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The 2022 NBA Draft has ended and a fresh stock of rookies has entered the big leagues. Many of these young guns are being labelled as "cocky" and "overconfident". For example, Bennedict Mathurin has implied that he is a better player than LeBron James and that the 18-time All-Star has to prove how "great" he is.
So as basketball fans deal without on-court action until the start of the Summer League, NBA trade rumors is flooding social media and news channels.
Let's look at some rumors that have surfaced around the NBA in the last 24 hours.
New York Knicks inclined towards paying Jalen Brunson a big sum to play in MSG
Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks has piqued the interest of several teams in the NBA. He played exceptionally well in the 2022 NBA playoffs, especially early in the first round when he had to cover up for Luka Doncic's absence. He averaged 16.3 points per game in the regular season but dropped 21.6 points a night during the playoffs.
Brunson has improved his market value and the Mavericks can use him as a valuable asset to further improve their roster. The addition of Spencer Dinwiddie to the squad raises questions about Brunson's future in Dallas. According to NBA insider and journalist Marc Stein, the New York Knicks are prepared to offer Jalen Brunson a four-year $100 million contract.
Detroit Pistons interested in acquiring NBA Finals-tested young center
Deandre Ayton might have played his last game in a Phoenix Suns jersey and now the league is interested in acquiring the young big man. He has been to the NBA Finals, and although they lost, the experience of a deep run in the postseason matters to young teams.
The Detroit Pistons are rebuilding their roster with a young core run by Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey and others.
Adding 23-year-old Deandre Ayton to this roster would make sense and bring them closer to playoff contention. According to James L. Edwards III, the Pistons' Plan B is acquiring the Bahamian center by making cap space. He reported:
"Per sources, Detroit is eager to continue to build back toward playoff contention with the aforementioned young core, and the Pistons are expected to use the majority of their remaining cap space to add multiple veteran pieces rather than just one big swing this offseason, per sources. For the last 48 hours, it appeared that landing Ayton would be Plan A for Detroit. In all actuality, though, the events on Thursday signal the Ayton route being Plan B."
Atlanta Hawks want to pair Trae Young with 1-time NBA All-Star guard
The Atlanta Hawks ended their 2022 postseason with a first-round exit after winning just one game. They made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 so last season was a massive disappointment.
Trae Young runs the offense at the franchise and comprises a decent frontcourt with John Collins and Clint Capela. They want to bolster their backcourt, though. The backup guard for Young is 35-year-old Lou Williams and Kevin Huerter is not cutting it as the starting off-guard.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Hawks are interested in acquiring San Antonio Spurs' Dejounte Murray. Murray is a two-way player who earned his first All-Star selection this year. He reported:
"San Antonio's most significant discussions regarding Murray have seemed to occur with the Atlanta Hawks, in a framework that would send Collins back to the Spurs, league sources told B/R. San Antonio and Atlanta have kicked around that deal concept at least dating back to the February trade deadline. Atlanta, among other offseason goals, has explored various options to add a dynamic ball-handler and defensive partner alongside Trae Young in the Hawks’ backcourt, sources said."
Boston Celtics eyeing rookie LSU forward Tari Eason in exchange for one of their guards
The Boston Celtics want to strengthen their frontcourt depth and had their eye on LSU sophomore Tari Eason in the 2022 NBA Draft. They were planning on trading assets to acquire a pick for him, but he eventually got drafted by the Houston Rockets as the 17th overall pick.
The Celtics are interested in Eason and might trade either Payton Pritchard or Aaron Nesmith to acquire him from the Rockets.
According to The Athletic’s Zach Harper:
"Sources have told me the Celtics are high on him and could be looking to move into the first round to grab Eason by dangling a young role player like Payton Pritchard or Aaron Nesmith."
Jusuf Nurkic doubles down on the Kevin Durant and Portland Trail Blazers rumors
Damian Lillard sparked a controversy by uploading a photoshopped image on his Instagram Stories which saw Kevin Durant in a Portland Trail Blazers jersey next to him. Durant's situation in Brooklyn is uncertain as many believe he might leave the franchise because Kyrie Irving might be on his way out as well.
Naturally, practically every franchise would want the Slim Reaper and the Portland Trail Blazers are one of those rumored teams.
After Lillard's story, his teammate Jusuf Nurkic has now doubled-down on the drama and uploaded the same picture on his Twitter feed. He captioned it with a single "puzzle piece" emoji.
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