Clippers Meet With Kyle O’Quinn
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had dinner on Tuesday night in Los Angeles with free agent center Kyle O’Quinn, a source tells Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). While the two sides haven’t agreed to a deal at this point, they’ll continue to talk, Turner adds.
O’Quinn, 28, is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 7.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 77 games for the Knicks. The big man turned down a $4.26MM player option for 2018/19, preferring to test the open market rather than locking in another season in New York.
O’Quinn is an interesting target for the Clippers, who already have a pair of veteran centers – Marcin Gortat and Boban Marjanovic – on their roster, with youngster Montrezl Harrell still in the mix as a restricted free agent.
Gortat and Marjanovic are entering the final year of their respective contracts, so the Clips could view O’Quinn and/or Harrell as longer-term options at center, though the club will likely be reluctant to compromise its 2019 cap flexibility much for either player. Currently, L.A. doesn’t project to have more than about $40MM in guaranteed money on its books next summer, making the team a potential player for a max free agent or two.
Philadelphia and New Orleans have been mentioned as potential suitors for O’Quinn as well, though the Pelicans’ interest was reported before they reached a deal with Julius Randle, so it’s not clear if they’re still eyeing the former Knick. The Sixers have no cap room remaining for now, but could make a play for O’Quinn with their $4.45MM room exception.
Joffrey Lauvergne Finalizes Deal With Fenerbahce
Former Spurs big man Joffrey Lauvergne officially has a new team, according to agent Misko Raznatovic, who tweets that his client has signed a two-year contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce. The club has officially confirmed the signing as well (via Twitter).
Lauvergne, who signed a minimum-salary contract with the Spurs a year ago, played just 9.7 minutes per contest in 55 games for the club, averaging 4.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
Although Lauvergne had a player option for 2018/19 and could have remained in San Antonio, he turned down that option, with reports at the time suggesting he was on track to complete a deal with Fenerbahce. While it’s not clear how his new salary will compare to his $1.656MM option, Lauvergne will be on track for a larger role in Turkey.
Lauvergne has had a well-traveled professional career since 2009, playing for teams in France, Spain, Serbia, and Russia before arriving in the NBA in February 2015. Over the course of his four-season NBA career, Lauvergne was unable to find a long-term home or a consistent role, having spent time with Denver, Oklahoma City, and Chicago in addition to San Antonio.
NBA 2018 Free Agency: July 3 Recap
The NBA’s free agent list continued to shrink on Tuesday, as several more intriguing names came off the board. We also got our first trade agreement of July, with the Nuggets and Sixers reaching an agreement on a deal.
Listed below are July 2’s notable contract and trade agreements. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the July moratorium ends on Friday.
- Nuggets agree to trade Wilson Chandler, Denver’s 2021 second-round pick, and the right to swap 2022 second-round picks to the Sixers in exchange for cash.
- Dante Exum, Jazz agree to three-year, $33MM contract.
- Avery Bradley, Clippers agree to two-year, $25MM contract.
- Tyreke Evans, Pacers agree to one-year, $12MM contract.
- Dwight Howard, Wizards agree to one-year, $5.34MM contract.
- Raul Neto, Jazz agree to two-year, $4.4MM contract.
- Michael Carter-Williams, Rockets agree to one-year, minimum salary contract.
- Jeff Green, Wizards agree to one-year, minimum salary contract.
- Kevon Looney, Warriors agree to one-year, minimum salary contract.
- Raymond Felton, Thunder agree to one-year, minimum salary contract.
Be sure to use our 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker to keep tabs on all of this summer’s contract agreements. Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team show which players are still available.
Previously:
Central Notes: Bulls, Evans, Stefanski, Love
The Bulls could be in position to build the NBA’s next superteam, suggests Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. Citing a report that Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving would like to team up, Walton notes that Chicago has the resources to make it happen. Both players could become free agents next summer, and the Bulls have a path to offer two near-max contracts.
By renouncing their rights to Jerian Grant and Cameron Payne and stretching Omer Asik‘s contract, Chicago can trim its payroll to $64.6MM. The Bulls could also improve their chances by trading for Butler or Irving this season, Walton notes. Getting Butler away from former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau seems impossible, but Walton states that the Celtics may be tempted by an offer for Irving centered around Zach LaVine or Kris Dunn, whom Boston tried to trade up for when he was coming out of college.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers boosted their chances to be a top three team in the East by landing Tyreke Evans, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. The addition of Evans, along with Doug McDermott and rookie Aaron Holiday, gives Indiana far more firepower off the bench than it had this season, Doyel contends. One of eight players to average 19 points, five rebounds and five assists during the season, Evans is versatile enough to help the Pacers in a variety of ways.
