Liberty Links: Everyone is waiting on Gordon Hayward’s free agency decision

The Sixers did not get the win in their Summer League debut Monday night, but nobody really cares about Summer League results. Markelle Fultz made some nice plays, showed he has a ton of talent, and that’s really all that matters. It’s going to be rough watching him with this Summer League group, though.

To the links...

It’s judgment day for Gordon Hayward

The one thing we can all agree on around these parts—anywhere but Boston. There hasn’t really been any indication of where he’s headed one day or another, with the only real hint coming courtesy of Ramona Shelburne.

Kevin Durant Will Make Harrison Barnes Money in Order to Maintain the Warriors’ Core—Danny Chau, The Ringer

Taking demonstrably less than his full market value hurts the players union as a whole (since most players don’t have the same access to alternative avenues of income that Durant does). Durant’s decision makes it painfully clear that it will always be the players who have to make “sacrifices,” never the owners.

Remember stuff like this next time a billionaire starts crying poor about needing extra cash for an arena.

Kevin Durant is convinced you can’t translate basic slang

Come on, man.

Chauncey Billups removes name from Cavaliers' front-office search—Woj

"I have great respect for Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I greatly appreciate the discussions we had regarding their organization," Billups told ESPN. "As I have conveyed before, ultimately I would like to lead a team's basketball operation and be a part of a successful franchise. But presently, the timing just isn't right to delve into that role in Cleveland. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on broadcasting and my other business endeavors."

Salute to Dan Gilbert, who forced out a good GM to try to hire a guy with no front-office experience, only to get turned down by said guy in the end. If LeBron wasn’t born in Akron, the Cavs would probably still be the dumpster fire they were before LeBron showed up (and after he left the first time).

We have a double sign-and-trade!

I’m not sure whether it’s more funny or sad that the Clippers finally got a wing who can help handle the load on offense the minute Chris Paul went out the door. Probably sad, but I’m also a CP3 mark, so your milage may vary.

Amir Johnson, Robert Covington, and the Sixers’ remaining cap space—Godner a.k.a. The Human Patreon a.k.a. Derek Bodner

It makes sense to offer Covington a huge boost in 2017-18 pay in the hopes that it can get him at a lower per-year contract than if they waited until next summer to lock him up. They can, essentially, turn what would have been a $15 million per year contract into an $11.2 million per year contract thanks to the flexibility their cap space provides. Doing so would give Covington the same amount of money in the end, but much of it far sooner than he otherwise would have received. There’s substantial benefits for both sides.

Derek with some good info on potential salary parameters for Covington.

Markelle Fultz shows the process is close to yielding results—Kevin Pelton, ESPN

Good defense is about more than just the occasional spectacular block, and Fultz was generally a more attentive off-the-ball defender than he showed in college. He was aggressive helping off his man, leading not only to the help-side block but also to a play in which he tied up Brown for a jump ball.

While Fultz's first summer league game didn't finish the way he had hoped, it was an encouraging performance overall that should do nothing but whet the appetite of Philadelphia fans eager to see the process turn into results on the court.

My appetite is something fierce, I tell ya.