Nets Sign Patty Mills To Two-Year Deal
AUGUST 10: Mills’ contract with the Nets is now official, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 3: The Nets have agreed to sign free agent guard Patty Mills to a two-year, $12MM contract, agent Steven Heumann tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The deal will feature a second-year player option, according to Wojnarowski. Given Brooklyn’s cap situation, the team will complete the signing using the taxpayer version of the mid-level exception. As we outlined earlier today, a two-year deal worth the full taxpayer’s MLE is worth about $12.07MM.
Mills, who will turn 33 next Wednesday, had been one of the few players in the NBA who had spent the last decade with the same team, having made his Spurs debut way back in 2011.
He has been a reliable and consistent bench contributor for San Antonio during that stretch, knocking down 38.9% of his three-point attempts and never making fewer than 34.1% in a single season. In 2020/21, Mills averaged 10.8 PPG and 2.4 APG on .412/.375/.910 shooting in 68 games (24.8 MPG).
Nets general manager Sean Marks played alongside Mills in Portland during the 2010/11 season and then was in San Antonio’s front office and on the Spurs’ coaching staff during Mills’ first few years with the team, so he’s very familiar with the veteran guard.
The Spurs have been shifting more into rebuilding mode within the last couple years, so it made sense for Mills to seek out a contract with a contender. He had been a popular target on the free agent market, with the Lakers and Warriors among the other teams believed to be pursuing him.
The Nets’ willingness to use their full taxpayer mid-level on the veteran guard reflects how much they like him, as the deal will cost the team exponentially more in cap penalties than the $5.89MM Mills will earn in 2021/22. Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that the signing will increase Brooklyn’s projected tax bill from $92.6MM to $121.8MM.
Magic Sign Robin Lopez To One-Year Contract
AUGUST 6: The Magic have officially signed Lopez, according to an announcement from the team.
AUGUST 3: The Magic are signing veteran free agent center Robin Lopez to a one-year, $5MM deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The 33-year-old is coming off a stint with the Wizards.
Lopez provides Orlando with a locker room presence, joining the likes of Wendell Carter Jr. (22 years old) and Mohamed Bamba (23 years old) at the center position. He was drafted No. 15 overall in 2008 after playing two collegiate seasons at Stanford.
In 71 games with Washington last season, Lopez averaged nine points, 3.8 rebounds and 19.1 minutes per contest. He’s also made stops with Phoenix, New Orleans, Portland, New York, Chicago and Milwaukee throughout his 15-year NBA career.
The Magic also signed lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner to their rookie contracts on Tuesday. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Orlando will use part if its $9.5MM midlevel exception to sign Lopez and still owns a $17.2MM trade exception.
Bruce Brown Accepts Qualifying Offer From Nets
AUGUST 8: Brown is officially back under contract with the Nets, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 3: Bruce Brown will remain with the Nets after opting to accept a $4.7MM qualifying offer, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The news was confirmed by Brown’s agent, Ty Sullivan of CAA.
The one-year offer made Brown a restricted free agent, which would have limited his options on the open market. He will be unrestricted next summer as a result of accepting his qualifying offer.
Brooklyn holds Bird rights on the third-year combo guard and can work out a long-term deal. If the team were to trade Brown during the 2021/22 league year, he’d lose those Bird rights, so he’ll have the power to veto any trade involving him until he becomes a free agent in 2022.
Brown, 24, became a part-time starter in his first season with the Nets after being acquired from the Pistons in an offseason trade. He started 37 of the 65 games he played, averaging 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per night while playing tough, versatile defense for Brooklyn.
Brown is one of two Nets free agents who has agreed to return to the team so far, joining Blake Griffin.
Warriors Sign Nemanja Bjelica
AUGUST 6: The Warriors have officially announced their deal with Bjelica, confirming the move in a press release.
Despite reportedly receiving interest from several other teams willing to offer more than the minimum, Bjelica said his decision to sign with Golden State took “less than a minute,” per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
AUGUST 3: Free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Heat acquired Bjelica from the Kings at the trade deadline in March, but he played in just 11 games for Miami, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per night. He had been relegated to a bench role in Sacramento after being a starter for the past two seasons.
The 33-year-old gives Golden State another veteran shooting option as they try to move back into title contention. He had the best year of his NBA career in 2019/20 with the Kings, putting up 11.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .481/.419/.821 shooting in 72 games (27.9 MPG).
