'Tis the season for the NBA trade rumor mill to gradually crescendo into its winter-isn't-coming-it's-here fever dream. Fa, la la, la la la, la, la, la.

December 15 marks the unofficial start of trade season around the Association. Though scant few deals that don't involve a disgruntled, pouty or betrayed-feeling James Harden actually go down before New Year's Day, this overall pocket of time is a benchmark for self-reflection.

Teams are nearing the quarter-pole of the schedule. They generally know who and what they are and the stakes attached to the rest of their season, even if they're dealing with critical injuries and absences. That paves the way for transactional exploration. And that, in turn, invites more concrete speculation and, in some cases, official shopping.

For now, the NBA's chatterbox isn't teeming with formal scuttlebutt. Increased parity around the league leaves more squads in holding and silently browsing patterns than we've become accustomed to over the years.

But the Gossip Factory never actually closes. It is open 24/7/365, churning out new and recycled nuggets, forever and always. As the Association crawls toward the close of 2023, we're chiseling out a safe space here to spotlight and dissect the back-fence talk that fails to pass the common-sense test.

Pascal Siakam to Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks "continue to monitor" Pascal Siakam as a "potential trade target," according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. Their interest in the 29-year-old is officially longstanding. The Hawks were linked to Siakam over the summer.

Atlanta's interest in this move is fine—so long as it never progresses into actuality.

In the interest of full disclosure, I endorsed this pursuit over the offseason. I'm out on it now. And the Hawks should be, too.

Siakam's expiring contract absolutely matters for an organization that 1) doesn't routinely bag high-profile free agents and 2) continues to pinch pennies beneath the tax. The latter is likely the bigger hurdle.

A max contract for Siakam will run about $42.6 million in Year 1. The Hawks already project to begin next season over the tax if they re-sign Saddiq Bey (restricted). They will probably end up moving at least one of Bogdan Bogdanović, Clint Capela or De'Andre Hunter before 2024-25 to cut bottom-line costs as it stands.

Any combination of them can be used to help acquire Siakam. But tacking his new deal onto the pay grades of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray creates a financial crunch this franchise has historically opted against bankrolling.

And then there's the matter of fit. The Hawks have their fill of primary ball-handlers in Murray and Young, and Siakam's complementary game isn't guaranteed. He's up to 43.8 percent shooting on drives but is hitting just 26.2 percent of his spot-up threes.

Spacing will be an issue even if Jalen Johnson (when healthy) keeps hitting triples and doesn't get jettisoned as part of the trade. Atlanta can bill Siakam as its de facto center, but that won't move the defensive needle. Including Murray (trade-eligible Jan. 8) could take care of some overlap, but to what end? Is a Trae-Siakam duo that much of an upgrade, when it potentially comes at the cost of Johnson, another rotation player or two and picks? Nah.

Sacramento Interest in Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam

The Sacramento Kings have the assets necessary to explore big-time acquisitions, and according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, that's just what they intend to do.

"They are going to be involved in every star player," he said on a recent episode of FanDuel's Run It Back NBA show. "Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, maybe Zach LaVine."

Going after LaVine should be a non-starter. The Kings defense is showing meaningful signs of improvement, thanks in part to steps forward from Keegan Murray (pre-back injury) and De'Aaron Fox. And there's a case to be made that they need another off-the-dribble jump shooter.

But Sacramento's standing has predictably exploded following Fox's return from a sprained right ankle. Forking over meaningful assets to nab LaVine skews too far toward what remains their greatest strength. And the defense still doesn't have the heft or disruption to cover up for both he and Sabonis.

Siakam is the more sensible target if the Kings believe he'll re-sign in free agency. And yet, his offensive fit is dicey. Both he and Sabonis like to occupy and attack the same spaces, albeit through different avenues.

Adding Siakam to the rim-protection and switchability ranks carries some intrigue. He will launch enough threes to keep the half-court open for both Fox and Sabonis, but Siakam neither takes nor makes enough of his triples to ensure those same open spaces persist during the playoffs.

His next contract only complicates matters. Both he and Sabonis should be earning over $40 million next season. If the Kings are going to shell out $80-plus million per year for their 4-5 rotation, they need that prospective pairing to be much less counterintuitive. Generally speaking, their higher-end pursuits should prioritize combo forwards and wings. Siakam checks neither box.

The Lakers are More Interested in DeMar DeRozan Than Zach LaVine or Alex Caruso

Because the Los Angeles Lakers are the Los Angeles Lakers, they'll be linked to every available name under the sun. But they are inextricably tied to the inevitable dissolution of the Chicago Bulls. And Zach LaVine is apparently third on their list of Windy City targets.

