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.
Free Agent Rumors: Warriors, Noel, Hill, Tucker
With free agency less than nine hours away, there’s no meeting scheduled between the Warriors and Andre Iguodala, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. However, as Lowe points out, that could change any minute and the two sides are still optimistic about Iguodala’s return.
Meanwhile, Dewayne Dedmon is on the Warriors’ radar once again this summer, according to Sam Amico of USA Today (Twitter link), who reports the Dedmon/Golden State connection is worth watching particularly if Iguodala leaves. Dedmon would be a candidate to receive some or all of Golden State’s mid-level exception, though it’s not clear yet which MLE the Warriors will have. The club could end up with the full MLE ($8.4MM), the taxpayer mid-level ($5.2MM), or the room exception ($4.3MM).
Let’s round up more notes and rumors on free agency from around the league…
- The general sense around the NBA this year heading into free agency is that teams won’t be as aggressive and free-spending out of the gate as they were a year ago, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. As Shelburne observes (via Twitter), that’s creating some frustration for agents, since this year’s free agents want to be paid like last year’s were.
- Nerlens Noel is receiving interest from several teams and won’t limit his discussions to the Mavericks, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, who hears from a source that Dallas is willing to pay “market value” for Noel (Twitter link). The big man is a restricted free agent, giving the Mavs the right of first refusal.
- George Hill‘s preference is to remain with the Jazz, but the Spurs would be his second choice and the Timberwolves are “lurking,” says Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Raptors, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Kings, Sixers, and Clippers are among the teams expected to have interest in P.J. Tucker, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Toronto is schedule to meet with Tucker on Saturday, per Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- There’s still some mutual interest between the Kings and veteran point guard Ty Lawson, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). If Lawson returns to Sacramento, his role may look a little different, with De’Aaron Fox now in the picture and Darren Collison potentially signing elsewhere.
Warriors Won’t Give Qualifying Offer To McAdoo
The Warriors won’t submit a qualifying offer to James Michael McAdoo, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, meaning McAdoo will become an unrestricted free agent.
McAdoo has been with Golden State for three seasons and appeard in a career-high 52 games this year. However, he averaged just 8.8 minutes per night and hasn’t progressed past being a little-used bench player.
The 24-year-old was in the same position last summer, headed toward unrestricted free agency after the Warriors refused to tender a qualifying offer. He re-signed with Golden State in mid-July, receiving a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
Free Agent Rumors: Iguodala, Porter, Bogut, Terry
Luxury tax concerns are making the Warriors hesitant about re-signing free agent Andre Iguodala, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. As a result, Iguodala plans to accept phone calls from other organizations when free agency begins tomorrow night (Twitter link). Iguodala has spent the past four seasons in Golden State and has been a key reserve and defensive presence for the defending champs. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 76 games this season.
The Warriors have about $38MM in guaranteed salary for next season, along with roughly $60MM in cap holds for Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Shaun Livingston, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. If they lose Iguodala, they will have to use exceptions of $8.4MM and $5.2MM to replace him.
There’s more free agent news this afternoon:
- The Wizards will get a shot at re-signing restricted free agent Otto Porter before he talks to other teams, according to David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Aldridge warns that Washington “better not mess around & try to negotiate,” which is a sign that Porter won’t accept anything less than a max deal.
- Andrew Bogut is close to full health and ready to test the free agent market, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Bogut had a disastrous debut with the Cavaliers in early March, fracturing his left tibia less than a minute into his first game. He was recently cleared for running and jumping and expects medical approval for full basketball activities in about two weeks. His agent, David Bauman, has been sending out health updates to NBA teams while Bogut rehabs in Australia. The Cavaliers could use Bogut to fill their backup center role, but luxury tax concerns may prevent them from re-signing him.
- Jason Terry isn’t contemplating retirement at age 39 and would like to spend another season with the Bucks, relays Gery Woelfel of Woelfelspressbox. Terry averaged about 18 minutes per game for Milwaukee this year, putting up 4.1 points and 1.3 assists. He also shot 43% from 3-point range. “I definitely think there’s a market for him and that there’ll be some teams looking for his services,’’ said his agent, Ryan Davis. “But I can see him going back to the Bucks. He and [Bucks coach] Jason Kidd have a good relationship and he wants to keep helping the Bucks turn their culture around.’’
Kevin Durant Will Wait To Sign New Deal With Warriors
While Kevin Durant is a lock to return to the Warriors, he doesn’t intend to finalize a new deal with the team when free agency opens on July 1, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein. According to Stein, Durant’s plan is to wait until after Golden State has conducted most of its offseason business to re-sign with the team.
Sources tell Stein that Durant has made it clear he won’t meet with other teams or field rival offers from potential suitors, so it’s a matter of when – not if – he officially signs a new deal with the Warriors. One of Stein’s sources suggests it may not happen until “later” in July, though if Golden State wraps up most of its other major moves shortly after the moratorium ends, Durant would likely have no reason to wait beyond mid-July.
Durant, who turned down a player option for 2017/18, is eligible for a starting salary worth up to $34.65MM based on a $99MM cap. However, he’s expected to accept a slightly more modest raise in order to allow the Warriors to attempt to sign Andre Iguodala and/or Shaun Livingston. By signing Durant to a raise using his Non-Bird rights, the Warriors would retain full Bird rights on Iguodala and Livingston, allowing the team to make competitive offers to those key role players.
[RELATED: Iguodala receiving interest from at least seven teams; Livingston could command $10-12MM annually]
Of course, just because the Warriors have Bird rights on Iguodala and Livingston, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll return. If a rival team makes a lucrative multiyear offer that the Warriors aren’t comfortable matching, it’s possible Iguodala and/or Livingston will head elsewhere rather than accepting a “hometown” discount to remain with the defending champions.
