Lakers Give Rajon Rondo ‘Strong Consideration’
8:22pm: After reaffirming that Rondo and the Lakers had a mutual interest, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets that L.A. has let it be known that they are only offering one-year deals. Per Turner, Rondo is gauging interest from other teams.
6:31pm: The Lakers have been relatively quiet to start the free agency period but Ramona Shelburne of ESPN notes that the club has given recently waived point guard Rajon Rondo “strong consideration.”
Just yesterday we wrote about how the Lakers had already been in touch with the 31-year-old but it’s worth noting that they’re not the only ones to whom Rondo has been linked, the Clippers and Timberwolves have also been said to be intrigued by the veteran.
In an up and down season for the Bulls, one in which he went from being a prominent free agent signing to out of the club’s rotation altogether, then ultimately re-emerging as a playoff hero, Rondo posted 7.8 points and 6.7 assists per game. It was his mid-season defense of the young players on his roster, however, that may stand out as his most memorable.
With second-overall pick Lonzo Ball now a member of the Lakers, the franchise would be wise to bring aboard a veteran from whom the rookie could learn. Rondo isn’t without his faults but could be a valuable addition to a young locker room eager to improve in 2017/18.
Wolves Pull Muhammad’s Qualifying Offer
As had been anticipated, the Timberwolves officially pulled the qualifying offer they sent to Shabazz Muhammad, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. Now the swingman will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.
Earlier today we wrote about how the Taj Gibson signing has impacted the situation in Minnesota. As a result, Muhammad’s representation didn’t waste any time informing other teams of his client’s anticipated status change.
Muhammad has seen his role decrease slightly over the course of the last two seasons and that would have inevitably continued in 2017/18 with Jimmy Butler now on board.
Still just 24-year-old, Muhammad should have no trouble finding suitors after nearly posting a third-consecutive season with double-digit points per game. Per 36 minutes, he averaged 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Malik Monk Signs Rookie Contract With Hornets
The Hornets have signed 11th-overall pick Malik Monk, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. The 19-year-old will make $2.9MM in 2017/18.
After averaging 19.8 points per game in his one and only season with Kentucky, Monk will set out to provide Kemba Walker with much needed backcourt support, although he may need to scale his way up the depth chart before he does.
For details of Monk’s rookie deal, worth $15.7MM in all, check out our chart breaking down the pay scale for all first-round picks.
Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Ndour, Iguodala
The Knicks have changed their tone with regard to Kristaps Porzingis now that former president Phil Jackson is out of the picture. These days, head coach Jeff Hornacek is confident that the third-year forward will remain in New York, Ian Begley of ESPN writes.
“I think it was out there that Phil was listening, but he wasn’t out shopping KP,” The Knicks bench boss clarifies. “We love KP and what he does, so I don’t see him going anywhere.”
We wrote yesterday about how the Knicks will look to prioritize the 21-year-old more in their offense, something that Jackson had been reluctant to do. They’ve also actually been in touch with the 7’3″ sharpshooter as well, a sign that tension between the two parties following Porzingis’ missed exit meeting is simmering now that his biggest critic is no longer involved.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Recently waived Maurice Ndour may be a victim of bad timing, Marc Berman of the New York Post suggests. The forward was a favorite of Phil Jackson‘s and was cut shortly after the organization and former president parted ways. The Knicks let Ndour go to free up cap space.
- The Sixers have ample cap space and no reservations using it, something that Warriors forward Andre Iguodala may have used to his advantage in his own free agent negotiations. Rob Tornoe of the Inquirer suggests that on some occasion, agents leak meetings with Philly to drive up prices.
- The time is now for Brett Brown to show what he’s capable of as a head coach, Bob Cooney of the Inquirer writes. Brown has done an impressive job of harnessing effort out of his limited roster in the past, now he has legitimate weapons at his disposal.
P.J. Tucker Meeting With Raptors, Kings
10:30pm: The Kings’ meeting with Tucker is now scheduled to take place in Philadelphia on Sunday, sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
JULY 1, 10:09am: Tucker’s meeting with the Kings will take place today, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
JUNE 30, 10:14pm: Veteran forward P.J. Tucker will meet with members of the Raptors’ front office after 12:00 EST tonight, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. Tucker was acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline last February.
Tucker made $5.3MM in 2016/17 and was a sought-after veteran target mid-season because of his toughness and perimeter defense.
At some point over the weekend, Tucker will also meet with the Kings, Haynes adds in a second tweet.
In addition to the Raps and Kings, the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Sixers and Clippers are said to have an interest in the free agent.
In 24 post-deadline games for the Raptors last year, Tucker averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
Nene Back On Free Agent Market
12:08pm: The Rockets remain optimistic that they’ll be able to work something out with Nene, tweets Spears. Houston could increase its offer to Nene by using part of the mid-level exception rather than his Non-Bird rights.
11:38am: Upset at the prospect of losing one year – and approximately $4MM – from his initially-reported agreement with the Rockets, Nene is “back at square one” in free agency, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter links). According to Spears, the market for the veteran center is back open.
