NBA Rumors: Latest Updates Around the League

With the NBA Finals having crowned the Miami Heat and the draft just days away, we've reached the point on the basketball calendar where the Twitter accounts of reporters and backroom dealings are more important than points, win shares and SportVU cameras.

Yes, while the rest of the world might be in "Yeezy Season," the NBA is entering the most dangerous time of all—rumor season. It's the place where underlying talks get distributed to the masses, with a success rate about as good as Monta Ellis' three-point percentage.

And that of course is not meant to deride reporters, who are only doing their jobs. It's at least a little strange, though, that in this 24-hour news cycle that we live in that the things that often get the most visceral reaction never wind up happening. In a strange way, fan reactions are almost the test subjects for the wheelings and dealings of an NBA team. While that's probably not even the slightest bit true, it does seem that we're reaching a level of discourse where there are fewer horrible trades than ever.

However, we're about to enter an era where salary-related moves become something of a regular occurrence. The new, more punitive luxury tax penalties kick in starting with the 2013-14 season, and with that, you'll see plenty of teams looking to skimp costs wherever possible. Overpaid players will be moved this summer, with the process possibly starting as soon as Thursday.

The ramp up to draft night always brings forth an innumerable amount of trade possibilities. Picks, even in drafts that are relatively weak like this one, have become valuable commodities in a time where cheap labor is necessary to compete. 

With that in mind, here is a quick breakdown of the latest rumblings from around the league. 

Garnett to Clippers Completely Dead, but Pierce a Possibility?

While nothing has been formally announced yet, the Los Angeles Clippers got their man. As you well know by now, the Clippers and Boston Celtics agreed to compensation terms—a 2015 first-round pick—to allow Doc Rivers out of his contract on a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. ESPNBoston.com's Jackie MacMullan was the first to report the deal. 

The problem with this deal from the Clippers' perspective—unless you're unhappy with giving up a first-round pick for a coach, which I'm not offended by—is that they're getting their man, not men. When this deal was first speculated, it was pitched as a package. Rivers would go to the Clippers in one deal, while Kevin Garnett would come right along with his former Celtics coach for center DeAndre Jordan. It was all supposed to happen in one little Ubuntu West package, with everyone leaving happy.

One problem: The NBA's collective bargaining agreement prevents teams from trading players and coaches. Two deals cannot be contingent on one another, and MacMullan's report notes league sources have confirmed the commissioner's office will not allow any trade involving Garnett and the Clippers.

Mark Heisler of SportsCity.com has reported that sources call the talks between Los Angeles and Boston "dead." The Clippers won't be purchasing their Big Ticket at any point this offseason—assuming David Stern's position doesn't change. And after a quarter-century at the NBA helm, we've seen that Stern is nothing if not consistent in making a decision and holding to it.

However, Heisler opened up a secondary possibility—this one involving another quite famous Celtics forward:

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Paul Pierce, on the other hand, may still be a possibility. The Celtics are expected to exercise their option to buy out Pierce’s last season at $15 million for $5 million. The decision to save $10 million would be of Boston’s sole volition.

If the NBA’s position on Pierce can’t be assumed, a league source says the Pierce and Garnett cases are different.

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If the Celtics buy out Pierce, it would be more difficult for the league to prevent him from coming to Los Angeles. It's far more difficult to prove those two moves are related than the oft-reported Garnett-Rivers fiasco.

Again, it seems difficult to envision a scenario where the Celtics would buy out Pierce when he's an extremely tradable asset. The Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers have talked about offering multiple second-round picks for Pierce, who would fill a need for a veteran forward. And overall, Holmes says the Celtics have found a relatively robust market for the 35-year-old All-Star. 

In other words, any Pierce-to-Clippers talk is likely much ado about nothing. Danny Ainge isn't going to simply give him away, and the league would almost certainly block any possible trade.

MarShon Brooks to Minnesota?

For MarShon Brooks, life in the NBA has had to feel like one constant Opposite Day. As a rookie, the former Providence star instantly stepped in and was one of the more underrated surprises of the 2011-12 season. He started 47 of 56 games, averaging 12.6 points per game en route to making the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team.

