LeBron James may be the biggest domino in this free-agent market, but he’s not the only name forcing teams to wait. Around the league, several situations are being held up by his decision, and the latest reporting suggests the ripple effect could stretch well beyond James himself.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported that some sources around the league are skeptical about the idea that James already has everything he needs to pick his next team and is simply waiting on the rest of the market to settle. Those sources believe a team could still sway him if it managed to land Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving. The snag, as O’Connor notes, is that the Mavericks have no interest in moving Irving, and the Wizards have also been unwilling to discuss a Davis trade.
That said, O’Connor adds that Davis will become extension-eligible on August 6, and there have been whispers that he could push for a bigger deal from Washington than he would from a team closer to contention. That possibility has led some sources to think the Wizards may eventually soften their stance.
For now, though, the Warriors are the only team linked to LeBron this offseason that has also been reported to have interest in trading for Davis. Joe Vardon of The Athletic also heard from multiple team sources that Washington would have no interest in taking on Jimmy Butler as part of an AD trade.
Vardon’s update on James also pushed back hard on a separate claim that LeBron had already made his choice, then changed his mind and started over. Sources close to James told The Athletic that’s “a lie,” according to Vardon.
Hezonja’s situation is another one to watch. A report from Spain on Wednesday suggested Mario Hezonja’s NBA plans could run into trouble because of language in his opt-out clause with Real Madrid, but Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews says Hezonja and his camp believe he satisfied every requirement needed to trigger that clause. Urbonas also reported that they expect his next contract to come from an NBA team.
There’s also confidence that Hezonja won’t end up on a non-guaranteed deal only to be waived before the season starts. Urbonas said Hezonja passed on conditional offers from three EuroLeague clubs that would have depended on his NBA stint ending quickly.
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line identified the Cavaliers as one of the teams interested in the former fifth overall pick. They also noted that Hezonja is expected to be among the free agents whose situations are sorted out after James makes his decision.
As one source told The Stein Line, “I think that we’re going to see eight or nine players sign right after LeBron makes his choice,” a source told The Stein Line. “Maybe more.”
Jonathan Kuminga is in a similar holding pattern. Stein and Fischer reported that his free agency may not be resolved until after LeBron decides where he’s going.
They also heard that the Hawks are expected to be “pretty choosy” about the kind of sign-and-trade return they’d accept. If Atlanta doesn’t bring Kuminga back, the team would rather not lose him for nothing, but it may still prefer that over taking back salary for an asset it doesn’t value enough.
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The Lakers have spent the offseason hunting for the kind of wing who can survive on one end and still matter on the other, a search that has only grown more urgent as they try to build around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Jonathan Kuminga has been floated as a top free-agent target, but the list of options has also included a rugged defensive presence the Lakers were monitoring before the market moved on.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is the team that ended up landing that piece in a three-team deal, giving the Hawks another hard-nosed wing as they continue to reshape the roster. The move comes with plenty of moving parts behind it, including multiple second-round picks and other names in the transaction, and it leaves open the bigger question for the Lakers: whether the kind of two-way wing they want is still out there, or whether they just watched one slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Look Like East Risers But One Roster Decision Looms
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Now comes the part that often decides how meaningful a transaction really is: the Hawks still have 17 players and have to get down to the regular-season limit of 15. That means the front office has at least two more moves to make, and the ripple effects could matter as much as the trade itself, especially with the East crowded and every roster spot carrying extra weight in a season where Atlantas outlook has already ticked upward. [Read more 🡒]
How Onsi Saleh Landed Lu Dort Without Paying Atlantas Expected Price
Lu Dort had plenty of suitors before Atlanta made its move, but the Hawks were able to get into the conversation without paying the kind of premium that usually comes with a player of his defensive reputation. For a front office trying to build around flexibility as much as talent, that matters. Onsi Saleh and the Hawks clearly saw an opening and took it, adding Dort and Ryan Nembhard while avoiding the first-round pick price tag that often gets attached to a player with that kind of market.
The appeal for Atlanta goes beyond simply landing another name on the roster. Dort is expected to come off the bench and still change games with his defense, which gives the Hawks a different kind of edge as they head into next season. The bigger takeaway, though, is how the deal came together: Oklahoma Citys salary-driven urgency gave Atlanta room to work, and Saleh used that leverage to get the trade done on terms that fit the Hawks better than many around the league probably expected. [Read more 🡒]