NBA Rumors: Latest Free Agency Buzz Surrounding Top Big Men and More
As the NBA roster building season continues, teams are still grappling with how to handle the unprecedented salary cap jumps due to occur over the next several years. The free agency dynamic will receive most of the attention in this regard, as big salary changes are also going to change how teams value current contracts.
Subsequently, we might see more interest surrounding players who wouldn't have been on the block if the cap had remained stagnant. While superstars will always generate the most incessant buzz, it's the helpful mid-tier players who could eventually turn into favorable values, thus providing savvy teams an opportunity to steal building blocks for future contention.
Surveying the league landscape roughly two weeks before the draft, here's the latest buzz on some of the biggest names on the market this offseason.
Bucks Thinking Big
The Milwaukee Bucks have made noise on the trade market in recent days, dealing away Ersan Ilyasova and the $16.2 million remaining on his deal in exchange for the cap-friendly deals of Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. With that newfound spending ability, ESPN's Marc Stein pinpointed a pair of big men who could be on Milwaukee's radar this July:
"League sources say the Bucks want a proven center in free agency if they can score one, and have pinpointed two kinds of former All-Stars -- Dallas' Tyson Chandler and Brooklyn's Brook Lopez -- as targets for the top of their wish list.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd knows both of them well, having played alongside Chandler in both Dallas and New York and having coached Lopez with the Nets. And word is that Milwaukee intends to chase both hard come July 1 in hopes of emerging as a serious contender for at least one of them.
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Brook Lopez would seemingly be available given the Brooklyn Nets' notorious trade woes. However, even with the massive contracts of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams on the roster, general manager Billy King has professed a desire to keep the 7-footer, who may be the only player safe in the Nets' long-term plans.
Tyson Chandler would be the cheaper option and provide a nice short-term solution to Milwaukee's rim protection issues. Chandler made over $14.5 million on the final year of his deal last season, and the 32-year-old still figures to cash in given his bounce-back season. After leaving the dysfunctional New York Knicks, he posted the highest PER of his career in his most games since the 2007-08 season, per Basketball-Reference.com.
With Ilyasova gone, the Bucks need to replace a vital cog in their frontcourt rotation from last season. While Lopez and Chandler are both stylistically different players from Ilyasova, either would represent a more natural interior complement to Milwaukee's promising wing tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.
Monroe's Suitors
The Detroit Pistons were the second party in the aforementioned Ilyasova trade, a deal that could have a direct consequence for unrestricted free agent Greg Monroe. According to ESPN's Nick Silva, it's widely viewed as a lock that Monroe will leave the Motor City, with Ilyasova replacing him in the frontcourt:
"While it's not official yet, most NBA executives believe it's now a lock that Monroe will be playing for a new team next season with news of the Ersan Ilyasova trade to the Pistons. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks may be the top suitors for Monroe.
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The Knicks have been the top rumored suitor for the 6'11" Monroe, with Frank Isola of the New York Daily News essentially labeling it a done deal at the end of the regular season. The Celtics would be a new face in the sweepstakes—but a fairly predictable one given Boston's need for rim protection and flush cash spending flexibility.
Monroe's public perception seems to have soured the past couple of seasons, in part due to his ill-fated partnership with Josh Smith and Detroit's prioritization of Andre Drummond as a future building block. However, though his per-36 minute numbers took a dip in the 2013-14 season with Smith, Monroe rebounded and actually improved on his previously promising form:
New York is desperate for relevance, though, and with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor likely out of reach in the draft, a player like Monroe would make sense. Ilyasova's arrival in Detroit presumably only strengthens the chances of Monroe playing his games in Madison Square Garden next November.
Gordon Opting In?
The New Orleans Pelicans are in a state of flux despite earning a surprising playoff berth this season, having fired head coach Monty Williams. Anthony Davis is arguably the league's best building block, but as of now, the Pelicans have locked in a relatively low-upside supporting cast around the Brow.
New Orleans could have cap room this summer, but part of that is dependent on Eric Gordon declining his $15.5 million player option. However, according to the Times-Picayune's John Reid, Gordon is currently leaning toward picking up that player option for next season:
"A source close to Eric Gordon said he is leaning toward opting-in to play out the final year of his contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Gordon is looking to emerge in Pelicans new head coach Alvin Gentry's up-tempo, high-scoring offense that involves ball movement and plenty of perimeter shots from both guard spots.
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Alvin Gentry has been an offensive-friendly head coach during his time in the league, and Gordon could use a boost from Gentry's system to revive his flagging career. Gordon's point totals have declined five consecutive seasons, and he's missed at least 18 games every year since his rookie season in 2008-09 due to persistent injuries.
New Orleans surely wishes it was off the hook for Gordon's salary, though the backcourt depth is relatively shallow at the moment. Still, with Gordon occupying the highest cap hit on the roster, the Pelicans' long-term salary health would be better off without the perpetually injured shooting guard.
