San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Iguodala To Meet With Spurs, Kings, Rockets

June 30th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Austin Kent

10:45pm: Count the Rockets among those interested in Iguodala. Chris Haynes of ESPN writes that Houston has secured a meeting with the veteran as well.

7:49pm: The Spurs aren’t the only team with whom Iguodala will meet tonight. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN writes that the forward will also meet with the Kings when the free agency period officially opens.

6:00pm: When the free agency period formally begins tonight, Andre Iguodala will meet with the Spurs, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. The veteran has spent the past four seasons with the Warriors, winning a pair of titles and one Finals MVP.

The news comes on the heels of a Zach Lowe revelation that Iguodala and the Warriors don’t currently have any meetings scheduled. That said, Lowe also points out that the two parties are still optimistic about working out a deal that would bring Iggy back into the fold for the reigning champions.

The Spurs are currently projected to have about $23MM in cap space and could benefit from having another veteran wing player on board in the event that Jonathon Simmons pursues an offer that they’re not keen to match.

The meeting doesn’t necessarily mean Iguodala is actively looking to ply his trade elsewhere in 2017/18 – instead, as Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News suggests, the forward could be simply gauging what his market is.

Spurs Prep $9MM Offer For RFA Simmons

June 30th, 2017 at 5:08pm CST by Austin Kent

The Spurs are said to be preparing an offer for restricted free agent Jonathon Simmons worth $9MM per year, Marc Stein of ESPN tweets.

Earlier today, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN said that it initially looked as though the Spurs would likely lose Simmons to free agency. Now, possibly because of the package Stein made reference to, there’s a decent chance he stays in San Antonio.

It’s not clear what exactly Simmons would attract on the open market. While his value has inevitably increased after playing a role in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation, he presents as little more than a solid perimeter defender that averaged 12.5 points per 36 minutes. That hasn’t stopped NBA teams from reaching deep into the piggybank in the past, however.

Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News has added his voice to the conversation, suggesting that Simmons is very unlikely to jump at just any Spurs offer, preferring instead to seek out a deal and give San Antonio the opportunity to match.

Free Agent Rumors: Warriors, Noel, Hill, Tucker

June 30th, 2017 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

With free agency less than nine hours away, there’s no meeting scheduled between the Warriors and Andre Iguodala, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. However, as Lowe points out, that could change any minute and the two sides are still optimistic about Iguodala’s return.

Meanwhile, Dewayne Dedmon is on the Warriors’ radar once again this summer, according to Sam Amico of USA Today (Twitter link), who reports the Dedmon/Golden State connection is worth watching particularly if Iguodala leaves. Dedmon would be a candidate to receive some or all of Golden State’s mid-level exception, though it’s not clear yet which MLE the Warriors will have. The club could end up with the full MLE ($8.4MM), the taxpayer mid-level ($5.2MM), or the room exception ($4.3MM).

Let’s round up more notes and rumors on free agency from around the league…

The general sense around the NBA this year heading into free agency is that teams won’t be as aggressive and free-spending out of the gate as they were a year ago, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. As Shelburne observes (via Twitter), that’s creating some frustration for agents, since this year’s free agents want to be paid like last year’s were.
Nerlens Noel is receiving interest from several teams and won’t limit his discussions to the Mavericks, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, who hears from a source that Dallas is willing to pay “market value” for Noel (Twitter link). The big man is a restricted free agent, giving the Mavs the right of first refusal.
George Hill‘s preference is to remain with the Jazz, but the Spurs would be his second choice and the Timberwolves are “lurking,” says Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
The Raptors, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Kings, Sixers, and Clippers are among the teams expected to have interest in P.J. Tucker, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Toronto is schedule to meet with Tucker on Saturday, per Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
There’s still some mutual interest between the Kings and veteran point guard Ty Lawson, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). If Lawson returns to Sacramento, his role may look a little different, with De’Aaron Fox now in the picture and Darren Collison potentially signing elsewhere.

Latest On Cedi Osman, Cavs

June 30th, 2017 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman is heading to Cleveland to meet with Cavaliers staff, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Pick reports that Osman has informed his Turkish team, Anadolu Efes, that he’ll pull the trigger on his NBA opt-out worth $1MM.

Osman, a 22-year-old wing, was the 31st overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, but has remained in Turkey for the last two seasons. In 2016/17, he averaged a team-high 13.4 PPG in 34 Turkish League games for Anadolu Efes, chipping in 4.2 RPG and 1.6 SPG.

We heard earlier today that the Cavs have been in discussions with Osman, though it wasn’t clear the team would have the flexibility to sign him this offseason, since the Cavs will likely be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth $5.192MM) and may not want to dedicate most or all of it to a 22-year-old prospect.

For what it’s worth, Pick’s report doesn’t explicitly state that the Cavs have an agreement in place with Osman. While signing with Cleveland would be Osman’s easiest path to the NBA, the Cavs could still trade his rights to another club. Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net noted earlier today (via Twitter) that the Spurs are interested in Osman, though the two teams haven’t yet discussed a possible deal.

Cavs To Make Contract Offer To Kyle Korver

June 30th, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

12:30pm: The Spurs, Lakers, and Clippers are also expected to have interest in Korver, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. We can add those potential suitors to the Pelicans and Bucks, who are noted below.

11:57am: The Cavaliers are expected to make a contract offer to Kyle Korver when free agency opens early on Saturday morning, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. While details of that offer aren’t yet known, it will likely come at 12:01 am ET on Saturday, per Vardon.

Because the Cavaliers traded for Korver during the season, they acquired the veteran’s Bird rights along with him, which will allow them to make him a contract offer without any restrictions. However, the team will have to seriously consider the tax implications of an offer to Korver. Cleveland projects to be well over the tax line already, and repeater tax penalties will be significant.

There are also several other teams believed to have interest in Korver. Vardon names the Pelicans and Bucks as two clubs likely to be among the suitors for the veteran sharpshooter, though it remains to be seen how aggressive those teams – or others – will be.

In addition to eyeing a new deal for Korver, the Cavaliers have also had discussions with Turkish forward Cedi Osman, a draft-and-stash prospect who was the 31st overall pick in the 2015 draft. However, with no cap room and only the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.192MM) at their disposal, the Cavs’ ability to offer a significant contract will be limited, especially if they intend to use that MLE on someone else. As Vardon notes, Carmelo Anthony remains on the club’s radar as a probable target if he’s bought out, though there’s no indication that the Knicks are leaning toward that option.

The Cavaliers continue to operate without a full-time president of basketball operations or GM in place. We heard earlier this week from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that Chauncey Billups and the Cavs remained in talks after Billups issued a counter-offer to the team, but there is still no resolution. Assistant general manager Koby Altman has essentially been Cleveland’s acting GM.

Uncertainty Of Aldridge Status Impact Paul Opportunity

June 29th, 2017 at 10:57pm CST by Austin Kent

There was some truth to the speculation that linked Chris Paul to the Spurs but two things sullied the opportunity. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated notes that the uncertainty of LaMarcus Aldridge‘s status, coupled with the notion of having to replace Tony Parker at point guard, dissuaded Paul from exploring things further.

David Lee Declines Player Option

June 29th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Austin Kent

As expected, Spurs big man David Lee has turned down his player option, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The 34-year-old big man will hit the open market after posting a solid year off the bench for San Antonio.

After playing the 2016/17 campaign on a minimum salary contract, Lee is in line for a raise should he seek one, although his decision to opt out echoes that of fellow Spurs big man Pau Gasol and could possibly just be a means of freeing up cap flexibility for San Antonio.

In 18.7 minutes of action this year, Lee posted 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Free Agent Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Korver, Millsap, Hill

June 28th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy says keeping restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be the Pistons‘ priority in free agency, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The Pistons submitted a $4.96MM qualifying offer to Caldwell-Pope earlier this week, giving them the right to match any offer he receives. Van Gundy adds that the team will be searching for a third center at the veterans minimum and would like to find a veteran point guard to back up Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith (Twitter link). “Our main focus in [free agency] is guards,” Van Gundy said, “whether it’s our own guys or whatever we can spend on the MLE.”

