Pelicans Waive Garrett Temple
4:57pm: Temple has officially been released, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
4:19pm: The Pelicans plan to waive Garrett Temple before his $5.4MM salary for 2023/24 becomes guaranteed, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
As our list of early salary guarantee dates for next season shows, Temple’s salary would have been fully guaranteed on July 7. As of right now, it is fully non-guaranteed — New Orleans won’t incur a cap hit for releasing him.
While I’m sure the Pelicans valued Temple’s locker-room presence, his on-court production was quite limited in ’22/23, so the move isn’t surprising. Despite the team dealing with significant injuries throughout last season, the veteran wing only appeared in 25 games for a total of 162 minutes.
Temple, 37, has played for 11 NBA teams over his 13 seasons. He had been with New Orleans since 2021. He holds career averages of 6.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.7 APG on .402/.345/.740 shooting across 716 regular season appearances (288 starts, 20.9 MPG).
Assuming he clears waivers in a couple days, which seems highly likely given his prior salary, Temple will become an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team.
Trade Rumors: Harden, Lillard, Knicks, George
Appearing on SportsCenter on Tuesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that the Sixers may take the same approach to James Harden‘s trade request that they did to Ben Simmons‘ in 2021. In other words, the team will exercise patience waiting for the right deal to materialize, hoping in the meantime that its star guard will eventually have a change of heart about his desire to leave Philadelphia.
“If it was up to the Sixers, they would get James Harden enthusiastic about playing next season with the Sixers,” Wojnarowski said. “… The Sixers have been talking to teams about trades for James Harden (but) their asking price is really high.”
As Wojarowski points out, Harden has a better relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey than Simmons did with the team leaders in Philadelphia. However, the 76ers’ apparent unwillingness to put a lucrative, long-term contract offer on the table for Harden has created some discontent.
“There’s a lot of work that’s gotta be done with Harden before he’s really enthusiastic about a return there,” Wojnarowski said.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Unlike the 76ers with Harden, the Trail Blazers are under no illusions that they’ll be able to convince Damian Lillard to continue his career in Portland, Wojnarowski said during an NBA Today appearance on Wednesday (YouTube link). “I think both sides realize that this is over,” Wojnarowski said. “This is not a situation necessarily where the Blazers are trying to talk Damian Lillard back in.”
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday that he’s not expecting the Lillard situation to be resolved in the short-term future, noting that the Trail Blazers will want to take plenty of time to sort through all their options and get the best possible return. “I think we’re in for a bit of a wait,” Bontemps said (YouTube link). “That’s because we are on Portland Trail Blazers time.”
- The Knicks‘ offseason feels somewhat incomplete, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who suggests the team could still have a move to make on the trade market. League sources tell Katz that the Knicks have contacted multiple teams this summer in search of a veteran in his prime who would fit the current roster.
- While the Knicks may still have a trade up their sleeves, it doesn’t sound like it will be for Clippers forward Paul George. New York was linked to George earlier in the offseason, but Alan Hahn of ESPN Radio and MSG Network said on the Bart & Hahn podcast (Twitter audio link) that the Knicks deemed it too “expensive” to both acquire George and give him the extension he’s believed to be seeking.
Stein’s Latest: RFAs, Washington, Mavs, Bol, JVG, Bojan
There has been more buzz in recent days about restricted free agents Grant Williams and Matisse Thybulle – who reportedly intends to sign an offer sheet with Dallas – than Hornets RFA P.J. Washington, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article. As Stein explains, there are a couple reasons for that.
For one, the Hornets are in a better position to a match a rival offer sheet than Boston or Portland. The Celtics project to be well over the luxury tax line, while the Trail Blazers still aren’t certain what their books will look like after they finalize a Damian Lillard trade.
Additionally, while the Celtics and Trail Blazers would both have to weigh whether or not to match offer sheets signed using the mid-level exception, such a deal would presumably be an automatic match for the Hornets with Washington. According to Stein, Washington is believed to be seeking a deal in the range of $18MM per year.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Following up on a report that the Magic and Mavericks discussed a trade involving Bol Bol around the time of the draft, Stein explains that Dallas pitched the idea of taking on Bol as a salary dump along with Orlando’s No. 36 overall pick. The Magic turned down that proposal and ended up moving No. 36 for a 2030 second-round pick and cash.
