NBA rumors: KCP to Mavs, Harden trending toward Clippers, Hornets want to keep Bridges

As the eve of NBA Free Agency, much has changed around the league. Mikal Bridges and Dejounte Murray are in new homes, while this week's NBA Draft brought about a consequential influx of talent (and a few more noteworthy trades).

We are already seeing the ripple effects of the new CBA. Teams are attaching serious draft capital to dead money as a method of avoiding tax aprons. Or, we can look to Minnesota, a tax-paying team with limited flexibility who moved up to No. 8 in the draft to select Rob Dillingham — essentially swapping future picks for a $5 million player with immediate rotation value.

As we approach what is sure to be a chaotic month, here are the NBA rumors worth your attention.

NBA Rumors: Charlotte wants Miles Bridges to 'remain a Hornet'

The Charlotte Hornets are one of the more confounding NBA teams. Under new management and a new coaching staff, it's unclear exactly how this summer will pan out. The core is established — LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and No. 6 overall pick Tidjane Salaun aren't going anywhere — but Charlotte sold off multiple key contributors at the trade deadline, gutting the supporting cast and reshaping the roster in a pronounced way.

In theory, the Hornets just need a healthy season from LaMelo, a sophomore leap from Brandon Miller, and a few impactful free-agent signings to at least crack the Play-In conversation in a weak Eastern Conference. That is easier said than done, though, and there's an equally strong case for continuing to take it slow. A new GM tends to bring fresh perspective, which means the path previous management set the Hornets on is not necessarily the path Charlotte will follow moving forward.

Perhaps the biggest decision for Jeff Peterson, the new head of basketball ops, is what to do with Miles Bridges. The 26-year-old returned from suspension last season and produced at a high level, averaging 21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on .462/.349/.825 splits. Bridges has been a hot topic in free agent rumors, but according to Peterson, the Hornets want him back.

"Yeah, I think the new CBA rule [allowing teams to negotiate with their own free agents] is ultimately a positive. I don’t want to get into any individual negotiations that I’ve had. I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet." (via Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer)

Bridges is an essential element of Charlotte's offense — their No. 1 scorer last season. There are reasons to not sign him, primarily rooted in his recent domestic violence conviction. But, typically the league brushes these serious and upsetting issues under the rug when talented players are involved. As such, we can expect Bridges to land a hefty new contract in the coming days. It's just a matter of figuring out where.

NBA Rumors: Clippers have momentum to re-sign James Harden

The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to re-sign James Harden, who arrived via opt-in and trade early last season. Frankly, there just isn't much of a (public) market for the 34-year-old, who left Philadelphia over a perceived lack of communication before free agency. Harden wanted a four-year max last summer and left when he couldn't get it. Now, it would qualify as extremely shocking to see the Clippers acquiesce to that sort of demand.

Lawrence Frank and the Clippers front office appear to have the upper hand when it comes to leverage, though. Not many contenders have cap space, and even fewer would view handing Harden a long-term deal as prudent. He's an LA native and the Clippers probably represent his most realistic path to title contention.

In a recent interview with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Frank made sure to emphasize the Clippers' interest in retaining Harden.

"We think James has been terrific for us. We hope he's had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. ... We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same."

To be fair, that is precisely what the Sixers failed to do last offseason. Daryl Morey decided to play hardball a bit and the relationship fell apart. If Harden feels wanted, Los Angeles should have the inside track.

Harden was undeniably productive in his first season with the Clips. He's a target of criticism after multiple postseason flops and a couple messy breakups, but Harden averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists on .428/.381/.878 splits in his first season with LA. Not quite the historic heights of yesteryear, but still plenty impactful as the Clippers' primary table-setter.

NBA Rumors: Mavs interested in poaching Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Nuggets

One of the more consequential free agents in this cycle is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who recently opted out of his contract. He is expected to draw interest from several contenders, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic frequently cited as potential landing spots on the East Coast.

That said, there's a chance KCP stays in the West. According to league insider Marc Stein, there is "mutual interest" between Caldwell-Pope and the Dallas Mavericks, who emerged victorious from the cutthroat Western Conference before losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

There is a catch, though. Dallas can only reach KCP's desired salary number via sign-and-trade. The Denver Nuggets aren't believed to be interested in such a negotiation.

"It is believed that the Nuggets do not want to participate in a sign-and-trade with an in-conference rival—Dallas just supplanted Denver as the NBA's reigning Western Conference champion—even if that means losing Caldwell-Pope without compensation."

It's a tricky situation for the Nuggets. Losing a key rotation piece for nothing would be borderline catastrophic. The front office has expressed confidence in Christian Braun's ability to replace KCP, but Denver's starting five is one of the best lineups in basketball. When a member of the starting five is missing, the results are typically less impressive.

On the other hand, helping KCP get to the reigning conference champs is an equally unappealing outcome. The Mavs could always use another elite shooter and point-of-attack defender. KCP is the exact sort of wing Dallas needs, and he would be a heck of a lot better than Klay Thompson. Denver should be praying that Dallas splurges on the latter, which is sure to age poorly.

In the end, Denver should probably take the opportunity to add a useful player or two via sign-and-trade, even if it means strengthening the Mavs' hand. Denver is good enough to beat Dallas head-to-head and a couple of solid 3-and-D pieces ought to soften the blow of losing KCP. It would be tough to risk facing Caldwell-Pope in the playoffs, but it's a risk worth taking.