Kings will sign Barnes to 4-year, $85M deal
The Kings moved quickly to take care of their first order of business on the first day of free agency in the NBA.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee on Sunday the Kings had reached a four-year, $85-million agreement with Harrison Barnes that declines annually to account for just 14% of the cap in the final year. Terms of the deal were first reporter by The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
The Kings acquired Barnes, 27, on the eve of the February trade deadline in a deal that sent Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to Dallas. Barnes previously declined the $25.1-million player option for 2019-20 to become a free agent, but both sides indicated they were willing to work out a long-term deal. — Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee
Kevin Durant to leave Warriors for Brooklyn Nets
In a move that the Warriors dreaded happening from the minute he re-signed with the team last summer, Kevin Durant announced he will join the Brooklyn Nets instead of staying with the Warriors. Durant announced the news on Sunday night on his Instagram account of The Boardroom, his company-owned sports business network. Other outlets reported the news first, though. — Mark Medina, Mercury News
Warriors, Nets agree to Durant-for-D’Angelo Russell trade, report says
The Warriors turned difficult news into an opportunity Sunday, agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Nets guard D’Angelo Russell in exchange for superstar Kevin Durant. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news.
Sunday afternoon, once Durant announced his intention to leave the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets, reports surfaced that the Warriors were interested in Russell, a 2019 All-Star selection.
Russell will agree to a 4-year, $117 million maximum contract with the Warriors, Wojnarowski reported.
With Klay Thompson back in the fold but injured, the Warriors had a backcourt opening that Russell will fill, at least in the short term. — Michael Nowels, The Mercury News
Kevon Looney returning to Warriors on threeyear, $15 million deal
Despite suddenly facing financial constraints with their roster, the Warriors still found a way to retain Kevon Looney. Looney agreed to a threeyear, $15 million deal, league sources confirmed to Bay Area News Group. The Athletic and ESPN first reported the news.
Looney had also met with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks, according to a league source. It is not clear what offers those teams gave Looney, if any, but the Warriors could have faced issues with re-signing him if he’d received an offer sheet from a competitor. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News
Heat complete Jimmy Butler acquisition, retaining Dragic, Olynyk, Jones
It took longer than expected and became bigger than anticipated, but the sign-and-trade transaction that delivered Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat is now a done deal.
Morphing into a permutation that factored in the Heat’s trade of center Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Heat secured Butler at the previously agreed rate of $142 million over four years, the most the 29-year-old scorer could receive from an outside team. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel
Mavericks set for reunion with Seth Curry on four-year deal
Seth Curry and the Dallas Mavericks are headed toward a reunion.
Multiple reports say Curry and the Mavs agreed to a four-year, $32 million deal on Monday, a day after NBA’s free agency opened. Curry is the younger brother of Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry.
Seth Curry, 28, is coming off a season in which he averaged 7.9 points for the Portland Trail Blazers. He ranked third in the NBA in 3-point shooting, making 45% of his shots (a better mark than his brother). His emergence in the playoffs, particularly in the big-shot making he displayed against his brother, boosted his stock heading into this offseason. — Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Heat trade Hassan Whiteside to Trail Blazers
SACRAMENTO — The Miami Heat have reached an agreement to trade center Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sun Sentinel has confirmed through two NBA sources.
In return for offloading the final season on Whiteside’s contract, the Heat will receive forwards Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel
Knicks agree to terms with Elfrid Payton: 2 years, $16 million
Elfrid Payton, who has a history with GM Scott Perry, agreed to terms with the Knicks on a twoyear, $16 million deal.
The second year is a reported team option. The 25-year-old point guard, who only played 42 games last season with the Pelicans because of injuries, is big for his position and can create offensively, leading to six triple-doubles in those limited appearances. But he has struggled on defense and has never played for a winning team. On the Knicks, he could compete for a starting spot with point guard Dennis Smith, play alongside him in the backcourt or come off the bench. — Stefan Bondy, New York Daily News
Tobias Harris to re-sign with Sixers on fiveyear, $180-million deal
Tobias Harris is staying put.
He will sign a five-year, $180-million deal to remain with the 76ers, according to his agent and father, Torrel Harris of Unique Sports Management, International.
The two sides came to an agreement on Sunday after the 6 p.m. start to free agency. His contract can be finalized after noon on July 6.
The Sixers acquired the forward in a February trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. — Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer