Pacific Notes: T. Jones, Clippers, Podziemski, Gillespie
A report last week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicated that the Clippers had sign-and-trade interest in free agent point guard Tyus Jones.
However, Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links here) has heard differently, stating the team was “never” focused on the 28-year-old, and with Kris Dunn coming aboard, L.A. is no longer viewed as even a long-shot destination for Jones. According to Murray, the Clips are not interested in Jones “in any capacity.”
As Murray explains, the Clippers always planned to acquire Dunn, it just took a few weeks to come together. Murray suggests the rumor may have come from Jones’ camp, as he’s still seeking a new contract nearly three weeks into free agency.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- In part due to his strong play as a rookie and in part due to his team-friendly contract, which will pay him $3.5MM, $3.7MM and $5.7MM over the next three seasons, Brandin Podziemski holds more value to the Warriors than he would to most other teams, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. “I think I can get (to an All-Star level),” Podziemski has said. “I’m never gonna just settle for being a role player.” Shams Charania of The Athletic recently reported that Podziemski’s potential inclusion in a deal for Lauri Markkanen has been a sticking point in negotiations between Golden State and Utah. According to Slater, Podziemski isn’t off limits in trade talks, but the Warriors place a high value on what he brings to the table, both in the short and long term.
- Former Nuggets guard Collin Gillespie landed with the Suns on a two-way deal this summer. He views Phoenix as a “really good opportunity” to earn minutes at point guard, he told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I feel like I’m an elite shooter,” Gillespie said. “I can run the point guard position really well, get guys shots, especially the guys who I’ll be playing with (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal). They’re elite scorers. Just find them in spots for them to score and have the best opportunity to help us win.”
- Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports takes an in-depth look at Gillespie’s game, exploring the 25-year-old’s strengths and weaknesses and discussing whether it’s reasonable to expect the former Villanova standout to play rotation minutes in 2024/25.
New York Notes: Thomas, K. Johnson, Kolek, Thibodeau, Knicks
In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Nets guard Cam Thomas said he’s been impressed with new head coach Jordi Fernandez so far. Fernandez is currently with the Canadian national team as it prepares for the Olympics in Paris later this month.
“It’s been good,” Thomas said of adjusting to Fernandez. “He’s very smart. He’s very detailed. I think he’ll be good for our young team. I think we’re going the young route, so that’ll be good for us because he’s all about the details and pushes us to be great. I can’t wait to actually get to work with him.”
Thomas also discussed a number of other topics, including his contract situation. The 22-year-old, who led the team in scoring in 2023/24, is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2024/25 regular season begins. He would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2025 if a deal isn’t reached.
“You definitely think about it, but it’s not something I’m pushing for,” Thomas told Scotto. “Whatever happens with the organization happens. I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is going out there and playing the best basketball I can play. Whatever happens will happen. I’m not really pressed on it. … I want to keep improving my game to get ready for next season.”
On a related note, Thomas recently switched agents and is now represented by Alex Saratsis, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Saratsis’ agency, Octagon, announced the addition of Thomas to its client list earlier this month.
Here’s more from the NBA’s two New York-based teams:
- Lewis’ story is primarily focused on former first-round pick Keon Johnson, who finished last season on a two-way deal with the Nets. An unrestricted free agent who is still just 22 years old, Johnson has impressed with his defense, improved shot and decision-making in Summer League action, per Lewis. The Nets have one standard roster spot and a pair of two-way openings available, and Johnson thinks his play can translate to real NBA minutes. “I mean, I feel like everything that I’m doing out there is completely translated to what I would be doing on the main court, as far as playing defense, spacing the court and making open shots,” Johnson said. “And then whenever I do have the ball in my hands, just making simple reads. I feel like every day in Summer League I’ve kind of been showing that, and hopefully after Summer League, I’ll be able to do the same thing.”
- Knicks rookie guard Tyler Kolek isn’t lacking for confidence, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). The former Marquette star, who was a second-round pick last month (34th overall), has impressed during Summer League action. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised [how well I’m playing],” Kolek said. “All the work that I’ve put in has gotten me to this point. I’ve been in a lot of games in college. I’m not some first-year rookie that’s just come in playing 10, 12, 15 games in college, maybe only averaged 20 minutes a game. I’ve played a lot of games and I’m really comfortable on the basketball court.”
