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Kyrie Irving Expected To Meet With Suns?

June 29th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Luke Adams

6:32pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 disputes Haynes’ report, tweeting that the idea of the Suns meeting with Irving is “absurd” and won’t happen.

12:02pm: After ESPN reported on Wednesday that Kyrie Irving plans to meet with teams when he becomes a free agent on Friday, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report provides more details on Irving’s plans, writing that the star point guard is expected to meet with the Suns in addition to the Mavericks and possibly other teams.

Those meetings will likely take place in Los Angeles, according to Haynes, who hears from sources that the Rockets could seek an audience with Irving as well.

It’s easy to see why Irving would want to set up meetings with potential suitors, even if a return to Dallas appears to be the most likely result of his free agency. The Mavericks may not feel compelled to offer as many years or dollars as Kyrie would like if they believe they’re bidding against themselves.

Still, it’s hard to see how the Suns could emerge as a legitimate threat for Irving unless he’s willing to take a massive pay cut. With Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton owed a combined $163MM in 2023/24, Phoenix’s team salary projects to be above the second tax apron ($182.5MM), which would prevent the club from acquiring a player via sign-and-trade.

Even moving Ayton wouldn’t put the Suns in position to make a competitive sign-and-trade offer from Irving, since a hard cap would limit team salary to about $172MM. Durant, Beal, and Booker will earn a combined $130MM, which would leave just $42MM for Irving and at least 10 other players.

Irving could theoretically sign in Phoenix for the veteran’s minimum, of course, but that’s a highly unlikely outcome for a player whose exit from Brooklyn this past season was reportedly related to the Nets’ reluctance to offer him a big-money, long-term extension.

The Rockets are in better position to make Irving a significant offer, but have been linked more frequently in recent days to another free agent point guard, Fred VanVleet.

According to Haynes, the Mavericks are hoping to get a commitment from Irving early in free agency this weekend, so he can help the team recruit other free agent targets.

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Free Agent Rumors: Brown, Mavs, Lakers, Gordon, Yurtseven, Kuzma, Barnes

June 29th, 2023 at 6:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Unrestricted free agent Nuggets forward Bruce Brown plans to meet with the Mavericks at the start of free agency on Friday, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

Many teams appear primed to pursue Brown, according to MacMahon (Twitter link), who anticipates his market to be around the $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, if not higher. The Lakers are one suitor said to be confident about their chances. MacMahon adds that Brown may be open to taking a discount to return to the champs, who only have his Non-Bird rights available, which would cap them at a $7.8MM offer for next season.

The 6’4″ vet proved invaluable as a versatile, defense-first sixth man during Denver’s 16-4 run to the title this spring. Across 20 playoff games off the bench, he averaged 12.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.5 BPG.

Here are more of the latest free agent rumors from around the league:

  • After opting not to retain shooting guard Malik Beasley and center Mohamed Bamba, the Lakers now project to remain well below the $172MM tax apron for 2023/24, which will enable them to use the full $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN, suggesting that Brown and Brook Lopez will be among Los Angeles’ targets. According to McMenamin (via Twitter), the Lakers may also consider adding more than one player with its mid-level exception money. In that scenario, point guard Dennis Schröder and shooting guard Eric Gordon could be targets, sources tell McMemamin.
  • Gordon is looking to land with a contender that will have a defined rotation gig for his services, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Beyond the Lakers, sources tell The Athletic that the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Bucks, Suns, and Trail Blazers have some interest.
  • After declining to tender a qualifying offer to center Omer Yurtseven, the Heat don’t appear to be focused on trying to re-sign him to a minimum-salary deal, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). “We’re grateful we got a chance to be there,” agent Keith Glass said, per Jackson. “We’ll try to find a place that values him and helps him reach his potential.”
  • Free agent power forward Kyle Kuzma appears more likely to end up with the Rockets than the Kings, but Sacramento shouldn’t be ruled out entirely as a Kuzma landing spot, per James Ham of Kings Beat. Sources inform Ham that the Kings’ own incumbent free agent starting power forward, Harrison Barnes, is hoping to earn a deal that pays him $20MM annually.
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Trade Rumors: Harden, Lewis, Morris, Wright, Capela, Nowell

