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Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green

July 3rd, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Luke Adams

9:18pm: Leonard won’t make a decision tonight and may not announce his intentions for a few days, a source tells Jabari Young of The Athletic (Twitter link). Leonard plans to thoroughly review his options with his representatives before choosing one. Contrary to reports, Young states that Leonard hasn’t discussed a two-year deal with any of the three teams involved.

5:11pm: Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1 provides an update on the situation, emphasizing that Leonard hasn’t reached a decision and the Raptors, Lakers and Clippers all remain under consideration (Twitter link). He also cautions not to expect a quick answer.

4:39pm: Day four of the Kawhi Leonard Watch took an unusual turn today, as word leaked out that the private plane belonging to MLSE – the group that owns the Raptors – was bound for Toronto from Los Angeles.

While there was no official confirmation that Leonard himself was on board, Canadian news network CP24 captured video of the plane touching down in Toronto, with its occupants piling into a pair of SUVs and driving downtown to a hotel where president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri had reportedly been spotted earlier in the day — and where a crowd of Torontonians gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of the Finals MVP (video link via James Wattie of CBC Toronto).

We still don’t have any formal updates on whether Leonard will choose the Raptors, Lakers, and Clippers, but if Kawhi’s camp traveled to Toronto for its meeting with the defending champs rather than hosting the team in Los Angeles, that doesn’t seem like a bad sign for the Raptors’ chances.

ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose added some fuel to that fire today by declaring during an episode of Get Up (video link) that he has heard with “99%” certainty that Leonard will be re-signing with the Raptors on a two-year deal that would put him in line to reach free agency again when he has 10 years of experience and qualifies for a higher maximum salary.

While Rose has been right about Leonard in the past, he’s not typically a news-breaker, so it’s probably not safe to treat his latest report as gospel quite yet. Leonard’s camp has been tight-lipped throughout the process — until they make an official announcement or leak word of Kawhi’s decision to a trusted reporter, we’re not jumping to any conclusions.

Meanwhile, Danny Green‘s free agent decision will likely be impacted by Leonard’s, since the shooting guard has interest in running it back with the Raptors if his longtime teammate stays in Toronto. Green’s podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford offered an update in the wake of Rose’s pronouncement, tweeting that the best offer that Green has received so far – in terms of years and money – has been from the Mavericks.

However, Sanford added that Green would strongly consider a return to Toronto – likely on a two-year deal – if Kawhi stays. Green also wouldn’t rule out going to the Lakers, according to Sanford, who notes that the Lakers’ offer could increase if they don’t land Leonard.

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Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Morris, Knicks, Wizards, Wolves

July 2nd, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have interest in free agent forward Marcus Morris, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, confirming a report from Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link). However, Dallas has “a few [players] ahead” of Morris on their wish list, according to Townsend.

Danny Green is one of those names believed to be ahead of Morris. The Mavericks have been linked to the veteran sharpshooter since the start of free agency, and a tweet from the account for Green’s podcast today listed the Mavs, Raptors, and Lakers as the teams still in play for the veteran shooting guard. The Mavs aren’t expecting an answer from Green until tomorrow at the earliest though, says Townsend.

Here’s more on the NBA’s remaining free agents:

  • The Knicks project to have one slot open on their 15-man roster for next season, and Lance Thomas is the favorite to fill it, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). New York recently waived Thomas to avoid guaranteeing his 2019/20 salary, but could bring him back on a more modest deal.
  • The Wizards haven’t circled back to free agent forward Jabari Parker so far, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link), who says that the market is “still developing” for the former No. 2 overall pick.
  • The Timberwolves have kicked the tires on free agent forward Jake Layman, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. Layman received a qualifying offer from the Trail Blazers, so he’s a restricted free agent.
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Latest On Kawhi Leonard

July 2nd, 2019 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After seemingly all of the rest of the top NBA free agents came off the board on Sunday night, the basketball world continues to wait on Kawhi Leonard, who is mulling whether to sign with the Raptors, Lakers, or Clippers. Here’s the latest on Kawhi:

  • Leonard has completed his meetings with the Lakers and Clippers, and is meeting with the Raptors today, a league source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • Team officials for the Lakers and Clippers “appear determined” to say as little as possible about the process to avoid upsetting Leonard or his reps, since Kawhi’s camp has “insisted on total silence,” tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
  • Despite that apparent insistence on silence, much of the Leonard-related chatter this week has focused on the Lakers. Stein tweets that the Lakers believe they’re “firmly in the lead” for the Finals MVP based on LeBron James‘ and Magic Johnson‘s recruiting efforts. An earlier report suggested that no frontrunner has emerged.
  • The Raptors haven’t backed off at all in their efforts to re-sign Leonard, according to Stein, who tweets that rapper – and Raptors global ambassador – Drake may be “mounting his own recruiting campaign” outside of Toronto’s formal pitch.
  • The general belief throughout free agency has been that Danny Green will wait on Leonard’s announcement before making his own free agency decision. However, Green’s podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas today that Green is “considering not waiting” on Kawhi (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). Green and his agent are scheduled to discuss things tonight, Sanford added. The Mavericks, Raptors, Lakers, and Clippers are believed to have interest in the veteran sharpshooter.
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Free Agent Rumors: Cousins, Kawhi, D. Green, Ennis

