NBA Free Agency Rumors: Kawhi Leonard Trade Talks Picking Up; Paul George Opts Out
Time is running short for potential free agents with early termination options in their contracts to make a decision about where they want to play next season.
The market for San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is heating up with as many as four different teams inquiring about the All-Star. The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly leading the charge.
• NBA Free Agency 2018: Top 50 Players Available
Unrestricted free agents can agree to deals on July 1 but can't officially sign contracts until 12 p.m. on July 6.
Here are the latest news and rumors from around the league.
9 p.m.
• The Lakers released guard Tyler Ennis. (Los Angeles Lakers)
• The Lakers haven't offered Brandon Ingram in any trade talks but might if it was necessary to acquire Kawhi Leonard. (Tania Ganguli, The Los Angeles Times)
6:30 p.m.
• Pacers forward Thaddeus Young has exercised his $13.7M player option and will bypass free agency this summer. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• The Cavaliers no longer have a chance of acquiring Kemba Walker. (ESPN Cleveland)
• The Knicks have worked hard to repair the team's relationship with Kristaps Porzingis. (Knicks president Steve Mills on ESPN Radio)
1:30 p.m.
• The Pacers are targeting restricted free agent Aaron Gordon. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
11 a.m.
• The Spurs are engaged in trade conversations with several teams concerning Kawhi Leonard, including the Lakers and Celtics. The urgency to get a deal done is on the Lakers end now because San Antonio "can still play the long game" while Boston is "extremely cautious" because of the uncertainty around Leonard's future plans and health. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN.com)
• Enes Kanter is planning on opting in to his $18.6 million option with the Knicks, but he is surveying the market until Friday's deadline. (Ian Begley, ESPN.com)
• The Spurs are "ready" to move on from Kawhi Leonard. (Marc Stein, The New York Times)
10 a.m.
• LeBron James has reached out to Kevin Durant inquiring about possibly going to Los Angeles together. (ESPN)
9 a.m.
• Rockets free agent forward Trevor Ariza plans to schedule meetings with interested teams after free agency period. The report that Ariza is demanding $50-60 million on his next deal is not true. (Yahoo! Sports)
7 a.m.
• Paul George informs Thunder that he is opting out of final year of contract. (ESPN.com)
• The Dallas Mavericks are exploring trade possibilities with the Los Angeles Clippers for DeAndre Jordan. Jordan can opt out of his contract, but must do so on by Friday. (The New York Times)
• The Celtics and Spurs have held talks about Leonard, but those discussions have not gone far. (Boston Herald)
• The Lakers are no rush to sign first–round pick Mo Wagner. Wagner can be included in an trade moving forward as he is unsigned. (ESPN)
• The Lakers extended a $5.6 million qualifying offer to forward Julius Randle. (The Associated Press)
• The Cavaliers to extend $3.4 million qualifying offer to Rodney Hood. (Cleveland.com)
• The Lakers contacted the Spurs on Wednesday about pursuing Kawhi Leonard. This is the first contact between the teams after the Spurs "shut the door" on the Lakers initially. (ESPN)
• The Cavaliers have picked up Kendrick Perkins's option for the 2018-19 season, but his contract is not guaranteed for the time being. Cleveland would have to guarantee Perkins's contract if they wanted to include it in a trade. (ESPN)
