NBA Investigating Lowry, Ball Sign-And-Trades For Possible Tampering
The NBA has launched investigations into two of the sign-and-trade deals that were agreed upon early in free agency, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
Those two deals are the one that sent Kyle Lowry from the Raptors to the Heat – which was officially announced on Friday – and the one sending Lonzo Ball from the Pelicans to the Bulls, which hasn’t been officially completed yet. The NBA is set to investigate possible violations of its tampering policy.
According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the league is expected to look into any contact that may have occurred prior to the opening of the free agency negotiating period on Monday at 5:00pm CT. Both agreements were reported within minutes after the negotiating period began.
It’s an open secret that teams and agents begin free agent discussions before the negotiating period officially starts, but the NBA generally frowns on any deals that blatantly violate those rules. Sign-and-trades receive even more scrutiny since they’re more complex and typically require more time to complete than a typical free agent negotiation, Wojnarowski and Shelburne note.
Last year, for instance, an alleged sign-and-trade agreement involving the Bucks, Kings, and Bogdan Bogdanovic was reported several days before free agency officially began. The league ended up taking away Milwaukee’s 2022 second-round pick after investigating that situation, while Bogdanovic – who claimed he never agreed to terms with the Bucks – landed in Atlanta instead.
We’ll see what the investigation into the Lowry and Ball sign-and-trades turns up this year. It’s unlikely that the league would nix either deal, but fines and/or draft-pick penalties don’t seem out of the question, given the manner in which the deals were publicly reported.
One Monday report outlined the specifics of the Lowry sign-and-trade to the Heat nearly three hours before free agency began, though there was some uncertainty for much of the week about whether the deal would involve more pieces than just Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa. Lowry’s commitment to Miami was confirmed just minutes into free agency and his agency announced his destination shortly thereafter.
Ball’s deal with the Bulls was reported literally the minute the negotiating window opened, with the full terms of the trade agreement – including another sign-and-trade involving Garrett Temple – surfacing just seven minutes later.
As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), the NBA adopted new anti-tampering measures two years ago, giving the league the power to fine teams for up to $10MM, suspend executives, take away draft picks, or even void deals altogether if proof of tampering is found.
The Bucks’ second-round pick forfeiture is the most significant penalty we’ve seen since then. However, as Wojnarowski and Shelburne point out, the NBA’s decision in that case took into consideration that Bogdanovic didn’t end up signing with Milwaukee, so the league could come down a little harder on Miami and/or Chicago.
Warriors Trade Eric Paschall To Jazz
AUGUST 7: The trade is official, the Warriors announced in a press release. As detailed below, the deal sends Paschall to Utah in exchange for the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick, which the Jazz had just acquired in a separate deal. That pick reportedly has top-42 protection.
AUGUST 4: The Warriors have agreed to trade forward Eric Paschall to the Jazz in exchange for a future protected second-round pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). That pick will be Memphis’ 2026 second-rounder, with top-42 protection, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Paschall, 24, has spent his first two NBA seasons in Golden State after being selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been a regular rotation player for the team during that time. In 100 career games with the Warriors, he has averaged 12.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .497/.301/.755 shooting in 23.5 minutes per contest.
After a strong rookie year, Paschall’s numbers dipped a little in 2020/21 and he missed a chunk of the season due to a hip injury. Slater suggested in May that the big man’s future with the organization might be “tenuous,” and it looks like he was right. The deal will open up a roster spot and should create a small amount of tax savings for the Warriors.
Paschall will get a chance for a fresh start in Utah, providing frontcourt depth and playing alongside his close friend Donovan Mitchell. The two players grew up together in Westchester County, New York.
Paschall is technically earning the veteran’s minimum this season, but he can’t be absorbed using the minimum-salary exception because his contract was a three-year deal. Since Utah isn’t sending out any salary in the deal, the team will use one of its trade exceptions to take on Paschall’s $1.78MM salary. The exception created in last year’s Tony Bradley trade still has $2MM+ left on it and will expire soon, making it the best fit.
