Latest On Warriors, Dwight Howard
- Dwight Howard still has to be traded and then bought out before he officially becomes a free agent, but he could hit the market in about a week. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that he keeps hearing the Wizards and Warriors as potential landing spots for Howard. Sam Amick of USA Today reported over the weekend that the former No. 1 pick has interest in the Pelicans, Warriors, and Wizards, though Amick and others have suggested Golden State may not be sold on Howard’s fit.
New York Notes: Harris, Davis, Nets, Hezonja
Before he agreed to a two-year, $16MM deal with the Nets, free agent sharpshooter Joe Harris fielded competitive offers from rival suitors. However, he tells Michael Scotto of The Athletic that his priority was remaining in Brooklyn.
“I had some offers for longer-term deals, but ultimately from the get-go, I had basically said that I wanted to stay in Brooklyn and however we could come to an agreement on that,” Harris said.
Meanwhile, the Nets’ other noteworthy July 1 move involved reaching a contract agreement with Ed Davis, who will ink a one-year, $4.4MM contract with the club. According to Scotto, Davis received interest from the Warriors, Sixers, Thunder, and Trail Blazers before striking a deal with the Nets.
Here are a few more notes on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- The Nets are not actively shopping anyone on their roster in trade talks, a league source tells Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That includes Jeremy Lin, who has a $12.5MM expiring contract in 2018/19 and will be part of a point guard rotation that also includes Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell.
- Within his report on Mario Hezonja‘s agreement with the Knicks, Marc Berman of The New York Post notes that the forward chose New York over seven other teams, including the runner-up Trail Blazers. “The main reason is David Fizdale. He sold him,” a source told Berman. “The goal is to be here long term and finish his career. He was a fan of the team growing up.” Hezonja’s deal significantly reduces the odds of Michael Beasley returning to the Knicks, Berman adds.
- Nets restricted free agent Milton Doyle has drawn interest from the Timberwolves and an Eastern Conference team, among others, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). A two-way player last year, Doyle could sign an offer sheet with another club, but Brooklyn would have the chance to match it.
Free Agent Rumors: Favors, Ellington, Tolliver
The Jazz have already met with free agent big man Derrick Favors, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Favors met with club general manager Dennis Lindsey and head coach Quin Snyder for three hours today to discuss his future.
Marc Spears of The Undefeated, also reporting on the meeting, tweets that the forward is expected to make a decision on Monday. Favors – like the Jazz in general – enjoyed a pleasant surprise of a 2017/18 season and meshed with center Rudy Gobert in ways that he hadn’t previously.
That successful year has breathed new life into Favors’ future with the franchise that he’s played for since 2011. Favors averaged 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season, a notable improvement from the 9.5 and 6.1 he posted in 2016/17.
Both the Timberwolves and Mavs were previously linked to the 26-year-old.
There’s more from around the league tonight:
- With LeBron James suddenly a Laker, the Sixers can entertain other free agent possibilities. One option, on a notably smaller scale, is 3-and-D specialist Wayne Ellington, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the Timberwolves have also shown interest in the 39.2% three-point shooter.
- There has been no shortage of players the Timberwolves are said to be interested in this summer but Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News adds Vince Carter to the list. The 41-year-old veteran played last season with the Kings.
- The Clippers have sent their top brass to Dallas to meet with Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver at his home, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Tolliver drew praise in 2017/18, establishing himself as a reliable stretch four and a respected veteran presence.
- While he’s still open to returning to play with the Warriors, forward Kevon Looney has been in touch with the Clippers. Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweets that no deal is imminent.
- After carving a minor role for himself in the Hornets‘ rotation last season, undrafted guard Treveon Graham is drawing interest from the Wizards, Pistons and Timberwolves, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post tweets. Graham is a D.C. native.
- Although he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Knicks, small forward Mario Hezonja turned down multiple multi-year offers, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. Scotto cites head coach David Fizdale and the potential for Hezonja to grow his role with the franchise as reasons why the free agent forward chose New York.
