James Harden Picking Up Option, Working With Sixers On Trade
Sixers star James Harden has decided to exercise his $35.6MM player option for 2023/24, but he doesn’t intend to return to Philadelphia, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, the plan is for Harden to work together with the 76ers to find him a new home via trade.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) confirms that Philadelphia and Harden have begun to explore trade scenarios, adding that the expectation is that the 10-time All-Star has played his last game as a Sixer.
The news comes as a major surprise. For several months, Harden’s anticipated free agency was considered likely to be a battle between the Sixers and his former team, the Rockets.
Within the last week or two, Philadelphia had seemingly emerged as a clear frontrunner based on reporting from several outlets. However, the 33-year-old won’t actually reach free agency after all, opting into the second season of his two-year deal with the 76ers in order to make it easier to trade him.
The Clippers have expressed interest in acquiring Harden, a league source tells Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link). Wojnarowski (Twitter link) confirms L.A.’s interest and says the Knicks are also expected to engage in trade conversations with the Sixers.
The Clippers, armed with several movable contracts and a long-standing desire to add a backcourt play-maker, are an intriguing potential trade partner for Philadelphia. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Los Angeles – which has been gauging the trade market for Marcus Morris and Norman Powell – have also inquired about Sixers forward Tobias Harris.
The Knicks, meanwhile, also possess a handful of tradable contracts, including Evan Fournier‘s expiring $18.9MM deal, and control several extra future first-round picks.
Still, Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) cautions that the Clippers and Knicks won’t be Harden’s only suitors. Philadelphia is already casting a “wide net,” according to Mannix, who says the club will be seeking a package of players who can fit alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
The Rockets could make a play for Harden via trade if they so choose, but they’ve seemingly shifted their focus to free agent point guard Fred VanVleet, and Harden is focused on a move to a contender, according to Wojnarowski.
Although Harden missed out on All-Star honors this year for the first time since 2012, he still posted strong numbers during the regular season, averaging 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game with a .441/.385/.867 shooting line in 58 appearances (36.8 MPG). He was expected to be among the top free agents available this weekend if he had opted out.
Because Harden is on a two-year contract, he won’t be eligible to sign an extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2024. If he’s moved, he’ll be playing for his fourth team in four years. He was dealt from Houston to Brooklyn in January 2021 and from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in February 2022.
Lakers To Decline Malik Beasley’s Team Option
In addition to waiving Mohamed Bamba before his salary became guaranteed, the Lakers also won’t exercise their team option on Malik Beasley for 2023/24, making him an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
However, a reunion could still be in the works. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Lakers will retain Beasley’s Bird rights, and McMenamin reports that the Lakers plan to keep in touch with both players, with new contracts a possibility. Los Angeles will lose Bamba’s Bird rights after waiving him.
As our team option tracker shows, Beasley’s option was worth $16,524,106. He didn’t play up to that type of contract in ’22/23, so it’s not a surprise that it will be declined, though there was some thought that it might be exercised in order to explore sign-and-trade scenarios.
A long-range shooting specialist who holds a career mark of 37.8% from deep, Beasley shot just 35.7% last season, including 35.3% with the Lakers. He was acquired from Utah at the trade deadline in the deal involving Russell Westbrook.
Overall, the 26-year-old appeared in 81 games last season, including 27 starts (25.8 MPG). The Lakers had hoped he would provide an offensive jolt, but his numbers declined with L.A. and he was a non-factor in the postseason, appearing in 11 games while shooting 26.9% from three in 8.3 MPG.
While Beasley is an extremely streaky shooter who doesn’t bring a whole lot else to the table, he did shoot 38.9% from beyond the arc in 252 games from 2018-2022. That, combined with his age, should make him a popular target in free agency.
Bulls’ Andre Drummond Opts In For 2023/24
Bulls center Andre Drummond has exercised his player option for 2023/24, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move will guarantee Drummond a $3.36MM salary for next season.
Drummond, who will turn 30 in August, put up big numbers on a per-minute basis as a reserve center for the Bulls in 2022/23, averaging 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes per game (67 games).
However, for the first time in his 11-year NBA career, Drummond didn’t make a single start, playing a limited role behind primary center Nikola Vucevic. His scoring and rebounding averages were career lows, as were his 12.7 minutes per night.
While Drummond might be the NBA’s best rebounder and can certainly score around the basket, the rest of his offensive game is limited, and he’s not a mobile defensive player or an elite rim protector. Once a maximum-salary player, the two-time All-Star presumably determined that he wasn’t assured of topping a $3.36MM guarantee on the open market and chose the safety of the opt-in.
