Free Agent Rumors: LeBron, Rush, Galloway
After four days of breathless speculation about where Kevin Durant would land, KD is off the market, leaving the title of best available free agent to another superstar: LeBron James. We’ve hardly heard a word since July began about the status of LeBron, who said in June he’d return to the Cavaliers, but he’s technically not under contract. So it comes as no surprise that, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets, teams are calling to inquire about the Finals MVP. However, agent Rich Paul has been “politely” informing those teams that his client isn’t leaving Cleveland, says Stein.
Here’s more on several free agents around the NBA:
- The Timberwolves inquired about free agent shooter Brandon Rush on Monday, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Minnesota has reached out to a ton of players over the last several days, but so far Cole Aldrich is the club’s only free agent contract agreement.
- Although the Knicks rescinded Langston Galloway‘s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, the team still holds his Early Bird rights and could exceed the cap to re-sign him, notes Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
- While a report out of Spain (hat tip to Eurohoops.net) suggests that the Sixers have made a two-year, $20MM contract offer to veteran Real Madrid guard Rudy Fernandez, a league source denies that report to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com.
- Former NBA lottery pick Anthony Randolph, who has spent the last couple seasons playing for a Russian team, is receiving interest from NBA clubs, a source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
- According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the Warriors have pushed for a Ray Allen comeback since 2014, and will likely give the longtime shooting guard a call asking him about playing for the minimum this year.
Kevin Durant Leftovers: Warriors, FAs, Thunder
Kevin Durant dominated Fourth of July headlines this year, announcing on Monday that he has decided to sign with the Warriors later this week, rather than returning to the Thunder or heading to the Celtics, Heat, or Spurs. Many of the rest of Monday’s NBA headlines were directly correlated to Durant’s decision: Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut are both headed to the Mavericks, the Thunder may field trade offers for Russell Westbrook, the Spurs moved onto Plan B and locked up Pau Gasol, and Zaza Pachulia agreed to a deal far below his market value to join the Warriors.
In addition to those stories, we have a few more reactions and leftovers related to Durant’s signing, so let’s dive in and round up those items, sorted by KD’s new team and old team…
Warriors:
- In the wake of Durant’s decision, the Warriors were linked to several free agent bigs, with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reporting (via Twitter) that the team was eyeing Willie Reed and Dewayne Dedmon, while Marcus Thompson of The Bay Area News Group tweeted that Jermaine O’Neal is “game for a return” to Golden State. It was Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News that noted (via Twitter) the team’s interest in Pachulia, and it’s not clear whether or not that agreement will diminish the Dubs’ interest in those other low-cost bigs.
- A number of free agents have expressed interest in joining the Warriors on veteran-minimum contracts to help fill out the roster, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).
- In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Kennedy spoke to Draymond Green about the recruitment process for the Warriors and Durant. Meanwhile, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com reports that Andre Iguodala gave an “incredible pitch” during Golden State’s meeting with Durant last Friday.
- Sam Amick of USA Today goes a little more in-depth on how the Warriors landed Durant, providing some interesting details on Jerry West‘s involvement and how the Warriors’ two-hour meeting with Durant played out.
- As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated outlines, the Warriors were able to sell Durant on their unselfishness, “no-stars” culture, and their potential to win multiple titles together.
Thunder:
- Thunder owner Clay Bennett and GM Sam Presti both issued statements on Durant’s departure, and they were far more measured than the infamous comic-sans statement Dan Gilbert put out when LeBron James left Cleveland. “Kevin made an indelible mark on the Thunder organization and the state of Oklahoma as a founding father of this franchise,” Presti said. “We can’t adequately articulate what he meant to the foundation of this franchise and our success. While clearly disappointing that he has chosen to move on, the core values that he helped establish only lead to us thanking him for the many tangible and intangible ways that he helped our program.”
- Marcus Thompson (Twitter link) has heard chatter suggesting that it’s uncertain that Westbrook would have chosen to remain with the Thunder long-term even if Durant has stayed, which the Bay Area News Group columnist suggests may have played a role in KD’s decision.
- Royce Young of ESPN.com, however, suggests that the Thunder aren’t as worried about Westbrook leaving Oklahoma City as they were about Durant heading elsewhere, with one team source suggesting to Young that Durant’s departure may make Westbrook more compelled to stay in OKC. Of course, a lot can change between now and July 1, 2017, but Young writes that the Thunder will try to sell Westbrook on the fact that it’s his team now.
- Sources tell Young that the Thunder may take some time before making any significant roster decisions. Given how fast free agency moves, that might mean just taking a few days to think things through — it may not be long before the club has to decide on whether or not to match an offer sheet for Dion Waiters, for instance.
- In his aforementioned story for USA Today, Sam Amick notes that the Thunder believe they would have had a very good chance to sign Al Horford if Durant had returned, which makes KD’s departure an even more bitter pill to swallow.
