Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LeBron James Won’t Exercise Player Option

June 29th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James‘ agent Rich Paul has informed the Cavaliers that James won’t exercise his $35.61MM player option for the 2018/19 season, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. As a result, James will reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent this Sunday.

While the move ensures that James will be free to sign with any team that can afford him next week, his decision isn’t necessarily bad news for the Cavaliers. LeBron’s only realistic path to joining certain over-the-cap teams would have been via an opt-in and trade. Becoming an unrestricted free agent will make it extremely challenging for potential suitors like the Rockets or Heat to find a way to acquire him.

James’ decision looks like good news for teams with cap room, such as the Lakers and Sixers, who will have the opportunity to sign the four-time MVP outright. Los Angeles could have enough cap space for two maximum-salary free agents, while Philadelphia would have to make a roster move or two – likely involving Jerryd Bayless – to create the room necessary to offer LeBron a maximum-salary contract, which is currently projected to start at $35.35MM.

As for the Cavs, they remain in the mix for James since they hold his Bird rights, which allow them to go over the cap – and into the tax – to re-sign their star forward. Cleveland is the only team eligible to offer LeBron a five-year contract, which would be worth a projected $205MM+. James could sign a four-year contract with another team, though in recent years he has shown a preference for shorter-term deals that allow him to maximize his flexibility.

With James now on track to officially become a free agent on Sunday, the real fun is set to begin. The Lakers and Sixers, LeBron’s top two non-Cleveland suitors, are said to be considering strong pushes to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs. While San Antonio won’t rush into a deal involving Leonard, L.A. and Philadelphia reportedly believe that trading for Leonard would improve their chances of winning the LeBron sweepstakes, so both teams could be aggressive in the coming days.

For what it’s worth, Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports reported on Thursday that Leonard has reached out to James to express interest in playing alongside him. According to Schultz, Kawhi pointed out that his defensive ability would alleviate the pressure on LeBron on that end of the court.

Even if the Lakers don’t land Leonard, the team’s cap flexibility makes L.A. an intriguing landing spot for LeBron, with Vardon reporting that James’ interest in joining the Lakers is “strong.” The Lakers are considered a serious suitor for free agent forward Paul George, and have a strong young core of players if they want to target another veteran star in a trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Won’t Issue Qualifying Offer To Nik Stauskas

June 29th, 2018 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Former eighth overall pick Nik Stauskas is on track to become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Nets won’t extend a qualifying offer to the 24-year-old guard.

Stauskas, who began his NBA career with the Kings, has been traded twice since then, first to Philadelphia and then to Brooklyn. Stauskas posted decent numbers for the Sixers in 2016/17, putting up 9.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG with a .496/.368/.813 shooting line. However, he fell out of the team’s rotation early in the 2017/18 campaign and was sent to the Nets along with Jahlil Okafor.

In 35 games for Brooklyn, Stauskas averaged 5.1 PPG in 13.7 minutes per contest, with a .404 3PT%. His qualifying offer would have been worth $4,333,932 after he failed to meet the starter criteria.

The Nets did issue a qualifying offer to two-way player Milton Doyle, per Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link). That QO is a one-year, two-way contract offer with $50K guaranteed, and gives Brooklyn the right of first refusal if Doyle signs an offer sheet with another club.

Rockets Exercise Team Option On Aaron Jackson

June 29th, 2018 at 8:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have picked up their team option on Aaron Jackson, keeping him on the roster for now, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Jackson, 32, signed with the Rockets on the last day of the 2017/18 regular season and made his NBA debut in Houston’s regular-season finale. Jackson played 35 minutes in that contest, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds.

Although Jackson’s contract with the Rockets included a team option for 2018/19, his $1,378,242 salary remains non-guaranteed even now that the option has been exercised. Keeping the veteran guard around gives Houston a few more trade options — if the Rockets need to include him in a trade to match salaries, his salary would become guaranteed. Otherwise, he’ll likely be released at some point before the team is on the hook for his salary.

