NBA Rumors: Latest on Russell Westbrook, Jonathan Isaac Trade, JaMychal Green
A dramatic NBA summer centered around the game's biggest stars and their 2019-20 destinations will soon give way to the regular season on Oct. 22.
Once there, No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will take on the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors to tip off the new campaign.
Until then, teams are running through preseason practices in advance of their exhibition schedules.
Otherwise, some news has also dropped here and there, and we'll take a look at some of the NBA's recent rumors.
Houston Rockets PG Russell Westbrook
Houston Rockets fans will have to wait a bit to see new point guard Russell Westbrook in uniform this preseason, although it won't be long.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Monday, he "is expected to sit first two preseason games and make his Houston debut when team plays Toronto Oct. 8 and 10 in Japan." Charania also credited Kelly Iko of The Athletic and Alykhan Bijani of Rockets Insider with the scoop.
Sans Westbrook, the Rockets already played and beat the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association 140-71 on Monday in the first game referenced.
On Friday, they will face the Los Angeles Clippers in Honolulu in a contest the 30-year-old is also expected to miss.
Westbrook is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery performed last May. However, Bijani mentioned the 2016-17 NBA MVP played and scrimmaged with the team on Saturday evening. He also tweeted that the player was also planning to do the same on Sunday.
The Californian played 11 seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder, making eight All-Star teams, winning the scoring title twice and averaging a triple-double in each of his past three years. OKC traded him to Houston in a package that sent Chris Paul headed the other way.
Westbrook will reunite with James Harden, who played in OKC from 2009-2012.
Brooklyn Nets PG Spencer Dinwiddie
The NBA may have shut down Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie's plan to turn his three-year, $34.36 million contract extension into an investment vehicle, but all hope is not lost quite yet, according to Charania.
He wrote: "Dinwiddie and NBA have scheduled a meeting this week to discuss his plan to convert his NBA contract into an investment vehicle, which the league has objected to."
The reporter explained the idea and rationale behind the proposal in a Sept. 26 piece for The Athletic:
"The project will be backed by Dinwiddie's three-year, $34.36 million contract extension and will bring him an upfront lump payment.
Dinwiddie has received press for his investment skills in the past. Per Leo Sepkowitz of Bleacher Report in October, he bought into bitcoin at $3,000 or $4,000 per coin and sold for around $15,000 per coin.
We'll soon found out if the NBA changes its mind on his idea and whether other players may follow suit.
Similar ideas aren't unprecedented in other sports: For example, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster put 20 percent of his future earnings up for purchase through Fantex in 2013, according Eric Chemi and Jessica Golden of CNBC.
Dinwiddie is set to open the season as Brooklyn's sixth man off the bench. He posted a career-high 16.8 points per game in 2018-19.
Los Angeles Clippers F/C JaMychal Green
The Los Angeles Clippers have made a few eye-opening moves this calendar year, none more notable than signing 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in free agency and trading for six-time All-Star forward Paul George this summer.
However, a less-heralded acquisition paid big dividends in February, when the Clips landed a productive big man in JaMychal Green from the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline.
The 29-year-old averaged 8.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season. He did even better in the playoffs thanks to 11.0 points and 5.3 boards on average.
The timing was fortunate with Green entering free agency. Once there, he felt a sense of loyalty to the Clips, as ESPN's Zach Lowe noted:
"He passed on richer offers from several teams, including playoff mainstays, according to Green and sources at those teams. The Clippers had shown faith in him. Green is loyal. He has stuck with his agent, Michael Hodges, since the start of his career, even when bigger fish tried to poach him. (When those agents call, Green secretly lets Hodges listen in on their pitches, he and Hodges say.)"
Green will likely start at the 4 until George returns following surgeries on both shoulders. Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, PG-13 is expected back in late October or early November.
The power forward may have passed up more money, but he's in a good spot to land a ring. According to Caesars Palace, the Clippers are second on the championship odds ledger at 4-1.
Orlando Magic F Jonathan Isaac
The Orlando Magic improved from 25-57 to 42-40 last season en route to their first postseason appearance since 2011-12. Center Nikola Vucevic turned into an All-Star, and Terrence Ross shined off the bench with 15.1 points per game.
Forward Jonathan Isaac also contributed as he took a step forward in his development. Per Lowe, the team is a big fan of the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, so much so that they are refusing to make him available for a deal.
"It's hard to overstate how much the Magic love Isaac," Lowe wrote. "They have batted away any Isaac trade inquiries, sources say. He has quickly become a standard-bearer of the culture president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond want to nurture."
Isaac, who started 64 games for the Magic at forward last season, improved his shooting stroke from 37.9 percent to 42.9 percent. Per Basketball-Reference, his turnover percentage fell from 14.8 to 10.1, and his player efficiency rating rose from 9.8 to 13.0.
He also fared well on the other end, finishing 22nd in defensive real plus-minus among 80 qualified power forwards, per ESPN.com.
It's easy to see why the Magic love Isaac, who will turn 22 on Thursday. He and the Magic open their season on Oct. 23 at home versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
