David Weiner #🟦

Houston sports. Amateur NBA capologist. blogger/podcaster. #RedNationHero.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

@fyrebear Really hoping he can stay healthy. If so, he's a legit dude for the rotation and an absolute steal for a 10th man.

[Orlando Magic @OrlandoMagic]

We have signed free agent guards Malaki Branham and JD Davison.

→ https://t.co/aZaTs8kogb

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

@fyrebear I mean, there is no such think as a (Rose Rule) escalator in a non-max contract.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

Assuming the structure below, Amen's salary next year ($35.86M) will actually be LOWER than his cap hold would've been ($36.78M) had he not agreed to an extension.

[Yossi Gozlan @YossiGozlan]

Salary projections for Amen Thompson's five-year, $208 million deal.

Five-year max = $250 million at 25 percent of the cap.

The Rockets secure him at 22 percent of the cap.

Significant paradigm shift for a player of his caliber to get a rookie extension below the max.

[Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA]

Amen Thompson's extension with the Rockets comes in about $44M less than the 25% of the cap max. AAV of $41.6M vs $50.5M. That's decent flexibility for Houston moving forward and still a monster deal for Thompson.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

I was expecting something in the 5/$200M range but figured anything less than that would include a player option. HOU likely had to pay up a little to avoid a player option. By comparison, the Alpi, Jalen & Eason deals came in a little lower/shorter due to including a PO.

[Varun Shankar @ByVarunShankar]

Person with knowledge of the deal confirms the @ShamsCharania report that Amen Thompson agreed to a 5 year, $208 million extension with the Rockets.

The deal has no player or team options. Thompson is locked up through 2032 on a sub-max deal.

[Yossi Gozlan @YossiGozlan]

Salary projections for Amen Thompson's five-year, $208 million deal.

Five-year max = $250 million at 25 percent of the cap.

The Rockets secure him at 22 percent of the cap.

Significant paradigm shift for a player of his caliber to get a rookie extension below the max.

[Varun Shankar @ByVarunShankar]

Person with knowledge of the deal confirms the @ShamsCharania report that Amen Thompson agreed to a 5 year, $208 million extension with the Rockets.

The deal has no player or team options. Thompson is locked up through 2032 on a sub-max deal.

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

Just in: Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson has agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale contract extension with the franchise, sources tell ESPN. The new deal includes a 10% trade kicker.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

@gotmeadadbod @YossiGozlan Yes

[Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA]

Emergency ZL Show coming later tonight, but one detail for now -- sources say that in 2029 the Clippers will be forfeiting the Indiana Pacers pick obtained via the Zubac trade, but that the pick will not be returned to the Pacers.

[Yossi Gozlan @YossiGozlan]

Clippers updated first-round pick situation after being docked five first-round picks.

They go from 9 first-round picks to 4 over the next seven drafts.

Assuming the Stepien rule applies to forfeited first-round picks, they have 0 first-round picks available to trade.

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

Per NBA: The Clippers shall forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.

Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.

Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.

The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe -- stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN.

Kawhi Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits by the Clippers for his uncle and former business rep, Dennis Robertson. No contract void or suspension for Leonard. And Robertson -- who was fired by Leonard in June -- is being banned by the NBA from all business dealings.

[Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie]

Yeah this totally sucks. McCoy is such a fun player with his athleticism and energy. Plays super hard, good on defense, great downhill, physical driver. Hopefully he returns 100% in 2027-28. Think he likely would have been a lottery pick in 2027 had he not been hurt.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

Took in two great comedies today.

Saw ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ in the theatre this afternoon. Terrific. Can’t believe this movie almost never got released.

Just finished ‘Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie’. Absolutely genius level stuff! Hilarious!

[Chris A. White 🐻 @fyrebear]

The takeaway from this player archetype is, what do they do off ball? If their primary value is just "on ball" that isn't good enough unless you are a full on Star. These are players that have a hard time playing in a "team" construct and dont offer defensive value.

[Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA]

Rafael Castro's two-way contract with the Houston Rockets is a two-year deal, a league sourced told @spotrac.

[David Weiner #🟦 @BimaThug]

RIP, Dolly Parton. I've never been much of a country music fan, but I loved her music (which broke genre boundaries). She was a brilliant songwriter. She also was my first crush as a child, from when I first saw her in the movie '9 to 5'. The world just lost a great one.

[Variety @Variety]

Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Music, Dies at 80 https://t.co/rBvsrcs6FY

[Dolly Parton @DollyParton]

A message from the family of Dolly Parton.