Latest On Wesley Matthews
The Mavericks, Raptors, and the Kings are all involved in discussions with unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews regarding a long-term contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Matthews has made it clear that he is seeking a multiyear deal with average salaries of $15MM despite the fact that he’s only four months into his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon, Stein notes. Dallas is extremely reluctant to meet Matthews’ asking price considering the frightening history of players who came back from torn Achilles tendons. The Mavs would want to sign Matthews to a deal with salaries in the $10-12MM range annually, the ESPN scribe adds.
Here’s more regarding the pursuit of Matthews:
- Matthews’ camp has notified the Kings that he’s unlikely to accept their offer, making the Mavericks his probable destination, Stein relays (on Twitter).
9:42pm update
- In an update to his report from earlier, Stein tweets that the Kings‘ offer to Matthews is for four years, and $64MM. This would amount to $16MM annually for the swingman, should he choose to accept the deal.
8:31pm update
- The Kings‘ offer is said to be in the $45MM range over three years, Stein reports (Twitter links). The Mavs are the swingman’s preferred destination, Stein adds.
7:32pm update
- Matthews met with the Kings earlier today, Sam Amick of USA Today relays (on Twitter).
- Sacramento intends to make Matthews an offer that will be difficult for him to refuse, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks are leery of the Kings landing Matthews, but hope that the swingman will hold off on his decision until he sees if free agent center DeAndre Jordan chooses to sign a pact with Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com notes (via Twitter).
And-Ones: Kings, Rivers, West
The Kings blundered when they agreed to a cap-clearing trade with the Sixers before they had a commitment from someone on which they could use that cap flexibility, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines. Besides, the Kings aren’t exactly inspiring confidence with primary targets such as Monta Ellis, who’s since agreed to sign with the Pacers, Rajon Rondo and Wesley Matthews, Ziller adds. It’s the latest in a string of puzzling decisions in Sacramento, as SportsBusiness Daily rounds up.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Though he didn’t rule out a return to the Clippers, free agent guard Austin Rivers says that he intends to explore his options before making a decision, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- Draymond Green‘s representatives used Tristan Thompson‘s proposed deal with the Cavaliers as a baseline for their negotiations with the Warriors, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Thompson is reportedly close to landing a deal in the $80MM-$82MM range, Amick adds.
- The Warriors promoted Larry Harris to director of player personnel and hired Lachlan Penfold as head of physical performance/sports medicine, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Free agent forward David West is most likely to end up with either the Wizards or the Spurs, Stein tweets.
- The Nuggets and unrestricted free agent Darrell Arthur have been engaged in productive talks about a new contract, but no deal appears to be imminent, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur has drawn interest from several teams across the league, including the Pistons and Wizards, Dempsey notes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Free Agent Rumors: Stoudemire, Hill, Butler
The free agent signing period is now in its second day, and here are the latest rumblings from around the league:
- The Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers, and Suns all have expressed interest in signing Amar’e Stoudemire as a backup big man, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Stoudemire is only interested in signing with the Clippers if DeAndre Jordan departs and he could become the starter, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
- The Mavs will shift focus to pursuing unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill if the team misses out on signing Jordan, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
- Having missed out on Greg Monroe, one of their prime free agent targets, the Knicks have been in contact with Hill’s representatives, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes.
- Caron Butler, who was waived by the Bucks shortly after they had acquired him from the Pistons, is on the Knicks‘ radar thanks to his shooting ability and potential fit in the triangle offense, Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets. The Cavaliers have also been in constant contact with Butler, though no signing appears imminent, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Unrestricted free agent Quincy Acy is garnering interest from the Magic, Kings, Pelicans, Hawks, and Spurs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
- Free agent Gigi Datome is split on whether to return to the NBA next season or to play in Europe, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The forward’s primary concern is playing time, not money, adds Himmelsbach.
- The Mavs are back in play for J.J. Barea after he was leaning toward signing with the Heat Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge relays in a series of tweets. The point guard is seeking a three-year deal, Aldridge adds. Dallas is optimistic it can land Barea but is waiting for other free agents to make their decisions first, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (on Twitter).
