NBA Rumors: Latest Free-Agency Buzz on LeBron James, Paul George and More
With free agency looming large, it's only natural that rumors of the next great NBA superteam start a whirlwind of chatter.
Funnily enough, it's LeBron James perhaps looking to form another unstoppable force after originally helping start the trend by taking his talents to South Beach with the Miami Heat. Like everyone else, he's been victimized by the Golden State Warriors lately, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.
Then again, the Warriors' Kevin Durant is a free agent as well, and while his return seems like a formality, NBA fans know better than to take anything for granted at this point.
Below, let's take a look at the latest rumblings as the market hits the breaking point at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday for players to decide on their options.
Marcus Smart
Don't laugh: There could be a bidding war for Marcus Smart.
Smart's problem is the market around him is unpredictable. He helped lead the Boston Celtics after Kyrie Irving went down, but flaunting defensive stats isn't going to do him many favors with other teams.
Alas, Smart heads to the market in restricted fashion after the Celtics gave him a $6.053 million qualifying offer:
The Celtics obviously want to keep Smart for the right price, but they've also had an eye on bigger deals with names like Kawhi Leonard floating around as trade possibilities.
And this one could backfire because Smart believes he is worth much more than the qualifier.
Here's what Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.com reported in May about extension talks: "Boston discussed an extension with its gritty defensive specialist, team sources said, but the dollar figures were too far apart. The Celtics are resigned that Smart will opt for a bigger payday elsewhere instead of taking a hometown discount."
Smart is free to seek a bigger deal on the open market; otherwise, he'll ink the one-year tender with a no-trade clause and Bird rights. It's not the worst outcome in the world, as he's still only 24 years old and might have another chance to compete for a spot in the Finals before trying to hit the open market again.
That or a team puts in an offer the Celtics don't want to match and an already-weird offseason gets even stranger.
The story seemed simple enough: Hometown kid goes home.
The kid is Paul George, the home is Los Angeles (with the Lakers), with only a delay by the Oklahoma City Thunder through the Indiana Pacers in the way.
Then Sam Amick of USA Today reported "pessimism in James' camp" about George leaving the Thunder.
Sure enough, on Thursday, George informed the Thunder he will opt out of his $20.7 million player option for next season, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, who also reported on George's past interest in the Lakers and the current plan in Oklahoma.
"Before his trade, George had told the Pacers that he planned to sign with the Lakers in free agency this summer," Wojnarowski wrote. "Nevertheless, Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti, coach Billy Donovan and Westbrook have made a strong case on a future with the Thunder and moved the franchise into contention with the Lakers."
George is headed for a max contract at the age of 28 either way, but with whom he chooses to put ink to paper will have a huge impact on the rest of the league. For one, it's not every day a guy who averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game a year ago hits the open market.
Two, it's not often that guy could end up influencing where a generational talent like James chooses to go. The fact there was a rumor above revealing that James is monitoring the situation says quite a lot. If George shuns the Lakers, it's one less superstar the King will have as a possibility to team up with in Los Angeles, perhaps encouraging him to stay in Cleveland.
Wojnarowski also reported the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets have an interest in George, which isn't surprising but could make things even more difficult. There's always the chance George sticks with the Thunder and hopes to contend alongside Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, though whether they can ever reach Warriors or Rockets status is hard to say.
In Pursuit of a Superteam
Let the rumor mill tell it, James is reaching out to some of the NBA's best players about forming a super team.
On Thursday, Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take reported James had sent a text concerning the Lakers to Durant, who is opting out of his contract with the Warriors but is fully expected to return.
Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports had a report suggesting Leonard, disgruntled with the San Antonio Spurs, reached out to James about playing together.
People around James said both of those reports are false, per ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst while appearing on The Insiders for TheLandOnDemand.com (h/t RealGM):
"The LeBron operation, I don't know how else to put it, but they have basically thrown cold water and vehemently denied everything that has been out there the last couple of days. They have denied that he is communicating with Kawhi Leonard. They have denied he is communicating with Kevin Durant about joining up in Los Angeles. They have denied there is a three-way conversation going on between Paul George, Kawhi and LeBron. They have denied that Kawhi being traded to the Lakers would clinch LeBron going to the Lakers. They have pretty much denied that any of that is happening."
It isn't so unfathomable to believe James is in communication with some of the NBA's top stars. He's an unrestricted free agent after opting out and can go where he wants. If there is some combination of feeling like the Cleveland Cavaliers can't build a contender and having key players joining him elsewhere, he could certainly leave home again.
The problems are many, though. Durant hasn't been shy about wanting to stick with the Warriors. Leaving a dynasty he's helping build to joining a guy he routinely beats doesn't make a ton of sense.
Leonard makes more sense than Durant, though it still feels like a long shot. The Lakers and Spurs have restarted discussions, according to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, Wojnarowski and Windhorst, but it's going to take one of the biggest offers ever seen to rip Leonard from the Spurs.
Should that happen, the odds James goes to the Lakers jump up dramatically. But rumblings of a "godfather" offer from the Lakers to the Spurs, according to Amick, still hasn't produced results, so everything remains in a holding pattern.
For now, James' camp should be fully expected to deny any and all chatter. Revealing their hand does not accomplish much and James surely doesn't want another "decision" on his hands, especially if he goes and creates yet another superteam elsewhere.
