Yes, the saga of LeBron James–probably (hopefully) the final one of his brilliant Hall of Fame career–is still dominating NBA free agency, and the league’s business has mostly been on for the past week or so as it waits on what James will do. That bit of business has swung wildly in recent days, with the Sixers, Cavaliers, Warriors, and Heat all presented as front-runners at different times, and with each of the three presented as unlikely at other times.
The teams involved legitimately do not know. The Timberwolves and Nuggets are still feeling like they’ve got a shot at James. Maybe James and agent Rich Paul do know what’s coming, but they’re not letting on. So, we wait. The announcement could come at any time, of course, but the smart money says James will drag this out until the end of the week.
More notes …
- A complicating factor for a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade: under NBA rules, sign-and-trades must be at least three years. Not all three years must be guaranteed (the first does), but Kuminga is unlikely to agree to a non-guaranteed contract. At the same time, he does not want to lock into a long-term deal unless it is at a number he likes–it’s one thing to bet on yourself on an undervalued deal for a year and then return to the market, but it’s quite another to take what he feels is an undervalued deal for three years.
… - DeMar DeRozan will be coveted once James comes off the board. He is an option in Miami as well as with the Warriors, who could seek to sign DeRozan even if they land James. Golden State has 11 players signed and about $35 million left under the second apron, which could include two veteran deals and the return of Draymond Green.
… - Former Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo is 34 and had his career sidetracked by knee injuries. But he is making a comeback attempt after three seasons away from the NBA. Oladipo held a workout that was attended by multiple teams, and is expected be given a training-camp offer to see if he can make a roster.
NBA Free Agency: Still on the Board
- LeBron James. Cynics among us might suggest that James’ decision to let his free agency slowly lurch forward is driven by his desire to gather up footage for a coming documentary. Or, hey, maybe he is just legitimately taking his time. Either way, it does still appear that the Cavaliers are the likely option, but the Warriors, Sixers and Heat are in the mix, with Denver and Minnesota the darkhorses.
- James Harden. Harden opted out of his $42 million contract, but will re-sign with Cleveland. For how much … well that is the question. The Cavs are about $33 million below the second apron, and could sign James for $6 million, giving Harden the remainder, a contract starting around $27 million.
- Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga’s situation has gotten more complicated by the fact that the Lakers–his top possible destination–were not able to clear out extra cap space for him. The Lakers can do a sign-and-trade with the Hawks for Kuminga, but Atlanta is not that interested in taking back LA’s junk. A sign-and-trade with the Cavs would be preferred by Atlanta.
- DeMar DeRozan. The Kings let him walk and DeRozan is weighing where he could land next. A return to Toronto would be a nice story, but unlikely. He could be Door No. 2 for whichever team misses on LeBron James–the Warriors, the Heat, the Nuggets–and is a viable alternative for just about every contender in the East.
- Draymond Green. Green opted out of his $28 million deal for next season, but will be back with the Warriors. He is part of the team’s push to sign LeBron James, and will adjust his salary accordingly. Chatter that Green would leave the Warriors if they don’t land James has died off completely, and there wasn’t much to it to begin with.
- Bruce Brown. A LeBron saga victim here. When James signs, it will free up decisions on players like Peyton Watson in Denver and Jonathan Kuminga in L.A. or Cleveland. Brown is behind those guys in the pecking order. Still only 29, Brown can shoot 3s (38.5%), play defense and is a solid locker-room leader. The Nuggets would like him back.
- Nick Richards. Hard to believe Richards remains unsigned, given the market for big men, even backups. With the Lakers and Knicks having addressed backup center spots, the options for Richards are running thin. Maybe a return to Chicago?
- Russell Westbrook. He’s a minimum guy despite averaging 15.2 points last season. He’ll take what he can get, but a spot with the Heat would be the best answer for him.
- Ochai Agbaji. A former lottery pick, he never was able to establish an NBA role and he is 26 years old now so perhaps it’s too late. But he still feels worthy of a gamble by someone.
- Gary Payton II. A potential return to the Warriors is being held up by the James situation. Payton played 73 games for the Warriors, and that kind of durability must count for something. But he is not a shooter and his athleticism is fading at age 33.
- Gabe Vincent. If not Westbrook, the Heat could look for a return engagement with Vincent, who has dropped off significantly since leaving Miami. He could have trouble finding a spot if even old friend Erik Spoelstra and the Heat pass on bringing Vincent back.
- Jeremy Sochan. The decline and fall of Sochan, the No. 9 pick in the 2022 draft, remains bizarre. He was dumped by the Spurs last season, and the Knicks were eager to sign him … and then never really played him. He is 6-foot-8 and only 23, so he may be worthy of another chance in NBA free agency.
- Cam Thomas. Thomas has talent, but has pretty famously been unwilling to rein in that talent to fit in with a team. For a 24-year-old who has had a full season averaging 22.5 points to not be able to get an NBA job is remarkable. Hard to find who is going to gamble on him, though.
- Bradley Beal. He has been connected to the Heat and the Warriors, mostly because he is aging and has physically broken down, and folks just assume that’s what Miami and Golden State wants. They don’t, necessarily, but he could latch on somewhere with a non-guaranteed deal.
- Victor Oladipo. Good guy whose career was torpedoed by injuries. Dances. Sings like an angel. C’mon, someone give him a break.
GettyBradley Beal’s free agency remains unresolved
Big-Time Restricted Targets
- Jalen Duren, Pistons. Duren might not be happy with the state of negotiations, but that is par for the course with restricted NBA free agency. No player is ever happy. He is still the Pistons’ player to lose, though he continues to hold out hope for a sign-and-trade.
- Peyton Watson, Nuggets. Watson has been linked to the Clippers as well as the Nuggets and Hawks, and ultimately, he might wind up in LA on a sign-and-trade. But if the Nuggets make a separate trade to clear space, they could choose to keep him in place.
- Bennedict Mathurin, Clippers. Shooting struggles after his trade to the Clippers could complicate restricted free agency, which is always complicated enough as is. But L.A. wants to keep him in place.
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