NBA Rumors: Latest on LaMarcus Aldridge Trade, Samuel Dalembert and More

While team personnel are in Las Vegas this month to take in the 2013 NBA Summer League action, the chatter concerning trades, free-agent signings and other conversations is leaking into the national spotlight. 

The latest batch of NBA rumors takes us to Portland, where the Trail Blazers are reportedly considering opening up trade discussions with various teams regarding All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. 

Aldridge, who played in 74 games last season, has been a steady force in Portland's lineup. He averaged over 21 points per game for the third straight season during the 2012-13 campaign, and also posted a career high (9.1) in rebounds per game. 

Elsewhere, teams in the market for a center continue to dominate conversations. 

Samuel Dalembert, Greg Oden and Marcus Camby all have been names that surface when it comes to teams looking for depth at the position this year, and all three have been involved in a number of rumors concerning interested teams. 

We'll break down the latest chatter on some the league's biggest names below. 

LaMarcus Aldridge

Two years ago, it would have been crazy to suggest that the Blazers were interested in trading LaMarcus Aldridge. 

Now, Portland at least is dabbling with the idea that life without Aldridge is a distinct possibility. 

According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Aldridge's "camp" had a meeting with Blazers general manager Neil Olshey to suggest several trade scenarios concerning the two-time All-Star. 

Haynes' source didn't dive into details about the meeting, but told the reporter that it was productive and that both sides are interested in doing what's best for the player and the franchise. Aldridge has not formally requested a trade, but Haynes mentioned that he wouldn't be opposed to one, either. 

That being said, Aldridge has two years and roughly $30 million remaining on his current contract. Olshey is also reportedly in no hurry to move the elder of his two (Damian Lillard being the other) franchise stars, and Haynes listed Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis as targeted players that teams have all declined to include in a trade for Aldridge. 

It's been an interesting offseason for Portland. 

The team traded for 2012 first-round pick Thomas Robinson, helped facilitate Tyreke Evans' move to New Orleans by acquiring Robin Lopez and Terrel Harris and picked up C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe in the 2013 NBA draft. 

Portland also signed Dorell Wright as a free agent. 

According to Ben Golliver, Aldridge was thought to be a proponent of those moves:

The Blazers won't want to continue with Aldridge if he's unhappy being a part of the franchise, but it's going to be especially difficult to trade the 28-year-old because of his current contract.

Team personnel in Las Vegas won't hesitate to run with this rumor, though, and you should expect more chatter on Aldridge's status throughout the weekend. 

Samuel Dalembert

Barring a last-minute change of events, Dalembert looks headed to Dallas. 

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks and Dalembert have agreed in principle to a contract that would bring the 32-year-old from Haiti to his fifth NBA franchise. With that move expected to be finalized soon, Stein is reporting that Dallas is still also in the chase for Greg Oden. 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price had a quote late Wednesday night from team owner Mark Cuban on the Dalembert signing:

The Mavericks have long been fond of Dalembert. According to Stein, they tried to send Chris Kaman to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deadline deal. Larry Sanders made Dalembert expendable, but the two teams failed to agree on the framework of a trade and Dalembert became a free agent. 

Dallas went all-in on Dwight Howard this offseason, clearing as much cap space as they could to entice the former Defensive Player of the Year to be the new face of the franchise as Dirk Nowitzki shifts into a complementary role. 

But Howard chose the Houston Rockets, and Andrew Bynum—another candidate to take over the center spot in Dallas—did not even receive a contract offer from management after the two sides met earlier this month. 

Dalembert played in just 47 games (23 starts) for the Bucks last year, averaging 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game. Various injuries—and the Bucks looking to get younger—kept him from playing a major role, and as you can see, his numbers suffered. 

That being said, Dalembert averaged over 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 36-minute look at his production, and the Mavericks are going to give him every opportunity to prove he can play extended minutes next season. 

Price posted this tweet with a potential look at Dallas' lineup in the event that Dalembert signs a contract to complete the deal:

We've seen in the NBA that nothing is certain. Until Dalembert signs, we won't officially consider him a Maverick, but it appears that Dallas is preparing as if he will be the team's starting center when the 2013-14 season begins. 

Other Rumors

Staying with Dallas, Price also posted on Twitter on Wednesday night that the team was going to find a way to bring back Devin Harris next season.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reported in early July, Harris and the Mavs had agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal. News of Harris needing surgery on his toe delayed the process, though, and forced the Mavericks to renegotiate the terms of his return to Big D.

Here's Price's tweet on Harris, which confirms the team is growing closer to bringing the former first-round pick back to the American Airlines Center:

While the Mavericks might be adding one player back into the fold, another might be headed for the door. Bernard James, a 2012 second-round pick and Dallas' backup center in stretches during his rookie season, has left the summer league team in Vegas because of his contract situation in relation to Dallas' other moves.

As Bryan Gutierrez of ESPN Dallas reported on Wednesday night, James left Vegas for "personal reasons." However, a source told MacMahon that his return to Dallas had everything to do with the team asking its second-year center to extend the deadline in guaranteeing his contract. 

Price had a tweet after speaking with Cuban on the situation. As you can see, James' 2013-14 status with Dallas is very much up in the air:

Dallas is invested in upgrading the roster as much as possible. As mentioned above, that upgrade could still include Greg Oden. Not wanting to venture into salary tax territory, the Mavericks might need to part ways with James to maximize their flexibility toward an offer for Oden (or any other free agent). 

Moving to Toronto, Marcus Camby appears to be on the verge of a buyout. 

According to ESPN's Jared Zwerling, the Toronto Raptors are working toward a deal that would buy out the remainder of Camby's contract and thrust the 39-year-old center back into the free-agent market:

Zwerling also notes that several contenders will chase Camby when the deal becomes official:

Still seeking his first NBA title, injuries limited Camby to just 24 games with the New York Knicks last season. 

Speaking of the Knicks, could management be growing tired of dealing with Iman Shumpert?

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith stirred the pot with comments about Knicks owner James Dolan and Shumpert during the off-air part of an interview with Dwight Howard, and there seems to be a growing frustration with one of the league's most promising talents. 

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported on Thursday that Dolan and head coach Mike Woodson were frustrated that Shumpert's other commitments limited him to just one summer league game. Entering his third professional season, the Knicks need him to be a steady contributor if they are going to contend. 

It's doubtful the Knicks would include Shumpert in a trade just to show frustration with a situation, but he is an attractive trade chip and might net the kind of impact point guard the Knicks are desperately seeking to keep pace in the Eastern Conference. 

Then again, rumors are rumors. Even Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving knows that:

The latest rumors above cover a wide girth, but you can never really tell which are true and which should be ignored in favor of just letting the situation play itself out. Only time will tell how to classify the latest surrounding some of the league's top stars. 

Follow Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.