Expected to come back and perhaps establish himself as an even greater scoring threat, Brooks instead fell on his face this past season. Playing behind Joe Johnson, Brooks struggled to acclimate to his bench role and eventually found himself on the very edges of P.J. Carlesimo's rotation. His scoring dipped down to 5.4 points per game and the promising rookie campaign he had a year prior was all but forgotten. 

Come playoff time, Brooks averaged only 5.7 minutes per game in the Nets' seven-game loss to the Chicago Bulls. 

With Johnson entrenched as the team's starting 2-guard by proxy of his massive contract alone, the journey back to Brooklyn's lineup looks treacherous at best. No one knows the system Jason Kidd will employ next year in his first year as an NBA head coach, nor does anyone have the slightest idea of how he'll run rotations.

But it's becoming readily apparent that Kidd probably won't even get a chance to tutor Brooks. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves have discussed a deal that would send Brooks to the great northwest:

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Minnesota has shown interest in the third-year guard out of Providence, calling around the league for feedback and initiating trade discussions. Talks have not escalated to anything serious or imminent at the moment, according to a source. However, another source said that a proposal is on the table waiting for the Timberwolves' approval.

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It's unclear what Brooklyn would receive in return. Bondy speculates that Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea are possibilities, as they would give the Nets a backup point guard behind Deron Williams and rid some clutter in Minnesota's locker room. 

The deal makes a little bit of sense from both teams' perspectives, but also seems like one that would have little overall effect. Timberwolves management will probably be looking for a 2-guard this summer who can come in and spread the floor, but Brooks isn't a great outside shooter. Barea and Ridnour are both nice players, but they'd both represent something of a wash with C.J. Watson, who will likely hit the free-agent market this summer.

That said, it would at least be interesting to see how Minnesota chooses to use Brooks. There's some minable talent in that kid should he find the right situation. 

Bledsoe and Butler for Afflalo Already a Done Deal?

Perhaps the biggest overarching reason the Clippers agreed to give up a first-round pick for Doc Rivers was the desires of point guard Chris Paul. The free-agent-to-be lobbied hard for Rivers, a beloved players-first coach, and Los Angeles' desire to appease Paul by all accounts was exceedingly influential.

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rivers took the job with "full knowledge" that Paul would re-sign when free agency starts in July. ESPN's Marc Stein also reported that the Rivers deal all but cinches CP3's return. 

While that's certainly cause for celebration in Clipperville, there is another secondary impact to this agreement—Eric Bledsoe is as good as gone. The burgeoning young guard's fate with the Clippers franchise has long been likely tied to Paul's, with Bledsoe either being the point guard of the future in the case of a CP3 departure or a trade chip otherwise.

Though Los Angeles loves Bledsoe as a player, he'll be a restricted free agent next summer and free to sign an offer sheet with another team—one that would likely rest somewhere upwards of $10 million per season. With the Clippers having most of their salary tied up once the Paul deal gets done, they won't be able to afford dropping eight figures per season for a backup point guard. As such, it was time to kick open the ESPN Trade Machine—I assume that's how all NBA deals start—and look to see what they could get in a package.

One of the more persistent rumors out there was a deal of Bledsoe and Caron Butler's expiring contract to the Orlando Magic for Arron Afflalo. How persistent, you ask? Well, according to Mark Heisler of SportsCity.com the deal seems essentially like it's done:

"Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler are expected to be packaged in a draft-day trade for Orlando’s Arron Aflallo (sic), addressing the Clipper need for a shooting guard," Heisler wrote.

Afflalo, a former UCLA standout, averaged a career-high 16.5 points per game this past season and would instantly improve the Clippers' 2-guard rotation. What's left of Chauncey Billups got the starting role last season, with Jamal Crawford coming in off the bench. Afflalo would provide floor spacing, top-notch perimeter defense and a relatively favorable contract for someone with his skill set.

Bledsoe, meanwhile, would fill the Magic's biggest need at point guard, allowing them to take one of the trio of Nerlens Noel, Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore with the No. 2 pick.

It's ultimately a win-win deal, but one has to wonder if the Clippers are getting a little undersold on Bledsoe's value.

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