The playoffs are plowing forward, but for 24 teams, the offseason has already begun in earnest. That means that, as usual, it is a good time to check in on the NBA rumor mill and see where things might be percolating.
We already know two of the Final Four of these NBA players, with the Knicks and Thunder having punched their tickets with impressive sweeps. Increasingly, it appears that those two teams are on a collision course to meet in the NBA Finals, though no one’s ruling out conference finals upsets. Both will be big favorites, however.
That could be important for some maneuvering when it comes to the NBA’s offseason. The Thunder are not likely to enact too many changes, but with two picks in the Top 17 coming their way in this draft, they’re likely to let Isaiah Hartenstein walk in free agency, whether they win the title or not.
For the Knicks, a trip to the Finals might be enough to persuade that front office to make limited changes, and not trade Mikal Bridges or Karl-Anthony Towns. Finals or not, though, Mitchell Robinson is still likely to depart the Knicks, unless he takes a pay cut in free agency.
But more from around the NBA rumor mill.
NBA Rumors Highlight Giannis Antetokounmpo (Again)
There was some titillation out there with the report from ESPN’s Shams Charania about the number of teams–including the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Cavaliers and Warriors–who talked about a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Bucks at the deadline, with those talks taken as sure-bet signals that those teams would resume an Antetokounmpo chase this summer.
But one Eastern Conference executive had some cold water for that notion: “Everyone talked about Giannis with the Bucks, you would be crazy not to call. But the Bucks were not going to trade him them, so the conversations we had were more groundwork, seeing what they’re looking for, trying to get a read on what they thought about we had, what the packages would be. It’s still a long way from that to getting close to making a deal.”
Still, a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is expected to happen in the coming weeks, as the Bucks finally are working with the player to find a way for Milwaukee to get back what it wants, and Antetokounmpo to be happy in his new digs.
Calm Waters Around Jaylen Brown?
Despite the statements from Jaylen Brown and team president Brad Stevens that everything is hunky dory in Boston, all is not well with the Celtics. They will look to continue to make improvements this summer, and though trading Brown is not a priority, it is not off the table, either.
The Celtics are expected to look to improve depth all over the roster, and especially at center. They would move Brown not because they feel they need to get rid of him, or because of frustrations within the team, but only if they can get back a player (or multiple players) that make them a better team around Jayson Tatum. This won’t be the Celtics collecting draft picks and future assets–they want to win now.
And though the Celtics could potentially get creative and make preliminary deals in hopes of adding Antetokounmpo while keeping both Tatum and Brown, both math and logic say it is all but impossible. If Boston is serious about Antetokounmpo, Brown will be dealt.
NBA Rumors: Lakers Moving on From ‘Disaster’
Center Deandre Ayton has an $8.1 million player option for next season, and the team is pretty eager to move on from him and get a big man who can better fit the style of play of star Luka Doncic. Ayton struggled mightily at times in the playoffs, and though he had bright spots through the season, he is not considered a candidate to come back–even if he opts in, look for him to be traded or at least replaced in the starting lineup.
“It’s hard to see his time in that role as anything but a disaster,” one NBA executive said. “The thing with Ayton is he usually does just enough for his team to think he is going to take a step forward. Then he never takes that step forward, and you go through it all over again.
“Everything the Lakers tried to do with him in the regular season was aimed at making him just be serviceable in the playoffs. Like, just serviceable–catch the ball, rebounds the ball, move around in the paint. Do that, and the whole Ayton experiment for them would be successful. He did not do that, though. Disaster.”
NBA Lottery Picks on the Move?
The Wizards have let it be known they would be willing to move off of the first pick in this draft, which is pretty much to be expected for teams with the No. 1 pick–few ever say they’re not willing to trade down or make a bigger deal.
But there are other picks worth watching here, too, starting with when you get out of the Top 3. The Bulls at No. 4 would be willing to move down, but still want a lottery pick in this draft, if they can get other assets. The Clippers got lucky to land the No. 5 pick from the Pacers, but if they decide not to trade Kawhi Leonard, as they’ve said publicly, they could shop that pick to add win-now help.
There are the Warriors, too, at No. 11. There is a presumption that they would trade that pick to trade for someone who can help Stephen Curry in the short term But not so fast. The Dubs have cap and tax concerns, and drafting at No. 11 should allow them to find a player who can contribute right away without being expensive.
“I’ve not heard anything like they want to shop that pick,” one Western Conference GM said. “You wouldn’t start doing that now, necessarily, anyway. But they want to have youth be part of that mix, and with the contracts they have already, they need that cheap labor.”
NBA Rumors: Execs on Giannis Trades, Jaylen Brown, Disgruntled Stars and More