Jazz Interested In Solomon Hill, Luol Deng
4:14pm: The Jazz are also expected to have interest in Heat forward Luol Deng, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Andy Larsen of KSL.com relays (via Twitter). It remains to be seen if Deng would be willing to accept a reserve role with Utah, given his longtime status as a starter in the league and the fact that the Jazz aren’t expected to be title contenders in 2016/17.
3:58pm: Solomon Hill was a first-round pick in 2013, but rather than heading for restricted free agency a year from now, he’ll reach the open market later as an unrestricted free agent this week, since the Pacers turned down his fourth-year option for 2016/17 last fall. According to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, the Jazz are one of the teams with interest in Hill, whose market will be “fertile,” per Jones’ source.
Hill, who started 78 games for the Pacers in 2014/15, moved back to a bench role this past season, and saw his minutes slashed significantly. In 59 games (14.7 MPG), Hill averaged 4.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and posted a .447 FG%.
Despite those modest numbers though, Hill is aiming high in free agency. As Jones explains, the 25-year-old is a versatile perimeter defender capable of playing shooting guard, small forward, and power forward, and he played his best ball in the playoffs this spring. In Indiana’s first-round loss to the Raptors, Hill was a crucial bench piece for the Pacers, averaging 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 57.9% from three-point range (he made 2.0 threes per game).
Add it all up and the former Arizona standout will be seeking between $9-13MM per year in free agency, according to Jones, who suggests that more than one team will be willing to meet that number. Jones hints that Utah could be one of those clubs, pointing out that the Jazz are well below the projected salary cap floor at the moment. Hill and the Jazz are believed to have mutual interest, Jones writes.
While the Jazz aren’t likely to offer Hill the opportunity to start, the free-agent-to-be is being advised to look for an ideal fit, not necessarily simply a spot in a starting lineup, sources tell Jones.
Sixers Have Serious Interest In Harrison Barnes
The Sixers intend to be “serious suitors” for Harrison Barnes when free agency opens later this week, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). While Barnes has yet to formally receive a qualifying offer from the Warriors, that QO is likely imminent, and will make him a restricted free agent.
Barnes, 24, has been a solid rotational piece for the Warriors since being selected seventh overall in the 2012 draft, shooting 37.6% on three-pointers and averaging double-digits in points over the course of his four-year career. However, he was inconsistent in the playoffs, no-showing in some key games down the stretch for Golden State. In the NBA Finals, Barnes shot just 35.2% from the floor, including 31.0% from three-point range, and many of those attempts were uncontested.
There has been speculation that Barnes will receive a maximum-salary offer sheet, or something very close to it, in free agency, which would be an awfully steep price to pay for a player who has never averaged more than 11.7 points per game in a season and has struggled in critical postseason moments.
Still, a rival suitor could make the case that Barnes’ evolution as a scorer has been limited in Golden State by the presence of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, arguing that a change of scenery could boost his offensive numbers. The Sixers also have no shortage of cap room. Before taking into account cap holds for first-round picks, Philadelphia has less than $25MM in guaranteed salary on its books for 2016/17. Most of the Sixers’ core pieces won’t get expensive for a few more years, so it may not hurt them to overpay Barnes — the team needs to reach the salary floor somehow.
As for the Warriors, they’ll have the opportunity to match any offer sheet for Barnes, but the club has been vocal about aggressively pursuing upgrades to its roster this offseason. The UNC product will be expendable if the Dubs can land Kevin Durant in free agency, and even if that doesn’t happen, Golden State may choose to go in a different direction rather than matching a huge rival offer for Barnes.
Western Rumors: Wolves, Pau, Spurs, Parsons
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has finalized the sale of shares of the franchise, bringing in two minority stake-holders, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. According to Windhorst, Taylor closed separate deals with Shanghai-based businessman Lizhang Jiang and New York-based real estate magnate Meyer Orbach. Per Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links), Jiang – the NBA’s first Chinese minority owner – purchased about 5% of the Wolves, while Orbach took on about 9.5%. News of these sale agreements first surfaced in April.
