NBA Rumors

The Miami Heat have a number of key role players entering free agency this July, and one of the more interesting ones is veteran guard Victor Oladipo, who potentially could return to the team if a robust market doesn't emerge for his services.

According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, "Oladipo's market is expected to be in the range of the $6.5 million taxpayer midlevel exception."

He added that a "league source said an Oladipo return to the Heat remains a possibility if his market remains in the $4 million to $6 million range, with Bird rights allowing Miami to make that signing without having to use its mid-level exception on him."

The Heat head into the new league year with five unrestricted free agents (Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon, Udonis Haslem, Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker) and one restricted free agent (Caleb Martin).

The Heat have full Bird rights on both Oladipo and Haslem and can go over the cap to sign them, while they have early Bird rights on Dedmon and can go over the cap to sign him on a two-year deal for up to $11 million per season, per Chiang.

To re-sign Morris, Tucker and Martin, however, the Heat will have to use an exception to retain them as an over-the-cap team.

It would appear Tucker is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers, with multiple reports linking him to a reunion with James Harden.

Dedmon might not be back either, with one league source describing it as "unlikely" to Chiang.

And if Martin can field offers that go above the $10.5 million mid-level exception, he'll be gone as well. That could open the door for the Heat to use their exception on Oladipo, depending on what market surfaces for him.

The 30-year-old is no longer the player who was a two-time All-Star in his prime (2018 and '19) and hasn't played more than 36 games in a season since 2018-19 (including just eight regular-season games this past season). This year he averaged 10.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game across 15 playoff contests (one start), shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from three.

Oladipo is a bit of a ball-stopper on offense and he wasn't terribly efficient in his postseason run, but as a burst of instant offense in a reserve role, he still offers value. Wings who can score and defend come at a premium at the NBA, so it would make sense for a contender like the Heat to hold on to him if his market stays within their price range.

All-Star guard James Harden is reportedly expected to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers on a deal shorter and less lucrative than the max contract.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, sources believe Harden will sign a two-year extension with the Sixers for less than the maximum after opting into the final year of his contract at a salary of over $47.3 million for next season.

While Harden stands to make a lot of money regardless, a max extension would pay him $270.1 million over five years.

The 32-year-old went to Philly last season as part of a blockbuster trade in which Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks were shipped to the Brooklyn Nets.

Overall, the 10-time All-Star enjoyed another strong campaign, averaging 22.0 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game in 65 contests split between the Nets and Sixers.

From a scoring perspective, Harden deferred to NBA MVP runner-up Joel Embiid and even rising guard Tyrese Maxey at times last season in Philly. That never would have been the case during his nine-year run with the Houston Rockets.

Harden averaged 29.6 points per game in 621 appearances for the Rockets, winning three scoring titles and the 2018 MVP award, but they were never able to break through with a trip to the NBA Finals.

His switch to more of a playmaker than a scorer hasn't gotten the Nets or 76ers deep in the playoffs either, but Harden is undoubtedly a more well-rounded player now than he was earlier in his career.

He also remains a clear favorite of Daryl Morey, who acquired Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder when he was the Rockets general manager and brought Harden in again as Sixers president of basketball operations.

Morey has ignored the noise regarding Harden-led teams not having success in the playoffs, and if he does sign Harden to a new deal, he undoubtedly expects the guard to prove the doubters wrong.

Harden is reportedly already putting in work ahead of the 2022-23 season, as sources told Pompey that Harden has looked good in workouts in the Houston area.

Re-signing Harden would be a major commitment for the Sixers since it would essentially prevent them from making any other big moves outside of trades, as their salary-cap situation would only allow them to sign players to a contract exception or minimum salaries.

The Sixers have been unable to get past the second round of the playoffs during The Process, but a core of Embiid, Harden, Maxey, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and De'Anthony Melton looks great on paper and should make them one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.

If Kyrie Irving is looking to opt out of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets to sign a big multiyear deal, then he might want to think twice.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Thursday on Get Up that "no teams [are] making moves right now to try to clear space to try to make a path to give Kyrie Irving a big contract."

Windhorst added that the New York Knicks' pursuit of a point guard is focused more on either trading up to land Purdue's Jaden Ivey or clearing salary-cap space to sign restricted free agent Jalen Brunson.

