Luke Adams | Hoops Rumors

Draft-And-Stash Prospect Cordinier Working Out For Nets

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 2:25 pm

Former second-round pick Isaïa Cordinier will travel from France to New York this Sunday in order to work out for the Nets, according to a report from Dylan De Abreu of BasketActu.com.

While De Abreu’s report suggests Cordinier will also participate in training camp with Brooklyn this fall, a league source tells NetsDaily that only a workout is scheduled for now, and a decision on a potential camp invite has yet to be made.

The 44th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Cordinier was traded from the Hawks to the Nets in a 2018 trade involving Jeremy Lin. He has continued to play in France for the last several years, spending time with the Antibes Sharks and Nanterre 92.

Players who remain stashed overseas for this long often don’t end up coming to the NBA, but Cordinier is still just 24 years old and remains very interested in coming stateside. According to NetsDaily’s report, the 6’5″ shooting guard has put off signing with a European club until the Nets decide whether or not to bring him over. He suited up for the team’s Summer League squad in 2019.

While it’s possible Cordinier will make a strong impression at this upcoming workout, this may not be an ideal time for him to try to make Brooklyn’s roster. The team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus DeAndre’ Bembry on a partially guaranteed deal, Alize Johnson and David Duke on non-guaranteed contracts, and two unsigned 2021 draft picks (Marcus Zegarowski and RaiQuan Gray).

The Nets, facing a projected tax bill of $131MM, may look to save some money by carrying only 14 players on standard contracts to start the season, which would create even more of a roster crunch. The club does have one open two-way slot alongside Kessler Edwards, but might prefer to have Zegarowski, Gray, or Duke fill it.

2 comments Brooklyn Nets Isaia Cordinier

The Differences Between This Year’s Maximum Contracts

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 12:55 pm

So far in August, eight players who have been eligible for either free agency or an extension have signed what we’d traditionally consider maximum-salary contracts, while another three have agreed to extensions worth the maximum they could be offered. Hardly any of these 11 contracts project to be worth the same amounts, providing a case study in just how different a “maximum” NBA contract can look from player to player.

With the help of our glossary entry on maximum salaries and contract data from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac, we’re going to break down these 11 deals and explain how the “maximum” values were determined in each case and why the contracts look so different.

Let’s dive in…

Kawhi Leonard

Of all the players who signed maximum-salary contracts this offseason, Leonard has perhaps the most straightforward deal. After he declined his player option for 2021/22 on August 1, the two-time Finals MVP entered free agency as a player with 10 years of NBA experience under his belt. That meant that he qualified for a starting salary worth 35% of the cap, which is the maximum for players with 10+ years of service.

Although the Clippers didn’t have the cap room to accommodate that sort of deal, they held Leonard’s Early Bird rights, which gave them the ability to offer either 175% of his previous salary or the league-wide max (35% of the cap), whichever was lesser. Leonard made approximately $34.4MM this past season, so 175% of that amount would’ve exceeded $60MM, far above the allowable maximum. Instead, he was limited to 35% of this year’s $112,414,000 cap, which worked out to a starting salary of $39,344,900.

Because he didn’t have full Bird rights, Leonard was only eligible to sign a contract of up to four years instead of five. There was some speculation that Kawhi might ink another short-term deal in order to gain full Bird rights in 2022 and sign a five-year contract at that point, but he opted for a four-year agreement instead.

Like all the other contracts on this list, Leonard’s new deal includes 8% annual raises. Here’s what it looks like:

Year	Salary
2021/22	$39,344,900
2022/23	$42,492,492
2023/24	$45,640,084
2024/25	$48,787,676
Total	$176,265,152

Luka Doncic

Doncic is entering the fourth year of his rookie scale contract, which made him one of two dozen players eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. Typically, an extension for a player with fewer than seven years of NBA experience can only be worth up to 25% of the cap in the first year of the deal. However, a CBA clause known colloquially as the “Rose rule” allows that number to increase to 30%.

Named after Derrick Rose, who won an MVP award in 2011 while still on his rookie scale contract, the Rose rule allows a player to qualify for that bump to 30% if he meets at least one of these three criteria at the end of his four-year rookie contract:

The player was named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season, or in two of the past three seasons.
The player was named Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the past three seasons.
The player was named Most Valuable Player in any of the past three seasons.

