The NBA free agent period has been active so far this offseason and players like Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, Jeremy Lin and Lou Williams remain available and could be targets for the Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks on the market heading into the second week of free agency.
The Kings have been pushing hard to sign a notable free agent and they have cleared cap space to give themselves a chance to do it, while the Knicks and Lakers both have significant space to use. The Dallas Mavericks have been active in trying to sign players and they have reportedly agreed with Wesley Johnson and are one of the favorites for DeAndre Jordan. Once all that settles the point guard deals could come and the trio of Lin, Beverley and Rondo are getting interest from the same teams.
ESPN Dallas reports that the Mavericks may try and sign Lin to an inexpensive deal if they lock in Jordan and earlier reports had the team interested in Beverley. Lin has also garnered interest from the Sacramento Kings, NY Knicks and Rockets, where he previously signed an expensive contract and had to be traded. Rondo is not expected to return to the Mavericks, but what he does could affect Houston, as the Kings are also interested in Beverley, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
The Knicks have brought in Arron Afflalo and they are reportedly in agreement with Robin Lopez and now they could look at adding a point guard. The team has Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant heading into the season, but Calderon dealt with injuries last year and Grant is just a rookie. The team reportedly is looking at Corey Brewer and Derrick Williams along with Beverley and one of those names could be the next main target for Phil Jackson.
The Knicks reportedly called Beverley on the first day of free agency and reports have the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings also interested. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported on Thursday that the Knicks were "ramping up" their pursuit of Beverley as free agency pushed into the weekend. Kennedy writes that if Beverley signed, the team likely could use Calderon as trade bait since he would likely be the new starter.
Rondo is meeting with the Kings and they are expected to make a strong push for him in free agency according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Rondo has been considered a target for the King for a while and they could get aggressive after losing out on Wes Matthews. The team is also reportedly looking at Lou Williams and he could be a fit if Rondo signs elsewhere. Kennedy also reports that the team has had "significant talks" with Beverley, but he is tougher, as the Rockets can match offers for him on the market.
The dominoes likely will start to fall if one of the point guards sign, as the Mavericks, Kings, Knicks and Rockets are looking at some of the same players. Williams and other free agents like JR Smith are waiting for the big names to sign before they get more attention.
