A big trade involving two elite NBA point guards could be going down this summer. According to Hoops Rumors, the Indiana Pacers are trying to move away from the up and down play of George Hill and have their eye on a massive upgrade at the point guard position.

Per reports, that upgrade could be in the form of either Boston Celtics lead guard Rajon Rondo or Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic.

There are conflicting reports, but the initial rumor has the Pacers mostly interested in landing Dragic following a career year with the Suns, with Rondo going to Phoenix as part of a three-team trade.

Should a deal go down, it would easily be the biggest move of the summer and quite arguably the biggest trade in over a year.

For now it’s merely words being tossed around, but Indiana is very much set on upgrading at the point, with either Dragic or Rondo easily providing the improved play they desire.

Normally the Suns and Celtics would probably balk at Indiana’s reported interest, but both teams are headed for interesting contract situations regarding their star guards. Boston, for one, has Rondo under contract for just one more season. If they are unable to massively upgrade their roster around Rondo, he’s fully expected to move on in free agency next summer. Naturally, that should lead to numerous Rondo trade rumors.

Dragic’s situations isn’t the same, but it’s not all that different, either. If Phoenix locks up restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe this summer (as they’re expected to try to), then keeping both Bledsoe and Dragic will be awfully difficult when Dragic becomes a free agent next summer. In that scenario, the Suns would be choosing the younger Bledsoe over Dragic and deciding to get something in return for Dragic now, rather than see him walk with zero value in return next year.

There are two developing factors here, however. For one, if the Suns feel they can’t hold onto Bledsoe, they probably would bow out of these trade rumors pretty quickly. Otherwise they’d be talking about making a move that would leave them without two stud guards. They know they can match any offer Bledsoe gets, though, so if they trade Dragic now they know what they’re getting into and can lock up Bledsoe and try to extend Rondo, as well.

The other factor is a bit of a missing link, as the trade rumors speculate where Rondo and Dragic could wind up, but don’t yet offer any clear compensation for the Celtics. The Suns would be losing Dragic, but at the very worst they’d gain a one-year rental of Rondo. At best, they’d secure both Rondo and Bledsoe to long-term deals and have one of the best back courts in the NBA.

Indiana, on the other hand, would see a massive upgrade at the point with Dragic. At least for now, Boston would probably only see a bit player, some cash and some draft picks. For a potential deal to go through, the Celtics would almost surely demand a bigger player to be added to the mix.

Things still need to be sorted out – specifically dealing with Boston’s compensation – but it sounds like this is one NBA trade rumor that just might have some legs.

The Washington Wizards were able to win a playoff series last year and even gave the Indiana Pacers a run for their money in round two – all largely thanks to impressive inside play. It’s pretty clear they’ve realized it, as they made sure to hold onto stud center Marcin Gortat with a five-year deal.

According to reports, Marcin Gortat’s new deal is supposedly fully guaranteed over five years, and is worth roughly $60 million.

It’s a massive contract, but a move the Wiz had to make to keep pace with the other elite Eastern Conference squads. Gortat was a force down low for the Wizards last year, as he put up over 13 points and 9.5 boards per game, along with 1.5 blocks per game.

Gortat was a crucial re-signing, as he was a consistent, reliable presence for the Wiz ever since trading for him with the Phoenix Suns last year. With a nice inside-out offensive game, Gortat was a big part of Washington’s ability to dominate down low and keep shooters open on the outside. He was also a mighty force on the glass and helped Washington’s defense with his shot-blocking and shot-altering ability.

Teamed with Nene Hilario, Drew Gooden and a hopefully re-signed Trevor Booker, Gortat completes a ridiculously well rounded front court for a suddenly strong Wizards team. With Gortat in tow, Washington will look to improve on a solid 2013-14 season and strive for a top-three seed in 2014.

With Gortat locked up, the Wizards can now turn their focus to securing free agent small forward Trevor Ariza. Ariza was a surprisingly effective shooter for the Wiz last year, while also helping on defense as a stopper. If the Wizards can emerge from the 2014 NBA Free Agency period with both in-house players locked up, they’ll avoid any major drop-off in talent and should have a decent shot at being even better than they were a season ago.

LeBron James got away four years ago. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t letting something like that happen again. Per reports, the team has made sure star point guard Kyrie Irving is around for a long time, as they locked him up to a five-year contract extension.

The deal, which is good for $90 million over five years, will be made official on July 10th.

Irving has easily separated himself from the pack of other young, rising points guards in the NBA, as he is a seasoned offensive difference-maker. An adept scorer, Irving has averaged at least 18 points per game through his first three NBA seasons, including 20+ per game in the last two. He has also improved as a pure point guard, as he’s dished out at least five assists per game every year he’s been in the league, including a career high 6.1 per game during the 2013-14 NBA season.

