Sports
NBA rumors: Jaylen Brown, Lauri Markkanen, Austin Reaves, Sixers, Rockets, Heat, Suns, Thunder, more – Hoops Hype
July 26, 2023– by Michael Scotto
By Michael Scotto |
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan report on Austin Reaves, Lauri Markkanen, Jaylen Brown, and share updates on the Rockets, Sixers, Heat, Suns, Thunder, Spurs, Grizzlies, and more on the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast.
For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.
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Scotto: Jaylen Brown agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax contract extension, which is the richest in NBA history. The deal is fully guaranteed and has a trade kicker. For Boston, there’s no player option at the end of the deal, which was important to them.
From a roster construction standpoint for Boston, despite people talking about whether they should break up Jayson Tatum and Brown, I can’t say I ever thought that. While they don’t necessarily fit as a hand and glove 1-2 punch, they’re still very effective and still young in the prime of their careers. By keeping Brown, it extends Boston’s title window with him and Tatum – who’s probably going to get a historic extension that tops this one down the line.
Gozlan: One of the things I’ve been wondering with this new CBA is if teams would start negotiating with their All-Stars that aren’t necessarily elite or Top 5 or Top 10 players instead of giving them max contracts…
The Celtics are now probably not going to have that much flexibility going forward. Assuming they keep the roster intact, they’re going to be over the second tax apron. That basically restricts them from increasing payroll other than re-signing their own players, drafting players, and signing minimum players. They’re pretty locked into this roster as it is. They’ve got Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Robert Williams, and however many years of Al Horford.
They can do some trades to try to get under the second apron to get some more flexibility to do a bigger trade, and they still have all their picks. They still have some flexibility, but once that Tatum contract kicks in too, it’s going to be a pretty tight ship to manage there.
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Scotto: This summer, we saw Domantas Sabonis agree to a renegotiation and extension deal with the Sacramento Kings, and there’s another candidate to keep an eye on down the line for something similar. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is a renegotiation and extension candidate for next year to keep an eye on, from what I’ve heard. Currently, Markkanen is owed $17.3 million this upcoming season, and then only $6 million of his $18 million salary is guaranteed for the 2024-25 season.
Gozlan: I’m expecting that to happen. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen. Out of all the things I could predict that’ll happen next offseason, number one is Tatum signing a supermax extension, and number two is Lauri doing his renegotiation. For the Jazz, they only used their cap space this summer – other than signing Omer Yurtseven to a $2.8 million deal – they used their cap space to trade for John Collins and renegotiate Jordan Clarkson. His salary rose by about $10 million, and then they dropped it by the maximum of 40 percent, so now he’s going to make like $15 million over the next two years.
The Jazz is in a position where they already have a lot of important roster spots filled and have their rotation going into next year with young players they drafted. They’re going to have another pick next summer. I’d imagine they’re going to want to use their cap space. I’ve got them at roughly a little over $35 million. I don’t know if they’re going after players. They didn’t go after anyone this year. Next year’s market isn’t looking any better talent-wise than what we just had this year. I think, especially after seeing them do this for Clarkson, I’d be surprised if they don’t do the same for Markkanen.
Scotto: I think it’ll be interesting if Utah finds its way in the Damian Lillard trade talks and ends up with Tyler Herro. Obviously, all that’s fluid. If they got Herro, would that matter for a Markkanen renegotiation and extension?
Gozlan: No. I don’t think so. If they’re trading someone who is under contract for next season, for example, let’s say Collin Sexton, and they turn him into $29 million for Herro, they still should have enough cap space after to give Lauri a big raise.
Scotto: I certainly think Lauri would like that. He’s got a spot in Utah now and a house there. He’s certainly earned it.
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Scotto: Lakers guard Austin Reaves recently told All The Smoke on Showtime that the Rockets and Spurs were possibilities before he re-signed with the Lakers. The Spurs considered offering Reaves a restricted free agency sheet worth $21 million per season, league sources told HoopsHype. Ultimately, however, the Spurs were scared off by the widespread belief that the Lakers would match any offer sheet for Reaves and chose to preserve cap space as a salary dump destination for future draft pick compensation. The Rockets were also closely monitoring Reaves’ situation because they were prepared to make a big offer sheet if Fred VanVleet didn’t sign with them, sources said.
Gozlan: The Rockets missed out on Brook Lopez, but with the amount of money they were offering, even on short-term deals, they were bound to get some of the targets they were linked to early on. It explains a lot of what they were doing with the Dillon Brooks sign-and-trade. Had they gotten Lopez, it all would’ve made a lot more sense.
Scotto: Houston thought they really had a strong chance to get Lopez. Brooks ended up getting more money. Jeff Green originally agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal. Then, once the Lopez talks fell through, there was a follow-up conversation after the initial agreement and a scenario where it was pitched that he could do a longer deal (two years, $16 million), and that’s how he ended up getting a little bit more money on the front end.