JULY 1, 9:36am: The Rockets’ deal with Nene will actually only be for three years, since the team can’t sign him to a four-year deal with his Non-Bird rights due to the over-38 rule, says Bobby Marks of ESPN.com. Nene’s three-year contract figures to be worth $10,954,440, which is the maximum allowable using his Non-Bird rights.
Albert Nahmad (Twitter link) was among the cap experts to point out late last night that Nene’s reported agreement appeared to be in conflict with the over-38 rule.
JUNE 30, 10:16pm: The Rockets have agreed to a four-year deal with Nene, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. The deal is said to be worth $15MM, Feigen notes.
Despite rupturing his groin in the postseason, the 34-year-old veteran fully expected to return to the Rockets. Now with Chris Paul on board and speculation that there could be further deals in the works, the franchise will presumably delight in the opportunity to add a cheap option that’s already familiar with the organization.
Adding context to the deal is Zach Lowe of ESPN who tweets that it looks as though the Rockets used Nene’s Non-Bird rights. That means the franchise will retain its mid-level and biannual exceptions for further moves.
In 67 games for Houston last season, the greybeard posted 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Stephen Curry, Warriors Reach $201MM Deal
JULY 6, 9:14pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed Curry to his new Designated Veteran Extension, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
JUNE 30, 11:15pm: Now that the free agency period has officially begun, Curry and the Warriors have agreed on the expected $201MM super-max deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
10:31pm: Although it was never really in doubt, the Warriors and Stephen Curry are on pace to to strike a five-year, $201MM super-max deal after midnight EST, Marc Stein of ESPN tweets.
Notoriously underpaid over the course of the past three seasons, two of which he earned the Most Valuable Player award in, Curry is set to get his long-awaited payday.
There has never been any doubt that the Curry was committed to returning to the Bay Area, nor was there doubt that the franchise was ready to foot the bill. Of note, however, is how quickly the two parties worked to strike an agreement.
While the concept of Kevin Durant leaving some money on the table has been floated, that has not happened in this case with Curry.
Bulls Sign Felicio To Four-Year Deal
2:47 PM: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
June 30: The Bulls have come to terms with restricted free agent Cristiano Felicio, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The soon-to-be 25-year-old big man averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Bulls last season.
Per Charania, the deal will be worth $32MM over four years. That should give Chicago more than enough time to gauge what sort of player they have in Felicio.
At this point Felicio is regarded as a potentially valuable reserve, although there doesn’t appear to be any rush to throw him into significantly more minutes any time soon. His ability to serve as a big, defensive presence, however, was enough to convince Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg to let him close some games during the 2016/17 season.
Now that the Bulls have moved on from veterans Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo, the rebuild is officially underway. With that in mind, the Brazilian center will likely get more than enough opportunities to show just what he’s capable of.
Iguodala To Meet With Spurs, Kings, Rockets
10:45pm: Count the Rockets among those interested in Iguodala. Chris Haynes of ESPN writes that Houston has secured a meeting with the veteran as well.
7:49pm: The Spurs aren’t the only team with whom Iguodala will meet tonight. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN writes that the forward will also meet with the Kings when the free agency period officially opens.
6:00pm: When the free agency period formally begins tonight, Andre Iguodala will meet with the Spurs, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. The veteran has spent the past four seasons with the Warriors, winning a pair of titles and one Finals MVP.
The news comes on the heels of a Zach Lowe revelation that Iguodala and the Warriors don’t currently have any meetings scheduled. That said, Lowe also points out that the two parties are still optimistic about working out a deal that would bring Iggy back into the fold for the reigning champions.
The Spurs are currently projected to have about $23MM in cap space and could benefit from having another veteran wing player on board in the event that Jonathon Simmons pursues an offer that they’re not keen to match.
The meeting doesn’t necessarily mean Iguodala is actively looking to ply his trade elsewhere in 2017/18 – instead, as Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News suggests, the forward could be simply gauging what his market is.
Suns To Meet With Paul Millsap
JUNE 30th, 10:43pm: Phoenix has a meeting set with Millsap for this Sunday, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. With Blake Griffin agreeing to re-sign with the Clippers, this may intensify the Suns’ pursuit of the forward, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (via Twitter).
JUNE 29th, 4:45pm: In addition to their scheduled meeting with Blake Griffin, the Suns will meet with Paul Millsap, John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reports.
The 31-year-old forward is expected to have numerous suitors although most tend to be more established contenders. As Gambadoro notes in his article, Millsap would join a small group of players considerably older than the Phoenix’s young core.
As we discussed yesterday, new Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk is not expected to offer Millsap a full max contract, that puts the ball in the court of teams looking to lure the 12-year veteran away.
Just last week, Millsap was briefly linked to the Suns by Brian Windhorst of ESPN and Gambadoro then offered up Tyson Chandler as a possible player who could be involved in a sign-and-trade between the two franchises.
In a fourth consecutive All-Star season last year, Millsap averaged a career high 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.