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2019 NBA free agency rumors: Nets land Durant, Irving; Heat trade for Butler; 76ers to sign Horford; Warriors add Russell

One of the most exciting times of the NBA season has finally arrived as free agency is officially underway, and it’s been a chaotic first couple of hours. There has been no shortage of deals reached, although players will not be able to officially sign contracts with teams until July 6 — when the Moratorium period has ended.

This year’s free agency is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most eventful in a while. Several marquee free agents have already departed from their current teams, including two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who are taking their talents to Brooklyn. The summer’s biggest prize, Kawhi Leonard, will reportedly meet with the Clippers, Lakers and Raptors. Not to mention there will be a second tier of star free agents who will be intensely pursued, including established veteran names such as Klay Thompson.

There have already been several big-name free agents committing to deals with teams on Sunday. Here are the latest rumors and updates that you need to know now that free agency is underway.

Beverley to return to Clippers

Patrick Beverley is returning to the Clippers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the defensive-minded, diminutive guard has agreed to terms on a 3-year, $40 million deal with Los Angeles.

Murray agrees to max contract extension with Nuggets

You can add Jamal Murray to the growing list of max contract players. As reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the young guard has agreed to a five-year max contract extension worth $170 million.

Portis to sign with Knicks

The Knicks struck out on Durant and Irving, which means they’re now targeting the second tier of free agents. After agreeing to terms with Julius Randle, they’ve also agreed to terms with Bobby Portis on a two-year, $31 million deal. Portis spent last season with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

Robin Lopez to join brother on Bucks

The Bucks will have both Lopez brothers for the upcoming season, as Robin followed Brook in signing with Milwaukee. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Lopez is nearing an agreement to join the team which posted the league’s best record last season.

Warriors to acquire Russell in sign-and-trade

He may not be Kevin Durant, but the Warriors are getting something in return for Durant bolting to the Nets. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Golden State is acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn. In addition to Russell, they’ll also acquire Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham. Andre Iguodala, in addition to three future first-round picks are being moved to the Memphis Grizzlies to help facilitate the deal.

Davis heading West to join Jazz

Ed Davis was going to have a tough time finding minutes on the new-look Nets, so he’s decided to take his talents to Salt Lake City. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Jazz. 

Jordan, Nets agree to four-year deal

DeAndre Jordan is the latest big name free agent to agree to a deal with the Nets on Sunday. The big man is good friends with Durant, which assuredly helped him earn this deal. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jordan’s deal will be worth $40 million over four years. 

Sixers agree to deal with Horford

In the wake of the Butler move, the Sixers will use the newly opened up cap space to sign Al Horford to a four-year, $109 million deal, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Horford’s deal will have $97 million in guaranteed money and $12 million tied to bonuses, per Wojnarowski. 

Sixers finalizing three-team sign-and-trade to send Butler to Heat

The Sixers have been busy on Sunday, and their latest move will be a three-team sign-and-trade to send Jimmy Butler to the Heat, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Butler will reportedly sign a four-year, $142 million contract with Miami, according to Shams Charania. The full details of the trade haven’t been announced, but according to multiple reports, the Sixers will receive Josh Richardson, while the Dallas Mavericks will be roped in as a third team and take on Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr. 

Gibson agrees to deal with Knicks

Veteran forward Taj Gibson is leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves to join the New York Knicks. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal is for two years and $20 million.

Knicks agree to $63M deal with Randle

The New York Knicks are set to miss out on the summer’s biggest free agents, but they have splashed some money around. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks have agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal with Julius Randle

Hill staying with the Bucks

The Bucks decided not to shell out over $20 million per year to retain Malcolm Brogdon, but they have agreed to a deal with another point guard. According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, George Hill will sign a three-year, $29 million deal to stay with the Bucks. 

Trail Blazers, Hood agree to a new deal

The Trail Blazers traded for Rodney Hood last season, and he proved to be an important part of their run to the Western Conference finals. Thus, they were eager to keep him around, and the two sides have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal. 

Harris, 76ers agree to $180M deal

The Philadelphia 76ers had two huge priorities in free agency in Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harris agreed to a five-year, $180 million contract to return to the Sixers.

Rubio joins Suns

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio has found a new home after the Utah Jazz traded for Mike Conley. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Rubio has agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.

Lamb will sign with Indiana

The Indiana Pacers continue to bolster their roster with the addition of guard Jeremy Lamb. Lamb agreed to a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the team.

Bucks deal Brogdon to Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers have reportedly pulled off a sign-and-trade to send Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers, who will pay him $85 million over the next four years, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Porzingis signs max deal with Dallas

As expected, 7-foot-2 unicorn Kristaps Porzingis agreed to sign a five-year, $158 million max deal with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs traded for the big man from the Knicks before last season’s deadline.

Aminu is headed to Orlando

Free agent forward Al-Farouq Aminu agreed to a three-year, $29 million deal with the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Ross will stay in Orlando

Despite a lot of outside interest, Terrence Ross isn’t going anywhere. The veteran guard will sign a four-year, $54 million deal to remain with the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Rose to join Pistons

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has found a new NBA home, as he will sign a two-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN. The deal is worth $15 million. 

Redick to sign with Pelicans

J.J. Redick’s days with the Philadelphia 76ers are numbered, as the veteran sharp-shooter will sign a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $26.5 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Bucks bringing back Middleton on $178M deal

The Bucks have re-signed their second-best player. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Middleton has re-upped with the Bucks for five years and $178 million, with the last year being a player option. Middleton went to his first All-Star game last year after averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Warriors could acquire Russell in sign-and-trade

If you thought the Warriors were done in free agency after re-signing Klay Thompson and losing Kevin Durant to the Nets, think again. As originally reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN, D’Angelo Russell could be acquired by the Warriors in a sign-and-trade with the Nets involving Durant. Russell was named to his first All-Star squad last season after having a breakthrough campaign, averaging 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game.

