Nuggets Exercise 2024/25 Option On Peyton Watson
The Nuggets have exercised their third-year team option on Peyton Watson, a league source tells Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The move has no impact on Watson’s status for the upcoming season, but locks in his $2,413,560 salary for the 2024/25 season.
A 6’8″ wing who played one college season at UCLA, Watson was the final first-round pick (30th overall) in 2022. He appeared in 23 games (8.1 MPG) as a rookie for the Nuggets last season, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.6 RPG. He also made five brief playoff appearances during Denver’s championship run in ’22/23.
Watson, 21, played more extensively at the G League level, suiting up for 19 games with Denver’s affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
The Nuggets are high on Watson, who is an outstanding athlete with a lot of defensive upside. He could be a rotation player in year two, and multiple outlets have cited the young forward as a possible under-the-radar contributor for Denver in ’23/24.
Denver will have to decide whether or not to pick up Watson’s fourth-year option — worth $4,356,476 — next October. The Nuggets picked up Christian Braun‘s third-year option on Tuesday, as expected.
The full list of decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options can be found right here.
Suns’ Damion Lee Undergoes Right Knee Surgery
Suns guard/forward Damion Lee underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair the meniscus in his right knee, the team announced (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).
According to Phoenix, updates on Lee’s recovery timeline “will be provided as appropriate.”
Lee, who turns 31 next week, was injured at the Suns’ practice facility a couple weeks ago and ruled out indefinitely. The swingman re-signed with Phoenix as a free agent this summer, inking a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a player option.
In 2022/23, Lee averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.0 RPG on .442/.445/.904 shooting in 74 regular season contests (20.4 MPG) with the Suns. The six-year veteran has also played for the Hawks and Warriors, winning a championship with Golden State in ’21/22.
It’s a tough setback for Lee, but being on a guaranteed two-year contract likely means his spot on the roster is safe. The Suns are currently carrying 17 players on standard contracts, so they’re facing a roster crunch. Previous reports from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports indicated that Keon Johnson and Ish Wainright may be on the chopping block.
In other Suns injury news, Wainright continues to be hampered by a right calf strain and has been ruled out for Thursday’s preseason game against Portland. Jordan Goodwin, meanwhile, was a full practice participant on Wednesday and has been upgraded to probable vs. the Blazers (Twitter links via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). Goodwin has been battling right hamstring tightness.
NBA Says Its Data Doesn’t Support Load Management
NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says the league’s data no longer shows the benefits of load management, according to Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Vardon and Amick write, the term “load management” has become ubiquitous in recent years, but it generally refers to the practice of resting players — particularly stars — to theoretically reduce the risk of injury.
“Before, it was a given conclusion that the data showed that you had to rest players a certain amount, and that justified them sitting out,” said Dumars. “We’ve gotten more data, and it just doesn’t show that resting, sitting guys out correlates with lack of injuries, or fatigue, or anything like that. What it does show is maybe guys aren’t as efficient on the second night of a back-to-back.”
Dumars added players should be striving to play all 82 games on the regular season schedule.
“Obviously everybody’s not going to play 82 games, but everyone should want to play 82 games. And that’s the culture that we are trying to reestablish right now,” he said.
In September, the league instituted its new player participation policy, which will impact 49 players who have made All-Star or All-NBA teams over the past three seasons. Stars sitting out games when they were healthy, plus the extremely lackluster All-Star game in February, evidently reached a tipping point for the league.
“You get here by not addressing it,” Dumars said. “You get here by slippage, by just slowly – year after year after year…just slowly over time – you see all this slippage in missing of games during the regular season, the All-Star Game devolving into what it did this past year. And none of that happened just like after one year. And so at some point, you have to stop the slide. You have to address it.”
The NBA is also in the process of negotiating a new media rights deal — the current contract expires after 2024/25. Obviously marquee players missing nationally televised games has been an issue in negotiations, as was the poorly-rated All-Star game, which turned off fans and broadcast partners. Dumars admitted all of those things played a factor in the participation policy, which he said the NBPA agreed to.
“Yeah, yes … I can’t [lie],” Dumars said with a laugh, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s a part of it. To pretend it isn’t would just be dishonest.”
Evan Wasch, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, was also on the call and offered his opinion on the matter.
