Players Eligible For In-Season Veteran Extensions In 2021/22
As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions have historically been the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, the league’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran extensions and made them more financially advantageous, especially for players who don’t expect mega-deals.
As a result, we’ve seen a substantial bump in veteran contract extensions in recent seasons. Since the 2021/22 league year began, 14 players have signed them.
[RELATED: 2021/22 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
For certain extension-eligible players, such as Zach LaVine, it still makes sense to wait until free agency to sign a new contract — the biggest raise LaVine can receive on an extension would be far less than the maximum contract he’d be eligible to earn on the open market.
The maximum starting salary a player like LaVine can receive in a veteran extension is up to 120% of his current salary. A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary.
For this season, 120% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $12.4MM salary in the first year of a contract extension. A player who signs an extension that fits that bill could get up to four years and $55.56MM. Mitchell Robinson and Jalen Brunson are among the players eligible for that sort of deal.
Now that the regular season is underway, the number of veterans eligible for contract extensions has shrunk, since players with more than one year left on their contracts aren’t permitted to sign an in-season extension. But there are still a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until the last day of the current league year.
Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for a certain amount of time after the trade to sign a contract longer than three total years (including the current season) with a first-year raise exceeding 5%. If a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s why.
Typically, that “limited” extension eligibility lifts after six months, but due to the shortened 2021 offseason, that timeline has been adjusted slightly for certain players. Once a player regains his full extension eligibility, he becomes eligible to sign an extension of up to five total years (including the current season) with a 20% first-year raise.
Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2022/23 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.
With the help of information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks, here’s the full list of veterans currently eligible for contract extensions:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
- None
Brooklyn Nets
- Nicolas Claxton
- Kyrie Irving
- 2022/23 player option must be declined.
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
- None
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
- None
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
- None
Indiana Pacers
- Ricky Rubio
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
- T.J. Warren
Los Angeles Clippers
- Robert Covington
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
Los Angeles Lakers
- None
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
- None
Milwaukee Bucks
- None
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Jake Layman
- Jaylen Nowell
- 2022/23 team option must be declined.
- Taurean Prince
- Naz Reid
- 2022/23 team option must be declined.
New Orleans Pelicans
- None
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Luguentz Dort
- Becomes extension-eligible on March 27.
- Isaiah Roby
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
- Shake Milton
- 2022/23 team option must be declined.
Phoenix Suns
- None
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
- Jeremy Lamb
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
San Antonio Spurs
- Tomas Satoransky
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
Toronto Raptors
- Thaddeus Young
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
- Limited eligibility until offseason.
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
- Bradley Beal
- 2022/23 player option must be declined.
- Thomas Bryant
2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Miami Heat
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Miami Heat.
Free agent signings:
Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.
Duncan Robinson: Five years, $90MM. Fifth-year early termination option (partially guaranteed). Re-signed as restricted free agent using Bird rights.- Kyle Lowry: Three years, $85MM. Acquired via sign-and-trade.
- P.J. Tucker: Two years, $14.35MM. Second-year player option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Max Strus: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Gabe Vincent: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Omer Yurtseven: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Dewayne Dedmon: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Udonis Haslem: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Markieff Morris: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Victor Oladipo: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Marcus Garrett: Two-way contract.
- Caleb Martin: Two-way contract.
Trades:
- Acquired Kyle Lowry (sign-and-trade) from the Raptors in exchange for Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa.
Draft picks:
- None
Contract extensions:
- Jimmy Butler: Three years, maximum salary. Includes 15% trade kicker. Starts in 2023/24.
- Note: Butler’s starting salary in 2023/24 will be the lesser amount of $45,183,960 or 35% of the ’23/24 salary cap.
Departing players:
- Precious Achiuwa
- Trevor Ariza
- Nemanja Bjelica
- Goran Dragic
- Andre Iguodala
- Kendrick Nunn
Other offseason news:
- Victor Oladipo is recovering from quad tendon surgery and won’t play until sometime in 2022.
- Being investigated by NBA for possible gun-jumping violation in Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap and below the tax line.
- Carrying approximately $136.3MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $143MM.
- $2,536,000 of non-taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($7MM used on P.J. Tucker).
- Full bi-annual exception ($3,732,000) still available.
The Heat’s offseason:
The Heat engaged in Kyle Lowry trade talks with the Raptors at last season’s deadline, but ultimately couldn’t agree to terms on a deal. The team pivoted to Victor Oladipo, who appeared in just four games for Miami before missing the rest of the season due to knee and quad problems. The Heat were subsequently swept out of the playoffs in the first round by the eventual-champion Bucks.
That sounds like a disaster, but it may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Pat Riley‘s team. The Raptors were reportedly seeking a package centered around Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson in exchange for Lowry at the trade deadline — their asking price dropped substantially once the veteran reached free agency and decided he wanted to join the Heat.
Rather than giving up Robinson, who signed a new five-year contract with Miami, or Herro, who could be poised for a breakout year, the Heat only had to surrender Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa in their sign-and-trade for Lowry.
Dragic is a solid, reliable player and Achiuwa, a 2020 first-round pick, still has a good deal of upside. But Achiuwa wasn’t one of the Heat’s cornerstone building blocks like Herro, Robinson, or Bam Adebayo, and Dragic isn’t at the same level as Lowry, one of the league’s most underappreciated stars.
It’s possible the last year of Lowry’s three-year, $85MM contract will look bad by 2023, but in the short term, the 35-year-old makes the Heat a more serious contender. While Lowry’s play-making ability and outside shooting acumen will make him a nice addition to Miami’s offense, it’s his effort level, toughness, and defensive ability that make him a perfect fit for the Heat.
After acquiring Lowry, the team doubled down on those traits by dedicating most of its mid-level exception to P.J. Tucker, a versatile defender who has shown a willingness over the years to handle some of the toughest assignments on the floor, whether that means guarding an elite wing scorer or a seven-foot center.
The mid-level exception was the only bullet the Heat really had left in the chamber after committing big money to Robinson and Lowry, so it’s fair to question the decision to spend most of it on Tucker, a player who contributes next to nothing on offense. But as long as he’s sharing the floor with players like Jimmy Butler, Lowry, Adebayo, Herro, and Robinson, Miami should have enough firepower, and head coach Erik Spoelstra will be able to form some tenacious defensive lineups.
To supplement Tucker at the power forward spot, the Heat signed Markieff Morris to a minimum-salary contract. Like Tucker, Morris isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he’s a tough, versatile big man who played an important role for the champion Lakers in 2020.
In order to remain below the tax line, the Heat filled out their roster with minimum-salary players, opting not to re-sign Kendrick Nunn or use their bi-annual exception. As a result, there are some questions about the team’s depth.
With Oladipo sidelined for the foreseeable future and Udonis Haslem not expected to play much, if at all, Miami will be leaning on KZ Okpala, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Omer Yurtseven, Caleb Martin, and Marcus Garrett, a group of relatively inexperienced youngsters. The club will also be counting on veteran center Dewayne Dedmon to carry over his second-half performance from 2020/21.
If Dedmon plays well and a couple of the young players emerge as reliable rotation pieces, the Heat should have enough depth to get by. If not, or if there are injury issues, the club may have to ask its starters to play big regular-season minutes.
The Heat’s season:
The Heat’s top six or seven players should be able to compete with just about any other top six or seven in the NBA, which bodes well when the postseason arrives and coaches shorten their rotations. The challenge will be to get through the regular season in a safe playoff position without wearing out the veterans too much.
A realistic projection for Miami probably has them finishing in the No. 3-6 range and perhaps winning a single series before being knocked out of the playoffs. But if everything goes right, the Heat could be a legitimate threat to upset top-tier Eastern Conference teams like the Nets and Bucks and make a deeper playoff run, like they did in the Orlando bubble in 2020.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.
Sixers’ Morey: Simmons Trade Could Take A While
Appearing today on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear he’s in no rush to trade Ben Simmons for less than what the Sixers believe he’s worth.
“People should buckle in, this is going to go a long time,” Morey said, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).
Morey added that if the Sixers can trade Simmons for a “difference-maker,” they’ll do it, but confirmed the club has no interest in moving the three-time All-Star for role players. In Morey’s view, Philadelphia’s best chance to win a championship would be by either getting Simmons back on the court or waiting until an impact player hits the trade block.
“I would ask the question to Sixers fans: would you rather eliminate a distraction or have lower playoff odds?” Morey said, per Neubeck and Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I’m willing to go through mud, muck, barbed wire…we’ll go through whatever it takes…what we’re doing right now gives us the best chance to win the title.”
