Sixers Sign Montrezl Harrell To Two-Year Deal
SEPTEMBER 13: Harrell’s contract is official, the Sixers announced in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 6: Free agent big man Montrezl Harrell has agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the second year will be a player option.
While Wojnarowski doesn’t specify the terms of the agreement, Philadelphia has already used its full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, respectively, and doesn’t have a ton of breathing room below the hard cap. As such, it seems safe to assume Harrell’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum.
A minimum-salary contract would pay Harrell $2,463,490 in 2022/23, with a $2,760,026 player option for ’23/24.
Harrell’s deal with the Sixers comes less than a week after word broke that the felony drug trafficking charge he had faced in Kentucky was reduced to a misdemeanor possession charge. If the 28-year-old remains in good legal standing for the next 12 months, the misdemeanor charge will be removed from his record.
Harrell was initially charged after police found three pounds of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop in Richmond, Ky. His legal situation appeared to affect his free agent market, as it took more than two months for him to find a new NBA home after he spent last season in Washington and Charlotte.
A seven-year veteran, Harrell appeared in 71 total games for the Wizards and Hornets in 2021/22, averaging 13.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG on 64.5% shooting in 23.1 minutes per contest. He’s just two years removed from winning a Sixth Man of the Year award with the Clippers in 2020.
Harrell will provide the 76ers with some reliable depth at the five behind perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who has battled a series of injuries over the course of his career. Veterans like Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond, and DeAndre Jordan had filled that role within the last couple seasons, but none are still under contract with the team, leaving youngsters Paul Reed and Charles Bassey as the top candidates to back up Embiid.
With Harrell under contract, it’s no longer a lock that both Reed and Bassey will make the 15-man regular season roster. Assuming Harrell’s contract is fully guaranteed, Philadelphia will have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Trevelin Queen, Isaiah Joe, Reed, and Bassey on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts. The team will have to trade or release at least two players before opening night.
Following the signing of Harrell, the Sixers will be just $766K below the hard cap, but they should get some extra relief if and when they waive players who don’t have guaranteed salaries, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Suns’ Robert Sarver Fined $10MM, Suspended One Year
The NBA has concluded its investigation into the alleged workplace misconduct of Suns owner Robert Sarver and has announced in a press release that Sarver has been suspended for one year and fined $10MM for engaging in behavior that “clearly violated common workplace standards.”
According to the NBA, the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – which led the independent investigation – interviewed 320 individuals, including current and former Suns employees, and examined more than 80,000 documents.
The firm found that Sarver had used racially insensitive language in the workplace, including using the N-word when recounting other people’s statements on at least five occasions.
The investigation also confirmed that the Suns’ owner engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees, made “many” sex-related comments in the workplace – including inappropriate comments about female employees’ physical appearances – and treated team employees in a “demeaning and harsh” manner.
The investigation into Sarver’s behavior began last November following the publication of an ESPN report, which contended that the Suns owner used racially inappropriate language and engaged in inappropriate and misogynistic behavior, creating a toxic workplace. The full report from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz directly addresses many of the specific allegations made in that ESPN article.
The $10MM fine that Sarver faces is the maximum allowed by the NBA’s constitution and by-laws. That money will be donated to organizations committed to addressing race- and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace, according to the league.
During his one-year suspension – which also applies to his involvement with his WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury – Sarver won’t be permitted to attend any NBA or WNBA games. He also can’t be present at team facilities or be involved in any way with his franchises’ business or basketball operations. Additionally, he’ll be required to completed a training program related to appropriate workplace conduct.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Sarver’s ban from the Suns’ business and basketball operations comes at a time when the team is facing some key contract decisions and has crossed the luxury tax line for the first time in over a decade.
While it’s a severe punishment for Sarver, there’s no indication that he’ll be required to sell the franchise, as former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was in 2014 when recordings surfaced of him making racist comments. Within today’s press release, the NBA stated that investigators “made no finding that Sarver’s workplace misconduct was motivated by racial or gender-based animus.”
Although the NBA said Sarver “cooperated fully” with the investigation, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes (Twitter link) that he was “unaccepting” of the idea that he deserved to be suspended for one year and fined $10MM. “The punitive part of the process became largely acrimonious,” Woj writes.
Izaiah Brockington Signs Two-Way Deal With Pelicans
5:56pm: Brockington’s two-way contract is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
2:17pm: The Pelicans are signing undrafted free agent Izaiah Brockington to a two-way contract, his agent Darnell Comer tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski, the 23-year-old guard suffered an ACL injury prior to this year’s draft, but is hopeful of making a return at some point during the season. ESPN’s Andrew Lopez reports (via Twitter) that Brockington sustained the injury during a workout with the Pelicans, who were thinking about selecting him with one of their second-round picks and remain high on his upside.
