Free Agent Rumors: Gordon, Brewer, Favors
While the Magic plan to pursue a long-term deal with restricted free agent Aaron Gordon, another team to keep an eye on is the Lakers, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets.
It’s no surprise that Gordon, a 23-year-old fresh off of a career year with averages of 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, is generating interest in free agency but Zach Lowe of ESPN writes that Orlando may not have much pressure to go as high as the max to retain him.
The Lakers join a number of other teams apparently interested in poaching Gordon’s services, including the Pacers (story) and Kings (story).
- The Rockets have scheduled a meeting with free agent wing James Nunnally, per international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). Nunnally, who has also been linked to Portland and Minnesota, played for Turkish team Fenerbahce last season and knocked down 55% of his three-pointers in EuroLeague play, making him an interesting fit for Houston.
- Having already been linked to several potential targets since the free agent period opened, the Timberwolves have also “planted seeds” with Corey Brewer and Davis Bertans, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). As Wolfson observes, Minnesota has made a habit in recent years of spreading a wide net in free agency, inquiring on dozens of players.
- In a later tweet, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News added that the Timberwolves have also checked in on Derrick Favors, Mike Scott, David Nwaba and Ian Clark.
Community Shootaround: Best Deal Of The Day
The first day of free agency is almost complete and several big names are already off the market.
Paul George will stay in Oklahoma City for the next four years, bringing approximately $137MM. DeAndre Jordan will make roughly the same ($24MM) in Dallas this season as he would have had he opted in with the Clippers. Chris Paul remains in Houston on a four-year, $160MM deal and Kevin Durant will stay in Golden State for at least one more year, as he signed a two-year, $61.5MM deal that will allow him to hit the open market again next summer.
Outside of the top players, many rotational players got paid on mid-sized deals. Ed Davis landed a one-year, $4.4MM deal with the Nets. The Spurs retain Rudy Gay on a one-year, $10MM pact and bring back old friend Marco Belinelli on a two-year, $12MM deal. Trevor Ariza cashes in with the Suns on a one-year, $15MM deal and Joe Harris will stay with the Nets, earning $16MM over the next two seasons.
Tonight’s community shootaround is all about which team made the best deal. The Warriors re-signing Durant is arguably the most important deal of the group and the Thunder retaining George has to be seen as one of the greatest accomplishments during GM Sam Presti’s reign. Aside from those two deals, which contract has the most value?
The Raptors re-signing Fred VanVleet stands out as another coup in a long list of positives during GM Masai Ujiri’s tenure. At $9MM per season, he’ll provide excellent value off the bench and he’s more than capable of starting for Toronto should the club deal Kyle Lowry (no one on the roster is untouchable in trades, per reports).
Which team do you think negotiated the best deal? Do you agree that VanVleet’s contract holds the most value outside of Durant’s and George’s or do you believe another deal is more team-friendly? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Timberwolves Eyeing Nick Young, Other Free Agents
4:06pm: Wolfson adds Jeff Green, Malcolm Delaney, and Treveon Graham to the list of free agents that the Timberwolves have inquired on so far (Twitter link).
12:15pm: The Timberwolves have interest in Nick Young among several other free agents, according to ESPN’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link).
Young is coming off a down year in Golden State where he sported just a 10.0 player efficiency rating and scored just 7.3 points per game. It’s hard to envision the shooting guard surpassing the $5.19MM salary he received with the Warriors last season after floundering alongside the best supporting cast he’s ever played with.
Minnesota has the non-tax mid-level ($8.6MM) and the bi-annual ($3.4MM) at its disposal. However, with approximately $115MM already on the books, the team must be careful when handing out deals if it intends to stay below the luxury tax line. If a team uses its bi-annual exception or more than the taxpayer portion of its MLE, it becomes hard-capped for the season.
Dante Cunningham and James Ennis are among other free agents the Wolves are keeping an eye on, Wolfson adds. Lance Stephenson remains a possibility for one of the team’s five open roster spots. Minnesota is among the teams expected to have interest in the mercurial shooting guard once the first wave of free agents sign.
Other candidates for the team’s openings include Trevor Booker, Amir Johnson, Jabari Bird and Anthony Tolliver. Coach/executive Tom Thibodeau reportedly has spoken with Tolliver and team values the power forward’s lockerroom presence.
Malik Newman Signs Two-Way Deal With Lakers
JULY 1: The Lakers have officially signed Newman to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Having not tendered qualifying offers to Caruso or Payton, the Lakers appear poised to have new players in both two-way slots for 2018/19.
JUNE 22: The Lakers will add Kansas guard Malik Newman on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Newman, 21, spent just one season with the Jayhawks after transferring from Mississippi State. He put up 14.2 points per game this year and shot 42% from 3-point range. He helped the Jayhawks reach the Final Four with a 32-point performance against Duke in the regional finals.
Alex Caruso and Gary Payton II are the Lakers’ current two-way players, with their contracts set to expire at the end of June.
Free Agency Notes: George, MCW, Booker, Parker
The Thunder and Paul George agreed to a four-year deal worth $137MM at the start of free agency and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the team will have the option to offer George an even bigger raise in two years.
Under the new CBA, the team can offer George an extension after the second anniversary of the deal, meaning PG13 can sign a four-year max deal in 2020 that locks him in for seven seasons. The total value of the potential seven-year pact would come in at an estimated $290MM based off of future salary cap projections.
