Kuminga, Suggs, Giddey Among Extension Candidates Seeking $30MM+ Annually
The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale contract extensions falls on Monday and will force several clubs to make tough decisions.
The Warriors have two players under consideration for rookie scale extensions: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. As we relayed Friday evening, Moody appears more likely than Kuminga to receive an extension by Monday. Moody is in line to receive minutes at the wing spot in the wake up Klay Thompson‘s departure, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports he could earn more than $10MM per season on his extension (Threads link).
However, Kuminga is seeking a near-max contract that would pay him north of $30MM annually. According to Fischer, the Warriors have “never seemed intent” on paying the forward that kind of money ahead of the season. That tracks with earlier reporting, which suggested that both sides are content to wait to see if Kuminga takes another step forward in 2024/25 and helps propel the team back into contention as its second- or third-best player. In that scenario, he would presumably be rewarded in restricted free agency next offseason.
Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season while Kuminga broke out, averaging 16.1 PPG on 52.9% shooting from the field.
We have more on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates:
- According to Fischer, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is facing a similar situation to Kuminga. However, there’s “far more optimism” that the Hawks and Johnson will finalize a deal worth north of $30MM each year, which is said to be the starting point for negotiations with the former Duke standout. Johnson broke out in a big way last season, jumping from 5.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 2022/23 to 16.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He’s primed to be a long-term fixture in Atlanta as one of the Hawks’ franchise cornerstones.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs is seeking an extension worth more than $30MM annually in talks with Orlando, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether or not Orlando is prepared to make that sort of offer, but Suggs emerged as one of the best defensive guards in the league last season, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, averaging 12.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG, improving his outside shooting to 39.7%, and helping the young Magic to a 47-win season.
- Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract with the Raptors is said to have set a benchmark for young guards across the league, Fischer says, confirming previous reporting. Bulls guard/forward Josh Giddey is also seeking at least $30MM per year on his next extension. However, the Bulls are more interested in seeing how Giddey fits with the team before committing that kind of money to him. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Giddey in June.
- The Rockets haven’t been willing to this point to approach a maximum-salary deal for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, according to Fischer. We relayed Friday that the Rockets have held productive conversations with both players, submitting offers to each, but that those offers were below the max. Fischer indicates that Houston is completely fine with not agreeing to terms with either before the year begins.
- Clippers guard Bones Hyland and Nets young players Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe are not expected to agree to terms on a rookie scale extension, according to Fischer. However, there remains some optimism that Hornets guard Tre Mann, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson and Wizards wing Corey Kispert will be able to sign extensions by Monday’s deadline.
- Quentin Grimes has emerged as a real candidate to receive an extension by Monday, according to Stein (Twitter link). Grimes was acquired by the Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason and he’s averaged 8.5 PPG across three NBA seasons. His deal would presumably be in the ballpark of Moody’s, perhaps a bit more than $10MM per year.
Central Notes: Trent Jr., Wiseman, Giddey, Vucevic
Gary Trent Jr.‘s preseason debut for the Bucks didn’t go well. The former Toronto guard suffered a hyperextension of his left elbow when he ran into the Pistons’ Jalen Duren, who was setting a screen late in the first half, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm notes. Trent, who made two of his three shot attempts before he exited, signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee in July.
The Bucks didn’t provide any official updates on Trent after sharing the initial diagnosis, so it remains to be seen how long the injury might sideline him for, Nehm adds.
We have more from the Central Division:
- During a Pacers scrimmage game on Sunday, James Wiseman scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in just eight minutes of action. The Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak believes Wiseman will push Isaiah Jackson for the backup center spot. Wiseman was signed to a two-year, minimum salary contract in July after playing for division rival Detroit last season.
- Early in training camp, new Bulls point guard Josh Giddey has been even better than advertised in terms of his court vision and passing ability, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Getting on the same page with his teammates is the next challenge for the former Oklahoma City guard. “I’ve got where maybe there are passes I can’t make but I think I can in my head and I try to make them that are probably not there in the moment,” Giddey said. “I guess it’s just a confidence. As a passer you can’t live on the edge.”
