Kevin Durant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets To Push For Hassan Whiteside, Other FAs

June 27th, 2016 at 5:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Hassan Whiteside will be among the free agents the Rockets make a strong push for when the recruiting period opens later this week, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. A source tells Watkins that Houston will make a strong effort to sign either Whiteside, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, or Ryan Anderson.

The Rockets’ interest in Durant, who is the top target for a handful of teams, has long been known, but reports in recent weeks have indicated that the former MVP isn’t expected to seriously consider Houston. So far, Durant has lined up meetings with six teams – the Thunder and five rival suitors – but the Rockets aren’t on that list.

The Rockets’ fondness for Horford and Anderson has also been previously reported, though Atlanta is viewed as the frontrunner to bring back Horford, while Anderson will generate plenty of interest around the league. Of the four Rockets targets mentioned by Watkins, Anderson is perhaps the least likely to land a maximum-salary contract, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility even for him.

As for Whiteside, he’s hoping to make a decision early in free agency, so if he lands elsewhere, the Rockets should at least be able to move on quickly. The Lakers, Mavericks, and Celtics are among the clubs expected to vie with the Heat for the young center.

With Dwight Howard having opted out of his contract, Houston has room for at least one max player, and possibly two. General manager Daryl Morey suggested earlier this month that the Rockets are “ready-made” to add a star to complement James Harden, pointing to the size of the Houston market, the presence of Harden (and several solid role players), and the arrival of coach Mike D’Antoni as reasons why top-tier free agents would be interested in joining the Rockets.

Of course, the Rockets’ free agent search won’t be limited to max-salary players. Watkins mentions in his piece that Jeremy Lin could be among Houston’s targets this offseason, which is an intriguing possibility, given the success the point guard has had under D’Antoni in the past.

FA Rumors: Durant, Arthur, Wizards, Lakers, Bulls

June 27th, 2016 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks would like to set up a meeting to make their pitch to Kevin Durant, but nothing has been agree to or scheduled yet, and it remains to be seen whether that sit-down will take place. Still, that hasn’t stopped Carmelo Anthony from making his own recruiting pitch to his friend and Olympic teammate, as ESPN’s Marc Stein details.

“I’m with KD now; he’s right downstairs. We’ve been together. We’ve been talking,” Anthony told ESPN. “I do consider myself part of the Knicks, so that (free agent) meeting has already taken place.”

While tampering policies prevent teams from making contact with free-agents-to-be or their agents to discuss deals before July 1st at 12:00am, the NBA typically doesn’t police interactions between players, leaving players like Anthony and James Harden free to attempt to woo Durant, even though the Knicks and Rockets may not formally meet with him.

Let’s check in on a few other free agency notes…

Durant may not be the only free agent to receive a call or a text from Carmelo. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets that Anthony has been selling the Knicks to a few other players as well.
The Wizards have interest in Darrell Arthur, who has declined his player option with the Nuggets to become a free agent, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Washington will be in the market for big men this summer, and Michael believes Arthur could be a nice complementary piece to Markieff Morris at power forward.
According to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, one could make the case that his team should target frontcourt players in free agency. However, as Kupchak explains to ESPN (video link), he isn’t entering free agency intent on upgrading a specific position — he believes the Lakers could use help everywhere.
Asked today about the Bulls‘ pending free agents, GM Gar Forman spoke positively about E’Twaun Moore, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com observes. Moore seems more likely to re-sign in Chicago than players like Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol, but the 27-year-old guard will generate a fair amount of interest on the open market as well.
Bobby Marks of The Vertical provides a breakdown of Durant’s various options in free agency and outlines the moves some of his suitors would have to make to land him.
Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star identifies five potential free agent targets for the Pacers, including three who finished the season with Charlotte.

USA Basketball Finalizes 2016 Olympic Roster

June 27th, 2016 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has finalized its 12-man roster for this summer’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press details. Team USA will head into the 2016 Olympics looking to win its third straight Gold medal in basketball. Barring any injuries or other unforeseen circumstances, the following 12 players will be representing America in Brazil this summer:

Carmelo Anthony, F
Harrison Barnes, F
Jimmy Butler, G/F
DeMarcus Cousins, C
DeMar DeRozan, G
Kevin Durant, F
Paul George, F
Draymond Green, F/C
Kyrie Irving, G
DeAndre Jordan, C
Kyle Lowry, G
Klay Thompson, G

While Team USA’s roster features a bevy of All-Stars, former Olympians, and an MVP winner, many notable players declined invitations to play in Rio this summer. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are among those who withdrew from consideration.

No Meeting Lined Up Yet For Durant, Knicks

June 27th, 2016 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

We’re just four days away from the start of the NBA’s 2016 free agent period, and while players can’t sign contracts with teams on July 1st, plenty of clubs will be prepared to make pitches to newly-available players on Friday. We’ve heard that the Thunder, Warriors, and Spurs have scheduled meetings for Kevin Durant, with the Celtics, Heat, and Clippers also working to solidify sit-downs of their own. However, it remains to be seen whether the Knicks will be given the opportunity to meet with Durant, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

According to Begley, no meeting has been scheduled – or agreed to – between New York and Durant, and while the Knicks remain optimistic that they’ll ultimately receive consideration from the star forward, it’s not a great sign that they aren’t among the initial group of suitors with whom he’ll meet.

Sam Amick of USA Today suggested on Sunday that the acquisition of Derrick Rose had put the Knicks back on Durant’s radar, but Amick conceded within that report that a meeting between the two sides was no sure thing. It’s possible that after meeting with his initial six suitors, Durant will remain undecided and would be willing to take a meeting with the Knicks or another team. Still, the Knicks appear to face long odds, considering the former MVP isn’t expected to take a ton of time to make a decision.

A meeting with Durant at least remains a possibility for the Knicks. For other would-be suitors, such as the Lakers and Wizards, such a meeting appears increasingly unlikely, as Amick wrote on Sunday. The USA Today scribe hinted that if Durant takes a meeting with the Lakers, it may just be a way to help the franchise save face. As for the Wizards, they’re waiting for a call from Durant’s camp “with hopes of being surprised,” but are preparing for free agency as if the D.C. native won’t be a part of their plans.

Southeast Notes: Wall, Durant, Batum, Ibaka

June 26th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

John Wall thinks fan overreaction may have discouraged Kevin Durant from considering the Wizards in free agency, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Because Durant hails from the Washington, D.C., area, the Wizards were once thought to have a chance at landing him, but they aren’t among the seven teams expected to meet with Durant after free agency begins on Friday. “A lot of people will be devastated. But at the end of the day he never promised us anything,” Wall said. “Every day, everybody said KD-to-DC, coming to our games wearing all the Kevin Durant stuff, he didn’t like it at that time because you should cheer for the team that you got.”

There’s more news out of the Southeast Division:

Of the Hornets‘ five free agents, Nicolas Batum is most likely to return next season, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bonnell sees a 70% likelihood that Batum remains with in Charlotte, and GM Rich Cho has said keeping him is the team’s top offseason priority. Bonnell believs the Hornets will need to offer a five-year deal at more than $20MM per season to be sure of re-signing Batum. For the rest of the team’s free agents, Bonnell puts the chances of keeping Marvin Williams at 50%, Jeremy Lin at 40%, Al Jefferson at 25% and Courtney Lee at 20%.
The Magic made good on their promise to be aggressive in trying to acquire veteran help when they pulled off a deal for Serge Ibaka, writes Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. The trade may have been necessary because of the impending free agency of shooting guards Evan Fournier, who will hit the market this summer, and Victor Oladipo, who was shipped to Oklahoma City in the deal and will become a free agent in 2017. The Magic didn’t expect to re-sign both, according to Taylor, and didn’t want to lose them without getting something in return.
French shooting guard Isaia Cordinier, who was taken by Atlanta with the No. 44 pick in the draft, will probably play next season in France and join the Hawks for 2017/18, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Givony says Cordinier had a draft promise from a team in the late 30s or early 40s, but that team changed its mind and took someone else (Twitter link). Cordinier was expecting to join that franchise immediately and had asked other teams not to draft him (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Durant, Love, Diallo

June 26th, 2016 at 4:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers and Wizards are not expected to be granted a meeting with Kevin Durant once free agency begins, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick adds that New York is back on Durant’s radar as a result of the Derrick Rose trade. The Knicks are expected to sit down with the 2013/14 MVP, as are the Spurs, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, and Clippers in addition to the Thunder.

