New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Decline Option On Henry Ellenson

June 29th, 2019 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have declined Henry Ellenson‘s $1,645,357 option for next season, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

Ellenson played 17 games for New York this year after signing with the team in February. He joined the Knicks on a 10-day contract in February, then inked a multi-year deal in early March. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in nearly 14 minutes per night.

Ellenson, 22, was taken by the Pistons with the 18th pick in 2016. He played 59 total games for Detroit, including two this season, before being waived in February.

In recent days, the Knicks have also declined options on John Jenkins and Billy Garrett as they try to maximize cap space heading into free agency. New York also opted not to extend qualifying offers to Emmanuel Mudiay and Luke Kornet.

Free Agent Rumors: Randle, Gibson, Bullock, Bulls

June 29th, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings will be among the teams in pursuit of Pelicans forward Julius Randle, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. He cites the Nets, Knicks and Bulls as other expected suitors.

Randle, 24, had a career-best season after signing a one-year deal with New Orleans last summer. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 73 games while shooting 52% from the field. He also improved as a long-distance shooter, hitting 34% of his shots from 3-point range.

Here are more rumors as we move to within 24 hours of the start of free agency:

The Timberwolves will have plenty of competition for Taj Gibson, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who lists the Clippers, Nets, Bucks, Bulls, Warriors, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Hornets and Lakers as having interest in the veteran forward (Twitter link). Gibson has averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG during his two years in Minnesota.
There’s mutual interest between the Knicks and shooting specialist Reggie Bullock, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Bullock averaged 11.3 points per game while splitting last season between the Pistons and Lakers.
The Bulls are looking for a point guard, but want to limit the contract to two years, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. That may take them out of the running for Malcolm Brogdon or Patrick Beverley, Johnson notes, but he cites other options such as Cory Joseph, Tyus Jones and George Hill who might be willing to accept a shorter contract. The Bulls are counting on first-round pick Coby White to take over the position within two years and want the free agent’s contract to expire in the summer of 2021 at the same time as Otto Porter‘s and Cristiano Felicio‘s.

Steph Curry To Attend Warriors’ Meeting With Kevin Durant

June 29th, 2019 at 3:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stephen Curry will attend the Warriors‘ meeting with Kevin Durant, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic hears. GM Bob Myers will sit down with Durant in New York and attempt to convince the former MVP to stay with the team.

Curry had been on an Under Armour tour in Asia but he is now on his way to the United States. Curry is expected to speak with Durant prior to the official meeting.

The point guard was at the team’s meeting with Durant three years ago when they successfully pitched the Maryland-native to come to Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also there in 2016, but neither will be present in person this time around. Thompson is preparing to undergo surgery on his own ACL (not to mention his own free agency) but he will join the pitch via FaceTime, Thompson tweets. Green has already visited Durant in NYC this summer.

Durant’s decision in 2016 hinged on Curry wanting him there. The former no. 8 overall pick assured Durant that he did and envisioned the two winning multiple championships together. The Warriors won two titles with the pairing and came close to a third, losing in this year’s NBA Finals to the Raptors.

Durant plans to speak with the Clippers, Nets, and Knicks in addition to the Warriors. It’s unlikely Durant makes a quick decision.

Knicks Waive Lance Thomas

June 29th, 2019 at 3:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 29: As expected, the Knicks have waived Thomas, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

JUNE 14: The Knicks plan on waiving forward Lance Thomas, though they have interest in re-signing him, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports.

Thomas has a non-guaranteed contract of $7.58MM for next season and would receive $1MM if he’s on the roster through June 30. Thomas’ salary is the largest on the Knicks’ ledger. Waiving him would give them even more cap space to pursue free agents and blockbuster trades.

However, the club appreciates Thomas for his leadership and willingness to mentor younger players, according to Begley, so it would try to re-sign him at a reduced rate. With the team intend on giving its younger players experience, Thomas appeared in just 46 games this past season. He averaged 4.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 17.0 MPG.

He has been in the Knicks organization since the 2014/15 season after starting his career in New Orleans in 2011. Thomas, 31, also appeared in 22 games with Oklahoma City before joining the Knicks. He’s entering the final year of a four-year, $27.5MM contract, which he signed in 2016.

Jazz Expected To Meet With Bobby Portis

June 29th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz are expected to meet with veteran forward Bobby Portis once free agency opens, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Jones, the meeting will likely take place in Los Angeles.

Utah doesn’t project to have any cap room once its acquisition of Mike Conley becomes official, but can open up space by waiving Derrick Favors, who has a non-guaranteed salary of $17MM+. It appears the Jazz are weighing frontcourt options who might be better fits alongside center Rudy Gobert than a non-shooter like Favors.

