Sheridan Hoops

A better basketball site. For intelligent readers, from veteran writers.
Keep scrolling down. Good stuff here.

SH Blog: LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony Updates

by

Here we go.

Early in free agency, there have been a fair blend of signings and rumors, but nothing quite like this. Nothing like the first seemingly substantial rumor about the future of the King of the NBA.

According to Brian Windhorst, Chris Broussard and Marc Stein of ESPN, LeBron James’ agent has received offers from at least three different teams.

The agent for LeBron James has met this week with officials from multiple teams interested in courting the four-time league MVP in free agency, according to sources close to the process.

The exact number of teams to secure face-to-face meetings with Cleveland-based agent Rich Paul was not immediately known, but sources told ESPN.com that the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have had the opportunity to make presentations to Paul in recent days.

Let the race for LeBron begin.

The Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat are all expected to make official offers for LeBron’s services. The Phoenix Suns are a dark-horse with cap space, a high-quality roster and a rising star in head coach Jeff Hornacek.

In addition to the three teams listed, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers have, “Without a doubt” met with LeBron’s agent.

Rich Paul, the agent for LeBron James, has met with the Cleveland Cavaliers to discuss the Cavs’ interest in signing the Miami Heat star and four-time NBA MVP, sources told FOX Sports Ohio on Thursday.

The meeting took place in Cleveland, where Paul’s office is based, sources said.

Every team in the league would love to land one of the Top 10 players of all-time while he’s still in his prime. Cleveland has a different type of connections to LeBron in regards to their attempt to do so.

LeBron played for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 and is a native of nearby Akron, Ohio. The Cavaliers have reloaded with three No. 1 picks in Anthony Bennett, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, as well as two other Top 5 picks in Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters.

Throw in quality role players such as Jarrett Jack and Anderson Varejao, and the Cavaliers don’t look too bad.

Regardless of where he ends up, LeBron is going to be the biggest signing of the summer. He’s a four-time MVP who, despite not winning the award in 2013-14, still has the strongest claim of any player in the league to being the best in the world.

Fresh off of an NBA Finals appearance with lackluster support, there isn’t a better time than now for LeBron to determine the next five years of his career.

According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, James’ decision will be a little different from the last time he was in this position.

As that news comes to pass, make sure to check back with Sheridan Hoops for updates and analysis.

Carmelo Anthony Saga Continues

Everyone’s recruiting everyone, and it may or may not be for the same team.

It’s complicated.

After LeBron, the single most tantalizing free agent on the open market is 2013 scoring champion and seven-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony. The 30-year-old is fresh off of a stint with a New York Knicks squad that has been in a constant state of disarray.

Just three days into free agency, ‘Melo is already receiving interest from every corner of the basketball nation.

It all starts with the incumbent New York Knicks offering Anthony a five-year deal worth $129 million, per Ian Begley of ESPN New York.

Chris Broussard of ESPN followed up by stating that it was a verbal offer.

Formal or not, that is a maximum contract.

The Knicks weren’t the only major market organization to promise Anthony a massive deal on Thursday, July 3. ‘Melo spent the day in Los Angeles meeting with both the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office members and star shooting guard Kobe Bryant.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Lakers told the star scorer that they’d offer him a lucrative deal.

Shelburne also reports that Kobe Bryant flew in later that evening to meet with Anthony, a friend, personally.

Other teams are expected to offer Anthony similar deals, including the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. There’s no guarantee that Anthony will leave the Knicks and the financial rewards that re-signing would imply.

For all of the teams pursuing him, Anthony has reportedly found the time to recruit a player of his own: Pau Gasol.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had the report:

Hours before his final meeting with New York Knicks officials, free agentCarmelo Anthony reached out to obtain free agent Pau Gasol’s phone number and discuss with him the possibility of playing together at Madison Square Garden, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Knicks had exuded an increasing confidence they can hold off the free-agent courtships of Chicago and Houston and were further encouraged with Anthony’s desire to talk to Gasol about New York, sources said.

The most complicated time of the year continues to create uncertainty.

Anthony and Gasol would be an intriguing and productive duo, but the Knicks may not have the cap space to make it happen. Gasol did experience the best years of his career under Phil Jackson and could view ties to the Zen Master and new head coach Derek Fisher as enough to overcome a short-term financial sacrifice.

A handful of maybes and an abundance of potential. What a lovely time.

Other Small Forwards Generating Interest

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James aren’t the only small forwards generating significant interest around the league. While they may be the stars of the summer, there are two other names that are consistently floating around the open market.

According to Dwain Prince of The Star-Telegram, both Chandler Parsons and Luol Deng are seen as backup plans after Anthony choses his new home.

Acquiring Deng or Parsons would give Dallas more financial flexibility than landing ‘Melo.

As for what Deng wants, he’s interested in making a move further West than Texas. That doesn’t rule the Mavericks out in any sense, but a sign-and-trade to California could be in his future.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Deng will speak with Doc Rivers about a potential sign-and-trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles is always a hot spot for free agents, whether it’s the Lakers or the recently revived Clippers.

The Clippers, a balanced squad with a great coach in Doc Rivers and a pair of MVP candidates in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, have a need for perimeter depth. Deng, 29, would not only provide Los Angeles with a reliable starter, but give it an impact offensive weapon and an elite defender packed into one.

A two-time All-Star and an All-Defense selection is quite the valuable asset to acquire. The question is, can Los Angeles pull it off?

And the easy segues continue.

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that the Clippers called the Brooklyn Nets about a sign-and-trade for another star forward: Paul Pierce. The Nets listened and considered it, but came to the conclusion that the offer wasn’t strong enough.

Mazzeo goes on to list the reported offer:

Pierce is an unrestricted free agent, and has received interest from several teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Clippers, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.

By facilitating a sign-and-trade, Pierce could get paid more than the mid-level and Brooklyn could get something in return from Los Angeles. The Clippers would have likely included some combination of Jared Dudley, Matt Barnes and Reggie Bullock for Pierce, sources said. But it appears that nothing is happening on that front, at least at this juncture.

The Clippers could sign Pierce with their $5.3 million mid-level exception and avoid a sign-and-trade altogether, but the 36-year-old may be seeking a more lucrative deal as his career winds down.

Whether it’s Anthony, Deng, LeBron, Parsons or Pierce, the NBA has no shortage of high-class small forwards on the open market. This is yet another development in the evolution of the position that is taking the association by storm.

The question of who goes where will soon be answered and the landscape of the NBA will be forever altered.

Around The League

Comments

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives