THE The 2024 NBA draft is in the rearview mirrorwhere somehow choice #55 eclipsed the deserving number 1. The The Knicks already made a bold move this offseason to acquire Mikal Bridges and become a real threat for the Celtics.
And NBA free agency hasn’t even started. Things officially kick off Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, but to state the obvious, the NBA is a tampering league and discussions are already underway, which means rumors are flying. And some deals have already been concluded. Here’s all the latest news from the NBA free agency rumor mill.
• Chris Paul and the Warriors agree to push back the guarantee date to Sunday. The Warriors are looking for ways to make a trade that includes Chris Paul, and CP3 has agreed to push back the guarantee date on his $30 million contract to Sunday, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Paul’s guarantee date was today (Friday, June 28), and if things had been complicated, Golden State likely would have let him go. Paul will likely get some money for agreeing to this, but it’s also in his best interest.
Sources ESPN: Golden State and Chris Paul intend to move up the date to secure the $30 million on his 2024-25 contract when free agency begins Sunday. The deadline was initially today. This gives warriors time to continue exploring professions.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
Golden State is going to look completely different next season, with Klay Thompson elsewhere (it would be weird to see him in another jersey) and Paul probably gone as well. The question is who will replace them. Don’t be surprised if a big trade is planned.
• Paul George remains the biggest domino in free agency. George wants the full four-year, $221 maximum contract the Clippers can offer him. That’s not on the table, something that’s no secret and has been picked up by well-connected Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points.
The Clippers’ offer for George remains a three-year deal worth slightly less than the three-year, $149 million extension Kawhi Leonard signed in January 2024, league sources told ClutchPoints. Leonard took a roughly $10 million pay cut over the life of the deal and opted to sign for one fewer year, or three years total, after declining his option for the 2024-25 season…
That never happened, and in recent weeks it has become increasingly likely that George will either opt out of the final year of his contract to facilitate a move to a team willing to offer him the four-year deal he desires or opt out and test the free-agent market. Either way, his time with the Clippers appears to be coming to an end.
League sources NBC spoke with lean more toward a join-and-trade scenario. The question is which team will offer a package of players and picks — totaling $48 million to match salaries — that the Clippers will accept. Would a trade with the Warriors (Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and picks) seal the deal, or do Steve Ballmer and company reject a trade within their division? Many questions remain unanswered.
• LeBron James is expected to forfeit $51.4 million, then re-sign with the Lakers. History suggests that LeBron James will use his free agency potential this summer as leverage to get the Lakers to improve the roster in the short term and anything else he would like (like hiring a specific coach or perhaps making a specific pick in the draft at No. 55). then re-sign with the team. That’s what Chris Haynes of TNT/Bleacher Reports said in a conversation on Friday that he had heard this would happenand that’s what many players around the league expect. If he decides to opt out and re-sign, the Lakers can offer him a three-year, $162 million max deal (compared to $164 million if he opted out and extended), and the Lakers can offer him a no-trade clause. Some have speculated that LeBron might accept less than the max, which would allow the Lakers to use the mid-level exception to expand the roster — maybe he wants to win, but that wouldn’t be his historical behavior.
Good luck finding anyone in the league who thinks LeBron is leaving the Lakers. It’s considered a foregone conclusion.
• Charlotte waives Seth Curry but is favored to re-sign the sharpshooter. Seth Curry, one of the best pure shooters in the league, had a $4 million team option for this season and Charlotte opted to waive him, but they want to bring him back, Wojnarowski reports.
Sources ESPN: The Charlotte Hornets part ways with point guard Seth Curry, but both parties are interested in continuing to discuss a new contract during July free agency. The team had a deadline today to secure Curry’s contract for the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/o1qIwpanIy
–Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
• Momentum is building in favor of D’Angelo Russell exercising his $18.7 million option to remain with the Lakers. Nothing is certain about this, but the trend could well have changed in favor of Russell who has decided to take up his option and stay with the Lakers. Here is ESPN’s Brian Windhorst talks “First Take.”
“To be honest with you, I don’t have a very good idea of what it’s going to be, I thought about a month ago that D’Angelo would step down. Now I think there’s a chance, a greater chance that he will join, because the market is not looking very good at the moment We can talk about it later, but I am leaning in that direction now.
Russell probably thought he would get a multi-year deal worth over $20 million per season, but that may not be possible, so he can return to the Lakers for $18.7 million and show his worth. Russell can score baskets, he averaged 18 points and 6.3 assists per game last season, but there are now some around the league wondering if he can make those around him better. Changes are coming to the Lakers, we’ll see if Russell is part of it.
• Toronto will obtain a $23 million option on Bruce Brown. The second year of Bruce Brown’s two-year, $45 million contract that took him away from the Nuggets was a team option. The Raptors, who acquired Brown from the Pacers in the Pascal Siakam trade, will pursue that option, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The hope is both that Brown bounces back this year and that his salary will be valuable in many potential trades the Raptors will consider this summer and next season.
• James Borrego withdraws from the race for Pistons coaching position. This isn’t a direct free agent rumor, but it’s interesting. Since Monty Williams was fired, Borrego has become a frontrunner for the Detroit job due to his ties to New Orleans and new GM Trajan Langdon. Now, Chris Haynes is reporting that Borrego has retired to Detroit. Interesting. This could be a face-saver for Borrego since the Pistons were about to hire someone else, it could be something completely different. Expect another high-profile assistant like Micah Nori (Minnesota) and Sean Sweeney (Dallas) to get the job.
• PJ Tucker remains with the Clippers. As expected, PJ Tucker picked up his $11.5 million player option.
• Evan Fournier is not returning to the Pistons. It’s also no surprise that the Pistons aren’t picking up Evan Fournier’s $19 million team option. He should return to play in Europe.
• Jason Richardson returns to the Heat. Josh Richardson is picking up his $3 million player option to return to Miami, Shams Charania reports at The Athletic. Richardson sat out the final months of the season with a shoulder injury.