June 29th, 2023 at 6:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he’s said to be “very positive” about the Sixers‘ direction, James Harden‘s preference is that Philadelphia trade him, according to Mark Medina of Sportsnaut (Twitter links). For their part, the 76ers are listening to offers, but will only move forward on a trade if it’s “really good” and keeps them in title contention, Medina says, adding that the club is comfortable hanging onto Harden if such a deal doesn’t materialize.

[RELATED: James Harden picks up option, working with Sixers on trade]

The Clippers and Knicks were the first two potential trade partners reported to be eyeing Harden, but Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) hears that New York’s interest is “far from uniform throughout the organization.”

Begley believes the Clippers’ interest is stronger than the Knicks’, and it sounds like Steve Popper of Newsday agrees — he suggests (via Twitter) that New York’s preference may be to get involved as a third team alongside L.A. in the hopes of landing Paul George. I’m skeptical the Clippers would be enthusiastic about moving PG13 as part of a deal for Harden, but George’s name has come up in a few trade rumors so far this offseason.

During a television appearance (Twitter video link via Evan Sidery), Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN referred to the Clippers as Harden’s “most prominent” suitor, though he stressed that Los Angeles won’t want to give up any of its “good young players” in a deal for the Sixers guard and would prefer to build a package out of expiring contracts and perhaps a draft pick.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:

  • The Pelicans are exploring the trade market for a potential deal involving Kira Lewis, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who tweets that a trade could provide the former 13th overall pick with an opportunity to play more for a new team. Lewis has appeared in just 103 games for the Pelicans across three seasons, including 25 in 2022/23. An ACL tear in December 2021 limited his availability over the last two seasons, but he hasn’t been a major part of New Orleans’ rotation even when healthy. The club also reportedly made him available in trade discussions at February’s deadline.
  • With the Wizards believed to be seeking draft assets for guards Monte Morris and Delon Wright, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spoke to rival executives who believe Washington could get at least one second-round pick – and maybe two – for each player.
  • Although Hawks star Trae Young likes playing with big man Clint Capela, the team has been open to discussing Capela in trade talks this offseason in part because it wants to open up more playing time for Onyeka Okongwu, says Scotto.
  • The Timberwolves are open to sign-and-trade scenarios involving guard Jaylen Nowell, league sources tell HoopsHype. Scotto doesn’t say anything about the Wolves working to re-sign Nowell, so it sounds like he won’t be a top priority for the team.
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Lakers Waive Shaquille Harrison

June 29th, 2023 at 5:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have waived Shaquille Harrison, the team announced (via Twitter).

Harrison’s $2,413,304 salary for 2023/24 was non-guaranteed, so the move creates some cap space and roster flexibility ahead of free agency.

The veteran guard spent most of the ’22/23 season in the G League for the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s affiliate, earning a spot on the NBAGL All-Defensive Team. He signed a 10-day deal with the Blazers at the end of the season before signing with the Lakers for the playoffs.

Harrison didn’t appear in any regular season games for the Lakers, but did play 28 minutes over eight playoff games. The 29-year-old defensive stalwart will hit unrestricted free agency in a couple days assuming he clears the waiver wire.

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Suns Guaranteeing Last Season Of Cameron Payne’s Contract

June 29th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Suns are fully guaranteeing the final season of point guard Cameron Payne‘s contract for 2023/24, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

Payne’s deal had been partially guaranteed for $2MM, and now will become fully guaranteed for $6.5MM.

With injury-prone former starter Chris Paul having been offloaded as part of the deal that brought veteran guard Bradley Beal to Phoenix, the club may have an opening at starting point guard. Beal and All-Star guard Devin Booker both could handle the team’s primary play-making duties at the position, but Payne may also be utilized as the official starter while Beal and Booker are used at shooting guard and small forward.