Taylor had previously been in talks to sell 30% of the Timberwolves to Grizzlies minority-share owner Steve Kaplan, and they were reportedly discussing a plan to have Kaplan eventually succeed Taylor as the Wolves’ primary owner. Windhorst suggests that deal has fallen apart, though Krawczynski tweets that there’s “still some optimism” that the two sides could eventually work something out.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Appearing on Chris Mannix’s podcast for The Vertical, Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that the Spurs are high on Pau Gasol, and could make him a priority in free agency this weekend (hat tip to Sportando). Pau’s brother Marc Gasol has previously advised his brother to sign with San Antonio.
- Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons conducted a Q&A with his followers on Twitter, and predictably, with just a few days to go until the recruiting period begins, there were several questions related to his free agency. As Adam Grosbard of The Dallas Morning News outlines, Parsons remained adamant that he’s worthy of a max contract. When asked why he feels he deserves such a deal, the veteran forward replied, “Cuz I’m really good at basketball.”
- In an in-depth piece, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News runs through the Mavericks‘ blueprint for free agency, which includes Plan A, Plan B, and Plan CP (the team’s alternatives at small forward should Parsons sign elsewhere).
- Although the Jazz front office likes the team’s core, Utah intends to fortify its roster via free agency or trades this summer, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. While the acquisition of George Hill was a start, GM Dennis Lindsey has more in mind, and has described the club’s approach to the coming offseason as “active” and “aggressive,” as Genessy details.
Cavs To Pick Up Team Option On Jordan McRae
The Cavaliers will exercise their team option for 2016/17 on guard Jordan McRae, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. The team’s decision, which was due later this week, will ensure McRae remains on the roster for now, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee him a roster spot for the regular season. According to Haynes, McRae’s ’16/17 salary isn’t fully guaranteed.
After initially signing McRae to a 10-day contract earlier in the year, the Cavs liked what they saw from the Tennessee product, ultimately inking him to a two-year deal. McRae didn’t see much action for the champs in the regular season or the playoffs — he briefly appeared in garbage time in two postseason games, and averaged 7.5 minutes in 15 regular-season contests.
Still, one of those in which McRae appeared was the regular-season finale, when the Cavs rested their regulars and gave their bench players an opportunity to start. McRae went off for 36 points in that game, easily a new career high.
Unlike most teams around the NBA, Cleveland doesn’t expect to have or use any room under the cap this summer. As such, turning down McRae’s option wouldn’t have freed up any cap space to sign a replacement, particularly since it’s only a minimum-salary option, worth about $875K. So it makes sense that the Cavs picked it up.
With McRae’s option set to be exercised, there are only a couple more team option decisions remaining, as our free agent list shows. NBA clubs typically don’t use team options in free agent contracts too often, since non-guaranteed salaries have a similar function, and give teams more flexibility, since they aren’t limited to a June decision deadline.
Hawks Want In On Kevin Durant Sweepstakes
Six teams – including the Thunder – have lined up free agent meetings with Kevin Durant so far, but there are still a handful of other clubs vying for the opportunity to sit down with the star forward. According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, one of those clubs is the Hawks, who are trying to “wedge their way” into the KD sweepstakes.
As July approaches, Atlanta’s top free agent priorities involve re-signing Al Horford and Kent Bazemore, but the Hawks are also working to convince Durant and his representatives to allow them to make a face-to-face pitch. According to Stein, the chances of such a meeting occurring appear dim for now, but Grant Hill – a member of the Hawks’ ownership group – is expected to lead the club’s lobbying efforts, giving Atlanta a glimmer of hope.
Atlanta’s pursuit of Durant may be a long shot, but if the team falls short in its pursuit of its top target, it has at least one more big-name free agent on its list of possible alternatives. Stein reports that the Hawks are strongly considering pursuing Atlanta native Dwight Howard, who will also hit the open market this week.
According to Stein, the Hawks would go after Howard with the idea of playing him alongside Horford in their frontcourt. However, Howard could also represent a viable alternative at center if Horford ultimately signs elsewhere. While Atlanta is optimistic about retaining the All-Star center, Horford is expected to draw interest from the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, Celtics, and Nets, among other teams, Stein writes.
