Kristaps Porzingis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Lopez, Rockets, DiVincenzo, Warriors, Saric, Mavs, Gordon, FVV, More

June 30th, 2023 at 3:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks center Brook Lopez is expected to be offered a two-year contract worth approximately $40MM from the Rockets, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports.

Houston, which has the most cap space this summer, has a meeting lined up with Lopez. The veteran center’s free agent decision is expected to come down to remaining in Milwaukee or joining the Rockets. The Rockets have a 20-year-old center in Alperen Sengun, a 2021 first-rounder, but Lopez could serve as a mentor to Houston’s youthful big men while stabilizing its defense and stretching the floor offensively.

We have more free agent news:

Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo has four meetings lined up on Friday and Saturday, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. DiVincenzo entered the market when he declined his $4.7MM option. The Knicks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Pistons, Rockets, Magic, and Bulls have all been mentioned as potential pursuers for DiVincenzo, who could command the full $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Warriors can only offer a four-year, $23.2MM deal due to cap restrictions since they only held his Non-Bird rights.
The Warriors are likely to land unrestricted free agent Dario Saric, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Golden State is looking for a stretch four with a high basketball IQ and solid all-around skills. The 29-year-old Saric would also fit the team’s win-now approach. Saric, who tore his ACL during the 2021 playoffs, appeared in a total of 57 regular-season games with the Suns and Thunder this past season. The Warriors are generally seeking to sign swingmen and frontcourt players who shoot well on veteran’s minimum contracts, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears tweets.
Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams will likely have to be patient to find an interested bidder, according to Fischer. Though the Celtics have acquired Kristaps Porzingis, it’s not out of the question Boston could match an offer sheet for Williams, who reportedly will have difficulty finding an offer above the non-taypayer mid-level exception.
The Mavericks has been linked to various wings and forwards, including Williams, Jae Crowder, Eric Gordon, and Malik Beasley, Fischer adds. League executives who have spoken to Yahoo Sports believe Gordon, who will enter the market after the Clippers decided not to guarantee his contract, could command the full mid-level or close to it.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is meeting with Toronto’s brass at the start of free agency and there’s optimism within the organization they can keep him in the fold, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. According to Grange, a four-year deal averaging $30MM might be enough to convince VanVleet, who declined a $22.8MM option in order to enter free agency, to re-sign.

Eastern Notes: Simmons, Porzingis, Hawks, Fernando, Sixers

June 29th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nets guard Ben Simmons will not partake in this year’s World Cup, Basketball Australia has announced in an official statement (Twitter link).

According to Basketball Australia, Brooklyn and Simmons have opted to withhold the former No. 1 overall pick so that he can continue to rehabilitate his ailing back ahead of the 2023/24 NBA season. Net Income of Nets Daily writes that the club is hopeful Simmons will be recovered by the start of September, just in time for training camp.

The former All-Star appeared in just 42 games for Brooklyn in 2022/23 after returning from back surgery, averaging 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.3 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 26.3 MPG.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

New Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is excited about his new opportunity to play for a perennial Eastern Conference contender, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Porzingis explained his decision to opt into his $36MM option for next season, which helped enable his trade from the Wizards. “[It was] an opportunity to play for a really good team already and be able to add to that,” Porzingis said. “And hopefully to help these guys, make their life easier, and being on a high-level organization like Boston, historic franchise, iconic franchise, it made it extremely easy for me to make that decision.”
The Hawks have made some changes to their front office personnel, Atlanta has announced in a press release. Longtime league agent Chris Emens is joining the team as an executive advisor. The Hawks are also adding Blake Johnson as the club’s director of player engagement. Atlanta also revealed that a variety of executives have been promoted to new positions: vice president of player personnel Dotun Akinwale Jr.; senior vice president of salary cap administration Michelle Leftwich; vice president of basketball operations Grant Liffmann; senior vice president of team operations Dan Martinez; vice president of player personnel and basketball intelligence Tori Miller; principal advisor to the governor Nick Ressler; and vice president of cap strategy/player personnel Ryan Silverstein.
The Hawks have pushed back reserve center Bruno Fernando‘s salary guarantee deadline from June 29 to July 10, reports Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Upon being shipped to Atlanta in February from Houston, the 6’9″ big man appeared in just eight contests for the team, averaging 3.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 5.1 MPG. Fernando will receive his full $2.58MM salary for 2023/24 if he remains under contract through July 10.
Assistant coaches Fabulous Flournoy and Toure’ Murry are joining new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse‘s bench, a team source has informed Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The addition of another assistant, Doug West, had previously been reported.

