NBA Rumors: Chet Holmgren hype building with latest pickup video

Chet Holmgren was always going to be a fascinating unicorn as he entered the NBA with a 7-foot-plus frame and not an ounce of body fat or, at the time he came out Gonzaga, visible muscle on his body. The enticing potential of a player with his skill and length was too much for the Oklahoma City Thunder to pass up with the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Unfortunately, we missed out on what would've been his rookie season a year ago after Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury that put him on the shelf for the entire year. He returned this offseason and played with the Thunder in Summer League, though, and a noticeably more bulked-up youngster showed some extremely positive signs.

In three games with OKC in Salt Lake City, Holmgren put up 14.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while also showing off his shot-blocking prowess. But his most impressive effort may have come in an offseason pickup game and workout with other NBA stars.

This week, Holmgren laced 'em up with Kevin Durant, Trae Young and Jalen Green, among others. The Gonzaga product more than looked like he belonged as he dropped 31 points in the pickup game, scoring in a variety of impressive ways and even taking guys like Durant on with full confidence.

Given that he's yet to play an NBA regular season game, there's no reason to get ahead of ourselves when it comes to Chet Holmgren. However, seeing him go toe-to-toe with some of the league's best — even in a practice or exhibition setting — and do things like that is sure to get fans hyped.

NBA Rumors: Pascal Siakam contract a puzzle for Raptors amid trade buzz

There has been no more fascinatingly strange storyline to follow this offseason than Toronto Raptors wing Pascal Siakam and what's next for him.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspects when put together are the fact that the Raptors have not gained any traction on a contract, per Shams Charania of The Athletic, and that the Hawks offered Toronto a lucrative trade for Siakam, but were rebuffed for their efforts.

So what gives? Is he going to be traded or extended by the Raptors?

Frankly, we don't know. But what we do know is that the new contract for Siakam could be extremely costly with only the chance to get even more so depending on his performance in the 2023-24 season, the final year of his contract with Toronto.

Eric Koreen of The Athletic (subscription required) broke down the financials of a possible deal, noting that Siakam would likely receive 30% of the team's salary cap with an increasing market raise by season, which would net out to a deal worth just over $240 million over five seasons. However, he also noted that Siakam would become eligible for a supermax contract if he made an All-NBA team this season, which would cost north of $300 million over five seasons.

With that, it's reasonable why the Raptors might be hesitant to open up the checkbook to that degree for Siakam. Having said that, something's got to give unless Toronto wants to play it dangerously close to losing the rising star for next to nothing in the 2024 offseason.

NBA Rumors: James Harden trade a backup plan for Miami Heat?

Things are getting ugly between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl Morey, specifically.

As things currently stand, the Sixers don't plan to trade Harden before the start of the 2023-24 season. Meanwhile, Harden doesn't plan on reporting to training camp with the team and also called Morey "a liar" while on a tour in China (and oddly while speaking to a group of children). There are also reports that "this is just the beginning" of how uncomfortable Harden plans to make things for Morey and the 76ers.

So we're clearly in a standoff with a player who is beyond disgruntled, a league that doesn't appear to interested in trading for his services, and a general manager who has proven he's willing to wait these things out, even if it's painful. What happens when a situation is this combustable?

Well, perhaps the Miami Heat could swoop in to save everyone.

Michael Saenz of Sir Charles in Charge recently suggested that trading for Harden could be a backup plan for the Heat as their reported interest in trading for Damian Lillard has not yielded any results to this point.

Harden's age would likely be the biggest con if the Heat were to weigh such a Plan B as he's looking for essentially his last big NBA contract. Would that be worth giving up the assets Morey is searching for? Perhaps not. But is it something that Miami should at the very least consider? Most definitely.