Jamal Crawford Prefers To Land With Lakers If Bought Out
Due to a $14MM+ salary for 2017/18, Jamal Crawford is viewed as a crucial piece of a proposed sign-and-trade acquisition of Danilo Gallinari for the Clippers. However, if Crawford joins the Hawks as part of that deal, he’d likely seek a trade or buyout, and according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the guard’s preferred landing spot is back in Los Angeles — with the Lakers.
As Spears explains, Crawford’s family is based in Los Angeles, and the 37-year-old has a “solid relationship already in place” with No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball, making the Lakers a logical landing spot. And Crawford’s interest in the Lakers is reciprocated by the team, per Spears. Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times adds (via Twitter) that the Lakers are “a real option” for Crawford.
Still, there are several roadblocks that could stand in the way of a union between the Lakers and Crawford. For one, the three-way deal that would send Gallinari to the Clippers and Crawford to the Hawks hasn’t been finalized yet, though it does seem likely to happen.
If that deal is completed, the Hawks would initially intend to hang onto Crawford, league sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. While the club might consider buying out or trading Crawford, his contract wouldn’t be an easy trade chip to move without attaching an asset to him, and the Hawks would be reluctant to do a buyout unless the veteran guard is willing to give up a substantial portion of the $17MM+ in guaranteed money left on his deal, per an earlier report.
Even if Crawford were to be sent to the Hawks and then bought out, the Lakers would face competition from contending teams like the Cavaliers and Warriors for his services.
Magic Waive Stephen Zimmerman
The Magic have parted ways with the 41st overall pick from last year’s draft, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel, who tweets that the team has waived second-year center Stephen Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, 20, saw limited action during his rookie season in Orlando, averaging 1.2 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 19 games (5.7 MPG) for the club. The former UNLV big man had a more extensive role in 21 games for the Erie BayHawks, averaging 13.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG in the G League.
While teams are often inclined to stick with second-round projects for longer than just one year, the Magic are under new management this offseason, having hired Jeff Weltman and John Hammond to replace Rob Hennigan in the front office, so the new group didn’t have any particular attachment to Zimmerman.
Zimmerman’s contract also forced the team to make a decision on him this week — his minimum salary for 2017/18 was set to become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t cut by the end of the July moratorium. The Magic won’t be on the hook for any of that money now that they’ve waived him.
Heat Officially Waive Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh‘s salary will officially no longer count against the Heat’s salary cap going forward, with the team announcing today in a press release that Bosh has been waived. The move formally brings an end to Bosh’s seven-year stint with the franchise.
“Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” team president Pat Riley said in a statement. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined, when he joined the Miami Heat. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Championships. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise.
“The number ‘1’ will never be worn by another player and we can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters,” Riley continued. “Today, we are both moving on but we wish Chris, Adrienne and their family nothing but the best. They will forever be part of the Miami Heat family.”
As we detailed last month when an independent doctor ruled Bosh’s blood-clot issues to be career-ending, he will no longer count against the Heat’s salary cap due to his medical retirement designation. That clears more than $52MM in total salary from the team’s books for the next two years, including $25.3MM+ in 2017/18. Miami will still have to pay Bosh his remaining salary, though the team figures to recoup a significant chunk of that money through insurance.
It’s possible Bosh will attempt a comeback at some point, though NBA executives are skeptical about the odds of that. If his NBA career is officially over, the 33-year-old will finish with averages of 19.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG over 893 total games with the Raptors and Heat (14 total seasons, including 2016/17). Bosh was named to 11 All-Star teams and won two championships over the course of his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southeast Notes: Porter, Bogdanovic, Isaac, Bosh
The Kings’ decision to use a major part of their cap space on George Hill and Zach Randolph leaves the Nets as the most significant threat for Wizards RFA Otto Porter, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. Porter met with the Kings on Sunday and reportedly received a max offer, but didn’t sign it, wanting to talk to other teams first. Sacramento’s moves today means it no longer has room for a max deal unless it unloads some other salary. The Wizards can match any offer sheet that Porter brings to them, and have stated that they plan to do so.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards plan to explore sign-and-trade options for Bojan Bogdanovic, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Bogdanovic appears to be on the way out after this week’s deals with Jodie Meeks and Mike Scott, but Washington won’t revoke his $4.7MM qualifying offer, hoping to deal him and create a traded player exception. Bogdanovic is reportedly seeking about $16MM per year, which seems unrealistic. Michael notes that the Wizards have made use of TPEs in the recent years, picking up Jared Dudley, Kris Humphries and Tim Frazier.
- The Magic will hold first-round pick Jonathan Isaac out of the final two games of the Orlando Pro Summer League after he suffered a hip strain Monday, relays John Denton of NBA.com. Tests didn’t reveal any structural damage and the injury isn’t considered serious, but the Magic are keeping him sidelined as a precaution.
- In a move to free up cap space, the Magic have reached an agreement with 2005 first-rounder Fran Vazquez that he won’t play in the NBA this season, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM. Orlando still owns the rights for the 34-year-old, and the move takes away his cap hold for the upcoming season.