If the Warriors were to lose Iguodala and Livingston, waiting to sign his new contract could allow Durant to potentially earn the full max after all, since the club would be able to renounce its rights to its other free agents and create cap room to accommodate Durant.
Iguodala Drawing Interest From At Least Seven Teams
Andre Iguodala wasn’t able to take home the NBA’s 2016/17 Sixth Man of the Year award on Monday night, but he’s on the verge of landing a nice consolation prize in the form of a lucrative new contract. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, at least seven teams from around the league are expected to make an effort to pry Iguodala away from the Warriors.
The Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, Sixers, Magic, Nets, and Jazz are among the clubs with interest in Iguodala, per Haynes. Previous reports have suggested that the Bulls, Suns, and Hawks also may have interest in the veteran swingman, though Chicago has since entered a rebuilding phase, and Phoenix and Atlanta may opt to go in another direction.
According to Haynes, the Timberwolves and Sixers both have interest in Iguodala as a veteran leader for their young squads, while the Jazz view Iguodala as a contingency plan should they lose Gordon Hayward in free agency. The Spurs have internally discussed the possibility of trying to add both Iguodala and Chris Paul, according to Haynes, who confirms that San Antonio has explored trading Danny Green and LaMarcus Aldridge.
As Haynes explains, Iguodala has become one of the hottest free agents on the market this summer because teams view it as a priority to get him out of Golden State. Building a super-team to compete with the Warriors isn’t realistic for most franchises, so chipping away at the Warriors’ core by signing away one of the team’s key contributors is a more logical way to close the gap between Golden State and the rest of the league.
While earlier estimates for Iguodala’s new contract indicated the Warriors might be able to bring him back for an annual salary in the range of his current $11.1MM+ figure, a report from Shams Charania of The Vertical last week suggested 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.
Outside of the Warriors’ stars, Shaun Livingston and Iguodala represent the team’s most important veteran free agents. Haynes says that Livingston should be popular in July as well, reporting that the veteran point guard may command a salary in the range of $10-12MM per year.
Green, Gobert Headline 2016/17 NBA All-Defensive Teams
The NBA has announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2016/17 season, and Defensive Player of the Year finalists Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned a place on the First Team. Green led the way with 99 First Team votes, while Gobert received 97 votes for a spot on the First Team.
Here are the full rosters for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams:
First Team:
- Draymond Green (Warriors)
- Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
- Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
- Chris Paul (Clippers)
- Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Second Team:
- Tony Allen (Grizzlies)
- Danny Green (Spurs)
- Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
- Andre Roberson (Thunder)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Avery Bradley (Celtics), Klay Thompson (Warriors), and John Wall (Wizards) were among the other players receiving votes who just missed out on an All-Defensive spot.
As Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter), Gobert’s cap hit for the 2017/18 season will now increase by $500K to $21.9MM based on his spot on the All-Defensive First Team.
JaVale McGee Eager To Return To Warriors
- After finding a seemingly impeccable fit with the Warriors, JaVale McGee is eager to remain in the Bay Area, Scott Reiss of KTVU tweets.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Golden State Warriors
The Warriors set a new NBA record by winning 73 regular-season games in 2015/16, but 2016/17 was truly their scorched-earth season. Golden State kicked off the NBA’s new league year last summer by landing Kevin Durant, the top free agent on the market, then cruised to a 67-win regular season and turned it up another notch in the playoffs — the Dubs won 16 of 17 postseason contests en route to their second title in three years.
In the wake of the Warriors’ NBA Finals win over the Cavaliers, NBA observers fretted over Golden State’s dominance, wondering if it’s even worth it for 80% of the league’s teams to make win-now moves this summer. That means this offseason should be a cakewalk for the Warriors, right? Well… maybe not. Although they don’t expect to lose any stars, the Dubs only have five players under contract heading into July, so there’s still plenty of work to do.
Here are five key questions facing the Warriors this offseason:
1. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will definitely be back, right?
Yes. As fun it would be to have either of these guys lining up a handful of free agent meetings like Durant did last July, they’re not going anywhere. Both former MVPs will technically become unrestricted free agents on July 1, but they’ll quickly come to terms on new deals with the Warriors. It’s just a matter of figuring out what those new agreements will look like.
For Curry, who is eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension, there’s no reason to think that the Warriors will offer him any less than the full super-max, which currently projects to pay him just over $200MM for five years. The two-time MVP has been one of the NBA’s best bargains on his current four-year, $44MM contract, and the Warriors won’t gain any additional cap flexibility by asking him to accept less than the max.
Durant’s case is a little trickier, but it sounds like he’s willing to settle for less than a maximum salary contract in 2017/18. A true max for Durant is currently projected to be worth $34.5MM next season, but the Warriors would have to create cap room to make such a deal work. By signing another short-term deal and settling instead for about $31.85MM, a 20% raise on last year’s salary, the 28-year-old would let the Warriors to stay over the cap. That would allow the team to hang onto its Bird rights for key contributors like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
Warriors, JaCorey Williams Agree To Deal
The Warriors are said to have reached an agreement with Middle Tennessee forward JaCorey Williams, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports. It’s unclear whether the deal is just for Summer League or one that will span into training camp.
Coming off of their second title in three seasons, the Warriors don’t exactly need reinforcements, but the 23-year-old big man averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in college.
Should the agreement be for more than just a Summer League deal, there’s a chance that the parties could have come to terms on a two-way deal. Earlier today, of course, we wrote that the Warriors and Oregon’s Chris Boucher had agreed on a two-way contract.