On Monday, The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported on the "impasse" between Irving and the Nets, with the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers listed as potential suitors were he to leave Brooklyn.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer followed up Tuesday and reported sides "still have ground to cover for both sides to emerge content on extension conversations." Whereas Irving wants a longer contract, the Nets prefer a short-term deal with incentives.

Windhorst explained Thursday how "Kyrie's intentions in looking elsewhere is really to apply pressure to the Nets, not that he wants to leave anywhere."

Coming off Brooklyn's first-round sweep to the Boston Celtics, the seven-time All-Star gave the impression he intended to return, though he sent similar signals before in what proved to be his final year with the Celtics.

The Nets don't have a ton of leverage because losing Irving in free agency or a sign-and-trade inevitably means getting worse. They don't have the cap space to sign another star, and trading Irving probably means taking 50 cents on the dollar.

And if Irving were to go, it would have potentially significant consequences. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that some teams are "rooting for Irving to opt out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire [Kevin] Durant."

The trouble for Irving is that he doesn't have a ton of leverage, either.

The 30-year-old's stock is as low as it's ever been. His decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine limited him to 29 games in 2021-22, disrupted the Nets' season and furthered the perception he's somebody you can't depend on if he's supposed to be one of your top stars.

The limited number of franchises projected to have a lot of cap space doesn't help Irving.

From an outside general manager's perspective, there might be little appetite to make a series of trades—likely losing draft capital in the process—in order to give a massive contract to a player with Irving's recent track record. And the extent to which Irving actually wants to leave is unclear too, so all of those moves could be in vain.

As much as Charania and Fischer's reporting planted the seeds for a potentially messy divorce, the Irving saga could have a rather anticlimactic ending with him staying right where he is.

If the New York Knicks can trade up during the first round of Thursday night's 2022 NBA draft, it reportedly may be in an effort to select guard Shaedon Sharpe.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, Sharpe "has had fans in high places" in the Knicks organization, which could compel New York to attempt a trade up from No. 11 overall.

The Knicks have also been linked heavily to Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, with Begley reporting this week that New York has considered offering the Sacramento Kings multiple first-round picks in exchange for No. 4 overall with a potential eye toward selecting Ivey.

The 19-year-old Sharpe committed to play college basketball at Kentucky, but the plan had been for him to sit out the 2021-22 season before suiting up in 2022-23.

Instead, Sharpe entered the draft without playing a single minute of college basketball when it became clear that he would be a lottery pick and potentially even a top-five selection.

In his final 2022 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman mocked Sharpe to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7 and Ivey to the Kings at No. 4, leaving the Knicks with Duke wing AJ Griffin at No. 11.

If the Knicks do make a play to move up for Sharpe or Ivey, Begley opined that it could be costly in terms of assets, with New York possibly having to surrender multiple first-round picks and one of Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley or Quentin Grimes.

That price could be worth it if the Knicks believe Sharpe or Ivey have superstar potential to go along with another budding star in R.J. Barrett.

Last season was a disappointing one for the Knicks, as they went 37-45 and missed the playoffs after making the playoffs the previous year, but Barrett's development was a major positive.

The 2019 No. 3 overall pick averaged career highs with 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers made per game.

If the Knicks can land Sharpe, he could be an ideal fit next to his fellow Canadian in Barrett.

While there would be some risk involved with using a high pick on Sharpe after he sat out a year, the 6'5" guard has long been coveted by colleges and NBA teams alike, ranking as the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 shooting guard in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2021 recruiting class.

Sharpe was also compared to Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine by 247Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, which makes sense given that the Knicks have been linked to LaVine at times in recent years.

The Knicks are in danger of falling even further out of contention if they don't make a big splash this offseason, and moving up in the draft for an elite talent like Sharpe would fit the bill for what they need.

Trade conversations stemming from Thursday night’s NBA draft have brought a long list of veteran players into the forefront of the early offseason, where Jerami Grant, John Collins, Rudy Gobert, OG Anunoby and upcoming free agents like Jalen Brunson and Deandre Ayton have dominated chatter among league executives.