- Unrestricted free agent Joel Freeland said that he will sign with a European team if he doesn’t agree to an NBA contract by July 10th, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
- Center Kosta Koufos has received interest from the Mavs, Lakers and Kings, Kennedy tweets. The Bucks had shown interest as well, prior to signing Greg Monroe, Kennedy adds.
- Free agent forward Derrick Williams is scheduled to meet with the Knicks and Mavericks today in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
- The Pistons and Suns both made hard pushes to sign DeMarre Carroll, who instead inked a deal with the Raptors, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Carroll was blown away by Toronto’s offer, its environment, and is a big fan of coach Dwane Casey, Arnovitz adds.
Knicks, Lakers Consider Trading For David Lee
1:32pm: The Lakers would be more likely to try to trade for Lee if they miss on their top three free agent targets than they would be to revisit trade talks with the Kings for DeMarcus Cousins, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
1:27pm: The Knicks have had discussions about reacquiring David Lee, reports Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether those talks involved the Warriors or were internal. Lee played the first five years of his career in New York and still owns a home in the area, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Golden State and representatives for Lee, a Mark Bartelstein client, have reportedly agreed to work together to find a trade taker for the power forward and his salary of nearly $15.494MM for this coming season as the Warriors seek to lessen their tax burden.
New York is prioritizing free agents, but Lee is a possibility, according to Beck. The Knicks missed out on Greg Monroe, who’s off to the Bucks. They’re meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Robin Lopez, though they seem long shots for both Aldridge and Jordan.
New York could absorb Lee into cap space, allowing the Warriors to move off his entire salary. That would be a boon for Golden State, which figures to pay the tax even if Lee isn’t around but would save on extra penalties if his salary is off the books. Lee fell out of the rotation this past season but has twice been an All-Star.
Pacific Notes: Davis, Shumpert, Brewer, Hill
The Clippers are set to ink Paul Pierce to a three year, $10MM deal, which will eliminate a major roster weakness of a season ago. Los Angeles is also looking at Wesley Johnson, Jeremy Lin, Corey Brewer, and Willie Green, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Though it’s not clear if the addition of Pierce will end the Clippers’ potential pursuit of Brewer and Johnson, both of whom can man the three spot.
Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers were one of the first teams to reach out to restricted free agent Iman Shumpert, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Shumpert is set to ink a four-year, $40MM deal to return to the Cavaliers.
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers has reached out to representatives of free agent Glen Davis, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Davis appeared in 74 games for Los Angeles in 2014/15, averaging 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest. Rivers also has been in contact with Caron Butler‘s representatives, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times adds (via Twitter).
- If the Kings are unable to land Rajon Rondo, the team could look to sign Brewer, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (Twitter link). There is some measure of support to ink Brewer within Sacramento’s front office, Mannix adds. Two other teams have contacted Rondo, Mannix adds, though Sacramento still is the frontrunner.
- The Clippers’ hope was that re-signing center DeAndre Jordan would aid the team in landing Pierce, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). It’s unclear if the team promised Pierce that Jordan would return, prompting him to sign, or if the veteran decided to join L.A. regardless of whether or not the big man will be his teammate next season.
- The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing center Jordan Hill, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. Hill’s representatives also fielded several calls from other interested teams, Medina adds. Los Angeles declined its $9MM team option on Hill for 2015/16.
- The Clippers had checked with Brewer’s representatives if the mini-mid level amount would be enough to sign him, and were told they had no shot at that amount, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
- The Kings, Clippers, and the Knicks have all expressed interest in free agent forward Dahntay Jones, Kennedy tweets.
- In addition to the Lakers, teams showing interest in free agent Ed Davis are the Knicks, Pistons, Trail Blazers, and Celtics, Medina relays (Twitter link).
- Free agent Leandro Barbosa said that he and the Warriors have mutual interest, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group tweets, translating a story from from Folha da Região in Barbosa’s native Brazil.
Pacific Notes: Rondo, Hill, Aldridge
The Kings wasted no time in contacting free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, and the team is being aggressive in its pursuit of the veteran, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (Twitter link). Sacramento vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac wants Rondo to visit Sacramento, and the team hasn’t made the guard a contract offer yet, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. A meeting between the two sides is expected in the coming days, and the Kings will speak with Rondo again on Wednesday, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter).
Here’s the latest out of the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have expressed interest in re-signing Jordan Hill as a free agent, just one day after declining his $9MM team option, a source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Hill put up 12.0 PPG and 7.9 RPG last season, but the Lakers became frustrated with his lack of consistency.
- The Lakers‘ initial meeting with unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge went extremely well, but no deal was reached, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (Twitter link). Aldridge is also expected to meet with the Mavericks and Rockets.
- The Clippers have contacted the representatives for unrestricted free agent Gerald Green to express their interest, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times notes (via Twitter).
- Swingman Wesley Johnson met with Clippers executive/coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday night, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (on Twitter).
- In addition to Green and Johnson, the Clippers have also reached out to center Brandan Wright and guard C.J. Watson, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register notes (Twitter link). Both players are unrestricted free agents. Wright finished the 2014/15 campaign with the Suns, and Watson spent last season with the Pacers.
Kings, Omri Casspi Share Mutual Interest
The Kings and Omri Casspi share mutual interest in the forward returning to Sacramento next season, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). The Relativity Sports client desperately wants to play in new coach George Karl‘s system, Voisin adds. Casspi is represented by agent Dan Fegan, who also lists Kings center DeMarcus Cousins amongst his clients.
Casspi’s affection for Karl’s style of play isn’t new, with the 27-year-old saying back in March, “I want to come back here so badly. I love the community and I feel like the team is finally moving in the right direction. George Karl’s system is great, and I’m not just saying that because I play for him, but because I really do believe this is the right way to play basketball. Spacing the floor. Moving, making extra passes, sharing the ball. Getting our hands on balls, deflections, then getting out and running. Unfortunately, coach Karl has not had a lot of time to teach us everything, but these last two games, you can see what we can become.”
In 67 appearances this past season, including 19 as a starter, Casspi averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, with a slash line of .489/.402/.733.
Pacific Notes: Calipari, Lakers, Chandler, Love
Despite his denials, people close to Kentucky coach John Calipari tell Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (on Twitter) that he wants another shot at the NBA as a coach/GM. This week, Coach Cal was heavily connected to the Kings‘ head coaching job but both sides have since denied such talk. Of course, Calipari’s last run in the NBA with the Nets did not go well.
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) has heard rumblings of both Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love joining up with the Lakers. Both players are represented by Excel Sports Management.
- Even if the Lakers roster were to consist of just Kobe Bryant and no one else, the Lakers could not afford both DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge at their market value, Larry Coon of CBA FAQ writes. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Lakers could be trying to corral both players this summer.
- It was reported on Tuesday afternoon that Jim Buss would not be in attendance for the Lakers‘ pitch meeting with Aldridge, but plans have changed and he will in fact be there, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The meeting will also include Bryant, team president and governor Jeanie Buss, GM Mitch Kupchak, assistant general manager Glenn Carraro, coach Byron Scott, senior vice president of finance Tim Harris, as well as representatives from Time Warner Cable and AEG.
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.
Kings Interested In Jeremy Lin
The Kings have guard Jeremy Lin on their radar, according to Chris Mannix of SI (on Twitter). Lin averaged 11.2 points on 42.4% shooting this season, his lowest output in both categories since his rookie season in 2010/11.
Lin, in all likelihood, would come relatively cheaply after a largely unsuccessful stint with the Lakers. His scoring average has declined in each of the three years since his “Linsanity” season with the Knicks. A few months ago, Lin – who will be a free agent in a matter of hours – indicated that he would like to stay with the Lakers.
“That would be great,” Lin said of staying in Los Angeles. “There’s so much that needs to happen, but that’s definitely an option for me.”
For what it’s worth, Lin also indicated that he had a productive exit interview with coach Byron Scott. For his career, Lin has averaged 11.7 PPG and 4.8 APG in 26.9 minutes per contest. His career 15.5 PER casts him roughly as an average player in terms of efficiency.