Because he can’t be traded within three months of his signing, Jackson will become trade-eligible after July 11.

While it’s not clear while Jackson will ultimately spend next season, a return to the EuroLeague seems unlikely. Jackson, who spent several seasons with CSKA Moscow, tweeted this week that he doesn’t have interest in returning to Europe due to the “10-month season” there (hat tip to Sportando).

Montrezl Harrell, Tyrone Wallace Receive Qualifying Offers

June 28th, 2018 at 10:15pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers have tendered a qualifying offer to forward Montrezl Harrell, RealGM’s Keith Smith tweets. The third-year big man averaged 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on the season but saw his production climb steadily and significantly over the course of the campaign.

Harrell, a 2015 second-round pick, joined the Clippers in the flurry of deals prior to the Rockets’ acquisition of Los Angeles guard Chris Paul last June. The 24-year-old now stands to be a prominent part of L.A.’s rotation heading forward.

The extension of the $1.8MM qualifying offer will make Harrell a restricted free agent on July 1, giving the Clippers the opportunity to match any offer sheets that come in for his services.

The Clippers also tendered an offer to two-way guard Tyrone Wallace, Smith reports.

Celtics Extend Qualifying Offers To Marcus Smart, Jabari Bird

June 28th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Austin Kent

The Celtics have tendered a qualifying offer to guard Marcus Smart, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets. The 24-year-old will now head into July as a restricted free agent, giving Boston first right of refusal in the event that he lands an offer sheet from another team.

Smart stands to draw interest on the market, although the number of teams with enough cap space to land him will be limited.

If Smart doesn’t like what he hears when free agency begins, he can sign the qualifying offer, worth $6MM for 2018/19, and then take another chance on the open market as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Smith adds in a subsequent tweet that Smart’s cap hold until he inks a new contract will be $13.6MM.

Smart averaged 10.2 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Celtics this season and has established himself as a gritty guard capable of contributing to a contender.

The Celtics have also extended a qualifying offer for two-way guard Jabari Bird.

Smith adds that the club decided not to tender a qualifying offer to Jonathan Gibson, freeing him to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Nemanja Bjelica Receives QO From Timberwolves

June 28th, 2018 at 5:16pm CST by clarkcrum

The Timberwolves have issued a qualifying offer to forward Nemanja Bjelica, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The move ensures that Bjelica will become a RFA this Sunday, giving Minnesota the right to match any offer he receives.

The move doesn’t come as a big surprise, with the team saying earlier this week that they were interested in bringing the reliable, 30-year-old veteran back to Minneapolis next season.

Bjelica, who averaged a career-high 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 67 contests (21 starts) during the 2017/18 season, has a qualifying offer worth about $4.9MM after making just under $4MM last season.

As with any other restricted free agent, Bjelica now has the option of accepting his one-year qualifying offer, negotiating a new agreement with the Wolves, or securing an offer sheet from another team. In a separate tweet, Krawczynski adds that Bjelica is expected to test the market, and that Minnesota is already bracing for an offer that would be too pricey to match.

Bjelica was one of three Timberwolves’ players eligible for restricted free agency this season. The team has already opted not to extend a QO to Marcus Georges-Hunt and has until Saturday to make a decision on Amile Jefferson.

Thaddeus Young Exercises Player Option

June 28th, 2018 at 4:36pm CST by clarkcrum

Pacers’ forward Thaddeus Young has exercised his $13.7MM player option and will bypass free agency this summer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Young, 30, strongly considered becoming a free agent this offseason, but given the lack of cap space around the NBA, is opting to remain in Indiana for at least another season after averaging 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 81 contests during the 2017/18 campaign.

The Pacers, who could still enter free agency with as much as $20MM in salary cap space, were reported earlier today to have interest in restricted free agent Aaron Gordon. However, Gordon is apparently seeking the maximum salary, so the Pacers likely won’t have the cap space to accommodate the type of offer Gordon is seeking absent a roster move or two.

