NBA News and Rumor Roundup 7/10/2024
Cooper Flagg fever, kinda sorta Summer League, pay cuts, and a hodgepodge of reports
Aaaaand we’re back!
We’re officially coming up on the most unreasonable time of the NBA offseason; Summer League is right around the corner!
Of course, we’ve had the California and Salt Lake City Summer Leagues to keep us company, but the main show is in Vegas (as most main shows are) this Friday. I’ll be there for the first few days to bring my ridiculous takes after Matas Buzelis inevitably drops 28 points on 65% shooting and when Zaccharie Risacher shoots 25% from three-point range — and that’s part of the fun of Summer League.
For now, we’ve got some interesting news coming out of Team USA’s training camp in Vegas surrounding a key 2025 prospect, reports of a pay cut from one of the league’s biggest stars, and, of course, the “other” Summer Leagues with their own breakout stars. Let’s get right into it…
Summer League Shenanigans
Let’s just get this out of the way first: Yes, Bronny James scored 4 points in his very first California Classic game. No, it is not indicative of how his career will go. Yes, he needs some time in the G-League to get reps. This is all I will say on the matter. :)
The best part about the pre-Vegas Summer Leagues is that you often get to see guys break out who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten as much of a chance at the real thing, and this year’s events have been no different.
So far, the most impressive player from the California Classic has been Adonis Arms, who up until this point has been a productive G-League player yet looked like he’s worthy of moving up to the big show sooner rather than later. Playing for the Kings’ squad, Arms sank the Lakers with a ridiculous 32-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist game on — get this — 70% shooting from the field. He’s a guard, not a big man, so those shooting numbers are, in fact, absurd.
At 26 years of age, Arms needs a big break to get to the league. It’s possible he’s about to earn himself a ticket. Also, the league needs more players who have last names named after appendages, but I digress.
Now, practically tied with Arms (and possibly more impressive due to age) is Miami draftee Kel’el Ware. Ware was an interesting player to keep track of during the draft cycle due to reported mentality concerns combined with tantalizing physical upside. The 20-year-old looked pretty darn good in his second California Classic game, putting up 26 points and 11 rebounds on 57% shooting. While the promising three-point shot wasn’t quite there, practically everything else was.
At a minimum, Ware looks like a solid contributor for the Heat, but he could end up being much more if he stays focused on both the offensive and defensive ends. Heat Culture may be able to beat all the weaknesses out of him, which makes the fit in Miami pretty perfect.
Here’s a collection of other guys I was impressed by in Cali:
A Warriors player with the last name Thompson — and no, it’s not that guy. Ethan Thompson, a 25-year-old G-Leaguer, put up 22 points and 11 rebounds on 53% shooting against the Lakers. He looks the part of a sixth man on an NBA roster, but time will tell if he gets a chance.
USC guard Boogie Ellis went undrafted this year, but he made a real case for himself in California. Ellis scored 17 points on 60% shooting and added a steal, an assist, and two rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. He’ll likely be playing in the G-League for the majority of the year, but there appears to be a path for him as a backup guard.
Something that seems to have flown way under the radar despite his high draft slot is Stephon Castle’s California performance against the Hornets’ Summer League squad. The #4 overall selection scored 12 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists, and he knocked down 2 out of his 3 three-point attempts. That last bit is the most important here, as Castle’s jumper is the swing skill that, if it turns into something consistent, could make him the star of this year’s draft.
Now let’s turn our attention to Utah, where the Salt Lake City Summer League went down. I want to key in on Purdue big (and I mean big) man Zach Edey, who I’ve been up and down on as a prospect throughout the year. As a physical force, there isn’t much better, but there were some concerns about how his game would translate to the NBA. While one game in Salt Lake City won’t quell those fears entirely, it was pretty cool to see Edey dominate with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 33 minutes of play, including a well-timed tip-in to send it to overtime:
In the end, the Grizzlies lost in OT, but it sure felt like a win for Edey. Also please take the time to view GG Jackson’s Looney Tunes fighting stance in defense of Edey:
On the other side of the floor, Jazz draftee Isaiah Collier impressed, racking up 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals to go with his 12 points on the night. At one point, Collier was projected as a potential #1 pick before falling due to a lackluster USC season (and concerns about his physical tools), but he looked poised against the Grizz in Utah.
The best overall performance in Utah goes to Ricky Council IV, who was on a two-way contract with the Sixers last season before they converted it to a 4-year deal. Council scored 29 points (5-of-10 from three), snatched 8 rebounds, and looked too good for Salt Lake City. Council could provide some extra shooting to Philly this upcoming season, so keep an eye on him as Summer League continues in Vegas (if they even let him play).