Stein’s Latest: Reid, Spurs, Pistons, Johnson, Rose, Porzingis, Jazz

June 26th, 2023 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs were among the teams who were interested in signing Timberwolves big man Naz Reid before he agreed to a three-year, $42MM extension, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

San Antonio was seeking a veteran center to ease the burden on No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama during his rookie season. However, the Spurs may have only planned to offer Reid a one-year deal.

The Mavericks were among the teams with the full $12.4MM mid-level exception available who were known to have interest in Reid, Stein adds.

Here are some more tidbits from Stein:

The Pistons’ interest in Nets restricted free agent Cameron Johnson, which has previously been reported by Stein, is genuine, he reiterates. There’s rising belief around the league that he’s their No. 1 free agent target, even though the Nets have the right to match. Detroit is projected to have over $30MM in cap space.
The Suns, Bucks and Bulls have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Derrick Rose, according to Stein. The Knicks declined to pick up their $15.6MM option on Rose for next season. However, Rose’s time in New York isn’t necessarily over — the Knicks may re-sign him at a lower number if his other options don’t pan out, Stein says.
If Kristaps Porzingis had chosen to decline his player option, the Jazz were prepared to make offer for more money than the Celtics can give him via a two-year, $77MM extension, per Stein. They were also interested in being the third party to facilitate the trade between the Wizards and Celtics. Boston was Porzingis’ preferred destination, however.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Smart, Brogdon, Walsh

June 24th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

At a post-draft press conference, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens expressed hope that the Celtics can work out an extension with newly acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Speaking shortly after the three-team deal that brought Porzingis to Boston was finalized, Stevens said he provides the team with plenty of flexibility.

“He can play defensively the way we want to,” Stevens said. “He’s a deterrent at the rim, and he’s a super-skilled basketball player. We didn’t post up a ton this year, but to be able to throw the ball in the post and just shoot over a switch and do it so efficiently and effectively is a big deal, let alone being able to play behind the line, shoot the ball or drive it, or those types of things. He brings a lot to our team. You can envision, as I can envision, some of the lineups we can put out there size-wise right now, pretty intriguing and without dropping any skill at all.”

Porzingis picked up his $36MM option for 2023/24 to make the trade possible, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer if a new agreement isn’t reached. Beginning July 6, he will be eligible for an extension worth up to $77MM over two years.

There’s more from Boston, all courtesy of Himmelsbach:

As excited as he is to add Porzingis, Stevens admitted it was difficult to part with Marcus Smart, who was sent to Memphis in the deal. Smart spent nine years with the Celtics, starting with Stevens’ second season as head coach, and Himmelsbach notes that Stevens choked up a little when talking about his departure. “Obviously everybody loved the way he plays and how hard he plays, but also his work in the community,” Stevens said. “We’re all really grateful to have had Marcus in our life for as long as we’ve had and are sad to see him go, but know that he’s going to have a huge impact on a really good Memphis team.”
Stevens is optimistic about Malcolm Brogdon, even though the Clippers pulled out of an earlier version of the three-team trade because of concerns over Brogdon’s health. L.A. reportedly didn’t want to commit to the deal without having a chance to perform a physical on Brogdon, who suffered an injury to his right arm in the Eastern Conference Finals. Stevens told Himmelsbach he’s not sure if Brogdon will need surgery, but he isn’t worried that it will be a long-term issue.
The Celtics were willing to trade down several times in Thursday’s draft because they had numerous targets they would have been happy with, Stevens adds. They wound up with Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh, who worked out twice in Boston. “He’s a good prospect,” Stevens said. “He’s young. We don’t expect him to come in and take the world on fire. He has a special ability laterally with his wingspan to, like, swallow people up defensively. He really creates havoc with his arms and with his energy and with his ability to move his feet.”

Stein’s Latest: Porzingis, Jazz, Hawks, Mavs, Pistons, Johnson

June 24th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Rival teams were “convinced” the Jazz were going to make a run at Kristaps Porzingis in free agency if he had declined his $36MM player option, Marc Stein writes at Substack. As Stein details, the threat of losing Porzingis for nothing may have motivated the Wizards to find compensation for him before his opt-out deadline. They found a way to send him to his preferred destination — the Celtics — despite an initial roadblock after the Clippers had concerns over Malcolm Brogdon‘s health.