Tony Jones of The Athletic first identified Paschall as a Jazz trade target on Monday.
Heat Sign P.J. Tucker
AUGUST 7: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
“P.J. Tucker is the perfect addition to this team,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “He brings both shooting and most importantly, the ability to defend a lot of perimeter players. We love his versatility in order to put a defensive team on the court, where all five guys can defend, while also having enough shooting and scoring to win games.”
AUGUST 2: The Heat have agreed to a deal with free agent forward P.J. Tucker, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania (Twitter link), Tucker will get a two-year, $15MM contract from Miami, which suggests the team is putting a chunk of its mid-level exception toward the signing. The deal will feature a player option in year two, Charania adds (via Twitter).
Tucker doesn’t bring much to the table on offense besides the occasional corner three (he’s a career 35.9% shooter from beyond the arc), but he’s a physical, versatile defender who is just as willing to battle in the post with centers as he is to guard quicker guards and wings on the perimeter.
Tucker will fit in nicely on a Heat squad that already features tough defenders like Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Lowry.
The Heat had been looking to address their power forward position with their mid-level exception and will likely remain on the lookout for at least one more player who can play minutes at the four, though their cap flexibility is now limited. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (via Twitter) that the club has an offer out to veteran forward Markieff Morris.
Hornets Sign Kelly Oubre To Two-Year Deal
AUGUST 7: Oubre and the Hornets have now finalized a two-year, $25MM contract, agent Torrel Harris tells Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charlotte announced the signing in a press release.
It appears Oubre’s starting salary will come in slightly lower than initially expected after Charlotte took on Wesley Iwundu in a trade with New Orleans.
The deal won’t feature any options, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). However, Rod Boone of SI.com (Twitter link) says the second year will be partially guaranteed and Anthony Slater of The Athletic provides the specifics, tweeting that $5MM of Oubre’s $12.6MM salary for 2022/23 will be guaranteed.
AUGUST 5: The Hornets and free agent wing Kelly Oubre are in agreement on a two-year deal that will be worth $26MM+, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
David Aldridge of The Athletic reported earlier on Thursday that the Hornets and Oubre had engaged in discussions, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports was first to report that the two sides were finalizing a multiyear deal expected to exceed $12MM per year.
Charlotte, one of the only NBA teams that still had the cap room necessary to make an offer worth more than the full mid-level exception ($9.5MM), had also reportedly been mulling an offer sheet for Lauri Markkanen. However, the Hornets’ agreement with Oubre will eat up most – if not all – of their remaining cap room, presumably taking an aggressive bid for the Bulls‘ restricted free agent forward off the table.
Oubre, 25, has spent time with the Wizards, Suns, and Warriors since entering the league as the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft. In 2020/21, he averaged 15.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .439/.316/.695 shooting in 55 games (30.7 MPG) for Golden State.
While Oubre possesses good size and athleticism for a three-and-D wing, his three-point shot has been inconsistent over the course of his career (32.6%).
Charlotte will be hoping to get the 2019/20 version of Oubre, who averaged 18.7 PPG with a .352 3PT% for the Suns. The former Kansas Jayhawk will join a talented group of Hornets forwards that includes Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, and P.J. Washington.
Since the Hornets have the ability to sign Oubre outright using their cap room and his new contract will only be for two years, it won’t be a sign-and-trade deal involving the Warriors.
Aron Baynes Could Miss Next Season
Free agent center Aron Baynes could miss next season due to a neck injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Baynes, who played for the Raptors last season, has severe nerve damage in his neck and is currently in the hospital, says Charania. Baynes, a member of the Australian national team that took the bronze medal at the Olympics, initially injured his neck in a victory over Italy. He suffered a more significant injury slipping in the team bathroom.
The Raptors waived Baynes on Wednesday before his $7.35MM salary for 2021/22 would’ve become fully guaranteed.