The Wizards reached out to Durant’s camp to see if he had interest in joining the team and they came away believing it’s unlikely that he signs with Washington, Britt McHenry of ESPN.com reports. “It’s not like LeBron and Cleveland,” the source tells McHenry.

Here’s more from around the league.

Kansas coach Bill Self believes Cheick Diallo would have been a top-10 pick in the 2017 draft had he stayed another year at the university, Brett Dawson of the New Orleans Advocate tweets. Diallo was drafted No.33 overall and the Pelicans traded their two second-rounders for his rights.
Kevin Love received an invitation to play in the Olympics this summer, but he has declined, opting to rest after the Cavs‘ long playoff run, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
Love took to Instagram earlier today to write an open letter thanking Cavs teammate James Jones for teaching him how to be a better teammate and how to put the team first. Such a sentiment could be foreshadowing Jones’ potential retirement, although that is merely my speculation. Jones and Love both arrived in Cleveland during the 2014 offseason.

Celtics Notes: Free Agency, Zizic, Durant

June 26th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics will be aggressive in free agency this summer and coach Brad Stevens offered some insight on the team’s strategy, as Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com passes along. “The biggest needs as we look at it are continuing to grow ourselves on the offensive end, and what we decide to do with regard to protecting the rim,” Stevens said. “You can protect the rim in a couple of different ways. No. 1 is you have somebody in there to protect it. No. 2 is you don’t let the ball get there, and you need versatile guys at a bunch of different positions. You need to keep guys out of rotations. If you look at our team right now, No. 2 would be more of the option.”

Here’s more out of Boston:

No.16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele and No. 23 overall pick Ante Zizic both believe they can play for the Celtics right away. However, they are both open to playing overseas initially, Petraglia passes along in the same piece.
Team president Danny Ainge said that flexibility in free agency this offseason was a factor in the Celtics not making a major deal on draft night, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe passes along via Twitter.
Isaiah Thomas plans to assist in the recruiting process to bring Kevin Durant to the Celtics and he took to Twitter on Saturday to promote one of Durant’s signature shoes, writes Petraglia in a separate piece. The scribe notes that this is not the first time Thomas has taken to Twitter to reach out to Durant.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Ibaka, Murray, Dunn

June 25th, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder have a significant advantage in the amount they can offer Durant, Slater notes, as he can make $229.5MM over the next six seasons if he opts out of a two-year deal next summer and signs a five-year max contract. OKC can also offer a guaranteed contender, as the Thunder just fell one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. Slater rates the Warriors, Spurs and Celtics as having the best chance to take Durant away, with the Heat and Clippers as long shots and the Wizards and Rockets as “delusional pipe-dreamers.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Durant gave at least his unspoken approval to the draft-day trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic, writes Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Given the uncertainty surrounding Durant, Amick says the Thunder never would have made such a major deal if they didn’t know he was on board with it.
New Nuggets guard Jamal Murray can expect to begin the season in a sixth-man role, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Denver GM Tim Connelly says veteran shooting guard Gary Harris will continue to start, with Murray used for instant offense off the bench. “It’s Gary’s job,” Connelly said. “Certainly I hope Jamal does everything he does to potentially take the job, but Gary’s our starting two guard. [Drafting Murray] was an addition to what we think is a very strong backcourt already. We like the flexibility he provides us.”
The Nuggets haven’t decided whether to bring over No. 15 pick Juan Hernangomez next season, Dempsey writes in the same piece. The 20-year-old power forward played for Real Madrid this season. “Both options are open,” Connelly said. “There are some pretty good international situations, if we want him to marinate a bit overseas. I think certainly he has the game to come over. If you’re productive at the ACB level, it usually translates. But it’s a conversation we’re going to have with his representatives and figure it out.”
No. 5 pick Kris Dunn likes the situation he is entering with the Timberwolves, relays Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The Providence point guard will be surrounded by young talents such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine. “All those athletes … [who] like to play up and down, and that’s how my game is,” Dunn said. “I like to play at a fast pace, that up-tempo. We’re all young so I think it’s going to make the relationship even stronger because we’re all trying to learn together, we’re all trying to build together, and we’re going to try to compete every game.”

