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NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 3 Recap

By | at August 5, 2021 12:04 am

Nearly 80 free agent contracts were agreed to during the first two days of the NBA’s 2021 free agent period. That breakneck pace slowed significantly on Day 3, but there were still several noteworthy headlines, including a $125MM commitment, a five-team trade agreement, and a New York homecoming for a four-time All-Star.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Listed below are Wednesday’s notable contract agreements and news items. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the moratorium ends on Friday.

Here are Wednesday’s noteworthy free agent agreements:

Note: Some of these salary figures may includes options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. John Collins, Hawks agree to five-year, $125MM contract.
  2. Spencer Dinwiddie, Wizards agree to three-year, $62MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  3. Danny Green, Sixers agree to two-year, $20MM contract.
  4. Terence Davis, Kings agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
  5. Tony Bradley, Bulls agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  6. Enes Kanter, Celtics agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  7. Victor Oladipo, Heat agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  8. Saben Lee, Pistons agree to three-year contract.
  9. Moritz Wagner, Magic agree to two-year contract.
  10. Raul Neto, Wizards agree to contract.

Here are a few more of the day’s most notable headlines:

  1. Kemba Walker has reached a contract buyout agreement with the Thunder and will join the Knicks once he clears waivers.
  2. The Wizards, Nets, Lakers, Pacers, and Spurs agreed to a complicated sign-and-trade deal that will get Spencer Dinwiddie to Washington.
  3. The Warriors agreed to trade Eric Paschall to the Jazz.
  4. LaMarcus Aldridge, who announced his retirement in April following a health scare, is seriously considering attempting a comeback.
  5. The Pelicans hired Mike D’Antoni as a coaching advisor.
  6. The Thunder rescinded their qualifying offer to Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, making him an unrestricted free agent.
  7. Aron Baynes (Raptors), Alen Smailagic (Warriors), and Alfonzo McKinnie (Lakers) were officially waived by their respective teams.

Previously:

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Rookie Scale Salaries For 2021 NBA First-Round Picks

By | at August 4, 2021 12:00 pm

With the NBA’s salary cap set at $112,414,000 for the 2021/22 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.

While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2021’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2021/22, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.

These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2021/22. For instance, if Usman Garuba decides not to come stateside right away, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons. Meanwhile, if Leandro Bolmaro – last year’s No. 23 overall pick who remained overseas in 2020/21 – signs his rookie contract with the Timberwolves this year, it will look like identical to the deal listed below for Garuba (2021’s No. 23 pick).

Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Here’s the 2021 breakdown:

Player 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Total
Cade Cunningham $10,050,120 $10,552,800 $11,055,360 $13,940,809 $45,599,089
Jalen Green $8,992,080 $9,441,840 $9,891,480 $12,483,048 $40,808,448
Evan Mobley $8,075,160 $8,478,720 $8,882,640 $11,227,657 $36,664,177
Scottie Barnes $7,280,400 $7,644,600 $8,008,680 $10,130,980 $33,064,660
Jalen Suggs $6,592,920 $6,922,320 $7,252,080 $9,188,385 $29,955,705
Josh Giddey $5,988,000 $6,287,400 $6,587,040 $8,352,367 $27,214,807
Jonathan Kuminga $5,466,360 $5,739,840 $6,012,840 $7,636,307 $24,855,347
Franz Wagner $5,007,840 $5,258,280 $5,508,720 $7,007,092 $22,781,932
Davion Mitchell $4,603,200 $4,833,600 $5,063,640 $6,451,077 $20,951,517
Ziaire Williams $4,373,040 $4,591,680 $4,810,200 $6,133,005 $19,907,925
James Bouknight $4,154,400 $4,362,240 $4,570,080 $6,064,496 $19,151,216
Joshua Primo $3,946,800 $4,144,320 $4,341,600 $5,982,725 $18,415,445
Chris Duarte $3,749,400 $3,936,960 $4,124,400 $5,893,768 $17,704,528
Moses Moody $3,562,200 $3,740,160 $3,918,480 $5,803,269 $17,024,109
Corey Kispert $3,383,640 $3,552,840 $3,722,040 $5,705,887 $16,364,407
Alperen Sengun $3,214,680 $3,375,360 $3,536,280 $5,424,654 $15,550,974
Trey Murphy $3,053,760 $3,206,520 $3,359,280 $5,159,854 $14,779,414
Tre Mann $2,901,240 $3,046,200 $3,191,400 $4,908,373 $14,047,213
Kai Jones $2,770,560 $2,909,040 $3,047,880 $4,693,735 $13,421,215
Jalen Johnson $2,659,680 $2,792,640 $2,925,360 $4,510,905 $12,888,585
Keon Johnson $2,553,240 $2,681,040 $2,808,720 $4,474,291 $12,517,291
Isaiah Jackson $2,451,240 $2,573,760 $2,696,280 $4,435,381 $12,156,661
Usman Garuba $2,353,320 $2,471,160 $2,588,400 $4,392,515 $11,805,395
Josh Christopher $2,259,240 $2,372,160 $2,485,200 $4,346,615 $11,463,215
Quentin Grimes $2,168,640 $2,277,000 $2,385,720 $4,296,682 $11,128,042
Bones Hyland $2,096,880 $2,201,520 $2,306,400 $4,158,439 $10,763,239
Cameron Thomas $2,036,280 $2,138,160 $2,240,160 $4,041,249 $10,455,849
Jaden Springer $2,023,680 $2,125,200 $2,226,240 $4,018,363 $10,393,483
Day’Ron Sharpe $2,009,160 $2,109,480 $2,210,040 $3,989,122 $10,317,802
Santi Aldama $1,994,520 $2,094,120 $2,194,200 $3,960,531 $10,243,371

Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

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NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 2 Recap

By | at August 4, 2021 1:00 am

After a wild first day of free agency on Monday, things slowed down a little on Tuesday, with only two of today’s reported free agent agreements exceeding $12.1MM. Still, another 20+ free agents came off the board over the course of the day.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Listed below are Tuesday’s notable contract agreements and news items. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the moratorium ends on Friday.

Here are Tuesday’s noteworthy free agent agreements:

Note: Some of these salary figures may includes options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. DeMar DeRozan, Bulls agree to three-year, $85MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  2. Talen Horton-Tucker, Lakers agree to three-year, $32MM contract.
  3. Rudy Gay, Jazz agree to two-year, $12.1MM contract.
  4. Patty Mills, Nets agree to two-year, $12.1MM contract.
  5. Kendrick Nunn, Lakers agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  6. Ish Smith, Hornets agree to two-year, $9MM-ish contract.
  7. Georges Niang, Sixers agree to two-year, $6.7MM contract.
  8. Robin Lopez, Magic agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
  9. Bruce Brown, Nets agree to one-year, $4.7MM contract.
  10. Abdel Nader, Suns agree to two-year, $4.2MM contract.
  11. Carmelo Anthony, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  12. Nemanja Bjelica, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  13. Sam Dekker, Raptors agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  14. Andre Drummond, Sixers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  15. Taj Gibson, Knicks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  16. James Johnson, Nets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  17. Malik Monk, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  18. Markieff Morris, Heat agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  19. Hassan Whiteside, Jazz agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  20. Didi Louzada, Pelicans agree to four-year contract.
  21. Jock Landale, Spurs agree to two-year contract.
  22. Tony Snell, Trail Blazers agree to one-year contract.
  23. Bryn Forbes, Spurs agree to contract.

Here are a few more of the day’s most notable headlines:

  1. Stephen Curry and the Warriors agreed to four-year, $215MM veteran contract extension.
  2. The Hawks reportedly made a five-year, $125MM contract offer to restricted free agent John Collins.
  3. The Spurs will acquire Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, and three draft picks – including a first-rounder – from the Bulls in the DeRozan sign-and-trade.
  4. The Bucks are preparing to sign both George Hill and Rodney Hood after they clear waivers later in the week.

Previously:

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Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents

By | at August 3, 2021 9:00 am

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2021/22 league year lifts at 11:01am central time on Friday, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, over the last 16 hours, more than half of the players from our list of 2021’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.

So who does that leave? Here are the top free agents from our top-50 list who have yet to agree to new deals:

(Note: This list is up-to-date at the time of publication, but won’t be updated throughout the day as some of these players inevitably come off the board.)

