The NBA free-agency race is about to go full throttle.
The primo free agent everyone is waiting upon, the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, has informed interested teams his decision will come by Monday. While the favorite money still rests on a return to Oklahoma City, the Celtics thrust themselves into serious consideration not only by bringing four-time Super Bowl champ quarterback Tom Brady to the talks, but more importantly by stealing Al Horford (four years, $113 million) away from the Hawks.
Durant met Sunday with the Heat and was expected to talk again with the favored Thunder. The other team that many felt had more than a puncher’s chance is Golden State, and the Warriors, of course, have blueprints to put in play for whatever Durant does, which he reportedly will announce on the Players’ Tribune. Once he makes his decision known, that’s when other major dominoes will start to fall.
If the Warriors manage to reach an agreement with Durant, then they have some serious restructuring to do, and part of the exodus would include restricted free agent Harrison Barnes, who reportedly will receive a four-year, $95 million offer sheet from the Mavericks. Golden State can match any offer. The Warriors have indicated they will match offers to Barnes, but that was noted without Durant in the fold.
Paying Barnes more in 2016-17 than Stephen Curry ($12.1 million), Klay Thompson ($16.7 million) and Draymond Green ($15.3 million) should go over really well. Green might swat someone in the groin.
But the dollars being tossed around — with the NBA announcing an unprecedented $94.143 million salary cap — must be spent somewhere, and they are being spent in what some see as ludicrous fashion.
“Unbelievable, just unbelievable. Jaw-dropping,” one veteran talent evaluator said of the dollars being promised, including nearly $1.75 billion on Friday’s first day of free agency. “Owners should never complain about paying players anymore. And players should never complain about how much money they’re making. Those two arguments are done. If you’re willing to pay for mediocrity or a little better than mediocrity at the numbers that are out there, then don’t complain.”
The agreements continued Sunday — no one can sign until the moratorium ends Thursday. Two ex-Knicks, one with a considerably higher profile, both reached agreements. Jamal Crawford, the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, is returning to the Clippers (three years, $42 million), according to the Vertical, while Cole Aldrich (three years, $22 million) is set to leave the Clippers for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves are making an additional pitch for Pau Gasol, who also is being courted by the Blazers, Spurs and Raptors, all of whom are in need of frontline help and depth. Gasol has said he would be willing to take less to play for a winner, so leaving the Bulls shouldn’t be hard. Chicago is down two stars — oft-injured stars but stars nonetheless — in Derrick Rose (trade) and Joakim Noah (free agency), both of whom went to the Knicks. The offers being presented to Gasol are in the neighborhood of two years, $40 million.
Other signings reported Sunday included ex-Net Deron Williams remaining with the Mavs (one year, $10 million), Matt Barnes (two years, $12 million) to leave Memphis for Sacramento, Magic forward Andrew Nicholson (four years, $26 million) agreeing with Washington and Wizards guard Garrett Temple (three years, $24 million) also preparing to join Sacramento. Elsewhere, San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili said he would like to return for another season, and the Jazz were in the process of trading guard Trey Burke to the Wizards for a future second-round pick.
