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Leonard’s Free Agency Could Go To End Of Week

July 1st, 2019 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kawhi Leonard may not make a commitment in free agency until late this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the station’s Get Up program (Twitter link).

While the commitments of other top free agents Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler were made public before free agency officially began on Sunday night, Leonard will mull his options a little longer. The two Los Angeles teams and the Raptors are the contenders for his services.

“I’m told he is going to continue to take his time. … the teams who are involved are expecting that this could go even late into the week,” Wojnarowski said.

Leonard deliberation has already impacted the Lakers, who are looking to make a championship run next season. They’re interested in some lower-level free agents but have to await Leonard’s decision. Wojnarowski cited Seth Curry, who agreed to a contract with the Mavericks, as a player the Lakers were interested in signing.

“They’re going to keep losing guys off the board,” Wojnarowski said.

Leonard has spoken to Magic Johnson several times about the Lakers, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner, and there has also been a conversation with GM Rob Pelinka. Johnson can’t officially meet with Leonard on behalf of the organization after resigning his post as president of basketball operations but he’s free to speak in an unofficial capacity.

Turner told Spectrum Sportsnet that Leonard asked Johnson if the Lakers had make an attempt to trade for him prior to the Spurs’ deal with the Raptors (hat tip to SilverScreenAndRoll.com)

“There was one interesting question (Leonard) had for Magic: ‘Did you guys try to trade for me when I was in San Antonio?’ And the answer was ‘yes, but because it was Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, and our history, they were asking for 2,000 draft picks — well, not 2,000 — like four draft picks, first-round draft picks, and we just couldn’t do that.’ And that was one of his questions.”

Johnson told Leonard and his uncle, who participated in the conversations, that the disharmony within the front office is a thing of the past. Johnson also emphasized the storied history of the franchise, according to Turner.

“It’s about all those great players. You can be another one, you can join LeBron James and you can win more titles, and you don’t have to put as much stress on your body to do that. We have two stars to work with you,’” Johnson said.

Leonard also asked if he might be allowed to bring in his own trainer.

Free Agent Rumors: Dudley, Beverley, McGee, Green

July 1st, 2019 at 12:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The new-look Nets may be close to bringing back one of their locker room leaders, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Jared Dudley is interested in signing up for another season in Brooklyn, a source tells Scotto.

Dudley, who will turn 34 next month, also contributed on the court in his first season with the Nets, averaging 4.9 PPG in 59 games and shooting 35% from 3-point range. Dudley is also drawing interest from the Pistons and met with Detroit officials today, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

The Mavericks’ planned discussion with Patrick Beverley didn’t happen tonight, relays Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), who speculates that it was because of the team’s involvement in a three-way trade with the Heat and Sixers. Townsend adds that the Mavs’ chances of landing Beverley seem less likely than they were earlier.
Dallas is optimistic about reaching a deal with restricted free agent Maxi Kleber, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. He cites “productive discussions” between the Mavericks and the power forward/center.
JaVale McGee has a meeting set with the Pistons tomorrow, relays Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The free agent center talked to the Rockets today.
Danny Green spoke on his Instagram account about meeting with the Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers and Raptors, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. “Being patient, man,” he said of the process. “Being patient.”
The Wizards would still like to re-sign Tomas Satoransky, but are looking into other options at point guard, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Hughes states that they are interested in Quinn Cook and notes that Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported an inquiry about Cory Joseph.

Kawhi Leonard Won’t Hold Meetings On Sunday

June 30th, 2019 at 8:33pm CST by JD Shaw

Free agent Kawhi Leonard has decided not to hold any meetings with interested teams on Sunday night, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Leonard’s process is expected to ramp up in the coming days, Haynes adds, with the Clippers, Lakers and Raptors widely considered to be the front-runners for his services.

Leonard spoke with former Lakers president Magic Johnson earlier on Sunday and had a positive discussion, according to Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. He’s currently in Southern California preparing for free-agent meetings this week.

Sunday marked the first official day of free agency, where players could reach verbal agreements with interested teams during the moratorium period. Contracts can be officially signed when the moratorium ends on July 6.

