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Usman Garuba Waived By Thunder

August 21st, 2023 at 10:37am CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have placed Usman Garuba on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 21-year-old power forward/center played his first two seasons with the Rockets after being selected with the 23rd pick in the 2021 draft. Injuries limited him to 24 games as a rookie, but he appeared in 75 contests last season, averaging 3.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night.

Garuba was sent to the Hawks in a five-team trade that became official when the moratorium was lifted in early July. Atlanta shipped him to OKC in a separate deal four days later.

Garuba started his career with Real Madrid and was named EuroLeague Rising Star in 2021. He gained a reputation as a strong defender and rebounder in Europe before declaring for the NBA draft.

He will now go through the waiver process, where teams will have two days to submit claims. Any team that claims him would be on the hook for his $2.6MM salary for the upcoming season, so it’s more likely that he’ll wind up signing a minimum contract somewhere. He would be eligible for a standard contract with any team except Atlanta and a two-way deal with any team except the Hawks or Thunder.

Garuba’s 2023/24 salary will remain on the Thunder’s cap if he’s not claimed, but the team won’t have to pay the $4.4MM option he had for 2024/25.

Oklahoma City is now down to 18 players on standard contracts and must get rid of at least three more by opening night. The Thunder have two openings on their offseason roster with reported camp deals looming for Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler.

Bulls GM Says Keeping Nikola Vucevic Was “No. 1 Goal”

August 19th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls were determined to re-sign their free agents this summer and center Nikola Vucevic was the top priority, general manager Marc Eversley told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Appearing on the Bulls Talk podcast, Eversley discussed the need for continuity, especially regarding Vucevic, who has been with Chicago since a trade deadline deal in 2021. Vucevic opted to forgo free agency and accepted a three-year, $60MM extension.

“I’m excited for Vooch,” Eversley said. “There’s not many starting centers in the NBA. So if Vooch were to go away, how would you replace him? Those options were just not appealing to us. So retaining him became the No. 1 goal of the offseason.”

Vucevic will turn 33 in October, but he’s coming off a productive season. He played 82 games for the first time in his career and averaged 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per night while shooting 52% from the floor and 34.9% from beyond the arc.

The Bulls also re-signed guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, setting up a battle for playing time in a crowded backcourt. They added Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig as well to cap off a productive free agent session.

On the first night of free agency, White committed to a three-year, $36MM deal that could reach $40MM with incentives. He’s coming off the worst scoring season of his career at 9.7 PPG, but the Bulls are happy with other parts of his game.

“Coby White had, I thought, a terrific year last year. I think the growth he has shown over the last three years has been second to nobody on the roster,” Eversley said. “I think his ability to shoot (and) he’s much more comfortable handling it now. He doesn’t get pressured or panic anymore.

“He has found his voice in the locker room. He has become a quiet leader. We’ve seen growth and development from him. And that’s why it was critical to bring him back.”

Dosunmu, who started 51 games in his second NBA season, signed a three-year, $21MM contract as a restricted free agent. He earned second-team All-Rookie honors in 2022, but experienced a decline in his three-point shooting last season.

“He would not argue with me; he didn’t have quite the second year he thought he might’ve,” Eversley said. “Call it a sophomore slump. But we’ve seen him in the Advocate Center and how hard he has worked from the end of the season to today and there’s nothing but good things that are going to happen to him.”

NBA Launching Investigation Into James Harden’s Comments On Daryl Morey

August 19th, 2023 at 8:09am CST by Earnest Marshall

The NBA is launching an inquiry into James Harden‘s public callout of Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

Harden made waves earlier this week when he called Morey a “liar” during his marketing tour with Adidas in China.

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the league office is attempting to gain an understanding of whether or not Harden plans to hold out in 2023/24, which would be in violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The league office is also trying to determine whether the former MVP was referencing past contract discussions with the Sixers that would constitute salary cap circumvention.

ESPN’s report suggests that Harden has privately indicated that his public comments calling Morey a “liar” were a response to the Sixers ending trade discussions regarding Harden and Morey’s expectation that the star guard would report to camp and start the season with the team. Neither the Sixers nor Harden would be in violation of league guidelines if that ends up being the case, Wojnarowski and Shelburne note.

While Harden’s comments were surprising, he never outright made public allegations of a previous handshake agreement being in place with the Sixers on a future contract, Woj writes.

Harden signed a two-year contract worth $68.6MM with a player option in ’23/24 last season, accepting a short-term pay cut on a deal that allowed Philadelphia to bring in P.J. Tucker and Danuel House.

After those dealings, the NBA investigated the Sixers and stripped them of two future second-round picks after determining that the team had premature conversations with Tucker and House. However, the league did not uncover any evidence of Harden or the Sixers agreeing to a future contract contingent on his pay cut at that time, according to Wojnarowski.

Harden exercised that ’23/24 player option in June, with an expectation that Morey would work with him to find a trade that would send him to the Clippers, his preferred destination. Wojnarwoski reports that the Sixers and Clippers engaged in numerous conversations but never gained traction on any deal.

