NBA Rumors: Breaking Down What to Believe and What to Dismiss

With the 2012 NBA draft over, it's time to shift our focus to the 2012 offseason, featuring a number of big-time free agents and a lot of trade buzz.

It's not hard to find NBA free-agent and trade rumors. The difficult part is sorting out which ones are worth believing and which ones should be dismissed immediately.

Ahead is a breakdown of the most current NBA rumors, with analysis of which ones should be believed and which ones should be dismissed.

Dwight Howard Wants to Be Traded to the Nets ... Again?: Believe

Dwight Howard is at it again.

ESPN is reporting that sources close to the situation informed them that Dwight Howard met with Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan, and informed him that he wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

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Hennigan was noncommital when Howard told him he wants to be traded to Brooklyn, sources said. Hennigan did not tell Howard whether he would trade him. His intentions were merely to hear the thoughts of the Magic superstar.

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There's no doubt that this rumor is absolutely true.

It's somewhat shocking, since Dwight Howard opted in to the final year of his contract with the Magic, but with Howard's indecisive nature, this isn't exactly something that no one saw coming.

With all the rumors surrounding Deron Williams and his future with the Nets, it's impeccable timing on Howard's part to bring up trade talk to the Nets once again. 

Joe Johnson Possibly Playing with Deron Williams in Brooklyn?: Believe

Adrian Wajnorowski is reporting that the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets are in conversations regarding a trade that would send Joe Johnson to Brooklyn.

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Brooklyn and Atlanta are engaged in talks on a possible Joe Johnson trade, sources tell Y! Nets plan would be to pair with Deron Williams.

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"— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2012"

The main reason why I think this rumor is true, and possible to go down, is because both teams are pretty desperate at this point.

Joe Johnson has the most absurdly overvalued contract in the NBA—to the tune of $69 million over the next three seasons—and the Hawks certainly should be looking to rid themselves of that.

The Nets on the other hand, need something to try and lure Deron Williams to stay in Brooklyn, and while Johnson isn't exactly Dwight Howard, there's no doubt that he's an All-Star caliber player.

If this trade actually comes to fruition, it would be hard to see how the Nets could afford to make a move at Dwight Howard in the near future. That is unless he wants to take a huge pay cut, which I don't see happening.

The question now is which players would the Nets be willing to give up to land Johnson.

Minnesota Timberwolves Pursuing Pau Gasol at All Costs: Dismiss

Pau Gasol to the Minnesota Timberwolves? Yeah, that's not happening in the near future.

Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press reported on Friday morning that the Timberwolves are pursuing a trade for Lakers big man Pau Gasol.

The concept of bringing Gasol along to play with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love is enticing, but it's a pipe dream for the Timberwolves.

The first issue with this rumor's validity is that the Timberwolves would have to take on the entire $38 million that is owed to Gasol over the next two years. The second issue is that the T-Wolves don't have enough trade bait to reel in Gasol, seeing that the Lakers were looking for an "established veteran" and a first-round draft pick for Gasol heading into the 2012 NBA draft.

It's clear the T-Wolves don't want to part with Rubio and Love, which leaves their main trade bait, Derrick Williams—the No. 2 pick from the 2011 NBA draft.

Unless the T-Wolves offer Williams and two future first-round picks, the Lakers certainly won't bite on this rumored trade.

Boston Celtics Interested in O.J. Mayo and Brandon Bass Swap: Believe

As reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the Boston Celtics are interested in Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard O.J. Mayo (RFA).

This isn't the first time they've been interested in Mayo, as they tried to land the shooting guard from Memphis before the trade deadline this past season, but to no avail.

This time, however, the Celtics might be able to land Mayo via a sign-and-trade deal that includes sending Brandon Bass to the Grizzlies, according to Blakely. The main reason why this could be a reality for the Grizzlies is because the Grizzlies have to be getting desperate to add talent for Mayo before he leaves next season as an unrestricted free agent.

On the plus side for the Celtics, Bass had an impressive postseason run, which will certainly increase his value on the trade market—assuming he is willing to re-sign with the Celtics, as he's an unrestricted free agent.

Don't rule this sign-and-trade rumor out, as it would be a solid swap for both teams involved. The Celtics would get an athletic combo guard who could complement Rajon Rondo, and the Grizzlies could add some defensive tenacity in the paint coming off the bench.

Toronto Raptors Prepared to Aggressively Pursue Steve Nash: Believe

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that the Toronto Raptors are planning on setting up shop in Manhattan—where Nash lives in the summer—to aggressively pursue the All-Star point guard.  

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Shifting to free agency: Hearing Raptors want to park no less than a five-deep contingent in Manhattan to woo Steve Nash as soon as allowed                                                            

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 29, 2012

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This rumor is certainly true, but that doesn't mean that the Raptors are going to just step in and get Nash to sign with them.

The two hurdles the Raptors need to overcome to land Nash are proving that they can win with the talent they would have around him and that they have a plan to bring in free-agent talent if the talent on their current roster doesn't suit Nash.

The Raptors can offer Nash the most of any team this offseason, and that's certainly enticing. They will just have to prove to him that they can help win him that elusive NBA title. I'm banking on that not happening.

Phoenix Suns Pursuing Ray Allen Even Without Steve Nash: Dismiss

The rumor of the Phoenix Suns being interested in signing Ray Allen, even if they fail to land Steve Nash, is certainly true—as reported by Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski—but the possibility of that actually happening should be dismissed.

Unless the Suns offer Allen an extremely lucrative contract, around the $10 million mark he earned this past season, I find it hard to believe that he will be interested in joining a raw Phoenix Suns team.

Re-signing Nash and going after Allen is certainly a possibility. But with other teams, like the Miami Heat, interested in Allen, I find it hard to believe that Allen would choose Phoenix over them.

L.A. Lakers to Move to the Front of the Line for Dwight Howard? Dismiss

Sam Amico is reporting that if the Houston Rockets fail to land Dwight Howard in the near future, the L.A. Lakers will likely move in on Howard in the next few weeks.

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Source close to situation says if Dwight Howard isn't dealt to Rockets today or tomorrow, Lakers fans may have reason to get excited. "Rockets are exhausting resources. If it's not enough, (Lakers) will likely move in within the next few weeks."

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I'd love to know who the "source close to the situation" is here for Amico, because this is too vague of a rumor to be seriously considered as a true one.

Sure, in theory Howard to the Lakers would be a great move for the Lakers, but there are a few things getting in the way of that happening. First, the Lakers just picked up Andrew Bynum's option for the 2012-13 season, and second, the Lakers seem to be more interested in trading Pau Gasol than Bynum, which won't entice the Magic that much.

While even Dwight Howard doesn't know what will happen with him over the next few months, I don't see the Lakers making a realistic offer for him that will entice the Magic.

Atlanta Hawks Prefer to Hold on to Josh Smith for the Time Being: Believe

Josh Smith has once again found his name amidst trade rumors, and that shouldn't be shocking.

What is shocking is that the Hawks look to be holding on to Smith for the time being, despite a number of trade offers coming their way.

ESPN's Marc Stein reported that the Hawks have received numerous calls regarding interest in Smith:

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Boston, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers—with Pau Gasol as the prime piece being offered in L.A.'s case—have joined Orlando this week in making their interest in Smith known.

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However, Stein says, "new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry apparently isn't ready to part with Smith right away."

This rumor should be believed, because it looks like Ferry is realizing the true potential that exists with the versatile skills of Smith.