NBA FREE AGENCY DAY 1 RECAP Chris Paul heads to Texas CBS Sports
NBA free agency has arrived. LeBron James, Paul George and Klay Thompson are among the players expected to agree to new deals in the coming hours and days, and there will be plenty of other moves to keep an eye on. Free agents can negotiate with any team starting at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, and we should see a deluge of deals shortly after free agency opens. James Harden became the first star to agree to a new contract on Sunday as he reportedly re-upped with the Clippers on a two-year, $70 million contract.
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00:00and we'll be right back.
00:00Fresh hour of HQ out the oven.
00:03Joe Musso, chef and alongside Akeem Dermish,
00:05and we are open for business in the association.
00:08The free agency window officially opened on Sunday.
00:10Yeah, and who's running to the window
00:12to sign the big free agents?
00:14Plenty of players cashing in,
00:16some staying put while the others are on the move.
00:21The biggest story on day one of free agency,
00:23Paul George informing the Clippers he's signing elsewhere.
00:2776ers are the front runners to land PG-13,
00:30the two sides meeting Sunday night in California.
00:33George turned 34 years old in May this past season,
00:36shot a career high 47% from the field.
00:40Meantime, James Harden will sign a two-year deal
00:42worth $70 million to return to the Clippers.
00:45The second year includes a player option.
00:47The former MVP turns 35 in August.
00:50The Clippers also agreed to a two-year deal
00:52with Kevin Porter Jr., who is returning to the NBA.
00:55And Chris Paul, who was released by the Warriors
00:57earlier in the day, intends to sign
00:58a one-year $11 million deal with the Spurs.
01:02The 39-year-old played mostly in a reserve role
01:04with Golden State last season.
01:05CP3 ranks third all-time in career assists,
01:09brings veteran leadership to a young Spurs squad
01:11led by rookie of the year Victor Weminyama.
01:13The 12-time All-Star will also help
01:15San Antonio's newest first-round pick, Stefan Castle.
01:18Reminder, contracts can't be signed
01:20until the moratorium ends on July 6th.
01:22And for more, here with CBS Sports basketball analyst
01:24Chris Walker and CBS Sports NBA insider Bill Reiter
01:27here to recap day one of NBA free agency.
01:30Paul George informing the Clippers
01:31he's signing elsewhere.
01:32The 76ers are the front runners to land them.
01:35Bill, what more can you tell us
01:36about Paul George leaving L.A.?
01:39Yeah, this is largely connected to his frustrations
01:42with the fact that Clippers would not offer him
01:44a max deal in that fourth year.
01:45They had offered Kawhi Leonard
01:47over the course of the season.
01:48For Kawhi's extension three years,
01:50and a little bit under that max amount
01:51they could have over that duration.
01:53And Paul George wanted more.
01:54So guys, this is a classic case in the Clippers case
01:57of negotiating your way out of the thing you actually wanted.
02:00I'm told that L.A. believed
02:02that they could try and force Paul George's hand.
02:05They did not think he wanted to leave Los Angeles, California.
02:08They believed he wanted to be a Clipper.
02:09And it's my understanding that their backup plan was,
02:11all right, if we get to a point
02:13where he insists on the fourth year,
02:14we can reevaluate whether we want to do that or not.
02:17But then you have to make a decision
02:18whether we want to do that or not.
02:19But they made him frustrated enough
02:21that he made the decision,
02:22I'm no longer going to be a Clipper.
02:24Can't blame him, he wants to get paid.
02:25Yeah, I can't blame him.
02:26He's 34 years old, and maybe he doesn't want to play
02:29like until 39 or 40 like LeBron.
02:31And he's like, hey, I got to get all of my money.
02:34You can't blame him.
02:35I never want to count another man's pockets.
02:37But at the end of the day, I agree with Bill.
02:39There's frustration there.
02:41And when those guys, sometimes money's not enough.
02:44Respect is something else.
02:45That's a whole nother conversation.
02:47And maybe he feels like, hey, I deserve this.
02:51I had a banner year.
02:52And when the team was good, we were really good.
02:55And as presently constructed, if guys aren't healthy,
02:58I don't know if we can get there.
02:59Obviously the James Harden thing
03:01probably has something to do with it too.
03:02And that's just how it is, man.
