Jarrett Allen Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Contract Details: Kennard, Fernando, Graham, Allen

August 5th, 2024 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Luke Kennard‘s new one-year contract with the Grizzlies, originally reported to be worth $11MM, actually has a base salary of just $9.25MM, Hoops Rumors has learned. Kennard can also earn an additional $1,387,500 in unlikely incentives, so his deal can max out at $10,637,500.

That disparity between the reported terms and the actual terms is important, given Memphis’ proximity to the luxury tax line. An $11MM cap hit would have put the Grizzlies over the luxury tax line by about $1MM, but because Kennard counts for just $9.25MM against the cap, the team’s salary is hovering right around $170MM, a little below the tax line ($170,814,000).

Kennard, Desmond Bane, and Brandon Clarke have unlikely contract incentives that could make Memphis a taxpayer if they’re earned. Given how close they are to the luxury tax line, I’d expect the Grizzlies to keep a close eye on each player’s progress toward his respective bonuses and make a minor cost-cutting move by February’s trade deadline if necessary — finishing the season just slightly above that tax threshold would cost the team a significant end-of-season payout that’s only available to non-taxpayers.

Here are more details on some recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

Bruno Fernando signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Raptors. It’s non-guaranteed for the time being, but Fernando’s full $2,425,403 salary (and $2,087,519 cap hit) would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond the first day of the regular season, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Devonte’ Graham‘s one-year, non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Trail Blazers includes Exhibit 9 language, but not Exhibit 10 language, Hoops Rumors has learned. That suggests Graham probably isn’t planning to join the Rip City Remix (Portland’s G League team) as an affiliate player if he’s waived by the Blazers this fall.
Jarrett Allen‘s three-year, $90.72MM extension with the Cavaliers is a straightforward, fully guaranteed contract with no options on the final year and no trade kicker, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.

Central Notes: Allen, Pistons, Swider, Brown

August 4th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The three-year, $91MM contract extension that Jarrett Allen signed on Friday gave the Cavaliers more flexibility if they later decide to break up the Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt next season, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Allen is eligible to traded on February 2 — four days before next season’s deadline. It’s believed that the veteran center was essentially obligated to sign the deal before August 6 as a condition of Cleveland extending him at the maximum amount, Stein adds. If he’d signed his new deal after Aug. 6, Allen would have been ineligible to be traded until the summer of 2025.

We have more from the Central Division:

In his Eastern Conference power rankings, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press places the Pistons at No. 12 — ahead of the Hornets, Nets and Wizards. While Detroit endured its worst season in franchise history, it shouldn’t be the worst team in the conference next season after a series of offseason moves. Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley should significantly upgrade the outside shooting, Sankofa notes, and Paul Reed adds depth at center. The team’s young core should continue to grow, particularly Cade Cunningham with more help around him.
Former Heat forward Cole Swider agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers on Saturday. He could be in a competition with Kendall Brown for the 15th spot on the roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star opines. Brown, who is also on a non-guaranteed deal, struggled with his perimeter shooting in the Summer League and committed 12 turnovers in five games. Swider, in contrast, played a key role in the Heat’s run to the Summer League title in Las Vegas.
In case you missed it, the Bulls reportedly haven’t halted their efforts to find a trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Cavs Sign Jarrett Allen To Three-Year Extension

August 2nd, 2024 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 2: Allen’s extension is official, the Cavaliers announced in a press release.

“We couldn’t be more excited that Jarrett Allen chose to extend in Cleveland for the prime of his career,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said. “Jarrett’s growth as a player, at just 26 years old, was accelerated when he earned his first All-Star selection in 2022. He is the anchor of our core group of players and his presence fits our vision for sustainable success. Jarrett also embodies the culture and values of our organization, and we look forward to achieving even greater things together.”

JULY 31: The Cavaliers and center Jarrett Allen have agreed to a three-year extension that will begin in 2026/27, when the big man’s current deal expires, agent Derrick Powell tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski, the deal will be worth the maximum that Allen can receive on a veteran extension, which is just shy of $91MM over three years.

Players are permitted to receive up to 40% raises in the first year of an extension and Allen will make $20MM in 2025/26. That means he’ll earn $28MM in the first year of his new deal, followed by salaries of $30.24MM in ’27/28 and $32.48MM in ’28/29, for a total of $90.72MM.

