NBA Rumors: Latest on Bradley Beal Extension and Free-Agency Moves

While the globe fixates its attention on Cincinnati for the Midsummer Classic and Las Vegas for the most prominent NBA Summer League festivities, the Association's rumor mill continues to hum in the background. 

Make sure to zoom in on the background noise every once in a while. There, losers of free agency and trades scramble to pick up the pieces, teams continue to hunt for value deals, and front offices look to work out cap situations.

It might not seem like it, but this is quite the busy time in the NBA. To avoid falling behind, here is a roundup of the latest nuggets fresh off the mill.

Panic-Button Time in Dallas

John Amis/Associated Press

DeAndre Jordan is a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, which puts the Dallas Mavericks in quite a difficult spot.

"Difficult" as in the Mavericks would like to contend for the postseason in a deep Western Conference, but Zaza Pachulia sits as the starting center.

The Dallas front office seems like it wants as many options as possible, though, as ESPN's Marc Stein lists a trio of names the team will pursue:

Yes, it's dire times for the Mavericks.

Samuel Dalembert is a nice thought as a defensive enforcer but managed an average of just 17.0 minutes per game last year in 32 appearances with the New York Knicks. Tyler Hansbrough played even fewer minutes last year with the Toronto Raptors. Elton Brand is oldest of all at 36 and also saw the fewest minutes of the bunch with the Atlanta Hawks.

At this point, it's clear the Mavericks just want another body. Pachulia is a serviceable starter, but the roster needs better depth to compensate when the quality depth gets bumped to starter thanks to bad luck.

Keep a close eye on the Mavericks. 

Kings Nearing an Add

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

This offseason has been a wild one for the Sacramento Kings, but things might become a little more concrete if the team can nail down a deal with a key free agent. 

According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the front office is close to putting ink to paper with forward Luc Mbah a Moute:

The UCLA product spent last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and had a breakout year. Over the course of 67 games, he earned a career-high 28.6 minutes per game and responded with averages of 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds.

In Sacramento, it is hard to imagine the journeyman will see anywhere close to the minutes average barring injuries. Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi hold down one spot, and young depth elsewhere figures to be a priority of the coaching staff.

Still, there is nothing wrong with adding quality depth. Every team does it if it wants to win games, and the Kings seem ready to commit.

Bradley Beal Contract Latest

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Washington Wizards don't seem like they are playing around when it comes to Bradley Beal's contract. 

Beal is a $7.4 million cap hit in 2016 before becoming a restricted free agent, per Spotrac, where the team would be able to match any offer thrown his way.

Despite the favorable position the team finds itself in, it sounds like the front office wants to be proactive.

J. Michael of CSNwashington.com reported the two sides are already in contact about an extension: "Now that the most of the heavy-lifting has been dealt with in free agency, the Wizards will begin serious talks with Bradley Beal regarding a contract extension, CSNwashington.com has confirmed with two people with knowledge of the situation."

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Being proactive might be the best route. As Michael goes on to mention, even Wes Matthews just scored a max deal with Dallas despite coming off an injury.

So while Beal has yet to play in a full season thanks to injuries, it's hard to imagine he won't command max money on the market. Last year, he averaged just 15.3 points per game, but the upside is huge, and it is important to remember he was the team's leading scorer in the postseason.

On the 22-year-old guard's end, he's working on staying healthy, as he told Yaron Weitzman of Slam Magazine: "I’m getting together with some of our trainers soon to do that. We’re going to talk about what kind of things I need to eat, what I should stop eating and what I need to do to stay injury-free."

For the Wizards, it might be better to get out in front of this and put the issue to rest before it morphs into a media sensation. So far, it sounds like the front office has the right idea.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.