Free Agent Rumors: Pau, Spurs, Raptors, Durant
The Spurs, Raptors, and Trail Blazers are all vying for free agent big man Pau Gasol, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, who reports (via Twitter) that San Antonio and Toronto are considered the frontrunners. A report late on Sunday night suggested that the Spurs would be a good bet to sign Gasol if they don’t land Kevin Durant, but that’s no lock yet. Neither the Spurs nor the Raptors has a ton of cap room at the moment, but perhaps Gasol won’t be seeking a huge payday if he has the chance to join a contender. Both teams also have movable assets if they need to create additional space.
Let’s check in on a few more updates on free agents from around the NBA….
- Durant intends to inform all the teams he has met with during the free agent period about his decision this morning, according to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter (via Twitter). At some point after those teams get the news, Durant is expected to make his announcement on The Players’ Tribune. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the Celtics made one last call to Durant’s camp last night to attempt to make a strong final impression.
- One of the players on the Knicks‘ list of inexpensive guard targets is Tim Frazier, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Frazier is a Pelicans restricted free agent, so New Orleans would have an opportunity to match an offer sheet. Meanwhile, New York only has about $5MM – or less – in cap room remaining, and may look to create a little more space via trade(s), per Begley.
- The Hornets have done well to retain free agents Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams, but the team only has about $10MM left in cap space, and will need to ration that money out to add a backup point guard and another big man, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Within the piece, Bonnell offers a few names of players who may get a look from the Hornets.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com examines the difficult spot the Mavericks find themselves in, as they try to balance their efforts to retool the roster and their desire to do right by Dirk Nowitzki, who is still a free agent.
- Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas has recently worked out for the Lakers and Hawks, and will soon make a decision on whether to continue his basketball career in the NBA or overseas, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter).
Free Agent Rumors: Wade, Pau, Spurs, Knicks
While the Nuggets continue to pursue Dwyane Wade, the Knicks and Bulls appear to be unlikely suitors for the veteran guard after having committed significant chunks of leftover cap room to other players, writes ESPN’s Marc Stein. Wade’s reps have also reached out to the Mavericks, and a meeting with the Bucks is expected to take place this week, but it would still be a surprise if the former Finals MVP signs with any team besides the Heat.
Here are a few more free agent updates and rumors from around the NBA:
- Assuming Kevin Durant doesn’t sign with the Spurs, Stein (Twitter link) expects San Antonio to sign Pau Gasol. A handful of other teams, including Minnesota, Portland, and Toronto, have been linked to Gasol, but it sounds like there’s plenty of mutual interest between the Spurs and the free agent big man.
- The odds of Lance Thomas re-signing with the Knicks are “better than 50-50,” a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to that source, Thomas has received at least two offers that would exceed what the Knicks could give him, but the forward’s preference is to remain in New York. In addition to previously-reported suitors like Minnesota and Oklahoma City, the Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans are also interested in Thomas, per Berman.
- Having reached deals with a center (Joakim Noah) and a shooting guard (Courtney Lee), the Knicks‘ next priority will be finding a viable backup at point guard, writes Newsday’s Al Iannazzone.
And-Ones: Gasol, Ginobili, Barnes
The market for Pau Gasol appears to be around $18-22MM per year with the Raptors, Bulls, Blazers, Wolves and Spurs among the teams talking with him, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Of those teams, the Wolves have made an “aggressive” two-year offer to reunite Gasol with his former coach Tom Thibodeau, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports. It is unclear whether or not Gasol will wait for Kevin Durant to make a decision before pulling the trigger on his own move, Shelburne adds. The Blazers may have a two-year deal worth $40MM out there for Gasol, per Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Here’s more news from around the league:
- Manu Ginobili, who announced he intends to play this season, plans to re-sign with the Spurs, but the two sides have yet to begin negotiations, Ginobili’s agent Herb Rudoy told Jeff McDonald of of the San Antonio Express-News. Rudoy has fielded calls from multiple teams gauging interest in his client since Ginobili’s announcement, McDonald reports. However, most teams strongly believe the veteran will reach a deal with the Spurs, McDonald adds.
- Matt Barnes has received interest from the Clippers, Kings, Mavs and Warriors, Shelburne reports.
- Derrick Williams‘ future with the Knicks is uncertain because New York could have only about $5MM in available cap space and Williams would likely be able to fetch a larger sum elsewhere, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays.
Western Notes: Durant, Rondo, Crawford, Mack
Kevin Durant has concluded his meeting with the Heat, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The session lasted about two hours, according to Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Durant plans to meet with representatives from the Thunder this afternoon before making his final decision. He also talked to the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs and Celtics this weekend, although L.A. is now out of the running.
There’s more news from the Western Conference:
- The Kings are “moving on” from free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge says Sacramento is comfortable with Darren Collison as its starter and will seek a backup in free agency.