Because rookie scale extensions are signed a year early (Doncic’s will begin in 2022/23), it’s rare for a player to have met any of these criteria by the time he signs his deal. For instance, if Doncic had earned his first All-NBA nod in 2020/21, he wouldn’t meet any of the above criteria, since ’20/21 isn’t the “most recent season” before his contract begins — he’d have to do it again in ’21/22 to meet the criteria.

However, because Doncic actually earned All-NBA spots in both 2019/20 and 2020/21, he has already met the required criteria and qualifies for a starting salary worth 30% of the 2022/23 cap. If he doesn’t make the All-NBA team again in ’21/22, he’ll still have done so in two of the three seasons before his extension begins.

Even with that knowledge, we don’t know yet exactly what Doncic’s second deal with the Mavericks will look like, since it hinges on the exact value of the 2022/23 cap. Still, we can map out a projection based on the NBA’s most recent estimate of a $119MM cap for ’22/23. If the cap comes in at $119MM, 30% would be $35,700,000, and Doncic’s extension would look like this:

Year	Salary
2022/23	$35,700,000
2023/24	$38,556,000
2024/25	$41,412,000
2025/26	$44,268,000
2026/27	$47,124,000
Total	$207,060,000

Trae Young / Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Unlike Doncic, Young and Gilgeous-Alexander don’t have any All-NBA berths on their respective résumés, so they aren’t yet eligible for rookie scale extensions worth up to 30% of the 2022/23 cap. However, the Hawks and Thunder didn’t hesitate to go up to the 25% max for their star guards, and both teams are willing to bump that number to 30% if Young or Gilgeous-Alexander make the All-NBA squad in 2021/22.

In other words, while Young or Gilgeous-Alexander could end up having a contract that looks identical to Doncic’s (outlined above), each player is currently on track to earn 25% of a projected $119MM cap in 2022/23, which would mean a starting salary of $29,750,000. Here’s what those new five-year extensions will look like if neither player earns All-NBA honors in 2021/22:

Year	Salary
2022/23	$29,750,000
2023/24	$32,130,000
2024/25	$34,510,000
2025/26	$36,890,000
2026/27	$39,270,000
Total	$172,550,000

Stephen Curry

Curry, who had been entering the final year of his contract with the Warriors, agreed to tack on four extra years to that deal, starting in 2022/23. Curry has 12 years of NBA experience, making him eligible for a starting salary worth 35% of the cap.

However, 35% of the projected $119MM cap for 2022/23 is $41.65MM, which is significantly less than the $45,780,966 salary Curry is earning in ’21/22. Because Curry’s previous maximum-salary contract included standard annual raises of 8% and the NBA’s salary cap has increased by less than 8% per year during that time, Curry’s salary has been rising faster than the league-wide maximum has been.

The NBA’s rules won’t require Curry to take a pay cut on his next deal though. If a player is already earning above the league-wide maximum, his personal max is always 105% of his previous salary. That means Curry will be eligible for a 5% raise on this year’s $45,780,966 salary. His extension will begin at $48,070,014 and will look like this:

Year	Salary
2022/23	$48,070,014
2023/24	$51,915,615
2024/25	$55,761,216
2025/26	$59,606,817
Total	$215,353,662

Kevin Durant

Durant’s situation was similar to Curry’s, with a couple minor differences. Like Curry, Durant has a cap hit in 2021/22 ($42,018,900) that exceeds the league-wide max, so his extension will start at 105% of his previous salary.

Unlike Curry though, Durant actually had a player option for 2022/23 on his old deal. Because standard veteran extensions are limited to five total years (including the existing contract), KD had two choices — decline his option and add four years, starting in ’22/23, or pick up the option and tack on three years, starting in ’23/24. Because Durant was able to maximize his earnings by turning down the option, he went that route, voiding the option year and signing a four-year extension.

Durant’s contract has one more unusual twist. While his cap hit this coming season is $42,018,900, his base salary is actually just $40,918,900. His deal includes an annual incentive (worth $1.1MM in 2021/22 and increasingly slightly each year) that is considered “likely” to be earned.

It’s possible Durant will miss out on that annual bonus at some point, but it would require a lot to go wrong for the star forward and the Nets. Durant earns the bonus if he meets any one of the following criteria:

The Nets make the playoffs.
The Nets win at least 43 games.
Durant appears in at least 50 games.
Durant makes the All-Star team.

