Free Agency & Trades Thread 2 **NOW OPEN**

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

[Zeno]

Hope we bring back Derozan. I know people will complain he is 35. But he is an Ironman and would be a great presence for Barnes, IQ and Ingram. If there is a way to get some draft capital in an RJ for Derozan swap I would consider it. I know everyone is about youth, but veteran presence is also valuable if it helps your team win and I still that culture. Love RJ, but the FT choking him and Barnes do at the end of games is painful to watch. This is where a guy like Derozan able to get the basketball and cleanly ice the game

We're trying to escape mediocrity, not bask in it.

Demar has a very stretchable contract, not saying we should do that but with his partial guarantee next year he goes down easier than you think over five years.

[WuTang_CMB]

recap

July 1:
Eric Gordon and the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a 1-year contract.

Tre Mann and the Charlotte Hornets have agreed to a 3-year, $24 million contract.

Duncan Robinson and the Detroit Pistons agree to a 3-year, $48 million contract.

Larry Nance Jr. and the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a 1-year, minimum contract.

Drew Eubanks plans to sign with the Sacramento Kings after being waived by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Denver Nuggets have agreed to a 1-year contract.

Josh Minnott is joining the Boston Celtics on a 2-year, $5 million contract.

Jakob Poeltl and the Toronto Raptors have agreed on a 4-year, $104 million contract extension.

Sandro Mamukelashvili has agreed to a 2-year, $5.5 million contract with the Toronto Raptors.

Dennis Schroder finalizes a new 3-year, $45 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Jericho Sims and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a 2-year contract.

Gary Harris is joining the Milwaukee Bucks on a 2-year contract with a second-year player option.

Myles Turner leaves Indiana Pacers and agrees to a 4-year, $107 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Guerschon Yabusele and the New York Knicks agreed to a 2-year, $12 million contract.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes NBA history with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a new 4-year, $285 million contract extension.




June 30:
Gary Trent Jr. is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-year, $7.5 million contract.

Trendon Watford joins Philadelphia 76ers on 2-year, $5.3 million contract.

Jordan Clarkson and the New York Knicks intend on agreeing to a contract after his Utah Jazz buyout.

Taurean Prince and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a 2-year, $7.1 million contract.

Mason Plumlee forges reunion with Charlotte Hornets on a 1-year, $3.6 million contract.

Luke Kennard and the Atlanta Hawks are in agreement on a 1-year, $11 million contract.

Devin Booker is in active discussions with the Phoenix Suns on a 2-year, $150 million contract extension.

Nigel Hayes-Davis will join the Phoenix Suns on a fully guaranteed 1-year contract.

Tyus Jones and the Orlando Magic have agreed to a 1-year, $7 million contract.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is joining the Atlanta Hawks on a 4-year, $62 million contract by way of a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves.

Luka Garza and the Boston Celtics are in agreement on a 2-year, $5.5 million contract.

Brook Lopez and the Los Angeles Clippers are finalizing a 2-year, $18 million contract.

Caris LeVert is joining the Detroit Pistons on a 2-year, $29 million contract.

Dennis Schroder is finalizing a contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Clint Capela is going back to the Houston Rockets on a 3-year, $21.5 million contract.

Luke Kornet and the San Antonio Spurs are in agreement on a 4-year, $41 million contract.

Kevon Looney is heading to the New Orleans Pelicans on a 2-year, $16 million contract.

Bruce Brown is back with the Denver Nuggets on a 1-year contract.

Kevin Porter Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks are in agreement on a 2-year, $11 million contract.

Ty Jerome and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a 3-year, $28 million contract.

D'Angelo Russell signs on to join the Dallas Mavericks with a 2-year, $13 million contract.

Tre Jones returns to Chicago Bulls on 3-year, $24 million contract.

Jake LaRavia joins Los Angeles Lakers on a 2-year, $12 million contract.

Cam Spencer and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a 2-year, $4.5 million contract.

Dorian Finney-Smith, Houston Rockets agree to 4-year, $53 million contract.

Paul Reed will stay with the Detroit Pistons on a new 2-year, $11 million contract.

Santi Aldama remains with Memphis Grizzlies after JJJ extension with a 3-year, $52.5 million contract.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies are expected to agree on a 5-year, $240 million max renegotiation-and-extension.

Jeff Green agrees to 1-year minimum contract with the Houston Rockets.

Aaron Holiday agrees to 1-year minimum contract with the Houston Rockets.

Jae'Sean Tate intends to sign a 1-year, $3 million contract with the Houston Rockets.

Nic Batum intends to return to the Los Angeles Clippers on a new 2-year, $11.5 million contract.

Joe Ingles returns to the Minnesota Timberwolves and intends to sign a 1-year, $3.6 million contract.

Day'Ron Sharpe is staying with the Brooklyn Nets on a 2-year, $12 million contract.

Collin Gillespie earns 1-year contract with Phoenix Suns after strong two-way season.

Ziaire Williams returns to the Brooklyn Nets with a new 2-year, $12 million contract.