Lopez had a domino effect, and look what it did for Jock Landale. He ended up getting four years, $32 million. From what I’ve heard, Landale, this upcoming season, is going to make double more than what Phoenix was looking at offering at that point. It was a no-brainer for him to go to Houston, which benefited him financially, even though, looking ahead, that contract is structured with some non-guarantees, so it can be traded. Overall, it was a win for Landale and his camp. For Dillon Brooks’ camp, that was a win when all of NBA Twitter had him going to the Shanghai Sharks. Well, the joke was on NBA Twitter because he broke the bank and took all the checks with him as well.
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Scotto: There are some NBA roster crunches around the league. We’ve got several teams that are overflowing with players on their rosters. The Spurs, Grizzlies, Thunder, Clippers, Hawks, and Wizards.
Gozlan: Teams don’t need to get to 15 roster players until prior to the start of the regular season. I think the Spurs have a lot of very good players that I’d think are very much available and could get cut if they’re not moved. The Spurs have 17 players on standard contracts, and that’s including Sandro Mamukelashvili, who hasn’t re-signed officially, but he’s expected to have a standard contract. That’s two players they have to cut already, but there’s Dominick Barlow, who was a qualifying offer right now, and had a strong Summer League and is someone who could get a standard roster spot. Their second-round pick Sidy Cissoko also seems like another candidate. If you’re factoring in those two players as well, then they have four potential players they need to cut (or trade).
In order of salaries, there’s Devonte’ Graham, who’s owed $12 million this year and a small partial guarantee next year. Reggie Bullock has an $11 million expiring contract and can still help a lot of teams. They have Khem Birch, and he could be cut or moved because they have a lot of big men right now. Cedi Osman seems like a good trade candidate if they wanted to move him. Cameron Payne, whom they just got is a player who could help there, especially if Graham doesn’t stick around. Most of these veterans seem expendable.
Scotto: Bullock is a valuable 3-and-D guy that playoff-caliber teams could look at. Birch as a backup big. Osman’s got a tradeable salary. Payne fits a lot of places as a backup point guard. With Oklahoma City, Victor Oladipo is in the final year of his deal. I look at Davis Bertans. They’ve had a knack for rehabilitating guys in a way and making them tradable like they did with Al Horford.
Gozlan: OKC is interesting… Oladipo and Bertans were acquired with cap space, and those guys could be combined in a bigger trade later… Bertans has a small partial guarantee for next season at $5 million. A couple of other names could be TyTy Washington and Usman Garuba… Memphis has a slightly interesting crunch with 17 players. I’d guess Isaiah Todd, who they got in a salary dump, to be one guy to go. Maybe Josh Christopher as well?
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Scotto: Kira Lewis is a name to keep an eye on for the Pelicans, who could trade Lewis and add a player on the veteran minimum for the upcoming season while avoiding the luxury tax. The team waived Garrett Temple, and they’d be among the teams expected to have interest in forward Rudy Gay, as I previously reported on HoopsHype. I touched recently on PJ Tucker being a trade candidate because of the James Harden trade talks and his involvement in them.
Gozlan: I think you named the two teams that are probably most expected to do those types of trades. Lewis seems more like a matter of when he’ll get traded than if. He’s making $5.7 million this year. Even if they trade him for a minimum player, that should be enough to get them under the tax. The Sixers are now slightly over the tax after matching the offer sheet for Paul Reed the Jazz gave him. The Sixers are looking to prioritize cap space in 2024. Tucker is one of the few Sixers under contract for next season. He’s got that player option for $11.5 million. It wouldn’t shock me if they trade him to also get under the tax this year. A James Harden trade or a Tobias Harris trade could do that.
Scotto: Maybe Kyle Lowry with the Damian Lillard trade talks, depending on how that goes?
Gozlan: If Miami gets Lillard, they’ll be over the tax. I can’t envision a deal where somehow they pay three max contracts and avoid the tax. Let’s say they don’t get Lillard. They’re probably going to want to stay under the tax again if they don’t significantly improve the roster.
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Scotto: When you look at the way some teams have operated with that second apron luxury tax, it almost seems like a hard cap for some teams, except for the Celtics. The other guy who sticks out to me that doesn’t really seem to care is Mat Ishbia with the Suns. They’re clearly all in, looking ahead. From executives I’ve talked to, the majority of them are trying to avoid it if they can and they’re not a true title contender.
Gozlan: It seems to me, so far, based on what we’ve seen this season, that there are going to be more teams than I anticipated willing to go over the second apron. That could change once they’re actually in there and don’t get the results they’re looking for. As we can see right now, the Suns, Celtics, Warriors, Clippers – and the Grizzlies after giving the contract they gave Desmond Bane looks like they’ll be over the second apron next year – so that’s already five teams that could be over next year. That’s when all those reported restrictions and penalties start to kick in. Right now, teams over it mostly just can’t use the mid-level exception, no buyouts, but you don’t start to see those draft pick penalties that come later. Next year, once you’re over it, you can’t increase salary in a trade and aggregate players in a trade.
I think there’s a way for teams to navigate being over it, and that’s mostly if you’re a team like OKC, Utah, or New Orleans for example that has a surplus of draft picks because that’s really the top way to keep filling out roster spots and keep your window going.
You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) and Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) on Twitter.
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