Taking into account his 5% raise on his 2021/22 cap figures and the separation between base salary and incentives, here’s what Durant’s new extension looks like:

Year	Base salary	Incentives	Total
2022/23	$42,969,845	$1,150,000	$44,119,845
2023/24	$46,407,433	$1,242,000	$47,649,433
2024/25	$49,845,021	$1,334,000	$51,179,021
2025/26	$53,282,609	$1,426,000	$54,708,609
Total	$192,504,908	$5,152,000	$197,656,908

Jimmy Butler

Although Butler signed a maximum-salary extension with the Heat, he didn’t get every last dollar he could have. Like Durant, Butler had a player option for 2022/23, and the simplest way to secure the biggest payday would’ve been to decline that option in favor of a new four-year deal that replaced it.

Instead – and it’s possible Miami insisted during the negotiations on taking this route – Butler picked up his $37,653,300 option for 2022/23 and signed a three-year extension that begins in ’23/24.

Based on the NBA’s maximum-salary rules, Butler’s new deal will start at either 120% of his previous salary or 35% of the ’23/24 salary cap, whichever is lesser. A 20% raise on Butler’s $37,653,300 salary for ’22/23 would result in a $45,183,960 salary, but that’s probably unlikely.

In order for $45,183,960 to be less than 35% of the 2023/24 cap, the cap would have to come in at least $129.1MM. We don’t yet have a concrete projection from the NBA for 2023/24, but $129MM+ would be a pretty substantial jump, considering the ’22/23 projection is $119MM. It’s not impossible, but it seems awfully bullish.

Instead then, Butler’s starting salary will likely be worth 35% of the ’23/24 cap. Again, we don’t have a concrete estimate yet, but we’ve been using $125MM as a ballpark figure. Here’s what Butler’s extension would look like if we assume a $125MM cap:

Year	Salary
2023/24	$43,750,000
2024/25	$47,250,000
2025/26	$50,750,000
Total	$141,750,000

Joel Embiid

Like Butler, Embiid signed an extension that begins in 2023/24, since he remains under contract for two more seasons (with no options) on his current deal. However, Embiid was able to add an extra year to his new deal, signing a four-year extension.

As we noted within our look at Durant’s deal, a player signing a veteran extension is typically limited to five total years, including the years left on his current contract. But that restriction is loosened a little for players who meet the super-max criteria — their extensions can cover a total of six years. Embiid qualified for the super-max by making the All-NBA Second Team this year, which means he was able to add four years to the two remaining on his current contract, for a total of six.

Again, it’s too early to know exactly what the 2023/24 cap will look like, but Embiid’s extension with the Sixers will start at 35% of that number. If we assume a $125MM cap, the annual breakdown would be as follows:

Year	Salary
2023/24	$43,750,000
2024/25	$47,250,000
2025/26	$50,750,000
2026/27	$54,250,000
Total	$196,000,000

Julius Randle / Terry Rozier / Marcus Smart

The eight contracts we’ve covered so far are all technically worth the “maximum salary.” These three fall into a different category.

When a player signs a veteran contract extension, he’s generally eligible to receive up to either 120% of his previous salary (or 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary) in the first year of his new deal, as long as that amount doesn’t exceed the maximum.

That rule doesn’t apply to someone receiving a rookie scale extension – like Doncic, Young, or Gilgeous-Alexander – or someone signing a super-max extension, like Embiid. And since Curry, Durant, and Butler were all on maximum-salary deals already, that 120% rule likely won’t be relevant for them either (with the possible exception of Butler, as we explained earlier).

It does apply to these three players, since they were all earning salaries that are above the league average but well below the maximum. Randle, Rozier, and Smart, who were all entering contract years, signed extensions worth the maximum amount they could be offered right now. That amount is far below the maximum they could have been offered if they’d reached free agency in 2022, which is why these aren’t true max deals.

Let’s take a look at Randle’s situation first, since his contract is the most complex of the three. Like Durant, Randle has incentives in his deal; unlike Durant, Randle has three separate bonuses, two of which are currently considered likely to be earned (appearing in 65+ games and making the All-Star Game) and one that’s considered unlikely to be earned (making the All-Defensive team).

