Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Damian Lillard

July 6th, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Damian Lillard‘s agent, Aaron Goodwin, confirms that his client only wants to be traded to the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski previously reported that Goodwin was attempting to steer his client to Miami while discouraging other teams from pursuing a trade for the perennial All-Star guard. In comments to Jackson, Lillard’s agent responded to that ESPN report.

“I do what I should for my client. Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me,” Goodwin said. “It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”

Despite Lillard’s focus on Miami, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin plans to speak with other GMs and team presidents during the Las Vegas Summer League. Still, Goodwin believes Cronin will eventually grant Lillard’s wish, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets.

“I had a positive conversation with Joe and I made it clear that Damian would want them to sit down and have a meaningful negotiation with Miami.” Goodwin said. “And I think that’s something that Joe and the Blazers will do.”

We have more on Lillard:

So what if Lillard gets traded to another team besides the Heat? A source familiar with his thinking claims that the star guard would hold out, according to Mark Medina of Sportsnaut.com. “He just wouldn’t go,” the source said. “He just wouldn’t report. … I don’t think the other team would trade for him knowing that he doesn’t want to be there.” While it’s possible that source is right about how Lillard would respond to being traded to a non-Heat team, it’s hard not to interpret it as a leverage play, given that Lillard has four years remaining on his contract.
The Jazz made a call to to the Blazers regarding Lillard but didn’t make any type of formal offer, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Although Utah could dangle draft picks and developing young players for Lillard, he doesn’t fit the timeline for its young core, Wojnarowski points out.
A couple of league sources close to the situation told the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang that it wouldn’t be surprising if Lillard remains in limbo for weeks while Portland waits for better trade offers. Lillard’s desire to go to Miami could depresses the market. With the start of training camp still three months away. the Heat don’t have to push the panic button and increase whatever offer they have on the table.
The Sixers haven’t entirely ruled out the possibility of trading for Lillard, but they’ve “consistently underplayed” the odds of it happening, sources tell Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.

Celtics Rumors: Brown, Lillard, G. Williams, Tatum, Johnson

July 6th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Just because the Celtics and Jaylen Brown didn’t immediately agree to a super-max extension once he became eligible on July 1 doesn’t mean anything is amiss, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). Sources tell Himmselsbach that the Celtics aren’t shopping Brown and don’t plan to low-ball him once they begin negotiating.

Himmselsbach reiterates a point that other reporters have made, that Boston might push for some incentives in the deal, but there’s still an expectation that Brown will eventually receive and sign his super-max at some point. The two sides are expected to discuss the massive extension on Friday during Las Vegas Summer League, Himmselsbach adds.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Boston has accumulated several draft picks via trade this offseason, leading to speculation the Celtics could be looking for a major deal. However, although the team eventually plans to cash in on its draft equity for a “seismic strike,” such a move appears unlikely this offseason, sources tell Himmelsbach.
According to Himmselsbach, the Celtics aren’t pursuing Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and don’t intend to get involved in that situation unless they find something favorable as part of a multi-team deal. ESPN recently reported that Boston “expressed some interest” in the All-NBA guard.
While the Celtics valued Grant Williams, they recognized that his role was in flux after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, whose acquisition came as a surprise to the organization, sources tell Himmselsbach. Williams wanted an opportunity for consistent playing time which Boston couldn’t guarantee, and that factored into Brad Stevens‘ decision to agree to sign-and-trade Williams to Dallas.
The Celtics are willing to exceed the second tax apron in the future and still project to be a taxpayer, but retaining Williams on the contract he received would have added $40MM to the tax bill. Boston didn’t think that made sense financially, given his uncertain role, says Himmelbach.
Losing Marcus Smart (as part of the Porzingis trade) and Williams will leave a leadership and toughness void, according to Himmselsbach. However, the Celtics expect stars Brown and Jayson Tatum to fill that void. The team felt the two wings deferred to Smart at times in key moments, but obviously that will change.
Tatum was close to Williams, but he understood the team’s decision to move the restricted free agent and is focused on improving the team’s roster, sources tell Himmelsbach.
Free agent forward Alize Johnson will workout for the Celtics this week, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The five-year NBA veteran played four games for the Spurs in 2022/23.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Rupert, Reid, Gillespie

July 6th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

In an effort to steer Damian Lillard to the Heat, agent Aaron Goodwin has been contacting other teams and warning them not to pursue a trade with the Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi. Several executives around the league told Wojnarowski that Goodwin is claiming Lillard won’t be happy if he gets dealt anywhere but Miami.

General managers have insisted to Woj that the tactic is fairly common and won’t impact their interest in a potential Lillard deal. He remains under contract, and the opinion throughout the league is that he’ll play equally well no matter where he winds up.