Baynes signed a two-year contract with the Raptors during the 2020 offseason after enjoying a career year in Phoenix. He averaged 6.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 53 games (18.5 MPG) with Toronto and his shooting percentages (.441/.262/.707) were significantly below his career rates.
However, Baynes was expected to attract interest in the open market from teams looking to add to their frontcourt depth.
Jimmy Butler Signs Max-Salary Extension With Heat
AUGUST 7: Butler has officially signed the extension, according to a team press release.
“Jimmy is the anchor and face of our franchise along with Bam (Adebayo) and Kyle (Lowry),” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board. He’s very deserving of this contract as he continually puts himself at the top of the league at his position. Having him in the HEAT organization has been a great, great coup for us.”
AUGUST 6: The Heat and Butler are in formal agreement on a new four-year extension, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The extension will include a player option for the 2025/26 season, according to Winderman, who says the deal is worth a projected $184MM.
AUGUST 2: Jimmy Butler is expected to sign a four-year max extension with the Heat, Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic report (Twitter link).
Butler can officially sign the extension on Friday. Based on the projected 2022/23 salary cap, the extension will be worth approximately $186.6MM.
The acquisition of Butler in a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia in 2019 propelled the club to the 2020 Finals and he’s looked upon as the leader of a team built on toughness and defense.
There was growing optimism that Butler and the franchise would agree to an extension and that has apparently come to fruition. Butler’s extension is part of a frenzy of planned moves designed to get Miami back to the Finals next season, according to Marc Stein of Substack.
Miami is also acquiring veteran point guard Kyle Lowry and re-signing sharpshooting wing Duncan Robinson.
Injuried limited Butler to 52 regular season games this past season but he still put up big numbers — 21.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, a career-high 7.1 APG and 2.1 SPG.
Pelicans Officially Acquire Valanciunas, Graham In Three-Team Trade
The Pelicans have officially announced a pair of previously–reported trades, having combined their acquisitions of center Jonas Valanciunas and point guard Devonte’ Graham into a single transaction involving both the Grizzlies and Hornets. Memphis and Charlotte have put out press releases as well.
The details of the three-team deal are as follows:
- To Pelicans:
- Valanciunas (from Grizzlies)
- Graham (sign-and-trade; from Hornets)
- The draft rights to Trey Murphy (No. 17 pick; from Grizzlies)
- The draft rights to Brandon Boston (No. 51 pick; from Grizzlies)
- Note: Boston will be rerouted to the Clippers in a subsequent trade.
- To Grizzlies:
- Eric Bledsoe (from Pelicans)
- Steven Adams (from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Ziaire Williams (No. 10 pick; from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40 pick; from Pelicans)
- Note: Butler will be rerouted to the Jazz in a subsequent trade.
- The Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected; from Pelicans)
- To Hornets:
- Wesley Iwundu (from Pelicans)
- The Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected; from Pelicans)
- Note: If the Pelicans’ 2022 first-rounder falls in the top 14, the Hornets will instead receive New Orleans’ 2022 and 2024 second-round picks, per Rod Boone of SI.com.
- Cash (from Pelicans)
- The draft rights to Tyler Harvey (from Grizzlies)
The details of the three-team trade essentially line up with what was previously reported, with two new pieces added — Iwundu going from New Orleans to Charlotte and Harvey’s draft rights going from Memphis to Charlotte. Harvey was presumably only included to ensure that the Grizzlies and Hornets were “touching,” since otherwise Memphis would only have been exchanging assets with the Pelicans.
Looping their sign-and-trade acquisition of Graham into the trade suggests the Pelicans will operate over the cap, using Bledsoe’s and Adams’ outgoing salaries in order to match both Valanciunas and Graham instead of signing Graham into cap space.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), it also allows New Orleans to generate a $17MM+ trade exception in the deal. Only Bledsoe’s and Iwundu’s outgoing salaries are needed for matching purposes to take on Valanciunas and Graham, meaning the Pelicans’ new TPE is worth Adams’ salary ($17,073,171).