A bonus is deemed to be either “likely” (counting toward the player’s cap hit) or “unlikely” (not counting toward the cap) based on whether it was achieved in the previous season. So, heading into 2021/22, Randle has a base salary of $19.8MM, plus two bonuses worth $990K apiece that are “likely” to be earned, since he played in 71 games and was named an All-Star last year. That bumps his cap hit for this season to $21.78MM.

However, Randle’s new extension with the Knicks doesn’t go into effect until 2022/23, so when that deal begins, it’s possible those incentives will be reclassified — he’d have to play in 65+ games and make the All-Star Game again in 2021/22 for them to remain “likely.”

Randle’s 20% raise for the first year of his extension will apply both to his previous base salary and to his incentives. So his base salary will jump from $19.8MM to $23.76MM in 2022/23, while his total available incentives will increase from $2.97MM to $3.564MM.

Here’s the breakdown of what Randle’s contract should look like (it’s the only one on this list that isn’t yet official, so we’re basing these numbers on the reported terms):

Year	Base salary	Incentives	Total
2022/23	$23,760,000	$3,564,000	$27,324,000
2023/24	$25,660,800	$3,849,120	$29,509,920
2024/25	$27,561,600	$4,134,240	$31,695,840
2025/26	$29,462,400	$4,419,360	$33,881,760
Total	$106,444,800	$15,966,720	$122,411,520

The deals for Rozier and Smart are more straightforward, since there are no incentives included.

Here’s Rozier’s extension with the Hornets, which is based on 120% of his $17,905,263 salary for 2021/22:

Year	Salary
2022/23	$21,486,316
2023/24	$23,205,221
2024/25	$24,924,126
2025/26	$26,643,031
Total	$96,258,694

And here’s Smart’s new deal with the Celtics, based on 120% of his $14,339,285 salary for ’21/22:

Year	Salary
2022/23	$17,207,142
2023/24	$18,583,713
2024/25	$19,960,284
2025/26	$21,336,855
Total	$77,087,994

There are no shortage of players around the NBA on maximum-salary contracts, but the deals signed this August are a reminder that not all max-salary deals are created equal.

13 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Hawks’ Skylar Mays Signs Two-Way Qualifying Offer

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 11:38 am

Restricted free agent shooting guard Skylar Mays has signed his qualifying offer to return to the Hawks, reports Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (via Twitter). Since Mays spent his rookie season in 2020/21 on a two-way deal, his QO was another two-way contract, with a $50K partial guarantee.

The 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of LSU, Mays appeared in 33 games for the Hawks last season, averaging 3.8 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 0.9 APG on .449/.350/.880 shooting in 8.2 minutes per contest.

Atlanta signed 2021 second-round pick Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract earlier this month, but the team’s other two-way slot had been open, so Mays will fill it, at least for the time being. Given that his new deal only includes a small guarantee of $50K, the Hawks aren’t necessarily locked into Mays for the coming season, but he has an inside track to a spot on the 17-man regular season roster for now.

The Hawks now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, two on Exhibit 10 deals, and a pair on two-way pacts, giving them two openings on their 20-man offseason roster.

1 comment Atlanta Hawks Transactions Skylar Mays

Jared Dudley Had Hoped To Return To Lakers

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 11:08 am

Veteran NBA forward Jared Dudley appears prepared to retire as a player, having reportedly agreed to become an assistant coach on Jason Kidd‘s Mavericks staff. However, Dudley tells Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times that his first choice this summer would’ve been to return to the Lakers as a player.

“I thought I was coming back to the Lakers,” Dudley said. “This is crazy.”

As Plaschke explains, Dudley would have been willing to accept a non-guaranteed contract, and veteran Lakers like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook wanted him to return (James published a series of tweets expressing his dismay over Dudley’s departure). However, Los Angeles appears to be prioritizing filling out its last couple open roster spots with younger players.

“I talked to (executives) Rob (Pelinka) and Kurt (Rambis), I thanked them, but I told them, ‘You’re valuing youth more than a locker room presence guy,'” Dudley told Plaschke. “I said, ‘I respect you for doing that, but I think you’re wrong.’

“… My job was way more than a locker room presence,” Dudley added. “You’re a guidance counselor, a relationship expert. … I’m the middle-man that brings it all together.”

Even if the Lakers didn’t want to re-sign Dudley as a player, it would have made sense for the team to offer him a spot on its coaching staff. Perhaps Dudley preferred to join Kidd in Dallas, but Plaschke’s story makes it sound as if the Lakers didn’t discuss the possibility of the 36-year-old retiring and becoming a coach.