Free Agent Notes: Stephenson, Tolliver, McGee, O’Quinn
Plenty of teams will have interest in Lance Stephenson once the higher-profile free agents are signed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pacers remain open to bringing back the 27-year-old swingman after declining their team option on him this week. Wolfson lists the Timberwolves, Knicks, Sixers and Lakers as other interested teams, but says there are more.
Stephenson appeared in all 82 games for Indiana this season, averaging 9.2 points per night. He would have made $4.36MM in 2018/19 if the Pacers had picked up his option.
There’s more free agent news to pass along:
- Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has talked to Pistons free agent Anthony Tolliver, according to Wolfson (Twitter link). Tolliver shot 44% from 3-point range this season, and Minnesota sees him as a possible replacement for Jamal Crawford. The Wolves also like his locker room presence, which could be valuable if Cole Aldrich doesn’t come back.
- JaVale McGee has said he wants to return to the Warriors, but he is also getting interest from the Lakers, Pelicans and Thunder, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Because of luxury tax concerns, Golden State is unlikely to offer more than a veteran’s minimum contract, while the other teams have more financial flexibility. McGee averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6RPG this season, but his numbers rose after he became a starter after the All-Star break. This is the third straight summer of free agency for McGee, who has spent the past two seasons with the Warriors.
- The new contract for Luke Kornet is a sign that Kyle O’Quinn won’t return to the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. He adds that the Sixers are showing “heavy interest” in O’Quinn, who spent the past three years in New York as a backup center.
- The Knicks are hoping to re-sign Isaiah Hicks, who was on a two-way contract this season, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley. New York gave him a qualifying offer last week, making him a free agent and giving the team the right to match any offer. Hicks appeared in 18 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points per night.
- A scheduled meeting between Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Clippers has been moved from today to Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.
West FA Rumors: A. Johnson, Looney, Exum
At least three Western Conference teams are said to have already contacted veteran big man Amir Johnson mere hours into free agency. Per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News the Timberwolves have been in touch, while Sean Deveney of The Sporting News adds that the Clippers and Lakers have too.
This time last season, Johnson inked a one-year, $11MM deal to serve as a reliable, veteran presence in the middle for the Sixers and it stands to reason that any of the teams kicking the tires on him this time around would be interested in a similar addition.
Johnson averaged 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Philly in 2017/18 but served as a defensive force in the paint and a low maintenance spot starter in games that Joel Embiid sat out.
There are more free agency rumors from around the Western Conference:
- The Warriors have already made contact with Kevon Looney about bringing him back to the Bay Area, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes, but the forward is said to be fielding interest from other teams as well. Golden State elected not to guarantee the fourth year of his rookie deal when they had the chance to do so last fall.
- The Jazz are making restricted free agent Dante Exum a priority, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets, and already have a meeting set up to discuss a new deal.
- Pending restricted free agent Montrezl Harrell has changed representation, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal tweets. Now the Clippers big man will be represented by Bobby Petriella of Rosenhaus Sports. He was previously represented by Klutch Sports Group.
NBA Sets Salary Cap For 2018/19
The NBA has set the salary cap for the 2018/19 league year, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the cap will be $101,869,000. The luxury tax threshold will be $123,733,000, Charania adds. Meanwhile, the minimum salary floor will be $91,682,000, according to the NBA.
The finalized cap figure comes in just slightly higher than what we expected. For virtually the entire 2017/18 league year, the NBA had projected that the cap for next season would be $101MM, with a luxury tax line of $123MM. The official figures are slightly higher than that, which is good news for teams looking to maximize their cap room, as well as clubs headed for tax territory.
