Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks, Khris Middleton Agree To Three-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks and Khris Middleton are in agreement on a lucrative new deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from Middleton’s agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz that the star forward will sign a three-year, $102MM contract to remain in Milwaukee.

Middleton turned down a $40.4MM player option in order to secure a more significant overall financial commitment, though he’ll accept a lower salary in 2023/24. That reduction should help the Bucks’ luxury tax situation in the short term.

One of the NBA’s most underappreciated players for years, Middleton averaged at least 20 points in four of five seasons and made three All-Star teams from 2017-22. Unfortunately, his contract year was a forgettable one, with Middleton limited to 33 games due to injuries as his scoring rate (15.1 PPG) and shooting percentages (.436 FG%, .315 3PT%) dipped significantly.

The 31-year-old wing looked more like himself in five playoff games (23.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 6.2 APG, .465/.406/.867 shooting) and felt confident enough about his earning potential this summer to decline his player option. The bet paid off, with Middleton landing another nine-figure contract.

A former second-round pick (39th overall in 2012), Middleton was drafted by Detroit, spending his rookie year with the club. He was traded to Milwaukee in the summer of 2013 and has spent the past decade building the team’s culture and winning habits alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a rookie during Middleton’s first year with the Bucks.

Middleton was instrumental to the Bucks’ championship campaign in ’20/21, averaging 23.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.1 APG and 1.5 SPG in 23 playoff games (40.1 MPG). Both sides will be hoping he continues his playoff form over the next three seasons.

Rory Maher contributed to this story.

Jevon Carter Signs Three-Year Deal With Bulls

June 30th, 2023 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 10: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JUNE 30: Guard Jevon Carter is joining the Bulls on a three-year deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The Bulls are using a portion of their $12.4MM mid-level exception to secure Carter’s services.

Woj says the deal is worth $20MM, while Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report say it’s around $19MM (Twitter link), so there may be incentives within the deal. Chicago is now projected to be $9MM below the luxury tax and are hard-capped, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The Bulls are also $15MM below the first tax apron.

Carter is coming off a career year in which he appeared in all but one of Milwaukee’s regular-season games. The defensive-minded Carter started 39 of those games. Overall, he averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Carter entered the free agent market by declining his $2.24MM option. Financially, it was obviously the right move for Carter, who now joins a seemingly crowded Bulls backcourt, depending on their other moves this offseason. Chicago has also reached an agreement with its own free agent guard, Coby White.

Cavaliers Sign Georges Niang To Three-Year Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Niang is officially a Cavalier, having formally signed his new contract with the team, per a press release.

JUNE 30: The Cavaliers and forward Georges Niang have agreed to a three-year contract worth $26MM, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, tweets Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Niang is one of the NBA’s best shooters, having made at least 40% of his three-point attempts in each of the last five seasons. While he’s not a great defender or rebounder, the 30-year-old will help space the floor for the Cavaliers, who had been in the market for frontcourt shooting.

Unless the Cavs work out a sign-and-trade agreement with Philadelphia, Niang’s former team, this signing will come out of Cleveland’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception and will hard-cap them at $172.3MM for the 2023/24 season.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Cavs – who also reached a contract agreement with Caris LeVert, are still projected to be about $13.5MM below the tax and $20.5MM below the first apron, so they have some flexibility to continue making moves. They’re still looking into the possibility of acquiring free agent swingman Max Strus via sign-and-trade, tweets Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Suns Sign Four Free Agents

June 30th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 11: The Suns have officially signed Okogie, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets.

“Josh plays with relentless energy. His grit, intensity and athleticism are vital to the success of our team,” Jones said in a statement. “He consistently makes winning plays on both ends of the floor. He is truly unique.”

JULY 7: After officially signing Eubanks and Bates-Diop earlier in the week, the Suns have finalized Lee’s deal as well, per a press release.

“Damion’s elite three-point shooting, championship experience and toughness help elevate our team,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “His leadership and professionalism are pivotal as we pursue an NBA title.”

JUNE 30: The Suns have reached agreements with four free agents, including two of their own.

