As we move closer and closer to the NBA Draft next month, the free agency and trade rumor mill is heating up — and there’s more than just Giannis Antetokounmpo talk (although there’s plenty of that, too). Here’s the latest on some other fronts.
Whatever happens in Game 7 on Sunday night between Cleveland and Detroit, however James Harden performs in that game, expect the Cavaliers to reach a contract extension with Harden this offseason.
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That’s not a surprise to anyone who followed his trade from the LA Clippers to Cleveland, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reminded us on Sunday.
Harden wanted contract certainty after this season, and the Clippers made it clear at midseason that they hadn’t decided whether to pick up his $42 million team option — $13 million guaranteed — for next season. When both sides showed their cards, Harden’s representation got permission to find a team willing to commit to him.
The Cavs were willing. Though a formal agreement is not allowed to be completed before the offseason, there is an understanding that the Cavs plan to work out a new deal to retain Harden, sources said.
There is zero chance Harden and his team okay that trade unless a handshake deal is in place for his next contract (and teams don’t go back on those kinds of deals, it’s bad for their reputation and getting other free agents to come). Cleveland will re-sign Harden this summer, and next summer will give Donovan Mitchell a new max — essentially locking the team into this core. (While Mitchell is extension eligible this summer, if he waits a year, he gets to 10 years of service and becomes eligible for a 35% of the cap max, as opposed to the 30% now, plus he can get a no-trade clause. It’s in his interest to wait.)
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That means if Cleveland wants to shake things up (especially if they fall in Game 7 on Sunday and again don’t get out of the second round), the focus will shift to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen potentially being put into the trade market.
If you think that all of this makes the Cavaliers sound expensive, you’re right — and they are already the only team over the second apron right now. Which ties into our next note…
Four potential LeBron landing spots
LeBron James has said he doesn’t know if he’ll play another season and hasn’t thought much about free agency. I don’t doubt his sincerity.
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Also, around the league, the general consensus is that he will play one more season, and very possibly not for the Lakers (who are prioritizing rebuilding the roster around Luka Doncic). Marc Stein at the Stein Line listed four possible new teams: Golden State, Cleveland, New York or the LA Clippers.
However, then Stein gets to the real point (which we have written about at NBC Sports): What matters most is how big a pay cut is LeBron willing to take off of the $52 million he made last season because most of the teams Stein mentioned can offer a veteran minimum contract or maybe the taxpayer mid-level exception ($6.1 million).
The Golden State Warriors, who league sources say have maintained a longstanding interest in bringing James to Northern California, will be severely limited in what they can offer. James’ hometown Cleveland Cavaliers have even less financial flexibility than the Warriors and are so far away from all the Tinseltown ties that LeBron and his family have established during this run as a Laker…
James’ deep fondness for Madison Square Garden has been known for years, but the Knicks — suddenly favorites to win the East and go to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 — could certainly opt to stay on their current path. The only other team you could credibly add to the shortlist is the Clippers, who employ James’ former Cavaliers coach (Tyronn Lue) and do play in Los Angeles.
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I’ll start with the Clippers — it’s not happening. Never say never in the NBA, and yes, this move would allow LeBron to stay in his adopted hometown. However, it would not play well. First, the Clippers are not going to be contenders next season (barring landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is unlikely at best) and they have a massive cloud hanging over them with the Aspiration investigation; the Lakers are better positioned to win in the short term with LeBron as a third option. More importantly, in Los Angeles, this would be seen as a betrayal by the league’s largest, most vocal fan base. The backlash would be tremendous. All for what?
LeBron is going to have to let the Antetokounmpo saga play out before he makes his call, in part because the Warriors and Cavaliers are two teams that could get in the running for the Bucks’ two-time MVP. Would LeBron go to the Knicks on a cheap contract and be a third option behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (and does that really help New York’s defense)? Right now, the future for LeBron is foggy, he’s going to be patient and wait for the fog to lift, then he can make his call.
Wizards trade No. 1 pick to Utah?
There is a desire among the Utah Jazz fan base to keep AJ Dybantsa in the state — he went to prep school there and then BYU. With that, Utah has reached out to Washington about potentially trading for the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
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Don’t bet on this happening. Washington is going to ask for a lot to swap picks — they really liked Ace Bailey in last year’s draft, the Jazz selected him at No. 5, so the Wizards likely ask for him and another first-round pick. Even if Bailey isn’t on the table, the price is going to be a good young player and an extra first-rounder.
That only makes sense for Utah if it grades Dybantsa out as dramatically better than Kansas’ Darryn Peterson (or even Duke’s Cameron Boozer) — and I don’t know any scouts or front office people who see it that way. Most have Dybantsa on top of their boards because he is a combination of a very high ceiling with a pretty high floor — what a GM really fears with a high pick is missing altogether. Peterson, with his cramping and health issues last season, is seen as having a similar (or, often, higher) ceiling than Dybantsa but also a considerably lower floor. That’s not worth the risk. (Boozer has the highest floor of the group but is not seen as having as high a ceiling as the other two.)
Expect the draft order to stay the way it is — and Jazz fans are going to love Peterson next to Keyonte George in the backcourt.
