Pistons Sign Ausar Thompson, Jared Rhoden, Malcolm Cazalon
The Pistons have signed Ausar Thompson to his rookie scale contract, the team announced (via Twitter).
The fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, Thompson is eligible to receive $7,977,480 in his first season and can make $36,246,405 over the four-year contract, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.
Thompson, 20, was named MVP and Finals MVP last season in the Overtime Elite league. The versatile small forward averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists as the City Reapers captured the championship.
Detroit also announced the signing of guards Jared Rhoden and Malcolm Cazalon to two-way contracts (Twitter link).
Rhoden was a two-way player last season with the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, and played 14 games in the NBA. He received a two-way qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent.
Cazalon spent the past three seasons with Mega MIS in Serbia. In 25 games last season, he averaged 11.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .462/.337/.800 shooting line in 25.5 minutes per night. He’s still just 21 years old.
The Pistons still have one two-way slot open.
Darius Days Re-Signs With Rockets
The Rockets have re-signed Darius Days to another two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Houston claimed Days last October after he was waived by the Heat and inked him to a two-way contract. He spent almost the entire season with the organization’s G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, earning second team all-league honors by averaging 24.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 made three-pointers per game.
The 23-year-old forward also saw minimal playing time in four NBA games.
The Rockets submitted a two-way qualifying offer to Days earlier this week, which serves as another one-year contract as a two-way player with a small financial guarantee attached.
Houston has also re-signed Trevor Hudgins, its other two-way player from last season. The club still has an open two-way slot, since teams can carry up to three players on two-way deals starting in 2023/24.
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Parker, Pacers’ Coaches
The Bucks kept their core intact by re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, but it will be challenging to fill out the roster while remaining under the second tax apron, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The two new contracts bring Milwaukee’s projected spending for next season to nearly $170MM for eight players, leaving six more to be added without reaching the $182.79MM apron. Nehm points out that they can’t avoid the apron if they use their full $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception and will have to complete the roster mostly through veteran’s minimum contracts and re-signing their own players through Bird rights.
A new one-year deal with Jae Crowder will help, Nehm adds. The Bucks parted with five second-round picks to acquire the veteran forward in February, but he wasn’t a lock to return because he didn’t have the impact on defense that the team was expecting. Thanasis Antetokounmpo will likely be back, according to Nehm, but the Bucks are expected to wait until later this summer to officially sign him to retain their financial flexibility.
Nehm notes that finding a backup point guard will be a priority after losing Jevon Carter to the Bulls. He names Kendrick Nunn as a potential low-cost option, along with Cory Joseph, who is on the market after spending the last two seasons in Detroit.
Nehm suggests that Milwaukee could look for bargains with its other open roster spots. He mentions Kings shooting guard Terence Davis and Raptors point guard Dalano Banton as possibilities, as well the Lakers’ Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker if they’re willing to accept minimum offers for one year to join a title contender.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Instead of signing free agents, the Pistons used their cap room to trade for two veterans, which sets them up for big moves at the deadline and next summer, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Joe Harris at $19.9MM and Monte Morris at $9.8MM use up virtually all of Detroit’s $30MM in cap space, but they both have expiring contracts that could be valuable at the deadline in February. Sankofa notes that the same is true for Alec Burks‘ $10.5MM deal, while Bojan Bogdanovic is virtually expiring because his 2024/25 contract only carries a $2MM guarantee.
- A family matter will prevent Jabari Parker from joining the Bucks for the Las Vegas Summer League, Nehm tweets. The former No. 2 overall pick is hoping for another NBA opportunity after sitting out all of last season.
- Pacers assistant Ronald Nored will join Quin Snyder‘s staff with the Hawks, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana will move Jenny Boucek to the front of the bench and make Jim Boylen an assistant after he served as a consultant last season.
Rookie Scale Salaries For 2023 NBA First-Round Picks
With the NBA’s salary cap set at $136,021,000 for the 2023/24 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.
In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.
While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.
Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2023’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2023/24, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.
These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2023/24. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Here’s the 2023 breakdown, with the help of data from RealGM:
| Player | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | $12,160,680 | $12,768,960 | $13,376,880 | $16,868,246 | $55,174,766 |
| Brandon Miller | $10,880,400 | $11,424,600 | $11,968,800 | $15,104,626 | $49,378,426 |
| Scoot Henderson | $9,770,880 | $10,259,160 | $10,748,040 | $13,585,523 | $44,363,603 |
| Amen Thompson | $8,809,320 | $9,249,960 | $9,690,600 | $12,258,609 | $40,008,489 |
| Ausar Thompson | $7,977,480 | $8,376,000 | $8,775,000 | $11,117,925 | $36,246,405 |
| Anthony Black | $7,245,480 | $7,607,760 | $7,970,280 | $10,106,315 | $32,929,835 |
| Bilal Coulibaly | $6,614,280 | $6,945,240 | $7,275,600 | $9,240,012 | $30,075,132 |
| Jarace Walker | $6,059,520 | $6,362,520 | $6,665,520 | $8,478,541 | $27,566,101 |
| Taylor Hendricks | $5,569,920 | $5,848,680 | $6,127,080 | $7,805,900 | $25,351,580 |
| Cason Wallace | $5,291,400 | $5,555,880 | $5,820,240 | $7,420,806 | $24,088,326 |
| Jett Howard | $5,026,800 | $5,278,320 | $5,529,720 | $7,337,938 | $23,172,778 |
| Dereck Lively | $4,775,640 | $5,014,560 | $5,253,360 | $7,239,130 | $22,282,690 |
| Gradey Dick | $4,536,720 | $4,763,760 | $4,990,560 | $7,131,510 | $21,422,550 |
| Jordan Hawkins | $4,310,160 | $4,525,680 | $4,741,320 | $7,021,895 | $20,599,055 |
| Kobe Bufkin | $4,094,280 | $4,299,000 | $4,503,720 | $6,904,203 | $19,801,203 |
| Keyonte George | $3,889,800 | $4,084,200 | $4,278,960 | $6,563,925 | $18,816,885 |
| Jalen Hood-Schifino | $3,695,040 | $3,879,840 | $4,064,640 | $6,243,287 | $17,882,807 |
| Jaime Jaquez | $3,510,600 | $3,685,800 | $3,861,600 | $5,939,141 | $16,997,141 |
| Brandin Podziemski | $3,352,440 | $3,519,960 | $3,687,960 | $5,679,458 | $16,239,818 |
| Cam Whitmore | $3,218,160 | $3,379,080 | $3,539,760 | $5,458,310 | $15,595,310 |
| Noah Clowney | $3,089,520 | $3,244,080 | $3,398,640 | $5,414,034 | $15,146,274 |
| Dariq Whitehead | $2,966,040 | $3,114,240 | $3,262,560 | $5,366,911 | $14,709,751 |
| Kris Murray | $2,847,480 | $2,990,040 | $3,132,000 | $5,315,004 | $14,284,524 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | $2,733,720 | $2,870,400 | $3,007,080 | $5,259,383 | $13,870,583 |
| Marcus Sasser | $2,624,040 | $2,755,080 | $2,886,720 | $5,198,983 | $13,464,823 |
| Ben Sheppard | $2,537,160 | $2,663,880 | $2,790,720 | $5,031,668 | $13,023,428 |
| Nick Smith | $2,463,960 | $2,587,200 | $2,710,680 | $4,890,067 | $12,651,907 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | $2,448,600 | $2,571,480 | $2,693,760 | $4,862,237 | $12,576,077 |
| Julian Strawther | $2,431,080 | $2,552,520 | $2,674,200 | $4,826,931 | $12,484,731 |
| Kobe Brown | $2,413,320 | $2,533,920 | $2,654,880 | $4,792,058 | $12,394,178 |
Scotto’s Latest: Bridges, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, Blazers, Brown, DSJ
While it’s possible the Nets will get involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, Mikal Bridges is “not for sale,” league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That was the case leading up to the draft when the Trail Blazers‘ No. 3 pick was rumored to be on the trade block, and it will be the case again if Brooklyn makes a play for Lillard.
While the Nets aren’t Lillard’s preferred landing spot – he’s reportedly focused on Miami – they could put together a strong package of draft picks and quality players on team-friendly contracts, such as Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. According to Scotto, in trade negotiations involving those two forwards, Brooklyn has been unwilling to part with O’Neale for less than the equivalent of a first-round pick or Finney-Smith for the equivalent of two first-rounders.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Trail Blazers are expected to discuss Jusuf Nurkic in their Lillard trade talks, Scotto confirms. Meanwhile, even though Jerami Grant is re-signing with Portland, Scotto expects the forward to emerge as a trade candidate down the road, since he may not fit the Blazers’ post-Lillard timeline. The Pistons and Pacers were among the teams expected to have interest in Grant before word broke that he’d be re-signing with the Blazers, Scotto writes.
- Before he agreed to accept a two-year, $45MM offer from the Pacers, Bruce Brown received six offers in the neighborhood of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM), according to Scotto, who says other teams with cap room also inquired on the popular free agent guard.
- The Nets‘ one-year deal with Dennis Smith Jr. is worth $2.53MM, league sources tell Scotto. That makes it a minimum-salary contract — the veteran’s minimum this season for a player with Smith’s six years of NBA experience is $2,528,233.
Checking In On NBA’s Top Remaining Free Agents
Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2023/24 league year lifts at 11:01 am Central time on July 6, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.
