NBA Draft Rumors: Latest on No. 1 Pick, Trades and Other Buzz

It's easy to break down the NBA rumor mill into three sections—free agency, player trades and the draft. Other rumors about executive, coaching and other franchise changes are around, but this time of the year those first three take the cake

The 2013 NBA draft is just days away, and with it the excitement and potential of a new crop of NBA superstars is on the horizon. 

Rumors about the draft might be more wide-scale and ranging than any of those major three sections, largely because there's so many variables with respect to how one trade or selection can shake up the league forever. A quick glance over past failed drafts will show you just that. 

So will this tweet from the Brooklyn Nets, asking their followers on Twitter which draft strategy the team should employ this year:

In this installment of NBA draft rumors, we'll take a look at the mystique of the choice Cleveland has with the No. 1 pick and a few possible trades and other buzz surrounding Thursday's draft night. 

Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 1 Pick

Fox Sports' Sam Amico reported in his Monday roundup that the Cavaliers are still undecided on the pick, mentioning five blue-chip prospects as possibilities just three days before the pick will have to be in. 

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As of late Sunday night, Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, Maryland center Alex Len and Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore were said to be in the mix for the Cavs’ top pick. Sources added not to disregard Georgetown small forward Otto Porter and UNLV forward Anthony Bennett as possibilities. Bennett impressed the Cavs during his visit last week.

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At the same time, the situation is fluid enough for Amico to mention that the Cavs are not married to the idea of keeping the pick. The team's last two No. 1 picks (LeBron James and Kyrie Irving) have panned out, but it looks like the Cavs might have interest in leveraging the pick for another star.

Per Amico's report: "No less than 10 teams have expressed interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ No. 1 overall pick, with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings being the most recent to call. According to one source, the Cavs are seeking “a serious haul” in return."

The biggest buzz in the last few days has been about Len, but there's really no shortage of possibilities right now with respect to the No. 1 pick. 

Len and Noel both offer the Cavs the chance to explore the possibility for a trade for Anderson Varejao, who will be entering the final year of his contract during the 2013-14 season. 

On the flip side, a player like Porter would be a starter from Day 1 at small forward, while Bennett and McLemore both have value to any NBA roster. 

Cleveland has a decision to make, and right now, management isn't even close. 

Trades and Other Buzz

Cleveland has also been mentioned as a candidate for trades including picks other than No. 1, most notably receiving No. 13 and Shawn Marion from the Dallas Mavericks for a package of assets not yet known. 

Marc Stein of ESPN shed some light on that trade possibility on Monday, noting that the Mavericks aren't quite as receptive to a Marion move as initial reports would have suggested:

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Yet sources insisted to ESPNDallas.com that the Mavericks -- as of Monday -- are not looking to move Marion. And if that changes this week in connection with Thursday's draft, Dallas must go directly to Marion and ask him to opt into the final season of contract, which does give the 35-year-old some measure of input into his fate. 

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According to Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe, the Cavs also have interest in Paul Pierce, which would make anything other than Len or Noel unlikely at the No. 1 spot if you buy into the idea that Cleveland is looking to upgrade small forward elsewhere. 

Amico mentions (in his earlier piece referenced above) the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves as two teams actively looking to move up from No. 10 and No. 9, respectively, but those discussions have not yet gained enough ground to tread water. 

One team that does seem to have that ground is the Atlanta Hawks, who are reportedly interested in spring-boarding to the top five by dangling their back-to-back picks in the middle of the first round. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports had the report.

According to Spears, the Hawks have had different discussions about the move, and GM Danny Ferry is looking to be active in making a move to restore a depleted roster. 

Spears' colleague Adrian Wojnarowski also had a scoop about another team looking to trade, only this team is reportedly looking to trade back:

Luol Deng was heavily involved in trade rumors on Monday, a move that makes sense if you buy into Jimmy Butler's long-term starting role (h/t K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune) at small forward rather than shooting guard. 

Stein reported for ESPN that Deng might be heading to Washington for Emeka Okafor and the No. 3 pick, but a conflicting report from Michael Lee of The Washington Post debunked that claim and noted that Washington was confident about using the No. 3 pick for themselves. 

So goes the rumor mill. 

With the hour countdown now acceptable for the 2013 NBA draft, get ready for a fast and furious finish to both rumors about potential draft picks and trades involving assets for future use. Don't take it for granted—the draft is important if you want to have long-term success as a franchise in the Association. 

Follow Bleacher Report FC Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.