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Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Gasol, KCP, Hawks, More

November 20th, 2020 at 8:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Having lost Dwight Howard in free agency, the Lakers may be eyeing another former Defensive Player of the Year. Marc Stein of The New York Times reports (via Twitter) that Marc Gasol has emerged as a free agent target for the Lakers. Gasol was drafted by L.A. way back in 2007 but was traded to Memphis in a package for his brother Pau Gasol and never appeared in a game for the Lakers.

As we wait to see if the two sides attempt to work toward a deal, let’s round up a few more free agency rumors…

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets that it sounds like the Lakers‘ initial talks with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope haven’t been particularly fruitful. However, Shelburne cautions that it’s still early.
Having reached a deal to sign Danilo Gallinari, the Hawks remain in communication with point guard Rajon Rondo and swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, sources tell Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
The Jazz accomplished their main goals in free agency early, securing commitments from Jordan Clarkson and Derrick Favors. Now, they’ll shift their focus to working on contract extensions for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hawks Confident About Chances In Free Agency

November 20th, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Hawks forward Vince Carter said on ESPN’s The Jump that he has heard Atlanta is confident it will be able to land two free agents from a group that includes Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Joe Harris, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic echoes that sentiment (via Twitter).

While Harris and Bogdanovic may still be in play for the Hawks, it sounds as if Gallinari and Rondo are the more likely candidates to end up in Atlanta.

Reports earlier in the week suggested that the Hawks are viewed as the frontrunners for both veteran free agents, with Gallinari perhaps in line for a three-year deal and Rondo expected to receive a two-year offer.

Atlanta is the only team set to enter free agency with more than $40MM in cap room available, so even if the team lands Gallinari and Rondo, it still should have money left over to spend.

Clippers Interested In Terry Rozier?

November 20th, 2020 at 11:22am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers want to add another guard to their roster and have talked to the Hornets about Terry Rozier, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Rozier, 26, still has two years and nearly $37MM left on the contract he signed with Charlotte last summer. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists during his first season with the team.

The Clippers remain interested in free agent Rajon Rondo, Mannix adds, but there are concerns that he will get a larger offer from someone else. L.A. is down a guard after trading Landry Shamet this week in a three-team deal.

Hawks A Strong Contender For Danilo Gallinari

November 18th, 2020 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

4:44pm: The Hawks remain in the lead for Gallinari and are apparently prepared to tender him a three-year contract, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets.

4:00pm: There’s a growing belief among rival teams that the Hawks will be in “pole position” to land both Gallinari and Rajon Rondo when free agency opens later this week, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Atlanta is reportedly preparing an offer in the range of $15MM over two years for Rondo.

3:20pm: As one of the few teams entering the offseason with significant cap room, the Hawks have been linked to most of the top free agents on the market, and we can add another name to that list. During a live stream on Instagram today, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggested that Danilo Gallinari is a serious target for Atlanta in free agency (hat tip to Sportando).

“I’ve heard they’re going after Danilo Gallinari,” O’Connor said of the Hawks (at around the 16:08 mark). “I’ve heard they very well may be signing Gallinari as soon as free agency opens on Friday.”

Gallinari, 32, had a strong season in Oklahoma City in 2019/20, averaging 18.7 PPG and 5.2 RPG on .438/.405/.893 shooting in 62 games (29.6 MPG). If he were to join the Hawks, he’d become one of the team’s go-to scoring threats alongside Trae Young and John Collins, stretching the floor in the frontcourt.

The Hawks are believed to be targeting shooting in free agency, having also been linked to marksmen like Davis Bertans and Joe Harris.

Gallinari spoke last month about potentially prioritizing the chance to win a title over finding the most lucrative contract possible. While Atlanta is a team on the rise and hopes to make the postseason in 2021, joining the Hawks certainly wouldn’t represent the veteran forward’s best chance at a championship. Still, it’d be hard to fault him if he opts for a lucrative long-term deal, since this may be his last, best opportunity to secure a big multiyear payday.