Forward Josh Okogie is re-signing with the Suns, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. Guard Damion Lee is also returning on a two-year deal with a player option for the second season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Power forward Drew Eubanks is leaving the Trail Blazers to sign a two-year deal with a player option, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop is signing with Phoenix on a two-year, $5MM contract that also features an option, Wojnarowski tweets. Bates-Diop will have a chance to earn a starting spot — presumably, he’ll battle Okogie to start alongside Kevin Durant.

Okogie started in 26 of 72 regular-season games last season for the Suns, averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes. He also started in half of their 10 postseason games.

Lee saw action in 74 of Phoenix’s regular-season games and averaged 8.2 points in 20.4 minutes. He made a career-best 44.5% of his 3-point attempts.

Eubanks averaged 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.3 minutes while appearing in 78 of Portland’s games, including 28 starts. He figures to play backup minutes at power forward and perhaps center. Bates-Diop started 42 of the 67 games in which he played for San Antonio last season. He averaged a career-best 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes.

Pacers Sign Bruce Brown To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Brown has officially signed with the Pacers, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JUNE 30: Fresh off a championship run with the Nuggets, Bruce Brown is leaving Denver for Indiana, per Alex Golden of Setting The Pace (Twitter link).

Brown is getting a significant pay raise from the Pacers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll sign a two-year contract worth $45MM, agents Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann tell ESPN’s duo.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Brown’s new deal will include a second-year team option, so it sounds like only the first year will be guaranteed. Still, it’s a huge pay bump for Brown, who had only earned a total of $15MM across his first five NBA seasons.

Having signed with the Nuggets last summer following a two-year stint in Brooklyn, Brown averaged a career-best 11.5 points per night on .483/.358/.758 shooting in 80 games (28.5 MPG) this past season.

The 26-year-old also contributed 4.1 RPG and 3.4 APG while handling a variety of defensive assignments. In the postseason, he played the most minutes of any Denver reserve, bumping his scoring average to 12.0 PPG while shooting 51.1% from the floor.

Because Brown signed with the Nuggets just one year ago, the team only held his Non-Bird rights, which limited their maximum offer to about $7.8MM, a 20% raise on his previous $6.5MM salary. The club reportedly made that offer, but it didn’t come close to the deal the Pacers put on the table.

Brown was the No. 14 free agent on our top-50 list. His deal will come out of Indiana’s cap room. The team still projects to have nearly $15MM in space after accounting for Brown’s contract, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

Bulls Re-Sign Coby White To Three-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Rory Maher

July 7: White’s deal is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.

June 30: Restricted free agent guard Coby White is re-signing with the Bulls, agreeing to a three-year, $33MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) the deal is worth $40MM, with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago clarifying (Twitter link) that it could “potentially” be worth $40MM. That implies there will be incentives in the contract that could increase the value.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that White was likely to return to Chicago on a three-year deal worth north of $30MM. Chicago made White a restricted free agent on Wednesday by extending him a $7,744,600 qualifying offer.

White is entering his fifth NBA season after being drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in 2019. He appeared in 74 games (two starts) last season, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.7 APG with a .443/.372/.871 shooting line in 23.4 MPG.

Several of those counting stats from ’22/23 represented career lows for White. However, he’s only 23 years old and improved in key developmental areas last season, including defense, ball-handling, decision-making and passing.

White figures to receive regular minutes again in ’23/24 with Lonzo Ball‘s status very much up in the air. Ball unfortunately had a third knee surgery that may sideline him all of next season — if not indefinitely.

Cavaliers Re-Sign Caris LeVert To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: LeVert’s new deal with the Cavaliers is now official, the team confirmed (via Twitter).

JUNE 30: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement to re-sign free agent swingman Caris LeVert, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Agent Austin Brown tells Wojnarowski that it’ll be a two-year, $32MM deal.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com had reported in the days leading up to free agency that LeVert would be offered a contract in the range of $15-18MM annually, so the terms come as no surprise. At that price, Cleveland still has the flexibility to continue adding to to its roster while remaining below the luxury tax line.

