00:00Thursday afternoon, welcome to CBS Sports HQ.
00:03We are one day away from the fireworks of the 4th of July,
00:06but the fireworks, they've been going on non-stop
00:08when it comes to the NBA free agency.
00:11It's been crazy.
00:11There's still so much more work that needs to be done.
00:13Checking out the top available free agents right now.
00:16Now, restricted free agent, Jonathan Kaminga,
00:18he tops our list at cbssports.com.
00:20You can check out that whole list online.
00:22If you take a look at number three, you see Malik Beasley.
00:25Well, he is currently the subject of a federal gambling probe,
00:29so any deals with him currently are on pause.
00:32And restricted free agent, Cam Thomas, rounds out our top six.
00:37Lucky enough to be joined by Ashley Nicole Moss, now on the desk.
00:40We're going to talk about some of the best landing spots
00:43for these remaining free agents.
00:45You're busy away on that laptop.
00:46It has been non-stop for you, girl.
00:48I don't know how you're still standing right now,
00:50but let's start at number one with Kaminga.
00:53Where do you see him fitting in best?
00:55Yeah, so Kaminga's going to be interesting, right?
00:57I think that more than likely he's sticking with the Golden State Warriors
01:00for a multitude of reasons.
01:02I think the biggest reason for me is that obviously the Warriors have a
01:06qualifying offer to Kaminga, making him a restricted free agent.
01:09They could still re-sign him.
01:11We all know how that works.
01:12But here's the thing.
01:13Kaminga wants to be in a situation where he's going to have a bigger role.
01:17That's been the contention between him and this organization,
01:20Steve Kerr specifically, is that he's never really found his footing.
01:23And as somebody who is a Knicks fan, I know once upon a time we had the same
01:28issue with O.B. Toppin, and O.B. wasn't really able to flourish into his own
01:32as a player until he got where?
01:34The Indiana Pacers.
01:35So it's going to really rely on Kaminga's desire for a larger role,
01:40consistent minutes, and a lucrative contract.
01:43Now the Warriors, on the other hand, though, they need to weigh their potential
01:46asking price and fit within their current roster.
01:50So they have to weigh what Kaminga's going to want against what they're able to provide.
01:54And as we know, these aprons have drastically changed the way these teams are doing business.
01:58But it seems now on July 3rd, this could change, obviously,
02:03that what Kaminga is looking for, there's not a lot of teams who can pay him that.
02:07The Warriors are the only team that has the dibs on him right now.
02:10It's just a matter of they can come to an agreement with what his role is going to be.
02:14I will say this, the Golden State Warriors should start preparing for life after Draymond Green and Steph Curry.
02:20And Jonathan Kaminga may be the piece that they can start doing that with.
02:25They just have to find a middle ground between what he wants and what they can provide.
02:29Still so young, too.
02:30He will be just 23 years old at the start of next season.
02:33Next up on our list, I want to ask about Josh Giddey, traded from the Thunder to the Bulls in June of 2024 for Alex Caruso.
02:40So he had career highs in many categories last season.
02:43What do you think is going to happen?
02:44This one's hard because the Bulls are in the best position to give him what he wants money-wise, right?
02:50But when you talk about what Josh Giddey is looking for, obviously, the paycheck.
02:54Let's be very clear about that.
02:56But I think also there are teams out in the league that necessarily aren't going to be contenders.
03:02They may not even be playoff teams, but neither are the Chicago Bulls.
03:05But they are looking to kind of rebuild and go younger.
03:09And the team on my list for him, if it's not Chicago, the Washington Wizards.
03:14We see the moves that they have made so far.
03:17They're not making these catastrophic, life-changing, franchise-changing moves.
03:21But they are trying to get younger and trying to figure it out as they go.
03:26So if it's not Chicago for me, I think the Wizards would be a good spot for him.
03:29That would be a nice landing spot for sure.
03:32Up next, we have Al Horford, an unrestricted free agent.
03:35The other two were restricted.
03:36Entering his 19th season, 39 years old.
03:40Know him well, Jenny Dell.
03:41You know him well.
03:42So what happens with Horford?
03:44Horford's interesting.
03:45I think the unfortunate reality of the situation is the Jason Tatum injury has kind of just thrown the Boston Celtics in complete disarray.
03:53This was a team that was in prime position to run it back.
03:57This devastating injury to their star has kind of forced this new ownership to really start looking at life, the next iteration of the Boston Celtics.
04:06And we already saw the movement with Porzingis.
04:08We already saw the movement with Drew Holiday.
04:10And Al Horford's an interesting piece.
04:13Veteran guy, phenomenal at his position.
04:17In Boston last season, averaged 9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 42% shooting from the field, and almost 37% from the three.
04:26I think his shooting would be ideal for the Golden State Warriors front court with Butler and Green.
04:32And he's also a guy that's not going to cost you a lot of money.
04:35You could pay him the vet minimum, maybe a little bit above that.
04:38It's not going to put the Warriors over the edge.
04:40We already know the Lakers are probably out of this conversation after signing DeAndre Ayton.
04:46I think if it's not Boston, it's probably the Golden State Warriors.
04:48That would be the best fit for him.
04:50Any concern with his age, getting up there a little bit?