After Young’s decision, the top-remaining player option decisions now belong to LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, and Enes Kanter. Those four players have until tomorrow to make a decision.

Mavs Withdraw Salah Mejri’s Qualifying Offer

June 28th, 2018 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

For the second time this week, the Mavericks have rescinded a player’s qualifying offer shortly after issuing it. According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the club’s QO for Salah Mejri is no longer on the table, putting the big man on track to become an unrestricted free agent.

Mejri, 32, only has three years of NBA experience under his belt. In 2017/18, he posted 3.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 61 games (12.0 MPG) for the Mavericks. He’ll be free to sign with any team once he reaches the open market next week, as will teammate Doug McDermott, who also had his qualifying offer withdrawn by Dallas this week.

Mejri’s qualifying offer was worth a modest $1.84MM, so it’s not entirely clear why the Mavs wanted to remove it from their books. As the team explores acquiring DeAndre Jordan, either via trade or free agency, every bit of cap flexibility could help, so perhaps the club didn’t want to risk having Mejri and/or McDermott accept their QOs once the new league year gets underway.

The Mavs still have one qualifying offer on the table for Yogi Ferrell. It’s worth approximately $2.92MM.

Cavs Pick Up Perkins’ Option For Trade Purposes

June 28th, 2018 at 1:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 28: The move is now official, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

JUNE 27: The Cavaliers have decided to pick up their $2.445MM option on center Kendrick Perkins‘ contract, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports. Cleveland had to make a decision by Friday whether to pick up his option.

The move was made to give the Cavs the option of adding his contract for a potential trade, McMenamin continues. Perkins’ salary is still non-guaranteed, but it would become guaranteed if he’s included in a trade. This also signals that Cleveland isn’t afraid to add to its already bloated payroll in order to improve the team, despite the uncertainty of LeBron James‘ future with the franchise.

A no-trade restriction on Perkins will be lifted on July 11.

Perkins, 33, was signed the last day of the regular season and appeared in that game but didn’t play in the postseason. He also played for Cleveland during the preseason.

He hadn’t appeared an NBA game since the 2015/16 season with the Pelicans.

Zach LaVine On Kings’ Radar, Receives QO From Bulls

June 28th, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have tendered a qualifying offer to Zach LaVine putting him on track to become a restricted free agent on Sunday, per RealGM’s official transactions log. When LaVine reaches the open market, he can expect to draw interest from the Kings, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who hears from league sources that Sacramento is considering signing LaVine to an offer sheet.

After failing to meet the starter criteria due to his ACL injury, LaVine is in line for a qualifying offer worth $4,333,932. The 23-year-old could accept that one-year offer from the Bulls with an eye toward unrestricted free agency in 2019, but he’s more likely to sign a long-term deal this summer.

LaVine could receive that long-term offer from the Kings, who project to have up to about $19MM in cap room, assuming Garrett Temple exercises his player option. That would be enough to accommodate a lucrative multiyear offer for LaVine, though the Bulls would likely match something in the four-year, $80MM range, according to Johnson. An offer closer to the max would give Chicago pause, Johnson adds. Based on a $101MM cap, a four-year max contract projects to be worth over $108MM.

The Bulls viewed LaVine as a franchise building block when they acquired him from the Timberwolves last summer. Although the team still envisions having LaVine on its roster for years to come, the front office also wants to make sure not to overpay the young guard, and would like to maintain flexibility to add another core piece if the opportunity arises, writes Johnson.

LaVine is one of a handful of Bulls who are eligible for restricted free agency. We heard earlier today that David Nwaba has received a qualifying offer from the club, and two-way player Ryan Arcidiacono got one too, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Noah Vonleh isn’t in Chicago’s plans and won’t receive a qualifying offer, according to Johnson. Vonleh will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.