New York Notes: Knight, Durant, Vildoza, Walker
Former lottery pick Brandon Knight is trying to work his way back into the NBA with the Nets‘ Summer League team, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Knight’s career was derailed by knee injuries, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since splitting 25 games with the Cavaliers and Pistons in 2019/20.
Knight worked out for the Bucks in March, but Milwaukee decided against signing him. The 29-year-old says his knees are no longer an issue and he’s eager to show that he still has an NBA future.
“The narrative of my knees, that I’m not healthy, that’s not right,” Knight said. “So for me, the narrative is just to show that I’m healthy. I’m ready to play. And I’m here. Most importantly, I’m here to serve these young guys. Summer league is not about me. … My goal is to serve to serve these young guys, give them wisdom, and try to help them and be a servant in any place that I can be.”
There’s more from New York:
- Nets star Kevin Durant was named MVP of the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament, FIBA announced in a press release. He capped off a brilliant performance with 29 points in the gold medal game against France. Australia’s Patty Mills, who agreed to a two-year deal with Brooklyn in free agency, was named to the all-tournament team.
- The Knicks will get their first look at Luca Vildoza when Summer League play starts today, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Argentinian point guard signed a four-year, non-guaranteed contract in May, but he wasn’t used in any games. Vildoza’s future with New York seems less certain after the team drafted point guards Miles McBride and Rokas Jokubaitis, Berman adds. “I’m trying to work hard. I’m trying to show myself,” said Vildoza, who just returned from the Olympics. “I just want to show who I am. If after that, I can’t get onto the team, that’s OK. At least I gave everything.’’
- The Knicks‘ offseason appears successful, but there are some risks involved, states Steve Popper of Newsday. The most significant one involves whether Kemba Walker‘s knee can hold up for an entire season.
Kevin Durant Gets Four-Year Extension From Nets
AUGUST 8: Durant’s extension is official, the Nets announced.
“We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever,” owner Joe Tsai said. “On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.”
“Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” added general manager Sean Marks. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”
AUGUST 6: The Nets and Kevin Durant are in agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension that will go into effect during the 2022/23 season, according to Shlomo Sprung of The Boardroom. Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman confirmed the deal, which will replace the star forward’s ’22/23 player option.
Durant will be eligible for a 5% raise on his 2021/22 salary of $42MM, so his new deal will start at about $44.1MM in ’22/23. That figure exceeds the default maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of experience, but a player’s individual maximum salary on a new contract is always at least 105% of his previous salary.
In total, Durant’s new extension will be worth $197.7MM over four years and will cover his age 34-37 seasons.
Durant, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Nets in 2019, missed his entire first season in Brooklyn while recovering from an Achilles tear and was limited to just 35 regular season games in 2020/21. However, he looked like his old self in those games, averaging 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG on a scorching .537/.450/.882 shooting line.
In 12 postseason games, Durant put up 34.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG on .514/.402/.871 shooting, but he couldn’t quite lead the Nets past the eventual-champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, despite a 48-point performance in a Game 7 overtime loss.
All three Brooklyn stars are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. Now that they have a deal in place for Durant, the Nets figure to shift their focus to trying to lock up James Harden and Kyrie Irving as well.
Southeast Notes: Bamba, Oubre, Gill, Wizards
Mohamed Bamba won’t play for the Magic when Summer League starts on Sunday, but he’s practicing with his teammates in Las Vegas, writes Chris Hays of The Orlando Sentinel. The third-year center got a path to regular minutes for the first time in his career when Orlando unloaded its veteran centers last spring and turned the position over to Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.
“For me it was no-brainer,” Bamba said of his decision to come to Las Vegas. “We got a new coach, new system, new guys and I just wanted to get well acclimated way before training camp.”
Jamahl Mosley, who has taken over as head coach, said this week that it was encouraging to see Bamba join the team on his own. Bamba said he’s looking forward to playing under Mosley.
“He’s made it clear that my presence (on the floor) is needed, is wanted and it’s just all about getting out there and putting in the right amount of work,” Bamba said. “Practicing with the team only helps the chemistry of the team. Coming out here … I had a choice, either to stay in Orlando and work with the coaches that didn’t come to Summer League or come here and add in these good deposits from the team.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Free agent forward Kelly Oubre received offers from eight other teams before deciding to sign with the Hornets, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Oubre’s agent, Torrel Harris of Unique Sports International Management, says the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Nuggets, Nets, Trail Blazers and Cavaliers all presented offers to Oubre.
