NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Surrounding James Harden, Victor Oladipo and More
It's unclear when the 2020-21 season will actually start, but that's not slowing down the NBA rumor mill.
Blockbuster trades remain somewhat rare, but they're becoming more common as teams embrace tanking and star players attempt to exert more control over the direction of their careers.
This offseason could see an uptick in trades thanks to a few factors.
The 2020 free-agent class doesn't have a ton of top-end talent available, and general managers are instead prioritizing salary-cap space for 2021. Few franchises will have what you'd consider to be a meaningful amount of spending flexibility.
The financial ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic arguably also make a trade the most sensible way to improve your roster since the costs you'll incur are already clear.
Here are some of the biggest rumors swirling around the NBA at the moment.
Harden-Simmons Swap 'Not Happening'
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Even before Daryl Morey's departure and subsequent move to the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden's long-term future with the Houston Rockets was becoming a topic of discussion.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Morey is getting a five-year contract to become the Sixers' president of basketball operations. Naturally, some are wondering whether he would plot a deal to get Harden to Philadelphia.
Ben Simmons was out injured, but Philadelphia's first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics showed how badly the team needs a singular scorer capable of taking over a game in critical moments. Harden would fit that criteria, and acquiring Simmons would allow for the Rockets to remain a playoff contender while building a bridge to their next phase.
Just don't expect this one to happen.
"I've already been told with a few expletives included by somebody with the Rockets: 'No, Daryl, James Harden for Ben Simmons is not happening. Don't ask,'" ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire).
Morey hasn't been afraid to shuffle star players around—the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook swap being a prime example. Still, he and Philadelphia should wait to see whether Doc Rivers can make the necessary improvements before seriously considering a breakup of the Simmons/Joel Embiid partnership.
Pacers, Bucks Explored Oladipo Deal
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Victor Oladipo has one more year left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Athletic's Jared Weiss reported Sept. 27 the two-time All-Star is "looking to move on this offseason." However, the situation doesn't appear to have reached Paul George-like levels of panic for the Indiana Pacers just yet.
That hasn't stopped at least one team from sounding Indiana out about an Oladipo trade, though.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported the Milwaukee Bucks spoke to the Pacers but added a deal centered around Oladipo is "unlikely."
The trouble for Indiana and any trade suitors is that the 28-year-old's value is a little murky.
George proved himself to still be an All-Star despite the compound fracture he suffered in 2014. Oladipo hasn't done the same in the wake of his ruptured quad.
He averaged 14.5 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three-point range in 19 regular-season games. His numbers in the Pacers' first-round postseason exit (17.8 points, 2.5 assists, 39.3 percent shooting overall and 36.4 percent on threes) weren't much better.
Throw in Oladipo's contract situation and it's not hard to see why a team would be cautious of giving up too much. Of course, the Pacers are bound to put a high price tag on somebody who remains the face of the franchise.
The Bucks in particular may not be in a good place to take this kind of gamble given the stakes of the upcoming season. Milwaukee needs to improve its supporting cast with Giannis Antetokounmpo one year away from free agency. Banking on a bounce back from Oladipo to be the catalyst would be risky.
Kings Not Actively Shopping Hield
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Buddy Hield and Luke Walton never seemed to mesh in the latter's first season with the Sacramento Kings.
Their relationship has apparently reached a stage where Hield is no longer answering phone calls from the head coach, per The Athletic's Jason Jones.
Forbes' Sean Deveney spoke to a general manager who said the Kings aren't yet entertaining conversations about a trade for the 27-year-old:
"I think it makes a lot of sense, them trying to move him, start with a clean slate, they were better without him in the starting five, all of that. The logic is there. But there does not seem to be a lot of action there, not yet at least. It is not something where they seem to be shopping him very actively. Maybe it would be better to wait, to see how the season starts, but I don't get the sense that they're out there really laying the groundwork for a deal. They're just not yet shopping him."
Hield shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in his first two full years with the Kings. That number dipped to 39.4 percent after Walton came aboard. Nearly 60 percent (59.2) of his total field-goal attempts were from the perimeter, according to Basketball Reference.
Even though his four-year, $94 million extension begins in 2020-21, he could be a useful piece for a playoff contender in need of players to space the floor. The aforementioned Sixers are an obvious fit.
Likewise, it's hard to see how Hield and Walton can repair their dynamic when things have deteriorated to this point. Sacramento isn't really in a position where it can afford to pay $20-plus million to a player who may not be a member of the starting rotation. That would be an easier sell if the Kings could reasonably challenge for a conference title.
