2019 NBA free agency: Latest buzz, news and reports
Stephen A. Smith has received word that Kawhi Leonard is “seriously considering” the Lakers, which has the Clippers seriously concerned. (1:48)
NBA free agency news is just getting started.
Teams and players will be allowed to begin negotiations on the afternoon of June 30. Additionally, teams might communicate with free agents as early as the afternoon of June 29. The first two days of free agency in 2018 included Paul George and LeBron James making major decisions — what will Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and others do this year?
Stay up to date with the latest deals and rumblings.
More: Trade tracker | Rating every move 
7:29 p.m. ET: Free agent center Enes Kanter is drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings, league sources tell ESPN’s Royce Young. Kanter started last season with the New York Knicks before landing with the Portland Trail Blazers after a midseason buyout. Kanter served as a starter in the postseason following Jusuf Nurkic’s season-ending injury.
6:03 p.m. ET: The Brooklyn Nets are expected to renounce All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell and allow him to become an unrestricted free agent, or explore sign-and-trade scenarios with Russell and his reps once Kyrie Irving signs with the team, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski. Russell and the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in a reunion, and the team has reached out to his agents to set up a meeting.
6:01 p.m. ET: Free agent Derrick Rose will meet with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, with both sides motivated on finding a pathway to a two-year contract, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
6:00 p.m. ET: Free agent Jimmy Butler is expected to meet with the Miami Heat on Sunday and the Houston Rockets early next week, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski. The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t ruled out working with Butler on sign-and-trades, which Miami and Houston need to acquire the All-Star guard.
6:00 p.m. ET: Free agent Kyrie Irving is meeting with the Brooklyn Nets in New York on Sunday and both sides are motivated to move quickly toward reaching a 4-year, $141M deal, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
5:16 p.m. ET: The Cleveland Cavaliers have come to an agreement with JR Smith to push back the guarantee date of his contract from June 30 until July 15 to allow the team more time to trade him, sources tell Brian Windhorst.
5:01 p.m. ET: Charlotte has declined to exercise the qualifying offer on Frank Kaminsky, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski. There’s significant interest in Kaminsky in the marketplace.
4:43 p.m. ET: Charlotte has been scouring the free-agent point guard market, considering such options as Elfrid Payton, T.J. McConnell, Ish Smith and Emmanuel Mudiay, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
4:38 p.m. ET: Kemba Walker plans to be in Boston on Sunday to finalize a formal agreement with the Celtics, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski. As reported this week, the Celtics and Walker both intend for the All-Star guard to commit to a four-year, $141M maximum contract once free agency opens on Sunday at 6 PM. Walker is traveling to New England to meet with Celtics officials at 6 PM ET.
4:33 p.m. ET: Free agent Nikola Mirotic plans to return to Europe after five seasons in the NBA and sign with EuroLeague team Barcelona, according to multiple reports.
3:52 p.m. ET: Boston is declining to extend a qualifying offer to guard Brad Wanamaker, who becomes an unrestricted free agent, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski. Celtics could still revisit Wanamaker in free agency.
3:17 p.m. ET: Boston has extended a qualifying offer to center Daniel Theis, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski.
2:44 p.m. ET: Another quality big on the market: Houston center Nene is declining his $3.8M option and will become a free agent, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
1:37 p.m. ET: The Nuggets are extending a qualifying offer to forward Trey Lyles, who’ll become a restricted free agent, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
1 p.m. ET: The Milwaukee Bucks plan to waive veteran guard George Hill, who was part of the team’s “Bench Mob” during its run to the Eastern Conference finals this season, a source confirmed to ESPN. Hill joined the Bucks in December when the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt him in a three-team trade. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 47 regular-season games for Milwaukee.
12:50 p.m. ET: Denver is picking up the option on Paul Millsap‘s $30M contract, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski, who added that Denver will bring back Millsap for the final season of his three-year contract at $30.3M, have available their $9.2M mid-level exception AND still stay under the luxury tax. Denver is loaded to compete for the Western Conference title.