- The Heat are expected to end their seven-year relationship with Chris Bosh this week, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami will erase Bosh’s $52.1MM from its cap under a medical retirement in the wake of recurring blood clots. Bosh must be given 48 hours to clear waivers before the move becomes official, and it will push the Heat’s cap space from $9MM to more than $34MM this year.
Sixers Sign Furkan Korkmaz To Rookie Contract
JULY 4, 3:41pm: The Sixers have officially signed Korkmaz to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30, 1:25pm: The Sixers aren’t quite ready to confirm an agreement with Korkmaz, with both Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Jessica Camerato of CSPhilly.com reporting (via Twitter) that the team is still working on the details of his FIBA clearance and buyout. However, both Pompey and Camerato hear that it “very well” may happen.
12:51pm: A cryptic tweet from Furkan Korkmaz‘ agent today appears to signal that the 2016 first-rounder will be coming to Philadelphia for the 2017/18 season. Agent Misko Raznatovic took to Twitter to announce that Sixers fans will have a reason to drink Turkish beer, a reference to his client Korkmaz, who is a Turkish shooting guard. Anadolu Efes, Korkmaz’ current team in Turkey, has since confirmed that he’ll be headed to the NBA, according to David Pick (Twitter link).
Korkmaz had expressed a strong desire to come stateside this year, and head coach Brett Brown indicated after last week’s draft that he expected the 19-year-old to make the leap to the NBA. Korkmaz, who spent the 2016/17 season on loan to Banvit, averaged 10.8 PPG and shot 39.8% on three-pointers in 21 Turkish League games.
Korkmaz’ buyout with Anadolu Efes was believed to be a roadblock in the way of his potential move to the Sixers. That buyout is reportedly worth two million euros, and NBA teams are only allowed to pay up to $675K of an international buyout. For Korkmaz to officially sign with the Sixers, he’ll have to pay off the rest of the buyout himself, likely in installments. Eurohoops reports that the two sides are in negotiations now on that buyout.
Assuming Korkmaz finalizes a deal, he’ll be subject to the 2017/18 rookie scale. As the 26th overall pick last year, Korkmaz would be in line for the same contract as Caleb Swanigan, this year’s No. 26 pick. As I detailed last week, that deal figures to be worth $1,465,920 in 2017/18, and a total of $8,904,867 over four years.
While Korkmaz is poised to sign with the Sixers, one of the team’s 2017 first-rounders, Anzejs Pasecniks, is said to be staying in Spain for the upcoming season.
JaMychal Green Considering Offer Sheet, Sign-And-Trade Scenarios
3:33pm: The Grizzlies made an offer to Green when free agency opened and are now awaiting an offer sheet, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. That doesn’t contradict Hodges’ account (noted below) — it sounds like the Grizzlies haven’t had discussions with Green’s camp since making their initial offer, and will consider their options when he brings them an offer sheet or sign-and-trade scenario from another team.
In the wake of Randolph’s departure, I’d be surprised if the Grizzlies don’t strongly consider matching an offer sheet for Green, as long as the price isn’t exorbitant.
2:59pm: JaMychal Green may be the next player to leave the Grizzlies, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Green appears headed out of Memphis either in a free agent deal or a sign-and-trade.
“I’m looking at two offer sheets and sign-and-trades,” said Green’s agent, Michael Hodges. “Seems to us Memphis is going in a different direction.”
Hodges adds that he hasn’t spoken to the Grizzlies about a new contract for his client since free agency began on Saturday (Twitter link). However, Green is a restricted free agent, so even if he does sign an offer sheet with another team, Memphis would still have the opportunity to match it.
The Timberwolves have talked to Green, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, but they aren’t among the teams Hodges referenced.
A 6’9″ power forward, Green signed two 10-day contracts with Memphis in February of 2015 and has been with the team ever since. He appeared in 77 games this season, starting 75, and averaged 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds.
The Grizzlies saw another free agent power forward, Zach Randolph, strike an agreement with the Kings earlier today.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Gordon Hayward Decision on Hold?
2:34pm: Hayward has changed his mind four times since Saturday, a source tells Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Agents are speculating to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that a sign-and-trade or possibly a separate Celtics deal is holding up a formal announcement (Twitter link).
2:25pm: Boston’s offer is $127.8MM over four years, with a player option likely after the third season, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.
2:05pm: The leak regarding Hayward’s decision may lead to a delay in his announcement, Himmelsbach tweets, with Bartelstein suggesting the situation may not be resolved today. “That was the goal,” he said, “but now we’ve got to kind of regroup here a bit.”
Jazz president Steve Starks has tweeted a statement that reads, “We trust Gordon and his agent that no decision has been made. Good communication all day and a great relationship.”
1:50pm: The Celtics haven’t heard from Hayward yet, but they aren’t denying the report from ESPN, tweets Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Sources are telling Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that the move is a formality and the teams just need to be notified (Twitter link).
1:40pm: Conflicting information is beginning to filter out concerning Gordon Hayward. David Aldridge of TNT claims Hayward has not reached a decision and is still weighing his options (Twitter link). Hayward’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, says the same thing to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. “Gordon hasn’t made a decision yet,” Bartelstein said. “We are still working through it.” (Twitter link).
