Free Agency Rumors: LeBron, Cavs, Leonard
A league source told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the Cavs “do not value” pending free agent J.R. Smith. LeBron James reportedly wants the Cavs to re-sign the guard, so one has to wonder if that could outweigh the team’s reservations about him. Vardon adds that it is not known if the Cavs will immediately submit offers to James, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson when the clock moves past midnight. Here’s more as we get set for the start of free agency..
- There’s a growing belief that Thompson’s postseason performance coupled with his ties to LeBron could earn him a max contract or something close to it, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. Lloyd also writes that the Cavs were aware that Iman Shumpert would be seeking a ~$10MM per year deal this summer when the acquired him.
- Spurs star Kawhi Leonard is on track for five-year, ~$90MM max deal after San Antonio takes care of other free agency business, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News tweets. It was previously believed that Leonard was in line for a lucrative four-year deal rather than five.
- Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki will join the team’s recruiting contingent in Wednesday’s meetings with DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets.
- James Harden will join coach Kevin McHale, GM Daryl Morey and executive VP Gersson Rosas in the Rockets‘ meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge Tuesday night in Los Angeles, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Knicks‘ selection of Kristaps Porzingis may scare free agents away, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “They took a Latvian guy who may or may not be good,’’ an individual connected to a free agent said. “It’s very strange. They should’ve taken more of a tried-and-true guy, even a Justise Winslow. Top free agents are looking at winning now. It’s fun to go the playoffs and have a chance to compete for the Finals. They’re not going to win this year.’’
Eastern Rumors: Knicks, Millsap, Wade
Madison Square Garden named long-time talent agency executive David “Doc” O’Connor as its next chief executive, as The Associated Press writes. O’Connor comes from CAA, the same agency that represents Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Paul George. O’Connor will officially join the Knicks on July 15th. Here’s more out of the East..
- Paul Millsap‘s possible price range of $17-$19MM would be too high for the Knicks, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Knicks are said to be eyeing the Hawks free agent.
- Heat people are optimistic a deal will get done with Dwyane Wade, even though Wade is expected to at least consider other options, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Meanwhile, two Wade associates cite the Lakers as his top choice other than the Heat.
- The Celtics are expected to show interest in free agent forward Amir Johnson and they could also pursue a reunion with former Celtic Gerald Green, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.
- Pending free agent Rodney Stuckey will have at least two “serious” suitors besides the Pacers when he hits free agency tonight, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets. The guard is very much interested in staying with the Pacers, but Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com (on Twitter) hears that his asking price might be around $6MM. He hears that roughly six teams have expressed interest.
- There’s mutual interest between the Pacers and Lavoy Allen, but the two sides won’t have deep discussions until the Pacers see what kind of money they have available, Agness tweets.
- Free agent guard John Jenkins has signed with Relativity Sports, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The Hawks guard, who appeared in just 37 games the past two seasons after playing in 61 contests as a rookie in 2012/13, left BDA Sports Management earlier this month.
Qualifying Offers: Tuesday
Here are the latest qualifying offer decisions to come in..
- The Spurs extended QOs to Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph, making them restricted free agents, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Knicks forwards Travis Wear and Alexey Shved and Spurs big man Aron Baynes did not receive qualifying offers, according to Pincus (on Twitter).
- Pacers forwards Chris Copeland and Shayne Whittington, Sixers center Henry Sims, Nuggets center Ian Clark, Celtics center Gigi Datome, Wolves big man Arinze Onuaku, Mavs center Bernard James, Lakers guard Vander Blue, and Kings forward Derrick Williams did not receive qualifying offers, Pincus tweets.
- The Grizzlies have made Nick Calathes a restricted free agent by extending him a QO, according to Pincus (on Twitter).
- The Warriors have made Ognjen Kuzmic a restricted free agent, Pincus tweets.
Earlier Updates:
- The Sixers declined to offer guard Glenn Robinson III a qualifying offer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, Philly has shown an inclination to revisit a longer-term deal for Robinson this summer, according to those same sources. In 35 games as a rookie, Robinson averaged 2.1 PPG.
- The Hornets will not make a qualifying offer to guard Jeffery Taylor, according to a source that spoke with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter). Taylor will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- Pero Antic, who was rumored to be going overseas, was given a qualifying offer by the Hawks, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). If the Hawks need to maximize their cap space, Pincus adds (link), they can revoke the qualifying offer to Antic and renounce him.
- As expected, the Magic have extended qualifying offers to both Tobias Harris and Kyle O’Quinn, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com (on Twitter).
- The Rockets made Patrick Beverley and K.J. McDaniels restricted free agents by extending QOs to them, Pincus tweets.
