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Eastern FA Rumors: Bulls, Teodosic, Nets, Raptors

June 30th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets were considered the frontrunners in the Milos Teodosic sweepstakes for much of the year, but point guard became less of a priority for the team after last week’s D’Angelo Russell, opening the door for another NBA team to make a play for Teodosic. According to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), that team may be Chicago — Jones has heard the Bulls are “close” to reaching a deal with the EuroLeague star.

If the Bulls end up finalizing a deal with Teodosic, he would be the team’s third major point guard addition of 2017. Chicago also acquired Cameron Payne in a trade with Oklahoma City at the deadline, and landed Kris Dunn from Minnesota in last week’s Jimmy Butler blockbuster.

Here are a few more free agency rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards and Pistons are bracing for the Nets to make a strong push on restricted free agents Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, respectively, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Although those players have somewhat similar skill-sets, the Nets aren’t focused on filling a specific need or position in free agency, as head coach Kenny Atkinson tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
The Raptors‘ brass will likely meet with agent Andy Miller in Orlando this weekend, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Miller represents both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Toronto’s top two free agents, who figure to be a part of those meetings as well.
Rudy Gay has been linked to the Heat in the past, but Miami isn’t currently among the teams to arrange a free agent meeting with him this weekend, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Asked if the Knicks were still be seeking free agents who fit into a specific system, head coach Jeff Hornacek suggested this week that the team’s focus will be more on talent than system fit, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. That sounds like good news for free agents who weren’t fond on Phil Jackson‘s triangle.

Lowe’s Latest: George, Hayward, Ibaka, Gallinari

June 30th, 2017 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

A proposed scenario that would see the Celtics sign Gordon Hayward, trade for Paul George, and sign George to a contract extension isn’t realistic, writes Zach Lowe in his latest report for ESPN.com. As Lowe points out, there would be no reason for George to re-up with Boston right away in that scenario unless he could renegotiate a maximum salary, and it would be extremely difficult for the C’s to accommodate such a deal without moving Al Horford.

Knowing that if they acquire George, he could be a rental, the Celtics have thus far been unwilling to include Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick, or the Lakers’ 2018 first-rounder in any of their offers to Indiana, Lowe reports. Lowe’s best guess at Boston’s offer is a package that would include Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and one of the team’s other first-round picks. The C’s will be reluctant to go much higher than that, given their fear that George could leave in 2018 — Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times wrote on Thursday night that the Pacers forward is still telling friends he expects to be a Laker in 2018.

While George could just be a one-year rental, the Celtics have competition for him. According to Lowe, the Wizards would likely be willing to sign-and-trade Otto Porter and include a first-round pick. The Cavaliers would swap Kevin Love straight up, though that doesn’t interest Indiana much, per Lowe. If the Nuggets get involved again via three-way talks for George and Love, they could offer Gary Harris and a first-round pick, though NBA execs expect Harris to command upwards of $20MM annually on his next contract, which is due soon, says Lowe.

Here’s more from Lowe with the free agent period right around the corner:

Lowe views Hayward as less than a 50-50 bet to stay with the Jazz, with both the Celtics and Heat as legitimate suitors. The ESPN scribe adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if a mystery fourth team ends up getting a meeting with Hayward.
The market for Raptors big man Serge Ibaka and Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to be in about the $20MM-per-year range, sources tell Lowe.
The Sixers have told player agents that they plan on signing one-year contracts in free agency this summer to preserve future cap space. They may also use some of their current cap room to sign Robert Covington to a renegotiated extension, writes Lowe.
Lowe expects the Bucks to sign Tony Snell to a deal in the range of $10-12MM annually.
Despite drafting De’Aaron Fox, the Kings may still spend on a free agent point guard as a veteran mentor, particularly if they decide they want to chase a playoff spot right away, says Lowe.
The Grizzlies are “crossing their fingers” that the market for RFA power forward JaMychal Green isn’t as competitive as expected, according to Lowe.

Southeast Notes: Richardson, White, Kaba

June 29th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards are no closer to landing Paul George than they were a week ago but recent comments from John Wall have resurrected speculation that he could possibly end up in D.C. Per CSN Mid-Atlantic’s J. Michael, there are a number of things that would need to happen for the pipe dream to become a reality, here are just a few:

For starters, the Wizards will have to come to terms with something that all of George’s other suitors have already come to terms with: they would need to build an appealing enough package of young players and assets without any guarantee that they’ll get to re-sign him next summer.

