NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Trade, 2019 Draft and Free-Agent Chatter
As teams get eliminated from the 2019 NBA playoffs, speculation starts to heat up about their future.
Boston and Philadelphia have been the hot teams on the rumor mill since they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinal round.
The Celtics have plenty of big decisions to make in the offseason, but they will not be able to make the most important one themselves, as Kyrie Irving has a player option for next season.
Philadelphia's roster build for the 2019-20 season will not be set in motion until it figures out its approach for free agency, but one peculiar rumor regarding the Sixers popped up Monday.
As for the non-playoff teams, they will find out their draft fate Tuesday during the draft lottery. Most of the top prospects are in Chicago for the NBA combine, but one potential top pick will not be participating.
Sixers Could Explore Simmons for James Trade
It took less than 24 hours after Philadelphia's season ended for the first major rumor involving it to come out.
An NBA executive told NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh the Sixers could explore a trade that sends Ben Simmons to the Los Angeles Lakers for LeBron James.
The thought of a trade like this happening seems preposterous since the Lakers just hired a new head coach in Frank Vogel to work with James, and Simmons has unfinished business in Philadelphia.
It is worth noting Vogel was not the top choice for the Lakers, who missed out on Monty Williams and Ty Lue, but he is a successful coach with a staff expected to be built around improving all of the players currently on the Lakers roster.
The financial complexities of a potential swap between the Sixers and Lakers would be difficult to maneuver as well, especially with the Sixers looking to bring back Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.
If the Sixers had fewer pressing needs to complete their roster, then a trade with the Lakers might have been talked about, but we do not see this going anywhere past the rumor stage.
Irving's Decision Has Not Been Made
All signs are pointing to Kyrie Irving opting out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics.
According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Irving's final decision after he opts out remains unaddressed.
The Lakers were floated as a possible landing spot for Irving by ESPN's Brian Windhorst on his latest podcast (h/t HoopsHype's Brian Kalbrosky).
“As time passes here, I would’ve said that this is impossible for many months," Windhorst said. "But as time passes here and as the possibility exists that Jason Kidd could be hired as the Lakers coach, I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting — that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open … It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar, it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.”
However, that idea was shot down by Windhorst's ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith on First Take (h/t NBC Sports Boston's Nick Goss) on Monday.
"From what I'm told, it's not going to happen. I got a text message from folks close to Kyrie's family, within the hour, as we were teasing this subject. Quote: 'There is no way in hell he's going to L.A. I don't give a damn what anybody says, knock that down for us right now please. He ain't going to L.A.' That's what they say."
The Lakers would be an intriguing landing spot for Irving because he would team up with James once again.
But the Western Conference is still the tougher of the two to get to the NBA Finals from, and with other options possibly available in the Eastern Conference, Irving could land there instead of moving across the country.
Potential Top 5 Pick To Skip Combine
Virginia's De'Andre Hunter was one of three players to withdraw from the NBA combine Monday, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Hunter could land as high as the No. 4 pick on June 20, but he will not put his skill set on display for NBA executives at the combine.
It seems like a strange move, but if Hunter has already received a guarantee that he will land in the top five, there is no reason for him to risk his draft status.
No matter what Hunter's motivation is, it is still a strange move and will lead some NBA personnel to investigate why he is not participating.
The absence of Chuma Okeke, who suffered a torn ACL in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, makes sense because he is still in the early part of the recovery process.
Gonzaga's Killian Tillie also suffered a minor injury in a predraft workout and still has the opportunity to withdraw his name from the draft pool and return to Gonzaga.