However, within the last 40-ish hours, 36 of the players from our list of 2023’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.
[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.
So who does that leave? As of early Sunday morning, here are the top free agents from our top-50 list who have yet to agree to new deals:
- Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
- P.J. Washington, F, Hornets (RFA)
- Grant Williams, F, Celtics (RFA)
- Christian Wood, F/C
- Kelly Oubre, F
- Eric Gordon, G
- Malik Beasley, G/F
- Matisse Thybulle, F, Trail Blazers (RFA)
- Lonnie Walker, G/F
- Mason Plumlee, C
- Ayo Dosunmu, G, Bulls (RFA)
- Torrey Craig, F
- Hamidou Diallo, G
- Paul Reed, F/C, Sixers (RFA)
The Hornets are very much in the mix for all three of the remaining free agents in our top 20. As long as their qualifying offers to Washington and Bridges remain on the table, they control those players’ free agencies, with the ability to match any offer sheet they sign.
A report on Saturday indicated Charlotte is also mulling the possibility of an offer sheet for Williams. If the Hornets went ahead with a pursuit of the Celtics forward, it would presumably mean moving on from at least one of Bridges or Washington. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Washington has received interest from a few other teams and may be looking at a deal in the range of the one Rui Hachimura got from the Lakers (three years, $51MM).
Since being restricted can slow down the free agency process for players who don’t quickly negotiate a deal with their own teams, it’s possible there won’t be resolution right away for Thybulle, Dosunmu, and Reed. However, the rest of the players in this group are unrestricted and could move faster.
Scotto also has an update on Beasley, reporting today that the veteran shooter has drawn interest from the Sixers, Suns, Raptors, Mavericks, Bucks, and Warriors since reaching free agency. Some of those teams are limited to a minimum-salary offer.
The Kings and Pistons are among the teams that have displayed interest in Craig, according to Scotto, who notes that Detroit’s new head coach Monty Williams was a fan of the wing in Phoenix.
The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:
- Mohamed Bamba, C
- Dalano Banton, G
- Terence Davis, G
- Javonte Green, G
- Derrick Jones, F
- Cory Joseph, G
- Romeo Langford, G/F
- Jaylen Nowell, G
- Kendrick Nunn, G
- Dario Saric, F
Here are our full lists of free agents by position/type and by team.
2023 NBA Free Agency: Day 2 Recap
The NBA’s free agent market remained active on Saturday after a busy Friday, but the most significant headlines of the day involved players who were already under contract.
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made the day’s biggest news by submitting a long-awaited trade request to the team. Lillard is reportedly focused on landing with the Heat, but Portland will survey the market, and there are questions about whether Miami will the assets to get a deal done without involving a third team.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s two most lucrative contract agreements were extensions rather than free agents deals. The Hornets and guard LaMelo Ball reached an agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension, while Kings center Domantas Sabonis agreed to a renegotiation and extension that will add four years and $195MM in new money to his deal.
Listed below are the rest of the highlights from around the NBA on Saturday.
Free agent agreements
Most of 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 July 6.
[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.
Dillon Brooks, Rockets agree to four-year, $80MM contract (sign-and-trade).- Max Strus, Cavaliers agree to four-year, $63MM contract (sign-and-trade).
- Austin Reaves, Lakers agree to four-year, $53.8MM contract.
- Donte DiVincenzo, Knicks agree to four-year, $50MM contract.
- Brook Lopez, Bucks agree to two-year, $48MM contract.
- D’Angelo Russell, Lakers agree to two-year, $37MM contract.
- Jock Landale, Rockets agree to four-year, $32MM contract.
- Moritz Wagner, Magic agree to two-year, $16MM contract.
- Dwight Powell, Mavericks agree to three-year, $12MM contract.
- Jalen McDaniels, Raptors agree to two-year, $9.3MM contract.
- Russell Westbrook, Clippers agree to two-year, $7.9MM contract.
- Jeff Green, Rockets agree to one-year, $6MM contract.
- Ty Jerome, Cavaliers agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
- Thomas Bryant, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Jaxson Hayes, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Patrick Beverley, Sixers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Dante Exum, Mavericks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Alex Len, Kings agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, Spurs agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- Jack White, Thunder agree to two-year contract.
- Jae Crowder, Bucks agree to one-year contract.
- Dennis Smith Jr., Nets agree to one-year contract.
- Heat sign Orlando Robinson to minimum-salary contract.
Trades
- Knicks agree to trade Obi Toppin to Pacers for two second-round picks.
- Rockets agree to trade Kenyon Martin Jr. to Clippers for two second-round picks.
- Rockets agree to trade Usman Garuba, TyTy Washington, two second-round picks, and cash to the Hawks for the draft rights to Alpha Kaba.