July 2nd, 2019 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

Big man DeMarcus Cousins is perhaps the biggest name left among free agents besides Kawhi Leonard, but there doesn’t appear to be much of a market for him, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on the network (video link). According to Wojnarowski, it’s not even necessarily a lock that Cousins will exceed the one-year, $5.34MM deal he signed with the Warriors a year ago.

In a separate appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), Woj suggested that a one-year deal below $10MM for Cousins appears to be the most likely scenario, while ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed to the Lakers as one team that might be a fit in terms of cap room — but only if they fail to land Leonard.

Here’s more on some of the remaining free agents:

  • Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins (Twitter link) hears that Kawhi Leonard met with the Clippers on Monday night, though Perkins believes the Lakers have the “upper hand” of the two L.A. teams. After meeting with the Clippers and Lakers, Kawhi is expected to give the Raptors the chance to make the final pitch before he finalizes his decision.
  • The Mavericks are in “strong position” to land free agent shooting guard Danny Green, regardless of what happens with Leonard’s free agency, tweets his podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford. According to Sanford (via Twitter), Dallas views Green as a valuable floor spacer and locker-room presence.
  • With approximately $4MM in cap space and their $4.8MM room exception still available, the Knicks have checked in on free agent wing James Ennis, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. According to Begley (via Twitter), the Lakers and Clippers are also among the clubs that have touched base with Ennis since free agency started.
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Free Agent Rumors: Dudley, Beverley, McGee, Green

July 1st, 2019 at 12:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The new-look Nets may be close to bringing back one of their locker room leaders, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Jared Dudley is interested in signing up for another season in Brooklyn, a source tells Scotto.

Dudley, who will turn 34 next month, also contributed on the court in his first season with the Nets, averaging 4.9 PPG in 59 games and shooting 35% from 3-point range. Dudley is also drawing interest from the Pistons and met with Detroit officials today, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

  • The Mavericks’ planned discussion with Patrick Beverley didn’t happen tonight, relays Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), who speculates that it was because of the team’s involvement in a three-way trade with the Heat and Sixers. Townsend adds that the Mavs’ chances of landing Beverley seem less likely than they were earlier.
  • Dallas is optimistic about reaching a deal with restricted free agent Maxi Kleber, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. He cites “productive discussions” between the Mavericks and the power forward/center.
  • JaVale McGee has a meeting set with the Pistons tomorrow, relays Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The free agent center talked to the Rockets today.
  • Danny Green spoke on his Instagram account about meeting with the Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers and Raptors, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. “Being patient, man,” he said of the process. “Being patient.”
  • The Wizards would still like to re-sign Tomas Satoransky, but are looking into other options at point guard, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Hughes states that they are interested in Quinn Cook and notes that Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported an inquiry about Cory Joseph.
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Free Agency Rumors: Leonard, Oubre Jr, Looney, Bullock, Green

June 30th, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by JD Shaw

Former Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson had a positive conversation with star free agent Kawhi Leonard and his uncle Dennis Robertson on Sunday, Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times report.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka reached out to Leonard at the start of free agency, according to the report, with Los Angeles focused on adding Leonard to a roster that already includes star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Leonard’s camp originally requested that the Lakers only send owner Jeanie Buss to any potential meeting, but the group is now considering adding Pelinka to the equation, according to Ganguli and Turner. It’s widely believed that the Clippers, Lakers and Raptors are the front-runners for his services.

Here are some other free agent rumors tonight:

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Free Agent Rumors: Middleton, Butler, Kanter, Temple

June 30th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the quietness surrounding the free agency destination of Bucks’ All-Star forward Khris Middleton is because interested front offices are universally presuming that Middleton is going back to Milwaukee on a “monster” five-year deal.

Middleton, 27, is eligible to sign a five-year, $189.904MM maximum-salary contract with the Bucks, while rival suitors can only (relatively speaking, of course) offer up to $140.791MM over four years.

Echoing Stein’s sentiment from rival front offices, Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box reports that Middleton is expected to re-sign with Milwaukee, adding that Brook Lopez and George Hill are also considered good bets to return.

