While the offseason has all but wrapped up a number of teams around the NBA, there are still four relatively high-profile players – and the teams associated with said players – waiting to see what their fates will be.
As has been the case in recent years, restricted free agency has created protracted standoffs in negotiations involving two notable players: Nuggets forward Peyton Watson and Pistons center Jalen Duren.
Both Duren and Watson have reportedly considered accepting their qualifying offers in order to reach unrestricted free agency next season, where they would have more control of their destiny and a more open bidding process. However, given the size of the offers that the Pistons are reportedly willing to give Duren, people around the league believe it would be a mistake for the All-Star center to take the QO route.
The Nuggets are in a difficult position, as their decision to match the Thunder’s two-year offer sheet for Spencer Jones pushed them into the second apron and increased their projected luxury tax bill from $36MM to $68MM. Watson simply accepting the qualifying offer could push Denver’s tax hit to around $112MM next season.
That could incentivize a sign-and-trade for the talented wing who was considered a top candidate for last year’s Most Improved Player award before he got hurt, but the Nuggets wouldn’t be able to take back any players using Watson’s outgoing salary in such a scenario, which makes potential negotiations that much more difficult.
Bennedict Mathurin also finds himself in a difficult spot with the Clippers, whose attention would appear to be elsewhere at the moment as they await the verdict of the league’s investigation into cap circumvention regarding Kawhi Leonard and wait to see how that will impact the trade they made for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick. Should that deal go through as planned, the Clippers would already have 15 players under contract before considering a new deal for Mathurin, though Cam Christie‘s deal is non-guaranteed.
The Pistons and Bulls were two teams who were rumored to have interest in Mathuin, but both seem to have cooled off on their pursuit in recent weeks, leaving it unclear what the athletic wing’s top landing spots outside of Los Angeles might be. He has also been connected to the Pelicans, Bucks, and Mavericks, but Milwaukee may have higher-priority targets and Dallas’ interest wasn’t classified as “serious.”
Jonathan Kuminga, who finished last season with the Hawks, is an unrestricted free agent this summer, unlike the other three, but his camp has seemingly struggled to find suitors serious enough to offer the sort of salary he’s seeking. Kuminga averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game last year while splitting his time between Atlanta and Golden State.
The Kings have expressed interest in Kuminga this offseason; however, due to their current financial situation, they are rumored to be hesitant to offer anything more than a minimum contract, which has to this point been a non-starter for the 23-year-old forward.
In addition to the Lakers and Cavaliers, the Timberwolves have also been rumored to have interest as they continue to search for a starting-level power forward to be part alongside LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. Minnesota would also likely be limited to a minimum-salary offer or something close to it, but could the chance to start for a team with championship aspirations make up some of that ground?