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Free Agent Rumors: Wolves, Knicks, Waiters, Jazz

July 4th, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves were linked to free agent swingman C.J. Miles earlier today, but weren’t necessarily considered a probable landing spot for Miles due to the team’s lack of cap flexibility. However, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), who passed along the initial report on Miles, the Pacers are open to the idea of a sign-and-trade which would net them Cole Aldrich‘s contract and OKC’s 2018 first-round pick from Minnesota.

Both teams would have to agree on that sign-and-trade scenario, and of course Miles would also have to be on board, so there may be some snags along the way. But as Wolfson points out, there are ways for the Wolves to get creative if they really want to land Miles or another free agent.

Wolfson has more on the Wolves, tweeting that he has heard the team made an offer to Nick Young. That offer would likely be worth the $4.3MM room exception, and Young turned down a $5.67MM player option with the Lakers last month, so I’d be surprised if Minnesota’s offer is enough to land him, but the club clearly remains on the lookout for shooting help.

Here’s more on free agency:

The Knicks continue to stay in touch with free agent guard Dion Waiters, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Waiters and Rajon Rondo remain on the Lakers‘ radar.
With Gordon Hayward and Otto Porter off the board, the Jazz have expressed interest in Rudy Gay, says Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). As Royce Young of ESPN tweets, Patrick Patterson essentially took the deal that Gay was unwilling to with the Thunder, so OKC may be out, leaving the Heat and Jazz as the top contenders for Gay.
Having already brought back nearly all of their key free agents, the Warriors are also considered likely to re-sign Zaza Pachulia, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
After a strong showing for the Pistons in Summer League play, Eric Moreland is believed to have received a multiyear contract offer from Detroit, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

C.J. Miles Drawing Interest From Heat, Hawks, Others

July 4th, 2017 at 6:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman C.J. Miles is receiving interest from a handful of teams, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who reports (via Twitter) that the Heat, Hawks, and Kings are among the teams in the mix. The Timberwolves also maintain interest in Miles, but don’t currently have the cap flexibility to make a competitive offer, Wolfson notes.

Miles, 30, hits the free agent market this summer after one of the strongest seasons of his career. In 76 games (29 starts) for the Pacers, the 6’6″ sharpshooter averaged 10.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG, converting a career-best 41.3% of his three-point attempts.

The Heat, Hawks, and Kings all have cap room left over, though Miami has a number of balls up in the air as the club waits for Gordon Hayward‘s decision. As for the Wolves, their commitments to Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson have eaten up virtually all of their cap space, so the most they could offer Miles – without moving salary or working out a sign-and-trade – would likely be the $4.3MM room exception.

Miles is expected to take free agent visits soon, according to Wolfson.

Where The Gordon Hayward Situation Stands

July 4th, 2017 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We still don’t have official word from Gordon Hayward‘s camp on where he’ll sign, but it has been an eventful day on the Hayward front.

After a report from Chris Haynes of ESPN – which was confirmed by several other reputable journalists – indicated that Hayward planned to sign with the Celtics, subsequent reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and others suggested it wasn’t a done deal after all.

Mark Bartelstein, Hayward’s agent, issued a statement confirming that his client hadn’t finalized his decision. While Bartelstein said they’d expect to announce a decision today, he added that, in the wake of this afternoon’s drama, “We’ve got to kind of regroup here a bit.” Meanwhile, Jazz president Steve Sparks issued a statement that read, in part, “We trust Gordon and his agent that no decision has been made.”

Although Hayward is not ready to confirm reports on his free agent destination yet, it sounds like the Heat may be out of the mix. Wojnarowski reported this afternoon on ESPN that Hayward eliminated the Heat from consideration on Monday night (Twitter links via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald).

Bartelstein has not addressed that report, and a source tells Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post (Twitter link) that the Heat haven’t been formally informed that they’re out of the running. However, Jackson tweets that a Hayward associate told him this morning that Miami was a long shot.

If the Heat are out, that would narrow the group of finalists for Hayward to the Celtics and the Jazz, with Boston seemingly holding the major edge based on today’s initial reports. It’s possible that details are still being sorted out in regard to Hayward’s contract and the Celtics’ cap situation, since Boston currently doesn’t have room to accommodate their reported maximum salary offer for the star forward.

Still, while the Celtics look like the heavy favorite, the Jazz appear to be holding on to hope. Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter link) acknowledges that Hayward was leaning toward the Celtics, but has been told by multiple sources that the 27-year-old “never fully made up his mind.”

Meanwhile, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, who heard earlier from a source that Hayward has “changed his mind four times in the last four days,” confirmed this afternoon (via Twitter) that neither the Celtics nor the Jazz were informed of Hayward’s decision in an official capacity today.

As we continue to wait for resolution, here’s our chronological roundup of today’s earlier Hayward updates.