Morey, who faced a similar situation with Ben Simmons, isn’t willing to make a trade involving Harden that negatively impacts the Philadelphia’s chances of contending next year.

The Sixers continue to deny that the organization ever agreed upon an illegal future deal with Harden, Wojnarowski adds.

Thunder Sign Lindy Waters III To Two-Way Deal

August 18th, 2023 at 5:57pm CST by Rory Maher

5:57pm: Waters’ two-way deal is now official, the Thunder announced.

5:08pm: Lindy Waters III is rejoining the Thunder on a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Waters, who grew up in Norman and played college ball at Oklahoma State, initially signed a two-way deal with Oklahoma City in February 2022. He was promoted to a multiyear standard contract in February of this year, but his team option for 2023/24 was declined at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The 26-year-old has split the past two seasons playing for the Thunder and the team’s G League affiliate, the OKC Blue. In 66 NBA games (15.1 MPG), the 6’6″ wing holds career averages of 6.3 PPG and 2.2 RPG with a .399/.360/.800 shooting line. He has averaged 13.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.7 SPG on .498/.427/.929 shooting in 29 regular season games (29.8 MPG) with the Blue since 2021.

Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman previously identified Waters as a “strong candidate” to fill one of the team’s two-way slots. As our tracker shows, the Thunder currently have a pair of two-way openings.

However, they were prevented from signing Waters because they had 21 players — the offseason maximum — under contract, including 20 on standard deals. That changed this afternoon, as the Thunder decided to waive TyTy Washington Jr.

Mavericks Sign Derrick Jones Jr.

August 18th, 2023 at 4:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

August 18: Jones is officially a Maverick, the team announced.

“We are excited to welcome Derrick to Dallas,” said GM Nico Harrison. “Derrick has always showcased a team-first approach with his ability to adapt his game to complement his teammates. His versatility on both ends of the floor will allow us to utilize his skillset and athleticism in a variety of different lineups.”

August 9: Free agent forward Derrick Jones Jr. has reached an agreement with the Mavericks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It’s a one-year deal with a full guarantee, agent Aaron Turner tells Charania.

No other details on the new contract have been released, but Dallas still has $5.4MM of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception remaining, along with its $4.5MM bi-annual exception. Given the lack of information provided by Turner, a veteran’s minimum deal may be more likely.

Jones, 26, became a free agent when he declined his $3.36MM player option with the Bulls in June. He was the last remaining player on the open market who turned down his option for the upcoming season.

Chicago acquired Jones in a three-team trade in 2021 and re-signed him to a two-year, $6.56MM contract last summer that included the option. He appeared in 64 games last season, all off the bench, and averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 14 minutes per night.

Jones may find a greater opportunity with the Mavericks, who have revamped their roster this summer with an emphasis on upgrading their defense.

When Jones’ signing becomes official, he will be team’s 15th standard guaranteed contract. Dallas also has two of its three two-way slots filled, with potential training camp contracts looming for Greg Brown, Joe Wieskamp and Jordan Walker.

Thunder Waive TyTy Washington Jr.

August 18th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have waived guard TyTy Washington Jr., the team announced today. Washington will clear waivers and become a free agent on Sunday, assuming he goes unclaimed.

The 29th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Washington appeared in 31 games as a rookie with the Rockets last season, averaging 4.7 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per night. He put up an underwhelming shooting line of .363/.238/.556 in those 31 games.

The former Kentucky standout was more effective at the G League level, averaging 23.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 4.6 RPG in 18 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. However, he still struggled to score efficiently, making 44.2% of his shot attempts from the field and just 31.7% from beyond the three-point line.

The Rockets, apparently viewing Washington as expendable with so many other promising young players on their roster, included him as an outgoing salary-matching piece in the five-team trade that sent Dillon Brooks to Houston via sign-and-trade. The 21-year-old was sent to Atlanta in that deal, then was flipped to Oklahoma City in a salary-dump trade that made Patty Mills a Hawk.

Washington had been a long shot to make the Thunder’s roster, since the team was carrying 20 players on standard contracts and needed to trade or waive at least five of those players before opening night. The fact that OKC has already cut Washington – who was owed a guaranteed $2.32MM salary in 2023/24 – suggests there were no good options for him on the trade market.

While it’s not out of the question that a team will claim Washington on waivers, it seems unlikely, given his negative trade value this summer. A club interested in placing a claim would need to have cap room or a trade exception available to absorb his salary, which eliminates much of the league.

Assuming Washington becomes a free agent, the Thunder would owe him his 2023/24 salary but would be off the hook for the $2.43MM and $4.39MM team options on his contract for ’24/25 and ’25/26. Washington would be eligible for a standard contract with any team except Atlanta and a two-way deal with any team except the Hawks or Thunder.

Oklahoma City now has 20 players under contract — 16 on guaranteed salaries, three (Jack White, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe) on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals, and Keyontae Johnson on a two-way pact.

James Harden Thinks Relationship With Sixers Beyond Repair

August 18th, 2023 at 7:41am CST by Luke Adams

Having returned from China to Houston for his JH-Town Weekend charity event, Sixers star James Harden was asked by KHOU 11’s Jason Bristol whether his relationship with his current NBA team is “beyond repair.”