- Nikola Vucevic knows that the Bulls‘ front office has explored trades for him. The veteran center says he ignores the possibility of being dealt. ‘‘I honestly don’t think about it,’’ Vucevic told Cowley. ‘‘It’s stuff that’s out of my control. My focus is on this team and to help this team be the best team we can be. Changes and all that, that’s not my job. That’s the front office’s job.” Vucevic has two years left on his contract. The Bulls have not shown a willingness to include draft capital to shed his contract, Cowley adds.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Carlisle, Bench, More
After Tyrese Haliburton left Game 2 early due to left hamstring soreness on Thursday, the Pacers have listed the star guard as questionable to play in Saturday’s Game 3 (Twitter link). While Haliburton was also said to be dealing with a chest issue in Game 2, the hamstring soreness is his only ailment mentioned on the official injury report.
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) explores how the Pacers might try to make up for Haliburton’s absence in the event that he’s unable to play in Game 3. As Dopirak notes, the team has solid alternatives at point guard in Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell but might have to dig deeper into its rotation at other positions to cover Haliburton’s minutes. Nembhard and McConnell also wouldn’t be able to replicate the play-making and outside shooting that the All-NBA guard provides.
“He does so many things for our team where everyone just has to move the ball more and get in the paint more,” McConnell said. “The ball movement, like I said, just has to be at another level. He gets 10 assists in his sleep. It’s hard for another person on our team to replicate that. It’s a group effort when he goes down to kinda get people the ball and get moving.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Whether or not Haliburton is healthy, the Pacers won’t have any hope of beating pulling off a comeback and beating Boston in the Eastern Conference finals if they play like they did on Thursday, Gregg Doyel writes in a column for The Indianapolis Star (subscription required).
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle raised some eyebrows in Game 2 by leaning on little-used bench players like Doug McDermott, Jarace Walker, Kendall Brown, and Jalen Smith in the fourth quarter while sitting Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam for most or all of the final period. Carlisle explained why he went to his bench so early despite facing a deficit that didn’t seem insurmountable. “To look at some guys that I thought needed a look,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “McDermott went in there and played well. Isaiah Jackson brought a lot of fight to the game. Jalen Smith hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play in the playoffs, so I wanted to see where he was at. We weren’t giving up, but it was an opportunity to get some energetic fresh guys in there to fight. They did some good things. … The guys who had played to that point, Pascal was very tired. Aaron had four fouls and he was tired. That was it.”
- Prior to Game 2, Haliburton told reporters that Indiana has the “best bench in the NBA,” Dopirak writes in another Indy Star story (subscription required). McConnell, Obi Toppin, and Ben Sheppard are the Pacers reserves who have seen the most action this postseason, leading a second unit that ranks No. 1 in the playoffs with 33.4 points per game.
- While many NBA fans didn’t assign much meaning to the league’s first in-season tournament earlier this season, making the championship game in that tournament benefited a Pacers team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2020, says Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “There were some real playoff simulations — our quarterfinal game at home, on a Monday night, against (the Celtics), had the feel of a conference finals-matchup atmosphere,” Carlisle said. “The part about going to Vegas and playing there, that was different, but there was certainly the exposure, the stage, all that. So, all those experiences help a young team.”
Central Notes: Pistons, Lillard, Portis, Pacers, Carter
No matter what happens in today’s game vs. San Antonio, the Pistons will finish with the worst record in franchise history in a season that featured a record-breaking 28-game losing streak.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a look at Detroit’s disastrous 2023/24 campaign, writing that there is plenty of blame to go around. Changes could be on the horizon, however.
League sources tell Edwards that owner Tom Gores is considering hiring a president of basketball operations who would potentially become general manager Troy Weaver‘s new boss.
While Edwards suggests that Weaver and head coach Monty Williams seem likely to return in ’24/25, the situation appears to be “fluid,” since a new top decision-maker might want to overhaul the staff.
