Latest On Jamal Crawford
12:44am: In addition to the teams mentioned below, the Sixers have also been in touch with Crawford, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPN.com. However, according to Markazi, despite the fact that Crawford was reportedly “disappointed” with the Clippers’ initial offer, the team remains optimistic that it can re-sign him.
11:47pm: There’s also mutual interest between the Cavaliers and Crawford, though it remains to be seen whether Cleveland has the spending flexibility to make it work, reports Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (via Twitter). The Cavs would likely have to make a mid-level offer to Crawford.
11:41pm: The Clippers agreed to new deals with two of their free agents on Saturday, but even though Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson will be returning, it appears Los Angeles might not be bringing the whole gang back together. The Clippers have made a contract offer to Jamal Crawford, but the veteran guard was disappointed with that offer, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Although Crawford is hardly a goner yet, he has drawn interest from several other teams around the NBA. According to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (via Twitter), there’s mutual interest between Crawford and the Warriors, who are waiting to see whether or not they have a shot to land Kevin Durant. Conversely, as today’s free agent agreements signaled, the Clippers have been told that Durant won’t be joining them, per Ben Bolch and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, the Nets have strong interest in Crawford, Mazzeo reports (Twitter link). Brooklyn is keeping a close eye on the shooting guard market, and is mulling the possibility of making a run at Allen Crabbe or Dion Waiters, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post tweets. Unlike Crawford, both Crabbe and Waiters are restricted free agents, meaning their current teams – the Blazers and Thunder – could match an offer sheet.
The Knicks, Mavericks, Magic, and Heat have also been mentioned as possible Crawford suitors this week, though at least a couple of those teams have gone in another direction at the shooting guard spot.
Eastern Notes: Wizards, Gortat, Sixers, Knicks
As the second day of NBA free agency nears an end, let’s check in on a few items from around the Eastern Conference…
- There are no indications at this point that the Wizards will explore trading Marcin Gortat after reaching an agreement to sign free agent center Ian Mahinmi to a four-year deal today, league sources tell J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com (Twitter link).
- With the Mavericks set to offer a four-year, maximum-salary deal to Harrison Barnes, the Sixers‘ pursuit of the RFA forward may soon end, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As Pompey observes, even if the 76ers put the same offer on the table, Barnes is likely to choose Dallas over Philadelphia. Of course, if they don’t land Kevin Durant, the Warriors may match any offer sheet for Barnes, regardless of which team it comes from.
- The Knicks struck a four-year deal with Courtney Lee on Saturday, and according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, new Knick Joakim Noah played a key role in recruiting the free agent shooting guard. “Noah has been talking to him since [Friday], and Courtney decided he wanted to be with the Knicks and they found common ground [in terms of salary],” the source said.
- Like Noah, Carmelo Anthony has been involved in the Knicks‘ recruiting offers and has been in touch this week with the team’s front office, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who notes that Anthony’s involvement is a sign that he’s pleased with the direction of the franchise.
Ben Simmons Signs Rookie Deal With Sixers
While free agent contracts can’t be signed during the July moratorium, first-round rookies are free to sign their deals, and No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons has done just that. Simmons tweeted out a photo on Saturday that showed him putting pen to paper and making his first NBA contract with the Sixers official.
The cap hold for Simmons had been equal to the rookie scale amount for the first overall pick, which is $4,919,300 for 2016/17. However, as I outlined last month, first-round picks nearly always sign for 120% of that rookie-scale figure, which is the maximum amount allowed. That means Simmons’ cap hit will increase to $5,903,160 now that he’s under contract.
Although some teams will wait to finalize their deals with their first-round rookies in order to maximize their cap flexibility, that shouldn’t be an issue from the Sixers, who are well below the cap and almost certainly won’t need to make use of that extra $1MM or so this summer.
Now that he’s officially under contract, Simmons is set to participate in Summer League option with the 76ers this month.
And-Ones: Durant, Gasol, Crawford
Kevin Durant has told teams he is meeting with that his decision will be made within the next 24-36 hours, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Durant’s meeting with the Celtics, one that reportedly featured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, ended just after 6:30pm, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge also tweets that Durant will meet with the Heat Sunday before meeting again with the Thunder. He is then expected to decide. According to Broussard, however, no decision has been made on whether Durant will meet again with the Thunder (Twitter link). Durant has also met with the Warriors, Spurs and Clippers.
Here’s more from a busy day around the league …
- The Raptors have emerged as another suitor for Pau Gasol, who may look to make a decision after Durant finds a home, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Wolves, Blazers and Spurs have expressed interest in Gasol, too, Stein relays (on Twitter).
- Al Horford‘s four-year, $113MM deal with the Celtics includes a player option after the third year, according to his agent Jason Glushon, Shelburne reports (ESPN Now link).
- The Clippers formally offered Jamal Crawford a contract on Saturday, according to Shelburne (ESPN Now link). The Wolves checked in on Crawford Saturday, but they are not close to offering, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- After losing Horford in free agency, the Hawks are expected to halt trade talks and will keep Paul Millsap, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Kings hold a team option for the second year on both of the two-year agreements for Arron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
- The Pelicans have expressed interest in Raymond Felton and New Orleans could be competition for the Mavs, who would like to re-sign Felton, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Mavs, Wolves, Pelicans and Spurs are among the teams that have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent Thomas Robinson, Kennedy tweets.
Clippers To Re-Sign Wesley Johnson
The Clippers plan to re-sign Wesley Johnson to a three-year, $18MM deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Johnson wisely elected for free agency last month.
