LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Cavs, DeRozan, Celtics, Monroe

June 29th, 2015 at 11:53am CST by Chuck Myron

Some sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that they think LeBron James will ask the Cavs to change coaches (Twitter link), though he has no intention of pushing the team to fire David Blatt, as ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported last week. Blatt has made it clear on multiple occasions that he expects he’ll be back. Still, we’ll see what happens this summer in Cleveland. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Chatter continues to indicate that DeMar DeRozan will opt out and seek a maximum-salary deal next summer, and “there is no way” that the Raptors would be willing to pay him that much, reports Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. For this summer, the Raptors will probably have particular interest in Marc Gasol and Paul Millsap, Wolstat also writes.
Celtics don’t find their chances to land a star encouraging, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe hears. Himmelsbach confirms earlier reports of interest in Greg Monroe and Millsap, though he hears from several team sources who say the team didn’t offer Marcus Smart in trade proposals to other teams on draft day.
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com believes the new regime in Atlanta isn’t as enamored with Monroe’s game as the team’s last set of higher-ups was (Twitter link). The Hawks, who have a new principal owner in Tony Ressler and have formally cut ties with GM Danny Ferry, aren’t among the teams reportedly meeting with the soon-to-be free agent big man.
Jimmy Butler would like to sign a one-year offer sheet with the Lakers, a league source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, but that would be impossible since offer sheets must be for at least two years and at least three if, as the Bulls have long planned, Chicago makes a five-year max offer. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported a couple of weeks ago that Butler’s interest in the Lakers had increased, but the Bulls have the right to match any offer and are expected to do so, Medina notes.
Reggie Jackson turned down an offer worth more than $12MM a year in extension talks with the Thunder last year because he wanted out of Oklahoma City and onto a team where he could start, a source told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Jackson will probably demand the max if the Pistons want him to sign for five years, the same source said to Ellis.
Mario Hezonja and Barcelona, his Spanish team, have reached a deal on a buyout that will allow him to part ways with the club and sign with the Magic, who drafted him fifth overall Thursday, reports Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Sporando’s Enea Trapani). The buyout is worth 1.6 million euros, the equivalent of about $1.79MM at today’s exchange rate. Orlando will presumably cover the maximum $625K of that amount.

LeBron James To Opt Out, Not Planning Quick Deal

June 26th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James will turn down his player option worth more than $21.573MM, and he doesn’t plan to immediately re-sign with the Cavs, preferring to wait and see how the team goes about its other business in July, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Chances are “slim” that James leaves Cleveland again, Haynes writes, but waiting to re-sign gives him a chance to go into a deal with full knowledge of what will surround him, and it keeps pressure on the organization, Haynes writes. The Rich Paul client plans to be “the last domino to fall,” league sources tell Haynes.

GM David Griffin said James is “very much engaged” with the team as he speaks with management on almost a daily basis about the roster, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Still, it’s widely known that James won’t meddle in front office affairs or with coach David Blatt and his staff, according to Haynes. The four-time MVP believes other coaches would be better equipped to lead the Cavs to a title, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson among them, but he nonetheless has no intention to push for a coaching change, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com said this week (video link).

That James would opt out is not at all surprising, since opting in would entail a financial sacrifice. James will be able to make a salary of at least $21,676,620 next season on a new deal, slightly more than his option would give him, and that figure could grow higher, depending on where the league sets the maximum for a player with 10 or more years of experience. James is likely to re-sign with Cleveland on a max deal for two years with a player option on year two, as Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote months ago.

James wants the Cavs to re-sign Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, though he won’t actively recruit any of them, Haynes writes. Griffin has said that he’d like to keep the team together, though he expressed guarded interest in Smith as he confirmed Smith has opted out, saying the Cavs want him back “if it’s the right situation for us,” as Haynes notes.

Heat Shop Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen?

June 25th, 2015 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 11:20pm: Heat president Pat Riley says that there is no truth to the reports that the team is shopping Andersen and Chalmers, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post tweets.

8:34pm: Wade and the Heat do not have a meeting scheduled, a source told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, contradicting the previous report. Any meeting with Wade would like come after the start of free agency on July 1 when the Heat could discuss contract parameters with him, the same source informed Winderman.

2:58pm: Wade is angry at the Heat as they draw a hard financial line, and he doesn’t feel like the team regards him as a priority, a friend of his tells Jackson. Associates say the Heat have damaged Wade’s trust in the organization, Jackson also hears.

