Basketball Wiretap

LeBron James found the Golden State Warriors "appealing for a time" when he was considering his free agency options, but it was contingent on the team trading for Anthony Davis.

James would have had the opportunity to team up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the Warriors after playing against those stars in four consecutive Finals between 2015 and 2018. James and Curry were also teammates for Team USA in 2024 and have developed a fondness for each other years after the peak of their rivalry.

The Washington Wizards have maintained a high asking price for Davis that the Warriors were not prepared to meet as they balance out the final seasons of Curry's career along with the next chapter following his retirement. The Warriors also would have had to include the expiring contract of Jimmy Butler, who is recovering from a torn ACL.

James chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers last week where he gets to compete in the Eastern Conference alongside a trio of All-Stars in Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, along with second-year guard VJ Edgecombe.

DeMar DeRozan is currently the most significant free agent available on the market and he's drawing interest from the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I'm told Miami, Denver, and Cleveland are among the teams interested in Demar DeRozan," said Shams Charania on Monday's episode of NBA Today. 

The Heat and Cavaliers were among the finalists for LeBron James before he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

DeRozan had a partial guarantee on his contract for only $10 million of the total of $26.74 million with the Sacramento Kings.

DeRozan, who is represented by Aaron Goodwin, appeared in 77 games last season with the Kings and averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assist. 

DeRozan will be playing in his age-37 season.

The New Orleans Pelicans are showing interest in LA Clippers restricted free agent guard Bennedict Mathurin. Another mystery suitor has also shown interest in Mathurin.

With the Pelicans well above the salary cap, Mathurin's potential path to New Orleans would have to be via sign-and-trade. The Pelicans could also explore salary-shedding trades to open up the full Non-Taxpayer MLE to offer the four-year veteran.

Mathurin spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Clippers ahead of last season's trade deadline. The 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds for his career.

The Dallas Mavericks and center Dereck Lively II have begun talks on a rookie scale extension. Lively and Dallas have until just before the regular season to reach an agreement on an extension. If the Mavs and Lively can't come to terms, he'll be eligible for restricted free agency next July.

Due to several foot and ankle injuries, Lively has appeared in just 98 games over his first three NBA seasons. This included only seven games last season.

Despite the injuries, Lively has shown considerable promise for the Mavericks. The 7-foot-1 center has averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game for his career.

Isaiah Stevens has been waived by the Sacramento Kings from his two-way contract.

Stevens appeared in three games with the Kings last season, averaging 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes. Stevens also appeared in 33 G League games, averaging 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 33.5 minutes. 

Stevens, who is represented by Matt Bollero, went undrafted in 2024 out of Colorado State.

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to trade Johni Broome in order to open up roster space to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

Caldwell-Pope will clear waivers on Tuesday at 5 PM ET.

The Sixers could also waive-and-stretch Broome to open up a roster spot.

Jabari Walker could also get waived to make room, but the Sixers reportedly prefer to keep the forward. 

Walker's $2.6 million salary is non-guaranteed until January 10. 

The potential new deal between James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers is expected to last no more than two years, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

The Cavs also still have interest in adding Jonathan Kuminga, even after signing Mario Hezonja.

With the Cavs hard-capped at the first apron, the team is having difficulty coming up with a trade offer that would entice the Hawks to part ways with Kuminga.

The Hawks have registered interest in Jarrett Allen, though the Cavs are not looking to move the center. 

The Cavs are also reluctant to include draft capital to ship out Max Strus or Dennis Schroder in order to shed salary.

The Atlanta Hawks showed interest in trading for Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen earlier this offseason. Cleveland has rebuffed outside interest in Allen and prefers to keep their veteran center.

Atlanta has made several moves this offseason, but is still looking for frontcourt depth. Onyeka Okongwu is set to start at center for the Hawks, with Jock Landale serving as his primary backup. Adding Allen would give Atlanta a chance to play with a bigger starter lineup, by pushing Okongwu and Jalen Johnson down to the four and three, respectively.

The Cavs are projected to be near the second apron again after re-signing James Harden. Despite that, Cleveland has shown no interest in trading their core players of Allen, Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers have also been reluctant to add draft capital to entice teams to take on Max Strus or Dennis Schroder, who Cleveland sees as key rotation players.

The Los Angeles Lakers remain interested in signing Jonathan Kuminga, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

Kuminga, who would start at small forward for the team, would have to accept an offer on the "Lakers' terms."

The Cavs are also in play for Kuminga, though they are having difficulty putting together assets for a potential sign-and-trade with the Hawks. 

Kuminga is also not looking to sign a three-year deal for what he perceives is under his market value in order to help facilitate a sign-and-trade.

Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors are expected to come to terms on a new deal this week, according to Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

There are several structures on the table, including a one-year deal close to the $27.7 million player option Green declined earlier this offseason.

Green could also sign a multi-year deal for a lower annual figure. 

Green is also eligible for a full no-trade clause in his next contract.