Suns Re-Sign Deandre Ayton After Matching Pacers’ Offer Sheet
JULY 18: The Suns have officially re-signed Ayton, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets via a team press release.
“Deandre is a force at both ends of the floor, who has elevated his game every year and will continue to do so,” GM James Jones said in a statement. “DA is so important to what we do and without him we could not have reached our recent levels of success.”
JULY 14, 7:28pm: The Suns have indeed opted to match the Pacers’ offer sheet for Ayton, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Ayton’s four-year deal is fully guaranteed, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (YouTube video link).
As detailed below, Ayton is now ineligible to be traded until January 15, and will possess veto power over any trade after that until next July.
With the new Ayton deal on their books, the Suns are facing a projected $32MM tax penalty for the 2022/23 season, per Marks (via Twitter).
7:10pm: Ayton has now signed his offer sheet with the Pacers, starting the clock for the Suns to match, Woj reports (via Twitter).
2:54pm: The Suns haven’t shown any inclination to work out a sign-and-trade with Indiana for Ayton, but they are expected to match the offer sheet once Ayton signs it, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
2:02pm: The Pacers are signing restricted free agent Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $133MM offer sheet, his agents Nima Namakian and Bill Duffy tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Once Ayton inks the deal, the Suns will have 48 hours to match the largest offer sheet in league history, Wojnarowski adds. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that Phoenix technically has until 11:59pm ET on Saturday to match the deal.
Sign-and-trades are not permissible once an offer sheet has been signed, so a potential swap for Pacers center Myles Turner is off the table once Ayton signs the deal. As Marks notes, if the Suns match the offer sheet, Ayton will have the ability to veto any trade starting January 15, which is when he’d be trade-eligible. He also cannot be traded to Indiana for a year.
However, in a follow-up tweet, Marks says that because Ayton hasn’t put pen to paper yet, the Suns and Pacers have until midnight ET to work out a possible sign-and-trade that might be mutually beneficial. What Indiana might get out of that arrangement is unclear.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix reports (Twitter links) that Ayton’s agents had been waiting for the right moment when they thought the Suns wouldn’t match an offer. The Pacers have no interest in a sign-and-trade, according to Gambadoro, who says Indiana knows the Suns don’t want to give Ayton — or any other center — a max deal.
According to Wojnarowski, the Suns never made Ayton a formal offer in free agency. Ayton’s agents told the team they’d be able to find a max offer, and now the Pacers are putting the Suns to the test.
As Marks observes (via Twitter), the Pacers technically can’t sign Ayton without making moves to clear additional cap space. They need to clear another $4.7MM to reach Ayton’s first-year starting salary of $30.9MM in 2022/23, so more maneuvers are imminent.
Marks noted in a recent appearance on 107.5 The Fan that the Pacers have multiple pathways to clear the needed cap space, as James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star relayed. Once those moves are made, they cannot be reversed if Phoenix decides to match.
Ayton, who turns 24 on July 23, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft. In 58 games last season (29.5 MPG), the 6’11” center averaged 17.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG while shooting 63.4% from the floor and 74.6% from the line.
Ayton holds career averages of 16.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 236 regular season games (30.7 MPG). He was a key component of the Suns’ run to the NBA Finals in ’20/21, averaging 15.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 22 postseason games (36.4 MPG).
An excellent finisher around the basket with a soft touch, Ayton has developed into a very solid defensive player over the past couple of years, anchoring Phoenix’s third-ranked defense last season. However, some have been critical about his shortcomings, mainly that he doesn’t get to the free throw line much despite a muscular frame.
The Pacers have been repeatedly linked to Ayton over the past several weeks, and clearly that interest did not wane.
If the Suns match, they project to be a taxpaying team, something owner Robert Sarver has consistently avoided during his tenure. If they don’t, Myles Turner seems very likely to be headed out of Indiana.
It also complicates Phoenix’s pursuit of Kevin Durant, since the Suns will lose Ayton as a possible trade chip. Even if they match the offer, as was previously noted, Ayton can’t be traded until January 15 and can veto any deal for a full year.
