NBA free agency is still happening even though we have reached the middle of July. There are a couple of rumors circulating, but let's get down to the Carmelo Anthony update, the Javale Mcgee market, and the Lakers interest in two players.
Anthony update
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN wrote that Anthony is in belief that the new Knicks front office will focus on a rebuild that does not have him included. He believes that he will be moved to Houston. However, an interesting twist occurred with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers are potentially the third team to make this trade happen.
The Houston Rockets cannot afford Ryan Anderson and Anthony on the same roster since they have James Harden and Chris Paul also making near to max money. The Trail Blazers could be a team that takes on Anderson since the Knicks do not want to take on his contract.
The twist is that Portland will only participate in the trade if Anthony includes Portland in his list of teams he would waive his no-trade clause for. The Cavaliers and Rockets were the only teams on that list. The idea is a bit shocking since a lineup that features Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Anthony would be atrocious on defense. However, McCollum found some humor in it by tweeting a picture of Anthony wearing a Trail Blazers jersey.
Javale McGee upset with Warriors
McGee is upset that the Warriors gave all of their mid-level exception to Nick Young, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News. Thompson II writes that McGee believes that his play this past season has proved that he can be a contributor for a team and should be paid like one. He was also upset that he didn't rotate as a starter more often.
The idea of McGee going back to the Warriors might be more difficult if McGee wants to get paid. The team re-signed Zaza Pachulia to the team this offseason already. Still, the 29 year old was a nice bench piece for the Warriors, and could still bring him back if McGee lowers his asking price.
Lakers want Rodney Stuckey or Ian Clark
Clark was another key bench piece for the Warriors championship run, but at age 26, he is likely to get a multi year deal somewhere else. Clark has career averages of 4.5 points and 10.6 minutes a game. However, he had a career best this past season of 6.8 points in 14.8 minutes of play while shooting nearly 37 percent from the field.
Stuckey seems like a more likely option, given that he is 32 years old. Stuckey played for the Pacers last season on a one-year deal. The Lakers likely want to offer a one-year deal, so it gives them more cap room to sign a player like LeBron James or Paul George next offseason.