Graham reportedly signed a four-year, $47MM contract with the Pelicans as part of the trade. He and Tomas Satoransky appear set to play the majority of the minutes at point guard in New Orleans, barring further roster changes. The team is sending Lonzo Ball to Chicago in a separate sign-and-trade deal.
Graham made just 37.7% of his field goal attempts in 2020/21, but his three-point mark was a very respectable 37.5%. In addition to his ability to make threes, Graham is an above-average play-maker (6.5 APG over the last two seasons) and a respectable defender.
Swapping out Adams for Valanciunas should allow the Pelicans to improve their frontcourt spacing. Valanciunas isn’t exactly a long-distance marksman, but has a solid mid-range game and will shoot the occasional three-pointer, which should create more room for Zion Williamson to operate. The former No. 5 overall pick averaged an impressive 17.1 PPG and 12.5 RPG with a .592/.368/.773 shooting line in 62 games (28.3 MPG) this past season.
From the Grizzlies’ perspective, the deal was a way to improve their draft assets in both 2021 and 2022 as a result of their willingness to take on Adams’ and Bledsoe’s pricey contracts. The team moved up from No. 17 to No. 10 to snag Williams, and later flipped the No. 40 pick (Butler) to Utah in a separate trade to move up to No. 30 for Santi Aldama.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Offseason Trades]
The Hornets, meanwhile, decided to move on from Graham and got a protected first-round pick from New Orleans in exchange for waiving their right to match an offer sheet for the restricted free agent. Iwundu’s guaranteed $1.82MM salary for 2021/22 will eat up a small amount of Charlotte’s cap room, but the team will still have enough flexibility to complete its signing of Kelly Oubre to a two-year deal in the range of $12-13MM per year.
NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 5 Recap
When we published our recap of Day 4 of the NBA’s 2021 free agent period on Thursday, I noted that the pace seemed to be slowing and that it would likely be our last daily roundup unless Friday was especially busy.
As it turns out, Friday was a pretty active news day, so we’re back at least once more tonight with our recap of all the day’s biggest NBA headlines.
Let’s dive in…
Here are Friday’s most noteworthy free agent deals and contract extension agreements:
Kawhi Leonard agreed to re-sign with the Clippers, though the two sides are still working through the terms of his new contract.- Kevin Durant agreed to a four-year, maximum-salary extension with the Nets that will be worth nearly $198MM.
- Jimmy Butler agreed to a four-year, maximum-salary extension with the Heat that projects to be worth more than $186MM.
- Reggie Jackson agreed to a two-year, $21.6MM deal with the Clippers.
- Andre Iguodala agreed to return to the Warriors on a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
- Justise Winslow agreed to a two-year deal with the Clippers that will reportedly come out of the team’s taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Willy Hernangomez agreed to a three-year deal with the Pelicans.
- Omer Yurtseven signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Heat.
- DeAndre’ Bembry agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets.
- Javonte Green agreed to a two-year deal with the Bulls.
The NBA’s 2021 free agency moratorium ended at 11:00am CT on Friday, allowing teams to complete the free agent deals and trades they’d tentatively agreed upon earlier in the offseason. Plenty of teams took advantage of the ability to officially make moves — the Lakers and Heat were among the teams that announced several signings.
A number of big-money contract extensions were formally completed today, including maximum-salary deals for Warriors guard Stephen Curry (story), Hawks guard Trae Young (story), and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (story).
Some of the summer’s biggest free agent signings also became official, including John Collins‘ five-year deal with the Hawks, Jarrett Allen‘s five-year deal with the Cavaliers, Norman Powell‘s five-year deal with the Trail Blazers, Duncan Robinson‘s five-year deal with the Heat, Chris Paul‘s four-year deal with the Suns, and Mike Conley‘s three-year deal with the Jazz, among others.
Finally, the league started processing trade calls, including the Suns‘ acquisition of Landry Shamet, the Hornets‘ acquisition of Mason Plumlee, the Heat‘s sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry, and the massive five-team deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers and Spencer Dinwiddie to the Wizards.
