NBA Rumors

Kyrie Irving reportedly plans to join the Los Angeles Lakers when he has the opportunity, according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith:

"Kyrie Irving is telling everybody he plans on going to L.A., meaning the Lakers, as soon as he possibly can," Smith said on NBA Today.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin provided insight on the Lakers' mindset as Irving continues to push for a move to L.A.:

Irving opted into his contract for the 2022-23 season, which means he can no longer control his landing spot for next season. As Smith noted, the point guard can sign with the Lakers as a free agent next summer when the team is significantly under the salary cap.

A move to the Lakers would allow Irving to team back up with LeBron James after the two spent three years together with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The duo reached the NBA Finals in three straight years and won the 2016 title.

Irving could be on the move this offseason, especially after Kevin Durant requested a trade. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported it's "very likely" that both Durant and Irving have played their last games on the Nets:

The latest on Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Nets from @wojespn.

Join us now on ESPN2 for our NBA Today Free Agency special as we break it all down. pic.twitter.com/dsRBjecW8S

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 30, 2022

Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported there was a lot of "chatter" connecting Irving to the Lakers.

Los Angeles was also the only team pursuing Irving in a sign-and-trade before he opted into his deal, per Wojnarowski. The mutual interest could be enough for the Lakers and Nets to work out a trade.

Even without a trade, it seems Irving is planning to eventually end up in Los Angeles.

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant reportedly requested a trade from the franchise on Thursday, and many teams around the NBA are expected to pursue the two-time NBA champion.

One of those teams could be the Hornets as it appears LaMelo Ball would like to team up with Durant in Charlotte. The rising star posted a picture of himself and the Nets veteran to his Instagram story on Thursday:

LaMelo Ball on IG 👀 pic.twitter.com/OLHeESWmrt

— Dylan Jackson (@djdotpng) June 30, 2022

It's unclear if Durant would be open to joining the Hornets. His preferred destinations are the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

However, Wojnarowski added that the Nets are going to accept the best possible deal for Durant. So, if the Hornets can put together an enticing enough package, he could be playing alongside Ball next season.

Kevin Durant shook up the NBA world on Thursday before the start of free agency, reportedly requesting a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets, per multiple reports.

The Nets are reportedly fielding trade calls on basically the entire roster, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, but The Athletic's Sam Amick added that the team plans to keep Ben Simmons:

Source close to the situation tells @TheAthletic that the Nets are expected to keep Ben Simmons. Some had rightfully wondered if there would be a ripple effect here on the 25-year-old's Nets future. https://t.co/2TnO6n71xI

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 30, 2022

Assuming Simmons does stick around and finally actually plays a game for the Nets, it's extremely unclear who he'll actually be playing alongside next season.

Given all of the turmoil between Irving and the Nets before he ultimately opted into his player option, it wouldn't be shocking if he's out the door soon as well.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving had no contact with the franchise after Irving opted into his deal on Monday, and a sense of inevitability existed that Durant would eventually ask for a trade, sources tell ESPN. It happened today.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

One fun wrinkle for the Nets is that the Miami Heat are reportedly one of Durant's preferred destinations, per B/R's Jake Fischer, and ostensibly any trade package would start with center Bam Adebayo.

The only issue is that Adebayo and Simmons can't be on the same roster due to a quirk in the collective bargaining agreement:

The Nets can't acquire Bam Adebayo if they keep Ben Simmons. They can't have two Designated Rookie guys acquired via trade.

So, who do the Heat offer up to the Nets? Remember, you have to match $44M in salary!

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2022

So while the Nets may want to keep Simmons, if the best deal for both Durant and the Nets involves the Heat, Brooklyn may have no choice but to deal away Simmons.

There are now a ton of moving pieces in Brooklyn, which became the most interesting NBA team to watch this offseason after Durant's trade request.

As for Simmons, the three-time All-Star didn't play at all for the Philadelphia 76ers after requesting a trade from the team last season, or for the Nets after he was acquired in the James Harden trade.

For his career he's averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, emerging as one of the most versatile and talented defenders in the league alongside being a fantastic playmaker.

But Simmons' unwillingness to shoot from the perimeter and struggles from the free-throw line (59.7 percent for his career) have kept him from ascending to superstar status. At 25, he's just entering his prime years.

But there are enough question marks surrounding his game, especially after he didn't play at all last season, to make building around him a risk. The Nets will have to decide if it's worthwhile to do so with Durant and Irving likely heading elsewhere.

Some within the New York Knicks "are optimistic that there will be common ground" regarding an extension for RJ Barrett, per SNY's Ian Begley.

Barrett is entering the final guaranteed year of his rookie deal and will earn $10.9 million in 2022-23. He and the Knicks can begin negotiating a new contract this summer.

In some cases, extending a player beyond his rookie deal can be relatively straightforward: Give him the max and move on. At the other extreme, a team can sour on a draft pick and be content to move on altogether.

Barrett is in the middle ground where he hasn't played his way into a max contract, but he has done enough to show why the Knicks should continue factoring him into their long-term plans. Through three seasons, he's averaging 17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 41.8 percent overall and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfnZasJ2rsM

The Athletic's Fred Katz canvassed 16 NBA front-office officials who pegged Barrett's value between $15 million and $30 million annually.

"No one advocated for the Knicks to give him the max. Exactly half of the responses were a nice, clean four years, $100 million, making it by far the most common proposal from the polled executives," Katz wrote.

New York has a clear incentive to get something done now because allowing this to linger into next summer could have an adverse impact on Barrett's relationship with the team.

In theory, the Knicks could simply let the 22-year-old play out his rookie deal and go from there.

Barrett will be a restricted free agent in 2023 if he receives and turns down the $14.3 million qualifying offer. Should he and the team fail to strike a bargain, New York could let him test his market around the NBA and match whatever offer sheet he gets from another franchise.

The fraught dynamic between Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns illustrates the potential risk in that approach.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last fall how Ayton and the Suns differed in their contract valuations. The 23-year-old center never seemed to forget about the perceived slight.

Now, somebody who appeared to be a foundational piece for Phoenix just one year ago could be out the door.

That would be the doomsday scenario for the Knicks, one that doesn't seem likely for now.

But that doesn't mean New York's front office should take negotiations with Barrett and his representatives lightly.

LeBron James may not be taking an active role in the Los Angeles Lakers' offseason.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Thursday on Get Up that James is "just going to be a spectator for the next six weeks and see what the Lakers are able to do."

"I'm not expecting them to do much," Windhorst said. "And I also think, even if he doesn't extend his contract, it's not necessarily a vote of no confidence in the Lakers. It's just to leave both his options and the Lakers' options open."

Star players typically want to involve themselves in whatever their team is doing, whether it's laying out potential personnel moves or recruiting prospective free agents.

When it comes to the Lakers, though, there might not be much for James to do.

Windhorst cited Juan Toscano-Anderson and Josh Jackson as potential targets for the team, which speaks to how much the franchise has its hands tied.

Toscano-Anderson averaged 13.6 minutes per game for the Golden State Warriors and logged a total of 49 minutes in the team's championship run. The 29-year-old certainly isn't a major difference-maker.

Jackson, meanwhile, has played for four teams through five seasons. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, he has failed to tap into any of the potential he showed in college at Kansas.

A move for Kyrie Irving represented the one real gambit Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka could make, but Irving is planning on returning to the Brooklyn Nets. Absent that trade, it's difficult to see Russell Westbrook going anywhere, so carrying his $47.1 million salary into 2022-23 leaves Pelinka with few options.

At least the narrative around James is a little different from the reporting immediately after the trade deadline, when the Lakers did nothing amid a season that was falling short of expectations.

Pelinka told reporters there was a sense of "alignment" between he, James and Anthony Davis about the team's deadline plans. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported the picture Pelinka painted was "totally false."

It appears now James has a better understanding of the predicament the organization faces.

Amid rumors that he will remain with the Chicago Bulls, Zach LaVine has reportedly already spoken to some about his decision to re-sign with the club when free agency begins Thursday.

Per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, LaVine has told people he intends to sign a new deal that is "expected" to be agreed upon quickly when the moratorium period opens at 6 p.m. ET.

After the Bulls' season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, speculation began about LaVine's future with the organization.

LaVine didn't do anything to quiet the talk when he told reporters in April he planned "to enjoy free agency" and "experience A through Z without making any fast decisions."