It was reported the day after the draft that Brockington would be signing an Exhibit 10 deal with New Orleans, but that was never officially confirmed. Now he’ll be getting a pay increase on a two-way deal.
Brockington played four collegiate seasons for three teams. He started out at St. Bonaventure, spent two seasons with Penn State and finished up Iowa State. In 2021/22 with the Cyclones, Brockington averaged team-highs of 16.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG on a .447/.362/.775 shooting line.
Once Brockington officially signs, the Pelicans will have both of their two way spots filled — Dereon Seabron occupies the other.
Second-round pick E.J. Liddell, who suffered a torn ACL during Summer League, remains unsigned and doesn’t have a clear path to a roster spot — the 15-man roster has 14 players with guaranteed contracts and Jose Alvarado with a large partial guarantee as the 15th. Alvarado made a big impact as an undrafted rookie last season, so I’m sure he’ll be sticking around.
Danny Ainge: Jazz Players “Really Didn’t Believe In Each Other”
The Jazz tore down their foundation by trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell this summer, and CEO Danny Ainge and general manager Justin Zanik explained why during a press conference today, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Ainge, who was hired last December, said he was “curious and optimistic” when he joined the organization, but he was surprised by the atmosphere he encountered.
“What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn’t believe in each other,” he said. “Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported. But I’m not sure there was a belief.”
He later explained, “I think individually they have resolve. I just don’t believe that collectively they did. So we saw a lot of players trying to do it on their own, as the belief in one another wasn’t as great as other teams I’ve been on and around.”
Ainge thought it might have been a result of a veteran team going through the motions of the regular season, so he waited for the playoffs to make any decisions. Once Utah got eliminated by Dallas in the first round, he decided to act.
“It was clear to me that the team did not perform well in the playoffs again,” Ainge said. “That was just me coming in from the outside, but that was a little bit of what the view was internally even before, you know, I made those assessments.”
There’s more from today’s press conference:
- Remaining veterans, such as Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Malik Beasley, are reportedly on the market as well, with Utah hoping to add to its collection of first-round picks. The team has 17 players with fully guaranteed contracts, so more moves are likely to happen before the start of the regular season. Age will be a consideration as Gay (36), Conley (34) and Bogdanovic (33) don’t fit the team’s rebuilding timeline. “Those conversations continue to evolve, we’ve continued to be in touch with them directly and their representation,” Zanik said. “Obviously there’s been a lot of change this summer, so it’s natural for us to have those conversations.”
- Utah had extensive talks with the Knicks before the Cavaliers emerged as a surprise destination for Mitchell. Zanik said the Jazz were intrigued by the chance to acquire Collin Sexton and believed Cleveland’s offer was the best one available. “I think for them, they saw an opportunity to add to their team and open up a window with Donovan and a young group, I think they are going to be very good,” Zanik said. “And, you know, to get a good return, you have to give up something good as well. They certainly gave up a lot.”
- Ainge said one of the reasons Utah is stockpiling picks is the expected quality of the draft classes in 2023 and 2024. Zanik also suggested the draft assets will be useful if the Jazz want to speed up their rebuilding process. “What those picks represent is not necessarily, oh, you’re going to keep them and just select them,” he said. “It just opens up multiple opportunities and conversations, the flexibility to acquire players, or move them to speed up the process, or to slow it down,” he said. “I look at it as a lot of different cards that you have a chance to play and be involved in these conversations — where if we didn’t have these picks … you’re just not simply part of any of those conversations.”
Seattle Kraken CEO Urges Patience On NBA Expansion
The SuperSonics may eventually return, but the man who would help bring the NBA back to Seattle is urging fans to be patient. Tod Leiweke, CEO of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, told Aaron Levine of Fox 13 that the city is ready to welcome back professional basketball, but he’s willing to do it on the NBA’s timetable.
There was excitement last week amid rumors that the league might be preparing to announce expansion plans at preseason games in Seattle and Las Vegas. Leiweke didn’t directly address those reports, but he said everything is in place for whenever the NBA is ready to expand.
“We think the best thing that we can do is not ever get ahead of the league,” Leiweke said. “They’ve got big issues coming: They’re in a CBA discussion, and they’ve got broadcast deals coming up. In due time, they will get to this. And in due time, we’re going to be well positioned.”
The Kraken play in Climate Pledge Arena, the Sonics’ former home, which was renovated starting in December 2018 and was renamed in 2020. In addition to the hockey team, the facility also houses the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the Seattle University men’s basketball team and will get a franchise in the American Hockey League this fall. It can hold up to 18,300 people for basketball, and Leiweke believes it’s ready for the NBA.
