Like many NBA writers, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports ranks the 30 NBA teams each week. This time around, Spears peppered his ratings with a few noteworthy rumors, and we'll take a look at those here.
- The Bucks have told Brandon Jennings they'll match any offer he gets in restricted free agency next summer, according to Spears. Jennings is averaging career highs in assists and steals this season after the Bucks turned him down for an extension before the October 31st deadline. The point guard will be one of the gems of restricted free agency in the offseason, and even if a few teams might be scared off by Milwaukee's willingness to match, Jennings could be in line for a maximum offer. In any case, this news would seem to indicate the Bucks aren't looking to trade Jennings, but that's not necessarily set in stone.
- The Pistons are "actively shopping" Austin Daye, according to Spears. I think it would be difficult to find much of a market for the 24-year-old forward, who has appeared for a total of just 40 minutes in six games this season, and the 15th overall pick from 2009 hasn't done much to distinguish himself in four seasons with the Pistons, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for his career. MLive.com's David Mayo notes that Daye is returning to the Pistons rotation, and it's possible the team could be making that move simply to try to showcase him.
- Sources tell Spears that Hawks GM Danny Ferry isn't interested in trading Josh Smith. This is in line with what we've heard so far about the mutual satisfaction between Atlanta and the athletic forward. Smith is making $13.2MM this season in the final year of his deal.