Dean Wade Signs Three-Year Extension With Cavaliers
SEPTEMBER 27: Wade’s extension is now official, the Cavaliers announced today (via Twitter).
SEPTEMBER 24: The Cavaliers will sign forward Dean Wade to a three-year extension worth $18.5MM, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wade, who will make $1.93MM this season, had been on track to become a free agent next summer, so the extension will begin in 2023 and will keep him under contract through the end of 2025/26. The agreement was confirmed by Wade’s agents, Austin Walton and Adam Papas, according to Woj.
Wade, a 25-year-old small forward, has been with Cleveland for the past three seasons after earning a two-way contract in 2019. Much of his first year was spent in the G League, but he has been a part of the rotation the last two years and may be in contention for a starting spot heading into training camp.
Wade appeared in 51 games last season, making 28 starts, and averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 45.6% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. He underwent meniscus surgery in March, but he was cleared to resume basketball activities in early May.
The extension fully guarantees Wade’s contract for the upcoming season and gives Cleveland 14 players with guaranteed deals, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Jazz Trade Bojan Bogdanovic To Pistons
SEPTEMBER 26, 9:00pm: The Jazz and Pistons both issued press releases on Monday evening confirming the trade, which signals that all the required physicals have been completed.
As previously reported, Utah received $1,752,638 in cash along with Olynyk and Lee, which is the exact amount of Lee’s 2022/23 salary.
SEPTEMBER 22, 5:00pm: The trade is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. In addition to Olynyk and Lee, the Jazz acquired cash in the deal, per RealGM’s transaction log.
SEPTEMBER 22, 8:39am: The Pistons and Jazz are finalizing a trade that will send forward Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit, sources tell Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania and Edwards, Utah will receive big man Kelly Olynyk and guard Saben Lee in the deal.
Bogdanovic is set to earn $19.55MM in the final year of his contract after averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in 69 appearances (30.9 MPG) for the Jazz in 2021/22. A strong frontcourt scorer and shooter, Bogdanovic has made his 39.2% of his career three-point attempts, including 40.3% over the last five seasons.
With the Jazz in the process of tearing down their roster, Bogdanovic was widely viewed as a strong candidate to be moved before the start of the season. On Wednesday, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune cited a source close to Bogdanovic who said the forward expected to be traded soon.
Still, while a trade had been anticipated, Bogdanovic’s destination comes as a surprise. Teams like the Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, and Knicks had been cited as possible suitors for the 33-year-old, but it will be the retooling Pistons who land him. Bogdanovic’s ability to stretch the floor and hit outside shots should help create more room in the paint and play-making opportunities for Detroit’s dynamic young guards, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
The Pistons will take advantage of their leftover cap room in acquiring Bogdanovic, sending out only Olynyk ($12.8MM) and Lee ($1.75MM) in the deal. The move will also help clear a roster logjam in Detroit — the club had 17 players on fully guaranteed salaries, but will have just 16 after completing the trade for Bogdanovic. Buyout candidate Kemba Walker is expected to be the odd man out.
As for the Jazz, they’re trading yet another productive veteran after having already found takers this offseason for Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Royce O’Neale. It appears they won’t continue to add to their collection of future draft assets in the Bogdanovic swap, but they’ll add a much-needed center in Olynyk to their roster, will take a shot on the 23-year-old Lee, and will create some additional breathing room below the luxury tax line.
As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype observes (via Twitter), the trade should move Utah from about $2MM below the luxury tax threshold to $7MM below the tax line. The team also should create a trade exception worth about $6.75MM in the deal.
While they’ll reduce this year’s team salary, the Jazz will now be on the hook for Olynyk’s $3MM partial guarantee in 2023/24. They’d owe the big man that $3MM, instead of his full $12.2MM salary, if they waive him before next year’s free agent period. Lee, meanwhile, has a $1.9MM team option for ’23/24.
The Jazz will now have 18 players on guaranteed contracts, so they’ll have to trade or release three players before opening night to get their roster down to 15.
Andre Iguodala Returns To Warriors For One More Season
SEPTEMBER 26: The Warriors have officially re-signed Iguodala, the team announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 23: Andre Iguodala will play his 19th and final NBA season with the Warriors, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Iguodala made the announcement on his Point Forward podcast (video link).
Golden State had been keeping a roster spot open in hopes that Iguodala would return. His decision gives the team a full complement of 20 players heading into camp.
Iguodala played an important role in the Warriors’ ascension into title contenders in the latter part of the last decade. He was traded in 2019 to help clear salary, but he returned to the team as a free agent last summer after spending two seasons with Miami.
Iguodala, who remains one of Golden State’s most reliable perimeter defenders, appeared in 31 games last season, averaging 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 19.5 minutes per night. He saw only minimal playing time in seven postseason games during the Warriors’ title run.
