One of the most exciting times of the NBA season is upon us, with free agency set to begin in just about 24 hours on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Players will not be able to officially sign contracts with teams until July 6 — when the Moratorium Period has ended — but can still agree to deals with teams.
This year’s free agency is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most eventful in a while. Several big-name free agents could possibly depart from their current teams, including reigning Finals MVP and NBA champion Kawhi Leonard, two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant and six-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. Not to mention there will be a second tier of star free agents who will be intensely pursued, including established veteran names such as Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler.
Now that the start of free agency is right around the corner, here are the latest rumors and updates that you need to know about.
Irving expected to sign with Nets for four years, $141M
While nothing will be official until the league’s moratorium period ends, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com is reporting that Kyrie Irving will meet with the Brooklyn Nets in New York on Sunday and both sides are motivated to move quickly on an agreement to a four-year, $141 million contract. With Irving in the fold, the Nets can now set their sights on finding another star player to pair him with.
Walker plans to sign with Celtics for four years, $141M
It appears the Boston Celtics have a replacement for Kyrie Irving. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Kemba Walker plans to sign a four-year, $141 million contract with Boston once free agency opens. Arguably the top guard on the market, Walker has played his entire career with the Charlotte Hornets and was named a starter in the 2019 All-Star Game.
Mirotic walks away from NBA free agency, opts to sign with Barcelona
Nikola Mirotic delivered the first surprise of NBA free agency on Saturday by opting to pass on potential free agency deals which could have reached the $50 million range in order to sign with Euroleague club Barcelona, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Spaniard spent part of the 2018-19 season with the Milwaukee Bucks after the team acquired him at the trade deadline in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. Mirotic put together averages of 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Pistons emerging as favorite to sign Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is coming off a breakout season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 18 points to go along with 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. His play has reportedly caught the eye of one team: the Detroit Pistons. According to a report from Frank Isola of The Athletic, the Pistons have emerged as the favorite to sign the former league MVP once free agency opens on Sunday.
Celtics rescind qualifying offer to Rozier
The Boston Celtics have reportedly landed their next point guard in Kemba Walker. With this being the case, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the team has rescinded their qualifying offer to Terry Rozier, making him an unrestricted free agent. This past season, Rozier owned averages of 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in just under 23 minutes per game.
Lakers confident about landing Kawhi
According to CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter, the Lakers are extremely confident about landing Kawhi Leonard when free agency begins on Sunday. In addition, Marc Stein of the New York Times is reporting that the Lakers are being viewed as the “true threat” to the Raptors in terms of signing Leonard. The star is expected to meet with both the Lakers and Clippers, along with the Raptors.
Warriors, Klay plan quick agreement on $190M deal
The Golden State Warriors aren’t going to waste any time with the free agency of sharpshooting guard Klay Thompson. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors plan to offer Thompson a five-year, $190 million contract when free agency opens. Wojnarowski also notes that Thompson is likely going to accept the offer fairly quickly. In addition, both sides reportedly plan to agree to the deal, and that the Warriors’ front office plans to meet with Thompson in Los Angeles over the next 24 hours.
Wolves to meet with Russell at start of free agency
The Minnesota Timberwolves could be looking to make a big splash when free agency opens on Sunday. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Timberwolves are set to meet with guard D’Angelo Russell when free agency begins. Russell is coming off a career year in which he averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting a career-high 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. The former second overall pick also made his first All-Star Game as a member of the Nets and helped lead the franchise to their first playoff appearance since the 2014-15 season.
Nuggets pick up Millsap’s $30M player option
The Denver Nuggets are hanging onto one of their veteran players in advance of free agency getting underway. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nuggets are exercising a $30 million player option on forward Paul Millsap. He would’ve been eligible to enter free agency if the Nuggets declined to pick up his option. The veteran forward is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Rockets have suitor for Capela
The Houston Rockets are looking to trade some of their top assets in an effort to acquire Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Rockets have a taker for a trade involving big man Clint Capela, but aren’t going to deal him until they’re sure that they can get a deal done for Butler.
Durant plans to talk with four teams
Despite suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Kevin Durant is still set to be one of the top players in free agency. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant is going to talk with the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks when free agency opens. All of these teams have the necessary space to sign Durant to a max deal.
Collison retires from NBA
Veteran point guard Darren Collison was expected to be one of the top backcourt options in free agency this summer. However, Collison sent shockwaves through the league on Friday when he announced his retirement from the NBA. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also noted that Collison was in line to receive $10M-$12M per season from teams.
Barnes set to receive huge offer from Kings
Harrison Barnes declined his $25.1 million player option with the Sacramento Kings earlier this month. However, it appears that a reunion with the Kings could be on the table. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, Sacramento is set to offer Barnes a four-year, nearly $90 million contract when free agency opens.
Davis waives trade kicker to give Lakers max slot
The Los Angeles Lakers made what could be the biggest splash of the offseason when they traded for Anthony Davis. With the deal not becoming official until July 6, the Lakers newest acquisition has agreed to waive to his $4 million trade kicker, which — after the Lakers sent Moe Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to the Wizards in an addendum to the Davis trade — creates $32 million in cap space and an additional max slot for Los Angeles.
