NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Big Names Who Could Be Traded This Summer

While much of the mainstream focus is rightfully on the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat's journey to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the other 28 teams in the NBA are laser-focused on what comes after the victor between these two teams have their victory parade.

Unlike other sports, where there is at least a momentary break in the action, the NBA hops almost immediately from its finals to the draft and beginning of free agency. And especially that time between the ending of the Finals and beginning of the draft—the pre-moratorium period, as it's called in NBA circles—is especially salient.

It's during that short stretch that teams can shop draft picks, non-guaranteed deals and even star-worthy players to acquire more attractive assets. While there is no guarantee that any of these moves get done—there never is—the speculation in the next couple weeks will be reaching a near-midsummer apex.

Top names will be bandied about, and if the deal is even discussed for a second, word will leak to the press. We all know that at this point. Nothing is sacred in NBA talks, which is usually why the deals that don't get mentioned incessantly wind up happening. That being said, these initial rumors are interesting to see where teams stand with their current roster or how shrug-worthy they feel about selecting in their current draft spot. 

With that in mind, here is a complete breakdown of all the latest NBA trade rumblings as we inch ever closer to the end of the 2012-13 season.

Danny Granger on the Move, Cavs Interested?

The last 12 months had to have been interesting for Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger. This time a year ago, he was a franchise player on a team that pushed the eventual champion Miami Heat to six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Though he went down in that series with a knee injury, it was viewed as a great stepping stone for the franchise, with Indiana only being expected to come back stronger in 2012-13.

And they did—without Granger. The Pacers marched to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, pushed Miami again in the postseason (this time in the conference finals) and did so all despite Granger playing just five games the entire campaign. Paul George and Roy Hibbert emerged as two of the brightest young talents in basketball, leaving some to wonder what comes next for Granger.

With his contract expiring after next season, it's starting to look like that answer might be a one-way ticket to trade city. According to Fox Sports' Sam Amico, the Pacers are "looking for a taker" for Granger, and one team that's popped up in discussions is the Cleveland Cavaliers:

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Multiple sources believe the Pacers are looking for a taker for veteran small forward Danny Granger. The Cavs are interested, sources said, but have reservations about the knee injury that forced him to miss much of the season. If the injury robbed Granger of his explosiveness, such a move would hardly be worth the gamble.

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Now don't confuse Indiana's interest in trading Granger as a desperation—because it's not. 

Still only 30 years old, Granger could theoretically be the team's perfect sixth man. The Pacers struggled the entire season to find consistency coming off their bench, with names like D.J. Augustin and Sam Young getting extensive postseason minutes. Yikes. Granger's ability to spread the floor with his shooting and put the ball in the hoop consistently would do wonders. Had Granger been in the lineup for the Eastern Conference Finals, it's very likely the Pacers are playing the Spurs right now.

That being said, kicking the tires on such an idea is at least smart on the surface. Though Granger came off the bench for the five games he returned during the 2012-13 season, Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star noted that the former All-Star said he expects to start next year. Are the Pacers willing to disrupt the rhythm they found this year? That's very questionable.

As for the Cleveland part of the rumor, it could have some validity. The Cavs need a win, they need veterans and they could use some perimeter shooting. But it's laughable from Cleveland's perspective to ship the No. 1 pick off for Granger, and it's equally nonsensical for Indiana to send off an asset for the Cavs' second first-round pick, No. 19.

There's a workable middle ground here, but it may take a while to reach. 

Bobcats Could Trade 1st-Round Pick, Chris Bosh a Possibility?

You'll never believe this, but it seems the Bobcats come into this offseason looking to get better. It seems they're not satisfied with their rapid ascent from worst team in the history of basketball to second-worst team in the NBA this past season. Strange.

Sarcasm aside, Charlotte really hasn't been dealt many great cards in its quest to dig itself out of an ever-deepening hole. The team lost out on the Anthony Davis sweepstakes a year ago, and they could be in a position this year where their best-possible draft target—Kansas guard Ben McLemore—is off the board by No. 4.