The Warriors will presumably sign Iguodala to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract. Such a deal would make him the 14th Golden State player with a guaranteed salary for the 2022/23 season.
The team could carry one more player when the regular season begins, but may opt to keep that 15th spot open to maintain flexibility and avoid pushing its record-setting luxury tax bill any higher.
CJ McCollum Signs Two-Year Extension With Pelicans
SEPTEMBER 26: McCollum’s extension is now official, according to Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin, who praised the veteran guard for “taking less money in his extension to keep this group together” (Twitter links via Andrew Lopez of ESPN and Christian Clark of NOLA.com).
SEPTEMBER 24: The Pelicans and CJ McCollum have reached an agreement on a two-year extension valued at $64MM, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This deal, which was confirmed by McCollum’s agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Basketball, will run through the end of the 2025/26 season.
McCollum made an immediate impact in New Orleans after being acquired from the Trail Blazers in February. He averaged 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game as the Pelicans stormed back from a slow start and earned a spot in the play-in tournament. He was equally effective in the playoffs as New Orleans took the top-seeded Suns to six games in their first-round matchup.
The 31-year-old shooting guard is part of what looks to be a strong foundation that could keep the Pelicans in playoff contention for the next few years. Brandon Ingram provides another consistent scoring threat, and the return of Zion Williamson could round out one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.
All three players are now under contract for the next three seasons, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
The extension was a priority for Pelicans senior vice president of basketball operations David Griffin and general manager Trajan Langdon, Wojnarowski adds. They were impressed by the way McCollum was able to transform the team with his production and leadership after the trade.
McCollum was a fixture in Portland after being selected with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft. He spent eight and a half seasons with the Blazers and ranks fifth on the team’s career scoring list.
McCollum will earn $33.3MM this season and $35.8MM in 2023/24 before the new extension takes effect.
Bucks Re-Sign Jordan Nwora To Two-Year Deal
SEPTEMBER 26: Nwora has officially re-signed with the Bucks, the team announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 25: The Bucks are bringing back restricted free agent small forward Jordan Nwora on a two-year, $6.2MM contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Nwora, 24, averaged 7.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.0 APG, over 19.1 MPG, across 62 contests for the Bucks in 2021/22, including 13 starts. He posted shooting splits of .403/.348/.837 last year.
Nwora was selected with the No. 45 pick in 2020 out of Louisville. Though he played a relatively limited role with the club as a rookie, Nwora was a part of the team’s 2020/21 championship-winning roster.
During Bucks Media Day remarks to the press earlier today, team president Jon Horst alluded to the fact that Nwora was slated to join the team for the start of training camp Monday, tweets Jim Owzcarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The 6’8″ swingman will be the 15th player to receive a guaranteed 2022/23 salary from the Bucks, so the team’s regular season roster looks pretty much set.
There had been some uncertainty about whether Milwaukee would be willing to carry a 15th man into the regular season, since doing so will push the team’s salary further over the tax line. Unless a trade is coming before opening night, it appears the club is comfortable taking on that extra cost.
Pistons Finalize Camp Roster, Announce Injury Updates
The Pistons officially announced their training camp roster on Monday, and it includes two new names. According to the team, guards Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude have signed Exhibit 10 contracts, filling out the 20-man roster.
Bernard, a 6’7″ swingman, went undrafted out of UCLA earlier this year. As a senior in 2021/22, he averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a shooting line of .419/.337/.818 in 35 games (30.1 MPG). He subsequently played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Umude, whose agreement with the Pistons was previously reported, spent his first four college seasons at South Dakota from 2017-21, averaging 21.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior in 2020/21. He transferred to Arkansas for his “super-senior” season last year and played more of a complementary role for the Razorbacks, putting up 11.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .460/.371/.724 shooting in 37 games (27.8 MPG).
Like Bernard, Umude went undrafted and then played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in July. Both players will likely end up playing for the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate.
Here are a few more updates from the Pistons today:
- While Kemba Walker is listed on Detroit’s training camp roster, he’s marked as “not with team,” which had been expected. Bojan Bogdanovic is the lone Piston missing from the team’s camp roster — while NBA.com’s transaction log indicates the trade sending him to Detroit was completed last Thursday, he may still need to conduct a physical with his new team before it’s officially official.
- In a separate press release, the Pistons announced that guard Alec Burks will miss the start of training camp as he continues his rehab following a navicular fracture. Burks will be reevaluated in three weeks, according to the team.
- Kevin Knox (right gastroc strain) and Nerlens Noel (reconditioning / plantar fasciitis) will be limited participants to open training camp, the Pistons announced.
Draymond Green Not Expecting To Sign Extension Before Season
Warriors forward/center Draymond Green is one of several key Golden State players currently eligible to sign a contract extension. However, when asked on Sunday about his contract situation, he told reporters that he’s not counting on signing a new deal before the 2022/23 season begins.
