Bulls Re-Sign Coby White To Three-Year Deal
July 7: White’s deal is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.
June 30: Restricted free agent guard Coby White is re-signing with the Bulls, agreeing to a three-year, $33MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) the deal is worth $40MM, with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago clarifying (Twitter link) that it could “potentially” be worth $40MM. That implies there will be incentives in the contract that could increase the value.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that White was likely to return to Chicago on a three-year deal worth north of $30MM. Chicago made White a restricted free agent on Wednesday by extending him a $7,744,600 qualifying offer.
White is entering his fifth NBA season after being drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in 2019. He appeared in 74 games (two starts) last season, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.7 APG with a .443/.372/.871 shooting line in 23.4 MPG.
Several of those counting stats from ’22/23 represented career lows for White. However, he’s only 23 years old and improved in key developmental areas last season, including defense, ball-handling, decision-making and passing.
White figures to receive regular minutes again in ’23/24 with Lonzo Ball‘s status very much up in the air. Ball unfortunately had a third knee surgery that may sideline him all of next season — if not indefinitely.
Jock Landale To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Suns have decided to withdraw their qualifying offer to Jock Landale, making the center an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links).
As Fischer explains, the Suns plan to target minimum-salaried players for backup center minutes behind Deandre Ayton. Landale’s QO was $2,219,706, which is slightly above the projected minimum.
Withdrawing the qualifying offer means Phoenix will lose the right of first refusal, so the Suns will be unable to match a contract offer for Landale and he is free to sign with any team. Still, it’s worth noting that the Suns will keep his Early Bird rights if other plans fall through, notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (via Twitter).
Landale previously expressed interest in signing a long-term contract with Phoenix, effusively praising the city, fans and the organization. Fischer reported earlier today that the Suns planned to re-sign the 27-year-old, but obviously there was a change of plans.
The Australian becomes one of the more interesting backup options in a market that isn’t exactly flush with quality big men. He averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 69 regular season games with the Suns (14.2 MPG), and played quite well in the team’s second-round playoff loss to the Nuggets, who went on to win their first championship.
Wolves Expected To Guarantee Jordan McLaughlin’s Contract
The Timberwolves are expected to guarantee Jordan McLaughlin‘s salary for 2023/24, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North.
Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has heard similarly from a league source (Twitter link).
The veteran point guard’s $2.32MM contract was fully non-guaranteed, but it certainly sounds like the Wolves will keep him around. As our list of early salary guarantee dates shows, we’re still waiting on decisions for several other players who have a Friday deadline for their contracts to become guaranteed.
McLaughlin, 27, had a strong showing in the 2021/22 playoffs, but suffered a significant calf injury that limited him for much of last season. He ultimately appeared in 43 games off the bench, averaging 3.7 PPG and 3.4 APG on .421/.308/.833 shooting in 15.8 MPG.
Known as a player who takes excellent care of the ball, McLaughlin has spent all four of his NBA seasons with Minnesota. According to Hine, both sides are hopeful McLaughlin will have a bounce-back ’23/24 season with better health.
McLaughlin is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2024.
Lakers Waive Shaquille Harrison
The Lakers have waived Shaquille Harrison, the team announced (via Twitter).
Harrison’s $2,413,304 salary for 2023/24 was non-guaranteed, so the move creates some cap space and roster flexibility ahead of free agency.
The veteran guard spent most of the ’22/23 season in the G League for the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s affiliate, earning a spot on the NBAGL All-Defensive Team. He signed a 10-day deal with the Blazers at the end of the season before signing with the Lakers for the playoffs.
Harrison didn’t appear in any regular season games for the Lakers, but did play 28 minutes over eight playoff games. The 29-year-old defensive stalwart will hit unrestricted free agency in a couple days assuming he clears the waiver wire.
Pelicans Decline Options On Jones, Hernangomez; Will Make Hayes UFA
The Pelicans are declining their team options on Herbert Jones and Willy Hernangomez and opted against issuing a qualifying offer to Jaxson Hayes, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter) and Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
Declining Jones’ $1.84MM option makes him a restricted free agent and the two sides plan to discuss a long-term contract, per Charania. The move is a little odd though, because he would have been a restricted free agent in 2024 even if the Pelicans had picked up the option.
Since he just finished his second season, New Orleans will only have Jones’ Early Bird rights, so he’ll be an Arenas provision restricted free agent, the same as Lakers guard Austin Reaves. It seems likely that the Pelicans have a good sense of what he might sign for by going this route, though they’ll be limited in what they can offer him outright.
Jones has made a major impact for the Pelicans after being selected 35th overall two years ago, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.6 SPG on .473/.336/.802 shooting in 144 games (135 starts, 29.8 MPG). He’s a top-tier defender, earning All-Defensive votes as a rookie.
Unlike Jones, Hernangomez and Hayes are headed for unrestricted free agency. Both centers were reserves in ’22/23, receiving situational minutes but not much more.
Hernangomez, 29, just completed his seventh season, having made previous stops with the Knicks and Hornets. He averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 38 games last season (12.1 MPG) and is reportedly a positive locker room presence.
Hayes, meanwhile, has mostly disappointed after being picked eighth overall in 2019, averaging just 5.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 47 games (13.0 MPG) in ’22/23. He’s still only 23, is a strong athlete, and there are a dearth of big men on the market, so he could be a buy-low candidate in free agency.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Timberwolves have decided against issuing a qualifying offer to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, making the former first-round pick an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
However, according to Scotto, the Wolves are still hopeful Alexander-Walker is open to reunion after they acquired him in February via trade. Minnesota could have made him a restricted free agent and had the right of first refusal had the team extended the $7,073,602 QO, but instead he’ll hit the open market.
