Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Durant, Rondo, Crawford, Mack

July 3rd, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant has concluded his meeting with the Heat, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The session lasted about two hours, according to Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Durant plans to meet with representatives from the Thunder this afternoon before making his final decision. He also talked to the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs and Celtics this weekend, although L.A. is now out of the running.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

The Kings are “moving on” from free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge says Sacramento is comfortable with Darren Collison as its starter and will seek a backup in free agency.
The Sixers have made a “significant” offer to Clippers free agent combo guard Jamal Crawford, tweets Dan Woike of Orange County Register, and several other teams are interested. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been contacted by the Kings, Hawks, Nets, Mavericks, Celtics and others, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The Jazz have to make a decision on point guard Shelvin Mack this week, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Mack’s $2.4MM salary for next season will become fully guaranteed on Thursday. Mack became the starter in Utah after a midseason trade from Atlanta and averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 assists in 28 games. The Jazz are trading backup point guard Trey Burke to the Wizards.
The Timberwolves are interested in Jordan Hill, but Pau Gasol remains their top priority in free agency, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

And-Ones: Durant, Gasol, Crawford

July 2nd, 2016 at 10:39pm CST by Will Joseph

Kevin Durant has told teams he is meeting with that his decision will be made within the next 24-36 hours, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Durant’s meeting with the Celtics, one that reportedly featured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, ended just after 6:30pm, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge also tweets that Durant will meet with the Heat Sunday before meeting again with the Thunder. He is then expected to decide. According to Broussard, however, no decision has been made on whether Durant will meet again with the Thunder (Twitter link). Durant has also met with the Warriors, Spurs and Clippers.

Here’s more from a busy day around the league …

The Raptors have emerged as another suitor for Pau Gasol, who may look to make a decision after Durant finds a home, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Wolves, Blazers and Spurs have expressed interest in Gasol, too, Stein relays (on Twitter).
Al Horford‘s four-year, $113MM deal with the Celtics includes a player option after the third year, according to his agent Jason Glushon, Shelburne reports (ESPN Now link).
The Clippers formally offered Jamal Crawford a contract on Saturday, according to Shelburne (ESPN Now link). The Wolves checked in on Crawford Saturday, but they are not close to offering, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
After losing Horford in free agency, the Hawks are expected to halt trade talks and will keep Paul Millsap, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The Kings hold a team option for the second year on both of the two-year agreements for Arron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
The Pelicans have expressed interest in Raymond Felton and New Orleans could be competition for the Mavs, who would like to re-sign Felton, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Mavs, Wolves, Pelicans and Spurs are among the teams that have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent Thomas Robinson, Kennedy tweets.

Pacers Discuss Acquiring Rudy Gay

July 2nd, 2016 at 5:49pm CST by Will Joseph

The Pacers and Kings have talked recently about a trade involving Sacramento small forward Rudy Gay, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Kings have interest in landing Monta Ellis, whom they eyed in free agency last summer, in return, but the Pacers prefer to deal Rodney Stuckey, Stein tweets.

The Pacers reportedly spoke to Sacramento about a possible Gay trade before they acquired Thaddeus Young last week, which suggests their interest is as strong as Stein indicates. The Kings are becoming increasingly willing to move Gay in a trade, according to multiple reports. Gay, who turns 30 in August, has been one of the Kings’ go-to scorers over the past two-plus seasons, though his PPG dipped to 17.2 in 2015/16, his lowest mark since his rookie season. Still, Gay contributed 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and posted decent shooting percentages, making 46.3% of his shots from the floor and 34.4% from downtown.

Gay’s contract has two years left on it, but the final year is a player option, so he looks poised to hit the open market in 2017, assuming he has a solid 2016/17 season. Teams may not be willing to give up a significant return for one year of Gay, but his $13.333MM salary certainly looks reasonable compared to some of the prices being paid in free agency.

Kings To Sign Arron Afflalo

July 2nd, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports Images

5:12pm: The second year is only partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter link).

2:02pm: The Kings and unrestricted free agent shooting guard Arron Afflalo have agreed to a deal that will land him in Sacramento, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It’s going to be a two-year, $25MM pact for Afflalo, Wojnarowski adds.

There wasn’t much chatter attached to Afflalo prior to this deal coming together. The veteran opted out of his contract with the Knicks and the $8MM he was slated to earn in 2016/17, and the move has paid off with Afflalo increasing his annual salary to $12.5MM courtesy of Sacramento. One would assume he is joining the Kings as a starter, given his reported disdain for the reserve role the Knicks placed him in last season. Though, a $4.5MM per season raise may make coming off the bench more palatable, if that is to be his role.

Afflalo appeared in 71 games for the Knicks in 2015/16 and averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 33.4 minutes per outing. He shot .443/.382/.840 from the field on the campaign.

Kings To Sign Anthony Tolliver

July 2nd, 2016 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings and unrestricted free agent Anthony Tolliver have agreed to a deal, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $16MM pact that is partially guaranteed for $2MM in 2017/18, the scribe adds.

Tolliver made 72 appearances for the Pistons this past season, averaging 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 18.6 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .386/.360/.617.

The 31-year-old’s deal is the one of the few handed out since free agency commenced that includes a partial guarantee. But even if by some chance he is released prior to next season as a result of not having a full guarantee, Tolliver will be have pocketed at least $10MM for his efforts, as well as be in line to hit the open market next summer when the cap is expected to increase once again. Not a bad deal for the journeyman, all things considered.