“I think so,” Harden replied.

Harden’s response isn’t surprising, given that he’s just a few days removed from calling Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a liar and stating that he’ll never again be part of an organization that Morey is a part of.

Still, Harden’s position is worth noting, since it suggests he’s not taking the same route Kevin Durant took in Brooklyn a year ago. Durant reportedly told the Nets last August that they should choose between trading him or firing general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.

Harden, conversely, has offered no such ultimatum to the Sixers and given no indication that he’d be happy to remain in Philadelphia if Morey is dismissed. It’s also possible he believes there’s little chance that 76ers ownership would choose him over Morey at this point and that it’s not a strategy worth pursuing.

Asked by Bristol whether he has an open line of communication with the Sixers and how patient he needs to be as he waits for his trade request to be granted, Harden said he’s “been patient all summer.”

“For me, it’s just focus on what I can control, and that’s working out, staying in shape, and getting ready for a good season,” the former MVP added.

It remains unclear how the standoff between the Sixers and Harden might be resolved. While the veteran guard has no desire to play another game for the team and reportedly doesn’t plan to attend training camp if he’s still on the roster, the organization isn’t making a concerted effort to move him and still expects him at camp.

Both sides have some leverage in the dispute. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a player who withholds his services for more than 30 days is deemed to have not completed his contract. That means Philadelphia could prevent Harden – who has an expiring deal – from reaching free agency in 2024 if he declines to report to the Sixers for more than a month without the club’s consent.

However, Harden has some recent experience steering himself to a preferred destination without needing to resort to a holdout — he pushed for and received trades out of Houston in 2021 and Brooklyn in 2022. The Sixers also likely won’t want to risk ruining another year of Joel Embiid‘s prime by spending a significant portion of the season dealing with Harden-related drama.

Frank Kaminsky Signs One-Year Deal With Partizan

August 17th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Rory Maher

KK Partizan has officially signed free agent big man Frank Kaminsky to a one-year contract, as Eurohoops.net relays.

A report last month indicated that the 30-year-old would only consider joining a European team after exhausting his NBA options. Evidently he was unable to find a suitable contract in North America, as he’ll be heading overseas for the first time in his professional career.

Kaminsky was the ninth overall pick of the 2015 draft. He has appeared in 413 total regular season games for the Hornets, Suns, Hawks and Rockets over the past seven seasons.

The veteran forward/center didn’t play much last season after returning from 2021 surgery on his right knee, averaging just 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per night across 36 appearances with Atlanta and Houston. Prior to his knee injury, Kaminsky averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG with a .468/.344/.682 shooting line in 95 games (17.6 MPG) over three seasons in Phoenix.

Partizan competes in the EuroLeague, widely considered to be the world’s best non-NBA league. The Serbian club finished the regular season with a 20-14 record, losing its hotly contested first-round playoff series against eventual champion Real Madrid in five games (the maximum).

2023/24 NBA Schedules By Team

August 17th, 2023 at 2:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has officially unveiled its full regular season schedule for 2023/24.

The season will begin on Tuesday, October 24 and wrap up Sunday, April 14. The play-in tournament will take place from April 16-19, with the playoffs beginning on April 20.

The league’s announcement highlighted the fact that each team is only scheduled for 80 games at this point. That’s due to the new in-season tournament, whose schedule has already been revealed.

The league also confirmed several previously reported marquee matchups, including its five-game Christmas Day slate, an opening night doubleheader of Lakers at Nuggets and Suns at Warriors, and games taking place in Mexico City and Paris.

Listed below are links to the full 2023/24 season schedules for each NBA team, organized by conference and division. The team-by-team schedules for ’23/24 can also be viewed in a single document right here, while the full schedule by date can be viewed here.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Central Division

Southeast Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Southwest Division

Nuggets’ Vlatko Cancar Undergoes Surgery For Torn ACL

August 17th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Vlatko Cancar, who sustained a torn ACL in his left knee earlier this month, recently underwent ACL reconstruction surgery, the Nuggets announced (Twitter link via Mike Singer of The Denver Post).

While Cancar is officially out indefinitely, ACL tears typically have a recovery timeline of 12-plus months, so it seems highly likely that he’ll be sidelined for the entire 2023/24 season.

Cancar suffered the injury while playing in an exhibition game for Team Slovenia as it prepares for the 2023 World Cup. The 26-year-old has had strong international showings for his native country in recent years, including during the 2020 Olympics and last year’s EuroBasket.

It’s a very unfortunate setback for both Cancar and the Nuggets, who lost some bench depth this offseason and now will be without Cancar as well.

A former draft-and-stash second-round pick (49th overall in 2017), Cancar emerged as a semi-regular rotation player in 2022/23, averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .476/.374/.927 shooting in 60 games (14.8 MPG). He was not in the team’s shortened postseason rotation, however, playing 10 total minutes over five games during Denver’s championship run.

Cancar will make a guaranteed $2.2MM in ’23/24, and the Nuggets hold a $2.3MM team option on his contract for ’24/25.