Heat Officially Waive Chris Bosh

July 4th, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Bosh‘s salary will officially no longer count against the Heat’s salary cap going forward, with the team announcing today in a press release that Bosh has been waived. The move formally brings an end to Bosh’s seven-year stint with the franchise.

“Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” team president Pat Riley said in a statement. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined, when he joined the Miami Heat. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Championships. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise.

“The number ‘1’ will never be worn by another player and we can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters,” Riley continued. “Today, we are both moving on but we wish Chris, Adrienne and their family nothing but the best. They will forever be part of the Miami Heat family.”

As we detailed last month when an independent doctor ruled Bosh’s blood-clot issues to be career-ending, he will no longer count against the Heat’s salary cap due to his medical retirement designation. That clears more than $52MM in total salary from the team’s books for the next two years, including $25.3MM+ in 2017/18. Miami will still have to pay Bosh his remaining salary, though the team figures to recoup a significant chunk of that money through insurance.

It’s possible Bosh will attempt a comeback at some point, though NBA executives are skeptical about the odds of that. If his NBA career is officially over, the 33-year-old will finish with averages of 19.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG over 893 total games with the Raptors and Heat (14 total seasons, including 2016/17). Bosh was named to 11 All-Star teams and won two championships over the course of his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southeast Notes: Porter, Bogdanovic, Isaac, Bosh

July 4th, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings’ decision to use a major part of their cap space on George Hill and Zach Randolph leaves the Nets as the most significant threat for Wizards RFA Otto Porter, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. Porter met with the Kings on Sunday and reportedly received a max offer, but didn’t sign it, wanting to talk to other teams first. Sacramento’s moves today means it no longer has room for a max deal unless it unloads some other salary. The Wizards can match any offer sheet that Porter brings to them, and have stated that they plan to do so.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards plan to explore sign-and-trade options for Bojan Bogdanovic, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Bogdanovic appears to be on the way out after this week’s deals with Jodie Meeks and Mike Scott, but Washington won’t revoke his $4.7MM qualifying offer, hoping to deal him and create a traded player exception. Bogdanovic is reportedly seeking about $16MM per year, which seems unrealistic. Michael notes that the Wizards have made use of TPEs in the recent years, picking up Jared Dudley, Kris Humphries and Tim Frazier.
The Magic will hold first-round pick Jonathan Isaac out of the final two games of the Orlando Pro Summer League after he suffered a hip strain Monday, relays John Denton of NBA.com. Tests didn’t reveal any structural damage and the injury isn’t considered serious, but the Magic are keeping him sidelined as a precaution.
In a move to free up cap space, the Magic have reached an agreement with 2005 first-rounder Fran Vazquez that he won’t play in the NBA this season, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM. Orlando still owns the rights for the 34-year-old, and the move takes away his cap hold for the upcoming season.
The Heat are expected to end their seven-year relationship with Chris Bosh this week, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami will erase Bosh’s $52.1MM from its cap under a medical retirement in the wake of recurring blood clots. Bosh must be given 48 hours to clear waivers before the move becomes official, and it will push the Heat’s cap space from $9MM to more than $34MM this year.

Gordon Hayward Decision on Hold?

July 4th, 2017 at 2:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:34pm: Hayward has changed his mind four times since Saturday, a source tells Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Agents are speculating to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that a sign-and-trade or possibly a separate Celtics deal is holding up a formal announcement (Twitter link).

2:25pm: Boston’s offer is $127.8MM over four years, with a player option likely after the third season, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.

2:05pm: The leak regarding Hayward’s decision may lead to a delay in his announcement, Himmelsbach tweets, with Bartelstein suggesting the situation may not be resolved today. “That was the goal,” he said, “but now we’ve got to kind of regroup here a bit.”

Jazz president Steve Starks has tweeted a statement that reads, “We trust Gordon and his agent that no decision has been made. Good communication all day and a great relationship.”

1:50pm: The Celtics haven’t heard from Hayward yet, but they aren’t denying the report from ESPN, tweets Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Sources are telling Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that the move is a formality and the teams just need to be notified (Twitter link).

1:40pm: Conflicting information is beginning to filter out concerning Gordon Hayward. David Aldridge of TNT claims Hayward has not reached a decision and is still weighing his options (Twitter link). Hayward’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, says the same thing to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. “Gordon hasn’t made a decision yet,” Bartelstein said. “We are still working through it.” (Twitter link).

1:19pm: Gordon Hayward will announce today that he’s signing with the Celtics, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

The All-Star forward, who spent his first seven NBA seasons in Utah, was considered the top prize left on the free agent market. The Celtics, Jazz and Heat all held meetings with him over the past three days. The move will reunite him with Brad Stevens, his college coach at Butler.

