Western Rumors: Lakers, Pelicans, McDermott, Ja. Green, Holmes, More
After agreeing to acquire Russell Westbrook from Washington, the Lakers won’t have a ton of cap flexibility to add outside free agents this offseason. Los Angeles will likely be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum-salary contracts, since acquiring a player via sign-and-trade would create a hard cap that the team wouldn’t be able to stay under.
However, even with limited resources, that doesn’t mean the Lakers will have to wait until the second or third wave of free agency to go bargain hunting. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, people around the NBA believe that several veterans in search of a championship ring could be willing to pass on more lucrative offers elsewhere to join the Lakers. Fischer identifies DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, and Carmelo Anthony as some players who may fit that bill.
Here are a few more rumors from around the Western Conference:
- The Pelicans, Suns, and Nuggets are believed to be among the teams interested in pursuing Pacers sharpshooter Doug McDermott in free agency, according to Fischer. A recent report from The Indianapolis Star suggested Indiana may lose McDermott this summer.
- A return to the Nuggets is a possibility for JaMychal Green, but the power forward is also expected to draw interest from the Pelicans and Timberwolves, says Fischer.
- Following up on a Marc Stein report linking Daniel Theis to the Rockets, Fischer confirms Houston is eyeing the veteran big man and suggests the team’s $8.2MM trade exception could be used to land Theis in a sign-and-trade.
- According to Fischer, sources expect Richaun Holmes to remain with the Kings. That’s a bit of a surprise — Sacramento only has Holmes’ Early Bird rights and has been linked to several other centers, having agreed on Friday to acquire Tristan Thompson. But the Hornets, one of Holmes’ presumed suitors, are no longer expected to go big for a free agent center after drafting Kai Jones and agreeing to trade for Mason Plumlee, per Fischer. The Raptors, Mavericks, and Knicks may still be possibilities for Holmes, Fischer adds.
- The Mavericks are viewed as the favorites to sign Sterling Brown in free agency, league sources tell Fischer.
Trade Rumors: Raptors, McCollum, SGA, Celtics, Wolves
As long as Ben Simmons remains in Philadelphia and Kyle Lowry hasn’t reached an agreement in free agency, league sources aren’t ruling out the possibility of a deal between the Sixers and Raptors that would send Lowry to his hometown via sign-and-trade, says Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. However, with several suitors expected to pursue Lowry aggressively in free agency, that doesn’t appear to be a likely outcome for the time being.
According to Fischer, one intriguing trade framework that the Raptors have discussed with the Trail Blazers would involve Pascal Siakam and CJ McCollum. But those talks haven’t gathered any real momentum yet, Fischer cautions.
Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s name popped up in trade rumors leading up to the draft, the Thunder never offered him to the Cavaliers in negotiations for the No. 3 pick, according to Fischer, who reports that Oklahoma City only made present and future draft assets available in those discussions. The expectation is that the Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander will reach an agreement on a maximum-salary contract extension this offseason, Fischer adds.
- Before agreeing to a deal to acquire Josh Richardson from Dallas, the Celtics also expressed trade interest in Grizzlies wing Kyle Anderson, sources tell Fischer.
- The Timberwolves, who have long been in the market for a power forward, inquired on Danilo Gallinari before agreeing to send Ricky Rubio to Cleveland, says Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The Hawks turned down Minnesota’s offer for Gallinari.
Chris Paul Considered Likely To Remain With Suns
Chris Paul will likely remain with the Suns on a contract for at least three years and $90MM, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer writes that the veteran point guard “appears all but destined to return to Phoenix.”
Paul holds a $44.2MM option on his contract for next season. He could opt out and become an unrestricted free agent, then re-sign with the club for multiple years. Alternatively, he could opt in and sign an extension.
The Pelicans were eager to acquire Paul, which would have given them a top-notch veteran floor leader to pair with franchise player Zion Williamson. Newly-hired head coach Willie Green has a close relationship with Paul and the perennial All-Star lobbied Houston’s front office to hire Green as an assistant when he played there. New Orleans tried to bring in Paul via a trade last off-season before he was acquired by the Suns from Oklahoma City.
An ESPN report this week also noted the connection between Green and Paul and the likelihood of CP3 staying put. Suns GM James Jones had expressed optimism that Paul would remain with the club.
There had been talk around the league this week about Paul potentially bolting from the Western Conference champions, Fischer adds. One of those avenues was closed when the Lakers opted to trade for Russell Westbrook.
Salary-cap issues, plus a rivalry between the two franchises, essentially made a potential Suns-Lakers trade a moot point.
Eastern Notes: Mobley, Gores, Wizards, Bonner
The Cavaliers fielded calls for over a month regarding the No. 3 pick in the draft. However the team’s brass was more excited about adding a rookie with a very high ceiling than reconstructing the roster, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Cavs selected USC big man Evan Mobley with the pick. “We were able to draft a transformative talent, whose versatility, athleticism and physical gifts are qualities we covet in a player. Evan Mobley checks each of those boxes,” GM Koby Altman said.
We have more from the Eastern Conference
- Pistons owner Tom Gores calls top pick Cade Cunningham a natural leader and feels giddy about the team’s future, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I’ve never felt better,” Gores said. “I woke up this morning and felt like we won already. We haven’t won a game yet. We felt like we won. I feel excited about where we’re at, but I also know through my life experiences we’ve got to go to work. We’ve got a great foundation.”
- Zach Guthrie and Mike Miller will be part of Wes Unseld Jr.‘s staff with the Wizards, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets. Guthrie worked under Rick Carlisle in Dallas last season, while Miller is the former coach of the G League’s Westchester Knicks. Former Magic assistant Pat Delany had already agreed to join the Wizards.
