Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Klay, Horford, Brogdon, Jordan

June 28th, 2019 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have long hinted that they plan to offer Klay Thompson a five-year, maximum-salary deal, and there have been no signals that they’ll change that stance in the wake of Thompson’s torn ACL. So why are there rumblings about Thompson potentially meeting with other teams if the Warriors don’t put that offer on the table right away?

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, there are some “outstanding issues” that could force Thompson to try to generate some added leverage. Stephen Curry‘s five-year deal with the Warriors didn’t include a fifth-year opt-out or a no-trade clause, setting a precedent for what Golden State’s five-year max deals might look like going forward, as the ESPN duo notes. If Thompson prioritizes a player option or a no-trade clause, talking to the Lakers and/or Clippers may be his best chance to create a little extra leverage with the Warriors.

Elsewhere on the Warriors front, Draymond Green is eligible for a contract extension and is open to discussing a new deal before he reaches free agency in 2020, sources tell ESPN. Those talks are expected to happen later in the offseason, though I’d be surprised if they get something done, since Green could earn more in free agency.

Here’s more from Shelburne and Windhorst on the 2019 free agent class:

The Sixers and Kings are among the potential suitors for Al Horford, according to ESPN’s report. Sacramento, in particular, has a clear path to making Horford a big offer, but the club is believed to have other centers – including Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic – on its list of potential targets, per ESPN.
League executives believe a team may look to pry Malcolm Brogdon away from the Bucks by putting together an offer sheet that starts at a high number and descends in later seasons, according to Shelburne and Windhorst. A player option and various bonuses could also be added to such an offer sheet, the ESPN duo adds, identifying the Bulls, Suns, Mavericks, and Celtics (if they don’t get Kemba Walker) as possible suitors for Brogdon.
The Bucks will almost certainly waive George Hill to avoid guaranteeing his $19MM salary, but there’s mutual interest in a new deal between the two sides, especially if the club doesn’t retain Brogdon, according to ESPN.
DeAndre Jordan is believed to have interest in playing in Los Angeles again, sources tell ESPN. Either the Clippers or Lakers could be a fit for the veteran center.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 28th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant has not yet decided whether he’ll actually take face-to-face meetings with teams when he becomes a free agent on Sunday, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter). But if he does line up meetings with suitors, those discussions will take place in New York, a source tells Aldridge. That’s where Durant underwent his Achilles surgery earlier this month.

The Knicks, long considered one of Durant’s prime suitors, are hoping to get an audience with Durant in New York early in free agency, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. The Knicks’ plan would be to subsequently head west to Los Angeles to meet with Kawhi Leonard. However, neither meeting is set in stone yet.

Here’s more on Durant:

Despite increased rumblings that the Nets are in the lead for Durant, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says that’s not the case. Sources tell Begley that the Nets aren’t the frontrunners or favorites for Durant at the moment. Only Durant and those close to him know if he favors one team over the others at this point, according to Begley, who notes that the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers are all still believed to be in contention.
The Warriors, who have stayed in contact with KD and business partner Rich Kleiman since the season ended, are prepared to offer Durant a five-year maximum-salary contract worth a projected $221MM, per Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. But if Durant says he wants to go elsewhere, Golden State is hoping he’ll work with the team on a sign-and-trade deal.
When Windhorst first mentioned the sign-and-trade possibility earlier this week, I wrote that such an arrangement would make little sense for Durant’s new team, since the Nets, Knicks, and Clippers all have enough cap room to sign him outright. In his latest report for ESPN.com, Windhorst acknowledges that the Warriors might have to include an asset like a first-round pick to incentivize KD’s new team to work with them. That’s a scenario the Dubs have prepared for, according to Windhorst, since creating a massive trade exception via a Durant sign-and-trade would open up Golden State’s roster options significantly.

Kings Interested In Patrick Beverley

June 27th, 2019 at 10:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings are interested in Patrick Beverley, a source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Beverley would help take the pressure off of De’Aaron Fox, serving as the point guard’s backup.

Beverley is reportedly seeking a deal in the three-year, $40MM range. The Kings should have no problem accommodating that type of contract, as the team has just under $53MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season.

The Mavericks, Bulls, Clippers, and Lakers are all also expected to have interested in Beverley. Most of those teams seem to have some sort of connection between them and the point guard. Beverley is from Chicago. He shares an agent with Mavs star Luka Doncic and he played in Los Angeles this past season.

Beverley made slightly more than $5MM last season and will almost certainly see a raise on his annual salary next season.

Clippers, Lakers Contenders For Klay Thompson If Warriors Don’t Offer Full Max

June 27th, 2019 at 8:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Klay Thompson is expecting the Warriors to offer him a full max contract once free agency begins on Sunday. Should the Warriors either delay their offer or offer less than the max, Thompson will listen to pitches from the Lakers and Clippers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

It was previously reported that the shooting guard would give the Clippers some attention if the Warriors don’t have the offer ready for him, but now the Lakers have been added to his list of fallback max options.

LeBron James‘ team amended the Anthony Davis trade agreement earlier today, which helped the club create additional cap room. Los Angeles projects to have roughly $32M in cap space, putting the team about $700K short of being able to offer a full max for a player with Thompson’s experience.

