NBA News and Rumor Roundup 7/3/2024
The NBA's most ridiculous week, LeBron gets his cash, the end of an era(s), and...a Celtics sale?
Aaaaand we’re back!
And boy are we tired!
It’s been quite a past seven days in the NBA, with players moving around the nation faster than an American military family and exorbitantly large contracts being signed at more feverish rates than we’ve seen in years — it’s the offseason!
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the biggest contracts from this past week and how the league is shifting for the 2024-25 season…
The Free Agents Are Coming
If Adrian Wojnarowski were in any other profession, he’d likely be Oppenheimer.
Yes, with the multitude of Woj bombs both day and night have been on the brink of nuclear, as in less than 7 days time we’ve seen:
Paul George sign with the 76ers for 4 years, $212 million
Chris Paul get waived and then sign with the Spurs to play alongside Victor Wembanyama
Tobias Harris cement himself as a perennial bag-getter by signing a 2-year, $54 million deal with the Detroit Pistons
Klay Thompson partake in a sign-and-trade that takes him to Dallas, signing a 3-year, $50 million deal
Isaiah Hartenstein sign a 3-year deal with an average value of $29 million per year with the OKC Thunder
And way too many more to count
Chief among these, of course, is Paul George leaving the Clippers in such a manner that LA gets nothing in return. With George refusing to work out a sign-and-trade scenario, the Clips now are faced with the prospect of the newly-extended James Harden and Kawhi Leonard helming the team, which, while not bad by any means, is a lot worse off than they were just 7 days ago.
George joining the Sixers now creates one of the crazier super-trios that we’ve seen in recent times; a mix of All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, former MVP Joel Embiid, and a perennial All-NBA wing in George. However, it also puts them dangerously close to the first apron (around $13 million), which would put tough restrictions on team building on their path to winning a title.
The other most important signing here is more about the departure than the arrival, though the arrival is also intriguing — of course, we’re talking about Klay Thompson.
After spending his entire career with the Golden State Warriors and being the secondary brother of the Splash Brothers, it appears that Thompson’s faith in the Warriors (and their faith in him) has finally worn too thin. Regardless, Klay is still a very elite three-point shooter — this is where I shamelessly plug Monday’s piece that proves it — and is a perfect fit in Dallas as a tertiary scorer with less pressure to perform.
Somewhat humorously, Woj reports that Thompson had richer offers on the table (likely from the Lakers) yet chose to take his talents to Texas because of…income taxes. Anybody who has ever moved from California to Texas (or Tennessee, or Florida) likely understands.
Despite both Thompson and George being impactful and heralded signings, it’s arguable that the most effective contract thus far will be Isaiah Hartenstein, strictly based upon how he fits into OKC’s offense. Though $29 million a year may feel like a lot (and in money terms, it is), Hartenstein could now allow OKC to move Chet Holmgren to the power forward slot and create one of the more dangerously stretchable offenses in the league based on Hartenstein’s decent three-point shot.
In a way, it feels almost as if Hartenstein is meant to be OKC’s version of what the Porzingis trade was for the Celtics — that would also make the Alex Caruso trade OKC’s Jrue Holiday transaction. Time will tell, but the Thunder look stacked and haven’t given up much of anything to become what they are now.
To me, the most interesting part of this year’s free agent market this year is the increasingly widening gap between the non-elite role players of the league and the elite role players. For example, Gary Harris just signed a 2-year, $14 million deal, while Isaiah Joe (who I consider to be an elite role player but we can debate that at another time) scored a 4-year, $48 million deal — that’s a $5 million gap in per-year value. The monetary gap is increasing at a rapid pace and could continue to do so due to the new first and second apron restrictions, so keep an eye on that.
Of course, that brings us to the just-announced LeBron James contract, which is a two-year (but with a second year player option), $104 million deal that brings him back to the Lakers. Not only does it give him year-by-year flexibility, but it also includes a no-trade clause, preventing the Lakers from using him as a trade piece at any point over the next year (or two).
However, there were rumors that LeBron was willing to take a pay cut if it meant signing a top free agent like Klay Thompson, Paul George, or DeMar DeRozan. His signing of a max deal implies that DeRozan is also off the board, which means this offseason has, thus far, been horrific for the Lakers outside of drafting Dalton Knecht (and Bronny is at least a good story). They’re also quite in a pickle from a cap standpoint, per
:While LeBron is secured for LA, it doesn’t appear that all is well in Laker Land.
Extension Season Breaks The Bank
Side note: if you want to be rich, play in the NBA. It’s that simple!