“I also think we don’t need our TV partners to tell us that when teams sit players and players don’t try in an All-Star Game,” Wasch said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “That makes for worse competition. Right? It’s incredibly obvious to us, and ultimately, we’re trying to serve fans. Yes, it’s the case that because we’re negotiating TV deals in the next year or two here, it takes on an even greater importance because we’re in the middle of those conversations; but we can self-identify that these were issues that need addressing independent of any outside.”
Dumars and Wasch said they’ve been meeting with teams ahead of the 2023/24 season to stress the importance of playing as many games as possible, creating a more competitive All-Star game, and promoting buy-in for the new in-season tournament.
Arrest Warrant, Criminal Summons Issued For Miles Bridges
8:40pm: The summons is for violating a domestic violence protective order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property, all of which allegedly occurred on Tuesday, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. A Hornets spokesperson responded to the reports by stating the team is “in the process of gathering more information.”
6:40pm: An arrest warrant and criminal summons have been issued for Hornets forward Miles Bridges, report Jessica Allen and Glenn Counts of wsoctv.com.
The warrant and summons are related to Bridges’ domestic violence case from last year. He was originally facing three felony charges, but last November entered a plea of no contest to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent. He received three years probation and no jail time as part of the plea deal.
Another stipulation of the agreement is that Bridges has to adhere to a 10-year criminal protective order for the victim, his former girlfriend, with whom he has multiple children. He was also ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and parenting classes in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.
The warrant dates back to January for violating the protective order, which stipulates that Bridges must stay 100-plus yards away from and have no communication with his ex-girlfriend. They’re currently in a custody battle, according to Allen and Counts.
The summons was issued Wednesday and involves a second violation of the protective order, with Bridges allegedly showing up at the woman’s residence and smashing her windshield.
To this point, the Mecklenberg County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina has been unable to serve the warrant, per Allen and Counts.
WSOC-TV reached out to Bridges’ attorneys and the Hornets for comment but have yet to hear back.
The 25-year-old was on the precipice of signing a massive contract in June 2022 when the abominable behavior he was accused of allegedly occurred in Los Angeles. These latest alleged incidents will be more strikes against Bridges as he attempts to resurrect his NBA career.
Bridges is ineligible to compete in preseason games and is suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023/24 season following an NBA investigation into the original domestic violence incident. He missed all of last season while his legal case played out, eventually signing his one-year, $7.92MM qualifying offer as a restricted free agent in July. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
Jazz Sign Devoe, Justice; Waive Kinsey, Ongenda
The Jazz have signed guard Michael Devoe and forward Keshawn Justice, the team announced in a press release. To create room on the 21-man offseason roster, Utah waived Taevion Kinsey and Nick Ongenda, both of whom were on training camp contracts.
While the terms of the agreements were not disclosed, it seems likely that Devoe and Justice signed Exhibit 10 deals and will eventually be waived and headed to the G League to play for the Jazz’s affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. In that scenario, both players could earn bonuses worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the Stars.
The Stars acquired Devoe’s returning player rights from the Rip City Remix (Portland’s new NBAGL affiliate) last month. The former Georgia Tech standout signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clippers last fall, was waived, and spent his first pro season playing for their affiliate, the Ontario Clippers.
Devoe had modest stats for Ontario (6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.8 minutes over 29 regular season games), but he had a strong Summer League showing for the Blazers, averaging 18.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals in just 23.9 minutes. Of course, that was a small sample size, as he only played four games.
Justice went undrafted in June after five seasons at Santa Clara. As a “super senior” in 2022/23, the 23-year-old averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds in 33 games for the Broncos (34.9 minutes). He played for the Jazz’s Summer League squad, averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in five games (23.4 minutes).
The Jazz’s roster remains at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, including 12 players on guaranteed standard deals. All three of Utah’s two-way slots are filled.
Hornets Waive Kai Jones
The Hornets have waived former first-round pick Kai Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team confirmed the news in a press release.
Jones had been away from the Hornets – with no timetable for a return – for personal reasons. The decision for him not to attend training camp was made after the 22-year-old made a series of unusual social media posts, calling out some of his teammates in a handful of tweets and videos.