[WuTang_CMB]

Let's proceed to the latest from my notebook on restricted free agents like Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga and Josh Giddey, dish some updates on a number of big men in the news — naturally including Deandre Ayton — and not only attempt to project what happens next but reveal some behind-the-scenes machinations involved in the business that has already been completed:


Both the Warriors and Kuminga's representation were prepared for the 22-year-old forward's restricted free agency to develop slowly, given that the Brooklyn Nets were the only team that entered the market with ample salary cap space to make a bid.

On one hand, then, it is difficult to see where an offer sheet might come from, raising the possibility, league sources say, of Kuminga re-signing with the Warriors on a short-term deal.

On the other hand ...

There are four primary teams, sources say, that have to be tracked thanks to varying levels of past and current sign-and-trade interest in Kuminga.

The Miami Heat are an oft-mentioned potential Kuminga suitor and do have a clear need on the wing between All-Star guard Tyler Herro and All-Defensive Team big man Bam Adebayo. The Heat have also been linked to Kings scoring guard DeMar DeRozan by various league sources and likewise mentioned as a potential destination for Utah's very available John Collins.

Kuminga would certainly represent a younger, higher-upside target for the Heat. The issue, of course, is the presumed $30 million-per-season price point. That is where Kuminga has been trying to land since the rookie-scale contract extension window that closed in October on the night before the regular season began.


Chicago, New Orleans and Sacramento are three more teams routinely suggested as possible landing spots for Kuminga, but pinpointing significant traction with any of them in these early stages of free agency has been difficult.

The Bulls selected Noa Essengue with the 12th overall pick in last week's NBA Draft and also traded Lonzo Ball for forward Isaac Okoro ... two moves that would seem to leave little room for Kuminga in the Bulls' orbit. Chicago, of course, also has its own restricted free agent seeking a contract that carries and average annual value of $30-ish million: Australian point guard Josh Giddey.

The Bulls are nonetheless bound to keep coming up in connection with Kuminga until there is a resolution to his status, given that they have previously expressed interest in the athletic swingman in past trade discussions involving Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine.

The Warriors, though, appear to have moved away from past trade interest they previously registered in veteran Bulls center Nikola Vučević, which might have helped spark something this summer.

League sources say Golden State remains a leading contender to sign Al Horford away from Boston as a much-needed move to bolster a frontcourt rotation that is no longer home to Warrior-turned-New Orleans Pelican Kevon Looney.


I've confirmed that the Pelicans hold an interest in Kuminga, but various team salary cap experts have pointed out to me that New Orleans has no easy route to take Kuminga on its books at his desired contract range.

The cap gymnastics needed to keep the Pelicans out of the luxury tax — which has been a perennial priority for ownership — are described as considerable.

Sources say that Sacramento, meanwhile, would be interested in including Malik Monk in any outgoing trade package, but nothing substantial has materialized with the Warriors.

As I first reported Monday night, Sacramento initially had hope of sending Monk to Detroit in a sign-and-trade that would have brought Dennis Schröder to the California capital and created another opening in the Kings' backcourt to pursue Russell Westbrook.

But the Pistons pivoted to completing a sign-and-trade with Miami to bring Duncan Robinson to Motown for some needed shooting in the wake of Malik Beasley's mounting legal woes that scuttled a three-year, $42 million deal he was poised to secure from Detroit. The Kings wound up signing Schröder outright to a three-year deal worth a reported $45 million — north of the two-year, $28 million deal Schröder was widely projected to land in Sacramento — and have not yet found a workable trade that includes Monk.

If Monk's status doesn't change, that could take Sacramento off the board as a potential landing spot for Westbrook, after our publisher Marc Steinreported Tuesday morning that New York is indeed out as a possible Westbrook home after the sides began free agency with some mutual interest.


The Kings manufactured the financial flexibility to go to a higher price point on Schröder by agreeing to trade veteran center Jonas Valančiūnas to Denver for Dario Šarić, whose $5.4 million contract for next season is essentially half what Valančiūnas will earn ($10.4 million).

Sources say Denver showed interest in Valančiūnas at the trade deadline in February and gets him now at a very modest cost, since Šarić had already fallen out of David Adelman's rotation and is said to be candidate to return to European basketball. Valančiūnas instantly becomes the bonafide backup center to Nikola Jokić that the Nuggets have long sought and joins bargain signings Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in a promising wave of initial moves for the new Nuggets front office duo of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace.

The same duo, yes, that helped author Monday's major surprise by agreeing to trade Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected first-round pick in 2032 — when Jokić will be 37 — to Brooklyn for sharpshooter Cam Johnson. I'm told Denver and Brooklyn quietly worked on this deal for several weeks before fine-tuning the framework on Monday.

Read on Twitter

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45636299/nba-free-agency-2025-ripple-effects-myles-turner-damian-lillard-news

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[bobbyp3588]

Read on Twitter

It was a horrible trade from the get-go. Honestly, just a dumb dumb move by their FO. They seriously over-estimated what Dame’s impact would be while at the same time severely underestimating how negatively impactful Jrue’s absence would be.
I knew it was a huge mistake immediately. Par for the course for the Bucks FO, really. Right up there, equally as questionable as firing Adrian Griffin when they were humming along at 30-13. Replacing him with washed Doc Rivers was also a gem of a move.
Considering all this it’s amazing Gianni’s is sticking around.

