Lakers Request Meeting With Patrick Beverley
8:25pm: The Mavericks and Bulls also contacted Beverley today to set up a meeting, according to Sean Deveney (Twitter link).
6:43pm: The Lakers have contacted the representatives for free agent guard Patrick Beverley, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The team has been rumored as a possible destination for Beverley, who has spent the past two seasons with the cross-town Clippers.
Beverley may be a fall-back option for the Lakers if they can’t land a third star to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis. L.A. has about $32MM in cap room, which it plans to split among several players if the search for another star comes up short. Beverley is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth about $40MM.
After being limited to 11 games because of injuries in 2017/18, Beverley turned in a solid season this year, averaging 7.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per night and playing the super-aggressive defense that has defined his career. The Kings, Mavericks and Bulls are also believed to be interested in Beverley, while the Clippers would like to bring him back.
Salary Cap, Tax Line Figures Set For 2019/20 Season
The NBA has released the numbers that teams will be working with when free agency officially starts tomorrow, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The salary cap for the 2019/20 season has been set at $109,140,000 and the tax line will be $132,627,000. The minimum salary floor will be $98,226,000, 90% of the cap.
The cap and tax figures are slightly higher than the original projections of $109MM and $132MM. Some league executives were hoping the cap might be $500K more than the estimate, notes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Many other cap figures, including minimum and maximum salaries and several exceptions, are tied to the percentage of the salary cap increase. Here are some in-depth details on those numbers:
- Maximum salaries for 2019/20
- Minimum salaries for 2019/20
- Values of 2019/20 mid-level, room, bi-annual exceptions
Here are a few more key cap-related figures:
- Estimated average salary for 2019/20: $9,560,000 (Twitter link via Albert Nahmad)
- Maximum cash a team can send, receive in trades in 2019/20: $5,617,000 (Twitter link via Nahmad)
- Tax apron: $138,928,000
Meanwhile, the NBA has also issued updated cap projections for the next two seasons, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Those projections are as follows:
- 2020/21: $117MM cap, $142MM tax line
- 2021/22: $125MM cap, $151MM tax line
According to cap expert Pincus (via Twitter), the Thunder ($61.6MM), Warriors ($51.5MM), Raptors ($25.2MM), Trail Blazers ($15MM), and Celtics ($3.4MM) finished the 2018/19 season as taxpayers. Those numbers are similar to the ones we heard at season’s end, with the Raptors’ figure getting a bump due to unlikely incentives that were achieved in the postseason. No teams finished the 2018/19 season below the salary floor, Pincus notes (via Twitter).
Rockets, Bulls To Meet With Kevon Looney
7:32pm: Looney also has a meeting with the Bulls tomorrow, Medina tweets.
7:02pm: The Rockets will meet with free agent center Kevon Looney tomorrow, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Houston officials are delivering their free agency pitches in Los Angeles, which is where Looney will also talk to the Warriors and possibly several other teams, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).
Looney, 23, emerged as a rotation player for Golden State in his fourth NBA season, averaging 6.3 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 18.5 minutes per night. Coach Steve Kerr called him a “foundational piece” during the playoffs, Stein recalls (Twitter link), and that’s especially true now that starting center DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent.
The Rockets need help in the middle after Nene announced today that he will opt out of the final season of his contract. Houston also reportedly has a deal in place involving starting center Clint Capela if the team can land Jimmy Butler from the Sixers in a sign-and-trade.
The Celtics and Pelicans are other teams that have shown interest in Looney.
Knicks Decline Option On Henry Ellenson
The Knicks have declined Henry Ellenson‘s $1,645,357 option for next season, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Ellenson played 17 games for New York this year after signing with the team in February. He joined the Knicks on a 10-day contract in February, then inked a multi-year deal in early March. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in nearly 14 minutes per night.
Ellenson, 22, was taken by the Pistons with the 18th pick in 2016. He played 59 total games for Detroit, including two this season, before being waived in February.
In recent days, the Knicks have also declined options on John Jenkins and Billy Garrett as they try to maximize cap space heading into free agency. New York also opted not to extend qualifying offers to Emmanuel Mudiay and Luke Kornet.
Lakers Reach Out To D’Angelo Russell
The Lakers are trying to set up a meeting with free agent point guard D’Angelo Russell, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. L.A. officials have contacted Russell’s CAA agents, Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz, and Wojnarowski cites mutual interest between both parties.
The Lakers are looking for another star to form a Big Three in Los Angeles alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Their interest in Russell could depend on how they do with other targets such as Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler.
A restricted free agent for now, Russell is expected to be renounced by the Nets once they finalize an agreement with Kyrie Irving. Russell just completed an All-Star season in Brooklyn, posting a 21.1/3.9/7.0 line in 81 games.
Russell spent his first two NBA seasons with the Lakers after being selected with the second pick in the 2015 draft. He clashed with teammates and was criticized by former team president Magic Johnson before being shipped to Brooklyn to unload Timofey Mozgov‘s contract.
Jimmy Butler To Meet With Heat, Rockets
Jimmy Butler will meet with the Heat and Rockets as he ponders his free agent options, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Butler will sit down with Miami officials Sunday in South Florida, then will hear Houston’s presentation early next week in Los Angeles, Woj adds. He states that the Sixers haven’t ruled out sign-and-trade deals, which Butler would need to join either team.
Philadelphia still has the advantage of being able to offer Butler a five-year, $190MM deal if it decides to try to keep him, while other teams are limited to four years and about $141MM. However, the Sixers have other concerns with Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick both on the free agent market and Ben Simmons eligible for an extension this summer.
