starter for the Dubs’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this August, recording 12.4 PPG with a .429 3PT% in five games (27.2 MPG).
Nine of the 17 players currently under contract with Golden State – including both two-way players – are on expiring deals, so the team would have room on its 2022/23 roster for Jessup if he impresses in the NBL this season.
Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due For Celtics, Rockets, Suns
It’s Monday, November 1, which means teams that haven’t yet exercised their 2022/23 rookie scale options on first-round picks from 2019 and 2020 must do so by the end of the day.
If a player’s option for next season isn’t picked up, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, and his team will be ineligible to offer him a starting salary higher than what his option would’ve paid him.
As our tracker shows, most teams around the NBA have already finalized their rookie scale option decisions. There are just eight options that have yet to be picked up, and one of those seven – Jarrett Culver‘s – reportedly won’t be exercised (though the Grizzlies could theoretically still change their minds before the deadline passes).
Here are the other seven outstanding options:
Boston Celtics
- Romeo Langford (fourth year, $5,634,257)
- Grant Williams (fourth year, $4,306,281)
- Aaron Nesmith (third year, $3,804,360)
- Payton Pritchard (third year, $2,239,200)
Houston Rockets
- Kevin Porter Jr. (fourth year, $3,217,631)
Phoenix Suns
- Cameron Johnson (fourth year, $5,887,899)
- Jalen Smith (third year, $4,670,160)
Some of these decisions may be a little trickier than others, since a couple of these players have yet to emerge as regular contributors for their respective teams. Still, given that the salary cap for 2022/23 is projected to be $119MM and these options are worth less than $6MM, all seven seem more likely than not to be exercised.
Once today’s deadline passes, most teams won’t face any other important roster deadlines for a couple months, per our calendar of key in-season dates. The next big league-wide roster-related deadline will come in early January, when all non-guaranteed 2021/22 salaries become fully guaranteed.
Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Moody, Lee, Atkinson, Bjelica
There’s a possibility that Jonathan Kuminga – who has been dealing with a right knee injury – will be active for the first time on Saturday, head coach Steve Kerr said today (Twitter link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Kuminga went through a 3-on-3 workout today and the club will likely make a decision tomorrow on his status.
As for the team’s other lottery pick, Moses Moody was assigned today to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League. However, after playing in Santa Cruz’s game tonight, he’ll back with Golden State on Saturday, tweets Slater. If Damion Lee, who is questionable with a shoulder contusion, is unable to play tomorrow, Moody could see some action, Kerr said (Twitter link via Slater).
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- It’s just not Warriors players who are on the mend from injuries — assistant coach Kenny Atkinson injured his leg during a recent workout and will be off the bench indefinitely until the injury heals, according to Slater (Twitter link).
- Nemanja Bjelica has been known primarily as a shooter since entering the NBA, but he’s proving this season with the Warriors that he has a more well-rounded game, writes Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a great passer, and just a really good basketball player,” Kerr said. “… I think that’s who our team has always been. That’s why guys with good feel have always been a great fit with us. He’s absolutely a great fit. The guys love playing with him. The ball moves when he’s out there, he spaces the floor, and he forces the defense to react. He’s a fun guy to play with.” Bjelica signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the club in August.
- In case you missed it, Golden State exercised its 2022/23 team options on Jordan Poole and James Wiseman, guaranteeing their salaries for next season.
Warriors Pick Up 2022/23 Options On Poole, Wiseman
The Warriors announced today in a press release that they’ve picked up a pair of team options on rookie scale contracts, exercising Jordan Poole‘s fourth-year option and James Wiseman‘s third-year option.
Poole and Wiseman are, of course, already under contract for the current season, but today’s moves ensure their salaries for 2022/23 are guaranteed as well. Poole will make $3,901,399 next season, while Wiseman earns $9,603,360.
Poole has struggled so far this season, making just 40.8% of his shots from the field, including 22.6% of his threes, but he looked excellent in the preseason and is being counted on to play a key role for Golden State this season, especially until Klay Thompson is healthy. He’ll be extension-eligible in 2022 and would hit restricted free agency in 2023 if he doesn’t sign a new deal next year.
Wiseman, 2020’s second overall pick, is recovering from a knee injury and has yet to play this season. The Warriors are expected to be very patient with his recovery, since he’s not expected to play big minutes even when he’s healthy and ready to return to action.
All decisions on rookie scale options for 2022/23 are due by Monday. We’re tracking them right here.
Bulls Rule Out Patrick Williams For 4-6 Months Due To Wrist Injury
2:57pm: Williams will undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist and is expected to miss approximately four-to-six months, the Bulls announced in a press release.
If Williams can get back within four or five months, that’d put him on track to play again before the regular season ends. However, a six-month recovery would run into late April.
1:10pm: Bulls forward Patrick Williams is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the 2021/22 regular season after dislocating his left wrist, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).
According to Wojnarowski, Williams sustained a perilunate dislocation and will soon undergo surgery. There’s hope that he’ll be able to return for the playoffs, but that’s not a sure thing, Woj adds.
The Bulls have yet to officially confirm Wojnarowski’s report, but head coach Billy Donovan admitted this afternoon that Williams’ injury is “pretty significant,” as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. The injury occurred during Thursday’s game against the Knicks, when Williams was fouled by Mitchell Robinson on a drive to the basket and came down on his wrist (video link). Robinson was assessed with a Flagrant 1 on the play.
It’s a brutal turn of events for Williams, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft who was expected to be a key part of a revamped Bulls roster this season. Many of the team’s top scoring options – Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic – aren’t great defenders, so Williams’ ability to slow down opposing scorers was considered especially valuable.
With Williams unavailable, Chicago’s defense and depth will be tested. As Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets, Javonte Green, who has averaged just under 16 minutes off the bench in the first five games of the season, looks like the best bet to replace Williams in the starting five.
Hornets Exercise 2022/23 Options On Ball, Washington
The Hornets have exercised the third-year option on LaMelo Ball‘s rookie scale contract and the fourth-year option on P.J. Washington‘s deal, the club announced today in a press release. Both team options are for the 2022/23 season.
The move guarantees Ball’s $8,623,920 salary for ’22/23 and locks in Washington’s $5,808,435 cap hit as well. Washington will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason, while Ball will become extension-eligible in 2023, assuming Charlotte picks up his ’23/24 team option a year from now.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2022/23 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Ball, the reigning Rookie of the Year winner, is the centerpiece of the Hornets’ rebuild, and is off to a strong start this season, with 19.6 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG on .430/.459/1.000 shooting in five games (28.2 MPG).
Washington is off to a slower start this month and has missed a couple games due to a right injury, but was the club’s starting power forward in his first two NBA seasons. He’s coming off the bench so far this season, with Miles Bridges having entered the starting five.