Hottest Offseason Rumor for Each NBA Team

We are right in the thick of the 2012 NBA offseason, and the rumor mill is turning out speculation and rumors faster than ever. I’m here to bring you the hottest rumor for each and every NBA team out there.

As teams do their best to bolster their rosters by discussing trades, signing free agents and amnesty-ing unwanted contracts, fans often have difficulty sorting through all the speculation to find information about their favorite teams.

For each team, you will find the hottest offseason rumor and a bit of commentary and analysis on the rumor itself. So sit back, relax and read on for the hottest rumor for each NBA franchise.

Atlanta Hawks

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Bulls have sent three-point specialist Kyle Korver to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The trade will be nullified if Korver cannot pass a physical with Atlanta’s doctors. Hopefully he will though, because this is a great pickup for Atlanta. They need outside shooting really, really badly, and Korver is one of the best in the business at knocking down shots from long range.

Boston Celtics

According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN, Jeff Green will definitely be returning to the Boston Celtics this season.  Apparently all the details are ironed out and the deal will soon be finalized.

This is very good news for the Celtics, who have already improved their supporting cast with Jason Terry, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. The addition of Green to that mix improved the Celtics bench greatly and could help the team withstand the departure of Ray Allen.

Brooklyn Nets

According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, the Brooklyn Nets have officially withdrawn themselves from the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Well, at least for now.

In order to avoid losing key trade piece and big man Brook Lopez in restricted free agency, the Nets are trying to sign him to a deal. He’s the most important piece they have in acquiring Howard in a trade, and I guess that they have to focus on him first before they can get Howard.

Charlotte Bobcats

According to the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Bobcats have chosen to sign Ramon Sessions. The former Lakers point guard will replace D.J. Augustin, who has signed with the Indiana Pacers.

Sessions will make the Bobcats better, as he is better than anyone they currently have at the point guard position. They won’t be that much better, though, as he is not anywhere near being a star.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls’ hottest rumor is the same as that of the Hawks, which is that, according to the Chicago Tribune, the team has traded Kyle Korver to Atlanta.

This is a trade made purely for monetary reasons for the Bulls. Jettisoning Korver saves the Bulls the money that they need in order to keep Omer Asik, who was offered a huge contract by the Houston Rockets. It is unfortunate to lose Korver, but he was not worth the $5 million that he would have cost.

Cleveland Cavaliers

According to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plains Dealer, reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving is impressed with his new teammate Dion Waiters. Apparently, Irving and Waiters have known each for three or four years and already have a good relationship.

That’s good news for Cleveland fans. These two could be the foundation of a championship run a few years down the road.

Dallas Mavericks

According to USA Today, the Dallas Mavericks have claimed former 76ers big man Elton Brand off the amnesty waivers. Brand, who had signed a max deal with Philadelphia a few years back, has massively underperformed over the last few years.

However, he should be a great pickup for Dallas, who needs players to fill out its empty roster after whiffing on Deron Williams. He should also come cheaply and allow Dallas to continue to hoard cap space.

Denver Nuggets

According to Eric Freeman of Yahoo Sports, the Denver Nuggets have offered a five-year, $50 million contract to JaVale McGee. McGee was the biggest piece in the trade that sent Nene from Denver to Washington at the trade deadline.

The young center has had some problems in the past. However, he is clearly talented and would give Denver a young, improving center for the next half-decade.

Detroit Pistons

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on Yahoo Sports, the Detroit Pistons have signed Kyle Singler to a multi-year deal. Singler, a standout at Duke, was a second-round pick of the Pistons in 2011 and spent the last season playing in Spain.

Singler was never going to be a star in the NBA, but he is a high character player who will bring a good attitude to a young Pistons team.

Golden State Warriors

According to blogger Royce Young of CBS Sports, the Golden State Warriors have acquired point guard Jarrett Jack from the New Orleans Hornets in a three-team deal also involving the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers get forward Dorell Wright while the Hornets get a trade exception and the rights to Bosnian forward Edin Bavcic.

This isn’t a bad pickup for Golden State. Jack will make a nice backup behind Stephen Curry and will also function as an insurance policy for Golden State if the oft-injured Curry gets injured again.

Houston Rockets

According to Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN, the Houston Rockets are still trying to trade for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. I know, I’m shocked too.

Apparently, Houston has restructured its offer so that it can take back even more of the bad contracts that Orlando wishes to get rid of. I’m not sure if it is worth it because Orlando has some of the worst contracts in the NBA, but I guess Houston is going for it anyway.

Indiana Pacers

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on the Washington Post, the Indiana Pacers have reached an agreement with former Bobcat point guard D.J. Augustin. Augustin fills a need for Indiana, who recently sent backup point guard Darren Collison to Dallas.

Augustin won’t be a starter or anything, but he’s probably a better option than what the Pacers gave up in Collison, as he has more experience and is a better pure point guard.

Los Angeles Clippers

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on the Washington Post, the knee injury that is keeping Blake Griffin out of the Olympics should not keep him from being ready for training camp, which is very good news for the Clippers fans.

Griffin has already missed an entire year of his career due to injury, and it would have been a shame if something similar had happened again. Plus, without Griffin, the Clippers can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Luckily, he should be good to go by the time the season begins.

Los Angeles Lakers

According to Steve Aschburner on NBA.com, the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in making Antawn Jamison one of their own.

The 36-year-old power forward averaged 17.2 points per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and clearly has enough left in the tank to be a valuable contributor off the bench. Since that is one of the weakest areas that the Lakers currently have, this pickup would seem to make sense.