The Warriors still have their taxpayer mid-level exception to make further moves, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who reports that Bjelica’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum (Twitter link).
Nets Re-Sign Blake Griffin
AUGUST 9: The Nets have officially announced the re-signing of Griffin in a press release. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but as noted below, it’s reportedly worth the minimum. Nabbing Griffin at that price is a serious discount for a player who proved to be a solid starter on one of the best teams in the league.
AUGUST 3: Griffin’s one-year deal with the Nets will be worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
AUGUST 2: The Nets have agreed to terms with Blake Griffin on a one-year contract that will keep the veteran forward in Brooklyn, agent Sam Goldfeder tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed.
After surrendering $13.3MM to the Pistons in a buyout agreement, Griffin signed on with the Nets for the rest of the year on a single-season veteran’s minimum contract.
A six-time All-Star with Detroit and the Clippers, Griffin’s tenure as an NBA first option was abbreviated due to a series of injuries.
The 32-year-old veteran thoroughly reinvented himself while with Brooklyn, maximizing some of his still-potent athleticism on a star-studded Nets team to become a valuable two-way big man, equally adept as a power forward and small ball center, and surprisingly agile as a defender.
Griffin boasts career averages of 20.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.9 SPG. In his new reality as a valuable role player, the 6’9″ Griffin had a significantly more modest output with Brooklyn.
In just 21.5 MPG across 26 regular season contests with the Nets, Griffin averaged 10.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.5 BPG. He also posted a solid slash line of .492/.383/.782. After becoming Brooklyn’s full-time starting center in the playoffs, Griffin averaged 9.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.5 BPG, with shooting stats of .532/.389/.714.
Retaining Griffin is a boon for Brooklyn, a team that boasts three expensive All-NBA talents (when healthy) in forward Kevin Durant and guards James Harden and Kyrie Irving, plus pricey sharpshooting wing Joe Harris. With Irving and Harden limited by injuries, the Nets lost a hotly-contested seven-game second round Eastern Conference playoff series to the eventual champion Bucks. If the team is healthy by the 2022 playoffs, it’s shaping up to once again be one of the most formidable clubs in the league.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rudy Gay Signs With Jazz
AUGUST 6: Gay has officially signed his contract with the Jazz, the team announced today in a press release.
“Rudy brings a valuable veteran presence to the Jazz which will only enhance our group as it continues to evolve,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said in a statement. “He’s proven to be one of the most consistent players in the NBA over his 15-year career and we’re thrilled for him to join our club.”
AUGUST 3: The Jazz have reached an agreement with veteran forward Rudy Gay, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
It will be a two-year deal worth $12.1MM with a player option for the second season, according to his agents, Raymond Brothers and Sam Permut (Twitter link). Utah will use its taxpayer mid-level exception, adds John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Gay, who will turn 35 this month, spent the last four seasons with the Spurs, where he was a reliable contributor off the bench for Gregg Popovich. He averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 63 games last season, which was his 15th in the NBA.
Gay will join Utah’s big man rotation in place of Derrick Favors, who was traded to the Thunder last week. He also reunites with re-signed point guard Mike Conley, a former teammate with the Grizzlies.
The Jazz will be limited to minimum-salary contracts for any further free agent signings.
Timberwolves Trade Ricky Rubio To Cavaliers
AUGUST 3: The Timberwolves and Cavaliers have officially announced the trade in a pair of press releases.
The timing is curious, since the free agency moratorium is underway and trades can’t be formally completed during that time. However, the NBA’s official transactions log suggests the deal was finalized on Monday, presumably before the new league year began.
The announcement comes on the heels of Rubio racking up 38 points for the Spanish national team in a losing effort against Team USA on Tuesday.
JULY 29: The Timberwolves have agreed to trade Ricky Rubio to the Cavaliers in exchange for Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick, and cash, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski’s original report stated that the second-round pick and cash were going from Minnesota to Cleveland, but according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Wolves are actually acquiring those assets along with Prince.
Subsequent reporting confirms as much — Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets that the Cavs are sending $2.5MM to Minnesota as part of the deal, while Wojnarowski tweets that the pick changing hands is the Wizards’ 2022 second-rounder, which had been controlled by Cleveland.
It’s an interesting deal for the Cavaliers, who already have Darius Garland running the point and Collin Sexton acting as a secondary ball-handler. Giving up assets for Rubio doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavs have to move on from one of those players (likely Sexton), since the team needs depth at the point and was seeking a reliable veteran, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Still, that added depth would make it easier for Cleveland to move Sexton, who has been the subject of some trade rumors this month.
