NBA rumors: Free agency and trades
Need help following the NBA's free agency period? SI.com has you covered with all of the latest news and rumors.
Free agency began at the start of July with a negotiating period for players, teams and agents. On July 9, the moratorium was lifted, allowing players and teams to officially sign deals they had verbally agreed to the week before. The salary cap for the 2015–16 NBA season has been set at an all-time high of $70 million, an 11% increase over last season. The luxury tax level has been set at $84.74 million.
You can follow every move in NBA free agency with our free agency tracker, along with our analysis and grades from our NBA experts. Below, you'll also find the latest rumors and rumblings from around the league.
• MORE NBA: SI's 50 games to watch in 2015–16 | Four positional battles
RUMORS
• The Wizards and Bradley Beal are not close on extension talks, reports CSNWashington.com.
• The Cavaliers have made J.R. Smith a contract offer less than the $6.4 million player option he turned down, reportsThe Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto.
• Free-agent forward Dorrell Wright is considering an offer from China, reports David Pick.
• Veteran forward Marcus Landry is expected to sign with the Bucks after working out for the team, reports the Racine Journal Times’s Gery Woelfel.
• The Heat signed center Keith Benson to a training camp deal, reports RealGM.com’s Shams Charania.
• The Pelicans agreed to a three-year, partially guaranteed deal with former Iowa State guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, reports Charania.
• LeBron James called re-signing Tristan Thompson Cleveland's “No. 1 objective,” according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. James, who shares an agent with Thompson, acknowledged both Thompson and the Cavaliers had issues to work out, but expressed his hopes that the power forward would remain with the team longterm.
• Kobe Bryantwants to compete for a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team, and has not been ruled out by USA Basketball despite not attending the program's mandatory minicamp.
• Sixers' Joel Embiid will undergo surgery on his injured right foot Tuesday. The injury, which stems from a stress fracture at Kansas, is expected to keep him out for all of 2015–16. Embiid, the third overall pick last year, has yet to play an NBA game. Philadelphia is reportedly on the hook for all of the $9 million that will be made during his first two seasons.
• John Wall told Comcast SportsNet Washington that he isn't optimistic about making USA Basketball's 12-man roster for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was grateful for the opportunity to attend the USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas, but admitted that Rio might not be a possibility with guards like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook already with extensive USA Basketball experience.
“It’s tough, but I’ve been overlooked my whole career. I’m used to it. Just more motivation and fuel to my fire,” Wall said. “Going into this year, (USA Basketball) is an opportunity, but my main goal is focusing on the Washington Wizards.”
Wall wasn't included on Sports Illustrated's2016 USA Basketball Dream Team roster.
• USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo says he plays to pick the 12-man Olympic roster from the team's player pool without holding an extra minicamp or making a first round of cuts, reports ESPN's Marc Stein.
• Kevin Durant's March 31 surgery stemmed from a broken bone in his foot, according to Bleacher Report. Despite undergoing two previous surgeries on the foot, there was a crack in his fifth metatarsal.
• The Miami Heraldreports the Heat are in talks with free agent forward Dorell Wright and have “expressed willingness” to continue talking about a contract. Miami has not made an offer to Wright, who spent the last two seasons in Portland and spent the first six seasons of his career with the Heat, from 2004–10.
• The Los Angeles Lakers have signed ex-Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier II for two years at the rookie minimum, according to a team spokesman. Frazier joins Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Lou Williams and Jabari Brown as the only other shooting guards on the roster.
• The Atlanta Hawks will sign guard Jason Richardson to a non-guaranteed deal, according to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears. Richardson, a 14-year veteran, averaged 9.1 points in 15 games for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
• The Kings agreed to a partially-guaranteed deal with undrafted forward Vince Hunter, reports RealGM's Shams Charania. Hunter averaged 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds last season as a sophomore at UTEP.
• Undrafted free agent guard Dez Wells has agreed to a deal with the Thunder, reports Charania. Wells averaged 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds as a senior at Maryland.
• Free-agent center Keith Benson has agreed to a training camp deal with the Miami Heat, reports Charania.