NBA rumors: New Klay Thompson suitor, Tobias Harris fate, Lakers-Trae Young update

The NBA Playoffs start today, but several teams get a head start on the offseason. As the new collective bargaining agreement takes full effect, expect a high-cresting wave of free agency and trade movement this summer. The league is about to receive a proper shakeup, with several high-profile trade candidates already rising to the surface.

Here are the latest NBA rumors worth your attention on this glorious day of basketball. Enjoy.

NBA rumors: Lakers have 'serious interest' in Trae Young trade

The Atlanta Hawks were unceremoniously dispatched from the Play-In Tournament with a 131-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls. It's hard to see a path forward for this Atlanta team. This will be a tricky summer for an inexperienced and ineffective front office to navigate. The Hawks don't have an incentive to pull the plug because their upcoming picks belong to San Antonio, courtesy of the ill-fated Dejounte Murray trade. But, at the same time, Atlanta can't keep running it back. They just can't.

More and more, folks are pointing the finger at Trae Young. He has been the one constant through Atlanta's successive seasons of mediocrity. The Hawks changed the coach and shook up the roster, but the results are the same. Quin Snyder is a legitimately inventive offensive mind, a brilliant tactician, but Atlanta cannot play defense. Young, despite his improved effort, is easily the weakest link on that end.

Young is regularly mentioned in trade rumors, with several logical landing spots around the NBA. While my personal preference would be pairing Young with Victor Wembanyama on the Spurs, the odds-on favorites to land Young are — surprise, surprise — the star-hungry Los Angeles Lakers.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, the Lakers "are believed to be one of the teams with serious interest" in Young, should the Hawks make their All-Star point guard available.

The fit with Young in Los Angeles is questionable, as he doesn't possess much off-ball experience, but I'd be inclined to buy the combined basketball I.Q. of Trae and LeBron James, not to mention Anthony Davis' fit as a rim-runner and defensive backstop. Young hasn't been asked to play off the ball in Atlanta, but he's a gifted shooter who processes the game quickly, so there's no reason he can't adapt over time. He said as much to reporters after the Hawks' season ended — a potential hint at his precarious future.

NBA rumors: Tobias Harris likely playing final postseason with 76ers

Tobias Harris is in the final season of his notorious five-year, $180 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Speaking from personal experience, Harris has been the bane of Philly fans' existence for too long. He's a great human being, a supportive teammate, and a perfectly fine NBA player. But, the production relative to his salary has tanked Philadelphia's competitive odds every season, and he's generally prone to underperforming on the biggest stage.

This has been Harris' worst season since arriving in the City of Brotherly Love. One could call it a shooting slump — his 35.3 percent success rate is the lowest since 2016-17 when he played with the Detroit Pistons. One could also call it the logical endpoint of Harris' Sixers tenure. Harris has always been a deceptively poor fit with Joel Embiid, his laggy decision-making frequently grinding the Sixers' offense to an uncomfortable halt. He's an okay defender at best, he doesn't read the floor well, and the Sixers have the chance to clear up $60 million in cap space this summer.

It's hard to imagine Harris coming back. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirmed as much in his latest report.

"The forward’s tenure with the Sixer is expected to end this offseason. Several NBA executives believe there’s a chance he’ll land with the Detroit Pistons, but he will have other free-agency suitors."

Not only are Harris' days numbered, but NBA execs already have a potential landing spot picked out. The Pistons are the running favorite to land Harris in the offseason, which is objectively terrible for Detroit's growth, but is also hilariously predictable. We know Monty Williams wants more vets, a more "reliable" "winner," and Harris offers the illusion of veteran help.

He would be great in the Pistons locker room, so it's not all bad. But, Harris would absorb way too many calories in Detroit's offense. That team should be focused on supporting its young talent, and Harris probably doesn't serve that goal. Only time will tell. Maybe a desperate contender enters the fray. But, either way, we can all but guarantee that Harris and the Sixers are done once the playoffs conclude.

NBA rumors: Mavericks named potential suitor for Klay Thompson

Arguably the biggest storyline of the NBA offseason to date is Klay Thompson's free agency for the Golden State Warriors. He wants to come back and every major voice in the Dubs organization wants Thompson back. That might not matter if Golden State doesn't fork over enough money.

Thompson's season ended with a dull thud as he shot 0-for-10 in the Warriors' Play-In loss to Sacramento. It has been a challenging season for Thompson, reckoning with his own decline and the limitations of age after multiple major knee surgeries. Once an elite wing defender, Thompson is now a full-on liability. The shooting is still there — he stretches the floor and demands constant attention — but Thompson is more one-dimensional than ever.

If Thompson and the Warriors aren't on the same page regarding his next contract — if he prioritizes a payday over continuity and legacy — other teams will have a chance to play spoiler. The Orlando Magic have already been connected as a potential Thompson suitor, and now another team has joined the mix, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Dallas Mavericks are "worth watching" in the Thompson sweepstakes.

What a thought. Aside from the obvious benefits of pairing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving with an elite shooter, the volume of star power and name recognition would be substantial. Thompson can still sell jerseys and get butts in seats. The defensive concerns are grave, and the financial implications of landing Thompson are complicated (and potentially not really worth it) for the Mavs.

That said, if Thompson wants to maximize his late-career productions, feasting on open looks created by Doncic and Irving is a smart strategy. We know Mark Cuban runs an aggressive front office and Dallas can offer Thompson the ability to compete for a title in the West. So, we cannot ignore the Mavs.