Allen, 26, has spent the past three-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, emerging as one of the NBA’s most reliable starting centers during that time. After starting his career in Brooklyn, he became a Cavalier as a result of the four-team blockbuster trade in January 2021 that sent James Harden to Brooklyn, then re-signed with the Cavs on a five-year, $100MM contract during the summer of 2021.

Allen was named an All-Star in 2022 and has averaged 15.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game with a .642 FG% across 252 outings (241 starts) since arriving in Cleveland. He established new career highs in PPG (16.5) and APG (2.7) this past season, but a rib injury in April ended his season early, sidelining him for the Cavs’ last eight playoff games, including the entire second-round series vs. Boston.

Allen is the third Cavaliers starter to agree to a lucrative multiyear contract extension this offseason, joining Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Cleveland will now have its top four players – Mitchell, Mobley, Allen, and Darius Garland – under contract through at least 2027 — Mitchell holds a player option for 2027/28.

While Allen has been the subject of some trade speculation in recent years – the Pelicans are known to have significant interest in him – signing this extension will make him ineligible to be dealt for six months.

Unless he waits until August 7 or later to sign his new contract, Allen will become trade-eligible prior to the February 6 trade deadline.

Eastern Notes: Bickerstaff, Allen, Travers, Bey, Sixers

July 12th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

It didn’t take long for J.B. Bickerstaff to find a new job after being fired by Cleveland, having been hired by the Pistons as their new head coach. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Bickerstaff discussed why he found Detroit’s vacancy appealing, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

“It was my conversations with (president of basketball operations) Trajan (Langdon), to begin with,” Bickerstaff said. “I had a great feeling that this organization was heading in the right direction and was being led by the right people. For me, going through some of the things that I’ve gone through in the past, the people that you work with … being of a shared vision and willingness to commit to one another and partner with one another, I thought this group, as a whole, had a great vision. (team owner) Tom (Gores) has given every resource to go out and execute that vision.

“Then, obviously, you study the team. I took a deep dive as soon as I could. Obviously, I have experience of playing against them four times a year for so many years, but I knew the players well. I believed in their ability and talent. There is a steps process that we have to take, and we’re really aware of that and Trajan and I are united in that. It just doesn’t happen for everyone overnight.”

Bickerstaff pointed to his success with Cleveland as proof that he can turn the Pistons around, writes Larry Lage of The Associated Press. Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA last season. Langdon said he was looking for a veteran coach to lead a young team, as Lage relays.

“You want somebody who can come in here and hit the ground running, and who’s done this before,” Langdon said. “Especially with a young team coming off a difficult season, positivity was important. We felt experience was important. The players needed to feel like the person coming in here knew what he was talking about.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers have been receiving trade inquiries on former All-Star center Jarrett Allen, but they continue to rebuff those overtures, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). Allen, who averaged 16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.1 BPG in 77 games last season (31.7 MPG), will earn $40MM over the next two seasons.
Australian wing Luke Travers, a second-round pick (No. 56) by the Cavaliers in 2022, is dealing with a sore hamstring that sidelined him for the team’s Summer League opener in Las Vegas on Friday, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Travers has expressed a strong desire to come stateside in 2024/25, though it’s unclear if he’ll be able to earn a roster spot.
New Wizards forward Saddiq Bey will earn $6,440,678 in 2024/25, $6,118,644 in ’25/26, and $6,440,678 again in ’26/27, a source tells cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bey will likely miss most — if not all — of his first season with Washington after tearing his ACL in March. The 25-year-old’s new three-year deal also includes $1MM in incentives.
Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that free agent signee Caleb Martin will bring a much-need infusion of “Heat Culture” to the Sixers, pointing to the 28-year-old’s success with Miami as evidence. According to Sielski, the 76ers have had plenty of talent in recent years, but the team has often lacked an identity, which Martin should help fortify with his willingness to make winning energy plays.
Former NBA forward Demetris Nichols has joined the Sixers as a player development coach, per Mike Waters of Syracuse.com (subscriber link). The No. 53 pick of the 2007 draft, Nichols appeared in 18 NBA games with Cleveland, Chicago and New York before spending several years overseas. The 39-year-old was an assistant with Wake Forest last season, Waters notes.

Trade Rumors: Markkanen, DeRozan, Young, Cavaliers

July 5th, 2024 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz continue to listen to trade offers for Lauri Markkanen, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (subscriber link), who hears from sources who say the Heat are among the teams interested in the star forward.

