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Free Agent Rumors: Ibaka, Bogdanovic, Knicks

July 2nd, 2017 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

Addressing NBA-wide speculation that he’s older than his listed age of 27, Raptors free agent big man Serge Ibaka issued a statement expressing disappointment with the media for “prejudices” based on his origin. Within his written statement, Ibaka suggested that he needs to take a stand against the “false assumption” that has been circulating.

“I was born in the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville,” Ibaka wrote. “A city with a population bigger than 1 million. A city with hospitals, a civil registry, and an administration. I was born in a caring, loving and united family. I was not born in the jungle.”

Here’s more on free agency:

In addition to the Hawks, the Kings and Nuggets are among the teams showing legitimate interest in Wizards RFA sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Bogdanovic landing in Sacramento would be a fun scenario for play-by-play commentators, since the Kings have already reached a deal with Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Multiple agents who have been in touch with the Knicks get the impression that the team wants to add younger players and is reluctant to spend big money on a single free agent, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. That could mean that New York’s reported interest in George Hill has waned.
As they explore the free agent market, the Pacers intend to target young players with upside who may not have reached their full potential with their previous teams, says Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis fit that bill, according to Taylor, who hears from a source that Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has “coveted Oladipo for years.”
Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald lays out why the Celtics badly need to land Gordon Hayward this week. As Bulpett explains, Boston’s cap room will no longer be available next summer when new deals are due for Isaiah Thomas and perhaps Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley as well, meaning 2017 is likely the team’s last and best chance to land a top-tier free agent.

Free Agent Rumors: Tucker, Hayward, Young, Reed

July 2nd, 2017 at 1:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors will lose P.J. Tucker in free agency, with the veteran forward having agreed to a four-year, $32MM contract with Houston. However, it won’t be for lack of trying. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (via Twitter), Toronto offered $33MM over three years for Tucker, whose Rockets deal is partially guaranteed in year four. New Rockets point guard Chris Paul played a major role in recruiting Tucker to Houston though, per Windhorst. The lack of income tax in Texas likely helped sway the 32-year-old as well, though that’s my speculation.

Here are a few more free agent notes from Saturday that we don’t want to let slip through the cracks:

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald provides some details on the Heat‘s Saturday meeting with Gordon Hayward, which five Miami players attended. Interestingly, free agent forward James Johnson was one of those five players. Meanwhile, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes that Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford will attend the Celtics‘ Sunday meeting with Hayward.
We can add the Warriors and the Thunder to the list of teams that have conveyed interest in Nick Young, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The Pelicans are also said to be eyeing the veteran free agent, who intends to meet with “a bunch of teams.” Medina adds that the Lakers reached out to Young’s reps, but there likely won’t be a fit there.
The Pacers, Sixers, and Rockets expressed interest in free agent big man Willie Reed on Saturday, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), who notes that the Heat also remain interested in re-signing Reed.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said his team had a “great call” with Nerlens Noel on Saturday, and that the free agent center is “excited to continue to play with the Mavs,” per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. However, the Mavs will be patient and allow Noel and his agent to explore the market, knowing they’ll be able to match any offer he gets.
It sounds like Knicks GM Steve Mills will continue to run the team’s front office through the free agency period, in the wake of Phil Jackson‘s departure. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link), David Griffin had an initial phone interview with the franchise this week, but isn’t expected to interview in person for a few weeks, which suggests the process won’t be rushed.

Eastern FA Rumors: Lowry, Bogdanovic, Celtics

July 1st, 2017 at 10:53pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a “growing sense” among executives around the NBA that Kyle Lowry will ultimately sign a new deal with the Raptors, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Zillgitt says not to be surprised if Lowry gets a three-year deal in the range of $27MM annually from Toronto, which would put him right in the neighborhood of his good friend and teammate DeMar DeRozan — DeRozan’s contract calls for an annual salary of $27,739,975 over the next three years, with a player option worth the same amount in 2020/21.

Here are more free agent updates from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hawks are among Bojan Bogdanovic‘s most “ardent” suitors, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. As Aldridge observes, Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent, but it will be difficult for the Wizards to match a competitive offer sheet for the sharpshooter if they also have to match a max offer for Otto Porter.
The Knicks, who have already been linked to several point guards in the first 24 hours of free agency, have also expressed interest in Shelvin Mack, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
Although the Heat‘s recruiting efforts today were focused on Gordon Hayward, the team also made time to show some love to Udonis Haslem, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press details in a pair of tweets. A free agent again this summer, Haslem is probably a good bet to re-sign with Miami on a minimum salary contract.
The Celtics, Hayward’s other Eastern Conference suitor, have talked to multiple free agents besides Hayward, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link). Murphy notes that the most notable conversation has been with Danilo Gallinari, though the two sides hadn’t yet set up a meeting as of this afternoon.

Latest On Paul George

July 1st, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s a near-unanimous view around the league that Paul George will sign with the Lakers next summer despite Friday’s trade to the Thunder, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Lowe states that the chances of George heading to L.A. are about 75%, and the Celtics and Cavaliers had that in mind as they were working to obtain him.

