NBA Rumors: Warriors-Kuminga drama, Pistons ticking clock, Knicks potential gamble

We are a little more than a month away from the 2024-25 NBA season. It's right around the corner, which means the rumor mill is starting to pick back up. Front offices are busy at work, finalizing rosters and looking ahead to what is sure to be an eventful and transformative campaign. There are trades brewing and contracts in need of signing.

Here is the latest scuttlebutt from around the association as training camp nears.

NBA Rumors: Knicks might target Blazers center Robert Williams III via trade

The New York Knicks' offseason was like something out of a storybook. Mikal Bridges arrived via trade, reuniting four former Villanova teammates in the Mecca of basketball. After a promising postseason was cut short by injuries, all signs point to the Knicks competing tooth-and-nail for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals next spring.

If there's a blemish on the Knicks' summer, it has something to do with their frontcourt rotation. Isaiah Hartenstein left for greener (financial) pastures with the Oklahoma City Thunder, stripping New York of its best defensive anchor and a nimble offensive connector. In his place, the injury-prone Mitchell Robinson is expected to start, while Precious Achiuwa will assume full-time backup duties.

New York is one injury away from serious issues at the five spot, though, and Robinson's health status is already in question as he recovers from ankle surgery. Achiuwa isn't much of a rim protector and New York's other 7-footers — Jericho Sims or rookie Ariel Hukporti — are woefully unproven. The Knicks could use a bit of reinforcements in the frontcourt.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst happens to have a potential target on his radar: Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III.

"I would say any team looking for a center is going to watch Robert Williams closely this year," Windhorst said on NBA Today. "After the Blazers drafted Donovan Clingan and they've got DeAndre Ayton, who's probably not very tradable on their roster, I don't know where Robert Williams fits. I think the Knicks will be among the teams monitoring him."

It's a no-brainer. Williams has missed a lot of time the last couple seasons — he appeared in just six games for the Blazers in 2023-24 — but when healthy, he's a legitimate defensive enforcer with uncommon range and mobility. In his last remotely full season, 2021-22, Williams made second team All-Defense and finished seventh in DPOY voting.

There's a world in which Williams is straight-up New York's best center. The ongoing injury woes are an obvious drawback, but he is a legitimately switchable, shot-blocking 7-footer who poses a daunting vertical threat at the rim on offense. He won't quite replace all of Hartenstein's nuance, but a healthy Rob Williams is a game changer for the Knicks, or for any team, frankly.

NBA Rumors: Pistons 'aren't solid' on Jaden Ivey as pivotal season approaches

The Detroit Pistons finally embraced new management this summer, canning Troy Weaver in favor of former New Orleans Pelicans assistant GM Trajan Langdon. The early reviews are mixed. Ron Holland was the No. 1 prospect here at FanSided, but the fit is complicated, and Tobias Harris never got much love at his previous stop. Detroit is starting anew under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, looking to start showing signs of growth — any growth at all — with Cade Cunningham as its centerpiece.

In terms of truly foundational pieces on the Pistons roster, it's pretty much just Cade. Jalen Duren has his supporters and Holland could get there one day, but Cunningham is the only untouchable — already signed to his rookie-scale max extension and comfortably positioned as the Pistons' lead creator for the next half-decade at least.

How Detroit goes about building around Cunningham will surely change under new management. It's telling that the first draft pick of this new regime does not complement other recent lottery picks, such as Ausar Thompson or Jaden Ivey. That could give us insight into how the Pistons view this young core, and how long certain players might last in the Detroit organization. A new tidbit from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report adds fuel to that fire.

"Some around the league speculate that the Pistons aren't sold on [Jaden] Ivey," writes Pincus, "but there's no compelling reason (yet) to think he's moved."

So, while the Pistons will give it another go with a new head coach and a slightly better supporting cast, Ivey's future is very much in question. Detroit still needs to take a patient approach to this rebuild, but Cunningham's max contract runs through 2029-30. They're officially on the clock. The goal should be to have a competitive team by the time Cunningham's deal runs out. If Ivey doesn't appear to further that goal, he could be diverted to a new team.

NBA Rumors: Warriors not 'currently prepared' to hand Jonathan Kuminga his max contract

After a couple years of grumbling about his role and lack of opportunity, Jonathan Kuminga finally broke out for the Golden State Warriors last season. He emerged as an everyday starter and, at 21 years old, there's still plenty of upside left untapped. As Kuminga enters his fourth NBA season, however, there is one minor complication. His contract is about to run out.

The former G League Ignite star could command a max contract next summer, per Yahoo's Jake Fischer. That does not mean the Warriors are comfortable giving him a max contract. In fact, there is a noticable gap between the two sides, which could boil over uncomfortably during the season.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Golden State is not "currently prepared" to fork over the maximum fives years and $224 million that Kuminga is eligible for. He does, however, believe there is a potential middle ground as these negotiations press forward.

"That doesn't mean there isn't a reasonable middle ground," Slater writes, "perhaps in the $30-ish million per season range as the deadline nears. Nobody can say for sure what will happen if Kuminga is presented a concrete, life-changing financial offer and the Warriors come to believe the deal will age well enough as the salary cap projects to skyrocket. There have been tentative extension discussions between the sides, league sources said, but a clear divide remains."

Kuminga was steadfastly held out of trade conversations involving Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this summer, so it's clear the Warriors value their hyper-athletic power forward. Kuminga's downhill burst and battering-ram force provide a unique element to the Golden State offense and there is still a ton of room for growth. As such, expect Golden State to work hard toward a resolution, even if a proper max contract does feel somewhat... steep.

Golden State's books are a bit more flexible after letting Klay Thompson and Chris Paul walk, so there's room aplenty to accommodate a significant second contract for Kuminga. I'd venture to guess that it's a question of when and for how much Kuminga re-signs with Golden State, not if he re-signs.