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Sometimes a "rumor" isn't a rumor. It's merely a beat writer or analyst speculating about what would make a good trade; then the whole thing becomes "telephone-gamed" into someone else reporting that as a rumor.
Then there are "rumors" that are different from speculation in the sense that someone in the know has mentioned something to indicate a trade might be in the works. That someone can be an agent, a player, someone close to the player or someone in the front office.
Sometimes these people lie (gasp!) because they're trying to work out a better deal.
The best reporters are the ones who see through the BS, but everyone can be fooled occasionally, and sometimes fans believe what they want regardless.
Let's walk through some of the hottest talk and separate the realistic from the unrealistic. We'll go through the rumors, from the least BS to the most BS on a scale of 1-10.
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In your, "Wait, what?!" moment of the day, the Nuggets are trying to get in on the LeBron sweepstakes.
The Nuggets are "aggressively pursuing a meeting," per Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix, "hoping to convince James that Denver's talent makes the Nuggets an ideal short-term fit."
Now, I don't want to be the sayer of nays and the pourer of cold water, but this feels like it has almost no chance of happening.
Sadly, the "Decision Cave" will not get a lot of input on the Nuggets' side of the argument.
BS Meter: 10/10
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This isn't a free-agency rumor, but we're going to slide this in because of its potential to blow things up.
ESPN's Chris Haynes reports the "Clippers haven't abandoned pursuit of acquiring San Antonio Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard. He remains a high offseason priority for LAC."
It's unclear who the Clippers would give up, but they do have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson who they landed in the draft. They also have Patrick Beverley and an assortment of young players who carried the team well beyond expectations last season.
Whether that's enough to get Leonard is questionable, though, and it's going to be hard to keep up with the Lakers, Celtics or 76ers should a bidding war ensue.
Still, just their involvement could jack up the price and make this story even more interesting than it already is.
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There is a new and interesting spin to the idea of James staying in Cleveland: Apparently, team owner Dan Gilbert doesn't want him there anymore.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported he's spoken to a couple of owners and executives, and Gilbert "is known for not being particularly fond of LeBron James. He doesn't mind the thought of LeBron James leaving at all. Matter of fact, I had one executive tell me, 'I can't wait until he leaves because I'll get my team back.' This is something that Dan Gilbert has actually echoed."
This seems fairly reliable because it lines up with what is known about the history between the two and their relationship, which has always seemed strained.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst offered his opinion earlier in June:
"Dan Gilbert believes that he can build a championship team without LeBron, and I think he is looking forward to trying. I don’t think he necessarily wants it to be next year, but I think Dan Gilbert would like to make a run of it."
There seems to be genuine friction between James and Gilbert. James isn't happy with the teammates around him. The ownership doesn't seem to be overly fond of him. There's not a lot of reason for him to stick around, so the chances of him going elsewhere seem high.
BS Meter: 7/10
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The Nuggets' offseason is already in full swing after retaining their top two targets (Nikola Jokic and Will Barton). Might they still be interested in Tyreke Evans?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted this in February: "Three front-runners (Boston, Denver and Philadelphia) and a fourth team (Miami) staying engaged."
HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy added this in late June: "One of the most interesting available players is Tyreke Evans (just like at the trade deadline). He's coming off an excellent season and has a ton of suitors. The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets (and others) showed interest in Feb."
While James is the longest of long shots, Evans isn't. He is coming off perhaps the best year of his career and would fit smoothly next to a frontcourt already featuring Jokic and Paul Millsap.
However, The Athletic's Tim Kawakami wrote this on the Warriors' potential interest: "Don't know if he was high on their list, or what they'd want to pay him, but the guy left over right now at the top of the list I drew up for the Warriors is Tyreke Evans."
The Nuggets are on the rise and stocked with young talent, but so are the 76ers and Celtics. The competition is stiff.
BS Meter: 6/10
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Through all the chatter about LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, the team that gets the most attention is the Lakers. But the team that could end up with both is the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times:
"But the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers have been pressing the Spurs to trade Leonard this week, as both teams believe that acquiring Leonard would put them in the pole position to try to sign LeBron James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers when free agency starts Sunday at 12:01 a.m., Eastern time."
There's a logical series of dominos here.
- Whoever gets Leonard gets James.
- Whoever has the highest bid gets Leonard.