The team’s ability to re-sign George was shocking to some, as many expected the 5-time All-Star to leave OKC for Los Angeles, a city he’s been linked to for quite some time. It’s possible that the team’s ability to offer the max extension at the halfway point of the four-year contract was part of George’s motivation to stick around, though that’s merely my speculation.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Rockets will meet with Michael Carter-Williams, league sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). While Houston appears to be looking into ancillary parts for its team, the franchise hasn’t given up hope on pursuing LeBron James.
- The Jazz and Pelicans have both expressed interest in Trevor Booker, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link). The Wolves, Rockets, Knicks, and Spurs also have an eye on the big man.
- The Bulls have interest in Jabari Parker, Kennedy tweets. Chicago is one of several teams expected to pursue the former No. 2 overall pick.
- The Wolves are looking to sign Dante Cunningham, sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Minnesota has eyes for a bevy of veteran free agents to fill it’s five open roster spots.
Lakers Sign First-Rounder Moritz Wagner
The Lakers have officially signed first-round pick Moritz Wagner to his rookie scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. While most signings can’t be completed during the July moratorium, there’s nothing stopping first-rounders from formally inking their rookie deals during the first week of July.
Wagner, the 25th overall pick in last month’s draft, played his college ball at Michigan and posted 14.6 PPG to go along with 7.1 RPG in 2017/18. The 6’10” forward also flashed stretch-four potential, knocking down 38.5% of his threes in his three-year college career.
Wagner’s salary in 2018/19 figures to be approximately $1.76MM, which is 120% of his rookie scale amount.
The fact that Wagner has formally signed his deal won’t impact the Lakers’ cap room for this summer, since he was already on the team’s books with a cap hold equivalent to his new rookie salary. However, it does mean that he can’t be included in a trade for the next 30 days.
Amar’e Stoudemire To Play In Israel?
3:17pm: In response to Hapoel Jerusalem’s announcement that Stoudemire would play for the team if he doesn’t sign an NBA contract, the veteran NBA big man issued a strong denial, as Dionysis Aravantinos of Eurohoops relays.
The club followed up on Stoudemire’s denial by apologizing to him for the timing of the announcement, but indicating that they still believe he’ll join the squad if he doesn’t get an NBA deal.
“During the last week Amare informed the club’s ownership unambiguously that should he not sign with an NBA team he will play join Hapoel Jerusalem,” the team’s statement read, per Aravantinos. “As a result, the club made an official announcement.”
8:39am: Amar’e Stoudemire will play another season in Israel if he doesn’t receive an NBA offer, tweets international writer David Pick.
Stoudemire, 35, has agreed to re-sign with Hapoel Jerusalem, a team he co-owns in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Stoudemire announced his retirement in September, but has decided his playing days aren’t over.
He is part of the BIG 3 league this summer and recently said he would like another shot at the NBA. A five-time all-league selection, Stoudemire’s last NBA appearance was with the Heat in 2015/16.
Sixers, Jerryd Bayless Considering Buyout Agreement
The Sixers and Jerryd Bayless are “strongly” considering a buyout agreement, according to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The point guard is owed nearly $9MM this upcoming season.
Schultz adds that Bayless will garner interest from several teams if he hits the open market this summer. The 29-year-old played in 39 games this past season, scoring 7.9 points per game while shooting 37.0 from downtown.
Philadelphia is meeting with LeBron James‘ representatives today, though it doesn’t quite have the available salary cap space to offer him a full max, estimated at $35.6MM. Agreeing to a buyout with Bayless will help them to get closer to that figure. The stretch provision is an option for the team even if Bayless agrees to a lesser salary figure in a parting agreement, as the same rules apply for a player’s buyout salary it does for a traditional contract.
Kings Sign Marvin Bagley III To Rookie Deal
The Kings have signed Marvin Bagley III to a rookie scale contract, according to a team press release. At 120% of the scale, his first-year salary will come in at approximately $7.31MM.
Sacramento selected Bagley with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. During his lone season at Duke, the big man was just one of four freshmen in the nation to average a double-double with points and rebounds. He averaged 21.0 points, 11.1 boards, and 1.5 assists in 33.9 minutes per night at the collegiate level.
Bagley will help lead an inexperienced Kings’ roster this upcoming season. Including his deal, Sacramento has nine players under contract who are on their rookie contracts, a figure that leads the league. That total does not include Bogdan Bogdanovic, who’s on his first contract in the league, but not bound to a rookie scale.
Pacers Sign First-Rounder Aaron Holiday
The Pacers have signed first-round pick Aaron Holiday to his rookie scale contract, according to a press release issued by the team.
Holiday, the younger brother of NBA players Jrue Holiday and Justin Holiday, enjoyed a major breakout season at UCLA in 2017/18, increasing his scoring average by eight points per game to 20.3 PPG. That mark tied him with Arizona’s Deandre Ayton for the Pac-12 scoring lead. Holiday also chipped in 5.8 APG and 3.7 RPG, shooting 42.9% on three-point attempts.
The Pacers selected Holiday with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, which will put him in line for a first-year salary of approximately $1.91MM. That figure represents the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale amount for the No. 23 pick in 2018/19.
Like all other first-rounders who sign rookie scale contracts, Holiday will get two guaranteed years, with team options in years three and four.