NBA Rumors: Buzz Surrounding Mike Miller, Kendall Marshall and More
NBA news and juicy rumors are hard to come by in late July, with the summer leagues wrapped up, training camps yet to commence and the majority of teams having completed their usual offseason roster reshaping.
However, there are a few rumblings as we head into August. A late-summer swap has shaken things up and generated some buzz, long-gestating Olympics news has resulted in some chatter on the injury front and a free agent many teams passed on still twists in the wind without a home.
Let's take a look at the latest NBA rumors.
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According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Brendan Haywood (and his hefty contract) and sharpshooter Mike Miller to the Portland Trail Blazers to create luxury-tax relief.
Windhorst notes that Haywood—who has a $10.5 million non-guaranteed contract, per Spotrac—is likely to be waived (it's almost certain), which shifts our focus to Miller's fate.
Per ESPN's Marc Stein, Miller might not be long for the Rose City:
Miller is due $2.8 million for the upcoming season, so if the Trail Blazers let him go, he could be a cheap option for a contender looking to add bench firepower. The 35-year-old never quite fit in during his lone season with the Cavs, averaging just 2.1 points on a career-worst 32.7 percent shooting from three-point land.
The Dallas Mavericks could be interested in picking up Miller to fill out the roster. They have capable shooters in Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons at the shooting guard and small forward spots, respectively, but the former is a question mark after suffering a torn Achilles tendon last season. Dallas also still has some money to spend after an, ahem, interesting offseason (looking at you, DeAndre Jordan).
However, there could be a waiting period ahead for Miller, per Stein:
Even if he has to wait until the season begins, he should have little trouble finding a home. He'll be first in line for teams looking for a floor-spacer and will no doubt be champing at the bit to prove he can still contribute.
Kendall Marshall
Kendall Marshall is still on the open market after one truncated season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Its little wonder that teams are hesitant to sign a mediocre defender and slow runner coming off an ACL tear. There was also little opportunity last season for Marshall to build off a solid campaign the previous year with the Los Angeles Lakers.
| 2013-14 | Lakers | 29.0 | 8.0 | .406 | .399 | 8.8 | 0.9 | 12.6 |
| 2014-15 | Bucks | 14.9 | 4.2 | .455 | .391 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 12.4 |
On Friday, ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves and K-Butter's camp made contact:
The Timberwolves are overall a young, rebuilding squad that could seemingly use a player with Marshall's vision, especially if they want to back up Ricky Rubio with a similarly assist-inclined player.
Marshall averaged 11 assists per 36 minutes with the Lakers, per Basketball-Reference.com, and didn't fare too badly with the Bucks in that category, either (7.4). The man could spot a lost contact lens in a swimming pool, no problem.
Alas, Marshall might not actually be in the running to join the Timberwolves' youth movement, according to the Associated Press' Jon Krawczynski:
Indeed, the team did draft Tyus Jones out of Duke this year, so perhaps it doesn't want to send the wrong message to its young charge by bringing in another point guard.
Eventually, Marshall should find a happy home in the NBA. He turns 24 in mid-August, so it's not like age is an issue here. There's also a possibility he's solved his shooting woes, sporting a 45.5 field-goal percentage last season, easily the best rate of his short career.
One would think that Minnesota might be interested in a point guard who is also something of a threat to shoot outside—Rubio, a career 36.7 percent shooter, certainly is not—but perhaps questions remain regarding Marshall's ability to create his own shot or get to the lane coming off a major knee injury.
Team USA Camp Chatter
It appears that a number of NBA stars are looking to make the trek out to Las Vegas this summer for a Team USA basketball minicamp, although it likely won't mean full-speed game action for some of the biggest names still dealing with injuries.
Stein had the big roundup of players expected to attend the camp, as well as their motivations for doing so. He led off his piece with Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love:
"Though still recovering from shoulder surgery, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love plans to attend next month's USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas to make himself available for the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that Love will be attending the three-day camp, despite the fact he's not yet healthy enough to participate, in order to meet the conditions established by USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo. Colangelo told ESPN.com earlier this month that any player who wants to be considered for the 12-man squad that will represent the United States in Brazil next summer must make an appearance in Vegas.
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USA Today's Sam Amick reported that Kevin Durant is likely to head out to the Nevada desert as well:
Fans of those players healthy enough to actually scrimmage in Vegas—which includes anyone from Steph Curry to Andre Drummond to newcomer Michael Carter-Williams, per Stein's report—might understandably receive this news with trepidation after Paul George's horrific leg injury suffered in a Team USA scrimmage in 2014.
It's a club versus country tension that's well-known to those who follow soccer, which has myriad international competitions that are considered must-win events for many nations but, of course, mean stars risking injury.
With basketball growing in popularity around the globe, the level of talent suiting up for other countries is rising. For Team USA to maintain its Olympic dominance, the NBA's best homegrown players must participate. Fans will no doubt be rooting for their favorite players to make the squad, but don't be surprised if they're holding their collective breath during the intrasquad scrimmage scheduled for August 13.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")