NBA Rumors and News for November 4, 2013

Monday, November 4

Daily Trivia: Who won the first NBA MVP award? Answer below.

Kyrie Irving to the Knicks? Don’t fall for it
Posted 09:44 PM ET
An earlier report surfaced from the New York Daily News Monday that said Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving would be interested in joining the New York Knicks in 2016. The report fails to mention any sources that confirm Irving would actually want to sign with the Knicks. “It’s still a little early [to talk about an extension],’’ said Cavs owner Dan Gilbert this past week. “We feel good about Kyrie being here for his entire career. We have a good relationship with him. We think we’ve set up an environment and culture that is conducive to him being not only an All-Star, but hopefully the leader of a championship team.” Irving is a native of West Orange, N.J and the article suggests he would like to play basketball closer to home. If this were to happen, it would be almost three years away. The story is intriguing but doesn’t have much support evidence. Fans in Cleveland, relax, your superstar doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Carter-Williams and Love named Players of the Week
Posted at 5:30 PM ET
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Michael Carter-Williams and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, for games played Tuesday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 3, the league announced Monday. Carter-Williams is only the second player (Shaquille O’Neal, 1992) to earn the honor to begin his rookie season. The 11th overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, Carter-Williams helped guide the Sixers to a 3-0 start, which included wins over the defending champion Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. In his first three NBA games, Carter-Williams averaged 20.7 points and team highs of 9.0 assists and 4.3 steals. In his NBA debut on Oct. 30, a 114-110 home win over the Heat, Carter-Williams recorded 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds. Love led Minnesota to a 3-0 mark and paced them in scoring with his league-best 29.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in those games.

Nash to Toronto?
Posted at 8:10 AM ET
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash may be on the trading block, and the Toronto Raptors could be his possible destination, reports Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld. If such an unlikely trade were to occur, Toronto could have the upper hand. The 39-year-old Nash is making $9.3 million this season and $9.7 million next season. With the Lakers already eyeing the 2014 free agency class, they are trying to be conservative with money in an attempt to land star players. The Raptors have recently made clear that young center Jonas Valanciunas is off limits but anyone else could be dealt if the right offer is there. Realistically, what can you get for Steve Nash? Well, Los Angeles won’t take back just anyone, but Kyle Lowry would be ideal. The 27-year-old point guard averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists last season and is in the final year of his contract. But the Raptors would want more, and the Lakers can’t trade their 2014 first-round pick due to the Ted Stepien Rule. LA has one chance to make this work – the pitch to get the Canadian kid home to retire. But that’s all they have. Right now, we can put this rumor on the back burner because even if this were to happen, it would likely be closer to the deadline.