  1. Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers
  2. John Collins, F, Hawks (RFA)
  3. DeMar DeRozan, G/F, Spurs
  4. Dennis Schröder, G, Lakers
  5. Spencer Dinwiddie, G, Nets
    • Note: Dinwiddie is reportedly nearing a deal with the Wizards, but there are sign-and-trade obstacles to work out and no agreement is in place yet.
  6. Lauri Markkanen, F, Bulls (RFA)
  7. Kelly Oubre, F, Warriors
  8. Reggie Jackson, G, Clippers
  9. Kendrick Nunn, G, Heat (RFA)
  10. Josh Hart, F, Pelicans (RFA)
  11. Bruce Brown, G/F, Nets (RFA)
  12. Danny Green, G/F, Sixers
  13. Talen Horton-Tucker, G, Lakers (RFA)
  14. Andre Drummond, C, Lakers
  15. Hamidou Diallo, G, Pistons (RFA)
  16. Patty Mills, G, Spurs
  17. Terence Davis, G, Kings (RFA)
  18. Rudy Gay, F, Spurs
  19. Paul Millsap, F, Nuggets
  20. Malik Monk, G, Hornets
  21. Lou Williams, G, Hawks
  22. Victor Oladipo, G, Heat

The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:

While the idea of our top two free agents – Leonard and Collins – still being available may be intriguing, both players are considered highly likely to return to their current clubs.

Leonard chose the Clippers in free agency two years ago and has given no indication he wants to leave. While one report suggested he may be open to listening to pitches from other teams, another report stated that the Clippers are operating as if he’ll be back, and it doesn’t look like there are any clubs preparing to take a run at the star forward.

As for Collins, right before free agency began, a report indicated that he and the Hawks weren’t yet close to a new agreement. But he’s a restricted free agent, which limits his leverage, and multiple reports over the weekend suggested that his potential suitors were becoming resigned to the idea that he’d remain in Atlanta.

Still, while Leonard and Collins may not provide any surprises, there are some interesting names whose destinations remain very much up in the air. We don’t have a clear sense yet of where players like DeRozan, Schröder, Oubre, or Markkanen will end up, so there are plenty of storylines worth keeping an eye on today and the rest of the week.

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Values Of 2021/22 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions

By | at August 3, 2021 8:00 am

The salary cap for the 2021/22 NBA league year has officially been set, with the league announcing that the cap will be $112,414,000, a 3% increase on last year’s number.

Under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of the mid-level, room, and bi-annual exceptions are tied to the percentage that the salary cap shifts in a given year. Because the cap figure for 2021/22 increased by 3%, the values of the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions will increase by the same amount.

Listed below are the maximum annual and total values of each of these exceptions, along with a brief explanation of how they work and which teams will have access to them.

Mid-Level Exception (Non-Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2021/22 $9,536,000
2022/23 $10,012,800
2023/24 $10,489,600
2024/25 $10,966,400
Total $41,004,800

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is the primary tool available for over-the-cap teams to add free agents. As long as a team hasn’t dipped below the cap to use cap space and doesn’t go over the tax apron ($143MM) at all, it can use this MLE, which runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises.

Mid-Level Exception (Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2021/22 $5,890,000
2022/23 $6,184,500
2023/24 $6,479,000
Total $18,553,500

If an over-the-cap team currently projects to be a taxpayer or expects to move into tax territory later in the 2021/22 season, it will have access to this smaller mid-level exception for taxpaying teams.

If a team uses more than $5,890,000 of its mid-level exception, it is forbidden from surpassing the tax apron at any time during the league year. So even if a team isn’t above the apron when it uses its MLE, it might make sense to play it safe by avoiding using the full MLE and imposing a hard cap.

The taxpayer MLE can be used to sign a player for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.

Room Exception:

Year Salary
2021/22 $4,910,000
2022/23 $5,155,500
Total $10,065,500

Although this is also a mid-level exception of sorts, it’s colloquially known as the “room” exception, since it’s only available to teams that go below the cap and use their cap room.

If a club goes under the cap, it loses its full mid-level exception, but gets this smaller room exception, which allows the team to go over the cap to sign a player once the team has used up all its cap space. It can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise for the second season.

Bi-Annual Exception:

Year Salary
2021/22 $3,732,000
2022/23 $3,918,600
Total $7,650,600

The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Of the NBA’s 30 clubs, only three – the Nuggets, Lakers, and Bucks – used it in 2020/21, so they won’t have access to it in 2021/22. The league’s other 27 teams could theoretically use it this season.