- Jeff Van Gundy, who was recently let go by ESPN, told the Mavericks he wasn’t interested in a job as an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s coaching staff, according to Stein, who says that it’s not yet known whether Van Gundy will attempt to return to coaching in some form or seek another broadcasting opportunity.
- While teams around the league remain interested in acquiring forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons have held firm on their stance that they plan to keep the sharpshooting veteran, says Stein. There seems to be little concern about the Achilles issue that sidelined Bogdanovic for Detroit’s final 18 games, Stein adds, noting that the general sense is that the Pistons were just being “extra cautious,” with little to play for.
Pistons Sign Marcus Sasser To Rookie Contract
The Pistons have signed No. 25 overall pick Marcus Sasser to his rookie scale contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.
A four-year college player at Houston, Sasser was a two-time All-AAC selection and a consensus 2023 first team All-American. In 2022/23, the 22-year-old averaged 16.8 points, 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and shot .438/.384/.848 across 36 contests (30.8 MPG), earning AAC Player of the Year honors.
The Grizzlies initially held the No. 25 pick, but sent it to the Celtics as part of the Marcus Smart trade. Boston subsequently flipped it to the Pistons, who packaged two future second-round picks along with this year’s No. 31 in order to move up six spots for Sasser.
Sasser will join a talented young Pistons backcourt that includes two recent lottery picks, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
Assuming he receives the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale amount, which virtually every first-rounder does, Sasser will earn approximately $2.6MM as a rookie and nearly $13.5MM if he plays out his full four-year rookie contract. The first two years are guaranteed, while the third and fourth are team options.
Raptors Rumors: Siakam, Anunoby, VanVleet, Ujiri
Although he reportedly doesn’t want to play anywhere but Toronto, Pascal Siakam and the Raptors have yet to formally meet to discuss a possible contract extension, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who says that trade speculation about the two-time All-NBA forward continues to percolate.
As Grange previously reported, the Hawks, who have been repeatedly linked to Siakam throughout the offseason, attempted to re-engage the Raptors in trade talks this past weekend, while other teams are also believed to have checked in. One possible trade scenario that Grange has heard about would involve both the Hawks and Rockets, though he’s not sure about the specifics.
Despite the rumors and speculation, it remains unclear whether the Raptors are seriously thinking about moving the 29-year-old. According to Grange, sources around the league who had questions about Toronto’s direction entering this offseason still haven’t been able to get a clear read on the front office’s plans.
“They’re not the easiest team to deal with, I’ll just say that,” one source said to Grange.
Siakam isn’t the only Raptors forward who should still be considered a possible trade candidate. OG Anunoby is entering a contract year and isn’t necessarily assured of a long-term future in Toronto. Grange says Anunoby “remains on the watch list for several teams” and singles out the Knicks as one club with considerable interest.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- According to Grange, the Raptors’ veterans – particularly Siakam and Fred VanVleet – were frustrated last season by some of the team’s younger players. VanVleet “let them know about it, something the younger set didn’t appreciate at all,” Grange writes.
- In the same story, Grange says that Raptors president Masai Ujiri spoke to players multiple times last season to express his displeasure with “selfish play and poor body language.” According to Grange, former head coach Nick Nurse may have been planning his exit from the franchise during the season, recognizing that he would likely be let go at season’s end.
- The best offer the Raptors were prepared to make to VanVleet in free agency was a four-year deal that included a partially guaranteed final year, with $100MM in total guaranteed money, Grange reports. VanVleet opted for the Rockets’ three-year, $128MM+ deal, even though it will reportedly only include two guaranteed seasons.
- Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca checks in on a number of Raptors-related topics, including where the team’s 2023/24 cap stands and why the club decided to guarantee Thaddeus Young‘s $8MM salary for the coming season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Underwent Clean-Up Procedure On Knee
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee two weeks ago, casting doubt on his availability for Greece in this year’s World Cup, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
A report out of Greece previously indicated that Antetokounmpo was less than 50/50 to play for Greece this summer due to a leg injury, as BasketNews.com relayed.
It’s unclear whether the procedure reported by Charania was on Antetokounmpo’s left or right knee. He missed some time during the first half of the 2022/23 season due to left knee soreness, but was affected in the second half by soreness in his right knee.
Either way, given that Giannis still hasn’t been entirely ruled out for the World Cup, which begins in late August, it sounds like there’s no concern at this point that his recovery process will extend into the start of the NBA regular season in October.
