We are less than 10 games into the NBA season, yet this league never sleeps and there are rumors aplenty to spark your imagination. Every front office is working around the clock to find potential upgrades and advantages. Teams off to a slow start could look to act now, whether it's to improve their roster or to pivot toward a more sustainable future.

Let's dive into the latest rumblings from around the association, including speculation around Nikola Jokic's future with the Denver Nuggets, Domantas Sabonis' rift with the Sacramento Kings and the Miami Heat's awkward frontcourt duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

NBA teams are monitoring Nikola Jokic's future with the Nuggets

The Nuggets are 4-3 on the season; Nikola Jokic, after an uncharacteristic slow start, dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals in a win over Toronto on Wednesday night. Denver came out of the gate slow to start the season, which led to frequent criticism of the Nuggets' poor roster construction around him.

Of note, Jokic refused to sign a contract extension this summer. He called it a purely financial move and said, live on camera, that he plans to re-sign with the Nuggets next offseason. All the same, any further struggles from Denver could open the door for an uncomfortable conversation.

As one NBA exec told The Ringer's Howard Beck: "Twenty-nine executives are not doing their job if they're not constantly thinking about how to get Jokic on their team."

Jokic is due for a five-year supermax extension, which would stretch into his late 30s. Given the NBA's current financial landscape, that could be tricky for a notoriously cheap Nuggets front office to navigate.

You still pay Jokic, arguably the greatest player in the world, when presented with the opportunity; and, it's worth noting, neither Jokic nor Denver has indicated even the slightest desire to break up. In the NBA, however, change is constant. Jokic does not seem the type to voice his frustrations and demand a trade, but if either side feels the squeeze of Denver's title window shutting, there's always a chance for something to happen. You can bet every team with a few draft picks and the right matching contract(s) would line up around the block for a chance to pay Jokic and build around the NBA champ.

Kings friction between Domantas Sabonis and Darius Acuff Jr. is 'overblown'

The Kings are 1-7, without much room for optimism. This was what we all expected at the end of the day, of course. Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine are well past their primes. Beyond rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. — who, to his credit, is doing the absolute most — there's not much talent to speak of, in a league where more teams than ever are trying to win games.

The main storyline around the Kings, unfortunately, is the reported tension between Sabonis and Acuff. Sacramento's veteran center has openly commented on his lack of touches and his dwindling involvement in the offense, with the Kings leaning fully on Acuff pick-and-rolls and isos. Acuff currently ranks second in the NBA in shot attempts per game (23.6). Sabonis leads the league in rebounding and is scoring more efficiently than he did a year ago, but he's not being asked to facilitate and create like he was in the Mike Brown era.

While there is clear tension in the Kings clubhouse, any speculation on a rift between Sabonis and Acuff appears to be misguided. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer called the whole situation "overblown," claiming Sabonis' issue is with his role and the Kings' offensive construction as a whole, not with Acuff as a player or a person.

"It's a bit more of a transition than a fracturing," he said.

While Sacramento's locker room appears solid enough for now, Fischer does note that Sabonis is still a trade candidate, as the 30-year-old big man "does not fit [Acuff's] timeline." As more teams around the league scramble for improvements midseason, expect interest in the two-time All-NBA star to heat up.

NBA insiders are 'skeptical' of Heat's starry frontcourt

The Heat made the boldest move of the offseason, trading Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and multiple first-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Giannis Antetokounmpo. It set the Heat up with a star-studded frontcourt duo of Giannis and Bam Adebayo.

Unfortunately, the rest of Miami's depth chart is lacking, and the early returns on the Giannis-Bam fit are subpar. Miami advanced to 3-5 on Wednesday with a comeback victory in overtime against the LA Clippers; it's hard to get excited when your team needs extra time to barely outlast the Kawhi-less, injury-ravaged Clips.

The Heat currently rank 15th in offensive efficiency and 26th in defensive efficiency, with a -5.1 Net Rating. Miami has a -3.0 Net Rating with Giannis and Bam on the floor together — and a +19.4 Net Rating in 18 minutes when neither shares the floor. That is an noisy and ultimately unimportant sample size, but there is a clear clash of styles with the two All-Star bigs, who like to attack the same areas in the middle of the floor.

League sources "league insiders remain highly skeptical of the Adebayo-Antetokounmpo pairing," per The Ringer's Howard Beck (h/t Bleacher Report).

As one NBA exec told Beck: "I never thought [Giannis and Bam] were going to fit together. I just don't know how you run an offense with two power forwards. Neither one of them can shoot and operate in the same space."

This does not mean Adebayo or Antetokounmpo is destined for a trade, nor does it mean the Heat's ship has sunk just eight games into the season. It often takes unfamiliar stars a while to learn each other's tendencies and strike a harmonious connection. That said, Antetokounmpo is 31 years old and he's technically a free agent this summer. He will be looking for a massive long-term extension. The Heat don't have the luxury of infinite time to figure all this out.