Flagg Fever in Las Vegas
Last August, I mentioned that the 2025 draft class would be characterized by a massive tank job to land one guy in particular: Cooper Flagg. Those desires have likely hit a fever pitch now, and it’s all because of Team USA.
Flagg was recently invited to the USA Select Team, which is pretty much the practice squad for the real Team USA to go up against. Shockingly, the real Team USA barely won the practice game, and it’s mostly because of Cooper Flagg’s elite two-way performance:
Flagg, a Duke commit, wowed scouts with his performance and work ethic. According to ESPN’s Marc Spears, one current NBA head coach who was at the scrimmage said that he was the best player on the Select squad. Now, remember, this is a team that includes the likes of:
Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)
Trayce-Jackson Davis (Golden State Warriors)
Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings)
Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets)
Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)
Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
So for a head coach to say that Flagg is better than the 2024 runner-up for Rookie of The Year (Miller), one of the league’s best young big men (Jalen Duren), and other young stars, that’s saying a lot. Oh, and did I mention that Flagg is currently 17 years old and will only be 18 and a half at the draft?
I think we can be sure that lots of teams will be waving their white flags to get a chance to capture the Flagg.
Contracts & Paycuts
Though the trade market has been extremely interesting this offseason, there’s also been a lot of talk surrounding contract negotiations; that includes those that fell apart.
Paul George (who is now PG8 instead of PG13 due to a jersey number change, which is now a terrible nickname) recently talked about what led him to leave the Clippers in lieu of the 76ers, and it seems to have come down to poor offers on LA’s part. According to George, the Clippers opened negotiations with a "disrespectful" offer of two years, $60 million, which is pretty disrespectful when you consider the fact that a high-level role player like Isaiah Hartenstein is getting $30 million this upcoming season from the Thunder.
George does mention that he “never wanted to leave L.A.” but he wanted the same contract that Kawhi Leonard received ($49 million per year). Eventually, the Clippers came up with a three-year, $150 million contract, which PG was happy with — except he wanted a no-trade clause, too. That’s where the contract eventually fell apart, and because the Clippers weren’t willing to include that clause, he wanted more money. And what happened happened happened, and now we’re here.
P.S. Also, instead of PG8, can we not call him 8-Ball Paul? Why does it have to be PG8?
While George wasn’t able to get the deal he wanted due to monetary reasons, his compatriot on the other side of L.A., LeBron James, did. James took a $2.7 million pay cut (not much compared to his whole contract, but it keeps the Lakers under the dreaded second apron), so he’s locked up for $101.3 million for the next year at least, with a player option in the second year. However, if you want to talk about pay cuts, I think we have to look at a man on the other coast.
According to the grapevine, Jalen Brunson is thinking about taking a pay cut as well. Except, uh, his pay cut is a little more than LeBron’s. Brunson’s max value based on the cap and other qualifiers is $269.1 million over 5 years. He likely deserves it based on his incredible season last year and him just now coming into his prime at 27 years of age. Instead, it appears he’s considering taking a $113 million pay cut.
You read that right. One hundred and thirteen million dollars.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks are about to offer Brunson a four-year, $156 million contract, which would provide an incredible amount of roster flexibility for a team that looks to be in contention for a title. Brunson is apparently “considering” the deal, which is no guarantee but is shocking in and of itself. If he were to do so, it would easily be the largest pay cut any player has taken in the NBA and could set a precedent for other stars who truly want to win a title at all costs. While $156 million is still tons of money for a player, so is throwing away $113 million. I don’t care who you are — that’s tons of cash.
Now, while Brunson’s pay cut could be intentional, newly-minted 76er Caleb Martin did not mean to go that route.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat, Martin’s team last season, offered the forward a 5-year, $65 million offer, only to be rejected. Martin likely assumed he could get more on the open market, which was not the case. Instead, he signed with the 76ers for 4 years, $32 million, a per-year pay cut of $5 million dollars. That, plus the fact that Martin doesn’t have another guaranteed year on his contract (5 years versus 4) makes the deal look pretty rough overall. However, he does get a chance to contend with the Sixers, so at least he’s got that going for him.
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, there is a “growing skepticism” that star Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will be traded, most likely due to the high price that Jazz executive Danny Ainge has put on his services. Now, ESPN’s Zach Lowe says that the Miami Heat are currently interested in the Finnish star’s services, but they don’t exactly have the assets to get him, either.
