The Most Ridiculous Trade Rumors of the NBA Season So Far

Forget the Warriors pursuit of a third straight title. The real drama of this season is the build up to a wild summer of free agency. Know this, all rumors begin and end with Anthony Davis.

Will Klutch Sports bring their new client, AD, to the Lakers to pair with their top client, LeBron James? Are the Celtics on a quest to complete the master plan of adding Davis as their franchise cornerstone? Will another dark horse emerge to swing a deal for AD? In the end, it’s entirely possible he takes the supermax and stays with New Orleans.

After Davis, sizeable intrigue is a little less juicy—but still fun to speculate. Sure, New York and LA seem destined to land superstars this summer—like Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant—but talking doomsday scenarios about how the Warriors dynasty stirs up NBA fans like few other topics these days. The only question is how much should you we really care about these reports and rumors that make for great barbershop fodder. So while we’re halfway through the season, it’s a good time to take a look around the NBA landscape and survey which rumors are the ones we really should be paying attention to.

Since deconstructing their Big Three, the Celtics have been stockpiling assets for big splash after big splash. With Anthony Davis’s availability a reality, Boston appears ready to cash in their chips. For the Pelicans to send AD to Beantown, they want the best of the Celtics young talent.

While Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier are floated out there, Jayson Tatum is the real prize. Using this to their advantage, New Orleans can play serious interest from the Lakers against the Celtics. Consider it another page in the rivalry, but if it takes Tatum to land Davis and box out LA in the process, Danny Ainge may just be quicker to pull the trigger.

If and when Boston makes its push for Davis, it will have to be in the summer. Thanks the the “Rose Rule” (via Derrick Rose), a team cannot trade for two players who earn 30 percent of their team’s salary cap. Kyrie Irving is another such player who was acquired via trade and earns that percentage against the cap. This summer, Irving is a free agent and would sign a new deal.

Given that Irving’s isn’t exactly a lock to re-sign, and rocky relations with his young teammates, there is another option. Trading Irving for Davis is something that can happen in-season. Pairing Kyrie and AD would appear to be initial plan, if the Celtics feel Irving is going to bolt, preemptively moving him avoids losing him for nothing. It’s also a play if they ultimately prize Davis and feel other teams will make a move for him by the trade deadline.

While the flat-out loaded free agent class of 2019 awaits, this season’s trade deadline will likely be less eventful. One move being floated is to break up the young, dynamic duo in the Dallas Mavericks backcourt. When Luka Doncic immediately emerged as the supreme playmaker he was touted as, Dennis Smith Jr. proved to be a moveable asset.

Despite Smith’s tremendous athleticism and brilliant finishing ability, he still needs time to develop. Doncic’s presence changes Smith’s role, moving him off the ball. The reality is, the Mavs are better off flipping him for pieces they can utilize right now with their rookie that has them in the playoff hunt.

Carmelo Anthony has been getting buckets in Manhattan—not Houston—these days. After the 10 game failure to launch with the Rockets, Melo remains in basketball limbo. Other than the occasional work out vid, Anthony has otherwise been off the map.

If there is a way back to an NBA rotation, it’s most likely via his old banana boat buddy, LeBron James. No stranger to recruiting running mates, James has said he ‘always wanted to play with Melo’ when asked about Anthony’s availability after Houston.

At 34, and given two underwhelming stints in Oklahoma and Texas, questions about Anthony’s proficiency are warranted. Even this aging version of Melo can still knock down shots. He offers balance to counter Lakers youth and fits better with the playmaking James, rather than the iso specialist Harden or high octane Westbrook.

Sure they don’t have big names to get excited for, but the Hawks have some nice pieces that can make another team better. Despite the lack of sex appeal, players like Dewayne Dedmon, Kent Bazemore, and Jeremy Lin offer experience for teams looking to add playoff depth.

Does your team need wing defense? How’s your point guard depth? Who doesn’t want to add a stretch big. Expect the Hawks to be sellers. Plus, this wouldn’t be the first time.

With the playoffs not in the cards, the Hawks are right to build around their young assets of Trae Young, John Collins and the emerging Kevin Huerter. Meanwhile coveted players Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett offer further motivation for the Hawks to continue their commitment to full rebuild mode.

Once you find a unicorn, you don’t let a unicorn out of your sight. If they blow out their knee, that’s a different story. Of course Knicks fans aren’t letting anyone near they’re savior, Kristaps Porzingis, but there are some murmurs of interest by the Spurs.

The Knicks know what they have in Porzingis (one would hope), but there is the matter of a repaired ACL. The injury could cause some teams to hesitate to offer a max deal until they see the player is back to one hundred percent. If (and it’s a big if) the Spurs or any other team were to step up and put a max deal on the table, there’s a chance it doesn’t get matched.

Obviously, whenever teams think there is even the slightest chance a franchise player is available there will be interest. Don’t worry Knicks fans, the Spurs aren’t just going to swoop in and steal the face of the franchise. Still, here’s to hoping the Knicks double down and show they’re not letting their unicorn go anywhere.

When DeMarcus Cousins signed a one-year with the Warriors, the plan was to fully recover from a torn achilles, up his value, and snag a ring in the process. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Cousins, who turns 29 in August, would consider signing on for another year with Golden State. The rationale would be to play a full season at 100 percent before hitting the open market.

Boogie desires nothing less than a max deal, as he would round back to all-star form and sign a long term contract to play out the back end of his prime. For Golden State, they offer the opportunity to flourish without carrying too much of the load. It’s a smart short term play for Cousins as the rich stay richer for one more year.