And-Ones: Harris, Brewer, Anderson
The Hawks could be a potential suitor for Magic forward Tobias Harris, who became a restricted free agent after Orlando extended him a qualifying offer on Tuesday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). Atlanta’s level of interest in Harris is dependent on how the team’s pursuit of its own free agents, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, goes, Kennedy adds. Here’s more from around the league:
- The Clippers, Knicks, and Lakers all put in calls on free agent center DeAndre Jordan during his dinner with the Mavericks, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets.
- Unrestricted free agent Corey Brewer has had phone conversations with the Rockets, Celtics and Knicks since the start of free agency, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Brewer and his representatives sat down for a meeting with the Lakers on Tuesday night, Wojnarowski adds.
- Alan Anderson, who bypassed his player option for 2015/16 worth $1,333,484 with the Nets, is seeking an annual salary of $3MM-$4MM from a contending team, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com relays.
- The Wizards‘ front office was encouraged at the team’s chances to re-sign Paul Pierce after conversing with the veteran, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (on Twitter). Pierce and his family have grown fond of the Washington D.C. area, and the veteran’s role with the team as well, Mannix adds.
- If the Pistons land free agent Danny Green this offseason, it would be the biggest free agent coup in team history, writes Terry Foster of The Detroit News. The forward is in high demand, with the Spurs, Mavericks, Knicks, Kings, and Trail Blazers all expressing interest in signing the 28 year old, Foster adds.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Davis, Prince, Matthews
The Lakers have contacted free agent Ed Davis, and would like for him to return to Los Angeles next season, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. There will be some competition for Davis’ services, as four undisclosed teams have also expressed interest in the big man, Medina notes. Davis is seeking a two or three-year deal worth $7MM-$8MM, or a one-year arrangement worth $9MM-$10MM, the Daily News scribe adds. In 79 games for the Lakers last season, Davis notched averages of 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 23.3 minutes per contest.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Clippers are not optimistic about the idea of Paul Pierce taking less money to come their way, Sam Amick of USA Today Sports tweets.
- The Lakers have expressed interest in restricted free agents Jimmy Butler of the Bulls, and Iman Shumpert of the Cavaliers, Medina relays (Twitter link).
- The Spurs were among the teams to contact unrestricted free agent Tayshaun Prince, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
- The Mavericks and Wesley Matthews are still engaged in contract talks, but remain approximately $3MM apart in annual value for the agreement, Amick tweets. Matthews is seeking an annual salary of $15MM per year, while Dallas is offering $12MM, Amick notes.
- The Jazz contacted free agent Joe Ingles to express their interest in re-signing the forward, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News tweets. Utah tendered Ingles a qualifying offer worth $1.045MM on Monday, making him a restricted free agent. The 27-year-old appeared in 79 games for the Jazz in 2014/15, including 32 starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 21.2 minutes per contest.
- The Mavs have reached out to point guard Nick Calathes, who is a restricted free agent, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Rondo, Hill, Aldridge
The Kings wasted no time in contacting free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, and the team is being aggressive in its pursuit of the veteran, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (Twitter link). Sacramento vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac wants Rondo to visit Sacramento, and the team hasn’t made the guard a contract offer yet, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. A meeting between the two sides is expected in the coming days, and the Kings will speak with Rondo again on Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter).
Here’s the latest out of the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing Jordan Hill as a free agent, just one day after declining his $9MM team option, a source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Hill put up 12.0 PPG and 7.9 RPG last season, but the Lakers became frustrated with his lack of consistency.
- The Lakers‘ initial meeting with unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge went extremely well, but no deal was reached, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (Twitter link). Aldridge is also expected to meet with the Mavericks and Rockets.
- The Clippers have contacted the representatives for unrestricted free agent Gerald Green to express their interest, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times notes (via Twitter).
- Swingman Wesley Johnson met with Clippers executive/coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday night, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (on Twitter).
- In addition to Green and Johnson, the Clippers have also reached out to center Brandan Wright and guard C.J. Watson, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register notes (Twitter link). Both players are unrestricted free agents. Wright finished the 2014/15 campaign with the Suns, and Watson spent last season with the Pacers.
