Clippers Sign Derrick Jones To Three-Year Deal
JULY 9: The Clippers have officially signed Jones, per the NBA’s transaction log.
JUNE 30: The Clippers are signing free agent forward Derrick Jones to a three-year, $30MM contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic that the agreement is fully guaranteed with no player or team option. Jones will also receive a 5% trade kicker, Iko adds (via Twitter).
It’s possible that Jones could be acquired in a sign-and-trade, but if not, Los Angeles will use most of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the deal. Either scenario will hard cap the Clips at the first tax apron, which is set at $178.1MM.
After playing a fairly modest role off the bench with Chicago from 2021-23, the high-flying Jones was one of the NBA’s best bargains last season while on a minimum-salary contract with the Mavericks. He started 66 of his 76 regular games with Dallas in 2023/24, averaging 8.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .483/.343/.713 shooting.
Jones was a key role player as the Mavs advanced to the NBA Finals, averaging 9.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG on .481/.369/.733 shooting in 22 postseason contests (29.4 MPG). He was frequently tasked with defending opposing teams’ top scorers.
A former undrafted free agent who played one year of college ball at UNLV, Jones has made previous stops with Phoenix, Miami and Portland in addition to Chicago and Dallas. The 27-year-old won the dunk contest back in 2020.
Jones’ free agency was supposed to be complicated by the fact that he recently changed agents, but evidently that didn’t stop him or his representatives from working out a deal with the Clips. The Mavericks reached a three-year, $27MM deal with free agent wing Naji Marshall before Jones’ deal with L.A. was reported.
Ironically, while Marshall was reportedly a fallback option in case Jones left Dallas, Jones himself is a consolation prize of sorts for the Clippers, who are losing Paul George. The nine-time All-Star is expected to sign a four-year max contract with the Sixers.
Western Notes: Edey, Canada, Spurs, Castle, Clippers
The Grizzlies selected back-to-back college Player of the Year Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 draft. The 7’4″ center, who is from Toronto, was on the preliminary roster for the Canadian national team, but he decided to withdraw from consideration for the 12-man roster ahead of the team’s training camp as it prepares for the Olympics in Paris next month, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Edey will be prioritizing his development with Memphis ahead of his rookie NBA season.
“Representing Canada in the Olympics remains a lifelong dream of mine, but for now, I look forward to being the team’s biggest fan from this side of the Atlantic,” Edey said as part of a larger statement (Twitter link via Grange).
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- The Spurs intend to sign future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year, $11MM+ contract once he clears waivers. That one-year agreement isn’t a coincidence, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who hears the team is prioritizing short-term contracts to maximize financial flexibility for the 2025 offseason (Twitter link). The list of free agents for next year can be found here. Of course, it’s possible the Spurs may be more focused on trade possibilities in 2025 than free agency, as they control several future first-round picks.
- Spurs No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is thrilled to team up with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “Just the thought of playing with him, of course it circulates in your mind, but it really doesn’t feel real until it becomes reality,” Castle said. “So I mean, just to know that that’s going to be my future teammate now, I’m just really excited for what our future looks like.” Castle won a championship with UConn in his lone collegiate season.
- With Mason Plumlee heading to Phoenix and Daniel Theis, Moussa Diabate and Kai Jones all unrestricted free agents, the Clippers are looking for a new backup big man, per Law Murray of The Athletic. The Clips expect to work out a new deal with Jones and there’s a chance Diabate could be back too, Murray says, but neither player has a proven track record in the NBA.
Mavericks Sign Naji Marshall To Three-Year Deal
JULY 6: Marshall has officially signed with the Mavericks, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JUNE 30: The Mavericks are signing free agent wing Naji Marshall to a three-year, $27MM contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
A former undrafted free agent who played college ball at Xavier, Marshall has spent his entire four-year NBA career with New Orleans, initially starting out on a two-way contract. Known for his energy and tenacious defense, the 26-year-old had a career year from deep in 2023/24, converting 38.7% of his three-point looks, though it was on very low volume (2.3 attempts per game).
