Several Teams Interested In Isaiah Thomas
JULY 7TH, 4:36pm: The Pistons are no longer among the teams involved with Thomas, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter).
JULY 2ND, 7:14am: Mavs owner Mark Cuban called Thomas on Tuesday, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
11:45pm: Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter) adds the Lakers to the list of interested clubs.
8:35am: Kyle Lowry’s decision will likely precede the one that Thomas makes, Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling tweets. The Kings and Thomas have strong mutual respect, Zwerling says.
7:48am: The Pistons are also interested, tweets Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com. They’re talking about a deal in the ballpark of three years and $24MM total. Other talks are in the $6-7MM range, Bruski adds (Twitter link).
7:32am: The Lakers made contact with Thomas, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, as did the teams that Jones mentioned (Twitter link).
12:37am: The Celtics, Mavericks, Warriors, Heat, Pistons, and Suns have expressed interest in Kings free agent guard Isaiah Thomas, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings want to keep the diminutive point guard but they’ll have their work cut out for them this summer.
The Celtics were the first team on the horn with Thomas when free agency started after midnight ET and Danny Ainge personally made the call. This is purely speculative, but one has to imagine that the C’s are giving serious thought to trading Rajon Rondo given their pursuit of Thomas and selection of Marcus Smart in last week’s draft.
Nets Rumors: Pierce, Hollins, Bogdanovic
The Nets aren’t in the running for either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, but given their role in reported talks with the Cavs involving Jarrett Jack as Cleveland attempts to clear salary cap room for James, Brooklyn is still at the forefront of NBA conversation. Here’s the latest:
- Paul Pierce remains high on the notion of re-signing with the Nets, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that the 36-year-old would like to play at least two more seasons (Twitter link). Brooklyn has rebuffed the Clippers’ attempts to acquire Pierce via sign-and-trade.
- New Nets coach Lionel Hollins was reportedly a strong candidate for the Lakers job before he wound up with Brooklyn, but in his introductory news conference today, he indicated that the Lakers didn’t push hard enough for him, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. “I’m all about who wants me,” Hollins said. “If they wanted me, they would have hired me.”
- Hollins also made it clear he wouldn’t attempt to usurp the role of GM Billy King, as predecessor Jason Kidd apparently tried to do prior to Kidd’s exit, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter link).
- Brooklyn’s discussions with draft-and-stash prospect Bojan Bogdanovic center around what would be a deal for the $3.278MM taxpayer’s midlevel exception, as Bontemps details.
Carmelo Anthony Hasn’t Ruled Any Team Out
11:32pm: Anthony’s decision isn’t expected to linger late into the week, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter).
5:14pm: As of right now, Carmelo Anthony‘s camp hasn’t told any of his main suitors that they’re out of contention, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Those clubs include the Rockets, Bulls, Mavs, and Lakers. Of course, the incumbent Knicks are very much in contention as well.
It has been widely assumed in NBA circles that Anthony is a slam dunk to return to New York but that might not be the case. Everyone is still technically alive at this point, though Stein (link) hears there is a rising sense around the league that Melo is likely to choose between the Knicks and Lakers.
Earlier today it was reported that the Lakers believe that Pau Gasol would re-sign quickly if Anthony or LeBron James came to L.A. If the Lakers can retain the Spaniard and add Anthony, they’ll be in pretty solid shape for next season.
Lakers Using Pau Gasol As Selling Point
Pau Gasol is being courted by a number of teams, including top contenders, but the Lakers aren’t counting themselves out of it by any stretch. In fact, the Lakers are using Gasol as a selling point with other free agents as sources believe he would re-sign rather quickly if they’re able to sign LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
If the Lakers don’t land Anthony or James, Gasol will consider those contending clubs that have called, Shelburne tweets. Still, she wouldn’t count the Lakers out as they can offer more money than anyone else.
The Mavs, Heat, Bulls, Thunder, and Spurs are among the many teams with interest in the Spaniard.
Eastern Notes: Anthony, Bucks, Meeks
The Lakers interest in Carmelo Anthony could possibly help the Bulls acquire the free agent forward, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson opines that the presence of a third serious contender could make the Knicks more amenable to a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if they are unable to re-sign him.
More from around the league:
- The Bucks are looking to sign a point guard this summer, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Their primary targets will be the Suns Eric Bledsoe and the Raptors Greivis Vasquez, both players are restricted free agents, so their teams will have the opportunity to match any offer.
- The Nets are attempting to sign Bojan Bogdanovic of Fenerbahce, and the proposed deal is for a length of three years, reports David Pick of Eurobasket (Twitter links).
- The three-year, $19.5MM deal the Pistons agreed to with Jodie Meeks has been criticized for being an overpay, but Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press thinks it could turn out to be a good deal for the team.
Mavs Notes: Anthony, Hayward, Gasol
A source told Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Carmelo Anthony is going to re-sign with the Knicks and that his inclusion of the Mavericks on his recruiting trip was a “charade.” Anthony has also met with the Lakers, Bulls, and Rockets.