- Ed Stefanski has been maximizing his resources since taking over as senior adviser for the Pistons, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. In his brief time in the new role, Stefanski hired the reigning Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey, added Malik Rose to the front office, drafted two promising second-rounders in Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown, then added Jose Calderon and Glenn Robinson III in free agency.
- Pistons guard Luke Kennard suffered a left knee strain during practice that will force him to miss summer league, the team tweeted. The decision to hold him out is most likely a precaution, Beard notes (Twitter link).
- The Cavaliers remain focused on making the playoffs, even after the loss of LeBron James, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The team insists it will hang onto Kevin Love, the only All-Star remaining on the roster, and try to rebuild around him.
L.A. Notes: Leonard, James, Rondo, Rivers
The Spurs continue to seek a high price from the Lakers in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, salary cap expert Larry Coon said in an appearance today on Spectrum SportsNet (Twitter link). Sources tell Coon that San Antonio is asking for Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, two first-rounders and the right to swap two other draft choices. “They’re just saying give us everything,” Coon said.
Coon also outlined the Lakers’ remaining cap situation, noting that the signing of Lance Stephenson with the mid-level exception will probably be the final move in free agency after all other cap space is used up.
There’s more news from Los Angeles:
- LeBron James‘ decision to join the Lakers may give Leonard more incentive to become a Clipper, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports suggested in an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s radio show (Twitter link).
- The Lakers are turning their attention to next summer for their next big free agent move, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The organization’s emphasis on one-year deals helps explain the odd collection of moves that have come down since James committed to L.A. Sunday night. The Lakers re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, then reached agreements with Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo, all on one-year contracts. The team expects to have about $76MM in guaranteed money next summer, possibly less if Luol Deng is waived and stretched, leaving enough to offer another max deal.
- Rondo, whom Deveney states has wanted to join the Lakers since 2015, could take the starting point guard job away from Lonzo Ball, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. A source tells Amick that the L.A. front office has promised Rondo the chance to compete for a starting spot.
- During an impromptu interview with TMZ, Doc Rivers explained the decision to trade his son, Austin Rivers, to the Wizards. The Clippers coach called it “the right thing for all of us” and predicts that Austin will excel in Washington.
Orlando Discussing Deal With Isaiah Thomas
Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is working on a deal with the Magic, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Nothing has been finalized, he adds, but both sides would like to reach an agreement.
Thomas’ NBA life has been unsettled since being shipped from Boston to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving trade last summer. A two-time All-Star with the Celtics, Thomas struggled to find a role with Cavaliers, appearing in just 15 games after returning from a hip injury. He was traded to the Lakers in February and played 17 games there.
The Magic could use some firepower after losing Mario Hezonja to the Knicks and Marreese Speights to China. They have been in the market for a point guard since a midseason trade that sent Elfrid Payton to Phoenix.
Orlando also waived veteran Shelvin Mack in June before his salary for 2018/19 could become guaranteed, leaving D.J. Augustin as the only point guard on the club’s depth chart.
The Magic won’t have cap room available after agreeing to re-sign Aaron Gordon, but could offer Thomas some or all of their mid-level exception.
Pelicans Notes: Cousins, Rondo, Randle, Payton
The Pelicans made a two-year, $40MM offer to DeMarcus Cousins between his Achilles injury in January and the end of the season, Marc Stein of The New York Times states in his latest newsletter. Cousins rejected the offer, and New Orleans’ front office responded by taking it off the table.
Cousins committed to Golden State last night, taking the Warriors’ MLE of $5.3MM for next season. The Lakers had an opportunity to get Cousins for a similar price, Stein adds, but once they passed, it was an easy decision for him to join the Warriors.
The Pelicans hadn’t given up hope of retaining Cousins when free agency began, but the door closed when they signed Julius Randle for $18MM over two years. Stein notes that Anthony Davis played an aggressive role in recruiting Randle to New Orleans.