Here are a few more notes from the Central Division:
- Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who was sidelined for Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, is probable for Sunday’s regular season finale in Orlando, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. As Chiang notes, the Heat need Milwaukee to beat the Magic to have a chance of moving out of the play-in tournament. If the Bucks win, Milwaukee would secure the East’s No. 2 seed.
- Bucks forward/center Bobby Portis believes he should be the frontrunner for the Sixth Man of the Year award and his teammates agree with that assessment, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “We’ve played together four years now,” two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “I think every single year he’s been the Sixth Man of the Year, hands down.” The award typically favors high-usage guards, not big men whose offensive roles are limited by the team’s roster construction, Nehm observes, but Portis has put together a strong season, averaging 13.7 PPG and 7.4 RPG on .506/.401/.787 shooting while appearing in every game (24.4 MPG).
- Pacers forward Obi Toppin sustained a left ankle sprain in Friday’s close loss to Cleveland, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays (via Twitter). Toppin is questionable for today’s game vs. Atlanta, as are reserve big men Isaiah Jackson (left hamstring strain) and Jalen Smith (left ankle sprain), per the league’s latest injury report. If the Pacers beat the Hawks and the Bucks defeat the Magic, Indiana would move up to the No. 5 seed in the East.
[Update: Head coach Rick Carlisle says all three players will be active today, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star]. - While Jevon Carter‘s first NBA season in his hometown hasn’t gone the way he envisioned when he signed with the Bulls in free agency, he has been a positive voice in the locker room and has stayed professional even when he hasn’t been part of the rotation, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ve been here before,” Carter said. “This is my sixth year in the league. Every year, I’ve had to prove myself. But I never lose that confidence. I work too hard.”
Central Notes: Metu, Boeheim, Giannis, Jackson, White
Chimezie Metu, who was signed by the Pistons to a 10-day contract on Wednesday, appeared in their game against Indiana. Two-way guard Buddy Boeheim also made his season debut, becoming the 30th player the Pistons have used this season.
That ties the 2020/21 Rockets for the most players used in one season in league history, Mike Curtis of The Detroit News notes. “It’s definitely different,” Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said. “I just see it as an opportunity to grow as a player, as a leader, as a guard. Making sure we’re organized is a guard’s job, so I find it as an opportunity to get better. When we have all these new guys come in, I try to catch them up to speed to make it easier on them on the court.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Wednesday’s showdown with Boston due to hamstring tightness. Coach Doc Rivers said it wasn’t a tough decision, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “He’s feeling good, not great,” Rivers said. “Those things are something you don’t take a chance on, especially now, so it wasn’t very hard.”
- Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson played 28 minutes at Detroit on Wednesday in his home state, one of his longest stints this season. Jackson was grateful to coach Rick Carlisle for giving him the opportunity for extended playing time with friends and family in the stands, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “It means everything,” Jackson said. “I talked to him after the game. It’s something I feel like a lot of coaches don’t really do. I think it just shows the care that Rick has for us, everybody in general not just tonight. It means a lot to me and it means a lot to my family, too.”
- Bulls guard Coby White practiced on Wednesday and is expected to play on Thursday against Houston. White said there was a silver lining to his absence, which was due to a hip strain. “It was good for me,” he told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Obviously, I don’t want to miss games. But since it did happen and I was hurt, I wanted to take advantage of this time I had off and recover mentally, physically, emotionally spiritually. To me, I just tried to turn it into a positive.”
Central Notes: Jerome, Pistons, J. Smith, Connaughton, Bulls
Frustrated by his slow recovery from a severe right ankle sprain, Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome has adjusted his treatment plan in the hopes of accelerating his return to the court, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).
As Fedor details, Jerome recently had the ankle immobilized within a cast, which he’ll wear for about a week. The hope is that he’ll be able to resume individual workouts after having the cast removed.
“He is recovering,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Tuesday. “They’re doing different steps with him and trying some new things, different things in order to help him. He’s doing another treatment now and I’ll let the medical staff talk about timeline when they put all that together. He’s trying something different than just the normal rehab.”
Jerome has long been a favorite of Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman, according to Fedor. When he signed a two-year deal with the team this past summer, the plan was for him to be mentored by veteran point guard Ricky Rubio.