03:03The egos are huge in that locker room.
03:07And he has a chance to maybe do something somewhere else.
03:10But at the end of the day, he's gone.
03:12And they overplayed their hand
03:13and leverage is something else, boy.
03:14How would that work in Philadelphia?
03:18Here's my thing.
03:19I think that Tyrese Maxey's a young player.
03:21And he can, and Paul Jordan is someone
03:24that he can learn from.
03:26Joel Embiid is an MVP.
03:28The thing is, with Joel Embiid staying healthy,
03:30see, my thing is with the Sixers,
03:33when Joel Embiid goes out, right,
03:35who is the guy that can keep everything steady
03:39and can still score and keep them at a high level?
03:41Andre Drummond?
03:42Not Andre Drummond.
03:43And not, well, he could-
03:44They could get a deal with him done.
03:45Well, they did.
03:46He's the guy to come in and just be a stopgap
03:48until Embiid comes back in.
03:49But you were, depending on Tyrese Maxey
03:52to carry the load in the NBA,
03:54when you're trying to beat the Celtics and the Knicks,
03:56the Nova Knicks, and even the Magic,
03:58you know, with getting KCP.
04:00So at the end of the day,
04:01I just think there's a situation
04:03where they need another star.
04:05You know, they just got Eric Gordon to sign.
04:07And they're good, some other players,
04:09but certainly not enough.
04:10They need one more piece and we'll see what happens.
04:13But they needed another elite score
04:15to be able to unseat the Celtics
04:17and probably challenge the Knicks.
04:19Well, meantime, the Clippers and James Harden
04:21have agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal.
04:23They also agreed to a two-year deal
04:24with Kevin Porter Jr., who's returning to the NBA.
04:27Bill, what do you make of the move to keep Harden?
04:31I make it by what Chris said a little bit ago.
04:33Leverage is a beautiful thing if you have it.
04:36The reality is the way that the cap works,
04:38if James Harden had left the Clippers,
04:40they would not be able to replace him
04:42or anyone approximating him,
04:43just from a perspective of not,
04:45that they have his bird rights,
04:47they can offer him what they can offer him.
04:48If he left, there's nothing else they could have done
04:51to bring in somebody else.
04:52So he got a really great deal,
04:54two years at what, $35 million a year.
04:56And not just that, he gets a player option
04:57on the second year.
04:58So if he has a great season and all that money
05:00rushes in from the new rights deals,
05:01Amazon and other folks who are pumping up the money,
05:03half that goes to the players.
05:05This is a classic case of,
05:07he's not worth that on the open market.
05:09There would have been a market for him, guys,
05:11but not a robust one.
05:12And certainly not at that kind of a price,
05:14but because the Clippers had no other choice,
05:16because they're trying to win now
05:17with the new arena they're opening,
05:18because they did pay Kawhi Leonard,
05:20and because especially Paul George is leaving,
05:23they understood they had to pay James Harden.
05:25Harden understood he was gonna get paid,
05:27and he got a great deal as a result.
05:29And I agree.
05:30And again, you're talking about Lawrence Frank,
05:31who I think is a very well-respected GM in the NBA,
05:36but you start looking at it with Steve Ballmer,
05:38who's a great businessman as well.
05:39He's got a couple of dollars in the bank,
05:41and you knew you were gonna lose Paul George, probably,
05:44if you didn't offer him those four years.
05:46And they were content not doing that,
05:47because I think Bill made a great point earlier.
05:49What is a year three?
05:51What is a year four?
05:52You know, and you see what the Lakers did,
05:54rest in peace with Kobe in those last two years,
05:56and how the Lakers organization suffered.
05:59So at the end of the day,
06:00this may end up being a smart move,
06:02but they knew they had to keep a star.
06:04James Harden is from California.
06:06He still has something in the tank.
06:07He may not have what he had,
06:10but if you can somewhat keep Kawhi healthy,
06:12and you got James Harden,
06:13you still have a chance in the West.
06:15Now, will that mean championship?
06:17But if you got two stars, right,
06:19I like my chances with two stars, then no stars.
06:22All right, staying in California,
06:24Klay Thompson having discussions with the Clippers.
06:27He's also talking to the Lakers, Mavs, and 76ers.
06:30LeBron says he's willing to take a pay cut
06:32so that the Lakers can sign an impact player.