- In the same story, Bondy says there’s still an expectation that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau will sign a contract extension. Bondy is surprised a deal has yet to be reached, though he acknowledges New York has had a very busy offseason so far.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at the Knicks‘ roster following the signing of Cameron Payne, writing that the team now has one of the deepest pool of guards in the league. According to Katz, the Knicks view Miles McBride as more of a two than a one, which is why they added Kolek and Payne. Like Bondy, Katz has also heard from sources that Thibodeau is “more likely to extend than not.” Katz also examines Precious Achiuwa‘s free agency, suggesting that a reunion is still possible, but it may behoove both sides to wait and see if any sign-and-trade opportunities arise.
Hawks Sign Keaton Wallace To Two-Way Deal
JULY 15: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 13: The Hawks are signing free agent guard Keaton Wallace to a two-way contract, agents Max Lipsett and Marcus Monk tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wallace, 25, spent four years at the University of Texas at San Antonio prior to going undrafted in 2021. He has spent the past three seasons playing in the NBA G League for the Clippers’ and Hawks’ affiliate teams, briefly spending time on a two-way contract with the Clips in 2022/23.
Wallace has yet to make his NBA regular season debut. He is currently playing for Atlanta’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas. In the team’s first game on Friday, a six-point loss to the Wizards, Wallace put up 10 points (on 4-of-8 shooting), four rebounds, six assists (one turnover), two steals and one block in 23 minutes.
In 16 Showcase Cup games with the College Park Skyhawks last season, the 6’4″ Wallace averaged 12.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.6 SPG on .438/.370/.789 shooting (30.0 MPG). He had an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3-to-1, a solid mark for a guard.
If he stays on a two-way deal for the entire ’24/25 season, Wallace will earn a little under $579K. He will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2025, assuming his contract is for one year and he isn’t released before then.
As our two-way contract tracker shows, the Hawks had a pair of two-way openings before Wallace’s addition was reported, so they will soon have just one vacancy. Atlanta has a roster crunch for players on standard contracts, with 15 players on guaranteed deals plus the non-guaranteed salary of Bruno Fernando.
Knicks’ Mikal Bridges Expected To Sign Team-Friendly Extension
After being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Nets, new Knicks wing Mikal Bridges is expected to “follow (Jalen) Brunson‘s lead” and sign a relatively team-friendly contract extension with New York when he becomes eligible to, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link).
As Stein writes, Bridges will be eligible for a less appealing ($72.5MM) two-year extension as of October 1. He will also be eligible for more lucrative three- and four-year extensions during the 2025 offseason. Either way, an extension isn’t imminent, since it isn’t even currently permitted.
Still, it’s a noteworthy development considering what the Knicks gave up to acquire Bridges — five first-round picks (four unprotected), one swap, Brooklyn’s own 2025 second-rounder, and veterans Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), and Mamadi Diakite.
The 10th pick of the 2018 draft, Bridges signed a four-year, $90MM rookie scale extension in October 2021, which kicked in starting in 2022/23. He will earn $23.3MM in ’24/25, followed by $24.9MM in ’25/26. A potential extension wouldn’t begin until ’26/27.
Bridges, 27, was the runner-up for the 2021/22 Defensive Player of the Year award, also earning a spot on the All-Defensive First Team that season. He starred in college at Villanova, playing alongside Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. That surely factors in with Brunson’s deal as well.
Bridges has yet to miss a game in his six-year NBA career. In 82 appearances last season (34.8 MPG), the 6’6″ guard/forward averaged 19.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.0 SPG on .436/.372/.814 shooting.
Hawks Second-Rounder Djurisic Sustains Left Foot Fracture
Serbian guard Nikola Djurisic sustained a left foot fracture in the first quarter of Sunday’s Summer League game vs. San Antonio, the Hawks announced in a press release (Twitter link). It’s unclear how much time he will miss, but certainly his Summer League is over.
The 43rd overall pick of June’s draft, Djurisic’s rights were acquired by Atlanta as part of a three-team deal that sent former first-rounder AJ Griffin to Houston. A 6’7″ guard, Djurisic record seven points, two rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes in his Hawks debut on Saturday, a six-point loss to Washington.
While those numbers don’t jump off the page, he did have the highlight of the game — a poster dunk over two big men, including second overall pick Alex Sarr. Djurisic also displayed an ability to create for himself and others off the dribble, going to the line seven times, though he made just three of those attempts.
