NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Buzz on Potential 2016 Draft Deals and Plans
The 2016 NBA draft plays host to more rumors than usual.
Reasons flow without hesitation. The wacky Philadelphia 76ers clutch the top pick. Franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics clutch top selections, but they could elect to opt out if it means pursuing the biggest names on the free-agent market this summer.
Remember, rebuilders wanting to make moves and the prospects themselves making the rounds in the weeks ahead play a large role in how the rumors market develops, too.
Below, let's take a look at the updated rumors market surrounding the draft.
Utah Ready to Deal?
The Utah Jazz sit on the 12th pick in the order after picking up 40 wins this past season.
It's not a terrible position for the franchise to be in, but at the same time, it's not a slot suitable to helping the Jazz in a notable way.
This is why ESPN.com's Zach Lowe hears the Jazz might find themselves willing to deal on draft day…again:
"For the second straight year, rival execs expect Utah to quietly gauge the market for its lottery pick in search of veteran help at point guard or on the wing. And for the second straight year, Utah will have trouble finding a player under the right sort of contract, and in the right age range, to make a deal worthwhile.
"
Why not? Utah is far from a household team right now, with most folks perhaps unable to name a single player on the roster. A Shelvin Mack-Rodney Hood-Gordon Hayward starting trio isn't gunning for the postseason, and the jury is still out on Dante Exum.
All across the board, the Jazz could make do with upgrades. A player at No. 12 isn't going to change the franchise in a meaningful way out of the gates. Another foundation piece to grow with a young core is nice, but it doesn't seem like the approach the front office wants to take if it's already looking to deal.
So long as Utah can make the contracts work, this might be one of the more notable deals to go down during draft season, as the Jazz seem to want immediate veteran help more than a long-term prospect.
The Lakers-76ers Saga
Nobody would find it quite surprising if the Lakers decided to try to trade the No. 2 pick.
It is Los Angeles, after all, where the franchise might look to get back to its win-now ways with a big splash in free agency this summer. If dealing the No. 2 pick to help in such an endeavor makes sense, the front office likely won't hesitate.
Hence Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding suggesting the Lakers still have an eye on the trade market: "Still, the Lakers will actively explore trading the pick. They want to get better as soon as possible—in part to make sure Philadelphia doesn’t get too good of a pick next year when the Lakers’ first-rounder conveys to the 76ers if it’s outside the top three."
With D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle already on the roster, Los Angeles might not feel like it needs another big prospect. Add a veteran and future assets from trading the No. 2 pick and then pull in a major free agent, and suddenly the Lakers are back.
One has to wonder how similar Philadelphia's approach might be.
In that same blurb, Ding drops an interesting nugget about the 76ers:
"The 76ers, despite suggesting they don't anticipate trading the No. 1 pick that already had club officials dancing the night away in New York, actually may be the team more likely to get a draft deal done.
New general manager and team president Bryan Colangelo, hired to jump-start former GM Sam Hinkie’s much maligned "process" that sucked the life out of the franchise, is very much looking to trade.
"
Long story short, the 76ers wouldn't mind a top player, but with three picks in the first round, some sort of deal wouldn't be a shock. The 76ers have Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid as possible moving pieces, too, which could help clear the logjam underneath the basket and bring on a notable veteran at an area of need—to pair with Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram.
Simmons and Ingram make sense in either locale. But with so many moving pieces in both organizations, it wouldn't be a surprise to see either team make a move or two during draft season.
76ers and Due Diligence
Along the same lines of the possible big moves out of Philadelphia outlined above, how the team has attacked the draft process hints at unexpected developments.
There's a fine line between teams doing due diligence on prospects and teams hinting at a bigger plan with how they approach the prospect workout scene.
According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the 76ers are all over the place with prospect workouts:
"Even so, several sources told The Undefeated that Philadelphia expects to also work out ex-California forward Jaylen Brown, ex-Providence point guard Kris Dunn and ex-Kentucky combo guard Jamal Murray. The Sixers are also considering offering workout invitations to ex-Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield and Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Dragan Bender, too.
"
All of those players are worth top-10 selections. Jaylen Brown is a physical freak who averaged 14.6 points per game last year. Kris Dunn will remind some of Rajon Rondo. Jamal Murray is the best shooting guard in the draft after hitting 41 percent of his shots from deep last year. Buddy Hield is a household name who averaged 25 points. And Dragan Bender cannot escape Kristaps Porzingis comparisons.
Got all that? This is an interesting scenario from the 76ers because of how the team could act. Flexibility is the name of the game, as Philadelphia could move down from No. 1 or perhaps even put together a package with one of the big men and two other first-round picks to move back up in the first round should one of the mentioned guys fall.
This all presumes Philadelphia actually begins to rebuild in a normal manner. But one glance at the franchise's asset pool and approach to the draft thus far makes it easy to think the 76ers are not only in arguably the best position of anyone, but also ready to turn things around almost overnight through savvy moves while acting as the most interesting team in the draft.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
