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The large 4-team trade — that first made news towards the start of last week — is now complete, officially sending Jrue Holiday to the Bucks, George Hill to the Thunder, and Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to the Pelicans.
Trade complete:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
MIL: Jrue Holiday, No. 60 pick Sam Merrill
NOLA: Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, ‘25/'27 1sts, ‘24/'26 swaps via MIL
OKC: George Hill, Josh Gray, Kenrich Williams, Zylan Cheatham, Darius Miller, ‘23 protected 1st via Denver, two 2nd round picks
DEN: RJ Hampton
To make the money work and for the trade to be legal under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Pelicans added Josh Gray, Kenrich Williams and Zylan Cheatham to the framework, sign-and-trading the trio to the Thunder.
In the DEN-MIL-NOP-OKC trade, there are a few things to note:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 22, 2020
Kenrich Williams, Josh Gray & Zylen Cheatham all had to be S&T as part of they deal. They all got 3-year deals (likely non-guaranteed in years 2 and 3)
Darius Miller had his $7M contracts for 2020-21 guaranteed also
So, for all those who thought David Griffin might be sending too many assets Oklahoma City’s way for Adams, Hill and future draft compensation were likely part of the asking price for Sam Presti in adding three marginal players to their roster.
New Orleans’ roster currently stands at nine players (plus Naji Marshall on a two-way contract), but expect for Brandon Ingram to agree to a maximum contract offer, and Kira Lewis Jr. the 13th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, a rookie deal soon.
Here we are. I added in both exceptions. Ingram's max is still assumed but not yet reported.
— David Fisher (@Fish_TBW) November 22, 2020
Space is TIGHT if they use both the full MLE and the full BAE. I'd lean toward them not using one (the BAE) this season. Might not use the whole MLE either. pic.twitter.com/bAEZ4bnDWG
New Orleans is one of the few teams that have both exceptions available and roster spots open.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 22, 2020
Projected $6M below the tax if you factor in a lucrative contract for Brandon Ingram. https://t.co/nBjygBBzmH
With four roster spots remaining open but the free agent market looking scarce, stay tuned to see what the Pelicans’ front office does next.
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