11:50 a.m. ET: Free-agent stars Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard have been discussing scenarios that could include a future with them playing together, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski. For now, there are two clear possibilities for the two All-NBA forwards to sign into the same franchise — the LA Clippers and New York Knicks.
11:16 a.m. ET: The Golden State Warriors and Shaun Livingston have agreed to move back the guarantee date on his $7.7M contract to July 10, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski. There had been a June 30 date for Warriors to guarantee his full deal for 2019-20 — or waive him with a $2M payout. Moving back the date gives the Warriors some flexibility in decision-making as free agency unfolds for them.
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11:11 p.m. ET: Point guard Darren Collison, set to be a free agent this offseason, decided to announce his retirement in an announcement to Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated. Collison spent ten seasons in the NBA out of UCLA, including the 2018-19 season with the Indiana Pacers. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Collison was set to secure an annual salary of $10-12 million; instead, the Inland Empire native will focus on faith and family.
9:25 p.m. ET: Kevin Durant will speak to the Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors at the start of free agency, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Durant is recovering in New York from surgery to repair a torn left Achilles’ tendon, and he plans to communicate with teams from there. The two-time Finals MVP may extend his decision making process into the next week.
7:17 p.m. ET: Zach Lowe bounces around the free-agency questions big and small as we wait on Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the other massive dominoes. One topic is if Boston signs Kemba Walker, Malcolm Brogdon loses a suitor. The Bucks are bracing for a monster Brogdon offer sheet. They have a walkaway number somewhere, sources say.
5:48 p.m. ET: Kawhi Leonard will speak to the Los Angeles Lakers in the next few days and has made a personal request that only owner Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson, the team’s former president of basketball operations, be involved in the meeting, sources told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Johnson told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on Friday that he will help the Lakers in free agency in any way he can, but he said NBA rules do not permit him to be part of official team meetings with prospective free agents.
3:07 p.m. ET: The Golden State Warriors are planning to offer All-Star guard Klay Thompson a five-year, $190 million maximum contract when free agency opens Sunday at 6 p.m. ET — which is expected to accelerate the process of general manager Bob Myers and Thompson’s agent, Greg Lawrence, quickly reaching a formal agreement, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
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7:19 a.m. ET: Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst examine where the Warriors are as they embark on a summer with their dynasty on a knife’s edge. Much of it centers on a huge volume of money. By the time free agency opens Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, the Warriors will have offered both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant full five-year maximum contracts. Even with the reality that Durant might miss all of next season recovering from a torn Achilles and Thompson might miss the bulk of it coming back from an ACL tear, this remains the Warriors’ first choice.
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3:16 p.m. ET: Free agent Kawhi Leonard is expected to allow the Toronto Raptors to make the final presentation among the teams meeting with him in Los Angeles next week, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski.
2:18 p.m. ET: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to the Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis deal with New Orleans, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. As part of the deal to unload those contracts and salary, Davis plans to waive his $4 million trade bonus, which will push the Lakers cap space to $32M for the start of free agency. The Lakers will send a future second-round pick to the Wizards with the three players, and Washington will send cash to New Orleans, league sources said. The deal will become official on July 6.
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11:49 a.m. ET: The Boston Celtics have emerged as the front-runners to sign Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker in free agency, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
5:45 p.m. ET: The New Orleans Pelicans have declined to tender the qualifying offer to Cheick Diallo, making him an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
5:07 p.m. ET: Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol is exercising his $25.6 million player option for next season, returning to the defending NBA champions, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
3:58 p.m. ET: The Houston Rockets are canvassing NBA teams with significant salary cap space to individually offer center Clint Capela, guard Eric Gordon and forward P.J. Tucker as a prelude to its pursuit of a sign-and-trade deal for Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Jimmy Butler, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
11:40 a.m. ET: Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has declined his $31.5 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Durant and business manager Rich Kleiman are in New York, evaluating free-agency options.
10:47 p.m. ET: Are both L.A. teams players in the Kawhi sweepstakes? Adrian Wojnarowski details how the race for Kawhi Leonard still remains between the Toronto Raptors and LA Clippers, but Kawhi’s camp is still keeping an eye on how much money the Los Angeles Lakers can free up this summer.
