Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Redick, Ingles, Hayward, Gay

July 1st, 2017 at 12:39am CST by Arthur Hill

The first meeting for Clippers guard J.J. Redick was with the Sixers, posts Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN Now. On ESPN’s television coverage, Wojnarowski said Philadelphia would like to convince Redick to accept a short-term contract, “a one-year deal at a very big number, $20 million-plus, potentially.” The Timberwolves and Nets are also expected to be contenders for Redick, and he has expressed interest in joining former Clippers teammate Chris Paul with the Rockets. Wojnarowski adds that there is no chance of Redick returning to L.A.

There’s more from the early hours of free agency:

Jazz forward Joe Ingles has received “serious interest” from the Magic and has three meetings scheduled for Saturday, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Ingles will meet with the Utah delegation this weekend, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
Heat center Hassan Whiteside has been actively recruiting Gordon Hayward to Miami, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Whiteside will attend Hayward’s meeting with Heat officials on Saturday.
Kings forward Rudy Gay has four meetings set up over the next few days, Kennedy adds (Twitter link).
The Nuggets reached out to Utah’s George Hill during the first hour of free agency, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Denver could create cap room to sign Hill by letting Danilo Gallinari leave, Begley notes.
The Mavericks had a “great call” with Nerlens Noel, tweets Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Noel expressed a desire to re-sign with the team, but nothing has been finalized.
The Lakers made calls tonight to Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo and Ben McLemore., tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The Knicks and Bucks have also inquired about McLemore, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Latest On George Hill

June 30th, 2017 at 11:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Spurs and unrestricted free agent George Hill have broken off contract talks and a deal between the two parties is highly doubtful, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). It is unclear at this time what the disconnect between the point guard and the team is, be it money or fit.

Hill is one of the more desirable backcourt options available in free agency this summer and he should have no shortage of suitors for his services. The player has been contacted by the Nuggets and the Knicks, both of whom are in need of upgrades at the one, Charania adds. It is unclear if the Jazz will pursue re-signing Hill in the wake of their reported acquisition of Ricky Rubio earlier this evening.

In 49 contests this past season, Hill notched averages of 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 31.5 minutes per outing. He shot .477/.403/.801 on the campaign.

Latest On Paul Millsap

June 30th, 2017 at 11:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The competition to sign unrestricted free agent Paul Millsap is heating up. With the forward set to meet with the Suns on Sunday, and Phoenix reportedly gearing up to go after him hard, it appears two teams may have jumped ahead of them in his pecking order, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News relays (via Twitter). According to a source close to the player, the Timberwolves and the Nuggets are the current frontrunners to sign Millsap, per the scribe.

The Wolves are certainly an intriguing option after acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Bulls, though, the team is more in need of a point guard than another scoring forward at this time. Jeff Teague is reportedly set to join the franchise as an unrestricted free agent, and if he is indeed inked, adding Millsap may create complications on offense given Butler’s high usage rate and the continuing development of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins as scoring threats.

Denver would provide Millsap with more of an opportunity to shine individually, especially with the potential loss of Danilo Gallinari this summer, but they are a team further away from contention than the Wolves at this time.

In a fourth consecutive All-Star season last year, Millsap averaged a career high 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Are Nuggets A Prime FA Destination?

June 30th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Nuggets will get a good idea of where they stand in the eyes of free agents this summer, Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports writes. The scribe asks whether Nikola Jokic‘s breakout campaign will be enough of a foundation for the club to recruit off of.

Griffin Cancels Meetings With Suns, Nuggets

June 30th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Austin Kent

Not long after it was announced that Blake Griffin would meet with the Suns when free agency began, he canceled the meeting, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.

The All-Star forward also cancelled a meeting with the Nuggets suggesting that, barring a mysterious unnamed club swooping in and luring the forward away, a return to the Clippers may be imminent.

That Griffin did in fact cancel meetings with both Phoenix and Denver has since been corroborated by Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Pelicans Strong Favorites To Re-Sign Jrue Holiday

June 30th, 2017 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

3:11pm: Holiday’s plan is to sleep on his decision tonight after meeting with the Pelicans, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, who tweets that if the point guard decides he wants to hear more pitches, he’ll line them up later.

TNT’s David Aldridge confirms (via Twitter) that Holiday expects to decide one way or another on New Orleans’ offer on Saturday, adding that there are three other teams in serious pursuit of the 27-year-old.

JUNE 30, 11:11am: There’s “growing optimism” that the Pelicans will re-sign Holiday, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links) expresses a similar sentiment, reporting that other teams with interest in Holiday are starting to believe he’ll quickly re-sign with New Orleans on a new five-year deal.

Holiday’s bond with the Pelicans is strong after the way the organization supported him during a family crisis last fall, Stein notes.

JUNE 29, 1:29pm: Re-signing free agent point guard Jrue Holiday is the Pelicans’ top priority this weekend, and Holiday will meet with the team when the new league year opens on Saturday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. If Holiday is unable to reach an agreement with New Orleans during that meeting, he plans on sitting down with other interested teams during the first 48 hours of free agency, Wojnarowski reports.

As Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details, the point guard market is crowded with other free agents (such as George Hill, Kyle Lowry, and Jeff Teague) and potential trade candidates (Ricky Rubio and Eric Bledsoe). Additionally, some of Holiday’s potential suitors are now out of the running or have likely seen their interest decline significantly due to a slew of recent moves around the NBA.

For instance, the Nets, Sixers, and Mavericks were viewed as possible suitors for Holiday, but have added D’Angelo Russell, Markelle Fultz, and Dennis Smith Jr., respectively, within the last week. The Bulls and Knicks were also viewed as teams with interest, but both teams are in rebuilding mode now and Holiday would only be interested in leaving New Orleans for a playoff team, sources tell Deveney. The potential drop-off in interest opens the door for the Pelicans to retain their starting point guard.