- Also at USA Today, Amick conducted a Q&A with Presti focusing on Durant’s departure.
Mavs To Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki
After missing out on some of their top free agent targets early in July, the Mavericks have been active over the last couple days filling out their roster, and now the team is set to lock up its franchise player to a new contract. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Mavs have reached an agreement on the framework for a two-year, $40MM deal for Dirk Nowitzki. The second year of the deal will likely be a player option, per Stein.
[RELATED: Mavs, Harrison Barnes agree to four-year deal]
For Nowitzki, the new deal will represent a significant increase in salary on his last contract, which was worth $25MM over three years. The longtime Maverick opted out of the final year of that deal last month, choosing instead to work out a new, multiyear contract with Dallas. Although there were rumblings that the Warriors – and perhaps other teams – intended to reach out to Nowitzki, the Mavs were always the strong favorites to re-sign him.
Because Nowitzki was on such a modest contract, his cap hold this summer is only worth about $12.5MM. The Mavericks will have to keep that figure on their books as they absorb trade acquisition Andrew Bogut and finalize contracts for other free agent signees. However, once they use up their cap room, the Mavs will be able to go over the cap to finalize Nowitzki’s deal, which will have a salary closer to $20MM in 2016/17.
Although they missed out on top free agent targets like Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, the Mavericks have recovered reasonably well, agreeing to acquire Bogut from the Warriors for essentially nothing, and landing Harrison Barnes and Seth Curry in free agency. The team also reached agreements to bring back a pair of its own free agents, Deron Williams and Dwight Powell.
[RELATED: Mavericks’ free agent deals in our 2016 Free Agent Tracker]
Nowitzki turned 38 in June, but has continued to be extremely productive for the Mavericks, even as the team has slipped from title contention in recent years. In 2015/16, the German big man averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.7 3PG. Nowitzki’s field-goal percentage did slip to .448, his worst mark since his rookie season, but he shot a respectable 36.8% on three-pointers and continued to handle a significant offensive load for the franchise.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2016 NBA Free Agency: July 4 Recap
The Fourth of July started out slowly in terms of NBA free agent news, but after Kevin Durant announced that he would be leaving the Thunder to join the Warriors, the dominoes began to topple, and the rumor mill stayed busy the rest of the day.
In case you weren’t able to follow along with our updates throughout the fourth day of free agency, a recap of the day’s highlights can be found below. Going forward, be sure to keep tabs on our free agent tracker for all the latest updates on contract agreements for free agents.
Contract agreements:
- Harrison Barnes, F (Mavericks): Four years, max salary
- Kevin Durant, F (Warriors): Two years, max salary
- Pau Gasol, F/C (Spurs): Two years, $30MM
- Lance Thomas, F (Knicks): Four years, $27.3MM
- Tarik Black, F/C (Lakers): Two years, $12.85MM
- Ramon Sessions, G (Hornets): Two years, $12.3MM
- Sergio Rodriguez, G (Sixers): One year, $8MM
- Seth Curry, G (Mavericks): Two years, $6MM
- Roy Hibbert, C (Hornets): One year, $5MM
- Brandon Jennings, G (Knicks): One year, $5MM
- Luc Mbah a Moute, F (Clippers): Two years, $4.51MM
- Zaza Pachulia, C (Warriors): One year, $2.9MM
Trade agreements:
- The Warriors will send C Andrew Bogut and a 2019 second-round pick to the Mavericks in exchange for a future conditional second-round pick.
Other notable news/rumors:
- Tim Duncan is strongly leaning toward retirement.
- The Thunder may consider fielding trade offers for Russell Westbrook.
- The Cavaliers won’t match the Bucks‘ four-year offer sheet for Matthew Dellavedova.
- The Heat have put a two-year, $40MM offer on the table for Dwyane Wade.
- The Spurs are exploring a trade involving Boris Diaw as a way to create cap room.
- The Kings waived Caron Butler and Duje Dukan.
- The Knicks rescinded their qualifying offer to Langston Galloway, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- The Magic rescinded their qualifying offer to Dewayne Dedmon, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Previously:
And-Ones: Celtics, Mavs, Suns, Sixers
- The Mavericks are determined to retain center Salah Mejri despite trading for Andrew Bogut on Monday, according to David Aldridge of NBA com (Twitter link). Mejri’s approximate $875K salary for next season becomes guaranteed on July 12th if he remains on the roster.
- The Suns will give point guard Tyler Ulis, their second-round pick, the equivalent of a late first-round pick’s contract starting at approximately $1MM, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports. Ulis will receive two guaranteed years with two team option years, just as first-rounders get, Coro adds, though Phoenix is unsure whether Ulis can be the third point guard as a rookie.
