Nets Sign Garrett Temple
JULY 8, 10:00pm: The Nets have officially signed Temple, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30, 5:05pm: The Nets have agreed to a two-year, $10MM deal with Temple, agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
JUNE 30, 3:41pm: Free agent guard/forward Garrett Temple is expected to sign with the Nets once he’s eligible to do so, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (via Twitter). According to Spears, Temple will likely sign a two-year, $10MM deal with a second-year team option.
Temple, 33, averaged 7.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG in a total of 75 games last season for the Grizzlies and Clippers. He’s considered a solid defender and a fairly reliable three-point shooter too (.353 career 3PT%), though he struggled after a deadline deal sent him to the Clips.
Based on the reported terms of Temple’s deal, it sounds like the Nets will use the room exception to sign him. That’s the exception available to teams that go under the cap and then use up all their cap space. It starts at $4.77MM and has a two-year value of $9.77MM.
The Nets are reportedly planning to use a significant chunk of their cap room to sign Kyrie Irving, and they’re said to be confident in their chances to land Kevin Durant with the rest of their space.
Kevin Durant To Nets A Done Deal?
Marc Stein of The New York Times is reporting that the Nets are emanating an “undeniable vibe of confidence” that Kevin Durant will join his friend Kyrie Irving and announce tonight that he plans to sign with the Nets.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post adds that there are individuals within the Brooklyn organization – both players and front office employees – that are “quietly confident” that Durant will choose Brooklyn over the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers.
Finally, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports hears that a team who was in the hunt to sign Durant now thinks that Durant is heading to Brooklyn as well.
As we noted earlier, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out if Brooklyn’s confidence is well-placed, as Durant will announce his decision online when free agency opens this evening.
Free Agent Rumors: Middleton, Butler, Kanter, Temple
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the quietness surrounding the free agency destination of Bucks’ All-Star forward Khris Middleton is because interested front offices are universally presuming that Middleton is going back to Milwaukee on a “monster” five-year deal.
Middleton, 27, is eligible to sign a five-year, $189.904MM maximum-salary contract with the Bucks, while rival suitors can only (relatively speaking, of course) offer up to $140.791MM over four years.
Echoing Stein’s sentiment from rival front offices, Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box reports that Middleton is expected to re-sign with Milwaukee, adding that Brook Lopez and George Hill are also considered good bets to return.
- Per Marc J. Spears of ESPN, unrestricted free agent center Enes Kanter is expected to have a phone call with the Blazers and Celtics when free agency tips off tonight at 5:00pm CST.
- Spears is also reporting that UFA guard Garrett Temple is getting interest from the Nets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Rockets.
- During their meeting this evening, Jimmy Butler is expected to tell the Heat that he wishes to play in Miami, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. It’s unclear whether Butler actually wants to play for the Heat of if he’s simply using this as a negotiating tactic to entice the 76ers to offer him a 5-year maximum-salary contract.
- Per Harrison D. Sanford of The Green Room with Danny Green, free agent guard Danny Green is expecting to hear from the Raptors, Lakers, Sixers, Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets, and Knicks.
Durant To Make Decision Via Instagram
JUNE 30, 2:37pm: Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link), Durant will announce his free agent decision tonight on Instagram, via his “The Boardroom” platform.
JUNE 28, 8:50pm: Kevin Durant is planning to speak with the Nets, Clippers and Knicks as well as the Warriors when free agency begins on Sunday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Durant probably won’t make a quick commitment. His decision-making process is expected to extend well into next week, according to Wojnarowski.
There are no surprises on Durant’s list. Both New York teams have been clearing cap space for years in order to pursue high-level free agents. The Clippers have taken the same approach the past two seasons, though they’ve been more often linked to Kawhi Leonard.
The process could be somewhat more informal than the last time Durant shopped himself in free agency during the summer of 2016. Durant is in New York after undergoing surgery on his torn Achilles tendon and plans to talk to teams there, Wojnarowski continues. He’ll conduct some combination of face-to-face meetings and other forms of communication with assistance from business manager Rich Kleiman.
Durant formally declined his $31.5M player option this week to become an unrestricted free agent. The Warriors are planning to offer him a five-year, $221MM max contract, while other teams can offer a four-year, $164MM deal.
Durant is expected to miss all of next season as he recovers from the injury suffered during the Finals.
D’Angelo Russell Has T-Wolves Atop Wish List
Marc Stein of The New York Times is reporting that Nets’ restricted free agent point guard D’Angelo Russell has the Timberwolves at the top of his free-agent wish list. Stein adds that while the Lakers still have undeniable interest in Russell, Minnesota is increasingly confident they can make the necessary salary-cap moves to land the 23-year-old All-Star.
