NBA Rumors: Trade Buzz and Rumblings from Around the League
Twenty-eight NBA teams have shifted their focus to the offseason, which could include a blockbuster sort of trade.
The Denver Nuggets are currently in a state of flux. The team is in need of a new head coach, and the uncertainty facing the organization could possibly lead to two of the team's marquee players competing elsewhere in the 2015-16 season.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported that as the Nuggets enter the offseason, they must not only find a head coach but also try to convince point guard Ty Lawson and forward Kenneth Faried the organization is heading in the right direction.
Per the report, both Lawson and Faried "pushed back" on former coach Brian Shaw, which led to low morale in the locker room. Now the new coach will be tasked with either changing the players' minds or considering dealing the two franchise cornerstones before the NBA draft.
"As the Nuggets explore which coach should lead the team into the future, they are also weighing the notion of blowing up the team and starting over with a group that may buy into what the Nuggets are trying to build in a better way," Kyler wrote.
"There are currently two schools of thought. One is the Nuggets hire an experienced head coach who can point the franchise in the right direction and maybe walk the players back from the ledge. The other is to blow the team up and build a foundation around players that want to be in Denver."
There will surely be a market for Lawson and Faried, two of the better talents at their respective positions. Kyler named the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings as two teams that could show interest in Lawson. He suggested the draft would be an ideal time to deal Faried.
The Nuggets could be on the verge of making a potentially franchise-altering trade, and likely doing so not because the team has no other options. Lawson and Faried are the team's two best players, but if they are unhappy, then Denver would be facing an uphill battle in trying to convince them the organization is in a good state even after it hires a third head coach in as many years.
Lawson is a tremendous fit for the Mavericks, who will have to replace Rajon Rondo before next season. He's also an upgrade to Darren Collison and the ageless Andre Miller in Sacramento. A nucleus of Lawson, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis paired with Tyson Chandler and Dirk Nowitzki makes the Mavs even more dangerous in the Western Conference. It should allow the team to earn a better seeding for next year's postseason, bolstering their title chances.
For a team with as much talent as Dallas has, lacking a productive point guard will always put the team in a bind when the postseason gets underway. A look at the Warriors, Spurs and Clippers, among others, shows the value of a point guard, particularly in crunch time.
Rondo did not play up to his resume wearing a Mavericks uniform and did not do anything to better the team. Finding an upgrade like Lawson would greatly improve the Mavs offense.
Adding Lawson to the mix in Sacramento creates a superior, deeper backcourt to go along with Collison and Ben McLemore. With Lawson teamed up with DeMarcus Cousins, Omri Casspi and Rudy Gay, the Kings would suddenly be primed to compete for a playoff spot.
Collison has long been a solid backup point guard, and as a starter in Sacramento, he did post a career-high mark in points per game (16.1) and finished with a 47 percent field-goal percentage and 5.6 assists-per-game average, his best numbers in those two categories since his rookie season in 2009-10.
Still, adding Lawson to the Kings' young squad allows Collison to be a dangerous option off the bench and provide the team with some much-needed depth. Lawson can play a pivotal role in helping to continue the growth and maturation of Cousins, too.
Of course, Lawson makes sense for Sacramento because he has a history with Kings coach George Karl, who was at the helm of the Nuggets when Lawson joined the team. Karl decided that Lawson was able to run his offense, and his risk paid dividends. Reuniting Karl and Lawson with an up-and-coming team in Sacramento makes plenty of sense.
Fred Hoiberg, Bulls Have a Deal in Place
The Chicago Bulls have seemingly landed their top target to be the next head coach. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls have a deal in place for him to take over as Chicago's next head coach.
Per Isola, Hoiberg and the Bulls discussed the terms of the coach's new deal even before the team fired Tom Thibodeau. A source told Isola the contract should be in the range of $25 million for five years.
"According to a source, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg already has a deal in place to become the Bulls’ next head coach. The parameters of the deal were discussed while Thibodeau was still employed by the Bulls," Isola wrote.
Isola reported Hoiberg is awaiting medical clearance after undergoing a second heart surgery. He has connections to the Bulls organization as he's friends with general manager Gar Forman. In addition, Hoiberg's agent, Arn Tellem, is friendly with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Hoiberg, 42, was with the Bulls for four seasons from 1999 to 2003 and played at Iowa State when Forman was an assistant on Tim Floyd's coaching staff. Since then, Hoiberg has sustained tremendous success with the Cyclones, amassing a 115-56 record in five seasons as the university's head coach, which includes four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
For the Bulls, the organization is certainly making a gamble by parting ways with Thibodeau, who has led the team to the postseason every year since being hired as the head coach. However, like the Golden State Warriors did at this time last year when they fired Mark Jackson and hired Steve Kerr, the team is making a switch at the top of the organization in hopes it can get them over a hump.
Hoiberg lifted Iowa State from a team that perennially hovered around .500 to a Big 12 basketball powerhouse. After Iowa State went .500 in his first season in 2010, the team has won 23 or more games every season and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013-14.
Success in the college ranks does not always translate to the professional level, but Hoiberg's connection to the Bulls organization made him an attractive and obvious candidate, especially since the team reportedly faced so much push from Thibodeau the past few years.
Thunder Make a Promise to Cameron Payne?
Teams schedule predraft meetings with prospects leading up to the NBA draft, and while interest may be mutual, usually, there are not any promises made.
Consider the Thunder and Cameron Payne the exception.
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the Thunder have promised Payne they would draft him with the 14th overall pick later this month: "As for the Thunder, since late last week there's been a lot of buzz among rival GMs that the Thunder promised Cameron Payne they'd take him at 14. I don't know how much of that is smoke, but he is a great fit at 14 and talent wise he may be the best pure point guard in the draft."
The Thunder are notorious for making promises to prospects. According to the Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry, this happened in 2011 with Reggie Jackson and last year with Josh Huestis.
Still, not everything adds up when trying to figure out the Thunder's interest in Payne.
A 6'2" point guard out of Murray State, Payne can serve as both a scorer and a distributor for Oklahoma City. But while Payne has a lot of potential to be a capable NBA point guard, it's a particularly questionable move for the Thunder to show so much interest.
Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin are both on the roster and under contract for the 2015-16 season. With Kevin Durant entering the final year of his contract, it would make a lot more sense for the team to select a player who could have an immediate impact. It would potentially aid the Thunder in making a lengthy playoff run and contending for a championship in the hopes of convincing Durant to remain in town.
Oklahoma City tends to carry three point guards, but using a first-round pick on a reserve guard who will likely average under 10 minutes per night doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a team—that if all its cogs are healthy—has a shot to be competing in the 2016 NBA Finals.
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