NBA rumors

Austin Rivers tries again. Workout in Orlando for the player with 10-15 NBA teams in attendance.

Rivers played his last game on 25 April. With the Wolves he had produced an average of 4.7 points in 57 games.

Free agent guard Austin Rivers, whose goal is to make it back to the league, hosted a workout in Orlando this morning with 10-15 NBA teams in attendance, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/vtPAxjirqt

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 20, 2023

The Memphis Grizzlies waives wing/centre Kenneth Lofton Jr. The move allows the Grizzlies to keep Bismack Biyombo.

Lofton produced 4.1 points and two rebounds in 39 games for Memphis in his first two NBA seasons.

Lofton, 21, averaged 4.1 points and two rebounds in 39 games for Memphis in his first two NBA seasons. He’s expected to receive free-agent interest if he clears waivers later this week.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 19, 2023

Mark Cuban will retain a 27 percent stake in the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell Marc Stein. The report follows Sportico indicating that Cuban would retain approximately a 25 percent stake in the franchise.

James Johnson returns to the Indiana Pacers on a one-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski.

The experienced forward is set to begin his 15th NBA season, after the 18 games he played under Carlisle’s orders last year.

The Pacers are fifth in the Eastern Conference with 13 wins in 22 games.

According to Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies plan to keep center Bismack Biyombo.

The team will have to clear a roster spot given Ja Morant’s imminent return to the court, as Biyombo was signed under an exception granted by the league to make up for the point guard’s lengthy disqualification.

With Adams out for the season, the big man’s contribution has become critical to the future of the team led by Coach Jenkins.

Biyombo is producing averages of 5.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers are expected to have interest in trading for Chicago Bulls’ star Zach LaVine, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Both the Lakers, who have to wait until January 15 for several players to become trade-eligible, and the Sixers are operating with patience in letting the trade market develop.

The Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are expected to pursue trades for Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby, if the Toronto Raptors make either player available, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Siakam is in the final season of his four-year contract with Toronto at $37.9 million for this year. Anunoby has a $19.9 million player option for next season that he’s widely expected to opt out of in favor of unrestricted free agency.

The Sacramento Kings offered De’Aaron Fox a two-year extension worth $105 million before the start of the 2023-24 season, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. This two-year offer is the maximum the Kings are currently allowed to extend. Fox declined the extension in hopes of making an All-NBA team again this season, which would qualify him to sign a four-year supermax contract worth approximately $245 million. Both sides are interested in a long-term deal. Fox is represented by Rich Paul. Last offseason, the Kings signed Domantas Sabonis to a renegotiation and extension worth $217 million.

Arturas Karnisovas’s primary objective is still trading Zach LaVine, sources told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

According to reports, Karnisovas is stating that he wants to examine the Bulls roster following the LaVine deal in response to questions about other players.

Earlier in the week, Shams Charania said that the Bulls were interested in trading for Austin Reaves from the Lakers.

Johnson continues by saying that Andre Drummond would attract interest from throughout the NBA should the Bulls want to rebuild through trades.

Marc Stein of Substack reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are concentrating on “internal improvement” in the midst of trade speculations involving Zach LaVine.

LaVine is allegedly interested in being moved to the Lakers, Heat, and Sixers, among other clubs.

As for the Lakers’ interest in LaVine, Stein says it’s unclear.

Additionally, the squad is hopeful that Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent’s comeback will help them.

The Sacramento Kings didn’t stop at ending their playoff skid the previous year. Sacramento hopes to establish the postseason as a yearly event. According to Shams Charania of FanDuel, they are anticipated to be forceful in trade negotiations this season in order to make it happen.

Talks about any star player that enters the market are anticipated to involve the Kings. Players like Zach LaVine, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam may be among them.

In order to be prepared to make a deal for a great player, general manager of the Kings Monte McNair has held onto the majority of his draft selections (the Kings owe the Atlanta Hawks a lottery-protected pick). Sacramento has a plenty of tradeable salaries to offer in an All-Star trade.

According to Jake Fischer, the Los Angeles Clippers have also followed the Kai Jones trail.

The centre has not seen the court since Summer League. After a year with the Charlotte Hornets with an average of 12.3 minutes, Kai Jones was cut in October.

Absent from the training camp for personal reasons, Jones had posted on X on 9 October that he was to be traded.

Los Angels Lakers aren’t interested in including Austin Reaves in a potential Zach LaVine trade as reported by Jovan Buha.

“The most likely framework of a LaVine deal would center around Russell, who waived his implied no-trade clause over the offseason. It’d also need to feature Hachimura or Vincent as additional matching salary, another player and either the team’s 2029 or 2030 first-round pick – potentially with protections..”

The Lakers aren’t interested in including Austin Reaves in a potential Zach LaVine deal, per @jovanbuha

“The most likely framework of a LaVine deal would center around Russell, who waived his implied no-trade clause over the offseason. It’d also need to feature Hachimura or… pic.twitter.com/sNPfKYoJzD

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 16, 2023

The Chicago Bulls may be looking at trade targets other than Zach LaVine. Eventually, the Bulls and DeMar DeRozan might agree to discuss transactions as well.

Chicago and DeRozan are still at odds during extension negotiations. In the summer of 2021, DeRozan signed a three-year contract with the Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the San Antonio Spurs. He is currently in the final year of that contract. DeRozan and Chicago are reportedly at odds over years and money for a potential deal.

It’s plausible that the Bulls are considering a DeRozan deal as they try to make changes to their roster and salary structure. It is said that DeRozan will “keep an eye on” Chicago’s actions during the LaVine trade negotiations.

Daniel Theis and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a buyout, with the German big man headed to the Los Angeles Clippers -assuming he lears waivers- to replace the injured Mason Plumlee.

Theis played in only one game with the Pacers in the first part of the regular season.

ESPN Sources: Veteran center Daniel Theis has agreed on a contract buyout with the Indiana Pacers and now plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers assuming he clears waivers. Clippers recently lost backup C Mason Plumlee to a sprained MCL for several weeks. pic.twitter.com/m5y55TwQ9q

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 15, 2023

Denver Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone has agreed on a contract extension that will make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Malone – who has led Denver to a Western Conference-leading 8-2 record to start the 2023-24 season – spent eight seasons lifting the franchise out of the lottery, into the playoffs and, ultimately, to an NBA title. Denver’s 16-4 run in the 2023 playoffs was the league’s most dominant since the Golden State Warriors in 2017.

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is expected to miss two weeks with a left ankle sprain, sources tell The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The 22-year-old has averaged 26.9 points and 3.8 rebounds over eight games this season.

Four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala is expected to be named the new executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, replacing Tamika Tremaglio who is stepping down, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic

Major change at the NBPA with Andre Iguodala taking over as the new Executive Director and Tamika Tremaglio out. https://t.co/wFpT3G0QDt

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 9, 2023

Kevin Knox has agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Knox returns to Detroit, where he played 42 games a season ago.

Free agent forward Kevin Knox has agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Knox returns to Detroit, where he played 42 games a season ago.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 8, 2023