NBA Rumors: Rivers, Vucevic, Mavs, Brunson, Beal

The Nuggets remain on the lookout for guard help on the free-agent market and Austin Rivers is among the players whom the franchise is eyeing, sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

Denver sacrificed some of its backcourt depth at the trade deadline, sending out Gary Harris and R.J. Hampton in the Aaron Gordon-to-Orlando deal. The Nuggets recently inked Shaquille Harrison to a two-way deal, though the team still has an open roster spot.

Rivers, who signed a one-year deal with the Knicks during the offseason, was sent to the Thunder in a three-team George Hill trade. Oklahoma City subsequently waived the former Duke product and while there appeared to be interest from Milwaukee, Rivers remains on the market.

The Nuggets also have veterans Troy Daniels and Gerald Green on their radar, Singer notes. However, Rivers would likely be the best option of the three.

More NBA Rumors

New Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said he wasn’t surprised that Orlando traded him at the deadline. “It wasn’t out of nowhere, we’d had discussions prior to it, so it was kind of mutual; it wasn’t just out of nowhere,” Vucevic said (via Alex Kennedy of Basketball News). “They pretty much just let me know that the trade was happening and said, ‘You’re going to Chicago.’ Honestly, even though I had an idea that it could happen, it was still a big shock to me.”
The Mavericks considered Jalen Brunson “basically untouchable” in discussions with other teams at the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The former Villanova product is considered part of the franchise’s core going forward.
Should the Warriors go all out to trade for Bradley Beal this offseason? The Athletic’s David Aldridge believes Golden State’s best route is to try and convince the Wizards to give up their All-Star shooting guard. Any major upgrade for the franchise is likely to come via trade and Beal will likely be a top trade target for many teams, although Washington is unlikely to accept any offer.