Instead, due to Rubio’s absence, Jerome was thrust into the backup point guard role to open the season, then suffered the ankle injury in just his second game as a Cavalier. While it hasn’t been an ideal start to his time in Cleveland, Jerome is trying to look at the bright side, telling Fedor, “Guess it’s better to be injured early rather than late.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Following a team-record 15th consecutive loss on Wednesday, Pistons head coach Monty Williams suggested that “this group struggles with adversity,” which is one reason why the slump has only gotten worse, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic expects lineup changes to be around the corner, with Bojan Bogdanovic likely to start when he makes his season debut — that could happen as soon as this Thursday or Saturday, says Edwards.
- Pacers center Jalen Smith‘s leg injury isn’t as serious as the team initially feared, but he has been diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise and a left heel contusion and will miss at least the next two games, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Isaiah Jackson is the leading candidate to take Smith’s spot in the rotation, while two-way player Oscar Tshiebwe is being called up from the G League to provide depth, Dopirak adds.
- In an in-depth story for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jim Owczarski takes a look at the journey Pat Connaughton has taken to secure his place in the NBA as a reliable role player for the Bucks, as well as the work he has done in Milwaukee off the court.
- While it’s one thing to be beaten by more talented teams, the slumping Bulls have also had more “low-effort moments” during their recent losing streak, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Pacers Exercise 2024/25 Options On Mathurin, Jackson
The Pacers have guaranteed a pair of salaries for the 2024/25 season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve picked up their rookie scale team options on wing Bennedict Mathurin and big man Isaiah Jackson.
The sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Mathurin made the All-Rookie first team this past spring after averaging 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old appears poised to become a full-time starter this fall after coming off the bench in 61 of his 78 games last season.
Mathurin’s $6.92MM salary for the coming season had already been guaranteed. As a result of the option pick-up, his $7.25MM cap hit for the ’24/25 season is locked in as well. Indiana will have decide a year from now whether to exercise his $9.19MM option for 2025/26.
As for Jackson, the 22nd overall pick from the 2021 draft has appeared in 99 games in his two seasons as a Pacer, averaging 7.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 16.0 MPG. He’s in the mix for backup center minutes behind Myles Turner this season, but will face competition from Daniel Theis and Jalen Smith.
Now that is has been exercised, Jackson’s 2024/25 team option will pay him a guaranteed salary of approximately $4.44MM. He’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension next July as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
We’re tracking all of year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.
Central Notes: Pistons, Giannis, Hield, Theis, Jackson, Smith
Another Central Division team could be making a deal soon. While the Pistons can’t upstage Milwaukee’s acquisition of Damian Lillard, they have been active in trade talks over the last few weeks, James Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
Edwards speculates that James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley, Killian Hayes, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks are the candidates to be dealt, which could clear a logjam at some positions and open up more playing time for the Pistons’ rookies. In Hayes’ case, the 2020 lottery pick doesn’t appear to be in the team’s plans after acquiring Monte Morris and drafting Marcus Sasser.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Speaking of Lillard, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says that despite the acquisition of the longtime All-Star guard, there’s no guarantee that Giannis Antetokounmpo will commit to the Bucks long-term (video link). Antetokounmpo has yet to sign an extension this offseason and has financial incentive to wait but he may want out if Milwaukee doesn’t win another championship this season. “Maybe they’re 10 percent better in terms of this title chase, maybe five percent. The real question is, ‘What does it mean for Giannis?,'” Windhorst said. “Giannis made it clear he was not going to sign an extension with this team. He wanted to see them go all-in. They have gone all-in. But if he still doesn’t sign an extension, they’re still on the one-year window.”
- Even though general manager Chad Buchanan has downplayed reports that the Pacers are looking to trade Buddy Hield, giving second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin a starting job ahead of Hield could cause chemistry issues, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star opines. Hield is in the final year of his contract and extension talks have stalled, Buchanan admitted this week, though they could be rekindled.
