NBA rumors are oftentimes the lifeblood of the offseason in the NBA. With the delay in the season, there has been a delay in those ever-so-juicy NBA rumors that NBA fans crave. As the NBA Playoffs kick into high gear and teams start to leave the Orlando bubble, rumors are starting to come about. Some are realistic, while others seem a little far-fetched.
NBA Rumors as of September 1st
Carmelo Anthony back to the New York Knicks
A recent report has surfaced that New York Knicks’ leadership has been looking for a way to welcome Carmelo Anthony back to town.
Carmelo Anthony has reportedly been on Knicks GM Leon Rose's "radar" since March, per @NYPost_Berman
Melo said he hopes to return to Portland next year. pic.twitter.com/WN6qTkOWok
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) August 31, 2020
Bringing Anthony back to town would be another head-scratching move by a franchise that always seems to be lacking common sense in the team building department. Anthony doesn’t fit in with the Knicks timeline. He is an aging score-first (and second) player that is looking to add a championship to his already Hall of Fame resume. Anthony has also stated that he wishes to return to the Portland Trail Blazers next season.
For Anthony and his quest for a ring, that might be the best move. With Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, a healthy Jusuf Nurkic, and a healthy Zach Collins, Portland will be very good again next season.
Victor Oladipo Wants Out
The Indiana Pacers appear to have a core that will be ready to compete for the Eastern Conference crown next season. The emergence of T.J. Warren to go along with Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and a healthy Victor Oladipo would be one of the best starting units in the entire NBA. However, rumors are swirling that Oladipo won’t renew his contract following the 2021 season.
Rumor: Victor Oladipo leaning toward leaving Pacers in 2021 free agency https://t.co/tGBRnsIxBh
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) August 29, 2020
So, the questions that the Pacers front office needs to ask themselves is whether or not they go for it next season knowing Oladipo is leaving? Or do they trade Oladipo prior to free agency?
The wise move for Indiana would be to find a trade partner. While Oladipo’s numbers were down once he returned, it is understandable as he was recovering from a serious injury. He will have many suitors.
Teams like the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers have already been rumored to have interest in Oladipo.
Anonymous Western Conference Coach Would Trade Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers “Process” appeared to be a successful tactic. Except they haven’t been able to cash in. Although Ben Simmons was out of action, Philadelphia still disappointed this season with a really talented roster of Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid. Of course, that talented roster did have a major hole. Shooting.
One anonymous Western Conference coach thinks the 76ers should move Embiid to Miami.
"I would try to trade Embiid to Miami and get some of their young, hungry shooters and guards like Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, etc. Ideally, I’d get Bam, but I doubt Miami would trade him."
– Western Conference Coach
(Via @hoopshype ) pic.twitter.com/Nwaehx1M5l
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 24, 2020
That kind of return would be incredible for Philadelphia. Not only do they shore up their major weakness of a lack of perimeter shooting. The addition of some combination of Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson would surely do that, but they add a replacement for Embiid with Bam Adebayo.
While Adebayo isn’t quite the offensive force that Embiid is, he is a really good all-around player. He was also an All-Star this season.
For Miami, they keep one of their young shooters in either Herro or Robinson and swap a great player in Adebayo for an elite one in Embiid to pair up with Jimmy Butler. This seems like the ideal trade for both parties.
More NBA Rumors Sure to Surface
As the playoffs wind down and we head to an eventual 2020 NBA Champion, more NBA rumors are sure to surface. NBA Draft season also brings on silly season. When silly season begins the NBA rumors start flying. Needless to say, this year has been a strange one, in all aspects of life, let’s hope the NBA offseason is just as exciting as always.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