MONDAY, 12:49pm: The Heat are shopping Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen in an attempt to clear salary that they could use on a new contract for Dwyane Wade, report Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. They’ll meet with Wade within the next week as the June 29th deadline for him to formally decide on his $16.125MM player option looms, Shelburne and Windhorst write. Wade, in addition to apparent mutual interest in the Lakers, is interested in the Clippers, too, and LeBron James has expressed interest in Wade joining the Cavs, but both are extreme long shots to land the shooting guard given their cap constraints, as the ESPN scribes explain.

Anderson is set to make $5MM next season and Chalmers $4.3MM as each enters the final year of his respective contract. Clearing their salaries would help the team afford to keep its starting lineup intact without going over the projected $81.6MM tax line, note Shelburne and Windhorst. Doing so would set up the Heat to pay the stiffer repeat-offender tax penalties at the end of next season if they remain over the tax line come the final day of the regular season. Miami isn’t a taxpayer this season, but repeater penalties come into play when a team pays the tax three out of four seasons.

The Heat and Wade had been discussing a new contract for $10MM for as many as three seasons beyond his current deal, sources told the ESPN scribes. A friend of Wade’s told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently that the Heat would like Wade to opt in and sign a deal next summer for $10MM each year for two more seasons. Wade instead prefers to opt out and would welcome $20MM salaries on a new three-year deal, as Jackson also reported.

Wade’s preference remains to stay in Miami, according to Shelburne and Windhorst. That was the case last month when Jackson broke the story that Wade is nonetheless open to leaving the only NBA franchise he’s ever played for. Many league execs believe Wade and the Heat will ultimately resolve their differences, Shelburne and Windhorst write. The Lakers have the cap space to give Wade $20MM a year, but the Heat have Bird rights that would allow them to do so, too. Miami is reportedly planning an offer of less than the max to Goran Dragic, one that would further help the team avoid the tax, or at least pay less of it. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers and Cavs GM David Griffin have expressed they’re prioritizing new deals with their own marquee free agents, and thus wouldn’t have the cap space necessary to sign Wade for the sort of salary he’d apparently like.

Central Notes: Blatt, Bucks, Love

June 18th, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

LeBron James‘ attitude and demeanor toward Cavaliers coach David Blatt during the NBA Finals was unbecoming and inappropriate, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Stein references LeBron essentially calling his own timeouts and making substitutions, as well as eschewing Blatt for assistant coach Tyronn Lue. James also nixed a number of plays that Blatt had drawn up during timeouts, which only served to undermine the coach in the eyes of the rest of the team, Stein notes.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

While some have speculated that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert might make a play for former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, a number of Cleveland’s front office personnel insist that Gilbert is Blatt’s biggest supporter, Zach Lowe of Grantland tweets. GM David Griffin downplayed any issues between Blatt and James in today’s season-ending news conference, saying, “Sensationalism sells. LeBron said David’s a hell of a coach,” Sam Amico of FOX Sports.com relays (Twitter link).
Griffin said that he expects James and Kevin Love to both opt out of their deals this summer, but he anticipates that both will re-sign with the Cavs, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets. While this news isn’t a surprise as far as LeBron is concerned, it does run counter to what Love told Haynes back in January that he planned to do.
The Bucks held workouts today for Josh Gasser (Wisconsin), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Cady Lalanne (Massachusetts), Amere May (Delaware State), and TaShawn Thomas (Oklahoma), the team announced (via Twitter).
Cavs veteran forward Shawn Marion confirmed today that he is indeed retiring after 16 years in the league, Stein relays in a separate article. “I wanted to go out on my terms,” Marion said. “The biggest thing is having a son. I got attached to him. Seeing him periodically is hard. Watching him grow up on pictures and videos is hard.” The Matrix’s final career numbers through 1163 contests are 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd is excited about the team’s possibilities for tweaking its roster this offseason, Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press writes. “Yeah, I like what [GM John] Hammond has done, the position he has put us in pre-draft,” Kidd said. “We’ll see what happens,” Kidd continued. ”You’ve got a lot of different things, possibilities that you’re not landlocked to get better, and that means not moving a major piece.”

