NBA Free Agency 2018: Rumors, Predictions on LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan, More
The clock is ticking prior to the beginning of NBA free agency, which starts on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET. However, teams can't officially sign players until Friday, July 6, when the period known as the free-agent moratorium ends.
Here's a look at some recent news surrounding a few players who have options to enter free agency this offseason.
Sam Amick of USA Today provided more information regarding Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and whether he could join the Houston Rockets:
"While Houston is considered a longshot to land James, that isn’t about to keep the Rockets general manager, newly named Executive of the Year Daryl Morey, from trying.
"According to a person with knowledge of their situation, the Rockets are still pursuing James—even if Harden made it clear that it was hardly a necessity. The person spoke to USA Today Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation."
If James somehow ends up in Houston, then that would almost render the rest of the NBA schedule irrelevant outside of the Rockets and Golden State Warriors before the season even begins. No other team in the league would be able to compete with the Warriors' four future Hall of Famers or the Rockets' three future Hall of Famers.
However, the guess here is that James does not end up in Houston. For what it's worth, OddsShark lists Houston's odds of landing James at 19-2, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics ahead of them.
The guess here is James goes to L.A., with Paul George also tagging along. Those two vets would be tasked with leading the Lakers' young crew, which includes point guard Lonzo Ball and forward Kyle Kuzma. That would create a more exciting three-team Western Conference race between the Lakers, Rockets and Warriors.
DeAndre Jordan
In 2015, Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan agreed to a deal with the Mavs, but the Clippers convinced him to stay with the team before he put pen to paper for Dallas—Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon of ESPN filed the full behind-the-scenes look at what happened.
Remarkably, it looks like the chances of Jordan heading there this year are greater than zero, as Marc Stein of the New York Times noted:
It's hard to fathom Jordan heading to Dallas after what happened three years ago, but if you block that out for a second, it's not impossible seeing him in a Maverick uniform. The team has an exciting young backcourt in Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic, and it needs a big man to patrol the paint and dominate the boards. Jordan can fit that bill, and he'd also be closer to home (the 29-year-old is from the Houston area).
However, Jordan could also stay in L.A. for another year. Per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, "Clippers center DeAndre Jordan hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to opt-in to his contract that will pay him $24.1 million next season, according to another NBA official."
Ultimately, the prediction here is that Jordan heads somewhere besides L.A. or Dallas. The Clips have been Jordan's team for his entire career, but they are looking to start from scratch based off their moves from the past year. The Mavs have potential, but they are years away from contending from a crown, even with Jordan. The guess here is Jordan ends up with a team closer to the title than the bottom of the standings.
Danny Green
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News wrote the following on San Antonio Spurs wing Danny Green: "League sources tell the Express-News Green will likely forgo free agency and exercise the final year of his contract with the Spurs, earning roughly $10 million for the 2018-19 season."
Green is a solid three-and-D player who was part of the Spurs' 2014 NBA championship team. According to Basketball-Reference, Green posted 10.2 points (on 44.0 percent shooting) in addition to hitting 42.3 percent of his three-pointers from 2011-2015.
However, Green's shot has been off over the past three seasons, as those numbers have dipped to 7.7 points, 38.4 percent shooting and 35.7 percent from the three-point line. Per ESPN, Green also posted his lowest defensive real-plus rating (1.17) within the past five years in 2017-18.
That being said, Green's "worst" defensive performance in recent history is still excellent relative to his peers, as that 1.17 rating was fifth-best among 111 shooting guards. The 31-year-old should still be able to provide a plus defensive performance for the Spurs next season if the rumor becomes official.
