The 2019 NBA Free Agency period is just around the corner now. Starting at 6pm ET (11pm, UK time) on Sunday June 30, a whole host of teams will be scrambling to acquire or retain star talent. A wide range of abilities are available, from Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Jimmy Butler, to Danny Green, Patrick Beverley, Seth Curry, DeAndre Jordan, and Brook Lopez, the list goes on.
With whispers swirling daily, this page will act as a live blog, posting up-to-date rumours in relation to Lakers free agency .
08/07: Avery Bradley Set to Sign
08/07: Daniels and Dudley Made Official
07/07: Caruso Is Back
07/07: Lakers Announce Acquisition of AD
07/07: KCP, McGee, Cook, Cousins, Green, All Made Official
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1147686732583723008?s=19
06/07: Rondo to Return
06/07: Cousins to Team Up With LeBron, AD, and Co.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1147576077533011968?s=19
06/07: Quinn Cook to Join the Lakers
https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1147502491585544192?s=19
06/07: Lakers Build Following Kawhi Decision
06/07: Kawhi Joins the Clippers
04/07: Iguodala Update
04/07: Justin Holiday An Option?
03/07: Kyle Korver May Hit the Market
03/07: Kawhi to Make Decision “Later Today, Possibly Tomorrow”
03/07: Lakers Set to Land Dudley
02/07: Kawhi Update From Stein
02/07: Ennis Drops off the Board
02/07: Is James Ennis a Potential Option?
02/07: McGee Meets with Houston and Detroit
01/07: Ellington and Kanter Off the Board
01/07: Lakers to Sign Troy Daniels
01/07: Seth Curry Snapped Up By Dallas
01/07: Details Emerge of Kawhi Leonard’s First Conversation with Magic, Lakers
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times on Spectrum SportsNet (quotes via Silver Screen and Roll):
“There was one interesting question (Leonard) had for Magic: ‘Did you guys try to trade for me when I was in San Antonio?’ And the answer was ‘yes, but because it was Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, and our history, they were asking for 2,000 draft picks — well, not 2,000 — like four draft picks, first-round draft picks, and we just couldn’t do that.’ And that was one of his questions.”
“The uncle’s questions were ‘what’s really going on in the organization between you, Jeanie, Rob Pelinka, everyone? Is it as dysfunctional as we’re reading and hearing?’ And the response was ‘we had some issues, but we’re past that. I’m past that. We’re still a family, such as you fight with your brothers and sisters sometimes, well, I had somewhat of a disagreement with my sister. And Rob Pelinka, yes, I said he was a back-stabber, but that happened then. Now I want the Lakers to be a championship team. Having Kawhi here would do that.”
“‘You can play for them because it’s not about me, it’s not about Jeanie, it’s really about this franchise. It’s about Kareem. Wilt Chamberlain. Kobe Bryant. It’s about all those great players. You can be another one, you can join LeBron James and you can win more titles, and you don’t have to put as much stress on your body to do that. We have two stars to work with you.’”
“LeBron James was able to bring on his own trainer, his own medical people. (Kawhi) wants to know if he can do that as well. LeBron James brought on some people that weren’t with the Lakers, and he wants to know ‘can I bring with a couple of my guys?’ … And as far as I know, the Lakers would be willing to do that, because you do those things for superstar players.”
01/07: Lakers Reach out to Danny Green
Harrison Sanford, who co-hosts a podcast with Danny Green has confirmed that the Lakers are one of the team’s interested, who have called.