There had initially been concerns that Irving didn’t get along with some of his teammates and/or wanted out of Cleveland, but those worries have since been squashed. If there was any lingering doubt about Irving’s interest in staying in town, this latest deal tells Cavs fans all they need to know.

The extension effectively adds five more years on to Irving’s deal, keeping him in Cleveland for six more years. When his contract is up Irving will be 28 years old and ready to sign one more big contract – one in which Cleveland fans will likely cross their fingers will be with the Cavaliers.

Irving is an exciting offensive talent, to be sure, but there is also some hesitance surrounding this deal. He’s struggled with some health issues throughout his young career, while he hasn’t yet developed into a truly elite passing point guard. He’s also been a fairly ineffective presence on the defensive end – if not a complete liability at times.

At just 22 years old, however, Irving has plenty of talent and more than enough time to figure out his main flaws and try to improve. In the meantime, he has his money and security now and hopefully Cleveland will put in the effort to keep getting solid piece around him to help turn the Cavs into a legit playoff contender. The team was on the brink of the playoffs last season, and could be 1-2 moves away from clearing that hurdle and getting back into the post-season mix. Nailing down Irving for the long-term was the first step in that process.

Jameer Nelson is part of the Orlando Magic, no more. The team has reportedly released the veteran point guard after 10 years with the team. If Nelson clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent and be able to sign with any team of his choosing.

The departure of Nelson clears things up considerably at the point, where rookie point guard Elfrid Payton is now tentatively expected to take over as the new starter. Second year guard Victor Oladipo could also factor in at the lead guard spot, but with Arron Afflalo being traded to the Nuggets last week, he is now a more likely bet to man the starting shooting guard spot.

The release of Afflalo and now Nelson is a part of a continued rebuilding process in Orlando, where their oldest corps player is now center Nikola Vucevic, who is just 23 years old.

Heading into the 2014-15 NBA season, the starting five of the Magic should be Payton, Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon and Vucevic.

As for Nelson, the 32-year old point guard still appears to have some NBA floor time left in his legs, although it’s worth noting that he’s not quite as explosive as he once was. With that said, he did look solid in his final season with the Magic, where he averaged at least 12 points and over seven assists for the second year in a row.

Nelson also shot under 40% from the field for the second straight season, as well, and his large role with the team was turning into a hindrance to the young talent, more than it was a help.

Still, Nelson can be more than just a serviceable weapon as a stopgap starter or a spark off the bench. That will ultimately depend on exactly what he wants to do to finish out his career – make as much money as possible or try to compete in the playoffs.

Should Nelson opt for the playoffs option, it’s possible he could garner interest for teams looking for outside shooting help. Several teams could eventually express interest, but some veteran contending teams that come to mind are the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets. The Detroit Pistons could also appear appealing to Nelson, as he’d have a chance to reunite with former Magic head coach, Stan Van Gundy.

Jason Kidd is on the verge of being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. No, it’s not 2006 and Kidd isn’t a player anymore, but the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets is very much on his way out of town after just one season on their bench.

Per multiple reports, the Nets are “done with” Kidd after he approached ownership about more power. Kidd was supposedly “annoyed” by the power and big money received recently by both Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher, and has a desire to gain a bigger role within an NBA franchise. Kerr and Fisher both signed on with the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks, respectively, and both did so without any prior head coaching experience.

As close friends with a member of the Milwaukee Bucks front office, Kidd was quickly engulfed in rumors of “jumping ship” and going over to Milwaukee to chase a bigger role in their front office. Per recent reports, the Bucks and Nets are now discussing compensation to complete the swap.

The pending trade is expected to include one or several future second round draft picks, and at least for now Kidd would be brought on to replace current head coach Larry Drew. Drew coached the Bucks to the NBA’s worst record in his first season as head coach, prompting Milwaukee’s new regime to start looking to the future.

Kidd is seemingly a big part of that future suddenly, after going 44-38 in his first ever season as head coach during the 2013-14 NBA season. The Nets rebounded from a sluggish start early in the year to be one of the better teams in the league, as they finished second in the Atlantic Division and lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.

Despite the solid showing, there was much disappointment with Brooklyn’s season, as the team was built to make a deep playoff run. There was still some optimism going into next year with Kidd at the helm, but the recent happenings have thrown the entire team into a bit of a whirlwind.

With Kidd almost surely moving on at this point, the Nets are expected to track down a veteran head coach shortly after parting with Kidd. Per reports, Lionel Hollins and George Karl are two veteran coaches that are high on Brooklyn’s “wish list”.

The 2014 NBA Draft started with few surprises, as the year-long top two prospects (Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker) went one and two, respectively. An injured Joel Embiid was a mild surprise as the third spot due to concerns his health would cause a free fall, but his talent still had the move making some sense.