It’s unclear whether Drummond remains in Chicago’s plans for 2023/24 or whether the team will look to trade his expiring contract. A report on Thursday morning indicated that the Mavericks were eyeing the veteran center, but Marc Stein later clarified (via Twitter) that Dallas’ interest was contingent on a separate trade that hadn’t happened yet.
Drummond is one of two Bulls veterans who had player option decisions to make this month. While the big man is picking up his $3.36MM option, Derrick Jones elected to turn down an identical $3.36MM option of his own.
Lakers Waiving Mohamed Bamba
The Lakers have decided to waive Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3MM salary for the 2023/24 season becomes guaranteed, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bamba spent his first four-and-a-half NBA seasons in Orlando before being dealt to the Lakers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.
Although he has flashed the ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim, Bamba saw his role with the Magic decline after the team added Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero, and played a limited role in Los Angeles before spraining his ankle in March.
In total, Bamba appeared in 49 games in 2022/23, averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest. He posted a shooting line of .485/.387/.661.
Bamba is still just 25 years old and may have untapped upside, but it didn’t make sense for the Lakers to retain him at a price of $10MM+. Cutting him will give Los Angeles some extra cap flexibility entering a crucial offseason and may open the door for the club to use the full, non-taxpayer version of the mid-level exception.
Rockets Frontrunner For Kyle Kuzma?
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report hears from league sources who say the Rockets have momentum on a possible deal for free agent forward Kyle Kuzma, who declined his $13MM player option last week to hit the open market.
Sacramento radio host Carmichael Dave was first to report the Rockets were the frontrunner to land Kuzma (Twitter link).
The veteran forward has also been linked to the Pacers and Kings, two other teams with cap room. It seems like those teams are pursuing other targets instead (Max Strus for Indiana and re-signing or extending Harrison Barnes for Sacramento).
Kuzma was first linked to the Rockets by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports earlier this month. Houston has the most cap room in the league (around $60MM) and intends to be aggressive in free agency in an effort to start winning games.
However, Marc Stein recently reported that the Rockets were expected to use nearly all of their cap room to sign free agents Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. It’s unclear if that means Kuzma is a fallback option or if they plan to pursue all three players. Landing all three would almost certainly require a sign-and-trade for one of them unless someone is taking a below-market deal.
Kuzma, who turns 28 next month, averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game in 64 contests (35.0 MPG) this past season, posting a shooting line of .448/.333/.730 and contributing 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per night.
He would be a curious fit with the Rockets, who already have Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate at the two forward spots and drafted Cam Whitmore in the first round last week. That list doesn’t include Brooks either, another player who primarily plays forward.
Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson To Pick Up Player Option
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson intends to exercise his $14.26MM player option for 2023/24, avoiding free agency and keeping him off the open market, league sources tell Sarah Todd of The Deseret News (Twitter link).
As Todd notes, by picking up his option, Clarkson would become extension-eligible immediately. He was eligible for an in-season extension in ’22/23 as well, and multiple reports said that scenario was discussed.
However, Clarkson can earn more money on a potential extension in a couple days due to a change in the new CBA, which allows veterans to receive 140% of their current salary in the first year of an extension instead of 120%. If the Jazz don’t make further roster additions in free agency, it’s possible they could use some of their cap space to renegotiate and extend Clarkson, which would give him a higher base salary in year one with a declining structure in subsequent seasons. That’s what the Pacers and Myles Turner did during the season.
Clarkson, who turned 31 earlier this month, averaged career highs in multiple categories in 2022/23, including points (20.8), assists (4.4), rebounds (4.0; tied with two other seasons) and minutes per game (32.6) in 61 contests, all starts. His overall shooting slash line of .444/.338/.816 was very close to his career averages (.440/.338/.826), but his efficiency was up a tick because he attempted more three-pointers and free throws.
While Clarkson can score on anyone, he’s also a poor defensive player and over 30, which limits his upside. Hoping to reach an extension makes sense if he’s comfortable in Utah, though it’s worth noting that he’ll be trade-eligible after opting in. If he signs an extension that places him under contract for more than three total seasons, includes a raise greater than 5%, or includes a renegotiation, he’ll become ineligible to be dealt for six months.
The Jazz also decided to keep big man Kelly Olynyk, whose $12.2MM contract for ’23/24 was only partially guaranteed at $3MM. Since he wasn’t waived last night, his contract is now fully guaranteed. The news was expected, as GM Justin Zanik said after the season ended that he anticipated having Olynyk back.
The full list of player option decisions for 2023/24 can be found right here.
