Pistons To Decline Evan Fournier’s Team Option
The Pistons will not pick up guard Evan Fournier‘s team option for next season worth $19MM, according to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). The deadline to make a decision on Fournier’s option was Saturday.
This was an expected move, since Detroit will operate under the cap, meaning declining the option frees up $19MM in room. The Pistons acquired Fournier at the 2023/24 trade deadline from the Knicks alongside Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Fournier averaged 7.2 points in 29 games with the Pistons after the deadline after playing sparingly for the Knicks over the past two seasons. A skilled three-point shooter, the 31-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent and could help out a playoff team on a small salary.
Fournier had the most productive stint of his career with the Magic, where he averaged 16.2 PPG across 435 games with the franchise. For his career, Fournier has averaged 13.6 PPG on a 37.4% three-point clip (5.2 attempts per game).
Spurs, Devonte’ Graham Move Back Contract Guarantee Date
The Spurs and guard Devonte’ Graham are moving back his contract guarantee date to July 8, according to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez (Twitter link).
Graham’s contract is already partially guaranteed for $2.85MM for next season, but it was set to increase to $12.65MM by July 1. Now, the Spurs have an extra week to mull over options for Graham, including potential trades.
The Spurs acquired Graham in 2023 from New Orleans in a move that also involved Josh Richardson going to the Pelicans.
In one-and-a-half seasons with the Spurs, Graham has averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game and has shot 33.8% from beyond the arc. The 34th overall pick in the 2018 draft began his career with the Hornets, playing modest minutes in his first season before breaking out and averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists in 2019/20, finishing fifth in Most Improved Player voting.
However, his production has gradually declined since that season. At 29 years old and a career 35.4% shooter from beyond the arc, Graham could provide value to prospective playoff teams, but likely not on his current contract. In 336 career games (171 starts), Graham holds career averages of 11.1 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Nuggets To Sign Gabe McGlothan To Exhibit 10 Deal
Undrafted Grand Canyon forward Gabe McGlothan is signing with the Nuggets on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
As Charania notes, McGlothan helped Grand Canyon to a victory in the NCAA Tournament this year and went on to win the collegiate slam dunk contest. McGlothan averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023/24 while shooting 47.7% from the field and 39.8% from beyond the arc.
McGlothan spent his freshman season at Southeast Missouri State in 2018/19 before transferring to Grand Canyon and spending the subsequent five seasons there (redshirted in ’19/20). In 156 collegiate appearances (111 starts), McGlothan averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.
After not owning a second round pick, the Nuggets have been proactive in adding undrafted talent to their roster. They reportedly agreed to two-way contracts with Creighton’s Trey Alexander and PJ Hall last night, as well as reportedly lining up Exhibit 10 deals with Auburn’s Jaylin Williams and Maryland’s Jahmir Young.
Hornets Decline Team Option For JT Thor
The Hornets have declined their team option for 2024/25 on forward JT Thor, the team announced (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $1,988,598.
Thor, the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft, is eligible to receive a qualifying offer since he has just three years of NBA experience, but the Hornets indicated that he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Still only 21 years old, Thor never emerged as a reliable rotation piece in Charlotte through the first three seasons of his career. He appeared in 69 games and made eight starts in 2022/23 but averaged just 14.0 minutes, 3.8 points, and 2.2 rebounds per contest. One of the more productive stretches of Thor’s career came in the final 12 games of the ’22/23 season, when he averaged 9.6 PPG and 3.9 RPG while making 40.0% of his threes.
Thor played one collegiate season at Auburn, showing impressive instincts on both sides of the ball that saw him gradually climb up 2021 draft boards.
In all, Thor averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 165 appearances with the Hornets.
Wizards, Landry Shamet Pushing Back Salary Guarantee Date
The Wizards and guard Landry Shamet have agreed to push back Shamet’s $11MM guarantee date to July 13, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Shamet’s salary for 2024/25 would’ve become fully guaranteed on Saturday, June 29 if not for the new agreement.
Pushing back Shamet’s salary guarantee deadline allows for the Wizards to explore their options for the sharpshooting guard for next season. According to Wojnarowski, the team is expected to explore trade scenarios for Shamet, though he could end up staying in D.C.
A previous report indicated that Shamet has received exploratory trade interest from some teams around the league, with the the Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Jazz, Raptors, and Magic named a possible suitors. That report stated that Washington is leaning toward guaranteeing Shamet’s salary if no deal materializes. He also has a team option worth $11.75MM in 2025/26.
Washington originally acquired Shamet alongside Chris Paul in the 2023 trade that sent Bradley Beal to Phoenix and allowed the Wizards to trade up to select Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards then flipped Paul to Golden State for Jordan Poole.
