This deep in the summer, the NBA rumor mill slows way down, but it never stops. Here are some of the rumors and reports floating around the league.
Dallas has made it clear to any team that calls they intend to start the season with Kyrie Irving as its point guard. The Mavericks need playmaking and want to see how he and Cooper Flagg mesh.
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However, Irving is not the long-term answer at the point in Dallas, which is why teams around the league think the Mavericks may change their mind about holding onto Irving once the season gets underway, Marc Stein of The Stein Line Substack.
“Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches.”
There’s a simple logic to this: Irving, 34, is 14 years older than Flagg. Trading Irving at the deadline will be challenging, he makes $39.5 million this season (with a player option for $42.4 million next season) and Dallas is going to want a young players or picks back in that deal. They want to land players more on Flagg’s timeline.
He’s one of several name players — Anthony Davis, Myles Turner, Michael Porter Jr. — who are not changing teams before the season, but that could change around the deadline.
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Stein also confirms what has been reported here and elsewhere: The Heat are likely to sign Nick Richards as a backup big man before training camp opens. He continues to work out in Miami and would be their 14th player under contract.
However, because Klay Thompson signed for less than many expected, including a $5.6 million salary this season, the Heat have the cap space to fill the 15th spot on the roster with a veteran minimum deal. Two former Heat players — guard Gabe Vincent and wing Keshad Johnson — are being considered, Stein reports. It’s worth noting that Johnson still has eligibility to be signed to a two-way deal.
Other NBA news, notes
• If you like reading detailed finance stories about how top sports stars gain access to capital, check out this story at Bloomberg: LeBron James Borrowed $300 Million From Insurers Arranged by Guggenheim. The story is largely about how top athletes and artists use future earnings to structure deals that help them unlock immediate capital. In this case, LeBron formed a limited liability company that borrowed almost $300 million from two Midwestern life insurers advised by Guggenheim Partners in 2018, Bloomberg reports.
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• While we’re talking LeBron, he has partnered with the PGA Tour to bring a two-day event to his hometown of Akron, Ohio, next July 6 and 7. According to the press release, the “inaugural LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational at Firestone Country Club… [will be] a series of integrated initiatives that will combine professional golf with youth engagement and fundraising to create community impact.”
• Simone Fontecchio had offers from top EuroLeague teams but he wanted to stay in the NBA and waited the market out a little, until the Miami Heat offered a deal, he told Beppe Nigro of the Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (hat tip Hoops Rumors).
“We didn’t even consider the idea of returning to Europe this summer. So I don’t even know — we didn’t go looking for any offers. When this opportunity in Miami came along, I just accepted it.”
• One name to watch once the season starts and the trade deadline approaches: Dejounte Murray. Teams will want to see how he looks coming off a torn Achilles, but if he looks good, expect the teams to call the Pelicans and kick the tires on a trade. Maybe Joe Dumars will actually make a trade at some point, anything is possible.