As The Athletic's Jovan Buha explained during an appearance on Hoops Tonight (h/t Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation):

"I've actually heard that they're more interested in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. A.C., he's the one that got away. ... Both of those guys are on more manageable contracts. ... DeMar comes in, he's that over-the-top shotmaker that the team seemingly doesn't really have outside of when LeBron's jumper is falling. And then Alex Caruso, one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, one of the best perimeter in the league period. ... There's real interest in all three guys, but from what I've heard, DeMar and Alex are higher on their priority list."

Matching money for Caruso and/or DeRozan will require less maneuvering than going after LaVine, who is making more this season than both teammates combined. And there's some merit to the logic. DeRozan stabilizes the Lakers' non-LeBron minutes, which remain a disaster. Caruso is point-of-attack defense who shouldn't get played off the floor in the postseason like Jarred Vanderbilt last year.

Still, the Lakers desperately need perimeter shot-making and volume. They are 27th in three-point-attempt rate and 26th in long-distance accuracy. Caruso (46.4 percent) and DeRozan (36.4 percent) are hitting their triples, but they take fewer treys combined than LaVine.

Worry about LaVine's efficiency if you must. He won't be at 33.6 percent from deep forever. He has a track record of being one of the most dangerous off-the-bounce three-point snipers in the league.

Slotting him into a third-option's role and juicing his spot-up volume and cutting opportunities amounts to ideal circumstances. At 28, he is also the youngest of Chicago's trio. And unlike DeRozan, he won't be a free agent this summer.

More than anything, if the Lakers' underwhelming hodgepodge of assets—one first-round pick, some swaps, Jalen Hood-Schifino, salary-matching contracts—can bag an All-Star who hasn't yet exited his prime, they need to pounce. Caruso and DeRozan should be considered welcomed contingencies, not first and foremost priorities.

Charlotte Not Ready to Move Gordon Hayward

Numerous "playoff-caliber teams have called" the Charlotte Hornets about acquiring Gordon Hayward, according to Scotto. But as of Nov. 29, general manager Mitch Kupchak is apparently more "focused on getting healthy and competing for a playoff spot."

Literally, actually, WTF.

Charlotte is already miles below .500 with bottom-tier offensive and defensive ratings. LaMelo Ball just sprained his surgically repaired right ankle during a Nov. 26 loss to the Orlando Magic and is slated to miss extended time. Other players—most notably Brandon Miller (ankle) and Cody Martin (knee)—are banged up.

This team's season is already cooked.

That is not hyperbole. Just take a gander at the Eastern Conference teams sitting in front of the Hornets. None of them are due for significant pull-back. Charlotte's ceiling is 12th place. And that's assuming the Chicago Bulls don't go full Chicago Bulls and angle for a win-now move that ups their own conference ceiling to, like, 11th place.

Holding onto a 33-year-old Gordon Hayward in the final season of his contract to preserve playoff and play-in odds is a deluded way of thinking. If his $31.5 million can be used to take back money attached to picks and/or prospects, the Hornets can and should and must be all over it.

Letting more time go by increases neither Charlotte's place in the East's pecking order nor Hayward's prospective return. If anything, it merely heightens the likelihood that he gets injured, misses extensive time and has little to no trade value at all.

Chicago Waiting on the Zach LaVine Market Before Committing to a Teardown

Zach LaVine is readily available for the taking. So much so that NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson reports dealing the two-time All-Star is the Chicago Bulls' "main organizational focal point" entering December.

That makes all the sense in the world. The Bulls are bad. Really bad. Hopeless-as-currently-constructed bad. Executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas finally seems to know it. Better late than never. Or something.

Much less sensible? League sources told Johnson that "at least for now, Karnišovas is responding to inquiries on other players by saying he wants to see what the roster looks like post-LaVine trade first."

That is, unequivocally, not OK.

Part of competently running an NBA organization entails, you know, multi-tasking—the juggling of numerous responsibilities and developments and the unavoidable audibles and curveballs they bring. Lasering in on LaVine's future alone is both unnecessary and not a luxury Chicago has at the moment.

Recently signed players like Jevon Carter (Dec. 15), Torrey Craig (Dec. 15), Ayo Dosunmu (Jan. 15), Nikola Vučević (Dec. 28) and Coby White (Dec. 15) can't be moved just yet. But preemptively, albeit temporarily, shutting down Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan or even Patrick Williams talks is a special kind of pointless.

LaVine's trade return should not impact the Bulls' intended direction. This needs to be a caps-lock TEARDOWN. And that puts Chicago in the asset-collection business, an industry that cares not for roster fit or racking up wins.

If the Bulls wanted the LaVine return to define what they do next, they should have moved him over the offseason. Prolonging this stain of a direction now only stands to detract from the value of others. Certain players are inching toward free agency (DeRozan, Williams), and teams will negotiate harder as games continue ticking off their schedule.

This could be a leverage ploy by Chicago. But it's not a good one. So long as other players on the team have markets, the Bulls should be open to exploring them—in no particular order.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering games on Friday, Nov. 17. Salary information via Spotrac.