When the Cavaliers first traded for LeVert in 2021, they envisioned him as a scorer and play-maker who would frequently have the ball in his hands. Following the emergence of Darius Garland and the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland asked him to play off the ball more in 2022/23, an adjustment which was reflected in his statistics — LeVert’s 18.7% usage rate was easily his lowest since his rookie year, and his 12.1 points per game were well below the 18.5 PPG he averaged across the three previous seasons.

However, LeVert adjusted to his new role without complaint and expanded his game. His .392 3PT% last season was a career high and he took on more challenging defensive assignments to alleviate the pressure on Garland and Mitchell.

LeVert’s new deal puts him on track to return to unrestricted free agency in 2025 at age 30.

Sixers Not Expected To Pursue Extension With Tyrese Maxey This Offseason

June 30th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are not expected to sign guard Tyrese Maxey to a rookie scale extension this offseason, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice reports.

Their thinking is based upon maintaining financial flexibility, rather than how they evaluate Maxey’s worth. Except for Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, Maxey is the top young player on the roster.

Philadelphia views him as a long-term core piece but by holding off on a Maxey extension the team can potentially clear a path to another max slot next offseason. The Sixers are aiming to be major players in next year’s free agent market, particularly since Tobias Harris‘ expiring contract will be coming off their books (assuming he’s not traded). Currently, Embiid and P.J. Tucker are the only players on the roster with guaranteed contracts for the 2024/25 season.

Signing Maxey to a rookie scale extension this offseason would limit the amount of cap space the Sixers could open up for next summer. Maxey, the No. 21 pick in the 2020 draft, will make $4,343,920 next season.

Without an extension, Maxey would enter restricted free agency with a relatively modest $13MM cap hold. If he signed an extension before next season starting at $30MM, as an example, the Sixers would lose $17MM in cap space, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link).

The team’s interest in retaining Maxey long-term doesn’t depend of whether James Harden is traded or remains with the Sixers on what would be an expiring contract. However, the franchise may be taking somewhat of a risk of alienating Maxey by not locking him via an extension before next season.

Maxey appeared in 60 regular season games in his third NBA season and averaged 20.3 points and 3.5 assists in 33.6 minutes per game. He also averaged 20.5 points in 11 postseason contests.

Coby White Likely To Re-Sign With Bulls

June 30th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Restricted free agent Coby White is considered likely to re-sign with the Bulls on a three-year deal, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports. The contract is expected to be worth more than $30MM, according to Fischer.

Chicago made White a restricted free agent by extending him a $7,744,600 qualifying offer on Wednesday.

White is entering his fifth season in the NBA after being drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick in 2019. While he hasn’t lived up to his draft status, White has been a regular part of the Bulls’ rotation in his four pro seasons.

White saw action in a career-high 74 games (two starts) last season. He averaged a career-low 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. Overall, he’s appeared in 269 career regular-season games, averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

The combo guard figures to retain at least a second-unit spot, given Lonzo Ball‘s ongoing knee issues. The Bulls are interested in re-signing unrestricted free agent Patrick Beverley, who jumped into the starting lineup after being signed on the buyout market last season.

However, Beverley has another potential suitor in the Celtics, according to Fischer. Boston traded away Marcus Smart to Memphis in the Kristaps Porzingis three-team blockbuster and the Clippers have reportedly shown renewed interest in Malcolm Brogdon.

Beverley joined the Bulls last season after he was bought out by Orlando and started 22 games. He was dealt by the Lakers in a four-team swap at the trade deadline.

Jazz In Extension Talks With Jordan Clarkson

June 30th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Clarkson is discussing a three-year extension with the Jazz, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). The new deal could pay him close to $18MM per year, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

On Thursday, Clarkson chose to bypass free agency by picking up his $14.26MM player option for next season. That made him immediately eligible for an extension, which will be worth more once the new CBA takes effect on Saturday and allows veterans to receive 140% of their current salary in the first year of an extension rather than the current 120%.

Utah could also use some of its projected cap room to give Clarkson a higher base salary in the first year of the deal.

The 31-year-old guard set career highs in several categories this season, averaging 20.8 points, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 61 games. He has been with the Jazz since being acquired from Cleveland in 2019.