Eastern Notes: Heat, Horford, Knicks, Hornets
The Heat have engaged the Wizards in trade discussions, a source in contact with one of the teams tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Jackson notes that Miami “loves” Bradley Beal, but acknowledges that Washington has repeatedly indicated it has no plans to move its star shooting guard. Even if the Wizards were willing to discuss Beal, the Heat’s limited assets and difficult cap situation would make it “highly challenging” to put together a realistic deal, Jackson adds.
In other Heat trade news, the proposed deal with the Mavericks that appeared to be nearing completion on Sunday now looks dead. It won’t receive the same scrutiny or mockery that the in-season Dillon Brooks/MarShon Brooks mix-up involving the Wizards, Grizzlies, and Suns did, given everything else that’s going on this week, but the Mavs/Heat deal apparently also fell apart due to a miscommunication — Miami was certain that Goran Dragic was involved, while Dallas thought it was acquiring Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones, as Tim Cato of The Athletic details.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- A source tells Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald that Al Horford‘s decision to sign with the Sixers was partly about money, but also about the opportunity to play alongside a star center. Horford has “always been uncomfortable in a traditional center’s role,” Murphy writes.
- Multiple league executives questioned why the Knicks used their cap room to sign a collection of non-stars rather than trying to take on bad contracts to add future assets, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
- Hornets owner Michael Jordan issued a statement today bidding farewell to Kemba Walker and thanking him for “eight incredible seasons with our franchise” (link via JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors). “He always represented the Hornets, the NBA, and the city of Charlotte with class – both on the court and in the community – and we are disappointed he is leaving,” Jordan said.
Bulls Sign Coby White To Rookie Contract
The Bulls have signed guard Coby White to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. White was selected by the club No. 7 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
For White, he’s set to earn $5.3MM in the first year of his deal, which is 120% of the rookie scale amount for the seventh pick. Chicago will have point guards White, Tomas Satoransky and Kris Dunn under contract entering next season.
White, 19, appeared in 35 games with the University of North Carolina last season, holding per-game averages of 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He’s set to start summer league with the Bulls later in the week.
Knicks To Sign Elfrid Payton
The Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $16MM deal with free agent guard Elfrid Payton, his agents, Ty Sullivan and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The agreement contains a team option in the second season, according to The Athletic’s Michael Scotto. That lines it up with the other two-year contract agreements the team has reached so far in free agency.
Payton, an athletic two-way point guard, is set to join his fourth team in the past 18 months. He was traded from Orlando to Phoenix in February of 2018, signed with New Orleans last July, and started 42 games with the club this season.
New York also had interest in veteran free agent George Hill, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, but Hill decided to return to Milwaukee on a three-year, $29MM deal on Sunday night. The team now has one open roster spot and roughly $2MM in projected cap space to spend, plus the $4.8MM room exception.
In addition to Payton, the Knicks have already come to terms with Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington during the first 24 hours of free agency.
Knicks’ Deals With Portis, Gibson, Bullock, Ellington Include Second-Year Team Options
With the exception of Julius Randle, who agreed to a three-year contract, all of the veteran free agents who have agreed to sign with the Knicks so far are reportedly set to receive two-year deals. The structure of those contracts appeared to put New York on track to regain cap flexibility in 2021.
However, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the two-year deals for Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock, and Wayne Ellington will all include second-year team options.
By not guaranteeing the second year on those contracts, the Knicks will be able to maintain cap flexibility for the 2020 offseason, bringing back any veterans who impress them and parting ways with those who don’t.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker: Knicks’ Deals]
Although Randle’s contract runs an extra year, his deal will also reportedly feature a team option – or possible a modest partial guarantee – in its final season, according to reports.
Lakers Sign Troy Daniels To One-Year Deal
JULY 7: Daniels’ one-year, minimum-salary contract is now official, the Lakers announced today (via Twitter). The team confirmed most of its other signings – as well as the Anthony Davis trade – on Saturday.
JULY 1: The Lakers and free agent shooting guard Troy Daniels have agreed to a one-year contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). David Aldridge of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.
Charania pegs the value of the deal at $2.1MM, which suggests it’s a minimum-salary contract. As such, it won’t have an impact on Los Angeles’ projected cap room.
Daniels, who will turn 28 later this month, averaged 6.2 PPG on .411/.381/.783 shooting in a part-time role (14.9 MPG) for the Suns last season. He’s a career 40.0% shooter from beyond the arc, so he’ll add some floor spacing to the Lakers’ roster without breaking the bank.
Warriors Agree To Acquire D’Angelo Russell Via Sign-And-Trade
JULY 1: The Warriors will send a future protected first-round pick to the Nets as part of the deal to help incentivize them to acquire Durant via sign-and-trade, tweets Wojnarowski.
JUNE 30: The Warriors are trading for D’Angelo Russell, Treveon Graham, and Shabazz Napier from the Nets, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The move would be made via sign-and-trade in exchange for Kevin Durant.
Russell will receive a four-year, $117MM maximum salary contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
It was reported earlier today that the Warriors may have an interest in turning Durant’s departure into a sign-and-trade with the Nets. If they hadn’t taken back any salary in the deal, the Dubs could have created a $30MM trade exception. Instead, they’ll land one of the top restricted free agents on the market.
Brooklyn replaced Russell with Kyrie Irving at the point guard position and the franchise was said to be open to helping Russell find a new home of his choosing, even if it meant committing to a sign-and-trade. The Nets wouldn’t look to take salary back in most scenarios, but since they are getting Durant from Golden State, sending Russell there wouldn’t hinder their ability to sign their new stars.