With Dudley no longer in the picture, the Lakers continue to consider how to fill out the openings on a 15-man roster whose only returning players are James, Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Marc Gasol.

“No one owed me anything, Rob and Kurt were honest and upfront, nothing but respect and gratitude to them and (team owner) Jeanie (Buss), I will be forever thankful for the opportunity they gave me,” Dudley told Plaschke. “But I did want to come back. I did think I could help the team, especially having so many new players, but I understand they wanted to get younger.”

Blazers Notes: Powell, Lillard, McCollum, Nurkic

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 9:42 am

Examining the Trail Blazers‘ plans going forward, Dan Devine of The Ringer suggests there are a few reasons for optimism in Portland. The team’s late-season addition of Norman Powell made an already strong offense even more potent, and the Blazers re-signed Powell to a long-term deal this summer. New head coach Chauncey Billups could also make an immediate impact and push the club harder on the defensive end, where improvement is necessary.

Still, Devine acknowledges that the Blazers didn’t exactly swing for the fences with their offseason moves, noting that there are a a lot of caveats and “maybes” in play when discussing their potential upside.

Here’s more out of Portland:

Asked during an Instagram Live appearance whether he intends to leave Portland, Lillard replied, I’m not leaving PDX. Not right now at least” (video link via Landon Buford). Those who believe Lillard wants to stay will likely focus on his assertion that he’s not going anywhere, while those who think he wants out will probably zero in on the “not right now” portion of his response. I wouldn’t read too much into it either way — it sounds like Lillard was supplying a fairly generic answer while leaving all his options open for the future.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report spoke to new NBPA president CJ McCollum about whether he believes the Blazers are capable of winning a title, teams’ free agency spending, and a handful of other topics. “I think whenever we step on the court, we have a chance to win a championship. If you don’t have that mindset and that mentality, then you shouldn’t play,” McCollum said of the Blazers. “… I feel like every year we have a chance to win a championship. But in the NBA, there’s so many things that go into that. You need a little bit of luck.”
In the latest HoopsHype podcast, Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozzlan discussed the Blazers’ offseason, with Scotto noting that president of basketball operations Neil Olshey is going “all-in” on Billups and will either “sink or swim” with that head coaching hire. Scotto also suggested that McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic need to step up and play some of their best basketball in 2021/22 to give Portland a chance to contend.

39 comments Portland Trail Blazers CJ McCollum Chauncey Billups Jusuf Nurkic Neil Olshey Norman Powell

Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

By Luke Adams | at August 26, 2021 8:21 am

As we detailed on Wednesday, 2021 has been an eventful year on the NBA’s coaching carousel. After two teams made in-season coaching changes, seven more hired new head coaches since the regular season ended, meaning nearly a third of the league’s 30 teams have replaced their head coaches since in the last six-plus months.

While some teams, such as the Pelicans and Pacers, sought new head coaches less than a year after making their previous hires, a number of the coaches who were replaced this offseason had been with their respective teams for quite a while.

Rick Carlisle (Mavericks), Terry Stotts (Trail Blazers), and Brad Stevens (Celtics) each ranked among the top five longest-tenured coaches in the league up until this spring. They’ve all since been replaced by new faces. Scott Brooks (Wizards) was also one of just nine coaches who had been with his club for at least five years. He’s gone too.

Given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list sorting the NBA’s 30 head coaches by when they were hired. Here’s the current breakdown of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:

Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
James Borrego, Hornets: May 10, 2018
Mike Budenholzer, Bucks: May 17, 2018
Dwane Casey, Pistons: June 11, 2018
Nick Nurse, Raptors: June 14, 2018
Luke Walton, Kings: April 2019
Monty Williams, Suns: May 3, 2019
- Note: Williams remained a Sixers assistant through the end of Philadelphia’s playoff run.
Frank Vogel, Lakers: May 13, 2019
Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
J.B. Bickerstaff, Cavaliers: February 2020
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks: July 2020
Steve Nash, Nets: September 3, 2020
Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 22, 2020
Doc Rivers, Sixers: October 3, 2020
Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 20, 2020
Stephen Silas, Rockets: October 30, 2020
Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
Nate McMillan, Hawks: March 2021
- Note: McMillan was an interim head coach until being named the permanent coach on July 8, 2021.
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
Ime Udoka, Celtics: June 28, 2021
Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
Wes Unseld Jr., Wizards: July 17, 2021
Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021

7 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Justin Patton Agrees To Sign With Hapoel Eilat

By Luke Adams | at August 25, 2021 3:46 pm

Another NBA big man is headed to Israel, as Justin Patton has agreed to sign with Hapoel Eilat, according to a report from Yakov Meir of Israel Hayom (via Twitter). A source confirmed the news to our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Word of Patton’s agreement comes on the heels of former No. 10 overall pick Thon Maker signing a deal with Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem.