It's easy to criticize a rebuilding franchise. I do that for a living. But there is a ton of luck involved in these processes—lottery balls, the whims of other teams, the ever-present injury possibilities—that often get ignored.

Well, it seems like the Bobcats are fixin' to make their own luck. According to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Charlotte is looking to make a huge trade splash this summer and is dangling its No. 4 overall selection. Perhaps more pertinent to the current events side of these things, Miami Heat forward-center Chris Bosh has been floated as a possibility:

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The Charlotte Bobcats are looking to make a splash this summer and are open to trading their first-round pick in a package for an All-Star-caliber player. There are rumors the Heat will be looking to deal Chris Bosh, and the Bobcats, who are under the salary cap and could accept Bosh’s near-maximum deal, could be a prime candidate.

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Let's address the Charlotte rumor first. Should the Bobcats not be thrilled with their prospects of landing a building block piece at No. 4, by all means trading the pick is a solid enough option. They're not going to make the playoffs next season barring a trade for LeBron James, but even a young core needs an infusion of veteran leadership eventually (e.g. the Cavaliers). 

The Bosh undercurrent, though, probably depends on how these Finals play out. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams like Miami's uber-expensive Big Three aren't feasible over an extended period of time. Bosh, even though he's Miami's second-most important player at this point (yes, including Dwyane Wade), has always been the most likely to get jettisoned. 

That being said, even if Bosh gets dealt, it won't be to Charlotte. The Heat will need to get a cheaper player who can help them compete now, and the No. 4 pick in this draft won't provide that. With Charlotte's relative dearth of other assets (other than cap space), this doesn't seem like a match.

Ersan Ilyasova for No. 3 Pick Rumor Floated?

The Bucks, though a No. 8 seed that got pulverized by Miami in the playoffs, walk into this summer as one of the most intriguing teams to watch. Monta Ellis (player option), J.J. Redick and Brandon Jennings (restricted) will all likely be on the free-agent market this summer, leaving open an innumerable amount of roster possibilities.

Milwaukee has already been in contact with Ellis' representation, offering a two-year contract extension should he opt into his player option for next season. The word has been more mum on Redick and Jennings, but suffice it to say this will probably be a relatively overhauled roster come Halloween.

And it doesn't look like the guard trio are the only ones who could be playing elsewhere by the end of this summer. The Racine Journal-Times' Gery Woelfel appeared on 1250 AM radio in Milwaukee last week and noted that the Bucks would be willing to trade forward Ersan Ilyasova, with the Washington Wizards' No. 3 overall pick being a possibility: 

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Well, they'd move him. It's going to be a major move because Ersan's value is definitely pretty high. One of the rumors—and I repeat, rumor, all capital letters here—is that Washington might have some interest in Ilyasova and another Bucks player.

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The radio host would confirm in the interview that Woelfel was alluding to the third pick in this year's draft. There were no assertions of who else the Bucks would send Washington's way, nor was there any talk about just how seriously we should take these rumors—hence the "all capital letters" quote.

That being said, Ilyasova would be an interesting fit with the Wizards—even if it'd take a lot more than him alone to pry the No. 3 pick if I were running the team. Though he got off to a dreadful start to the season, Ilyasova scored 17.2 points and grabbed nine rebounds per game while knocking down nearly 45 percent of his three pointers for Milwaukee after the All-Star break.

With the Wizards needing some offensive boost from their frontcourt—Nene and Emeka Okafor are good defenders but lacking in offensive versatility—this could be a nice fit. Point guard John Wall even told the Washington Post's Eric Detweiler that someone of Ilyasova's ilk—a stretch 4-type—is a "need" for the club earlier this month. 

“I don’t know,” Wall said. “It’s up in the air right now. I feel like we need a four man that can pick and pop, so we’ll just see.”

Washington might want to negotiate down a bit, but adding Ilyasova could cement this team as a playoff contender next year. 

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