In his first season in Washington, Shamet averaged 7.1 points per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc in 46 games (five starts). He’s a career 38.4% shooter from deep and has averaged 8.7 PPG through 348 career games.
And-Ones: Role Players, Extension Candidates, Team Tiers, SLC Summer League
Derrick White was a home-run addition for the Celtics back in 2022. After he was acquired for a modest package from the Spurs, White established himself as one of the best defenders in the league and played a crucial role in Boston’s title run. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer takes a look at 10 other role players league-wide who could follow in White’s footsteps and play important parts on title contenders down the line.
O’Connor breaks the 10 players down into three categories. Hidden gems are players who had some success in their careers but were willing to tweak their games to help their teams win, like White and Denver’s Bruce Brown last year. Reinventable talents are players like Kristaps Porzingis or Aaron Gordon who were lottery talents who were best able to showcase their skills in downsized roles. Lastly, proven veterans like Jrue Holiday and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, guys who have title game experience, are crucial to success.
Collin Sexton, Ayo Dosunmu, Deni Avdija, Day’Ron Sharpe and Luke Kennard make up O’Connor’s hidden gems category; Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Patrick Williams are the reinventable talents; and Mikal Bridges and Bruce Brown are proven veterans to trade for, with Brown having switched categories following his success in Denver.
It remains to be seen which of these players are actually obtainable but most, if not all, have found their names in trade rumors at one point or another. Williams (restricted), Kennard (team option) and Brown (team option) could all hit free agency this summer.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Jayson Tatum is eligible for a super-max, five-year extension worth up to $315MM this offseason. Fresh off a title, extending him will be a priority for the Celtics. ESPN’s Bobby Marks analyzes 17 stars across the league who are extension-eligible, including Tatum and White (ESPN+ link). Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Brandon Ingram are other key extension candidates to watch, as all are eligible in July.
- As it stands, Boston might be the one fully-formed title contender heading into the offseason, with teams like the Mavericks, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder all considered one move away from launching into that tier, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (ESPN+ link). Bontemps breaks down all 30 teams into tiers heading into the summer, including contenders, emerging teams, those who are stuck, and those who are rebuilding. Two teams — the Heat and the Warriors — are teams with big money tied up but have huge questions about their identity. Bontemps also identifies the Rockets and Grizzlies as teams who could move up in the Western Conference’s hierarchy next season.
- The NBA announced its three-day schedule for Salt Lake City Summer League, with the Thunder, Sixers, Grizzlies and Jazz set to compete. The event tips off on July 8 and runs through July 10. Day one provides matchups between the Thunder (who hold the No. 12 pick) and Sixers (No. 16 pick), as well as the Grizzlies (No. 9 pick) and Jazz (No. 10 pick). Some younger players like Utah’s Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh could see playing time in the event, as well as each team’s 2024 draftees.
Northwest Notes: Caruso, Giddey, Jazz Draft, Smith
After issuing a candid statement on the one-for-one swap of Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso within a press release, Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke to reporters on Friday to further explain the move.
“The opportunity to add Caruso is really unique,” Presti said, per The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez. “Fortunately, everything lined up. If we couldn’t get the return that we wanted or the player that we wanted, we’d be in a different situation. But it worked out for everybody.”
Presti added that he’s sure Giddey would have returned and played in a bench role if the opportunity to acquire Caruso didn’t pan out. Although he praised Giddey, it was clear Presti was excited about the opportunity to add one of the league’s top guard defenders in Caruso.
“People often times look at height when they talk about wing players,” Presti said. “We look at effectiveness. His effectiveness on bigger wing players is extraordinary. … We’d rather someone who’s effective against those players than is ineffective but as tall.”
Caruso will join a Thunder team that ranked toward the middle of the pack in points allowed but registered a top-four defensive rating and ranked first in steals and blocks.
“The data on him is extremely high class,” Presti said. “It’s just another versatile player. … It’s all about the team [for Caruso]. It’s all about the technicalities and the curiosity about his own game and what it is he does well. He’s a colossal competitor, and we want to have as many of those guys as we can in the building.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Caruso, who played for the Oklahoma City Blue from 2016-17 under coach Mark Daigneault, is returning to Oklahoma City at the right time, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes in a subscriber-only piece. Caruso averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks last season while shooting 40.8% from three. He’ll look to help a Thunder team that finished first in the Western Conference this season get over the hump in the postseason.
- The Jazz have an opportunity to bolster their roster with the Nos. 10, 29 and 32 picks in the 2024 draft, and they need to consider prospects who can shoot, defend or have a high feel for the game, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. In Larsen’s view, Utah should aim to take Colorado’s Cody Williams at No. 10, Kansas’s Johnny Furphy at No. 29 and Virginia’s Ryan Dunn at No. 32, if possible.