Notably, Marshall was one of the Pelicans’ top performers in their first-round loss to the Thunder, averaging 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40% from long distance in 21.0 minutes per contest. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.0 minutes across 66 regular season appearances last season, almost entirely off the bench (he made one start).
It’s a huge raise for Marshall, who finished last season on a minimum-salary contract. A report last month indicated New Orleans didn’t expect Marshall back next season due to financial reasons.
Marshall was considered a fallback option for Dallas if the team was unable to re-sign starting forward Derrick Jones, whose free agency was complicated by the fact that he recently switched agents. Veteran reporter Marc Stein confirms the Mavs are preparing to move on from Jones, citing league sources who say the team is still focused on landing Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with Golden State (Twitter links).
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon says (via Twitter) the Mavs are using a significant portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Marshall. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks has noted, there’s an expectation that Dallas will use its bi-annual exception to acquire Quentin Grimes from Detroit, creating a trade exception worth Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s full outgoing salary (nearly $16.2MM). If a deal comes to fruition, Thompson’s contract would fit into that new TPE.
The 2024 offseason is the first time that the MLE and BAE can be used to acquire players in trades or waiver claims, not just to sign free agents.
The first tax apron for the 2024/25 league year ($178,132,000) will be the hard cap for any team that acquires a player via sign-and-trade, signs a player using more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception, signs or acquires a player using a bi-annual exception, uses any portion of its mid-level exception to add a player via trade or waiver claim, acquires more than 100% of the outgoing salary in a trade, or uses a trade exception generated prior to the start of the 2024 offseason. The Mavs will meet several of those criteria, which means they cannot exceed the first apron salary threshold.
Marshall came in at No. 33 on our list of 2024’s top 50 free agents.
FA/Trade Rumors: Hartenstein, Ingram, Harris, A. Holiday
With free agency officially underway, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium that the Thunder are meeting with UFA center Isaiah Hartenstein in his hometown of Eugene, Oregon (Twitter link).
According to Charania, the Magic — who just agreed to a three-year, $66MM deal with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — are prioritizing wings with their cap room, while the Knicks are trying to figure out how to avoid being hard-capped at the first apron as part of the Mikal Bridges trade, possibly opening the door for Oklahoma City. Charania also lists the Jazz as a team with interest in Hartenstein, but Utah is “focused on current roster decisions.”
Hartenstein, 26, is the top center on the open market after Nic Claxton agreed to a four-year, $100MM deal to return to Brooklyn.
Here are a few more trade and free agency rumors from around the NBA:
- Sean Cunningham of Fox40 KTXL confirms the Kings have interest in trading for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (Twitter link). As Cunningham observes, Ingram previously played under Alvin Gentry, who is now in a front office role with Sacramento. A one-time All-Star, Ingram will earn $36MM in 2024/25, which is the final year of his contract. New Orleans is reportedly unwilling to give the 26-year-old a maximum-salary extension, making Ingram a prime trade candidate.
- The Pistons, Jazz, Spurs and Mavericks are among the teams interested in free agent forward Tobias Harris, who is meeting with potential suitors in California, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. All four clubs have previously been linked to Harris, who has spent the past five-plus seasons with the 76ers. With no cap room available, Dallas would only be able to acquire Harris in a sign-and-trade, Pompey notes.
- While the Rockets have interest in a reunion with veteran guard Aaron Holiday, they also recognize that he might find an opportunity for more minutes elsewhere, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has multiple suitors in free agency, Iko adds. It’s worth noting that Houston drafted Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 overall pick last week.
Nicolas Batum Reportedly Won’t Re-Sign With Sixers
Veteran forward Nicolas Batum will not be re-signing with the Sixers in free agency, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The news is mildly surprising, as Batum was viewed as perhaps the team’s most likely unrestricted free agent to return to Philadelphia after he played well for the 76ers during the regular season and playoffs. In addition to heady play-making and solid defense, the 35-year-old converted 39.9% of his three-point attempts in 57 regular season games with the Sixers (25.9 MPG).