The standoff between Simmons and the Sixers has seemingly grown more uncomfortable this week. The 25-year-old reported to the team, but has resisted engaging physically or mentally in practices and was suspended for the season opener for conduct detrimental to the team. Reports today indicated that he will meet with team leadership on Friday to discuss his playing status after skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday.
While Simmons seems to have little interest in suiting up again for the 76ers after demanding a trade in the offseason, Morey’s comments on 97.5 The Fanatic today suggest the club won’t be pressured into making a deal sooner rather than later.
“You’re going to think I’m kidding, I’m not. This could take four years,” Morey said (Twitter link via Neubeck). “… We’re in the prime of Joel (Embiid)’s career…this is not a day-to-day (issue). Every day, we are going to expect Ben Simmons to be back here, or we trade him for a difference-maker.”
Multiple reports today indicated that Simmons complained of back stiffness and received minor treatment before being cleared by the team’s medical staff. That back tightness hadn’t been treated or mentioned as an issue before today, a source tells Neubeck.
If he has a legitimate injury, that would be a reason for Simmons to miss practices and games while still being paid. However, it sounds like the team doesn’t view Simmons’ back tightness as a serious issue. Multiple sources who spoke to PhillyVoice about Simmons’ suspension earlier this week were prepared for him to use a health-related explanation to avoid playing in Friday’s game, Neubeck says.
Ben Simmons Skips Individual Workout, Won’t Play Friday
3:25pm: Simmons is expected to come early to the 76ers’ shootaround on Friday to meet with team leadership to discuss his playing status, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
2:08pm: Simmons told Sixers staff members he was experiencing back tightness on Thursday and briefly received treatment for it, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Being diagnosed with a legitimate injury would be one way for Simmons to avoid participating in practices and games while still being paid. However, the team’s medical staff cleared Simmons to participate in his scheduled workout today after he received treatment on his back, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Charania (Twitter link), Simmons won’t be available for Friday’s game and isn’t expected to play for an “undetermined amount of time.”
1:39pm: After being suspended for the Sixers‘ regular season opener on Wednesday, Ben Simmons showed up at the team’s practice facility on Thursday, but left without taking part in his scheduled individual workout, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Simmons’ status for Friday’s game in Philadelphia vs. the Nets remains up in the air, but it seems unlikely that he’ll play in the 76ers’ home opener since he has yet to fully engage in a team practice, says Wojnarowski.
Simmons, who has pushed for a trade for months, ended his holdout and reported to the Sixers 10 days ago, then resumed practicing with the team over the weekend. However, he has reportedly not been physically or mentally engaged in those practices. On Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers threw Simmons out of practice when the 25-year-old refused to sub in during a defensive drill. His one-game suspension was announced shortly thereafter.
Subsequent reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the Sixers don’t expect to find a trade they like for Simmons in the coming days, and want him to show up for – and engage in – practices and games. Sources tell Charania that the three-time All-Star isn’t against the idea of playing again for Philadelphia as he awaits a trade, but isn’t mentally prepared to do so yet.
The Sixers didn’t hold a practice today, but Simmons is scheduled to return to team activities on Friday, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. It’s unclear if the team would continue to suspend him if he remains disengaged.
As Windhorst details, the rest of the Sixers were able to escape the Simmons drama for a few hours on Tuesday night when they gathered for a team dinner in New Orleans in an effort to clear the air.
“It’s good to just go out and kinda not talk about basketball and talk about life,” Joel Embiid said. “That’s also an evolution for me, because I usually, when I used to go on the road, I’d just like to stay in my room and be on the phone and play video games.”
The 76ers followed up that dinner with an impressive road victory on Wednesday over the Pelicans. They’ll face a stiffer challenge on Friday against Brooklyn.
Details On Starter Criteria For 2022 RFAs
The NBA’s rookie scale, which determines the salaries first-round picks earn during their first four seasons, also dictates how much the qualifying offers will be worth for those players when they reach restricted free agency after year four. However, the value of those qualifying offers can fluctuate depending on whether or not a player has met the “starter criteria.”
Here’s how the starter criteria works in a typical year:
- A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
- A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games one year and 32 the next, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons is 41.
The first method of meeting the starter criteria will remain unchanged this season, but that second method will look a little different due to the truncated nature of the 2020/21 season.