The two-year, maximum-salary extension that Lillard received last summer makes it more difficult for Portland to find value in return for its star guard, Wojnarowski adds. Although Lillard is under contract through 2026/27, his salary for that season will be more than $63MM, which a lot of teams don’t want to take onto their cap.

Some progress toward a Lillard deal could be made this week as executives gather for the Las Vegas Summer League, but Wojnarowski doesn’t expect a quick resolution. He suggests it may take most of the summer for Portland to find an acceptable offer and that Miami’s best chance could be for the process to drag on so long that other teams in the market for Lillard drop out of the bidding.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Rayan Rupert‘s new contract with the Trail Blazers is fully guaranteed for two seasons and carries a team option for the third year, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The New Zealand Breakers star was selected with the 43rd overall pick.
The Spurs or Cavaliers might have offered him more, but Naz Reid was happy to bypass free agency in favor of a three-year extension with the Timberwolves, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Reid was hoping to remain in Minnesota after spending his first four NBA seasons there. “I started my career here. I wanted to continue my career here,” Reid said. “I’ve gotten better each and every year here as well, so it only made sense. I didn’t want to go anywhere else and continue my journey, as far as I’ve gone. I’ve felt all my teammates and coaches and everybody has been great to me.”
Collin Gillespie is eager to show the Nuggets what he can do after suffering a lower left leg fracture last summer, writes Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post. Gillespie received a two-way contract and remained on Denver’s roster even though he wasn’t able to play. “When I got injured, I was like ‘Man, this is not good,’” he said. “But it just tells you about the organization (and) what kind of people they are. It’s a special organization. I was extremely grateful that they stuck with me.”

Celtics Rumors: G. Williams, Brogdon, Brown, Banton, Lillard

July 6th, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

When the Celtics struck a deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis last month, Grant Williams recognized that there might not be as significant a role for him in Boston’s frontcourt if he were to re-sign with the team as a restricted free agent. However, he liked the trade for the Celtics, as he told Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“With the (Porzingis) news, I was excited about it ’cause even if they did end up matching me, I would probably be playing less but my whole thing is about winning,” he said.

Still, Williams recognized that the addition of Porzingis’ salary made it less likely that the Celtics would be willing to spend to keep him when he reached restricted free agency. According to Weiss, the forward had a more competitive market when free agency opened last week, but the Celtics were asking for a first-round pick in sign-and-trade talks, which caused some potential suitors to move on.

“I had an understanding of that most of the way. I know how the numbers work out and yeah, they could have afforded to keep me,” Williams said of the Celtics. “But it’s one of those things where you’re really committing and after the prior year, I didn’t think it was realistic. Hey, Boston was trying to maintain their leverage. It’s one of those where you can’t be mad at them for it because it just shows they want you to be there in a way.”

With Williams’ market drying up, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe heard from a source as late as Wednesday afternoon that a return to the Celtics was still a possibility, but the Mavericks increased their push for the forward and Brad Stevens was amenable to sending the 24-year-old somewhere he’d get to play more. That led to a three-team sign-and-trade agreement that will send Williams to Dallas.

Here’s more on what’s next for the Celtics:

A league source tells Himmelsbach that the Celtics remain intent on bringing back Malcolm Brogdon after discussing him in trade talks earlier in the offseason. Himmelsbach’s source adds that Jaylen Brown‘s super-max extension should be finalized “in the coming days.”
Dalano Banton, who agreed to sign a two-year contract with Boston, is expected to join the team’s Las Vegas Summer League roster, tweets Himmelsbach.
Echoing an earlier report from Chris Haynes that said the Celtics were among the teams to reach out to the Trail Blazers to inquire about the price for Damian Lillard, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne stated on NBA Today (YouTube link) that Boston has “expressed some interest” in the star guard. Shelburne and ESPN colleague Zach Lowe stressed that the Celtics are not on Lillard’s wish list, but point out that a package of Brogdon, Robert Williams, and several first-round picks and swaps could be compelling. The C’s have given San Antonio first-round swap rights in 2028, but their future first-rounders are otherwise unencumbered.
A Celtics star forward would be in favor of a deal for Lillard, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said during a TV appearance over the weekend. “I’m hearing Jayson Tatum is knocking on that door now too to figure out a way to get (Lillard) to come to Boston,” Spears said, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com.

Trail Blazers Re-Sign John Butler To Two-Way Contract

July 6th, 2023 at 6:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have re-signed big man John Butler to a two-way contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.

Butler, 20, initially signed with the Blazers on a two-way deal last October after going undrafted out of Florida State. He appeared in 19 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 2.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per night.

