NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Fred VanVleet, Jrue Holiday Trade and More

An abbreviated NBA offseason as the league strives to shift back to its traditional calendar by the 2021-22 campaign means no shortage of circulating rumors as teams attempt to rebuild and reload on the run.

Those rumors are especially rampant prior to Wednesday's NBA draft, as picks become valuable commodities in any potential trade discussions.

With that in mind, here is some of the latest buzz from around the league.

Raptors Looking to Bring Back Fred VanVleet

Few free agents will be as coveted as Fred VanVleet this offseason, but the only NBA team he has ever known is reportedly confident it can bring him back.

According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, the Toronto Raptors "maintain a quiet confidence they can get something done with their 26-year-old homegrown star" in large part because of their history with VanVleet and their open communication. 

The update comes after the Wichita State product revealed money is a driving factor in his eventual decision during an appearance on The Old Man and The Three podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter (h/t Grange).

"I've never said it publicly, but I'm not shy about that, I'm trying to get paid, man," VanVleet said. "I value winning. I've won a championship, (but) now it's time to cash out. It's not purely numbers, but at the end of the day, I just want to feel my value reciprocated on the other side."

Grange noted one Eastern Conference executive suggested a team may even offer the guard something approaching a max contract.

That would put the Raptors in a position to make an important decision about their willingness to bring VanVleet back, but there is plenty to like about a possible reunion. For one, Toronto took a chance on VanVleet when he was an undrafted free agent and has an infrastructure of winning in place.

He has developed from a secondary piece to a potential franchise cornerstone all while winning a title and helping establish Toronto as a perennial playoff threat in the Eastern Conference. Now, the team will try to bring him back after he averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game behind 39.0 percent from deep during a breakout effort in 2019-20.

Multiple Teams Interested in Jrue Holiday

VanVleet is not the only talented guard who may be available this offseason.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday "continues to generate significant league-wide interest, with several teams attempting to get into the top-ten to acquire a pick needed to deal" for him in a possible trade.

This comes after Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Nov. 4 that the Pelicans were "openly discussing" trading the veteran.

On the surface, this may seem like a stunning decision from the Pelicans' perspective. After all, Holiday is a formidable two-way force who averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range in 2019-20.

However, someone like that could generate a significant return package of young assets and draft picks for a team that is loaded with young talent with an eye on the future. Holiday is 30 years old with a player option for 2021-22 and may not be on the same competitive timeline as a Pelicans squad building around Zion Williamson. 

Getting more draft picks and young pieces to build around Williamson and Brandon Ingram could set New Orleans up for future success and ultimately make trading Holiday worth it.

Trading for Holiday would also be largely worth it for a contender looking to get over the hump with a veteran leader.

Lakers Could Pursue Wesley Matthews

The Los Angeles Lakers may just be better next season after winning the championship in 2019-20.

Charania reported they agreed to send the Oklahoma City Thunder the No. 28 pick in Wednesday's draft for Dennis Schroder. What's more, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the Purple and Gold are interested in Wesley Matthews as a potential replacement for Danny Green, who is expected to be part of the trade for Schroder.

As if on cue, Charania reported Matthews declined his $2.7 million player option for 2020-21 with the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, which will make him a free agent.

The Marquette product has played for the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Bucks and averaged as many as 16.4 points per game at one point in his career (2013-14 with Portland).

While those days of scoring are surely behind him, Matthews is still a career 38.1 percent shooter from three-point range and could take advantage of the spacing created by playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

He could also take some of the defensive pressure off James' shoulders during the regular season as someone who held opponents to 4.9 percent worse shooting than their normal averages in 2019-20, per NBA.com.

The Lakers are in win-now mode as they look to defend their title, and adding veterans like Matthews who would likely be comfortable accepting a secondary role at this stage of his career is one way to capitalize on the current window.