Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Anderson, Mahinmi
Kevin Durant‘s meeting with the Clippers has concluded, and Durant was “blown away” by the team’s presentation, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). It’s hard to know yet exactly what that means, since Durant was also reportedly impressed with the Warriors‘ pitch earlier in the day — it would probably be more newsworthy if Durant had been unimpressed by one of the teams’ presentations. In any case, the former MVP has sit-downs with the Spurs and Celtics on tap for tomorrow, then is expected to meet with the Heat on Sunday – and possibly the Thunder again after that – before making his decision.
Let’s check in on a few more free agent updates from across the NBA…
- The Raptors had a meeting today in Los Angeles with free agent forward Ryan Anderson, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Times. Toronto inquired on Anderson at the trade deadline as well, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, but the team would have to clear salary from its cap – and possible let Bismack Biyombo go – in order to have any shot at signing him.
- Ian Mahinmi won’t return to Indiana, with the Pacers set to add Al Jefferson, but Mahinmi has no shortage of suitors, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). Aldridge identifies the Spurs, Wizards, Timberwolves, Hornets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as clubs in the mix for the free agent center.
- The Nets have put a two-year, $18MM offer on the table for Jared Dudley, who is still receiving interest from the Jazz and Suns, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
- The Spurs, Nets, and Bulls have expressed interest in free agent big man Jordan Hill, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
- The Timberwolves have been very active, reaching out to many free agents during the first day of July. Jamal Crawford and Randy Foye were among the players to receive a call from the Wolves today, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune, respectively (Twitter links).
- Veteran big man Kris Humphries is a strong candidate to return to the Nets, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Brooklyn was one of six teams mentioned as a potential Humphries suitor earlier today.
And-Ones: Turner, Whiteside, Parsons, Rubio
In an interesting interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Evan Turner explained how he ended up reaching an agreement with the Trail Blazers earlier today, expressing confidence that he’ll be a great fit in Portland. Turner suggested that he’d “play in Boston every single day of the week” if all other factors were equal, but the Celtics would have only have offered him about half what the Blazers did, and the C’s likely would’ve reduced his role as well.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Hassan Whiteside‘s max salary isn’t set in stone yet, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald, who tweets that the young center would be willing to take a little less if Kevin Durant wants to sign with the Heat.
- Chandler Parsons called his decision to sign with the Grizzlies the toughest of his life, calling Portland “incredible” and citing Memphis’ coaching staff as a major factor in his choice. Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com has the quotes from Parsons.
- Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press is skeptical that the Timberwolves will trade Ricky Rubio this summer, tweeting that head coach Tom Thibodeau wants to work with the point guard. Krawczynski expects Rubio to be on Minnesota’s roster when training camp rolls around.
- Dubbed last week as the favorites to reach a deal with Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, the Nets are are still trying to get a deal done with Rodriguez, but sources tell Mike Mazzeo and Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that an agreement looks “unlikely.”
- The Thunder issued a press release today confirming the hiring of Adrian Griffin as an assistant on Billy Donovan‘s staff, as was reported last month. Vin Bhavnani and former NBA guard Royal Ivey also received promotions and are now assistant coaches, per the team.
Knicks, Grizzlies Targeting Eric Gordon
7:43pm: The Grizzlies only have about $8MM+ in cap room, but would make an effort to clear more space if Gordon decides he wants to sign with the team, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
6:58pm: Gordon is expected to finalize an agreement tonight, according to Scott Agness of VigilantSports (Twitter link), who says Gordon’s choice is down to the Knicks and Grizzlies.
1:42am: The Knicks are reportedly nearing an agreement with one of the top free agent bigs on the market, Joakim Noah, and have now identified a top perimeter target as well. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), the Knicks are focusing on Eric Gordon and are discussing the parameters of a possible contract.
Marc Berman of The New York Post reported earlier in the evening that Derrick Rose has reached out to Gordon in an attempt to recruit him to New York. A source informed Berman that the idea of pursuing the veteran shooting guard is gaining traction within the organization.
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.
While Gordon’s injury history will likely scare some potential suitors away, those health concerns could also help keep his price down. Even if they finalize a deal with Noah, the Knicks should have in the neighborhood of $15MM in cap space available to address their backcourt or wing spots.
The Magic are also expected to have interest in Gordon, along with the Rockets, Pelicans, and Grizzlies.
Latest On Dwyane Wade
7:08pm: Wade is in contract talks with the Knicks and Bucks, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wade has a meeting scheduled with the Bucks that will take place sometime next week, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on Twitter. A meeting with the Knicks could take place next week as well, Windhorst adds.
Sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Wade wants to be compensated for the pay cuts he took in Miami. The Heat remain optimistic about bringing Wade back and their plan is not to replace him with Durant should the 2013/14 MVP sign with Miami. If that happens, the team would look to trade Goran Dragic and Josh McRoberts in an attempt to financially take care of Wade.
The Knicks likely won’t have the cap space necessary to provide Wade with his desired contract, after agreeing to sign Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72MM deal, as Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Of course, Noah’s deal won’t be finalized until after the moratorium, so the possibility of the big man agreeing to take less with the intent of bringing Wade to New York exists.
Wade seems like a strange fit for the Bucks, but he did play his college basketball at nearby Marquette University. Still, after agreeing to sign both Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic, Milwaukee will likely have to make a corresponding move to offer Wade a sizable contract.
9:26am: Dwyane Wade‘s contract standoff with the Heat has given other teams hope of signing him, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Several GMs believe the situation in Miami is becoming serious and have submitted multi-year offers to Wade’s representatives. Some are planning phone calls with Wade today in an effort to get him to end his 13-year association with the Heat (Twitter link).
Miami has been unable to give Wade a firm offer because of the uncertainty surrounding free agent center Hassan Whiteside and the team’s pursuit of Thunder free agent Kevin Durant. The Heat resolved the Whiteside situation early this morning when the parties agreed on a four-year maximum deal. They will meet with Durant on Sunday.
It was reported earlier this week that Wade became frustrated after his initial talks with Miami and instructed his agents to contact the Spurs and Mavericks about his possible availability. Wade also had contentious talks with the Heat last summer before agreeing to a one-year deal worth $20MM. The 34-year-old averaged 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 74 games this season.
Western Rumors: Anderson, Rockets, Bazemore
The Rockets are scheduled to meet with Ryan Anderson on Saturday morning, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Kings are also still in the mix for Anderson, writes James Ham of CSN California — Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that Sacramento reached out to the veteran forward right when free agency opened last night. According to Amick (via Twitter), Anderson still has at least four serious suitors, including Houston and Sacramento.
Here are several more free agent rumors and updates from across the Western Conference:
- The Timberwolves have expressed “strong interest” in Kent Bazemore, according to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Minnesota is in the market for a veteran wing, having reached out to Luol Deng as well. Of course, the Wolves also made an effort to trade for Jimmy Butler during last week’s draft.
- The Jazz are scheduled to have a second meeting today with free agent sharpshooter Jared Dudley, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Jones cautions that both sides still have multiple options in play, with Dudley generating “real interest” from the Suns too.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that he keeps hearing the Kings don’t intend to sign Rajon Rondo.
- With his free agency underway, Trail Blazers RFA Allen Crabbe has changed his representation, hiring Aaron Mintz and Ty Sullivan of CAA Sports, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
- The Spurs have expressed some interest in free agent big man Willie Reed, sources inform Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Dewayne Dedmon, a Magic restricted free agent, has drawn interest from the Warriors, a source tells Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Latest On Al Horford, Celtics
The Celtics will meet with Al Horford later tonight in Atlanta and the team intends to put a max offer on the table, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder will be among the attendees present at the meeting, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders and Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter links).
Danny Ainge seems confident about his chances of signing Horford, as Evan Turner told Himmelsbach (full-length piece). Ainge told Turner that he was interested in having Turner re-sign with the team, but Boston was going to go after Horford and Kevin Durant before making an offer to the versatile wing. Turner worked out with Kyle Korver on Thursday and Korver told him that Horford would be re-signing with Atlanta. However, earlier today, Turner received a text message from Korver, asking him to call, and Turner had a sense that something had changed, Himmelsback writes. The Hawks signed Dwight Howard to a three-year, $70MM deal today, so perhaps the franchise was under the same impression.
Horford reportedly met with the Rockets earlier today and it’s unclear if any other teams have sat down with the former Florida Gator. Horford reportedly would like to stay in Atlanta and the team would like to bring the big man back. However, the team’s reluctance to offer a fifth year may drive Horford to sign elsewhere, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com previously reported.
The Celtics have a meeting lined up with Durant on Saturday and if they can sign Horford, that would make Boston a more desirable destination for the 2013/14 MVP either this summer or next, Bulpett adds. Boston has relatively easy path to opening up enough cap space to sign both Horford and Durant to max contracts. The team would simply need to decline Jonas Jerebko‘s and Amir Johnson‘s respective team options and renounce the rights to both Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller.
Horford would be a perfect fit in Boston, as one anonymous coach told Bulpett. “Look at what they were trying to do with [Jared] Sullinger, and now put a guy in that spot who can make the shots. That would change their offense big-time,” the coach told Bulpett.
In addition to the Celtics, Hawks, and Rockets, Horford is receiving interest from the Thunder, Lakers, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, and Nets. The Heat were reportedly interested, but they are likely out of the running after agreeing to re-sign Hassan Whiteside.
