Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers, Clippers Remain In Mix For Markieff Morris

November 23rd, 2020 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward Markieff Morris, one of the few players on our top-50 list who has yet to agree to a new deal, continues to draw interest from both Los Angeles teams, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that both the Lakers and Clippers are trying to sign Morris.

The Lakers have had interest in re-signing Morris throughout free agency, and the Clippers’ interest in reuniting Markieff with his brother Marcus Morris was reported on Sunday. Stein also reported on Sunday that the Raptors also had interest in Markieff, but says that Toronto is likely out of the running as a viable option after agreeing to sign Aron Baynes.

The Clippers have a little more cap flexibility to make a stronger offer to Morris, as they still have their $3.62MM bi-annual exception available. The Lakers could offer up to about $2.8MM using Morris’ Non-Bird rights, assuming they’re comfortable squeezing that deal below their hard cap. A minimum-salary offer from either team would pay Morris about $2.33MM.

After starting last season in Detroit, Morris was bought out and joined the Lakers for the stretch run. He played a limited role (14.2 minutes per game) in 14 regular season contests for the club, but actually saw his playing time increase to 18.3 MPG in the postseason. He appeared in all 21 of the Lakers’ playoff games en route to their championship, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG with a .449/.420/.778 shooting line

Eastern Notes: Giannis, Hayward, Raptors, Bulls, Wizards

November 23rd, 2020 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

It has been a frenzied week of NBA roster moves since the league lifted its months-long moratorium last Monday, but there have been no updates on perhaps the biggest storyline of the offseason, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As Windhorst points out, the league is still waiting to see whether or not reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will agree to a five-year, super-max extension with the Bucks.

League sources tell Windhorst that the Bucks – in recent weeks – have moved from “cautiously optimistic to cautiously confident” that Antetokounmpo will make a long-term commitment to the club when he returns from Greece. However, moves made by other teams across the league this week suggest that not everyone on the outside views it as a lock.

Clubs that have long been cited as likely free agent suitors for Giannis if he reaches the open market in 2021 went to great lengths this week to preserve their cap room for next summer. The Heat, Mavericks, and Raptors were among the teams that made an effort to keep money off their books for next season — in some cases, it may have even cost them key free agents.

Here’s more from around the East:

While a panel of analysts at The Athletic agree that the Hornets‘ four-year, $120MM deal for Gordon Hayward is an overpay, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that the forward did have another four-year offer in the $100MM range. It’s not clear whether it was the Pacers or another team that made that offer.
In negotiations with Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, it was clear the Raptors prioritized their future cap flexibility over keeping the free agent centers in Toronto for 2020/21, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says the team knew it might have to take a step backward in the short term in order to achieve their ambitions in the long term.
While losing two more key pieces from their 2019 championship roster will be a tough pill to swallow for the Raptors, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca warns not to assume the club will take a big step backward in 2020/21.
The Bulls entered the offseason needing to fortify their wing rotation, which is why they agreed to sign Garrett Temple and bring back Denzel Valentine, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Temple is a good teammate and a versatile veteran who can play multiple positions, while the Bulls like Valentine’s ability to shoot, pass, and rebound, Mayberry writes.
Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post makes a case that the Wizards need to reboot their roster by trading both John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Raptors Sign DeAndre’ Bembry

November 22nd, 2020 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 26: The Raptors’ deal with Bembry is now official, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

NOVEMBER 22: The Raptors have reached an agreement with free agent swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.

It’s for the veteran’s minimum and the second year isn’t guaranteed, The Athletic’s Blake Murphy tweets. He’ll receive $1,737,145 next season with $1,977,011 for the non-guaranteed second year.

Bembry became an unrestricted free agent with the Hawks decided to not extend him a qualifying offer. He’ll provide a little more depth on the wing for the Raptors.

Bembry was the No. 21 pick in 2016 and has spent the last four seasons in Atlanta, but didn’t have a notable season in 2019/20, averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .456/.231/.542 shooting in 43 games (21.3 MPG).

