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DeMarcus Cousins Expected To Meet With Pelicans, Lakers

July 1st, 2018 at 2:37am CST by Luke Adams

DeMarcus Cousins received calls from the Pelicans and Lakers after free agency officially got underway early Sunday morning, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). According to Spears, Cousins is expected to schedule meetings with both teams.

Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times confirms (via Twitter) that the Lakers have spoken to Cousins about setting up a meeting, though no date has been set yet, per Turner’s source.

We heard on Saturday night that Cousins may be emerging as a top target for the Lakers, who saw Paul George commit to re-signing with the Thunder early in free agency. No NBA team has more cap room than Los Angeles, but with George returning to Oklahoma City and LeBron James still weighing his decision, the Lakers haven’t had a chance to use that cap room on anyone yet.

As for the Pelicans, they project to be over the cap, but they hold Cousins’ Bird rights, so they could make him a significant offer, especially if they’re willing to cross into luxury-tax territory.

It’s not clear yet what Cousins’ next contract might look like. The standout center was in the midst of a career-best season – with 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG in 48 games for New Orleans – and was headed for a probable long-term max deal before he tore his Achilles earlier this year. Teams interested in signing him will have questions about his health and his ability to bounce back from the injury. A shorter-term deal may be a possibility for the All-Star, who turns 28 next month.

West FA Rumors: A. Johnson, Looney, Exum

July 1st, 2018 at 1:13am CST by Austin Kent

At least three Western Conference teams are said to have already contacted veteran big man Amir Johnson mere hours into free agency. Per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News the Timberwolves have been in touch, while Sean Deveney of The Sporting News adds that the Clippers and Lakers have too.

This time last season, Johnson inked a one-year, $11MM deal to serve as a reliable, veteran presence in the middle for the Sixers and it stands to reason that any of the teams kicking the tires on him this time around would be interested in a similar addition.

Johnson averaged 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Philly in 2017/18 but served as a defensive force in the paint and a low maintenance spot starter in games that Joel Embiid sat out.

There are more free agency rumors from around the Western Conference:

The Warriors have already made contact with Kevon Looney about bringing him back to the Bay Area, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes, but the forward is said to be fielding interest from other teams as well. Golden State elected not to guarantee the fourth year of his rookie deal when they had the chance to do so last fall.
The Jazz are making restricted free agent Dante Exum a priority, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets, and already have a meeting set up to discuss a new deal.
Pending restricted free agent Montrezl Harrell has changed representation, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal tweets. Now the Clippers big man will be represented by Bobby Petriella of Rosenhaus Sports. He was previously represented by Klutch Sports Group.

Kawhi Leonard Remains ‘High Priority’ For Clippers

July 1st, 2018 at 12:43am CST by marksuleymanov

While Kawhi Leonard‘s future remains unclear, the Clippers remain interested in the All-Star forward and have not abandoned the idea of pursuing him, ESPN’s Chris B. Haynes reports.

The Clippers have been loosely connected to Leonard since reports of his desire to be traded first emerged. However, the crosstown rival Lakers have been most heavily linked to the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The Lakers reportedly engaged the Spurs in talks for Leonard this week with young players such as Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram at the forefront of those discussions, though they haven’t been overly aggressive in those discussions in recent days, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link).

The Sixers and Celtics have been among the other teams in pursuit of Leonard. Despite an injury-riddled season in 2017/18 that limited him to just nine games, the Spurs forward remains one NBA’s elite two-way players.

Los Angeles has some cap flexibility available now that longtime center DeAndre Jordan has opted out of his deal has agreed to a deal with the Mavericks. It’s not clear what the Clippers would offer for Leonard, but they’d almost certainly need to include one or both of their 2018 picks (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson). Tobias Harris and Patrick Beverley are among the veterans on the roster with positive trade value.

Ultimately, with a future first-round pick committed to the Celtics, the Clippers will need to get creative to offer an enticing package for Leonard.

Suns Interested In Ariza, Bradley, Randle

June 30th, 2018 at 10:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns are targeting Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, Clippers guard Avery Bradley and Lakers forward Julius Randle, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Phoenix will have about $18MM in cap space to work with after waiving Tyler Ulis earlier today. Ariza and Bradley are both unrestricted free agents and would provide a needed boost to the Suns’ defense. Randle is restricted, and the Lakers will have the chance to match any offer sheet he receives.

Ariza, 33, has spent the past four seasons in Houston and was a steady two-way player on a team that won 65 games this year. He averaged 11.7 points during the season and shot 37% from 3-point range.

Bradley, 27, was known as one of the league’s top defensive guards in Boston, but his game took a downturn after trades to the Pistons and then to the Clippers. A sports hernia limited him to just six games in L.A.

Randle is the youngest of the group at 23. After the Lakers decided not to give him an extension, he responded with a 16.1/8.0/2.6 season that has made him a popular free agent target.

DeMarcus Cousins Next Target For Lakers?

June 30th, 2018 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Paul George looking more likely to stay with the Thunder, the Lakers are turning their attention to DeMarcus Cousins, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. League sources say that L.A. is considering a short-term max offer for the free agent center.