For starter criteria purposes, the number of starts and minutes a player logged last season will be prorated upward by 82/72 to account for the 72-game schedule, Hoops Rumors has learned.
For example, Suns center Deandre Ayton started 69 games last season. Typically, Ayton would require 13 more starts this season to meet the starter criteria, since 82 total starts would get him to the required average of 41 over the last two seasons.
However, Ayton’s 69 starts last season came in just 72 regular season games. Prorated across a typical 82-game schedule, he would’ve made 78 starts. That means he’ll only need four starts this season to meet the starter criteria. In other words, he should get there next Wednesday, barring an injury.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges, meanwhile, only started 19 games last season, but he played 1,932 total minutes in Charlotte’s 72 games. That works out to 2,200 minutes when prorated across an 82-game schedule, meaning he’d require just 1,800 more this season in order to meet the starter criteria. Since he’s part of the Hornets’ starting five now, Bridges could also meet the criteria by simply getting to 41 starts in 2021/22.
A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:
- A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
- A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
- A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
- For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.
In most cases, a qualifying offer is a mere placeholder that allows a team to retain its right of first refusal on a restricted free agent — very few players actually accept the one-year offer. Still, a player who fails to meet the starter criteria could have his free agency reshaped by an adjusted qualifying offer.
For instance, Kings big man Marvin Bagley III would be in line for a qualifying offer worth $14,762,309 if he meets the starter criteria or just $7,228,448 if he doesn’t.
Bagley would need to start 35 games this season in order to meet the starter criteria, which might be a long shot, given that he’s out of the rotation for now. Still, a $7.2MM qualifying offer could be more palatable to the Kings – or whichever team has him on its roster by the end of the 2021/22 season – than a $14.8MM one would be. Somewhat paradoxically, Bagley may have a better chance of actually receiving his QO if he starts fewer games this season.
Collin Sexton (Cavaliers), Lonnie Walker (Spurs), Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks), and Josh Okogie (Timberwolves) are some of the other top candidates to meet the starter criteria this season. We’ll be keeping an eye on them and the rest of 2022’s RFAs-to-be over the next several months.
Pacific Notes: Bagley, Ayton, G. Payton, Wiseman
When the Kings decided to remove Marvin Bagley III from their rotation to open the season, agent Jeff Schwartz took the unusual step of issuing a statement to call out the team for its handling of his client. However, head coach Luke Walton doesn’t expect the public nature of the dispute between the team and agent to be a distraction for his players.
“Nope, not with our group,” Walton said, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “We’ve got a tight group. We’ve talked about it, whether it’s trades from last year or anything else, we don’t concern ourselves with outside issues. We’re a tight group. You can ask any of the players. They believe in what we’re doing and they’re working hard and we’re in a good place.”
The Kings used just nine players in their opening-night win over Portland on Wednesday, with Richaun Holmes and Tristan Thompson sharing the minutes at center, while Harrison Barnes and Maurice Harkless handled power forward duties.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Fourth-year center Deandre Ayton admitted he was “obviously” disappointed not to reach a rookie scale extension agreement with the Suns by Monday’s deadline, but said on Wednesday that playing on an expiring contract won’t bother him, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “I’m still trying to get us back to the Finals. I’ve still got to represent the team and myself as well. I’m just a competitor, man,” Ayton said. “Just like to compete to the best and every time I’m in between those lines, that’s what you’re going to see out of me. Nothing else.”
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic loved the Suns‘ four-year, $90MM deal with Mikal Bridges, but was baffled by the decision not to extend Ayton. While general manager James Jones said Phoenix would have done a three- or four-year max, three high-ranking executives in other organizations told Vecenie they would’ve been willing to offer the big man a fifth year.
- Gary Payton II‘s new minimum-salary contract with the Warriors includes a $350K partial guarantee, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Payton, who was waived and re-signed within the last week, would have received a $659K partial guarantee if he had made the opening-night roster on his previous deal. By cutting him and then bringing him back, Golden State saved some money while still rewarding Payton for making the team.
- Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle explores how the Warriors are adjusting their approach to James Wiseman‘s development in the center’s second NBA season.
Southwest Notes: Morant, Zion, Valanciunas, Rockets
Don’t count on Grizzlies guard Ja Morant joining the list of NBA stars who have become disgruntled with their circumstances and sought a way out, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. As Vardon details, Morant is thrilled with his situation in Memphis, and all signs point to him signing a long-term maximum-salary extension once he becomes eligible in the summer of 2022.