The 17th pick of the 2019 draft, Alexander-Walker spent his first two-plus seasons with the Pelicans before being moved at the 2022 trade deadline. He was technically a Trail Blazer for one day before being re-routed to Utah, where he spent a year prior to being sent to Minnesota four months ago.
In 59 games (15.0 MPG) with the Jazz and Wolves in 2022/23, Alexander-Walker averaged 5.9 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.7 RPG on .444/.384/.667 shooting. He also chipped in 8.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.4 APG on .429/.400/.667 shooting in five playoff games (29.6 MPG).
While those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, he made major strides defensively last season, playing a critical role down the stretch for the Wolves as a perimeter stopper. That role increased due to late-season injuries to key rotation players like Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and to a lesser extent Kyle Anderson, who sustained an eye injury in Minnesota’s first-round loss to the Nuggets.
Still just 24 years old, the Canadian guard/forward will be an interesting player to monitor when free agency kicks off tomorrow. Alexander-Walker should have plenty of suitors given his blend of skills, particularly defensively.
Lakers To Decline Malik Beasley’s Team Option
In addition to waiving Mohamed Bamba before his salary became guaranteed, the Lakers also won’t exercise their team option on Malik Beasley for 2023/24, making him an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
However, a reunion could still be in the works. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Lakers will retain Beasley’s Bird rights, and McMenamin reports that the Lakers plan to keep in touch with both players, with new contracts a possibility. Los Angeles will lose Bamba’s Bird rights after waiving him.
As our team option tracker shows, Beasley’s option was worth $16,524,106. He didn’t play up to that type of contract in ’22/23, so it’s not a surprise that it will be declined, though there was some thought that it might be exercised in order to explore sign-and-trade scenarios.
A long-range shooting specialist who holds a career mark of 37.8% from deep, Beasley shot just 35.7% last season, including 35.3% with the Lakers. He was acquired from Utah at the trade deadline in the deal involving Russell Westbrook.
Overall, the 26-year-old appeared in 81 games last season, including 27 starts (25.8 MPG). The Lakers had hoped he would provide an offensive jolt, but his numbers declined with L.A. and he was a non-factor in the postseason, appearing in 11 games while shooting 26.9% from three in 8.3 MPG.
While Beasley is an extremely streaky shooter who doesn’t bring a whole lot else to the table, he did shoot 38.9% from beyond the arc in 252 games from 2018-2022. That, combined with his age, should make him a popular target in free agency.
Knicks Exercising Team Option On Miles McBride
The Knicks are exercising their $1.84MM team option on Miles McBride for 2023/24, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 36th pick of the 2021 draft after two years at West Virginia, McBride just finished his second NBA season, both with the Knicks. The 22-year-old point guard had a limited role in ’22/23, averaging 3.5 PPG on .358/.299/.667 shooting in 64 games (11.9 MPG).
However, McBride is an excellent defensive player who makes a real difference on that end of the court, so it’s not surprising that his minimum-salary option was exercised. As our team option tracker shows, the Knicks previously declined their option on Derrick Rose‘s contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Celtics Notes: Bates-Diop, Green, Azubuike, Madar, G. Williams
Keita Bates-Diop and Javonte Green could be a couple of relatively low-cost options for the Celtics in free agency, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
Bates-Diop posted career highs in several categories with San Antonio in 2022/23, including points (9.7), assists (1.5), three-point percentage (39.4%), free throw percentage (79.3%), games played (67), starts (42) and minutes per game (21.7).
However, a league source tells Deveney that the Spurs might just re-sign Bates-Diop or possibly look to sign-and-trade the 27-year-old combo forward.
As for Green, he started his NBA career with the Celtics and “would welcome” a return to Boston, a source tells Deveney.
Although he’s undersized for a forward at 6’4″, Green is an explosive athlete and a tenacious defender. He played well for the Bulls the past few seasons, but unfortunately he struggled to return from knee surgery during ’22/23, which leaves his future up in the air.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Free agent center Udoka Azubuike, a former first-round pick who spent the past three seasons with the Jazz, will be suiting up for Boston’s summer league squad, a team source tells Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Azubuike dealt with major ankle injuries during his tenure with Utah, but Weiss believes he could be a candidate for a two-way deal if he can improve in a couple areas.
- Draft-and-stash prospect Yam Madar, an Israeli guard who has been playing overseas since he was a second-round pick in 2020, could be another option for a two-way contract, multiple league sources tell Weiss.
- The Celtics are still actively involved in trade talks to improve their roster, Weiss adds.
- A rival front office executive is skeptical Grant Williams will get more than the full mid-level exception in free agency, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “There are definitely teams that like him, but I think no matter how it plays out and where he winds up, he’s probably going to come in for about mid-level exception money, around $12 million a year,” the executive said. “I don’t think he’s a cap-room offer — a guy you use room under the cap to sign. He’s more of an exception slot guy. I’m not sure you want to burn cap room on Grant Williams.” The Celtics recently issued Williams a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, but it will be tricky to keep him around if they want to avoid the second tax apron after trading for Kristaps Porzingis. Still, Williams recently said he was open to returning — assuming it works out financially for both sides.
Pelicans To Exercise Team Option On Naji Marshall
The Pelicans plan to exercise their $1.93MM team option on Naji Marshall, keeping him on the roster for 2023/24, reports Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Marshall went undrafted in 2020 out of Xavier, originally signing a two-way contract with the Pelicans that was later converted into a standard deal. A hard-nosed defensive player, the 25-year-old small forward was rotation regular in his third season in ’22/23, averaging 9.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.5 APG on .433/.303/.789 shooting in 77 games (21 starts, 23.3 MPG).
Once his option is officially picked up, Marshall will be on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024. We’re still awaiting team option decisions on center Willy Hernangomez and guard/forward Herbert Jones, as our tracker shows.