With the NBA Draft lottery complete and the order of picks established, now comes the scramble, with some teams settling into the player or players they’d like at their spot and others seeking to find ways to upgrade by trade. That, naturally, is the subject of this week’s Friday Rumor-rama.
One of the offseason’s top trade targets: Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, who still has two years and $67 million on his contract. With Memphis landing the No. 2 pick and all but certain to draft point guard of the future Ja Morant, the Grizzlies are in great position to deal away the point guard of the present.
NBA MOCK DRAFT 2019:
Pelicans, Knicks, Hawks snag Duke stars; Lakers pick sharpshooter
The Jazz, as has been reported by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, could reignite their push to trade for Conley after nearly doing so at the deadline in February. But the Grizzlies are looking to add quality draft picks, and this year’s pick from Utah is No. 23 — with the Jazz’s core of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, it’s hard to imagine the Jazz picking in the top 20 anytime soon.
League sources told Sporting News this week that one team to watch in the Conley hunt is Miami, which is waiting on Goran Dragic’s decision on his $19 million player option for next year. Heat president Pat Riley has long coveted Conley — Miami was interested in signing Conley before he re-signed with Memphis three years ago — and still wants to bring him to South Florida.
The Heat have the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft, but with a hit-or-miss field of prospects beyond the first few picks, Miami is willing to move the pick to wring one more run out of its current roster. Memphis would have to be willing to take back some unwanted salary, but the Heat are likely the only team that would offer a lottery pick for Conley.
The Pacers have also been rumored to be a team interested in Conley, but a source noted that the Pacers want to bring back some combination of their free-agent players and that Conley’s contract would be too weighty on the payroll.
One last potential suitor is the Mavericks, who would like to be a player in free agency but are wary that some of their top targets — Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris — increasingly look as though they’ll re-sign with their current teams. Dallas could still add a player through a trade, however.
Like the Heat, the Mavs were very interested in signing Conley three years ago. Because he is a good perimeter shooter who can play off the ball and defend, Conley would be a good fit next to rookie star Luka Doncic.
NBA trade rumors: Lakers looking beyond Anthony Davis
Don’t buy the notion that the Lakers, should they be banished from the Anthony Davis sweepstakes if new Pelicans vice president David Griffin refuses to trade Davis to a Western Conference team, will shrug their collective shoulders and walk away from the trade market altogether, content to let the likes of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball continue their growth.
The Lakers’ season collapsed after the pursuit of Davis, and the team’s young players felt hung out to dry. There’s not much chance Los Angeles wants to bring that group back intact.
The Lakers have other players they’re targeting in trades, according to league sources. Chief among them is Wizards guard Bradley Beal, though with the Wizards not yet hiring a front office honcho, no decision has been made whether to trade Beal. But LA will be in position to make an attractive offer if Beal is put on the block.
TRADE RUMORS: Davis wants out of New Orleans despite lottery win
There’s also interest in point guard Kyle Lowry, who could be available if the Raptors lose Kawhi Leonard in free agency. Because of Lowry’s age (33) and contract ($33 million for next season), the Lakers could bring him in for a relatively limited outgoing package.
Another guy who, according to sources, the Lakers have an interest in is big man Derrick Favors. The Jazz have a team option on Favors that must be exercised by July 6 or he will be a free agent.
NBA trade rumors: What will Celtics do with draft picks?
The Celtics have three first-round picks on hand in this year’s draft, Nos. 14, 20 and 22, and there remains some question of whether Boston will use all three. Boston is in the market to make a trade for a star player, most obviously Anthony Davis, but might not know its position to make that kind of trade until Kyrie Irving makes his decision in free agency.
MORE: Terry Rozier "might have to go" if Celtics roster doesn't change
The problem is simple: The draft is June 20 and free agency opens July 1. The Celtics could either draft players and trade them or find a way to push those picks back a year by dealing some combination of them to a team expected to miss the playoffs next year, like Minnesota, Charlotte or Washington.
Having a 2020 pick from one of those teams would put the Celtics in better position to make a deal once they know whether Irving is staying.