Free Agent Rumors: Middleton, Butler, Kanter, Temple

June 30th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the quietness surrounding the free agency destination of Bucks’ All-Star forward Khris Middleton is because interested front offices are universally presuming that Middleton is going back to Milwaukee on a “monster” five-year deal.

Middleton, 27, is eligible to sign a five-year, $189.904MM maximum-salary contract with the Bucks, while rival suitors can only (relatively speaking, of course) offer up to $140.791MM over four years.

Echoing Stein’s sentiment from rival front offices, Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box reports that Middleton is expected to re-sign with Milwaukee, adding that Brook Lopez and George Hill are also considered good bets to return.

Per Marc J. Spears of ESPN, unrestricted free agent center Enes Kanter is expected to have a phone call with the Blazers and Celtics when free agency tips off tonight at 5:00pm CST.
Spears is also reporting that UFA guard Garrett Temple is getting interest from the Nets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Rockets.
During their meeting this evening, Jimmy Butler is expected to tell the Heat that he wishes to play in Miami, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. It’s unclear whether Butler actually wants to play for the Heat of if he’s simply using this as a negotiating tactic to entice the 76ers to offer him a 5-year maximum-salary contract.
Per Harrison D. Sanford of The Green Room with Danny Green, free agent guard Danny Green is expecting to hear from the Raptors, Lakers, Sixers, Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets, and Knicks.

Five Key Offseason Questions: Toronto Raptors

June 30th, 2019 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors‘ decision to part ways with Coach of the Year Dwane Casey and then to trade beloved star DeMar DeRozan generated some angst among the fanbase last summer. But the moves ultimately paid off in dividends for the long-snakebitten organization this spring.

A Raptors postseason run that featured an improbable Game 7 buzzer beater against the Sixers and a comeback from a 2-0 deficit against the Bucks culminated with a Finals win over the Warriors for Toronto’s first NBA championship. Now, with the hangover from that title celebration still wearing off, the club will have to figure out whether it can keep All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard and make another run in 2019/20.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. Will Kawhi Leonard re-sign?

With Kevin Durant expected to miss the 2019/20 season due to his torn Achilles, Leonard is unquestionably the top free agent on the market. And with just hours remaining until free agency officially begins, we still don’t really have a sense of what his plans are.

Did his championship run with the Raptors make him gain a new appreciation for Toronto or does he still want to play in his hometown of Los Angeles? Would teaming up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers appeal to him after he led a team to a championship as the unquestioned No. 1 option? Does he want to join forces with another top free agent like Durant or Jimmy Butler? Does he intend to sign a shorter-term deal or opt for long-term security?

All of these questions remain up in the air, which makes it impossible to get a good read on how likely a return to Toronto is. That puts the Raptors in a tough situation, especially if Leonard doesn’t intend to make a quick decision once free agency opens, since their outlook going forward hinges on whether they’ll have the Finals MVP for five years, two years, or one year — or not at all.

Fortunately for the Raptors, they’re not in a position where they’d have to remain in a holding pattern with other top free agents as they wait for Leonard’s decision. They don’t project to have cap room, so Kawhi’s decision may actually not impact their 2019 offseason roster moves in a huge way. Most of their key contributors remain under contract.

It’s possible Danny Green‘s free agency decision will be tied to Kawhi’s to some extent, and the Raptors may not be limited to just the taxpayer mid-level exception if Leonard heads elswhere Otherwise, I wouldn’t expect their short-term plans to change too drastically based on Kawhi’s decision.

2. Will Danny Green re-sign?

Of the eight players who saw the bulk of the minutes in the Raptors’ final two playoff series (Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakam, Green, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, and Norman Powell), only Leonard and Green are free agents.

Green has suggested he’d be interested in running it back with the same group – many of whom will be on expiring contracts – and trying to defend their title. But if Leonard takes a few days to make his decision in free agency, Green probably can’t wait around to see what he does. He’ll be one of the more coveted three-and-D wings on the open market and should draw plenty of interest from around the league.

With Green’s Bird rights in hand, the Raptors are in position to be one of the bidders that makes a strong play for him, and I think they’d be interested in re-signing him whether or not Leonard returns. Despite some up-and-down performances in the playoffs, Green was the team’s best three-point shooter during the regular season, and his ability to lock down perimeter players nearly earned him a spot on one of the NBA’s 2018/19 All-Defensive teams.