The Celtics are “strongly expected” to sign Porzingis to a contract extension this offseason, Stein adds.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Hawks and Mavericks, who held frequent talks about deals involving the 10th and 15th overall picks leading up to the draft, couldn’t find common ground because Atlanta wanted to include John Collins in a proposed deal, while Dallas preferred Clint Capela. According to Stein, the Hawks told the Mavs they’d move No. 15 and Capela for No. 10 and Davis Bertans if Josh Green was also included in the package, but Dallas didn’t go for it.
The Hawks remain active in trade talks and appear most motivated to move Collins, but Capela and De’Andre Hunter are drawing more interest, per Stein. The Hawks, who have been trying and failing – so far – to convince the Raptors to part with Pascal Siakam, had talks with the Pistons and Pacers prior to the draft about deals involving Hunter and the Nos. 5 and 7 picks.
With the additional flexibility they created by dumping Bertans’ salary, the Mavericks are in a better position to use their mid-level exception to pursue a wing, according to Stein, who names Bruce Brown as a possible Dallas free agent target.
Having previously reported that the Pistons are expected to be as suitor for Cameron Johnson in free agency, Stein says the Nets RFA forward continues to be cited by league sources as an “increasingly likely” target for Detroit. The Pistons will have the cap space necessary to put pressure on Brooklyn with a substantial offer sheet if they so choose.

Rory Maher contributed to this story.

Porzingis To Celtics, Smart To Grizzlies, Jones To Wizards In Three-Team Trade

June 23rd, 2023 at 1:16am CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 23: The three-team blockbuster is official, according to a press release from the Celtics.

As our draft recap shows, the No. 25 and No. 35 draft picks included in this deal were both flipped to new teams in separate draft-night trade agreements.

JUNE 21: After their three-team framework with the Clippers was scrapped, the Wizards and Celtics have reached a new agreement to send Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

The Grizzlies will also be involved in the revamped three-team deal, with point guard Tyus Jones heading to Washington and Celtics guard Marcus Smart headed to Memphis, per Wojnarowski.

Celtics big men Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari will be sent to the Wizards in the trade, according to Adam Himmselbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter links). Muscala has a $3.5MM team option, which will be exercised as part of the deal.

The Celtics will be receiving Memphis’ first-round pick (No. 25) and Golden State’s top-four protected 2024 first-round pick (via Memphis) for Smart, while the Wizards will acquire No. 35 from Boston for Porzingis.

Although Boston still found a way to acquire Porzingis, who picked up his $36MM player option for 2023/24 as part of the agreement, the incoming and outgoing packages are significantly different than the ones the team discussed with Washington and the Clippers earlier on Wednesday.

Rather than sending out Malcolm Brogdon, the Celtics will lose Smart, the longest-tenured player on the roster who had appeared in nearly 700 total regular season and playoff games for the franchise since 2014. It was widely known that Boston was looking to clear a logjam in its backcourt, but it’s a surprise that Smart will be the odd man out rather than Brogdon or Payton Pritchard. Derrick White appears likely to become the new starting point guard in Boston.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Clippers had concerns over Brogdon’s injury status. The veteran guard tore a tendon in his right elbow this year and is reportedly hoping to avoid surgery.

Having agreed to give up Smart instead of Brogdon, the Celtics will acquire a pair of first-round picks in addition to Porzingis, who is coming off perhaps the best season of his career. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 65 games (32.6 MPG) in 2022/23, posting a shooting line of .498/.385/.851.

According to Stein, Porzingis is hoping to sign an extension with the Celtics and there’s a “strong expectation” that he’ll get two years tacked onto his current contract once he becomes eligible for a new deal in July.

Assuming the Celtics hang onto the No. 25 pick, their projected 2023/24 team salary will increase by about $10MM as a result of this deal, pushing their payroll toward the second tax apron, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It will be interesting to see what the financial outlook – and the addition of Porzingis – means for restricted free agent Grant Williams, who is hardly a lock to re-sign.

The Wizards, meanwhile, continue their roster reset following the hiring of Michael Winger to run their front office. The team previously agreed to trade Bradley Beal to Phoenix and has focused on avoiding multiyear salary commitments in both deals — Jones ($14MM expiring contract), Gallinari ($6.8MM), and Muscala ($3.5MM) are all on track to reach unrestricted free agency by 2024.