- Whoever has the most to bid will have the winning bid, if they're willing to bid it.
The best that the Lakers can offer San Antonio is either Lonzo Ball or Brandon Ingram along with Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. While the first two are high picks, they've disappointed, and while the latter two have outplayed their draft positions, they're not franchise players.
The Sixers can include players such as Markelle Fultz—who was the No. 1 pick in last year's draft—Robert Covington and/or Dario Saric.
The Sixers also have a better draft selection in the Miami Heat's 2021 pick to offer the Spurs than the Lakers can with their own (because obviously if the Lakers get Leonard and James, they're going to be a much better team). And they have Zhaire Smith, their rookie from this year's draft.
The Sixers have better players to entice San Antonio with. They also have better picks to offer, so there's a decent chance they get Leonard, and by default, James.
Considering they're getting a lot less chatter than they should, the BS meter is pretty low on this one.
BS Meter: 5/10
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When DeMarcus Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in a game against the Houston Rockets this season, it appeared it would be devastating for the New Orleans Pelicans. However, an uptick in performance from co-star Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday and a trade for Nikola Mirotic sparked the Birds to an impressive run that took them to the second round of the playoffs.
Cousins, though, is now an unrestricted free agent in the worst possible circumstances. Not only has he not fully recovered from his injury, but there also aren't many teams with the cap space to extend him a max offer, and the few that have it seem to be gazing elsewhere.
William Guillory of NOLA.com wrote:
"The Dallas Mavericks were a team some viewed as a potential Cousins destination, but several reports have suggested Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan is expected to sign with the Mavericks after declining his player option for 2018-19 on Friday.
"The Los Angeles Lakers also have some reported interest in Cousins, but their focus early in free agency will be all about getting deals done with free agents LeBron James and Paul George along with trading for All-Star Kawhi Leonard."
Absent other suitors, it shouldn't be difficult for the Pelicans to retain Cousins. It will likely be a shorter contract (perhaps two years) to mitigate against the injury risk.
The Los Angeles Lakers may be one such team, as Wojnarowski reported early Sunday morning after free agency started. It could be that failing to make a deal with San Antonio and George staying in Oklahoma City has L.A. looking to Boogie.
BS Meter: 3/10
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This all depends on how much stock you put in "wants to play in Los Angeles" for both Leonard and James.
Stephen A. Smith has stated that James prefers L.A. (h/t Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation):
"According to my sources, several things are happening. A) Chris Paul is telling folks LeBron ain’t trying to come to Houston. He wants to be in L.A. These are things I’m getting through the grapevine. Chris Paul is saying LeBron wants to be in L.A."
Adrian Wojnarowski indicated Leonard's preference is also the City of Angels:
"The Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and LA Clippers are among teams who have made offers to the Spurs for Leonard, league sources said. The Lakers, the franchise Leonard wants to be traded to, did not have an encouraging initial conversation with the Spurs."
Which all brings up a pretty strange scenario where arguably, Leonard—or even the Spurs—are the ones with all the cards in James' free agency. The Spurs, after all, are the ones who have the power to trade Leonard wherever they want, or not trade him at all.
That "added value" of whoever gets Kawhi gets LeBron can help them jack up their asking price, but only if they can convince another team they have a chance of keeping Leonard more than a year.
Of course, winning another championship, or at least getting back to the Finals in Philly, might be enough for Leonard to change his mind. George didn't even need to get that far to change his. It seems plausible that to some degree, the "wants to accommodate his family" talk may be a little overhyped.
Is he really going to turn down a chance at a ring in Philly?
BS Meter: 3/10
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The Houston Rockets kicked off free agency by signing Chris Paul to a gargantuan four-year, $160 million contract, according to Wojnarowski. Next on their list is Clint Capela, Woj also reports: "Rockets front office will meet with restricted free agent center Clint Capela and his Wasserman Media Group agents on Sunday in Los Angeles."
The Rockets did lose out on their starting small forward, Trevor Ariza, who inked a one-year, $15 million deal with the Phoenix Suns that no one saw coming, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, dealing the Rockets a blow to their starting five.
They're not going to lose out on another key piece. Capela is their third-most important player. If they don't reach an agreement with him right away, they'll match any other offers that come his way.
He probably signs for the max regardless. The only question is whether he ever talks to anyone else.
BS Meter: 1/10
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