- The Sixers have made a “significant” offer to Clippers free agent combo guard Jamal Crawford, tweets Dan Woike of Orange County Register, and several other teams are interested. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been contacted by the Kings, Hawks, Nets, Mavericks, Celtics and others, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- The Jazz have to make a decision on point guard Shelvin Mack this week, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Mack’s $2.4MM salary for next season will become fully guaranteed on Thursday. Mack became the starter in Utah after a midseason trade from Atlanta and averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 assists in 28 games. The Jazz are trading backup point guard Trey Burke to the Wizards.
- The Timberwolves are interested in Jordan Hill, but Pau Gasol remains their top priority in free agency, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
And-Ones: Durant, Gasol, Crawford
Kevin Durant has told teams he is meeting with that his decision will be made within the next 24-36 hours, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Durant’s meeting with the Celtics, one that reportedly featured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, ended just after 6:30pm, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge also tweets that Durant will meet with the Heat Sunday before meeting again with the Thunder. He is then expected to decide. According to Broussard, however, no decision has been made on whether Durant will meet again with the Thunder (Twitter link). Durant has also met with the Warriors, Spurs and Clippers.
Here’s more from a busy day around the league …
- The Raptors have emerged as another suitor for Pau Gasol, who may look to make a decision after Durant finds a home, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Wolves, Blazers and Spurs have expressed interest in Gasol, too, Stein relays (on Twitter).
- Al Horford‘s four-year, $113MM deal with the Celtics includes a player option after the third year, according to his agent Jason Glushon, Shelburne reports (ESPN Now link).
- The Clippers formally offered Jamal Crawford a contract on Saturday, according to Shelburne (ESPN Now link). The Wolves checked in on Crawford Saturday, but they are not close to offering, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- After losing Horford in free agency, the Hawks are expected to halt trade talks and will keep Paul Millsap, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Kings hold a team option for the second year on both of the two-year agreements for Arron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
- The Pelicans have expressed interest in Raymond Felton and New Orleans could be competition for the Mavs, who would like to re-sign Felton, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Mavs, Wolves, Pelicans and Spurs are among the teams that have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent Thomas Robinson, Kennedy tweets.
Free Agent Notes: Rondo, Wolves, Gasol
The Pelicans could still make a push for signing Rajon Rondo even after securing an agreement with E’Twaun Moore, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid acknowledges that there are other teams in the mix for Rondo and New Orleans appears to be a long-shot. There were conflicting reports on Friday as to whether the team was interested in Rondo.
Reid confirms an earlier report that the Pelicans were interested in Jeremy Lin, but the point guard’s price was too steep for the team. Lin signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Brooklyn on Friday.
Here’s more from around the league during this crazy start to free agency:
- The Wolves had interest in Luol Deng before he signed with the Lakers and they made calls to both Pau Gasol and Kent Bazemore before the latter signed with Atlanta, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. The team would also like to add depth and has interest in Randy Foye, Willie Reed, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Bass, and Ian Mahinmi.
- The Thunder have also expressed interest in Reed, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- Amar’e Stoudemire would be interested in returning to the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. “If they want to bring me back, that would be a nice opportunity,” Stoudemire said.
- The Lakers bumped up Deng’s offer to $18MM per season after Bazemore turned down the same offer, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
- Ish Smith‘s new deal with the Pistons will pay him $5.7MM in year one, $6MM in year two and $6.3MM in the final season, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter link).
- Former first-round pick Jan Vesely has interest from NBA teams, but it will take a starting salary of $11-12MM to bring him stateside, Net Income of SB Nation tweets.
- Rade Zagorac is negotiating a deal to play overseas with Red Star Belgrade, international journalist David Pick tweets. The Grizzlies acquired the No.35 overall pick in a deal with the Celtics on draft night.
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News takes a look at who the Mavericks can still get in free agency.
Blazers Sign Evan Turner To Four-Year Deal
JULY 7th, 12:22am: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 1st, 2:30pm: With Chandler Parsons no longer in play, the Trail Blazers have landed another one of their top perimeter free agents, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Portland has reached an agreement with Evan Turner on a four-year deal worth about $70MM. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton tweets, that’s about the most the Blazers could have offered a player without renouncing any of their own key free agents.
A former second overall pick, Turner has never developed into a star player, but the 27-year-old has been a solid role player for the Celtics over the last couple years. In 2015/16, he averaged 10.5 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a .456 field-goal percentage.
The Knicks, Bulls, Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Celtics had been mentioned as potential suitors for Turner, with Portland’s interest having been kept relatively under wraps. As noted above, Turner appeared to be a fallback option for the Blazers after Parsons turned down a max offer from the team.