The Wizards would also need Otto Porter to be up for a sign-and-trade, something that would require him to take less money than he’s eligible for, just to pack his bags and move to Indianapolis.

Even if the Wizards did manage to land George and played him alongside Wall and Bradley Beal, however, the organization would be extremely crunched financially for the foreseeable future.

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

Don’t expect the Magic to make a major splash in free agency, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The team would need to reel off a series of moves just to clear up space for a major signing and that’s not really their focus at this point in time.
Coming off a season in which he averaged career highs, Hawks center Mike Muscala is experiencing unrestricted free agency for the first time. He spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune about the process. “It’s crazy how basketball can change from high school to college to the NBA and what you work on, what you’re compensated for,” he said, referring to his coveted skill set as a three-point shooting big man. “I’ve found if you do things the right way — if you play the right way, if you work on your game, if you’re a good teammate — you’ll be rewarded for it.”
The Heat will retain Okaro White and Josh Richardson, thus guaranteeing their contracts (or in White’s case, partially guaranteeing the deal he signed last season). Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes about how Richardson’s $1.5MM for 2017/18 will be locked in after Friday and how White will clinch $226K on Saturday.
One of the major areas that the Wizards will need to improve upon next year is in their backcourt depth, J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic says. They’ve already gotten a head start in doing so with their addition of Tim Frazier.
Second-round draft pick Alpha Kaba will play with the Hawks‘ summer league team before deciding where to play next season, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.

Free Agent Rumors: Iguodala, Porter, Bogut, Terry

June 29th, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luxury tax concerns are making the Warriors hesitant about re-signing free agent Andre Iguodala, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. As a result, Iguodala plans to accept phone calls from other organizations when free agency begins tomorrow night (Twitter link). Iguodala has spent the past four seasons in Golden State and has been a key reserve and defensive presence for the defending champs. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 76 games this season.

The Warriors have about $38MM in guaranteed salary for next season, along with roughly $60MM in cap holds for Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Shaun Livingston, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. If they lose Iguodala, they will have to use exceptions of $8.4MM and $5.2MM to replace him.

There’s more free agent news this afternoon:

The Wizards will get a shot at re-signing restricted free agent Otto Porter before he talks to other teams, according to David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Aldridge warns that Washington “better not mess around & try to negotiate,” which is a sign that Porter won’t accept anything less than a max deal.
Andrew Bogut is close to full health and ready to test the free agent market, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Bogut had a disastrous debut with the Cavaliers in early March, fracturing his left tibia less than a minute into his first game. He was recently cleared for running and jumping and expects medical approval for full basketball activities in about two weeks. His agent, David Bauman, has been sending out health updates to NBA teams while Bogut rehabs in Australia. The Cavaliers could use Bogut to fill their backup center role, but luxury tax concerns may prevent them from re-signing him.
Jason Terry isn’t contemplating retirement at age 39 and would like to spend another season with the Bucks, relays Gery Woelfel of Woelfelspressbox. Terry averaged about 18 minutes per game for Milwaukee this year, putting up 4.1 points and 1.3 assists. He also shot 43% from 3-point range. “I definitely think there’s a market for him and that there’ll be some teams looking for his services,’’ said his agent, Ryan Davis. “But I can see him going back to the Bucks. He and [Bucks coach] Jason Kidd have a good relationship and he wants to keep helping the Bucks turn their culture around.’’

John Wall Says He’s Recruiting Paul George

June 27th, 2017 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have only been mentioned in passing as a potential suitor in the Paul George sweepstakes, but star point guard John Wall is doing his best to make sure Washington remains very much in the conversation. As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated details, Wall says he’s attempting to recruit George in the hopes that the Pacers forward will push for a trade to the Wizards.

Considering George is on the trade block and not heading toward free agency quite yet, Wall’s recruiting efforts can only go so far. He also may be fighting an uphill battle — while George has no interest in remaining in Indiana beyond the expiration of his current contract in 2018, he is said to strongly prefer landing with the Lakers. Nonetheless, Wall is “trying to see if we can make something happen,” according to Spears.

“Look at our team. We are one piece away,” Wall said. “We have the point guard, we have the shooting guard, we have the center, we have the power forward. Our 3-man [Otto Porter] did great for us. You can’t take nothing away from what he did. But [George] is a guy that can guard LeBron [James] and go back at LeBron. It’s a piece that you’re going to need to win. If you don’t have a guy who can do that, you don’t have a chance. … You got to add another star. You got to add another piece. You got to have three guys.”

