NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Bradley Beal, Michael Porter Jr. Trade, More

Bradley Beal has labored through two difficult seasons with the Washington Wizards.

The 27-year-old combo guard has been Washington's most dependable offensive playmaker and shot creator over the course of the past two years with John Wall dealing with injuries.

Beal has shown out, but his individual brilliance has not resulted in winning. The Wizards won 32 games and finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last season. Washington earned a spot in the NBA restart this summer, but Beal did not play because of a rotator cuff injury.

Frustration mounted this year, and it seemed to boil over when Beal scored over 50 points in a pair of losing efforts late in February. Beal was the first player to drop 50 in consecutive contests since the late Kobe Bryant in 2007, but also just the fourth player in NBA history to lose both games.

Given the Wizards' struggles and cap inflexibility, Beal's name has routinely become the talk of trade chatter around the league. Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported Beal would be the ideal third star for the Nuggets to pair alongside Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

However, Beal is unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The two-time All-Star has yet to outright demand a trade from the organization, and Singer reported league sources do not think the Wizards have any inclination to move Beal.

Washington just signed Beal to a contract extension last offseason, and Wall is expected to return for the start of next season. The Wizards have yet to see both Wall and Beal share the floor at the peak of their powers, prompting all sorts of intriguing possibilities for next season.

Beal became a more prolific offensive playmaker in Wall's absence, evolving into a more well-rounded scorer and distributor. But Wall's explosiveness in pick-and-roll could also lead to more catch-and-shoot chances for Beal, rather than him having to create everything off the dribble.

Of course, the Wizards have limited spending capital and few young assets, and it is unlikely they will for some time with Wall and Beal taking up massive chunks cap space in the next few years. But it seems the Wizards are intent on seeing what their backcourt can do together next season.

Perhaps Washington would be more intrigued by the opportunity to add a budding young star such as Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

The 22-year-old showed out in spurts during his rookie season, putting together per-36 averages of 20.4 points and 10.3 rebounds while also shooting over 42 percent from beyond the arc. Porter took on a bigger role in the playoffs, averaging 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in just under 24 minutes per game.

However, Singer reported the Nuggets are "highly unlikely" to move Porter, who could even move into the starting lineup next season.

Porter showed tremendous explosiveness and shot-making ability in his rookie season. He seems to be fully recovered from the back issues that forced him to sit out the 2018-19 campaign, and should be in line for a fairly substantial minutes increase next year.

The Nuggets are still building after reaching the Conference Finals this year. It seems the organization feels Porter can develop into the third star Murray and Jokic might need to get over the hump in the West.

Drummond Unlikely to Sign Extension With Cavs   

Paul Beaty/Associated Press

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a surprise move at the February deadline by acquiring Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons.

Cleveland already had a plethora of frontcourt players on the roster, including Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, and there did not appear to be a ton of space for Drummond.

However, as Chris Fedor of cleveland.com noted in a recent mailbag, the Cavs made the move for Drummond in part because Tristan Thompson will be a free agent later this fall. Cleveland figured it could add an All-Star center for a bargain price, so general manager pulled the trigger.

What happens forward remans to be seen. Drummond has a player $28.7 million player option he is all but certain to accept given the uncertainty of the market in free agency.

Fedor reported there had previously been mutual interest in an extension but added the two sides are now "far apart" in early discussions. There is also the fact the Cavs could look to take a big with the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft, possibly Memphis' James Wiseman if he is still on the board.

Drummond is a four-time rebounding champion and an imposing, physical presence on the block. But he is also a paint-bound center, even if he did attempt to expand his range (1.8 threes per game) in eight games with the Cavs last season.

While Fedor noted the Cavs will not necessarily be looking to move Drummond, there does not appear to be much of a future for him in Cleveland, either.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise.