Lebron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Notes: James, Randolph, Osman, Billups

July 1st, 2017 at 11:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James doesn’t plan to do any recruiting for the Cavaliers this summer, reports Dave McMenamin 0f ESPN.com. The move may be a protest against the organization’s decision not to re-sign David Griffin, whom James supported. Regardless, it’s a change in behavior for the team’s most prominent player, who lobbied Kevin Love, Mike Miller and others to come to Cleveland in prior years.

The Cavaliers have been targeting two veterans to serve as backups: point guard Jose Calderon, who signed with the team today, and power forward Zach Randolph. Other teams chasing Randolph have more money to offer than Cleveland does, and McMenamin suggests that a call from James might tip the scales in the Cavs’ favor, but so far nothing has happened.

There’s more tonight out of Cleveland:

In the absence of a GM, assistant GM Koby Altman is handling free agency, McMenamin adds in the same story. The Cavaliers are still negotiating with Chauncey Billups to take over the front office, and he has been in touch with Altman and owner Dan Gilbert regarding the team’s strategy. However, Billups seems in no rush to accept the job and will make his BIG3 League debut on Sunday.
The Cavs are talking to draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman about joining the team next year, McMenamin relays in the same piece. The 6’8″ forward out of Macedonia was the 31st pick in the 2015 draft and was part of the deal that sent Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves.
Cleveland’s GM job has lost some of its appeal, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Cap concerns, front office turmoil and the possibility that James might leave next summer have created a difficult situation for whomever steps into the position.
The signing of Calderon displays the dangers of the repeater tax, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.com. Adding the veteran guard only counts $1.5MM against the cap, but it raises the Cavs’ tax bill from $16.4MM to $20.4MM.

Free Agent Rumors: Young, Miles, Porter

July 1st, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unrestricted free agent Nick Young plans to “meet with a bunch of teams” this weekend after a number of undisclosed franchises expressed interest when free agency began on Friday, league sources tell Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Despite the Lakers being among those contacting Young’s representatives, both the team and player have conflicting agendas that suggest that this may be the end of their four-year tenure together, Medina adds.

Young, 32, is hoping to maximize his earnings on a multi-year contract for a playoff team, but the Lakers want to sign players to one-year deals to save cap space for the 2018 offseason when LeBron James, Paul George and Russell Westbrook might be available, the scribe notes.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

Pacers free agent C.J. Miles may have to wait for J.J. Redick to sign an agreement before his market comes into focus, Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (ESPN Now link). Miles is Plan B for multiple teams who have made Redick a priority, the scribe adds. The Thunder are one of the teams that have expressed interest in the 30-year-old, per a tweet from Yahoo’s Jordan Schultz.
With Otto Porter having completed his meeting with the Wizards, the team is now in a holding pattern as it awaits the forward to seek offer sheets on the open market, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays (via Twitter). The Nets are potentially one team who appear willing to offer the max of four years and $100MM. Philadelphia may also get involved in the bidding, but the Sixers reportedly seem reluctant to make long-term offers. Washington has promised to match any offer for the restricted free agent.
Despite the significant bump in player salaries the new CBA has ushered in, not all players are satisfied with the league capping their earnings. LeBron James, responding to a tweet noting how the value of the Warriors has increased from $450MM to upwards of $2.6 billion since Joe Lacob purchased the franchise, noted that Stephen Curry should have gotten a pact worth $400MM over five years this summer (Twitter link). James has a vested interest, of course, with him in line to hit free agency once again next summer.
There is a possibility that the Celtics may be willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade deal for unrestricted free agent Amir Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (on Twitter). The forward is reportedly garnering significant interest around the league.
The Magic‘s reported interest in free agent forward Joe Ingles has been “wildly overstated,” per Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). It was relayed Friday night that Orlando was set to offer Ingles a four-year deal in the $60MM range.

Latest On The Chris Paul Trade

June 28th, 2017 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul‘s departure from the Clippers today severed a relationship that began to fall apart when the team acquired Austin Rivers in 2015, according to a Facebook post from Michael Eaves of ESPN. Several Clippers believed Rivers brought an entitled attitude to the team because he is the son of coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers. Veterans didn’t think Austin Rivers tried hard enough to fit in, which created dissension in the locker room. Paul, in particular, thought that Austin Rivers got preferential treatment from his father.

The situation reportedly reached a breaking point prior to the trade deadline when the Knicks offered Carmelo Anthony and Sasha Vujacic to L.A. in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers. Doc Rivers blocked the deal, which led Paul to believe that coaching his son was more important than winning, with an unidentified league executive saying, “Chris despises Doc.”

