It’s the most wonderful time of the year, NBA fans. It’s finally free agency season. It’s going to be an especially wild summer in 2018 with names like LeBron James, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins all hitting the market.
NBA free agency rumors 2018: All the important speculation in one place
Keep track of the latest NBA free agency rumors here.
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Teams can only officially (“officially”) talk to players they’d like to add to their roster July 1, but the rumors start making their way through the league and onto the Internet long before that date.
Many think that this summer all depends on James, and that’s probably true. Where he goes will most likely cause a ripple throughout the league with other players either joining to play alongside him if he goes somewhere like LA, or maybe staying home if James stays home as well in Cleveland.
Here are the latest NBA free agency rumors:
Houston Rockets interested in Wilson Chandler
The Rockets could certainly use a player of Chandler’s versatility after Ariza’s departure. They’d probably want a player better than Chandler in an ideal world, but given their salary cap situation, it’s hard to blame them for being interested in a short term replacement.
Nuggets will pursue a meeting with LeBron James
If the Nuggets do end up getting a meeting with LeBron, they will need to lay out a plan for Denver to compete next season with him on the roster. That means figuring out a way to free up enough roster space to sign him to a max contract slot in free agency. The Nuggets need to free up $35.665 million to sign LeBron to max money, because he would accept nothing less to sign in Denver. Currently, the Nuggets are over the salary cap by a lot, but because Jokic’s and Barton’s deals don’t kick in until July 6th, their cap holds are used in the signing process.
Lakers contact DeMarcus Cousins, who is ‘an increasingly likely target’
Cousins has received calls from both the Pelicans and the Lakers, according to The Undefeated’sMarc Spears, and he’s expected to setup meetings with both teams soon. Things just got really interesting for the star big man who’s expected to cash in on what could be the final big contract of his career.
June 29Warriors are interested in signing DeAndre JordanWarriors and Jamal Crawford have mutual interestDenver Nuggets are expected to show interest in Jamal CrawfordDeAndre Jordan opts out of contract with Clippers, expected to sign with MavericksBrian Windhorst: I believe the Lakers have the inside track on signing LeBron James
Kings to make run at Zach Lavine
From the Bulls standpoint, Johnson reports they plan to make a “good-faith, proactive offer” to LaVine as free agency begins, but also that “their preferred annual salary is in the $14 million-to-$16 million range”. It’s unclear how those two goals are reconciled as we head into free agency, which starts 11pm Saturday.
June 26
Suns will target Marcus Smart to lead their young core
Smart, a restricted free agent, says he thinks he’s worth $14+ million per year. The Suns will have $15-20 million available for offers like this. On the plus side, he’s only 24 years old and would be able to grow and develop with the young core.
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