Batum made $11.7MM last season and has a $17.5MM cap hold. In order to create significant cap room, the Sixers have to renounce Batum’s cap hold and will thus lose his Bird rights. That means the only practical ways to retain him would be to either use cap room or the room exception, which starts at just under $8MM. Considering Philadelphia is trying to sign Paul George and just agreed to a two-year, $10MM deal with Andre Drummond, there might not be much money left for Batum.
If he wants to continue his NBA career, Batum should draw interest from a variety of contenders on the open market — there were rumors last August that he might retire after the 2023/24 season, though he does plan to suit up for his native France in the Paris Olympics this summer.
Klay Thompson, Warriors Parting Ways
Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson is leaving the Warriors, the only franchise he’s known in his 13 NBA seasons, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
According to Charania, the two sides are set to begin exploring sign-and-trade options for the five-time All-Star. Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Thompson will talk to the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers and Sixers with free agency officially underway (Twitter link).
The 11th pick of the 2011 draft, Thompson is one of the most accomplished shooters in league history, ranking sixth all-time in three-pointers made. The 34-year-old has knocked down 41.3% of his attempts from long distance over the course of his career.
The second “splash brother” next to Stephen Curry, Thompson played a key role in helping Golden State win four championships during his tenure with the team. Earlier in his career, he made a couple of All-NBA Third Team appearances, plus an All-Defensive Second Team nod back in 2018/19.
However, a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon cost Thompson two full seasons during his prime. While he has remained one of the NBA’s top three-point marksmen since he returned from those injuries in January 2022, he doesn’t have the same athleticism or defensive versatility he once did.
Thompson, who earned $43.2MM in 2023/24 during the final year of his max contract, reportedly turned down a two-year, $48MM extension from Golden State before last season began. Talks between the two sides went quiet leading up to free agency, which is always an ominous sign.
In 77 regular season games in ’23/24, Thompson averaged 17.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.3 APG on .432/.387/.927 shooting (29.7 MPG). He scored zero points and went 0-10 from the field as the No. 9 Warriors fell to the No. 10 Kings in the play-in tournament.
FA/Trade Rumors: Wings, Pistons, Pelicans, Valanciunas
The free agent wing market could be held up temporarily until Paul George, Klay Thompson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have agreed to new contracts, says Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
That outcome was always expected, with those three swingmen likely limiting other players’ options. Cap-room playoff teams like the Sixers and Magic reportedly have interest in both George and Caldwell-Pope, while the Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers are among Thompson’s suitors.
The Pistons are another team with significant cap room, but Fischer hears Detroit is more interested in taking on unwanted salaries in exchange for draft assets rather than pursuing marquee names like George.
Here are a couple more items of interest from Fischer:
- The Pelicans are trading for former All-Star Dejounte Murray, who has a 15% trade kicker. However, sources tell Fischer there’s a chance that Murray may not receive that full 15% for salary-matching and cap reasons, describing the situation as “open-ended.” New Orleans is also on the hunt for a starting center with Jonas Valanciunas an unrestricted free agent — the team was recently linked to Magic big man Wendell Carter.
- Speaking of Valanciunas, Fischer hears from sources who say the Lithuanian veteran is expected to draw interest from the Lakers and Wizards.
QO Updates: Cavaliers, Pistons, Christie, Watford
The Cavaliers have issued qualifying offers to young wings Isaac Okoro and Emoni Bates, which means they’re both heading for restricted free agency, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
The fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft, Okoro’s QO — essentially just a one-year contract offer that gives the team the right of first refusal — is worth approximately $11.83MM. Bates’ QO, meanwhile, is for another two-way contract; he spent his 2023/24 rookie campaign on a two-way deal with Cleveland.
