NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Buzz on DeMar DeRozan, Marcus Smart and More
The NBA rumors market doesn't stop for anything, including another NBA Finals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
Those Finals feature plenty of interesting implications beyond crowning a champion as well thanks to LeBron James once again headlining the offseason. He's joined by plenty of other major names, as well as key role players such as Marcus Smart and potential rebuild victims like DeMar DeRozan.
With all but two teams out of the running, rumors continue to trickle in about some of the offseason's surefire heavyweights. Whether it's free agency, trades or something else, the mill seems to have a little bit of everything for anyone.
Here's a look at the notables before the Finals get underway.
DeMar DeRozan's Future
It all looked so good for the Toronto Raptors. They had the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. Dwane Casey won 2017-18 NBA Coach of the Year.
But the Raptors didn't even advance to the conference finals, and in a bid to shake things up, the front office showed Casey the door.
DeRozan apparently isn't immune from other upcoming changes, according to the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat: "Masai Ujiri fired Dwane Casey and is not expected to limit his shakeup to only one move. Of course there's a better chance DeRozan does return, but Toronto will explore all options, per multiple league sources."
On one hand, it's hard to imagine the Raptors move DeRozan. He'd obviously fetch a great price on the open market if it gets to that point, but he's also been with the team since 2009 and didn't have any problems with the schematic change to the offense this past season, still averaging 23 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game over 33.9 minutes.
On the other, teams would sacrifice a huge amount to get a 28-year-old player like DeRozan, especially after he showed this past year he can play in a different approach.
But with the Raptors, it's also important to keep in mind someone like Kyle Lowry might be a more attractive piece to move. It permits keeping DeRozan while also enabling some injection of new blood into the equation after a sheer schematic change itself didn't get the team past LeBron.
Granted, LeBron could remove himself from the conference. But it's clear the Raptors are prepared for more change regardless.
The Marcus Smart Saga
Yes, even Smart has a saga.
Smart is one of those players who might be worth more than he seems on an open market because he does the little things when it comes to defense and leadership. He certainly isn't going to flaunt his averages of 10.2 points and 4.8 assists per game when he's known as a defensive player while guys like Jayson Tatum carried the Boston Celtics offensively.
But Smart isn't technically headed to an open market as a restricted free agent. The Celtics will have the make an offer and then match whatever else comes in, though it'll be up to general manager Danny Ainge's front office to decide if the end price is right.
The problem for Boston? Extension talks didn't go well, as Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.com reported: "Boston discussed an extension with its gritty defensive specialist, team sources said, but the dollar figures were too far apart. The Celtics are resigned that Smart will opt for a bigger payday elsewhere instead of taking a hometown discount."
Recent comments from Smart show this one is going to come down to which side blinks first when the checkbooks come out:
This one will be interesting to watch play out because if another team feels Smart is worth a big investment, it seems clear the right price will make the Celtics back off.
As it happens, the Celtics will remain in control, though the front office would have loved to finalize an extension before it got to this point.
Kings Looking to Deal?
The Sacramento Kings shouldn't strike many as a team wanting to pull off a blockbuster with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
After all, the Kings are still searching for that can't-miss player to complete a contender. Buddy Hield is promising, Willie Cauley-Stein is starting to come into his own and De'Aaron Fox will keep slowly working on his game, but none of those guys are franchise-altering prospects—at least from where we're sitting right now.
The second overall pick and either Deandre Ayton out of Arizona or Real Madrid's Luka Doncic might be.
But the Kings have to be at No. 2 to get one of the two, yet Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reported the Kings are "exploring all options" with the pick.
The likeliest scenario here is the Kings have similar opinions on most of the top 10 and view this as playing with house money after the lottery gave them the second pick despite looking like they'd land at seven. Trading back to seven or so anyway would net additional team-building assets, perhaps in the form of a veteran who can help groom the young guys or more prospects to provide long-term depth.
Either way, teams will always seem open to deals this time of year because it's smart business. Given the uniqueness of the Kings' situation though, this idea they will be open to a move seems more palpable than most.