There’s more Pelicans news to pass along:
- The trade with the Kings that brought Cousins to New Orleans will be remembered as a mistake, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune. The Pelicans gave up two first-round picks in Buddy Hield and a 2017 selection that turned out to be Zach Collins. In exchange, they got just 65 games out of Cousins.
- Rajon Rondo and Cousins both made shrewd business decisions, Duncan adds in the same story. The Lakers gave Rondo more money than the Pelicans were offering, along with the chance to team up with LeBron James. Cousins found a low-stress environment to rehab his injured Achilles while getting an excellent chance to win a ring. The Pelicans also showed they’re not ready to pay the luxury tax, with Randle and Elfrid Payton providing cheaper alternatives to Cousins and Rondo.
- The free agent drama in New Orleans could be repeated next summer, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. The Pelicans took a little bit of the sting out of losing Cousins and Rondo by agreeing to deals with Randle and Payton. However, Randle can opt out after one season and Payton is only signed for a year. Nikola Mirotic, who fit well alongside Davis after arriving from the Bulls in a midseason trade, will also be a free agent.
Devin Booker Progressing Toward Max Extension With Suns
The Suns are making progress on a five-year, $158MM extension with Devin Booker, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic.
Phoenix presented the offer to Booker at a meeting today. A source tells Bordow that parameters of the deal were outlined and describes the session as “productive,” citing “mutual interest from both sides in working to finalize a deal.”
Booker quickly emerged as an offensive force for the Suns after being taken with the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. He posted career highs across the board in his third season with 24.9 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 4.5 RPG.
The $158MM figure is an estimate based on current cap projections, but the final value won’t be set until next season’s official figures are in place.
Booker and the Suns have until the day before the season starts to complete an extension, but it sounds like the two sides may be able to finalize a deal not long after the July moratorium ends on Friday.
Atlantic Notes: Fizdale, Knox, Smart, Bayless
New coach David Fizdale believes the Knicks will be in position to have a huge impact on free agency next summer, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Mario Hezonja represents the Knicks’ only major signing this year, but Fizdale gave a hint of what the organization expects 12 months from now.
“We knew coming into this July there wasn’t a lot of money to spend,” he said. “We wanted to be real strategic with who we went after and if it fit the kind of guys we wanted to have here. I felt like we’ve done that and now we can just lock in, get into the group we have, start developing these guys, growing these guys, let them go through the ups and downs. And as we get our culture in place, [Kristaps Porzingis] gets healthy, we start moving into next summer, I really feel like we’ll have the bricks in place to make some big moves.”
Enes Kanter‘s $18.6MM salary will come off the books in 2019, and the $38MM still owed to Joakim Noah may have been stretched by then. In addition, Ron Baker, Emmanuel Mudiay and Troy Williams are all potential free agents.
There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks first-rounder Kevin Knox is focused on conditioning prior to the start of summer league, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. There was concern about Knox’s energy level at Kentucky, and he admits some of it was justified. “I worked on my conditioning a lot this summer as far as getting in extra sprints, so I keep my motor up the whole game,” he said. “You’re going to get tired at some point during the game. It’s good we got a lot of guys that if I have to sub myself out so I can be on the court 100 percent playing with full energy.”
- Dante Exum‘s new contract with the Jazz may complicate the Celtics‘ negotiations with Marcus Smart, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Although he believes it’s “highly likely” that Smart returns to Boston, the news that Exum received $33MM over three seasons could make contract talks more difficult. They were drafted back-to-back in 2014, but Smart has played 99 more games and his career scoring average is more than four points higher.
- A buyout appears more likely than the stretch provision for the Sixers and Jerryd Bayless, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Philadelphia has 15 players under contract and may need to open a roster spot for second-round pick Shake Milton or overseas prospect Jonah Bolden.
Knicks Sign Allonzo Trier To Two-Way Deal
JULY 3: The Knicks have officially signed Trier to his two-way deal, the team announced in a press release. He’ll join Hicks in New York’s two-way slots, with Kornet getting a promotion to a standard NBA contract.
JUNE 21: Arizona’s Allonzo Trier will join the Knicks on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
New York is currently at its allotment of two-way players with Luke Kornet and Isaiah Hicks, but both are on one-year deals, so Trier can be added when they expire at the end of June.
Trier, 22, missed part of his junior season after testing positive for a banned substance. He was second on the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game, trailing only tonight’s No. 1 pick, Deandre Ayton.