- Today marked the guarantee date for Wizards power forward Anthony Gill, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Gill will make $1,517,981 in 2021/22, giving Washington 13 fully guaranteed contracts. That doesn’t include center Daniel Gafford, whose $1,782,621 won’t be guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date of January 7.
- Wizards Summer League players Cassius Winston, Issuf Sanon and Isaiah Todd have all been placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Their replacements include former NBA players Cheick Diallo and Derrick Walton Jr. (Twitter link)
Pelicans Officially Acquire Valanciunas, Graham In Three-Team Trade
The Pelicans have officially announced a pair of previously–reported trades, having combined their acquisitions of center Jonas Valanciunas and point guard Devonte’ Graham into a single transaction involving both the Grizzlies and Hornets. Memphis and Charlotte have put out press releases as well.
The details of the three-team deal are as follows:
- To Pelicans:
- Valanciunas (from Grizzlies)
- Graham (sign-and-trade; from Hornets)
- The draft rights to Trey Murphy (No. 17 pick; from Grizzlies)
- The draft rights to Brandon Boston (No. 51 pick; from Grizzlies)
- Note: Boston will be rerouted to the Clippers in a subsequent trade.
- To Grizzlies:
- Eric Bledsoe (from Pelicans)
- Steven Adams (from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Ziaire Williams (No. 10 pick; from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40 pick; from Pelicans)
- Note: Butler will be rerouted to the Jazz in a subsequent trade.
- The Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected; from Pelicans)
- To Hornets:
- Wesley Iwundu (from Pelicans)
- The Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected; from Pelicans)
- Note: If the Pelicans’ 2022 first-rounder falls in the top 14, the Hornets will instead receive New Orleans’ 2022 and 2024 second-round picks, per Rod Boone of SI.com.
- Cash (from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Tyler Harvey (from Grizzlies)
The details of the three-team trade essentially line up with what was previously reported, with two new pieces added — Iwundu going from New Orleans to Charlotte and Harvey’s draft rights going from Memphis to Charlotte. Harvey was presumably only included to ensure that the Grizzlies and Hornets were “touching,” since otherwise Memphis would only have been exchanging assets with the Pelicans.
Looping their sign-and-trade acquisition of Graham into the trade suggests the Pelicans will operate over the cap, using Bledsoe’s and Adams’ outgoing salaries in order to match both Valanciunas and Graham instead of signing Graham into cap space.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), it also allows New Orleans to generate a $17MM+ trade exception in the deal. Only Bledsoe’s and Iwundu’s outgoing salaries are needed for matching purposes to take on Valanciunas and Graham, meaning the Pelicans’ new TPE is worth Adams’ salary ($17,073,171).
Graham reportedly signed a four-year, $47MM contract with the Pelicans as part of the trade. He and Tomas Satoransky appear set to play the majority of the minutes at point guard in New Orleans, barring further roster changes. The team is sending Lonzo Ball to Chicago in a separate sign-and-trade deal.
Graham made just 37.7% of his field goal attempts in 2020/21, but his three-point mark was a very respectable 37.5%. In addition to his ability to make threes, Graham is an above-average play-maker (6.5 APG over the last two seasons) and a respectable defender.
Swapping out Adams for Valanciunas should allow the Pelicans to improve their frontcourt spacing. Valanciunas isn’t exactly a long-distance marksman, but has a solid mid-range game and will shoot the occasional three-pointer, which should create more room for Zion Williamson to operate. The former No. 5 overall pick averaged an impressive 17.1 PPG and 12.5 RPG with a .592/.368/.773 shooting line in 62 games (28.3 MPG) this past season.
From the Grizzlies’ perspective, the deal was a way to improve their draft assets in both 2021 and 2022 as a result of their willingness to take on Adams’ and Bledsoe’s pricey contracts. The team moved up from No. 17 to No. 10 to snag Williams, and later flipped the No. 40 pick (Butler) to Utah in a separate trade to move up to No. 30 for Santi Aldama.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Offseason Trades]
The Hornets, meanwhile, decided to move on from Graham and got a protected first-round pick from New Orleans in exchange for waiving their right to match an offer sheet for the restricted free agent. Iwundu’s guaranteed $1.82MM salary for 2021/22 will eat up a small amount of Charlotte’s cap room, but the team will still have enough flexibility to complete its signing of Kelly Oubre to a two-year deal in the range of $12-13MM per year.
Nets Sign Day’Ron Sharpe To Rookie Contract
The Nets have signed first-round pick Day’Ron Sharpe to his first NBA contract, the team announced on Friday in a press release.
The Suns drafted Sharpe with the No. 29 pick last week on behalf of the Nets, who had agreed on draft day to acquire that pick along with Jevon Carter in exchange for Landry Shamet. The trade couldn’t become official until today, and Brooklyn didn’t waste any time in locking up Sharpe to his rookie contract.
Sharpe, who declared for the draft after a single season at North Carolina, averaged 9.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 29 games (19.2 MPG) for the Tar Heels. The 6’11” center is one of five prospects selected by the Nets in this year’s draft and is the second one to officially sign with the club, joining fellow first-rounder Cameron Thomas.
As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Sharpe is on track to earn just over $2MM in his first NBA season is he receives the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale.
Five-Team Russell Westbrook, Spencer Dinwiddie Trade Now Official
The five-team trade involving the Lakers, Wizards, Nets, Spurs, and Pacers, headlined by Russell Westbrook (to Los Angeles) and Spencer Dinwiddie (to Washington) is now official, according to press releases from multiple clubs.
The deal began as a two-team trade sending Westbrook from the Wizards to the Lakers, an agreement that was completed around the start of the draft last Thursday. Later that night, the Wizards and Pacers agreed to a deal sending Aaron Holiday that would be folded into the Westbrook blockbuster.
Subsequently, during free agency, the Wizards and Dinwiddie wanted to find a way to get the point guard to D.C. and ultimately convinced the Nets to accommodate a sign-and-trade. The Spurs entered the mix late to accommodate Washington’s salary-dump of Chandler Hutchison.
Here’s the full breakdown of the deal, based on reports to date:
- To Lakers:
- Russell Westbrook (from Wizards)
- The Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Wizards)
- The Wizards’ 2028 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Russell Westbrook (from Wizards)
- To Wizards:
- Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade; from Nets)
- Kyle Kuzma (from Lakers)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (from Lakers)
- Montrezl Harrell (from Lakers)
- Aaron Holiday (from Pacers)
- The draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick; from Pacers)
- Cash (from Pacers; $1MM, per Fred Katz of The Athletic)
- To Nets:
- Either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
- The right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The draft rights to Nikola Milutinov (from Spurs)
- To Spurs:
- Chandler Hutchison (from Wizards)
- Either the Bulls’, the Lakers’, or the Pistons 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
- To Pacers:
- The draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 pick; from Lakers)
The Nets also generated the most significant trade exception of any team in the deal — it’ll be worth about $11.5MM.
While it was a fairly minor move for Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Indiana, the deal will significantly reshape the Lakers’ and Wizards’ rosters for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles consolidated its depth, acquiring a star player who wanted to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, then filled out its roster in free agency.
The Wizards, meanwhile, traded one star for several depth pieces and managed to replace their old point guard with one who will earn less than half of Westbrook’s salary for the next couple seasons. The deal should increase the club’s cap flexibility while fortifying its bench.
Nets Trade Landry Shamet To Suns For Jevon Carter, Day’Ron Sharpe
AUGUST 6: The Suns have officially acquired Shamet from the Nets in exchange for Carter and the rights to Day’Ron Sharpe, the team announced in a press release.
JULY 29: The Nets have agreed to trade sharpshooter Landry Shamet to the Suns in exchange for Jevon Carter and the No. 29 pick in Thursday’s draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As a result, Brooklyn now owns the 27th, 29th, 44th, 49th and 59th picks in the 2021 draft. Carter, a 6’1″ point guard, will provide backcourt depth behind the likes of Kyrie Irving and James Harden, assuming he stays with the team.
Phoenix wasn’t interested in using the No. 29 pick on a player who likely wouldn’t have played much, preferring to add a more proven veteran to the mix, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets. The Suns are coming off their first NBA Finals berth since 1993 and third berth in franchise history.
Suns coach Monty Williams is a strong supporter of Shamet, dating back to when he coached him as an assistant with the Sixers, Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter). The 24-year-old Shamet averaged 9.3 points per game in 61 contests last season, shooting 41% from the floor and 39% from three-point range.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the trade won’t be completed until August 6 at the earliest. Shamet’s salary will increase from $2MM to $3.76MM for next season, while Carter will make $3.65MM in 2021/22. Shamet also becomes eligible for a rookie-scale extension on August 6.
