NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Surrounding Joe Johnson, Nick Young and More

Following a crazy opening week of the 2015 NBA free-agency period, we witnessed several momentous moves that put some familiar faces in new places, potentially shifting the hierarchy of the Association for the coming season.

DeAndre Jordan will be heading back to his home state of Texas to join the Dallas Mavericks after spending his first seven NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. LaMarcus Aldridge will be joining Jordan in the Lone Star State after agreeing to terms with the San Antonio Spurs. Greg Monroe spurned a couple of high-profile squads, opting to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks instead.

Of course, with those names off the open market, many league franchises are falling back on their contingency plans. With some teams looking to offload pricey contracts via trade, we could see plenty of action in that department in the near future as a result.

That said, let's take a look at a few intriguing rumors regarding potential trades from trusted NBA insiders around the Web.

Cavs Eyeing Up Joe Johnson?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers re-signed Kevin Love to begin their summer; however, LeBron James remains a free agent. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, James isn't in a hurry to ink a new deal, allowing Cleveland to focus on other targeted players in the meantime. That appears to be exactly what the team is doing.

Windhorst also reported the Cavaliers are considering trading for Brooklyn Nets forward Joe Johnson. The Nets have been shopping Johnson in an effort to offload his massive $24.8 million contract—the second highest in the league behind Kobe Bryant—for next season. Freeing up that cap space will allow Brooklyn to continue its rebuild.

The Cavaliers do need another shooter—especially from the perimeter—heading into the coming season, and Johnson fits that mold. While the forward just turned 34 years of age, he's still productive and is coming off a 2014-15 campaign in which he averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from downtown.

It certainly appears both teams have enough of a reason to make this deal happen, so it shouldn't come as a surprise if something comes to fruition in the near future.

Lakers to Offload Nick Young?

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The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason didn't get off to a good start. The team whiffed on several big-ticket free agents, quickly making the coming season look rather bleak. However, the team did manage to work out a Plan B, negotiating a trade with the Indiana Pacers for Roy Hibbert and agreeing to terms with Brandon Bass.

Now, there's the matter of absorbing those contracts. In an effort to free up cap space, Los Angeles is looking to offload the four-year, $21.3 million contract of Nick Young, according to Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The forward played in just 42 games with the Lakers last season, and his numbers dipped dramatically. He finished the campaign averaging 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from downtown.

At this point, there hasn't been any confirmed interest in Young from another team, but that doesn't mean calls aren't being made. Young proved to be quite a dynamic player when given the opportunity and would provide some nice depth for a team in need.

Mavs Want Jeremy Lin in Sign-and-Trade?

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The Mavericks are already one of free agency's biggest winners after acquiring Jordan; however, the team's backcourt took a couple of big hits with the departures of Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo. That leaves Dallas with Raymond Felton and possibly J.J. Barea—if they can get a deal done. Guard help is needed badly here.

According to a report from Wojnarowski, the Mavericks are interested in a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for point guard Jeremy Lin. Why a sign-and-trade? Well, after bringing Jordan on board, the Mavericks are a bit low on cap space, making simply acquiring Lin as a free agent rather difficult. 

In Wojnarowski's report, Lin thinks signing with the Mavericks gives him "the best opportunity to reignite his career, especially with a chance to become the starting point guard." Lin did improve last year with the Lakers under Bryant's tutelage and finished the season averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and limiting his turnovers to just 2.2 per contest.

Lin has proved to be a fine facilitator in the past and is known to intelligently play the pick-and-roll. With Jordan set to play center for Dallas, Lin's ability in that department becomes even more attractive.