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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.
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Lakers Trading Wagner, Bonga, Jones To Wizards; AD Waiving Trade Kicker

June 27th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have found a way to maximize their projected cap room for free agency, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is sending Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones to the Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis trade. Additionally, Davis has agreed to waive his $4MM trade kicker, per Wojnarowski.

As a result of those developments, the Lakers will be able to generate just over $32MM in cap room based on the projected $109MM cap. That’s more than enough space for a maximum salary for a player with less than seven years of NBA experience ($27.25MM), and puts them in the ballpark of the max for a player in the 7-9 year range ($32.7MM).

[RELATED: NBA Maximum Salary Projections For 2019/20]

Here’s how the Lakers’ moves will work once the July moratorium lifts on July 6:

Prior to completing the Davis deal, the Lakers will have approximately $32MM in cap room after accounting for eight players, the cap hold for the No. 4 pick, and three empty roster charges. The team will use that room in free agency, with ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeting that L.A. is still considering whether it will commit all that money to a single star or split it up among two or three players.

If the Lakers go after a single star, D’Angelo Russell and Kawhi Leonard are among the presumed targets. According to Wojnarowski, players like Danny Green, Terrence Ross, and Seth Curry could be among the club’s targets if it breaks up its cap space.

Once that space is used up, the Lakers will complete its agreements with the Pelicans and Wizards as part of a single three-way trade. In order to acquire Davis, whose salary is $27,093,018, the Lakers will have to send out at least $21,594,415 in total to meet salary-matching requirements as an over-the-cap team. They’ll do so with the following contracts:

Jones’ salary is non-guaranteed, which means it currently counts for $0 for salary-matching purposes. Without it, the Lakers would fall just under $200K shy of the salary they need, since the unsigned No. 4 pick would also count for $0 for matching purposes (draftees who sign rookie contracts can be used for salary matching, but can’t be traded for 30 days). As such, according to Marks (via Twitter), Jones’ salary will be partially guaranteed for $199K, allowing the Lakers to meet the necessary outgoing-salary threshold.

The Wizards, who will use trade exceptions to take on the incoming players, will also receive the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. In order to officially make it a three-team deal – and to incentivize the Pelicans to sign off – Washington will send $1.1MM in cash to New Orleans, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. That’s the minimum amount necessary to satisfy the “touch” rules in a three-team trade, tweets Marks.

While the Lakers’ motivation for the deal is obvious, it’s not a bad arrangement for the Wizards either. As an over-the-cap team, Washington didn’t have many other avenues to add talent this offseason, and have several rotation players facing free agency.

The Wizards will now get a chance to take fliers on Wagner and Bonga while also picking up a future second-round pick. They had interest in Wagner leading up to the 2018 draft, according to Wojnarowski, who tweets that the big man will get an opportunity in D.C.

In other Davis-related news, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that LeBron James has agreed to give up his uniform number (No. 23) to AD in an effort to make the big man as comfortable as possible in Los Angeles. Davis is “extremely grateful,” Haynes adds. It’s not clear yet which number James will wear in 2019/20, but he was No. 6 during his years with the Heat.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Rockets Eyeing Danny Green, Jeremy Lamb, Others

June 26th, 2019 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

While Jimmy Butler is the Rockets‘ “dream addition,” the team has its eye on a number of other potential targets in free agency, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.

[RELATED: Rockets to pursue sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler]

A source with knowledge of the Rockets’ plans tells Amick that Danny Green, Jeremy Lamb, Al-Farouq Aminu, DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez, and Kevon Looney are among the veteran free agents that have piqued the club’s interest.

General manager Daryl Morey has indicated that the Rockets would like to add a third star to complement James Harden and Chris Paul, whose supposedly “unsalvageable” relationship was referred to as “fake news” by P.J. Tucker within Amick’s story. Multiple reports have identified Butler as the team’s most likely target.

However, there are a number of roadblocks standing in the way of acquiring Butler — the Sixers would have to agree to a sign-and-trade, a third team would likely have to be involved due to Base Year Compensation rules, and Houston’s ability to fill out a roster around Harden, Paul, and Butler would be extremely limited due to a hard cap. And, of course, Butler would have to want to go to Houston badly enough to try to make it all work.

If the Rockets strike out on Butler, they’re more likely to simply operate as an over-the-cap team and make use of the mid-level exception to add another rotation player to their core. Depending on the club’s proximity to the tax apron, that mid-level could either be worth about $9.25MM (full) or $5.71MM (taxpayer).

That’s where the free agents listed above would come in to play, though even some of those guys – including Green, Lamb, and Lopez – may be out of reach with the mid-level (especially the taxpayer MLE) unless they’re willing to take a bit of a discount. All the players named by Amick will be unrestricted free agents this summer.

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