Kings Sign Chima Moneke, Won’t Bring Over Sasha Vezenkov
JULY 18: The Kings have officially signed Moneke, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets.
JULY 15: The Kings are signing free agent forward Chima Moneke, sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (All Twitter links).
According to RealGM, Moneke started his college career with Northeast Community College prior to transferring to UC Davis. In 21 games (30 MPG) as a senior for the Aggies, he averaged 18.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .515/.375/.714 shooting.
After going undrafted in 2018, Moneke has played internationally for teams in France and Spain, first competing in the French LNB Pro B league before receiving a promotion to Orléans Loiret Basket of LNB Pro A, the top league in France, in 2020/21.
Last season he played for Baxi Manresa of Liga ACB, the top Spanish league, averaging 14.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.6 SPG on .521/.290/.735 shooting in 36 games (30 starts, 24.1 MPG). He was also named the MVP of the Basketball Champions League with Baxi Manresa in ’21/22.
As Cunningham details, Moneke has ties to the organization due to the Nigerian national team, which was led by head coach Mike Brown and also featured associate head coach Jordi Fernandez and assistant coach Luke Loucks. The 6’6″ forward should bring an infusion of defense and athleticism to Sacramento, Cunningham adds.
According to Cunningham’s sources, the Kings will not be bringing over Sasha Vezenkov for the upcoming season. Sacramento acquired Vezenkov’s rights in a draft-day swap with the Cavaliers. The Kings still might bring him over in the future, just not for 2022/23, Cunningham reports.
The terms of Moneke’s contract were not disclosed by Cunningham, but as our roster count tracker shows, the Kings only have 12 players on the standard 15-man roster at the moment, so he could be given a chance for one of those spots.
Keldon Johnson Signs Four-Year Extension With Spurs
JULY 18: The Spurs have officially announced Johnson’s new deal, issuing a press release to confirm the move.
JULY 15: Keldon Johnson is signing a four-year, $80MM extension with the Spurs, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Johnson was the 29th pick of the 2019 draft. As a former first-round pick entering his fourth season, he was eligible for a rookie scale extension, and he has agreed to a lucrative deal to remain with San Antonio.
Johnson spent most of his rookie season in the G League, but emerged as a potential building block during the team’s run in the Orlando bubble. He started to put things together nicely during his second season in 2020/21, showing glimpses of upside while averaging 12.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.8 APG on .479/.331/.740 shooting in 69 games (28.5 MPG).
The 22-year-old was one of San Antonio’s best players last season, appearing in 75 games (31.9 MPG) with averages of 17.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.1 APG on .466/.398/.756 shooting. Nicknamed “Big Body” for his strong frame and hard drives to the rim, Johnson showed improvement as an outside shooter in ’21/22, with his three-point percentage increasing by nearly seven percent.
The young small forward figures to see an increased role during the upcoming season after All-Star Dejounte Murray was traded to the Hawks for first-round picks.
For the sake of comparison, Johnson’s extension is in between what a couple of other small forwards received for their rookie extensions: OG Anunoby got $72MM over four years from the Raptors in 2020 (the last year being a player option), while Mikal Bridges received $90MM over four years from the Suns last summer. Johnson hasn’t been the defender that either of those two were through their third seasons, but he’s been a more productive offensive player — part of that is due to opportunity, but he’s still a talented player with plenty of room for improvement.
Johnson’s extension will kick in during the ’23/24 season. As our extension tracker shows, he is the first player to receive a rookie scale extension that isn’t a maximum-salary deal.
Trade Breakdown: Jerami Grant To Trail Blazers
This is the second in our series breaking down the major trades of the 2022 offseason. As opposed to giving out grades, this series will explore why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a pre-draft deal between the Trail Blazers and Pistons…
One of the most anticipated – and highly-rumored – trades of the offseason came to fruition when the Trail Blazers acquired Jerami Grant from the Pistons in exchange for Milwaukee’s 2025 first-rounder (top-four protected), a second-round pick swap (No. 46 for No. 36, used on draft-and-stash sharpshooter Gabriele Procida), and two future second-rounders (2025 and 2026).