Knicks to meet with Bullock

The Knicks have struck out on their major free agent targets in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. However, they still have moves to make in free agency as they’re now setting their sights on free agent guard Reggie Bullock, as reported by David Aldridge of The Athletic. Bullock was acquired by the Lakers in a midseason trade from the Pistons and averaged 9.3 points per game in 19 games and 16 starts.

Celtics attempting to re-sign Horford

With Kyrie Irving officially out of the equation, the Celtics are attempting to re-sign Al Horford through a series of sign and trades, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. However, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald states that according to sources, Horford will not end up back in Boston after spending the past three seasons there.

Gay re-signs with Spurs on a 2-year deal

He may no longer be in his prime, but Rudy Gay proved to be an instrumental piece to the Spurs as a role player last season. Now, he’s re-signing with San Antonio on a two-year, $32 million deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 33-year-old Gay averaged 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on a career-high 50.4 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Rozier plans to sign with Hornets

It looks like the Celtics and Hornets are swapping point guards. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Terry Rozier plans to sign a three-year, $58 million deal in a sign-and-trade between both teams. Former Hornets guard Kemba Walker will sign a four-year, $141 million deal with the Celtics.

Dedmon to sign with Kings

He may not be a star player, but Dewayne Dedmon is getting paid by the Sacramento Kings. As reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic, the big man will sign a three-year, $40 million deal with the Kings after spending the past two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.

Durant chooses Nets

Kyrie Irving to the Nets seems like a done deal, and according to the New York Times‘ Marc Stein, they hope other stars will be following. Stein reported that the Nets are confident that Kevin Durant will announce he’s heading to Brooklyn when he makes his decision Sunday night, and that they’ll also be able to add DeAndre Jordan in the coming days. A short time later, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Durant would indeed sign with the Nets, and then Durant’s company, The Boardroom, confirmed it on Instagram once free agency began.

Lopez, Bucks to agree on a 4-year, $52M deal

Brook Lopez turned into a 3-point shooting machine for the Bucks last season, and earned himself a nice payday in the process. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Bucks and Lopez are expected to agree on a four-year, $52 million deal when free agency gets underway. 

Kanter drawing interest from Celtics, Blazers

Enes Kanter had quite a playoff run with the Trail Blazers after signing there late last season, and he may end up returning to the club, who are reportedly interested in keeping him, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears. However, Kanter is also apparently drawing interest from the Celtics, who need to beef up their frontcourt.

Celtics engaging Nets, Hornets in 3-team trade

The Celtics are expected to sign Kemba Walker, while Kyrie Irving seems to be on his way to the Nets. Meanwhile, the Hornets have shown interest in Terry Rozier. With those moves on the horizon, the Celtics are reportedly engaging those two teams on working out a three-way sign-and-trade deal that would help them save some cap space. So far, however, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, the talks are just “exploratory.”

Timberwolves, Russell have mutual interest

D’Angelo Russell will be moving on from the Nets now that they have their sights set on Kyrie Irving, and according to the New York Times’ Marc Stein, Russell has interest in the Timberwolves. The Wolves would need to move some salary to create cap space, but according to Stein’s report they are confident they could take care of that problem.  

Jimmy Butler wants to be in Miami

Jimmy Butler has no shortage of suitors in free agency, but he apparently wants to be in Miami. According to Tim Reynolds of the AP, Butler is expected to tell Heat officials that he wishes to play for them. The Heat don’t have the salary cap space to sign him outright, so they would need the Philadelphia 76ers to participate in a sign-and-trade in order for a deal to get done. 

Valanciunas to stay with the Grizzlies

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, center Jonas Valanciunas is expected to commit to a three-year, $45 million contract to stay in Memphis. Valanciunas was traded to from the Toronto Raptors to Memphis — along with C. J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round draft pick — in exchange for Marc Gasol in February. 

Cousins open to a return to Sacramento

DeMarcus Cousins is looking for a new NBA home this summer, and the veteran big man is open to a return to the Sacramento Kings, according to a report from The Athletic. The interest in a reunion might be one-sided, though, as the Kings have not expressed any interest in bringing back Cousins. 

Vucevic to stay with Magic on $100M deal

Nikola Vucevic will reportedly agree to a four-year, $100 million deal when free agency begins on Sunday, according to a report from Shams Charania. The All-Star is coming off his best season, during which he helped the Magic return to the playoffs, and was expected to be in high demand this summer. 

Lakers have reached out to Beverley, Seth Curry

The Lakers are still on the hunt for a third star to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but regardless of whether or not they’re able to get someone else, they have plenty of roster spots to fill. In that regard, they’re reportedly interested in two backcourt options — Patrick Beverley and Seth Curry. According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers have reached out to reps for both players. 

Looney to meet with Rockets, Warriors

Kevon Looney made a real name for himself this season and into the playoffs, and his play, along with his toughness, should earn him a nice payday this summer. Along with the Warriors, he’s expected to have interest from at least one other team. According to Marc Stein, Looney has a meeting set up with the Houston Rockets. 

Butler to meet with Heat, Rockets

Jimmy Butler is expected to meet with the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets once free agency begins, in addition to a meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers. Those teams do not have the requisite cap space to sign him, and would have to work out a sign-and-trade with the Sixers. In addition, Butler has interest from the Lakers and Nets, according to Shams Charania. 

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