Spencer Dinwiddie Expects To Decline Player Option
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie continues to recover from a partially torn ACL and won’t have to make a decision on his 2021/22 player option until the end of July, but he sounds fairly confident he’ll be turning that option down. Dinwiddie said as much during a conversation with Shlomo Sprung of Forbes.
“I’m gonna be more than healthy by the time free agency starts, so just from a dollars perspective you kind of have to,” said Dinwiddie, whose option would pay him about $12.3MM. “$12 million isn’t market value for a starting point guard. It’s probably about half, $20-25. So obviously it’s pretty concrete that I’m gonna opt out.”
Sprung points to Fred VanVleet and Malcolm Brogdon as point guards who have signed contracts worth more than $20MM annually in the last two years. Both of those players were 26 years old when they reached free agency, whereas Dinwiddie will be a couple years older and will be coming off a major injury.
Still, Dinwiddie matches up favorably with VanVleet and Brogdon from a statistical perspective, having averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists in 64 games (31.2 MPG) in 2019/20. The 28-year-old also believes he’ll be fully healthy well before the 2021/22 season begins, telling Sprung that he has had “one of the more successful ACL recoveries in history and that he’s still hoping to make it back during the playoffs — perhaps in late June.
Even if Dinwiddie isn’t able to return in June or July, he doesn’t necessarily believe he has played his last game with the Nets. He tells Sprung that he’d be interested in working out a new deal with Brooklyn if and when he opts out.
“If Brooklyn wants to use my Bird Rights and sign me, I’d be thankful to be back and be able to go and try to win, hopefully, a second championship,” Dinwiddie said. “And if not, then as an unrestricted free agent you can kinda choose where you wanna go. It’s an interesting situation to be in.”
Nets Notes: Irving, Durant, Griffin, Harden
The facial contusion that Kyrie Irving suffered Tuesday night isn’t believed to be serious, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Irving was held out of Wednesday’s game, but the Nets are hoping he can return to the court this weekend.
Irving took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the third quarter of Tuesday’s contest. He was down on the court for several minutes and was eventually ruled out of the game.
“Kyrie’s scans were clear fortunately,” coach Steve Nash said. “No concussion, nothing on the scans.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin played Wednesday on the second end of a back-to-back, Lewis notes in the same piece. Although both veterans have a history of injuries, they want to focus on getting ready for the postseason. “Kevin wants to play and get his rhythm and continue to get back to his best, and then just feel comfortable heading into the playoffs,” Nash said. “So you’re trying to find that balance between where the risk is, but also where they feel most confident for the playoffs. So, it’s one of those things where I take a leap of faith in what would make them feel best and make them feel in rhythm and confident prepared and then at the same time, not risking anything.”
- James Harden, who had never missed more than 10 games in a season prior to 2020/21, acknowledged that he wasn’t sure what to expect upon returning this week from the longest absence of his career. However, as Lewis writes in a separate story for The New York Post, Harden also wasn’t surprised by his big game on Wednesday (18 points and 11 assists in 26 minutes). “Not really,” he said. “Not to brag or anything, but I’m really good at this game.”
- Owner Joe Tsai is taking advantage of the Nets’ success to seek new sponsorship deals for the team, but the name of the Barclays Center is unlikely to change, according to Brianna Lopez of the BK Reader.
- In case you missed it, Mike James – whose 10-day deal with the Nets expired overnight – is set to sign a rest-of-season contract with the team.
James Harden To Return On Wednesday
5:23pm: Harden has been cleared to play tonight, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. He will be on a minutes restriction, according to head coach Steve Nash (Twitter link).
10:41am: Harden plans to play on Wednesday night, assuming his pre-game warmups go smoothly, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
8:21am: Nets guard James Harden has been sidelined since April 5 due to a hamstring injury, but his return appears to be imminent. Harden is expected to be a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game vs. San Antonio, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN.
As the ESPN duo notes, Harden has expressed a desire to play in a “couple games” before the postseason gets underway. The Nets have three games left in the season, but their final two are on Saturday and Sunday — it’s unclear if the team would want the former MVP to play in a back-to-back set immediately upon returning.
The plan is for Harden to “gauge his readiness” ahead of Wednesday’s game before he and team officials make a decision on his availability, per Woj and Andrews.
Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving have played together just seven times this season, but even if Harden is cleared to return, tonight’s game may not be the eighth time the three stars are all available. Irving left Tuesday’s win over Chicago due to a facial contusion and is set to undergo further testing after an initial X-ray was inconclusive, according to Andrews.
While Irving has been cleared of a possible concussion, it would be a bit of a surprise if he’s back in action on Wednesday.
Injury Updates: Lakers, Nets, Hornets, Pelicans, Mavs, C’s
The NBA’s injury report is of particular interest this week in the regular season’s final days, as we wait to see which players may or may not be available for teams fighting for playoff positioning.
A pair of big-market superstars, LeBron James and James Harden, are said to be targeting Wednesday returns for the Lakers and Nets, respectively. James has been listed as questionable by the Lakers, while Harden is probable for Brooklyn.
Each of those teams also has another star player whose status for Wednesday’s games is up in the air. Lakers big man Anthony Davis is questionable due to left adductor tightness, while Kyrie Irving is questionable due to the facial contusion he suffered on Tuesday.
The Nets hold the No. 2 seed in the East and the Lakers are hosting a Houston team that is 5-43 since February 4, so neither club should feel a ton of urgency to push its stars back into action if they’re not quite ready.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Hornets forward Miles Bridges, out since May 2 due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, has a chance to return this weekend, head coach James Borrego said today. However, Borrego’s responses to questions about Gordon Hayward‘s foot injury made it sound as if Hayward may not be ready for the play-in tournament, says Rod Boone of SI.com (Twitter links). Hayward hasn’t played since April 2.
- The Pelicans need a win tonight in Dallas to remain in the hunt for a play-in spot, but they’ll be missing a number of key players, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Steven Adams all remain out, and Lonzo Ball (right thumb) will join them on the sidelines.
- Mavericks guard J.J. Redick, who left Tuesday’s game with right heel soreness, will also miss Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Celtics, who appear likely to finish the regular season at No. 7 in the East, will be without Kemba Walker (left knee) and Marcus Smart (right calf) on Wednesday in Cleveland, notes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Jaylen Brown has already been ruled out for the season, and Robert Williams remains on the shelf as well.
Lowe’s Latest: K. Williams, Payne, Monk, Burks, Hartenstein
For the 10th year in a row, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has named his end-of-season “Luke Walton All-Stars,” honoring overlooked rotation players and NBA journeymen who have impressed him most over the course of the year.
Nets guard Bruce Brown, Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Raptors teammates Yuta Watanabe and DeAndre’ Bembry are among the players who made Lowe’s list, which also includes a handful of interesting tidbits on some of his choices. Here are a few highlights:
- Thunder forward Kenrich Williams, who resisted signing a two-way contract multiple times earlier in his career, has enjoyed a breakout year in Oklahoma City. Sources tell Lowe that several playoff teams expressed trade interest in Williams prior to March’s deadline, but he wanted to remain in OKC, where he’s under contract for two more years (both non-guaranteed).
- Suns guard Cameron Payne told Lowe that he thought his NBA career might be over in 2020, when the Mavericks opted to sign Trey Burke over him for the summer restart after he had played well for Dallas’ G League affiliate. However, he got an opportunity shortly thereafter with Phoenix, in large part because head coach Monty Williams had gotten to know him during their time with the Thunder.
- Another former first-round pick, Hornets guard Malik Monk, was concerned about his NBA career last year as well, following his suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy, his brother Marcus Monk told Lowe. The former Kentucky standout has enjoyed a career year while trying to let go of tension about his role, Lowe writes. “Guys who have success in college think the NBA is going to go a certain way,” Marcus said. “You think you’re invincible. Malik fell victim to that. I’m proud of how he matured.”
- Before he signed a one-year, $6MM contract with the Knicks last fall, Alec Burks discussed a deal with the Bulls, according to Lowe. Burks’ familiarity with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant from their time in Utah was a factor in his decision to choose New York.
- After an underwhelming stint in Denver, Isaiah Hartenstein has played well for the Cavaliers, averaging 8.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 16 games (17.9 MPG). Lowe says he wouldn’t be surprised if Hartenstein turns down his minimum-salary player option for 2021/22 to seek a new deal.
Brown Fractures Nose In Practice
- The injury-plagued Nets are dealing with another banged-up rotation player, after guard Bruce Brown fractured his nose during a team practice, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. The (now quite literally) tough-nosed Brown will play through the injury in a mask against the Bulls tonight, and the club will then equip him with another mask back in Brooklyn.
