NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Brendan Haywood and Nick Young's Status

Just when it looks like the NBA world has hit the pause button to catch its breath, something else comes up. 

Look at this past week, when news surrounding the U.S. Olympic team went out. Or a trade that may give way to more (details below) went down. Or the heroes of the Las Vegas Summer League found themselves with NBA contracts instead of having to look at the D-league or overseas.

While baseball and other events get ready to take over the sporting world, it's never a good idea to turn 100 percent away from the Association. So long as there are still free agents and teams wanting to deal, it's worth watching.

Where Lakers Go Next

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

It's been an odd stretch for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thought to be major players on the market, the Lakers didn't attract any major names of interest, at least not when it comes to the big names most expect to see the Lakers sign.

Instead, general manager Mitch Kupchak and the team settled for bringing on Brandon Bass at the 4 to help mentor Julius Randle, Lou Williams for scoring off the bench and even trading for embattled big man Roy Hibbert.

The other major item this summer? Nick Young's future with the team, something many figured would result in a trade.

No such luck. Young is still on the roster. After a recent meeting with the front office, it sounds like he will stick around, too, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: "But the conversation at least left Young feeling comfortable enough that he will enter the 2015-16 season on the Lakers’ roster, according to a source familiar with his thinking."

It's not hard to see why the Lakers couldn't find a deal. Young can score, but he takes a ton of shots and loves the attention. He's also 30 years old and a $5.2 million cap hit, per Spotrac, a number teams won't want to take on, along with the extra years tacked on at the end.

If the plan in Los Angeles was to bring on Williams to take Young's role, call it a whiff. There are a ton of players who need the ball to be effective on the roster now. Kobe Bryant speaks for itself, D'Angelo Russell was a score-first player in college, Young averaged 11.3 shots per game last year, Williams, 11.6. Don't forget Randle, who needs the ball to develop.

It sounds like the Lakers want to keep as many guards involved as possible, which means more small lineups with Bryant at the 3. If so, Young might see his playing time reduced by a large margin.

Or traded, because this is the Association and these things change without notice, so keep an ear out.

Brendan Haywood and Trades

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

It's not a secret the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to move big man Brendan Haywood for some sort of value as opposed to just cutting him loose without return. After getting run off the court in the NBA Finals by a much deeper team, the approach makes sense.

Remember, Haywood is a $10.5 million cap hit next season, but not a penny of it is guaranteed if he's cut soon. In theory, this should be an attractive piece of trade bait, as a team could match the salary in a trade, then cut Haywood loose and free up more than $10 million for whatever the front office chooses.

Except it's never so easy, is it? For almost two months the team has tried to ship away Haywood to no avail, so the team made a recent move in hopes it entices other teams to step up to the table.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com broke down the move:

"

The Cleveland Cavaliers executed a minor trade with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, helping set up a larger deal that will involve Brendan Haywood, sources told ESPN.com.

The Cavs sent center Rakeem Christmas, the No. 36 overall pick in June's draft, to the Pacers for a 2019 second-round pick owed by the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade gives the Cavs roster flexibility and an asset they can use to move Haywood and create a large trade exception in the next week.

"

The skinny—Cleveland will send an extra draft pick along with Haywood if someone would please just take his contract before cutting him. 

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Losing Rakeem Christmas stings, as he was one of the 2015 draft's most underrated players. Call it a loss the team can manage, though, with Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao still on the roster, with Tristan Thompson still floating around, too.

Only a handful of teams feature the cap space capable of taking on Haywood's contract for a few hours, if that. Sprinkle in a few more if a couple players get thrown into the mix. 

Still, kudos to the Cavaliers for sweetening the pot. An extra future asset for helping the Cavaliers out will go a long way toward a team agreeing to a deal. Now it just seems a matter of time.

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