NBA Free Agency Rumors, News: Latest on LeBron James, Russell Westbrook to Miami? – NBC Sports
NBA Free Agency Rumors, News: Latest on LeBron James, Russell Westbrook to Miami?
- By
- Kurt Helin,
- By
- Kurt Helin
Published July 12, 2026 05:38 PM
LAS VEGAS — NBA Summer League grinds on in Sin City, moving past the star-studded first weekend into where the star rookies and players get shut down. In their place, guys trying to get noticed often try to do too much. With that background, here are the latest rumors and notes flying around Vegas about free agency
LeBron James latest
There has been a lot of talk but very little actual new info on the LeBron James front: His agent, Rich Paul, is talking to teams and relaying news — and voice texts — to LeBron as teams make their pitch. Then there are the public pitches, like Stephen Curry at the American Century Championships
“Up until probably two, three years ago, that was like a pipe-dream question or even a thought,” Curry said. “But that’s part of the allure. Him going into his 24th season, me going into my 18th, the battles we’ve had, that would be such a unique story in NBA history, in sports history. But a little premature right now to talk about it.”
Minnesota coach Chris Finch made his pitch during an appearance on a Bleacher Report live stream with Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line
Today’s @BleacherReport live stream from the Thomas & Mack alongside @JakeLFischer began with Timberwolves coach Chris Finch telling us he believes Minnesota is still alive in the LeBron chase. And @dru_star has the clip below of me saying LeBron is “looking at Eastern… https://t.co/HU319v1GJw
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 10, 2026
That said, the consensus remains that Cleveland and Miami are the frontrunners, some people (including Stein and ESPN’s Shams Charania) believe Philadelphia is in that tier, with the other three teams (Minnesota, Golden State and Denver) well back. LeBron has seen the West and wants to play in the East next season
Russell Westbrook to Miami?
Russell Westbrook is an unrestricted free agent, coming off a season where he averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 33.8% from 3-point range. At age 37, he was not on top of the board for most teams, but as we get deeper into the offseason and teams are rounding out their guard rotations, Westbrook is getting looks
Westbrook could land in Miami if they miss out on the LeBron sweepstakes, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. LeBron and Westbrook together on the Lakers did not work — to put it kindly — and Miami isn’t going to recreate that experiment
Westbrook also is not a shooter. With Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the roster, Miami needs shooters, which makes the addition of Westbrook odd, but stranger things have happened
Other free agency notes
• The Lakers and Hawks have talked about a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade bringing the athletic wing to Los Angeles, but things are not moving fast. First, the Lakers and Kuminga are reportedly not close on what Kuminga’s next contract should look like (Kuminga is rumored to want around $25 million a season average, the Lakers reportedly offered two years, $20 million total). Second, the Hawks want more “than the Lakers can offer right now,” reports NBA insider Jake Fischer. One rumored sticking point was the Hawks wanting the Lakers’ 2032 first-round pick in a swap.
• Keep an eye on the Gary Trent Jr. contract — four years, $64 million is what was agreed to — if/when it becomes official. That out-of-the-blue contract has raised eyebrows around the league, after Trent played the last two seasons on a minimum. Would the league look into the signing as something agreed to before he took those minimum deals?
• Isaiah Evans is headed back to Minnesota
The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Isaiah Evans to a four-year, $9.3 million deal, which includes three fully guaranteed years and a fourth-year team option, leagueraft and was an All-ACC Team selection at Duke. pic.twitter.com/yWlm2jhTgT
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 12, 2026
• Alpha Diallo grew up in Denver, played his high school ball, and now the former Providence Friar is headed back to Denver on a minimum deal
EuroLeague Defender of the Year Alpha Diallo has agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal to sign with the Denver Nuggets, agents Jared Mucha and Javon Phillips of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. The former Providence standout and Euro star makes the NBA jump at 29 years old on… pic.twitter.com/aaN5t7AIFi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 12, 2026
• Just a note talking to people around the league, everyone expects the Kawhi Leonard to Toronto trade to get approved. Eventually. Once the Aspiration investigation ends. Again, eventually
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