Pacific Notes: Suns, Young, Lakers, Clippers
The Suns made a modest splash in the free agent pool earlier this week, agreeing to terms on a three-year, $30MM contract with veteran sharpshooter Jared Dudley. However, that deal with Dudley may be both the beginning and end of Phoenix’s summer spending spree, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. As Coro explains, the Suns are focused on developing a young core of players, rather than courting big-name free agents. The team still may explore the market for a wing player with some size, and could re-sign Ronnie Price, but there will likely be no more major expenditures.
Here’s more from around the Pacific division:
- While Nick Young still has two years remaining on his contract with the Lakers, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s traded, or even waived, before training camp gets underway, says Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times.
- Hours before word broke that Jamal Crawford had reached a deal to re-sign with the Clippers, a report indicated that the veteran guard received a “significant” offer from the Sixers. However, a league source denied to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the 76ers made such an offer, prompting Pompey to wonder if Crawford’s camp used Philadelphia for leverage in an effort to get the Clippers to improve their offer.
- Austin Rivers, another Clippers guard who struck a deal with the team this weekend, described the negotiating process as “weird” and “stressful,” as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com details. Rivers went through the rare experience of negotiating a deal with his father, Clippers president of basketball operations Doc Rivers. The younger Rivers also acknowledged that if Kevin Durant had wanted to join the Clippers, Rivers would be heading elsewhere at this point.
2016 NBA Free Agency: July 3 Recap
Sunday was another eventful day in NBA free agency, and while the big decision – Kevin Durant‘s – has yet to be made, several more free agents reached agreements with teams, tentatively taking themselves off the open market.
In case you weren’t able to follow along with our updates throughout the third 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:
- Tyler Johnson, G (Nets): Four years, $50MM (offer sheet)
- Jamal Crawford, G (Clippers): Three years, $42MM
- Dwight Powell, F (Mavericks): Four years, $37MM
- Rajon Rondo, G (Bulls): Two years, $28MM
- Andrew Nicholson, F (Wizards): Four years, $26MM
- Garrett Temple, G (Kings): Three years, $24MM
- Cole Aldrich, C (Timberwolves): Three years, $22MM
- Matt Barnes, F (Kings): Two years, $12MM
- Deron Williams, G (Mavericks): One year, $10MM
- Tomas Satoransky, G (Wizards): Three years, $9MM (draft-and-stash)
- James Ennis, F (Grizzlies): Two years, $6MM
- Malcolm Delaney, G (Hawks): Two years
Trade agreements:
- The Jazz will send G Trey Burke to the Wizards in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick.
Other notable news/rumors:
- Kevin Durant has conducted all of his free agent meetings and will make a decision on Monday. It doesn’t sound as if any team besides the Clippers has been formally removed from the running, but the Thunder and Warriors remain the favorites, with the Celtics, Heat, and Spurs lurking.
- If the Spurs don’t land Durant, there’s a good chance they’ll reach a deal with Pau Gasol.
- Manu Ginobili will return to the NBA for at least one more season.
- A report that Allen Crabbe and the Nets have reached an agreement on an offer sheet was refuted, but Crabbe will meet with Brooklyn this week.
- The Warriors have agreed to hire Mike Brown as their lead assistant coach.
- Sixers first-round pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has signed his rookie contract.
- The Kings are rescinding their qualifying offer for Seth Curry, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Previously:
Free Agent Rumors: Wade, Pau, Spurs, Knicks
While the Nuggets continue to pursue Dwyane Wade, the Knicks and Bulls appear to be unlikely suitors for the veteran guard after having committed significant chunks of leftover cap room to other players, writes ESPN’s Marc Stein. Wade’s reps have also reached out to the Mavericks, and a meeting with the Bucks is expected to take place this week, but it would still be a surprise if the former Finals MVP signs with any team besides the Heat.
Here are a few more free agent updates and rumors from around the NBA:
- Assuming Kevin Durant doesn’t sign with the Spurs, Stein (Twitter link) expects San Antonio to sign Pau Gasol. A handful of other teams, including Minnesota, Portland, and Toronto, have been linked to Gasol, but it sounds like there’s plenty of mutual interest between the Spurs and the free agent big man.
- The odds of Lance Thomas re-signing with the Knicks are “better than 50-50,” a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to that source, Thomas has received at least two offers that would exceed what the Knicks could give him, but the forward’s preference is to remain in New York. In addition to previously-reported suitors like Minnesota and Oklahoma City, the Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans are also interested in Thomas, per Berman.
