NBA Rumors: Latest Deron Williams Trade Buzz and Other Free-Agent Rumblings

The first few hours of NBA free agency were among the craziest in recent memory, and the days to come shouldn't be much different. 

With money flowing like crazy as teams attempt to lock down marquee talents before the salary cap rises next summer, players are salivating at the chance to capitalize on their peak market values. 

Heck, $1.4 billion worth of contracts were agreed to in principle on Wednesday alone, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

That's how you set the stage for another frenzied round of trades and signings—several of which I have analyzed below.  

Brooklyn Dangling Huge Contracts

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Beyond inking Brook Lopez to a three-year, $60 million deal and Thaddeus Young to a four-year, $50 million pact, the Brooklyn Nets don't figure to be particularly active players in free agency. 

That's because Deron Williams and Joe Johnson continue to eat up large swaths of cap space as their deals wind down. According to Basketball Insiders, Johnson is slated to make a huge $24.9 million next season. Williams, on the other hand, will earn a shade over $21 million before he has the ability to exercise or decline a player option worth $22.3 million for the 2016-17 season. 

And with the franchise moving in a new direction, Johnson and Williams are now available via trade, according to ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo: 

"We're going to explore all options, as we have," Nets general manager Billy King said on May 6, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "Will there be a trade? There could be, but I'm not sure."

Finding trade partners for those two over-the-hill, overpriced vets won't be easy, though. While expiring contracts do pack value for teams looking to clear monster salary slots entering the summer of 2016, it's difficult to envision prospective buyers parting with assets of any conceivable value to rent Johnson or Williams for a year. 

Brooklyn's best bet would be dumping their salaries along with draft-pick sweeteners to teams with oodles of free cap space. 

Three Teams Going Hard After Wesley Matthews

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According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, two wing-hungry teams have been pursuing free-agent shooting guard Wesley Matthews:

However, a new suitor emerged for the 28-year-old marksman following some late-night wheeling and dealing, according to USA Today's Sam Amick and Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:  

After sending 2014 lottery pick Nik Stauskas and a top-10 protected future first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in a cap-clearing move Wednesday night, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe and Wojnarowski, the Sacramento Kings have parted with several valuable cost-controlled assets in the name of potentially luring a prized free agent to town.

"The Kings are in win-now mode under owner Vivek Ranadive and coach George Karl," SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell wrote. "After rampant speculation that the team could move star center DeMarcus Cousins because of a rift with Karl, the Kings appear like they're trying to patch things up by adding a wave of veteran talent."

Now, they can't afford to strike out.

With more than $20 million in free cap space at their disposal, the Kings will need to put a full-court press on Matthews, whose three-point shooting expertise would provide Sacramento with a major lift. Last season, the Kings attempted the league's third-fewest threes (16.5 per game) and hit a 20th-ranked 34.1 percent of them. 

According to Wojnarowski, the Kings are also "seriously interested" in Monta Ellis. Ellis has yet to commit to a team after meeting with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, per the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.  

The Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors undoubtedly offer Matthews better chances to appear in the playoffs on a regular basis. That said, Matthews is reportedly eyeing $15 million annually, per Amick, and Dallas is offering a deal in the $12 million range.  

So if the Kings are willing to meet Matthews' financial demands, perhaps they could save face after parting with a boatload of goodies simply to dump the salaries of Jason Thompson and Carl Landry. 

Otherwise, things could get even uglier in California's capital.  

Primary Suitors Emerge for Greg Monroe

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Greg Monroe is ditching the Motor City, and a pair of clubs have started making more aggressive runs at the double-double machine, according to Wojnarowski: 

Both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Portland Trail Blazers represent sensible solutions for the 25-year-old.

With LaMarcus Aldridge exploring his options elsewhere and the team loading up on young talent to pad its depth up front, the Blazers could use a steady scorer such as Monroe below the free-throw line. Mason Plumlee's range remains quite limited, and Noah Vonleh's jump shot is still a work in progress at 19 years old.

Milwaukee is in a similar boat.

While the Bucks do have Jabari Parker available to play the 4 situationally, his 6'8'', 235-pound physical profile fits that of a small forward. Since the Bucks don't have a true power forward who can regularly threaten to post up opponents, Monroe could fill a hole and free up more open looks for shooters such as Khris Middleton and Jared Dudley as defenses collapse on the low blocks.  

Last season, Monroe ran 478 post-ups, which was fifth-most in the NBA, according to Synergy Sports. As a team, the Bucks ran 541 total—the eighth-fewest across the Association.  

Tactically, Monroe is a fit for either club.

Now, it's just a matter of discovering which team values his services more.