NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Potential Draft-Day Deals
The 2013 NBA draft has been one of the hardest to peg over the course of the last three months, in large part because we still don't have a clear-cut choice for the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 overall pick.
There's a good chance that won't change before draft night either, as Cleveland has been playing things close to the vest despite a rumor earlier in the week from Jimmy Smith of NOLA.com that put Maryland center Alex Len as the favorite to succeed Anthony Davis as the league's top overall selection:
As we head down the proverbial backstretch as it relates to pegging which prospects are heading where next Thursday night, it's just as prudent to understand what teams might be thinking with respect to just staying in their league-assigned spot in the first round.
Trades involving draft picks and players can shake up a mock draft faster than you can blink, and sometimes those trades are solely contingent on a player being off the board when the selection is coming down to the wire.
Other times teams make offers that can't be refused in hopes of finding a franchise cornerstone by trading up.
It's clear that trades will happen in the 2013 NBA draft, but where they happen is the more interesting topic of conversation right now. That being said, here's a look at some of the latest chatter concerning different teams with the itch to move up (or down) the board in the first round next Thursday.
2013 NBA Draft Information
When: Thursday, June 27, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, N.Y.
Watch: ESPN
Latest on Potential Draft-Day Deals
Dallas Mavericks, No. 13
The Mavericks are in the lottery for the first time in the last 12 seasons, but it looks like they won't be there in time to actually make a pick.
As ESPN's Chad Ford (via Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas) reported back in May at the time of the NBA draft lottery, Dallas has been looking to move the No. 13 pick in an effort to clear up cap space (pick holds roughly $1.6 million in cap hold) for a run at a max-contract free agent.
Apparently that notion has held the test of time so far, despite the fact that Dallas has just seven players under contract (Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Vince Carter being the most notable) prior to draft night.
The latest places the Cavs as a suitor for pick No. 13. Fox Sports' Sam Amico posted earlier in the week that a deal between Cleveland and Dallas "had some legs," and would likely involve the selection in question:
Probasketballdraft on Twitter posted this rumor about the target of the Cavs if that deal were to occur:
The Dallas Morning News also posted a tweet, noting that another NBA insider surmised that the Mavericks already have a deal in place prior to the draft getting underway:
It's no secret that Dallas is waiting for both the Dwight Howard and Chris Paul windows to open up before finalizing anything resembling a vision of the next roster, and clearing out cap has been more important than finding a starter at No. 13 for quite some time now.
It appears that trading the pick is no longer a question of if, but instead where and when.
Sacramento Kings, No. 7
Amico also posted that he expects the Kings' new regime—one that includes new head coach Mike Malone—to explore options of moving down to find more assets to improve the current roster:
Sacramento struck gold with DeMarcus Cousins in the 2010 draft, but the last two first-rounders (Jimmer Fredette and Thomas Robinson) have been less-than-stellar despite being lottery selections. Robinson was traded to the Houston Rockets prior to the deadline in February.
The Kings will be in the heart of trade conversations (as most teams will be) with the No. 7 pick, especially since many expect Trey Burke, the top point guard on the board, to already be drafted and gone.
If that's the case, trading up to get a player you want becomes crucial, and teams will be eager to send their first-round pick this year and other assets to move up to a prime spot in the lottery.
As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reported earlier in the week, the Kings are currently trying to re-sign Cousins to a long-term contract, but if that doesn't happen, a trade could be in the works.
Ford mentioned the Mavericks, Charlotte Bobcats and Cavs as three teams willing to trade first-round picks and more for the shot at taking Cousins home on draft night, and the Kings will have a choice to make if they can't complete an extension or a can't-miss offer comes in for the star center.
It's also worth noting, per James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom, that the Kings will have to officially draft a player at No. 7 before they can trade the pick outright, since the Cavs technically own Sacramento's first-rounder until it is no longer protected:
That means options are somewhat limited, but that hasn't stopped teams from ironing out the framework of a deal and drafting for another team before anything is actually completed. Sacramento is a team in true rebuilding mode, and there's any number of options for them when it comes to trade partners in this draft.
Other Buzz
The most buzz in the draft when it comes to trades will continue to center around Cleveland. Owners of the No. 1 pick, all options appear to be in play, and that includes Len, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter or trading it away for a star (i.e. Cousins).
Amico had these two tweets to shed some light on the NBA rumor mill (both truths and falsities) when it comes to pick No. 1:
Another interesting situation to watch is for teams that do not currently own a first-round pick. The Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies are two prime examples of that, and Amico noted that the Lakers are still trying to get in the mix for a pick to upgrade the roster—even dangling Pau Gasol as trade bait:
Rumors surrounding a Doc Rivers move to the Los Angeles Clippers have been really strong over the past few days, and there's little doubt the Clippers would have to part with at least the No. 25 pick in the draft to make this happen.
As noted by ESPN's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne, one of the hangups currently surrounding the coach-for-asset swap is the amount of draft picks and cash flexibility that L.A. will offer Boston to part with Rivers, who has three years left on his Celtics contract.
Ford added this nugget about a Boston target should the Rivers deal become official:
Amico added another rumor about a top-five pick that might be available on draft night, adding Gerald Henderson as a potential chip in a trade to maybe either entice one of the top-three teams ahead of the Bobcats on the board or one to maybe move down and pick up a better player:
The buzz will continue to do just that over the next few days, leading up to a climactic finish in Brooklyn on draft night. Continue to keep your ear and your eyes on all the rumors circulating, because they might just change your franchise's fortunes forever if they prove to be true.
If not, then chalk it up to gossip.
Follow Bleacher Report FC Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.