There’s more fallout from today’s blockbuster trade:

The decision to opt in for the final year of his contract gives Paul more flexibility if he wants to team up with LeBron James next summer, Eaves notes in the same post. He mentions the Rockets, Lakers and possibly the Clippers, if Doc Rivers is gone, as potential destinations for that to happen. In the meantime, Paul can see how well his game meshes with James Harden‘s and gets a financial windfall because Texas doesn’t have a state income tax.
Austin Rivers denied on Twitter that he had anything to do with Paul’s desire to leave. “These false rumors are comedy…so fictional it’s actually amusing! People will say or do anything to get attention,” he posted. He concluded the message with “A lot of clowns out there,” using two clown emoji symbols.
The Clippers were concerned about the later years of Paul’s next contract, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. A five-year deal in excess of $200MM would have paid Paul nearly $45MM at age 37, and L.A. wasn’t willing to make that commitment.
Newly hired Clippers consultant Jerry West didn’t attend Tuesday’s meeting with Paul, according to Chris Broussard of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link).
The Rockets would have preferred to clear cap space by trading Ryan Anderson, but there wasn’t much of a market available, reports Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Two teams that were interested asked for two first-round picks in exchange for taking the three years and $60MM left on Anderson’s contract.
Trading for Paul before July 1st will allow the Rockets to enter free agency over the salary cap, Lowe adds, giving them access to a full midlevel exception worth more than $8MM and a biannual exception topping $3MM.
The Rockets will continue to pursue other stars, but probably can’t offer Trevor Ariza in any deal, according to Lowe. Paul remains close with his former teammate in New Orleans, and the chance to reunite played a decision in Paul’s decision to pick Houston. The Clippers, Lowe relays, had made several attempts to obtain Ariza.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey credits Harden for making today’s trade happen. In a video posted by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, Morey says the Rockets now have the two best playmakers in the league.

LeBron James Will Reportedly ‘Never’ Play For Clippers

June 27th, 2017 at 9:38pm CST by marksuleymanov

Rumors of LeBron James plotting another exit strategy out of Cleveland has led to growing speculation that the three-time NBA champion will seek a new home out west. The Lakers and Clippers have been the two frequently mentioned destination in the event James leaves the Cavaliers — but one of those teams can reportedly be crossed off the list.

During an appearance on ESPN’s Freddie and Fritz program, Mike Wise of The Undefeated cited a source who claimed that James will never suit up for the Clippers.

“I got from a very good authority — a very good authority — that LeBron James will never be a Clipper. I can’t tell you who, but I’m going to tell you it’s somebody that knows, and LeBron James will never be a Clipper,” Wise said (via CBS Sports). “I don’t know if that’s because he remembers what the Clippers used to be, or he just doesn’t want to put his lot in there, or he thinks Steve Ballmer is just too animated on the sideline. He’s never going to be a Clipper. I’m just telling people right now, for your edification.”

The Clippers seemed like a potential destination given that James’ close friend, Chris Paul, has been a fixture in Los Angeles. However, the All-Star point guard is set to hit free agency and his return is far from certain. Additionally, Blake Griffin seems poised to test the market and potentially leave the Clippers, and DeAndre Jordan was reportedly shopped during the NBA Draft.

Despite the star-studded lineup, the Clippers have failed to reach a Conference Finals and the future of Lob City is in jeopardy. The team is also working on a new arena that could lure free agents to California. While a change of heart is possible, Wise’s comments indicate that King James’ future will not include the Clippers.

Cavs Rumors: George, Butler, Billups, James

June 22nd, 2017 at 8:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

While the front office is in a state of upheaval, the Cavs are continuing to work the phones to shake up the roster, as Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reports. With GM David Griffin out of the picture, front office holdovers Koby Altman and Mike Gansey are on the verge of making multiple trades, including a potential blockbuster, Amico continues. They are still trying to acquire Pacers All-Star forward Paul George despite George’s well-documented desire to play for the Lakers when his contract expires after next season, Amico adds.

Some other nuggets from Amico:

The Cavs are far apart in any talks with the Bulls to acquire All-Star Jimmy Butler but there is no traction to rumors that Cleveland players have told Butler to “stay away” from the organization.
Chauncey Billups has been offered the top executive position and members of the organization anticipate he’ll take the job, despite reservations about leaving ESPN. He’ll make a decision today or Friday.
LeBron James has been receiving updates about the team’s plans to upgrade the roster.
James wasn’t mad, just surprised, about owner Dan Gilbert’s inability to come to an extension agreement with Griffin.