The Atlanta Hawks were reportedly close on a deal for Pelicans star Brandon Ingram but didn’t want to give him a new contract or trade current big man Clint Capela. While the former is reasonable, the latter seems strange considering young Hawks big Onyeka Okongwu could easily step into Capela’s role. Regardless, it appears that the Brandon Ingram market is cooling, especially with DeMar DeRozan being signed-and-traded to the Kings recently.
Though it was reported earlier as pretty likely to happen, it’s official now: Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has signed a max rookie extension for 5 years, $224 million. The contract could become as worth as much as $269 million with incentives. That’s a lot of money, but such is the price to force a man to live in Detroit for five years.
Unfortunately for Spurs fans, 2024 draftee Juan Nunez will be playing next season in Spain instead of in San Antonio. The highly talented guard has reportedly signed a “long” contract with FC Barcelona, which means that nobody knows when (or if?) Nunez is coming to play for the Spurs. It’s a shame, but maybe this will give Stephon Castle a chance to get some quality reps at the lead guard slot, which is something he’s desired according to rumors during the draft cycle.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks have been in talks with the Utah Jazz about trading for young shot-blocking big Walker Kessler in an effort to replace Isaiah Hartenstein. Here’s the problem: the Jazz want a first-rounder, of which the Knicks have virtually zero unprotected due to the Mikal Bridges trade. So cool your jets on this one, Knicks fans, but anything can happen I suppose. (Update: The Jazz have reportedly turned down TWO first-rounders for Kessler — it’s unknown whether they had protections on them or not.)
Chris Paul continues to get super sad free agency announcements. Last year, Paul had his picture taken next to a trash can after signing with the Warriors, which is just wrong. This year, he gets probably the laziest signing graphic of the NBA offseason, with the team not even bothering to do a Photoshop jersey swap:
I mean, they could have at least pulled out trusty Microsoft Paint:
Alas, Chris Paul continues to suffer from poor social media management.
In a watershed moment for the WNBA, Caitlin Clark became the first rookie to record a triple-double, racking up 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in a win over the New York Liberty. After a rough start to the season, Clark’s Indiana Fever now have a 75% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN.
In another incredible moment for the WNBA, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese recorded her 13th consecutive double-double this past Sunday, which broke the record for the most consecutive double-doubles ever in the WNBA. With how good both she and Caitlin Clark have been, this is turning into a Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James type of situation for Rookie of The Year.
Fun fact: The Klay Thompson trade to Dallas ended up being the NBA’s first-ever 6-team trade. Check it out:
On this day in NBA history (in 2010, so not that long ago), the Miami Heat pulled off one of the greatest sign-and-trade combos in history, picking up Chris Bosh and LeBron James from the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively. After Dwyane Wade opted to re-sign with the Heat in free agency, Miami started on its path to becoming a back-to-back title team in 2012 and 2013.
My Favorite Reads This Week
Shoutout
who is putting together some crazy player-tracking model that is way far beyond my pay grade but looks really cool. Check out the first part of how he made it, here. (Also listen to his podcast, where I was recently a guest!)The ever-hard-working
just put together his 2025 big board — it’s early, but not too early to start thinking about how bad your team needs to be to get Cooper Flagg. Check out that big board here.We rock with boots-on-the-ground journalism!
just wrote about his experience at the NBA draft, which included just 50% of attendants knowing who Zaccharie Risacher was and being on camera behind a very excited Orlando Magic fan. Check that out here.- is consistently great at taking commonly debated sports storylines and blowing them up with sheer facts and logic. This time around, he’s taking LeBron’s lackluster 2011 Finals performance and showing you why it’s destroyed his chances of his resumé stacking up to Michael Jordan’s. You can read that one (and debate him) here.
- continues to do a wonderful job of telling people why they should care about sports that they’ve never even considered they would. One of his recent pieces surrounds Olympic Climbing, which sounds like breeding grounds for post-career arthritis, but I digress. Go look at his overview of the sport here.
For those of you not into the tennis world, Wimbledon is going on right now, and outside of players consistently slipping on the now-dirty grass due to poor conditions, it’s gone pretty smoothly.
just wrote up a piece about why Wimbledon’s sponsor strategy leaves a lot of money on the table, and the statistics behind the cash that the event brings in. Go read about that right here.
P.S. If you write a team-specific Substack (or an NBA Substack in general), let me know! I’m always looking for new and upcoming Substackers to feature here…let me know that you exist!
That’s it for this week’s roundup! As of the publishing of this piece, I’ll be in Vegas for (1) the Olympic warmup game tonight and (2) NBA Summer League on Friday and Saturday. Once again, let me know if any of y’all will be there!
As for content, this weekend’s posts will come through as always, hopefully tailored around some classic boots-on-the-ground reporting. Keep your inboxes open!
That was an awesome read!