The Pistons announced in a press release (via Twitter) that they have extended a qualifying offer to forward Simone Fontecchio, making him a restricted free agent as well. Detroit is considered likely to retain the Italian sharpshooter, whose QO is worth about $5.2MM after he met the “starter criteria” in March.
However, the Pistons have decided not to tender QOs to former first-round picks James Wiseman and Malachi Flynn, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links). Both Wiseman and Flynn will be heading for unrestricted free agency.
The second pick of the 2020 draft, Wiseman did not meet the starter criteria, so his QO would have been worth $7.7MM. Flynn’s QO was valued at $5.8MM.
The moves were expected, as clearing the cap holds for Wiseman and Flynn will allow Detroit to create a significant amount of cap room heading into the new league season. Teams can officially begin negotiating with external free agents on Sunday evening.
Here are a couple more players who are heading for restricted free agency:
- Lakers guard Max Christie was given a $2.3MM qualifying offer, Scotto reports (via Twitter). The 21-year-old has averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 37.8% from deep over his first two NBA seasons (108 games, 13.5 minutes per contest). Scotto hears Christie is expected to receive interest from rival suitors as a RFA.
- Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that the Nets plan to give Trendon Watford a QO before Saturday’s deadline (Twitter link). A former undrafted free agent who played college ball at LSU, Watford’s one-year QO is worth just over $2.7MM. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds on .527/.397/.794 shooting in 63 games last season for Brooklyn (13.6 minutes).
Clippers’ Russell Westbrook Exercising 2024/25 Player Option
Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook is exercising his 2024/25 player option to return to the Clippers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As our player option decisions tracker shows, Westbrook will earn just over $4MM next season. His contract is fully guaranteed. June 29 is the deadline for player options for the ’24/25 season.
The 35-year-old guard primarily came off the bench last season for Los Angeles, averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.1 SPG on .454/.273/.688 shooting in 68 regular season games (22.5 MPG). He struggled in the Clips’ first-round playoff loss to Dallas, averaging 6.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.2 SPG on .260/.235/.615 shooting in six games (19.0 MPG).
Either Westbrook was content to return to L.A. or he wasn’t confident he could exceed his $4MM option as an unrestricted free agent (or perhaps both). For what it’s worth, the veteran’s minimum for a player with Westbrook’s experience is projected to be just over $3.3MM in ’24/25.
A Long Beach native who played two years of college ball at UCLA, Westbrook is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, making nine All-Star and All-NBA teams over the course of his 16-year career. He has led the league in points per game twice, assists per game three times, won All-Star game MVP twice, and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021.
While he’s clearly past his peak, Westbrook still brings his trademark energy and tenacity every time he steps on the court.
Marc Stein reported last week that Westbrook exercising his option might not preclude the Clippers from exploring other options at backup point guard, with Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry among the names who have been linked to L.A.
Blazers Exercising 2024/25 Team Option On Dalano Banton
The Trail Blazers are exercising their 2024/25 team option on Dalano Banton, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
As our team option decision tracker shows, Banton is slated to make a $2,196,970 next season. However, that figure is non-guaranteed. Now that his option has been picked up, his deal is partially guaranteed for $217,533, with multiple trigger dates to follow.
A report back in April said Portland was expected to pick up its option on Banton’s contract, so the move doesn’t come as a surprise.
The 46th pick of the 2021 draft, Banton was traded to Portland from Boston in a salary-dump move ahead of the February deadline. In part due to injuries, Banton received extended playing time down the stretch of the ’23/24 season for the Blazers, averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.9 APG in 30 games, including eight starts (29.2 MPG).
While those counting stats are impressive, the 24-year-old struggled with scoring efficiency, posting a .408/.311/.780 shooting line over that span. That slash line is quite similar to his career mark (.409/.289/.729) — working to improve those percentages will be a key for Banton moving forward.
Still, obviously the Blazers were impressed enough with the 6’9″ guard to exercise their option on his deal. Despite being a former second-round pick, Banton has only played on standard contracts to this point in his career. The Toronto native spent his first two seasons with his hometown Raptors.