As Lowe writes, Markkanen’s situation is complicated because he’s on a below-market contract that will pay him $18MM in 2024/25, which is the final season of his contract. That makes a standard contract extension – which can’t start above 40% of his current salary – unlikely. Rival teams may not be willing to give up a major haul of assets with no guarantees that the 27-year-old would stick around beyond next season.

Utah could potentially get more value in return for Markkanen in several months if the team renegotiates and then extends his contract. However, that scenario is also tricky.

As Marc Stein details (Substack link), Markkanen becomes eligible for a renegotiation and extension on August 6, but he won’t be trade-eligible for six months if he signs a new deal. That means if he signs the extension on the first day he’s eligible to, he would only be eligible to be traded for one day during the season: February 6, the day of the deadline. If the extension is signed on August 7 (or later), Markkanen would not be eligible to traded during the upcoming season.

While it’s not surprising that the Heat have shown interest in the Finnish star, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald casts doubt (via Twitter) on the feasibility of the team actually acquiring him. As Jackson notes, Utah has placed a high asking price in previous talks with Miami, which lacks future first-round picks to offer.

One team interested in Markkanen seems confident that he’ll eventually be traded, per Stein. Utah’s own 2025 first-round pick is top-10 protected, so the Jazz could be incentivized to tank ahead of a strong draft class. Utah has also struggled to acquire a second star to build the roster around him.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Kings appear to be the frontrunner to acquire DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who made the comments on SportsCenter (Twitter video link; hat tip to RealGM). However, Wojnarowski said a third team would likely to be need to be involved to absorb salaries, as Chicago is reluctant to add to its payroll. A six-time All-Star, DeRozan remains the top free agent left on the market.
According to Lowe, the trade market for Hawks point guard Trae Young “is as chilly as it has ever been.” Sources tell Lowe that the Spurs and Lakers — two teams linked to Young — haven’t expressed much recent interest in the three-time All-Star. Lowe says San Antonio appears unmotivated to help Atlanta regain control of its own first-round picks in a deal for Young.
Lowe hears rumors of Darius Garland potentially requesting a trade from the Cavaliers following Donovan Mitchell‘s extension have “quieted,” which confirms a report from his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst. According to Lowe’s sources, the Cavs are still on the hunt for a 3-and-D wing, with Nets forwards Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith worth monitoring, though Cleveland only has one tradable first-round pick (2031). Stein has also heard that center Jarrett Allen will likely be difficult to acquire after Kenny Atkinson was hired as head coach, which means the Cavs could have the same core together entering next season.

Cavaliers Notes: Atkinson, Mobley, Allen, Garland

July 2nd, 2024 at 3:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kenny Atkinson was eager to pursue the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job after the team fired J.B. Bickerstaff in May, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Atkinson recognizes that Cleveland has the potential to become a serious contender in the East after two straight playoff appearances, as he explained at Monday’s introductory press conference.

“The first thing I said (was), ‘I want this job, I’m going for it and I’m going to be aggressive,’” Atkinson told reporters. “I knew all the great things that were in place.”

This is the second head coaching job for Atkinson, who compiled a 118-190 record while overseeing a rebuilding project in Brooklyn before being let go in 2020. Since then, he spent one season as an assistant to Tyronn Lue with the Clippers and three years on Steve Kerr’s staff with the Warriors. He compared that experience to “getting your doctorate in basketball.”

“It’s a partnership,” Atkinson said. “Ty was great at it. Steve was a master at it. When you’re making big decisions, sure, you’re the ultimate decision-maker. But you have talked that through with your best players. In my experience, they might say: ‘No, why don’t we do this in the pick-and-roll? Why don’t we do this?’ So really, it’s a true partnership, and that means you better be a great listener when you do have those one-on-ones.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

Getting the chance to coach Evan Mobley was one of the things that attracted Atkinson to the job, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. In his discussions with Cavs’ management, Atkinson described his detailed plan to develop Mobley’s offensive skills in hopes of making him one of the league’s top five players. “I do think we can schematically get the ball in his hands more quite honestly,” Atkinson said. “It’s going to be in multiple ways. I think when you have a guy that versatile, it could be him in transition bringing the ball up, it could be him handling in a five out situation or him handling in pick and roll. I think there’s creative things we can do to help him.”
Appearing on ESPN Cleveland, Brian Windhorst (Twitter video link) says teams “definitely” have interest in trading for Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, but Atkinson wants to keep him. “I don’t think they’re trading him,” Windhorst said. Atkinson previously coached Allen during his time with the Nets.
Windhorst also expressed skepticism that the Cavaliers will look to move Darius Garland (Twitter video link), who has been the subject of trade speculation related to Donovan Mitchell‘s contract extension. “I don’t think the market is there for Darius Garland. … I think it’s a terrible time to trade Darius Garland,” said Windhorst, who added that he’s not convinced the point guard will even want a trade.