While Gallinari and Muscala look like mere salary-matching inclusions, Jones and the No. 35 overall pick are positive assets.

The Wizards could probably accumulate more draft picks if they were to flip Jones to another team, but it sounds like the plan is to make him their starting point guard in 2023/24, per ESPN’s reporting. Monte Morris and Delon Wright are also in that point guard picture for the time being, as is Chris Paul, though he may be traded to a new team or bought out.

It’s an especially interesting move for the Grizzlies, who will be without star point guard Ja Morant for the first 25 games of 2023/24 while he serves a suspension. Jones, one of the league’s top reserve point guards in recent years, projected to be the starter in Morant’s absence, but now that job may belong to Smart.

Besides being able to handle point guard duties, Smart – the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year – will provide the Grizzlies with the sort of perimeter stopper they’ll be losing when Dillon Brooks departs in free agency this offseason. As Stein writes, he should also bring some veteran leadership and stability to Memphis’ locker room.

Smart will receive a $1MM trade bonus as a result of the deal, according to Marks (Twitter link). That money will be spread out across the remaining years on his contract, slightly bumping his cap hits for each season.

The Grizzlies now project to be about $20MM below next season’s tax line, so they should have the full mid-level exception available to spend in free agency if they so choose, Marks adds (via Twitter).

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Wizards Notes: Draft, Dawkins, Ownership, Trades

June 22nd, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards possess the eighth pick in the first round of this year’s draft, along with the Nos. 35, 42, and 57 selections in the second round.

In previewing Washington’s draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic notes that newly installed Washington VP Travis Schlenk had a history of prioritizing players with a good court sense and solid shooting ability, as well as swingmen with high upsides, while with the Hawks.

Vecenie believes that the Wizards, who are clearly in position to prioritize talent over fit after trading stars Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in recent days, should look to select the player on the board with the highest ceiling in the first round.

There’s more out of D.C.:

Wizards general manager Will Dawkins is looking forward to the scrutiny and pressure that will come along with his new gig, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. After 15 years spent in the Thunder’s front office office, Dawkins will get an opportunity to take on a larger role in D.C. As Wallace notes, while new team president Michael Winger will oversee the rosters of the Wizards, their G League affiliate the Capital City Go-Go, and WNBA squad the Washington Mystics, Dawkins will get to focus exclusively on the Wizards. “I’ll be more around on the day-to-day, having more conversations with the players and staff, allowing [Winger] to kind of free up and manage Monumental Basketball,” Dawkins said. “We’ll both be at games, talking to representation of our players, things of that nature. But [my role is] more so the scouting portion, managing that, making sure the building is humming and up to the standards we’re looking for.”
A Qatari wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, is purchasing a passive minority stake in Wizards ownership group Monumental Sports & Entertainment, worth approximately 5%, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. This marks the first time a sovereign wealth fund will be buying into U.S. team sports. “The NBA Board is currently reviewing a potential investment by QIA in Monumental Sports & Entertainment,” NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass said in a statement (Twitter link via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). “In accordance with the policy, if approved, QIA would have a passive, minority investment in the team, with no involvement in its operations or decision-making.”
Kristaps Porzingis, who will be traded to the Celtics, issued a parting statement to the Wizards team and fans (Twitter link). “Wiz Fans!!” Porzingis wrote, in part. “Thank you for showing me so much support, I truly appreciate it and [enjoyed] every night playing in front of you. Wishing you all success as I embark on the next chapter of my career.”
The three-team trade that will send Porzingis to Boston is a rare win for all three clubs involved, opines John Hollinger of The Athletic. In a separate piece, Hollinger writes that future salary cap considerations played a major part in the Warriors’ rationale behind the newly reported deal that will send out Chris Paul, acquired in the Beal trade, to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole and draft equity.

Celtics Notes: G. Williams, Porzingis, Brogdon, Smart

June 22nd, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Arthur Hill

The three-team trade that will bring Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics also likely signals the end of Grant Williams‘ time in Boston, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. The team doesn’t appear to have the money or an obvious role for Williams after adding Porzingis and his $36MM salary for next season to its front line.

Sources tell Robb that the Celtics will explore sign-and-trade opportunities with Williams when free agency opens next week. The goal will be to add another guard or wing player for depth or to pick up either future draft capital or a traded player exception.