A report earlier this afternoon indicated that the Jazz had been mulling a three-year offer in the $45MM range for Nikola Mirotic. However, Mirotic has opted to return to Spain, agreeing to a deal with Barcelona.

With a top stretch four like Mirotic off the board, his former teammate Portis could be a fit for what the Jazz are seeking. The Wizards‘ restricted free agent has knocked down three-pointers at a 36.1% rate over the course of his four-year NBA career, including 39.3% last season for Chicago and Washington.

The Knicks also have strong interest in Portis, according to Jones. The Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, and Magic have previously been cited as potential suitors for the 24-year-old, who is said to be seeking an annual salary worth up to $16MM. The Wizards aren’t expected to match a lucrative offer sheet.

Free Agency Notes: Mirotic, Kanter, Knicks

June 29th, 2019 at 2:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nikola Mirotic helped kick off free agency weekend by opting to play in Barcelona next season. It’s a surprising development considering he was a coveted free agent.

The Jazz had their eye on Mirotic and had “major interest” in trying to sign him to a three-year deal in the $45MM range, Marc Stein of The New York Times hears (Twitter link). The market for stretch fours is even thinner now after Mirotic’s decision.

Let’s take a look at more free agency notes from around the league:

The Clippers have interest in Enes Kanter, Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard reports (Twitter link). Broussard also confirms that the Celtics and Lakers are eyeing the center, as was previously reported.
There’s been no indication that the Celtics are still pursuing Clint Capela, whether it be a Rockets‘ sign-and-trade involving Jimmy Butler or any scenario, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets. Capela had previously been linked to Boston.
The Knicks will not extend a qualifying offer to Isaiah Hicks, Ian Begley of SNY.tv tweets. Hicks was on a two-way contract last season.
New York has interest in George Hill and Wayne Ellington, Begley relays in a full-length piece. Both veterans will be targets regardless of whether the Knicks land any stars in free agency.

Durant, Kawhi Reportedly Discussing Playing Together

June 29th, 2019 at 10:45am CST by marksuleymanov

With free agency set to open on Sunday, the top two available players, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, have discussed scenarios in which they could play together, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

As Wojnarowski notes, if the two stars decide they want to team up, the two likeliest possibilities would be the Knicks or Clippers. The Knicks have the cap room necessary to offer both players maximum-salary contracts. The Clippers would have to do a little work to get there, but have a path if they can find a taker for Danilo Gallinari‘s expiring $22.6MM contract.

The Nets, Lakers, Warriors, and Raptors are among the other teams believed to be in pursuit of either Leonard or Durant. However, Golden State and Toronto could only re-sign their own respective stars, the Lakers only have room to sign one top free agent, and the Nets are believed to be zeroed in on Kyrie Irving, which would leave them with enough cap space for just one additional star.

Before Durant went down with a calf injury – and then an Achilles tear – in this year’s playoffs, he and Leonard were being discussed as the NBA’s top two players. Although KD is expected to miss the entire 2019/20 season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, a long-term pairing of Durant and Leonard could turn any franchise into a perennial championship contender.

ESPN’s report represents the second time today we’ve heard about the possibility of Durant and Leonard teaming up. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote earlier this morning of a belief that KD had considered the possibility of joining forces with Kawhi, though Charania’s report gave no indication of how Leonard felt about the idea.

As we detailed this morning, Leonard’s free agency had long been viewed as a two-way race between the Raptors and Clippers, but that’s no longer the case, with the Lakers and Knicks both trying to get into the mix. Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote today about the pitch that LeBron James intends to make to Kawhi.

Many scenarios appear to remain in play for this summer’s top free agents. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, Leonard is expected to meet with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Raptors once free agency opens, while Durant plans to talk to the Clippers, Knicks, Nets, and Warriors.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Charania’s Latest: Nets, D-Lo, Durant, Livingston, More

June 29th, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Kyrie Irving remains “fully focused” on a potential deal with the Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says Brooklyn’s goal is to sign the trio of Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan. If they can get Irving but Durant heads elsewhere, the Nets could shift their focus to players like Tobias Harris or Julius Randle, Charania writes.

As for D’Angelo Russell, league sources tell Charania that the expectation is the Nets will either renounce D-Lo’s rights or try to complete a sign-and-trade deal that sends him elsewhere. A sign-and-trade would be complicated, since Brooklyn may prefer to use its cap room on free agents rather than trade pieces in return for Russell.