Still, even if a team didn’t use its BAE in ’20/21, that club doesn’t necessarily have access to it for the coming year. As is the case with the non-taxpayer MLE, this exception disappears once a team goes under the cap. It’s also not available to teams over the tax apron — using the BAE creates a hard cap at the apron.

The BAE can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one.

Note: Be sure to check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary for more information on the mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception.

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NBA Maximum Salaries For 2021/22

By | at August 3, 2021 7:31 am

Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2021/22 league year at $112,414,000, we have a clear idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season. Conveniently, the cap increase came in at almost exactly 3%, which is precisely what the NBA had been forecasting all year, so our projections won’t change much.

Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2021/22. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

These figures will apply to a number of players who signed maximum-salary contract extensions that will go into effect in 2021/22: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox. They’ll also apply to anyone who signs a maximum-salary contract as a free agent this offseason — Kawhi Leonard is the most viable candidate.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players.

In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Tatum, Mitchell, Adebayo, and Fox; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Beal; and the “10+ years” column applies to the league’s most experienced vets or those who qualified for the super-max, including Antetokounmpo, George, and Lillard.

Here are the maximum salary figures for 2021/22:

A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2021/22 $28,103,500 $33,724,200 $39,344,900
2022/23 $30,351,780 $36,422,136 $42,492,492
2023/24 $32,600,060 $39,120,072 $45,640,084
2024/25 $34,848,340 $41,818,008 $48,787,676
2025/26 $37,096,620 $44,515,944 $51,935,268
Total $163,000,300 $195,600,360 $228,200,420

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2021/22 $28,103,500 $33,724,200 $39,344,900
2022/23 $29,508,675 $35,410,410 $41,312,145
2023/24 $30,913,850 $37,096,620 $43,279,390
2024/25 $32,319,025 $38,782,830 $45,246,635
Total $120,845,050 $145,014,060 $169,183,070

It’s worth noting that none of the maximum-salary figures listed above will apply to extension-eligible players whose new contracts would start in 2022/23.

This group includes players like Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who appear on track to sign extensions with the Warriors and Heat, respectively. It also includes players who will sign maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Even if they officially sign new deals sooner rather than later, the exact value of their next contracts will depend on where the cap lands for 2022/23. The NBA has announced that the cap for ’22/23 is projected to come in at $119MM, but there’s plenty of time for that estimate to fluctuate between now and next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

By | at August 3, 2021 2:44 am

It was an extremely busy first day of NBA free agency on Monday. By our count, a whopping 56(!) free agents agreed to new contracts after the free agent negotiating period officially began at 5:00pm CT.

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on Friday.

Here are today’s free agent agreements:

Note: Some of these salary figures may includes options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Chris Paul, Suns agree to four-year, $120MM contract.
  2. Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers agree to five-year, $100MM contract.
  3. Kyle Lowry, Heat agree to three-year, $90MM contract (sign-and-trade)
  4. Norman Powell, Trail Blazers agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
  5. Duncan Robinson, Heat agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
  6. Lonzo Ball, Bulls agree to four-year, $85MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  7. Evan Fournier, Knicks agree to four-year, $78MM contract.
  8. Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks agree to four-year, $72MM+ contract.
  9. Mike Conley, Jazz agree to three-year, $68MM+ contract.
  10. Gary Trent Jr., Raptors agree to three-year, $54MM contract.
  11. Devonte’ Graham, Pelicans agree to four-year, $47MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  12. Richaun Holmes, Kings agree to four-year, $47MM contract.
  13. Derrick Rose, Knicks agree to three-year, $43MM contract.
  14. Doug McDermott, Spurs agree to three-year, $42MM contract.
  15. Kelly Olynyk, Pistons agree to three-year, $37MM contract.
  16. Alex Caruso, Bulls agree to four-year, $37MM contract.
  17. Daniel Theis, Rockets agree to four-year, $36MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  18. T.J. McConnell, Pacers agree to four-year, $35MM contract.
  19. Will Barton, Nuggets agree to two-year, $32MM contract.
  20. Nerlens Noel, Knicks agree to three-year, $32MM contract.
  21. Reggie Bullock, Mavericks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
  22. Alec Burks, Knicks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
  23. Zach Collins, Spurs agree to three-year, $22MM contract.
  24. Cameron Payne, Suns agree to three-year, $19MM contract.
  25. JaMychal Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $17MM contract.
  26. P.J. Tucker, Heat agree to two-year, $15MM contract.
  27. Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
  28. David Nwaba, Rockets agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
  29. Torrey Craig, Pacers agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  30. Jeff Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  31. Cory Joseph, Pistons agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  32. Maurice Harkless, Kings agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  33. Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  34. Alex Len, Kings agree to two-year, $7.65MM contract.
  35. Mike Muscala, Thunder agree to two-year, $7MM contract.
  36. Nicolas Batum, Clippers agree to two-year, $6.5MM contract.
  37. Sterling Brown, Mavericks agree to two-year, $6.2MM contract.
  38. JaVale McGee, Suns agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
  39. Trey Lyles, Pistons agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
  40. Gorgui Dieng, Hawks agree to one-year, $4MM contract.
  41. Garrett Temple, Pelicans agree to three-year contract (sign-and-trade).
  42. Gabe Vincent, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  43. Max Strus, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  44. Trevor Ariza, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  45. Kent Bazemore, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  46. Wayne Ellington, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  47. Dwight Howard, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  48. Semi Ojeleye, Bucks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  49. Otto Porter, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  50. Cody Zeller, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  51. Dewayne Dedmon, Heat agree to one-year contract.
  52. Blake Griffin, Nets agree to one-year contract.
  53. Solomon Hill, Hawks agree to one-year contract.
  54. Boban Marjanovic, Mavericks agree to one-year contract.
  55. Ben McLemore, Trail Blazers agree to one-year contract.
  56. Austin Rivers, Nuggets agree to one-year contract.