For those of us who weren’t blessed with 40-inch verticals and 6-foot-9 wingspans, however, we just watch as the cash rains down via the extension market. Some of the key (crazy) extensions include:
Jayson Tatum breaking the bank with a record-setting 5-year, $314 million extension
Donovan Mitchell staying in Cleveland with a 3-year, $150 million extension
Derrick White re-upping his contract for 4 years, $125+ million
Cade Cunningham
continuing to sufferextending his contract with Detroit for 5 years, $226 million
It’s incredible how the rate NBA contracts continue to inflate. Mitchell’s contract, in particular, could end up being just a precursor for something even more ridiculous. As Woj notes, this contract allows him to pursue a frankly absurd 5-year, $380+ million extension in 2027 due to the 10 years of service rule the NBA has in its CBA. If that holds true, he would get paid at least $76 million per year, which means we’re pretty darn close to a $100 million-per-year player in the NBA coming into fruition.
Despite previous reports of otherwise, Mitchell’s extension does not necessarily mean Darius Garland will be pushed out of town. There have been reports that his value isn’t as high as the team would like, and new head coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned that he was brought in to mesh the two guards into one cohesive unit. Whether or not Garland is out, however, it appears that Donovan Mitchell’s supposed escape to New York has been greatly exaggerated.
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White re-upping their contracts with the Celtics feel like potential apron-breaking moves for Boston in 2025-26 (the season when the extensions kick in) when they would likely be the most expensive NBA team ever. The team is already above the second apron, so they’re betting on simply running it back with virtually the same roster.
As for Cade Cunningham, him getting a max extension feels like the only way Detroit would have retained him. While the hiring of former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff feels solid, Cunningham is likely getting perturbed at the team’s performance since he’s been in the league. If the Pistons underperform once again this season and don’t get the #1 pick next year, don’t be surprised to see an early asking out of Detroit’s best player.
The Other Contracts
Since there’s nearly too many to talk about in-depth, here’s a (not all-inclusive) collection of the most recent free agency signings that could become more important over time:
The Warriors just traded for Minnesota forward (and sometimes guard?) Kyle Anderson in a sign-and-trade. The Warriors send a second-round pick swap and cash, which is a pretty cheap price for Anderson’s level of production. He will now sign a three-year, $27 million contract.
Losing Anderson is a blow to the Timberwolves but does allow them to get him off the books — Minnesota is putting up a lot of money to Edwards, Gobert, and KAT right now, and that cost is only going to go up as time goes on.
Former #2 overall pick James Wiseman is signing with the Indiana Pacers for 2 years, with unknown money. It can be assumed that Indiana signed Wiseman with the bi-annual exception, which would be for around $5 million per year.
Wiseman is an interesting low-risk, high-reward play, though it feels as if he’s already hit his ceiling based on what we’ve seen from him — but he is still 23.
Former Pacers big man Jalen Smith signed with the Chicago Bulls for 3 years, $27 million.
This is why the Pacers signed James Wiseman, to fill the gap the young and talented Smith left. He now joins a Bulls team that has much more of a rebuilding direction than in previous years. (Though that’s a low bar to clear considering the Bulls have been lost for a bit.)
Aaron Holiday is signing a 2-year, $10 million deal to stay with the Rockets.
Though y’all may not be aware of it, Aaron Holiday (brother of Jrue) is a very solid backup point guard. He makes the right reads, is unselfish, and can get buckets when you need him. I may be biased as a Houstonian, but this is a great move.
As I briefly mentioned earlier in passing, James Harden is staying with the Clippers for 2 years, $70 million.
This feels like a desperation move for the Clippers, who couldn’t stand to lose both Paul George and Harden. Harden is still highly valuable, but $35 million per year in his soon-to-be 35-year-old season feels like a little much.
Former Nugget Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is heading to Orlando for 3 years, $66 million.
Biggggg money for the 2-time NBA champion and elite role player — maybe a little bit of an overpay, but the price was necessary for Orlando to grab a role guy of his caliber.
The Magic have also signed Jonathan Isaac to a 5-year, $84 million contract via a renegotiate-and-extend deal.
Isaac really had a redemptive season this year after a slew of injuries, turning into one of the league’s best defensive players. His defensive EPM of +4.1 is in the, uh, 100th percentile and Orlando had to pay up because of it.
Derrick Jones Jr., who played for the Mavericks this year, is signing with the Clippers to the tune of 3 years, $30 million.
This is a clear case of a good role player going to the Finals and getting paid by another team because of it. However, Jones Jr. could end up being great value at just $10 million per year, as he poses both defensive upside and ability to space the floor.
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
After winning the ‘chip, it appears the Celtics’ owners may want to go out on top. Per ESPN, the Celtics’ majority ownership group (helmed by venture capitalist Wyc Grousbeck) are planning to put the Leprechaun Squad up for sale. The Celtics will likely fetch the highest price of any sports team ever and look to be a classic case of quitting while you’re ahead.
In a slightly strange report, the Rockets are unlikely to offer Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green maximum rookie extensions, despite the former having a borderline All-Star year and being only 21 years old. Making Green prove it feels fair given his inconsistent (but sometimes incredible) play, but Sengun needs to be locked up as soon as possible to preserve the Rockets’ future.