Green can reasonably expect to get mid-level offers and it may take a stronger bid than that to land him — I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go for $12MM+ annually. If the Raptors want to keep him, they’ll likely need to commit to a price in that range for multiple years.

So far, Toronto has kept its books relatively clean beyond 2020 (only Powell and OG Anunoby are under contract past next season for now), but the team shouldn’t be hesitant to offer Green a multiyear deal if it wants him back — at age 32, he should still have at least two or three more quality seasons left in him.

3. What’s the plan if Leonard and Green don’t return?

As noted above, many of the Raptors’ veterans will be on expiring contracts in 2019/20. Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, and VanVleet are all on track for unrestricted free agency next summer. So it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that the club could begin a retooling process if Leonard leaves, flipping some of those useful veterans on expiring deals for younger pieces or future assets.

I don’t expect that to happen though. Raptors management may feel as if it owes it to its players and fans to keep as much of its championship roster together as possible. And even if the team doesn’t feel that obligation, there’s a much more practical reason to keep the roster intact: It was a pretty good team even without Kawhi last season.

While Leonard managed his load and nursed minor injuries in 22 games over the course of the season, the Raptors posted a 17-5 record. Obviously, Toronto’s championship upside would take a hit without Leonard – and Green – but the club could potentially use its mid-level exception (and possibly its bi-annual exception) to add a starter and a rotation player via free agency. Throw in potential improvements from Anunoby and other young players and this is still a strong playoff team in the East. And if it struggles, midseason trades involving those expiring contracts are always a possibility.

If Leonard and Green walk, I’d expect the Raptors to aggressively pursue wing help on the free agent market. Wesley Matthews, James Ennis, Trevor Ariza, Garrett Temple, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Rodney Hood are among the many players who could be decent fits.

4. Is Nando De Colo finally in the Raptors’ plans?

De Colo, a longtime EuroLeague standout, appeared in 21 games for the Raptors in 2013/14 after a brief stint with the Spurs, and hasn’t been back in the NBA since then. However, Toronto has made an annual bookkeeping move involving De Colo, issuing him qualifying offers that he has never accepted to ensure the team retains his NBA restricted free agent rights.

Those QOs may finally pay off this summer, as De Colo has parted ways with CSKA Moscow and will be seeking a return to the NBA. If the 32-year-old guard signs an offer sheet with any of the NBA’s 29 teams besides the Raptors, Toronto will have an opportunity to match it.

While De Colo may not be a fit on a roster that features Lowry and VanVleet at point guard, I wouldn’t necessarily expect the Raptors to just renounce their rights to the former second-round pick and move on.

Trading for De Colo was one of the first moves Ujiri made during his tenure as the Raps’ head of basketball operations, and there’s a reason the team never gave up its rights to De Colo over the last five years. I still have a hard time envisioning De Colo suiting up for the Raptors in 2019/20, but this is a situation worth watching.

De Colo is one of two Raptors restricted free agents. Patrick McCaw is the other. McCaw’s situation could be interesting as well, given how his restricted free agency with the Warriors played out last year — the two sides locked in a stalemate well into the regular season. Of the two, McCaw is probably the more likely one to suit up for Toronto next season, but I don’t have a good feel yet for how attached the team is to either player. If Leonard returns, it’s possible both will be renounced for tax-related reasons.

5. Will the Raptors extend Pascal Siakam?

Technically, Siakam is part of that group of Raptors who are entering the final year of their respective contracts and haven’t yet been locked up through next season. But there’s little doubt that the NBA’s Most Improved Player is part of the club’s long-term plans, even if it takes a maximum-salary deal – or something close to it – to keep him in town.

Siakam will become eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, and if he’s willing to accept something of a team-friendly rate, I’d expect the Raptors to work hard to get something done. If not, it makes more sense for the front office to be patient and re-sign Siakam once he hits restricted free agency in 2020.