Kawhi plans to meet with Clippers, Lakers
Kawhi Leonard is arguably the most sought-after player in free agency this summer. With that in mind, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Leonard is granting meetings with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers once free agency begins. In addition, Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Jimmy Butler and Leonard have contemplated the idea of playing together with the Clippers.
Celtics emerge as front-runner for Walker
The Boston Celtics appear to be on the verge of losing star guard Kyrie Irving when free agency begins on Sunday. However, it’s looking like they’re not going to have a problem finding a suitable replacement. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics are emerging as the front-runner to sign Kemba Walker away from the Charlotte Hornets.
Beverley drawing interest from several teams
Veteran point guard Patrick Beverley could be quite the commodity on the free agent market. According to ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Beverley is drawing interest from the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls in addition to the Los Angeles Clippers. Beverley, who is reportedly looking for an offer in the three-year, $40+ million range, could be a veteran asset that many teams would want to add to their roster.
Rozier could be an option for Knicks
Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier has spent the last two seasons playing in the shadow of Kyrie Irving, but he may not have to do so for much longer. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the New York Knicks are reportedly interested in signing Rozier to a one or two-year deal, especially if the team misses out on a few of their max targets.
Gasol opts in, will remain with Raptors
Marc Gasol had a player option worth $25.6 million for next season, and on Wednesday afternoon he reportedly decided to exercise it, which means he’ll remain with the defending champions for at least one more season. This was expected all along, as Gasol is already 34 years old and wasn’t going to find a contract in free agency that would pay him that much money.
Lakers favorites for Carmelo
If Carmelo Anthony decides to return to the NBA next season, there’s a good chance it will be with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to a report from Ian Begley, the Lakers are expected to be the favorites to land Anthony this summer. The veteran is clearly diminished on the court, but is a close friend of LeBron James.
Russell atop Lakers’ wish list
It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers have a familiar name atop their free agency wish list. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have serious interest in bringing back former draft pick D’Angelo Russell. He’s coming off his first All-Star campaign after leading the Brooklyn Nets to a playoff berth this past season. However, with reports that Brooklyn has interest in acquiring Kyrie Irving in free agency, Russell will likely be left to test the waters this summer.
“The Lakers have some options here, but D’Angelo Russell is at the top of that list,” Wojnarowski said.
Durant declines player option, to become UFA
Kevin Durant will officially become an unrestricted free agent on June 30. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Durant has opted out of his 2019-20 deal with the Golden State Warriors to become a free agent. The option was worth $31.5 million for the upcoming season. The two-time NBA champion suffered an Achilles injury during Game 5 of the NBA Finals that will likely sideline him for the entirety of the upcoming season.
Durant could still re-sign with the Warriors for the max at five years and $221 million.
Lakers expect to ‘factor’ into race for Kawhi
Although they’re considered long shots — especially after acquiring Anthony Davis and having as little as $23.7 million remaining in cap space for the 2019 free agency period — the Lakers consider themselves in the running for the reigning Finals MVP, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Leonard won’t have any shortage of suitors. However, it was largely expected that there would be two teams as the front-runners for his services — none other than the Raptors and hometown Los Angeles Clippers.
Rockets pursuing Butler in sign-and-trade
Jimmy Butler is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in a couple of weeks, and while the Philadelphia 76ers can offer Butler the most lucrative deal, the Houston Rockets have reportedly emerged as another option for his services. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets are going to try to recruit Butler to potentially force a sign-and-trade deal with the Sixers.
The report also mentions that the Sixers are going to be “aggressive” in an attempt to re-sign Butler. Philadelphia could offer Butler a five-year, $190 million deal to remain with the team or a four-year, $146.5 million contract if they so choose. If Butler were to land in Houston, he’d be signing a four-year, $140 million contract. Center Clint Capela and guard Eric Gordon would reportedly have to be on the move from Houston for a Butler deal to work.
Celtics, Mavs at ‘front of the line’ for Kemba
Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Boston Celtics along with the Dallas Mavericks are now at the “front of the line” of teams trying to sign Walker away from the Hornets. Boston’s future is very much up in the air with it looking more and more like star guard Kyrie Irving isn’t planning on re-signing with the team. In addition, veteran forward Al Horford recently opted out of his deal for next season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Walker has blossomed into one of the most dangerous guards that the NBA has to offer. In eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Walker has put together averages of 19.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 35.7 percent from 3.
Booker wants Suns to add close friend Russell
As the Brooklyn Nets reportedly have strong interest in signing Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer, it likely means that they won’t bring back their own All-Star guard, D’Angelo Russell. If the Nets let Russell walk, Suns star Devin Booker says he would like to see his friend sign with the Phoenix Suns, according to a report from Zach Lowe of ESPN. Phoenix, however, might not be able to oblige due to its salary cap situation.
Lakers interested in Jordan, Vucevic
The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of roster holes to address this summer and it looks like they’re targeting two proven veterans to help fill out the roster. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (H/T RealGM), the Lakers are being linked to DeAndre Jordan because of the belief he could be had on a cheaper deal and due to the fact that Jordan wants to return to Los Angeles. Jordan spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers before signing with the Dallas Mavericks prior to the start of last season.
They are also being linked to Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic, who is entering unrestricted free agency following his first All-Star season after leading the Magic to their first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season.