- Former NBA guard Alvin Williams is working with the Sixers’ coaching staff during Summer League action, and is likely to remain on the club’s staff beyond the summer, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Latvian small forward Davis Bertans is negotiating a deal with the Spurs in the $1.3MM-$2MM range, according to international journalist David Pick. Talks have been ongoing since Friday between San Antonio and the 2011 draft-and-stash prospect, Pick adds (Twitter links). Bertans’ NBA opt-out, which expires in mid-July, is worth the standard $650K.
- The Nuggets have added Jordi Fernandez to their coaching staff, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Fernandez was head coach of the Cavaliers’ D-League team, the Canton Charge.
Russell Westbrook Going On Trading Block?
The Thunder may begin fielding offers for All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s decision to bolt to the Warriors, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
Oklahoma City is considering a renegotiation and extension of Westbrook’s current contract, which has one year remaining, sources told Windhorst. However, a league source informed David Aldridge of NBA.com that Westbrook, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, has no interest in doing that.
Thus, several league executives have opined to Windhorst that the Thunder will consider testing the market for Westbrook, who will make $17.77MM next season. The Thunder will take some time before making any roster decisions, Windhorst adds. If they gamble that they can re-sign Westbrook next summer, they may wind up losing both of their superstars without any compensation.
GM Sam Presti told Royce Young of ESPN.com and other members of the media during a press conference on Monday that Westbrook would embrace the challenge of playing without Durant.
“He’s a true leader that takes it on. And I think he’ll take this on as well,” Presti said.
With the rising salary cap, there is no real incentive for a max-level player like Westbrook to sign an extension, since he can easily make more money as an unrestricted free agent. Oklahoma City will have plenty of cap space next summer, as only Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler have guaranteed deals beyond next season.
Hornets Sign Roy Hibbert To One-Year Deal
THURSDAY, 11:22am: The Hornets have formally issued a press release to announce the signing of Hibbert.
MONDAY, 7:51pm: The Hornets and free agent center Roy Hibbert have agreed to a one-year, $5MM contract, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Hibbert averaged 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks with the Lakers last season. The former All-Star for the Pacers essentially replaces Al Jefferson, who agreed to a three-year deal with Indiana. The Lakers secured their starting center in the early hours of free agency by agreeing to a four-year, $64MM contract with Timofey Mozgov.
The Hornets have also been trying to trade Spencer Hawes and the remaining $11.7MM on his contract to clear salary-cap space, which will likely require them to include a future draft pick, league sources informed Wojnarowski.
Hibbert’s ability to protect the rim was the deciding factor in Charlotte’s decision to offer him a contract, Wojnarowski adds.
Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas To Four-Year Deal
FRIDAY, 2:16pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Thomas, the team announced today (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 7:10pm: The Knicks have reached a multi-year agreement with their restricted free agent forward Lance Thomas, a league source informed Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The contract is a four-year deal starting at around $6.1MM, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. That would make the contract worth approximately $27.3MM.
The 6’8” small forward, who has played five NBA seasons, averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes last season for New York while appearing in 59 games. He has also played for the Pelicans franchise and Thunder in his NBA career.
Thomas had received interest from the Thunder as well as the Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans in the free agent market.
Knicks Rescind Langston Galloway’s Qualifying Offer
The Knicks have rescinded their qualifying offer to shooting guard Langston Galloway, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources told Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Galloway’s qualifying offer was worth $2.725MM.
The move was likely made to fit Brandon Jennings‘ contract offer into cap space, Begley continues. The former Bucks, Pistons and Magic point guard agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal with New York on Monday. Galloway could still re-sign with the Knicks but rescinding the QO obviously reduces their bargaining power, since they could have matched an offer when he was a restricted free agent.
Galloway appeared in all 82 games in his second season with the Knicks, though he started just seven games. He averaged 7.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.8 minutes while shooting 39.3% from the field.
The club has not renounced free agent forward Lance Thomas, so it can use Early Bird rights to sign him to a contract worth a maximum of approximately $6.2MM, Begley adds.
Several teams have shown an interest in signing Galloway, and Thomas also has a number of suitors, including the Thunder, Timberwolves, Nets and Hawks, Begley previously reported.
Magic Rescind Dedmon’s Qualifying Offer
The Magic will rescind their qualifying offer to Dewayne Dedmon, making the 7-foot center an unrestricted free agent, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Dedmon had gone into the free agent market as a restricted free agent after the Magic made a qualifying offer of $1,215,696.
Dedmon, who will be entering his fourth season in the league, has received some interest from the Warriors, who are seeking a rim protector to round out their roster, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Removing Dedmon from their roster gives the Magic more wiggle room to sign Raptors free agent center Bismack Biyombo, who committed to Orlando for four years and $72MM.
The pending acquisition of Biyombo, along with the presence of Nikola Vucevic, made Dedmon expendable. Recently-acquired Serge Ibaka can also slide over to the middle, if necessary.
Dedmon appeared in 58 games with the Magic last season, including 20 starts. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.2 minutes.