The firehose of NBA rumors is wide open and coming fast — as are the trades and signings. Here is some of the latest talk around the league.
Boston talking to teams about Brown
Whether Boston will trade Jaylen Brown or hang on to him and chase another ring with a retooled roster around him and Jayson Tatum remains to be seen. What we do know is that Boston is at least having conversations with teams about Brown, according to multiple reports.
What fans also understand is what a lot of teams around the league believe as well: After so publicly dangling him in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, the relationship is fractured and bringing him back is, at best, awkward.
There are a lot of Brown rumors flying around:
• The Celtics ultimately believe they don’t have to make a deal, that they can repair any damage to their relationship with the All-NBA wing coming off his best season (where he finished sixth in MVP voting). With that, they feel they have leverage and are keeping the asking price high when they do talk Brown trade, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania, who said on “Get Up”, “In some cases, the Celtics have asked for at least four first-round picks for Jaylen Brown.”
• Portland remains aggressive in going after Brown, reports Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. New Portland owner Tom Dundon wants to make a splash and has his front office being aggressive in going after a big star. Brown is the kind they need to chase because he has three years left on his current contract, so this is not a potential rental. Whether Boston is interested in Portland’s offer is a different question.
• Cleveland wouldn’t trade Evan Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but would they feel differently about Jaylen Brown? It’s a question being asked around the league, but the Cavaliers don’t seem into the idea. At least not yet.
• Houston has not been active in going after Brown, reports The Stein Line.
It’s no secret the Lakers are looking to upgrade at center (it should be noted Deandre Ayton is expected to pick up his player option and be back with the team). Mitchell Robinson is the kind of big man they could use, but his health concerns — particularly his chronic ankle issues — will give the Lakers and every team some pause.
The Lakers may offer Robinson a “long-term” deal at around the mid-level exception of $15.1 million, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. That’s a fair price, if Robinson is looking to come West. Brooklyn reportedly also has interest (although agents use the Nets as a “boogie man” in every rumor they leak because the Nets have cap space, so take some of those with a grain of salt).
The Lakers also have been linked to Dallas center Daniel Gafford, and after the Mavericks drafted Morez Johnson Jr. in the lottery this week, Gafford may be more available, Siegel of ClutchPoints reports.
Robinson may be the odd man out in New York as Knicks owner James Dolan says he does not want to venture into the second apron of the luxury tax. New York would need to get Robinson to take a significant pay cut to return and keep them out of the second apron, and that’s not happening. Robinson made almost $13 million last season and showed his value in the playoffs; he’s going to be expecting a raise, and it seems at least one team (and likely more) is willing to do just that.
Cleveland is another team looking largely to run it back (with a tweak or two), but they are also battling the second apron. The solution might be to trade Max Strus, a solid two-way wing player, something Brian Windhorst discussed on ESPN Cleveland radio.
“I would keep an eye on Max Strus. Dean Wade is going to be expensive, I think more expensive than the Cavs were hoping. I think Keon Ellis could be gone unless they lose Dean Wade. If they lose Dean Wade, I think they re-engineer the concept of Keon Ellis.
“Max Strus is extension eligible, has one year at $19 million left on his contract. I want to see if the Cavs are extending Max Strus or if they have to trade Max Strus. And the reason you would trade Max Strus is so that you could potentially afford to keep Dean Wade.”
If the Cavaliers trade Strus, it would have to be to a team that can absorb him into cap space or has a trade exception big enough to take on his $16.7 million contract. Cleveland is not going to want to take back salary in this deal.
Health is another concern for any interested teams. Strus played in just 12 games last season due to a bone fracture and foot surgery, and 50 games the season before. During the postseason, especially against Detroit and New York, Strus showed his two-way wing potential in playoff series against the Pistons and Knicks.
Other trade rumors
• Kevon Looney about to be free agent. New Orleans is not going to pick up the team option on veteran center Kevon Looney, and he will be a free agent, reports Chris Haynes and others. Looney won three rings with the Golden State Warriors but played just 21 games last season with the Pelicans and seemed to take a step back from his Warriors days. If healthy, he could be a solid backup big for a team.
• John Collins interest. Both the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs are interested in Collins, reports ClutchPoints Siegel. Collins is a solid veteran big man who averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game last season with the Clippers. Collins is a free agent and made $26.6 million last season, that per-year number likely comes down a little with this next deal wherever it is.
• Dorian Finney-Smith available. The Rockets continue to explore trade possibilities around veteran wing Dorian Finney-Smith, reports Stein and Fischer. How big the market is for him coming off a down season in Houston remains to be seen. He is set to make $13.3 million next season, and while there are two years after that on his contract, neither is fully guaranteed.
• Myles Turner interest. In the wake of the Giannis Antetokounmpo teams have called Milwaukee about Turner, a stretch five, but Milwaukee isn’t actively looking to trade him, according to Stein.
• Chicago picked up its $2.4 million team option for Leonard Miller. Which was expected, he averaged 11.7 points per game with Chicago after being traded from Minnesota at the deadline and getting a chance he did not see with the Timberwolves.
• Lonnie Walker IV is looking to make a return to the NBA after playing last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv, reports Stein.
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