Eastern Rumors: Lou Williams, Boozer, LeBron

June 17th, 2015 at 10:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expects Lou Williams to reach out to the Heat, among others, in free agency this summer. Still, the Heat are unlikely to have the cap space to afford the reigning Sixth Man of the Year unless two among Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng leave the team this summer, Jackson notes. Otherwise, Miami would be limited to either the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception or the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level. Neither would probably be enough to land the Wallace Prather client who’s likely seeking a significant raise on his $5.45MM salary with the Raptors from this past season. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Someone close to Carlos Boozer told Jackson that he wouldn’t be surprised if the power forward signed with the Heat this summer, though Jackson asserts, as he writes in the same piece, that it would almost certainly be a minimum-salary deal if he were to go to Miami.
LeBron James has taken a detached, passive-aggressive stance to expressing his views on the moves his teams make during offseasons in which he’s been a free agent in the past, but the Cavs want him to give direct input this summer, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. James is likely to opt out and sign another two-year deal with a player option on year two, Windhorst writes, seconding what Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote was a widespread expectation during the season, preferring leverage for himself over comfort for the team.
The Knicks would love to acquire an extra pick, whether in the first round or the second, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks drafted 51st overall last year, would consider signing overseas instead of again playing in the D-League, as his did this past season, if the Knicks don’t sign him to their NBA roster this offseason, agent Tim Lotsos tells Berman for the same piece.

Cavaliers Rumors: James, Thompson, Blatt

June 14th, 2015 at 12:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James doesn’t want to discuss free agency during the NBA Finals, but insists he is content in Cleveland, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Ha, I haven’t even thought about that until you just said something,” James said recently. “I’ll tackle all of that after the season, but, yeah, I’m happy where I’m at.” James has a one-year option for next year worth nearly $21.6MM. He is almost certain to opt out, Vardon writes, which means he will become a free agent again for a few days while he and the Cavs work out a new deal. Vardon notes that by opting out, James can make about $22MM for next season with a player option in the neighborhood of $23MM for 2016/17 and the chance to take advantage of the salary cap rise that is expected to accompany a new TV deal.

There’s more from Cleveland on an NBA Finals Sunday:

Tristan Thompson has asked for a max or near-max deal this summer, reports Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. The power forward, who has been making a huge impact in the playoffs since Kevin Love‘s injury, turned down a four-year offer for close to $52MM in October. Cleveland needs to decide whether it wants to give maximum money to Love and Thompson, who play the same position. Finnan concludes the Cavaliers probably will.
Cleveland’s depth problem in the Finals is a result of coach David Blatt not having faith in three acquisitions that James endorsed, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Veterans Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Kendrick Perkins have contributed more as mentors and cheerleaders than as players, Washburn asserts, meaning Cleveland will have to re-tool its bench this summer. He contends the team can return to the Finals next season, but will have to make the right moves first.
Matthew Dellavedova may be boosting his free agency prospects with stellar defense on Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals, but the Warriors are objecting to the narrative, writes Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “People have lit a fire under Steph, which is good thing,” said Warriors center Andrew Bogut. “It’s something that you don’t want to do. It worked out well. We know Delly is a great defender, but we know he’s not a Curry stopper.” Dellavedova will become a restricted free agent this summer after two seasons of making the league minimum.

Cavs Notes: Love, Draft, Dellavedova

June 9th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Team officials around the league are split on whether Draymond Green or Kevin Love is the better player, and no one on the Warriors would trade Green for Love straight-up these days, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. That represents a dramatic shift from the beginning of the season, but Cavs GM David Griffin, whose team had been discussing Love trades with the Timberwolves two years prior to last August’s trade, is adamant that the Cavs want to keep Love, according to Lowe. There’s more on Love, who likewise continues to insist that he wants to stay in Cleveland, amid the latest on the Cavs:

Cleveland’s willingness to have given up Andrew Wiggins for Love in the first place was tied to the choice LeBron James made to return to Cleveland, Griffin admitted in his interview with Lowe. “You have a finite window when you’re dealing with a player that’s 30,” Griffin said, citing James’ age. “The organization had wanted Kevin for a while, but we paid the price we paid entirely because of LeBron’s presence.”
Lowe nonetheless suggests that the Cavs could have kept Wiggins and acquired Thaddeus Young from the Sixers instead of Love, sending salary filler to Philadelphia along with the same first-round pick that ended up going to Sixers in the three-team Love trade.
The Cavs had workouts scheduled Monday with Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley, Michigan State guard Travis Trice, Wisconsin-Green Bay point guard Keifer Sykes, Louisville swingman Wayne Blackshear and Stanford small forward Anthony Brown, sources told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).
Matthew Dellavedova is proving former Cavs GM Chris Grant wise as he makes an outsized impact in the Finals at the tail end of the two-year minimum-salary deal Grant signed him to in 2013, as Chris Mannix of SI.com examines. Dellavedova is set for restricted free agency this summer.