1:19pm: Gordon Hayward will announce today that he’s signing with the Celtics, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.
The All-Star forward, who spent his first seven NBA seasons in Utah, was considered the top prize left on the free agent market. The Celtics, Jazz and Heat all held meetings with him over the past three days. The move will reunite him with Brad Stevens, his college coach at Butler.
Boston’s belief that it had a shot at Hayward affected its decision to be conservative in its pursuit of Jimmy Butler and Paul George, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
With about $27MM in cap space, the Celtics don’t have quite enough cap room to sign Hayward to a full max deal. Hayward could agree to accept a little bit less, or the Celtics could try to move some salary before the moratorium ends on Thursday. One path, Blakely tweets, is to pull their qualifying offer for Kelly Olynyk, renounce all their free agents, waive Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson and trade away one other contract.
Hayward, 27, is coming off his best season, setting careers highs with 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He gives the Celtics another dangerous shooter who can stretch defenses and share the scoring load with Isaiah Thomas.
Top Pick Markelle Fultz May Sign Today
Markelle Fultz, the first player selected in last month’s draft, could sign with the Sixers today, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, the signing may be delayed if Fultz’s mother, Ebony Fultz, is unable to attend. She is expected to be in Las Vegas this weekend to watch her son in the Las Vegas Summer League, but Philadelphia’s team is currently playing in the Utah Summer League in Salt Lake City.
As the top pick, Fultz is slotted to make $5.8MM as a rookie, but Pompey notes that the Sixers are permitted to pay him up to 20% more than that and are expected to reach the full figure. Pompey points out that teams sometimes require players to perform community service or play an extra year in the summer league to receive their 20 percent.
As our rookie-scale contract chart shows, Fultz is eligible for a little more than $7MM in his first season and more than $37.4MM over four years. Like all contracts for first-rounders, Fultz’s deal will include two guaranteed seasons and two team options. He will be eligible for an extension in 2020.
A 6’4″ point guard, Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds during his lone season at Washington.
Pacific Notes: Hill, Young, Collison, Clippers
The Lakers believe George Hill could provide backcourt depth, improve their outside shooting and serve as a locker room veteran, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The 31-year-old free agent met with L.A. officials on Monday, although no deal was reached. Hill could be used as a backup to rookie point guard Lonzo Ball or could be shifted to shooting guard. He averaged a career-high 16.9 points with the Jazz last season and shot .403 from 3-point range.
In their quest for backcourt help, the Lakers also met with Dion Waiters on Sunday and have had several phone conversations with Rajon Rondo. L.A. has spoken to several coaches and players who have worked with Rondo to see how he might handle a mentor’s role with Ball.
There’s more news from the Pacific Division:
- The Timberwolves are the latest team to reach out to Lakers guard Nick Young, Medina notes in the same story. They join the Warriors, Thunder and Pelicans, who have also been linked to the 10-year veteran. Young revived his career this season, becoming a full-time starter and averaging 13.2 points per game.
- The Clippers, Knicks and Magic all contacted Darren Collison before he agreed to a two-year deal with the Pacers Monday night, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 in Sacramento. The Kings made no effort to keep Collison, he adds.
- A proposed three-team trade that would bring Danilo Gallinari to the Clippers would push the team closer to the repeater tax, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Adding Gallinari would give L.A. 10 players under contract with $110.4MM in guaranteed salary. The Clippers would hit the repeater tax if their salary tops $119M, so they will have to be careful in assembling the rest of their roster.
- Gary Sacks has resigned as Clippers assistant GM, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Sacks’ contract expired Friday.
Warriors Considered Front-Runners For Jamal Crawford
11:15am: The Cavaliers and Spurs are also interested in Crawford if the buyout goes through, Haynes tweets, although Atlanta would prefer to trade him. Crawford has more than $17.2MM in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, and the Hawks would want him to give up a significant portion of that before agreeing to a buyout, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
9:24am: Once Jamal Crawford gets bought out by the Hawks, there’s a good chance he will sign with the Warriors, according to Chris Haynes and Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com.
Crawford is part of a proposed three-team trade that would send Paul Millsap to the Nuggets and Danilo Gallinari to the Clippers. Crawford would be shipped to the Hawks, along with Diamond Stone, and will petition Atlanta for a buyout, sources told ESPN.
Once he hits the market, Golden State would be favored to sign him with its $5.2MM taxpayer mid-level exception.
Crawford, 37, played for the Warriors during the 2008/09 season and often talks about how much he enjoys the Bay Area, according to Haynes and Spears. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year appeared in all 82 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 12.3 points per night. He has said he will only consider playing for contenders once the buyout is complete.
The Warriors are also pursuing Nick Young, the authors add, with Draymond Green and Kevin Durant playing a part in the recruiting. The 10-year veteran is also in talks with the Pelicans, who can offer more playing time, but Golden State could give Young his first chance to win a title.
The Warriors probably don’t have the resources to add both Crawford and Young, but the ESPN story says there is a “strong possibility” they will land one of them.