“The hard work is done, building a world class arena,” he said. “That’s why the team left. We now have that world class arena in place. It will stand the test of time. The building is phenomenal for basketball. And we’re super excited about the Clippers playing the Portland Trail Blazers here. And in fact, two games that are gonna play here, the first NBA game in our building will happen that first week in October – and we’re going to have a packed house and in our own Seattle way we will tell the world we are here. We are ready.”
Although Leiweke is convinced that the city is ready for the Sonics, there are many things out of his control. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly stated that expansion isn’t an immediate priority, although Seattle is considered a very strong candidate whenever it does happen.
“We have an owner that owns part of an NBA team,” Leiweke said. “So there’s a built-in affinity there. And I would just say, Aaron, I came back to make some stuff happen. And we’re not done yet. And so, I don’t want to get ahead of the commissioner. But we’ve tried to do everything right. From privately financing a building, to saving a historic landmark, to embedding more capacitors and getting the monorail fixed, being great partners with the Storm, to building a training center. We’ve done everything right. But we’re not done. And we know this town won’t be fulfilled until we bring the NBA back. But I’ll leave it at that.”
Jarrett Culver Signs Two-Way Deal With Hawks
The Hawks have signed Jarrett Culver to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.
The 23-year-old shooting guard spent last season with the Grizzlies, appearing in 37 games and averaging 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per night. Memphis acquired him in a trade with the Timberwolves last summer.
Culver was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, but he wasn’t able to establish himself in a regular role with either the Grizzlies or Wolves. The Hawks are taking a low-risk gamble on his youth and potential.
Culver was a star at Texas Tech, where he averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 75 games. He led the Red Raiders to the first NCAA Championship Game in school history and earned a spot on the 2019 Final Four All-Tournament Team.
The Hawks opened up a two-way slot on Sunday by waiving Chaundee Brown. The team’s other two-way contract belongs to guard Trent Forrest.
The addition of Culver brings Atlanta’s roster back to 18 players, two below the offseason limit, with the start of training camp 15 days away.
Stephen Curry Would Have Supported Kevin Durant Trade
Kevin Durant is still in Brooklyn after his trade request dominated the news for most of the summer. No one was willing to meet the Nets‘ high asking price, but Stephen Curry tells Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone that he would have gladly welcomed Durant back to the Warriors.
Golden State was believed to be in a strong position to bid for Durant because of the team’s collection of young talent and draft assets. Curry revealed that there was “a conversation internally” involving Warriors management and selected players about pursuing a trade, and he was completely on board.
“I was never hesitant,” Curry said. “The idea of playing with KD and knowing who he is as a person, from our history in those three years, I think KD’s a really good dude. I think he is misunderstood. I think he has had certain things happen in his life that hurt his ability to trust people around him, in a sense of making him feel safe at all times. So all of those things, I understand, having played with him and gotten to know him. I love that dude.
“And if you said, ‘Oh, KD’s coming back, and we’re gonna play with him,’ I had so much fun playing with him those three years, I’d be like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ Then you have to think: What does that actually mean? What does it look like? You tell me I’m playing with [Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green], I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ There’s all types of emotion and things that happen to the league. And if anybody’s saying that you wouldn’t entertain that conversation — no disrespect to anybody on our team — but you don’t know how things work. But you also understand, like, if we run this thing back, I’ve got complete confidence in my team that we can win it again, as constructed.
“So, all those things were true. And it started with me wanting to play with KD at the beginning. Yeah, it’s about winning, it’s about having fun, playing the game of basketball. And that was part of the reaction of, like, ‘Yeah, it’d be amazing.’ What does that actually mean?”
The Warriors were extremely successful during Durant’s three years with the franchise, winning two NBA titles and losing in the 2019 Finals amid bad luck with injuries. He averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists over those three seasons and was named Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018.
However, Durant was heavily criticized for his 2016 free agency decision to join Warriors, who were coming off a record-setting regular season and a seven-game loss in the NBA Finals. There were also outward signs of unhappiness, especially in his final year in the Bay Area. Durant ultimately made the decision to head to Brooklyn when he became a free agent again after the 2018/19 season.
One of Durant’s current Nets teammates is Seth Curry, who said he talked to his brother about the possibility of Durant returning to Golden State.
“For him to even be entertaining the thought of having KD back on the team kind of speaks to his character,” Seth told Rolling Stone in July. “Who knows? I might be in the trade with him.”
Sullivan also recounts a conversation that Stephen Curry had with Snoop Dogg regarding what Curry viewed as Durant’s unrealistic expectations of how much talent a team would have remaining after trading for him. Curry concluded that under the circumstances, Durant’s best move was to stay with Brooklyn.
