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Buying or Selling Latest NBA News, Rumors – Bleacher Report
The latest round of NBA news and rumors has covered a wide variety of topics.
From league scouts “jamming themselves” in a certain Eastern Conference team’s games, the future of a core member of the Golden State Warriors and a potential comeback from a five-time All-Star, there’s a lot happening around the Association.
It’s time to buy or sell the latest collection of NBA headlines.
While the Los Angeles Clippers attempt to integrate James Harden’s system into their system, there may be another reason for the team’s recent losing streak.
Backup center Mason Plumlee has missed the past three games with a sprained MCL, an injury that could leave him sidelined for multiple months. Since he went down, the Clippers rank just 26th overall defensively (119.5 rating) and 24th in defensive rebounding (66.9 percent).
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Los Angeles is showing interest in Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis, who has all but fallen out of the rotation.
The 31-year-old has expressed his frustration, especially after helping Germany win Gold in the FIBA World Cup this past summer.
“Obviously after a great summer, I’m not happy with the situation I’m in right now,” Theis told Brian Robb of MassLive. “I want to play and take all the good stuff from the summer into the season but it’s a long season. We are going to see what’s going on and what’s happening.”
Could L.A. use Theis? Yes, especially until Plumlee can return.
Will a trade happen? Probably not, as matching his $9.1 million salary is no easy task for the cash-strapped Clippers, a team that already sent out its best expiring deals to acquire Harden.
Los Angeles isn’t going to trade Terance Mann ($10.5 million) for Theis, nor would the Clippers package players such as Bones Hyland, Kobe Brown and others to try to make the money work.
Instead, expect the Clippers to play small while relying on Ivica Zubac and P.J. Tucker for center minutes or explore free agency until Plumlee can return.
Buy or Sell: Sell the Clippers trading for Theis, as their best salary-matching pieces were already sent out for Harden.
Five-time All-Star point guard, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA and All-Defensive team member John Wall isn’t ready to walk away from the game yet at age 33.
He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022-23, suiting up for 34 games before being waived following the trade deadline.
The veteran floor general went unsigned following his release and has yet to receive a call from a team since.
While visiting the South East Melbourne Phoenix, the team he is a part-owner of in Australia, Wall told reporters:
“I love the game, I still get up every morning at 6 am, [I] work out. I’m still dedicated to getting back in, I think something will happen soon. For me, I still love the grind, I still love to get up and put the work in. You just saw me work out for an hour, hour-thirty. No matter what, I still love the game. If I still have the hunger and desire to be [in the NBA], I’ll continue to chase my dream to get back in. It’s just being patient, staying ready, and just letting God do his work, and being ready whenever your name is called.”
If teams are looking for a point guard in free agency, Wall may be one of the best of the bunch.
He should eventually land on a team, even if it means signing a 10-day contract further into the season. He can still facilitate for others (35.3 assist percentage, 8.5 assists per 36 minutes last year) and brings the experience of 37 playoff starts.
Buy or Sell: Buy Wall getting another NBA opportunity.
The Golden State Warriors are the most expensive team in all of basketball this season, with a payroll of $208.3 million and a luxury-tax bill topping $195 million.
While some relief is coming with Chris Paul’s contract sliding off the books, Golden State will need a new contract for Klay Thompson, who is earning $43.2 million this season.
Stephen Curry’s salary jumps to $55.7 million in 2024-25, and the Warriors already have over $140 million in salary guaranteed for next year. Despite these potential financial restrictions, Thompson isn’t expected to seriously test free agency.
NBA insider Marc Stein told Warriors Pregame Live (h/t Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area):
“With Klay, it might be a little bit more complicated just because all the financial implications of a new contract in this new CBA, the Warriors are still trying to get a handle on that. But I just can’t picture him in another uniform and look, his father, former NBA player, Mychal Thompson, he said it best. He’s not going anywhere. He’s a dub. Those are Mychal Thompson’s words and I think he’s got a pretty good handle on the Klay Thompson beat.”
The Philadelphia 76ers have set themselves up to possess significant cap space next season and should be a title contender with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Teams like the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic should be able to make a substantial offer as well.
Still, it’s hard to imagine Thompson actually leaving as long as a fair contract is on the table. A four-year, $100 million deal like the one Draymond Green just signed could work for both sides, especially since he is off to a modest start to the season (16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 34.7 percent from three) and shouldn’t be expecting anywhere close to a max deal at age 33.
With Curry, Green and Andrew Wiggins all under contract for next year, don’t expect Thompson to go anywhere either.
Buy or Sell: Sell Thompson leaving the Warriors.
The Chicago Bulls’ eventual breakup is the worst-kept secret in the NBA, as a 4-6 start to the season and minus-3.3 net rating (20th overall) has the league wondering when this thing will blow up.
There’s talent in Chicago, though, with plenty of contenders likely waiting to pluck a win-now vet off the Bulls’ roster and insert them into its own rotation.
“In talking to some people around the league, the scouts are jamming themselves into Bulls games because they realize that at some point, the Bulls may break this team up,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst told NBA Today. “And they’re all gathering intelligence like, ‘What’s gonna happen with the Bulls?'”
While DeMar DeRozan will be the headliner here (and to a lesser extent, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević), we could see a fire sale in the Windy City.
Alex Caruso is making $9.5 million and could be plugged into any contender’s backcourt immediately. Andre Drummond is a low-cost rebounding machine ($3.4 million), and even newly signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig could be repacking in another month.
Barring some miracle, this Bulls team is headed toward a teardown.
Buy or Sell: Buy. Chicago is a prime candidate for the next franchise to undergo a rebuild.
During Zion Williamson’s short NBA career, we’ve learned that the New Orleans Pelicans are quite good when he’s on the floor.
At least, that’s what we thought?
Despite playing in eight of New Orleans’ first 10 games, the 23-year-old’s numbers are down while the Pelicans have lost five in a row to drop to 4-6 on the season.
“Last year, we had a team meeting and we brought up some things I can do better, especially with buying into the program,” Williamson told reporters. “Right now, it’s tough. I’m taking a little bit of a backseat right now. I’m trusting the process. I’m trying my best to buy in right now.”
Williamson currently ranks third on the Pelicans in scoring behind Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, which is simply inexcusable. One of the most unstoppable forces in all of basketball, he needs to get all the touches he can handle, as he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands as a scorer and facilitator.
The Duke product needs to help himself as well, getting back to the rim-dominant offensive game we’ve seen previously. This season, only 47.0 percent of his total shot attempts have come from 0-3 feet from the basket, down from his career mark of 68.6 percent. The majority of his attempts have come from 3-10 feet away (47.8 percent), where he’s far less accurate (35.9 percent shooting from 3-10 feet compared to 71.4 percent from 0-3 feet).
The coaching staff in New Orleans needs to find a way to get Williamson as many looks at the rim as possible, where he’s one of the best in the NBA and finishing at the basket.
Buy or Sell: Buy Williamson’s frustration here. The Pelicans need to run more through their All-Star forward while he’s healthy, with him taking better shots as well.
