NBA Daily: An Update on 2019 Free Agency

Not long ago, Kevin Durant was assumed to be the prize of the biggest free agency extravaganza since 2010. But with less than three weeks until free agency officially opens, Durant’s status as a free agent has been cast into doubt – to say the least – as a result of the Achilles rupture he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

For those of you who have been off the grid or too busy to stay up-to-date with the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors reported that Durant suffered a calf strain in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 8 after suffering a non-contact injury that had lots of symptoms of an Achilles injury. But Durant’s injury was officially diagnosed as a calf strain, and under the watchful eyes of the Warriors coaches and training staff, he rehabbed himself quickly enough to return for Game Five of the NBA Finals – whether or not he truly wanted to or felt pressured to by the media and his teammates and coaches is another story altogether.

Unfortunately for Durant and at least a half-dozen teams hoping to sign him to a long-term deal this summer including the Knicks, Clippers, and Nets, Durant’s return resulted in a ruptured Achilles – for which he underwent surgery on Wednesday afternoon in New York.

Achilles ruptures are viewed by NBA personnel as a very serious injury that requires approximately 12 months of recovery and rehab. For example, DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his Achilles in January 2018 and returned 357 days later.

The track record for players returning from an Achilles rupture is a mixed bag. Dominique Wilkins returned to form following a ruptured Achilles when he was 32 years old in 1992 with 1990s-era medicine and procedures. Wesley Matthews also returned to form following an Achilles rupture in 2015 at the age of 28. But there are far more cautionary tales than there are ones that inspire hope, including Brandon Jennings and Elton Brand.

Despite the injury, teams that are operating on longer timelines will still go after Durant. The Knicks are rumored to maintain interest in signing Durant to, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

But what about the rest of the league? There are still lots of Allstar free agents-to-be and teams with the requisite salary cap room to convince them to change zip codes. Who will be the most sought-after free agent? And what do teams do now, especially those who had eyes on pairing Durant and another star?

Kawhi Leonard has quickly become the most talked about free-agent-to-be – even more so than Durant prior to his rupturing his Achilles (but after his initial injury sidelined him for a month).

Leonard proved pundits wrong this season, scoring a career-high 26.6 points per game on 54% shooting in 60 games, which could have easily been more than 60 if not for “load management”. He then upped the ante by leading the Raptors to their first NBA Finals appearance, scoring 30.9 points per game through the Playoffs, including a miraculous, series-clinching, buzzer-beater to close out the 76ers in Game Seven of the Conference Semifinals.

Leonard clearly makes an average team good, and a good team great – even without the presence of another all-world talent. And he’ll turn 28 years old just prior to free agency, which makes him two years younger than Durant. Leonard was always about as good as it gets, but with Durant’s injury he’s become the biggest prize in free agency.

And then there’s Kyrie Irving, whom the Knicks, Nets and Clippers all reportedly wanted to pair with Durant, Davis or Leonard as is evidenced by the cap clearing moves each of the three teams made in the lead up to free agency: the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to Dallas, the Clippers traded Tobias Harris to the 76ers and Avery Bradley to the Grizzlies, and the Nets recently sent Allen Crabbe and two first-round picks to Atlanta.

But Irving’s impending free agency was made all the more interesting just yesterday when he alerted the Celtics that he would not opt-in to the final year of his contract (not a surprise) and fired longtime agent, Jeff Wechsler, indicating that he will sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports (big surprise) –  which has led to rampant speculation due to Jay-Z’s past relationship with the Nets as a minority owner, as well as the fact that Roc Nation’s President and Chief of Branding and Strategy (Michael Yormark) is the twin brother of Nets’ Team President (Brett Yormark).

Interestingly, Roc Nation also represents Durant and Nets’ star Caris LeVert.

But that’s not all when it comes to 2019 free agents news: Anthony Davis’s agent, Rich Paul, said on Monday that Davis’ preferred trade destinations have been narrowed to two teams: the Lakers and Knicks.

Paul warned that Davis will enter free agency in 2020 if he’s dealt to Boston – a strong message sent by Paul and Davis.

And what’s more, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Vice President David Griffin stated on Monday that the Pelicans are looking for a Davis trade to return the team an All-Star, a young player with serious upside, and a pair of first-round picks – significantly more than the Spurs received for Leonard last summer and/or the Indiana Pacers received for Paul George the summer before that.

Given Davis’ willingness to go on the record with his preferred destinations – something most free agents in years’ past have been reticent to do – this might not be the year for other teams not listed by Davis to try to woo him because it could end up being the season that gamble doesn’t pay off – unless Leonard leaves Toronto and beats Davis to the punch.

Meanwhile, while Jimmy Butler’s name has been surprisingly absent from free agent rumors, his teammate – Tobias Harris – has failed to maintain an equally low profile. Harris has been linked to the Brooklyn Nets for some time due to his Long Island-upbringing. And those rumors have heated up in recent weeks. The Athletic recently reported that Harris and the Nets have mutual interest in one another, and that Nets’ coach Kenny Atkinson’s brother, Steve Atkinson, was Harris’ high school coach. And if the Nets ultimately draft Harris’ younger brother, Terry Harris, in the 2019 NBA Draft, you can assume they’re planning on adding a second Harris to their roster. Terry Harris worked out for the Nets on Wednesday and the Knicks on Thursday.

And then there are stars like Kemba Walker, Nikola Vucevic and DeMarcus Cousins, all of whom have either kept their plans close to the vest and/or voiced their desire to remain with their current organizations.

Having said that, Vucevic is reportedly a player that the Dallas Mavericks would like to add. And Mark Cuban has never been one to sit idly by. So it’s plausible that Cuban’s Mavericks could target Vucevic early in free agency so if a deal does not come to fruition, he can turn his attention elsewhere and still have options.

Free agents can officially begin negotiating with teams on June 30 at 6 pm EST. This year’s free agency period just might alter the destinies of a number of franchises. And it could easily go down as the most prolific free agency period ever. But with the pace at which changes to the free agent pool have been made as far as their health, agents, etc. is concerned, who knows what we’ll learn prior to June 30.