Sixers Notes: Ennis, Ilyasova, Bird, Milton
The Sixers have their eyes on free agent forward James Ennis, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley, but landing him won’t be easy. Detroit owns Early Bird rights on Ennis and has made re-signing him a priority.
Ennis, 28, came to the Pistons at the trade deadline after beginning the season in Memphis. He was a part-time starter in Detroit and averaged 7.5 points per game. He earned a little more than $3MM this season.
The Rockets and Nets have also expressed interest in Ennis, according to Begley. The Pelicans would also like to sign him, but the growing interest may push him outside their price range, adds Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link). Ennis played nine games in New Orleans at the end of the 2015/16 season.
There’s more from Philadelphia on the first day of free agency:
- The Sixers talked to veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova about a return before he signed a three-year, $21MM deal with the Bucks, according to Gery Woelful of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). The Lakers, Timberwolves and Raptors were other options for Ilyasova.
- The Sixers are among the teams showing interest in Celtics shooting guard Jabari Bird, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who adds that the Wolves are also considering an offer. Bird was a two-way player for Boston this season, appearing in 13 NBA games and averaging 3.0 points in 8.0 minutes per night. He was a big scorer for the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine, posting a 19.3/5.8/2.7 line in 20 games. Boston submitted a qualifying offer this week, making Bird a restricted free agent.
- Second-round pick Shake Milton will be held out of summer league play because of a stress fracture in his back, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team plans to re-evaluate him in three weeks. His injury occurred during pre-draft workouts.
- Justin Anderson had surgery on his left leg due to recurring tibial stress syndrome, the team announced on its website. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, then again in six to eight weeks. Anderson has spent the past season and a half in Philadelphia and appeared in 38 games this year.
Sixers To Meet With LeBron James’ Representatives
Representatives for LeBron James will meet with the Sixers today in Los Angeles, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. James will not attend the session, which will be led by 76ers ownership and interim head of basketball operations Brett Brown.
Philadelphia has been floated as a possible destination for James for several months, although recent rumors have focused more on the Lakers and Cavaliers. The Sixers are close to having enough cap room to offer a maximum deal and already have two young stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
James talked to the Cavaliers on the phone last night and is expected to meet with the Lakers soon. The Nuggets are also pushing for an interview with this summer’s top free agent.
Hawks Sign Jaylen Adams To Two-Way Deal
JULY 1: The Hawks have officially signed Adams to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 22: The Hawks have reached agreement on a two-way contract with St. Bonaventure’s Jaylen Adams, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 22-year-old point guard shared Player of the Year honors in the Atlantic 10 as a senior. He averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 assists per game and had a pair of 40-point nights in February.
Adams was a first-team all-conference selection the past three years and earned honorable mention All-American honors this season.
Hawks Sign All Three First-Round Picks
The Hawks have reached contract agreements with first-round picks Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman, according to Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Their first-year salaries will be approximately $5.36MM for Young, $2.25MM for Huerter and $1.62MM for Spellman. All rookie scale deals cover two years, followed by two team option seasons.
Young, the fifth overall pick, was among the nation’s top collegiate scorers at Oklahoma. Atlanta grabbed him after trading down from No. 3 in a draft-day deal with Dallas. Huerter, a 3-point specialist out of Maryland, was taken at No. 19 despite a wrist injury that limited his pre-draft workouts. Spellman is a center with shooting range who won a national title at Villanova.
Knicks Looking To Trade Courtney Lee?
The Knicks are exploring the possibility of trading Courtney Lee and his multiyear contract, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Lee will make $12,253,780 in the upcoming season and $12,759,670 in 2019/20, which could disrupt the team’s plans to offer a maximum-salary contract next summer.
If the Knicks want to lock up Kristaps Porzingis to a contract extension this offseason, it would cut into their projected 2019 cap room, so moving Lee for expiring salary would help retain some of the their ’19 flexibility and create a clearer path to a max-salary slot. Porzingis, who is expected to miss at least part of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, is eligible for a extension worth a projected $155MM.
Lee, 32, will likely fall out of the rotation under new coach David Fizdale, Berman writes. Sources tell The Post that rookie Kevin Knox is expected to take Lee’s spot as the starting small forward, while Damyean Dotson will have a bigger role as the backup to Tim Hardaway Jr. at shooting guard and Frank Ntilikina will also see time there. Fizdale reportedly doesn’t view the 6’5″ Lee as a small forward.
Lee has spent the past two seasons with the Knicks after signing as a free agent in 2016. He appeared in 76 games this year, starting 69, and posted a 12.0/2.9/2.4 line.
Suns Interested In Ariza, Bradley, Randle
The Suns are targeting Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, Clippers guard Avery Bradley and Lakers forward Julius Randle, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Phoenix will have about $18MM in cap space to work with after waiving Tyler Ulis earlier today. Ariza and Bradley are both unrestricted free agents and would provide a needed boost to the Suns’ defense. Randle is restricted, and the Lakers will have the chance to match any offer sheet he receives.
Ariza, 33, has spent the past four seasons in Houston and was a steady two-way player on a team that won 65 games this year. He averaged 11.7 points during the season and shot 37% from 3-point range.
