The NBA's summer season started late Saturday night with the start of free agency at 9:01 p.m. PT June 30/12:01 a.m. ET July 1, and a flurry of action. Now, with LeBron James in Los Angeles, other big dominoes will fall as players around the league find deals with their new teams.
Here's the latest with free agency in full swing:
TOP STORIES
* Chris Sheridan, a veteran NBA reporter who has covered the league for the AP and ESPN, is reporting the Lakers are considering several blockbuster trade options, including a possible deal with the Blazers involving Damian Lillard. More from Sheridan:
A number of trade options are being considered by Lakers executives Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, and names that are being bandied about include Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, and John Wall ... among others. ... LeBron's cell phone will be working in whatever European countries he visits, and he is more more or less the de facto GM of the Lakers, partnering with his agent, Rich Paul. Safe to say that no one has wielded this type of power in Hollywood since Johnny Carson was sitting next to Ed McMahon.
* ESPN's Chris Haynes is reporting the Trail Blazers were discussing a sign-and-trade with New Orleans involving Jusuf Nurkic and DeMarcus Cousins. According to Haynes the talks broke down because Cousins and Nurkic share the same agent.
* The Portland Trail Blazers will sign Seth Curry to a two-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The second year of the deal will be a player option and the first year pays Curry $2.75 million.
* DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors, according Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports. The defending-champion Warriors will be adding one of the best big men in the league on a team-friendly deal after many expected Cousins to sign a much larger contract elsewhere. The deal is reportedly a 1-year contract for $5.3 million. Golden State officially has the most talented roster in NBA history.
* LeBron James has agreed to a 4-year, $154 million deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
* Mario Hezonja has opted to sign with the New York Knicks after a really tough recruitment from several interested teams. The Knicks beat out the Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies who all came with competitive offers.
* Unrestricted free agent Ed Davis has agreed to a one-year, $4.4 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
* The Trail Blazers have will sign wing Nik Stauskas to a 1-year deal.
More player movement news:
* Jimmy Butler is reportedly looking for a way out of Minnesota. The Timberwolves two-way star is apparently fed up with "Karl-Anthony Town and his younger teammates who he feels simply don't have the same competitive drive that Butler feels is necessary to contend in the NBA. Butler reportedly wants to team up with Kyrie Irving on an Eastern Conference team, but if other NBA teams comes calling and the Timberwolves are willing to make a trade, Butler could be moving on sooner rather than later.
* The Utah Jazz have re-signed both Raul Neto and Dante Exum to new contracts. Neto is back on a two-year deal while Exum will make $33 million over three years.
* The Philadelphia 76ers are very close to landing forward Wilson Chandler in a trade with the Denver Nuggets. The 76ers have the cap space to absorb his contract and Chandler would be a significant upgrade to Philadelphia at small forward.
* Free agent guard Tyreke Evans is signing a 1-year deal with the Indiana Pacers after putting up solid numbers in Memphis last season. The deal is reportedly worth $12 million.
* The Washington Wizards are adding veteran forward Jeff Green to their team on a 1-year, $2.5 million deal.
* Michael Carter-Williams has reached a 1-year deal with the Houston Rockets, for what will reportedly be the veteran's minimum.
* Avery Bradley is re-signing with the LA Clippers on a two-year, $25 million deal.
* Rajon Rondo is signing a 1-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers as the the Lakers and LeBron James add the first big piece to their new team out west. The Lakers have also added Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee to their roster.
* The Lakers have renounced the rights to forward Julius Randle, making him an unrestricted free agent. Randle was only on the free agent market for a few hours though before deciding to sign a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. The second year will be a player option as Randle bets on himself to earn a big payday next summer.
* Center Nerlens Noel is leaving the Dallas Mavericks to sign for the veterans minimum with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Noel took considerably less on a 2-year deal than he could have made with the other teams recruiting him in the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers. Year two will be a player option for Noel.
* The Indiana Pacers have released forward Al Jefferson. The veteran should attract plenty of interest from teams looking to add a competent front court scorer.
* One of the top young big men in this year's free agent class, Aaron Gordon is inking a 4-year deal to remain with the Orlando Magic.
* Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors is returning to Utah on a 2-year deal.
* After a solid year in Philadelphia, sharp-shooter JJ Redick is returning to the 76ers on a 1-year deal.
* Elfrid Payton is leaving the Orlando Magic and joining the New Orleans Pelicans on a 1-year deal.
* Unrestricted free agent Paul George has agreed to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a four-year, $137 million max contract with a player option for the final year,
* Unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan has agreed to sign a one-year, $24.1 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks,
* Unrestricted free agent Chris Paul has agreed to a new four-year, $160 million deal with the Houston Rockets, and
* Unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant will re-sign the the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $61.5 million deal with a player option for the second year,
* Unrestricted free agent Will Barton has spurned the Indiana Pacers and agreed to a new four-year, $54 million deal with the Denver Nuggets,
* Derrick Rose will return to the Minnesota Timberwolves on a one-year deal,
* Jerami Grant has agree to a three-year, $27 million deal to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder,
* Unrestricted free agent Doug McDermott has agreed to a three year, $22 million deal with the Indiana Pacers,
* Unrestricted free agent Aron Baynes will re-sign with the Boston Celtics on a two-year deal worth $11 million with a player option for Year 2,
* Unrestricted free agent Ersan Ilyasova has agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks,
* Marco Belinelli will reunite with the San Antonio Spurs on a two-year, $12 million deal,
* Omri Casspi and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed on a one-year deal,
* Gerald Green will return to the Houston Rockets on a one year deal worth $2.4 million,
Key free agency dates:
July 1
- 2018-19 league year begins
- Free agent moratorium begins
- Free agents can begin reaching verbal agreements with teams
- Restricted free agents can sign offer sheets
July 6
- Free agent moratorium ends
- Teams can begin signing players and making trades
- Two-day period begins for matching restricted free agent offer sheets signed during the moratorium
Keep up with all the latest free agency news, rumors and trades from NBA insiders below:
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