The No. 19 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game across 67 total appearances in his first two professional seasons. He had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23.
A 6’11” big man from the Bahamas, Jones publicly requested a trade a couple days ago. The Hornets decided to release him instead, and they will be on the hook for his full $3,047,880 salary for 2023/24 if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Charlotte also declined its fourth-year team option on Jones — worth $4,693,735 — as part of the move.
Charlotte originally acquired Jones’ rights in a draft-night trade with the Knicks. The first-round pick the Hornets sent New York as part of that deal still hasn’t conveyed and will be lottery-protected in 2024 and 2025. If it hasn’t conveyed by then, it will turn into two second-round picks.
As our roster count shows, the Hornets now have 20 players under contract, with all three two-way slots filled.
It’s worth noting that the Hornets have three players — Edmond Sumner (Exhibit 9), Frank Ntilikina ($200K partial guarantee) and JT Thor — on non-guaranteed contracts, not counting their players on Exhibit 10 deals. The odds of all three players making the opening night roster likely increased now that Jones is out of the picture, since Charlotte only has 12 players on guaranteed standard deals.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Bridges, Magic, Hawks
The Hornets took a major step back in 2022/23, going 27-55 after finishing ’21/22 with a 43-39 record. However, there’s an “unmistakable aura” of optimism surrounding the team entering the ’23/24 season, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“Oh, definitely,” head coach Steve Clifford said. “But I think a big part of it is the veteran players, their attitude and the fact that they came back for all of September. They are in great shape, they’ve shown great leadership.
“I think having Miles (Bridges) back is part of it. I think the older players’ confidence and how Mark Williams and Nick Richards played at the end of last year is part of it. And they have a lot of confidence in Brandon (Miller) already. But, yeah, we are definitely in a good place.”
Here are a few more notes from the Southeast Division:
- As part of his suspension following a plea of no contest to felony domestic violence charges, Bridges will be ineligible to compete in preseason games, Boone writes for The Charlotte Observer. The Hornets forward, who missed all of last season while his legal case played out, will be suspended for the first 10 games of ’23/24.
- The Magic have plenty of depth at guard, with several players vying for regular playing time. Markelle Fultz, who started all 60 of his games last season at point guard, says the group has had a competitive yet supportive training camp, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “We’re all interchangeable and we can learn from each other,” Fultz said. “The main thing is competing while we’re out there on the floor but also supporting each other while we’re not. When the next guy is in, you cheer them on and learn from their mistakes and what he’s doing well.”
- The Hawks and Quin Snyder are still learning from each other in the head coach’s first training camp with the team, but veteran guard Patty Mills says things have gone well so far. The next step is transitioning from practices to preseason games, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). “I think that’s where we want to see the carry-over,” Mills said. “You know, we can do it perfectly in practice and at a slower pace, but you get game speed, game action, live looks in a real game and that’s where we want to see the carryover. So I think it comes at a perfect time with how we’re moving forward with a lot of the stuff. So bring on the games and let’s do what we’ve been practicing and doing such a great job of in an actual game.”
- In case you missed it, Hornets center Kai Jones has submitted a trade request. Details here.
Hornets’ Kai Jones Requests Trade
Hornets big man Kai Jones has submitted a trade request, he announced on social media (Twitter link).
Jones is indefinitely away from the Hornets — with no timetable for a return — due to personal reasons. That announcement came after the 22-year-old made a series of strange social media posts, including calling out some of his teammates.
A former first-round pick (19th overall in 2021), Jones has averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 total games with the Hornets (9.1 minutes per night). He has had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23.
Jones will earn a guaranteed $3.05MM this season after the Hornets picked up their third-year option on his rookie scale contract last fall. However, based on recent events and his limited role during his first two seasons, it’s looking extremely unlikely that they will pick up his $4.69MM option for 2024/25.
It’s hard to envision any type of trade market materializing for Jones’ services at this point. Charlotte waiving him outright seems more plausible, given his modest contributions and odd behavior.
He also may face a fine from the NBA for making a public trade request.
