NBA rumors

Dennis Schroder said that he has never rejected $80 million in four year from the Lakers during his first stint in Los Angeles.

Per LA Times, Numerous media reports said Schroder turned down a four-year deal worth about $80 million offered by Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager. Schroder is back with the Lakers on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal of $2.64 million.
“There never was a contract, never rejected anything,” Schroder said. “I don’t know who brought it up, but that’s the media, you know? But at the end of the day, no contract and I’m just happy to be here. Like you said, unfinished business and we just got to take care of the stuff and win a chip [championship]. That’s, I think, the goal, and other than that, with the contract, that’s not true. But I think you guys can ask Rob and see what he has to say about that.”

Schroder joined the Boston Celtics last year on a one-year, $5.9-million deal, but he finished the season with the Houston Rockets, playing in a combined 64 games while averaging 13.5 points and 4.6 assists.

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the option on Onyeka Okongwu’s fourth year of contract, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.
The big has been picked with the 6th overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft.

Kemba Walker continues to consider unacceptable the buyout proposal made by the Detroit Pistons.
The guard has a $27M contract for the season.

Per Boston Globe,  Walker and the Pistons have agreed he’ll be away from the team, as they work on a contract buyout. To date, that buyout hasn’t come.

Detroit’s buyout offer has been unacceptable to Walker thus far. The veteran guard said he’s in no rush to accept less than he wants, but that he feels good about playing again.

“I’ve got something in the tank, for sure,” Walker said. “I feel great. I’m going to be honest. I’m going to have my opportunity. I’m not in any rush right now. I’m just grinding and trying to feel as good as I can. And right now, I feel great. I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’m just waiting for the opportunity.”

The Miami Heat have reached an agreement with Mychal Mulder.

The shooter out of Kentucky last season played 2 games with the Heat and 15 with the Magic (3.7 points).

The news was first reported by Michael Scotto.

Sources: The Miami Heat have agreed to a deal with Mychal Mulder, @hoopshype has learned.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 9, 2022

The Los Angeles Lakers and general manager Rob Pelinka have reportedly agreed to a contract extension, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The deal is expected to keep Pelinka running the Lakers front office through the 2025-26 season. Pelinka has been the Lakers GM since 2017.

The Houston Rockets will exercise the option for the 2023/24 season for the 4 players picked in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Jonathan Feigen reports.

The 4 athletes are guards Jalen Green and Josh Cristopher, and centers Usman Garuba and Alperen Sengun.

ICYMI and ICTWAD (in case there was any doubt,) Rockets to pick up rookie contract options for 2021 draftees https://t.co/TOTcPdL3dw via @houstonchron

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 6, 2022

The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised the third-year option included in the rookie contract of guard Keon Johnson.

The 20-year-old Tennessee product has scored 9.7 points with 2.9 assists and one steal in the 22 games played since his arrival in Portland.

The Trail Blazers are picking up the 2023-2024 option for guard Keon Johnson, sources tell ESPN. Johnson played 25 minutes a game after arriving in trade with the Clippers last season. He was the 21st pick in the 2021 draft.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 6, 2022

The Charlotte Hornets and Miles Bridges have allowed the player’ $7.9 million qualifying offer to expire, as reported by Shams Charania.

Bridges is a restricted free agent, but his NBA future remains in limbo due to felony domestic violence charges he faces in Los Angeles.

Bridges and the Hornets could have extended the qualifying offer as late of March 1st.

Bridges was always considered unlikely to return to the Hornets on the qualifying offer.

According to Mike Singer, the Denver Nuggets have exercised the third-year option on Bones Hyland’s rookie contract.

The VCU product ended his rookie season with 10.1 points and 2.8 assists in 19 minutes per game.

The #Nuggets have picked up Bones Hyland’s third-year option, league source tells @denverpost.

— Mike Singer (@msinger) October 3, 2022

Calvin Booth has reached a contract extension agreement with the Denver Nuggets till June 2025, as reported by the Denver Post.

Singer adds that the majority of the Nuggets’ front office also received extensions, ensuring continuity.

Booth took over as the general manager of the Nuggets following Tim Connelly’s departure to the Wolves this summer.

Tyler Herro signs a four-year, $130 million contract extension with Miami Heat.

The NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year averaged last season 19.2 points with 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro – the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year – has agreed on a four-year, $130 million contract extension, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/n1Z1IW73PX

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 2, 2022

Bruno Fernando signs a a four-year, $10.9 million deal with Houston Rockets.

Fernando will have his two-way contract coverted to this new long-term deal.

Angolan big man averaged 6.9 points 4 rebounds with Rockets last season in 10 Nba games.