Boston’s belief that it had a shot at Hayward affected its decision to be conservative in its pursuit of Jimmy Butler and Paul George, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

With about $27MM in cap space, the Celtics don’t have quite enough cap room to sign Hayward to a full max deal. Hayward could agree to accept a little bit less, or the Celtics could try to move some salary before the moratorium ends on Thursday. One path, Blakely tweets, is to pull their qualifying offer for Kelly Olynyk, renounce all their free agents, waive Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson and trade away one other contract.

Hayward, 27, is coming off his best season, setting careers highs with 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He gives the Celtics another dangerous shooter who can stretch defenses and share the scoring load with Isaiah Thomas.

Free Agent Rumors: Hayward, Knicks, Rose

July 3rd, 2017 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

While there have been indications that Gordon Hayward will make a decision on his new team Tuesday or Wednesday, a source close to the player tells Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that Hayward may actually inform teams of his decision as early as tonight. Hayward met with the Heat on Saturday and the Celtics on Sunday, so all that’s left on his schedule is a Monday sit-down with the Jazz. While there was speculation earlier in the process that another team might enter the picture for Hayward, it appears he’ll decide between his three long-reported suitors.

Here’s more on free agency from around the NBA:

A source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that the Knicks have told some agents their free agent plans are being held up to some extent, as they weigh their decision on whether to trade Carmelo Anthony. A report late on Monday night indicated Anthony is open to waiving his no-trade clause to join the Cavaliers or Rockets.
The Knicks have considered the possibility of seeking a sign-and-trade deal involving Derrick Rose in order to get something back for him, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Sign-and-trades are pretty rare, but can make sense when a player wants to join an over-the cap team — the Bucks, with whom Rose is meeting today, currently fit that bill.
The Nuggets‘ pitch to Paul Millsap included an appearance from Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, according to Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post, who says Marshall praised the city and told Millsap what it’s like to win in Denver. While it’s not clear if Marshall’s argument was a deciding factor, Millsap did commit to the Nuggets on Sunday night.
The Timberwolves‘ approach to free agency this summer has shown that the organization is transforming into a Tom Thibodeau-style team, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com explains. Having agreed to sign Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, the Wolves still have their room exception available as they scour the market for shooting help.

Latest On Dion Waiters

July 2nd, 2017 at 8:52pm CST by Austin Kent

The Lakers will meet with Heat free agent Dion Waiters tonight, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports. L.A. is just the latest in a long line of suitors for the shooting guard after his breakthrough year with the Heat.

While Waiters played a vital role in Miami’s dramatic turnaround last season, the franchise can’t offer him a lucrative deal so long as their iron remains in the fire for Jazz free agent Gordon Hayward.

During this time, Waiters could stake a new claim with an organization impressed by his 2016/17 resurgence. As Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times notes, Waiters is a former client of sports agent-turned-Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.

That this meeting with the Lakers will come after his meeting with the Heat could suggest that Waiters doesn’t imagine the Heat will be in a position to offer a deal that suits him, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel posits.

In 46 games for the Heat last season, Waiters averaged 15.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. While it’s unclear exactly what Waiters will net on the open market, it will inevitably be far more than the $3MM he played for in 2016/17.

We wrote last month that Waiters was open to the idea of giving the Heat a “hometown discount” considering how much he’s benefited from the organization’s culture. Just what that might entail, however, remains to be seen.

Free Agent Notes: Waiters, Gallinari, Holiday

July 2nd, 2017 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Knicks, Bulls, and Kings all reportedly expressing interest in unrestricted free agent Dion Waiters, Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra are headed out west to Los Angeles to meet with the guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. The duo want to convey to Waiters that the team is still very interested in retaining his services, even though it is in no position to make a large lucrative offer until Gordon Hayward decides among offers from Miami, the Celtics, and the Jazz, Jackson notes.

On the second day of free agency, here’s the latest news and notes from around the league:

Last summer’s free agent spending frenzy has taken its toll on this year’s crop of players on the open market, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (on Twitter). There are still approximately 100 players who are unsigned and cap space is quickly drying up around the league, the scribe adds.
The Clippers are set to meet with unrestricted free agent Danilo Gallinari this evening in Los Angeles, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (via Twitter). The Nuggets also remain a potential landing spot for the forward, though, Denver is currently “all in” on signing Paul Millsap, Aldridge adds.
The Knicks are among several teams that have contacted unrestricted free agent Justin Holiday and New York has strong interest in re-signing the guard, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). It was reported earlier today that the Bulls have a contract offer on the table for Holiday, so the Knicks will certainly have some competition for his services.
There is mutual interest between unrestricted free agent point guard Shelvin Mack and the Knicks, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake City Tribune relays (via Twitter). In 55 appearances for the Jazz last season, Mack averaged 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing. His slash line on the campaign was .446/.308/.688.
The Thunder appear to be committed to re-signing Andre Roberson, per a tweet from ESPN’s Royce Young. The scribe notes that it’s a “virtual lock” that Roberson will return to OKC in 2017/18.

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.