With the NBA Draft now over, teams are turning all of their attention to the start of free agency on July 1. Every team has cap space with the increased salary cap, and most teams are planning to go after the top players available on the open market. Check out the latest NBA news and rumors below.
Durant sets up meetings
Kevin Durant has already set up three meetings for the start of free agency with the Thunder, Spurs and Warriors, reports ESPN's Marc Stein:
Sources told ESPN that the list of teams that get to pitch Durant directly will grow before NBA free agency officially commences July 1 at 12:01 a.m. ET, but the list of confirmed suitors for now features the Thunder and their two main rivals in the Western Conference.
The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and incumbent Oklahoma City Thunder are the first three known teams to secure face-to-face meetings with free agent-to-be Kevin Durant, starting next weekend, according to league sources.
Those three teams are considered to be the three favorites to land Durant, but the Celtics, Clippers, Heat, Knicks and Wizards are also trying to secure meetings with Durant before he makes his decision.
No truth to Hayward trade rumors
Reports have indicated that Gordon Hayward had demanded a trade from the Jazz and was hoping to be reunited with his college head coach Brad Stevens in Boston, but according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, those rumors are simply untrue.
The premise — that Hayward is unhappy and has demanded a trade — simply isn’t true, multiple sources in the Jazz organization and close to Hayward told the Deseret News. Would Hayward like to play for his old Butler coach and close friend Brad Stevens? Of course he would. Anybody would be silly to believe otherwise.
Does that mean he’s unhappy in Utah and wants out? Absolutely not. “There is no truth to this rumor,” one team source said. “Gordon has been terrific.” Lindsey put it this way when asked if an unhappy Hayward had demanded a trade: “Unequivocally no.”
Hayward averaged 19.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season.
Mavs trying to sign two max players
The Dallas Mavericks have several of their own free agents this offseason, most notably Chandler Parsons, but they plan to use that cap space to pursue both Hassan Whiteside and Mike Conley instead of re-signing them, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon:
Dallas' Plan A this summer -- aside from the pipe dream of persuading Kevin Durant to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for a team the Western Conference finalists dismissed in five games in the first round -- is to sign Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley and Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside.
If the Mavs are successful, assuming Conley and Whiteside get max contracts as widely expected, they would not have the cap space required to keep Parsons. Dallas is willing to take the risk of Parsons committing to another team as the Mavs pursue Conley and Whiteside, who sources say have mutual interest in the team. The Mavs expect to open free agency by meeting with Whiteside.
The Mavs, according to sources, remain interested in keeping Parsons if they aren't able to persuade Conley and/or Whiteside to come to Dallas. However, the Mavs have made it clear to Parsons that they do not intend to offer him a max contract to keep him after his first two seasons in Dallas ended prematurely because of surgeries on his right knee.
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