NBA rumors: Paul George traded to Thunder, Blake Griffin stays with Clippers
NBA free agency opened up at midnight on Friday, and as usual, many of the league’s top players will decide on their futures in the coming days.
The first week of July annually ushers in a frenzy of action around the league, and this year is no different.
Chris Paul has already been traded to the Rockets, and Phil Jackson is out in New York. Paul George has been traded to the Thunder. Blake Griffin is staying in Los Angeles. Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry and Paul Millsap are among the big name free agents.
Unrestricted free agents can agree to deals but cannot sign contracts until July 7, when the NBA's moratorium period ends.
Here are the latest news and rumors from around the league.
• Free Agency hub: Grading every deal | 2017 NBA free agency primer
1:30 a.m.
• The Lakers reached out and made contact with Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo and Ben McLemore on Saturday. (Ramona Shelburne, ESPN)
• Jrue Holiday will give the Pacers consideration in free agency. He has an offer to stay with the Pelicans. (Tony Jones, Salt Lake Tribune)
• The Wizards continue to meet with restricted free agent forward Otto Porter. (David Aldridge, TNT)
• Rudy Gay presently has four meetings scheduled through July 4. (Marc Spears, ESPN)
1 a.m.
• Gordon Hayward will meet with the Heat on Saturday, the Celtics on Sunday and the Jazz on Monday. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• The past animosity between Mike D’Antoni and Carmelo Anthony surrounding their split with the Knicks won’t keep Anthony from joining the Rockets. Both men have moved on from it. (Brian Windhorst, ESPN)
• Joe Ingles has not yet begun meeting with interested teams. He will take meetings later Saturday. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
12:30 a.m.
• Stephen Curry has agreed to a five-year ‘supermax’ deal to remain with the Warriors, worth $201 million. The deal is presently the richest in league history. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
12 a.m. ET, July 1
• George Hill has broken off talks with the Spurs. The Nuggets and Knicks have been in contact with him. (Shams Charania, The Vertical)
• J.J. Redick is meeting with the 76ers. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Patty Mills has agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal to stay with the Spurs. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Jeff Teague has agreed to a three-year, $57 million deal with the Timberwolves. (Shams Charania, The Vertical)
• The Warriors agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal to keep Shaun Livingston. (Jon Krawczynski, Associated Press)
• Tony Snell agreed to a four-year, $46 million deal to stay with the Bucks. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Denver and Minnesota are front-runners for Paul Millsap, with Phoenix and Sacramento in the mix. (Frank Isola, New York Daily News)
• Cristiano Felicio agreed to a four-year, $32 million deal to stay with the Bulls. (Shams Charania, The Vertical)
11:30 p.m. Friday
• The Warriors are expected to agree to a five-year, $201 million supermax contract with Stephen Curry. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
• With Blake Griffin off the board, the Suns are expected to pursue Paul Millsap. (David Aldridge, TNT)
• At the trade deadline, the Celtics offered a package including this year’s Nets pick (which ended up being No. 3) and three other first rounders to the Pacers for Paul George. (Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe)
• The Rockets will keep Nene on a four-year, $15 million deal. (Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle)
• If Jrue Holiday doesn’t stay with the Pelicans, he will meet with teams including the Knicks. (Ian Begley, ESPN)
11 p.m.
• Jeff Teague is expected to sign with the Timberwolves for three years and $55 million. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
• The Celtics offered the Pacers three first-rounders (not including the 2018 Nets or 2018/19 Lakers/Kings picks), Jae Crowder and another starter for Paul George on draft night. (Jeff Goodman, ESPN)
• The Cavs are among the teams expressing interest in Zach Randolph. (David Aldridge, TNT)
• Trade Grades: Paul George to Thunder
10 p.m.
• Paul George has been traded from the Pacers to the Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. (Ramona Shelburne, ESPN; multiple reports)
• Blake Griffin will remain with the Clippers on a five-year, $173 million max deal. (Shams Charania, The Vertical, Multiple reports)
• The Rockets will meet with Andre Iguodala. (Chris Haynes, ESPN)
• Grade the Deal: Blake Griffin stays with Clippers
9:30 p.m.
• Griffin canceled meetings with the Suns and Nuggets. (Sam Amick, USA Today)
• DeMarcus Cousins has been helping the Pelicans recruit free agents. (Marc Spears, The Undefeated)
• Zach Randolph has interest from the Kings, Thunder and Clippers, among others, and will take meetings in L.A. on Saturday. (David Aldridge, TNT)
•The Raptors will meet with P.J. Tucker after midnight on Saturday. (Chris Haynes, ESPN)
9 p.m.
• The Wizards have offered John Wall a four-year ‘supermax’ extension worth $170 million. He has two years and $37 million left on his current deal. Wall plans to wait on the offer a bit before deciding. (Brian Windhorst, ESPN)
• Andre Iguodala will meet with the Kings on Friday night. (Ramona Shelburne and Chris Haynes, ESPN)
• Jazz restricted free agent swingman Joe Ingles may have a lucrative, four-year, $60 million offer from the Magic on the table. (Tim Bontemps, Washington Post)
8 p.m.
• The Knicks and Rockets have had talks about Carmelo Anthony, but have not gotten very far. (Ian Begley, ESPN)
• The Knicks are convinced Jeff Teague has committed to the Timberwolves and have given up on meeting with him. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
7 p.m.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves have traded Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz for a 2018 first-round draft pick. (Official)
• The San Antonio Spurs are preparing to offer restricted free agent forward Jonathon Simmons a deal in the range of $9 million annually. (Marc Stein, ESPN.com)
• The Spurs will meet with Andre Iguodala as soon as free agency opens. (Chris Haynes, ESPN)
• The New York Knicks are unlikely to re-sign point guard Derrick Rose. (New York Daily News)
Afternoon roundup
• J.J. Redick is interested in joining the Rockets if it works financially, although he is still considering the 76ers or Nets for about $16-$18 million annually. (Brad Turner, LA Times)
• The Warriors do not have a meeting scheduled with Andre Iguodala, but both sides are optimistic. (Zach Lowe, ESPN.com)
• Other teams around the league feel that the Pelicans will quickly come to an agreement with Jrue Holiday on a lucrative five–year contract. (Marc Stein, ESPN.com)
• The Cavaliers want to bring back Kyle Korver. They'll likely make him an offer when free agency begins Saturday morning. (Joe Vardon, Cleveland.com)
• 2016 first-round pick Furkan Korkmaz is likely to be joining the Sixers next season. (Jessica Camerato, CSN Philly)
LaVar Ball Is Hardly A Trend-Setter When It Comes To The NBA Draft
• Clippers forward Blake Griffin will take a meeting with the Phoenix Suns when free agency opens on Saturday. (Brad Turner, Los Angeles Times)
• Clippers are also set to meet with Griffin's agent before the start of free agency. (Bill Oram, SoCal News Group)
• Paul George is telling friends he expects to be a Laker in 2018. (Tania Ganguli, Los Angeles Times)
• The Lakers are not expecting to get Paul George in a trade, as they've held firm on keeping Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. (Mark Medina, L.A. Daily News)
• The Boston Celtics are still waiting to hear back from the Indiana Pacers concerning Paul George, but consider the team's current asking price for George unrealistic. (Boston Herald)
• The Wizards and Pistons believe that the Nets could make a play for their respective restricted free agents Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. (Marc Stein, ESPN.com)
• The Los Angeles Clippers are interested in free agents Jonathan Simmons, Rudy Gay, Danilo Gallinari, P.J. Tucker, James Johnson, Joe Ingles and Andre Iguodala. (Brad Turner, Los Angeles Times)