Nets Notes: Harden, Seeding, Griffin, Sponsorships
James Harden won’t play on Tuesday but Nets coach Steve Nash is optimistic the star guard will see action in at least one regular season game heading into the postseason, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. Harden has missed 18 games due to a hamstring strain.
“He is putting in his consecutive high-intensity work modes, he has responded and so it’s all positive,” Nash said. “We can’t commit to anything right now because we’re not committed to anything … but definitely possible that he plays one or more of these next four games.”
We have more on the Nets:
- Brooklyn will likely be either the No. 2 or 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs but its seeding is not a high priority for Nash, Dunleavy relays in a separate story. “I think the No. 1 thought and priority as a staff is health over seeding,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re 1,000 percent in on health over seeding.”
- Since joining the Nets as a buyout-market addition, Blake Griffin has settled in with the club, producing a 20-point game against Denver this weekend. Kyrie Irving believes Griffin will be a big key in the postseason, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “That’s what we need Blake to be in terms of being out there, being an option for us, being a playmaker,” Irving said. “His game has evolved. We understand that he’s going to play a different style with us out there, and that’s going to complement when he figures that role out.”
- Owner Joe Tsai is seeking out new corporate partnerships to raise money, including a jersey patch sponsor, Lewis and Josh Kosman of the Post report. A name change for the Barclays Center could be in the works as well, as the franchise could get $15-20MM annually for the naming rights to the arena. Barclays Center owes more than $500MM in debt, the Post duo adds.
Nicolas Claxton Tested Positive For COVID; Nets To Focus On Team Health
- Nets center Nicolas Claxton tested positive for COVID-19 but wasn’t hit hard by the virus, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Claxton entered the league’s health and safety protocols on April 19. “I was testing positive for COVID,” Claxton said of his recent absence. “But I didn’t have any symptoms. I was just stuck in Miami, just there quarantining for about 10 days so I wasn’t really able to do much. I did a few quarantine workouts, but it’s just tough having to sit like that and then coming out here having to play. It’s just another obstacle. It’s nothing that I can’t conquer. This last week, it’s been a challenge, but it hasn’t been too tough … I’m just trying to get my rhythm back, get my wind back right before the playoffs so we’ll be able to make that push.”
- Speaking of the Nets, the team will be focused on its health and continuity as the playoffs near, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn has dealt with significant injuries throughout the season, failing to sport a consistent starting lineup and effectively build chemistry. The team still has one of the most talented rosters in history, particularly on offense, making its future playoff journey intriguing.
Potential 2021 RFAs Whose Qualifying Offers Will Be Impacted By Starter Criteria
The NBA’s rookie scale, which determines how much first-round picks earn during their first four NBA seasons, also dictates how much the qualifying offers will be worth for those players when they reach restricted free agency after year four. However, the value of those qualifying offers can fluctuate depending on whether or not a player has met the “starter criteria.”
Here’s how the starter criteria works in a typical year:
- A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
- A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games one year and 32 the next, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons is 41.
The thresholds for the starter criteria this year are a little different due to the truncated nature of the last two NBA seasons. The 41-start and 2,000-minute thresholds are prorated and are based on the pre-bubble games in 2019/20 and a 72-game schedule in 2020/21.
In other words, if a player’s team played 64 games prior to the summer restart last season, he’d need to compile 68 starts across the two seasons (half of 136 games) to meet the criteria. This proration applies to a player’s minutes total as well.
A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:
- A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
- A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
- A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
- For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.
Extending a qualifying offer to a player eligible for restricted free agency officially makes that player an RFA, ensuring that his team has the right of first refusal if he signs an offer sheet with another club. It also gives the player the option of signing that one-year QO.
Generally, the value of a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer isn’t hugely important, since very few RFAs accept those offers outright. There are exceptions though.
Last offseason, for instance, Denzel Valentine failed to meet the starter criteria heading into restricted free agency, reducing the value of his qualifying offer to $4,642,800. The Bulls decided to issue that qualifying offer and he accepted it.