Cousins was headed for a full max deal in New Orleans before suffering a torn ACL in January. The Pelicans grabbed the No. 6 seed without him and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals, raising questions of whether the organization would be fine without him.

Cousins has played less than a full season in New Orleans after being acquired in a trade with the Kings, but he has put up All-Star numbers. In 65 games, he averaged 25.0 points and 12.7 rebounds while forming a dangerous frontcourt combination alongside Anthony Davis.

The Lakers, who have been seeking another star to help attract LeBron James to Los Angeles, could use some help up front. Incumbent starter Brook Lopez is a free agent and Ivica Zubac is the only center currently on the roster. O’Connor notes that in 2017, James referred to Cousins “the best big man in our game.”

In an interview last month with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Cousins said he is happy with the progress he has made and he hopes to be ready for training camp.

“Just getting this amount of time to rest my body, I’ve never had this much rest probably since I picked up a basketball.” Cousins said. “I feel like it’s been tremendous for my body. I feel great. I feel fresh. I feel brand-new. It’s crazy to say.”

New York Notes: Randle, Stauskas, Knicks, Turner

June 30th, 2018 at 4:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets are among the teams interested in signing Lakers forward Julius Randle to an offer sheet, according to an article on NetsDaily. Brooklyn would like to reunite D’Angelo Russell with Randle, who is a close friend and one of the few Lakers who showed support for Russell when Magic Johnson publicly questioned his leadership abilities. They also share the same agent in Aaron Mintz.

A few things will have to break the Nets’ way for them to have a shot at Randle. The Lakers will have to land both LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, limiting what they would be willing to spend on their restricted free agent, and the Mavericks, who are also known to covet Randle, would have to use most of their cap room to sign DeAndre Jordan.

Even if those dominoes fall into place, the Nets still have to trim some salary to come up with an offer sheet that starts in the $12MM to $15MM range. The article states that sweeteners such as up-front money and trade bonuses could be included to make it more difficult for the Lakers to match. To create cap room, the author adds, the Nets would have to get Dwight Howard to accept a buyout in the next few days and trade either Jeremy Lin or DeMarre Carroll.

There’s more today out of New York:

Even though the Nets decided against a qualifying offer for Nik Stauskas, that doesn’t mean he’ll be in a different uniform next season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn views Stauskas as a lower-cost alternative if Joe Harris leaves in free agency, where he is expected to get a deal three to four times higher than his $1.5MM salary for 2017/18. Mark Bartelstein, who serves as the agent for both players, isn’t sure the decision will come down to one or the other. “We’ll see how things play out over the next two days,” he said. “We’ll be keeping the lines of communication open for the next few days. I know the Nets like Nik a lot. We’ll see how the roster shapes up.”
Pacers center Myles Turner could be the Knicks‘ top free agent target next summer, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Turner will be a restricted free agent if he doesn’t sign an extension with Indiana this summer. His family lives in New York, and he and Kristaps Porzingis are friends. Begley lists Terry Rozier and Malcolm Brogdon as other names to watch in 2019.
James Dolan has denied rumors that he is thinking about putting the Knicks up for sale, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Madison Square Garden Company released a statement Friday night saying, “There are no plans to sell the Knicks or the Rangers.”

Thomas Bryant Waived By Lakers

June 30th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by clarkcrum

Pursuant to an official release from the team, the Lakers have waived backup center Thomas Bryant.

Bryant appeared in 15 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.6 minutes per game.

Bryant’s $1.38MM contract wasn’t set to become guaranteed until July 5, but with the Lakers reportedly planning to guarantee the contract of center Ivica Zubac for next season and the addition of first-round pick Moritz Wagner, there was evidently no need to keep Bryant around any longer.

The Lakers don’t have any more non-guaranteed contracts left on which to make decisions, but they’ll likely still need to do something with the contract of Luol Deng if they want to land two marquee free agents this summer such as LeBron James and Paul George.

Magic Johnson May Help LBJ Off The Court

June 30th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

LeBron James has indicated that family considerations will play a big role in his free agency decision. Stein (same piece) can envision James choosing the Lakers with a belief that President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson can assist him and his family with their off-court needs.

Lakers Plan To Guarantee Ivica Zubac’s Contract

June 30th, 2018 at 11:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers plan to guarantee center Ivica Zubac’s contract for next season, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Los Angeles had a Saturday deadline to make the decision. Zubac will make $1,544,951.

The 7’1” Zubac will be entering his third season. He averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 9.5 MPG while making 43 appearances last season.

Lakers Guard Lonzo Ball Has Torn Meniscus

June 29th, 2018 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Lonzo Ball has a torn meniscus in his left knee, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Ball is expected to be ready for training camp, Charania adds.

Ball’s injury thickens the plot as the club attempts to sign or acquire superstar talents. LeBron James had decided to opt out of his contract and the Lakers are the favorite to land him. They’re also engaged in talks with the Spurs to acquire Kawhi Leonard. Though it doesn’t appear Ball is part of those trade discussions, the injury increases the chances he’ll stay put.

Ball dealt with left knee issues at various points of his rookie season. A sprained left medial collateral ligament and a left knee bruise limited the point guard to 52 games. Ball was a triple-double threat every time he took the court, averaging 10.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 7.2 APG but shot a woeful 36% from the field.