Last Minute NBA Draft Rumors: Rockets Thinking Big, Warriors Shuffling The Deck, Nets Not Done, More

With the NBA Draft just hours away, there are several rumors floating around the association.

The Knicks and Nets kicked off the offseason last night with a blockbuster trade, sending Mikal Bridges across town to the Knicks. After that, the Rockets picked up extra future assets from the Nets in a swapping of picks. Now that those dominos have fallen, what’s next in the NBA?

Let’s take a look at some of the last-minute NBA Draft rumors.

NBA Draft Rumors

  • Let’s start with the actual Draft. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft mentioned a potential deal between the Jazz and the Pistons during tonight’s first round. Givony said that he’s heard the Jazz would be interested in vaulting past the Hornets at 6th overall to grab Stephon Castle out of UConn. Now, the Spurs have been liked to Castle and are the odds-on favorites to get him, but if he were to fall past them at 4th, keep an eye out on Utah and them using the 29th and 32nd overall picks.
  • NBA Draft Rumors: Who will end up with Stephon Castle?
    Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

  • Outside of this Jazz/Pistons rumor, there haven’t been a ton of major whispers about first-round deals. But that can always change the closer we get to teams being on the clock. The Rockets might be a team to keep an eye on here. It’s being made known that they want to add a star, and using the 3rd Overall pick in this draft would be something I’d think they’d be interested in doing if the right opportunity presented itself.
  • We talked about the Rockets, so now let’s talk about one of last night’s other big movers – the New York Knicks. In a move to try and keep up with Boston and their dangerous wings, the Knicks added Mikal Bridges from the Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and a whole bunch of draft picks. They reportedly also intend to bring back OG Anunoby, who they acquired midseason last year and when healthy was outstanding for them. That appears to make center Isaiah Hartenstein the odd man out in NYC. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Hartenstein will be heavily sought after in free agency and might be priced out of a return to the Knicks. New York has two first-round picks tonight, and if they use one on a center, that could be another indicator of Hartenstein’s potential departure.
  • If Hartenstein does hit free agency, expect the Magic and Thunder to be interested in the big man, also according to Begley. Both teams are looking for more physical, defensive big men and both will have cap space to work with when free agency rolls around. The Thunder, however, have been tied to Purdue center Zach Edey in the first round of the draft, so if they go that route, we could see them not being as involved in Hartenstein.
  • And now onto the last team involved in last night’s big deals, the Brooklyn Nets. According to HoopsHype, Brooklyn is in clear firesale mode. They mention veterans Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons, and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe all as potential trade candidates. They would still reportedly like to hang onto 25-year-old starting center Nic Claxton, who’s entering unrestricted free agency as they see him as a building block. Outside of Claxton, though, Brooklyn is seemingly open for business and it makes sense why they wanted their 2026 1st Round pick back. They might not be any good any time soon.
  • (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

  • Speaking of Claxton, if he does hit free agency, HoopsHype also said we can expect the Pelicans to make a run. New Orleans’ starting center from last season Jonas Valanciunas also is set to hit free agency, and the Pelicans looking to get a little younger and more versatile at center makes sense. The deal would likely have to be via sign-and-trade thanks to the Pelicans’ cap space, and it would also let Brooklyn not lose him for nothing.
  • We can’t talk NBA rumors without bringing up the Warriors! Golden State lost in the 9v10 Play-In matchup last year and will look to shake things up to try and get one more title run out of Steph Curry and Draymond Green. So how do they do that? The Ringer had a bunch of rumors surrounding the Warriors. The first question is probably surrounding Klay Thompson. Will he come back on some sort of team-friendly deal or will he move on for one last payday? As of now it at least seems like he’ll test free agency and maybe come back to the Warriors with any offer he gets.
  • Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

  • Golden State GM Mike Dunleavy will also likely try and move on from Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul to create some financial flexibility, per The Ringer. Paul is owed $30 million in 2024-25, but that doesn’t become fully guaranteed until Friday. Wiggins, on the other hand, is owed $26 million this season, $28 next season, and $30 million the year after that, so he will be a bit trickier. Either way, keep an eye on the Warriors to try and shake things up and rearrange the deck chairs. You have to go for it every year with Stephen Curry on your team.
  • Let’s wrap things up by talking about the (likely) biggest name on the free agent market. LeBron James will technically become a free agent, but the odds of him leaving the Lakers are very slim. After him, the biggest name and question of free agency is where does Paul George end up? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that, if George and the Clippers are headed for a breakup, it could very well be the Warriors that go all in for him. As mentioned above, the Warriors are trying to do whatever it takes to get one more title run out of Steph Curry, and getting him a legitimate star in Paul George would be a great way to try and make that happen. George is likely hitting free agency for his last big payday, and he reportedly wants a four-year deal. The Clippers appear hesitant to do that. The deal would have to be via sign-and-trade, but I think if George is available, the Dubs will be all-in.
  • written by

    Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.

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