Had he met the starter criteria and been eligible for a slightly larger QO, Valentine’s free agency could have played out differently, as Kris Dunn‘s did — Dunn met the starter criteria, increasing the value of his QO, and Chicago opted not to give him a QO, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Top-14 picks who failed to meet starter criteria:
With all that in mind, let’s check in on how this year’s RFAs-to-be will be impacted by the starter criteria. Listed below are the former top-14 picks on track for restricted free agency who have not met the starter criteria. These players will be eligible for qualifying offers worth $7,031,451.
- Frank Ntilikina (Knicks)
- Dennis Smith Jr. (Pistons)
- Zach Collins (Trail Blazers)
- Malik Monk (Hornets)
Half of the players selected in the top 14 of the 2017 draft signed rookie scale extensions in 2020, meaning they won’t have to worry about the value of their qualifying offers this offseason. Of the other seven, the four players listed above failed to meet the criteria.
Even with the lower qualifying offers, some of these players – including Ntilikina and Smith – may not receive QOs at all, making them unrestricted free agents.
Lonzo Ball (Pelicans) and Lauri Markkanen (Bulls) each met the starter criteria, securing potential QOs of $14.36MM and $9.03MM, respectively. Josh Jackson was the only top-14 pick from ’17 who was waived before completing his rookie contract — since he’s on a new contract now, the starter criteria doesn’t apply to him.
First-round picks between 10-30 who met starter criteria:
A pair of players fall into this group this season, and will now be eligible for a qualifying offer worth $7,705,447.
- John Collins (Hawks)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
As a result of meeting the starter criteria, Collins’ qualifying offer will increase from $5,899,793, while Allen’s get a bump from $5,661,538. It’s unlikely to matter a whole lot for either player though, since they’re both strong candidates to sign lucrative long-term deals and almost certainly won’t give any real consideration to accepting their respective QOs.
Pelicans wing Josh Hart, the 30th overall pick in 2017, was the strongest candidate to join Collins and Allen in this group, but will fall short of meeting the criteria due in large part to the thumb injury that has sidelined him since April 1. If Hart had played the Pelicans’ last 19 games and maintained his minutes per game average for the season (28.7 MPG), he would’ve passed the required minutes threshold by now.
Second-round picks and UDFAs who met starter criteria:
The players listed below signed as second-round picks or undrafted free agents, but have met the starter criteria and are now eligible for a qualifying offer worth $4,736,102.
- Bruce Brown (Nets)
- Devonte’ Graham (Hornets)
- Kendrick Nunn (Heat)
- Duncan Robinson (Heat)
- Gary Trent Jr. (Raptors)
Brown, Graham, Nunn, Robinson, and Trent are all on minimum-salary contracts and would’ve had very modest QOs (in the $2MM range) if they hadn’t met the starter criteria. Even after the bump to $4.74MM though, most or all of them will end up signing more lucrative contracts.
Among other second-round picks and undrafted free agents, two who came close to meeting the starter criteria are Isaac Bonga (Wizards) and Jarred Vanderbilt (Timberwolves).
After starting 41 games of 64 pre-bubble games a year ago, Bonga needed to make 27 starts this season, but has only started eight games for Washington to date. As for Vanderbilt, he needed 36 starts in 2020/21 to bump the value of his QO — he recorded his 25th start on March 26, but hasn’t been in Minnesota’s starting five since then.
Bonga, Vanderbilt, and the rest of this year’s restricted free agents, won’t have their projected qualifying offers impacted by the starter criteria.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets Expected To Sign Mike James To Rest-Of-Season Deal
Mike James‘ second 10-day contract with Brooklyn will run through next Wednesday, but there’s already an expectation that the Nets intend to sign him for the rest of the season when that deal expires, according to a report from Dionysis Aravantinos of Eurohoops.com.
James, 30, has appeared in seven games for the Nets so far, averaging 6.7 points and 3.6 assists in 16.1 minutes per contest. He had 11 points and eight assists in a win over Toronto last Tuesday, and put up 15 points in a loss to Portland on Friday.
Since there’s still nearly a full week before James will be eligible to sign a rest-of-season contract, it’s possible the Nets’ plans could change between now and next Thursday. However, the veteran guard has produced as expected so far, providing backcourt depth and knocking down 35.7% of his three-point attempts.
As Aravantinos notes, James is only in the NBA temporarily, as his rights will belong to CSKA Moscow in Europe for the next two seasons after 2020/21. So if and when Brooklyn re-signs him, he won’t be able to get a multiyear deal.