From there, however, the draft got a little dicey. From trades to reaches to steals, the 2014 NBA Draft was full of excitement. To try to digest it all, let’s break down the top five steals to see who was passed on and probably should have gone a little higher in this year’s draft:

1. Noah Vonleh, PF, Indiana (#9 to Charlotte Hornets)

Vonleh was still a top-10 pick and oddly joined former Indiana star Cody Zeller in Charlotte, but he could have gone quite a bit higher. Joel Embiid not falling at all (even though he probably should have) had something to do with Vonleh’s minor slide, while Michigan sharpshooter Nik Stauskas also went a little higher than expected. Ultimately, Vonleh’s draft stock was probably going to be flip-flopped one way or another with the athletic Aaron Gordon, who ended up being a mild surprise at 5th overall to the Utah Jazz. The more balanced and efficient player, Vonleh might arguably be the better value. Only time will tell, but for now it appears the Hornets got the steal here.

2. Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State (#19 to Denver Nuggets)

Neal was acquired in an odd fashion, as the Chicago Bulls held the 16th and 19th overall selections and traded them to Denver for the draft rights to sharpshooter Doug McDermott. Oddly enough, the Nuggets then went on to draft two quality players, one of which was another sharpshooter in Harris who could easily end up being much better than McDermott. While McDermott is the superior pure scorer and probably a better overall shooter, Harris offers decent size for the NBA two guard spot and is also a plus athlete. He’ll give the up-tempo Nuggets an elite outside shooter, as well as a boost in scoring. He’s already being referred to as the steal of the draft.

3. Rodney Hood, SF, Duke (#23 to Utah Jazz)

Hood surely isn’t the prospect teammate Jabari Parker is, but considering he was projected to go inside the lottery, it’s safe to say the Jazz landed a mega steal at the 23rd overall pick. Hood isn’t truly elite in any one area, but is a rock solid shooter with great size, length and solid overall athleticism. The Jazz really only have the aging Richard Jefferson at small forward (unless they play Gordon Hayward there full-time) so adding a talented small forward was a move they had to make eventually. Hood fits the bill and is easily one of the first round’s better value picks.

4. Kyle Anderson, SF, UCLA (#30 to San Antonio Spurs)

A one time lottery prospect, Kyle Anderson plummeted down draft boards due to a lack of explosiveness and elite athleticism. That was fine with the Spurs, who routinely pick foreign players they can groom or stash overseas, but couldn’t bring themselves to pass on Anderson. A remarkably versatile and efficient talent, Anderson can play multiple positions, is a high character player and brings excellent shooting to the table. He’ll learn from some of the greats in San Antonio as he adapts to the NBA game as a rookie.

5. Glenn Robinson III, SF, Michigan (#40 to Minnesota Timberwolves)

The only second round pick on this list, Glenn Robinson III could end up being the steal of the draft thanks to having legit first round talent. He’s a bit spotty as a shooter, but has proven to have a natural ability to put the ball in the hole, while his size and length is ideal for the NBA three spot. His athleticism is where he excites, however, as Glenn Robinson is a freak athlete who can run with the best of them. He has a great pedigree and good experience, as well, making him arguably the best second round pick of the night.

The Rockets are making room for some potentially huge moves. That’s the writing on the wall, at least. The team finally traded away disgruntled star center Omer Asik on Wednesday night, finding a landing spot in New Orleans with the Pelicans.

In New Orleans Asik will slide into the starting center spot, which will likely shift star big man Anthony Davis to his more suitable power forward spot. Asik’s presence as a defensive stopper and rebounder should only help Davis stay out of foul trouble, while also potentially making the Pelicans one of the more feared defensive units down low.

In return, the Rockets unload a player who has wanted out since the beginning of last season, while also getting a future first round draft pick and roughly $1.5 million in cash.

The table is clearly being set for a bigger move, which many are speculating to be bringing in either Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James. Already stacked with superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard, as well as a solid stable of role players, the Rockets are an appealing destination for any star looking to join a team that could be one piece away from taking it to the next level.

That may be what this deal is setting up, but in a summer that even involves a rumor of both Melo and James joining the Rockets – which could spark the trading of Harden – no one knows what to believe. For now, the Rockets have cleared up space and solved one problem. Now it’s on to the next one.

On a side note, the Pelicans reportedly may not be able to handle taking on Asik without making a secondary move to make the numbers fit. That could bring on a secondary trade that could involved parting ways with someone like Austin Rivers or Eric Gordon.

Just like that, the Dallas Mavericks have been transported back to the 2010-11 NBA season. The team agree to a trade with the New York Knicks to land star center Tyson Chandler, who was a key cog in their championship run just four years ago.

