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 Denver Nuggets are matching the two-year, $12 million offer sheet Spencer Jones signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Denver will retain Jones, who became a valuable rotation player for them last season.

Matching the offer sheet for Jones will push the Nuggets over the second apron. Denver still has Peyton Watson's status unresolved, as the forward remains a restricted free agent.

Oklahoma City will remain under the second apron by $6.9 million. The Thunder will also retain the use of the full Taxpayer MLE, which is valued at nearly $6.1 million.

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.

Former NBA forward Tosan Evbuomwan has agreed to a contract with Barcelona. Evbuomwan finished last season on a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets.

The 6-foot-8 forward never saw action in an NBA game with the Hornets. He was originally signed to a two-year, two-year deal. Evbuomwan was waived when Charlotte went with rookie Michael Ajayi and Kylan Boswell joining P.J. Hall on two-way contracts.

In four seasons, Evbuomwan has played in 50 total NBA games with the Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers have waived guard Dalen Terry. This was one of two transactions the Sixers will have to complete to sign LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Terry's contract was non-guaranteed. Waiving him opens up room for Philadelphia under their first-apron hard cap.

The 76ers had added Terry on a two-way contract in mid-February. They signed him to a two-year standard deal in mid-April, ahead of the end of the regular season. Terry started last season with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, then the New York Knicks ahead of the trade deadline.

The Philadelphia 76ers' proximity to New York City played a role in LeBron James' decision to sign with the team, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Establishing a presence in NYC was a "longstanding itch" for James and his family.

James signed a two-year deal with the Sixers last week. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also set to join the Sixers after agreeing to a buyout with the Grizzlies. 

Peyton Watson is considering whether to sign a $6.5 million qualifying offer and return to the Denver Nuggets next season, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The Nuggets have been offering Watson deals in the range of four years and $70 million this offseason. 

Watson has been looking to exceed Christian Braun's five-year, $125 million deal. 

The Nuggets matched Spencer Jones' offer sheet from the Thunder on Sunday night, making them the only team projected to be in the second apron next season.

Multiple team sources from around the league do not expect Cathy Engelbert to return as WNBA commissioner in 2027, according to ESPN.

Engelbert did not directly respond to the question during All-Star Weekend.

"I will just continue to do my job, execute the strategy, because it has been working," said Engelbert. "Make sure we listen to the players, communicate with the players. Absolutely just love this league and blessed to have had the career I had before and the career I have now, and just mostly the team we've built at the league."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month that he and Engelbert will "have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like."

Engelbert has come under scrutiny over the past year in particular. 

Engelbert also announced that the WNBA will launch a centralized replay center in 2027, calling it "one of the most significant investments we've ever made in our basketball operations."

Tyrone Jamison announced his commitment to Baylor over the weekend.

The 6-foot-2 point guard is ranked as the No. 41 player in the SC Next 100 for the 2027 class.

"We have built a strong relationship over the year," Jamison said. "Coach [Scott] Drew has sent many guys to the NBA. He is loyal to his players and his coaches. He is a great person. I plan on making an impact but there were no promises made about playing time."

Jamison is Baylor's first commitment for the 2027 class.