Southeast Notes: Oubre, Poole, Vukcevic, Magic
An abundance of wing players makes it unlikely that the Hornets will re-sign Kelly Oubre, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The free agent forward has expressed a desire to stay in Charlotte and was a valuable contributor last season, but there may not be enough playing time for him with the new roster.
The addition of No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the expected return of Miles Bridges reduce the need for Oubre, Boone adds. Gordon Hayward will be back for another season unless the Hornets can find a taker for his $31.5MM expiring contract, and Cody Martin and Bryce McGowens will also compete for playing time.
Oubre has spent the past two seasons in Charlotte after signing as a free agent in 2021. He averaged 17.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 124 games and was effective both as a starter and coming off the bench.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Jordan Poole should be the focal point of the Wizards‘ offense next season, Josh Robbins and Anthony Slater of The Athletic state in a look at what he’ll bring to Washington. The Wizards have already traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma may be leaving in free agency. Without their top three scorers from last season, much of the offense will flow through Poole, who showed an ability to carry the scoring load at times with the Warriors. Robbins notes that coach Wes Unseld Jr. gave Kuzma the freedom to create his own shots, which will likely also happen with Poole.
- In an interview with NBC Sports Washington, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he was happy to land Serbian center Tristan Vukcevic with the 42nd pick in last week’s draft. “Young, 20 years old. He’s played internationally, I feel like I’ve watched him for a long time now, since he was a youth as well,” Dawkins said. “With him, seven feet, skilled, can pass, can shoot.” It hasn’t been determined if the Wizards will bring Vukcevic to the NBA next season or have him spend more time in Europe, but Dawkins plans to talk to his representatives about having him play in Summer League.
- Dylan Murphy is the new head coach for the Magic‘s G League affiliate in Osceola, the team announced (via Twitter). Murphy has been with Orlando for five years and was an assistant coach for the last three seasons.
Pacers Considering $48MM Offer For Max Strus
The Pacers are “strongly weighing” a three-year offer in the $48MM range for free agent shooting guard Max Strus, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.
Several teams are interested in Strus, who is likely to receive a new deal that exceeds the $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Stein adds. With more than $30MM in cap room, Indiana is in position to outbid many of its rivals.
Echoing a report from Jake Fischer earlier today, Stein states that Strus appears “almost certain” to be on the move after spending the past three seasons with the Heat. Fischer cited the Pistons and Magic as other teams with cap room that might make an offer to Strus.
Miami reportedly doesn’t want to commit the resources it would take to re-sign both Strus and Gabe Vincent, and it appears that Vincent is more of a priority.
Strus, 27, started all 23 playoff games for the Heat during their run to the NBA Finals. He was outstanding for most of the postseason, but struggled against Denver, shooting just 10-of-43 from three-point range.
Kings To Exercise Option On Kessler Edwards
The Kings have decided to pick up Kessler Edwards‘ $1.9MM option for next season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnaroski.
Sacramento acquired the 22-year-old small forward from the Nets at this year’s trade deadline. He appeared in 22 games with the Kings, averaging 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per night in a limited role.
Brooklyn drafted Kessler in the second round in 2021 and he made an impact during his rookie year, starting 23 of the 48 games he played. He fell out of the Nets’ rotation this season and appeared in just 14 games before the deal.
Edwards will become a free agent next summer, and the Kings can make him restricted by issuing a $2.4MM qualifying offer.
Bulls Trade Into Draft, Select Julian Phillips At No. 35
JUNE 28: The deal is official, according to the Wizards, who announced that they received the Bulls’ 2026 and 2027 second-round picks in the swap.
JUNE 22: The Bulls are trading into the second round of tonight’s draft, Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) reports.
Per Charania, Chicago flipped two future second round draft picks to the Wizards for Washington’s No. 35 pick, which it will use on Tennessee small forward Julian Phillips.
The 6’8″ forward was an SEC All-Freshman selection during his lone college season in 2022/23. Across 32 healthy games, including 25 starts, the 19-year-old averaged 8.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 BPG.
As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (via Twitter) notes, Phillips logged a 43-inch vertical at this year’s draft combine, the best among this rookie class. He also boasts a 6’11 1/2″ wingspan. Like several other recent draft picks by team president Arturas Karnisovas, Phillips is big for his position and fairly athletic, but lacks a consistent jump shot.
Even though the Bulls took the fewest three-point attempts of any team in the league last year and desperately need more volume shooting, it appears the team will need to look elsewhere this offseason to address that clear need.
Paul Reed To Get Qualifying Offer From Sixers
The Sixers will extend a $2.29MM qualifying offer to back-up big man Paul Reed, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Reed, 24, set career highs in his third season with the team by appearing in 69 games and averaging 10.9 minutes per night. He contributed 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 59.3% from the field.
The qualifying offer means Reed will be a restricted free agent and Philadelphia can match whatever offer sheet he receives.
Paul said last month that he hopes to re-sign with the Sixers. He has the option of accepting the QO as a one-year contract or testing the open market.
Hawks Acquire No. 39 Pick Mouhamed Gueye From Celtics
JUNE 28: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Celtics and Hawks.
JUNE 23: The Hawks are sending their 2027 second-round pick to Boston in exchange for the rights to Gueye, the Celtics announced in a press release.
JUNE 22: The Hawks are acquiring No. 39 pick Mouhamed Gueye in a trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The 39th pick was originally held by Charlotte but was sent to Boston in an earlier deal, so the Celtics are the team sending it to Atlanta. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the Celtics are receiving a future second-round pick in the deal.
Gueye, a 6’11” power forward out of Washington State, was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection during his second and final NCAA season. Across 33 contests in 2022/23, he averaged 14.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.8 BPG for the Cougars.