- The Nuggets, who hold the No. 28 pick in Wednesday’s draft, are hosting G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith for a workout on Friday, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. The 6’11” big man averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 36.0% from three on 3.7 attempts last season.
Gores: Pistons “Needed A Fresh Start” In Hiring Langdon
The Pistons hired new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and moved on from former head coach Monty Williams this month, wiping the slate clean after a franchise-worst season. A year ago, the Pistons made Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA at the time, circling back to him after he turned down their initial overtures. What followed was a year mired by injuries, plateaued development from the team’s young players outside of Cade Cunningham, and a lack of either spacing or a veteran presence on the team.
“After assessing everything, I really felt the best choice for the organization was a fresh start,” owner Tom Gores said during Detroit’s official introduction of Langdon on Friday. “Our mistakes in the past has nothing to do with just one person. We needed a fresh start and we needed Trajan to lead with a fresh start.”
According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, the Pistons were impressed by Langdon’s willingness to bring in people around him who could cover skills he wasn’t as well-versed in. With the organization reportedly seeking synergy, hiring Langdon was a good start, Edwards writes.
Both Gores and Langdon expressed the need for Detroit to be more aggressive in bringing in outside help during free agency this offseason.
“These young players, they need to play, but, yes, bringing in veterans who hopefully have a lot of know-how, some IQ and can shoot the ball, that’s going to be the target so that we can spread the floor and make it easier for the development of our young players,” Langdon said. “We’re going to look to do that, hopefully, through trade and free agency. That is how we’re going to attack this summer.”
Meanwhile, Gores expressed disappointment with how last offseason went and how it was one of the main mistakes the team made last year (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press).
“We have to have players who are active,” Gores said. “It’s not good enough to be a free agent, come over and not play.”
As for who will take over for Williams in the head-coaching role, Langdon said the search won’t take a back seat to the preparations for the draft and free agency. As we wrote on Thursday, the Pistons plan to interview former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori. James Borrego has also been listed as a potential frontrunner and is expected to get an interview.
Here are a few more notable quotes from Friday’s presser via Edwards, Keith Langlois from Pistons.com and Sankofa:
Langdon on the draft:
“I think we’re going to get a good player at five. We like five a lot. We’re looking for the guy we feel has the best upside out of this draft and if that guy’s not there at five and there’s a team that’s willing to give us an asset value to flip back, then maybe that’s an opportunity, as well. But as of right now, our vision is not to be out of this draft. We want to draft a player and if we do flip back, it’s not going to be that far.”
Langdon on bringing in front office executives Michael Blackstone and executive J.R. Holden:
“Michael Blackstone … the thing I needed the most, especially coming into this situation, is a strategist, someone who really understands the cap. He has a big-time negotiating background and is very systematic and thoughtful in regards to what we need to from a roster and staffing standpoint.
“… J.R. Holden and I have a longstanding relationship from playing overseas. He understands what winning looks like and the culture and environment that we’re trying to create here. He’s cut his teeth here before with Stan (Van Gundy), in Philadelphia and the last five years in Brooklyn with Sean Marks.”
Gores on Langdon’s ability to turn things around:
“I’m extremely confident this partnership with Trajan is going to work. That it is going to turn our franchise around. The mistake of the past is thinking a magic bullet will just handle things. As Trajan said, it’s about the details. It’s about everyday leadership. Greatness is built on the details and you can’t skip those. So I’m extremely confident. Trajan’s into details and he has an ability to be strategic and have vision and then an ability to speak with people and inspire them.”
Gores on the franchise’s pecking order for decisions:
“Trajan is the boss. He’s the president of basketball. He can come to me, he can get recommendations from [chairman Arn Tellem]. One of the things we needed was that single source of decision-making and have that person really pull together everything so that we can make decisions.“
Draft Notes: Rockets, Wizards, Suns, France, Big Boards
The Rockets may be more interested in moving their pick than keeping it, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports. Offers for the selection are expected to be entertained until Houston is on the clock at No. 3 in Wednesday’s draft. If Houston does stand pat at No. 3, Reed Sheppard appears to be the heavy favorite for that spot. The Trail Blazers are among the teams that have called the Rockets about moving up to No. 3 in the draft.
According to Fischer, the Wizards have the league convinced they’re honing in on Perth’s Alexandre Sarr. As reported, Sarr hasn’t conducted a private workout for the Hawks, holders of the No. 1 selection, and Fischer reports Sarr’s preferred destination is, in fact, Washington. Beyond their plans at No. 2, the Wizards are a “prime candidate” to move up from No. 26 and have also been seeking a third first-round pick, Says Fischer.
Further down the draft, the Suns are a strong candidate to trade down from No. 22. The goal for the Suns, Fischer writes, would be to accumulate future second-round picks to restock their draft capital for trade flexibility. Additionally, the idea of adding inexpensive rookie contracts onto an expensive roster appeals to Phoenix.