Suns GM: “Brooklyn Wanted To Keep Kevin Durant in Brooklyn”
Suns general manager James Jones doesn’t believe the Nets were ever serious about moving Kevin Durant after his trade request in late June. In an interview with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Jones said Brooklyn set its asking price on Durant so high that no team would be willing to meet it.
Durant reportedly named Phoenix and Miami as his preferred destinations when he first asked to be traded, and there was massive speculation that the Suns were the favorites to land him because they had what the Nets reportedly wanted: young talent and multiple first-round picks. However, Jones doubts that Brooklyn’s front office made a legitimate effort to part with its star.
“Cause Brooklyn wanted to keep Kevin Durant in Brooklyn,” Jones responded when asked why a trade didn’t happen. “And that’s why he’s in Brooklyn and not on some other team, but as far as with us, I get it. It’s always a great topic of discussion, but the one thing people forget is that when you’re talking about trades, or any player acquisition, the team that has the player has to be willing to move the player. And so if they’re not moving the player, which they didn’t, it’s just conversation and it’s great discussion. Great interest for the NBA fan base and the team fan base.”
Jones added that trade talks with the Nets never progressed past the initial stage. He said every team in the league probably made a call to Brooklyn to see what it would take to get Durant, but there was no “in-depth discussion” between the Suns and Nets.
Jones addressed a few other topics in the interview:
Dealing with Mikal Bridges after he was prominently mentioned in Durant trade rumors:
“Mikal’s watching and he’s watching reports and third parties report about him. I get it. Being a player on both sides of it, I truly understand it, but it’s a testament to Mikal’s ability. He’s a really good player. So I would assume any time someone is linked to us, a good player is linked to us, that our good players will be brought up by someone. It’s the nature of it, but I think speaking to Mikal, he understands the business. He understands he’s put himself in a position to be regarded as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Any discussion around great players, I would assume he’d be one of the first guy’s names that’s going to be thrown out there.”
The status of extension talks with Cameron Johnson:
“We’re having discussions. Cam is a big part of what we do. Really excited for the progress he’s shown over the last few years, especially last year. I think he’s primed to take some steps forward. We’re excited about this team, and we’re excited about the guys on this team one through 16. He’s definitely someone we’re going to need to take another step if we want to continue to progress and grow as a group.”
Possible roster moves before the start of training camp:
“Always in evaluation mode. Always looking. Right now, we’re at 16 guys (14 standard, two two-way). There’s a chance I may add a couple more guys for training camp, but I think we’re close to the end of where we’ll be as far as our training camp roster goes.”
Kings’ Keegan Murray Cleared Following Wrist Surgery
Kings rookie Keegan Murray, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been “cleared to resume all basketball activities” after undergoing right wrist surgery in July, a league source tells James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link).
Three weeks ago, Ham reported that Murray was progressing well in his recovery and was shooting again with both hands. Ham was also the first to report that Murray had surgery, characterizing it as a “minor” procedure and that Murray was expected to recovery quickly. Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL later stated that the team expected Murray to be ready for training camp, and that certainly appears to be the case.
It’s great news for both the Kings and Murray, as he flashed tantalizing two-way potential during Summer League action, winning MVP in Las Vegas. He averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .500/.400/.808 shooting in his four Vegas games.
Murray also had a great run at the California Classic Summer League in San Francisco. He averaged 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .511/.438/1.000 shooting in three games, per RealGM.
The 22-year-old had a relatively quiet freshman season for Iowa, averaging 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds on .506/.296/.755 shooting in 31 games (18.0 minutes). However, Murray emerged as one of the best college players in the country during the 2021/22 season, winning numerous awards after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks on .554/.398/.747 shooting.
The 6’8″ forward is expected to play a major role for a Kings team that badly wants to end its 16-year playoff drought. Sacramento finished last season with a 30-52 record, 12th in the Western Conference.
2023/24 Salary Cap Projection Increases By $1MM
The NBA has updated its salary cap projections for the 2023/24 season and is now forecasting a $134MM cap and a $162MM luxury tax line, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who notes that both figures are an increase of $1MM on the projections from the end of June.
The salary cap for the 2022/23 season is locked in at $123,655,000, so the cap is projected to increase by about $10.35MM. The tax line for this season is $150,267,000, so that figure is projected to increase by about $11.73MM.
We will continue to update our early ’23/24 projections for the minimum salary, maximum salary, and mid-level and bi-annual exceptions throughout the season.
According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), there is a 10% limit on how much the salary cap can increase from this season to next due to the “financial hardship” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, so $136MM is the maximum possible cap for the 2023/24 season.
Given the projections for ’23/24 have increased before the ’22/23 season has even tipped off, there’s a good chance that it could increase a little more throughout the league year. That could change of course, but as of right now, it seems like a reasonable bet.
Training camps start at the end of September, with the regular season set to start on October 18.