Thompson, who tore his ACL during the NBA Finals, is eligible for a five-year max deal worth approximately $190MM. Should he sign elsewhere, he’d be limited to a four-year contract worth approximately $141MM.

Despite the latest news, the five-time All-Star is still considered a strong bet to re-sign with Golden State.

Pacific Notes: Henry, Suns, Landry, Buss

June 27th, 2019 at 5:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pierria Henry, the most recent EuroCup regular season MVP winner, worked out for the Suns today, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Henry has plans to work out for at least two additional teams over the weekend.

The 6’5″ combo guard spent four years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, becoming the school’s all-time leader in assist and steals. Henry didn’t hear his name called in the 2015 Draft and ended up carving out a career overseas. Henry has had stops in Georgia, Germany, Israel, Turkey, and Russia.

Henry is now a candidate for an NBA roster spot next season. As the West Virginia native attempts to make it in the league, let’s take a look at some notes from the Pacific Division:

Coach Monty Williams has finalized his staff, as he announced on the Suns‘ podcast. Willie Green, Darko Rajakovic, Mark Bryant, Randy Ayers, Larry Greer, and Steve Blake will all serve as assistant coaches in Phoenix.
Landry Shamet has been invited to participate with the Select Team at Team USA’s National camp, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com tweets. The Clippers guard will join Zion Williamson in the younger group come August.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss admits that Magic Johnson’s resignation caught her off-guard, as Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register relays. Buss added that once the executive stepped down, she needed time to “figure out what the process was going to be.” Los Angeles decided that Rob Pelinka leading the front office would be best for the franchise.

Kawhi Leonard Plans To Meet With Lakers, Clippers, Raptors

June 27th, 2019 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Kawhi Leonard intends to grant the Lakers and Clippers meetings when free agency opens on June 30, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. According to Haynes, those meetings would take place in Leonard’s hometown of Los Angeles.

Leonard is expected to meet with a handful of teams before making his final free agent decision, according to Haynes, who notes that the Knicks are still working on securing a meeting with the NBA Finals MVP.

Previous reports had indicated that the Clippers would likely meet with Leonard on July 2, while the Knicks expected to meet with him early in the free agent process, but based on today’s updates, it’s not clear that those reports are accurate.

The Raptors, of course, will get a meeting with their free agent forward as well, per Haynes. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Leonard is expected to let Toronto make the final presentation during his process. As Wojnarowski explains, a player’s incumbent team often likes to get the last word when making a pitch in free agency. Sources tell Haynes that Kawhi is seriously considering re-signing with the Raps.

The Clippers have long been viewed as Toronto’s most serious competition for Leonard’s services, though the Lakers have made things interesting by creating the cap room necessary to get close to a maximum-salary slot. Leonard has long been believed to have interest in playing in his hometown.

Patrick Beverley Reportedly Seeking Three Years, $40MM

June 27th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Patrick Beverley is said to be seeking a three-year deal in the $40MM range, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN (via Twitter). According to MacMahon, the Mavericks, Bulls, Lakers, and Clippers are expected to be among the suitors for Beverley.

Although Beverley earned just over $5MM last season, it’s no surprise that he’ll be seeking a substantial raise. ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks recently suggested that the point guard would likely earn more than the mid-level ($9.25MM), with Marks predicting that Beverley’s annual salary could end up as high as $14-15MM. A three-year, $40MM contract would be worth about $13.3MM annually.

The Mavericks have previously been cited as a probable suitor for Beverley, with one report suggesting that the two sides viewed one another as a “perfect fit.” As MacMahon notes, Beverley’s agent Bill Duffy also represents Luka Doncic and is “intrigued” by the possibility of pairing his two clients in Dallas. The Mavs project to have more than $29MM in cap space.

The Bulls and Lakers have also been linked to Beverley, with reports indicating that there’s mutual interest between the veteran point guard and his hometown team in Chicago. The Bulls project to have about $23MM in cap room and reportedly want to use some of it on a point guard. The Lakers’ situation remains very much in flux, but Beverley would make sense if the club plans to split up its cap room (likely $24-32MM) on two or three players.

The Clippers, of course, would have interest in bringing back Beverley after he averaged 7.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .407/.397/.780 and great defense in 78 games for the team last season. Like the Lakers though, they’ll be pursuing bigger fish, so there may be timing issues if Beverley wants to make a quick decision.

Rockets Rumors: Butler, Rivers, Faried, FA Targets

June 27th, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

While the odds appear to be stacked against them, the Rockets are “extremely confident” in their ability to acquire Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade deal, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes in his preview of Houston’s free agency. According to Iko, team sources not only believe that the Rockets have a good shot at Butler, but also feel as if they’re in the lead for him.

In order for the Rockets to sign-and-trade for Butler, the Sixers would have to be on board, which is a big “if.” But Sam Amick of The Athletic hears from a source that Philadelphia would likely be open to cooperating if necessary, since the team has a “strong desire” to avoid losing Butler for nothing.

As ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst pointed out on a recent podcast, in order for the Sixers to believe that losing Butler for nothing is a real possibility, the swingman would likely need to have a potential alternate landing spot besides Houston. That alternate landing spot could be Los Angeles, as Amick also reports that the possibility of Butler and Kawhi Leonard both joining the Clippers is a scenario that’s viewed by sources as “increasingly possible.”

The Clippers would have to move Danilo Gallinari‘s salary to clear space for a second max player, but there are strong indications that Leonard would welcome Butler as a running mate, according to Amick. That echoes a Wednesday report from Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

As we wait to see what Butler’s future holds, here are some more Rockets-related notes and rumors:

The Rockets are targeting mid-level players whom teams might not be able to pay, according to Iko. Houston also hopes that the opportunity to compete for a title might convince certain free agents to take a little less than they might be able to earn elsewhere. The team refers to these as “contender contracts” and points to P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute as past examples, says Iko.
Team sources tell Iko that the Rockets have a list of about 30-to-50 potential targets. GM Daryl Morey has spoken to James Harden and Chris Paul via FaceTime about many of those players, Iko adds.
It’s 50/50 that Austin Rivers will return to Houston, according to Iko, who says team sources are resigned to the fact that it will be difficult to bring back Rivers and Kenneth Faried.
Trevor Ariza, who previously played for the Rockets, and Houston native DeAndre Jordan are potential targets for the club, Iko writes. According to Iko, there’s still “love” for Ariza within the Rockets’ organization, and team sources believe Jordan would be interested in playing for his hometown team — especially if Clint Capela gets dealt.

Charania’s Latest: CP3, Klay, Harris, RHJ, Randle, More

June 26th, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Chris Paul never demanded a trade from the Rockets, but suggested at season’s end that he’d understand if the club decided to go in a different direction. According to Charania, Houston told Paul it remained committed to him, and he has reciprocated that commitment.

While Paul and James Harden haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, Charania hears that the two Rockets guards have been communicating since the season ended and had a positive conversation on Father’s Day.

Even if the Rockets wanted to move Paul, there would likely be no market for him, as the Rockets discovered when they quietly gauged his value in recent weeks, Charania writes.

Charania’s latest round-up at The Athletic includes several other noteworthy tidbits on 2019’s upcoming free agent period, so let’s pass along some highlights…

The Warriors and Klay Thompson will meet in Los Angeles at the start of free agency, per Charania. While Charania – like ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – has heard that Thompson could speak to the Clippers if talks with Golden State break down, the Warriors and Thompson’s camp expect a quick agreement if the team puts a five-year, maximum-salary offer on the table.
After Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer named the Clippers as a possible suitor for Tobias Harris, Charania says the same thing, noting that the two sides still have a good relationship. Charania also adds the Pelicans – who now have significant cap room – to the list of teams expected to express interest in Harris.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Brooklyn, is expected to draw interest from the Suns, Timberwolves, and Rockets as an unrestricted free agent, reports Charania.
The Bulls, Knicks, and Nets are viewed as potential suitors for Julius Randle, sources tell Charania.
Teams in need of some help at the point guard spot – including the Suns, Bulls, Wizards, and Kings – have shown interest in Cory Joseph, says Charania.
If the Knicks miss out on their top free agent targets, they’ll plan on trying to sign “high-level rotation players” to one- or two-year deals, according to Charania, who suggests that Celtics RFA-to-be Terry Rozier may be one target.

Knicks Expect To Meet With KD, Kawhi Early In Free Agency

June 26th, 2019 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks expect to have meetings with Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard early in free agency before heading west to Los Angeles to meet with second-tier free agents, according to Frank Isola of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A report earlier today indicated that Durant is officially turning down his 2019/20 player option in order to hit the open market this Sunday. The Warriors, Nets, and Clippers are expected to be among the Knicks’ top competitors for the two-time NBA Finals MVP, who will likely receive long-term, maximum-salary offers from multiple teams.

As for Leonard, his free agency has long been viewed as a two-team race between the Clippers and Raptors, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reiterated during the network’s TV special on Tuesday night (video link). Wojnarowski indicated that Kawhi’s camp is also keeping an eye on the Lakers, though Chris Mannix of SI.com says people close to Leonard are skeptical that he’d join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Knicks haven’t been mentioned much as a probable landing spot for Leonard, but they’re known to have interest and it appears as if they’ll get their shot to make a pitch.

In other Leonard news, Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears from league sources that multiple teams have expressed interest in adding the duo of Kawhi and Jimmy Butler together in free agency. Leonard isn’t believed to be seeking a team-up with another free agent, but league sources tell Begley that there are clubs who believe that playing together would appeal to the two star forwards.

The list of teams that could realistically acquire two maximum-salary free agents is slim. Begley doesn’t specifically identify any of the clubs that have interest in a Leonard/Butler pairing, but the Knicks have the cap room, so it’s possible they’ve discussed the possibility as an alternative to Durant.

The Clippers and Sixers are among the other teams that might realistically have a path to signing both players, though both clubs would have to make additional moves to create the necessary cap space. The Nets could easily open up enough room, but have been linked more strongly to Kyrie Irving and Durant than Leonard and/or Butler.