The Rockets have been the most visible organization trying to land Butler, leaking their intentions to pursue a sign-and-trade and reportedly lining up a contingent deal involving Clint Capela. Both Houston and Miami made strong efforts to acquire Butler in November when he demanded a trade out of Minnesota.
Free Agent Rumors: Randle, Gibson, Bullock, Bulls
The Kings will be among the teams in pursuit of Pelicans forward Julius Randle, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. He cites the Nets, Knicks and Bulls as other expected suitors.
Randle, 24, had a career-best season after signing a one-year deal with New Orleans last summer. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 73 games while shooting 52% from the field. He also improved as a long-distance shooter, hitting 34% of his shots from 3-point range.
Here are more rumors as we move to within 24 hours of the start of free agency:
- The Timberwolves will have plenty of competition for Taj Gibson, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who lists the Clippers, Nets, Bucks, Bulls, Warriors, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Hornets and Lakers as having interest in the veteran forward (Twitter link). Gibson has averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG during his two years in Minnesota.
- There’s mutual interest between the Knicks and shooting specialist Reggie Bullock, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Bullock averaged 11.3 points per game while splitting last season between the Pistons and Lakers.
- The Bulls are looking for a point guard, but want to limit the contract to two years, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. That may take them out of the running for Malcolm Brogdon or Patrick Beverley, Johnson notes, but he cites other options such as Cory Joseph, Tyus Jones and George Hill who might be willing to accept a shorter contract. The Bulls are counting on first-round pick Coby White to take over the position within two years and want the free agent’s contract to expire in the summer of 2021 at the same time as Otto Porter‘s and Cristiano Felicio‘s.
J.R. Smith Agrees To Move Guarantee Date
The Cavaliers will have a little more time to unload J.R. Smith‘s contract, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The veteran guard has agreed to move his guarantee date for next season from June 30 to July 15, with an option to push it all the way to August 1, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter link). As part of the agreement, Smith’s guaranteed money will rise from $3.9MM to $4.4MM.
Smith is due to make $15.68MM in the final year of his deal, but the smaller guarantee should make him attractive for a team looking to reduce salary. The Cavaliers have no interest in keeping Smith after he played just 11 games last season before being sent away from the team. Cleveland reportedly received offers on draft night, but nothing good enough to get a deal done.
Smith’s trade value can be counted at the full $15.68MM because he signed his contract before that rule was changed in the latest collective bargaining agreement. The Cavaliers will now have extra time to search for a deal as teams get a better read on their cap situations once the free agent frenzy dies down.
[RELATED: Why J.R. Smith May (Or May Not) Be A Valuable Offseason Trade Chip]
Smith, who will turn 34 in September, was a valuable player for Cleveland during the most recent LeBron James era, both as a clutch shooter and a defender. During Smith’s last full season in 2017/18, he averaged 8.3 points per game and was a .375 shooter from 3-point range.
Mavericks To Sign Josh Reaves
JUNE 26: Reaves is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs rather than a two-way pact, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News hears (Twitter link).
Reaves’ contract could be converted into a two-way later in the offseason, and not signing him to a two-way deal right away would allow Dallas to retain and evaluate both Macon and Antetokounmpo for a little while longer.
JUNE 21: The Mavericks will sign Penn State’s Josh Reaves to a two-way contract, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Their interest was first reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
The 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds during his senior season with the Nittany Lions. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 10.
Dallas ended the season with its two-way spots occupied by Daryl Macon and Kostas Antetokounmpo. Both players have two-year deals, so one would need to be waived to make room for Reaves.
Weekly Mailbag: 6/16/19 – 6/23/19
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
Do you think the super max-rule is turning out to be a bad rule? Players are getting so overpaid, but not deserving it like what’s happening now to John Wall and Chris Paul? — Greg Dizon
Formally known as the Designated Veteran Extension, the super-max is a good rule for the players, who will likely fight to keep it in the next collective bargaining agreement. It rewards loyalty and achievement, enabling players who have 7-9 years of experience with their original team to qualify for a contract at 35% of the cap, a privilege normally reserved for players with 10 or more years of service. Certain criteria such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or all-NBA appearances must also be met.
However, having a player eligible for a super-max can put a team in a bind, which is happening to the Hornets this summer with Kemba Walker, who is now eligible to earn about $221.3MM over five years instead of the standard max-level deal of $189.7MM. That’s a huge investment in one player, and as Wall showed in Washington, it can devastate a team if something goes wrong. Paul wasn’t eligible for a super-max because the Clippers traded him, but he still got a nice deal in Houston.
Can Golden State and Boston afford max-level players if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and Al Horford leave? How do you think Ricky Rubio fits on the Lakers? — Bloody knuckle show, via Twitter
The Warriors won’t have cap room unless they lose both Durant and Klay Thompson, and it wouldn’t be nearly enough to offer a max deal. With Aron Baynes off the books now that he has been traded to Phoenix, the Celtics can create up to $34MM in space. That’s enough to compete for the top free agents, but they would need to renounce Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris to get there. Point guard seems to be the primary focus for the Lakers heading into free agency. Rubio might be cheaper than some other options, but he’s not a shooter, which is the mistake L.A. made last summer. They need to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis with players who can space the floor.
Which contender is the best fit for Carmelo Anthony and why? — Leonard Carollo
It may be time to accept that there is no best fit for Anthony anymore. The Rockets seemed like a good spot for him last year because of the chance to play with two excellent passers in Paul, one of his best friends, and James Harden. However, he lasted just 10 games. Anthony was also disappointing in his season with the Thunder and put up good numbers on bad teams for much of his time with the Knicks. The Lakers may sign him because of his relationship with LeBron, but Anthony is probably past the point where he can help anyone.