NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony and More

A month ago, the idea Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving would combine to drive the NBA rumors market heading right into August would've seemed silly. 

Silly can be entertaining, though.

For Anthony and Rose, one would've thought the drama around those two long concluded by now. And a month ago, one could've never predicted the explosion of drama around Irving, coming off another Finals appearance and playing alongside LeBron James.

Alas, these remain entertaining times thanks to the mentioned names. Here's the latest.

Rose Drama Concludes

Darren Abate/Associated Press

To be fair to Rose, the man decided to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he can't help if the rumor mill keeps talking about him in the aftermath.

The Cavaliers announced the signing, which in theory would've given the team a superb former MVP in a backup role behind Irving (more on that in a bit).

Instead, depending on what happens with Irving, Rose might be a starter alongside James, which a few years ago would have been a dream scenario. Rose averaged 18.0 points and 4.4 assists per game last year, yet he never seemed like a quality fit with the New York Knicks.

While it's best to start wondering how Rose fits with the Cavaliers, it's important to point out he pursued other angles, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"Rose tried hard to get top Western Conference teams to sign him—the San Antonio Spurs, the L.A. Clippers—but those teams passed," Wojnarowski wrote. "Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd had interest, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers eventually made offers."

At face value, it seems Rose wants to compete for a title and role wasn't necessarily the biggest factor. He'd be a backup with the San Antonio Spurs, though would perhaps compete for starting minutes with Patrick Beverley on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Again, Rose's eventual role with the Cavaliers is almost impossible to predict. But it's clear the sudden drama surrounding Irving made this signing possible for the Cavaliers as the 28-year-old former MVP looks to compete for championships.

Anthony Update

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

After endless speculation about Carmelo joining LeBron to conquer the East, one would think it wouldn't take long for the Cavaliers and Knicks to get a deal done.

Of course, this requires Carmelo and his no-trade clause to be on board with the idea.

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Anthony still has his heart set on the Houston Rockets: "Also, according to a source close to Anthony, his primary objective is to get moved to Houston. His camp is optimistic that a deal with the Rockets is going to happen."

Maybe Anthony is a realist—a deal with the Cavaliers isn't going to happen unless they loop in more teams to make it work, and other teams probably don't have an interest in what either side has to offer. This is especially the case with the Knicks unwilling to dangle Kristaps Porzingis, according to ESPN.com's Ian Begley.

Interestingly enough, Anthony still gunning for the Rockets might mean he doesn't care for the Oklahoma City Thunder as much, a team that just came out of nowhere when The Ringer's Bill Simmons reported both sides have thought about joining forces.

Given the information we have here, it's not too hard to see where Anthony comes from if his focus is truly all on the Rockets. The Cavaliers seem like a mess coming off a whipping in the Finals and LeBron can opt out in 2018 and go wherever he wants.

Carmelo, 33, likely doesn't want to change teams too many more times while still competing for titles, which means joining forces with guys like Chris Paul and James Harden. So while the headlines suggest the Cavaliers, it's best to keep a closer eye on the Rockets, and if the front office can convince other teams to join the fray and make a deal with the Knicks work.

Timberwolves Get Serious

The Minnesota Timberwolves of all teams aren't strangers to Irving rumors.

Despite an active offseason in which the team added Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves reportedly have eyes for Irving, who listed them as one of his preferred destinations, according to ESPN.com's Chris Haynes.

What followed was ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst revealing some of Minnesota's big names hitting the recruiting trail: "League sources told ESPN that both Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns have been doing their part to recruit Irving on the idea of playing alongside them in Minnesota, and they've made it known to Wolves management that they want to add the Cavs star to the mix."

Wednesday, this gained even more steam thanks to a report from the Associated Press' Jon Krawczynski:

The rest of the league likely doesn't want this to happen. It's hard to know what Minnesota would have to sacrifice to make it work, but we're talking about a team with plenty of excess talent thanks to Teague, Butler, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, and that's before diving into the team's deep bench.

If Irving wants to go and just be one of the guys while steered by a front office with a clear, already-working plan for the long term, there are few places better than Minnesota.

Given the assets in place capable of appeasing the Cavaliers and the hard part of wooing Irving already over, it's time to take the Timberwolves seriously as the top contenders for Irving.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.