- The Jazz will keep point guard Shelvin Mack on the roster past Thursday, which means his contract worth $2,433,334 will become fully guaranteed, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
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.
JULY 8: The Jazz have issued a press release officially confirming their deal with Johnson.
JULY 2: The Jazz and Joe Johnson have reached a contract agreement, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides struck a two-year deal worth $22MM.
After addressing their point guard spot by agreeing to acquire George Hill in a pre-draft trade, the Jazz have been focused on wing players in free agency. Jared Dudley, Solomon Hill, Maurice Harkless, and Luol Deng had been mentioned as potential targets for Utah, but it’s Johnson who will be joining the Jazz when the July moratorium ends next week.
A 15-year NBA veteran, Johnson has spent time with the Celtics, Suns, Hawks, Nets, and Heat since entering the league back in 2001, earning seven All-Star nods along the way. Although Johnson is no longer the prolific scorer he once was, he continues to be a solid contributor, and saw an uptick in his production after he landed in Miami earlier this year. In 24 regular-season games with the Heat down the stretch, Johnson shot .518/.417/.765 and averaged 13.4 points per contest.
Even after signing Johnson, the Jazz should have a decent chunk of cap space left over to sign another free agent or two. The club could also attempt to land another piece by moving former top-10 pick Trey Burke, who is said to be on the trade block.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kevin Durant‘s meeting with the Clippers has concluded, and Durant was “blown away” by the team’s presentation, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). It’s hard to know yet exactly what that means, since Durant was also reportedly impressed with the Warriors‘ pitch earlier in the day — it would probably be more newsworthy if Durant had been unimpressed by one of the teams’ presentations. In any case, the former MVP has sit-downs with the Spurs and Celtics on tap for tomorrow, then is expected to meet with the Heat on Sunday – and possibly the Thunder again after that – before making his decision.
Let’s check in on a few more free agent updates from across the NBA…
- The Raptors had a meeting today in Los Angeles with free agent forward Ryan Anderson, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Times. Toronto inquired on Anderson at the trade deadline as well, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, but the team would have to clear salary from its cap – and possible let Bismack Biyombo go – in order to have any shot at signing him.
- Ian Mahinmi won’t return to Indiana, with the Pacers set to add Al Jefferson, but Mahinmi has no shortage of suitors, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). Aldridge identifies the Spurs, Wizards, Timberwolves, Hornets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as clubs in the mix for the free agent center.
- The Nets have put a two-year, $18MM offer on the table for Jared Dudley, who is still receiving interest from the Jazz and Suns, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
- The Spurs, Nets, and Bulls have expressed interest in free agent big man Jordan Hill, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
- The Timberwolves have been very active, reaching out to many free agents during the first day of July. Jamal Crawford and Randy Foye were among the players to receive a call from the Wolves today, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune, respectively (Twitter links).
- Veteran big man Kris Humphries is a strong candidate to return to the Nets, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Brooklyn was one of six teams mentioned as a potential Humphries suitor earlier today.
The Rockets are scheduled to meet with Ryan Anderson on Saturday morning, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Kings are also still in the mix for Anderson, writes James Ham of CSN California — Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that Sacramento reached out to the veteran forward right when free agency opened last night. According to Amick (via Twitter), Anderson still has at least four serious suitors, including Houston and Sacramento.
Here are several more free agent rumors and updates from across the Western Conference:
- The Timberwolves have expressed “strong interest” in Kent Bazemore, according to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Minnesota is in the market for a veteran wing, having reached out to Luol Deng as well. Of course, the Wolves also made an effort to trade for Jimmy Butler during last week’s draft.
- The Jazz are scheduled to have a second meeting today with free agent sharpshooter Jared Dudley, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Jones cautions that both sides still have multiple options in play, with Dudley generating “real interest” from the Suns too.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that he keeps hearing the Kings don’t intend to sign Rajon Rondo.
- With his free agency underway, Trail Blazers RFA Allen Crabbe has changed his representation, hiring Aaron Mintz and Ty Sullivan of CAA Sports, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
- The Spurs have expressed some interest in free agent big man Willie Reed, sources inform Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Dewayne Dedmon, a Magic restricted free agent, has drawn interest from the Warriors, a source tells Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Several teams have contacted Pacers free agent small forward Solomon Hill, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The Jazz, Grizzlies and Bulls are all interested, with Utah needing a replacement in case Gordon Hayward leaves in free agency next summer.
The Mavericks are also expected to aggressively pursue Hill (Twitter link). Dallas small forward Chandler Parsons seems likely to sign elsewhere, and the Mavericks’ top target to replace him, Nicolas Batum, re-signed with the Hornets this morning.
The 6’7″ Hill is a three-year veteran out of Arizona who has spent his entire career in Indiana. He averaged just 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds, with a .324 3PT%, in 59 games this season, but increased those averages to 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and a .579 3PT% in the playoffs, when he was relied on more heavily.
- Several teams are expected to pursue Blazers restricted free agent Maurice Harkless, posts Marc Spears on ESPN Now. A source tells Spears that the Wizards, Pistons, Lakers, Mavericks and Jazz are all interested.
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News has updates on a pair of free agent shooting guards, reporting (via Twitter) that the Sixers and Lakers have inquired tonight on DeMar DeRozan, who is meeting with the Raptors in Los Angeles. Toronto remains the strong favorite to re-sign DeRozan. Wolfson also tweets that Jamal Crawford has received calls tonight from the Sixers, Knicks, Clippers, Magic, and Heat.
Here’s more from across the NBA:
- In addition to reaching out to Crawford tonight, the Clippers also met with Austin Rivers in Orlando and Jeff Green in Miami, doing due diligence on their pending free agents, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. After meeting with the Clips, Rivers is expected to talk to the Knicks and possibly the Trail Blazers on Friday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
- The Nets, Jazz, and Suns are among the teams in pursuit of Jared Dudley, with the Wizards also in the hunt to bring back the veteran sharpshooter, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Utah had a meeting with Dudley tonight, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
- League sources continue to tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that the Kings may be preparing a “significant” offer for restricted free agent Dion Waiters. The Thunder would have the opportunity to match an offer sheet, but may not be aggressive in trying to retain Waiters now that they have Victor Oladipo.
- The Thunder were indeed among the teams to reach out to Al Horford tonight, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. A Thursday report indicated that Oklahoma City has its eye on Horford as part of its pitch to keep Kevin Durant.
- Speaking of Durant, during The Vertical’s free agency show tonight, Wojnarowski said that Jay-Z and Roc Nation tried to push Durant to take a free agent meeting with the Nets, but KD dismissed that idea (Twitter link via Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily).
Several teams have reached out to Luol Deng during the opening hours of free agency, according to multiple reports. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter links) says the Timberwolves, Celtics, Heat, and Wizards all called on Deng tonight, while Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical adds the Jazz and Clippers to that list (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald).
Utah is expected to be “very aggressive” in its pursuit of Deng, per Wojnarowski. Meanwhile, Wolfson notes that Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Deng in Chicago, is expected to talk to the veteran free agent during the day tomorrow.
We heard back in May that Deng was expected to receive a two-year deal that paid at least $12MM annually, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his price has increased since then, with free-agent estimates around the league having been consistently creeping higher.
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).