Houston Rockets center Bruno Fernando has agreed on a four-year, $10.9 million deal, his agents Andy Shiffman and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Fernando will have his two-way contract coverted to this new long-term deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 2, 2022

Steven Adams and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a two-year, $25.2 million contract extension, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski

Adams is now signed with the Grizzlies for three more seasons at $43.1 million.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Larry Nance Jr and the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a contract extension worth 21.6 million over two years.

The Wyoming product’s new deal expires in 2025.

Nance Jr arrived to the Pelicans in the trade with the Trail Blazers that also brought CJ McCollum to Louisiana.

The independent law firm probe into Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman, an element that significantly factored into the severity of his one-year suspension, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Those investigative findings — which described verbiage on Udoka’s part that was deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior — contribute to what is likely a difficult pathway back to his reinstatement as Celtics coach in 2023, sources told ESPN.

The power dynamic associated with a superior’s improper relationship with a staff member was the primary finding and policy violation cited in the law firm’s report, which was commissioned by the Celtics and completed early last week, sources said.

Free agent Blake Griffin has agreed to a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski

Griffin, 33, gives the Celtics some frontcourt depth, especially with center Robert Williams out several weeks following knee surgery. Italian forward Gallinari is out indefinitely after torn ACL

The Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder finalized a trade that involved eight players.

Per ESPN, The Houston Rockets are acquiring center Derrick Favors and a 2025 second-round draft pick in an eight-player trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN on Thursday night.

The Thunder will acquire two draft exceptions and save $1 million in salary in a deal that sends Favors, guards Ty Jerome (that will be waived) and Theo Maledon and forward Moe Harkless to the Rockets for David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, sources said.

The deal drops the Thunder approximately $10 million under the luxury tax threshold. After the trade, both the Thunder and Rockets have 18 guaranteed contracts on their respective rosters and will need to pare them down to 15 by Oct. 17.

According to TSN, the Toronto Raptors do not feel a rush to make a move in the market, but they are reportedly ‘closely monitoring’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s relationship with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 24-year-old point guard spent the summer with the Canadian national team.

The Raptors have no obligation to go after a star, because they have a young roster with ample room for improvement, one that exceeded expectations last season by winning 48 games.

Boston Celtics are seeking permission to talk to Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga.

Larranaga spent nine seasons with Celtics before joining the Clippers in 2021.

The Celtics are seeking permission to talk to Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga about joining interim coach Joe Mazzulla’s staff this season, sources tell ESPN. Larranaga spent nine seasons with Celtics before joining the Clippers in 2021.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 28, 2022

Kevin Durant explained why he requested trade from the Brooklyn Nets this offseason.

After a meeting with Tsai, Nash and Marks, Durant decided to remain in Brooklyn where he signed a four-year contract in 2021.

Per ESPN (via RealGM), “There was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year,” Durant said. “I committed to this organization for four years last summer with the idea we were gonna play with that group that we kind of went on that little run to the second round [in the 2020 playoffs]. I felt like another year of that, us being healthy — we were building something towards the future.

“Then as the season went on, you seen what happened with our season, guys in and out of the lineup, injuries, just a lot of uncertainty, which built some doubt in my mind about the next four years in my career. I mean, I’m getting older and I want to be in a place that’s stable and trying to build a championship culture. So I had some doubts about that. I voiced them to [owner] Joe [Tsai], and we moved forward from there.”

Durant said he wasn’t “disappointed” or surprised that he was still in Brooklyn.

“No,” Durant said. “I know I’m that good that you’re just not going to give me away. So that’s one thing I did appreciate about Sean and Joe [they said]. ‘You’re too great for us to give you away.’ Just that easy, that simple. So, I get that. I know who I am.”

Durant said the Nets could have fought harder through adversity down the stretch of last season when he was out with an injury, noting that that’s what championship-caliber teams do.

“When I went out with the injury, we lost [11] in a row,” he said. “And I’m like we shouldn’t be losing some of these games that we lost, regardless of who’s on the floor. So I was more so worried about how we’re approaching every day as a basketball team. And I felt like we could have fought through a lot of stuff that I felt held us back. Championship teams do that. You’ve seen Steph Curry and the Warriors, he was injured going into the playoffs. Their team still fought and won games. Luka [Doncic], he was hurt and their team still fought and won games.

“I felt like we had enough talent to do that. And that’s what was the most about in my mind is that when adversity hit can we keep pushing through it? I’ve been on championship teams, I’ve been on teams that have been right at the brink of winning a championship, and they did those things. So I wanted to be a part of a group that did that.

“Winning and losing, I could take all that. I’ve been in the league for a long time. So it’s not more so about just a result. It’s how we get to that point. And I wasn’t feeling how we were getting to that point. I didn’t want it to affect the game so I waited to the offseason to tell people how I felt.”