Eastern Rumors: Pierce, Bass, Chandler
The Wizards‘ wish list in free agency will hinge heavily on what happens with Paul Pierce, Jorge Castillo off The Washington Post writes. Pierce can re-sign with Washington for 120% of what he earned during last season, about $6.6MM. It’s not clear how long the Wizards will wait for Pierce to make a call, however. It’s conceivable that Pierce could be drawn to a Celtics return or a reunion with Doc Rivers in Los Angeles. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference..
- The agent for Celtics forward Brandon Bass’s agent tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe there have been indications that numerous teams will have interest in his client. However, Tony Dutt also says there’s mutual interest in a return. “I think Brad [Stevens] and Danny [Ainge] understand the value of what Brandon brings,” Dutt said. “He loves Boston, and if it works out for him to stay there, we’d be more than happy.” Bass averaged 10.6 PPG and 4.9 RPG per game last season.
- Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) notes that Tyson Chandler and coach Jason Kidd are both represented by Excel Sports. In addition to Kidd, many Bucks players are also represented by Excel, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database. Earlier today it was reported that there is mutual interest between Chandler and the Bucks.
- Hawks free agent shooting guard John Jenkins has left BDA Sports Management, according to Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Jenkins appeared in just 37 games the past two seasons after playing in 61 contests as a rookie in 2012/13. The former first-round pick has posted averages of 5.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG while connecting on 38 percent of his shots from three-point range.
- The Hawks announced that guard Kyle Korver is expected to be ready for training camp after having right elbow surgery to remove loose bodies today, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
- Rumors about Rodney Stuckey‘s perceived bad attitude hurt his stock during last summer’s free agency, league sources tell Candace Buckner of the Indy Star. “Moody, can’t be coached, bad guy, can’t win with him,” said an Eastern Conference insider, repeating the circulated gossip. “Anybody that really knows him, would know … he’s one of the most misunderstood guys in the league.” Buckner hears that at least five teams have expressed interest in speaking with Stuckey, who flourished this past season with the Pacers.
- With Greg Monroe headed elsewhere, the Pistons will need to add two backup centers this summer, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. The Pistons won’t be spending big on backup fives, but they could be looking at guys like Brandan Wright, Kosta Koufos, or maybe even Omer Asik, Ellis writes. GM Jeff Bower confirmed that he wants to have six bigs and not five next season.
- The Raptors didn’t send back any salary to the Thunder in the trade that brought in Luke Ridnour, so they had to use one of their trade exceptions. Their $2.358MM exception for John Salmons, which expires tonight, wasn’t quite large enough for Ridnour’s $2.75MM salary, so they either used part of their $3,445,947 Steve Novak trade exception, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders surmises (on Twitter), or, in a less likely scenario, part of the $6.4MM trade exception they created just last week in the Greivis Vasquez deal.
- Travis Wear will play on the Knicks‘ summer league team and probably will be invited to training camp unless he gets a guaranteed offer elsewhere, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
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.
Greg Monroe To Meet With Four Teams
WEDNESDAY, 4:00pm: Boston isn’t on the list of teams that Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today hears Monroe will meet with, so it looks like the Celtics are indeed a no-go.
TUESDAY, 8:05am: The Celtics are already out of the running for Monroe, a league source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post, though it’s unclear whether Monroe has canceled his meeting with them.
MONDAY, 1:56pm: The Knicks, unsurprisingly, are the favorites for Monroe, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
SUNDAY, 8:20pm: Greg Monroe, who will become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday, will meet with the Celtics, Knicks, Bucks, Lakers and Trail Blazers once free agent negotiations begin Wednesday and seemingly put an end to the idea that he will re-sign with the Pistons, reports Darrell Williams in a story for the Louisiana Advocate.
Though agent David Falk and Monroe have maintained that the Pistons have a shot to keep him, with Monroe going so far as to say at one point that they had the upper hand, he’s never appeared likely to re-sign after taking Detroit’s qualifying offer this past summer. When asked about the Pistons by Williams, Monroe suggested the team is going in a different direction.
“[Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy] had smaller teams in Orlando years ago,” Monroe said. “[Andre Drummond] is like Dwight Howard. So Stan wants to put good players around him. The team has different plans, and I respect that. I don’t want to be anywhere I’m not wanted.”
Monroe said he is looking for a two-year deal with an option, citing the expected rise of the salary cap as something that is affecting his decision. The big man also wants to play for a playoff-caliber team.
“I’m looking to be with a team that’s ready to win,” Monroe said. “Hopefully it will be a team where I’m the missing piece.”
Curiously, Monroe, while speaking with his hometown paper, said he would be interested in suiting up for the Pelicans, who have not shown interest.
“I’d love to play and represent this city,” he said. “Obviously, they have a guy like Anthony Davis who is a superstar already, and he’s only going to get better. I think I could really play well with him. Our games complement each other. I’m a low-post scorer. Obviously he’s a great midrange player.”