- Becky Bonner is expected to be a bench coach on Jamahl Mosley‘s Magic staff, Fischer adds in another tweet. She’s already the team’s Director of Player Development and Quality Control. Nate Tibbetts, Dale Osbourne and Kaleb Canales are expected to be on the front of Orlando’s bench assisting Mosley, according to Fischer (Twitter link).
Grizzlies Waive Jontay Porter
The Grizzlies have waived big man Jontay Porter, the team’s PR department tweets.
Porter came off the bench in 11 games last season but only averaged 4.9 MPG. Porter, 21, went undrafted in 2019 out of Missouri.
Porter, the brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., underwent multiple knee surgeries before making his NBA debut in April. He also played for the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, at the Orlando bubble.
Porter was signed to a three-year, $6MM deal last November but the salaries in the last two years of the deal were not fully guaranteed. He would have been owed $1.95MM for next season if he had remained on the roster past August 18th.
Memphis will incur a $300K cap hit for waiving Porter, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Pacers Exercise Edmond Sumner’s 2021/22 Option
8:48pm: It’s official, according to a team press release.
1:00pm: The Pacers will pick up their team option on Edmond Sumner‘s contract for 2021/22, according to president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files).
The option will pay Sumner a $2.32MM salary before he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2022.
Sumner, 25, had a career year for the Pacers in 2020/21, playing a career-high 16.2 minutes per game and earning 24 starts in 53 contests. The 6’4″ guard averaged 7.5 PPG and 1.8 RPG with an impressive shooting line of .525/.398/.819.
While there might be some extra minutes on the wing available in Indiana in 2021/22 if Doug McDermott departs in free agency, Sumner will face competition from newly-drafted swingman Chris Duarte. A number of Pacers veterans have also been mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks, so it’s possible the team will shake up its roster a little during the free agency, but when the dust settles, Sumner should be in the mix for a regular rotation role.
Matthew Hurt Signs Two-Way Contract With Rockets
AUGUST 13: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 30: Undrafted Duke forward Matthew Hurt has agreed to a two-way deal with the Rockets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Hurt was the conference’s leading scorer last season, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Blue Devils in 24 games as a sophomore. The 6’9” Hurt shot 44.4% from 3-point range, making him an attractive free agent after the draft.
The Timberwolves were among the teams also interested in signing Hurt, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Hurt worked out for a number of clubs during the draft process, including the Rockets.
Bulls Extend Qualifying Offer To Markkanen
The Bulls have extended a qualifying offer to forward Lauri Markkanen, making him a restricted free agent, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The QO is worth just over $9MM but Markkanen is expected to receive a deal exceeding that amount on the open market. Markannen is coming off a somewhat disappointing 2020/21 campaign in which he averaged a career-low 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG. His playing time diminished after Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis were acquired at the trade deadline.
Markannen said in May he intended to explore his free agent options. He was the seventh overall pick of the 2017 draft.
“My thing is I think I’ve always been a team-first guy. And I think now it’s time to look at the business side of the game,” Markkanen said. “I feel like I’m only 23 years old and I have a lot of basketball ahead of me. It’s a good opportunity to look what’s out there for me. I can be a focal point. I think I have a lot more to offer.”
Heat Extend QOs To Robinson, Nunn, Vincent, Strus
The Heat have extended qualifying offers to Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, making the quartet restricted free agents, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.
The QOs for Robinson and Nunn are worth $4.736MM apiece, while Vincent’s QO is $1.67MM and Strus’ would be another two-way deal. Vincent’s offer includes an $84K guarantee as a two-way player over the last two seasons, while Strus’ guarantee would be $50K, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes.
Robinson will be one of the hottest restricted free agents on the market, and Nunn will also likely attract interest from multiple suitors. Miami will have to right to match offer sheets on both of those wing players.
The Heat still need to decide whether to exercise their options on the contracts of Goran Dragic ($19.4MM), Andre Iguodala ($15MM) and Omer Yurtseven ($1.5MM) by 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Windhorst’s Latest: Grizzlies, Kings, Pelicans, CP3, Siakam, Simmons
Before they agreed to a deal with the Pelicans that sent Jonas Valanciunas to New Orleans and the No. 10 pick to Memphis, the Grizzlies made it “pretty far down the road” in talks with the Kings about a similar trade, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast.
According to Windhorst, the deal the Grizzlies and Kings discussed would’ve involved Marvin Bagley III and the No. 9 pick going to Memphis, with Valanciunas heading to Sacramento. It’s not clear what other pieces were included in those discussions.
Here are a few more items of note from Windhorst’s podcast:
- Kyle Lowry has frequently been cited as the Pelicans‘ top point guard target in free agency, but the team would also be interested in making a run at Chris Paul, believing his connection to former Phoenix assistant Willie Green could help sell him on a return to New Orleans, says Windhorst. However, according to Windhorst, the feeling around the NBA is that Paul will ultimately stick with the Suns.
- Discussing the Raptors‘ decision to select forward Scottie Barnes with the No. 4 pick, Windhorst suggested that Toronto has “offered Pascal Siakam around” this offseason. An earlier report indicated that some teams believe the Raptors will become more inclined to pursue a Siakam trade with Barnes in the fold.
- Confirming some other reports that have surfaced in recent days, Windhorst says the Sixers‘ asking price in Ben Simmons talks has been extremely high. Windhorst’s take on the offers he has heard about: “(They’ve been) so aggressive and outlandish that it makes you walk away saying, ‘They’re not really trying to trade him.'”