- Having reached deals with a center (Joakim Noah) and a shooting guard (Courtney Lee), the Knicks‘ next priority will be finding a viable backup at point guard, writes Newsday’s Al Iannazzone.
Sixers Sign Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
The Sixers made three picks in the first round of last month’s draft, and the team has already locked up two of those rookies, signing them to their rookie deals. The team issued a press release earlier today confirming the signing of No. 1 pick Ben Simmons and announcing that Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is now under contract as well.
The No. 24 pick of this year’s draft, Luwawu-Cabarrot was the second of Philadelphia’s three first-rounders, joining Simmons and 26th overall pick Furkan Korkmaz. Luwawu-Cabarrot and Simmons have become the first two draftees from this year’s class to formally put pen to paper on their deals, though second-rounder Patrick McCaw reportedly reached an agreement with the Warriors as well.
Luwawu-Cabarrot, a French forward, spent last season playing for Mega Leks in the Adriatic Basketball Association. In 28 games, he averaged 14.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.7 SPG, while shooting 37.2% on three-point attempts. Assuming he signs for the maximum 120% of the rookie scale, Luwawu-Cabarrot will earn $1,326,960 in his rookie season, with a four-year rookie contract worth $6,689,604, as I outlined here.
Both Simmons and Luwawu-Cabarrot will participate in Summer League action for the Sixers.
Latest On Kevin Durant
9:59pm: The Heat are still alive in the race for Durant, according to a tweet from InsideHoops.com. A source says the theory that Durant is deciding between the Thunder and Warriors is untrue.
8:43pm: Durant was impressed by the Celtics’ presentation on Saturday and is still “seriously considering” signing with Boston, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.
7:55pm: Durant is not expected to make an announcement before Monday, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The final decision will come down to the Thunder and Warriors, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A source close to the Warriors told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that Golden State pitched “culture, dynasty, style of play” to Durant, but the source wouldn’t be surprised if he stays in Oklahoma City (Twitter link).
3:25pm: Durant spoke over the phone with Warriors executive Jerry West yesterday, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News tweets. A source told Kawakami that Durant likes the Warriors, but is unsure about leaving the Thunder (Twitter link). Nevertheless, Durant is strongly considering the Warriors and his decision will be released on the Players’ Tribune, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
9:05am: Kevin Durant plans to make a decision tonight or Monday, but that’s the only certainty as he prepares to meet his fifth and final suitor, writes Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Heat representatives will get the last chance to woo Durant this afternoon, following the Celtics and Spurs, who met with him Saturday, and the Warriors and Clippers, who had meetings Friday. The Thunder have requested a final session with Durant, but he and his representatives have not decided whether to grant that.
Officials from the four teams that have talked with Durant so far haven’t been able to determine whether he is leaning toward any of them, Broussard reports. He speculates that the Clippers may have taken themselves out of the running Saturday night by using a big chunk of their cap space on the three-year, $35MM deal they gave to Austin Rivers.
The Celtics may have improved their bargaining position with Saturday’s commitment by Al Horford, according to Broussard. Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, had been trying to convince Horford to join Durant in Oklahoma City, and there may be incentive now to team them up in Boston. However, a source told Broussard that while the Horford addition may enter into Durant’s decision, it won’t be a major factor.
Miami will send owner Micky Arison, chief exective officer Nick Arison, team president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, GM Andy Elisburg and executive Alonzo Mourning into today’s session with Durant, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Meeting Durant so close to his deadline puts the Heat in a difficult position, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, who says Riley’s main goal may be to dissuade Durant from choosing the Celtics.
Jackson says the Heat consider themselves an underdog for Durant, but they have several strategies to take on his $26.5MM first-year salary if he does choose Miami. The easiest would be to trade Goran Dragic and Josh McRoberts without taking salary back, start Hassan Whiteside‘s contract at $20MM rather than $22MM and try to convince Dwyane Wade to accept the approximately $16MM still left.
