NBA Rumors: Warriors trade bait, Bucks to-do list, Heat bargaining chip

We are still several months away from the NBA trade deadline in February, but the rumors are already percolating. After a hectic summer, during which Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Mikal Bridges, and Paul George all changed teams, we are in for an equally (if not more) hectic regular season.

We've seen names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler pop up in trade speculation. Several contenders are either underperforming expectations (Milwaukee, Philadelphia) or overperforming (Houston, Cleveland), both of which can fuel activity in the front office. Those at the top of the standings want to maintain their edge. Those lagging behind want to take the next step.

Plenty will happen in the weeks and months to come. Here is the latest buzz from around the association.

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NBA Rumors: Duncan Robinson could yield value for Heat at trade deadline

The Miami Heat are among the majority of Eastern Conference teams toiling below .500 on the young season. Jimmy Butler has shown clear signs of aging and Bam Adebayo is not taking the offensive leap fans expected. Tyler Herro has kept Miami afloat with his best individual campaign to date, but it's early, and the Heat tend to stick around the postseason picture no matter what. The meteor didn't kill the cockroaches and a slow start won't kill the Heat.

That said, with Butler's contract coming off the books at season's end, it will be fascinating to see how Pat Riley and the front office approach the upcoming trade deadline. Butler's future feels far from guaranteed in Miami. If Butler does leave in the offseason, flexibility and youth will be the name of the game for the Heat front office. It's all about setting up the succession plan and luring the next star to South Beach.

One potential trade candidate with "high" value, as Matt Moore of Action Network posits, is Duncan Robinson.

Robinson scored 20 points in 31 minutes off the bench in Miami's win over Indiana on Sunday. He's on the hook for $19.4 million this season and $19.9 million in 2025-26. That's a steep number at first glance, but the NBA's rising cap ceiling puts some of these once-egregious contracts in a more favorable context. Robinson's skill set ought to be valued around the league; he's a deadeye shooter and relentless off-ball mover. He's easy to plug into any group offensively, and the benefits of his floor-spacing are immense.

If the Heat want to dump cap space, Robinson could intrigue a number of contenders. If the Heat want to level up with more star talent, Robinson's salary is a nifty tool in any trade. Don't be shocked if we hear his name more in the months ahead.

NBA Rumors: Bucks targeting perimeter defensive reinforcements in trades

The Milwaukee Bucks are 4-9, which places 12th in the Eastern Conference. Not exactly how Doc Rivers drew it up with a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo. Injuries continue to torment Milwaukee on the whole, most recently with Damian Lillard's concussion, but the Bucks shouldn't be this bad. It is hard to be confident about the future — immediate or long-term — when even Giannis' MVP-esque heroics can't yield a .500 record.

While Giannis' name continues to float around the rumor mill, it's clear the Bucks aren't going to trade him this season (or ever, if they can help it). Instead, the Bucks will attempt to improve the roster around Antetokounmpo, although the league's new CBA makes it very difficult on Milwaukee. As a second apron team, suffocated by luxury tax penalties, the Bucks aren't allowed to aggregate salaries in a trade.

As for priorities, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says the Bucks are targeting quality perimeter defenders.

"The Bucks continue to call around the league and look for perimeter defensive adjustments and reinforcements right now," he reported in a recent livestream. "That's been the theme in Milwaukee dating back to last trade deadline."

He also notes that Milwaukee won't trade Giannis until the two-time MVP demands a trade, and those conversations won't happen until the offseason, if they happen at all. That means the goal is to build around Giannis in the meantime, and perimeter defense has been Milwaukee's primary bugaboo all season. Dame is a liability, and the Bucks' aging core bodes poorly for their desire to field an elite defense. Giannis and Brook Lopez can still clean up a lot on the back end, but the Bucks' current middle-of-the-road defense won't help them climb the Eastern Conference standings.

NBA Rumors: Brandin Podziemski expected to come up in trade talks for Warriors

Golden State Warriors second-year guard Brandin Podziemski recently commented on the frustration of hearing his name tossed around in trade rumors all summer. The Dubs were connected to the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, of course, and Podziemski was naturally at the center of those conversations after a productive rookie campaign.

"It was hard for me to process it mentally," Podziemski told ESPN. "Everybody is hyping you up but at the same time tearing you down, like 'Why didn't we trade him? We should've traded him for X, Y, Z.'"

That appears to have been merely the trial run for Podziemski, however. ESPN's Tim Bontemps expects the 21-year-old's name to pop up in trade conversations yet again this season.

"It's good Podziemski was able to learn about processing his name coming up in trade conversations this summer -- because it's going to happen again this season," he writes. "Scouts and executives have tabbed Golden State and Houston as the two teams most likely to make a splash ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Both have a combination of young players and draft picks to make deals, whereas most of the other teams expected to be in that mix have one or neither at their disposal after the many big deals made in recent seasons."

The Warriors were connected to a who's who of available stars this summer — Paul George, Lauri Markkanen, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan. We know Golden State wants to maximize Stephen Curry's waning title window and their red-hot start to this season won't quell those desires. If the Dubs want to add a star, it will require a sacrifice, however, and Podziemski is aruably the best "prospect" in Golden State's program.

It is what it is. Basketball is a cold business sometimes.