Portland used its $21MM traded player exception (created by sending CJ McCollum to New Orleans) to accommodate Grant’s $20.96MM salary for 2022/23 without having to send any back. Grant is only under contract through next season, so he’s on an expiring deal.
There were rumors that the Trail Blazers might be willing to include their lottery pick (No. 7 overall, used to select Shaedon Sharpe) in a package for Grant, but that never made sense for a number of different reasons. Grant is a good player, no doubt, but he’s 28 years old, has never been an All-Star and only has one year left on his deal – I’m not trying to imply Grant can’t improve, but one year of team control vs. a mid-lottery pick with four years of control at a friendlier rate isn’t a particularly hard choice, especially since the latter has up to nine years of potential control due to restricted free agency.
So why did Portland deal away a future first-round pick, a second-round pick swap and two future seconds for Grant?
The Trail Blazers have been looking for forwards with good size and versatility to complement star Damian Lillard for several years. They’ve gone through several iterations of forwards since Lillard entered the league in 2012, with perhaps the most successful duo being Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless, two defensive-minded players who started when the team made the Western Conference Finals in 2019 (that’s not to say they were the “best,” but the team had the most success that season).
Like McCollum, Lillard is a below-average defensive player. Those limitations on defense made their on-court fit questionable, despite their good relationship and stellar offensive contributions. The Trail Blazers still have question marks at the second guard spot, as Anfernee Simons — who re-signed with the team for $100MM over four years as a restricted free agent — is also a defensive liability.
The club did add Gary Payton II in free agency for backcourt depth, and he’s one of the league’s top perimeter defenders. The Blazers also got Josh Hart in the McCollum trade, another solid defender and good rebounder, though he could start next season at small forward.
Which brings us back to Grant, who has proven to be a player capable of contributing on both ends of the court. He was a high-level “3-and-D” role player for the Thunder and Nuggets before signing a three-year, $60MM contract with Detroit, where he showed he was capable of packing more of an offensive punch.
Across two seasons with the Pistons from 2020-22, Grant averaged 20.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.1 BPG on .428/.353/.842 shooting in 101 games (33 MPG). While his field goal percentage wasn’t the greatest, keep in mind that he was Detroit’s leading scorer during his tenure, and got to the line (6.0 attempts per game) and converted his free throws at a good clip.
Admittedly, the fact that Grant averaged over 20+ PPG the past couple of seasons is less impressive considering the team struggled mightily during that time. He’s also not a great passer, but likely won’t be asked to do that much for Portland.
Having said that, if you actually watched him play for the Pistons, you would have seen that Grant was a three-level scorer who can create his own shot against a variety of defenses and did so with league-average efficiency (55.6% true shooting percentage). That’s no easy task when opposing teams have scouting reports specifically designed to prevent you from scoring.
The last time Lillard played with a 20-point scorer in the frontcourt was from 2012-15 (Lillard’s first three seasons) with LaMarcus Aldridge, but that was short-lived – Aldridge left for San Antonio in free agency in July of 2015. Grant likely won’t average 20+ PPG for Portland, but the fact that he’s talented enough to do so is a nice bonus.
Prior to his offensive emergence with Detroit, Grant was known as a highly versatile defensive player, capable of switching across multiple positions. He’s athletic, slides his feet well, and uses his length to deter shots. He was the Nuggets’ primary wing defender during the team’s run to the Conference Finals in 2020, frequently guarding LeBron James.
Grant is still more than capable of contributing on that end — he just wasn’t as focused on it the past couple of seasons. His primary weakness on the defensive end is that he’s a below-average rebounder, with a career mark of just 3.9 RPG in 26.0 MPG.
It’s also worth noting that Lillard and Grant have experience playing together, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last Summer with Team USA. Lillard was effusive in his praise of the move a couple of weeks ago.
“I loved it. That was like the No. 1 thing I wanted to get done,” he said. “Jerami has been on winning teams in OKC and Denver. He brings something to the game that we haven’t had at that position.”
Lillard also recently signed a two-year extension with the Blazers, keeping him with the only franchise he’s ever known for the foreseeable future.
