Sports
Buying or Selling Latest NBA Rumors – Bleacher Report
NBA free agency is officially upon us, as players can start agreeing to contracts at 6:00pm E.T. on June 30. No team or agent would dare begin communication a second earlier.
Keeping up with rumors this time of year is a 24/7 job. Making sense of them can be even more difficult, as there’s a lot of pure nonsense being thrown around in leverage attempts from both sides.
It’s time to buy or sell the latest NBA rumors.
The Pacers are one of only five NBA teams that project to have $30 million or more in cap space this summer. With a backcourt of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin and a frontcourt of Myles Turner and No. 8 overall pick Jarace Walker, Indiana’s primary need in free agency is on the wing.
Max Strus, a 6’5″ guard/forward, is almost certainly going to be too expensive for the Miami Heat to retain given their financial situation. The 27-year-old was a big part of Miami’s run to the Finals and looks like he could get the full non taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million.
According to Marc Stein, the Pacers could actually offer him more.
As Stein wrote on his Substack, “The Indiana Pacers, who are projected to have more than $30 million in salary-cap space, are strongly weighing a three-year offer for Strus in the $48 million range.”
For a player who’s earned a total of $3.9 million since he came into the league as an undrafted free agent, Strus couldn’t sign this deal fast enough.
Getting $46 million after melting down in the NBA Finals (5.8 points on 23.3 percent shooting overall, 18.8 percent from three) is a payday Strus simply can’t pass up, and one no other team is likely to give him.
The Pacers are in good financial shape moving forward, so this isn’t going to cripple their books. Strus is a good potential starter between the core pieces of this franchise, keeping the floor spread while giving strong effort on defense.
This is probably going to end up as an overpay, although Indiana isn’t going to spend their cap space on James Harden, Kyrie Irving or any of the other top free agents (unless Khris Middleton shows interest).
Strus and the Pacers look like a sure thing.
Buy or Sell: Buy. No other team is giving Strus more than the mid-level exception. Expect him to sign with the Pacers.
No buyout player rehabbed their value more than Russell Westbrook, who played well for the Clippers both down the regular season stretch and during the playoffs.
After looking like one of the most overpaid players in the league while earning over $47 million with the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook was arguably the most underpaid after joining the Clippers on a minimum contract. He put up 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks and shot 35.7 percent from three during L.A.’s first-round playoff series.
While Westbrook may have to settle for another minimum deal if he wants to re-sign with the cash-strapped Clippers, other teams may offer him far more.
Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune reports that NBA executives around the league believe Westbrook could receive offers between $10-15 million per year on a new contract, something Los Angeles can’t provide.
“The Clippers may not have offered that money even if they had the space. Despite gushing about how Westbrook upgraded the point-guard position, the Clippers still tried to acquire Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon last week only for the deal to fall through after becoming concerned with his injury history,” Medina wrote.
Only eight teams can offer Westbrook more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million, however.
Cross the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings off a Westbrook list, as all have franchise point guards in place. If Westbrook wants to win, the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic aren’t going to be title-chasing in 2023-24, either. The Utah Jazz would be the only point-guard needy team with cap space and a chance to compete, ironically enough the same franchise that bought Westbrook out after the trade deadline.
None of these teams make sense for Westbrook, who would then look at teams with the full mid-level exception. The Dallas Mavericks, if Kyrie Irving leaves in free agency, would be a potential destination.
For now, the Clippers seem like the best home for Westbrook, even if he has to take a pay cut.
Buy or Sell: Sell Westbrook getting more than the full $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception from a team. A Clippers reunion seems like the most likely scenario.
We’re probably not talking enough about how the Dallas Mavericks botched the Christian Wood trade. A team already short on assets giving up its first-round pick for a player on an expiring deal, only to primarily bring that player off the bench and then watch him leave in free agency is a tremendous waste.
The Mavs’ incompetence could soon become another franchise’s opportunity, however, as the 27-year-old forward/center is now free to sign with any team of his choosing.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Wood “continues to be mentioned by league personnel as someone on the Heat’s radar.”
With Kevin Love a free agent as well, Wood could become Miami’s new starting power forward. While he produced in limited time as a starter last season (20.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.3 blocks, 37.1 percent shooting from three), Wood isn’t a good defender and has yet to play on a team that’s reached the playoffs.
Trying to acquire Wood seems like an impossible task at the moment as well. His raw numbers would indicate at least a non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million or more, something the Heat doesn’t have to offer.
Miami is already $11 million over the luxury tax line and is in real danger of becoming a second apron team ($3.7 million away). The Heat can’t execute a sign-and-trade for Wood, either, as it would hard cap the team at $172.3 million, a number Miami is already $4.4 million over.
This would take some major roster reconstruction first, likely moving Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson to a team with cap space.
As things currently stand, Wood could only join Miami on a veteran’s minimum deal, something he almost certainly wouldn’t agree to.
Buy or Sell: Sell Miami being able to acquire Wood unless they do some major roster reconstruction.
One of the best point guards available in free agency (especially with James Harden opting into his player option), VanVleet is the less talented, yet more reliable, option over Kyrie Irving.
The point guard-needy Houston Rockets apparently have their sights set on the veteran floor general, and have the salary cap space ($64.2 million) to outbid everyone else.
According to Marc Stein on his substack, the Rockets are preparing a two-year max offer of $83.6 million for VanVleet, a number that would nearly double his current salary.
This would put VanVleet among the highest-paid players at his position, along the likes of Luka Dončić and Trae Young and just under Damian Lillard. It’s a huge overpay for a player who was among the NBA’s worst shooters last season (39.3 percent overall), although VanVleet’s passing, leadership and experience is perfect for a young Houston team.
This is a nightmare scenario for the Toronto Raptors, as they’ll likely be forced to add another year to this max offer or lose their starting point guard for nothing.
If VanVleet can secure this kind of bag, he absolutely should. Houston’s cap space has to be used somewhere, and with Harden out of the picture, VanVleet is the best option at point guard.
Buy or Sell: Buy. From making $543,471 as an undrafted free agent in 2016-17 to $40 million-plus a year now, VanVleet is going to use Houston’s cap space to his advantage.
Arguably the biggest name on the free agent market won’t actually be a free agent at all, as James Harden has decided to exercise his $35.6 million player option with the Philadelphia 76ers in hopes of finding a trade.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks are interested in acquiring the 33-year-old point guard.
This comes as a huge surprise, as Harden looked more and more likely to not opt in and instead re-sign with Philly on a multi-year deal at a higher number. By pushing for a trade, Harden is potentially costing himself $100 million or more in guaranteed money, especially since he can’t sign an extension and will have to wait until free agency in 2024 for a new deal.
Between the Clippers and Knicks, Los Angeles makes far more sense.
The Clippers have the contracts to acquire Harden without giving up Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, potentially building a package based around Norman Powell. Players like Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum and Terance Mann could be used to help match salaries as well.
For Los Angeles, it’s a chance to acquire an elite playmaker to pair with their star wings, even if age and recent injury history are certainly issues. Harden’s 58 games played last year was the most between him, Leonard and George.
The Knicks already have a franchise point guard in Jalen Brunson. Bringing in Harden only takes the ball out of his hands and stunts the growth of players like R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Philly needs to find the best return to place around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, keeping the team in championship contention. Trying to pry George from the Clippers would be ideal, although Los Angeles would likely counter with Powell and role players instead.
Buy or Sell: Buy Harden’s fit with the Clippers, sell it with the Knicks.