Rubio, who is currently representing Spain at the Tokyo Olympics, averaged a career-low 8.6 PPG for Minnesota in 2020/21 and shot just .388/.308/.867 in 68 games (26.1 MPG). However, the 30-year-old remains an effective play-maker (6.4 APG) and received praise for his leadership of the young Wolves.
The Timberwolves will create some extra financial flexibility below the luxury tax line as a result of this deal, as Rubio is on a $17.8MM expiring contract, while Prince is making $13MM in the last year of his contract. The team now projects to be about $5.4MM below the tax, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
It’s unclear if Minnesota intends to keep Prince, but the team was lacking in reliable forward depth this past season, so the former Baylor standout could help out there. He’s a career 37.0% three-point shooter and knocked down 40.0% of his attempts from beyond the arc for Brooklyn and Cleveland in 2020/21.
Hawks, Trae Young Agree To Five-Year Max Extension
AUGUST 3, 7:37am: Young’s extension will include an early termination option after the fourth year, according to RealGM (Twitter link). An ETO is similar to a player option, so Young will have the ability to opt out and sign a new deal in 2026.
AUGUST 2, 11:02pm: The Hawks and Young are in agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary extension, agent Omar Wilkes tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski pegs the projected value of Young’s deal at $207MM, which would mean a starting salary worth 30% of a $119MM cap in 2022/23. That suggests that Atlanta has indeed put Rose Rule language in the deal, but Young will still need to meet the criteria to earn that amount. If he fails to earn All-NBA honors next season, the extension would be worth a projected $172.55MM.
AUGUST 2, 3:59pm: The Hawks and star guard Trae Young are expected to finalize an agreement on a maximum-salary contract extension shortly after he becomes extension-eligible on Monday night, reports Jeff Schultz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had been widely expected, as Young has emerged as the cornerstone of a Hawks team that made a surprising Eastern Conference Finals run this season.
He averaged 25.3 PPG, 9.4 APG, and 3.9 RPG in 63 regular season games (33.7 MPG) in 2020/21, then helped lead Atlanta past the Knicks and Sixers in the first two rounds of the playoffs before suffering a foot injury in the Eastern Finals vs. Milwaukee.
Young remains under his rookie contract for one more season and will earn $8.33MM in 2021/22. His extension would go into effect in ’22/23.
The exact value of that deal would depend on where the cap lands for the 2022/23 season. However, a conservative estimate would result in a five-year deal of approximately $168MM.
That number could increase to about $201.5MM if the Hawks include Rose Rule language that would bump Young’s starting salary to 30% of the cap instead of 25%. However, he’d have to earn an All-NBA spot this coming season to trigger that increase.
Young is one of a number of young stars entering the final year of their respective rookie contracts who could receive a maximum-salary extension shortly after the NBA’s new league year begins.
Luka Doncic, who has already qualified for the 30% max, is in line to get a five-year extension, though it likely won’t be finalized until after the Olympics. Multiple reports have indicated the Thunder will likely lock up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a max-salary extension, and Marc Stein identified Deandre Ayton (Suns) and Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets) as other strong candidates for max extensions.
NBA 2021 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap
It was an extremely busy first day of NBA free agency on Monday. By our count, a whopping 56(!) free agents agreed to new contracts after the free agent negotiating period officially began at 5:00pm CT.
These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on Friday.
Here are today’s free agent agreements:
Note: Some of these salary figures may includes options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.
Chris Paul, Suns agree to four-year, $120MM contract.- Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers agree to five-year, $100MM contract.
- Kyle Lowry, Heat agree to three-year, $90MM contract (sign-and-trade)
- Norman Powell, Trail Blazers agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
- Duncan Robinson, Heat agree to five-year, $90MM contract.
- Lonzo Ball, Bulls agree to four-year, $85MM contract (sign-and-trade).
- Evan Fournier, Knicks agree to four-year, $78MM contract.
- Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks agree to four-year, $72MM+ contract.
- Mike Conley, Jazz agree to three-year, $68MM+ contract.
- Gary Trent Jr., Raptors agree to three-year, $54MM contract.
- Devonte’ Graham, Pelicans agree to four-year, $47MM contract (sign-and-trade).
- Richaun Holmes, Kings agree to four-year, $47MM contract.
- Derrick Rose, Knicks agree to three-year, $43MM contract.