Cavs Notes: Love, Kerr, Gilbert

June 5th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

After watching Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night, Kevin Love reiterated his desire to return to the Cavs. When asked by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com if he wanted to be back in Cleveland next season, Love said, “Yes. I want to win.” Speculation has swirled all year long about what Love might do, but the big man isn’t concerned about that. “It’s just the way the world works now. People talk so much and might tell themselves a lie so much they start to believe it. From there, the narrative starts to change. I haven’t changed my narrative. I’m going to keep supporting these guys, and we’ll be talking to Cleveland after the season,” said Love.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

While Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered nothing but praise for the fans and culture of Cleveland, he admitted that he understands why free agents might be deterred from signing with the Cavs because of the the weather and less glamorous feel of the city, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group transcribes.
Tristan Thompson credits LeBron James and his work ethic for helping turn around the Cavs’ culture, and sparked Thompson to work harder to improve himself as a player, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “He was the first one in the gym, had a full, dripping sweat and we were just walking in, getting ready to start,” Thompson said. “I think that first encounter really changed the whole culture of the franchise. When your best player, arguably one of the best players to ever play this game, is in the gym at 9 a.m., on Labor Day, that says a lot. It says how serious he is about being great and bringing us back to the promised land, which is being in the Finals.“
Team owner Dan Gilbert has now rebuilt the Cavaliers as a franchise twice, with both instances sparked by the arrival of James, Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News writes in his profile of Gilbert. “It’s not vindication, it just feels good, and now we gotta take advantage and finish the job,” Gilbert said. “I just feel so good that we all got a second bite of the apple, LeBron, us, the city, the franchise. Everybody.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Sefolosha, Sessions

May 31st, 2015 at 8:57am CST by ChrisCrouse

LeBron James admitted that Kyrie Irving was a factor in his decision to return to Cleveland, Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes.

“Part of the reason I decided to come back from the beginning was how special [Irving] was. I noticed that,” James said. “To see him grow and see him learn what it means to truly be a professional every day since I’ve been here is a been a huge reward and it’s great to see it. To see his mind process so many different things over the course of these months and be able to translate that not only on the court but off it as well, has been a treat to watch.”

The point guard didn’t fully appreciate how great James was on the court until the four-time MVP joined the team in July.

“I was just speechless,” Irving admitted. “I became a fan to be honest with you. It’s a different feeling when you’re on a team with someone you’ve watched for so long.”

James and Irving averaged 47.0 points per game as a a tandem, which was more than any other pair of NBA teammates. The Cavs will take on the Warriors in the NBA finals and they hope to bring Cleveland its first professional sports championship since 1964.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Thabo Sefolosha believes his April arrest damaged his reputation, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. “We are talking about the stress that it has brought to the entire family, you know, my mom and dad in Switzerland, my brothers and sisters, my wife. Also, the damage to my reputation. I’ve had people texting me about what they saw in the newspaper and things like this. Every aspect of my life was affected by something like this, and I think putting light on the aftermath of something like this, I think that’s also something that’s important,” Sefolosha said. The forward is under contract with Atlanta through the 2016/17 season.
Ramon Sessions, who filled in admirably for John Wall when the All-Star was injured, was a great mid-season acquisition by the Wizards, Brandon Parker of The Washington Post opines. The University of Nevada product figures to lead Washington’s second unit next season and he will make slightly over $2.17MM.

And-Ones: Wolves, Lakers, Pacers, Celtics

May 28th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Several players and agents suggested to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that any given Eastern Conference team would be more attractive than a comparable one from the Western Conference given the disparity between the conferences. One agent told Kennedy that players “absolutely” want to be the East and that he hopes his draft clients are taken by Eastern teams, though an executive cautioned that the presence of LeBron James might dissuade free agents from jumping out of the West. James is set to represent the East for the fifth straight time in the NBA Finals, and while we wait more than a week for tip-off, here’s more from around the NBA:

Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears D’Angelo Russell is in the mix for the Timberwolves at No. 1, says Karl-Anthony Towns, but not necessarily Jahlil Okafor, would be a lock for the Lakers at No. 2, and also writes in his chat with readers that the Pacers and Celtics would love to move up. Ford has heard chatter among GMs that the Thunder have promised Cameron Payne they’ll take him at No. 14, but he isn’t sure just how much truth there is to that, as the ESPN scribe writes in the same piece. Sources have suggested to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that Payne has a promise from some team. Our Eddie Scarito has Payne going to the Thunder in the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft.
UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn had an especially impressive workout this past weekend, Ford observes in an Insider-only piece, and Vaughn also opened eyes in his workout Tuesday for the Heat, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ford adds in his piece that scouts have told him that French center Alpha Kaba is willing to stay in the draft rather than withdraw by the June 15th deadline if he receives a promise from a team.
The Bulls and Pelicans have interest in former 16th overall pick Royce White, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, though it’s not clear if they’re yet considering him for any sort of deal that would go beyond summer league.