A new name to emerge in various trade discussions on Wednesday: San Antonio Spurs All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, whose cryptic eye-emoji tweet set the internet ablaze on Tuesday.

The Spurs are fielding offers for Murray and have told multiple interested teams it would take a “Jrue Holiday-like package” for San Antonio to part with the 25-year-old floor general, setting a rough benchmark of three first-round picks for any suitor to pry Murray free.

San Antonio’s most significant discussions regarding Murray have seemed to occur with the Atlanta Hawks, in a framework that would send Collins back to the Spurs, league sources told B/R. San Antonio and Atlanta have kicked around that deal concept at least dating back to the February trade deadline. Atlanta, among other offseason goals, has explored various options to add a dynamic ball-handler and defensive partner alongside Trae Young in the Hawks’ backcourt, sources said. Ironically, the first indications of Atlanta’s efforts to find a superior teammate for Young in the Hawks’ guard rotation were when New Orleans made Holiday available back in 2020.

Other teams currently known to be aggressively searching for point guards are the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, while the Minnesota Timberwolves have actively explored the market for D’Angelo Russell trade scenarios, sources told B/R.

Murray is coming off an exceptional year in San Antonio, where he earned his first All-Star nod and flirted with season-long averages of a triple-double: 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. But there’s a sense among NBA executives that San Antonio is still open to an extended rebuild, and Murray’s inevitably expensive contract extension is already looming on the horizon. His current four-year, $64 million deal is set to expire in 2024, and Murray is expected to command a maximum salary in line with his current production and skill progression.

For Collins, Atlanta’s known motivation to move the talented forward has swirled around the league, with San Antonio, Sacramento and Utah—in a potential swap for Gobert—considered the most legitimate potential landing spots for the 24-year-old. Portland’s Wednesday night acquisition of Grant from the Detroit Pistons, and the Trail Blazers’ priority of dealing the No. 7 pick for Anunoby, would seem to make Portland a less likely destination for Collins, despite frequent trade conversations between the Blazers’ and Hawks’ front offices.

DEANDRE AYTON TO DETROIT?

The other instant ripple effect from Detroit trading Grant to Portland is the sudden wealth of financial flexibility now facing the Pistons’ front office. Detroit has been linked as a potential bogeyman to steal Deandre Ayton, Mitchell Robinson, Miles Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Collin Sexton in free agency.

While the Pistons can’t possibly swipe all of those aforementioned players, Detroit is now projected to have upward of $50 million in cap space, with the expectation that the Pistons pick up team options for Hamidou Diallo and Luka Garza.

Detroit always appeared to be the biggest threat to offer Ayton the maximum salary he and his representatives so clearly covet. Despite Portland’s rumored interest, the Trail Blazers are widely expected to retain starting center Jusuf Nurkic. Atlanta brass have their hands in various other cookie jars, including Gobert. San Antonio has been frequently mentioned as an Ayton suitor as well.

Now, the Pistons could feasibly spend that $30-plus million for Ayton’s big payday and still chase other free agents they covet. A sign-and-trade with Jerami Grant had long been mentioned by league personnel as a potential mechanism to get Ayton to the Pistons.

But even before Grant was moved to Portland, Suns officials had started messaging to rival teams and other external league personnel that Phoenix won’t necessarily balk at matching any offer sheet for Ayton, sources told B/R. With no obvious sign-and-trade piece to send back to the Suns, it’s unclear whether Detroit will have an unencumbered pursuit of Ayton on the restricted free-agent market.

POINT GUARD CAROUSEL

Should New York ultimately fall short in its efforts to lure Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks, Malcolm Brogdon is widely expected to be the Knicks’ next point guard target this offseason, sources told B/R, not the splashier headline name that is Kyrie Irving.

The Pacers have most consistently discussed Brogdon trades with the Knicks and Wizards ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft, sources said, but there’s a strong sense of skepticism from league officials that Brogdon would actually be moved to either Washington or New York in a package centered around the No. 10 or No. 11 pick.

The Wizards have been willing to discuss Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in trade conversations, sources said. New York is exploring all options pertaining to Alec Burks, Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, Kemba Walker and Cam Reddish.