Clippers View Jerry West As Asset In Eventual LeBron Pursuit

June 20th, 2017 at 11:32pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending the last several years in Golden State, Jerry West returned to Los Angeles last week, joining the Clippers rather than reuniting with the Lakers. According to Sam Amick of USA Today, West’s new deal with the Clippers is a lucrative one, worth between $4-5MM annually.

As Amick details, a significant factor in the Clippers’ pursuit of West – and owner Steve Ballmer‘s willingness to pay him a substantial salary – is the influence he could have on the LeBron James sweepstakes in 2018. Amick refers to a possible pursuit of LeBron as the “grand plan” for West and the Clippers’ front office, and the veteran executive’s ability to act as a star recruiter in that race is important to the franchise.

Of course, before the Clippers can seriously consider how to land LeBron, they’ll have plenty of work to do this coming offseason. James’ good friend Chris Paul hasn’t yet committed to remaining in Los Angeles, and Blake Griffin is also eligible for unrestricted free agency.

But assuming the Clippers’ roster remains relatively intact, the Clippers believe West may be capable of helping them lure LeBron away from his hometown team a year from now, according to Amick. The USA Today scribe notes that James and West have built a relationship over the years, with LeBron having read West’s autobiography several times and dubbing the 79-year-old “The Godfather.”

A lot would have to go right for the Clippers in the next year to turn that dream into a reality, but with West on board, the club has taken a first step.

Community Shootaround: Communication Between Owner And Star Player

June 20th, 2017 at 4:02pm CST by Joshua Fischman

On Monday, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert parted ways with GM David Griffin, who was up for an extension. Griffin had been instrumental in bringing the Cavaliers’ star player, LeBron James, back to Cleveland. The executive also built a championship team by shrewdly trading for Kevin Love and cleverly filling out the Cavaliers roster over the years with key ancillary players like Kyle Korver, Deron Williams, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye. He did all of this with creativity under considerable budgetary constraints. Unsurprisingly, James had long been an outspoken advocate for Griffin to continue at his GM post. According to Brian Windhorst, LBJ was not notified before Gilbert decided to let Griffin go (link via Twitter). Naturally, this seemed to upset James (link via Twitter).

Should Gilbert have consulted LeBron before getting rid of LBJ’s guy? Is it prudent for an owner to do what he can to make his superstar, who is arguably the best player of all-time, happy? LeBron James left Cleveland once before. Could behavior like this from the owner fuel LBJ’s already potentially wandering eye? Conversely, do you believe that players need not be involved in front office decisions like this one? Should players be divorced from personnel decisions?

We would love to see your thoughts reflected in the comments section.

Cavs Rumors: Griffin, LeBron, Butler, Love, Irving

June 20th, 2017 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of David Griffin‘s departure from the Cavaliers, rumors have been swirling about the circumstances that led the two sides to part ways, the deals Griffin was pursuing while he was still employed, and what the Cavs may do now that he’s gone.

We have a ton of Cavs rumors to pass along, so we’ll break them down into sections, focusing on Griffin, the front office, and trade-related reports…

David Griffin:

Griffin had become pessimistic about his future in Cleveland during the last few months of the 2016/17 season, and had kept an eye on other job openings around the NBA, according to Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo suggests Griffin expressed interest in the Magic and Bucks jobs through back-channels, but wasn’t given permission to speak to those teams by owner Dan Gilbert.
According to Windhorst and McMenamin, Gilbert occasionally inserted himself into trade talks during Griffin’s tenure as GM, calling another team’s owner directly and derailing Griffin’s plans.
Gilbert and Griffin had a long meeting last Friday, which didn’t go well, per Windhorst and McMenamin. Griffin wanted a significant pay raise and a promotion, while Gilbert wanted better communication and more aggression from his GM.
LeBron James was “disappointed” by Griffin’s departure, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). LeBron suggested as much on his own Twitter account, telling Griffin that he appreciated his work for the franchise even if “no one” else did.
Griffin was among the NBA’s lowest-paid general managers, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Previous reports indicated that Griffin was making less than $2MM per year.

Front office:

League sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link) that former Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik would be a strong candidate to work in the Cavaliers‘ front office if Chauncey Billups is hired. Zanik left Milwaukee this week after the team passed him over for a GM promotion.
LeBron is keeping an open mind about the Cavaliers‘ front office shakeup, according to David Aldridge, who tweets that James is “very serious about structure” and wants to see who the team brings in.