06:34Klay definitely fits that role.
06:35Bill, what are you hearing about a possible
06:37sign and trade with Klay Thompson?
06:40Yeah, that's absolutely a possibility.
06:43There's a report out there that LeBron James
06:45had personally reached out to Klay Thompson.
06:46That matches what I've heard
06:47from folks close to LeBron and the Lakers
06:49that he, LeBron James, is going to be involved,
06:52that if he's gonna take a pay cut to make this happen,
06:54he would, so the Lakers could use
06:56the non-taxpayer mid-level exception,
06:58right around $13 million a year.
07:00He wants a star-level player who would also take a pay cut.
07:03The names that were given to me were Klay Thompson,
07:05DeMar DeRozan, folks like that.
07:06The sign and trade is certainly something
07:08that it sounds like the Warriors
07:09would be willing to facilitate.
07:10They get something in return,
07:12and even though I'm told that Klay is leaving,
07:14largely because he feels like he has not been paid
07:16what he has earned in Golden State,
07:18there's still good feelings,
07:19at least from the organization.
07:20They want to do right by him.
07:22They're not gonna pay him what they don't think he's worth,
07:23but they want to do right by him on the way out.
07:25Sign and trade is certainly possible.
07:27I'll say this, though, guys, just talking to folks.
07:29There's a robust market for Klay Thompson.
07:31There's a sense that a deal can be done.
07:33One source told me maybe Klay would take a spike deal
07:36in terms of a little bit of a discount.
07:37So yeah, the Lakers are in the mix,
07:38but if you're the Mavs, if you're Philly,
07:40if you're even Orlando,
07:41some of their camp space has gone away.
07:43I think there's gonna be a lot of interest in Klay Thompson
07:45and a lot of different teams pitching him
07:47on a vision why he should join their organization.
07:50Please see, for me, it's very clear.
07:51If I was a GM, right, and I always talk about ADs
07:54and how they sign coaches,
07:56these coaches to these robust deals.
07:58I'm like, yeah, but in year three, what if he's terrible?
08:00He's got a 10-year deal.
08:01You know, now you're on to help so much money.
08:04I feel the same way in the NBA and NFL.
08:07Pay them for what they can do, not for what they've done.
08:10And that's why you should get your money when you can.
08:13When you have your leverage, use it.
08:14Don't give them the discount
08:16because when the company has you in a situation,
08:20trust me, they're gonna do what's in the best interest
08:21of the company.
08:23So now, Klay Thompson, a tough spot.
08:26Forget about sticking it to Golden State.
08:28For me, it comes down to if LeBron's reaching out to you,
08:31right, and again, that didn't work out
08:33with Russell Westbrook
08:34and it didn't work out with other players,
08:35but this is a situation, particularly,
08:37I think you or Bill brought up earlier,
08:39if they couple the move with Dalton Connect
08:43and a couple of second-round picks to get another star,
08:45I think the Lakers could be in business.
08:48Maybe not to Bill's satisfaction
08:50of being a championship-level team,
08:52but I'm telling you right now,
08:53they would be in a conversation
08:55with Austin Reeves and Adilo.
08:56So you like Klay to the Lakers?
08:58100%.
08:59That's your best fit for him?
09:00Trust me, if I'm Klay Thompson,
09:03the reason why it's not working out,
09:04because everyone remembers Klay Thompson in the Big Three.
09:07It's over.
09:08It's time to move on, but guess what?
09:11Ray Allen wasn't the same Ray Allen
09:13that he played in Boston and Seattle,
09:15but when he got to Miami, guess what?
09:17Stand in the corner, make the corner three.
09:20And that's what he did.
09:21Make a couple Big Threes a game,
09:22you got the other guys out there.
09:24So I believe that Klay, if you wanna revive your career
09:27and if you wanna have another chance to win another chip,
09:30it's not going to Philadelphia.
09:32It's definitely not going to Phoenix.
09:34You gotta go to LA.
09:36That's my pitch.
09:37Klay, there it is right there.
09:38LA, my brother, let's go.
09:39Klay Thompson to the Lakers, according to Chris Walker.
09:42That's what he'd like to see happen.
09:44Perhaps, look, Klay Thompson once bristled
09:47at LeBron James during the NBA Finals,
09:49and maybe now they can make up.