Toronto reached an agreement on Sunday with one of its free agents, Chris Boucher. They’re also signing former Suns center Aron Baynes.

Free Agency Rumors: Ibaka, Iwundu, Hernangomez, Bazemore

November 22nd, 2020 at 8:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Big man Serge Ibaka was not bereft of contending suitors in free agency, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto notes that the Raptors, the team with whom Ibaka spent most of the last four seasons, apparently offered a one-year, $12MM deal to Ibaka for an encore appearance in 2020/21. Toronto was believed to be unwilling to offer multiple years, which would have cut into the team’s projected 2021 cap space.

The Nets also wanted Ibaka, but could only afford a taxpayer mid-level exception, which would have started at $5.7MM this season. Ibaka ultimately inked a two-year, $19MM contract with the Clippers.

Here are more free agency rumors:

Though swingman Wesley Iwundu ultimately opted to sign a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Mavericks, the Hawks, Pelicans and Kings were also in the running for Iwundu’s services this offseason, Scotto reports in the same piece.
The Mavericks and Kings also considered adding reserve center Willy Hernangomez before he agreed to terms with the Pelicans on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal, per Scotto. Hernangomez’s 2019/20 club, the Hornets, also apparently wanted to re-sign the 26-year-old big man.
Scotto reports that former Kings wing Kent Bazemore also found himself in high demand this offseason before agreeing to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal with the Warriors. The Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Celtics, Suns, Knicks, Nets, and Hornets were all interested in adding the three-and-D vet this offseason.

Chris Boucher Re-Signs With Raptors

November 22nd, 2020 at 7:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NOVEMBER 25: The Raptors have officially re-signed Boucher, according to a press release from the team.

NOVEMBER 22: After the top two incumbent Raptors big men opted to head West in separate signings with each of the Los Angeles clubs this weekend, Toronto will retain reserve center/power forward Chris Boucher, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes that the agreement is for a two-year, $13.5MM contract.

The second year of Boucher’s deal is non-guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). This makes sense given the Raptors’ focus on preserving 2021 cap room. The 2021 free agent class looks to be stacked with high-quality All-Star targets. Along these lines, only the first year of newly-signed center Aron Baynes‘s contract is guaranteed. Scotto also mentions that six NBA clubs were interested in adding Boucher this offseason.

The 6’9″ Boucher, a 27-year-old restricted free agent, will be counted on by Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and head coach Nick Nurse to shore up the middle behind Baynes, the presumed starter.

Boucher enjoyed a career year during 2019/20, finally cementing a steady rotation spot during his third NBA season. He more than doubled his previous-best minutes tally, averaging 13.2 MPG across 62 NBA games as the Raptors’ third option at center. He notched averages of 6.6 PPG (double his prior career high), 4.5 RPG, and 1.0 BPG.

Boucher also flashed some promise from long range during his two seasons in Toronto. His current career mark is 32.1% from deep on 1.7 attempts per game, below-average for the league but solid numbers for a big man.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raptors Sign Aron Baynes To Two-Year Deal

November 22nd, 2020 at 6:49pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 25: The Raptors have officially signed Baynes, according to the NBA’s transactions log. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca has reported that the second year of the big man’s deal will technically be non-guaranteed rather than a team option.

NOVEMBER 22: Having lost Marc Gasol to the Lakers and Serge Ibaka in a signing with the Clippers, the Raptors have moved quickly to reach an agreement to sign free agent center Aron Baynes to a two-year, $14.3MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The second year of Baynes’s contract will be a team option, allowing the Raptors to preserve their 2021 cap flexibility, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Toronto will use a chunk of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Though the 33-year-old Baynes may lack the passing acumen or career accolades of the 35-year-old Gasol or the defense of the 31-year-old Ibaka, Baynes is more mobile than the former and has developed into a solid outside shooting threat in his own right. During his 2019/20 season with the Suns, Baynes connected on 35.1% of his 4.3 three-pointers per game, significant career highs as he took pains to modernize his game.