Who exactly will flank Gueye in Atlanta’s frontcourt this year remains a bit open-ended, as incumbent starting center Clint Capela and power forward John Collins have been involved in trade rumors so far this offseason. The Hawks also reportedly made progress on a trade that would have sent starting small forward De’Andre Hunter to the Pacers before talks broke down and the deal was scuttled.
Boston did ultimately still have a selection in the second round, nabbing the rights to the No. 38 pick, Arkansas swingman Jordan Walsh, via a deal with the Kings.
Celtics Trade No. 34 Pick Colby Jones To Kings
JUNE 28: The trade has been finalized, the Kings announced (via Twitter).
JUNE 23: The future second-round pick the Celtics are acquiring from the Kings will be Dallas’ 2024 second-rounder, according to a press release.
JUNE 22: The Celtics continue to acquire future assets while moving down in the draft. Their latest deal sends Xavier guard Colby Jones, selected at No. 34, to the Kings in exchange for the 38th pick and a future second-rounder, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Viewed as a 3-and-D wing, Jones shot 37.8% from three-point range for the Musketeers during his junior season. He also averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 36 games.
Boston acquired a first-round pick from the Grizzlies in the Kristaps Porzingis trade that was agreed upon late Wednesday night. The Celtics traded down to No. 31 in a deal with the Pistons, and then sent that pick to the Hornets in exchange for the 34th and 39th selections.
Boston used its picks to take Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh at No. 38 and Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye at No. 39. Gueye was subsequently dealt to Atlanta.
Hornets Acquire No. 31 Pick James Nnaji
JUNE 28: The trade is now official, according to the Hornets (Twitter link).
JUNE 22: Having already traded down from No. 25 to No. 31, the Celtics are moving down again, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who reports that Boston is sending the first pick of the second round to the Hornets in exchange for Nos. 34 and 39.
Charlotte is using the No. 31 pick to draft Nigerian center James Nnaji, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Across 27 games of Liga ACB play with FC Barcelona during the 2022/23 season, the 6’11” big man averaged just 4.9 PPG on 67.1% field goal shooting, along with 3.0 RPG and 0.7 BPG.
Clearly a longer-term project, the 18-year-old must have impressed Charlotte scouts with his athleticism and size. He boasts a 7’5″ wingspan. The Hornets have enjoyed an active draft thus far, headlined by the selection of Alabama small forward Brandon Miller with the second pick this season.
The Celtics, meanwhile, subsequently flipped the No. 34 selection to the Kings and then moved the No. 39 selection to the Hawks for future draft equity. Boston did acquire one rookie in the second round, Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh, with the No. 38 pick acquired in a deal with the Kings.
Raptors Notes: VanVleet, Poeltl, Siakam, Anunoby, Wieskamp
In a look at where the Raptors stand heading into free agency, Eric Koreen of The Athletic expects the team to re-sign both Fred VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl, although it will be expensive to do so. Koreen projects a four-year, $130MM contract for VanVleet and a three-year, $63MM deal for Poeltl. That would give Toronto $164.8MM committed to 12 players for the upcoming season, leaving no way to fill out the roster without exceeding the projected luxury-tax threshold of $165MM.
The Rockets may be ready to offer VanVleet a maximum-salary contract, but they reportedly want to limit it to two years. Toronto’s willingness to commit to a longer deal could be enough to convince him to stay, although Koreen also explores sign-and-trade possibilities with the Bulls, Timberwolves and Nets.
The Thunder and Spurs appear to be the best options for Poeltl, Koreen states, although he’s not sure if either franchise will offer a big-money deal to a center with limited shooting range. Koreen also cites the Bucks, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks as teams that might pursue a sign-and-trade.
There’s more on the Raptors:
- Draft night was probably the best time to work out a trade involving Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby, Koreen adds. A recent report that Siakam may not be open to re-signing with any team that trades for him should cool off his market, but Koreen expects Toronto to still get offers for Anunoby. He also believes it’s likely that both players will start next season with the Raptors, but they probably won’t agree to extensions this summer.
- Anunoby has selected CAA Basketball as his new representative, the agency announced (via Twitter). If Anunoby doesn’t sign an extension, he could become a free agent in 2024 by turning down a $19.9MM player option.
- Joe Wieskamp and the Raptors have reached an agreement to extend the guarantee date for next season’s contract to July 18, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The front office wants to see how he performs during Summer League before committing to another season, adds Murphy, who believes Wieskamp may get a small partial guarantee on the deal for agreeing to the change.
Timberwolves Waive Taurean Prince
5:01pm: The Timberwolves have officially waived Prince, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
4:08pm: The Timberwolves have decided not to guarantee Taurean Prince‘s $7,455,000 salary for the 2023/24 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Because Prince has a non-guaranteed contract rather than an option, he’ll have to be waived, meaning Minnesota won’t retain any form of Bird rights on him. While Prince could technically be claimed by a team with cap room or a trade exception big enough to cover his salary, he’ll likely pass through waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.
The Wolves’ decision is a little surprising, given that Prince has been a reliable rotation piece in Minnesota for the last two years. In 123 games since the start of the 2021/22 season, he has averaged 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 19.3 minutes per night, with a solid shooting line of .460/.378/.799.
Still, if the Wolves hope to re-sign restricted free agent Nickeil Alexander-Walker and use a significant portion of their mid-level exception, it would have been virtually impossible to retain Prince and avoid becoming a taxpayer. Waiving him will give the team more wiggle room to negotiate with Alexander-Walker and use the MLE without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Minnesota now projects to be about $15.6MM below the tax line with four roster spots to fill, so the club still isn’t in position to use its full $12.4MM mid-level without further cost-cutting.
Prince, 29, figures to appeal to teams looking for depth on the wing this summer. A decision on his 2023/24 salary was due today, as our list of early guarantee dates shows.