If Grant is such a solid two-way player, why did the Pistons deal him away?
Well, for starters, since Grant is 28 years old and in the midst of his prime, he fits much better on a team trying to make the playoffs again next season like the Blazers than he does with a team full of players on their rookie contracts.
As previously mentioned, Grant only has one year left on his deal, and does it really make sense for the Pistons to pay him when he’s going to be looking for a long-term contract at a higher rate than his current deal? No, not really.
Would there be benefits of keeping around a good veteran player? Sure. Part of the reason Grant signed with Detroit is because he had a good relationship with GM Troy Weaver during their time together in Oklahoma City, plus he was drawn by a bigger offensive role and the chance to play for an organization led by an African American coach (Dwane Casey) and GM.
However, having a player who is too good to not start impeding the minutes and development of your young players can be an awkward fit, particularly for a team focused on the future like Detroit. Grant was a desirable player for a number of teams, and he had good value, as evidenced by Detroit’s return package.
The Pistons later flipped the Bucks’ first-rounder in a draft-day deal with the Knicks to land the draft rights to Jalen Duren, the No. 13 pick, and Kemba Walker‘s expiring contract. At 18 years old, Duren is one of the youngest players in the draft class and is considered a rim-running center with a good amount of upside, particularly on defense. Walker is unlikely to play a game for Detroit, as he’s reportedly being bought out in order to become a free agent.
So in the end, the Pistons acquired a late-lottery pick in Duren, upgraded the No. 46 pick to No. 36, got a couple of future second-rounders, and freed up some cap space in exchange for a good player on an expiring deal who wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans. All in all, a very solid piece of business for Weaver.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Signs Two-Year Extension With Nuggets
JULY 16: Caldwell-Pope’s extension is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
JULY 13: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is signing a two-year, $30MM extension with the Nuggets, with the second year being a player option, his agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Caldwell-Pope was eligible for an extension despite recently being traded to Denver as long as the total length of the new contract did not exceed two years and the salary increase did not exceed 5%. He was on an expiring deal worth $14MM in 2022/23, so the extension will keep him under contract for at least one more season.
Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith were sent to the Nuggets from the Wizards in exchange for Monte Morris and Will Barton. Mike Singer of The Denver Post reported at the time of the deal that Denver had been targeting Caldwell-Pope for some time and had interest in retaining him beyond next season, which is now coming to fruition.
Singer notes (via Twitter) that the Nuggets had no intention of trading away two starters from last season unless the team was confident it could sign Caldwell-Pope to an extension.
Caldwell-Pope, known colloquially as KCP, had a solid first season with Washington in ’21/22, averaging 13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.1 SPG on .435/.390/.890 shooting. The Nuggets reportedly value his championship experience and solid defense.
The 29-year-old shooting guard was the Lakers’ third-best player when they won the title in 2020 and has become a much more reliable outside shooter in recent years. At 6’5″, he’s capable of defending both guard positions and is also an active off-ball cutter, which should pair well with the incredible vision and passing of Nikola Jokic.
KCP’s skill set is always in-demand in the NBA because he doesn’t need the ball to be effective on offense and is a pretty good defender. The Nuggets, in particular, are always looking for role players in that mold to complement their stars, but he’d be a decent fit on most teams.
The Nuggets now project to have their entire starting lineup under contract through at least ’23/24. With the impending returns of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, plus the back-to-back MVP in Jokic, Denver has championship aspirations for the upcoming season.
Lakers Notes: Reaves, Pippen Jr., Buss, Impatience
Lakers guard Austin Reaves earned a spot on the 15-man roster prior to training camp and became a rotation regular as a rookie, accomplishing two of his goals last season. However, the team fell woefully short of his third goal, which was winning a championship.
“Individually, I think it went about as good as it could have gone for me,” Reaves told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Doing all those things was special. And as a team, I mean, to say the least, it sucked, to be honest. We had high expectations for ourselves and felt like we just couldn’t piece it together throughout the year.
“For me, the main goal is always to win, so it sucked in that aspect.”