While the Wizards would certainly be an interesting landing spot for George, they don’t have a ton of attractive trade assets to offer up, particularly compared to some of the other clubs linked to George in recent weeks. It’s possible that Washington could pull something off if the Pacers are interested in a sign-and-trade of Porter, but it’s probably a long shot, which makes Wall’s comments about the club’s apparent need at small forward more interesting. Porter is viewed as very likely to re-sign with the Wizards.

Although the Pacers didn’t get a George deal done by the end of last week’s draft, the club is expected to continue to discuss and consider trades going forward, particularly within the next week or two. The Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, and Clippers are among the other teams that have expressed some level of interest in George. The Timberwolves also explored a deal, but acquired Jimmy Butler instead.

Porter, Bogdanovic Receive Qualifying Offers

June 26th, 2017 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic have received qualifying offers from the Wizards, making the duo restricted free agents, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets.

The qualifying offer for Porter, worth $7,732,904, was a mere formality. He will be one of the most sought-after restricted free agents on the market this summer. The small forward averaged 13.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG last season.

Bogdanovic averaged 12.7 PPG and shot 39.1% from long range in 26 games off the bench after being acquired from the Nets in mid-season. The shooting guard’s qualifying offer is worth $4,663,317.

Southeast Notes: Porter, Wall, Magic, Hornets

June 25th, 2017 at 2:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Re-signing Otto Porter and working out an extension with John Wall are the Wizards‘ top priorities for the offseason, relays Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic. The first order of business involves Porter, who is headed toward free agency after four seasons in Washington. The Wizards have until Friday to submit a qualifying offer of about $7.4MM to make him restricted, which means the franchise could match any offer he receives. Team president Ernie Grunfeld views the 24-year-old as part of the future in Washington. “We’ve said all along that we want to keep our core group of young players together and Otto is an important part of what we’re trying to do,” Grunfeld said. “When free agency starts, we’ll see what we can do and work things out to keep him here.”

After earning third-team All-NBA honors, Wall is eligible for a Designated Player Veteran Exception that would pay him about $167MM over four seasons. Wall is already signed through 2018/19, so the extension would carry him through 2022/23. “At the appropriate time, we will sit down with John. We want John to finish his career here,” Grunfeld said. “He’s a franchise guy.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Poor drafting over the past five years has turned the Magic into a consistently bad franchise, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. There’s no one on the roster who projects as an All-Star, Robbins claims, even though Orlando picked second in 2013, fourth and 12th in 2014 and fifth in 2015. Former GM Rob Hennigan had planned to build through the draft, but the front office didn’t have the eye for talent to make it work.
Euroleague star Darius Miller will have an upcoming workout with the Magic, tweets international writer David Pick. Miller formerly played for Brose Bamburg in Germany, and Barcelona is making a strong bid to sign the 27-year-old forward. Miller was drafted by New Orleans with the 46th pick in 2012 and stayed with the team until he was waived in 2014.
The Hornets will have to search for bargains in free agency, notes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is over the cap for next season, but under the luxury tax, and will have its mid-level exception worth about $8.4MM and a bi-annual exception of around $3.3MM to spend. Bonnell suggests Darren Collison, Dante Cunningham, Raymond Felton, Patty Mills and Anthony Tolliver as possible targets.
The Hornets received $1.8MM from the Pelicans when they agreed to swap the 31st pick for the 40th on draft day, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Southeast Notes: Porter, Wall, Gay, Hawks

June 10th, 2017 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards will face plenty of competition for free agent Otto Porter if they don’t submit a max offer, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Coming off a season in which he put up career-best numbers in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, Porter is eligible for a new contract starting at $25.5MM per season. Because he is restricted, Washington can match any offer he receives. Another free agent priority will be Bojan Bogdanovic, who was acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. He will be looking for a substantial raise from the $3.73MM he made this season, and Marks says Washington will have to determine how much luxury tax it is willing to absorb to keep him.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

