NBA rumors: Latest news from the off-season and Olympics
By Brian Rauf, Chat Sports
The NBA off-season is in a quiet point with few notable free agents available. The biggest one officially came off the market on Thursday, as LeBron James signed a three-year, $100 million deal to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history.
Olympic basketball also continues on Friday with Team USA facing Serbia.
Check out the latest NBA news and rumors below.
• The Boston Celtics have a “high level of interest” in acquiring forward Nerlens Noel from the Philadelphia 76ers, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
• Noel has not asked for a trade, but he is “very open” to the idea of being dealt, reports Blakely. Noel is from the Boston area.
• The Cavs are in discussions with J.R. Smith about a multi-year deal, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical.
• Chat Sports: Cavaliers interested in trading for DeMarcus Cousins?
• Veteran free agent Chris Copeland has signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, reports David Pick of Bleacher Report.
• New Orleans also signed former Lakers center Robert Sacre to a training camp deal, reports ESPN's Marc Stein.
• Free-agent guard Ronnie Price has signed a two-year, $5 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, reports Charania.
• Chat Sports: More NBA news and rumors inside the Chat Sports App
• The Orlando Magic are close to placing their new D-League team in Lakeland, Florida, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
• The Toronto Raptors and team president Masai Ujiri are close to agreeing on a contract extension, reports ESPN's Stein and Brian Windhorst.