During Beal’s introductory Suns presser today, head coach Frank Vogel said that Payne would be “in the mix” for a starting role, depending on how the rest of the team’s offseason roster building played out, Rankin tweets.

The 6’1″ vet, inked his current three-year, $19MM deal with the Suns in 2021, after reviving his career as a productive 2020/21 as Paul’s backup on an NBA Finals-bound club.

Last season, the 28-year-old averaged 10.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.2 RPG, and 0.7 SPG in his 48 healthy games with Phoenix last year. He posted that scoring number on a slash line of .415/.368/.766. Injuries to his foot and lower back limited his availability for the club, both during the regular season and playoffs.

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No QOs For Suns’ Bazley, Cavs’ Windler, Heat’s Yurtseven

June 29th, 2023 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns opted not to issue a qualifying offer to forward Darius Bazley, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As a result, Bazley will become an unrestricted free agent rather than restricted.

The decision doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since Bazley’s qualifying offer would have been worth approximately $6.2MM. While it’s not clear if Phoenix is interested in re-signing the former first-round pick, the team will hold his Bird rights and could probably re-sign him at a more team-friendly rate.

Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler also didn’t receive a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent, reports Scotto (Twitter link).

Windler was never considered likely to get a QO, which would’ve been worth just shy of $6MM. He has been limited by injuries in his first four NBA seasons and hasn’t become a rotation player in Cleveland, appearing in just 84 total games.

Heat center Omer Yurtseven is another player who was eligible for a qualifying offer but didn’t receive one, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Yurtseven’s QO is only worth a projected $2.22MM ($200K more than his minimum salary), but the Heat will be cost-conscious about how they fill out their roster, given that their team salary projects to go well beyond the luxury tax line.

The following players did receive qualifying offers and will be restricted free agents:

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Magic Exercise Option On Bitadze, Decline Two Others

June 29th, 2023 at 4:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Magic have exercised their team option on reserve center Goga Bitadze for the 2023/24 season, while turning down their options on veteran point guard Michael Carter-Williams and combo forward Admiral Schofield, the club has announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Bitadze’s team option is worth $2,066,585. Carter-Williams would have earned $3.1MM next year, while Schofield’s option was worth $2MM.

Bitadze, still just 23, joined the Magic midway through 2022/23 after spending his prior three-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Pacers. He carved out a role as a valuable bench option for a super-sized young Orlando club after being waived by Indiana.

Across his 17 healthy contests for Orlando, the 6’11” big man averaged 5.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.9 BPG in just 15.0 MPG.

Though Orlando finished outside of the postseason picture with a 34-48 record last year, the rebuilding team is loaded with intriguing lottery talent among its starters, including the two picks the Magic added in last week’s draft, former Arkansas guard Anthony Black and ex-Michigan swingman Jett Howard. Bitadze makes sense for the timeline of the team as a young, cost-efficient option off the bench with plenty of upside left.

Carter-Williams, the 2013/14 Rookie of the Year, returned to the Magic in February after the club waived him during the 2021/22 season, as he was recovering from a left ankle surgery. He appeared in just four games during this most recent stint with Orlando, averaging 4.3 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.3 RPG in 11 MPG. It remains to be seen if the well-traveled 31-year-old will get another league opportunity.

The 6’5″ Schofield has spent two of his three NBA seasons thus far with the Magic. In 37 games last year, he averaged 4.2 PPG on .451/.324/.913 shooting splits.

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Pelicans Decline Options On Jones, Hernangomez; Will Make Hayes UFA

June 29th, 2023 at 4:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans are declining their team options on Herbert Jones and Willy Hernangomez and opted against issuing a qualifying offer to Jaxson Hayes, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter) and Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

Declining Jones’ $1.84MM option makes him a restricted free agent and the two sides plan to discuss a long-term contract, per Charania. The move is a little odd though, because he would have been a restricted free agent in 2024 even if the Pelicans had picked up the option.