Because Portland didn’t have a G League affiliate last season, Butler didn’t get much of a chance to develop at the NBAGL level, appearing in just six games for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate.

However, the Blazers liked what they saw from Butler enough to issue him a two-way qualifying offer in June. Now that he’s back on a second two-way deal, he should have an opportunity to get regular playing time this fall for Portland’s new G League team, the Rip City Remix.

Butler and Ibou Badji are currently on two-way deals with the Blazers, leaving one open slot.

Mavs To Sign Thybulle To Offer Sheet; Blazers Will Have Right To Match

July 5th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

8:30pm: Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report believes there’s a “strong chance” the Blazers will match the offer sheet (Twitter link).

8:20pm: Thybulle will sign the offer sheet on Thursday, Haynes reports (via Twitter). Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that it will be a three-year, $33MM deal (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that the Mavs would likely pay the 26-year-old slightly below the full mid-level exception.

With the Mavs poised to land Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade deal involving Reggie Bullock, team salary projects to be above the $172.3MM hard cap based on the salary figures reported for Thybulle and Williams, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Either some of Dallas’ signings will come in lower than reported or the team would have to shed some salary if it lands Thybulle.

11:18am: Restricted free agent forward Matisse Thybulle intends to sign an offer sheet with the Mavericks, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). The Trail Blazers will have the right the match the offer to retain Thybulle.

One of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, Thybulle has earned two All-Defensive nods during his first four years in the league. However, he has struggled to make an impact on the other side of the ball.

In 245 games with the Sixers during his first three-and-a-half seasons in the league, Thybulle averaged just 4.4 points per game on .448/.325/.667 shooting. He bumped those numbers to 7.4 PPG on .438/.388/.625 shooting in 22 contests with the Blazers following a February trade that sent him to Portland.

The Mavericks don’t have any cap room available, but they haven’t used any of their $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so their offer sheet for Thybulle will presumably come out of that figure. While the terms of the offer aren’t yet known, it will have to cover at least two seasons.

Marc Stein, who previously reported Dallas’ interest in Thybulle, said at the time that Portland has sent “behind-the-scenes signals” that it will match any reasonable offer sheet on the restricted free agent wing. It appears the Mavs are prepared to test the Blazers’ commitment to the 26-year-old, perhaps hoping that the uncertainty surrounding Damian Lillard‘s future will cause the team to waver on locking in Thybulle.

The two teams could theoretically still negotiate a sign-and-trade agreement, but that won’t be possible once Thybulle officially signs his offer sheet. At that time, the Blazers would simply have to decide whether to match it or whether to let him go to Dallas.

If Thybulle formally signs an offer sheet and Portland receives it before the July moratorium ends on Thursday at 12:00 pm Eastern time, the Blazers will have until 11:59 pm on Friday to make their decision. Players can sign offer sheets during the moratorium, but the clock on the matching team doesn’t start ticking until the moratorium is over.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams have one full day to match an offer sheet received before noon and two full days to match an offer sheet that comes in after noon. For example, if the Blazers were to receive Thybulle’s signed offer sheet at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday, they’d have until 11:59 pm on Saturday to make their decision.

The Mavericks were also said to have interest in restricted free agent forward Grant Williams.

Trade Rumors: Harden, Lillard, Knicks, George

July 5th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on SportsCenter on Tuesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that the Sixers may take the same approach to James Harden‘s trade request that they did to Ben Simmons‘ in 2021. In other words, the team will exercise patience waiting for the right deal to materialize, hoping in the meantime that its star guard will eventually have a change of heart about his desire to leave Philadelphia.

“If it was up to the Sixers, they would get James Harden enthusiastic about playing next season with the Sixers,” Wojnarowski said. “… The Sixers have been talking to teams about trades for James Harden (but) their asking price is really high.”

As Wojarowski points out, Harden has a better relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey than Simmons did with the team leaders in Philadelphia. However, the 76ers’ apparent unwillingness to put a lucrative, long-term contract offer on the table for Harden has created some discontent.

“There’s a lot of work that’s gotta be done with Harden before he’s really enthusiastic about a return there,” Wojnarowski said.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Unlike the 76ers with Harden, the Trail Blazers are under no illusions that they’ll be able to convince Damian Lillard to continue his career in Portland, Wojnarowski said during an NBA Today appearance on Wednesday (YouTube link). “I think both sides realize that this is over,” Wojnarowski said. “This is not a situation necessarily where the Blazers are trying to talk Damian Lillard back in.”
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday that he’s not expecting the Lillard situation to be resolved in the short-term future, noting that the Trail Blazers will want to take plenty of time to sort through all their options and get the best possible return. “I think we’re in for a bit of a wait,” Bontemps said (YouTube link). “That’s because we are on Portland Trail Blazers time.”
The Knicks‘ offseason feels somewhat incomplete, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who suggests the team could still have a move to make on the trade market. League sources tell Katz that the Knicks have contacted multiple teams this summer in search of a veteran in his prime who would fit the current roster.
While the Knicks may still have a trade up their sleeves, it doesn’t sound like it will be for Clippers forward Paul George. New York was linked to George earlier in the offseason, but Alan Hahn of ESPN Radio and MSG Network said on the Bart & Hahn podcast (Twitter audio link) that the Knicks deemed it too “expensive” to both acquire George and give him the extension he’s believed to be seeking.