Nets Sign DeAndre’ Bembry
AUGUST 8: The Nets have officially signed Bembry, the club announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 6: The Nets have reached a one-year agreement with free agent swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). While terms of the deal weren’t reported, Brooklyn is currently limited to minimum-salary commitments.
Bembry, who joins Patty Mills and James Johnson as veteran free agents to commit to Brooklyn this offseason, spent the 2020/21 season with the Raptors. He appeared in 51 games, averaging 5.7 points on 51% shooting from the floor and 26% shooting from deep, providing defensive versatility and athleticism off the bench. He was waived on Tuesday before his 2021/22 salary became guaranteed.
The 6’5″ Bembry was also the No. 21 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft. He spent the first four years of his career with Atlanta, mostly playing off the bench.
In addition to Bembry, Mills and Johnson, the Nets also reached new deals with two of their own free agents this summer: Blake Griffin and Bruce Brown. The team has built a formidable roster around the likes of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant as it seeks its first-ever NBA championship.
Andre Iguodala Signs One-Year Deal With Warriors
AUGUST 10: Igoudala’s new deal with the Warriors is now official, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 6: Free agent forward Andre Iguodala has agreed to return to the Warriors, telling Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times that he’ll sign a one-year deal with Golden State. His intention is to finish his career with the franchise.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), Iguodala – like fellow free agents Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica – will receive the veteran’s minimum from Golden State.
A report on Thursday indicated that Iguodala – who became a free agent after the Heat turned down his $15MM team option – had narrowed his choices down to the Warriors, Lakers, and Nets, while a follow-up report this morning from Jordan Schultz of ESPN (Twitter link) suggested the decision would likely come down to Brooklyn vs. Golden State.
In the end, the opportunity to reunite with the Warriors won out for the 37-year-old, who previously earned three titles with the team.
“Who would have thought I’d have the opportunity to go back to the place where I was able to have, whatever you want to call it, legacy years, in terms of the accomplishments, winning multiple championships, the relationships that I was able to build with some of my closest friends and teammates?” Iguodala said. “The relationship with the fans, the relationship with the Bay, the opportunity to end it here, was just something special.”
Iguodala, who routinely averaged between 15-20 points per game for the 76ers early in his NBA career, is no longer much of an offensive threat, having put up just 4.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .396/.323/.585 shooting in 84 games (20.9 MPG) over the last two seasons in Miami.
However, the veteran forward remains a reliable, versatile defender and brings veteran leadership to a locker room. He told Abrams that he’s looking forward to taking on a mentor role for the Warriors’ young players.
As for how much longer Iguodala plans to spend in the league before his retirement, that decision remains up in the air, as Abrams relays.
“I think I’ve got some more time left,” Iguodala said. “Where I’m comfortable at is I can decide when I’m ready to go. I think I want to leave with just a little bit left. I don’t want to go out on one leg. I know I’ve got a few more years. It’s just my decision whether it’s one or two or three or whatever it may be. I shouldn’t even say three. One or two.”
Free Agent Rumors: Iguodala, Oubre, Williams, Smith
A reunion between the Warriors and defensive specialist Andre Iguodala could be in the works. Iguodala has narrowed his choices to his former team along with the Nets and Lakers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Iguodala, 37, played 63 regular-season games with the Heat this past season and averaged a modest 4.4 PPG in 21.3 MPG, with a majority of his field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. Iguodala won three rings in six seasons with the Warriors.
We have more free agent buzz:
- Free agent forward Kelly Oubre is in discussions with the Hornets, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets. Oubre averaged 15.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG for Golden State last season but only made 31.6% of his 3-point attempts. The Hornets are also reportedly pondering an offer sheet to Bulls free agent Lauri Markkanen — with approximately $14MM in cap room remaining, they wouldn’t be able to sign both players unless one accepted a very team-friendly rate.
- Before Lou Williams chose to return to the Hawks, the Lakers, Warriors and Bucks showed interest in the three-time Sixth Man of the Year award, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Williams opted for a one-year, $5MM agreement with Atlanta.
- Free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. won’t return to the Pistons, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. That’s no surprise, considering Detroit drafted Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick and reached an agreement with Cory Joseph after declining its team option on him.