2017 NBA Free Agents: Latest Rumors and Predictions for Gordon Hayward and More
With buzz for the playoffs and draft building, it's easy to overlook NBA free agency.
This is especially understandable this year, as fans might suffer slightly from free-agency exhaustion after guys like LeBron James and Kevin Durant dominated market talk for entire years before making decisions.
Some of the biggest names set to hit the market this year are Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry, though the former isn't a Durant and nobody expects the latter to move. Guys like Durant, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry have player options.
Alas, rumors about the market have started making the rounds. To stay ahead of the curve, let's take a look at those.
Danilo Gallinari Headed to Market?
The Denver Nuggets are one of the year's best surprises.
Danilo Gallinari has been around a while trying to key a rebuild, but it's the combination of Nikola Jokic's outburst and Jameer Nelson's revival at the point that has the Nuggets a borderline playoff team in the deep Western Conference.
Gallinari, though, might be ready to split. According to the Palm Beach Post's Tom D'Angelo, he might have eyes on a long-term deal.
"Denver's 6'10" wing man, Danilo Gallinari, who dropped 29 on Miami in the Nuggets' win, is expected to decline his $16.1 million player option this summer and become a free agent. He likely will be second best player at his position behind Utah's Gordon Hayward," D'Angelo wrote.
Gallinari's representatives are right to be in his ear about going to the market right now, as a team might overpay him as a consolation prize for missing out on Gordon Hayward.
He's not a bad consolation prize, either, not at 28 years old while averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from the floor. Injury history is a problem seeing as he hasn't played in north of 70 games since 2012-13, yet teams will look past the issue for help.
D'Angelo's potential fit for Gallinari actually makes a ton of sense. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat will be willing to open up the checkbook and get some help to fashion a quick fix, and they aren't necessarily frontrunners in the Hayward sweepstakes. Look for Gallinari to slide in next to Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside and keep the Heat hunting for playoff berths.
Prediction: Gallinari signs with the Heat
Nets Plotting a Steal
The Brooklyn Nets have some bad intentions this offseason.
As they should. The organization just suffered through the doldrums of a 19-win campaign and hasn't won north of 40 games in a season since 2013-14. Thanks to bad moves by the front office, it won't even have the high pick it deserves in the upcoming draft. And no, free agents won't do anything more than glance at Brooklyn this offseason, if that.
So the Nets will have to steal players when an opening presents itself. The Detroit Pistons might make the mistake of creating a brief opening with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, too.
Brian Lewis of the New York Daily News broke it down:
"Caldwell-Pope, 24, will be a restricted free agent, after he demanded more than $20 million annually and no deal was reached. The Vertical reported Detroit doesn't want to give him a max contract, but it may not have a choice. The Post has confirmed the Nets' interest and ESPN intimated they would go that high to get him.
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KCP is an incredible get for the Nets if the front office can pull off the move. He's young and averaging 13.7 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the floor and a career-high 35.1 percent from deep. If the reports are right, Detroit wants to focus on Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond and others. A down year with only 37 wins makes it easier for Detroit to shrug off paying KCP and looking elsewhere.
The Nets would be wise to swoop in and pay the man. Bad teams must overpay to really start off a rebuild the right way. Adding KCP would give the team a nice one-two punch when he teams with the upstart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
With the Nets having little to do with their cap space and needing a young core to build around, look for the front office to throw whatever it has at trying to pull this off.
Prediction: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signs with the Nets
Gordon Hayward's Flight
Most don't know about the encouraging turnaround in Denver thanks to the massive surge by the Utah Jazz.
Utah has improved every year for about three seasons, culminating in a playoff berth this year while almost grabbing a seed in the top four. Hayward has teamed with the upstart George Hill and the criminally underrated Rudy Gobert to form one of the best cores in the league with a great long-term outlook.
That is, provided Hayward decides to stay.
This isn't a guarantee, especially with Riley and the Heat hovering around. Look at a note by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: "There are already whispers that if Utah can't re-sign Gordon Hayward he could end up in Miami."
The hype around Hayward is deserved considering he's averaging 22.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on 46.9 percent shooting, all career highs counting seasons with significant playing time.
Miami, though, doesn't look like a team appealing to a guy who wants to win a championship. Sounds harsh, but Utah is a better team right now and the Heat have questions at several spots, including what to do with Goran Dragic.
Besides, Hayward has Gobert in his ear about a title.
"I'm just going to ask him, 'Do you want to win a championship?'" Gobert said, according to HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy. "I feel like with the way we've improved the last few years, since Quin [Snyder] got here, I don't think it'd be a great decision to leave now."
It's fun to connect Hayward to Brad Stevens because of their days at Butler together. But the Boston Celtics are tops in the Eastern Conference without Hayward and will probably have the top pick in the upcoming draft, as unfair as that all sounds. Boston blowing money on Hayward now and veering from the plan doesn't seem likely.
Speaking of plans, the one in Utah keeps working. Hayward seems bought in on the idea of competing there, so don't expect him to bolt.
Prediction: Hayward re-signs with the Jazz
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
