NBA News, NBA Rumors, Trades, Free Agency (2024)

Rumors broke last season of blockbuster trade talks that would have seen LeBron James traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Golden State Warriors. It was reported at the time that talks were serious enough that Lakers and Warriors ownership were involved in the discussion. In the end, the Lakers would have moved James only had he requested a deal got done to send him to the Warriors.

Ultimately, no agreement was reached and James stayed in Los Angeles. That may have been in part because James' agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports was against the idea of a trade to the Bay Area. The super-agent asked both sides to not consider a deal. Paul reportedly wanted to shield his superstar client from the criticism that would have come from changing teams for a fourth time.

James previously left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010. James then returned to the Cavs in 2014. The superstar forward then left Cleveland a second time for the Lakers in 2018.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Guerschon Yabusele have agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran minimum, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported that Yabusele and the Sixers were in serious talks on a contract.

Philadelphia can cover up to $850,000 of that buyout this season. The 76ers can offer Yabusele only a veteran minimum contract for this season of approximately $2.1 million.

After excelling for France as the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yabusele was clear that he'd like another shot at the NBA. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14 points on 51.9% while helping France to the silver medal.

Last season in 64 games across all competition for Real Madrid, Yabusele averaged 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He shot 53.1% from the field and 44.5% on three-pointers.

Yabusele hasn't appeared in an NBA game since he was waived by the Boston Celtics in 2019. Boston waived the former 16th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft after 74 appearances over two NBA seasons.

Damian Lillard knows that he and the Milwaukee Bucks fell short of expectations last season. But Lillard said there are reasons for that, and that he's not falling apart physically.

"I’m not a player that’s breaking down," Lillard said. "I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same (expletive) I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now."

In addition to working through several injuries, Lillard was going through a lot off the court. That contributed to his efficiency being down.

"There was a lot of change, a lot of stress, you know?" the veteran guard said. "I think now, having an opportunity to get myself in order and kind of start pushing forward to next season."

Lillard also said that he's OK that the focus is on the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks this season.

"The fact that we’re there and we’re under the radar is perfect because they’re gonna think nothing of us and then they’re gonna be like…You gotta face the truth, eventually. That’s how that usually works," Lillard said.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero was confident about his team during a recent appearance on ESPN's First Take. Banchero said the Magic are ready to compete with the best team in the Eastern Conference.

"We feel like we’re right there,” he said. “We’re right there with all those (elite teams in the East). I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. We finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season," Banchero said. "We were right there last year. We got better this year. I got better; all of us got better. We got some new pieces that are going to help a lot. We’re trying to make some noise. We should easily be a top-four, top-three team, and have a chance to win the East."

The young Magic star said he feels a responsibility to help Orlando win at the highest levels, since they were the team that drafted him first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.

"Orlando took a chance on me when they drafted me, and I am forever grateful for that," said Banchero while appearing on ESPN’s First Take. "I give them my love and respect for that because nobody knew that I was going to go number one. I didn't know I was going to go number one. So, they put the trust in me to take that chance and take me number one. After that, I felt like it was my job to help them reach heights that haven't been reached in a long time ... We're trying to take (a huge) jump next year and keep taking it one level at a time. But we don't want to stop any time soon. We want to keep going and eventually win a championship."

The Denver Nuggets reportedly have interested in Vasilije Micic of the Charlotte Hornets. Micic is close friends with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The two are teammates on the Serbian national team.

Micic is owed $7.7 million for this season. That makes trading for him a tricky endeavor for Denver, as the Nuggets are already over the first apron. That means Denver can only send back equal to or more than Micic's salary. Micic's contract contains an $8.1 million team option for the 2025-26 season.

The veteran point guard played well for the Hornets, after being acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline. Micic averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 assists while starting in 21 of the 30 games he played for Charlotte.

Jericho Sims' contract with the New York Knicks for 2024-25 has become fully guaranteed for $2.1 million. Sims is in the final year of his deal with the Knicks.

In 45 games (11 starts) last season for New York, Sims averaged 2.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. As a starter, Sims averaged 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-10 center is expected to figure into the backup mix behind starter Mitchell Robinson this season. With Isaiah Hartenstein leaving for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sims will complete with Precious Achiuwa for minutes behind Mitchell Robinson.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are signing J.T. Thor to a two-way contract. Thor spent the first three seasons of his career with the Charlotte Hornets.

Thor averaged 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game for the Hornets last season. Thor has appeared in 132 games over the last two seasons for Charlotte.

Thor has become an integral member of South Sudan's national team. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for South Sudan.

Aleksa Avramovic was one of the breakout players for Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That's led to NBA interest in Avramovic from the Atlanta Hawks and LA Clippers.

The 6-foot-3 reportedly has an NBA out in contract with CSKA Moscow. There is a buyout, which and NBA could contribute up to $850,000 towards this season. Avramovic plans to report to Russia in the next week before beginning to ramp up for next season.

Avramovic will turn 30 around the start of the NBA season in late-October. At the Olympics, he averaged 10.5 points on 53.3% shooting from the field and 36.8% shooting from behind the arc.

The veteran Serbian guard has spent the last three seasons with Partizan. Last season, he averaged 10.3 points on 48.6% shooting.

Steve Kerr is expected to step down as the head coach of Team USA. Kerr has coached the team through the last cycle, which included the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kerr also assisted Gregg Popovich at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

USA Basketball is expected to choose between Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue to take over for Kerr. Both Spoelstra and Lue have served as assistant coaches for Team USA, including at this summer's Olympics.

The LA Clippers are preparing for PJ Tucker to remain on their roster at the start of the 24-25 season, sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic. The Clippers have explored trading Tucker since last season, but have been unable to find a workable trade.

Tucker was acquired by the Clippers from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the James Harden trade. Tucker, however, fell out of Ty Lue's rotation for most of the 23-24 season.

With most roster spots taken across the NBA, a trade is unlikely to materialize for the Clippers. Tucker is represented by Andre Buck and is on an $11.5 million expiring contract.