NBA Free Agency Live Blog: Al Horford Agrees To Deal With 76ers
9:11 p.m.: It's a busy hour for busting theories. Not long ago we said that Horford would take a few days to make his decision. That report was a bit inaccurate, as Al is heading to Philadelphia.
9:09 p.m.: So much for Stephen A. Smith's Clippers rumor. Woj says Jimmy Butler is heading to South Beach.
8:38 p.m.: If you were holding your breath waiting for Al Horford news, it may not be coming tonight.
"Horford plans to speak with several teams on Sunday night and then make a final decision on Monday or Tuesday," according to The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. "He might have no interest in coming back to Boston, or the Celtics might have no interest in upping their initial offer."
7:43 p.m.: We're finally getting some speculation on Kawhi Leonard, who's been awfully quiet thus far. Granted, it's not from Wojnarowski or Charania, but nevertheless:
The Clippers have been pretty quiet, and they've been rumored as a Kawhi destination forever, so that wouldn't be a surprise.
7:37 p.m.: Hey, look at that. The New York Knicks can sign a player.
That's probably not the splash that Knicks fans had in mind entering today.
7:11 p.m.: Tobias Harris is staying in Philly. For big bucks.
6:31 p.m.: We've got a trade, and Malcolm Brogdon is on his way out of Milwaukee. He won't have to go far, though, as Indiana picked him up in exchange for three draft picks.
Indiana is also saying goodbye to Bojan Bogdanovic, who's heading to Utah for $73 million over four years.
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more Pacers news -- boom! Jeremy Lamb.
In non-Pacers news, Ricky Rubio is signing with Phoenix.
And we don't want to miss Trevor Ariza's deal in Sacramento.
6:17 p.m.: Outside of Kyrie and Kevin signing with the Nets, we've got some other news.
J.J. Redick is going to the Pelicans to drain some open 3's behind Zion.
The Pelicans also added Nicolo Melli, a power forward from the EuroLeague.
Khris Middleton is staying in Milwaukee, for many dollars.
Derrick Rose is going to Detroit.
Harrison Barnes is staying with the Kings.
6 p.m.: Talk about a roller coaster. Scrap those Al Horford-back-to-the-Celtics stories. Not happening, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
5:17 p.m.: You now have to wonder if that sign-and-trade news regarding Rozier will play into this next bit of news, as Keith Smith of Yahoo reports that the Celtics are making progress toward keeping Al Horford -- through some complicated measures.
That would be ... significant.
5:15 p.m.: More news. It appears as though the Celtics will be pulling off a sign-and-trade, with Terry Rozier going to Charlotte and getting paid.
That's a win for Rozier, whose numbers dropped precipitously last year.
4:54 p.m.: It's happening. Kevin Durant. Brooklyn Nets. Put it on the board. Woj bomb.
Wojnarowski was the one who reported earlier Sunday that Durant would be making the announcement via Instagram. Alas, Wojnarowski gets the scoop regardless.
Woj added that, indeed, it will be Irving, Durant and DeAndre Jordan dropping buckets in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future.
4:48 p.m.: Brook Lopez, the free agent generating next to no buzz, is sticking with Milwaukee. A nice deal for him, too:
4:28 p.m.: Whoa, boy. With that 6 p.m. (imaginary) start time to this whole shindig nearing, we've got a whopper.
Marc Stein reports that the Nets are feeling mighty confident that they'll be able to sign Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan.
Again, we must remember that Durant is coming off a torn Achilles. But provided he can return to his previous form, either next spring or next fall, then that will be a team to be reckoned with.
The Warriors, though, are still reportedly planning to wave a whole lot of money in Durant's face.
3:56 p.m.: Marc Spears of ESPN's The Undisputed reports that the Celtics are keeping their options open in their quest for a big man.
Though the Celtics appear poised to add Kemba Walker, they still have a need at center.
3:27 p.m.: NBA fans won't have to wait long to discover where Kevin Durant is headed.
ESPN reports that Durant will announce his free agent plans Sunday night.
3:15: p.m.: Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Celtics are open to a move that would give them some roster flexibility as they add Kemba Walker to the mix.
Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal points out that the move could allow the Celtics to retain Bird Rights on all of their free agents, including Al Horford.
2:24 p.m.: Updating the earlier report on Jimmy Butler, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports that Butler appears destined for Miami.
1:26 p.m.: We talked earlier about the Horford mystery. Here's a new angle for you: Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer says that some executives believe the Celtics may still be in play to keep their big man.
Now wouldn't that be a twist?
Obviously, as O'Connor pointed out, there'd be a few moving parts involved with that. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out.
1:10: p.m.: We've got some Bojan Bogdanovic news, people!
And we've got some Nikola Vucevic news to boot!
1:05 p.m.: Jimmy Butler may be a slight step down from the aforementioned superstars, but his free agency figures to be another big storyline.
Butler will reportedly meet with the Heat, Rockets and Sixers.
12:50 p.m.: In what would be considered the most boring tidbit of the weekend, it's expected that Klay Thompson and the Warriors agree to a deal very quickly.
Thompson will reportedly get five years and $189.6 million to stay with Golden State.
12:32 p.m.: The potential/likely Kyrie signing in Brooklyn will have a domino effect, as it's expected to lead the Nets to renounce the rights to D'Angelo Russell. From there, the LeBron James/Anthony Davis Lakers will be looking to bring Russell back to L.A.
The 23-year-old Russell was drafted at No. 2 overall in 2015 by the Lakers, but he was traded in 2017 after that rather unique incident with Nick Young. Now, he's coming off a career year, where he averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. He'd be a solid starter to work with LeBron and Davis.
12:23 p.m.: Kevin Durant's torn Achilles put somewhat of a damper on his free agency this summer ... but at the same time, K.D. is still at the center of most every story this weekend.
That includes an intriguing story from Woj, who reported that Durant and Kawhi Leonard have discussed teaming up. While Durant likely won't play at all next season, teams will certainly find it easy to buy in to the idea of becoming an instant contender with those two superstars.
Woj said the Clippers and Knicks would represent realistic possibilities, if the two do decide to team up. That could, of course, leave Kyrie all alone in Brooklyn. We shall see.
Outside of plans with K.D., Leonard will meet with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks and Raptors, according to Woj.
12:18 p.m.: One player whose future appears to be locked in is Kyrie Irving. No surprise here (the writing has been on the wall for a while), but Kyrie and the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly be working quickly to agree to a four-year max contract.
That's according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, whose phone may overheat and explode by 6 p.m. today. Let's hope he has a backup or two.
"The free-agent guard is part of the Nets' bold, two-part plan to acquire Irving and All-NBA forward Kevin Durant in free agency," Woj reported.
The second part of that may take a little bit longer to figure out, as Durant's expected to meet with the Warriors, Knicks and Clippers, in addition to the Nets.
12:11 p.m.: We've heard to many rumors over the past week or so regarding the NBA's free-agent class, with some stories developing into full-fledged, lock-solid guarantees. But with Al Horford? The mystery remains.
The best example of that involves the New Orleans Pelicans' involvement in the Al Horford pursuit. Or perhaps, more accurately, their lack of involvement. It depends when you picked up on the story.
The New York Times' Marc Stein reported Saturday that the Pelicans would be in on the bidding for Horford.
That fun story -- the pairing of Al Horford and Zion Williamson -- didn't last long, as Stein later reported that, well, never mind. No more Pelicans.
We've also heard the Mavericks would be interested, and also that they weren't in the mix. Outside of that, people have thrown around the Clippers, Sixers, and Kings. Whatever Horford decides, it will come as a surprise.
12 p.m.: No league captures the madness of free agency quite like the NBA. And no day should display all of that craziness quite like today.
Though rumors and speculation have swirled for weeks, it will be today at 6 p.m. when teams are technically allowed to finally meet and discuss dollars with free agents. Though contracts can't be inked until July 6, many deals will be agreed upon very quickly once 6 p.m. hits this evening.
Obviously, this offseason will bring about some major change, with some massive superstars set to begin their new lives in new homes. When it comes to all of the breaking news, reports and rumors, keep it here throughout the day, as the live blog will be filled with every bit of NBA news that makes its way out on what is sure to be an exceptionally busy day.