And-Ones: Olympics, Griffin, Messina, Vesely

June 25th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes will fill the last two spots on the U.S. Olympic basketball team, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. The roster will be formally announced Monday in New York. Ten players committed earlier, but Mahoney reports that openings were left for Irving and LeBron James, who both asked for more time to decide after playing in the NBA Finals, which ended Sunday. James opted not to make the trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Barnes joins Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the roster, along with Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler and DeAndre Jordan.

There’s more news tonight from around the basketball world:

The State of Florida has dropped first-degree attempted murder charges against former D-League All-Star Eric Griffin, according to D-League Digest. Griffin last played in the D-League in 2014/15, when he was a third-team all-league selection and a second-team all-defensive choice. He played in Dubai this season and may be ready for a shot at the NBA now that his legal case has been resolved.
Despite rumors, Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina won’t be leaving to take a job in Spain, tweets international journalist David Pick. “I have no contact with Barcelona,” Messina said. “I’m a happy Spur.”
Several NBA teams are interested in former lottery pick Jan Vesely, according to Sportando. The Mavericks, Nets and Pelicans are the teams listed as suitors for Vesely, who was selected sixth overall by the Wizards in the 2011 draft. Vesely played for Fenerbahce in Turkey this season and is a free agent. He is expected to get offers in the range of $30MM over three years.
Greek star Giannis Bourousis is ready to take a shot at the NBA, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “I would go to any NBA team,” said the 32-year-old seven-footer. “I just want to be there, after 14 years in Euroleague.”

Western Notes: Thunder, Ibaka, Grizzlies, Kings

June 24th, 2016 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

While some observers questioned whether Oklahoma City’s decision to trade Serge Ibaka would have a negative impact on Kevin Durant‘s free agent decision, GM Sam Presti and the Thunder believes it strengthens their position, showing KD that they didn’t want to assume moving forward with the status quo was satisfactory. Royce Young of ESPN.com outlines the Thunder’s thinking, explaining why it made sense for the club to move Ibaka, who perhaps wasn’t a perfect fit for the current roster in OKC.

Young and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com both suggest that Ibaka didn’t love his evolving role with the Thunder, which saw him essentially playing the part of a stretch four this past season. Although he hadn’t requested a trade, Ibaka was considered likely to leave Oklahoma City in free agency a year from now, according to Berger. The CBSSports.com scribe also agrees that the move doesn’t make Durant any more likely to leave the Thunder, pointing out that the team is smartly surrounding him with depth and controllable players, rather than trying to clear cap space and promising free agent pursuits that may or may not pan out.

Let’s check in on a few other Western Conference teams…

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said his team didn’t expect, in its “wildest dreams,” that Deyonta Davis would be available in the second round, writes Tom Schad of The Commercial Appeal. Wallace viewed the Clippers’ 2019 first-rounder as a fair price to pay to acquire Davis at No. 31 and Serbian prospect Rade Zagorac at No. 35.
In his discussion of No. 13 overall pick Georgios Papagiannis on Thursday night, Kings GM Vlade Divac expressed optimism about bringing the Greek center to Sacramento for 2016/17, suggesting his buyout wouldn’t be a problem. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com confirms the buyout is worth a very manageable $500K, tweeting that the Kings should have no problem bringing Papagiannis to the NBA right away.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has unveiled his draft grades for 2016, and only one team earned an A-plus. That club was the Spurs, who used their only pick of the draft to nab former Washington guard Dejounte Murray at No. 29. Murray has a chance to be an All-Star-caliber guard, in Ford’s view.