NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay and More
On Tuesday, the NBA draft lottery will set this year's draft order, and teams like the New York Knicks can only hope for some pingpong ball luck. At the moment, team executive Phil Jackson and his scouting group have their eyes set on two well-known prospects and one intriguing foreign product.
Other teams will go after established players on the free-agent market. The Philadelphia 76ers have stumbled upon their fair share of good experiences in the draft process and then poor fortune when it comes to injuries to those prospects. This summer, the organization will focus on luring a native back to his hometown.
Forward Rudy Gay won't headline the 2017 free-agent class, but he's still an effective scorer with a decent shooting percentage. What's his summer plan? Does he have a desired landing spot for his next destination?
We'll delve into offseason chatter and targets for two struggling franchises looking to move up the ladder in the Eastern Conference.
Mutual Interest Between Kyle Lowry and the Philadelphia 76ers?
The Sixers will attempt to upgrade the point guard spot during the offseason. Keith Pompey of Philly.com connected the dots between Kyle Lowry and Bryan Colangelo, who serves as Philadelphia's president of basketball operations and general manager:
"Sources have said the North Philly native has been interested in playing for the Sixers for some time. The speculation only heightened once Bryan Colangelo became the president of basketball operations in April 2016. As the Raptors general manager, Colangelo acquired Lowry in a trade from the Houston Rockets on July 11, 2012. The two have remained good friends since then.
"And sources have always said that the Sixers planned to offer Lowry a lucrative contract this summer."
PhillyVoice writer Rich Hofmann laid out the financial plan for Lowry on a four-year max deal:
The Sixers have played the lottery game for the past few seasons and put trust in the process. With Ben Simmons, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick, on the mend and Joel Embiid flashing his unique skill set through 31 games before a season-ending injury, Philadelphia can add a proven floor general to maximize on its developing talent.
Everyone loves a "going home" story, but there's one issue with Lowry joining the Sixers. After the 31-year-old guard expressed his intention to test the free-agent market, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein, he also placed winning a championship at the top of his priorities, per Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic:
Unless the Sixers have an ace up their sleeve with a plan to trade for Paul George, it's tough to see this team pushing for a playoff spot during 2017-18 campaign—let alone an NBA title. Colangelo's bond with Lowry would have to supersede the guard's immediate desire to contend in the postseason.
New York Knicks' Desired Draft Targets
The Knicks' offseason will likely bring significant change, and Jackson must pick up another quality prospect as he pushes Carmelo Anthony, who turns 33 on May 29, out of the door.
New York should keep tabs on prospects behind Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson due to the probability of picking outside the top three. According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, the team has shown high interest in Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox and Frank Ntilikina.
Casual basketball fans probably recognize the two Kentucky products, who helped the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament, but Ntilikina played with SIG Strasbourg over the past two years in the professional French basketball league.
Within Begley's report, ESPN.com's Fran Fraschilla provided reasons for the Knicks' interest in a 6'5" guard.
"I hate to say this because I'm not a fan of the triangle, I think in the modern NBA the spacing doesn't work as well as it did in the old days, but he's a triangle kind of player, simply because he's not really a 1, and he's not really a 2. He's a guard," said Fraschilla.
Jackson won't give up the triangle concept as long as he's the president of basketball operations in New York. Whether it hurts or helps the team going forward, he's going to look for players who fit his system. Knicks fans may not like the triangle offense, but Ntilikina offers upside as a bigger pass-first point guard who can defend multiple positions.
Rudy Gay Open to Talk with Any Team
Teams looking for a pure scorer with the ability to contribute 18 points on any given night will likely give Gay a call during the offseason.
According to The Undefeated's Marc Spears, the 11th-year veteran would be open to signing with any team during free agency, including the Sacramento Kings, whom he played for over the past four seasons.
Gay tore his left Achilles tendon in January, but Kings general manager Vlade Divac and head coach Dave Joerger expressed interest in re-signing the 30-year-old forward, per Sacramento Bee writer Jason Jones.
The Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins in exchange for a 2017 first-round pick and Buddy Hield, who's also a pure scorer. Sacramento should pursue a player who defends well on the wing as opposed to another offensive-minded component at the 3 spot.
As for Gay, he's played postseason basketball after one season during his 11-year career. For a chance at an NBA title, he's better off signing with a contender looking to boost its points-per-game average.
Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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