04:53No, I mean, Al Horford's not a guy who's going to log a lot of minutes.
04:56He's not a starter.
04:57He's the guy that comes off the bench.
04:58He's the guy that kind of gets that movement with that second unit.
05:01But the best thing about Al Horford is, yes, he is a particular age, but he is so reliable that he is a guy you want in your locker room.
05:09And also, if we're going to be realistic, it could also come down to the fact that Al Horford just maybe retires.
05:17You mentioned his age.
05:19He's won a championship.
05:20He's had a lucrative career.
05:22Obviously, I believe he's going into the Hall of Fame.
05:24That's a big debate in the NBA world whether or not he will or he won't.
05:28But we always forget when we talk about guys in this stage of their career, there's always a chance that they don't want to go elsewhere.
05:34They just will hang it up before that happens.
05:36But I think the Warriors are a good fit if he ultimately decides not to do that.
05:40Yeah, a 20-24 NBA champ with the Boston Celtics.
05:44Had to throw that one out there.
05:45Five-time All-Star.
05:46Yeah, he's done his part.
05:47That's for sure.
05:48What about a player like Quinton Grimes?
05:50So you look at his numbers last year, 21.9 points per game, five rebounds, four assists, and 28 games with the Sixers.
05:57Dealing with multiple injuries, though, last season, where do you see him ending up?
06:01I would have loved to bring him back to the Knicks.
06:03That would have been an ideal situation for me.
06:06I just don't see that's feasible because Quinton Grimes is looking to get paid.
06:09And obviously, as we know, the 76ers acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks via a trade.
06:14And his performance with the 76ers, especially because of how injured this team was, when you talk about Joel Embiid and Paul George,
06:22and those guys really put him in a different light.
06:25He put him kind of in the center and increased his scoring average.
06:30He has raised his profile.
06:31He's gotten more attractive to other teams.
06:34I think, again, when we talk about a landing spot, if it's not the 76ers, who more than likely will try to retain him,
06:41I think the Wizards are another team to look at.
06:43They are a team that's trying to build young, talented players or trying to bring in young, talented players
06:50to kind of revamp this just disastrous tenure of the Washington Wizards for, I don't even know how many years.
06:56It feels like most of my existence.
06:59And he's 25 years old, so he fits that profile.
07:01But they're going to have to weigh his potential against their financial limitations, and that's where things get sticky.
07:07So, again, if it's not the 76ers who can retain him and more than likely will, for me, the Washington Wizards would be a nice fit.
07:16You're talking about the Wizards needing to get a little bit of help.
07:19Is there a team, before we move on, that you feel like that's still out there that needs a lot of work still at this point?
07:25Um, I mean, it depends.
07:29Like, are we talking teams that are trying to do something, or are we talking teams that just need to rebuild?
07:35Because the Brooklyn Nets are a disaster.
07:37And I just realized, I know Boney's probably yelling, I'm in the control room right now.
07:40Josh Giddey was to the Nets if he didn't go back to Chicago.
07:45So, I'm sorry, Boney, don't yell at me.
07:47It's a lot to remember off the top of my head here.
07:50But I think the Nets are interesting.
07:53I think the Wizards, the Bulls, but these are all teams that, for lack of a better term, are in a black hole when it comes to their future.
08:00It's going to take them a very long time to be back in the conversation.
08:04I think these aprons and the lack of money going around the league has made it very difficult for a lot of these other teams that are in contention to do other things.
08:13The Timberwolves are a perfect example of that.
08:15I think they should have made a move, but they have financial limitations, especially since re-signing Nas Reed and Julius Randle, that have prevented them from making their team a next level better.
08:26We're going to be talking about some of those teams in our next segment.
08:28You mentioned the Nets there.
08:30That brings us to Cam Thomas.
08:31Career highs in points per game, rebounds, assists.
08:35Played 25 games there for the Nets before he lost the remainder of the season with that left hamstring strain.
08:43What happens with a guy like Cam?
08:45Cam Thomas is more than likely coming back to Brooklyn.
08:49I mean, he has made it clear he wants to return to Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's really the only team that has the cap space to afford him.
08:57He's probably looking for anywhere between $80 to $100 million over four years.
09:02And like I said, the Nets have ample cap space and are likely to offer Cam Thomas a competitive deal.
09:09Now, they obviously, I believe, view him as a cornerstone player and are motivated to retain him.
09:15And I just don't see a market where Cam Thomas is going to get, A, the playing time that he gets in Brooklyn, B, kind of the centerpiece option that he gets in Brooklyn,
09:26and more importantly, the money that he gets in Brooklyn because everyone's broke.
09:30Nobody has any cash to spend.
09:33And if they do, they are trying to retain it and maintain themselves under the second apron.
09:38So, Brooklyn's in a very nice situation, like I started off by saying.
09:43They're essentially bidding against themselves for Cam Thomas.
09:46I would be very surprised if he landed anywhere else but Brooklyn.
09:50Brooklyn must be happy about that.
09:53Listen, you got to get some goodness over there, Ash.
09:57Yeah, I mean, I'm a Knicks fan, so I'm fine.
09:59Of course you are.
09:59Okay.
Commentaires