Since he just finished his second season, New Orleans will only have Jones’ Early Bird rights, so he’ll be an Arenas provision restricted free agent, the same as Lakers guard Austin Reaves. It seems likely that the Pelicans have a good sense of what he might sign for by going this route, though they’ll be limited in what they can offer him outright.

Jones has made a major impact for the Pelicans after being selected 35th overall two years ago, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.6 SPG on .473/.336/.802 shooting in 144 games (135 starts, 29.8 MPG). He’s a top-tier defender, earning All-Defensive votes as a rookie.

Unlike Jones, Hernangomez and Hayes are headed for unrestricted free agency. Both centers were reserves in ’22/23, receiving situational minutes but not much more.

Hernangomez, 29, just completed his seventh season, having made previous stops with the Knicks and Hornets. He averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 38 games last season (12.1 MPG) and is reportedly a positive locker room presence.

Hayes, meanwhile, has mostly disappointed after being picked eighth overall in 2019, averaging just 5.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 47 games (13.0 MPG) in ’22/23. He’s still only 23, is a strong athlete, and there are a dearth of big men on the market, so he could be a buy-low candidate in free agency.

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Josh Hart Picking Up Player Option With Knicks

June 29th, 2023 at 4:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Knicks swingman Josh Hart is picking up his $12.9MM player option for the 2023/24 season and will return to New York, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter), the 6’5″ small forward will now be eligible for a four-year extension worth over $80MM starting in August.

Hart has enjoyed a well-traveled journeyman career as a 3-and-D wing, having played for four clubs in his six NBA seasons. He was selected with the No. 30 pick out of Villanova in 2017, and spent his first two seasons with the Lakers as an intriguing reserve. He was included as a portion of the trade package that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles from the Pelicans. New Orleans then flipped him to Portland in during the 2021/22 season.

The 28-year-old was flipped to the Knicks by the Trail Blazers in 2022/23, and emerged as a critical two-way piece on a solid 47-35 Eastern Conference playoff club.

Across his 25 regular season contests with New York, Hart averaged 10.2 PPG on .586/.519/.789 shooting splits, along with 7.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.5 BPG.

During his first-ever playoffs this spring, Hart averaged comparable numbers, though his shooting efficiency took a major hit while he exerted himself defensively against tougher competition.

He logged postseason averages of 10.4 PPG on .479/.313/.636 shooting splits, 7.4 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.8 SPG in 11 games with New York, including five starts.

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Nickeil Alexander-Walker To Become Unrestricted Free Agent

June 29th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves have decided against issuing a qualifying offer to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, making the former first-round pick an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

However, according to Scotto, the Wolves are still hopeful Alexander-Walker is open to reunion after they acquired him in February via trade. Minnesota could have made him a restricted free agent and had the right of first refusal had the team extended the $7,073,602 QO, but instead he’ll hit the open market.

The 17th pick of the 2019 draft, Alexander-Walker spent his first two-plus seasons with the Pelicans before being moved at the 2022 trade deadline. He was technically a Trail Blazer for one day before being re-routed to Utah, where he spent a year prior to being sent to Minnesota four months ago.

In 59 games (15.0 MPG) with the Jazz and Wolves in 2022/23, Alexander-Walker averaged 5.9 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.7 RPG on .444/.384/.667 shooting. He also chipped in 8.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.4 APG on .429/.400/.667 shooting in five playoff games (29.6 MPG).

While those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, he made major strides defensively last season, playing a critical role down the stretch for the Wolves as a perimeter stopper. That role increased due to late-season injuries to key rotation players like Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and to a lesser extent Kyle Anderson, who sustained an eye injury in Minnesota’s first-round loss to the Nuggets.

Still just 24 years old, the Canadian guard/forward will be an interesting player to monitor when free agency kicks off tomorrow. Alexander-Walker should have plenty of suitors given his blend of skills, particularly defensively.

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