NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, More
The NBA offseason remains undefeated in its ability to churn out gossip surrounding some of its biggest stars on a yearly basis.
The compact 2020 offseason is no different. With a quick turnaround from the NBA Finals to the beginning of a new season the rumor mill has also packed in a lot of buzz surrounding some big names before we hit the beginning of free agency.
From Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to Bradley Beal to Gordon Hayward there are rumblings around the league that stars may be on the move.
While many of these rumors never do materialize the league has already proven wild things can happen and happen quickly. In an offseason where Chris Paul and Al Horford have already been dealt the biggest moves may be yet to come.
Here's the latest on some of the biggest names.
New 76ers Regime Still Mulling Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid Pairing
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The Philadelphia 76ers have already undergone a major facelift from an organizational standpoint. Brent Brown is out, Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey are in. The roster is already under major renovations but the pairing of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid still stands.
For now.
Morey is one of the most aggressive executives in the game and that impact has already been felt in Philadelphia. They already traded away Horford and Josh Richardson while bringing in Seth Curry, Danny Green and picks.
These are moves that would appear to be in support of the Embiid-Simmons pairing. They got rid of Horford who never quite gelled with the two on the floor and got more spacing with Curry and Green, both of whom can shoot from range.
In writing about trade possibilities for Houston's James Harden, Kelly Iko and David Aldridge of The Athletic reported that, "With Morey and new coach Doc Rivers just getting up to speed on the franchise, the 76ers are still contemplating the pros and cons of keeping their superstar duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons together.'
Marc Stein of the New York Times noted that the Rivers and Morey would like to give them "every last chance to click before trading one of them."
A Harden-for-Embiid deal would certainly shake things up for both franchises and create an even more intricate storyline with Morey now in Philadelphia. The Rockets notoriously went without a center last season and could get one of the best in the league while Harden would make for a better fit with Simmons.
However, from the moves they've made thus far and Stein's report it would appear any sort of deal isn't happening at least until the trade deadline.
Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine Among Hottest Names
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Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine are both scoring shooting guards playing for bad teams on the back half of their contract. It should be no surprise, then, that they both happen to be among the "hot names" in the league, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
Goodwill also noted that both the Wizards and Bulls have "rebuffed overtures" at this point.
The only suitor mentioned by name for both of the guards is Philadelphia so the rumor mill for the Sixers doesn't just revolve around their superstars. However, it's harder to see them pulling the trigger on a trade for either after their moves on draft night. They've already acquired Danny Green and Seth Curry.
All indications point to the Wizards holding on to Beal who averaged 30.5 points and 6.1 assists per game last season. Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington reported that Beal would like to see the Wizards build a roster that could compete for a playoff spot next season.
LaVine seems much more likely of the two to be on the move. He has two years left on his deal which makes him more than a rental and wasn't drafted by the new front office headed by Marc Eversley and Arturas Karnisovas.
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated reported in his mock draft there is a belief around the league that LaVine "could be had" in a trade. At this point, it may just be a matter of the right team looking to make a splash and how free agency goes.
Gordon Hayward Sign-and-Trade Possibilities
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Gordon Hayward and the Boston Celtics have some tough decisions to make in the coming days. The 30-year-old forward is coming off a rebound season where he posted his highest scoring, rebounding and assist averages since coming to Boston in 2017.
Now he has to decide on whether he will accept his $34 million player option. The club recently extended his deadline to Thursday at 3 p.m. allowing him to have more time to mull over the decision.
It's a lot of money for Hayward to walk away from but he would be a sought-after free agent. Although it's unlikely he would command that much money on the open market while getting a longer deal.
There could be a middle ground at play, though. A few teams have emerged as potential sign-and-trade fits. Making an appearance on The Jump, ESPN's Zach Lowe (h/t Chris Grenham of Forbes) pointed to the Indiana Pacers as a team to watch out for in a trade while mentioning the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets as possible teams to watch in free agency.
Adding to the possibilities is Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports who pointed out the Cleveland Cavaliers could be a surprise team with a potential Andre Drummond-Hayward swap.
It's a deal that would make sense on some level for both teams. Drummond just opted into a $28.7 million player option this season so the salaries are close to matching. For the Cavs, it would clear up the Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Tristan Thompson logjam.
For the Celtics, it would bolster a frontcourt that was 12th in the league in rebounding percentage.
A sign-and-trade would allow Hayward to guarantee himself a massive salary next season while getting on a team that would be willing to negotiate a long-term deal.
