NBA rumors: Latest news, free agent signings, trade buzz
Your teams. Your favorite writers. Wherever you want them. Personalize SI with our new App. Install on iOS or Android.
NBA free agency is in full swing, billions of dollars have been spent and there are still a lot of moving parts on the board.
The biggest question was answered on Monday morning, when Kevin Durant decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors. The 2013–14 MVP had been courted by the Thunder, Spurs, Celtics and Heat in addition to the Warriors.
A leap in the salary cap has caused teams to hand out record amounts of money to players. Dwyane Wade is on his way out of Miami. The San Antonio Spurs have traded Boris Diaw as they prepare to sign Pau Gasol. Mike Conley, the top free-agent point guard, is back with Memphis on the most lucrative contract in league history.
Check back on this page for the latest rumors from around the league. For more, also be sure to check out SI's ranking of the top 50 free agents.
• Grading biggest deals | Free agent tracker | Salary cap FAQ
Thursday (all times Eastern)
12:30 a.m.
• With Dwyane Wade heading to the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat have reached out to restricted free agent Tyler Johnson with hopes of signing him to a cap-friendly deal (David Aldridge, TNT). Johnson has signed a four-year, $50 million offer sheet from the Nets.
Wednesday (all times Eastern)
11:45 p.m.
• Warriors free agent guard Leandro Barbosa will sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the Suns. He previously played for Phoenix from 2003–2010. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
10:45 p.m.
• Veteran forward Richard Jefferson has agreed to return to the Cavaliers on a two-year deal, he announced on Snapchat.
10:15 p.m.
• Wade’s deal with the Bulls is worth $47.5 million over two years and includes a player option. The Nuggets offered $52 million over two years. No team offered a guaranteed third contract year. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• The Bulls will trade Jose Calderon to the Lakers to clear cap space. (The Vertical)
• Also to clear cap room, the Bulls will send Mike Dunleavy to the Cavs, who will absorb his deal into a trade exception. (The Vertical)
• The Heat never increased their offer to Wade after other teams went higher. (Ethan Skolnick, Miami Herald)
10 p.m.
• The Bulls are in talks to send Mike Dunleavy to the Cavaliers. (Brian Windhorst, ESPN)
• The Bucks are also a suitor for Dunleavy, and the Nets are the leader for Jose Calderon. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
9:30 p.m.
• Miami Heat free-agent guard Dwyane Wade has informed the Chicago Bulls he will sign a contract with them. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• The Bulls must now clear salary cap space to bring in Wade. Brooklyn has emerged as a possible landing spot for Jose Calderon, who Chicago acquired from New York in the Derrick Rose trade. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
9:15 p.m.
• The Bulls feel that if they can move close to Miami’s original offer to Wade of two years, $40 million that they have a “good shot” to persuade him to their side. (Ethan Skolnick, Miami Herald)
• Wade does not feel the need to meet with the Bulls face to face before deciding, given that he met with them twice during his 2010 free agency. The Bulls have to create the cap space to meet his needs with their offer. (K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune)
9 p.m.
• Dwyane Wade wants to come to a decision on Wednesday night and is deciding between Chicago, Miami and Denver. Heat president Pat Riley also wants an answer from Wade. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• Wade’s plan as of Tuesday had been to make a decision on his plans before midnight on Wednesday. (Ethan Skolnick, Miami Herald)
8:30 p.m.
• Teams have been “given indications” that Dwyane Wade’s free agency decision is coming shortly. (Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders)
• The Bulls are interested in signing Wade because it might help them land a max-caliber player during next year’s free agency. They think they have a legitimate shot to outbid the Heat if they can clear enough cap space. (K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune)
• The Trail Blazers are meeting with Warriors free agent center Festus Ezeli in Portland on Wednesday. (Marc Spears, The Undefeated)
7:15 p.m.
• The Bulls are now calling teams and attempting to create cap space to sign Dwyane Wade, who is “serious” about the possibility of going to Chicago. Among the players Chicago is looking to move are Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• The Heat are having difficulty trading Josh McRoberts to free more space to re-sign Wade. The meeting between the two sides left things “up in the air.” (Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel)
• The Spurs have reached a two-year contract agreement with 2011 second-round selection Davis Bertans, a Latvian forward currently playing in Spain.
5:30 p.m.
• The Bulls are still “significantly involved” with Dwyane Wade, despite the fact their plans to meet Wednesday fell through. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• Wade’s meeting with Heat owner Micky Arison is over, without an immediate decision. (Zach Lowe, ESPN)
• The Pelicans are closing on a deal with former Knicks guard Langston Galloway. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
2:30 p.m.
• The Nuggets are reportedly “very happy” with how Wednesday’s meeting with Wade went. (Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post)
• The Bulls reportedly canceled their meeting with Wade due to flight delays. If Wade is still interested, the team could travel to meet with him on Thursday. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• The Spurs expect to hear from Tim Duncan regarding his potential retirement by this weekend. (Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders)
• Brandon Rush landed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to his agent. (Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders)
1:30 p.m.
• Wade will also meet with Heat owner Micky Arison on Wednesday in Miami’s final meeting with the free agent. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
1:00 p.m.
• The Mavericks are trading Jeremy Evans and cash to the Indiana Pacers. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• Dwyane Wade is meeting with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
12:30 p.m.
• Celtics restricted free agent Jared Sullinger tweeted “Change is coming.” (Twitter)
• Dwyane Wade’s meeting with the Nuggets in New York is over after two and a half hours. He is also expected to meet with the Bulls and Bucks. Heat owner Micky Arison posted a photo on Instagram saying he was in New York. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
11 a.m.
• The Nuggets believe Wade is giving serious consideration to their offer and not just using them for leverage. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
• Mike Miller is helping with the Nuggets’ pitch to Wade, while Rajon Rando is trying to recruit him to Chicago. (Ethan Skolnick, Miami Herald)
10:30 a.m.
• At the moment, Dwyane Wade is not set to meet with the Heat today, though it is still possible he could meet one-on-one with owner Micky Arison. (Adrian Wojnarowski,The Vertical)
• The Cavs won’t be signing Wade due to salary cap restrictions. Cleveland is projected to have only $3 million to $4 million in cap space and is unwilling to make the necessary trades to fit Wade under the cap. (Ethan J. Skolnick, Miami Herald)
• Mike Miller, Wade’s former Heat teammate, is attending Denver’s pitch meeting with Wade. (Alex Kennedy, Basketball Insiders)
9:30 a.m.
• Dwyane Wade’s meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks is back on. (Charles F. Gardner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)
• The Chicago Bulls are offering Wade a three-year deal, with the final season partially guaranteed. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
9 a.m.
• Ray Allen’s representatives have contacted the Cavaliers and Warriors as he considers a comeback, reports Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.
• LeBron James is not actively recruiting Dwyane Wade to the Cavaliers and won’t take the minimum to help sign him, reports Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
7:30 a.m.
• Kent Bazemore wrote a letter thanking Hawks fan in a full-page ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tuesday
8:30 p.m.
• Jason Smith has signed a three-year, $16 million deal with the Wizards, (Shams Charania, The Vertical)
• Kevin Durant may have decided to leave Oklahoma City because of Russell Westbrook’s play, reports Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