“I love everything about it,” Morant said of playing for the Grizzlies and living in Memphis. “I feel like this is my home, from the front office down, the fans, the community. Everybody brought me in and made me feel like family, and me and my family couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Morant – who advocated for the Grizzlies to extend Jaren Jackson Jr. this offseason, per Vardon – believes the Grizzlies already have enough talent to become a viable championship contender. And the young point guard is looking forward to competing for a title in Memphis rather than jumping ship to do so elsewhere.
“Me, I’m not a big fan on the leaving,” Morant said.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report takes a deep dive into the Zion Williamson situation in New Orleans, noting that teams around the NBA will be keeping a close eye on the Pelicans‘ relationship with their star forward. Williamson’s weight and his reaction to potentially playing on a minutes limit when he returns from his foot injury will be worth monitoring, according to Fischer, who notes that the star forward “reached north of 300 pounds” during the offseason and bristled in his rookie year at playing in limited bursts following his return from a knee injury.
- After signing a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans on Wednesday, center Jonas Valanciunas explained why he was willing to commit to the team before playing in a regular season game, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “From a coaching standpoint, they understand me and what I do,” Valanciunas said. “My teammates, good teammates. They welcomed me. The organization was great talking to me and helping me out. They made it seem like I’ve been here a long time. I wanted to come back.”
- Ahead of their regular season opener, the youthful Rockets were enthusiastic about embracing the challenge ahead, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Following a blowout loss in Minnesota on Wednesday, they have a better sense of what that challenge entails, Feigen writes. “It’s the NBA. It’s grown men,” rookie Jalen Green said of the physicality he experienced in his regular season debut. “I’m 19 years old. It’s not high school any more. It’s the real league, a man’s league.”
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
With the NBA regular season underway, most teams are taking full advantage of their ability to carry up to 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. As our roster counts page shows, 23 of the league’s 30 teams have full 17-man squads.
Most of the teams not carrying a 15th player on a standard contract are either over the luxury tax line or are bumping up against it, and have opted for financial savings for now. Those clubs are all decent bets to add a 15th man by season’s end, but likely won’t be in any rush to do so unless they face depth issues.
Here are the teams that are currently carrying just 14 players on their standard rosters:
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
Of these six teams, three – the Bucks, Blazers, and Jazz – project to be taxpayers, while the Heat and Wolves would go over the tax line if they were to add a 15th man. The Suns are the only team in this group with no pressing tax concerns.
Meanwhile, there are two teams with an open two-way contract slot:
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns
The Magic’s inclusion here is a little surprising. They’re a rebuilding team with their own G League affiliate — it seems as if they’d benefit from taking a shot on a young prospect with that spot, and perhaps they will soon.
It’s less surprising that Phoenix is on this list. The Suns sold their G League affiliate last year, so they don’t have their own NBAGL team where they could send two-way players. Phoenix’s lone two-way player, Chandler Hutchison, will essentially serve as the team’s de facto 15th man for the time being.
Former Mavs Exec Voulgaris Discusses Tension With Nelson, Exit From Team
Appearing on the ESPN Daily podcast with Pablo Torre, former Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris publicly addressed for the first time his exit from the franchise and reports of discord between him and longtime head of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, who also left the team this offseason.
A report from The Athletic in June stated that Voulgaris had either initiated or approved nearly all of the Mavs’ roster moves for the last two seasons and suggested his influence was virtually on par with Nelson’s. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who worked with Voulgaris in the past and brought him aboard in 2018 as the team’s director of quantitative research and development, disputed The Athletic’s portrayal of how much power the executive had. However, Voulgaris’ abrasive personality was reportedly a source of some tension in the front office and he was said to have a “strained” relationship with star guard Luka Doncic.
As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, Voulgaris told Torre the Mavericks’ basketball operations department was a “very gossipy workplace” and likened the team’s dysfunction to “high school drama.” Although he denied some details from The Athletic’s report – including that he dictated lineups and rotations to then-coach Rick Carlisle – he didn’t challenge others.
Voulgaris told Torre that he came to believe Nelson “didn’t want me around,” adding that other people in the front office may have felt threatened by his close relationship with Cuban.