Here are today’s contract extension agreements:

  1. Trae Young, Hawks agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  3. Jimmy Butler, Heat agree to four-year, maximum-salary veteran extension.

Here are today’s tentative trade agreements:

  1. The Heat are expected to acquire Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors that will involve Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa, but the full terms aren’t yet known.
  2. The Bulls are expected to acquire Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), and a future second-round pick.
  3. The Pelicans are expected to acquire Devonte’ Graham in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets in exchange for New Orleans’ own 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
  4. The Rockets are expected to acquire Daniel Theis in a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls in exchange for cash.

For as much action as there was on Monday, five of the top 11 free agents on our top-50 list – including the top two – have yet to agree to new deals, so there’s still plenty to look forward to this week.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2021 NBA Free Agent Tracker

By | at August 3, 2021 2:23 am

With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements breaking left and right, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams fall. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Early in free agency, most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker in order to avoid any confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2021 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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2021 NBA Free Agency Primer

By | at August 2, 2021 12:01 pm

The NBA’s 2021 free agency period officially begins on Monday at 5:00 pm central time. At that point, we can expect news of contract agreements to start pouring in, continuing well into the night.

By our count, 34 free agents agreed to deals on day one of free agency in 2020 — we’ll see if that number is matched or exceeded later today.

Here are a few links to prepare for you one of the most exciting days on the NBA calendar:

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2021 NBA Qualifying Offer Recap

By | at August 2, 2021 10:41 am

Players eligible for restricted free agency don’t become restricted free agents by default. In order for a team to make a player a restricted free agent, it must extend a qualifying offer to him. The qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract offer, varies in amount depending on a player’s previous contract status.

A qualifying offer is designed to give a player’s current team the right of first refusal. Because the qualifying offer acts as the first formal contract offer a free agent receives, his team then has the option to match any offer sheet the player signs with another club. If a player doesn’t receive a qualifying offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team — his previous club is given no formal opportunity to match.

You can read more about qualifying offers here.

Listed below are the details on which players did and didn’t receive qualifying offers this summer. Our list is based on various reports and team announcements leading up to the August 1 deadline, along with information from RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

It’s possible that one or two qualifying offers slipped through the cracks and will be reported later today before free agency officially gets underway — if so, we’ll update this list. For now though, this is what the qualifying offer landscape looks like. The players who received QOs will be restricted free agents, while the players who didn’t will be unrestricted.

Received qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Qualifying offers for two-way players are one-year, two-way contracts with a $50K guarantee unless otherwise indicated.

Did not receive qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Some players who finished the season on two-way contracts signed two-year deals, making them ineligible for free agency this summer. They remain under contract. Additionally, some of the players listed below did not have spent enough time on an NBA active roster to be eligible for a qualifying offer.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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