Today's NBA rumors are all about the big fish in the league: Kyrie Irving, the Lakers getting reinforcements, and the Warriors potentially getting their big man.
As the NBA Finals wrap up, what else can basketball fans look forward to this month? More rumors about Kyrie Irving, of course.
The Mavericks star just revealed a huge hint about the next team he's going to play on this summer. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Lakers and Warriors are looking to bounce back from their respective disappointing playoff exits and could make some pivotal roster changes. Los Angeles is on the prowl for affordable free agents while the Warriors could do business with an old friend.
Here are the three top NBA rumors today.
NBA Rumors: Lakers could steal Warriors player not named Draymond Green
Warriors' Draymond Green has made it clear how much he admires LeBron James and the Lakers, but Green is likely staying put for now. If the Los Angeles Lakers really want to poach a player from their West Coast rivals, they need look no further than Green's teammate, a potential free agent.
Donte DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.7 million deal with the Warriors last year but has a player option allowing him to become a free agent this offseason if he so chooses.
The versatile guard got plenty of minutes this past season on the Warriors' postseason run and may have earned himself a sizable raise. Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney spoke to one Western Conference GM who highlighted DiVincenzo as an intriguing target for the Lakers:
"They could make a push for Donte DiVincenzo from the Warriors, depending on what they do with him. He might command more than the tax MLE on the market, but he would be the right kind of guy, a shooter and ballhandler off the bench."
A move for DiVicenzo or any other external player would hinge on whether the Lakers can hold onto their current guys, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, to name a few. The Lakers may be in the market for a shooter off the bench depending on who they can afford to keep, and DiVincenzo checks the boxes. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season and shot just below 40 percent from beyond the arc.
NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving's next team will be the Nation Wide Souljas
Forget where Kyrie Irving will end up next season: Uncle Drew just wants to play ball.
The current Dallas Mavericks star faces a tumultuous few months ahead as he contemplates his future. He's been rumored to join the Lakers, Rockets, and a select handful of other teams following his disappointing stint in Dallas.
After weeks of rumor-mongering and constant speculation, Irving may want to take his mind off of things and has announced he's playing in the Drew League this summer.
The Drew League, based in L.A., is considered one of the premier pro-am leagues in the sport and has a long-established mission of teaching life lessons through basketball. Many famous NBA players have competed in the league in the past, including James Harden, Kevin Durant, Paul George, LeBron James, and others.
This summer, Irving will reportedly play for the Nation Wide Souljas in the Alvin Wills Division.
More than a decade after Irving first starred in those iconic Pepsi commercials, Uncle Drew is finally starring in the Drew League. How fitting.
NBA Rumors: Warriors could consider trade for Wolves' Karl-Anthony Towns
What does the Golden State Warriors' future look like with Bob Myers gone? The franchise's first moves of the offseason may start to tell the story.
With several high-profile names potentially being shopped this summer, the Warriors have been remotely linked to a blockbuster trade for Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns. This came into existence following rumors that the Wolves were planning to move on from the 2015 first-overall pick; if this were the case, Minnesota may want a proven point guard in return to take over for Mike Conley.
Now, despite the Bay Area fanbase's widespread disappointment in Jordan Poole this past year, the Warriors have not said anything that would suggest they plan to cut his salary or trade him.
However, if the right trade package were to be dropped into their lap, Poole (and other pieces) could feasibly be moved to bring in Towns.
Blue Man Hoop's Peter O'Keefe wrote:
The Warriors could come to the party if the Timberwolves are in search of a point-guard, with Jordan Poole's future well and truly a question mark after a disappointing end to the postseason. Theoretically, Golden State could center a Towns deal around Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and a raft of draft compensation.
Over the next month, the Warriors' front office has an enormous boulder to roll up a hill: figuring out how to solidify its ridiculously expensive roster while living in luxury-tax hell.
Shopping for another All-Star like Towns feels like a bit much right now and may not be the immediate direction the Warriors want to go in the post-Bob Myers era. The idea of trading for Towns may merely be taken into consideration — fans shouldn't expect much more than that.