“Whether I’d like to or not, I don’t think it will happen,” Green said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (video link). “So for me, I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, as I know I’m capable of being, and winning another championship. And reaching the individual goals that I have as well. I think that’s my main focus.”
Green is technically under contract for two more seasons, but the second year is a player option, so he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He’ll earn approximately $25.8MM this season, with a $27.6MM option for ’23/24.
If he were to sign a long-term extension that begins in 2023, replacing his player option, Green would be eligible to earn up to $138.7MM over four years. A report in July suggested that the 32-year-old believes he’s earned that sort of contract, but it would be a surprise if the Warriors were to make that strong an offer this fall. With Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins also entering contract years, Golden State will do its best to try to lock up all three players to deals well below the max in order to avoid pushing the franchise’s record-setting luxury tax payments even higher.
Poole and Wiggins were also asked about possible extensions on Sunday — both players indicated they’re letting their agents handle those negotiations and brushed off concerns about the possible pressure of a contract year, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes.
Poole, who expressed confidence that he and the Warriors will be able to figure something out, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension this fall. Wiggins will become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.
Kemba Walker Likely To Be Away From Pistons To Start Camp
Veteran point guard Kemba Walker will likely be away from the Pistons as they open training camp this week, sources told Shams Charania and James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether Walker is expected to miss the entire camp or only a portion of it.
As Charania and Edwards note, Detroit must waive or trade a player by Oct. 17 to be at the league limit for standard roster spots entering the regular season. That player doesn’t have to be Walker, of course, but at this stage in his career, it would make sense for him to join a contending team if possible.
On the flip side, it makes sense for Detroit to move on from Walker. The team could benefit from his veteran leadership in the off chance he’s interested in staying, but the 32-year-old was acquired in a salary-dump deal and isn’t part of the Pistons’ long-term plans. He’s set to make $9.17MM this season and become a free agent next summer.
A report at the start of free agency indicated that the Pistons and Walker were close to reaching a buyout agreement, but that deal was never formally completed. Subsequent reporting suggested Walker was likely unwilling to give up any money in a buyout until he had lined up a new NBA home.
Walker averaged 11.6 points and 3.5 assists in 25.6 minutes with the Knicks last season, starting in all 37 of his games. He hasn’t played off the bench since four outings during the 2014/15 campaign. While he has been an offensive force throughout his career, Walker’s defense was notably porous with New York. The four-time All-Star must prove he can survive on both ends before earning a significant role with a team again.
Jae Crowder To Sit Out Camp As Suns Seek Trade
4:47pm: The Suns have confirmed in a press release that Crowder will sit out training camp. Crowder also responded with a brief message on Twitter.
“One must seek work where he is wanted… where he is needed!” Crowder wrote. “I am thankful for what these past two years have taught me. Now, I must take on another challenge with continued hard work and dedication. For those of you who closed the door on me… Thank you! 99 back soon!”
4:00pm: Jae Crowder and the Suns are hoping to find a trade for the veteran forward, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’6″ forward will sit out Phoenix’s training camp as he and the Suns explore potential deals, Charania adds.
Fresh off a 2020 NBA Finals run as the Heat’s 3-and-D starting power forward, Crowder inked a three-year, $29.2MM deal with the Suns ahead of the 2020/21 season.
With Phoenix, Crowder made his second straight NBA Finals appearance in 2021 as the team’s starting power forward. Last year, he started all of his 67 healthy games with the club, which finished with a league-leading 64-18 record. For the 2021/22 season, Crowder averaged 9.4 PPG on .399/.348/.789 shooting splits, plus 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.4 SPG.
A deal involving Crowder had been rumored in recent weeks. Earlier this weekend, the 32-year-old tweeted an ominous post declaring that he would be absent from training camp before ultimately deleting the message.
Sharpshooting 6’8″ reserve power forward Cameron Johnson, the No. 11 pick out of North Carolina in 2019, emerged last year as a reliable scoring threat for Phoenix off the bench. The team could be looking to shore up its depth elsewhere in a potential Crowder deal, while elevating the 26-year-old Johnson to a starting role that seemed inevitable sooner rather than later.
Markelle Fultz To Miss Most Of Camp With Fractured Toe
Magic guard Markelle Fultz suffered a fracture in his left big toe during an offseason workout, the team announced (via Twitter).
Imaging confirmed the injury when Fultz arrived in Orlando. He won’t need surgery, but he’s expected to miss most of training camp, which starts on Tuesday, a source tells Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel.
Fultz is wearing a walking boot and will undergo a program of rehab and treatment. His projected return will depend on how the toe responds.
Injuries have been a recurring problem for the former No. 1 pick, who has played more than 19 games only once in his NBA career. Fultz missed much of last season while recovering from a torn ACL and wasn’t able to return until late February. He got into 18 games and averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night.