Stein’s Latest: RFAs, Washington, Mavs, Bol, JVG, Bojan

July 5th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been more buzz in recent days about restricted free agents Grant Williams and Matisse Thybulle – who reportedly intends to sign an offer sheet with Dallas – than Hornets RFA P.J. Washington, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article. As Stein explains, there are a couple reasons for that.

For one, the Hornets are in a better position to a match a rival offer sheet than Boston or Portland. The Celtics project to be well over the luxury tax line, while the Trail Blazers still aren’t certain what their books will look like after they finalize a Damian Lillard trade.

Additionally, while the Celtics and Trail Blazers would both have to weigh whether or not to match offer sheets signed using the mid-level exception, such a deal would presumably be an automatic match for the Hornets with Washington. According to Stein, Washington is believed to be seeking a deal in the range of $18MM per year.

Here’s more from Stein:

Following up on a report that the Magic and Mavericks discussed a trade involving Bol Bol around the time of the draft, Stein explains that Dallas pitched the idea of taking on Bol as a salary dump along with Orlando’s No. 36 overall pick. The Magic turned down that proposal and ended up moving No. 36 for a 2030 second-round pick and cash.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was recently let go by ESPN, told the Mavericks he wasn’t interested in a job as an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s coaching staff, according to Stein, who says that it’s not yet known whether Van Gundy will attempt to return to coaching in some form or seek another broadcasting opportunity.
While teams around the league remain interested in acquiring forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons have held firm on their stance that they plan to keep the sharpshooting veteran, says Stein. There seems to be little concern about the Achilles issue that sidelined Bogdanovic for Detroit’s final 18 games, Stein adds, noting that the general sense is that the Pistons were just being “extra cautious,” with little to play for.

Blazers' Front Office Unimpressed By Heat's Offers

July 4th, 2023 at 9:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Damian Lillard made his trade request on Saturday, it has been made clear by various reporters that he’s focused on landing with the Heat, but that the Trail Blazers don’t seem overly enthusiastic about what Miami can offer. The belief is that if the Blazers are going to make a deal with Miami, they would want to involve a third team in order to secure more assets that appeal to them, likely in place of Tyler Herro, who would be redundant in Portland’s crowded backcourt.

In an ESPN appearance (YouTube link), Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that the Blazers are “not impressed” by the assets that the Heat have to offer, adding that Portland has been fielding calls from various teams around the NBA who are inquiring to see what it might take to land Lillard. While the Blazers could potentially get a stronger package from another team, it also remains to be seen how the star guard might respond if he’s sent somewhere he doesn’t want to be, which may give suitors outside of Miami pause about putting their best assets on the table.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link), the Blazers have explored multi-team trade scenarios that would send Lillard to the Heat and net Portland more draft assets than Miami has to offer directly.

“There are three- or four-team scenarios in a potential deal with the Heat that would potentially net the Blazers several first-round draft picks,” Charania said during an appearance on The Rally.

Trail Blazers Sign No. 43 Pick Rayan Rupert

July 4th, 2023 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have officially signed second-round pick Rayan Rupert to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Rupert, who just turned 19 in May, played for the New Zealand Breakers last season as part of the Next Stars program in Australia’s National Basketball League. A broken wrist limited him to 20 regular season games, in which he averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG on 36.4% shooting.

Although Rupert’s numbers for the Breakers weren’t great, NBA teams were intrigued by his size – 6’7″ with a 7’3″ wingspan – as well as his maturity and his unselfish playing style, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN wrote when the French teenager declared for the draft. He has also flashed some potential as a three-point shooter, making 10-of-16 attempts during the NBL Blitz preseason tournament in September.

International prospects drafted in the second round frequently end up being stashed overseas for at least a year or two, but that clearly wasn’t the plan for Rupert — the No. 43 overall pick immediately received an NBA contract and will be in Portland in 2023/24.

The Blazers’ announcement doesn’t include any further details on Rupert’s deal, but there’s no indication it’s a two-way contract, so the team likely gave him three or four years using the NBA’s new second-round pick exception.