01/07: Market Drying up as Lakers Wait on Kawhi
Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn Nets, 4-years/$141 million
Kevin Durant – Brooklyn Nets, 4-years/$164 million
Kemba Walker – Boston Celtics, 4-years/$141 million
Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat (deal in doubt while Miami find a third team in a sign-and-trade after Dallas pull out), 4-years/$142 million
D’Angelo Russell – Golden State Warriors, 4-years/$117 million
Patrick Beverley – LA Clippers, 3-years/$40 million
George Hill – Milwaukee Bucks, 3-years/$29 million
Trevor Ariza – Sacramento Kings, 2-years/$25 million
Dewayne Dedmon – Sacramento Kings, 3-years/$40 million
DeAndre Jordan – Brooklyn Nets, 4-years/$40 million
Taj Gibson – New York Knicks, 2-years/$20 million
Derrick Favors – New Orleans Pelicans, N/A
J.J. Reddick – New Orleans Pelicans, 2-years/$26.5 million
Terrence Ross – Orlando Magic, 4-years/$54 million
Reggie Bullock – New York Knicks, 2-years/$21 million
*Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Seth Curry, Enes Kanter, T.J. McConnell, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, DeMarcus Cousins are a few that remain on the market.
01/07: Iguodala on Lakers’ Radar, Along with Green, Curry, Rondo
01/07: Kawhi Hasn’t Taken Meetings Yet
30/06: Ariza to Sacramento
30/06: Reddick Snapped Up By Pels
30/06: Knicks to Meet With Bullock
30/06: Kawhi Leonard Update
30/06: Bucks Tie Up Lopez
30/06: Lakers Making a Late Push for Butler
30/06: Timberwolves Lead Russell Chase..
30/06: McGee to the Rockets?
29/06: Lakers Reach out to Beverley, Curry
29/06: Lakers Set a Meeting With Russell
29/06: Kyrie Set to Join Nets
29/06: Kemba off the Board
29/06: Lakers a ‘Significant’ Threat to Sign Kawhi
29/06: Potential Laker Target Retires
28/06: James and Davis Plan “Hands-On” Approach
28/06: Kawhi Leonard Update
28/06: DeAndre Jordan Rumours Recirculate
Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN: “Jordan, who played nine seasons with the LA Clippers, has an interest in playing in Los Angeles again, sources said. He would potentially be a fit for the Lakers, who are expected to try to find a way to sign Jordan and play him alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James.”
28/06: Klay Could Set Sights on Lakers
28/06: Kyrie’s in the Mix
27/06: Lakers to Target Green, Ross, Curry
Adrian Wojnaroski of ESPN: “The Lakers are expected to pursue several scenarios in free agency, including Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell, who is a restricted free agent now — and Toronto star Kawhi Leonard, league sources said. If the Lakers decide to break up the money, they’re interested in several combinations of players including Toronto Raptors Danny Green, Orlando Magic Terrence Ross, Portland Trail Blazer Seth Curry and several other free agents with a strong shooting ability.”
27/06: Kawhi to Grant the Lakers a Meeting
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports: “Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard intends to grant the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers meetings when free agency opens on June 30, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”
“The meetings would be held in Los Angeles, sources said.”
27/06: Anthony Davis Trade Package Expands!
27/06: Lakers Suitors for Patrick Beverley
27/06: Can the Lakers Lure Kawhi?
Marc Stein of the New York Times on the Silver Screen and Roll Podcast:
“I know the Lakers want us to believe they’re still in there, and the Lakers do believe they’re still in there, and the Lakers have believed that since the regular season ended. So we’ll see if they can prove the skeptics wrong, but we don’t know what Kawhi is going to decide, we don’t know what KD is going to decide, and there is almost 200 free agents I think… and the party starts with those guys, and until they choose, we’re going to be on pins and needles.”
“If we could poll GMs and get their honest takes, I think it would be painted as a Raptors or Clippers two-team deal. But again, the Lakers, since the regular season ended, long before they had the Davis trade completed, in the midst of all the front office chaos, you would hear these rumbles of Lakers confidence. ‘We’re gonna be in there with Kawhi. We’re a contender with Kawhi, LeBron is recruiting Kawhi.’ You would hear these rumbles.”
“And again, I have not independently confirmed them, and I think a big issue here is that Kawhi’s camp is so buttoned up, there are very few people who have access to the inner sanctum of Team Kawhi, and I freely admit I’m not one of them. So it’s hard to know exactly what Kawhi thinks of the Lakers. We know he’s from Southern California, we know he has had strong pangs to go home for a long time, but I guess that’s long-winded way of saying that the only people who have expressed confidence in the Lakers’ ability to get him have something to do with the Lakers.”