B/R's Jake Fischer reported earlier two weeks ago that LaVine is expected to re-sign with Chicago, despite rumblings he could receive interest from the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Bulls do have the luxury of being able to offer LaVine an extra year on a contract. He is eligible to sign a five-year max deal worth around $212 million with Chicago. Other teams can only offer him a four-year max worth approximately $157 million.

Last season was a positive step forward for the Bulls. The front office made aggressive moves in the offseason to bring in DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso as free agents.

Those additions had a significant impact on the franchise, particularly in the first half last season. The Bulls were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference as late as Feb. 25, but injuries took a significant toll on their depth down the stretch.

Chicago finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the East with a 46-36 record. It was the organization's first time with a winning record since 2015-16 (42-40) and first time making the playoffs since 2016-17 after going 41-41.

LaVine has developed into a star in the past five seasons with the Bulls. He has been named to the All-Star team in each of the previous two seasons and has averaged at least 23.0 points per game in four straight seasons with a 39.2 three-point percentage during that span.

Although the Toronto Raptors have been linked to restricted free agent Deandre Ayton, there have reportedly been "no talks" with the Phoenix Suns about a potential sign-and-trade deal.

Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported Thursday an agreement between the teams would be "difficult," in large part because of the financial hurdles related to Ayton's compensation.

Phoenix extended a qualifying offer to the 23-year-old center, which includes a $16.4 million base salary and $31.6 million salary-cap hold, and he could receive a max offer sheet in free agency. The Suns can match any proposal or work out a sign-and-trade pact.

Toronto makes sense as a destination for Ayton on paper as it could use a traditional center to pair with Pascal Siakam in the frontcourt.

It would require a costly trade along with a lucrative long-term extension, however, so the Raptors will likely go in a different direction to fill that void.

Grange noted San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, a Toronto first-round pick in 2016 whom the team has tried to reacquire in the past, is a potential target. The Spurs are likely heading toward a rebuild after reportedly sending Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for a haul of draft picks and Danilo Gallinari.

Meanwhile, the Ayton situation has the potential to shift the balance of power in the West depending on either what the Suns get in return or how they use the financial flexibility created by his potential exit.

The University of Arizona product been a key cog for Phoenix since the organization selected him with the first overall pick in 2018. He's averaged 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 59.9 percent from the field across 236 career games.

He makes a limited impact in other areas, though. He's not a proven distributor (career average of 1.6 assists) or high-end shot blocker (1.0 blocks), and the 6'11" center has yet to expand his offensive game to match the evolving NBA, attempting just 19 threes in 2021-22.

As the league continues to shift away from old-school 5s, it's fair to wonder how much value Ayton carries, which is likely why the Suns have been hesitant to offer a max contract.

That said, for a team that expects to remain in the championship conversation after finishing an NBA-leading 64-18 in the regular season, moving him without having a plan in place to acquire another key contributor would be a massive risk.

The bottom line is there will probably be several clubs willing to pay Ayton the max if the Suns won't, but it sounds like the Raptors won't be one of them.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors are reportedly expected to pursue Mo Bamba in free agency after he didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Orlando Magic.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported Thursday the Magic haven't ruled out bringing the 24-year-old center back, but they've "set a price for Bamba and are unwilling to go above it," which could allow the Lakers or Raptors to make a free-agent splash.

After three years as a reserve, Bamba stepped into the Orlando starting lineup and produced his best statistical season in 2021-22. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.5 threes and 1.2 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, in 71 appearances.

Those improved numbers combined with his 7'0'', 231-pound frame and 7'10'' wingspan make him one of the most high-upside free agents available this summer despite his inconsistency across four NBA seasons.

In April, Bamba expressed interest in staying with the Magic despite the contract uncertainty.

"I want to be here," he told reporters. "I just want to make that clear. I'll let that stuff handle itself and continue to work."

Now he'll at least get an opportunity to hear pitches from other organizations before deciding whether to return to Orlando.

The Lakers are looking for an infusion of talent around the core tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Moving Russell Westbrook's contract is unlikely, which means the front office will probably have to rely on a series of smaller moves rather than a blockbuster.

Signing Bamba would allow Davis to play the 4, his preferred position, and give the Lakers more potential on the interior after using a variety of veteran options, including Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, at the 5 last season.