Cavs, Wizards Pursue Mike Dunleavy
11:39pm: The Cavs are indeed in pursuit, as well as the Wizards, but the Bulls are still the favorites, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
9:26am: LeBron James would like the Cavs to sign Mike Dunleavy, but the small forward is highly likely to re-sign with the Bulls, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). James, though he’s opting out of his deal, has been very much engaged with Cavs management about the roster and is expected to re-sign. Dunleavy is also reportedly drawing interest from the Clippers.
Chicago apparently wants Dunleavy back, though there’s a limit to how much the Bulls would pay the client of outgoing Wasserman agent Arn Tellem. The Bulls are also highly likely to retain Jimmy Butler, whom they’ve made a maximum qualifying offer. Should Butler end up signing for the max, it’s likely the Bulls will have already exceeded the projected $81.6MM tax line even without a contract for Dunleavy.
The Cavs will probably end up paying an even heavier tax burden, and they’ll almost certainly be limited to offering Dunleavy the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception. The Bulls have Early Bird rights to Dunleavy, so they’ll likely be able to pay him as much as about $6MM next season if they want to.
Western Rumors: Clippers, Chandler, Davis
If DeAndre Jordan leaves for the Mavs, the Clippers will try to sign and trade for Tyson Chandler, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). However, the Clippers are still “hopeful” that they’ll retain Jordan. Here’s more from the West..
- The Pelicans want to get a new deal done with Anthony Davis quickly, according to John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Negotiations can continue until Halloween, but New Orleans apparently wants to get everything sewn up this summer.
- The Mavs are concerned that Al-Farouq Aminu will get a relatively big offer, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter). If that happens, they’ll try to talk him into deal he could opt out of next summer.
- The Lakers would be a winning taker of Brendan Haywood‘s non-guaranteed contract with the Cavs, but it’s not clear if L.A. has anything Cleveland would want in return, Sam Amico of FOX Sports tweets. There are conflicting reports on the matter, but the Cavs may have recently discussed the center with the Spurs.
- Despite the uncertainty in Portland, Gerald Henderson says he’s excited to be with the Blazers, Mike Tokito of The Oregonian writes. Days ago, the Blazers sent forward Nicolas Batum to the Hornets for Henderson and forward Noah Vonleh.
Free Agency Rumors: Boozer, Williams, Heat
The latest free agent news..
- The Nets, Mavs, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, and Spurs are in on veteran big man Carlos Boozer, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets.
- In addition to the incumbent Kings (whose interest was previously reported), the Wizards, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, Suns, and Knicks are expected to show interest in forward Derrick Williams, Broussard tweets. Williams can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,045,894. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 8.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 74 games last season.
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The general sense among teams around the league is that Kyle O’Quinn will be able to draw $4-5MM salaries on his next deal and Shane Larkin $2-3MM on his, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. Sources tell Kyler that Gerald Green could be had for around $5MM a year, or slightly less on a deal that runs three or four years.
- The Mavs, Pacers, Grizzlies, Clippers, and incumbent Suns are the teams showing the most interest in high-flying big man Brandan Wright, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.
- Jamario Moon is looking to make an NBA comeback and has signed with Hazan Sports Management, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On DeAndre Jordan
11:55am: Jordan is tired of being third in line behind Paul and Blake Griffin and wants a larger role on offense, Broussard hears, as he writes in a full story. There’s a 50% chance he goes to the Mavs and a 50% chance he stays with the Clippers, a source told Broussard.
TUESDAY, 11:13am: It’s likely that Jordan will sign for four years, with a player option after the third, no matter which team he chooses, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That limits the edge the Clippers have as the only team that can offer five years, notes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
5:46pm: Jordan is scheduled to meet with the Mavericks, Lakers and Knicks on the first day of free agency on Wednesday, sources told Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He will meet with the Clippers on Thursday, Turner adds.
MONDAY, 1:15pm: The Clippers have a slight edge, a league source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), which runs counter to what Amick said the Clippers believe (below).
SUNDAY 9:25pm: The Bucks are “a long shot” to land Jordan and it is unlikely they meet with him, reports Sam Amick of USA Today, who cites a person with knowledge of the Bucks’ situation.
Amick tweets that there is some sense from the Clippers’ side that the Mavs have a slight edge in the Jordan sweepstakes, but the upcoming meetings hold weight.