During his lone season in Phoenix, the 6’10” Baynes also set new career-best benchmarks in points and assistants, averaging 11.5 PPG and 1.6 APG in a career-most 22.2 MPG. He also averaged a solid 5.6 RPG. Baynes began his career with the Spurs, with whom he won a title as a deep bench contributor in 2014. He also had two-year stops with the Pistons and Celtics.

Baynes looks to slot in as the Raptors’ starting center, replacing Gasol. In a separate deal today, Toronto is also set to re-sign center/power forward Chris Boucher, who emerged as a consistent rotation option behind Gasol and Ibaka. Boucher may now become Baynes’s primary backup as he continues to develop.

Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this report.

Marc Gasol Narrowing Focus To Lakers, Raptors

November 22nd, 2020 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent center Marc Gasol is narrowing his focus to the Lakers and Raptors, according to Shams Charnia of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Warriors were among the teams also expressing interest in Gasol, but it sounds as if they’re no longer in the mix. The Mavericks also aren’t considered a probable destination anymore, Charania adds, noting that Dallas had been in the running up until now (Twitter link).

The Raptors hold Gasol’s Bird rights and are well positioned to offer him a lucrative one-year deal for 2020/21. Toronto should be especially motivated to bring back its starting center, having lost Serge Ibaka to the Clippers. If both Gasol and Ibaka depart, 2019 second-rounder Dewan Hernandez would be the only center under contract for the Raptors, since their other big man – Chris Boucher – is a restricted free agent.

While the Raptors can offer Gasol more money for next season, the Lakers are working the marketplace to try to find a way to improve their offer, per Charania. For the time being, they’d be limited to the veteran’s minimum, since they’ve already signed Wesley Matthews using the bi-annual exception and intend to use the full mid-level exception to Montrezl Harrell.

If the Lakers can shed some salary – and if the Raptors or Clippers are willing to cooperate – a sign-and-trade deal for either Gasol or Harrell could help keep the MLE open for the other. Los Angeles is exploring trading away JaVale McGee and his $4.2MM cap hit, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Should the Lakers snatch Gasol away from Toronto, the Raptors may shift their attention to a Lakers free agent, according to Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Toronto has “strong interest” in forward Markieff Morris.

Marc Gasol Receiving Interest From Lakers, Raptors, Warriors

November 22nd, 2020 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22, 11:11am: The Lakers have emerged as a “serious” suitor for Gasol, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania explains, the opportunity to play in Los Angeles and chase another title appeal to Gasol, though he’d likely have to accept a minimum-salary deal. Marc Stein of The New York Times reported the Lakers’ interest in Gasol on Friday.

NOVEMBER 21, 11:37pm: In the wake of Serge Ibaka‘s contract agreement with the Clippers, the Raptors are working to convince their other center – Marc Gasol – to sign a new deal with the club, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Gasol is receiving interest from other teams, including the Warriors.

The Raptors hold Gasol’s Bird rights and are well positioned to offer him a lucrative one-year deal for 2020/21, especially now that Ibaka is no longer in play. Toronto’s reluctance to offer multiple years and eat into its 2021 cap room may have hindered the team’s ability to re-sign Ibaka, but it seems unlikely to be a major handicap in the Gasol sweepstakes, since the 35-year-old probably won’t receive many multiyear offers.

Whether or not they re-sign Gasol, the Raptors will have the full $9.3MM mid-level exception available to seek additional frontcourt help.

Golden State’s resources to offer Gasol a contract are somewhat limited, especially if the team is dedicating part of its $5.7MM mid-level exception to Brad Wanamaker, as has been rumored. Following Klay Thompson‘s Achilles tear, the Warriors have sought a $9.3MM disabled player exception that would allow the club to sign a free agent to a one-year contract, but it’s not clear how long it might take for the NBA to approve that request.