Here are several more of the day’s notable headlines:
- The Grizzlies agreed to trade Grayson Allen to the Bucks in exchange for Sam Merrill and a pair of future second-round picks.
- Bulls restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen told a Finnish reporter he’s seeking a change of scenery and a “fresh start.”
- The Lakers announced they’ve signed head coach Frank Vogel to a contract extension.
- The Celtics have engaged in contract discussions with free agent guard Dennis Schröder.
- The Thunder officially completed their buyout agreement with Kemba Walker and placed him on waivers.
- The Pistons waived Rodney McGruder.
Previously:
Lakers Sign Frank Vogel To Contract Extension
After sending out a series of press releases today to announce their free agent signings and the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, the Lakers issued one more announcement on Friday night, stating that they’ve signed head coach Frank Vogel to a contract extension.
Vogel, who previously coached the Pacers and Magic, was hired by the Lakers in 2019 and led the team to a championship in his first season at the helm.
In total, Vogel has recorded a 94-49 (.657) regular season record since arriving in Los Angeles and has put up an 18-9 mark in the postseason. He has turned the Lakers’ defensive unit into one of the league’s strongest — the club finished third in defensive rating in 2019/20 and first this past season, despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing several weeks of action.
Vogel’s contract with the Lakers only covered three seasons, so he would’ve been entering a contract year if not for his extension. The new deal will ensure that the Lakers’ head coach doesn’t enter 2021/22 on a “lame-duck” deal.
Still, it will be interesting to learn how many years the new extension covers. Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote earlier today that he had heard some “increasingly pessimistic rumbles” about the odds of Vogel receiving more than a one-year extension.
Five-Team Russell Westbrook, Spencer Dinwiddie Trade Now Official
The five-team trade involving the Lakers, Wizards, Nets, Spurs, and Pacers, headlined by Russell Westbrook (to Los Angeles) and Spencer Dinwiddie (to Washington) is now official, according to press releases from multiple clubs.
The deal began as a two-team trade sending Westbrook from the Wizards to the Lakers, an agreement that was completed around the start of the draft last Thursday. Later that night, the Wizards and Pacers agreed to a deal sending Aaron Holiday that would be folded into the Westbrook blockbuster.
Subsequently, during free agency, the Wizards and Dinwiddie wanted to find a way to get the point guard to D.C. and ultimately convinced the Nets to accommodate a sign-and-trade. The Spurs entered the mix late to accommodate Washington’s salary-dump of Chandler Hutchison.
Here’s the full breakdown of the deal, based on reports to date:
- To Lakers:
- Russell Westbrook (from Wizards)
- The Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Wizards)
- The Wizards’ 2028 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Russell Westbrook (from Wizards)
- To Wizards:
- Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade; from Nets)
- Kyle Kuzma (from Lakers)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (from Lakers)
- Montrezl Harrell (from Lakers)
- Aaron Holiday (from Pacers)
- The draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick; from Pacers)
- Cash (from Pacers; $1MM, per Fred Katz of The Athletic)
- To Nets:
- Either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
- The right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The draft rights to Nikola Milutinov (from Spurs)
- To Spurs:
- Chandler Hutchison (from Wizards)
- Either the Bulls’, the Lakers’, or the Pistons 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
- To Pacers:
- The draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 pick; from Lakers)
The Nets also generated the most significant trade exception of any team in the deal — it’ll be worth about $11.5MM.
While it was a fairly minor move for Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Indiana, the deal will significantly reshape the Lakers’ and Wizards’ rosters for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles consolidated its depth, acquiring a star player who wanted to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, then filled out its roster in free agency.
The Wizards, meanwhile, traded one star for several depth pieces and managed to replace their old point guard with one who will earn less than half of Westbrook’s salary for the next couple seasons. The deal should increase the club’s cap flexibility while fortifying its bench.