Here’s more from Charania:

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers is tentatively scheduled to travel to New York this weekend to meet with Kevin Durant and his inner circle, league sources tell Charania. Durant is also expected to talk to the Knicks, Nets, and Clippers, though no formal meetings have been set, says Charania, who adds that there’s a belief that KD has considered the possibility of teaming up with Kawhi Leonard.
Shaun Livingston, who originally had a guarantee date of June 30 on his contract, has agreed to push that date back to July 10, reports Charania. Livingston has a partial guarantee of $2MM on his $7.7MM salary, and the Warriors now have more time to decide whether to retain him at that price.
With Kemba Walker appearing likely to sign elsewhere, the Hornets are focusing on other point guards like Terry Rozier, sources tell Charania. It’s not clear if Charlotte believes the mid-level would be enough to land Rozier, or if the team would attempt a sign-and-trade.
The Sixers remain “fully focused” on trying to re-sign Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, according to Charania, who notes that rival teams interested in Butler believe the fifth year Philadelphia can offer will be a major factor for the swingman and agent Bernie Lee. If the 76ers don’t offer that fifth year, it’s possible the market for Butler will open up.
The Knicks have targeted free agent center Robin Lopez as a potential backup for Mitchell Robinson, league sources tell Charania.
The Celtics intend to pursue a big man using their $4.8MM room exception, with Enes Kanter and Kevon Looney among their targets, per Charania.

Atlantic Notes: Green, Perry, Dozier, Celtics

June 29th, 2019 at 9:18am CST by marksuleymanov

Fresh off the Raptors‘ first NBA championship, swingman Danny Green is entering free agency prioritizing two things: money and winning. Green, 32, spoke to HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy regarding his future and made it clear that returning to Toronto would be his first choice.

“If Toronto brings everyone back, I think we have a really good shot of coming out of the East again,” Green said. “So why would I not want to be there? But things change and things move. [If the Raptors can’t bring everyone back], there are going to be other teams who are in the running and I want to see what those situations are.

“Obviously, I want to maximize on the dollar, but I also want to maximize on the situation. I know I’m not an All-Star or star player, but I want to be remembered as a great role player who won a lot of games and leave my mark in the league.”

Green’s style of playing is a strong fit for the modern NBA. The two-time NBA champion was second in the league in three-point percentage (45.5%) and was third in steals during Toronto’s historic playoff run. In Green’s own words, if a reunion with Toronto is not in the cards, his veteran leadership and productivity figure to make him a popular target.

Check out more Atlantic Divison notes below:

With a star-studded free agent class and the financial means to make a splash, the Knicks are in a position to quickly rebuild. However, general manager Scott Perry insists the organization wants to rebuild the team “the right way,” Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes. “We’re not paying attention to the noise,” Perry said. “We’re gonna continue to be opportunistic and build this the right way. This summer will allow us to shape the team in the image that we want, be able to bring in some guys to field a more competitive team for next season.”
The Celtics are not expected to bring back wing PJ Dozier, sources tell NBA reporter Sean Deveney (Twitter link). Dozier, signed to a two-way pact last August, averaged 21.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 6.6 APG in the G-League last season.
ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan looked into the Celtics’ dysfunctional season and why the team never got on the same page. While a lot of the blame has fallen onto Kyrie Irving, who is expected to depart in free agency, MacMullan writes Boston’s young core took a step back from the previous season.

Free Agent Rumors: Wolves, Cousins, Sumner, KP

June 28th, 2019 at 3:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Timberwolves don’t project to have cap room, though that won’t stop them from attempting to make major moves this offseason, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. The team will have major stakeholders in Los Angeles for meetings on Sunday with an eye on recruiting free agents.

Karl-Anthony Towns has taken on the role of a recruiter. D’Angelo Russell appears to be a target with Krawcynski citing the two players’ friendship as just part of the reason a pairing makes sense. Much has to be done before Minnesota can truly become a threat to land Russell, as he is still technically a restricted free agent and the franchise can’t compete with some of the other organizations with max cap space already on hand.

As we wait to see what moves the Timberwolves have in store, let’s take a look at some rumors from around the league:

Seven teams have expressed “varying levels” of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated hears. The Knicks are among the teams with serious interest and the Clippers are “intrigued,” Spears writes.
The Pacers have yet to exercise or decline the option on Edmond Sumner, as they are discussing a long-term deal with the point guard, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star relays. The former second-round pick appeared in 23 games for Indiana last season.
Sources tell Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) that it’s unlikely that there will be an update on Kristaps Porzingis‘ sexual assault allegations before free agency on Sunday. The Mavericks and Porzingis are still expected to come together on a full, five-year max contract, Townsend adds.