Even if the Warriors get that DPE soon, making a $9MM offer to a free agent would increase the club’s already-massive projected tax bill exponentially, and it’s not clear just how much team ownership is willing to pay for this season’s roster — especially with Thompson’s injury compromising Golden State’s championship chances.

While the Warriors are in the market for a center like Gasol, they’re not limiting their free agent search to traditional bigs, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, who says (via Twitter) that wing-type players are also being considered.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Receiving Interest From Pacers?

November 22nd, 2020 at 12:40am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22, 12:40am: A source with knowledge of the situation tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) that the Pacers “aren’t engaged” in sign-and-trade talks with the Kings on a deal that would involve Bogdanovic and Turner.

Anderson clarifies in a follow-up tweet that there’s room for interpretation regarding the Pacers’ level of interest in Bogdanovic, but his source “flatly rejected” the idea of Turner being involved in a deal.

NOVEMBER 21, 10:00pm: The Pacers weren’t able to complete a sign-and-trade deal with Boston to land Gordon Hayward, but the Celtics forward apparently wasn’t the only sign-and-trade target on the team’s radar.

Sources tell James Ham of NBC Sports California that Indiana has shown interest in Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is also drawing interest from the Hawks.

Atlanta has the cap room necessary to sign Bogdanovic to an offer sheet. In that scenario, the Kings would have to elect whether or not to match the offer, and would lose the talented swingman for nothing if they decline to match.

The over-the-cap Pacers would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade with Sacramento in order to give Bogdanovic a contract that reflects his market value (believed to be in the range of $18MM annually). If Indiana is willing to make a player like Myles Turner available in that scenario, that would certainly appeal to the Kings more than the prospect of losing Bogdanovic for nothing, Ham writes.

There would be some cap-related hurdles to overcome in any deal between the Kings and Pacers. And, of course, as the Bucks and the Kings were reminded earlier in the week, Bogdanovic himself would have to sign off on the idea of joining the Pacers over Atlanta or another team. Still, it’s certainly a possibility worth keeping an eye on.

For what it’s worth, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Pacers – as well as the Rockets – expressed some exploratory interest in a possible sign-and-trade for free agent guard Fred VanVleet before he committed to re-sign with the Raptors.

Serge Ibaka Signs With Clippers

November 21st, 2020 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 25: The Clippers have officially signed Ibaka, the team announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 21: The Clippers will sign free agent big man Serge Ibaka, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that Ibaka will receive $19MM over two years on his new deal, signaling that Los Angeles will use its full mid-level exception to complete the signing. Charania adds (via Twitter) that the contract will feature a second-year player option.

The agreement represents a major coup for the Clippers, who lost center Montrezl Harrell to the rival Lakers early in free agency and saw power forward JaMychal Green leave for a deal in Denver. Ibaka, who can play either the four or five, will help replenish the team’s frontcourt depth, giving L.A. a big man who can knock down outside shots on offense and protect the rim on defense.

After starting his career in Oklahoma City and spending a brief stint in Orlando during the 2016/17 season, Ibaka has been in Toronto for the last three-and-half seasons, winning a title with the Raptors (with Kawhi Leonard) in 2019. This past season, he averaged 15.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG with an impressive .512/.385/.718 shooting line in 55 games (27.0 MPG).

By committing their full mid-level exception to Ibaka, the Clippers will hard-cap themselves for the 2020/21 league year and they don’t have a whole lot of wiggle room below the $138.93MM apron. However, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (via Twitter), the club can create a little extra breathing room by waiving non-guaranteed contracts for Joakim Noah and Justin Patton. Bringing back Noah on a new one-year, minimum-salary deal would cost the team about $1MM less than his current deal.

The Clippers remain in the market for a play-making guard and another big man, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. However, the team will likely be limited to minimum-salary offers or perhaps a portion of the bi-annual exception.

The Raptors, one of the many teams that made an effort to sign Ibaka, were believed to be averse to offering multiyear money, since it would compromise their projected cap room for the summer of 2021. They reportedly offered the big man a one-year, $12MM deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.