“They want to keep him,” one league executive tells Deveney. “They’re going to do all that they can to keep him. But the way things have played out, there is not as much pressure on them, once they roll out the red carpet for him.”

While Holiday’s market may not be as competitive as expected, the Pelicans will still have some competition. Deveney identifies the Nuggets as one threat, since Denver intends to be active in free agency and could use a long-term point guard. A source confirms to Deveney that Holiday will draw interest from the Nuggets.

If the Pelicans aren’t able to re-sign Holiday, it may be tricky to find an adequate replacement, since the club already has more than $85MM in guaranteed salaries on its books, reducing cap flexibility.

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.

Nine Teams Eyeing Danilo Gallinari

June 30th, 2017 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Danilo Gallinari is receiving interest from nine teams as free agency nears, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). According to Amick, many of those clubs are contenders, though non-playoff teams like the Nuggets and Kings are also in the mix. Gallinari’s free agency will likely take a few days to unfold, Amick adds.

Gallinari, who will turn 29 next month, indicated in an interview earlier in June that the Nuggets wouldn’t necessarily be his first choice in free agency, and that he’d consider them like he would any other team. However, he reversed course this week, suggesting that one of his first meetings would be with Denver and that he’d like to re-sign with the Nuggets.

While Gallinari has acknowledged that he won’t be offered a maximum salary contract, ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier today that the market for the veteran forward should be in the range of $20MM annually.

I placed Gallinari 12th on my list of this year’s top 50 free agents, noting that his injury history may diminish his value a little, but predicting he’ll still do very well for himself on the open market.

Western FA Rumors: Hayward, Gallinari, Clippers

June 30th, 2017 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey remains confident about his team’s chances to re-sign Gordon Hayward, George Hill, and Joe Ingles, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. The team’s ability to bring back Hill and/or Ingles may be key to retaining Hayward.

Genessy reiterates (via Twitter) that Hayward really wants the Jazz to re-sign Hill, adding that his decision could hinge on that, while Sam Amick of USA Today notes (via Twitter) that Hayward and Ingles share an agent. Utah has been seeking a trade for a cheaper point guard to replace Hill, but may be hesitant to make such a move if it would make Hayward more likely to leave.

Here’s more on free agency from around the Western Conference, including another Hayward-related note:

Having previously said that he wouldn’t prioritize the Nuggets over any other suitor in free agency, Danilo Gallinari tells Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport that his goal is to remain with Denver, and will have one of his first meetings with the Nuggets. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides the English translation on the quotes from Gallinari, who also acknowledged that he won’t receive a maximum salary contract.
The Clippers want to hang onto Blake Griffin in free agency, but it’s not clear whether the team is prepared to put a five-year, maximum salary offer on the table for him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) identifies Jonathon Simmons, Rudy Gay, Danilo Gallinari, P.J. Tucker, James Johnson, Joe Ingles, and Andre Iguodala as additional free agents of interest for the Clippers.
The Gordon Hayward sweepstakes are creating a battle amidst the Ainge family, as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com details. Tanner Ainge, the son of Celtics president Danny Ainge, is running for Congress in Utah and has pushed for Hayward to remain with the Jazz.

Lowe’s Latest: George, Hayward, Ibaka, Gallinari

June 30th, 2017 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

A proposed scenario that would see the Celtics sign Gordon Hayward, trade for Paul George, and sign George to a contract extension isn’t realistic, writes Zach Lowe in his latest report for ESPN.com. As Lowe points out, there would be no reason for George to re-up with Boston right away in that scenario unless he could renegotiate a maximum salary, and it would be extremely difficult for the C’s to accommodate such a deal without moving Al Horford.

Knowing that if they acquire George, he could be a rental, the Celtics have thus far been unwilling to include Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick, or the Lakers’ 2018 first-rounder in any of their offers to Indiana, Lowe reports. Lowe’s best guess at Boston’s offer is a package that would include Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and one of the team’s other first-round picks. The C’s will be reluctant to go much higher than that, given their fear that George could leave in 2018 — Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times wrote on Thursday night that the Pacers forward is still telling friends he expects to be a Laker in 2018.

While George could just be a one-year rental, the Celtics have competition for him. According to Lowe, the Wizards would likely be willing to sign-and-trade Otto Porter and include a first-round pick. The Cavaliers would swap Kevin Love straight up, though that doesn’t interest Indiana much, per Lowe. If the Nuggets get involved again via three-way talks for George and Love, they could offer Gary Harris and a first-round pick, though NBA execs expect Harris to command upwards of $20MM annually on his next contract, which is due soon, says Lowe.

Here’s more from Lowe with the free agent period right around the corner:

Lowe views Hayward as less than a 50-50 bet to stay with the Jazz, with both the Celtics and Heat as legitimate suitors. The ESPN scribe adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if a mystery fourth team ends up getting a meeting with Hayward.
The market for Raptors big man Serge Ibaka and Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to be in about the $20MM-per-year range, sources tell Lowe.
The Sixers have told player agents that they plan on signing one-year contracts in free agency this summer to preserve future cap space. They may also use some of their current cap room to sign Robert Covington to a renegotiated extension, writes Lowe.
Lowe expects the Bucks to sign Tony Snell to a deal in the range of $10-12MM annually.
Despite drafting De’Aaron Fox, the Kings may still spend on a free agent point guard as a veteran mentor, particularly if they decide they want to chase a playoff spot right away, says Lowe.
The Grizzlies are “crossing their fingers” that the market for RFA power forward JaMychal Green isn’t as competitive as expected, according to Lowe.