The Mavericks are among several teams that have contacted the Celtics about a potential sign-and-trade deal involving Williams, according to a report on Wednesday. Unloading Williams’ cap hold, along with others, may give Boston the option of using the taxpayer mid-level exception, while re-signing him would push the team past the second tax apron.

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics got rid of their logjam in the backcourt and picked up some much-needed size in one move, writes Jay King of The Athletic. King points out that Porzingis’ ability to play power forward or center provides lineup flexibility and allows coach Joe Mazzulla to continue using a five-out approach. Porzingis was effective playing alongside Wizards center Daniel Gafford, a player similar to Robert Williams, as Washington outscored opponents by 5.8 points per 100 possessions with them on the court together. Porzingis also provides a post-up option that the Celtics have been lacking, as King notes that only Nikola Jokic was more proficient at scoring from the post this season.
The Clippers’ decision to pull out of an earlier version of the three-team deal over concerns about Malcolm Brogdon‘s health raises questions about whether the Celtics can rely on him for a full-time role next season, King adds. Brogdon reportedly suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow early in the Eastern Conference Finals, even though he was able to continue playing in the series. He indicated Wednesday that he’s hoping to avoid offseason surgery on the elbow.
The Celtics lost an important part of their culture by sending Marcus Smart to Memphis, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Smart was a fiery leader on and off the court and wasn’t afraid to stand up to Mazzulla or the team’s stars when he thought it was necessary.

Celtics, Wizards, Clippers Trade Talks Fall Through

June 21st, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

The three-team trade that would have sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers, and Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey, Danilo Gallinari and the No. 30 pick to the Wizards has fallen through and the clubs have decided to move on, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

While multiple reporters said the deal was nearing completion, Wojnarowski previously cautioned that there was more work to do to make an agreement official, and now the three-team trade has been shelved.

Sources tell Marc Stein that the Clippers had concerns over Brogdon’s medicals, which caused the three-team framework to collapse (Twitter link).

Brogdon, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, reportedly suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami. He said after the Celtics’ season ended that he’d consider undergoing surgery on his shooting arm, though a report earlier today indicated he was optimistic about avoiding a procedure and would like to stay in Boston.

The Wizards are still working on a deal to send Porzingis to Boston, but the Clippers won’t be involved, according to both Wojnarowski and Stein.

It’s very rare for a details of a trade to emerge so publicly and seemingly be so close to the finish line and eventually fall through. Evidently the Clippers’ medical staff saw something they didn’t like though, so Boston decided to pivot and try to acquire Porzingis in new framework.

Brogdon has two years and $45MM left on his contract. It’s unclear if he’ll be involved in the new proposal.

Celtics Rumors: Pritchard, Draft, G. Williams, Beal, Jefferson

June 21st, 2023 at 6:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics have been weighing the possibility of trading Payton Pritchard to try to move into the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, reports Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Boston doesn’t currently control a first-round pick.

A couple of possible targets could be Marquette wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper and UCLA wing Jaime Jaquez, according to Deveney.

“Great organization, great history. I had a really good time there,” Prosper said of his workout with the Celtics.

However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggests (via Twitter) that a potential package deal involving Pritchard and the No. 35 pick might be shelved if the team is able to acquire Kristaps Porzingis from Washington, with Malcolm Brogdon possibly heading to the Clippers and Danilo Gallinari being sent to the Wizards. Losing Brogdon would obviously affect Boston’s backcourt depth and would seemingly open up playing time for Pritchard.

Here are a few more rumors and notes on the Celtics:

Multiple league sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that if the Celtics do land Porzingis, there’s a good chance Grant Williams may be headed to a new team (Twitter link). As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets, adding Porzingis’ $36MM contract for 2023/24 would push the club close to the second tax apron, and releasing Williams’ cap hold (along with several others) would give Boston access to the taxpayer mid-level exception. Re-signing Williams would push the Celtics past the second apron.
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explains why the Celtics weren’t in on the Bradley Beal sweepstakes despite the three-time All-Star’s close ties to Jayson Tatum. Aside from his massive contract and full no-trade clause, which have to be highlighted when talking about a taxpayer like Boston, the Celtics are focused on rebalancing the roster by adding size at other positions rather than acquiring another guard, Forsberg writes.
Former NBA big man Amile Jefferson, who was an assistant coach with Duke in ’22/23, is finalizing a multiyear contract to join the Celtics as an assistant, a source tells Travis Branham of 247Sports.com. Jefferson played 30 games with the Magic from 2018-20.