Keegan Murray Recovering From Wrist Surgery
Kings rookie forward Keegan Murray, the fourth pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa, underwent surgery on his right wrist following this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link).
Ham calls the surgery “minor,” and says the operation was necessary to “clean out some loose bodies” in Murray’s wrist. The right-hander has already returned to the hardwood following his procedure and is currently shooting with his left hand while the right wrist continues to recover, according to Ham.
The Kings anticipate Murray will return to the floor in time for the start of the 2022/23 regular season, Ham adds. Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL tweets that Sacramento does not expect the No. 4 overall pick to miss the team’s training camp, slated to tip off in September.
Murray enjoyed a robust Summer League stint. His output earned him the 2022 Summer League MVP award. The 6’8″ wing averaged 23.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG across four contests, while connecting on 50% of his field goal looks, 40% of his long-range attempts, and 80.8% of his free throws.
Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee notes that Murray averaged the most points for a top-10 lottery selection during Summer League since Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard in 2012.
Zion Williamson’s New Extension Includes Conditioning Clause
New details have arrived on the five-year maximum contract extension signed earlier this month by Pelicans star power forward Zion Williamson.
The 2020 All-Star, who has famously struggled to maintain his weight since arriving in the NBA as the top draft pick out of Duke in 2019, will be required to undergo regular weigh-ins, reports Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
According to Clark, if the sum of Williamson’s weight and body fat percentage does not come in below 295, New Orleans will have the ability to reduce the guarantee on his salary.
Clark notes that Williamson’s deal could pay him as much as $231MM, should he qualify for a 2023 All-NBA Team or be named the Defensive Player of the Year or MVP next season. If he doesn’t meet the Rose Rule criteria, it will be worth $193MM. Those figures are based on current cap projections for 2023/24, which is when Zion’s new deal will go into effect.
Clark adds that Williamson’s body weight and overall consistent fitness have been an issue for the Pelicans throughout his three-year NBA tenure.
The former No. 1 overall pick entered the NBA weighing a listed 284 pounds in 2019. After fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in the summer of 2021, Williamson’s conditioning was impacted, and he checked into team training camp at a figure beyond 300 pounds. He did not suit up for a single game during the 2021/22 season.
As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report notes (Twitter link), a hypothetical decrease in Williamson’s guaranteed salary would only be relevant if the Pelicans eventually decide to waive him or trade him (for salary-matching purposes). As long as he plays out his full five-year contract without being cut, he’ll still earn his full salary for all five seasons.
Semi Ojeleye Signing Two-Year Deal With Virtus Bologna
Veteran NBA forward Semi Ojeleye will continue his career in Italy, having reached a two-year agreement with Virtus Bologna, the club announced today in a press release.
Ojeleye, the 37th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has appeared in 284 regular season games and 38 playoff contests with the Celtics, Bucks, and Clippers over the last five seasons. He began the 2021/22 campaign in Milwaukee and was traded to the Clippers at the February deadline before being waived in March.
The 27-year-old is considered a solid, versatile defender, but has never contributed much offensively since entering the NBA, averaging just 3.4 points in 14.5 minutes per contest.
Ojeleye will join a Virtus Bologna team that competes in Italy’s LBA and the EuroLeague and also features several former NBA players, including Gabriel Lundberg, who signed with the team last week. Former NBAers like Marco Belinelli, Nico Mannion, Milos Teodosic, and Jordan Mickey are also under contract with Virtus Bologna.
Raptors Sign Juancho Hernangomez To One-Year Deal
JULY 28: The Raptors have officially signed Hernangomez, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 26: Free agent forward Juancho Hernangomez is finalizing a one-year agreement with the Raptors, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Hernangomez has been on the open market since being waived by the Jazz on June 30. Utah released him before his $7.3MM salary for the 2022/23 season became guaranteed. While terms of the veteran’s new deal with Toronto aren’t yet known, it’s a safe bet it’ll be worth less than that — I’d expect a minimum-salary contract.
Hernangomez, 26, has flashed the ability to contribute as a stretch four over the course of his six NBA seasons, but didn’t stay in one place for long during the 2021/22 league year. He was traded from Minnesota to Memphis last August, then to Boston in September, to San Antonio in January, and to Utah in February.
