NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Buzz as Regular Season Approaches
Most of the focus remains between the lines for all 30 NBA teams with the 2014-15 regular season fast approaching, but rumors never cease in this quick-moving league.
Some of the most notable names in the Association continue to see their name in the rumor mill, with contract negotiations moving along and trade discussions being made. You probably won't see a superstar dealt just before the season, but many teams are working the market to shore up the back ends of their rosters.
Here's a rundown of the latest news trickling out of the NBA.
Klay Thompson
The Golden State Warriors are working to lock down Klay Thompson for the long term, but that effort may take years to come to fruition.
With the league's new TV deal opening up the floodgates for more lucrative player contracts on the horizon, Thompson looks like one of many who is gearing himself to be in the mix for a big payday in the summer of 2015.
ESPN's Marc Stein has the latest:
"And now I'd argue that Thompson is even more of a lock to attract a four-year max in the summer of 2015 if he winds up in the RFA Club. Worse yet for Golden State: One real option, I'm told, is Thompson pursuing an offer sheet from a new team modeled after the loaded three-year contract structure Chandler Parsons scored from Dallas this past summer.
Which is to say that Thompson, were he to pull a Parsons and sign a three-year deal with a player option to return to free agency in Year 2, would be setting himself up to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2017...at the exact same time as Splash Brothers sidekick Steph Curry.
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Don't think the Warriors want that.
It may not be time to cue the emergency sirens, but keeping Steph Curry's sidekick and the second Splash Brother might prove to be tougher than once envisioned.
The Warriors showed their loyalty to Thompson by refusing to include him in a deal for Kevin Love, an obvious deal-breaker in their talks with Minnesota, but the market has opened up for players at his position. Chandler Parsons commanded a huge three-year, $36 million contract that began to redefine how young guards like Thompson are valued.
Golden State's regular season begins on Oct. 29 with a trip to Sacramento, and it's safe to say that the most serious negotiations will come before that date. Should nothing happen before then, don't be surprised if this storyline lingers long into the future.
Chase Budinger
Few were surprised when Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Chase Budinger was on the trade block for the rebuilding Timberwolves, and likely even fewer are surprised that other teams are reluctant to take on his sizable contract.
Wojnarowski reported that the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets are teams interested in pursuing the forward, with the Pistons taking the closer look between the two. And the latest from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle also indicates that the Rockets aren't quite serious suitors:
Don't count the Pistons, then, as the only team interested. As Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported, the Portland Trailblazers could dangle Thomas Robinson in a possible deal:
It's easy to see where Budinger would fit in with the Pistons. Josh Smith is more of a frontcourt player at the small forward position, so Budinger's shooting prowess could help to stretch the court and open things up for big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
He would have a considerably smaller role in Portland, since Nicolas Batum plays so well on the wing, but depth will be needed if the Trailblazers want to continue last year's postseason success.
Either way, don't be surprised if Budinger has a new home before the season. Minnesota is very obviously committed to developing a young roster around Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Anthony Bennett, and dealing the 26-year-old Budinger would help build more draft assets along with freeing up the cap.
Joel Anthony and Will Bynum
While the Pistons might be in for a Budinger deal, they weren't keen on waiting to get in the trade market.
Detroit traded Will Bynum to the Boston Celtics on Friday, securing center Joel Anthony in the process, according to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg. Forsberg added more on Twitter:
As told by Forsberg, this deal may not be more than a bit of deep-roster tweaking and salary-cap adjusting. It looked to work out magnificently for the C's, who got rid of a highly expendable player not expected to see much of the court this season.
With that in mind, don't expect Boston to hold onto Bynum for long. Despite Bynum producing throughout his tenure in Detroit, the Celtics already have Evan Turner, Marcus Smart and James Young to dole out playing time to—and there's the matter of Rajon Rondo's imminent return.
On the other hand, it could be a great move for Anthony. Stuck behind young talent in Boston, he now has a chance to play a central bench role as there's little depth behind Monroe and Drummond in Detroit.