Patton, 24, was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft and began his career with the Timberwolves, having been included in the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. However, a series of foot injuries limited the center’s availability in his first few years in the NBA as he bounced around from Minnesota to Philadelphia to Oklahoma City to Houston.

In four total seasons, Patton has appeared in just 22 NBA games. Thirteen of those appearances came in 2020/21, as he spent several weeks on a two-way contract with the Rockets, averaging 5.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 19.0 minutes per contest. He was released in April, then suited up for the Jazz and Knicks in Summer Leagues in Utah and Las Vegas earlier this month.

12 comments International Utah Jazz Justin Patton

Grizzlies Waive Sean McDermott To Complete Trade With Wolves

By Luke Adams | at August 25, 2021 1:44 pm

In order to create room on their 20-man roster to accommodate a one-for-two trade with the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies have waived wing Sean McDermott, the team announced today in a press release.

McDermott, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2020, quickly caught on with the Grizzlies, signing a two-way deal with the team last November. He appeared in 18 NBA games during his rookie season, averaging 2.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in limited action (8.8 MPG).

Because McDermott’s two-way contract covered two seasons, he had remained under team control to start the 2021/22 league year, but it looks like he’s no longer in the team’s plans for the time being.

Memphis now has an open two-way contract slot, with Killian Tillie occupying the other one. Yves Pons, who is on an Exhibit 10 contract, looks like a candidate to claim the second two-way deal before the regular season, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

Besides Tillie and Pons, the Grizzlies’ other 18 players are on guaranteed contracts. That includes Juan Hernangomez and Jarrett Culver, who were acquired from Minnesota in exchange for Patrick Beverley in the trade that was completed today, and Rajon Rondo, whom Herrington doesn’t expect to still be on the team when the season begins (Twitter link).

11 comments Memphis Grizzlies Transactions Rajon Rondo Sean McDermott

Grizzlies Trade Beverley To Wolves For Culver, Hernangomez

By Luke Adams | at August 25, 2021 1:42 pm

AUGUST 25: Over a week after agreeing to terms, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves have completed their trade, according to press releases sent out by both teams. Memphis waived Sean McDermott in order to make room on the 20-man roster for the extra incoming player.

AUGUST 17: A day after acquiring him from the Clippers, the Grizzlies have lined up a deal to flip veteran guard Patrick Beverley to the Timberwolves, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, Memphis will receive wing Jarrett Culver and forward Juan Hernangomez from Minnesota in the trade.

As Wojnarowski observes (via Twitter), Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas worked in the Rockets’ front office when Beverley was in Houston and appreciates the toughness and leadership he can bring to a young team. Minnesota lost some point guard depth when the team shipped Ricky Rubio to Cleveland, so Beverley will help fortify that position.

Beverley, 33, averaged 7.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .423/.397/.800 shooting in 37 games (22.5 MPG) for the Clippers in 2020/21 and is considered a strong perimeter defender.

Moving Hernangomez will reduce the Wolves’ options at an already-thin power forward spot, but it may have been a necessary move. There was reportedly tension between the player and the team after Minnesota’s medical staff prevented the 25-year-old from representing Spain at the Tokyo Olympics last month due to a shoulder injury.

Culver, meanwhile, was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft. One of Rosas’ first moves after being hired by the Wolves was to trade Dario Saric and the No. 11 pick (Cameron Johnson) in order to move up for Culver, but he struggled during his first two years in the NBA, putting up a modest 7.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .406/.288/.503 shooting in 97 total games (20.7 MPG).