With so many contracts set to come off the books next year, the Raptors project to have a massive amount of cap room, which could give the team a ton of options in free agency or on the trade market. A lucrative new extension for Siakam would cut into the team’s flexibility by upwards of $20MM. If Toronto lets the young forward become a restricted free agent, the club could keep his very modest $7MM cap hold on the books for the first part of 2020’s free agent period, then go over the cap to re-sign him once it has used up the rest of its cap room.

It’s hard to envision a scenario in which Siakam isn’t a Raptor for the next several years, so if he doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, it can probably be chalked up to cap-related technicalities rather than a lack of interest in a long-term deal.

Check out the Toronto Raptors’ offseason salary cap outlook right here.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Randle, Gibson, Bullock, Bulls

June 29th, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings will be among the teams in pursuit of Pelicans forward Julius Randle, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. He cites the Nets, Knicks and Bulls as other expected suitors.

Randle, 24, had a career-best season after signing a one-year deal with New Orleans last summer. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 73 games while shooting 52% from the field. He also improved as a long-distance shooter, hitting 34% of his shots from 3-point range.

Here are more rumors as we move to within 24 hours of the start of free agency:

The Timberwolves will have plenty of competition for Taj Gibson, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who lists the Clippers, Nets, Bucks, Bulls, Warriors, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Hornets and Lakers as having interest in the veteran forward (Twitter link). Gibson has averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG during his two years in Minnesota.
There’s mutual interest between the Knicks and shooting specialist Reggie Bullock, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Bullock averaged 11.3 points per game while splitting last season between the Pistons and Lakers.
The Bulls are looking for a point guard, but want to limit the contract to two years, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. That may take them out of the running for Malcolm Brogdon or Patrick Beverley, Johnson notes, but he cites other options such as Cory Joseph, Tyus Jones and George Hill who might be willing to accept a shorter contract. The Bulls are counting on first-round pick Coby White to take over the position within two years and want the free agent’s contract to expire in the summer of 2021 at the same time as Otto Porter‘s and Cristiano Felicio‘s.

Steph Curry To Attend Warriors’ Meeting With Kevin Durant

June 29th, 2019 at 3:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stephen Curry will attend the Warriors‘ meeting with Kevin Durant, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic hears. GM Bob Myers will sit down with Durant in New York and attempt to convince the former MVP to stay with the team.

Curry had been on an Under Armour tour in Asia but he is now on his way to the United States. Curry is expected to speak with Durant prior to the official meeting.

The point guard was at the team’s meeting with Durant three years ago when they successfully pitched the Maryland-native to come to Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also there in 2016, but neither will be present in person this time around. Thompson is preparing to undergo surgery on his own ACL (not to mention his own free agency) but he will join the pitch via FaceTime, Thompson tweets. Green has already visited Durant in NYC this summer.

Durant’s decision in 2016 hinged on Curry wanting him there. The former no. 8 overall pick assured Durant that he did and envisioned the two winning multiple championships together. The Warriors won two titles with the pairing and came close to a third, losing in this year’s NBA Finals to the Raptors.

Durant plans to speak with the Clippers, Nets, and Knicks in addition to the Warriors. It’s unlikely Durant makes a quick decision.

Durant, Kawhi Reportedly Discussing Playing Together

June 29th, 2019 at 10:45am CST by marksuleymanov

With free agency set to open on Sunday, the top two available players, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, have discussed scenarios in which they could play together, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

As Wojnarowski notes, if the two stars decide they want to team up, the two likeliest possibilities would be the Knicks or Clippers. The Knicks have the cap room necessary to offer both players maximum-salary contracts. The Clippers would have to do a little work to get there, but have a path if they can find a taker for Danilo Gallinari‘s expiring $22.6MM contract.

The Nets, Lakers, Warriors, and Raptors are among the other teams believed to be in pursuit of either Leonard or Durant. However, Golden State and Toronto could only re-sign their own respective stars, the Lakers only have room to sign one top free agent, and the Nets are believed to be zeroed in on Kyrie Irving, which would leave them with enough cap space for just one additional star.

Before Durant went down with a calf injury – and then an Achilles tear – in this year’s playoffs, he and Leonard were being discussed as the NBA’s top two players. Although KD is expected to miss the entire 2019/20 season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, a long-term pairing of Durant and Leonard could turn any franchise into a perennial championship contender.

