Early indications suggest that Pacers power forward Jalen Smith will decline his $5.4MM player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports in his latest aggregate mock draft. Sources tell Scotto that a final decision hasn’t been made, but Smith appears to be leaning toward testing the free agency waters. He has a June 29 … [Read more...] about Scotto’s Latest: J. Smith, Toppin, Weaver, Hartenstein, Huerter, O’Neale, More
Klay Thompson Unfollows Warriors On Instagram
Heading into free agency, long-time Warriors guard Klay Thompson has stopped following the team’s Instagram account, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Gordon points out that unfollowing social media accounts is becoming a common practice for NBA players during negotiations, so it may not be a sign that Thompson intends to leave the Bay Area. However, he … [Read more...] about Klay Thompson Unfollows Warriors On Instagram
California Notes: Lyles, Lakers, Redick, Buss
Kings power forward Trey Lyles is set to be in training camp with Team Canada this July, and will compete for a spot on this year’s Paris Olympics squad, per Mark Jones of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Jones, Lyles would have suited up in the FIBA World Cup last season, but wanted to preserve his body to avoid injury during a free agent summer. He’s not a lock to make the … [Read more...] about California Notes: Lyles, Lakers, Redick, Buss
Kings’ Vezenkov Reportedly Intends To Honor Contract
A couple of reports last week had conflicting information about the future of Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov. An Italian reporter claimed Vezenkov was told he was no longer in Sacramento’s plans and the team would look to trade him, while Eurohoops reported that Vezenkov told the Kings he wasn’t going to return for a second season and he was undecided on whether he would stay in … [Read more...] about Kings’ Vezenkov Reportedly Intends To Honor Contract
Pacific Notes: Hurley, Lakers, Kings, Suns
Appearing on the Dan Le Batard with Stugotz (YouTube link), Dan Hurley said he didn’t use talks with the Lakers as leverage to secure a larger financial commitment from UConn, as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com relays. Hurley reportedly turned down a six-year, $70MM deal from L.A. and will receive about $20MM less in his new contract with the Huskies, which will be announced “soon,” a … [Read more...] about Pacific Notes: Hurley, Lakers, Kings, Suns