In total, Hernangomez averaged 3.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 40 games (11.1 MPG) for three teams last season, posting a shooting line of .415/.348/.559. He’s perhaps most recognizable to many NBA fans for starring as Bo Cruz in the Netflix film Hustle.
The Raptors currently have 18 players under contract, with second-rounder Christian Koloko and Hernangomez likely to fill out the team’s 20-man offseason roster.
It’s possible that Hernangomez – like D.J. Wilson, Dalano Banton, Armoni Brooks, and Justin Champagnie – will get a partially guaranteed contract and will have to earn for a spot on the 15-man regular season roster.
James Harden Re-Signs With Sixers On Two-Year Deal
JULY 27: Harden’s new contract is official, the Sixers announced on Twitter.
“This is where I want to be. This is where I want to win, and I think we have the pieces to accomplish that goal,” he said in a statement. “From my first day with the 76ers organization, the team and the fans have helped me feel at home here in Philadelphia. I’m excited to build off of last season and I can’t wait to get out on the court with the guys and start this journey.”
JULY 20: James Harden is re-signing with the Sixers on a two-year, $68.6MM deal that includes a player option in year two, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Harden will earn $33MM in 2022/23 and the player option is worth $35.6MM for ’23/24. The former league MVP will have the opportunity to enter free agency again next summer and possibly negotiate another contract.
It was viewed as inevitable that Harden would re-sign with Philadelphia, it was only a matter of when, not if. By agreeing to a one-plus-one contract structure, it will also give him veto power on any trade during the ’22/23 league year.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), with Harden on board at $33MM, the Sixers are approximately $3.4MM below the tax apron for ’22/23. The 76ers incurred a hard cap when they signed P.J. Tucker to the full mid-level exception and Danuel House to the bi-annual exception, so they cannot exceed the $156,983,000 tax apron at any point during the league year.
Both players were signed due to the flexibility Harden gave Philadelphia when he agreed to a pay cut — he previously declined his $47.4MM player option to sign a new deal. Harden recently explained the reasoning behind his decision to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
“I had conversations with (president of basketball operations) Daryl (Morey), and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players. I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over,” Harden said. “This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that.”
Harden, who turns 33 next month, had a down season by his lofty standards, appearing in 65 regular season games (37.2 MPG) with averages of 22.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 10.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .410/.333/.877 shooting. Those averages dipped to 18.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 8.6 APG on .405/.368/.893 shooting in 12 postseason games (39.9 MPG) with the Sixers last season.
He was reportedly hampered by a hamstring injury for much of the season, the same issue that plagued him in the playoffs last year with Brooklyn. Harden famously requested a trade from the Nets ahead of the deadline in February in a deal that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and other assets to Brooklyn.
When Harden officially signs his new deal, Philadelphia will have 12 players on the 15-man roster signed to guaranteed deals, as shown by our roster count. He was ranked No. 3 on our list of the top 50 free agents this summer.
Suns Sign Monty Williams To Long-Term Extension
JULY 27: The extension is official, the Suns announced (via Twitter).
JULY 23: The Suns and Monty Williams, the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, have agreed on a long-term contract extension, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Williams had two years left on his original five-year contract. He’ll have several more years added to that deal.
Williams was the head coach in New Orleans from 2010-15 and the Pelicans won just two playoff games during that time. Williams was chosen as Phoenix’s head coach after an assistant coaching stint with Philadelphia.
Williams has emerged as one of the league’s premier head coaches. Phoenix reached the 2021 NBA Finals and won a franchise record 64 regular-season victories last season. The Suns, who recently matched Indiana’s offer sheet for center Deandre Ayton, should continue to be a contender for years to come behind All-Star Devin Booker.
Overall, Williams has gone 149-78 (.656) in his three seasons with Phoenix.
Aron Baynes To Sign With Brisbane Bullets
Veteran center Aron Baynes will make his return to basketball with the Brisbane Bullets in Australia’s National Basketball League, agent Daniel Moldovan tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
According to Windhorst, Baynes will sign a two-year contract that includes an NBA out. The 35-year-old also had offers on the table from teams in Europe and China, per Windhorst, but those offers wouldn’t have given him the opportunity to opt out and return to the NBA, which is his ultimate goal.
