NBA Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Buzz on 2016 Free Agents and Team Draft Plans

The Cleveland Cavaliers taking down the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals is a good indicator of just how important this time of year is for NBA franchises.

Those Cavaliers are the perfect mesh of drafting and free agency working out well to build a championship contender. It’s an extreme example, of course, but one can see why this period is so hyped and always littered with rumors.

Right now, it’s all about critical upcoming free agents and possible draft plans, which may or may not include trades. This is an especially exciting time of year, as every fanbase has optimism and hopes its team can evolve into the next Cavaliers.

Here’s the latest to know.

The Harrison Barnes Price Tag

Seemingly out of nowhere, Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors has helped turn himself into a hot commodity should the journey take him such a route.

A restricted free agent, Barnes has exploded this season to average 11.7 points, 1.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, the first two numbers career bests.

Given his age (23) and finally blossoming skill set, it’s not a shock to see Barnes’ name come up when talking about free agency. It’s especially not surprising to see the Washington Wizards as one of the top teams mentioned because they almost took him instead of Bradley Beal in the 2012 draft, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

However, Michael reported Washington isn’t one of the teams ready to pony up the cash:

If Barnes hits the market and is allowed to leave (he rejected a $64 million extension before the 2015-16 season began), he’ll get similar money to Beal. Based on what CSNmidatlantic.com has been told, however, the Wizards won’t be one of those teams in the running at that pricetag.

No shock the Wizards don’t have an interest; after all, they have to worry about getting Beal a max deal to keep the backcourt with John Wall alive and well.

Perhaps more interesting is Barnes’ alleged cost. He’s young and improving, but one has to wonder how much his positive role has to do with playing on a team as dominant as the Warriors and if it will translate to other …

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