NBA Rumors: Examining Speculation on Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and More
After working overtime earlier in the summer, the NBA rumor mill has slowed down a bit. Most teams have completed whatever deals they had on the table and are shifting their focus toward the preseason.
However, a few stories have trickled through the grapevine, and the discussion about next year's free agents will continue to gain steam little by little over the next 10 months.
Below, you'll find up-to-date rumors surrounding a trio of NBA veterans.
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Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is going to get paid next summer, whether it's by the Washington Wizards or another team. Regarding him possibly re-signing with the Wizards, you wonder whether Washington's other offseason plans might affect its ability to bring Beal back.
"It is well known in NBA circles that the Wizards are lining up their books to make a run at DC native Kevin Durant next summer," wrote Bobby Marks for HoopsHype.
Can the Wizards afford max deals for Durant and Beal—or a max deal for Beal and a massive one-year contract plus an option for Durant?
In an interview with Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, Beal seemingly hinted he wouldn't take a below-market deal to re-sign with Washington.
"I'm not going to sell myself short," he said. "If I get offered, I get offered. If I don't, I don't. I'm just going to continue to be the player I am and not let money really have any effect on me like that."
Marks looked at whether going after Durant and trying to re-sign Beal would be viable for the Wizards next year:
"What we saw this past free agency is that wings are paid at a premium. Because Washington already tagged Wall as its “Designated Player”, the most years and money in an extension that the Wizards can offer Beal is four years with a maximum salary of $90.8 million. Bypassing the rookie extension could accomplish something for Washington and Beal. Similar to what San Antonio did with Kawhi Leonard, Washington could elect to keep Beal’s $14.2 million cap hold on the books and go into free agency with the maximum amount of cap space possible.
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Signing a max free agent and core pieces would allow Washington to circle back to Beal and give him and his agent Mark Bartelstein the contract they would be looking for – five years at $117 million. Bartelstein and the Wizards will have to be on the same page when free agency begins, similar to what happened with Leonard and the Spurs. If not, expect teams to start circling the wagons looking to make Beal very wealthy.
Obviously, signing Durant would be huge for Washington. But just as important for the Wizards is keeping their young core, namely Beal and John Wall, together. Wall is already signed through 2019, so he should be in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future. Beal will be the next domino to fall.
Now, just imagine if the Wizards can build around Beal, Wall and Durant. If they don't automatically become the best team in the Eastern Conference at that point, they're at least right there with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top spot.
Kevin Durant
Speaking of Durant, Basketball Insiders' Moke Hamilton included one team as a potential destination for the six-time All-Star, and it isn't Washington.
"I don't know if Kevin Durant is going to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder next summer," Hamilton wrote. "But I do know that if he decides to consider the idea and visit a short list of teams, the Mavericks will be one of them."
It's somewhat surprising to hear the Dallas Mavericks as a serious contender for Durant. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported early this month the Mavs felt confident in their chances, but that was when they expected DeAndre Jordan to join their ranks.
Without Jordan, that can't be the case anymore, right?
Quite frankly, there's no guarantee the Mavericks can be a serious contender in the Western Conference as currently constructed. And even the addition of Durant wouldn't automatically make them a lock for the NBA Finals.
Dallas has Zaza Pachulia penciled in as its starting center, while it's gambling big time on Wesley Matthews making a full recovery from his torn Achilles. Not to mention Dirk Nowitzki is only getting older.
The Mavericks have swung for the fences in free agency over the past few years, most notably losing out on Jordan and Dwight Howard. If they went all-in on trying to sign Durant, they'd likely reach the same outcome.
Mike Miller
In an effort to shed payroll, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to the Portland Trail Blazers, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski added the veteran sharpshooter is likely to be bought out by the Blazers.
Taking that step would benefit both parties. Miller probably wants to play for a contender, and Portland doesn't really have a need for a guy like him on the bench.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein threw out three teams who could chase the 35-year-old should he become a free agent:
While Miller is clearly well past his prime, he could carve out a niche role on a team hoping to make the playoffs in 2015-16.
It's tough to judge his current ability off last year's numbers. The Cavs were integrating so many new players into the lineup, in addition to a head coach who'd never coached in the NBA. Miller got lost in the shuffle a bit.
If he can return to something close to his 2013-14 campaign with the Memphis Grizzlies (12.2 points per 36 minutes on 48.1 percent shooting), then he could be a valuable bench player. Not to mention it's nice to have a two-time NBA champion with 1,552 playoff minutes to his name on your roster.
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