Johnson would have earned $1,227,286 next season had he chose to opt in, but with the salary cap’s rise, he was able to cash in for much more. The move comes as no surprise, since team president and coach Doc Rivers has said that he wants to re-sign as many of the Clippers’ free agents as possible, and Johnson noted that he would prefer to remain in Los Angeles.
The Clippers also agreed to re-sign Austin Rivers on Saturday. Johnson, 28, appeared in 80 games for the Clippers in 2015/16, averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 20.8 minutes per outing with a shooting line of .404/.333/.652.
Mavs To Re-Sign Dwight Powell?
The Mavs and restricted free agent Dwight Powell are headed toward an agreement on a deal, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News reports. A deal would have to wait until Wednesday, as Sefko points out.
It’s unknown what the terms of a new deal would be, but given the marketplace, Powell could be in line for a deal starting in the $5MM range, Sefko writes. Powell, going into his third NBA season, averaged 5.8 points and 4.0 rebound in 14.4 minutes last year, playing 14.4 minutes per game.
An agreement would come as no surprise, considering Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told Sefko of Powell and swingman Justin Anderson last month, “They are two young cornerstone-type pieces. Big hearts. Great work ethic. Those two guys are a piece of the fabric. Our hope is that we can keep that young core going.”
Rockets, Eric Gordon Agree To Deal
The Rockets and Eric Gordon have reached an agreement, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The deal, which can be finalized next week, is worth $53MM over four years, Wojnarowski adds.
Gordon, 27, is a talented scorer when he’s healthy, having averaged 16.6 PPG with a .383 3PT% over the course of his eight-year NBA career. However, in those eight seasons, he has played just 417 total games, or about 52 per year. During his five seasons in New Orleans, Gordon never played more than 64 games in a season, having dealt with multiple injuries. Gordon averaged 15.2 points in 45 games for the Pelicans last season.
It’s quite clear that the Rockets are building around James Harden as an offensive-minded team under new coach Mike D’Antoni. Houston agreed to a deal with stretch four Ryan Anderson earlier on Saturday. Gordon and Anderson had been teammates with the Pelicans.
The lack of state income tax in Texas may have been an added incentive for Gordon, who also received interest from the Knicks and Grizzlies. New York ultimately reached a deal with Courtney Lee to fill the club’s opening at the two.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wizards, Ian Mahinmi Agree To Deal
The Wizards and Ian Mahinmi have agreed to four-year pact worth $64MM, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The Pacers tried to re-sign Mahinmi, but were not going to offer that kind of money, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star relays.
This is the second major move for the Wizards this offseason, following their agreement to re-sign shooting guard Bradley Beal to a five-year max, maximum-salary contract. The team was also linked to Al Horford, Luol Deng, and Jared Dudley, before those players reached deals with other teams.
A 6-foot-11 center, Mahinmi enjoyed the best season of his career last year at the age of 29. He averaged 7.1 rebounds per game and 9.3 points on 58.9% shooting. Mahinmi had served as a backup for seven previous seasons, so it remains to be seen whether or not his success is sustainable.
Mahinmi joins a Washington front court that already features Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat. He’ll be expected to help improve a defense that ranked No. 14 in efficiency, and also looks to be the replacement for Nene, who is an unrestricted free agent after having spent four seasons with the Wizards.
The Spurs, Timberwolves, Hornets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic were also mentioned as potential suitors for Mahinmi.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mavs Want To Ink Harrison Barnes To Max Deal
The Mavericks intend to sign Warriors restricted free agent Harrison Barnes to a four-year max offer sheet on July 7th, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. The Warriors can match an offer to Barnes, of course, and Stein adds that the Mavs understand Barnes will likely only be available to them if the Warriors land Kevin Durant.
[RELATED: Warriors expected to retain Barnes if they don’t sign Durant]
The Warriors would have three days to match any offer sheet Barnes signs. Barnes, 24, has been with the Warriors since the team drafted him in 2012. Barnes turned down a reported extension totaling $64MM before the 2015/16 season, as Stein points out in a full story. He then had his best campaign as a pro, averaging 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 66 games.
While Barnes can be inconsistent, he is one of the league’s best three-point shooters and has been a key part of the Warriors’ success the past two seasons. His versatility, age and athleticism makes him too intriguing for the Mavs to pass up, Stein writes.
Knicks Sign Courtney Lee
JULY 8: The Knicks have made it official with Lee, announcing that his deal has been signed (Twitter link).
JULY 2: The Knicks and Courtney Lee have agreed to a four-year deal, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The deal is worth $48MM and it’s fully guaranteed with no options, Michael Scotto of The Associated Press reports.
New York has been looking for a shooting guard to add to a starting rotation that is set to feature Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah. The Knicks were reportedly in the mix for Eric Gordon, with potentially disgruntled Heat star Dwyane Wade lurking as a fallback option, but landing Lee appears to be a more prudent pickup, given his consistent health.
“Excited to be a part of the Knicks and play in the Garden. The fans and city are amazing, and the team is ready,” Lee said, per Kennedy.
After agreeing to a deal with center Joakim Noah, the Knicks were projected to have approximately $12MM in cap space remaining, so Lee may be the team’s latest notable free agent addition. An unselfish two-way player with good shooting ability, the 30-year-old looks like a solid addition for New York.
Lee finished the 2015/16 season with the Hornets, appearing in 28 games after being acquired from Memphis and averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists during his time in Charlotte. He shot .445/.392/.885 from the field for the Hornets.
The Wolves, Kings, Nets and Hawks were all reported to be interested in Lee before he agreed to terms with the Knicks, though Atlanta and Sacramento have landed alternate targets in Kent Bazemore and Arron Afflalo, respectively.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.