While sources indicate to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that Jordan will either stay with the Clippers or go to Dallas, an acquaintance of Jordan claims the big man would love to play for the Rockets. Houston, of course, already has a quality center in Dwight Howard.
7:08pm: Jordan will also meet with the Knicks once the free agent negotiating period commences, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports.
1:11pm: The Clippers and Mavs remain the front-runners for Jordan, a source tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling, who suggests that the Knicks might end up meeting with the Relativity Sports client, too.
8:17am: Rumors of a rift between DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul are true, and the Mavs, Lakers and Bucks, as well as the Clippers, will have pitch meetings with Jordan at his home when free agent negotiating begins next week, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Chandler Parsons has been recruiting Jordan to the Mavs while the two have been hanging out together in Houston this summer, Turner also hears.
Bill Reiter of Fox Sports 1 first reported last month that Paul and Jordan had a falling out, though teammate Dahntay Jones and Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers separately denied it. Rivers is apparently confident about re-signing the seven-year veteran, whom the Clippers will offer a max deal.
Jordan, who’s said he won’t be “greedy” and seek a one-year deal that would take him to a surging salary cap next summer, can receive more money and a longer contract from the Clippers than from any other team, though the Mavs offer the advantage of no state income tax in Texas. The center, who turns 27 next month, has reportedly expressed serious interest in signing with Dallas, and the Mavs are high on the idea themselves. The Mavs front office has kicked around the idea of a sign-and-trade that would involve Jordan coming Dallas and Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton going to the Clippers, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported.
Chandler is also an apparent target for the Bucks, along with Brook Lopez, as coach Jason Kidd and GM John Hammond aim high. The draft-night acquisition of Greivis Vasquez nonetheless puts a squeeze on Milwaukee’s finances, and the Bucks would probably have to clear some salary for an estimated $18.96MM max salary for Jordan next season if Jared Dudley opts in.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote last month that the Lakers would love to have Jordan, and he’ll apparently be one of a coterie of big men the team will target in free agency, along with LaMarcus Aldridge, who’s also a Mavs target, and Kevin Love. Interior players will no doubt be a priority for the Lakers, who have max-level cap flexibility, now that the team has used the No. 2 pick on guard D’Angelo Russell.
Bucks To Pursue Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler
JUNE 30TH, 11:01am: It appears the interest between Chandler and the Bucks is mutual, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Some league executives who spoke with ESPN’s Chris Broussard believe he’ll end up in Milwaukee, though the Mavs aren’t out of the running (Twitter link).
JUNE 12TH, 8:27am: The Bucks have grand designs for the summer ahead and plan a hard push to sign at least one of Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler, league sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Bucks, who set themselves up with an additional $7.9MM in cap flexibility with Thursday’s Ersan Ilyasova trade, would also like to go after DeAndre Jordan, but it’s widely regarded a two-team race between the Clippers and Mavericks for his services, Stein also hears.
Lopez has a player option worth more than $16.744MM for next season. Some people around the league told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. Still, multiple reports from about six weeks ago indicated that it was likely Lopez would turn down his option and re-sign with the Nets, with one opposing GM telling Fred Kerber of the New York Post that Lopez would be back with Brooklyn at the max. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News wrote shortly thereafter that “genuine uncertainty” existed about Lopez’s plans for the option, though Nets GM Billy King has said time and again that the Nets intend to keep Lopez one way or another.
Milwaukee would likely have competition for Lopez even if he does decide to leave the Nets, and speculation, at least, has suggested the Spurs have interest. Lopez and Kidd have a good relationship, Woelfel wrote, but Robert Windrem of NetsDaily casts doubt on that notion, writing that Kidd wasn’t enamored with Lopez’s game during their time together in Brooklyn. Kidd wanted the Nets to trade Lopez and Mirza Teletovic to the Bucks for Ilyasova and Larry Sanders last year, though Kidd made that push knowing that he could end up coaching Milwaukee, according to the NetsDaily scribe.