Antetokounmpo is entering the third season of his five-year, super-max contract with the Bucks and has the ability to opt out of that contract in 2025. He’ll become extension-eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.
Nets Sign Jalen Wilson To Two-Way Contract
The Nets have filled one of their two-way contract slots by signing second-round pick Jalen Wilson to a two-way deal, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
Wilson, who helped the Jayhawks win a national championship in 2022, led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.3 RPG) as a redshirt junior in 2022/23. He was named a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year.
The Nets used their own second-round pick – No. 51 overall – to snag Wilson, who will join RaiQuan Gray as the players on two-way contracts with the club.
NBA teams are permitted to carry up to three players on two-way deals beginning in 2023/24, so Brooklyn still has one slot available.
Magic Promote Anthony Parker To GM
Former NBA wing Anthony Parker is receiving a promotion and will become the Magic‘s new general manager, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Veteran executive John Hammond previously held that GM role in Orlando under president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman. However, Hammond has decided to transition to a senior advisory role, according to Wojnarowski. Hammond, who is 68, wanted to move into a position where he didn’t have to be a daily presence, adds Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
A first-round pick in the 1997 NBA draft and the older brother of longtime WNBA star Candace Parker, Anthony Parker appeared in nearly 500 regular season games across nine NBA seasons. He played in Philadelphia and Cleveland from 1997-2000 before spending several years in Israel and Italy. He returned to the NBA in 2006 and was with the Raptors for three years, then with the Cavaliers for three more.
After retiring as a player, Parker was a scout for the Magic from 2012-17. He became the general manager of the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League team, in 2017 and was promoted to become the Magic’s assistant GM in 2021.
According to Wojnarowski, Parker has been a “sought-after” executive during much of his tenure in Orlando, but opted to remain with the Magic and prepare for eventually becoming a senior member of the front office.
In addition to promoting Parker, the Magic are elevating associate GM Pete D’Alessandro to executive vice president of basketball operations, sources tell Wojnarowski. D’Alessandro, who previously held the GM title in Sacramento, has been in Orlando since 2017.
The Magic have issued a press release (via Twitter) confirming the front office changes.
Major July NBA Storylines To Watch
A majority of the top free agents in the 2023 class came off the board over the weekend, but there are still several unresolved storylines to follow as the offseason continues. Here are a few of them:
Where – and when – will Damian Lillard and James Harden be traded?
A pair of stars who have earned 14 All-NBA berths between them have requested trades from their respective teams, with Lillard seeking a move out of Portland and Harden looking for an exit from Philadelphia.
There should be no shortage of suitors for Lillard, who averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in his 58 contests last season and still has four years left on his current contract. However, he has reportedly conveyed that he only wants to go to the Heat, limiting the Trail Blazers‘ leverage in trade talks.
The other 28 teams not on Lillard’s wish list may be reluctant to give up their best assets without knowing how he’ll respond if they acquire him. And the Blazers might be wary of taking a reputational hit if they send arguably the best player in franchise history somewhere he doesn’t want to go.
Still, Portland will want to maximize the return in its most important move of the season, so if Lillard’s going to end up in Miami, it will likely require a multi-team structure that gets the Blazers the assets they want — Tyler Herro reportedly isn’t one of them. That could take some time to figure out.
As for Harden, he’s said to be focused on the Clippers. The former MVP has requested three trades since the start of the 2020/21 season and is on an expiring contract that can’t be extended, so it’s unlikely that any team is prepared to give up a massive haul for him. However, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is known to operate very deliberately in these situations and is unlikely to settle for an offer he doesn’t feel good about.
Will a restricted free agent sign an offer sheet?
As we outlined on Tuesday, many of this year’s best remaining free agents – including five of the eight still in play from our top-50 list – are restricted. That group includes players like Hornets forward P.J. Washington, Celtics forward Grant Williams, and Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle.
An offer sheet can be signed during the July moratorium, but it’s rare for it to actually happen during that time, since the clock on the matching period doesn’t start until July 6. Teams typically aren’t eager to compromise their cap flexibility for several days waiting to see if their offer sheets will be matched, so if one is going to be signed this year, it’s likely to happen on or after Thursday.
While Washington, Williams, and Thybulle are the best candidates for an offer sheet, don’t overlook the other two available standard RFAs, Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu or Sixers big man Paul Reed. There’s also a large group of two-way players who are technically restricted free agents, though we haven’t really seen teams pursue offer sheets with those players in the past.
