Hoopshype

[Sources]

Pelicans GM Nick Malone may need to be prepared to live up to the recourse of his past rfa offers. Buddy Hield and James Pearsall are both represented by the same agent and he says he’s waiting for a max. “Look we all know the Pels GM has a bad reputation with deals in rfa, so why wouldn’t I leverage that for other GMs to get my guys more money?”

[Sources]

Word is, for the first time, the Lakers are quietly listening to offers for Giannis. He could be the biggest get in free agency.

[Sources]

In what may be the biggest surprise in RFA, there are whispers that PF Dirk Hardpeck has received a max offer or substantially close to one. I will need to check with my sources to confirm.

[Sources]

I was able to get in touch with Dirk Hardpeck in regards to RFA, and while he wouldn't comment on any of the offers he received, he remained adamant he wants to stay in Cleveland.

"This team took a chance on me and I showed my worth winning Rookie of the Year. They've been loyal to me, never putting me on the trade block. I want to be a Cavalier for life."

[Sources]

The biggest non-max deal left to be decided in RFA is James Pearsall. We're hearing the Pelicans are looking to sign and trade him, but the Timberwolves have been stubborn with offers of little to nothing in value. The Pelicans have maintained their stance that they will match Pearsall's offer, but there are whispers about the merit (or lack-thereof) of this statement. Pearsall is valued at drastically different prices around the league: with some calling him one of the top up and coming bigs, while one GM was quoted "If he were Yellow/Green instead of Yellow/Blue, he would be making less than 10 million per year."

[Sources]

Despite striking out in RFA, belief around the league is the Pistons will not entertain sign and trade offers for Anthony Davis. The big question for Detroit is "can we do enough to convince AD to re-sign?", not "is it time to move on?" Every team with cap space is placing a max offer on Anthony Davis. It'll be interesting to see what he decides.

[Sources]

The rumor mill around the league has it that this could be Kevin Love's last season in Phoenix. Despite having 2 more years on his contract, the Suns might look to surround Love with one more year of expiring pieces, then look to trade him next offseason. One front office executive state: "It just makes too much sense. Next year, Love will be 33, making 45 million dollars, and expiring. The Suns know they don't want to sign him to another supermax so their advantage over the rest of the league to sign him frankly doesn't exist. They already have their own pick and the Mavericks pick in 2022 so that seems like the right year to reset."

[Sources]

The Bobcats are one of the best storylines of this year. Darth has always been adamant that he will not accept less than fair value to simply dump a player, despite his dire cap situation. However, many in the league are calling his bluff. "He has 8 points right now. He owes 325. He's already going to take years to repay that. 25 points a year for media, 5 points for responsibility, 5 points for DC, 3 for voting, 1 for Hall of Fame, a couple here and there for different things, plus maybe 25 points a year from his team gives him maybe 60-70 points per year. That's already taking him 4-6 years to repay this. He literally can't afford to have another year in the luxury tax." The Bobcats as of now are slated to owe 400 points in the luxury tax, at which point, the team would be 700 points and at least 10-20 seasons away from paying it off.

[Sources]

League offices have read the Nuggets bids to their UFA list but have seen an invalid format and are deciding whether they are valid or not. Once a decision is made, the league office will say, Input good luck, or will not respond."

[Sources]

Bradley Beal loves what coach and GM 78 did with less talent in Houston. With Dallas and Houston being so close he thinks the transition would be easy.

[Sources]

Thomas Robinson was seen on the plan with the book or Mormon.

[Sources]

The decision for CJ McCollum has come down to the Blazers, the Pacers, and the Rockets.

[Sources]

Draymond Green has been seen wearing Rockets gear as recent as this morning.

[Sources]

Teams offering the most money this offseason? The Wizards, which isn't a surprise if you've seen RFA; but the rockets have offered a number of huge deals.

[Sources]

The Jazz are infatuaded with bringing a dominant big into their system. Felt it was their missing piece last season.

[Sources]

Trade rumors are flying right now. The Pistons are aggressively searching for a big man to pair with Anthony Davis. Sources say the team is extremely excited about Stephen Keitt heading into Training camp, and, with Gay and McCollum added to the fold, GM Wombatoholic feels they're a big man away from one of the all-time dominant teams.