10:38 p.m. ET: Could Golden State risk losing Klay this summer? Adrian Wojnarowski explains that if the Golden State Warriors don’t offer the max to Klay Thompson, he could be open to meeting with teams, including the LA Clippers.
6:08 p.m. ET: Once free agency starts on Sunday, the Houston Rockets are planning to recruit Jimmy Butler to push the Philadelphia 76ers for a sign-and-trade deal that would allow the All-Star forward to join James Harden and Chris Paul, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Rockets don’t have the salary cap space to sign Butler, so they’d need the threat of the Sixers losing him for nothing to a team with the available room to motivate the Sixers into a trade.
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5:51 p.m. ET: Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers demurred when asked if he was optimistic heading into formal conversations with injuerd stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson this week regarding their respective futures with the team. Durant has a player option for next season that he has been expected to opt out of all year. Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent.
4:11 p.m. ET: The Portland Trail Blazers have traded Evan Turner to the Atlanta Hawks for Kent Bazemore, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, spent the past three seasons with the Blazers. Bazemore has been with Atlanta for the past five seasons, making him the longest tenured current Hawk prior to the trade.
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3:51 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Monday morning that he’s excited about his team being unexpected players in free agency: “I like the fact that we have different opportunities. We have some flexibility, but I don’t really know what is realistic yet. That’s what we’ll spend the rest of this week trying to figure out. What even do we have a chance to do, and where should be our priorities? But I’m excited about the opportunity.”
12:24 p.m. ET: Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Johnson has exercised his $19.25 million player option for the 2019-20 season, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
10:10 a.m. ET: Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has exercised the $27.1 million player option on his contract for 2019-20, league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
4:51 p.m. ET: The New Orleans Pelicans have picked up the 2019-20 team option on Jahlil Okafor, ESPN’s Malika Andrews reports. Okafor — who was drafted third by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015 and spent time playing with the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets — signed with the Pelicans during the summer of 2018.
10:58 p.m. ET: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading guard Tony Snell and the 30th pick in Thursday’s draft to the Detroit Pistons for forward Jon Leuer, a league source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pistons now have the 15th and 30th picks in the draft. Milwaukee saves $4 million in salary this year, and remove Snell’s $12 million salary hit in 2020-21.
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3:22 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton is declining his $13 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, his agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Middleton and the Bucks are planning to work together toward a new long-term deal, league sources said.
12:44 p.m. ET: The Memphis Grizzlies have traded guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder, the 23rd pick in Thursday’s draft and a future first-round pick, league sources told ESPN. The Jazz will send a protected 2020 first-round pick to the Grizzlies, league sources told ESPN. That pick will convey as a late lottery pick in 2020 or 2021, or become a lightly protected pick from 2022 to ’24. The deal will be complete on July 6.
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11:35 p.m. ET: The Los Angeles Lakers are scrambling to reshape the parameters of the Anthony Davis trade with New Orleans and create the capacity for $32 million-plus in salary-cap space when the free-agent moratorium ends on July 6, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers were engaging additional teams on Tuesday to take on the contracts of three of the remaining four players on the team’s roster — Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones — league sources said. Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James are the only other two Lakers remaining on the team’s end-of-season roster.
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7:51 p.m. ET: All-Star center Al Horford is prepared to enter free agency to find a three- or four-year deal outside of Boston, after the gulf between the two sides became too great for them to close on a new deal, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Horford declined to exercise his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season earlier today.
3:38 p.m. ET: The New York Knicks have declined a recent trade offer that would have sent the No. 3 overall draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the eighth and 10th picks, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The Hawks have been aggressively exploring trade scenarios in which they would package the Nos. 8 and 10 picks to move up in Thursday’s NBA draft, the source told Givony.
3:25 p.m. ET: All-Star center Al Horford of the Boston Celtics will decline to exercise his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While Horford, a five-time All-Star, will move into the free-agent marketplace on June 30, there’s motivation for both Horford and the Celtics to work toward an agreement on a new long-term contract, league sources tell ESPN.
