NBA Rumors: Breaking Down Buzz on Kevin Love, Deron Williams and More
Even in the midst of the NBA postseason, the rumor mill keeps churning out little nuggets that are sure to make this one of the most interesting summers in a long time.
One reason for the intrigue is because teams can afford to be more aggressive. In April, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express tweeted salary-cap projections for the next three years with a $67.1 million mark for 2015-16 and a huge spike to $89 million when the new television deal goes into effect in 2016-17.
With more money to spend, teams don't have to be as concerned about managing the cap as they have been in the past. This summer won't provide quite as much relief, but it is still an increase from the $63 million cap that's currently in place.
Teams will be looking to remake their rosters wherever possible and players will want to cash in if they can. Here's a look at some of the potential moves being bandied about with fewer than two months before the start of free agency.
Kevin Love Leaving Cavs Early?
It's safe to say that Kevin Love's first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't go as expected. He struggled to adapt as a catch-and-shoot player with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving running the offense, then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery during the playoffs against Boston.
Even though the Cavaliers are still fighting for an NBA championship, Love's future doesn't look as clear as it once seemed. He has a $16.7 million player option for next season (h/t Spotrac) that would seem to be an easy pick up given his decreased production this season.
But things may not be as simple as they once seemed. During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (h/t Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk) said there are people in the Cleveland organization who are afraid the 26-year-old will walk away this summer:
“He’s going to look at free agency, I think he’s going to look at other teams," Wojnarowski said. "He can always opt in and go into free agency next summer where there’s even a bigger pool of money. But there’s a legitimate fear within the Cavs that he will just walk.”
In January, Love said that he doesn't plan on using his opt-out clause this summer. That's an eternity in sports and a lot of things can change, especially as he watches the team move forward in the postseason without him.
If the Cavaliers happen to lose to Chicago in their current series, Love's absence will certainly be brought up and could provide him with a greater impetus to stay, aside from the guaranteed money he would be leaving on the table.
As far as a potential landing spot should Love opt out, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported it would likely be done "in order to go home to Los Angeles and play for the Lakers."
Yet so much of Love's value right now is hard to evaluate because of the season he had. It certainly wasn't as bad as some might have you believe. A lot of teams would love a player who averaged 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while hitting 37 percent of his three-point attempts.
There were just too many stretches when Love was sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter of games or not knocking down shots that he once made look easy with Minnesota.
Perhaps a team would value Love's production in Cleveland as an anomaly because of how he fit into that roster and would be willing to give him a contract that pays him more in average annual money than what he would be giving up by opting out.
But coming off of a down season that ended prematurely due to an injury, Love may not find the market as bountiful as he once hoped.
Deron Williams, Nets Headed for Divorce?
There was a time, not all that long ago, when Deron Williams was in the conversation for best point guard in the NBA. Now, on the heels of a brief playoff run with Brooklyn, the 30-year-old is at a career crossroads with no clear destination.
According to ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo, the Nets are likely to restart trade talks with other teams about Williams this summer even though one major hurdle likely stands in the way of a deal:
"Nevertheless, the Nets will likely continue trying to move the 30-year-old point guard. The problem is that Williams is still owed $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17 if he doesn't opt out of the final year of his contract. Not exactly desirable contract numbers for possible suitors.
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Since no team would seem to want Williams with $43.3 million left on his contract, Mazzeo did point out another option the Nets have on the table:
"And that’s where a potential buyout could come into play.
While Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote Tuesday about the possibility of the Nets using the stretch provision to shed Williams -- and it would be unwise to dismiss any possibility at this point -- multiple NBA sources have suggested a buyout is more plausible.
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The Nets are in salary cap hell right now thanks to the rash of short-sighted moves made by owner Mikhail Prokhorov when he bought the franchise in 2010.
Per Tim Bontemps of The New York Post, Brook Lopez's fate will determine just how bad the cap situation gets in Brooklyn. He noted that if the star center opts out of his deal and the Nets are able to re-sign him, it "would almost certainly leave them in luxury tax territory for a fourth year in a row" and leave them paying the repeater tax.
Bontemps also noted that if Lopez and Thaddeus Young opt in for next season, the Nets "already will have over $88 million committed to 11 players."
Bringing it back to Williams, a trade would certainly be the ideal option for the Nets. Since there doesn't figure to be a market for the maligned former All-Star, a buyout may end up being the most logical choice.
Mazzeo does note that Williams "would presumably have to leave some money on the table" for a buyout to happen, but with both sides seeming to be in need of a quick change, that may not be the worst thing for him.
Williams is coming off of the worst year of his career, shooting just 38.7 percent from the floor with 13 points per game and just 55 starts. A change of scenery could do the former superstar a lot of good, even if it ends up costing him a little money in the long run.
Spurs Could Make Tiago Splitter Odd Man Out
After the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs in thrilling fashion by the Los Angeles Clippers, their future seemed cloudy for the first time in the Gregg Popovich-Tim Duncan era.
All Popovich could say when asked whether he, Duncan and Manu Ginobili would be back next year was "probably," via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:
With the roster likely in need of upgrades at a couple of spots, especially if Duncan and/or Ginobili walks away, the Spurs might make their presence felt in free agency.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, one "working assumption" is the Spurs front office will be looking to create $20 million in cap space with Tiago Splitter possibly being used as trade bait:
"One scenario on the personnel grapevine gaining steam is the notion that the Spurs could elect to explore the possibility of dealing away Tiago Splitter to create more financial flexibility. Splitter has two years left on his contract valued at just under $17 million and is quietly regarded as a key contributor in San Antonio given how well he fits as a frontcourt sidekick next to Duncan.
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Despite the team liking Splitter, Stein notes there are "increasingly loud rumbles" that LaMarcus Aldridge has San Antonio atop his wish list of teams when he becomes a free agent this summer. He also that restricted-free-agent-to-be Kawhi Leonard "isn't keen to be courted, knowing he's regarded as the No. 1 building block upon which San Antonio hopes to construct its post-Duncan future."
Possibly dangling Splitter as trade bait feels like a classic Spurs move. He's not an old player at 30, but will likely start to enter that downward phase of his career before his contract is up after 2016-17. Teams are always looking for help inside, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see someone jump at the chance to get him.
The Spurs have proven over the last 16 years to be as good as any franchise at building a roster and managing the salary cap. They've got big things to think about this offseason, but seem to have everything in place to make the necessary moves to avoid a drop in production if any of their key veterans retire.
Stats via Basketball-Reference