Russell was said to be eyeing a possible move to Minnesota to team up with his close friend Karl-Anthony Towns. Perhaps that was before a deal in Golden State seemed like a feasible option.
The Warriors must stay below the tax apron, which is set at approximately $138.9MM, to remain eligible to accept a sign-and-trade. Doing so with Russell and Klay Thompson receiving maximum-salary deals will be extremely difficult, so another move or two is likely coming for Golden State. As Wojnarowski tweets, Andre Iguodala may have to be moved. Shaun Livingston also appears unlikely to be back.
[UPDATE: Warriors trading Iguodala to Grizzlies]
With Thompson expected to miss most or all of the 2019/20 season with a torn ACL, Russell figures to share the backcourt with Stephen Curry next season in a revamped Warriors lineup. It will be fascinating to see if the club plans to move forward and build around all three guards long-term once Thompson is healthy.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat To Trade Hassan Whiteside To Blazers
The Heat have reached an agreement on a trade to send center Hassan Whiteside to the Trail Blazers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Portland is giving up Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard in the deal.
[UPDATE: Harkless to be re-routed to Clippers in four-team trade]
In acquiring Whiteside, the Blazers will secure a replacement at the five for Enes Kanter, who looks like a good bet to sign elsewhere. Whiteside figures to start at center for the Trail Blazers while Jusuf Nurkic continues to recover from a leg injury that is expected to sideline him well into the 2019/20 regular season.
Whiteside, 30, saw his role in Miami decline over the last couple years, but continued to put up strong numbers on a per-minute basis. In 72 games in 2018/19, the big man averaged 12.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in just 23.3 minutes per contest.
While the Blazers will fortify their center position in the deal, their perimeter defense will take another hit. Having already lost Al-Farouq Aminu in free agency to Orlando, Portland will now part with Harkless as well. Newly-acquired forward Kent Bazemore will be leaned on heavily to help replace that duo.
As for the Heat, they’ll move on from Whiteside, who hadn’t been thrilled about having his minutes cut back during the last two seasons, publicly griping about his role on more than one occasion. Miami won’t have to take back any long-term salary in the deal, as all three players are on expiring contracts, and will save about $4.8MM based on the difference in salaries between Whiteside ($27.1MM) and the combo of Leonard ($11.3MM) and Harkless ($11MM).
Those savings could come in handy, since the Heat will face a hard cap of $138.9MM by acquiring Jimmy Butler via sign-and-trade. Speaking of that Butler trade, cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter) that moving Whiteside won’t help solve the salary-matching issue Miami faces in that deal, so at least one more move will be required.
With Whiteside out of the picture, Bam Adebayo projects to take an ever larger role in Miami’s frontcourt.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Exploring Kris Dunn Trade
The Bulls are searching for a trade to move point guard Kris Dunn, who’s spent the past two seasons with the organization, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).
Dunn has dealt with various injuries during his time with Chicago, appearing in just 98 of a possible 164 games. He averaged 11.3 points, six assists, 1.5 steals and 30.2 minutes in 46 contests last season.
Dunn started his career with the Wolves and was traded to the Bulls as part of a Jimmy Butler package just one year after being drafted. Chicago also agreed to acquire Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade with Washington and drafted Coby White in June, meaning Dunn could wind up being the odd man out of the rotation at point guard.
Several teams that have previously shown interest in adding a point guard have already found their respective resolutions, such as Boston with Kemba Walker, Phoenix with Ricky Rubio, Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving Charlotte with Terry Rozier and the Clippers with Patrick Beverley.
Warriors To Eventually Explore Trading D’Angelo Russell?
The Warriors are expected to eventually explore trading All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, whom the team agreed to acquire in a sign-and-trade with the Nets on Sunday, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (as relayed by RealGM).
“D’Angelo Russell does not fit there whatsoever,” Stein said on the Dan Patrick Show (Twitter link via Andrew Perloff). “They just did not want to see Kevin Durant walk out the door with no compensation. … They will trade him. It’s just a matter of when.”
Golden State is reportedly on track to acquire Russell, guards Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham as part of the agreement that will land Durant with Brooklyn. The Warriors have agreed to sign Russell to a four-year, $117MM contract.
While it’s fair to question the long-term fit of a backcourt made up of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Russell, it seems premature to assume that D-Lo is destined to be flipped, especially since the deal to acquire him hasn’t even been completed. The move to acquire Russell will also indirectly cost the Warriors Andre Iguodala and a first-round pick, and will severely limit the team’s ability to fill out its bench.
I imagine the Warriors will be patient in evaluating the fit in 2019/20, particularly with Thompson expected to miss or all of the season due to his torn ACL. Russell won’t become trade-eligible until at least December 15 once the Warriors acquire him.
Among the teams who previously expressed interest in Russell were the Lakers, who remain in pursuit of free agent forward Kawhi Leonard, and the Timberwolves, who are still in the market for a point guard.
Knicks To Sign Wayne Ellington
The Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract with free agent sharpshooter Wayne Ellington, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Ellington, a career 38% shooter from behind the arc, will play for the ninth different team of his career. He’s previously made stops with Minnesota, Memphis, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Miami and Detroit.
New York has already reached agreements with Julius Randle (3-year/$64MM), Bobby Portis (2-year/$31MM), Taj Gibson (2-year/$20MM) and Reggie Bullock (2-year, $21MM) during the first day of free agency. The team has roughly $10MM left in cap space with two open roster spots.
In addition to his floor-spacing ability, the Knicks value Ellington’s veteran mindset and locker room mentality. He averaged 12 points in 28 games for the Pistons last season, holding a 37% shooting mark from 3-point range.