NBA Free Agency 2016 Day One: Get the latest news and rumors on Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside, Matthew Dellavedova and more
CLEVELAND, Ohio — NBA free agency has started.
With teams loaded with money and a salary cap boom, early deals have already been struck and the numbers are eye-popping.
As soon as the marketplace opened, Timofey Mozgov agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal, choosing to leave Cleveland and give a verbal agreement to the Los Angeles Lakers. Keep in mind, nothing can be made official until the league moratorium ends on July 7.
What else will Day One have in store?
Follow along below as we give you the latest news and rumors:
10:41 a.m.: The market is heating up for Jamal Crawford, the league’s premier sixth man. Crawford, 36, called 2016 NBA Free Agency “Christmas” recently. Which team will give him the biggest gift?
In addition to Dallas and Orlando, Miami, Nets, Philly and GState reached out to Jamal Crawford last night/this morning, sources say
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 1, 2016
10:09 a.m.: Linsanity will be taking New York once again. Only this time, it will be in Brooklyn. Free agent point guard Jeremy Lin has agreed to a deal with the Nets, one that he announced on Twitter.
The journey continues…thankful for the next chapter!! #Godisgood pic.twitter.com/1PLutlFbyO
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 1, 2016
Numerous reports, including one from ESPN’s Marc Stein, indicate Lin will receive a three-year contract.
Hearing Jeremy Lin landed a three-year deal worth $36 million from Brooklyn
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2016
10:05 a.m.: For the second straight year, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are in a contract squabble.
Would Wade be willing to leave Miami where he has spent his entire career? According to The Vertical, NBA teams are starting to believe that reality exists, especially after Whiteside’s deal.
Rival teams starting to take Dwyane Wade’s free agency seriously, w/ GM’s telling @TheVertical they’ve made multi-year offers to his reps.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 1, 2016
Sources: Rival execs expected to speak with Wade on phone today, armed with belief his contract impasse with Heat has him considering move.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 1, 2016
10:03 a.m.: It doesn’t take long for word to spread throughout the NBA when a player agrees to a contract. Whiteside’s max has players talking, with Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sharing their kudos.
Big big congrats to @youngwhiteside Your dedication and hard work to the game has finally paid off..#Caniborrow5dollars
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 1, 2016
Congrats to the big fella @youngwhiteside Great to have you back bro!
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) July 1, 2016
9:56 a.m.: The Lakers have been busy on Day One. Unable to get a seat at the Kevin Durant table, Los Angeles has turned to secondary targets.
Mozgov quickly agreed to a pricey deal. Shortly after, the Lakers reportedly put an agreement in place with restricted free agent point guard Jordan Clarkson.
It’s a four-year, $50 million deal. The Lakers entered the off-season with around $55 million in cap space.
9:43 a.m.: Nicolas Batum is staying in Charlotte. The 27-year-old swingman who helped the Hornets reach the playoffs this past season, will reportedly receive a five-year, $120 million deal.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shares the details.
“Batum had scheduled a Friday meeting with the Dallas Mavericks but struck a deal hours into free agency to stay in Charlotte.
The Hornets were always widely considered the front-runners for Batum because they owned his Bird rights, allowing Charlotte to offer a fifth year on the contract. The fifth season of the contract is a player option, the source said.”
Batum announced his exciting news on Twitter.
We got a deal! #BuzzCity 🐝
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) July 1, 2016
9:30 a.m.: The theme of free agency thus far has been players staying put. That’s the case with Toronto Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who agreed to a max deal early Friday morning. The terms of the contract were first reported by The Vertical.
DeMar DeRozan has agreed to a five-year, $139 million-plus deal with Toronto, sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2016
According to reports, DeRozan held his free-agent meetings in Los Angeles, prioritizing a winning franchise and a significant financial commitment. The Raptors got the first pitch and made it count.
9:20 a.m.: Hassan Whiteside met with the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks early on the first day. Then he broke his own news — using Snapchat and The Player’s Tribune — finally revealing where he would be spending the remainder of his prime years.
“I’ve played on eight teams since college — from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China. I am not ready for there to be a ninth. I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me.
Can’t wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami.”
USA Today’s crew has the terms on the Whiteside deal.
Four for $98 mil, per @JeffZillgitt https://t.co/eFBayQvuy7
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 1, 2016
NBA Free Agency 2016 Day One: Get the latest news and rumors on Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside, Matthew Dellavedova and more
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