Chandler, a former teammate of Kidd’s, has made it clear that he would prefer a return to the Mavs, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wrote earlier this week. He isn’t the top priority for Dallas, MacMahon cautions, though the Mavs would like to retain him if they miss out on Jordan. He’s expected to garner at least a three-year, $36MM deal, according to MacMahon. The Bucks, thanks to the Ilyasova deal, could afford that sort of arrangement and a new deal for Khris Middleton, even if Middleton ends up with the max. Milwaukee is set on matching any offer sheets for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, and a source told Stein that the degree of certainty that Middleton will be back with the Bucks is a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Middleton’s diminutive cap hold of slightly more than $2.725MM will help the Bucks have cap space even for a more costly max deal for Lopez, who as a seven-year veteran would be eligible for an estimated starting salary of roughly $19MM. It would get tricky if Lopez lingers on his decision and another team signs Middleton to a lucrative offer sheet that the Bucks would have three days to match, but he couldn’t sign an offer sheet until after the end of the July Moratorium, which runs through July 8th. The Bucks, as it stands, have only about $36MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap. Milwaukee’s dream scenario involves signing Lopez or Chandler and a well-regarded perimeter defender, according to Stein, who also identifies adding more shooting as one of the team’s priorities.
Free Agent Rumors: Wright, Belinelli, Barea
Dorell Wright is unlikely to return to the Trail Blazers, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com reports. Wright, who was born in Los Angeles, would like to return home and play for either the Clippers or Lakers, Young continues. The Lakers are the more likely suitor for the unrestricted free agent, who made $3.135MM last season, unless the Clippers fail to secure the services of Paul Pierce, Young adds. The Raptors could also make a run at Wright but Young believes the Heat, who were previously thought to be interested in Wright, probably won’t pursue him since Luol Deng exercised his player option.
In other free agent news around the league:
- Spurs swingman Marco Belinelli could be targeted by the Bulls if they fail to re-sign Mike Dunleavy, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The Bulls have made retaining Dunleavy a priority and he’s comfortable playing in Chicago, Johnson adds. Both players are unrestricted free agents.
- The Clippers are interested in C.J. Watson, Lavoy Allen, Darrell Arthur and Gerald Green, among others, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter links). They’d like to find a true point guard to serve as a backup, a league source tells Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
- The Raptors could be a landing spot for Bismack Biyombo, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Biyombo will be an unrestricted free agent because the Hornets decided not to make him a qualifying offer.
- The Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among teams interested in signing J.J. Barea, a source told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Barea is seeking a multi-year contract in the $3MM per year range, MacMahon adds.
- The only incumbent free agents the Pelicans don’t appear to have at least some interest in re-signing are Jimmer Fredette and Toney Douglas, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune details.
Paul Pierce Opts Out From Wizards
JUNE 29TH, 3:29pm: Pierce has officially opted out, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
JUNE 27TH, 2:43pm: Pierce has confirmed his decision via The Players’ Tribune (Twitter link).
JUNE 20TH, 5:07pm: Wizards forward Paul Pierce plans to opt out of his deal with the team for the 2015/16 campaign, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, though he intends to continue to play in the NBA next season, a source told Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The veteran has a player option worth $5,543,725 that he’s poised to bypass, and doing so would make him an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. Pierce was non-committal regarding whether or not he would return for an 18th season in the wake of Washington’s elimination from the NBA playoffs.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said at the time. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce had indicated that he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.
The question now is which team Pierce will suit up for in 2015/16, with Castillo writing that he’ll either re-sign with the Wizards or join his former coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles with the Clippers. The Clippers can offer Pierce the taxpayer mid-level exception worth slightly less than $3.4MM, while Washington could offer Pierce a new deal starting in excess of $6MM once he opts out, Stein notes. The interest is mutual between the Clippers and Pierce, a league source told Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram earlier this month.
The link between the Clippers and Pierce dates back to last year, as Pierce informed TNT’s David Aldridge this past fall that he saw the Clippers as his favored alternative to re-signing with the Nets before sign-and-trade talks between the Clips and Brooklyn broke down. Pierce has also said that he feels a connection with the younger players on the Wizards and with the city of Washington.
Pierce appeared in 73 contests for the Wizards this past season, averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.2 minutes per night. His career numbers through 1,250 games are 20.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.74 APG. The 37-year-old’s shooting numbers are .447/.371/.806.