Meanwhile, the Raptors are also seeking an upgrade at center to fill out the frontcourt alongside Pascal Siakam. The combination of Bamba and Siakam (7'3'' wingspan) could create some real issues for opponents trying to attack the rim.

It's quite possible other teams emerge as potential suitors in the coming days, as Bamba's inclusion in the free-agent class came a bit late after the qualifying offer wasn't tendered.

His occasional flashes of All-Star potential are enough to warrant a multiyear contract with the hope he can take his game to that next level with a change of scenery.

The San Antonio Spurs could be in for another disappointing season in 2022-23 following a reported trade that will send Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. However, Gregg Popovich is reportedly embracing the chance to coach one of the youngest squads in the NBA.

According to Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News, Popovich is said to be excited "like he's back at Pomona-Pitzer" and is "completely on board" with coaching a young roster next season.

San Antonio enters the 2022-23 season with an average age of 24, and Popovich is going to have a lot of work to do.

By trading Murray to the Hawks, the Spurs signaled they are fully dedicated to a rebuild, and some fans were questioning whether or not Popovich would want to stick around and coach a group that lacks proven talent.

That said, Popovich has stated in the past that he enjoys coaching a young team, telling reporters in September 2021 that the Spurs are "a team filled with great character, a lot of will, and that's what makes it fun."

"It's exciting. I have no idea who I am going to give it (basketball) to or what play we're going to run," Popovich added. "That's something we're going to figure out as we move along here. And to me, that is exciting as hell."

The Spurs finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 34-48 record and haven't had a winning season since 2018-19, but Popovich didn't enjoy coaching young players, he would have probably left a long time ago.

It's not necessarily surprising that Popovich finds the challenge of coaching a young roster exciting. The 73-year-old has been head coach of the Spurs since 1996 and has overseen a variety of teams—some veteran, some young, some a mix of the two.

Popovich has coached very experienced players like Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge over his historic career.

But now he's being tasked with coaching a young group that has a fire to get better and improve. With a roster that includes Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones, among others, Popovich will enjoy the personal challenge of leading the group and find it fun to watch those players grow.

Popovich is one of the best coaches in NBA history, having posted a 1,344-701 record over his career that includes five NBA titles. If anyone can help this young group succeed, it's him.

NBA free agency begins Thursday, and the Los Angeles Lakers will have a number of tough decisions to make following a disappointing 2021-22 campaign. However, it appears they know which type of player they want to add when the market opens.

The Purple and Gold are expected to target two-way wings with their taxpayer mid-level exception, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha:

"With free agency less than 48 hours away, the Lakers are focusing on two-way wings, according to league sources. Most of the hypothetical scenarios for their taxpayer midlevel exception have been centered on signing a wing or two who could come in and start next to [LeBron] James and [Anthony] Davis."

The Lakers will not have much wiggle room to add any significant players this summer after Russell Westbrook opted in to his $47 million player option for the 2022-23 campaign. The franchise has attempted to trade the veteran point guard, but there haven't been many suitors.

Buha previously noted that the Lakers improved their three-point shooting and defensive versatility through the 2022 NBA draft by selecting Michigan State's Max Christie in the second round.

However, that pick probably won't pay off for the Lakers until some time down the road, if at all, which is why they need to add a two-way wing this summer.

It's unclear who the Lakers might be targeting in free agency. However, Gary Harris, Otto Porter Jr. and Danuel House could be intriguing options for the Purple and Gold.

Harris spent the 2021-22 season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 11.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 61 games while shooting 38.4 percent from deep. The 27-year-old is a solid defender and also shot 41.3 percent on catch-and-shoot thees last season.

Porter, meanwhile, spent the 2021-22 campaign with the Golden State Warriors, helping the franchise win the 2022 NBA title. Like Harris, the 29-year-old also has a solid mix of three-point shooting and defensive prowess. He averaged 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 63 games while shooting 37 percent from deep.

House could be an option for the Purple and Gold as they previously showed interest in him in December. He spent the 2021-22 campaign split between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz, averaging 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 42 games while shooting 37.6 percent from deep.

Any of these players would help improve the Lakers' three-point shooting and defense. However, it's unclear how much they will be looking for in free agency.