Latest On Courtney Lee

July 2nd, 2016 at 1:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks continue to search for a wing player to add to their roster, and to that end, are still pursuing unrestricted free agent Courtney Lee. New York’s latest offer to Lee was for four-years and approximately $40MM, or to do some quick math, $10MM per season, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports (ESPN Now link). Phil Jackson and company are also reportedly in the mix for Eric Gordon, with potentially disgruntled Heat star Dwyane Wade lurking as a fallback option.

New York is facing competition for Lee, with the Kings ready to offer the swingman a deal valued at approximately $14MM per season, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets. The Wolves Kings, Nets and Hawks are also reported to be interested in Lee. After agreeing to a deal with center Joakim Noah, the Knicks project to have approximately $12MM in cap space remaining, Begley notes, which could prove problematic for the team if the bidding for Lee escalates.

Lee finished the 2015/16 season with the Hornets, appearing in 28 games after being acquired from Memphis and averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists during his time in Charlotte. He shot .445/.392/.885 from the field.

Bulls, Others Have Interest In Rajon Rondo

July 1st, 2016 at 10:34pm CST by Luke Adams

10:34pm: Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets that the Kings aren’t out of the mix for Rondo yet, and also adds the Sixers to the list of teams with interest.

8:24pm: According to Scott Kushner and Brett Dawson of The Advocate (Twitter links), there’s nothing to the Pelicans’ reported interest in Rondo.

8:08pm: After trading a three-time All-Star point guard in June, the Bulls are now eyeing a four-time All-Star point guard in free agency, according to multiple reports. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets the Bulls have had contact with Rajon Rondo, with Marc Stein and Marc J. Spears of ESPN confirming (via Twitter) that Rondo had a meeting today in Chicago with the Bulls.

The Bulls sent Derrick Rose to the Knicks last month in a five-player trade, leaving an opening at the point guard spot. While Chicago could enter the season with Jose Calderon manning the point, it appears the team is exploring an upgrade, and Rondo is arguably the best point guard left on the market now that Mike Conley has re-upped with the Grizzlies.

Rondo, 30, enjoyed a bounce-back season with the Kings in 2015/16 after his time with Dallas ended poorly last year. The longtime Celtics point guard led the league with 11.7 assists per game, and also chipped in 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. He even shot a career-best 36.5% from three-point range.

The Nets, Knicks, and Kings have been the teams most frequently linked to Rondo this summer, but the Nets have reached an agreement with Jeremy Lin, the Knicks have acquired Rose, and we heard earlier today that the Kings appear unlikely to bring back the free agent point guard. That could open the door for the Bulls or another club to strike a deal with Rondo.

One of Rondo’s other suitors is the Pelicans, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans has expressed interest in the Kentucky product.

Western Rumors: Anderson, Rockets, Bazemore

July 1st, 2016 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are scheduled to meet with Ryan Anderson on Saturday morning, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Kings are also still in the mix for Anderson, writes James Ham of CSN California — Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that Sacramento reached out to the veteran forward right when free agency opened last night. According to Amick (via Twitter), Anderson still has at least four serious suitors, including Houston and Sacramento.

Here are several more free agent rumors and updates from across the Western Conference:

The Timberwolves have expressed “strong interest” in Kent Bazemore, according to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Minnesota is in the market for a veteran wing, having reached out to Luol Deng as well. Of course, the Wolves also made an effort to trade for Jimmy Butler during last week’s draft.
The Jazz are scheduled to have a second meeting today with free agent sharpshooter Jared Dudley, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Jones cautions that both sides still have multiple options in play, with Dudley generating “real interest” from the Suns too.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that he keeps hearing the Kings don’t intend to sign Rajon Rondo.
With his free agency underway, Trail Blazers RFA Allen Crabbe has changed his representation, hiring Aaron Mintz and Ty Sullivan of CAA Sports, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).
The Spurs have expressed some interest in free agent big man Willie Reed, sources inform Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Dewayne Dedmon, a Magic restricted free agent, has drawn interest from the Warriors, a source tells Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Kings Meeting With Dion Waiters, Interested In Courtney Lee

July 1st, 2016 at 4:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Minnesota GM Scott Layden has reached out to Courtney Lee, but no offer has been made yet, Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to the Wolves, Lee has received interest from the Knicks, Kings, Nets and Hawks, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Kennedy adds that Atlanta’s interest in Lee is contingent on Kent Bazemore‘s decision to stay or leave in free agency.
Dion Waiters will have a face-to-face meeting with the Kings this weekend, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey adds that the Sixers would like their own meeting with the shooting guard.

Kings Increasingly Open To Trading Rudy Gay?

July 1st, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a growing sense around the NBA that the Kings are becoming increasingly willing to move Rudy Gay in a trade, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The Pacers reportedly spoke to Sacramento about a possible Gay trade before they acquired Thaddeus Young last week.

Gay, who turns 30 in August, has been one of the Kings’ go-to scorers over the past two-plus seasons, though his PPG dipped to 17.2 in 2015/16, his lowest mark since his rookie season. Still, Gay contributed 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and posted decent shooting percentages, making 46.3% of his shots from the floor and 34.4% from downtown.

Gay’s contract has two years left on it, but the final year is a player option, so he looks poised to hit the open market in 2017, assuming he has a solid 2016/17 season. Teams may not be willing to give up a significant return for one year of Gay, but his $13.333MM salary certainly looks reasonable compared to some of the prices being paid in free agency.

Sacramento is said to be eyeing a handful of shooting guards and forwards on the free agent market. The team is believed to have significant interest in Dion Waiters, and has been linked to Allen Crabbe and Courtney Lee as well. Ryan Anderson is also a rumored target for the Kings.