The Hawks are currently projected to have about $47MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2016/17, which includes cap holds for their two first-round picks, but not Jeff Teague‘s $8MM salary. Even if the team re-signs Horford, there could still be room for another max or near-max salary.
Richard Jefferson Expected To Continue Career
Richard Jefferson has reconsidered his post-Finals retirement declaration, tweets Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, not only is Jefferson not retiring, but he’s now planning to play for two or three more seasons.
Jefferson’s retirement “announcement” came just minutes after Cleveland’s Game 7 win over Golden State, when he told reporters that his career was done, adding that it was a “hell of a way to go out.” A few days later, the veteran forward admitted that his decision to retire was hardly set in stone, adding that his Cavaliers teammates were trying to talk him out of it, and that it was “still up for debate.”
A Finals win with the Cavs would indeed have been a storybook ending for Jefferson, who turned 36 last Tuesday and hadn’t previously won a championship over the course of his 15-year NBA career. Still, he played a crucial role in Cleveland’s victory, playing key minutes in the postseason, including in the Finals. Coming off a season in which he appeared in 95 total regular-season and playoff games, Jefferson – a pending free agent – still looks to have something left in the tank.
While he inked a minimum-salary contract with the Cavaliers last year, Jefferson could very well receive larger offers this time around, with the salary cap set to increase by nearly $25MM per team. Of course, if his number one goal is to win a second title, he could also be happy settling for another minimum-salary deal for a contender. Either way, it appears Jefferson won’t be calling it a career quite yet after all.
Wizards Setting Sights On Ryan Anderson
After years of speculation about a return to D.C. for Kevin Durant, the Wizards have all but conceded that a Durant signing isn’t in the cards, and have moved on in their free agency plans, as we heard on Monday. And according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, one of the top targets next up on Washington’s wish list is veteran sharpshooter Ryan Anderson. Michael reports that the Wizards will “make an aggressive move” in the hopes of securing Anderson when free agency begins.
Anderson, a former 21st overall pick, has only played more than 66 games once in a season, but is coming off a solid year for the Pelicans. He averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, to go along with a shooting line of .427/.366/.873. Anderson’s ability to score from outside despite his 6’10” frame will make him a coveted free agent this summer.
According to Michael, Anderson is expected to wait for Durant’s decision before making a decision of his own, since many of the same teams currently in pursuit of KD could turn their attention to Anderson if they miss out on Plan A.
While the Wizards intend to be aggressive in their pursuit of Anderson, he’ll have plenty of other suitors and he won’t come cheap. As Michael writes, one general manager recently told him that Anderson could land a deal in the range of $17MM annually. Given the impending salary cap spike, something closer to a maximum-salary contract for the 28-year-old isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If the bidding goes that high, it would be problematic for the Wizards, says Michael.
Outside of the Wizards, teams expected to be among the contenders for Anderson include the Rockets, who reportedly hope to land one of Anderson, Durant, Hassan Whiteside, and Al Horford; and the Kings, who are said to have Anderson and Courtney Lee at or near the top of their list of free agent targets.
The Wizards are believed to have made a strong push to acquire Anderson from the Pelicans via trade at the deadline in February, but Washington didn’t want to give up the first-round pick that ultimately wound up going to Phoenix in the Markieff Morris deal, according to an April report from TNT’s David Aldridge.
Horford, Joakim Noah, and Darrell Arthur are a few other frontcourt free-agents-to-be expected to receive interest from the Wizards this offseason.
Magic Won’t Extend QO To Andrew Nicholson
The Magic will not extend a qualifying offer to Andrew Nicholson before this week’s deadline, meaning the 26-year-old will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent rather than as an RFA, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Nicholson, the 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft, had a solid rookie season in Orlando, averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game, with a .527 FG%. However, his role didn’t increase at all over the course of the next three seasons, and he has yet to repeat his PPG and FG% marks from that rookie year.
If the Magic had elected to make Nicholson a restricted free agent, it would have meant extending him a qualifying offer worth about $3.395MM, and it would have given the team the opportunity to match any offer sheet he signed with another team. Instead, Nicholson will be free to sign anywhere. His cap hold of approximately $5.951MM will still apply to Orlando’s books until the team renounces his rights or he signs a new contract.