More likely choices include the teams Monroe said he will meet with. The Celtics have a need for a big man and possess the financial flexibility to make a deal happen, the Knicks need a cornerstone big man to build around and the Blazers need to plan for the possibility of life without unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge.
Atlantic Notes: D. Williams, Celtics, Carmelo
Nets execs believe there’s a trade market for Deron Williams, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. While Williams is obviously nowhere near what he once was, those execs feel that another team will find that he is just in need of a change of scenery. Of course, a skeptic would point to his surgically repaired knees as a larger problem than personalities clashing in Brooklyn. Here’s more from the Atlantic..
- The Celtics don’t have a history of landing difference makers in free agency, but they have every reason to believe this summer will be different, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Blakely points to Boston’s major market appeal and their available cash as major reasons for hope. Conversely, however, players and agents have indicated to him that they won’t be landing one of the top three or four players via free agency.
- The Celtics will be prioritizing high-character guys in free agency and they showed a commitment to that philosophy in the draft, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. The C’s, for example, had interest in Robert Upshaw, but were turned off by his substance-abuse issues. “With a young team, I don’t think we really needed to deal with that,” a C’s source said of Upshaw.
- After reports indicated that Carmelo Anthony was unhappy with the selection of Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks star reached out to the rookie, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “Carmelo reached out to Kris after all of that. It was beautiful that a player of that profile can do something like that. It’s great,” Porzingis’ older brother, Janis, confirmed on Monday during an appearance on ESPN 98.7 FM’s “The Hahn and Humpty Show.”
- New Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. says he will use Knicks president Phil Jackson’s critical remarks about him Friday as motivation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Jackson said he believed Jerian Grant has more of the attributes the Knicks want from a guard. “Once I heard him say that, all hands on deck now,” said Hardaway, who was sent to Atlanta in exchange for the pick that was used to take the Notre Dame standout. “Obviously as a basketball player, you take that to heart. So, it’s time to move on, get better, and when the time comes, the time comes. Right now, it’s all about Atlanta basketball.”
- Jackson’s recruiting strategy is to sell prospective free agents on winning with the Knicks rather than New York business opportunities, an NBA exec tells Berman.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge says draft-and-stash prospect Marcus Thornton will most likely be in the D-League or in Europe next season, Adam Himmeslbach of The Boston Globe tweets. Thornton, a product of William & Mary, is not to be confused with the veteran guard of the same name.
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri says his team will be “open-minded and open for business” while still keeping its core intact, Eric Koreen of the National Post writes. The core he is likely referring to is the trio of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas.
- The Raptors are finalizing an agreement to hire former Thunder assistant Rex Kalamian as part of Dwane Casey‘s staff, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Free Agent Rumors: Wade, Pierce, Aldridge
The latest free agent rumors..
- Dwyane Wade is seeking at least $16MM a year on a three or four-year deal, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported earlier that Wade was seeking a three-year deal and would welcome $20MM a year.
- League execs tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there is not a robust market for Wade because of his age (33) and history of injury problems.
- The Wizards are growing more confident in their ability to re-sign Paul Pierce, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Clippers have appeared to be his primary suitor, with the Celtics also reportedly in the mix.
- In addition to their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs could have some interest in former Blazers forward Thomas Robinson, according to Jabari Young of CSNNW.com (on Twitter). Of course, Aldridge and Robinson have a history together. Robinson, a former No. 5 overall pick, has bounced around the league quite a bit since he was drafted in 2012.
- Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez is on the Knicks‘ radar, according to Al Iannazone of Newsday. Lopez has value to the Knicks as a big man with energy and solid defensive skills.
- The Thunder are among the teams expected to pursue Caron Butler when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times writes. It was previously reported that the Bulls, Clippers, Spurs, Lakers, and Knicks are expected to be in the mix for the veteran, who says he expects to get waived by Milwaukee.
- Oleksiy Pecherov is eyeing an NBA comeback and is working out with the Nuggets today, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Pecherov has played 111 games in the NBA with the Wizards and Wolves averaging 3.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG.
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.
Latest On David West, Knicks
TUESDAY, 8:09am: West doesn’t want to play for the Knicks, preferring a team in better position to contend for the title, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.
THURSDAY, 6:57pm: David West is likely to sign with the Knicks when he becomes eligible to do so after the July Moratorium, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The power forward had his mind set on New York before reportedly deciding this week to opt out, Zwerling hears.
West turned down $12.6MM from the Pacers to hit free agency, though it’s unclear if he’d be willing to take less to secure a long-term deal with New York. The Knicks are expected to have plenty of cap room this summer, though the team would presumably attempt to go after more marquee free agents before circling back to the veteran who turns 35 in August.
Indiana would have the capacity to target Monta Ellis if West is indeed out of the picture for the Pacers.