A look at the latest free agency and draft buzz with one day to go until the NBA draft and seven days before NBA free agency hits.
1:30 a.m. ET
- The Blazers are "increasingly fearful they have little chance" to keep LaMarcus Aldridge, according to ESPN. Also: the Lakers are going to make a run at Aldridge and they've reportedly already leapfrogged the hometown Mavericks on his list. Sure!
- ESPN reported in the same storythat Portland will be "very aggressive" in trying to sell Damian Lillard on a five-year, $120 million extension. That's the max, but it's not really the max because Lillard can sign a way bigger contract by waiting until the salary cap explodes. Not sure why he would do that.
- Vlade Divac continues to insist that the Kings aren't planning to trade DeMarcus Cousins, via the Sacramento Bee. Heheheh.
- The Clippers want to buy a second-round pick, according to the Orange County Register, and they'd likely use it to select a wing like Branden Dawson, Larry Nance Jr. or Vincent Hunter. A backup point guard would be an option, too.
12:30 a.m. ET
- DeMarcus Cousins update! The Kings are talking to the Lakers about various trade packages, according to Yahoo Sports. Sacramento is reportedly asking for essentially all of Los Angeles' valuable assets: the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson. The Lakers reportedly want to get a deal done before the draft, and if they don't, they will pick either Jahlil Okafor or D'Angelo Russell. Oh, the intrigue.
- More Cousins: He tweeted at fans saying that he "absolutely" wants to stay in Sacramento and agreeing that a Sacramento Bee column criticizing him is "garbage."
- Yahoo Sports reported that Danilo Gallinari is available. Personally, I wonder which Nuggets are not available.
- The Thunder won't get Matt Barnes in the deal that will send Jeremy Lamb to Charlotte, according to The Oklahoman. Barnes will go elsewhere, it seems, and the Thunder is "in pursuit" of a draft pick, potentially a future pick from the Hornets.
- I support this idea:
Kobe and DeMarcus Cousins should just tweet back and forth about snakes.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 25, 2015
9:25 p.m. ET
- Our Zach Harper graded the Batum trade. Spoiler: one team got an A and one team got a B-.
- DraftExpress reports that there's a "growing consensus" that Philly will take D'Angelo Russell. Also, anything can happen with Willie Cauley-Stein, apparently.
- The Indianapolis Star reports that David West opted out because he didn't want to just "stay for the money." Looks like he's gone, then.
- Phil Jackson told MSG many things, per ESPN's Ian Begley. 1) The Knicks are considering three names at No. 4; 2) they're listening to trades; 3) they Skyped with a European prospect during a tournament.
- The Thunder still aren't finished, as they want to clear another contract so they can more easily sign restricted free agents Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler, according to Yahoo Sports. Free Perry Jones III!
7:50 p.m. ET
- A trade! Nicolas Batum is on his way to Charlotte in exchange for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson, per Yahoo Sports. Reportedly, LaMarcus Aldridge knew this was happening and it is not the first step toward entering a rebuilding phase.
- ESPN's Chad Ford says this "probably" means Frank Kaminsky ends up going No. 9.
- The Hornets are not done. According to the Charlotte Observer, they're acquiring Jeremy Lamb from the Thunder, which reunites him with his UConn backcourt pal Kemba Walker. This is wonderful. Matt Barnes' contract will be going elsewhere in this deal, but he won't be playing for OKC.
- Back to the Blazers for a second. If Aldridge does leave, guess who they'll chase as a replacement. I'll give you a hint: the Cavs call him "menace" for some reason.
- Pacers forward David West is testing free agency instead of picking up his $12.6 million player option, per the Indianapolis Star.
5:45 p.m. ET
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports on a huge number of interesting items, including the Heat looking to move out of the ten spot, and the Celtics trying to move into the top ten. The Heat surprisingly are looking to move Josh McRoberts' salary to help with their free agency efforts. Read Berger for more.
- Yahoo Sports reports the Hornets are looking to move Cody Zeller and could target Frank Kaminsky in tomorrow's draft. It's surprising considering how well Zeller played last year, particularly defensively over the second-half of the season. He made real strides, but that could also be why they're open to moving him.
- The Rockets exercised their option on Kostas Papanikolaou, probably to make a move with him, ESPN reports. The Rockets are said to be aggressively trying to move up in the draft.
- Sam Smith has a huge roundup of rumors you should take with a grain of salt at Bulls.com. Tis the season, after all.
- Here's a 2,900 word profile on Kristaps Porzingis and what he can, and can't do.
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly says that the team is looking for more than a roleplayer at 7... which he says isn't where you usually find those. Hmmm...
3:04 p.m. ET
- Cleveland's Kevin Love will be a free agent, and Boston is reportedly making its push.
12:30 p.m. ET
- The Sacramento Kings are interested in signing center JaVale McGee who played for George Karl in Denver. McGee did play well under Karl but again this is JaVale McGee we are discussing.
- Kings coach George Karl said there are "fibs and lies" about the situation with him and DeMarcus Cousins. Fun times in Sacramento.
- Isaiah Thomas wants to get Cousins out of Sacramento and is recruiting him to the Celtics via Instagram.
- The Dallas Mavericks will likely trade Monta Ellis if he opts in. Looks like Monta Ellis doesn't "have it all" in Dallas anymore.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to trade some role players for a draft pick.
- The Kings are looking to trade Rudy Gay and are also interested in signing Rajon Rondo. More fun in Sacramento!
- The Orlando Magic traded Luke Ridnour to the Memphis Grizzlies. Ridnour could be traded again or the Grizzlies may retain him if Nick Calathes leaves in free agency.
- Stan Van Gundy is not "optimistic" about the Detroit Pistons bringing back Greg Monroe.
- Here are the 19 players invited to the NBA's draft night green room.
- Greivis Vasquez is spreading rumors about his own future destination.
- After one season, the Anthony Bennett experiment in Minnesota is already over.
- Paul Pierce is expected to 'wind up' with the Clippers. A reunion with Doc Rivers would be a fitting end to Pierce's career.
- Thad Young opts out of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets, could he be seeking a fresh start somewhere else?
