NBA free agency is officially open for business and, if you missed it, here are some of the big deals that were reportedly agreed to early Sunday morning:
* George verbally commits to Thunder
* Reports: James, Cavs spoke at 12:01 a.m. ET
* Jordan, Mavs reportedly agree to deal
* Reports: Durant to re-sign with Warriors
* Reports: Paul, Rockets reach four-year deal
* And much more ...
As NBA free agency rolls along, keep up on all the latest news and reports from around the league ...
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Report: Knicks reach out to Johnson
Veteran big man Amir Johnson could be on the New York Knicks' free-agency radar. New York does not have much salary cap room this summer after center Enes Kanter opted in. But per Ian Begley of ESPN (via Twitter), Johnson could be a name New York pursues to round out its frontcourt for 2018-19 ...
From earlier: The Knicks are one of the teams that's reached out to veteran forward Amir Johnson on the first night of free agency, per ESPN sources. New York has been consistent in telling agents it strongly prefers to sign players to one-year deals this summer.
Additionally, Begley reports (via Twitter) that former Orlando Magic swingman Mario Hezonja had the Knicks at the top of his free-agent wish list ...
Shortly before midnight, several league execs were under the impression that Mario Hezonja saw the Knicks as his top choice in free agency. It will be interesting to see if a longer contract offer from another suitor impacts negotiations here.
-- 8:43 a.m.
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Nuggets reportedly want meeting with James
Will Barton and Nikola Jokic -- two incumbent standout players on the Denver Nuggets -- reportedly got their respective paydays yesterday. Now, it seems, the Nuggets are wanting a crack at reeling in an even bigger fish this summer.
While Denver doesn't have much cap room left after those deals, it hasn't stopped them from trying to secure a meeting with LeBron James, too, writes Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports:
The Denver Nuggets are aggressively pursuing a meeting with star free-agent forward LeBron James, a league source told Yahoo Sports, hoping to convince James that Denver’s talent makes the Nuggets an ideal short-term fit.
Denver has been in contact with James’ agent, Rich Paul, and has doggedly tried to position the team as James’ best option, the source said. Paul George’s decision to re-sign with Oklahoma City has taken a potential James teammate in Los Angeles off the board, and thus far the Lakers’ talks with San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard have gained no traction.
The Nuggets were busy on Sunday, agreeing to terms with Nikola Jokic on a five-year, $147 million deal and with Will Barton on a four-year, $53 million contract. Denver doesn’t have the cap space to sign James, but the Nuggets have several sizable expiring contracts that could be off-loaded to teams that want to clear cap space for the summer of 2019.
The Nuggets are eager for an opportunity to sell James on a frontcourt pairing with Jokic, a 23-year-old franchise center and one of the NBA’s best passing big men. A Jokic-James pairing would instantly make Denver one of the best playmaking teams in the league.
Paul reportedly talked with the Cavs' general manager, Koby Altman, at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday -- the moment free agency opened across the NBA.
-- 7:26 a.m.
Report: Pelicans, Lakers talk to Cousins early on
Former All-Star center DeAndre Jordan is reportedly already off the free-agent market. But there's still another big free-agent center to be had -- and he has no shortage of suitors.
DeMarcus Cousins of the New Orleans Pelicans got attention as free agency opened last night, fielding calls from both his incumbent team as well as the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN's Marc J. Spears reports face-to-face meetings between Cousins and both teams could happen sometime today:
New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins received phone calls from the Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers on the first day of NBA free agency on Sunday, a source told ESPN's The Undefeated.
Cousins, a four-time All-Star, could meet with the Pelicans and Lakers on Sunday, but it is uncertain if such meetings would take place in person or over the phone. Cousins is currently in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.
A first-time unrestricted free agent, Cousins might be a stronger target for the LeBron James-seeking Lakers after free-agent guard Paul George decided to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
...
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Cousins could be re-signed by the Pelicans to a two-year deal. The Lakers, however, are a team that Cousins expressed interest in being traded to during his latter years with the Sacramento Kings.
A source close to Cousins said it might be time for him to play on a big-market stage after playing in Sacramento and New Orleans.
Cousins averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds in 48 games, during which New Orleans went 27-21. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in late January, but the Pelicans still managed to advance to the Western Conference semifinals behind the play of All-Star big man Anthony Davis and two-way guard Jrue Holiday.
-- 7:12 a.m.
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Warriors reportedly reach out to Looney
Reserve forward Kevon Looney is perhaps one of the under-the-radar free agents to watch this summer. According to a recent report, thought, the incumbent Golden State Warriors let Looney know they'd like him to stay with them going forward.
Per Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group, the Warriors got in touch with Looney shortly after free agency officially opened at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday:
The Warriors contacted Looney shortly after free agency began on Saturday to express interest in retaining him, league sources told Bay Area News Group. But just as the Warriors had feared after declining to make his $2.3 million contract for next season guaranteed, Looney is expected to field interest elsewhere.
The Warriors and Looney would both like to extend their partnership together after the third-year, 22-year-old forward achieved a potential turning point in his young NBA career. After playing only a combined 58 games through his first two seasons because of overlapping hip injuries that required surgery, Looney posted career-highs in points (4.4), shooting percentage (58.0), rebounds (3.3), minutes (13.8) and games played (66). But Looney had missed only one game attributed to an ailment (flu-like symptoms).
Yet, both the Warriors and Looney have their own reasons for possibly parting ways.
The Warriors can only pay Looney up to $2.3 million per year, while Looney would like to entertain what offers he might receive elsewhere. Looney would like to return to the Warriors because of the team’s championship culture, and how he has developed under coach Steve Kerr and his All-Star teammates. The Warriors would like Looney to return because of his defense, work ethic and knowledge of NBA personnel. While the Warriors hope he does not attract too much outside interest because of his limited offensive game, the 22-year-old Looney would like long-term security and a chance to grow his role.
-- 7:20 a.m.
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Reports: Stauskas, Blazers reach deal
Guard Nik Stauskas, who shot a career-best 40.4 percent on 3-pointers last season, is apparently headed back to the Western Conference.
According to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and ESPN's Chris Haynes, Stauskas has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. Last season, the Blazers saw their 3-point shooting take a significant downturn in the playoffs -- making just 33.1 percent of their attempts (second-worst in the playoffs) after ranking 11th in that category (36.6 percent) during the season.
Here's more from Freeman on the deal with Stauskas:
The Blazers on Saturday agreed to a 1-year deal with unrestricted free agent Nik Stauskas, according to agent Mark Bartelstein, adding the 6-foot-6 former lottery pick to a bench that will look significantly different next season.
Stauskas, who was drafted with the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, has averaged 7.0 points and 2.1 rebounds during a four-year NBA career that has also included stops in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
He last played for the Nets, who acquired him in a multi-player deal before the 2018 trade deadline but elected not to tender him a qualifying offer after the season.
Stauskas' best season came with the 76ers in 2016-17, when he averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists -- all career-highs -- while shooting 37 percent from three-point range. He played in 80 games, including 27 starts, that season.
-- 6:55 a.m.
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