After taking on some extra 2021/22 money in their trade with the Clippers, the Grizzlies will reduce this year’s team salary a little in this deal — the combined salaries for Culver ($6.4MM) and Hernangomez ($6.9MM) come in slightly lower than Beverley’s cap hit ($14.32MM). Neither player is owed any guaranteed money in 2022/23 yet either, though Culver has an $8.11MM team option and Hernangomez has a $7.42MM non-guaranteed salary.

It’s unclear how Culver and Hernangomez fit into Memphis’ plans. The deal certainly doesn’t help the Grizzlies’ roster crunch — they already had 17 players on guaranteed contracts before swapping out Beverley for two new players, and will actually have to waive someone from their 20-man roster in order to complete the one-for-two trade.

There are likely more moves to come for the Grizzlies, so we’ll have to wait to see what they have in mind for Culver and Hernangomez, but it’s worth noting that Culver is still just 22 years old — the club may seem some untapped potential there. Memphis will have to make a decision on his $8.1MM option for 2022/23 this fall.

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2021 NBA Head Coaching Carousel Recap

By Luke Adams | at August 25, 2021 1:27 pm

Over the last few weeks, NBA teams have been overhauling their rosters, signing free agents, making trades, and locking up their draft picks to contracts. Prior to the draft and free agency though, several teams completed another major offseason change that shouldn’t be overlooked — over a quarter of the NBA’s clubs named a new permanent head coach.

One of the eight teams that named a new permanent coach this offseason simply retained a familiar face. Nate McMillan took over as the Hawks‘ interim coach halfway through the 2020/21 season, and the job he did the rest of the way, leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals, ensured the team wasn’t going to seek out a replacement.

The other seven teams, however, will have a new face on the sidelines to start the 2021/22. Here’s a recap of this offseason’s head coaching changes and a brief look at how they played out:

Boston Celtics

Hired: Ime Udoka (story)
Replaced: Brad Stevens (story)
Contract details: Multiyear deal (specifics unknown)
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jerome Allen, Chauncey Billups, Mike D’Antoni, Darvin Ham, Jay Larranaga, Charles Lee, Joe Mazzulla, Scott Morrison, Jamahl Mosley

The Celtics didn’t follow the usual script when making their head coaching change. Rather than being fired by the team, Stevens actually received a promotion to president of basketball operations, putting him in the unusual position of hiring his replacement.

Boston considered a mix of internal and external candidates before landing on Udoka, a former NBA player who was an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff in San Antonio for seven years before also spending time with Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Udoka’s experience on Team USA’s staff at the 2019 World Cup worked in his favor, since he got to know Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart during that event.

Dallas Mavericks

Hired: Jason Kidd (story)
Replaced: Rick Carlisle (story)
Contract details: Four-year deal
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jamahl Mosley, Terry Stotts

The Mavericks took another step forward in 2020/21, improving their regular season winning percentage for a third straight season. Although Dallas’ season ended with another first-round loss to the Clippers, those positive strides made it a little surprising that the team ended up making major changes to both its coaching staff and front office. Carlisle stepped down and the team parted ways with longtime president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

The searches for a new general manager and head coach occurred simultaneously, with owner Mark Cuban leading the process. He chose Nico Harrison to head up the team’s basketball operations department, and they quickly zeroed in on Kidd – a former All-Star and NBA champion with the Mavericks – as the choice for head coach.

The Mavs are hoping that Kidd learned from some of the mistakes he made during previous head coaching stints with the Nets and Bucks and will form a strong connection with franchise player Luka Doncic, who wasn’t always on the same page as Carlisle.

Indiana Pacers

Hired: Rick Carlisle (story)
Replaced: Nate Bjorkgren (story)
Contract details: Four-year, $29MM deal
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Steve Clifford, Brian Shaw, Terry Stotts

The Pacers’ head coaching change in 2020 looks like one of the worst moves of that offseason in hindsight. The team dismissed Nate McMillan due to his lack of success in the playoffs, but his replacement – Bjorkgren – was unable to even get the team to the postseason during his lone season at the helm.

After Bjorkgren’s brief and disastrous tenure, the Pacers will seek stability by bringing back Carlisle, who coached the team from 2003-07 and has recorded the 15th-most wins of any coach in NBA history. He’ll assume control of a veteran squad that looks capable of bouncing back and potentially securing a top-six spot in the East with better health luck in 2021/22.