Other veteran ball-handlers said to be available for trade, in addition to the aforementioned Murray and Russell, are Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Pelicans point guard Devonte’ Graham, along with Nuggets table-setter Monte Morris.

Latest on Myles Turner, Tobias Harris, Price for Jazz Star and More

• The market for Pacers center Myles Turner is said to feature Minnesota, Toronto and Charlotte. New York has long registered interest in Turner as well, but the Knicks are only considered to be a serious Turner suitor if Mitchell Robinson departs in free agency. 
• Philadelphia has continued to explore Tobias Harris trade packages. The Sixers have called a healthy portion of teams to gauge the value for each of Harris, Danny Green and Matisse Thybulle, sources said, and have called several teams specifically searching for a first-round pick in exchange for Thybulle as part of a three-team deal framework to land an impact veteran rotation player. 
• Indiana, Utah, Boston and Detroit have all been described as teams looking to acquire picks in the back half of the first round. 
• To do so, the Celtics appear willing to engage in conversations on rotation players like Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard, but only for the right price. 
• Utah is searching for a first-round pick to move any non-Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert rotation player. Royce O’Neale has registered a bevy of trade interest from around the league. 
• Phoenix has called rivals to measure Jae Crowder’s value on the trade market, sources said, while the Suns have been linked once again to Eric Gordon. Phoenix held discussions with Houston to acquire Gordon, a former teammate of Chris Paul with the Rockets, back at February’s trade deadline. Phoenix is also said to be searching for a second-round selection. 
• Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic remains a hot name on the trade market. OKC holds his draft rights, and Nikola Jokic has been said to be a driving factor in Denver’s interest to obtain the EuroLeague MVP. San Antonio, Milwaukee and Chicago have also been mentioned as legitimate suitors. 

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

While speculation surrounding Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is already a major storyline of the NBA offseason, many around the league reportedly think he will remain with his current team.

"A lot of the league still believes that ultimately he's going to be back in Brooklyn," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported during Wednesday's episode of NBA Today.

Windhorst also said, "I believe so" when asked if he thinks Irving will be on the Nets on opening night of the 2022-23 campaign.

Irving has until June 29 to decide on his $36.9 million player option, and Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported he and the Nets "still have ground to cover for both sides to emerge content on extension conversations."

The team would like a shorter deal with incentives, while the guard is looking for a longer-term commitment.

Whether that means he ultimately suits up for another team remains to be seen, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Los Angeles Lakers may be a destination for the seven-time All-Star.

"The Lakers are considered the most significant threat right now for Kyrie Irving, but that would essentially entail him taking $30 million less than he can opt into in Brooklyn," Wojnarowski said. "There's a $6 million taxpayer exemption he could sign with the Lakers with."

That would mean reuniting with LeBron James after the pair won a championship together on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Irving cemented his place in NBA history by hitting what proved to be the winning three-pointer in Game 7 of the NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors.

Brooklyn had similar championship expectations in place in 2021-22 with Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden all on the same team.

However, Irving missed much of the season because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant missed time with injuries, Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the deal that brought Ben Simmons to the Nets, and Simmons never played a game last season.

Brooklyn was swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and there are still plenty of questions about what the team will do this offseason.

It seems as if many around the league think those offseason plans will include bringing back Irving.

Kyrie Irving's future with the Brooklyn Nets will reportedly come down to whether Kevin Durant wants him there.

Nick Friedell of ESPN discussed the situation Tuesday on SportsCenter, saying the Nets plan to sit down with Durant to assess his feelings before making any firm decisions:

"At every turn publicly, [Kevin Durant] has been there to support [Kyrie Irving], to say we need Kyrie, to say Kyrie can win a title with me here in Brooklyn. But I can tell you, I've been talking to people in the organization the last couple of weeks, when they finally sit down and talk to Kevin throughout the summer, they are trying to figure out if Kevin saw what everybody else saw. ... The reason that whole season got sidetracked was because they couldn't count on Kyrie, and they didn't know if he was going to be out there. And the issue with Kevin is, he wants to win badly, he wants to be loyal to his friend. But I've been told that relationship, while very close, isn't always as close as it appears to be.