Even after reaching a big-money agreement with Turner, the Blazers aren’t done free agent shopping. According to Wojnarowski, Portland has also made an “aggressive” offer to big man Pau Gasol. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com first reported that the Blazers had interest in Gasol.
If Portland lands Gasol, it seems likely that at least a couple of the club’s restricted free agents will end up elsewhere. The Blazers currently have qualifying offers out to Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, and Maurice Harkless.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
FA Rumors: Turner, Batum, Gasol, Lin, Kings
The Knicks, Bulls, Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, and Grizzlies are in the mix for Evan Turner, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. No meetings have been finalized yet for Turner, but it sounds like he’ll meet with at least a few of those suitors. According to Deveney, there’s also still a possibility that the Celtics will re-enter the picture for Turner.
Here are more free agent updates from around the NBA:
- Unsurprisingly, Nicolas Batum, who has generated interest from Dallas, New York, Charlotte, and a few other teams, is seeking a max contract, tweets Deveney.
- According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Trail Blazers and the Timberwolves are expected to be among the suitors for Pau Gasol, who has also been linked to Golden State, New York, and San Antonio.
- Jeremy Lin‘s price tag is expected to be in the neighborhood of $12-14MM per year, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter).
- The Kings have expressed interest in Dion Waiters and Allen Crabbe, per Wojnarowski (link via RealGM.com). Sacramento has also reached out to Courtney Lee, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.
- Jazz free agent Trevor Booker is drawing interest from multiple teams and is expected to have a starting salary around $10MM, sources tell Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Howard, Harkless, Mozgov
Dwight Howard is seeking a contract starting at $24MM annually, a league source tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Howard is expected to conduct his meetings in Atlanta, with the Celtics and Hawks the first two teams scheduled to meet with the big man, Watkins notes. The Blazers and Hornets have also expressed interest in Howard, who is an unrestricted free agent, the scribe adds.
With free agency set to kick off, here’s the latest from around the league:
- The Pistons, Wizards, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among the teams interested in Trail Blazers restricted free agent Maurice Harkless, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).The 23-year-old appeared in 78 games this season and averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per contest.
- One of the first calls the Pacers will make when free agency commences will be to unrestricted free agent big man Ian Mahinmi, who the team is interested in re-signing, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Mahinmi earned $4MM in 2015/16.
- If the Warriors miss out on signing Kevin Durant, the team could shift its focus to unrestricted free agent forward Pau Gasol, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. Shelburne also notes that Gasol isn’t too keen on taking a discounted deal, but market and contender status could sway him.
- Cavs unrestricted free agent center Timofey Mozgov has no desire to ink a one-year deal this offseason, preferring the security and stability of a long-term pact, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays.
- Unrestricted free agent point guard Beno Udrih, who spent time last season with the Grizzlies and Heat, has switched to Octagon Sports for representation, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Udrih agreed to a buyout arrangement in February with Miami that helped the organization avoid crossing the luxury tax threshold.
- Also switching agents is Rockets forward Terrence Jones, who will now be repped by Dan Fegan and James Dunleavy of Independent Sports and Entertainment, Charania relays (on Twitter). Jones is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after earning $2,489,530 in 2015/16.
- Former NBA player Austin Daye has signed with the Turkish club Galatasaray, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). Daye last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he split time between the Hawks and Spurs.
- The Kings are interested in Ryan Anderson and Courtney Lee, who are both unrestricted free agents, and restricted free agent Allen Crabbe, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
- Another player gaining traction within the Sacramento organization is Thunder restricted free agent Dion Waiters, who could help strengthen the team’s backcourt, Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets.
- DeMar DeRozan is set to meet with the Raptors in Los Angeles as soon as the free agent period commences, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
Spurs’ Interest In Mike Conley Overstated?
The Spurs have frequently been cited as one of the primary threats to the division-rival Grizzlies in the Mike Conley sweepstakes, but one “well-placed source” tells ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link) that San Antonio’s interest in Conley has been overstated.
The Spurs are set to make their pitch to Kevin Durant on Saturday, and have been linked to a few other high-profile free agents, including Pau Gasol. Conley has been mentioned as one of those notable free agent targets for San Antonio, but Stein’s source suggests that the veteran point guard is more likely to land elsewhere. The Grizzlies remain the presumptive frontrunners for Conley, but the Mavericks have reportedly made him a priority, and the Rockets and Nets are also said to have interest.
In other Spurs news, Stein reports (via Twitter) that the team has no plans to waive Boris Diaw, whose $7MM salary for 2016/17 is only partially guaranteed. If San Antonio were to cut Diaw today or tomorrow, the team could save $4MM, leaving just $3MM on its cap. But a source tells Stein that the Spurs intend to keep Diaw on their roster, guaranteeing his full salary.
Diaw said earlier this month in an interview with a French outlet that he had been told the Spurs wanted to keep him.