The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.
I hate to see him go, but I want to give a big thank you to Shams Charania for his work here at The Athletic and the great job he did with me on The Bounce. ESPN got the real deal with him.
Rookie Extension Watch
Five fourth-year players who could get 💰💰💰
When free agency opened up early in the offseason, we immediately heard about four players who were extension-eligible off their rookie-scale contracts, making massive paydays inevitable. First-round picks from the 2021 NBA Draft are essentially eligible for those extensions before the 2024-25 season is underway. Cade Cunningham (Detroit), Evan Mobley (Cleveland), Scottie Barnes (Toronto) and Franz Wagner (Orlando) all received the reported numbers of five years and $224 million with these max extensions.
Who else should we have an eye on before the season starts? I’ve got five intriguing players for you.
Jalen Green, Houston Rockets: The No. 2 pick from 2021 was on the trade block before the 2024 February deadline. The Rockets tried to move him, attached with a handful of picks, to the Nets for Mikal Bridges. The deal didn’t get done. At no point did we think an extension in Houston was in the cards. Maybe he’d re-sign as a restricted free agent in 2025 or sign an offer sheet for them to eventually match? Then, Green (22 years old) started going off:
- First 59 games: 17.9 points on 40.4/31.2/80.8 shooting splits with 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Houston was 25-34.
- Final 23 games: 24 points on 46.1/37.0/79.4 shooting splits with six rebounds and 4.1 assists. Houston went 16-7 and finished 41-41.
- Alperen Şengün didn’t play in the final 18 games.
If this is the type of player Green is after turning the corner, then he’s a max guy. My guess is Houston handles him in restricted free agency and sees how his season plays out first.
Jalen with the EXPLOSIVE slam 💣 pic.twitter.com/rw2aRTfaqD
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 8, 2024
Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets: I do not expect the Rockets to do this with Şengün. He was a borderline All-Star all season long before he got hurt in March. Şengün is a monster out there. His defense still leaves something to be desired, and he hasn’t shown much of an outside shot, but he averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists last season. The show runs through him in a middle-management Jokić way, which is a compliment. Şengün is either a franchise guy or, at worst, a No. 2-level option moving forward. My guess is they’ll max him out.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans: Murphy missed 20 games as a rookie and 23 games last season, but we know he’s a very dynamic wing the Pelicans are likely to keep around. He’s a remarkable shooter, knocking down 39.2 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career. He can handle the ball a little, is very athletic and has helped them on defense with his versatility. Everything points toward him being a very important piece. The problem is: New Orleans has a lot of perimeter players, and one has to go.
In theory, that would be Brandon Ingram heading out of town for a big man in return. Zion Williamson would be healthy with Murphy around to wreak havoc alongside Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray. Another issue is figuring out Murphy’s monetary value. He could get a massive deal in restricted free agency. Maybe the Pelicans are hoping he signs for Jones-type money ($53.8 million over four years).
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors: For whatever reason, Steve Kerr has been hesitant to embrace the 22-year-old Kuminga. It was one of the big Warriors topics of last season. This year, it still doesn’t sound like they know exactly what to do with the starting lineup or Kuminga’s position. With so much uncertainty, my guess is the only way Golden State gets an extension done is if Kuminga decides to take a discount in the $15 million annual range on a four-year deal. I also expect Kuminga to bet on himself and earn a massive payday next summer. Aggregators, please remember these were just guesses and not reports.
Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic: I have no idea what Suggs’ value could or should be because he’s tough to nail down. The 23-year-old hasn’t been a great playmaker or scorer (although he improved from 10.8 points on 48.7 percent true shooting in his first two seasons to 12.6 points on 60.2 percent true shooting last season). Suggs’ value comes from him being a defensive monster. He probably wants more than the four years, $37 million Alex Caruso signed for in 2021 — but maybe that’s the market if he doesn’t have another great shooting season?
Sink or Sail
Did Kawhi accidentally shade the Clippers?
I’ll fully admit I have no idea what to make of the LA Clippers heading into this season. You may remember Paul George left them for Philadelphia this summer, when the Clippers cited the new second-apron luxury tax penalty zone as a hindrance in keeping PG. They tried to replace him by signing Kevin Porter Jr., Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn (guard, but a defender). They also expect Terance Mann to have a bigger role without George there. Maybe James Harden can channel that Houston Harden mode to help out?
The new era is off to a rough start, with Kawhi Leonard not being ready for camp. He missed the end of last season for the Clippers after playing 68 games, his most since 2016-17. Then, he got shut down from Team USA before the Olympics.
Kawhi Leonard on Clippers role, playing with James Harden and uncertain future https://t.co/2Q4qm1WOXc
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) October 8, 2024
Here is Tyronn Lue explaining why he started Kris Dunn Saturday, while sharing that Terance Mann will start vs Nets
Kawhi Leonard being week-to-week should open up a spot for Dunn or Mann. pic.twitter.com/5hWKfWHqxr
— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 7, 2024
The good news is that Leonard, asked Saturday about his health and the new roster additions, said he feels good and they’re working toward getting him back on the court. That’s what you want to hear if you have a rooting interest in the Clippers. What you don’t want to hear is his answer about who stood out among the new guys:
“Just the new guys. Watching them, the new additions we have, Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr., just so many young guys we brought in. Kai Jones last year. Just seeing how they could develop. So just watching them from Day 1 to Day 2 to Day 3. Seeing their progression. But nobody stood out to me so far.”
That’s … not ideal. The internet had fun with this quote because you’d like for him to prop up his new teammates. But in classic Kawhi fashion, he didn’t. It immediately reminded me of the story about Kawhi being told by a coach not to switch off a scorer in a game. When he asked why, Kawhi was informed his teammate wasn’t a good defender. That led to Kawhi wondering why his teammate was playing if he couldn’t guard. It’s perfectly Kawhi.
With a healthy Leonard, you could feel better about this Clippers thing. You could also have said that about every other season he’s been in Los Angeles. It makes more sense when he’s out there and Harden is running the show. Then, Jones or Porter or Batum can fill in solidly for George. Instead, they have to piece it together with guys who haven’t stood out to Kawhi so far. Maybe they’ll surprise everybody, but even the Play-In Tournament might not happen. Yikes!
Poster SZN!
Spurs rookie Stephon Castle caught a body
We here at The Bounce love to see people get dunked on. The name “The Bounce” has a lot of meanings, and one of them applies to the bounce players have to dunk all over a defender who is hoping to be a hero. Our first poster dunk (TikTok dunk? Viral dunk?) of the 2024 preseason happened last night: San Antonio Spurs rookie and No. 4 pick Stephon Castle decided to make a name for himself against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s exactly what he did.
The national champion from UConn took the ball in a secondary transition opportunity, saw an open driving lane on the left side of the floor and only Alex Ducas around the basket. Castle knew it was time to drop the 🔨:
He finished through contact to the left shoulder, reached way back with the right hand and finished the huge dunk. The best part is they cut to the Spurs bench, and we saw Keldon Johnson having a holy experience as he tried to hold back his teammates.
No wonder the Spurs love Castle so much. And I don’t mean the Nathan Fillion vehicle.
Bounce Passes
The “No Dunks” crew does what it absolutely does best: hit the over/unders for each team.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope explained to David Aldridge why he chose to sign with Orlando.
Charles Lee is trying to do the impossible: finally build a winning culture in Charlotte.
Most-clicked in Monday’s newsletter: Our readers love when it’s time for bold NBA predictions!
📫 Love The Bounce? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.
(Top photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images )