After going undrafted out of Oklahoma, Reaves signed a two-way contract with the Lakers and was later promoted to a standard deal, although his salary for 2022/23 is non-guaranteed. As Buha details, Reaves has been diligent in his offseason approach, focused on improving his outside shot and getting stronger to avoid a second-year slump — he has bulked up to 209 pounds with weight training, up from 197 last season.
“It’s my big focus,” Reaves said. “I go in there with a good attitude every day, and whatever they tell me to do, I do. Just putting my body in the best position so the rookie wall or whatever, it doesn’t hit you like that. And you can more push through it because you’re in better shape and better conditioning.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Undrafted rookie Scotty Pippen Jr., son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, is trying to forge his own path in the league, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. The younger Pippen was signed to a two-way deal after the draft and his father recently came to watch him play in Summer League. “I think just having my dad supporting me is kinda just like a full-circle moment, I think especially for him seeing his son make it,” he said. “But I think it’s a dream come true. I’ve dreamt of this moment.”
- In a lengthy Q&A with Mark Medina of NBA.com, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was asked whether she expected a major deal to happen this offseason, to which she replied, “Nothing would surprise me. We’re not making change for the sake of change. It has to be good, basketball decisions that help us now and doesn’t compromise our ability to deal in the future.
- On ESPN’s First Take on Friday (video link), Brian Windhorst interpreted Buss’ quote as meaning she might not have faith in the current roster, with the key aspect being the last line about not compromising the team’s ability to make future moves. As currently constructed, in an optimistic scenario, Windhorst thinks the team might win 45 games in ’22/23 and make the play-in tournament.
- With LeBron James eligible for an extension at the beginning of next month, a rival executive thinks the Lakers are getting antsy to secure his long-term commitment to the franchise, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “They’re eager to do something,” the Western Conference executive said. “The team they have is just not good enough right now. Everyone there wants to see a resolution to the (Russell) Westbrook situation. They want to see about Kyrie (Irving). They want to get what they can from Indiana once they start selling off pieces, whether it is Buddy Hield or Myles Turner or both. So there is some major impatience, and they are looking at LeBron maybe getting an extension next month and they want to have everything in place. Well, nothing’s in place yet.”
- In case you missed it, Westbrook parted ways with his longtime agent earlier today.
Russell Westbrook, Agent Part Ways
10:38pm: Multiple sources tell Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that Westbrook has never asked the Lakers to trade him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t prefer a new destination, as Foucher implied, or that he has a choice in the matter, because the Lakers might want to move him either way.
10:00pm: Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will be looking for new representation, as his longtime agent Thad Foucher tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the pair have parted ways due to “irreconcilable differences.”
According to Wojnarowski, Foucher has represented Westbrook since he turned pro and was the No. 4 pick of the 2008 draft. Foucher said the two have a difference of opinion on the approach to take going forward.
“Now, with a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout.
“My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell’s value and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that (head coach) Darvin Ham publicly offered. Russell is a first-ballot Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player and will prove that again before he is retired.
“Unfortunately, irreconcilable differences exist as to his best pathway forward and we are no longer working together. I wish Russell and his family the very best,” Foucher said as part of a larger statement.
Westbrook has been the subject of frequent trade rumors in his rocky tenure with the Lakers, and based on Foucher’s statement, it sounds like the former MVP might be ready for a new team, but obviously Foucher thought it was best to remain in L.A. to try and rebuild his value.
The 33-year-old appeared in 78 games (34.3 MPG) with the Lakers in 2021/22, averaging 18.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 7.1 APG on .444/.298/.667 shooting. He was heavily scrutinized by the media and fans due to his shot selection, poor defense and lack of accountability, as he blamed former coach Frank Vogel for some of his issues.
Stein’s Latest: Mitchell, Knicks, Sixers, Lakers, Beverley
New York’s impending pursuit of Jalen Brunson became obvious once a Knicks contingent led by Julius Randle, William Wesley and Allan Houston was spotted at Game 1 of the first-round series between the Mavericks and Jazz. However, as Marc Stein writes in his lastest article for Substack, it’s clear now that New York had designs on pursuing Donovan Mitchell as well as Brunson.