27/06: Kanter Drawing Lakers Interest
26/06: Caruso/Williams Update
The Lakers have announced that they have extended qualifying offers to Alex Caruso and Johnathan Williams.
This will make both restricted free-agents. Williams will become a two-way player if he accepts.
26/06: KCP Could Return to the Lakers
26/06: Carmelo Anthony To Team Up With LeBron?
Ian Begley of SNY: “Let’s get this out of the way at the top: things can always change, but most executives monitoring Anthony’s free agency see the Lakers as the most likely destination for the 10-time All Star.”
26/06: Collison Could Be An Option
26/06: Lakers Interested in Russell
25/06: JR Smith To The Lakers?
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports has suggested that if JR Smith is traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers, then waived, he will join the Lakers.
25/06: Lakers Set A Meeting With Russell
As first reported by Arye Abraham, later mentioned by Fred Roggin of NBC Los Angeles.
25/06: Magic Johnson Would Welcome Russell Reunion
Bill Oram of The Athletic: “The very man who deemed Russell unfit for the Lakers would welcome a return.“
“‘He’s better now,’ Johnson told The Athletic on Monday night, tapping his right temple with an index finger as he stood in a parking lot outside the NBA Awards at the Santa Monica Airport. ‘He’s a different player. He’s more mature.'”
25/06: D’Angelo Russell-Lakers Reunion?
Zach Lowe of ESPN: “There is at least a kernel of truth to the Lakers’ interest in a reunion, sources say, but L.A. has a lot to sort out. Russell fits the Knicks’ timeline in case they strike out on bigger fish, but all indications are that New York will pursue short-term deals in that scenario, sources say.”
24/06: Kawhi Declines Contract Option
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports: “Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard will decline his 2019-20 player option worth $21.3 million to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”
“Leonard, 27, is believed to be seriously considering re-signing with the Raptors, sources said.”
22/06: Russell A Better Option Than Irving
Eric Pincus of The Bleacher Report: “But beyond the talent, Irving is going to demand the maximum, while the Lakers could at least try to get Russell to sign at $20 million (up to $86 million over four years), especially if the Nets let him go.”
“That would give Los Angeles almost $13 million left to spend. That may be enough to go after a starting center (perhaps with Kuzma to the bench) but ultimately, the Lakers are bereft of guards. Could they pull Patrick Beverley away from both the Los Angeles Clippers and other suitors with a four-year, $55.9 million contract, starting at $13 million?”
21/06: Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan Linked With Lakers
Brian Windhorst of ESPN on The Hoop Collective podcast: “The Lakers, I think, are sniffing around (Lopez)… I think the Lakers need perimeter players. I think they’re going to have to use their money on perimeter players. I know DeAndre Jordan is a guy on the Lakers’ radar that they’re hoping they may able to get for relatively cheap because he wants to be back in L.A.”
18/06: Kawhi Focused on Clippers Not Lakers
16/06: Lakers Interested in Lopez Return
Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst both featured on The Hoop Collective podcast and stated the following:
McMenamin: “I just know that talking to people in the Lakers organization this week, that’s a name that has come up. This is days before the Anthony Davis trade went down, so Brook Lopez is certainly someone that intrigues at least some people in that organization.”
Windhorst: “Also, Anthony Davis prefers to play the four, and LeBron prefers to play the three. You could bring in Brook and then align it the way you want to align it.”
16/06: Kyrie Irving “Wants To Play” With AD
David Aldridge of The Athletic: “Whether it’s Kemba Walker, whom the New York Times’ Marc Stein reported as a potential Lakers target, or Kyrie Irving, whom sources have maintained for months wants to play with Davis, someone dynamic will likely be on the ball next season in L.A.”
16/06: Walker and Butler Are “Top Priorities”
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports: “With James and Davis as the cornerstones of the franchise, the Lakers still have room to add one more star in free agency. Charlotte guard Kemba Walker and Philadelphia forward Jimmy Butler are top priorities, sources said.“
By Matt Evans (@mattyyyevans)
