NBA Rumors: Latest on Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker Trade Buzz, DeMarcus Cousins
Over the last few years, the week or so between the NBA draft and the start of free agency has become something of a calm before the storm.
NBA offseasons are loaded with intrigue: trades, free agency, social-media sleuthing, the draft and every four years a looming LeBron James decision.
The buzz for all of the above often reaches a fever pitch in this "calm" period, and 2018 is no different. The latest is coming from the rumor mill churning out possible destinations for Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker and DeMarcus Cousins.
The first two, of course, are still under contract with their current teams. So, talk of them moving revolves around possible trades. Cousins, meanwhile is entering free agency in a year when the market is tight, particularly for big men. There does appear to be at least one suitor emerging, though.
Kawhi Leonard
LeBron's decision on whether he'll remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers will command much of the attention this NBA offseason. But the ongoing saga between Leonard and the Spurs is making plenty of noise.
And this week, those two stories intertwined.
"According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Cavs have inquired about Leonard, but there is no traction on a possible deal," USA Today's Sam Amick wrote. "The [San Antonio] Spurs have told teams to put forth offers without any indication of what might come next."
Both nuggets make sense. The Cavaliers are low on assets that any team, let alone a near-perennial contender like the Spurs, would find enticing in a trade.
Larry Nance Jr. is a solid, young (ish, he's already 25) big on a team-friendly contract through 2018-19. He'll enter restricted free agency at that point. And Cedi Osman is 23, with perhaps a bit of upside left. But the contracts of players like Tristan Thompson, Jordan Clarkson or J.R. Smith are borderline albatross right now.
A straight-up deal for Kevin Love works in terms of salary, but that would put Cleveland in the familiar position of only having two stars (assuming landing Kawhi would convince LeBron to stay) when facing the loaded Golden State Warriors.
On top of all that, the Cavs don't even have their own 2019 first-round pick. Without that or intriguing young pieces, it's hard to imagine them being able to beat some of the other offers that will be out there for Kawhi.
Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker is another star Cleveland may be looking to add in an effort to persuade LeBron to stay.
"The Cavs continue to explore the possibility of working a deal with the Charlotte Hornets for two-time All-Star Kemba Walker, two league sources told B/R on Thursday night," Bleacher Report's Ken Berger wrote. "Their best chance at such a deal would seem to have involved the eighth pick in the draft, which didn't happen. One person close to Walker said Thursday night that he still believes such a deal is 'possible.'"
Draft night, of course, has come and gone. And, as Berger pointed out, not being able to deal a lottery pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Walker significantly suppresses the value of an offer from Cleveland.
Sure, the Cavs could wait the requisite 30 days after signing Collin Sexton to include him in a deal, but there's a good chance LeBron will have already made up his mind by then. And there's no guarantee that's the player Charlotte would've targeted if they had the pick on draft night.
The only real incentive, then, is the possibility of Charlotte saving a little money.
The Hornets will almost certainly want to attach Nicolas Batum's deal to any trades involving Walker. Batum is owed an average of nearly $26 million over each of the next three seasons. The last one is a player option worth north of $27 million.
Trading Walker and Batum for George Hill, J.R Smith, Nance and Osman would indeed save the Hornets some cash and increase their cap flexibility. Yes, Hill is under contract through 2019-20, but the final year is only guaranteed for $1 million. That makes his contract essentially expiring. Assuming the remaining $30.4 million over the next two seasons for Smith isn't ideal, but it's significantly less than Batum stands to make.
And that Batum deal might not be as bad on Cleveland's books as it is on Charlotte's. It's not hard to see his theoretical value in a complementary role alongside Walker, Love and James.
DeMarcus Cousins
Saving the biggest for last, Cousins' free agency figures to be among this summer's most interesting storylines. Actually, he and the entire class of big men could be in for a tough couple of months.
According to Real GM's Keith Smith, only seven teams are projected to have cap space this offseason. That number could climb to 18, but that would also mean every team renouncing the rights to all their current free agents, declining all team options, etc. Of course, that would mean way more free agents on the market.
Let's work with the projection, then.
Between those seven teams—the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls—there's around $191 million in cap space. If you assume LeBron and Paul George sign for (or close to) their maxes in Los Angeles, you take one team and north of $60 million from the equation.
And then think about all the restricted free agents who'll hit the market this summer: Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Zach LaVine and more. Add big men like Clint Capela, DeAndre Jordan and Derrick Favors, and it's easy to see how free agents, and particularly big men, could get squeezed this summer.
There is one team reportedly interested in the big men, though. And it's not one of the ones listed above. If the Dallas Mavericks renounce enough of their own free agents, they could get the cap space they need to go after a 5 to slot in lineups with Dennis Smith and Luka Doncic.
According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, the Mavs are set to chase after Capela or Cousins this summer, a move that may signal a desire to win now. If no other team has the space needed to add a max or near-max big, Dallas' offer could be intriguing to either.
The West figures to be as brutal as ever, but a lineup of Smith, Wesley Matthew, Doncic, Dirk Nowitzki and Cousins or Capela, coached by Rick Carlisle, could be competitive.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com or Sports Reference.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for SLC Dunk and Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@AndrewDBailey) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by B/R's Dan Favale.