Recent reports from Tony Jones of The Athletic and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune indicate that the Jazz are looking for six first-round picks and young players in exchange for Mitchell, but the Knicks balked at that asking price. According to Stein, even if the Knicks have more draft picks to offer at the moment, they should be “careful not to underestimate” the Heat and Nets as potential Mitchell suitors.
Under president Leon Rose, the Knicks have unsuccessfully pursued other star players, which is why it’s so important to the incumbent regime to land a player of Mitchell’s stature, Stein says.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Mitchell has multiple ties to the Knicks, Stein adds. Mitchell is “very close” with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, who was an assistant with the Jazz for several seasons and recently had multiple interviews for Utah’s head coaching job. He’s also friends with Brunson due to their shared connection with Eric Paschall, who is Mitchell’s closest friend in the NBA and was college teammates with Brunson at Villanova, per Stein.
- Like the Knicks’ pursuit of Brunson, the Sixers are likely to face a tampering investigation due to the signing of P.J. Tucker, according to Stein, who reported four days before free agency opened that several rival teams were convinced that Tucker would land with Philadelphia. Stein and others had linked Tucker to the Sixers even before the draft, a week before free agency opened, and Stein notes that Tucker’s agent informed Shams Charania of The Athletic that he was heading to Philly a minute after free agency opened.
- It has been rumored that the Lakers might be interested in Jazz guard Patrick Beverley, but a source tells Stein that L.A. has no plans to deal Talen Horton-Tucker for the veteran. The Lakers have been prioritizing speed and youth in the offseason, so swapping a 21-year-old for a 34-year-old would detract from that, Stein notes. Horton-Tucker had been floated as a possibility because the Lakers don’t have any other mid-size contracts for salary-matching purposes — he’ll make $10.26MM in 2022/23, while Beverley will earn $13MM.
Heat Sign Jamal Cain To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Heat have signed undrafted rookie Jamal Cain, the team announced. According to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Cain received an Exhibit 10 contract.
Cain spent four seasons with Marquette, averaging 5.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 18.3 MPG across 120 games (31 starts). After graduating, he transferred to Oakland University, where he had a breakout season in 2021/22.
The 6’7″ forward averaged 19.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 1.8 SPG on .499/.298/.841 shooting in 30 games (35 MPG) for Oakland, earning first-team All-Horizon honors and Horizon League Player of the Year. He’s appeared in three total games with the Heat’s Summer League squad, averaging 7.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG.
As Jackson and Chiang detail, Cain had to isolate for six days in a San Francisco hotel after contracting COVID-19, causing him to miss some Summer League action. He said the Heat “like how I can guard multiple positions, the way I can defend, the way I can rebound, the way I can kind of be all over the floor. Just play to my strengths, trying to be athletic on the rim, trying to take advantage of mismatches and stuff like that.”
Cain has also spoken to Kendrick Nunn, a former Heat guard and Oakland University product, about his experience with Miami and what it takes to be successful there, per Jackson and Chiang.
While Cain is probably a long shot to earn a spot on Miami’s 15-man regular season roster, an Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins. It also makes a player eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived before the season and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.
Thunder First-Rounder Ousmane Dieng Suffers Wrist Injury
Ousmane Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick of last month’s draft, has suffered a “slight chip fracture” in his right wrist, the Thunder announced (via Twitter).
The 19-year-old French forward will miss the rest of Summer League action, but he should be healed and ready to go by training camp, per the team.
Dieng was the first top European prospect to take advantage of the National Basketball League’s Next Stars program. He spent the 2021/22 season with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s NBL, averaging 8.9 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 23 games (20.3 MPG) against professional competition.
The Thunder sent three protected future first-round picks to the Knicks in order to land the No. 11 pick and select Dieng on draft night.
Second-year guard Tre Mann will also miss Friday’s contest against Golden State due to a sprained left ankle, Oklahoma City said. The No. 18 pick of last year’s draft, Mann appeared in 60 games (26 starts, 22.8 MPG) as a rookie for the Thunder in ’21/22, with averages of 10.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.7 APG on .393/.360/.793 shooting.