We have more from around the draft:
- A flood of talent is following 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama from France, Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek writes. His former teammate Bilal Coulibaly was selected No. 7 overall in last year’s draft and another ex-teammate, Armel Traore, could be in play in the second round of this year’s draft. Additionally, Zaccharie Risacher and Sarr are seen as the favorites for the top two draft selections in this class, while Tidjane Salaun, Melvin Ajinca and Pacome Dadiet are all likely to be selected this year too. Down the line, Nolan Traore and Nathan Soliman are picking up steam in future draft classes.
- Risacher, Sarr and UConn’s Donovan Clingan, in that order, round out ESPN’s top three players on Jonathan Givony’s final big board update before the draft. Givony and Jeremy Woo provide their picks for the top 100 players in the class, with Sheppard, G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis, UConn’s Stephon Castle, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Salaun, and Serbia’s Nikola Topic filling in the rest of their top 10 (in that order).
- Risacher is lower on Sam Vecenie’s draft board at The Athletic, with the French wing coming in at No. 5. Salaun, Buzelis, Dillingham and Topic all sit outside the top 10 of Vecenie’s annual draft guide, while he ranks Colorado’s Cody Williams (No. 6), Providence’s Devin Carter (No. 7), Pitt’s Carlton Carrington (No. 8) and Ron Holland of the G League Ignite (No. 10) among the top 10. I highly recommend both Givony’s and Vecenie’s draft guides if you have a subscription to either platform, as this is some of the top draft content to come out annually.
- Clingan is the name most linked to the Hawks over the past week, Vecenie writes in a recent mock draft. While Atlanta has openly stated it is content with standing pat at No. 1, Vecenie hears there’s an impression the club is open to making a move if the right deal presents itself. However, Atlanta hasn’t finalized its decision yet and even if it wanted to trade down to select him later, Chicago and Memphis have expressed interest in taking Clingan themselves if they can trade up. Vecenie indeed has Washington landing Sarr and Houston getting Sheppard, but has Risacher falling to San Antonio at No. 4, Buzelis going No. 5 to Detroit and Castle landing in Charlotte at No. 6.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks Offseason, New York Targets, Celtics, Marinkovic
The Knicks have a busy offseason ahead of them, but have a solid foundation of returning players, led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract, as is Bojan Bogdanovic, though his salary is only partially guaranteed for now and he may be used as a trade chip.
Still, New York has two key free agents to take care of: OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks may have an easier time signing Anunoby, who is expected to explore unrestricted free agency but whose full Bird rights are held by New York. A four-year, $160MM deal makes sense for Anunoby, Smith writes, given his production and what the team sent out to trade for him (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and draft capital).
However, the Knicks are limited to offering Hartenstein an average annual salary of about $18.1MM, which could be topped by teams with ample cap space like the Thunder and Magic, each of whom may have interest. Nonetheless, it’s not impossible Hartenstein opts to return. The difference in what he might earn from another team and from New York might not be sizable enough for him to want to make a drastic scenery change, given his current role. Smith writes the Knicks could look to agree to a two-year deal with Hartenstein that allows him to hit free agency again before he turns 28 and gives the club full Bird rights, when the cap is expected to increase.
If the Knicks re-sign both Anunoby and Hartenstein, Smith points out they’ll almost certainly be a second apron team, which would limit their ability to trade for a star player, something they’ve seemed poised to do for some time. What New York decides to do with its two biggest free agents will also likely impact the team’s willingness to bring back free agents such as Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks and Jericho Sims.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- In the second half of a two-part series, Fred Katz of The Athletic examines the names that might arise this offseason if the Knicks pursue a star, considering how realistic each player would be as a trade target. Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, Joel Embiid and Zach LaVine are the names mentioned by Katz, but only a Markkanen deal feels like it might make sense for both sides.
- The Celtics almost made a number of massive moves in the build-up to what led to their 2024 title team. They had trade talks over the years about Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and had a godfather offer out to the Hornets with an eye toward moving up to No. 9 in the 2015 draft to select Justise Winslow. Any of those moves could have drastically altered Boston’s timeline. In a piece exploring Boston’s process to building a championship team, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (ESPN+ link) reports that the Celtics tried to acquire a second lottery pick in 2017 in order to select Donovan Mitchell, and again attempted to trade for him after Utah selected him.
- Vanja Marinkovic will return to Partizan Mozzart Bet, with whom he has played 119 career games, after signing a two-year deal with them on Monday, the team announced. Marinkovic’s draft rights are held by the Nets after Brooklyn acquired them in the three-team deal that sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns. Marinkovic was the No. 60 overall pick in 2019.