More from Dallas:
- Price also tweets that between Vince Carter and Shawn Marion, the Mavs have a better chance at re-signing Carter, but they would like both players back.
- The Mavericks still have Gordon Hayward on their free agent shopping list, reports Price (Twitter link), but the Jazz have maintained they will match any offer sheet that Hayward signs.
- The Mavs are also keeping a close watch on Pau Gasol, and envision him backing up both Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, tweets Price.
Western Notes: Pelicans, Hawes, Anthony, Bosh
The Pelicans haven’t made any moves in the free agent market yet, but still have Anthony Morrow in their sights, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. New Orleans’ primary focus though, continues to be finding a trade partner to move either Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers or center Alexis Ajinca in an effort to create enough cap space to absorb center Omer Asik‘s $8.4MM cap hit, notes Reid. The article also notes that several teams remain interested in acquiring forward Ryan Anderson in a trade, but the Pelicans are still reluctant to part ways with him.
More from the Western Conference:
- Spencer Hawes was the Trail Blazers primary free agent target this summer, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes reports that Portland offered the exact same contract terms as the Clippers, but Hawes found Los Angeles to be a better fit.
- Despite the reports that the Knicks are likely to retain Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers made a major impression on the free agent, reports Bill Simmons of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Simmons’ sources, it’s now a three team battle between New York, Los Angeles, or the Bulls to land ‘Melo’s shot attempts.
- Chris Bosh definitely has an interest in the Rockets and Mavs, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link). Amico also notes that Bosh has “zero knowledge” of what LeBron James is going to do in free agency.
And-Ones: Clippers, Williams, LeBron
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link) wonders what the Clippers recent signing of Spencer Hawes will mean for the extension chances of DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford with the team.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Unless the Clippers are willing to trade J.J. Redick or first-round picks to the Nets for Paul Pierce, a sign-and-trade is unlikely, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Free agent forward Marvin Williams has been in discussions with the Spurs, Heat, Wizards, Hornets, Clippers, Magic, and Suns, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman breaks down the Thunder‘s Summer League roster.
- The Lakers indeed met today with Rich Paul, the agent for LeBron James, as expected, Aldridge tweets.
- Talks are advancing between Luol Deng and the Hawks, though no agreement is pending, notes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Friday
Carmelo Anthony has been plenty busy, meeting with five teams in the first three days of free agency. He doesn’t have a visit on the agenda today as he takes the holiday weekend to decide where to play next season, but there’s still chatter surrounding the perennial All-Star. Here’s the latest:
- The Knicks already appeared to be leading the ‘Melo sweepstakes, and Thursday’s meeting between Anthony and the team only upped New York’s chances, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Team president Phil Jackson cleared any doubt about the strength of his desire to have Anthony re-sign and the star forward left the meeting mostly sharing the Zen Master’s vision for the club’s future, Wojnarowski hears.
- A brief hello was all there was to Derrick Rose‘s participation in the Bulls‘ recruiting pitch to Anthony on Tuesday, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Most other reports indicated that Rose had a somewhat larger presence, speaking to ‘Melo for 15 to 20 minutes in the locker room, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes via Twitter. The Bulls never asked him to formally take part in its presentation, but he would have done so if they had, as Broussard details.
- Anthony and Kobe Bryant aren’t as close as most dispatches make it seem, a person who knows both well tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Western Notes: ‘Melo, Mavs, Bledsoe, Kaman
The offer the Mavs are making to Carmelo Anthony involves a starting salary of slightly more than $18MM, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). That would mean a max of $77MM over four years, though McMahon pegs the likely value of the offer at $75MM. In any case, that’s significantly less than the nearly $96MM over four years the Lakers are reportedly offering in a max deal, and about $50MM less than the five-year max that the Knicks have apparently put on the table. There’s more from MacMahon on the Mavs amid the latest from the Western Conference:
- The Mavs have confidence they’ll strike a deal to re-sign Devin Harris, presuming they don’t land Anthony or LeBron James, even if some of the inflated agreements around the league this week have pushed his market value higher, MacMahon writes. The team sees Isaiah Thomas as its primary fallback option should Harris sign elsewhere, and Dallas has also been in contact with the agent for Wasserman client D.J. Augustin, MacMahon adds.
- There are some who believe that agent Rich Paul’s talks with teams about LeBron are instead intended to pitch clubs on Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe, whom Paul also represents, tweets USA Today’s Sam Amick.
- The Blazers came to terms with Chris Kaman believing they wouldn’t be able to sign Spencer Hawes or Channing Frye, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
- The Warriors have officially hired Alvin Gentry, Ron Adams and Luke Walton as assistant coaches, the team announced. Gentry, who spent last season as a Clippers assistant, was a candidate for multiple head coaching vacancies this summer. Adams was an assistant with the Celtics last season while Walton was an assistant for the Lakers D-League affiliate.
- Marcus Camby, 40, still harbors aspirations of returning to the NBA after missing last year as he recovered from left foot surgery, an injury that prompted the Rockets to waive him just before the start of the regular season.