Trade Rumors: Wiggins, Warriors, Rockets, Ingram, Kings, Jazz

June 28th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Wiggins is no longer in the mix for the Canadian national team this summer, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto (Twitter link), who says the Warriors are “playing hardball” with a player they are “looking to move.”

Wiggins was insured and medically cleared by Canada Basketball, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but it sounds like the Warriors don’t want to risk his health during trade negotiations after he dealt with an ankle issue last season. While Grange says the veteran forward isn’t thrilled about the decision, Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) refers to it as a mutual one.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Wiggins is one of several Warriors veterans who is considered a potential outgoing piece if Golden State makes a major deal. Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II fall into that category, as does Chris Paul, whose $30MM salary remains non-guaranteed for the time being. The Warriors’ decision on Paul’s non-guaranteed salary is due on Friday, but it’s possible the team will give him a partial guarantee in exchange for pushing back that deadline, says Fischer.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

While some trade rumors earlier this week linked Kevin Durant to Houston, the Rockets are more interested in pursuing younger trade targets whose timeline matches up better with their core, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Amick and Slater name Suns guard Devin Booker, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Pelicans forward Zion Williamson as some players who would fit that bill for Houston, acknowledging that there’s no indication any of those players will be available this summer.
Exploring potential trade partners for the Pelicans and forward Brandon Ingram, Fischer mentions the Kings, Sixers, Hawks, and Cavaliers as possibilities. However, he says that Atlanta and New Orleans haven’t had substantive discussions since talking about Dejounte Murray in February, while Cleveland remains reluctant to part with any of its four core players, including potential Pels target Jarrett Allen. It’s also unclear how high Ingram ranks on Philadelphia’s list of possible targets, Fischer adds. Sacramento, meanwhile, has been in the market for help on the wing this offseason, though Fischer doesn’t explicitly say the Kings have talked to New Orleans about Ingram.
Although rival teams are expected to continue calling to register interest in Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz‘s goal continues to be extending the veteran forward and acquiring another star to complement him, Fischer writes. Adrian Wojnarowski expressed a similar sentiment during ESPN’s draft broadcast this week. Utah talked to the Hawks about Murray in February and also expressed interest in Mikal Bridges before Brooklyn agreed to send him to New York, says Fischer.

Stein’s Latest: Redick, Allen, Bronny, M. Williams, Hezonja

June 15th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

J.J. Redick appears to once again be the front-runner for the Lakers‘ head coaching job after Dan Hurley decided to remain at UConn, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). The ESPN broadcaster was widely considered to be the favorite before news of the team’s interest in Hurley became public last week.

Stein said one source told him on Friday, “You know who is getting the job,” while another pointed out that the Cavaliers‘ interest in James Borrego could leave Redick as L.A.’s only high-profile candidate. The Lakers are six weeks into their coaching search after firing Darvin Ham on May 3.

Stein also dismisses accusations that the Lakers and Hurley were somehow working together to help him get a better offer from UConn. Stein points out that the Lakers suffered embarrassment by losing out to a college team, and they created a more difficult situation for whomever they eventually hire because he’ll seem like a second choice at best.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

Sources tell Stein that the Cavaliers are unlikely to trade Jarrett Allen if Donovan Mitchell agrees to an extension because Mitchell likes having him on the team. That means Allen and Evan Mobley, who’s also eligible for an extension this offseason, will probably remain together, even if it’s sometimes an awkward fit. Numerous insiders confirm to Stein that Borrego is viewed as the most likely candidate to replace J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach.
The Mavericks have interest in drafting Bronny James, Stein hears, but he’ll likely be off the board by the time they pick at No. 58. After James had pre-draft workouts with the Lakers and Suns, his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said sessions with other teams are unlikely, according to Stein.
Monty Williams remaining head coach of the Pistons is “the likely outcome,” a source tells Stein. The source said Friday’s report that Fred Vinson will leave New Orleans to become an assistant coach in Detroit is a “clear signal” that Williams will keep his job. Vinson previously worked under Williams from 2011-15.
Stein suggests Mario Hezonja could be back in the NBA next season after spending the last four years overseas. Hezonja was selected fifth by Orlando in the 2015 draft and spent five years in the league with the Magic, Knicks and Trail Blazers. He’ll be a free agent after playing for Real Madrid the past two seasons.