3:24 p.m. ET: Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes is declining his $25.1 million player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Barnes and the Kings remain open to exploring a long-term deal after a successful partnership in the final few months of the 2018-19 season, league sources said.
4:49 p.m. ET: Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will become an unrestricted free agent after Brooklyn declined to make him a qualifying offer, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Nets now have $46 million available in cap space heading into their decision on retaining restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell.
6:27 p.m. ET: The New Orleans Pelicans agreed to trade power forward Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for point guard Lonzo Ball, small forward Brandon Ingram, small forward Josh Hart, and four first round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft is included in the trade, along with a 2021 protected pick (top-eight goes to New Orleans) that becomes unprotected in 2022, a 2023 pick swap, and an unprotected 2024 pick that can be deferred to 2025, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Ramona Shelburne. This trade ends a saga that saw Davis fined $50,000 on January 29 for a public trade demand.
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7:45 p.m. ET: Goran Dragic has told the Miami Heat he is exercising his $19.2 million option for next season, according to The Athletic. Dragic was limited to 36 games for the Heat last season, averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 assists
4:47 p.m. ET: Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas is declining the $17.6 million player option on his 2019-20 contract, clearing the way to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Valanciunas’ primary intention will be to negotiate a new longer-term deal with the Grizzlies, league sources said.
10:49 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving is changing representation and is expected to partner with Roc Nation Sports, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Irving parted ways with longtime agent Jeff Wechsler on Wednesday, clearing the way for him to ultimately work with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation prior to the start of NBA free agency on June 30, sources said.
Irving, a six-time All-Star, will become an unrestricted free agent, and league sources say he remains intensely interested in the Brooklyn Nets. The New York Knicks are expected to remain competitive for Irving, too, sources tell ESPN.
4:05 p.m. ET: Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant posted Wednesday on Instagram that he did rupture his Achilles and has undergone surgery to repair the injury suffered in the Warriors’ series-extending Game 5 win. He was expected to be among the marquee free agents this summer but might now end up exercising his $31.5 million option to stay with the Warriors, especially if he’s going to be sidelined for an extended period.
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3:55 p.m. ET: The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are each engaged in trade talks with the New Orleans Pelicans on All-NBA star Anthony Davis, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst on Wednesday. The Lakers’ No. 4 pick has been discussed as a trade chip to help the Pelicans acquire a high-level player in multi-team deals.
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10:47 p.m. ET: The Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks are teams that may look to lure Kemba Walker if the All-Star guard chooses not to return to the Charlotte Hornets this summer, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Walker, 29, is eligible for a supermax extension after making one of the league’s three All-NBA teams last month.
11:53 a.m. ET: The Memphis Grizzlies are hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins as the franchise’s next head coach, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Jenkins is third NBA head coach to come directly off of Mike Budenholzer‘s coaching staff, joining Utah’s Quin Snyder and Brooklyn’s Kenny Atkinson. Jenkins will be the Grizzlies’ fourth head coach in the last five years. Memphis has missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons and went 33-49 this past season.
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4:29 p.m. ET: The Brooklyn Nets agreed to trade shooting guard Allen Crabbe, their 2019 first-round pick (17th overall) and a protected 2020 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for small forward Taurean Prince and a 2021 second round pick, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The trade allows for Brooklyn to clear two max-salary spots in free agency and possibly pursue Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving in July.
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11:55 a.m. ET: According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets have let it be known that the entire roster and future draft picks are on the table. Players such as point guard Chris Paul and Clint Capela are realistic trade targets despite both signing new contracts with Houston last summer.
4:32 p.m. ET: The Milwaukee Bucks were the top playoffs seed in the Eastern Conference in 2019, but they were eliminated in the conference finals by the Toronto Raptors. The team has several free agents, including starters small forward Khris Middleton, center Brook Lopez and shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon (restricted). All-NBA first team power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear he wants Milwaukee to retain “everyone” for next season, according to a report by ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
2:24 p.m. ET: The NBA announced the All-NBA teams, allowing players such as Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard to secure the supermax bag. According to a report by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Lillard is expected to accept Portland’s extension offer, while there is no clear leaning toward what 2019 free agent Walker will decide.