There are still 10 days until NBA free agents can verbally agree to deals with teams, but that won't stop the rumor mill from churning between now and then. Some free agents can already begin to negotiate deals with the teams they ended the season with, which is why Pascal Siakam and the Pacers reported deal has already been made public. We'll likely get a few more of those deals over the coming days, but the most exciting part about the NBA offseason is all the trade rumors we get, regardless of how much truth is behind them.
There's already been one major trade rumor making the rounds, as Jimmy Butler's name has been tossed around as a possible trade candidate. It's unclear exactly which teams would be attached to him, but with a resume like Butler's, every contending team in the league would surely be getting on the phone if the Heat truly made him available via trade. We'll have to see if anything comes of that rumor, but until then, here are the latest trade rumors circulating around the league.
Bulls making the rounds on Zach LaVine trades
The Bulls are at a critical juncture this offseason. They have to make decisions about re-signing DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams, if they'll cash in -- or not -- on the best trade asset in their bag in Alex Caruso and what to do with Zach LaVine. Chicago tried to trade LaVine during the season, but a non-existent trade market and season-ending injury to the Bulls guard quickly ended those hopes. LaVine's contract is hefty, and under a new CBA in which teams are penalized for dipping too far into the luxury tax, no one is exactly ponying up to pay the remaining three years, and $138 million he's owed, especially with his injury history.
It's why this report from NBC Chicago's K.C. Johnson isn't at all surprising:
"[The Bulls] floated as many as 15 proposals centered on the two-time All-Star guard to various teams including the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers."
Given that LaVine is still a member of the Bulls, those teams didn't like what Chicago was trying to sell them. The Sixers had been a reported team interested in landing LaVine during the season, so were the Kings, and the Magic could desperately use his shotmaking and playmaking on a team that took the Cavaliers to seven games in the first round. But the cost of LaVine is what is stopping all these teams from pulling the trigger on a deal. The Bulls once had lofty expectations in a return for LaVine, but they don't exactly hold all the leverage on a deal here unless they were to attach Caruso to entice opposing teams to give them a quality return. But LaVine by himself is a hard sell, especially with what he's owed. However, at some point, the Bulls are going to have to move off him, and when that happens the most interesting thing will be what Chicago ends up getting in return.
Pelicans offered Brandon Ingram to Rockets
New Orleans is trying to build the best possible situation around Zion Williamson, and that may no longer include Ingram on the roster. That's not because Ingram hasn't lived up to expectations; since being traded to New Orleans, he's become a two-time All-Star and can regularly get you around 20-25 points a night. But he's in line for a massive extension this summer, one that the Pelicans don't seem too interested in signing him to as they'd likely rather spend that money on building out a full roster complementary to Williamson's talents.
That's where the trade rumors come in. If New Orleans isn't planning on signing Ingram to a reported four-year, $208 million extension this offseason, he'll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning they could lose him for nothing. So trying to move him now to get something in return is ideal, and they've reportedly offered him to the Rockets in exchange for rising young star Alperen Sengun, per The Athletic's Kelly Iko.
The Rockets have no interest in trading Sengun, as he's capable of being their franchise centerpiece going forward, but it does give insight into what the Pelicans could be looking for in return for Ingram. By targeting Sengun, New Orleans is clearly looking for a young, rising player who could fit in the same timeline as Williamson. Sengun's ability to space the floor is probably also something that intrigued the Pelicans, and it's likely something New Orleans will be trying to target as they make Ingram available in trade talks.
Rockets have interest in Marcus Smart
The Rockets hold the No. 3 pick in the draft next week, and for a team that finished 41-41, they really have a few different avenues they could go this offseason. Houston should be in position to contend for a play-in spot next season, and while they could use the No. 3 pick to add even more youth to the roster, they could also dangle it to other teams with hopes of picking up a veteran player to bring some balance to the roster.
Iko reported that Houston has an interest in Smart, who Rockets head coach Ime Udoka coached during their overlapping time in Boston. The Rockets had interest in Smart at the trade deadline too, but no deal materialized. In this scenario, Iko reports that Houston could trade down to get more assets and use that to trade with Memphis. Adding Smart would be a good move for a Rockets team that could use his veteran leadership and defense, and the Grizzlies could get a young draft prospect to make their books cheaper. If it's not Smart, though, the Rockets could use that pick to target other similar-level players around the league, if there's a team that's trying to climb up to a certain spot in this draft.
