July 4th Rumors (there's no real fireworks)
A weak free agent market, and a slow trade market as we move into July, notes on the Kings, Warriors, and Hornets.
Gone are the days of the superstar signing, the flashy acquisition to form a “super team”, these days the biggest signing is Myles Turner. Yes, the Turner signing was a surprise, and was capped off with shocking Damian Lillard waiver, but this is a far cry from the NBA free agency theatrics we have seen in the past.
As we approach July 4th, there are no fireworks to report, most of “big” moves are already done, and Shams Charania hyping up this offseason did not make it any better.
Kings are the most active team
Kings are working on multiple fronts right now.
They are trying to acquire Dennis Schroder via sign-and-trade, and are continuing to dangle Malik Monk in those conversations. The Pistons could also opt to acquire Dennis Schroder straight for a trade exception, which helps them from a financial standpoint (even though Detroit already has a lot of flexibility).
Sacramento is also trying to acquire Jonathan Kuminga from their rivals, the Golden State Warriors. According to Kings insider Matt George the Kings have tried to get Kuminga to Sacramento by dealing their 2024 first-round pick, Devin Carter, and re-routing newly acquired Dario Saric along with draft capital (likely a first-rounder because the Kings do not have many second-round picks).
A possible three-team deal?
Honestly, the reporting around this situation is all over the place. According to NBC Bay Area, the Kings could end up combining the Schroder sign-and-trade with the Jonathan Kuminga acquisition. This would include the Pistons, Kings, and Warriors trading the players I discussed above wrapped into one deal.
However, the funniest part of all of this is Dario Saric’s situation.
If the Kings trade Dario Saric with another player, the Nuggets-Cam Johnson deal will end up becoming a 4+ team trade. Saric can not be aggregated with another player if he’s traded again. So, if he is moved in the hypothetical three-team Kuminga deal, it’ll be a 5 team deal between Denver, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Golden State, and now the Detroit Pistons.
One final layer: Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas is considering an offer to play for Panathinaikos Athens, a Greek basketball club, according to BasketNews.
Valanciunas was traded for Dario Saric in a salary dump, allowing the Kings to have access to the full NTMLE (non-tax MLE, $14.1M) to sign Dennis Schroder. It seems this Valanciunas deal with go through and that should pave the way for the Kings to figure out how to deal with acquiring Kuminga and Schroder.
The Nuggets will likely have to secure a buyout for Valanciunas if he ultimately decides to head to Greece.
No movement from the Warriors, but five roster spots to fill
As of July 3rd at 8 pm Eastern Time, the Golden State Warriors have not made a single acquisition either by signing or trade (excluding trading draft picks).
The interest in veteran center Al Horford has been noted for quite some time now, but it seems Horford will take time to decide his next team or next move (if he retires). According to Jake Fischer, the Warriors are not just looking for any big man on their roster, they want someone who can shoot, spread the floor and is a solid interior defender.
The Warriors did not have any interest in signing the former first overall pick, Deandre Ayton when he hit the open market. Ayton did not check all of the boxes for the Warriors’ needs at center, so this shows how Golden State will take their time in finding their next starting center.
Not desperate to trade Kuminga:
Golden State is currently not feeling pressured to move off Jonathan Kuminga. With the right deal, the Warriors could still look to bring Kuminga back on a short-term deal. The main issue is that Kuminga has no leverage in where he goes as a restricted free agent, and since there are no other cap space teams besides the Brooklyn Nets, there is no team pressuring the Warriors to make a trade as of now.
Over the limit, a roster crunch in Charlotte
When the Hornets officially sign both of their second-round picks, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner, to guaranteed contracts, the Hornets will now have 19 out of 15 allowed roster spots filled. How can they get out of this situation?
Charlotte has Josh Okogie, DaQuan Jeffries, and Moussa Diabate with non-guaranteed contracts, meaning if they waive them, they will not incur a cap hit. The issue is the Hornets should keep Diabate because he has shown a lot of promise as a big, starting, and off the bench. We will assume the Hornets move on from both Okogie and Jeffries.
Recently acquired shooting guard Pat Connaughton is also a waiver candidate, but his long-time relationship with second-year head coach, Charles Lee could imply he could end up staying.
Trading Josh Green and Nick Smith Jr.?
Hornets will likely make a trade or two to get the roster below or at the 15-player limit.
Josh Green and Nick Smith Jr. are the most likely trade options for the Hornets since they have stacked up on guards. Maybe the Hornets could find a deal where they do a three-for-one trade or a two-for-one deal.