ESPN’s report represents the second time today we’ve heard about the possibility of Durant and Leonard teaming up. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote earlier this morning of a belief that KD had considered the possibility of joining forces with Kawhi, though Charania’s report gave no indication of how Leonard felt about the idea.

As we detailed this morning, Leonard’s free agency had long been viewed as a two-way race between the Raptors and Clippers, but that’s no longer the case, with the Lakers and Knicks both trying to get into the mix. Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote today about the pitch that LeBron James intends to make to Kawhi.

Many scenarios appear to remain in play for this summer’s top free agents. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, Leonard is expected to meet with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Raptors once free agency opens, while Durant plans to talk to the Clippers, Knicks, Nets, and Warriors.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Atlantic Notes: Green, Perry, Dozier, Celtics

June 29th, 2019 at 9:18am CST by marksuleymanov

Fresh off the Raptors‘ first NBA championship, swingman Danny Green is entering free agency prioritizing two things: money and winning. Green, 32, spoke to HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy regarding his future and made it clear that returning to Toronto would be his first choice.

“If Toronto brings everyone back, I think we have a really good shot of coming out of the East again,” Green said. “So why would I not want to be there? But things change and things move. [If the Raptors can’t bring everyone back], there are going to be other teams who are in the running and I want to see what those situations are.

“Obviously, I want to maximize on the dollar, but I also want to maximize on the situation. I know I’m not an All-Star or star player, but I want to be remembered as a great role player who won a lot of games and leave my mark in the league.”

Green’s style of playing is a strong fit for the modern NBA. The two-time NBA champion was second in the league in three-point percentage (45.5%) and was third in steals during Toronto’s historic playoff run. In Green’s own words, if a reunion with Toronto is not in the cards, his veteran leadership and productivity figure to make him a popular target.

Check out more Atlantic Divison notes below:

With a star-studded free agent class and the financial means to make a splash, the Knicks are in a position to quickly rebuild. However, general manager Scott Perry insists the organization wants to rebuild the team “the right way,” Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes. “We’re not paying attention to the noise,” Perry said. “We’re gonna continue to be opportunistic and build this the right way. This summer will allow us to shape the team in the image that we want, be able to bring in some guys to field a more competitive team for next season.”
The Celtics are not expected to bring back wing PJ Dozier, sources tell NBA reporter Sean Deveney (Twitter link). Dozier, signed to a two-way pact last August, averaged 21.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 6.6 APG in the G-League last season.
ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan looked into the Celtics’ dysfunctional season and why the team never got on the same page. While a lot of the blame has fallen onto Kyrie Irving, who is expected to depart in free agency, MacMullan writes Boston’s young core took a step back from the previous season.

Kawhi’s Free Agency No Longer Viewed As Two-Team Race

June 29th, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are emerging as a legit contender in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that an increasing number of league insiders – as well as oddsmakers in Las Vegas – view the Lakers as a “significant” threat to sign the NBA Finals MVP.

As we relayed on Friday, Leonard’s camp is lining up at least one meeting with the Lakers. That may end up turning into more than one meeting due to the fact that former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and still-technically-a-Pelican Anthony Davis aren’t permitted to represent the Lakers on a formal basis in a free agent pitch.

Leonard’s free agency has long been viewed by insiders and experts as a two-team race. The Raptors, having just won a title with Leonard leading the way, are still considered a strong contender for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and are expected to get the final meeting with him next week.

Meanwhile, the Clippers – who will also meet with Kawhi next week – have been regarded all season long as Los Angeles’ biggest threat to recruit Leonard back to his hometown. However, now that the Lakers have created nearly enough space for a maximum-salary offer for Leonard, Stein suggests that the Clippers will have to beat out not just the defending champions but also their cross-town L.A. rivals. According to Stein, the Clippers’ best route to winning over Leonard might be convincing Kevin Durant to choose the Clips as well.

[UPDATE: Durant, Leonard have reportedly discussed playing together]

We still don’t know exactly what Leonard’s thinking, and it’s probably premature to classify the Lakers as the frontrunner to sign him, but it certainly seems as if there are at least three viable landing spots for the star forward, rather than just the two that have been mentioned for much of the season.