Djurisic has played professionally for Mega Basket over the past four seasons and that was true again in 2023/24. He appeared in 26 games (30.7 MPG) for the Serbian club, averaging 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steal on .454/.330/.739 shooting.
Djurisic’s injury is unfortunate on multiple fronts. On a personal level, he is one of 10 second-round picks in 2024 who have yet to sign an NBA contract. Atlanta has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus the non-guaranteed salary of Bruno Fernando, making a standard deal for Djurisic seemingly unlikely (barring trades). The Hawks do have a two-way vacancy, however, assuming that would appeal to both sides.
It’s also unfortunate for Atlanta, which already lost second-year guard Kobe Bufkin for the rest of Summer League due to a shoulder injury. Now, the Hawks will have to figure out what to do with Djurisic’s contract situation while he recovers from the injury.
Jazz’s Sensabaugh, Spurs’ Castle Out For Rest Of Summer League
An MRI has revealed that second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh sustained an extensor tendon tear in his left middle finger during the second quarter of Saturday’s game vs. Dallas, the Jazz announced in a press release (via Twitter).
Sensabaugh’s finger will be splinted and reexamined in about six weeks, which means he’ll miss the remainder of Las Vegas Summer League. Based on that timeline, he’d be reexamined around late August, before training camp begins in the fall.
The 28th pick of the 2023 draft out of Ohio State, Sensabaugh made just four NBA regular season appearances in Utah’s first 53 games leading up to the February trade deadline. After the Jazz traded away veterans for the second consecutive year and tanked down the stretch, the 20-year-old averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .392/.292/.902 shooting while appearing in 28 of the team’s final 29 games (20.5 MPG).
Sensabaugh, who is known for his shooting and scoring but isn’t a great defender, also appeared in 29 games for Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, as a rookie in 2023/24. He averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals on .467/.365/.758 shooting in 29.5 MPG.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the fourth pick of last month’s draft out of UConn, will also miss the remainder of Summer League, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
Castle suffered a right wrist sprain in Saturday’s win over Portland — his Spurs debut — in which he recorded 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. The injury is considered minor, but the team didn’t want to risk aggravating it.
“I feel like they have my best interests in mind,” Castle said, per Orsborn. “I feel like it’s smart to take the caution route.”
Hornets Sign Taj Gibson To One-Year Deal
8:23pm: Gibson’s signing is official, the Hornets announced in a press release.
9:51am: The Hornets intend to sign veteran big man Taj Gibson to a one-year, $3.3MM contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Based on the reported terms, Gibson will receive the veteran’s minimum for a player with 10+ years of experience ($3,303,771), while Charlotte will carry a $2,087,519 cap hit.
The 26th pick of the 2009 draft, Gibson has spent the past 15 seasons in the NBA. He had a long stint with Chicago to open his career before playing for Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York (twice), Washington and Detroit. He finished the 2023/24 season with the Pistons.
Gibson, 39, is no longer a top-tier reserve or a starter like he was in his prime, but he’s still highly valued for his locker-room presence, professionalism and leadership.
Charlotte has a new front office led by head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and a new head coach in Charles Lee. The team has repeatedly mentioned work ethic as a point of emphasis this offseason, which is something Gibson is known for.
The 6’9″ forward/center holds career averages of 8.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 965 regular season games, including 450 starts (23.5 MPG).
Pistons Sign Bobi Klintman To Four-Year Deal
12:52pm: Klintman’s deal is official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.
11:39am: The Pistons are signing Bobi Klintman to a four-year contract worth just under $8MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). The first two seasons are fully guaranteed, Charania adds.
Detroit selected Klintman, 21, with the 37th overall pick in last month’s draft. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported that the Pistons were hoping to sign the Swedish forward to a multiyear standard contract.
Scotto confirms Klintman’s salary will be worth more than the minimum in 2023/24 (Twitter link) — a four-year, minimum-salary deal for a rookie would work out to $7,895,796, so it sounds like Klintman will earn an extra $100K or so next season. The Pistons will almost certainly use the second-round exception to sign the 6’9″ combo forward.
After spending his freshman season at Wake Forest in 2022/23, Klintman decided to play in Australia last season as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program. He appeared in 23 games for the Cairns Taipans in ’23/24, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 0.8 SPG on .443/.357/.793 shooting (21.3 MPG).