Eastern Notes: Cavaliers, Nets, Bulls, Dawkins

June 15th, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

In a conversation this week on the HoopsHype podcast, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reiterated several points that they and other reporters have made in recent weeks, telling listeners that there’s optimism in Cleveland about a Donovan Mitchell extension, the Cavaliers aren’t looking to trade any of their four core players, and James Borrego and Kenny Atkinson look like the top candidates for the Cavs’ head coaching job.

Addressing Mitchell’s contract situation, Scotto notes that the star guard might sign a shorter-term maximum-salary contract that would set him up to get his next deal in 2027 once he has 10 years of NBA service under his belt and qualifies for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap instead of 30%.

Mitchell isn’t the only Cavalier who could sign a big-money extension this offseason. Within a discussion about a potential rookie scale extension for Evan Mobley, Fedor predicts that the Cavs will put a maximum-salary offer on the table for the big man.

“He hasn’t played to that (max) level yet, but there’s so much belief in Evan as a person and him as a player inside this organization,” Fedor said. “… They understand that he’s already one of the elite defensive players in the NBA. That’s already where he’s at, and they believe he can get to a point offensively where he becomes the unicorn type of player they’ve talked about him being since he came into the NBA. I don’t think the Cavaliers are going to hesitate to offer him the max extension.”

Even if Mitchell and Mobley are extended, the Cavaliers would likely have to be “blown away” to consider moving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, according to Fedor. While the Pelicans have been widely viewed as a potential trade partner Cleveland, Scotto says he doesn’t get the sense Cleveland is all that excited about the idea of trading for Brandon Ingram and then having to sign him to a lucrative new contract.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Despite not having any picks in the 2024 draft and no cap room this offseason, the Nets have several important decisions to make, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required), who examines Nic Claxton‘s free agency, Mikal Bridges‘ future, and the possibility of trading into the draft. According to Lewis, the Nets aren’t interested in acquiring a draft pick just to have one, but they figure to monitor specific targets and prepare to pounce if any of those targets drop past their expected draft range.
Given how many different directions the Bulls‘ offseason could take, there’s no shortage of prospects who might make sense for the team with the No. 11 pick in the draft, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley examines several of those options, including Ron Holland, Cody Williams, and Dalton Knecht. He also mentions center Donovan Clingan, citing a source who says the Bulls have discussed the possibility of trading up from No. 11.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about being accused of shoplifting at a Saks Fifth Avenue in Miami last fall. Dawkins was briefly detained by a security guard and local police before they realized they had the wrong person. Saks issued a formal apology to Dawkins on Thursday.

Cavaliers Notes: Nori, Garland, Allen, Mitchell, Mobley

June 12th, 2024 at 7:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori is among the candidates scheduled for an in-person meeting with Cavaliers officials this week to discuss their head coaching vacancy, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer also cites Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, who were identified as finalists for the job in a report by Chris Fedor earlier today.

Fischer hears that the Cavs are continuing to hold interviews via Zoom as well, with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger included in that group.

Nori has been an NBA assistant since 2009 and spent time in Toronto, Sacramento, Denver and Detroit before coming to Minnesota in 2021. He took on many of head coach Chris Finch‘s duties when Finch was immobilized due to knee surgery following the Wolves’ first-round playoff series.

There’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavaliers’ next coach will likely inherit a team with its current core intact, Fischer adds. Although Cleveland has received “a wealth of interest” in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen on the trade market, sources tell Fischer that the front office isn’t expected to consider offers for them or for Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Expectations are growing that Mitchell will agree to an extension this summer, according to Fischer’s sources, while Mobley is still viewed as a vital part of the organization’s future.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also hears that trade talk regarding Garland has cooled off around the league. In an interview with ESPN Cleveland (video link), Windhorst said potential suitors were discouraged by a recent statement from general manager Koby Altman. “There are now teams that are sort of backing off, saying, ‘Well, maybe Garland is not gonna be available,'” Windhorst said.
With Borrego reportedly a finalist for both the Cavaliers and Lakers, Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com compares the two franchises and asks which situation is better. He notes that both teams have an urgency to win right away and share an uncertain future regarding their best player as Mitchell is pondering an extension while LeBron James has until June 29 to decide whether to exercise a $51.4MM player option for next season.