Bulls Notes: White, Williams, Caruso, Vucevic, Terry
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has publicly stated that the starting point guard position is up for grabs between Coby White, Jevon Carter and Ayo Dosunmu. However, in the team’s preseason opener against Milwaukee on Sunday, White got the starting nod and played well, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
White finished with 14 points (on 6-of-10 shooting), six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 23 minutes, Johnson notes. The seventh pick of the 2019 draft, White re-signed with the Bulls this summer as a restricted free agent, inking a three-year, $36MM+ deal.
As Johnson writes in another story for NBC Sports Chicago, White once again focused on ball-handling and decision-making this summer as he transitions from being a score-first combo guard to a lead guard, and Donovan has taken note of the improvement.
“I noticed this summer when I went out in June to see him. He physically looked different. The ball looked to be a little bit more on a string for him,” Donovan said after the game. “I think his confidence with the ball has really grown.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Forward Patrick Williams was the fifth starter alongside White, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, Johnson adds. Williams, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 23, was aggressive in looking for his shot, finishing with 13 points in 22 minutes, including going 3-of-6 from deep. Being consistently assertive is something the Bulls want to see from Williams, as is improving his rebounding; he only finished with two in the game, Johnson notes.
- Donovan plans to be cautious with Alex Caruso in 2023/24, particularly in the preseason, due to his all-out playing style, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The veteran swingman has been limited to 108 regular season games over his first two seasons with the Bulls. Caruso, who earned a first-team All-Defense nod in ’22/23, played just seven minutes against the Bucks.
- Despite having three offense-first All-Stars, the Bulls struggled to score last season, finishing 24th in offensive rating. One change they want to implement is running more actions through Vucevic to take advantage of his passing, according to Cowley. “The way our team is built, we need a change,” Vucevic said. “I think at times last year we got a little too predictable the way we were playing, and we became easy to guard. I think if we can throw different things at a defense, we’ll be tough to stop.”
- Dalen Terry didn’t play much as a rookie, appearing in 38 games for an average of 5.6 minutes per night. That’s part of the reason why he was trying so hard and became frustrated with his poor Summer League showing, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. While he might be on the outside looking in for minutes again entering year two, Terry says he’s going to trust his work ethic no matter what happens. “Last year, I was killing myself when it came down to [not getting playing time], but I didn’t trust my work,” he said. “If I have to be honest, I didn’t trust my work. When this season starts, and if I’m not in the rotation, OK, cool. Just keep going, keep working. It’s going to all turn out how you want it to turn out. That’s just how it’s gonna go.”
Pacific Notes: Beal, Suns, Kuminga, Reddish
The Suns made another blockbuster trade this offseason, acquiring three-time All-Star Bradley Beal from the Wizards. The 30-year-old guard has dealt with injuries the past couple seasons, appearing in just 90 of 164 regular season games.
In a Q&A with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link), Beal says he’s fully healthy entering 2023/24.
“In year 12, this is probably the best I’ve felt for sure in the last three to four years,” Beal told Rankin. “And that’s all a testament to being able to get back to my routine in the summer. Granted I’ve had injuries in the past couple of summers. I had the birth of my child. I had COVID one summer. It was all over the place.
“Now I have a legit clean slate. Crazy new environment. New threads. New everything and now I have a legit chance to work on my body, work on everything through the offseason to make sure I’m in the right place starting today. I feel amazing. My body is in a great spot. My mental is in a great spot. Like I said earlier, just the focus is in between the lines.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Unsurprisingly given his reputation, new Suns head coach Frank Vogel has placed a high emphasis on defense this season, Rankin writes in another subscriber-only story for The Arizona Republic. “Be a physical, defensive-minded team,” Beal said of Vogel’s training camp message. “That’s going to come first. We know what our abilities are on offense, but if we’re not willing to guard, defend and get in the stance and hold each other accountable at that end, we’re wasting our time.”
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga ahead of Golden State’s first preseason game against the Lakers, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “(Kuminga has had) a really good (week of) camp…He’s asking more questions,” Kerr said. “Really engaged. Pleased with the way he’s growing.” Kuminga had a strong performance in the game, Slater adds (via Twitter), notching 24 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 24 minutes.
- Lakers wing Cam Reddish, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with L.A. in free agency, exited the preseason opener against the Warriors with a right ankle sprain and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). The former lottery pick missed all four of his field goal attempts and was a team-worst minus-22 in 18 minutes in the Lakers’ loss.