Warriors-Josh Giddey

The Warriors are interested in a Jonathan Kuminga-Josh Giddey double sign-and-trade, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Would Golden State do that straight up? Would Chicago? Teams tend to overvalue their own players. I'd guess both teams would want a little more in return – which might mean the deal is roughly fair.

Kuminga would certainly welcome a fresh start elsewhere. Giddey might appreciate joining a better team.

Maybe there's room for everyone to escape their current stalemate with an exchange.

I'm unsure this is more than the Warriors being open to all options. But it does seem like a potentially viable option.

Golden State would've drafted Giddey No. 7 if Oklahoma City took Kuminga No. 6 in 2021, per Fischer. That's interesting. Probably only barely relevant for today, but interesting nonetheless.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have a reputation for not engaging in trade negotiations, the type of negotiations that can lead to deals, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Disclaimer: This comes from rival front offices that have their own interests – not Chicago's – at heart. Just because the Bulls won't make a trade that another team wants or event hat another team believes is good value for Chicago doesn't mean the Bulls are wrong.

That said, Chicago has looked directionless for years. If the Bulls can't articulate their goals and objectives in trade talks, that would certainly fit the team's general direction.

Regardless, however they're approaching trade negotiations, the Bulls certainly don't have a track record of completing positive deals.

Joe Mazzulla

The Celtics gave Joe Mazzulla a multi-year extension, the team announced.

Mazzulla got a new deal when his interim tag was lifted, replacing Ime Udoka, in 2023 – before Mazzulla guided Boston to a championship. In June, Brad Stevens said Mazzulla was under contract multiple years, leading to some speculation Mazzulla had a previous unannounced extension while head coach.

Regardless, Mazzulla is locked in even longer now.

John and Nate ranked Mazzulla No. 2 in their coach rankings. Mazzulla's limit-pushing style – from his demeanor to having his team launch 3s at unprecedented rates – has worked well in Boston. Now, he has job security as he adjusts to his first team without championship expectations.

Coaches

Now, just two coaches have not had a new deal announced since Monty Williams' market-shattering contract with the Pistons:

• 76ers' Nick Nurse

• Hawks' Quin Snyder

Immanuel Quickley

Immanuel Quickley's contract last summer has "totally screwed up restricted free agency," according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The Raptors gave Quickley a five-year contract worth $162.5 million-$175 million ($32.5 million-$35 million annually). Of course, the deal was initially reported as simply $175 million – making it sound even larger than it actually is.

Quickley is overpaid. His contract also loomed over extension talks last fall. Now, it's carrying over for the players who didn't get extensions. Teams don't want to repeat Toronto's mistake. Players don't want to accept less than Quickley got.

It's a thorny comp (and an embarrassment for the Raptors each time it gets brought up).

Rookie-scale extensions

At The Athletic, John Hollinger argues the new CBA's rule on incentives makes it more difficult to reach rookie-scale extensions. As we covered yesterday, incentives – even unearned ones – count toward aprons. Incentives were particularly useful for rookie-scale extensions, as young players have more variance in how they'll actually perform during the deal. Plus, incentives allow agents to leak a higher dollar figure while teams aren't necessarily on the hook for the full amount.

However, I'd argue the CBA change allowing all rookie-scale extensions to be for five years (rather than only extensions for max-salaried designated players) does more to cultivate extensions than the incentive rule does to curtail them. With five-year extensions, teams can more frequently offer life-changing financial security while still locking in the player to a team-friendly deal through his prime.

Beyond the big picture, Hollinger has a great look at the value of each rookie-scale-extension candidate.

Nikola Jokic

While they played together in 2022, Nikola Jokic told DeMarcus Cousins that Jokic might retire after his current contract, Cousins said on the Straight Game Podcast.

Jokic signed a five-year extension after that season. That deal will expire in 2028, when he's 33.

Players talk about retiring early FAR more often than they actually retire early.

Jokic obviously has interests outside basketball. Video of him tearing up when his horse won a race went viral this summer. I'm willing to put Jokic on the watchlist of players who might retire early, but don't take it too seriously.

Joker is literally a joker. And Cousins is a talker.

Sophomores

Jeremy Woo of ESPN ranks the most interesting sophomores for next season. I doubt Nate will object to No. 1.

-Dan Feldman