Rondo Anticipating Offer From Hawks, Remains Focused On Clippers

November 17th, 2020 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

2:04pm: Isola has clarified (via Twitter) that the Hawks’ offer to Rondo is expected to be worth $7.5MM annually — $15MM in total over two years.

1:30pm: Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who will become a free agent this Friday, is expecting to receive a significant offer from the Hawks, according to Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio, who tweets that Atlanta’s offer is expected to be worth $15MM for two years.

It’s not 100% clear based on Isola’s wording if that hypothetical offer would be worth $15MM annually or in total — Atlanta does have the cap room necessary to comfortably put $15MM per year on the table for Rondo and that would certainly qualify as a “significant” offer. Rondo has also never made that much in a single season in his career though, so a total guarantee of $15MM over two years is probably more in line with his current value.

Either way, a source tells Isola that Rondo “remains focused” on the possibility of joining the Clippers. The 34-year-old could potentially receive a deal worth the mid-level from the Clips, per Isola, though it remains to be seen if the club will have the full mid-level ($9.3MM) or just the taxpayer portion ($5.7MM) available.

A reunion with the Lakers isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Rondo, but it sounds like the defending champions are preparing to lose him in free agency. The Lakers have reached an agreement to acquire Dennis Schröder from Oklahoma City to fortify their backcourt.

Rondo played an important role in helping the Lakers capture the NBA title in Orlando. He suffered a fractured right thumb shortly after arriving at the Disney World complex, but was able to return in time for the playoffs, averaging 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists off the bench in 16 games. He’s turning down a minimum-salary player option in order to reach free agency.

Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Opting Out

November 16th, 2020 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Lakers veterans Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Rajon Rondo are officially opting out of their contracts in order to reach free agency, according to reports from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Shams Charania of The Athletic, and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (all Twitter links).

Those decisions had been considered formalities at this point, as reports a month ago indicated that Davis, Caldwell-Pope, and Rondo all planned to turn down their player options for 2020/21. Those plans have now been confirmed.

Davis will technically be the No. 1 free agent on the open market this fall, but he’s not expected to consider any pitches from rival teams. The plan is to re-sign with the Lakers for the maximum salary ($32.74MM), which is higher than his option salary ($28.75MM) would have been.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers intend to present several different contract options to Davis and agent Rich Paul and will work with him on the deal that makes him feel most comfortable. A five-year contract is considered unlikely — the two sides are more likely to agree to a two- or three-year deal that features a player option in its final season.

Rondo and Caldwell-Pope, meanwhile, are expected to receive plenty of interest from rival suitors. Turner cites the Clippers and Hawks as two clubs expected to pursue Rondo, whom the Lakers are reportedly bracing to lose.

As for Caldwell-Pope, teams are under the impression that he’s open to offers, and he’s expected to have several suitors, according to Charania, who previously identified Atlanta as one team likely to “emerge with interest.” The Lakers and KCP are believed to have strong mutual interest — after having agreed to trade Danny Green, the Lakers will likely make it a priority to re-sign their free agent three-and-D wing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Rondo, Hawks, Magic

November 16th, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are adding Calbert Cheaney to Nate Bjorkgren‘s coaching staff as an assistant, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). An Indiana native who played his college ball for the Hoosiers, Cheaney spent 13 years in the NBA as a player. He has been an assistant for Atlanta’s G League affiliate for the last two seasons.

Cheaney is the latest addition to a new-look coaching staff that will also feature Kaleb Canales and Greg Foster, in addition to returning Pacers assistant Bill Bayno. Indiana recently issued a press release confirming that all three of those coaches will be part of Bjorkgren’s staff in 2021.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks will likely turn to the trade market or free agency to find their starting point guard for the coming season, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team doesn’t view Frank Ntilikina as its starter of the future, may not retain Elfrid Payton, and is still considering the possibility of trading Dennis Smith Jr., according to Berman. New York could draft a point guard in the lottery, but wouldn’t want to rely on that player to become an immediate starter, given the quick turnaround between the draft and the preseason.
Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who is turning down his player option and will become a free agent, is expected to draw interest from the Hawks in addition to the two L.A. teams, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers, who reached a deal to acquire Dennis Schröder over the weekend, are bracing for the possibility of losing Rondo.
Josh Robbins of The Athletic considers whether or not it makes sense for the Magic to consider blowing up their roster.