Chandler had grown frustrated in New York due to injuries and losing, while the trade looks like a fantastic deal for both sides. In shipping off a still effective Chandler, the Knicks opened the door to bring in bigger free agents, while also packaging the regressing and troubled Raymond Felton in the deal. In return, the Knicks received trading chips Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin, while also got a point guard upgrade in the form of veteran sharpshooter, Jose Calderon.

Dallas struggled mightily to replace Chandler following his departure in free agency in 2011, which culminated in a failed grouping of Dalembert, Brandon Wright and DeJuan Blair this past season. Still in his prime at 31 years old, a healthy Chandler can still be a game-changer in terms of rebounding and shot-blocking.

Specifically, the presence of Chandler takes pressure off of Dirk Nowitzki down low on the defensive side, and should also make life easier on the role players in the post for the Mavs.

In New York, Calderon helps New York’s outside shooting and also gives the team a better facilitator at the lead guard spot than they’ve had the past fews years. No one knows for sure how this trade works in Phil Jackson’s end game to lure Carmelo Anthony back to the Knicks – of if that’s even his ultimate goal.

All we know for sure is that the Knicks aren’t done just yet and it’s quite possible the roster changes have only just begun. In fact, according to reports, the Knicks are also shopping two of the players they received in the Candler trade – Larkin and Dalembert. Supposedly being shopped separately, the two players could help the Knicks acquire other players, free up extra cap space or bring in more draft picks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were long expected to spend the number one overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Kansas big man Joel Embiid. Thanks to a recent foot surgery, he’s out of the picture at that top spot.

With the draft just days away, the clock is ticking. According to ESPN.com, it might be ticking a bit too fast.

In fact, per reports, the Cavs no longer have a locked in choice for the top spot. Cleveland’s front office has mostly been discussing who to take between Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins and Duke forward Jabari Parker, both of which are deserving candidates.

But which do the Cavs go with? Owner Dan Gilbert has already stated he wants the Cavs to be turned into a playoff team going into the 2014-15 NBA season. With a star at point guard in Kyrie Irving and some good, young talent in guys like Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson, Gilbert clearly feels Cleveland isn’t far off from making it happening.

The Cavs could take a chance on the talented Wiggins and hope he develops into that answer as the missing piece as a rookie, or go for Parker, who has somewhat less upside but might be the safer, more NBA-ready choice.

Then again, despite Cleveland seemingly bringing it down to just these two high profile players, there could still be two other options: trading down or snagging the rising Dante Exum.

Exum has been soaring up draft boards and could be in the mix – especially given the fact that the Cavs surprised everyone a year ago when they took Anthony Bennett first overall.

Trading down has to be a realistic (if not desired) option, too. Cleveland has already been tied to rumors involving the number one overall pick, but would probably only take a deal that clearly made them the winners.

In all likelihood, the top pick is probably going to come down between Parker and Wiggins, the two stud prospects that began last year’s college basketball season in the war from the top spot. One of them should end it in the 2015 NBA Draft as Cleveland’s top pick.

The Sacramento Kings are serious about making a push into the playoffs next year. Josh Smith might be a part of the process.

According to Marc Stein via Twitter, the Kings and Detroit Pistons have engaged in trade talks involving star forward Josh Smith. Potentially, Sacramento could be trying to land “Smoove” in order to spice up trade talks with the Boston Celtics involving star point guard Rajon Rondo.

Sacramento has been interested in acquiring Rondo for a while now, but up until now didn’t have the ammunition to convince Rondo to come over and sign a long-term contract. The Kings could be killing two birds at once by potentially landing Smith, as they both bolster their star power, while also landing a friend of Rondo’s. Having Smith on the roster hypothetically makes the Kings a stronger unit, while also could make them a more attractive long-term destination to Rondo.

While this trade rumors is still just that – a rumor – it could be one that carries legs. From Detroit’s perspective, Smith is a power forward that plays too much on the outside and is not a very efficient perimeter player. While he’s immensely talented and versatile, he simply is not an ideal three and could be someone they desire to move away from.

The Pistons are also very high on big man Greg Monroe, who they would probably like to re-sign to a long-term deal. However, with Smoove’s hefty deal on the roster already, that might prove to be difficult. By unloading him to the Kings, the Pistons would not only gain more flexibility for future decisions, but could also add a player and/or picks in return.

It’s an interesting rumor for the Kings, as it would probably mean the end of the line for star point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas is easily a better shooter and scorer than Rondo, but is nowhere near the defender or passer. With the Kings having their sights set on that point guard upgrade, Thomas could be part of a two or three team deal that ships him to Boston, Detroit or elsewhere.

Potentially, depending on how future deals shake out, the Kings could be looking at a starting five of Rondo, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith and DeMarcus Cousins. At least on paper, that’s a talented group and one worth trying to strive for.