Memphis Grizzlies

According to Fox News, the Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Jerry Bayless to a deal. Bayless has been a bit of a journeyman in his young career, having already played with three teams.

He’s very young at 23 years old, and he should be a very good player to have for the future. He’ll probably compete with rookie Tony Wroten Jr. for time coming off the bench.

Miami Heat

According to an article written by Ira Winderman (Sun Sentinel) and posted on WPTV, James Jones will not retire and will stay with the Miami Heat. There had been some questions about this, as Jones had made comments indicating he might retire now as a champion with the Heat.

Apparently that is not the case, and Jones has decided to embrace the challenge of competing with incoming three-point marksmen Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis for playing time.

Milwaukee Bucks

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on the Washington Post, the Milwaukee Bucks have resigned forward Ersan Ilyasova. The 25-year-old power forward’s contract is worth $45 million over five years.

Ilyasova looks like an up-and-coming star in the NBA. He averaged 13 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season.

Minnesota Timberwolves

According to an article written by the Associated Press and published on ESPN, the Minnesota Timberwolves have chosen to waive Martell Webster. After two injury-riddled seasons, the 25-year-old forward will no longer be a T-Wolf.

Webster had struggled to make an impact on the court, averaging just 6.8 points per game last season.

New Orleans Hornets

According to the Washington Post, the New Orleans Hornets have acquired Brad Miller, two second-round picks and cash from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the Hornets’ second-round pick in 2017.

It may seem like a lopsided trade, but the Timberwolves needed to shed some salary and the Hornets used that to get a pretty good deal, especially for giving up just one draft pick.

New York Knicks

Jeremy Lin will be the starter for the New York Knicks next season according to Mike Woodson. The Associated Press (in an article posted on San Jose Mercury News) quoted the coach as saying such on Wednesday.

Lin agreed to an offer sheet with the Rockets earlier in the offseason, but apparently the Knicks are willing to match just about any dollar amount to keep him.

Oklahoma City Thunder

According to Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK, the Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Hasheem Thabeet and Hollis Thompson to deals to round out their 15-man roster.

Neither of them will have much playing time for this team and are really just there to fill out the roster. Thabeet has been a huge disappointment after being drafted No. 2 overall a few years ago, while Thompson is an undrafted free-agent rookie out of Georgetown.

Orlando Magic

According to ESPN, the Orlando Magic are being offered a restructured deal from the Houston Rockets that would allow them to get rid of most of the bad contracts that they still have on their payroll.

Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon are all ridiculously overpaid, and this deal could allow the Magic to get out from under all of their contracts and get some nice cap space. The Magic haven’t agreed to it yet, but it would seem insane not to.

Philadelphia 76ers

According to blogger Ben Golliver of CBS Sports, the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a deal with free-agent big man Kwame Brown. The former No. 1 overall pick will be paid $6 million for two years.

The Sixers needed to add a big man for depth after giving Elton Brand the axe via the amnesty clause. I would not expect Brown to play much, for obvious reasons.

Phoenix Suns

According to Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports, the Phoenix Suns are pulling out all the stops to re-sign restricted free-agent center Robin Lopez. The Suns even made a video about Lopez, which cast him as a superhero who needs to continue to protect the city of Phoenix.

As you have probably guessed, Lopez and his brother Brook are big comic book nerds. I have to say, I admire the Suns’ determination in getting their backup center back.

Portland Trail Blazers

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on Sports Illustrated, the Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed power forward J.J. Hickson. Along with Hickson, the Blazers also inked British forward Joel Freeland and their two first-round draft picks Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard.

Freeland was drafted by the Blazers in 2006 and averaged 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds last year while playing in Spain. Lillard and Leonard will each play significant minutes as part of the Blazers’ mini-rebuilding project.

Sacramento Kings

According to an article written by the Associated Press and posted on Yahoo Sports, the Sacramento Kings have re-signed power forward Jason Thompson, who averaged 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season in a role primarily off the bench.

Thompson will likely continue his role as a bench player now that the Kings have drafted former Kansas Jayhawk Thomas Robinson to play alongside DeMarcus Cousins in the starting lineup.

San Antonio Spurs

According to the Associated Press in an article posted on the Washington Post, the San Antonio Spurs have re-signed point guard Patty Mills. The 6'0" Australian showed some real promise after signing with San Antonio last season, and apparently the Spurs agree.

In his last two games of the season, Mills scored 27 and 34 points respectively. Mills will definitely be a big part of the Spurs' future.

Toronto Raptors

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Toronto Raptors and point guard Jose Calderon are working on a deal to get him out of Toronto via a trade. Now that the Raptors have brought in Kyle Lowry, the Spanish point guard is expendable.

It should not be too hard to deal Calderon either. He averaged 10.5 points, 8.8 assists and three rebounds per game for Toronto last season.

Utah Jazz

According to blogger Ben Golliver of CBS Sports, the Jazz have traded Devin Harris to the Atlanta Hawks for forward Marvin Williams. It’s a trade that makes sense for Utah, who has probably been disappointed by Harris to say the least.

An All-Star in 2009, Harris averaged just 11 points and five assists last season, his lowest totals since 2007.

Washington Wizards

According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Washington Wizards are still undecided on whether or not they should amnesty power forward Andray Blatche.

Blatche signed a three-year extension in 2010 that made his contract worth $35 million over five years. Since then, he has been a massive disappointment, on and off the court. They should get rid of him, and if they can’t find a trading partner, amnesty is probably the way to go.