Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Lowry, Ginobili, Teague, Sixers

June 20th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of a report that cast some doubts on whether Kyle Lowry intends to re-sign with the Raptors, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the point guard’s situation, suggesting that Lowry returning to Toronto is still the most likely outcome. However, Deveney pointed to a couple other teams as potential Lowry suitors.

Sources have indicated to Deveney that there’s a chance the Knicks will pursue Lowry, though if the 31-year-old wants to join a contending team, that may take New York out of the equation. According to Deveney, the Nuggets may be another team to watch, since they have cap room necessary to make a splash and could use a long-term solution at the point. They’ve also shown a willingness to go after impact players — I suggested last week that the Nuggets may be a good bet to pursue a free agent point guard.

Meanwhile, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Jimmy Butler “has been in [Lowry’s] ear” about joining the Bulls since the two played together for Team USA. A Bulls source tells Cowley that Butler and Dwyane Wade would prefer to play with a point guard who can space the floor better than Rajon Rondo, and Lowry would certainly fit that bill. I don’t think the Bulls signing Lowry is a very realistic scenario, but I also didn’t expect the club to add Wade and Rondo a year ago, so we’ll see how the offseason plays out.

Here are a few other free agent notes from around the NBA:

Manu Ginobili, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, has yet to make a final decision on his future. However, there have been positive indications that he’s leaning toward returning to the Spurs for another year, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard is mulling the possibility of having Lance Stephenson run the point in Indiana if the team embarks on a rebuild, tweets Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. While Doyel doesn’t come out and say it, that wouldn’t be a good sign for Jeff Teague‘s odds of re-signing with the Pacers this offseason.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sixers president Bryan Colangelo downplayed the idea of the Sixers foraying into free agency much this summer, suggesting the club wants to maintain maximum flexibility for 2018, when its core is “more ready” (Twitter link via Derek Bodner).
Kincade Upstill of The Deseret News explores possible next steps for the Jazz if Gordon Hayward departs in free agency next month.

Cavs Rumors: Griffin, LeBron, Butler, Love, Irving

June 20th, 2017 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of David Griffin‘s departure from the Cavaliers, rumors have been swirling about the circumstances that led the two sides to part ways, the deals Griffin was pursuing while he was still employed, and what the Cavs may do now that he’s gone.

We have a ton of Cavs rumors to pass along, so we’ll break them down into sections, focusing on Griffin, the front office, and trade-related reports…

David Griffin:

Griffin had become pessimistic about his future in Cleveland during the last few months of the 2016/17 season, and had kept an eye on other job openings around the NBA, according to Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo suggests Griffin expressed interest in the Magic and Bucks jobs through back-channels, but wasn’t given permission to speak to those teams by owner Dan Gilbert.
According to Windhorst and McMenamin, Gilbert occasionally inserted himself into trade talks during Griffin’s tenure as GM, calling another team’s owner directly and derailing Griffin’s plans.
Gilbert and Griffin had a long meeting last Friday, which didn’t go well, per Windhorst and McMenamin. Griffin wanted a significant pay raise and a promotion, while Gilbert wanted better communication and more aggression from his GM.
LeBron James was “disappointed” by Griffin’s departure, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). LeBron suggested as much on his own Twitter account, telling Griffin that he appreciated his work for the franchise even if “no one” else did.
Griffin was among the NBA’s lowest-paid general managers, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Previous reports indicated that Griffin was making less than $2MM per year.

Front office:

League sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link) that former Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik would be a strong candidate to work in the Cavaliers‘ front office if Chauncey Billups is hired. Zanik left Milwaukee this week after the team passed him over for a GM promotion.
LeBron is keeping an open mind about the Cavaliers‘ front office shakeup, according to David Aldridge, who tweets that James is “very serious about structure” and wants to see who the team brings in.

Trade rumors:

On Monday, Griffin called several teams about possible trades and told the Bulls he might be able to land a top-five pick if they were willing to trade Jimmy Butler, per Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. According to the ESPN duo, the Cavaliers were making an effort to work out a three-team trade involving Kevin Love and the Suns‘ No. 4 overall pick.
Even after Griffin’s departure, talks involving Love remain ongoing and the Cavaliers continue to gauge the status of Jimmy Butler, says Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter links).
Some Cavaliers players, including LeBron and Kyrie Irving, have reached out to Butler directly to gauge his interest in coming to the Cavs, and those players were encouraged by what they heard, Cleveland sources tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. One source tells Cowley that Butler may even push the Bulls front office to get a deal done, though as Cowley notes, that would be a major departure for Butler, who has talked about wanting to remain in Chicago.
Multiple teams have spoken to the Cavaliers about Irving, according to Amico, who adds (via Twitter) that Griffin was unwilling to move the star point guard. Cowley notes in his report that Irving has told some of his Team USA teammates that he might be open to a trade if it starts to look like LeBron will leave in 2018, and the Bulls are one team he’d be interested in. I’m extremely skeptical about the idea of an Irving trade — I think things would have to really go downhill in Cleveland following Griffin’s dismissal for that to be a realistic option.

