NBA Free Agents 2019: Top Rumors, Speculation and Predictions
With the NBA season winding down as college basketball steals the spotlight for a brief time, it's only natural for the rumors market to erupt.
It should go without saying for anyone with even a cursory knowledge of NBA happenings lately, but LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be at the forefront of all whispers and speculation.
However, it wouldn't be much of a rumor mill without the New York Knicks, either, especially after some of the moves the front office in the Big Apple has made over the past few seasons.
With big free agents potentially heading to market and the long-term plans of front offices getting ready to unfold, the rumor mill is starting to churn out some heavyweight ideas.
Frank Ntilikina available?
Could Frank Ntilikina be the next to go?
The eighth pick in the 2017 draft has only suited up in 41 games for the Knicks this year, averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 assists over 21.2 minutes.
With Kristaps Porzingis already gone, Ntilikina could be next. Speculation and general connect the dots could always produce such an idea, though it might have some legs now.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Knicks front office—led by general manager Scott Perry—threw out the Frenchman's name in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks.
No shocker here. Other evidence making connecting the dots simple is the fact the Knicks have Damyean Dotson, Allonzo Trier and Dennis Smith Jr. under contract for next year. Emmanuel Mudiay looks like he'll return at the right price despite his status as an impending free agent given his budding role.
Where that leaves Ntilikina isn't too hard to say: He'll be on the block this offseason. And when it comes to a prediction, let's just say plenty of teams will have an interest in a 20-year-old guard with big upside who joined a dysfunctional organization and predictably struggled out of the gates.
Paul George 2.0 Inbound?
The Lakers could have some serious problems recruiting talent this offseason, which is impressive given the presence of LeBron.
But L.A. has face planted even after securing LeBron, winning just 31 games as of this writing and sitting 11th in the Western Conference. It's a shocking turn of events given the heroics James has accomplished in the past.
To make matters worse, help may not be on the way. According to Bill Oram of The Athletic, the biggest free agents might do what Paul George did last year and spurn the Lakers, at least in the minds of "most league insiders."
The 28-year-old had plenty of reasons to stay where he was other than thinking LeBron and the Lakers was a recipe for disaster. But he was the first to shove away the idea, and others might not be hesitant to do so as a result.
In no particular order, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and a handful of other massive names could head to the open market this offseason and have their choice of a landing spot.
But the Lakers imploding and the drama surrounding the team's apparent bid for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis that fell flat has made it more understandable if teams shy away. That LeBron has to fight Father Time as well only makes the potential destination all the more unattractive.
Truly, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if this scenario unfolded again, forcing the Lakers into a desperation move at the trade table while acquiring someone like Davis instead of signing a big-name free agent.
LeBron and the Clippers?
Of course, all this chatter around LeBron and the Lakers means once again taking the microscope to the former in a big way.
And for some reason, James and the Los Angeles Clippers has become a conversation.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin went on The Jump and shut this down:
Great to have that out of the way, right?
Of course, this is the NBA and wilder things have happened, so much so it tends to rival WWE in drama.
These Lakers are a big part of this, as the whiff on George, failure to work a trade for Davis and the general roster-building strategy by bringing on veterans who were flirting with washed-up status all combusted into the aforementioned middling record.
The Clippers mostly enter the conversation for a funny reason—they happen to be the Los Angeles franchise looking capable of reeling in a massive free agent or two thanks to droves of cap space and an exciting direction.
And honestly, taking down LeBron in what is supposed to be his city has to have some sort of appeal at this point.
So no, simply on the basis of James' four-year deal with the Lakers and his age of 34, he's not going to don a Clippers uniform.
That shouldn't be on anyone's radar this offseason, though the Lakers struggling to lure talent to town while the Clippers reel in an Irving and perhaps somebody else, probably should be.