Durant reportedly flew to Boston on Friday to visit the city, then made a return flight with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, according to a report from CSNNE. The Celtics were happy with the active role that Brady played in the Durant presentation, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI. Brady joined the Celtics’ contingent along with co-owner Steve Pagliuca, president Danny Ainge and players Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 6/27/16-7/3/16
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
Is Dwyane Wade to the Cavs to reunite with LeBron James a possibility now that cap is announced? — Michael Rodriguez
As much as they may want to team up again, the Cavaliers don’t have the cap room to make such a move even thinkable. Cleveland is paying $54MM in luxury taxes and has more than $74MM committed in payroll for next season, without factoring in James, J.R. Smith or Richard Jefferson. James and Wade joining forces again may be fun to think about, but it’s no more realistic than LeBron’s “superteam” fantasy of someday teaming up with Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
With the moves the Lakers are making, does this mean that the pick the Sixers have from the Lakers next year [top 3 protected] is worthless? Are the Lakers now not a lottery team? — Anthony
The pick may be worth a little less, but it’s a long way from being worthless. Remember, this is a Lakers team that won just 17 games this season, lost Kobe Bryant and underwent a coaching change. Adding Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng is certainly an upgrade, as is the drafting of Brandon Ingram, but the Lakers have a long way to go to be considered a playoff team. They have a talented young core with a few veterans mixed in, but the Sixers will almost certainly be holding their lottery pick next June.
What in the world does the Magic depth chart look like now? — Pastor Mike Chandler
It looks really good from here, pastor. Orlando added two elite shot blockers with the trade for Serge Ibaka and the signing of Bismack Biyombo. They also kept Evan Fournier, signed a versatile forward in Jeff Green and a veteran point guard in D.J. Augustin and sent a 2019 second-round pick to the Pistons for Jodie Meeks. That’s a lot of talent and experience added to what was already a promising young roster. The Magic should be one of the league’s most improved teams in 2016/17.
Heat Notes: Johnson, Wade, Haslem, McRoberts
The poison-pill contract that the Nets offered to Tyler Johnson will be difficult for Miami to match, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Johnson will receive $50MM over for years, but the deal is heavily backloaded so that most of the money comes in the third and fourth seasons. The payout is $5.628MM in the first season and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four. The Heat already have $70.3MM committed for the 2018/19 season among Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic. Miami will also need cap space in those years to keep Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson. Heat officials will have three days to make their decision once Johnson signs his deal with Brooklyn, but Whiteside and Richardson have already posted farewell messages on social media (Twitter links).
There’s more tonight out of Miami:
- The Bucks will meet with Dwyane Wade sometime after the Fourth of July, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Wade began looking at other teams after being unhappy with Miami’s initial contract offer. Milwaukee doesn’t have room to sign Wade to the deal he wants, but it could if it finds a taker for Greg Monroe (Twitter link).
- If the Heat give approximately $20MM to Wade and don’t land Kevin Durant, they will have to fill the roster with a $2.9MM room exception and minimum contracts, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Most of the room exception may be needed to re-sign Udonis Haslem. Miami hasn’t pursued Gerald Green since free agency began, but he could become an option if there’s nobody better at a minimum salary. The team appears to have no interest in bringing back Dorell Wright.
- Miami may want to think twice about sacrificing Josh McRoberts for cap room, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat may have to move his nearly $5.8MM salary for 2016/17 to create enough cap space to meet Wade’s demands, but if they keep the veteran big man, he might be the starter at power forward next season if Bosh isn’t healthy.
Kings To Sign Matt Barnes
Free agent forward Matt Barnes will sign with the Kings, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The deal is for $12MM over two seasons, with a player option on the second year, according to James Ham of CSNCalifornia (Twitter link). Sacramento rescinded its qualifying offer to Seth Curry earlier in the day to create room for Barnes.
Barnes, who spent one year in Sacramento during the 2004/05 season, played for the Grizzlies last year, averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 76 games. He earned $3,542,500 during his lone season in Memphis.
It’s uncertain how the signing will affect the Kings’ plan for Rudy Gay, who is rumored to be the subject of trade talks with the Pacers. Sacramento gave up another wing player on draft night when it traded Marco Belinelli to the Hornets.
Kings To Rescind QO For Seth Curry
7:12pm: The Kings rescinded Curry’s offer so they could sign another veteran player, tweets James Ham of CSNCalifornia.
5:28pm: The Kings plan to rescind their qualifying offer for Seth Curry, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Curry would have made 1,215,696 under the offer
Curry developed into a rotational player for Sacramento this season, appearing in 44 games and starting nine. He averaged 6.8 points per night and shot 45% from 3-point range. He made $947,276 during 2015/16.
The Kings considered Curry expendable after they agreed to terms with free agent point guard Garrett Temple earlier today.
Bret Brielmaier To Join Nets’ Staff
Cavaliers assistant Bret Brielmaier will join the Nets’ coaching staff, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. His hiring will complete the staff of new Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, who was hired in April.
Brielmaier has been an assistant in Cleveland for the past three seasons. He worked under Mike Brown, David Blatt and Tyrone Lue.
Brielmaier started his NBA career with the Spurs in 2009/10 as a player development assistant and was later promoted to video coordinator.