The T-Wolves are expected to meet with Russell in Los Angeles this evening at the beginning of free agency. The meeting will reportedly feature new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, head coach Ryan Saunders, and Russell’s good friend, Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Wolves currently project to be an over-the-cap team, but the Nets have already indicated that they’d be willing to entertain a sign-and-trade arrangement that would enable Russell to reach a destination of his choosing. The most likely salary-matching pieces, however, are Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague, both of whom the Nets have no interest in whatsoever. As such, Minnesota would likely need to throw in some other assets to make the deal worthwhile to Brooklyn.
Minnesota could also attempt to trade some combination of Wiggins, Teague, Gorgui Dieng, and Robert Covington to open up cap space, but it’s unclear at this point what teams, if any, are interested in acquiring one or more of those players.
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.
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.
Steph Curry To Attend Warriors’ Meeting With Kevin Durant
Stephen Curry will attend the Warriors‘ meeting with Kevin Durant, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic hears. GM Bob Myers will sit down with Durant in New York and attempt to convince the former MVP to stay with the team.
Curry had been on an Under Armour tour in Asia but he is now on his way to the United States. Curry is expected to speak with Durant prior to the official meeting.
The point guard was at the team’s meeting with Durant three years ago when they successfully pitched the Maryland-native to come to Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also there in 2016, but neither will be present in person this time around. Thompson is preparing to undergo surgery on his own ACL (not to mention his own free agency) but he will join the pitch via FaceTime, Thompson tweets. Green has already visited Durant in NYC this summer.
Durant’s decision in 2016 hinged on Curry wanting him there. The former no. 8 overall pick assured Durant that he did and envisioned the two winning multiple championships together. The Warriors won two titles with the pairing and came close to a third, losing in this year’s NBA Finals to the Raptors.
Durant plans to speak with the Clippers, Nets, and Knicks in addition to the Warriors. It’s unlikely Durant makes a quick decision.
And-Ones: Trades, Antetokounmpo, World Cup
Jae Crowder would be a nice contingency plan for the Warriors should they lose Kevin Durant in free agency, Kevin Pelton contends in a piece for ESPN+. Pelton argues a deal that sends Crowder, who has one year left on his contract, to Golden State for Shaun Livingston and a future first-rounder makes sense for both sides.
Other ESPN insiders write about the trade they’d like to see this summer, with Bobby Marks breaking down a Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade that sends Eric Gordon to Philadelphia and Clint Capela to Sacramento. The whole piece is worth checking out.
As we brace for an offseason of change, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for Greece in the Basketball World Cup, according to Demetris Nellas of the Associated Press. “Whether I play the 1 [point guard] or the 5 [center], I don’t care,” the NBA MVP said. “I’m a basketball player. I want to help the team any way I can.”
- The NBA has announced that the Academy Games will be in the United States for the first time in history. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com provides a detailed look at the games in Atlanta, relaying that the camp will feature eight teams and approximately 90 players from around the world.
- Isaiah Whitehead will play for the Trail Blazers‘ Summer League team, The Athletic’s Michael Scotto relays (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks have announced their Summer League roster and former first-rounder Cameron Payne is among the notable players. Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Giannis, is also playing for the team in Las Vegas.
- Semaj Christon will play for the Kings‘ Summer League team, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia tweets.
- Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has been invited to join Team USA’s Select Team, which will hold training camp in Las Vegas this summer, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports passes along (Twitter links). Nets center Jarrett Allen has also been invited.
[In case you missed it: Team USA Announces 20-Player Roster For World Cup]
Timberwolves To Meet With D’Angelo Russell
The Timberwolves will meet with restricted free agent point guard D’Angelo Russell at the start of free agency, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
According to Haynes, the meeting will take place in Los Angeles and is expected to feature president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, head coach Ryan Saunders, and franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns.
Minnesota has been repeatedly linked to Russell, a good friend of Towns, who is “really high” on adding the All-Star guard, per Haynes. However, the club’s cap situation makes the path to a deal tricky. Currently, the Wolves project to be an over-the-cap team, while Russell is expected to command a contract worth upwards of his maximum ($27.25MM) or at least something in that neighborhood.
The Nets, who have been strongly linked to Kyrie Irving, could theoretically agree to sign-and-trade Russell to Minnesota, but Brooklyn reportedly has no interest in taking on Andrew Wiggins or Jeff Teague, who would be the Wolves’ most realistic salary-matching pieces.
Even if the Wolves were able to trade Wiggins into another team’s cap room and renounced the rest of their free agents, they could only generate about $20MM in cap room, which likely wouldn’t be enough for Russell, who established himself in 2018/19 as one of the NBA’s most promising young guards.
A sign-and-trade, then, looks like the most viable path for the Wolves to acquire Russell, but at least one other team would have to get involved if the Nets are uninterested in taking on salary. It sounds like a long shot, but it’s worth noting that Rosas came from Houston’s front office, where he worked under Daryl Morey. Morey is no stranger to getting creative with the cap himself, and is currently trying to pursue an equally convoluted sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote on Friday that one executive predicted to him that the Wolves would succeed in dealing Wiggins at some point and would get “net-neutral value” for him.