[Sources]

The Celtics are ready to jump in this year and start competing. From those on the outside of the team, the Celtics are searching for a strong piece to add to their core. Boston's front office was disappointed in Khris Middleton's decision to continue to test free agency despite the Celtics' offering him the most money. Despite this, the Celtics are hopeful Kris will decide to join their young core for this upcoming season. Should they fail in luring Middleton, some believe Rudy Gobert will be on the trade block. Despite being an elite defender, Gobert is an expiring contract looking to be paid $170 million this offseason.

[RPF]

The Celtics are ready to jump in this year and start competing. From those on the outside of the team, the Celtics are searching for a strong piece to add to their core. Boston's front office was disappointed in Kris Middleton's decision to continue to test free agency despite the Celtics' offering him the most money. Despite this, the Celtics are hopeful Kris will decide to join their young core for this upcoming season. Should they fail in luring Middleton, some believe Rudy Gobert will be on the trade block. Despite being an elite defender, Gobert is an expiring contract looking to be paid $170 million this offseason.

It's Khris btw

[Sources]

Sources say the Magic are seeking a total destruction of their team heading into this season. Despite the team's overall lackluster talent, competent coaching pushed Orlando into 37 wins and the 13th draft pick. Rumors are swirling around the league that the front office was frustrated by this and is looking to compete for a top 5 pick this year. With that said, Dario Saric and Dennis Schroeder have already been pushed out. Look for Marcus Smart, Elfrid Payton, and Lance Stephenson to follow quickly. According to one GM, "I'd be surprised if Payton and Stephenson even play a game for the Magic this year. They'll sit down, be dealt day 60 for points or a pick, and the Magic will move right along with their rebuild."

[Sources]

Sources say the Suns are frustrated by their Point Guard signings. The team will look to keep the best one post-Training Camp and deal the other two for help on the wing. There is much debate around the league with regards to whether or not the Suns will trade any future assets for upgrades this year. Many believe this is Kevin Love's last year as a member of the Suns, and the team has no guaranteed money next year besides Love, setting themselves up for an easy rebuild. However, with a massive shakeup needing to take place this season, the Suns may have to move the Mavericks 2022 pick to help facilitate trades this season.

[Sources]

Sources close to Paul George say that All-Star has been inconsolable over the passing of First Lady Barbara Bush. "Ever since the news broke that she passed away, he's been doing nothing but sitting and crying on the toilet," teammate Jayson Tatum was quoted at saying. "It's pretty weird, man. And to think, I came here for this."

[Sources]

Sources close to me suggest that the Denver Nuggets aren't prepared for this series. They didn't foresee the Jazz being as talented as they would be. People are telling me that the Nuggets are scared; they're eager to get out of this series as soon as possible. "I can almost see the fear in their eyes," suggested an ex-Jazz player in regard to the opposition.

[Sources]

We reached out to members of the Nuggets after practice Thursday. They were able to obtain some quotes below:
Reporter: Kevin, you lost 3 of 4 games to these Jazz during the regular season, what does that mean to you in the playoffs?
Kevin Durant: Yeah, but I was only on the damn team for one of those games!
Reporter: Sure, but uh, you lost that game.
KD: How many points did I score tho?

Reporter: Jrue - injuries decimated the team at the end of last year, what are you doing to ensure your team doesn't wear down again down the stretch?
Jrue: You ever seen that movie Bubble Boy?
R: Uh, no actually
J: But you get the concept right?
R: I guess so...
J: Yeah, coach got us those. So we should be good.
R: Um, okay.

Reporter: Jose - You seem to really be fearless, but what do you say to recent reporting that you guys are sc-
Jose Jumper: Let me stop you right there. We ain't afraid of no team. Especially when Jose is on the floor. Jose gets after it. Jose gonna turn the Jazz into Kenny G - and the 'G' stands for 'Gettin beat by the Nuggets' - That's all there is to say.

Reporter: DeAndre, what do you think your chances are in this round?
DeAndre Jordan: We gonna win, just like you're gonna lose that microphone for asking that stupid question.
R: What do y-
*DJ knocks mic out of Reporter's hand and walks away*

[Sources]

Sources have confirmed that Jrue Holiday is looking to move on from his time in Denver. "There is only one guy on this roster, and no way that we can compete this year. What's the point of re-signing just to get traded somewhere I don't wanna go?"

[Sources]

Hassan Whiteside was spotted in the local DXL this morning in Dallas. "He needed to buy pants with bigger pockets for the amount of money he's about to pull in," a source close to Whiteside claimed.