After earning All-NBA honors, Wizards point guard John Wall is eligible for an extension worth up to 35% of the salary cap, Marks notes in the same story. The DPVE would begin with the 2019/20 season and is projected at $168MM over four seasons. Wall’s cap hit, which is $18.1MM next season and $19.2MM in 2018/19, could be as much as $37.5MM when the extension kicks in. If Wall’s extension is delayed and he makes an All-NBA team again next season, he could increase the value of the deal by about $50MM. If he doesn’t, Wall would only be eligible for a regular extension worth 120% of his 2017/18 salary.
Kings free agent Rudy Gay continues to have interest in joining the Heat, tweets J.D. Shaw of Def Pen Hoops. However, it’s uncertain whether Miami intends to pursue him (Twitter link).
North Carolina forward Justin Jackson made an impression on the Hawks during a workout Friday, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The ACC Player of the Year averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists this year as a junior and helped the Tar Heels capture the national championship. Jackson’s trip to Atlanta was his fifth workout so far, and he hopes to complete five or six more before draft day. “Honestly, I’m just trying to put myself in the best position,” Jackson said. “Whether that is [overall pick No.] 10 or 20. In the back of my mind, I know these guys have watched me play all year, pretty much my whole career. At the end of the day, it’s one workout.”
Indiana center Thomas Bryant and BYU center Eric Mika were also part of Friday’s workout, Vivlamore notes in a separate story, along with Kansas guard Frank Mason, Kansas State guard Wesley Iwundu and Notre Dame small forward V.J. Beachem. Vivlamore believes the Hawks will be looking for size with the No. 19 pick (Twitter link).

Nets Will Pursue Otto Porter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

May 26th, 2017 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets are planning an aggressive push for restricted free agents again, with Washington’s Otto Porter and Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as targets, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.

It would be the continuation of a strategy that resulted in a four-year, $75MM offer sheet for Portland’s Allen Crabbe and a four-year, $50MM offer to Miami’s Tyler Johnson last summer. Both deals were matched by their current teams.

Similar offers this year would create financial dilemmas for the Wizards and Pistons, Smith adds (Twitter link).

Brooklyn has about $27MM in cap room right now and could easily get into position to offer a max deal to Porter or Caldwell-Pope. Most of that salary for next season is tied up in Brook Lopez ($22.6MM) and Jeremy Lin ($12MM), with eight players on the roster making between $1.12MM and $1.7MM.

A fourth-year small forward, Porter has been a starter in Washington the past two seasons. He averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 80 games this year. Although the Wizards own his Bird rights, the team is in a bind with only about $7MM in cap space and the need to re-sign Bojan Bogdanovic and rebuild a faltering bench.

Caldwell-Pope has been Detroit’s starter at shooting guard for the past three and a half seasons and averaged 13.8 points per game this year. The Pistons are about $3MM over the cap entering this summer.

Southeast Notes: Howard, Winslow, Porter, Weltman

May 23rd, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by marksuleymanov

Despite a strong regular season, Hawks center Dwight Howard was merely a struggling spectator for most of the team’s brief playoff run, which ended with a 4-2 series loss to the Wizards. Information in the days after the elimination revealed Howard was pulled over on the morning of Game 6, and he teased possibly leaving and joining a franchise where he’s a focal point.

In a recent interview with KL Chouinard of NBA.com, Howard expressed his desire to improve his game to benefit both himself and his hometown Hawks.

“I want to be the best for my team and this city,” he said. “This is why I came here. It is upsetting to me, I want to get out there and play. (It’s difficult) when you work hard for something and you watch it being taken from you (by Washington).”

The eight-time All-Star posted his highest RPG (12.7) in a single season since the 2011/12 campaign — his last with the Magic. Howard also said his body — which prevented him from playing in more than 71 games the past three years — felt its best in years. Now it’s just a matter of the 31-year-old staying consistent and healthy.

Here are additional notes around the Southeast division:

In his latest Ask Ira installment, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel answered a fan’s question in regards to Justise Winslow developing into a potent offensive and defensive player. While Winderman does not see Winslow developing into a Lebron James-like defender, he can envision the former 10th overall pick helping Miami in a hypothetical playoff matchup against the Celtics. Winslow missed most of the 2016/17 season, appearing in just 18 games, before succumbing to season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Otto Porter is set to draw a lot of interest this offseason as a restricted free agent but the Wizards are not expected to let him walk. As J.Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes, Porter’s comfort in Washington, being a restricted free agent versus a unrestricted free agent, and his unselfishness on the court as reasons he will likely remain in the nation’s capital.
The Magic currently have a new president of basketball operations in Jeff Weltman and the team is remaining optimistic about the move, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel details. Unlike the man who held the position before him, Rob Hennigan, Weltman brings a pedigree; his father is a former general manager of the Cavaliers and Weltman, thirty years Hennigan’s elder, brings more experience to the role. While many around the team remain unsure of what type of impact he will have, optimism — which has not been prevalent in Orlando — is the goal.