Harrison Barnes and Rajon Rondo could be among the free agents involved in off-the-radar summer move.
Barnes, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, is expected to draw interests from many teams around the league following a season that saw him averaged a career-best 11.7 points and 1.8 assists per game.
While the Warriors are reportedly inclined to retaining the 24-year-old forward, other teams are also projected to throw lucrative offers at Barnes, who has the potential to become a team's top scoring option. According Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports, the Indiana Pacers could be a team the Warriors could look out for in signing Barnes in July.
"The Pacers are going to move to pace-and-space next year, and Paul George needs another versatile front-court player who is willing to work off the ball and take on tough defensive assignments," Kurtenbach wrote.
"The Pacers have big money to spend and Barnes would take on a larger offensive role for a playoff team. There's a strong fit there."
Barnes would give the Pacers a solid perimeter defender and a second scorer behind leading star Paul George. If Indiana decides to play small-ball, a lineup of Barnes, George and Myles Turner would create a lethal frontcourt consisting of versatile forwards.
However, the Pacers are unlikely to give Barnes a max contract this summer, with the team also attempting to keep some of their own free agents. There is also a need to sign a reliable backup point guard who could take some minutes off newly-acquired PG Jeff Teague.
It would be interesting to see if the Pacers could sign Barnes, with the Warriors ready to match any offer from other teams. If Indiana have a genuine interest in signing Barnes, the only way is to offer him a max contact the Warriors cannot match.
Meanwhile, Rondo could also be primed for an under the radar move this summer. According to Kurtenbach, Rondo is unlikely to get too many suitors in the market, leaving him the "best option" of staying with the Sacramento Kings. However, the Houston Rockets could be a dark horse in signing the one-time NBA champ with Mike D'Antoni likely to look for a point guard who could push the pace.
"The Rockets are going to run this year, and unless they think that James Harden can be the Steve Nash of this decade, they're going to need a point guard. Rondo would be a tremendous fit on the court," Kurtenbach wrote.
Rondo, a pass-first PG, would be the perfect point guard to run D'Antoni's up-tempo offense and play alongside James Harden's heavy-isolation offense. Despite being known as an atrocious shooter, Rondo still shot the ball well last season for the Kings with a respectable 45.4 percent from the field.
With the Rockets having a projected max cap space of $41.2 million to sign free agents, they could offer Rondo a max contract, which the four-time All-Star guard would probably seek from teams. However, it could be a risk for Houston to sign an injury-prone guard, although Rondo can be a very nice addition if he could remain healthy.