[ArthurVandelay]

Read on Twitter

It was a horrible trade from the get-go. Honestly, just a dumb dumb move by their FO. They seriously over-estimated what Dame’s impact would be while at the same time severely underestimating how negatively impactful Jrue’s absence would be.
I knew it was a huge mistake immediately. Par for the course for the Bucks FO, really. Right up there, equally as questionable as firing Adrian Griffin when they were humming along at 30-13. Replacing him with washed Doc Rivers was also a gem of a move.
Considering all this it’s amazing Gianni’s is sticking around.

I would question how many decisions Giannis pushed

[Brinbe]

A lot of what they did, from chasing Dame to hiring Doc, was to appease Giannis though. And obviously as the big superstar he has a lot of clout and say in what happens. They may try to disavow responsiblity after-the-fact but that's just how things can go work with some star players.

[Kingsway_fan]

A lot of what they did, from chasing Dame to hiring Doc, was to appease Giannis though. And obviously as the big superstar he has a lot of clout and say in what happens. They may try to disavow responsiblity after-the-fact but that's just how things can go work with some star players.

They are a mediocre play in team now.

[mihaic]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

The vultures are circling above.

[mihaic]

A lot of what they did, from chasing Dame to hiring Doc, was to appease Giannis though. And obviously as the big superstar he has a lot of clout and say in what happens. They may try to disavow responsiblity after-the-fact but that's just how things can go work with some star players.

The role if the FO is also to explain to their star player why certain trades won't work. They have to counter with realistic alternatives to improve the team so that the star buys in.

Not sure they did that properly, most non casual fans knew the Lillard trade was a big mistake. They should've convinced Giannis it was a bad idea

[ciueli]

A lot of what they did, from chasing Dame to hiring Doc, was to appease Giannis though. And obviously as the big superstar he has a lot of clout and say in what happens. They may try to disavow responsiblity after-the-fact but that's just how things can go work with some star players.

Yeah, we saw the same thing happen with James Harden. Demand the Rockets get Westbrook, then bail on the team once it was clear it was a terrible move. LeBron blew up the Lakers chances to repeat by also forcing the front office to trade for Westbrook, he hasn't bailed the way Harden did, but it's starting to look like he would accept a trade to a team with a better chance of winning with his recent opt-in move.

Giannis is getting there as well, he's destroyed the Bucks for a decade with his demand they trade for Damian Lillard and now he's demanding they upgrade the roster while withholding his approval until they are finished making moves. The Bucks might end up mortgaging even more of their future (Lillard waive and stretch) just to see Giannis demand out anyway, it's absolutely brutal for them and a good example of why a franchise can't kowtow to these entitled players.

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[causal_fan]

A lot of what they did, from chasing Dame to hiring Doc, was to appease Giannis though. And obviously as the big superstar he has a lot of clout and say in what happens. They may try to disavow responsiblity after-the-fact but that's just how things can go work with some star players.

Yeah, we saw the same thing happen with James Harden. Demand the Rockets get Westbrook, then bail on the team once it was clear it was a terrible move. LeBron blew up the Lakers chances to repeat by also forcing the front office to trade for Westbrook, he hasn't bailed the way Harden did, but it's starting to look like he would accept a trade to a team with a better chance of winning with his recent opt-in move.

Giannis is getting there as well, he's destroyed the Bucks for a decade with his demand they trade for Damian Lillard and now he's demanding they upgrade the roster while withholding his approval until they are finished making moves. The Bucks might end up mortgaging even more of their future (Lillard waive and stretch) just to see Giannis demand out anyway, it's absolutely brutal for them and a good example of why a franchise can't kowtow to these entitled players.

I don't blame Giannis at all - Most people in business try to maximize their leverage and influence for personal benefit and Giannis wants to win now and he's not concerned about the Bucks future nor should he be - that's a fact of life - it's up to the company how much they want to accommodate that individual - Milwaukee could have gone a different path and moved on from Giannis (that's what I would have done) but that's management/ownership's fault.

[TimeForChange]

Read on Twitter

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

[God Squad]

It's quiet today, which is weird because there are still some solid names out there. I'm interested to see what happens with Horford, Paul, and Ayton.

[TimeForChange]

It's quiet today, which is weird because there are still some solid names out there. I'm interested to see what happens with Horford, Paul, and Ayton.

There is no money out there for the restricted free agents.

Giddy and Kuminga kind of got screwed

[Godaddycurse]

It's quiet today, which is weird because there are still some solid names out there. I'm interested to see what happens with Horford, Paul, and Ayton.

There is no money out there for the restricted free agents.

Giddy and Kuminga kind of got screwed

kuminga is pretty screwed. Bulls low ball Giddey and he takes his QO then Bulls will be screwed given the amount of capspace teams available next year