Rockets Exercising Team Option On Kenyon Martin Jr.
The Rockets are exercising their $1,930,681 team option on Kenyon Martin Jr. for the 2023/24 season, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Martin, 22, has been with Houston for the last three years and had arguably his best NBA season in 2022/23, appearing in all 82 games and making 49 starts. The 6’6″ forward established new career highs in points (12.7), rebounds (5.5), and assists (1.5) per game, as well as field-goal percentage (56.9%).
While the Rockets’ decision to pick up Martin’s option may look like a no-brainer on paper, it wasn’t a lock. Exercising the option will put the former second-round pick on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024, whereas turning it down and issuing him a qualifying offer would’ve allowed Houston to negotiate with Martin as a restricted free agent this summer.
Still, there are plenty of reasons why it made sense for the Rockets to pick up the option. Keeping Martin on a minimum-salary cap hit will allow the club to maximize its league-high cap room, which projects to exceed $60MM. Martin will also immediately become eligible to be extended or traded — he has consistently been mentioned in trade rumors for over a year.
In other Rockets news, according to Iko (Twitter link), the team will also issue two-way qualifying offers to Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins, making them restricted free agents.
Because Days and Hudgins were NBA rookies in 2022/23 and finished the season on two-way contracts, their qualifying offers will each be the equivalent of another one-year, two-way deal with a small partial guarantee.
Clippers To Let Eric Gordon Become Free Agent
The Clippers won’t guarantee Eric Gordon‘s $20.9MM salary for next season, allowing the veteran guard to become an unrestricted free agent, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team confirmed that Gordon has been waived.
The decision on Gordon was made with the luxury tax in mind, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He adds that management liked how Gordon performed during his brief time with the team, but they want to give more minutes to younger guards rather than committing to a 34-year-old.
Getting rid of Gordon’s contract will reduce the Clippers’ projected tax bill for next season from $169MM to $59MM, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team currently projects to be $18MM over the $165MM luxury tax threshold.
L.A. acquired Gordon from the Rockets in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. He averaged 11.0 PPG and shot 42.3% from three-point range in his 22 regular season games with the Clippers and put up similar numbers in the playoffs.
Gordon was in the final season of a four-year, $75.5MM contract he signed with Houston in 2020. He could have guaranteed his fourth-year salary by making an All-Star team or reaching a minutes requirement in a championship season.
Pacers Considering $48MM Offer For Max Strus
The Pacers are “strongly weighing” a three-year offer in the $48MM range for free agent shooting guard Max Strus, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.
Several teams are interested in Strus, who is likely to receive a new deal that exceeds the $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Stein adds. With more than $30MM in cap room, Indiana is in position to outbid many of its rivals.
Echoing a report from Jake Fischer earlier today, Stein states that Strus appears “almost certain” to be on the move after spending the past three seasons with the Heat. Fischer cited the Pistons and Magic as other teams with cap room that might make an offer to Strus.
Miami reportedly doesn’t want to commit the resources it would take to re-sign both Strus and Gabe Vincent, and it appears that Vincent is more of a priority.
Strus, 27, started all 23 playoff games for the Heat during their run to the NBA Finals. He was outstanding for most of the postseason, but struggled against Denver, shooting just 10-of-43 from three-point range.
Timberwolves Waive Taurean Prince
5:01pm: The Timberwolves have officially waived Prince, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
4:08pm: The Timberwolves have decided not to guarantee Taurean Prince‘s $7,455,000 salary for the 2023/24 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Because Prince has a non-guaranteed contract rather than an option, he’ll have to be waived, meaning Minnesota won’t retain any form of Bird rights on him. While Prince could technically be claimed by a team with cap room or a trade exception big enough to cover his salary, he’ll likely pass through waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.
The Wolves’ decision is a little surprising, given that Prince has been a reliable rotation piece in Minnesota for the last two years. In 123 games since the start of the 2021/22 season, he has averaged 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 19.3 minutes per night, with a solid shooting line of .460/.378/.799.
Still, if the Wolves hope to re-sign restricted free agent Nickeil Alexander-Walker and use a significant portion of their mid-level exception, it would have been virtually impossible to retain Prince and avoid becoming a taxpayer. Waiving him will give the team more wiggle room to negotiate with Alexander-Walker and use the MLE without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Minnesota now projects to be about $15.6MM below the tax line with four roster spots to fill, so the club still isn’t in position to use its full $12.4MM mid-level without further cost-cutting.
Prince, 29, figures to appeal to teams looking for depth on the wing this summer. A decision on his 2023/24 salary was due today, as our list of early guarantee dates shows.