Many of the biggest free agents of the NBA‘s 2024 offseason have already signed. New contenders are being birthed. Former contenders are falling from grace, and still, there are some championship-caliber players waiting in the wings, ready to be picked up.
While the Olympics might be at the forefront of everyone’s minds as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and company search for another gold medal, a few sneaky moves could be pulled that really bolster a team’s depth before the start of next year.
Guys like Tyus Jones, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Gordon Hayward are all unsigned. Fans could very well be watching Team USA on the podium when the notifications pop up on their phone indicating the latest signings.
Here are the latest NBA free agency rumors.
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ESPN’s Chris Herring reports that the Magic could be interested in a sign-and-trade to bring Tyus Jones on board. While the Magic seem certain to start Kentavious Caldwell-Pope alongside Jalen Suggs in their backcourt, Jones could offer additional playmaking at the cost of a little bit of defense.
Jones was widely-regarded as the best backup point guard in the NBA with Memphis. Herring points out that while the Magic don’t need any additional playmaking as is, they are one injury away from having serious problems in that department. What would happen if Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner went down for an extended period of time? It’s never a bad idea to add to your bench depth and Tyus Jones is undeniably the best option available in that department.
Rumors have been swirling linking Jones and the Magic for quite some time, even dating back to June. Yet nothing has been done. You’d think that a deal would have been reached by now if the Magic were truly interested.
Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic claimed that LeBron James’ $3 million pay cut to remain with the Lakers was intended to help the Lakers sign another star to pair with James and Anthony Davis. The report expands on that, claiming that the Lakers were in heavy talks with Klay Thompson before the sharpshooter opted for a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
After failing to land Thompson, the Lakers have turned to two of the best depth pieces left in the free agency pool: Spencer Dinwiddie and Gary Trent Jr. Dinwiddie has played with LeBron and the Lakers as recently as last season. He already knows what it takes to play alongside James. Trent Jr. on the other hand, has proven himself to be a capable piece on a championship contender, having averaged over 15 points per game in two of the last three seasons.
The Lakers are returning mostly the same team from last season after a first-round playoff exit. With that in mind, the reunion of Dinwiddie or addition of Trent would not be a massive change capable of bringing the Lakers a championship. The team will likely still be in the market for a trade if they want to push for another title before LeBron retires.
There doesn’t seem to be anything going on between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, “there doesn’t seem to be much.”
While talks between Okoro and the Cavs have stagnated, rumors linking Cleveland to other free agents such as Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith have escalated, which does not bode well for Cleveland’s reunion with Okoro. Perhaps the Cavaliers could move Okoro after signing him. After all, Windhorst said later “I’m sure there’s a negotiation happening. But I’m not aware of anything with serious traction. I know the Cavs have had some discussions with some teams about some sign-and-trades. But sign-and-trades are rough.”
The Detroit Pistons have expressed interest in Okoro before, and while no such sign-and-trade has been rumored between the clubs, each passing day makes the likelihood of such a move all the more likely.
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