NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Monta Ellis, Shaun Livingston and More

The NBA offseason isn't even a month old and it's already been crazy. There have been blockbuster trades, an unpredictable draft and now a hectic start to free agency. 

News is following quickly on the heels of rumors these days. It can make it a little hard to stay up to date with everything. 

Below, I'll attempt to get us up to speed on three free agents—and hope none of them sign before I'm done writing. 

Monta Ellis

The Denver Nuggets were dealt a major blow when shooting guard Andre Iguodala made the decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors on Friday. 

According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the team may be seeking to replace Iguodala's production in the lineup with free agent Monta Ellis. They've emerged as a serious contender for his services next season. 

Ellis averaged 19.2 points and 6.0 assists per game for the Milwaukee Bucks last season. As Spears notes, there are plenty of teams that would love to add him to their roster next season. 

The competition to sign him is sure to be fierce. He's one of the few high-impact players available in the post-Dwight Howard free-agency market. 

Shaun Livingston

When C.J. Watson signed with the Indiana Pacers, the Nets found themselves in need of another point guard. They do have Tyshawn Taylor, but as Mike Mazzeo of ESPN points out, general manager Billy King is on record as saying he'd like to bring in someone to push Taylor for minutes while backing up Deron Williams.  

It looks like it will be Shaun Livingston or John Lucas—at least if ESPN’s Marc Stein is hearing the right information: 

Livingston is a lanky 6'7" point guard who spent last season with the Wizards, who cut him in December, and the Cavaliers when they claimed him on waivers. 

He played in 66 games last year, at an average of 22 minutes per game, and averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 assists.

His numbers improved with the Cavs, as he averaged 7.2 points, 3.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while in Cleveland. 

Livingston's length would be a nice feature on the Nets' bench, and in the end, I expect that to sway Brooklyn toward him over Lucas. 

 

Jeff Teague

After missing out on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the Atlanta Hawks have to be a little disappointed. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, there could be more trouble on the horizon in Atlanta. 

Restricted free-agent point guard Jeff Teague is reportedly not happy with the way that the team has handled his free agency.

The Hawks extended Teague a qualifying offer before the July 1 deadline, which guarantees them the right to match any offer that Teague receives. 

The lack of interest in Teague is at least a little bit surprising. The 25-year-old point guard was third on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and was the team's leading distributor with 7.2 assists per game.