“I didn’t have a working relationship with other people in the front office at all, to the point where it was awkward,” Voulgaris said. “But that’s kind of the M.O. of the way that front office was run — like, surround yourself with people who are not threats. You don’t become an NBA general manager and hold on to your job for that long unless you are very, very good at keeping your job.
“… I think Mark had this idea that maybe we (Voulgaris and Nelson) could work together, the stuff that he’s good at I might be deficient at and vice versa,” Voulgaris continued. “(Nelson is) more of a, kind of like a wheeler-dealer, like when you shake his hands, you want to make sure your rings are still there. Not in a bad way, but he’s that guy. He’s a deal-maker. He’s a broker. My working relationship with Donnie Nelson was seeing him every once in a while and getting a fist bump. That was it. Whether it was a fist-bump text message or a fist bump in person, that was his thing. He was very nice and cordial to my face, (but) I think threatened by me.”
Voulgaris also confirmed The Athletic’s claim that his relationship with Doncic worsened after he left his courtside seat with the Mavericks down 10 points and under a minute left in a game in April. Doncic viewed it as a sign of Voulgaris quitting on the team, while the executive considered it a non-issue and was upset that others in the organization didn’t back him up at all.
“You have a great relationship with this player. Why are you not telling him that I didn’t quit on the team?” Voulgaris said, referring to one of the Mavs’ assistant coaches, possibly Jamahl Mosley. “I just went to my desk to look at something on my computer or got up because I normally get up. There are plenty of other instances of me getting up in the middle of the game. … It was such a non-event that I didn’t think it was a big deal, and the fact that it became a big deal led me to believe that this is just not worth it to me.”
Voulgaris wasn’t fired by the Mavs, and didn’t step down from his role either — his contract simply expired and the two sides didn’t work out a new deal. While the franchise may have been seeking a fresh start following the hiring of Nico Harrison to replace Nelson, Voulgaris made it clear that he also felt his time in Dallas had run its course.
“If I’m distracting that f—ing guy (Doncic), I don’t need to be around,” Voulgaris said. “Whatever the case may be, no matter how I see it, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. He is the fulcrum of the team. So I was like, ‘Cool.’ Plus, I was trying to find a way out of this job to begin with.”
Pelicans Sign Jonas Valanciunas To Two-Year Extension
6:54pm: The Pelicans have officially announced their new deal with Valanciunas, confirming the extension in a press release.
“We’re delighted to be able to continue our relationship with Jonas,” executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin said in a statement. “His deep desire to remain here and his connection to his team, his coaches and the organization represents everything we want to build towards.”
11:19am: The Pelicans and center Jonas Valanciunas have reached an agreement on an extension that will lock him up through the 2023/24 season, agents Aaron Mintz, Mitch Nathan and Drew Morrison of CAA tell Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Lopez, Valanciunas’ two-year extension will be worth $30.1MM. The big man is under contract for $14MM in 2021/22, so he’s now on track to earn $44.1MM over the next three seasons. Because he had been on an expiring deal, Valanciunas was extension-eligible beyond the October 18 deadline that applied to certain other veterans.
Valanciunas averaged a double-double in each of his last two seasons in Memphis, establishing new career highs in 2020/21 with 17.1 PPG and 12.5 RPG in 62 games (28.3 MPG). The 29-year-old isn’t an elite rim protector and doesn’t shoot many three-pointers, but holds his own on defense and can knock down mid-range jumpers.
The Grizzlies dealt Valanciunas to New Orleans in an offseason trade that sent Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to Memphis. Having recently acquired Valanciunas, the Pelicans faced extend-and-trade limits in their contract negotiations, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. They couldn’t offer the former No. 5 overall pick more than a 5% raise on this year’s $14MM salary and couldn’t tack more than two years onto his expiring contract.
Those limits would’ve lifted by the end of the year, but Valanciunas opted for security now rather than waiting to see if he could get a more lucrative deal later in the season or as a free agent in 2022.
This is the second consecutive year in which the Pelicans have traded for a veteran center and then signed him to an extension before seeing him take the court alongside star forward Zion Williamson. The organization will be hoping its commitment to Valanciunas works out better than last year’s deal with Adams did.
As Marks observes (via Twitter), Tomas Satoransky is now the only Pelicans (besides two-way players) who isn’t under contract through at least the 2022/23 season.