Bronny James has signed a fully guaranteed multiyear contract, which can be assumed to be a rookie minimum ($1.5 million). People will say a lot about this, but let’s just see how Bronny performs the first few months and then talk — I still think he should have been able to stay in college for another year or two, but I digress.
Teams are chomping at the bit to get Jazz executive Danny Ainge to bite. Over the past week, it’s been rumored that the Jazz are getting calls about star forward Lauri Markkanen, with the Warriors and Spurs leading the charge. Any deal would likely have to be astronomically beneficial for Utah considering Danny Ainge’s penchant for picks, but Markkanen could truly change the tide for the Warriors in particular. The Spurs shouldn’t be nearly as desperate, but the team could compete right away with Wembanyama, Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, and Markkanen, which is something.
One interesting report out of Golden State not related to Chris Paul or Lauri Markkanen involves what could have been a very intriguing Paul George trade. Reportedly, the Clippers had a framework for a trade with the Warriors but Golden State refused to include young wing Jonathan Kuminga, which caused the deal to fall apart. Kuminga feels like a core piece of the Warriors’ next wave after Steph Curry retires, but trading for Paul George could have really put the team back in contention talks.
Another domino yet to fall involves what the Pelicans will do with Brandon Ingram, if anything. Ingram was rumored to be shopped by New Orleans before they traded for Dejounte Murray, but their plans are unknown after that trade went down. There’s there’s at least one report that states the Sacramento Kings would like to trade for Brandon Ingram, but no packages have been put together yet.
After striking out on Klay Thompson, the Lakers have their eye on another Western Conference shooter in Jerami Grant. Grant still has at least three more years on his deal (with a fourth for a player option) and provides good offense both on the perimeter and in the mid-range, but Portland likely isn’t looking to compete right now. Don’t be surprised to see trade talks heat up between the two teams over the next week or so leading up to Summer League.
Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, teams are looking at Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma’s contract and see it as “highly attractive”. That’s because, despite making $23.5 million this year, his contract descends in value — and being able to add cap space over time is a boon in a first and second apron-defined league. He also provides enough value to be considered a tertiary star, but the Wizards may put a high price tag on him because of it.
On this day in NBA history (in 2001!), the NBA Board of Governors approved the move of the then-Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis, effectively deporting an entire NBA franchise from a foreign country. I’m sure, Vancouver being Canadian, they were sorry about it (okay bad joke).
My Favorite Reads This Week
One thing I didn’t mention was that former Rockets guard (and domestic abuser) Kevin Porter Jr. is back in the league via a signing with the Clippers. I suggest reading
’ piece on the matter to get a grasp of not only why it’s problematic, but almost normalized at this point. Go read that here.- knows what’s up with NBA free agency and why Isaiah Hartenstein is arguably the most impactful signing at the moment. Mike just wrote a piece of his Hartenstein argument and what he brings to the Thunder. Go read that one right here.
- has a knack for bringing out crazy large sets of data and turning them into insights about every sport and every player on the planet at this point. Neil put out a piece about Paul George’s potential additive value to the Sixers nd then goes into detail about whether or not we can trust the data. Here’s that piece, go read it.
If you’re looking for the ultimate collection of undrafted free agents from this year’s draft,
and the folks at are your guys. Check out their UDFA roll call here and learn more about each signing.- , who writes , recently launched her sports graphic design Substack, . She literally does not miss on graphics — check out this one of Mikal Bridges and see what you think.
It’s a good day when
gives us some good ol’ draft commentary. He recently gave his thoughts on this year’s draft, including his thoughts on the whole Bronny James situation — you can find that here.
Also, just wanted to give a quick shoutout to
, who has gone back and forth with me over whether or not Zach Edey will actually be good or not — and I’m all for it. She also writes a very humorous Substack, featuring satire pieces on:Purdue inventing a farmhand AI Terminator to only somewhat-successful results
Boomers being the last creatively-named generation
Mario turning into Luigi when taking ozempic
A Wingstop employee running the Detroit Pistons (just kidding, not real, but it would explain a lot!)
Check out that Terminator piece below and subscribe to her Substack!
That’s it for this week’s roundup! Next week’s roundup may end up being a little less traditional considering I’ll be flying into Vegas for Summer League, but we’ll make do!
I’ll be going to the Olympic warm-up game between the USA and Canada men’s basketball squads as well as the first few days of Summer League, so I’ll have a lot of classic boots-on-the-ground journalism to show y’all in a bit. Till then, a mix of statistical and highly-opinionated content is on the way!
Is this a safe space to say that 226 million dollars for Cade Cunningham is one of the more egregious contracts I've ever seen
Don't sleep on Edey! (I am biased but I have reasons.)
I have a feeling this year's draft will have a lot of stars coming from throughout the draft, not just the lottery picks!
Bronny gives me hope I can still play in the NBA. If only my dad was a pro...
Thanks for the shout out! Keep up the great writing!