Magic Sign Jeff Green
JULY 7: The Magic have officially signed Green, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1: After acquiring one former Thunder forward in a trade last month, Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan has now agreed to sign another former Oklahoma City frontcourt player. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link), the Magic have reached an agreement on a one-year, $15MM deal with Jeff Green.
[RELATED: Magic to re-sign Evan Fournier]
Green, who will turn 30 in August, appeared in a total of 80 games this past season for the Grizzlies and Clippers, averaging 11.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG. The veteran forward, who started his career with the SuperSonics a year before they became the Thunder, heard from the Clippers last night, but their interest in re-signing him didn’t materialize into a deal.
Signing a one-year contract this summer will allow Green to reach the open market again in a year, when the salary cap will easily exceed $100MM. If he has a strong season in Orlando, Green could parlay his performance into a more lucrative multiyear deal next time around.
The Magic have been very active so far this offseason, sending Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the rights to Domantas Sabonis to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka. Orlando followed up that move by acquiring Jodie Meeks in a deal with the Pistons, then reaching long-term agreements with D.J. Augustin and Evan Fournier in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Grizzlies To Offer Five-Year Max To Mike Conley
As they attempt to re-sign veteran point guard Mike Conley, the Grizzlies are prepared to put a full five-year, maximum-salary contract offer on the table, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. It’s not clear whether that fifth year would be fully guaranteed, but even a partial guarantee would make Memphis’ offer to Conley much more lucrative than what any other team could give him. Multiple sources expect the Grizzlies and Conley to have an agreement in place by Saturday morning, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
A Thursday report indicated that Conley’s decision would likely come down to the Grizzlies and the Mavericks, who got an opportunity to meet with the 28-year-old earlier today. Sam Amick of USA Today wrote that the threat Dallas poised to Memphis may be “nominal,” and the Grizzlies likely increased their chances of retaining Conley by reaching a long-term agreement with Chandler Parsons.
Multiple reports in recent weeks had suggested that Conley wanted to see signs from the Grizzlies that they were willing to be aggressive when it came to upgrading and fortifying their roster. He and Parsons have also reportedly spoken to one another about teaming up in Memphis. With Parsons expected to sign with the Grizzlies, and a five-year offer on the table for Conley, it’s hard to imagine the point guard leaving.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, headed into free agency having identified Conley and Hassan Whiteside as their top priorities. With Whiteside returning to Miami, and Conley appearing increasingly likely to re-sign with the Grizzlies, Dallas may soon have to move on to secondary targets.
Free Agent Rumors: Howard, Lee, Waiters
Dwight Howard‘s meeting with the Hawks has concluded and a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Atlanta was “impressive.” Howard will still listen to the Celtics’ pitch, as well as speak with other teams, and a decision is expected to be made within the the next day.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Minnesota GM Scott Layden has reached out to Courtney Lee, but no offer has been made yet, Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to the Wolves, Lee has received interest from the Knicks, Kings, Nets and Hawks, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Kennedy adds that Atlanta’s interest in Lee is contingent on Kent Bazemore‘s decision to stay or leave in free agency.
- Dion Waiters will have a face-to-face meeting with the Kings this weekend, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey adds that the Sixers would like their own meeting with the shooting guard.
- James Ennis has received calls from the Pelicans, Mavericks, Clippers, Warriors and Hawks, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link).
- Nick Minnerath is receiving interest from the Nets, Lakers, Wizards, Pelicans and Mavericks, tweets international journalist David Pick. Minnerath last played in the D-League for the Canton Charge.
Kings Increasingly Open To Trading Rudy Gay?
There’s a growing sense around the NBA that the Kings are becoming increasingly willing to move Rudy Gay in a trade, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The Pacers reportedly spoke to Sacramento about a possible Gay trade before they acquired Thaddeus Young last week.
Gay, who turns 30 in August, has been one of the Kings’ go-to scorers over the past two-plus seasons, though his PPG dipped to 17.2 in 2015/16, his lowest mark since his rookie season. Still, Gay contributed 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and posted decent shooting percentages, making 46.3% of his shots from the floor and 34.4% from downtown.
Gay’s contract has two years left on it, but the final year is a player option, so he looks poised to hit the open market in 2017, assuming he has a solid 2016/17 season. Teams may not be willing to give up a significant return for one year of Gay, but his $13.333MM salary certainly looks reasonable compared to some of the prices being paid in free agency.
Sacramento is said to be eyeing a handful of shooting guards and forwards on the free agent market. The team is believed to have significant interest in Dion Waiters, and has been linked to Allen Crabbe and Courtney Lee as well. Ryan Anderson is also a rumored target for the Kings.