NBA Rumors Roundup: Golden State Warriors vet targeting a return in the NBA Finals, New York Knicks eyeing Cleveland Cavaliers guard, and more - May 24, 2022
The NBA Playoffs are nearing the finals with just four teams left in contention for the championship. However, there is no shortage of NBA rumors coming out of the camps of various teams.
The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat are embroiled in an epic series.
However, what made the airwaves along with this is the hunt for a head coach by the LA Lakers and players like Kyrie Irving and James Harden's extensions.
With that said, here are some of the latest NBA rumors for May 17th brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Portland Trail Blazers to use their No. 7 pick to rebuild around Damian Lillard
The Portland Trail Blazers are ready to make a deal with their seventh overall draft pick and use it to build a competitive team around superstar Damian Lillard. This is yet another NBA rumor to come out of Portland.
With the 2022 NBA Draft less than a month away, Portland general manager Joe Cronin is looking to build a championship team.
According to The Athletic's John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie, Lillard's presence means that they "will push to immediately put a competitive team around Damian Lillard rather than start over."
With @johnhollinger, we wrote about the 2022 NBA Draft Combine.
-How to improve the combine
-Agency Pro Days (bad!)
-Intel on teams/players
-Shaedon Sharpe
-Jalen Williams!
-Winners/Losers
-LaRavia
-Measurements Madness!
All that and more.
theathletic.com/3328595/2022/0… https://t.co/DrJMtf2Eoc
Andre Iguodala eyeing his return in the NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala is hoping to return to action in the NBA Finals, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Warriors are on the verge of sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals and progressing to the NBA Finals. They will play either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat.
Iguodala was the Finals MVP during their 2015 triumph primarily because of the defense he played on LeBron James. He is a valuable asset to the team and will bring veteran leadership to the fold.
"I'm told the hope is that Andre Iguodala could make a return in the finals" ~@ShamsCharania
#PMSLive https://t.co/IslKn07g9y
New York Knicks possibly eyeing Colin Sexton
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Colin Sexton is reportedly a player who could pique the interest of the New York Knicks, according to Evan Dammarell of "Right Down Euclid."
The guard is a restricted free agent this summer and has indicated that he wants to sign with the Cavs. However, the Knicks could come in play if Cleveland doesn't offer him what he's looking for.
Evan Dammarell wrote:
"The Knicks overall are an interesting match for Sexton since, according to sources, he's a player they've always coveted and is a team worth watching if he tests the waters of free agency.
"If New York were to sign him to an offer sheet that the Cavaliers weren't comfortable matching, it would result in a sign and trade with the Knicks sending back a combination of contracts like Derrick Rose, Alec Burks or Nerlens Noel to match Sexton's new deal."
If you caught last week’s mailbag, you’d have already known that Jarrett Allen’s finger is healed and that Collin Sexton is still progressing prior to the workouts hosted by the #Cavs over the coming days.
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rightdowneuclid.bulletin.com/cavaliers-draf…
Doc Rivers still a possibility for the LA Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is reportedly still in charge of the 76ers despite their failure at the hands of the Miami Heat. However, NBA rumors have been leaking all summer long of the desire of the LA Lakers to appoint Rivers.
According to Marc Stein, the Lakers have a wide pool of candidates at the moment. Darvin Ham, Terry Stotts and Kenny Atkinson lead the race, but the possibility of Doc Rivers is still very much viable.
My latest on the Lakers' coaching search and why the choice has to be Darvin Ham ... IF the Lakers, that is, end up choosing strictly from the three reported finalists: marcstein.substack.com/p/lakers-coach…
LA Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets competing for head coaches
The Charlotte Hornets and the LA Lakers have been the subjects of NBA rumors all season long. They are in direct competition with one another for head coaches, as both are in the market for a new head coach and are interviewing the candidates.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the likes of Ham, Stotts and Atkinson are coaches that interest both the Hornets and the Lakers. Woj said:
"All three of those candidates are also still alive in Charlotte's search. That's certainly a job that is going to compete with LA for a head coach."