- Spurs to acquire Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second-round pick; Heat to acquire a second-round pick in the Max Strus sign-and-trade agreement with the Cavaliers.
- Rockets to acquire Dillon Brooks in a sign-and-trade agreement that includes Josh Christopher going to the Grizzlies and Patty Mills going from the Nets to an unknown team. There will be more details to come on this one.
- Jazz agree to trade Damian Jones to Cavaliers.
Other notable deals
- Vasilije Micic, Thunder agree to three-year, $23.5MM contract.
- Sasha Vezenkov, Kings agree to three-year, $20MM contract.
- Several first-round picks signed their rookie scale contracts, including No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs.
Previously:
Free Agency Rumors: G. Williams, Hornets, VanVleet, Blazers, Tavares
The Hornets are mulling the possibility of an offer sheet for Celtics restricted free agent forward Grant Williams, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Williams has also drawn some interest from the Mavericks, according to Scotto.
The Hornets are currently operating as an over-the-cap team, which means they could offer up to the full $12.4MM mid-level exception in a deal for Williams. They have a potential path to creating cap room to make a stronger bid, but it would require renouncing the cap holds for multiple free agents, including their own RFA forwards P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges. The Hornets have also engaged in contract discussions with Washington, Scotto reports.
Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- The third and final season of Fred VanVleet‘s new three-year deal with the Rockets will be a team option, according to Jackson Gatlin of Locked on Rockets (Twitter link). A non-guaranteed third year makes the deal look considerably more team-friendly — and considerably more like the two-year offer the Rockets were originally said to be preparing for the veteran point guard.
- Veteran center Edy Tavares, a second-round pick in 2014, has received a contract offer from the Trail Blazers, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. Tavares played just 13 games during his initial NBA stint, but is apparently earning another look after several strong seasons with Real Madrid, with whom he has won two EuroLeague titles and earned three All-EuroLeague First Team nods. However, Tavares’ contract includes a significant buyout, which may preclude a move stateside, Urbonas explains. His deal with Real Madrid will expire in 2024 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
- Donte DiVincenzo drew “strong” interest from three other teams during his free agency before he agreed to sign with New York, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). While DiVincenzo’s Villanova connection to Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart was a factor in his decision to join the Knicks, he also believes his new team can be a contender. “He wants to win and has a great opportunity to do so in New York,” a source said to Begley.
Raptors Notes: VanVleet, Schroder, Anunoby, Coaching Staff
The Raptors and Rockets both increased their offers to Fred VanVleet Friday night before he decided to sign with Houston, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Toronto had been hesitant to exceed $90MM over three years, with one source describing it to Grange as a “glass ceiling.” Although VanVleet is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history, he has missed 30 combined games due to injury over the last two years and he shot career lows both from the field and from three-point range last season. There were also concerns that going beyond that limit would inhibit the team’s ability to make other moves, such as re-signing center Jakob Poeltl.
The situation changed when rumors of James Harden returning to Houston died down and the Raptors realized that VanVleet had become the Rockets’ number one target. During a meeting with VanVleet shortly after the start of free agency, Raptors officials presented him with an expanded offer that brought it to $120MM for four seasons.
Sources tell Grange that VanVleet next met with the Rockets, who also added a year to their offer, increasing it to three years at nearly $129MM. After nearly three hours of waiting, the Raptors learned that they were losing their starting point guard.
There’s more from Toronto:
- Lakers players will miss Dennis Schröder, whom the Raptors quickly signed as VanVleet’s replacement, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Austin Reaves called Schroder “one of the best teammates I’ve met” and said his commitment to winning over everything else made him stand out.
- Before OG Anunoby finalized a change in his representation, he told prospective agents that he wants a situation with more ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities when he signs his next contract, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. VanVleet’s departure and the addition of Darko Rajakovic as head coach might provide that opportunity for Anunoby in Toronto, Fischer suggests.
- James Wade is the latest addition to Rajakovic’s coaching staff, tweets James Kay of TheNextHoops. Wade had been the general manager and head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
Alex Len Signs One-Year Deal With Kings
July 10: Len’s new deal is official, the Kings announced (Twitter link via James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com).
July 1: Alex Len will stay with the Kings on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It will pay him $3,196,448.
The 30-year-old appeared in just 26 games last season, averaging 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per night. He claimed a role as the team’s backup center late in the season, but his playing time was sporadic in the seven-game playoff series against the Warriors.
There may be a clearer path to regular minutes for Len in 2023/24 following Sacramento’s trade of Richaun Holmes and the free agent departure of Chimezie Metu.
However, with the offseason far from over, the team also may still bring in another big man to be Domantas Sabonis‘ primary backup.
Len was the fifth pick in the 2013 draft, but he has never been able to live up to that status. He returned to the Kings as a free agent in 2021 after briefly playing for them during the 2019/20 season.