While Nicholson won’t exactly be one of the most-coveted free agents on the market in July, he may draw interest from teams that believe he can be used better than he was in Orlando. After shooting no three-pointers in his rookie year, Nicholson did try to develop a long-distance shot in subsequent seasons — he made 41 of 114 three-point attempts (36.0%) in 2015/16, which could appeal to potential suitors.
New York Rumors: Knicks, Mozgov, Nets, Crawford
Following the trade that sent Robin Lopez to Chicago in a package for Derrick Rose, the Knicks will be focused more on frontcourt players than guards in free agency. Joakim Noah has frequently been mentioned as a target for New York, but he’s not the only free-agent-to-be big man from an Eastern rival that the Knicks will be eyeing.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, some members of the Knicks organization are high on Timofey Mozgov, who will be on the team’s radar during the free agent period. As Begley observes, Mozgov would be similar to Lopez in that he wouldn’t require touches, and would provide rim protection and rebounding. And while his upside isn’t as high as Noah’s, Mozgov is younger and healthier than the longtime Bull.
Here’s more on the two New York teams, as they prepare for free agency:
- The Nets will enter July armed with a ton of cap space, and according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), there’s mutual interest between Brooklyn and free agent guards like Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings. Having agreed to send Thaddeus Young to Indiana, the Nets could have enough cap room for two max free agents, but it’s probably more likely that they spread that room out to sign a few players.
- Another free agent guard, Jamal Crawford, is anxious, but excited, for free agency to begin, as Dan Woike of The Orange County Register details. Woike reports that Crawford has a meeting scheduled with the Clippers, but is also expected to receive interest from the Knicks and Nets, among other teams. The Heat, Raptors, Mavericks, and Magic may also have interest in Crawford, per Woike.
- The Nets were one of three teams to have a traded player exception expire within the last few days, with their $1.358MM TPE going unused. The Hornets had two small trade exceptions expire, while the Grizzlies lost a minuscule TPE. The details on those four exceptions can be found here.
Six Teams Solidify Meetings With Kevin Durant
8:08pm: Durant will not meet with his hometown Wizards, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. The Wizards have already moved on with their free agency plans, as league sources told Michael that the idea of returning home “doesn’t resonate” with Durant.
MONDAY, 12:41pm: Durant and his representatives have now scheduled meetings with the Celtics, Clippers, and Heat, bringing the total number of meetings on tap for KD to six, reports ESPN’s Chris Broussard. A meeting with the Knicks also remains in play, but hasn’t yet been confirmed.
FRIDAY, 10:44pm: The Warriors, Spurs and Thunder will be the first three teams to land face-to-face recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein adds that the meetings will take place next week and more teams are expected to be granted an opportunity to make a pitch. Durant’s representatives are working to solidify meetings with the Celtics, Clippers and Heat in addition to the aforementioned teams, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports.
Both the Warriors and Spurs are planning on having key members of their respective organizations in attendance, Stein adds. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be among the attendees for Golden State’s pitch, while San Antonio will have Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan among the attendees at its meeting. Sources tell Stein that the Warriors believe their chances of landing Durant have increased as a result of losing to the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Earlier this week, a source suggested to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the Warriors appear to be the biggest threat to land the 2013/14 MVP should he leave Oklahoma City.
Durant is expected to have his agent Rich Kleiman and a few family members and friends alongside him during the initial meetings. The meetings are expected to take place in New York, according to Wojnarowski, although teams are still awaiting official word. It was reported last week that the meetings would take place in Los Angeles, where Durant owns a home.
The Knicks and Lakers remain hopeful about getting a meeting, Stein adds. Despite no definite report of a future meeting with Durant, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets that the Knicks are expected to get one.
The Rockets are not expected to get serious consideration, as was previously reported, and Stein adds that the Wizards are not optimistic about their chances of landing Durant.
Durant’s top priority for a destination remains competing for a championship and doing it immediately. A source tells Wojnarowski that Durant has plans to go on a publicity tour starting on July 9, and he expects to make a decision before that date.