Trade rumors:

On Monday, Griffin called several teams about possible trades and told the Bulls he might be able to land a top-five pick if they were willing to trade Jimmy Butler, per Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. According to the ESPN duo, the Cavaliers were making an effort to work out a three-team trade involving Kevin Love and the Suns‘ No. 4 overall pick.
Even after Griffin’s departure, talks involving Love remain ongoing and the Cavaliers continue to gauge the status of Jimmy Butler, says Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter links).
Some Cavaliers players, including LeBron and Kyrie Irving, have reached out to Butler directly to gauge his interest in coming to the Cavs, and those players were encouraged by what they heard, Cleveland sources tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. One source tells Cowley that Butler may even push the Bulls front office to get a deal done, though as Cowley notes, that would be a major departure for Butler, who has talked about wanting to remain in Chicago.
Multiple teams have spoken to the Cavaliers about Irving, according to Amico, who adds (via Twitter) that Griffin was unwilling to move the star point guard. Cowley notes in his report that Irving has told some of his Team USA teammates that he might be open to a trade if it starts to look like LeBron will leave in 2018, and the Bulls are one team he’d be interested in. I’m extremely skeptical about the idea of an Irving trade — I think things would have to really go downhill in Cleveland following Griffin’s dismissal for that to be a realistic option.

Lakers Rumors: Ball, Russell, Randle, LeBron

June 19th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Chad Ford reported earlier today that sources believe the Lakers moved “closer and closer” over the weekend to making Lonzo Ball their pick at No. 2, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report shares a similar sentiment in his latest column. According to Ding, the Lakers are “nearing a final decision” to use the second overall pick on Ball.

Team sources tell Ding that there are still some additional discussions and final planning that will take place before the Lakers are on the clock on Thursday, but Ball’s second pre-draft meeting with the club on Friday was a productive one. An “appreciation for Ball’s all-around upside” has emerged within the Lakers in recent weeks, according to Ding.

Here are a few more Lakers-related notes and rumors:

There are ongoing questions within the Lakers’ organization about how D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle take criticism, team sources tell Ding within the article linked above. Neither player advanced as far in 2016/17 as Luke Walton had hoped, according to Ding, who says Russell was “inconsistent with his professionalism” while Randle “often lost messages given to him if they were delivered harshly.”
Trading Jordan Clarkson for a current or future draft pick would make “a ton of sense” for the Lakers, given their desire to continue stockpiling assets and maintaining cap flexibility, says Ding. Clarkson is rumored to be on the trade block.
Ding also touches on the LeBron James rumors that have surfaced within the last week or two, citing sources who say that James’ wife would like to live in Los Angeles full-time. Multiple recent reports have suggested that LeBron opting out and joining one of the L.A. teams in 2018 is a possibility.
League sources tell Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link) that the Lakers have expressed no interest in trading the No. 2 overall pick at this juncture. We heard last week that L.A. was “taking and making calls” related to that selection, but it seems those calls may not be happening anymore.
Mark Medina of The Orange County Reigster spoke to former Gonzaga big man Zach Collins following his Monday workout with the Lakers, suggesting that Collins will likely only be on L.A.’s radar if the team makes a trade. We heard this morning that the Lakers may be trying to acquire a second lottery pick.

Pacific Notes: James, Collison, Labissiere

June 17th, 2017 at 9:23am CST by marksuleymanov

After LeBron James and the Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, talk of Akron, Ohio, native leaving Cleveland for a second time in free agency after next season has grown. Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical has mentioned on his podcast that King James is interested in heading out west to join either the Lakers of Clippers.

Joining either team presents a unique set of obstacles and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus examined which team makes for sense for the three-time NBA champion. Suiting up for the Lakers seems more viable financially as Pincus notes the team can make a series of moves to come up with James’ $35.7 million maximum salary. Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov — if there’s no trade interest — could be waived and have their combined $69.5 MM salary stretched out over five years at $13.9 million per season.

The Clippers, however, would have a tougher time financially, especially if the team retains Chris Paul and Blake Griffin this offseason. Paul, Griffin, James, and DeAndre Jordan represent a fierce group of talent but to make that foursome work financially, everyone involved would likely need to agree to reduced salaries. Either way, James possibly leaving Cleveland will involve a lot of hurdles that could stall or fully prevent a move out west.

Here are some additional tidbits out of the Pacific Division:

Darren Collison is a free agent this offseason and the Kings‘ decisions in the NBA Draft with fifth and 10th overall picks will determine his future, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has been on five teams and demonstrated his capabilities of being a productive player but the Kings — who are looking for point guard help in the draft — may head in a different direction.
In a separate Sacramento Bee piece, Jason Jones believes that the Kings should not take Skal Labissiere‘s strong numbers last season as a guarantee that the team is set at power forward. If an upgrade presents itself in the draft, Jones recommends that Sacramento pursue all available options.