- The Pacers have multiple options at center behind Myles Turner. Buchanan indicated that Daniel Theis, Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith will battle in training camp for the backup role, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. Buchanan added he won’t look to trade any of those players until there’s more clarity regarding the rotation.
Pacers Notes: Hield, Mathurin, Backup Center, Nembhard, McConnell
The Pacers are in a difficult position trying to make a Buddy Hield trade so close to the start of the season, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. No progress has been reported since news broke last Wednesday that the team was working with Hield’s representatives to find a deal after the sides were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension.
Dopirak believes Indiana is justified in asking a high price for Hield, who is one of the league’s top three-point shooters. However, teams are reluctant to shake up their rosters this far into the offseason, especially for a player who has an expiring contract.
It’s also not clear what the Pacers will be seeking in return for Hield. Dopirak notes that the team saw a need after last season to upgrade at power forward and find defensive-minded wings, but that has already been addressed during the offseason. He states that they’ll need three-point shooting help if they part with Hield and may be looking for a younger, less expensive player who can do what he does.
There’s more on the Pacers, all courtesy of Dopirak:
- Bennedict Mathurin has a chance to win a starting job, but only if he can improve his defense. Dopirak observes that the first-team All-Rookie selection struggled with that part of the game, particularly when he got an opportunity to start late in the season. The Pacers are hoping to see progress from Mathurin in camp and will need him to take on a larger role if Hield gets traded.
- Daniel Theis‘ impressive showing in the World Cup gives him a strong case to be the primary backup center heading into camp. Dopirak notes that he’ll be competing for minutes with Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith, who are both younger and more athletic than the 31-year-old Theis. He adds that Jackson is the team’s best lob finisher and second-best shot blocker behind Myles Turner, while Smith was Indiana’s leader last season in rebounds per 48 minutes.
- The Pacers’ improved roster could lead to several other changes, Dopirak adds. If Mathurin and free agent addition Bruce Brown are both starters, Andrew Nembhard could move from shooting guard to backup point guard, which is his more natural position. That could lead to a reduction in playing time for T.J. McConnell, who posted the best scoring average of his career last season.
Central Notes: Smith, Jackson, Bucks, Pistons, Bulls
Young Pacers big men Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson are not playing the roles they initially expected to this season, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Smith entered the season as the starting power forward but has since been moved to center as the Pacers deploy smaller lineups.
Both Smith and Jackson had seen a minutes uptick when starter Myles Turner missed a few games recently with back spasms, but now must compete for primary backup honors behind him.
“I brought them together and I said, ‘You guys both need to be ready,'” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “‘Myles is back. He’s starting. My decision on who is going to back him up is going to be a split-second decision based on what I’m seeing and feeling in the game. I’d like to be able to tell you guys which guy for sure is going to be in there first. But I don’t know that.'”
Dopirak notes that Carlisle has alternated between both players as his Turner’s primary backup in the four games the club has played since Turner rejoined the Pacers. Smith has served as the lead reserve in three of those four occasions. Per Dopriak, both players bring different skill sets to the table — Smith is the better shooter and rebounder, while Jackson is speedier and a better player around the rim.
“These are decisions that are not easy decisions,” Carlisle noted. “I think the way the game is now, it’s so dynamic and it can change on a split-second’s notice. You can go into a game and say that one guy for sure is going to play and have some events happen that trigger someone else going into the game.”
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- As the February 9 trade deadline approaches, the Bucks could go in a variety of different directions, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes in a deadline primer for the team.
- In the middle of a rebuilding 2022/23 season, Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required) supplies his grades for a 12-36 Pistons roster. Jalen Duren (A), Isaiah Stewart (A), Bojan Bogdanovic (A-minus), and Alec Burks (A-minus) lead the way, with general manager Troy Weaver also earning an A grade.
- As they return home from a Thursday game in Paris against the Pistons, the Bulls are hoping to maintain the momentum that has them on a 10-6 stretch, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “We have to show how much we want it,” All-Star Chicago forward DeMar DeRozan said of his team’s ethos. “Every single game from here on out is basically like a do-or-die. And not to look at it like it’s pressure or a bad thing. It’s an exciting thing.”