There’s more as the free agency countdown continues:

Luxury tax issues could force Kyle Korver out of Cleveland, even though he and the team would like to extend their relationship, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers may have to part with Korver, who shot a league-best .485 from 3-point range this season, if a large offer comes from another organization. Cleveland topped the $113MM tax threshold by $15MM this year and is facing a luxury tax bill of about $24.8MM, which includes a repeater penalty for exceeding the threshold every year since LeBron James returned. The Cavs currently have 10 players under contract for 2017/18 with a total salary of $128MM. With a projected tax line of $119MM, the team is looking at $29.75MM in taxes without filling up the roster.
Six to eight teams are expected to pursue Hawks forward Paul Millsap, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The Nuggets, Spurs and Rockets are teams that have expressed interest in Millsap, although Houston’s plans may be altered by the package it gave the Clippers today in exchange for Chris Paul. New Hawks GM Travis Schlenk has said the Hawks don’t expect to make a full max offer to Millsap.
Gordon Hayward is hoping the Jazz will re-sign point guard George Hill, relays Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter link). Utah is hoping for an early meeting with Hill, who averaged 16.9 points in 49 games after coming to the team in an offseason trade. Hayward remains the top priority in free agency, and the Jazz will meet with him Monday after he hears presentations from the Heat and Celtics.

Iguodala Drawing Interest From At Least Seven Teams

June 27th, 2017 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Andre Iguodala wasn’t able to take home the NBA’s 2016/17 Sixth Man of the Year award on Monday night, but he’s on the verge of landing a nice consolation prize in the form of a lucrative new contract. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, at least seven teams from around the league are expected to make an effort to pry Iguodala away from the Warriors.

The Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, Sixers, Magic, Nets, and Jazz are among the clubs with interest in Iguodala, per Haynes. Previous reports have suggested that the Bulls, Suns, and Hawks also may have interest in the veteran swingman, though Chicago has since entered a rebuilding phase, and Phoenix and Atlanta may opt to go in another direction.

According to Haynes, the Timberwolves and Sixers both have interest in Iguodala as a veteran leader for their young squads, while the Jazz view Iguodala as a contingency plan should they lose Gordon Hayward in free agency. The Spurs have internally discussed the possibility of trying to add both Iguodala and Chris Paul, according to Haynes, who confirms that San Antonio has explored trading Danny Green and LaMarcus Aldridge.

As Haynes explains, Iguodala has become one of the hottest free agents on the market this summer because teams view it as a priority to get him out of Golden State. Building a super-team to compete with the Warriors isn’t realistic for most franchises, so chipping away at the Warriors’ core by signing away one of the team’s key contributors is a more logical way to close the gap between Golden State and the rest of the league.

While earlier estimates for Iguodala’s new contract indicated the Warriors might be able to bring him back for an annual salary in the range of his current $11.1MM+ figure, a report from Shams Charania of The Vertical last week suggested that number could be much higher if the 33-year-old heads elsewhere. According to Charania, there’s a belief among teams around the NBA that Iguodala could approach $20MM per year on a new deal.

Outside of the Warriors’ stars, Shaun Livingston and Iguodala represent the team’s most important veteran free agents. Haynes says that Livingston should be popular in July as well, reporting that the veteran point guard may command a salary in the range of $10-12MM per year.

Green, Gobert Headline 2016/17 NBA All-Defensive Teams

June 26th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2016/17 season, and Defensive Player of the Year finalists Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned a place on the First Team. Green led the way with 99 First Team votes, while Gobert received 97 votes for a spot on the First Team.

Here are the full rosters for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams:

First Team:

Draymond Green (Warriors)
Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
Chris Paul (Clippers)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)

Second Team:

Tony Allen (Grizzlies)
Danny Green (Spurs)
Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
Andre Roberson (Thunder)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

Avery Bradley (Celtics), Klay Thompson (Warriors), and John Wall (Wizards) were among the other players receiving votes who just missed out on an All-Defensive spot.

As Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter), Gobert’s cap hit for the 2017/18 season will now increase by $500K to $21.9MM based on his spot on the All-Defensive First Team.