NBA Rumors: Latest on Possible Pistons Trade, Heat Untouchables, Gerald Green

No, fellow hoop heads, you ears aren't deceiving you.

The 2019-20 NBA campaign is close enough to hear the shoe squeaks, ball bounces, swishes and slams synonymous with the globe's greatest game. Oh, the rumor mill is churning along, too, but you probably knew that, since the Association doesn't have much of a downtime anymore.

The latest entries include buzz about players who could be on the trade market, others who reportedly are nowhere near it and one contender's rotation member who might be in jeopardy of missing the entire season. Let's dig in.

Pistons Exploring Trades to Help Keep Bench Bigs

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The Detroit Pistons have one of the league's most talented 4-5 combinations in starters Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. But there isn't much behind them, save for veteran Markieff Morris and the intriguing-but-still-raw Thon Maker.

Newcomers Christian Wood and Joe Johnson could give this group some depth, but only if their partially guaranteed contracts are kept beyond their guarantee dates. Taking on both would require a trade, which Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports the Pistons "are exploring." Should they make a move, Ellis identifies guards Langston Galloway and Khyri Thomas as trade candidates.

Wood is long, lean and athletic, but Detroit is his fifth NBA team so far, and he's never played more than 17 games for the same squad. Johnson is a proven scorer and floor-spacer, but he last logged NBA minutes in May 2018. A successful MVP-winning run through Ice Cube's BIG3 summer league landed Johnson back on the NBA radar, and if he makes the roster, it would be his 18th season in the bigs.

Galloway's $7.3 million contract is expiring, and Thomas is only slated to collect $1.4 million. Each presumably could be moved, provided the Pistons only seek flexibility in return. Galloway's career 35.9 percent three-point stroke could entice teams that are short on shooting, and Thomas' three-and-D potential might endear him to patient rebuilders.

Heat Have Made Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo Off-Limits

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While the Miami Heat made one blockbuster acquisition this offseason with Jimmy Butler, they've been linked to more that haven't come to fruition. Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Bradley Beal have all been discussed as possible co-stars for Butler, but none has landed in South Beach.

At this rate, Heat fans probably shouldn't hold their breath.

After trading away a ton of future draft picks, Miami seems problematically short on trade sweeteners. And it's not just the lack of draft assets hurting the Heat. They're also reportedly unwilling to discuss their top prospects, including rapidly rising rookie Tyler Herro, one GM told Heavy.com's Sean Deveney:

"They've been firm on him and (Bam) Adebayo being untouchable. Maybe they would move off of that as the season goes on, but as it stands, they think they've got the second coming of Klay Thompson offensively. They have not had a lot of useful guys on rookie contracts in past years, and that's killed their cap. They've got two now, they don't want to let them go."

Adebayo is almost certainly locked into Miami's opening-night starting lineup, and Herro appears on his way to joining that group. After averaging 19.5 points in summer league, Herro has picked up where he left off with team highs of 16.3 points and 2.7 triples through three preseason outings.

It will be fascinating to see how the Heat, steered by 74-year-old top executive Pat Riley, approach this season. They could adopt a win-now strategy after acquiring Butler and seeing the Eastern Conference get watered down behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. But with their payroll clearing up in the next two summers and their youngsters maturing, they might decide patience is truly a virtue.

Gerald Green May Miss 2019-20 Season

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It seems Houston Rockets swingman Gerald Green's broken foot might be worse than expected.

Shams Charania reported for Stadium and The Athletic that the Rockets are worried Green's injury "is worse than initially expected and fear he'll miss the season." ESPN's Tim MacMahon added Green "likely suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot that would require season-ending surgery" and "is seeing another specialist Tuesday to receive confirmation."

This is hardly the kind of thing Houston wanted to hear ahead of a campaign in which it holds legitimate championship aspirations. Even if Green wasn't going to fill the biggest role on the team—he averaged 20.2 minutes last season—the 33-year-old was still a reliable source of long-range sniping, above-the-rim slamming and all-over-the-court energy.

With Austin Rivers and Danuel House Jr. set to lead the second team, Green's absence could be filled by one or more of Ben McLemore, Thabo Sefolosha and Chris Clemons. Of the three, only Sefolosha has a fully guaranteed contract.

The well-traveled Green has spent the past two seasons in Space City. His two-year averages with the Rockets have included 10.3 points on 40.3/36.0/84.4 shooting and 2.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game.