NBA Rumors: Lakers big plans, Warriors snubbed once again, Nets high asking price

We are absolutely in the "slow" portion of the summer for basketball fans, but there's still plenty happening behind the scenes. Don't think for a second that NBA rumors have died out; a lot will shift and change before the season starts in a little more than a month. Training camp is right around the corner and front offices remain hard at work fleshing out roster margins.

Here is the latest buzz from around the league.

NBA Rumors: Nets issue hefty demands in Cam Johnson trade talks

The Brooklyn Nets are firmly in rebuild mode after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks this summer. That places several core pieces, such as 28-year-old wing Cam Johnson, on the trade block. Johnson is not part of Brooklyn's long-term plans, but as Brian Lewis of the New York Post details, that won't equate to a discount in trade negotiations.

Brooklyn is not going to treat this as a "fire sale." Instead, the Nets are insisting on ample young players and draft picks in return for their best veterans. If no team mounts a suitable offer, well, they just won't Cam Johnson. Sean Marks waited until the last possible second to trade Bridges, and he only did it when a truly absurd return package was put forth by New York. The Nets are comfortable letting this drag out.

The Nets have expressed "consistently high trade demands" for Johnson. As is their right. Johnson would fit just about anywhere. Every NBA team is looking for 6-foot-8 wings who can shoot 3s, attack closeouts, and adequately defend. Johnson won't lead a team in scoring, but Brooklyn has effectively tested the limits of his skill set. He has some real juice as a straight-line driver and the 3-point versatility for his size is special. Evaluating in terms of the modern role player, few outrank Johnson.

Brooklyn will need to bite the bullet eventually — it's hard to imagine Johnson lasting past the trade deadline — but Johnson doesn't seem the type to cause trouble in the locker room or outwardly express his unhappiness. Even young, rebuilding teams need a solid leadership structure, which Johnson can help provide. His shooting is going to help Brooklyn's young pieces and improve the Nets' developmental environment. Johnson doesn't command a ton of touches and his skill set is predicated on working off of teammates. In short, he isn't going to cause any problems.

Expect Johnson to change teams at some point, but don't count on it happening before the season starts. His days in a Brooklyn uniform aren't done yet.

NBA Rumors: Warriors took interest in Davis Bertans before his overseas return

The Golden State Warriors recently booked a workout with Davis Bertans, per NBA insider Marc Stein, but the veteran forward will instead accept a "multiyear offer" to play professionally in Dubai. Bertans has since rejected the Warriors' audition request, which could have led to a training camp invite.

Bertans has been on the NBA radar all summer. He split last season between the Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 6.7 points and 1.4 rebounds on .393/.380/.909 splits in 15.7 minutes. He appeared in 43 games total, picking up a real role with Charlotte after the trade deadline. Bertans' expiring salary was the bedrock of the Gordon Hayward trade for OKC.

While it's fair to say that Bertans is out of the league for a reason, the Warriors' interest — and the potential for an NBA return down the line — makes sense. There is still something there. Bertans is the rare 6-foot-10 movement shooter. He's comfortable flying around screens like a guard and hitting off-balance 3s with a hand in his face. That shooting prowess, and that size, will always have value in the NBA.

If he wants to get back to the league full time, Bertans needs to establish some level of confidence in the rest of his skill set. He almost exclusively settles in behind the 3-point offensively. There's not a ton of value at the rim or as a passer, and defense was always a challenge for Bertans in the NBA. Size and shooting will get you far, and he's a perfectly solid end-of-bench candidate in the States, but Bertans has a limited window to re-establish himself as a proper NBA role player at 31 years old.

The Warriors, meanwhile, will need to look elsewhere for another shooting boost.

NBA Rumors: Lakers, J.J. Redick have 'big plans' for Austin Reaves after quiet summer

The Los Angeles Lakers made a single influential free agent signing this summer — J.J. Redick, who replaces Darvin Ham on the sideline. Rather than targeting a more experienced head coach to parlay with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are betting on the upside of an extremely bright but utterly unproven first-time head coach. What could go wrong?

Aside from hiring Redick, the Lakers' front office has essentially done nothing this summer. LeBron inked a new extension that we all saw coming from a mile away. He offered to take a discount if the Lakers could find the right roster upgrade, but they couldn't, so he signed for the max. Rather than meaningfully improving last season's No. 7 seed — and trust me, L.A. had the assets to improve — the Lakers opted to bank on the difference between Redick and Ham equating to the difference between contention and mediocrity. I am skeptical of that bet paying off.

Perhaps the most valuable trade asset on the Lakers' roster, aside from LeBron or AD, is Austin Reaves. The 26-year-old guard inked an extremely team-friendly new contract last offseason, making him appealing for both on-court and financial reasons. If the Lakers want to land a third star, for example, it would be difficult to pull off that maneuver without involving Reaves in the outgoing trade package.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, however, the Lakers gave teams a hard "no" when Reaves came up in trade negotiations.

"I just know JJ [Redick] has big plans for Austin Reaves," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. "Not only that, when there were discussions with the Lakers this summer and teams had discussions with them and Austin Reaves came up, it was a hard 'no.'"

Redick being fond of Reaves shouldn't come as a shock. If we want to extrapolate what Redick valued as a player — shooting, movement, hustle — many of those traits are embodied by Reaves. He figures to take on expanded duties this season, especially if the Lakers can find a trade partner for D'Angelo Russell. He's not a point guard by trade, but Reaves is a sharp processor and a shifty downhill creator, putting consistent pressure on the rim. If the Lakers want to mitigate James' workload in the regular season, Reaves stands to be the primary beneficiary.

Teams have been trying to pry Reaves out of LA for a couple years now with no success. It's clear the former undrafted phenom is there to stay.