Dwyane Wade Leaning Toward Opting In With Bulls

June 20th, 2017 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

Dwyane Wade doesn’t have to make a final decision on his player option for 2017/18 until next Tuesday, but at this point he’s leaning toward exercising that option, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

Having signed last summer with the Bulls on a two-year deal that features an opt-out for year two, Wade would earn $23.8MM if he picks up his option for next season. While it’s possible that he could find an offer that exceeds that total figure on the open market, he’s unlikely to top that annual salary.

Wade, who will turn 36 next January, remains productive, but is coming off a season in which his numbers reached their lowest point since his rookie year. The 14-year veteran averaged 18.3 PPG with a career-low .434 FG% in 60 games for Chicago, failing to earn an All-Star nod for the first time since 2003/04.

Wade’s player option decision is complicated by the fact that he has no interest in being part of a rebuilding situation in Chicago, as Shelburne notes. Although a Jimmy Butler trade remains unlikely, Wade’s All-NBA teammate has been the subject of plenty of rumors already this week, so it makes sense for Wade to hold off on his player option decision until after the draft, in case the Bulls decide to move Butler.

Still, sources have indicated to Shelburne that Wade is leaning toward exercising his option for 2017/18 no matter what the Bulls do in the next week. It’s possible that stance is meant to discourage the Bulls from trading Butler, and Wade will continue to monitor that situation. However, the 12-time All-Star genuinely likes playing in his hometown, and has little interest in taking a significant pay cut after settling for discounts for several years in Miami, per Shelburne.

Cavs Trying To Piece Together Trade For Butler

June 19th, 2017 at 4:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers are seeking to acquire Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler by putting together a multi-team trade, league sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Cleveland needs to get at least one other team involved to obtain the assets Chicago would demand and have been working diligently to do so, Stein adds. (Twitter links)

The Cavaliers’ high payroll, plus their lack of draft picks, makes it difficult to swing a deal for any high-level player. The Trail Blazers own their pick in Thursday’s draft and they also owe the Hawks a first-rounder in 2019. They don’t have any first-rounders coming their way.

It’s logical to assume they’d have to include Kevin Love in any blockbuster deal. Whether the Bulls would be interested in Love is unknown. Perhaps a third-party would facilitate the deal by taking on Love’s contract, which has three years and approximately $74MM remaining, though the final year is a player option.

The Suns might be a team that would get involved in the Cavaliers’ quest for Butler, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Butler’s name continues to swirl in trade rumors, even though numerous executives around the league believe Butler won’t be dealt during draft week. The Timberwolves, Celtics and Suns have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Butler. The Bulls’ asking price is high, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted, but there has been preliminary contact between Minnesota and Chicago. Boston has a bevy of first-round picks to offer the Bulls, adding another in its deal with the Sixers to swap the first and third overall picks, which was finalized today.

The Cavaliers have also been linked to the Pacers’ Paul George, who informed Indiana he won’t re-sign with the franchise when he becomes a free agent next summer. As is the case with Butler, the Cavaliers would likely to have to get a third party involved to pry away George.

Bulls Remain Unlikely To Trade Jimmy Butler

June 19th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

3:57pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link) agrees that the Bulls’ asking price for Butler remains high, but notes that the Timberwolves have “assets and interest,” adding that Minnesota and Chicago made preliminary contact this week. The Wolves were also linked to Butler around the time of last year’s draft.

Meanwhile, the Suns are another team to watch if Chicago is willing to move Butler, tweets K.C. Johnson.

12:18pm: The Celtics’ impending acquisition of yet another future first-round pick has increased speculation that Danny Ainge will make a push for a star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George in the coming days. However, that talk is “based more on speculation than reality” when it comes to Butler, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who cites three executives who don’t believe the Bulls forward is going anywhere this week.

Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times expresses a similar sentiment in his latest piece, writing that sources say the Bulls’ asking price for Butler is still “almost insurmountable,” and is unlikely to drop by Thursday. People around the Bulls aren’t even convinced that Ainge will come calling on Chicago before the draft, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com.

As Johnson details, the Celtics and Bulls discussed Butler at the trade deadline and around the time of last year’s draft, but February’s discussions were less serious than the talks in 2016. The Bulls asked for at least three – and possibly four – assets from the Celtics, and didn’t want to accept top-one protection on Boston’s 2017 first-round pick, according to Johnson.

While it’s possible that the Bulls’ position on Butler could change at some point, perhaps even later this week, there’s a belief around the league and within the Bulls organization that the Celtics plan to use the third overall pick in this year’s draft and then pursue Gordon Hayward in free agency. If Boston wants to make a blockbuster trade, the team would still have plenty of assets to pursue a deal after the free agent period, with or without Hayward.