Lakers Expect To Lose Rajon Rondo In Free Agency

November 15th, 2020 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are trading for Thunder guard Dennis Schroder because they believe Rajon Rondo will sign elsewhere as a free agent, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Rondo’s strong performance in the playoffs likely sets him up for an offer that will exceed L.A.’s budget (Twitter link).

Rondo, 34, played an important role in helping the Lakers capture the NBA title in Orlando. He suffered a fractured right thumb shortly after arriving at the Disney World complex, but was able to return in time for the playoffs, averaging 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists off the bench in 16 games.

The veteran guard is expected to decline his $2.69MM option for next season and test the free agent market. The cross-town Clippers are among the teams believed to be interested in acquiring him.

A four-time All-Star, Rondo has played for six teams in the past six years after spending his first seven seasons in Boston. He originally signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 and then re-signed last summer.

And-Ones: Cousins, Cap Projections, Two-Way Players, Hard Cap

November 13th, 2020 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMarcus Cousins is still recovering from the torn ACL in his left knee and may not be ready to play when the 2020/21 season begins in December, Austin Kent of SLAM reports. Cousins missed all of last season after suffering the injury during a summer workout. Cousins’ agent Jeff Schwartz told Kent that his client is focused on returning at full strength. Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent, received offers prior to the restart but chose to continue his rehab.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

The Knicks are in the best position in terms of cap space next offseason, Danny Leroux of The Athletic notes. Depending upon what they do this offseason, New York might have enough room for two max players. The Spurs, Hornets, Hawks and Heat could also be in good position to sign a max player. Leroux breaks down every team’s cap situation and what kind of spending power they might have in 2021.
There’s a good chance that two-way players will be able to remain with their NBA teams for more than 45 days during the upcoming season, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. With a condensed offseason as well as coronavirus concerns, team executives are seeking more roster flexibility, Stein adds.
With a flat luxury-tax line and hard cap, several teams will be forced into hard decisions in the coming weeks, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes. The hard cap of $138.9MM could force the Lakers to decide between trying to re-sign Rajon Rondo and spending their $9.3MM mid-level exception on another free agent, Marks notes. The hard cap figure could also force the Bucks to waive Ersan Ilyasova, who has a non-guaranteed $7MM contract, Marks adds.

NBA Sets Estimated Average Salary, Early Bird Exception For 2020/21

November 12th, 2020 at 4:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA revealed today that the estimated average salary for the 2020/21 season will be $10,000,000, while the Early Bird exception amount will be $10,047,450, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links).

The estimated average salary for a league year is defined as 104.5% of the average salary for the NBA’s previous league year, while the Early Bird amount is 105% of the previous average salary. Those figures are important for different reasons.

When a player signs a veteran contract extension, he can receive a starting salary worth either 120% of the final-year salary in his current deal or 120% of the league’s estimated average salary. So, extension-eligible players earning below $10MM in 2020/21 will be able to receive $12MM in the first season of a four-year extension.

As Marks notes, this would apply to players like Trail Blazers wing Gary Trent Jr., Nuggets guard Monte Morris, and Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham. If they want to sign extensions this fall that go into effect in 2021/22, they’d be eligible to receive up to $53.76MM over four years.

As for the Early Bird exception, it represents the starting salary that teams can offer to their own free agents using Early Bird rights, assuming that amount is greater than 175% of the player’s previous salary.

This will apply this offseason to free agents like Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo and Pistons big man Christian Wood. If their own teams want to re-sign them using Early Bird rights, the offers won’t be able to exceed $10,047,450 in year one. In order to offer a higher starting salary, those teams would have to use cap room (which the Pistons will have, but the Lakers won’t).

Because the salary cap isn’t increasing or decreasing for 2020/21, other values tied to the cap will remain unchanged. This applies to the maximum and minimum salaries, as well as the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, as we explained earlier in the week. The tax apron ($138,928,000) and the limit on cash sent/received in trades ($5,617,000) will also be the same in ’20/21 as they were in ’19/20.