The Lakers also subscribe to that view, which is why they weren’t willing to part with Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball to get George from the Pacers now. Lowe adds that Indiana didn’t have any interest in former Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was subsequently dealt to the Nets.

The ESPN writer shares more information about Friday’s major deal:

The Celtics wanted to see if they could land Gordon Hayward in free agency before completing a trade for George. They were reluctant to deal two starters in exchange for George without knowing whether they were getting Hayward.
Boston’s last offer for George didn’t include Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, the 2018 Nets pick or the Lakers/Kings pick that Boston received from Philadelphia. There were reports that the Celtics offered Indiana three picks at some point, but Lowe believes those were a combination of Boston’s future selections and protected 2019 first-rounders from the Grizzlies and Clippers. All of those draft choices could have fallen into the 20s, Lowe notes, and the Pacers wanted something more likely to be in the top 10.
A three-way trade involving the Pacers, Cavaliers and Nuggets was discussed on Friday. The deal would have sent George to Cleveland, Kevin Love to Denver and Gary Harris, Trey Lyles and a protected first-rounder to Indiana. Lowe describes the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Celtics as “stunned” when news broke that George was headed to Oklahoma City.
The Trail Blazers tried to get George on draft night, offering a package that included several picks and at least one player, but the Pacers turned it down.

Celtics Likely To Waive Tyler Zeller

July 1st, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics will likely part ways with Tyler Zeller on Sunday, per a report from Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).

The center’s $8MM salary for 2017/18 is set to become fully guaranteed tomorrow, so waiving him will certainly provide the team with greater cap flexibility as it looks to make a splash in free agency this summer. Boston won’t be on the hook for any of that amount if it does indeed make him an unrestricted free agent as Murphy’s sources suggest.

The 27-year-old appeared in 51 games last season, including five starts, and averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line for the campaign was .494/.000/.564.

Free Agent Rumors: Young, Miles, Porter

July 1st, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unrestricted free agent Nick Young plans to “meet with a bunch of teams” this weekend after a number of undisclosed franchises expressed interest when free agency began on Friday, league sources tell Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Despite the Lakers being among those contacting Young’s representatives, both the team and player have conflicting agendas that suggest that this may be the end of their four-year tenure together, Medina adds.

Young, 32, is hoping to maximize his earnings on a multi-year contract for a playoff team, but the Lakers want to sign players to one-year deals to save cap space for the 2018 offseason when LeBron James, Paul George and Russell Westbrook might be available, the scribe notes.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

Pacers free agent C.J. Miles may have to wait for J.J. Redick to sign an agreement before his market comes into focus, Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (ESPN Now link). Miles is Plan B for multiple teams who have made Redick a priority, the scribe adds. The Thunder are one of the teams that have expressed interest in the 30-year-old, per a tweet from Yahoo’s Jordan Schultz.
With Otto Porter having completed his meeting with the Wizards, the team is now in a holding pattern as it awaits the forward to seek offer sheets on the open market, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays (via Twitter). The Nets are potentially one team who appear willing to offer the max of four years and $100MM. Philadelphia may also get involved in the bidding, but the Sixers reportedly seem reluctant to make long-term offers. Washington has promised to match any offer for the restricted free agent.
Despite the significant bump in player salaries the new CBA has ushered in, not all players are satisfied with the league capping their earnings. LeBron James, responding to a tweet noting how the value of the Warriors has increased from $450MM to upwards of $2.6 billion since Joe Lacob purchased the franchise, noted that Stephen Curry should have gotten a pact worth $400MM over five years this summer (Twitter link). James has a vested interest, of course, with him in line to hit free agency once again next summer.
There is a possibility that the Celtics may be willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade deal for unrestricted free agent Amir Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (on Twitter). The forward is reportedly garnering significant interest around the league.
The Magic‘s reported interest in free agent forward Joe Ingles has been “wildly overstated,” per Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). It was relayed Friday night that Orlando was set to offer Ingles a four-year deal in the $60MM range.

Celtics Sign Jayson Tatum, Ante Zizic

July 1st, 2017 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have formally signed 2017 first-round pick Jayson Tatum and 2016 first-rounder Ante Zizic to their respective rookie deals, the team announced today in a press release. Both players are now under contract with the club through 2020/21.

As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Tatum will be in for a nice payday as this year’s third overall pick. He’ll earn $5,645,400 in his rookie season, and more than $30MM over the life of his four-year contract, assuming his third and fourth team options are exercised.

As for Zizic, the Croatian big man will join the Celtics after spending the 2016/17 season stashed overseas. Zizic’s contract will be worth the same amount as that of OG Anunoby, the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft. He’ll make $1,645,200 in his first year, and about $9.75MM over four years.

With Zizic now officially a Celtic, it remains to be seen if Guerschon Yabusele, the team’s other draft-and-stash prospect from the 2016 first round, will join him in Boston.