Bradley, 27, was known as one of the league’s top defensive guards in Boston, but his game took a downturn after trades to the Pistons and then to the Clippers. A sports hernia limited him to just six games in L.A.
Randle is the youngest of the group at 23. After the Lakers decided not to give him an extension, he responded with a 16.1/8.0/2.6 season that has made him a popular free agent target.
Community Shootaround: Superteam in L.A.?
Speculation continues to grow that the Lakers will land the biggest prize of the summer in LeBron James, but the other pieces they were hoping for appear less certain.
Lakers fans watched in anticipation today as LeBron took a flight from his vacation spot of Anguilla to Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. It could be a clue or it could just mean that James and his family were returning to their summer home.
Halfway across the country, Thunder fans are finding hope in a “summer hype house party” hosted tonight by OKC star Russell Westbrook. Teammate Paul George is on the guest list for the bash, which would serve as an ideal location if he wants to announce that he’s staying in Oklahoma City. Guests are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which adds to the anticipation that major news is on the way.
George is one Los Angeles native the Lakers were hoping to add to their mix. The other is Kawhi Leonard, who has requested a trade out of San Antonio. However, the Spurs are seeking a “clean out the cupboard” type deal, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, and the Lakers have been unwilling to meet their price. He adds that L.A. views Leonard as a “distressed asset” who is almost certain to leave San Antonio next summer, so the Lakers’ front office is unwilling to give the Spurs what they want. The Celtics and Sixers are also in on the bidding for Leonard and both might be willing to make better offers.
With the start of free agency less than 30 minutes away, we want to get your predictions. James, George and Leonard — how many of them will be Lakers when the season starts in October? Please leave your responses in the space below.
DeMarcus Cousins Next Target For Lakers?
With Paul George looking more likely to stay with the Thunder, the Lakers are turning their attention to DeMarcus Cousins, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. League sources say that L.A. is considering a short-term max offer for the free agent center.
Cousins was headed for a full max deal in New Orleans before suffering a torn ACL in January. The Pelicans grabbed the No. 6 seed without him and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals, raising questions of whether the organization would be fine without him.
Cousins has played less than a full season in New Orleans after being acquired in a trade with the Kings, but he has put up All-Star numbers. In 65 games, he averaged 25.0 points and 12.7 rebounds while forming a dangerous frontcourt combination alongside Anthony Davis.
The Lakers, who have been seeking another star to help attract LeBron James to Los Angeles, could use some help up front. Incumbent starter Brook Lopez is a free agent and Ivica Zubac is the only center currently on the roster. O’Connor notes that in 2017, James referred to Cousins “the best big man in our game.”
In an interview last month with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Cousins said he is happy with the progress he has made and he hopes to be ready for training camp.
“Just getting this amount of time to rest my body, I’ve never had this much rest probably since I picked up a basketball.” Cousins said. “I feel like it’s been tremendous for my body. I feel great. I feel fresh. I feel brand-new. It’s crazy to say.”
Sixers Notes: Fultz, Redick, McConnell, Free Agents
Sixers guard Markelle Fultz will skip summer league to keep working on the mechanics of his shot that were disrupted during his rookie year, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team wants Fultz to continue his work with shooting coach Drew Hanlen in Los Angeles.
Fultz was limited to 17 games during his rookie season because of a combination of injuries and shooting problems. He played the first four games before suffering a shoulder injury that stretched into a 68-game absence as he tried to recover the form he had in college. He returned for the final 10 games, then had a limited role in the playoffs.
Hanlen said Fultz is making progress with his shot, and coach Brett Brown believes he will benefit more from the drills than by playing summer league games.
“I think there’s a timeline of that where you are going to start doing some things skill-wise and handle and play,” Brown said. “But I think when you look at what’s most important, what thing needs the most work, it’s that. I don’t really want to pivot out of that if we think it’s going to hurt a very elementary way we are going about reclaiming his shot.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- If the Sixers are able to land an elite free agent, it will probably signal the end of J.J. Redick‘s time in Philadelphia, notes Derek Bodner of The Athletic. To sign LeBron James or Paul George to a maximum contract, the team would have to renounce its $27.6MM cap hold for Redick, along with a $13.2MM hold for Amir Johnson. The Sixers would still have the room mid-level exception to offer Redick, but that would be well below his market value. If they retain their cap space, the Sixers can re-sign Redick for 120% of last year’s salary, which amounts to roughly $27.6MM.
- If Philadelphia strikes out with the top free agents, some of their money could be used to renegotiate and extend T.J. McConnell‘s contract, Bodner adds in the same story. The move would reduce his cap hit in future seasons, just as it did with Robert Covington, but it wouldn’t have the same impact because McConnell’s deal is much smaller.
- Mike O’Connor of The Athletic examines some second-tier free agents who could help the Sixers if they miss out on their top targets. Along with Will Barton, who is now expected to re-sign in Denver, O’Connor names Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, Rodney Hood, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza and Tyreke Evans.
Derrick Favors Sets Meeting With Jazz
Representatives of the Jazz will meet with free agent big man Derrick Favors Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.