Of course, if a team with strong interest in a restricted free agent wants to land him and doesn’t want to have to worry about whether his old team will match an offer, a sign-and-trade deal could get both sides what they want. Williams looks like the top candidate for such a move.
What will the Spurs do with their remaining cap room?
Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) estimated on Sunday that the Spurs still have north of $25MM in cap room. They’re the only team whose salary currently projects to be well below the minimum floor (90% of the cap), and the rule tweaks in the CBA mean they have every reason to spend at least to the minimum before the regular season begins. If they don’t, they’ll lose their cap room up to the floor and forfeit a portion of their share of the end-of-season luxury tax distribution.
There has been no indication so far that the Spurs are considering making a play for one of the top available restricted free agents. That certainly doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but it appears San Antonio’s preferred route would be to accommodate a salary-dump trade or two and continue stockpiling assets. That was the path the team took when it got involved in the Max Strus sign-and-trade deal between Cleveland and Miami, picking up a second-round pick along with Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens.
That makes the Spurs a team to watch as a potential factor in the Lillard and Harden sweepstakes.
San Antonio isn’t the only club with some cap room remaining. Houston and Orlando can generate between $10-15MM, per Smith.
That’s probably more interesting for the Rockets than the Magic, given how the two teams have approached the offseason so far — after agreeing to lucrative multiyear deals with Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, Houston could be looking to strike once more in free agency, whereas Orlando has been pretty quiet outside of making a deal to add Joe Ingles. I don’t get the feeling the Magic are looking to take advantage of their cap flexibility by making a significant addition.
Will the end of the July moratorium spur more action?
Most of the major free agent deals and trade agreements that have been reported since June 30 are tentative, since they can’t be officially completed until after 11:00 am Central time on Thursday, when the July moratorium ends.
Often, there’s a second wave or mini-rush of moves around that time, as teams begin officially using up their cap room and filling out their rosters. Notable unrestricted free agents who have yet to find a deal – such as perhaps Christian Wood or Kelly Oubre – may soon line up an opportunity, while separate trades that have been reported in pieces in recent days will come together as expanded multi-team deals.
While the end of the moratorium period doesn’t typically provide the sort of fireworks it did in 2019, when the Clippers landed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the early hours of the morning on July 6, it should be a busy Thursday in the NBA.
Which young players will make an impact in Summer League?
The Salt Lake City and Sacramento Summer Leagues got underway in Monday, but the main event – the Las Vegas Summer League – won’t tip off until Friday.
All eyes on the first day in Vegas will be on Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in last month’s draft. Wembanyama hasn’t suited up for his new NBA team at the Sacramento Summer League, but is expected to make his Spurs debut on Friday against No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and the Hornets, Marc Stein writes at Substack.
I wouldn’t expect Wembanyama to suit up for more than a game or two, but there will be plenty of other intriguing young players to watch in Las Vegas, including last year’s No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, who had a promising 2023 debut on Monday in Salt Lake City.
Summer League success certainly doesn’t always carry over to the regular season, but it was a springboard to strong seasons last year for players like Keegan Murray (the 2022 Summer League MVP), Quentin Grimes, Santi Aldama, and Bennedict Mathurin.
And-Ones: Flopping, Coach’s Challenge, Grant, Luxury Tax Payments
The NBA will be testing out a proposed in-game penalty for flopping during summer league contests, according to ESPN. A flop, which will be determined by in-game referees, will be penalized by awarding the opposing team a free throw. The player who commits the flop will be assessed a unsportsmanlike technical foul, which won’t count toward personal fouls or lead to an ejection.
The league’s Board of Governors will vote on July 11 regarding the implementation of the flopping penalty for next season, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The Board will also vote on a second coach’s challenge to be awarded if the first challenge is successful.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Panathinaikos Athens is interested in signing 2023 EuroCup MVP Jerian Grant, Eurohoops’ Stavros Barbarousis reports. The Greek club is looking at Grant as a key reserve. Grant appeared in 279 NBA games from 2016-20. In 18 regular season EuroCup games last season, Grant averaged 14.6 points per game on 57.1% shooting. He also contributed 6.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest.
- Teams below the 2022/23 luxury tax line received $15.1MM apiece, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The biggest taxpayers, the Warriors and Clippers, contributed a combined $300MM to the pool.
- Have you heard about the new second round exception in the CBA? Get the details here.