As we detailed earlier this week, 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 2018/19
- Minimum salaries for 2018/19
- Values of 2018/19 mid-level, room, bi-annual exceptions
Here are a few more key cap-related figures:
- Estimated average salary for 2018/19: $8,838,000 (Twitter link via Larry Coon)
- Maximum starting salary for certain veteran extensions: $10,605,600 (Twitter link via Jeff Siegel)
- Maximum cash a team can send, receive in trades in 2018/19: $5,243,000 (Twitter link via Coon)
- Tax apron: $129,817,000 (Twitter link via Coon)
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:
- 2019/20: $109MM cap, $132MM tax line
- 2020/21: $116MM cap, $141MM tax line
According to cap expert Larry Coon (Twitter link), the Cavaliers ($50.7MM), Warriors ($32.3MM), Thunder ($25.4MM), and Wizards ($7MM) finished the 2017/18 season as taxpayers, while the Bulls ($3.4MM) and Mavericks ($3.3MM) were charged for finishing below the salary floor.
Warriors Not Interested In Dwight
The Warriors are likely to carry only 14 players heading into the season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move would save the team money against the luxury tax and leave the organization with room to add a player during the season. Slater notes that the pair of players it signs under two-way deals can fill-in for minutes if needed.
- The Warriors insist they are not interested in signing Dwight Howard once the center reaches a buyout with the Nets, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes. Charlotte dealt the big man to Brooklyn after one uninspiring season with the club.
Kevin Durant To Give Warriors Another Discount?
When the Warriors and Kevin Durant agreed to a discounted contract last offseason – $51.3MM over two seasons with a player option in year two – there was reportedly an understanding between the two parties that Durant would seek a contract more in line with his value this offseason.
However, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, there are now rumblings that Durant, who becomes an unrestricted free agent tonight after choosing not to exercise his $26.3MM player option for next season, is leaning towards signing another two-year contract with a player option in year two, commonly known as a “1+1” deal.
Because the Warriors hold Durant’s Early Bird rights and not his full Bird rights, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement would only allow a contract starting with an estimated maximum salary of $35.35MM if the deal is at least two seasons long. And, under the CBA, a “1+1” contract does not qualify as a two-year contract under these circumstances.
Accordingly, Durant would only be eligible for a starting salary of $30MM – 120% of his 2017/18 salary of $25MM – should he choose to sign another “1+1” deal. Such an agreement would use his Non-Bird rights, and would allow him to reach the open market again in 2019. At that point, he’d have full Bird rights and would qualify for a five-year max deal.
Slater adds that if Durant were to take less money again, it would save the Warriors “a ton” in tax money, which would increase the likelihood that the Warriors use the full value of their taxpayer MLE – estimated to be $5.3MM – in free agency.
Warriors Interested In Jordan, Mavs Remain Favorites
The Warriors intend to make a run at Clippers center DeAndre Jordan in free agency despite their salary-cap restrictions, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
Jordan would have to accept their $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception, a huge drop from the $24.1MM he left on the table when he decided to opt out on Friday. While Jordan’s salary would be modest, such a move would wind up costing the Warriors closer to $27MM due to luxury taxes, Stein notes (Twitter link). Jordan is close friends with Kevin Durant and a former client of Golden State GM Bob Myers.
Dropping Jordan, one of the league’s premier rebounders, into the Warriors’ starting five would complete a star-studded lineup and ensure they’d be championship favorites once again no matter where LeBron James winds up.
Jordan would have to sacrifice a boatload of money for the opportunity to chase a ring. The Mavericks have made Jordan their top priority and have approximately $28MM to offer him. That makes Dallas a strong favorite to land him, Stein adds (Twitter link).
The chances of Jordan returning to the Clippers, as he did during his last free agent foray in 2015, seem remote. The team even tweeted a ‘Thank You, DeAndre!’ after his opt-out decision. They acquired veteran center Marcin Gortat from the Wizards earlier this week.
Warriors One Of Several Suitors For Jamal Crawford
We heard on Thursday that multiple Warriors players are lobbying for the front office to go after Jamal Crawford in free agency, but Golden State isn’t the only team that will kick the tires on the veteran scorer. According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the Pelicans, Sixers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets are also expected to show interest in Crawford, who is focusing on finding the right fit.