- Doug McDermott, Spurs agree to three-year, $42MM contract.
- Kelly Olynyk, Pistons agree to three-year, $37MM contract.
- Alex Caruso, Bulls agree to four-year, $37MM contract.
- Daniel Theis, Rockets agree to four-year, $36MM contract (sign-and-trade).
- T.J. McConnell, Pacers agree to four-year, $35MM contract.
- Will Barton, Nuggets agree to two-year, $32MM contract.
- Nerlens Noel, Knicks agree to three-year, $32MM contract.
- Reggie Bullock, Mavericks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
- Alec Burks, Knicks agree to three-year, $30MM contract.
- Zach Collins, Spurs agree to three-year, $22MM contract.
- Cameron Payne, Suns agree to three-year, $19MM contract.
- JaMychal Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $17MM contract.
- P.J. Tucker, Heat agree to two-year, $15MM contract.
- Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
- David Nwaba, Rockets agree to three-year, $15MM contract.
- Torrey Craig, Pacers agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
- Jeff Green, Nuggets agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
- Cory Joseph, Pistons agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
- Maurice Harkless, Kings agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
- Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
- Alex Len, Kings agree to two-year, $7.65MM contract.
- Mike Muscala, Thunder agree to two-year, $7MM contract.
- Nicolas Batum, Clippers agree to two-year, $6.5MM contract.
- Sterling Brown, Mavericks agree to two-year, $6.2MM contract.
- JaVale McGee, Suns agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
- Trey Lyles, Pistons agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
- Gorgui Dieng, Hawks agree to one-year, $4MM contract.
- Garrett Temple, Pelicans agree to three-year contract (sign-and-trade).
- Gabe Vincent, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Max Strus, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Trevor Ariza, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Kent Bazemore, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Wayne Ellington, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Dwight Howard, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Semi Ojeleye, Bucks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Otto Porter, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Cody Zeller, Trail Blazers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Dewayne Dedmon, Heat agree to one-year contract.
- Blake Griffin, Nets agree to one-year contract.
- Solomon Hill, Hawks agree to one-year contract.
- Boban Marjanovic, Mavericks agree to one-year contract.
- Ben McLemore, Trail Blazers agree to one-year contract.
- Austin Rivers, Nuggets agree to one-year contract.
Here are today’s contract extension agreements:
- Trae Young, Hawks agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
- Jimmy Butler, Heat agree to four-year, maximum-salary veteran extension.
Here are today’s tentative trade agreements:
- The Heat are expected to acquire Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors that will involve Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa, but the full terms aren’t yet known.
- The Bulls are expected to acquire Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (sign-and-trade), and a future second-round pick.
- The Pelicans are expected to acquire Devonte’ Graham in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets in exchange for New Orleans’ own 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- The Rockets are expected to acquire Daniel Theis in a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls in exchange for cash.
For as much action as there was on Monday, five of the top 11 free agents on our top-50 list – including the top two – have yet to agree to new deals, so there’s still plenty to look forward to this week.
Wizards Nearing Deal With Spencer Dinwiddie
Free agent point guard Spencer Dinwiddie is nearing a deal to join the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) says the two sides are working toward a three-year deal that will be worth roughly $60MM.
Dinwiddie had been linked to Washington repeatedly in the days leading up to free agency, but there was some uncertainty about whether a union would be possible — the Wizards don’t have the cap space necessary to sign the point guard outright and the Nets will be averse to taking on any unwanted salary in a sign-and-trade arrangement.
If Dinwiddie is close to an agreement with the Wizards, perhaps the involved parties – Dinwiddie, the Wizards, and the Nets – are confident they’ll able to work out a deal that appeals to everyone. We’ll await further details.
If the Wizards land Dinwiddie, they’ll be getting a 28-year-old point guard who is coming off a lost season. He appeared in just three games before missing the rest of the 2020/21 campaign due to a partially torn ACL. However, Dinwiddie was reportedly cleared for all basketball activities in June and the expectation is that he’ll be good to go for the fall.
In his last full season, Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 PPG and 6.8 APG on .415/.308/.778 shooting in 64 games (31.2 MPG) for Brooklyn in 2019/20.
The Wizards have agreed to send their starting point guard, Russell Westbrook, to the Lakers for a package that doesn’t include a point guard, so addressing the position was a top priority for the team in free agency. That Westbrook trade is not yet official and could be expanded to include Brooklyn if necessary.