Andre Iguodala To Seriously Consider Suitors In Free Agency

June 19th, 2017 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Although Andre Iguodala has been widely expected to re-sign with the Warriors when he becomes a free agent next month, a return to Golden State isn’t necessarily a lock. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Iguodala intends to seriously consider other clubs in free agency.

The Jazz, Clippers, Bulls, Timberwolves, and Hawks are among the teams that are expected to push the Warriors in the Iguodala sweepstakes, league sources tell Sharania. An earlier report named the Suns as a potential contender as well. The Vertical’s report notes that suitors for Iguodala would need to show “a vision to move toward contention” in order to get the veteran swingman to seriously consider leaving Golden State.

While estimates for Iguodala’s new contract have indicated the Warriors could bring him back for an annual salary in the range of his current $11.1MM+ figure, Charania suggests that number could be much higher if the 33-year-old heads elsewhere. According to Charania, there’s a belief among teams around the NBA that Iguodala could approach $20MM per year on a new deal.

Iguodala’s decision could have a ripple effect on the Warriors’ free agency plans. If he doesn’t return, the team would have more flexibility to re-sign Shaun Livingston, but may not be as inclined to go deep into the tax to keep its players beyond the Big Four. If both Iguodala and Livingston end up signing elsewhere, the Warriors would also have an easier time accommodating a full max contract for Kevin Durant, since they wouldn’t have to keep cap holds for Iguodala and Livingston on their books, and could dip under the cap.

Still, I’d continue to view the Warriors as the odds-on favorites to sign Iguodala until another team blows him away with its pitch or puts a massive multiyear contract offer on the table.

Dwyane Wade Still Pondering Opt-Out Decision

June 14th, 2017 at 8:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a June 27th deadline looming, Dwyane Wade hasn’t decided whether to opt out of a $23.8MM salary for next season, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.

The Bulls reportedly expect Wade to opt in and spend at least one more season in Chicago, but sources tell Goodwill that Wade hasn’t made up his mind and plans to spend more time on vacation while considering his next move.

Wade had a meeting with Bulls management last week to discuss the team’s plans for the future. Goodwill cites sources close to Wade who said the organization intends to “stay the course” for another season, with no significant personnel moves.

That would mean holding on to Jimmy Butler, who has been the subject of trade speculation for more than a year. Presumably, it would also mean keeping Rajon Rondo, who only has a $3M guarantee through June 30th on his $13.397MM salary for next season.

Wade has said his friendship with Butler played a part in his choice of the Bulls last summer after 13 years in Miami. Chicago management also met with Butler last week to discuss his role in the team’s future.

Family considerations will also affect Wade’s decision, Goodwill notes. Wade’s oldest son will turn 16 during the 2017/18 season, and Wade has said he doesn’t want his children to be moved from city to city as his career winds down.

K.C. Johnson On Wade, Mirotic, More

June 14th, 2017 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

During an appearance on CSN Chicago’s SportsTalk Live, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (video link) discussed Dwyane Wade‘s player option, Wade’s potential role as a sixth man for the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic‘s restricted free agency, and more.

Jalen Moore To Work Out For Bulls

June 12th, 2017 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Utah State’s Jalen Moore, who worked out for Philadelphia today, has auditions for the Celtics and Bulls coming up later this week, and has already worked out for the Bucks, Magic, and Thunder, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).

Bulls Hold Exit Meeting With Dwyane Wade

June 11th, 2017 at 10:29am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwyane Wade‘s exit meeting with the Bulls finally took place Saturday, relays K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Wade talked briefly with management after the team was eliminated from the playoffs in late April, and both sides agreed to wait a few weeks for the official meeting.

A source told Johnson the meeting was “positive” and touched on several subjects, including the possible makeup of next year’s team.

Wade has a June 27th deadline to decide whether to opt out of his $23.8MM salary for next season. The Bulls haven’t put any pressure on Wade to make his choice earlier and are preparing for him to opt in, according to Johnson.

Wade said during the season that the prospects for the team would determine his future in Chicago, along with family and financial considerations. The Bulls rallied late in the year to finish 41-41 and claim the final playoff spot, but were eliminated in the first round by Boston.

Wade, who spent 13 years in Miami before signing with Chicago last summer, played 60 games during his first season with the Bulls, averaging 18.3 points per night.

Management held a similar meeting last week with Jimmy Butler, who has been the subject of on-and-off trade rumors over the past year. There is a feeling in Chicago that Wade will only return to the team if Butler stays.

“Jimmy is, you know, a huge component in me being here,” Wade said at an April 29th press conference. “You know, what’s his future like? But at the end of the day it is a me decision. Everyone knows that Jimmy’s my guy, and I’m here because of our conversation [last summer]. But a lot of it depends on the whole big picture. Jimmy’s a big piece, but it’s a big picture as an organization. As players, with player options, I want it smack dead in my face of how it’s gonna be, what their thought of my role or position could be here — all of it.”