2014 NBA Superstar Free Agency Rumors That Are Worth a Closer Look

The NBA trade deadline may have been a dud this year, but free agency is around the corner. And with it, a lot of superstars may be on their way to new homes.

There are boatloads of NBA rumors swirling around players like Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and LeBron James—but a closer inspection shows that not all of them should be taken as gospel.

With the implementation of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a lot of the mega-blockbuster deals that were missing during the trading period in past years later happened that following summer.

Zach Lowe of Grantland explains the situation:

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Shorter contracts also mean more free agents every summer. Teams may hesitate to trade for a $10 million guy today in hopes of signing a better one in July. If the new CBA does end up chilling the trade deadline, it will probably also invigorate free agency. July is the new February, on steroids.

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If steroids doesn't get the upcoming free agency period pumped up, the talent level of this year’s free agency class will. In particular, this free agency period is swollen with high-caliber players that have the ability to change a franchise for the better and lead a team to a championship.

So without further ado, here are the latest NBA Free Agency rumors for the league’s superstars.

Carmelo Anthony Possibly Signing with Chicago Bulls

AP

Carmelo Anthony stated earlier this season that he would be willing to take a pay cut to stay on the New York Knicks if they would use that money to assemble a competitive roster. 

Apparently, he might do the same for the Chicago Bulls.

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard:

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The sources said Noah told Anthony something to this effect: You can go to Los Angeles, but if you really want a ring, if you really want your legacy to be about winning, you should come to Chicago.

Anthony responded by telling Noah that he admires how hard the Bulls play and how hungry they are. Anthony also told Noah, according to the sources, that Derrick Rose is his son's favorite player.

Sources said Rose also wants the Bulls to add Anthony and would be willing to help recruit him if he is asked to do so.

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To sign with the Bulls, Anthony would have to take a massive paycut, about $7 million less per year than if he signs with the Knicks.

Although it’s something that he said he would do, history has shown that he has opted for money over competing. In fact, he arrived in New York by forcing a trade, which made the Knicks lose assets. On the plus side (for him), he got to sign a bigger contract as a result.

In addition, the Chicago Bulls might not be the right destination for ‘Melo. Even though they have a deep roster with one of the best coaches in the NBA, there are a lot of uncertainties if Anthony joined the team. 

First and foremost, the Bulls are a defense-intensive team, which doesn’t quite fit Anthony’s description. In fact, ‘Melo’s calling card is his offensive production, which would surely suffer if he joined the team with the second worst offensive rating in the league this season.

Even playing with Derrick Rose would be a gamble, seeing how the former MVP underwent 2 knee surgeries and has only played in 50 games in the last 2 years. There’s no guarantee Rose will ever be near the same player he once was.

With all these risks Anthony would have to take to sign with the Bulls, it’s unlikely that he will do so this summer.

Verdict: Selling

Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith Hoping to Team Up

Dan Lippitt/NBAE via Getty Images

As two players who are often criticized for their lack of a shooting prowess, Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo and Detroit Pistons' Josh Smith have a lot in common. They’re not just stars playing with a new roster this season; they’re actually best friends.

Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe reports: 

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About a decade ago, Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo teamed up for a dominant 38-0 season at Oak Hill Academy, a prep powerhouse in Virginia.

Smith and Rondo are now in the NBA, Smith with the Detroit Pistons, Rondo with the Celtics, but the two have talked about reuniting again.

“The conversation comes up,” Smith said Sunday before the Celtics defeated the Pistons, 118-111, at TD Garden. “We always tell each other how surreal a moment that would be for us to be able to reconnect again in that realm.”

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And there’s no doubt how surreal it would be for the league as a whole. NBA fans have long dreamt of the Rondo-Smoove highlights that would result. Together, they would be able to establish Lob City 2.0.

Alas, that’s most likely going to stay as just a dream and nothing more.

Unfortunately, Smith won’t be able to enter free-agency until 2017, while Rondo’s contract expires in 2015. With the emergence of Andre Drummond, the Detroit Pistons will not have much cap space to sign a player of Rondo’s caliber.

Perhaps with a trade, these two friends can be reunited once again. But until then, the chances are slim.

Verdict: Reluctantly Selling

Cavs Pursuing LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love to Re-Sign LeBron James

David Sherman/Getty Images

According to a report by Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com:

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Yes, the Cavs underachieved this season. Yes, [former GM] Grant tried feverishly for the past two years, but could never find that second star to pair with Kyrie Irving and ultimately serve as the bait to lure James back to the Cavs.

But the Cavs privately believe it's not too late. They still have the assets to pull off a mammoth trade this summer at the draft, the type Grant tried so hard to make. Kevin Love will be entering the final year of his contract, as will LaMarcus Aldridge. Grant tried for two years to unsuccessfully pry both stars out of their current cities, but each had too many years left on their contracts for their current teams to consider it. That's no longer true.

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Alright then.

As ridiculous as this seems (which it very much is), this report is probably true. The Cleveland Cavaliers are desperate to win, as seen by their acquisitions of veterans Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes this year.

And what better way to win than to sign one of the NBA’s best power forwards in Love or Aldridge in order to sign the best player in the world? 

There’s been rumblings in the last year of the Cavs’ intent to re-sign LeBron James, and their past signings this season show their attempts to be competitive rather than fall into the lottery again. 

But the chances of all of this happening is the same as that of Durant signing with the Brooklyn Nets—somewhere between “not happening" and "flat-out impossible."

LaMarcus Aldridge is finally happy in Portland with a young and contending supporting cast around him. Kevin Love has more attractive destinations to consider, including the big-market Los Angeles Lakers. 

And LeBron is currently on a team that’s contending for a three-peat.

Meanwhile, the Cavs are probably on their way back to the lottery.

It’s very wishful thinking and that's likely all it will be.

Verdict: Buying the attempt, selling the outcome