09:51Politics, man, they always make up.
09:52Politics, they can make up,
09:54and maybe they'll be teammates,
09:55and everybody will be happy in Los Angeles.
09:58All right, now time for your biggest winner
09:59from day one of free agency in the NBA, Bill.
10:01Who stood out to you?
10:04Look, I think it's the Sixers.
10:05Just the fact that there is,
10:06we don't know what's gonna happen.
10:08We don't know what's gonna happen with Paul George,
10:09but the fact that they have the cap space,
10:11they can go out of Klay Thompson.
10:12Now that we know that PG's leaving the Clippers,
10:14they can make a run at him.
10:15There was some concern out there
10:17when Darryl Morey set up this plan
10:19for this summer of 2024 for Philadelphia
10:22to have all this room,
10:23that you weren't gonna have guys to target.
10:24There are gonna be guys.
10:25Paul George is gonna be out there.
10:27Klay Thompson's gonna be out there.
10:28We have to wait and see what happens
10:29because we know who's leaving places that are big names.
10:32We don't know who's arriving,
10:33but I think Philly's a winner
10:35in terms of how they position themselves,
10:37given how some of the chips
10:38and some of the down rolls have fallen so far.
10:40Yeah, for me, I mean, it was Orlando magic.
10:42I think getting KCP,
10:44the fifth starter from a championship team
10:46from the Dipper Nuggets was huge.
10:47They needed some adding shooting.
10:48They needed a winner in the locker room.
10:50They got a lot of young talent
10:53and they needed a guy who's gonna allow Franz Wagner,
10:56who's gonna allow Paolo Bancaro to lead, right?
11:01I think that's important.
11:02I think that's what Boston did
11:03when they brought in Jeruel Holiday,
11:05very good player, a winner, a champion.
11:06He allowed those two young stars
11:10and Tatum and Brown to lead.
11:13And I think that's what this team,
11:14again, Jamal Moses has done a tremendous job of this group.
11:17I thought they would have been a better fit
11:18to play against Boston
11:20than the Cleveland Cavaliers.
11:22Look for this team to really rise
11:24and make some more moves
11:25because they also have some more money.
11:26They can't get PG,
11:27but they have some more money to make some moves.
11:29Yeah, KCP, a three-year $66 million deal
11:33joining the Orlando magic.
11:35All right, as for your biggest loser on day one
11:37of free agency, Bill, who would you say that is?
11:41It's the Clippers
11:41and it's not just because they lost Paul George.
11:43There's actually, there's some reasoning that makes sense
11:46for not offering Paul George the fourth year.
11:48We don't know what he would have been
11:49in years three and four,
11:50assuming he's healthy in the first two years
11:52of what would have been a four-year deal.
11:53And they would have gone into the second April
11:56which is highly restrictive.
11:57But if you're going to pay Kawhi Leonard
11:58and you're going to eventually pay James Harden
12:00and you've sort of had this all-in approach
12:03to building the team,
12:04you either have to,
12:05if you're gonna give up on Paul George,
12:07do a straight rebuild
12:08or you have to just pay Paul George the money
12:10and make sure he comes back.
12:11Because I think as they're constructed,
12:13they are not good enough to win an NBA championship.
12:15I don't think that they're even
12:16a conference finals level team.
12:17And they're also not rebuilding for the future.
12:20You gotta pick a lane.
12:21And Steve Ballmer and the fact
12:22that he's opening a brand new arena,
12:24I understand the pressures there.
12:25They either had to manage Paul George better
12:27and see this coming
12:28or in lieu of Paul George being a part of that team,
12:31you gotta tear the whole thing down.
12:33A lack of a vision
12:34and an inability to get the deal done with Paul George,
12:36I think makes LA a big loser
12:38at the start of free agency.
12:39Again, contracts can't be signed
12:41until the moratorium ends on July 6th.
12:43Bill Reiter, Chris Walker here
12:44with the very latest on CBS Sports HQ.
12:46Thank you.
12:48And for all things NBA,
12:50join Bill Reiter, John Gonzalez,
12:51and Ashley Nicole Moss on Beyond the Arc,
12:54delivering all the insider information
12:55as free agency heats up.
12:57It's Beyond the Arc.
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