Celtics ‘Stunned’ By Thunder’s Paul George Trade

July 1st, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Like the rest of the NBA world, the Celtics were “stunned” by Friday’s news that the Pacers agreed to send Paul George to Oklahoma City in a trade for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.

Boston had been planning to put a formal, competitive offer on the table for George, but the team wasn’t ready to try to finalize a deal with the Pacers until Gordon Hayward made a decision, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link via RealGM).

According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers were interested in a package of Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and multiple picks from the Celtics. Sources told Bulpett that the Celtics were “more than ready” to propose a deal that included multiple players and picks, suggesting that Boston’s best offer probably would have been Crowder, Smart, and three future first-rounders (likely some combination of the Celtics’ own picks and the Grizzlies’ and Clippers’ picks).

Previous reports had suggested that the Celtics were unwilling to include their 2018 Nets and Lakers first-rounders, or recent lottery picks Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Between Wojnarowski’s and Bulpett’s accounts, there seems to be a little ambiguity about whether what was actually on the table for the Pacers from the Celtics. I get the impression that Boston likely would’ve been willing to offer Crowder, Smart, and multiple first-rounders eventually, but weren’t prepared to make a commitment yet, prompting the Pacers to move on to make a deal with the Thunder.

According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, many NBA executives he has spoken to believe that Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was too “hell-bent” on keeping George out of the Eastern Conference. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) confirms that he has heard this too, though he adds that some Western teams are confused because they felt their offers were better than Oklahoma City’s.

According to Wojnarowski, one scenario involving a Western team that the Pacers turned down was an offer of Gary Harris and a protected first-round pick (which likely would’ve become a second-rounder) from the Nuggets. George would have gone to Cleveland in that scenario, with the Nuggets getting Kevin Love.

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Gordon Hayward?

July 1st, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

With Blake Griffin heading back to the Clippers, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant sticking with the Warriors, and Chris Paul not reaching the free agent market at all, Gordon Hayward looks like the top player on the open market at the moment.

Hayward isn’t rushing his free agent decision, having scheduled meetings with three very interested suitors. The All-Star forward is sitting down with the Heat today before meeting with the Celtics on Sunday and the Jazz on Monday.

The Celtics, armed with cap flexibility and assets, and coming off a 53-win season, have long been viewed as a potential landing spot for Hayward, especially given his history with Boston head coach Brad Stevens, who coached him at Butler. However, the Jazz have a promising young core of their own, won 51 games last season, and have built up a strong relationship with Hayward over the course of his NBA career. The Heat don’t have the same kind of history with Hayward, but Hassan Whiteside has been working hard to recruit Hayward, and the appeal of South Beach shouldn’t be understated.

While those three teams appear to be the finalists for Hayward, ESPN’s Zach Lowe noted on Friday that he wouldn’t be surprised if a fourth club lands a meeting with the 27-year-old too. At this point though, it’s not clear which other teams might attempt to get involved in the Hayward sweepstakes. It may simply come down to Boston, Utah, and Miami.

What do you think? Where will Hayward end up signing? Place your vote in our poll, then jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.

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Free Agent Rumors: Porter, Randolph, Millsap, Holiday

July 1st, 2017 at 2:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ session with Otto Porter ended without an agreement, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. Porter plans to start meeting with other teams this weekend (Twitter link). That creates a potential opening for the Nets, who appear willing to offer the max of four years and $100MM, according to a post on NetsDaily. Philadelphia may also get involved, but the Sixers seem reluctant to make long-term offers. Washington has promised to match any offer for the restricted free agent.

There’s more late-night free agency news:

Aldridge has two more tidbits to pass along. The Cavaliers are interested in Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph and plan to call him today (Twitter link). Also, Blake Griffin‘s decision to re-sign with the Clippers means the Suns will intensify their pursuit of Hawks forward Paul Millsap (Twitter link).
Jrue Holiday met with the Pelicans tonight, but no deal was reached, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The two sides are expected to get together again in the morning.
The new $201MM supermax contract that the Warriors gave to Stephen Curry doesn’t include a no-trade clause or a player option, according to Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).
Spurs forward Jonathon Simmons has gotten calls from the Kings, Clippers and Timberwolves and is ready to start holding meetings, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
In addition to Simmons, the Clippers plan to meet with Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari on Sunday and Jazz forward Joe Ingles this weekend, relays Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
There’s a strong chance that Celtics‘ power forward Amir Johnson will sign with the Sixers, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Johnson has a history with Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, who traded for him in 2009 as GM of the Raptors.
The Kings met tonight with Andre Iguodala and Patrick Patterson, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves have put in a call to Ty Lawson as a possible backup for Jeff Teague, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pelicans, Thunder and Kings have also been in contact with Lawson.
The Grizzlies are the latest team to show interest in Kings guard Ben McLemore, relays Chris Mannix of The Vertical (Twitter link).
The Knicks contacted Suns power forward Alan Williams tonight, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Williams fits New York’s goal of finding players who can contribute on both ends of the floor, Begley notes.