Warriors Notes: Curry, Kuminga, Moody, Jackson-Davis
While it isn’t Golden State’s top priority this offseason, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters on Friday that discussing an extension with Stephen Curry is on the team’s radar, as Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes.
“That guy can get whatever he wants,” Dunleavy said of Curry. “It’s been a sprint here getting through the draft and free agency and summer league, but all of that will get figured out. Steph, I think I can say pretty confidently, that he will be a Warrior for life.”
Curry, a two-time MVP, is currently training for the Paris Olympics with Team USA. The 36-year-old is under contract for two more seasons (at $55.8MM and $59.6MM). He would be limited to a one-year extension worth $62.6MM in 2026/26 due to the Over-38 rule, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
Dunleavy also said signing former lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to rookie scale extensions is important to the club (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Both players will be extension-eligible until the day before the ’24/25 regular season begins.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Addressing this summer’s roster moves – including parting with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson and bringing in Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson – Dunleavy said that changes were needed after the way the Warriors’ 2023/24 season ended. “I think it would have been hard to run the same team back,” Dunleavy said, per Andrews. “Although 46 wins is pretty good, we didn’t make the playoffs. But this isn’t something where it’s like broken completely. We just need to tune some things up. I think we’ve been able to do that, and we’re excited about this group.”
- The Warriors’ offseason work isn’t necessarily complete, but adding another free agent to fill the 15th roster spot won’t be an option for the time being, with the team right up against its hard cap (the first tax apron). “Free agency stuff has calmed down. We’ve got 14 guys and are against the first apron, so adding in that regard right now would be tough,” Dunleavy said. “But you’re always looking around the league to get better, talking to teams and exploring stuff. I like our team, but there’s also some things that we can look to improve at.”
- Asked during an appearance on 95.7 The Game (Twitter links) whether the Warriors would be willing to trade Kuminga in a deal for an impact player, head coach Steve Kerr didn’t directly answer the question, but suggested no one on the roster besides Curry is absolutely untouchable. “There’s very few players in the league who are not talked about in trade discussions,” Kerr said. “Steph Curry is not being discussed in trade talks. Everybody else is. If you went down the list of NBA teams, the Lakers (are) probably not talking to anybody about LeBron (James). Everybody’s got maybe one or two guys who are off the table. The vast majority of NBA players are constantly going to be discussed in trade talks because everyone’s trying to do the same thing, which is improve their team.”
- In a conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, second-year big man Trayce Jackson-Davis discussed a handful of topics, including the experience of being on the U.S. Select Team and what sort of role he expects to have in Golden State next season. “(Kerr) wants me to be more offensive-minded and continue to make plays out of the dunker (spot), almost like the way (Domantas) Sabonis plays,” Jackson-Davis said. “That’s similar to what he wants me to be.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Veteran Big Man Mike Muscala Retiring
Veteran big man Mike Muscala is ending his playing career, telling Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman that he plans to retire.
Muscala’s father, Bob, informed Lorenzi that Mike plans to pursue a graduate degree in sports management, with an eye on continuing his basketball career in coaching and/or management.
The No. 44 overall pick of the 2013 draft, Muscala has spent the past 11 NBA seasons playing for the Hawks, Sixers, Lakers, Thunder, Celtics, Wizards and Pistons. He finished last season in Oklahoma City, returning to the Thunder in March after playing for them from 2019-23.
Muscala, 33, spent the first five seasons of his career with Atlanta. He was traded multiple times during the 2018/19 season before finding a home in Oklahoma City for a few years. He spent the past year-plus playing for four different teams — OKC, Boston, Washington, Detroit and finally OKC again. According to Lorenzi, Muscala said relocating so many times in a short period of time took its toll on him, but he was grateful to finish his career with the Thunder.
“It means a lot,” Muscala said of his time with the Thunder back in May. “I went through a lot in my life when I was here, just the city, the fans, the way that they support the team, what the team means to the community, those are things that I feel like I can relate to.
“I’ll always be a Thunder fan no matter what happens in my life.”
In 548 regular season contests, including 45 starts, the former Bucknell star averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 15.0 MPG. The 6’10” center/forward was known mostly for his outside shooting ability (37.3% career from three-point range) and for being a positive locker-room presence.