"So that is a literal multimillion dollar question here, not only in the next week as we figure out what Kyrie's going to do with that player option, but moving forward because they just don't know if that is a dynamic duo that will hold long-term. They want to get a clear answer from Kevin. And we've talked about it for months: Everything in that Brooklyn organization revolves around Kevin Durant. If KD wants Kyrie back, he'll be back. If KD signs off on 'eh, I don't know if it can work, I don't know if I can trust him out there every night,' then Kyrie may be elsewhere."

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the Nets and Irving are "at an impasse" regarding the All-Star guard's long-term future in Brooklyn. The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers would be among the teams reportedly interested if Irving decides to leave in free agency.

Irving's 2021-22 season was mired in controversy amid his refusal to undergo COVID-19 vaccination amid New York City's coronavirus guidelines. The decision limited him to just 29 regular-season games, and his lack of availability played a factor in Brooklyn being a play-in team and James Harden's midseason trade request.

Durant, who came to Brooklyn with Irving in 2019, has largely been supportive of his embattled teammate.

However, it would be understandable if Durant was feeling a bit of buyer's remorse—especially as he watched his old team, the Golden State Warriors, hoist a championship without him. Durant went to Brooklyn in large part to forge his own path and chose a co-star who has been unreliable at best and an active detriment to his team at worst.

Irving's incredible talent makes him irreplaceable if the Nets wanted to move on, so the overwhelming likelihood is he will return. That said, there's been enough reporting on the Nets' frustration with Irving that he might be a shorter leash next season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder already have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, but that may not be the entirety of their activity in the top 10.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported the Thunder are "aggressively pursuing trade conversations" surrounding the 12th overall pick. Were they to move up, Purdue's Jaden Ivey and Kentucky signee Shaedon Sharpe would be among their preferred targets.

Givony and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman both project OKC to take Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren at No. 2. Imagine a frontcourt that includes a pair of 7-footers in Holmgren and Aleksej Pokusevski.

Holmgren and Pokusevski could build a twin towers dynamic together, or the former could serve as insurance if the latter doesn't make a breakthrough in the NBA.

If they were to stay at No. 12, the Thunder could likely land, at worst, a solid rotation player who could help them for years to come. Taking a more aggressive approach would allow for general manager Sam Presti to really cement the organization's future. And there's no question Oklahoma City has the draft capital to make that happen without leveraging too much long term.

The Thunder's interest in Ivey and Sharpe would signal a slight alteration to their starting rotation.

Josh Giddey averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists while largely operating as a guard during the 2021-22 campaign. The arrival of another 2-guard would presumably force him to the 3, which would then have a corresponding effect on Luguentz Dort.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported on June 16 that Dort was included in a potential trade package with the No. 12 pick in return for the seventh overall selection, which belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Adding another young guard would also give Presti more flexibility with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's set to begin his five-year max extension in 2022-23. Because of that contract and his on-court value, dealing Gilgeous-Alexander would yield a massive haul.

The Thunder, meanwhile, could move forward with a backcourt combo of Giddey and Ivey or Sharpe.

Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster does not seem more concerned over rumors of OG Anunoby being frustrated with his role.

"We have great communication with OG, he's up here now. I don't think it's all that noteworthy," Webster told reporters Tuesday.

Jake Fischer of B/R reported last month that Anunoby "grew dissatisfied" with his role at certain points last season, though that had not been relayed to the Raptors.

Anunoby averaged a career-high 17.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during the 2021-22 season but was limited to 48 games due to injury. His role as the Raptors' primary defensive stopper on the perimeter became less defined amid the emergence of rookie Scottie Barnes, who provides a similar skill set.

Barnes' emergence arguably made Anunoby somewhat expendable if the Raptors were looking to make a move, but it would likely take a significant offer. Anunoby is heading into the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract, a deal that instantly looked like a bargain even with his injury issues.

The Raptors are also among the switchiest teams on the perimeter on the defensive end, which makes any fit issues with Barnes and Pascal Siakam avoidable. Some spacing concerns might crop up on the offensive side if Barnes doesn't develop a more consistent jumper.

That said, the Raptors have a very good problem of having a plethora of rangy, young and athletic wings; don't expect them to jettison any over small fit concerns.