Baynes, who has nine NBA seasons under his belt, last played in the league in 2020/21, appearing in 53 games (31 starts) for the Raptors. He represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics later that year, but suffered a major spinal cord injury after a freak fall that left him hospitalized in Japan and Australia for two months. We described that incident and Baynes’ recovery in more detail back in January.
Baynes, who was initially unable to walk following his spinal cord injury, has been engaged in a long, difficult rehabilitation process for much of 2022. He reportedly worked out for NBA teams in Las Vegas earlier this month while the Summer League was taking place.
NBA clubs figure to continue monitoring Baynes as he suits up for the Bullets in Brisbane later this year.
Simone Fontecchio Signs Two-Year Deal With Jazz
JULY 27: After formally parting ways this week with Baskonia, Fontecchio has officially signed with the Jazz, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 17: Italian small forward Simone Fontecchio is signing a two-year, $6.25MM contract with the Jazz, Fontecchio’s agent Sam Goldfeder informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). News of the deal was first reported by Cesare Forgione of EuroDevotion.
Fontecchio is considered the top international free agent prospect at his position by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (via Twitter). Givony opines that Fontecchio possesses enough positional versatility to also play at shooting guard or power forward.
Fontecchio, then with Italian club Virtus Bologna, first declared for the 2015 NBA draft before ultimately withdrawing his name from consideration. He worked out for the Celtics, then led by current Jazz president Danny Ainge, during that initial process in 2015. He later went undrafted in 2017.
The 6’8″ wing most recently joined Spanish club Baskonia for the 2021/22 season. During 31 ACB League contests with Baskonia, he averaged 12.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 1.7 APG. The 26-year-old also posted shooting splits of .465/.410/.851 last season.
Fontecchio has also suited up for Italian clubs Olimpia Milano and Reggio Emila and German team Alba Berlin.
EuroHoops reports that Fontecchio’s three-year contract with Baskonia includes an exit clause, expiring this month, that allows him to sign with an NBA team. EuroHoops adds that the Lakers had also been considering tendering an offer to Fontecchio.
Thanks to their trade of All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves and current rumblings that All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell could be next, the Jazz have been quite active during the 2022 offseason. That said, the Fontecchio signing will mark the team’s first actual free agent addition this year.
Utah will likely use a portion of its mid-level exception to sign Fontecchio.
Hawks Waive Sharife Cooper
The Hawks have requested waivers on guard Sharife Cooper, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The move comes just days after Atlanta technically re-signed Cooper to a two-way contract. Cooper, who was on a two-way deal last season, accepted his qualifying offer in that instance.
However, the Hawks apparently have another player in mind for that two-way slot. Chaundee Brown holds the club’s other two-way contract.
Cooper, 21, was the 48th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He appeared in only 13 games at the NBA level, logging 39 total minutes and making just 3-of-14 shots from the field.
The former Auburn standout saw much more action at the G League level, averaging 17.1 PPG and 6.9 APG on .431/.361/.907 shooting in 22 regular season appearances (30.2 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL affiliate.
Magic Sign Kevon Harris To Two-Way Contract
1:26pm: Harris’ two-way contract with the Magic is now official, the team confirmed in a press release.
10:15am: The Magic have reached an agreement with free agent guard Kevon Harris and will sign him to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Harris, 25, went undrafted out of Stephen F. Austin in 2020 and has spent some time in the G League and overseas since then, playing for the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL and KK Zadar in Croatia.
Harris emerged as a full-time starter for Toronto’s G League affiliate in 2021/22, averaging 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .473/.343/.740 shooting in 24 regular season appearances (30.2 MPG). He played for the Timberwolves’ Summer League team in Las Vegas earlier this month and made a strong impression, putting up 15.8 PPG on .577/.458/.727 shooting in five games (27.1 MPG).
Once they officially complete Harris’ deal, the Magic will have filled both of their two-way contract slots. The team re-signed Admiral Schofield to a two-way contract last week.
[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
Orlando will have 18 players under contract after signing Harris — 15 on guaranteed standard contracts, one (Devin Cannady) on a non-guaranteed deal, and Schofield and Harris on two-way pacts.