New Orleans Pelicans

Hired: Willie Green (story)
Replaced: Stan Van Gundy (story)
Contract details: Multiyear deal (specifics unknown)
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Charles Lee, Jacque Vaughn, Fred Vinson, Teresa Weatherspoon

Like Bjorkgren in Indiana, Van Gundy proved to be a poor fit for his new team and lasted just one year before receiving his walking papers. When the Pelicans launched a search for their new head coach, they prioritized finding a candidate capable of connecting with the young players on the roster — especially Zion Williamson, who will be playing for his third coach in three years.

New Orleans initially appeared focused on Vaughn, but the Nets assistant withdrew from consideration in order to remain in Brooklyn. At that point, the Pelicans’ search narrowed to Green and Lee, with the Suns associate head coach ultimately winning out.

Green only has five years of experience as an assistant under his belt, but appeared in the NBA Finals in four of those five seasons with Golden State and Phoenix. And the fact that he’s only six years removed from being in the NBA as a player should help earn him some respect from a young Pelicans team.

Orlando Magic

Hired: Jamahl Mosley (story)
Replaced: Steve Clifford (story)
Contract details: Four-year deal
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Chauncey Billups, Jarron Collins, Mike D’Antoni, Willie Green, Becky Hammon, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Charles Lee, Terry Stotts, Ime Udoka, Wes Unseld Jr.

It didn’t seem as if the Magic were particularly eager to move on from Clifford, but the veteran coach wasn’t enthusiastic about embarking on another rebuild, so the two sides mutually agreed to parted ways a few weeks after Orlando’s season ended.

While some of the candidates reported to be on the Magic’s radar had previous head coaching experience, most were assistants who had a strong record of player development and wouldn’t mind growing along with a young, lottery-bound team. Orlando eventually chose Mosley, who was an assistant for the Nuggets and Cavaliers before spending the last seven seasons under Rick Carlisle in Dallas.

Portland Trail Blazers

Hired: Chauncey Billups (story)
Replaced: Terry Stotts (story)
Contract details: Five-year deal
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jerome Allen, Brent Barry, Mike D’Antoni, Becky Hammon, Jason Kidd, Dawn Staley

Unable to get the Trail Blazers over the hump despite a long track record of regular season success, Stotts was let go by the Blazers this spring.

After reports stated that Damian Lillard would have a voice in Portland’s hiring process, the All-Star guard expressed public support for Kidd and Billups. When Kidd withdrew his name from consideration, reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of pursuing the job following Lillard’s public endorsement, Billups emerged as the frontrunner and beat out finalists D’Antoni and Hammon for the job.

Billups, who had a decorated career as a player, has long been viewed by people around the league as a good bet to be a successful NBA coach. He’ll get his chance in Portland, though the team could’ve handled the hiring better from a PR perspective.

The Blazers, who faced some backlash due to a 1997 sexual assault case involving the former All-Star guard, told reporters they thoroughly investigated that incident and came away confident that Billups hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing. Subsequent reporting suggested that Portland’s investigation may not have been as exhaustive as the team claimed. However, any blow-back to the poorly-handled process seems more likely to affect president of basketball operations Neil Olshey than Billups.

Washington Wizards

Hired: Wes Unseld Jr. (story)
Replaced: Scott Brooks (story)
Contract details: Four-year deal
Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Sam Cassell, Chris Fleming, Willie Green, Darvin Ham, Charles Lee, Jamahl Mosley, Scott Morrison, Ronald Nored, Chris Quinn, Kevin Young

Halfway through the 2020/21 season, Brooks looked like the surest bet among the NBA’s 30 head coaches to be let go at season’s end. A second-half surge and a play-in tournament victory earned the Wizards a playoff berth and made the decision a little more difficult, but the team ultimately decided not to bring back Brooks, whose contract expired this year.

The Wizards, whose search focused exclusively on assistants without prior head coaching experience, narrowed their list down to four finalists — Unseld, Ham, Lee, and Mosley. After Mosley opted to take the Orlando job, Washington chose Unseld over the two Bucks assistants.

It was a logical choice for the Wizards, who gave Unseld his start as an assistant in 2005 and who employed his father (Wes Unseld Sr.) for years as a player, coach, and front office executive. However, Unseld Jr. earned the job on merit, not sentiment — he spent 16 years as an assistant in Washington, Golden State, Orlando, and Denver, and the Nuggets lobbied hard for him to get a head coaching opportunity they felt he deserved.

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Author: Luke Adams