NBA Trade Speculation: 7 Players Likeliest to Be Traded in the Offseason
The summer of 2013 figures to be an interesting time throughout the NBA.
After an eerily quiet trade deadline this past February, a number of moves are poised to shake up the league landscape.
Aside from big-name free agents like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Josh Smith all making monumental decisions, the trade market figures to be active as well.
With franchises searching to move in new directions this summer, it’s time to ponder which players could be on the move in just a few short months.
Note: All statistics retrieved from Basketball-Reference unless noted otherwise.
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Chris Paul Rumors: Latest Updates and Speculation on Free Agent’s Future
Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers completed the franchise’s first-ever 50-win campaign in the 2012-13 NBA season, but a first-round playoff exit to the Memphis Grizzlies has rumors swirling about whether or not the All-NBA point guard will choose to stay in Los Angeles this offseason.
Paul is a free agent, and there are 29 other teams clamoring to get their hands on him.
As Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld simply put it on Twitter, let the CP3 trade rumors begin.
ESPN NBA analyst Bill Simmons helped spark the rumor mill the morning after LA’s loss to Memphis, the first of what promises to be a circus-like approach to figuring out what Paul’s future holds this offseason:
Paul averaged 16.9 points, 9.7 steals and a league-high 2.4 steals per game during the 2012-13 season, was an All-Star for the sixth time in his career and helped the Clippers hit the 56-win mark in the regular season—good for a No. 4 seed out West and a showdown with the Grizzlies.
After winning the first two games of the series, Paul and the Clippers did not visit the win column again in the 2013 playoffs. The Grizzlies won four straight games to end LA’s season, most recently in Game 6 on Friday night by a 118-105 score.
Paul scored 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added eight assists in what was his final game before free agency.
Now, the real fun about his future begins.
If you listen to Paul in the postgame interview above, he doesn’t sound like a man ready to re-up with the Clippers the day that free agency opens—something noted by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times via Twitter:
While all free agents give us the normal comments that the decision is one that takes some serious thought and that they aren’t going to rush into anything, Paul’s apparent discomfort with the organization has leaked outside the walls.
That discomfort won’t bother interested teams (h/t Simmons):
Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki are two guys that will be overjoyed to hear the news that Paul is leaning toward weighing his options, and that puts the Dallas Mavericks in the conversation for Paul’s services until he signs with another team.
If you’ll remember, Dallas has been plotting cap space for a move to add Paul and Dwight Howard for quite some time. The two have also been receptive to playing with each other (h/t Matt Moore of CBS Sports), making Dallas an attractive option for both to team up with Nowitzki in a new Big 3.
Dallas cleared out cap space after its 2011 championship season by letting Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson walk, and they have done so again in preparation for another run at a marquee star with one-year contracts like Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and O.J. Mayo (player option that he will not exercise).
Like Simmons suggests in his tweet with a thinly veiled shot at Del Negro in favor of Dallas’ Rick Carlisle, the level of satisfaction with the coaching staff in LA is also at an all-time low. The Clippers are now 2-8 in 10 playoff games under Del Negro over a two-year span, and LA can’t be happy with his adjustments (or lack thereof) to Memphis in 2013 or San Antonio in 2012.
As Ric Bucher reported on Sulia.com on Saturday, the new coach factor could play a huge role in Paul’s choice to return to LA. If management includes him in a decision, it might help sway his thought process enough to avoid seeking out new employment elsewhere:
I also know that Paul’s control of the franchise, by virtue of the fact the Clippers will do anything to keep him, is nearly absolute. As for the current head coach, Vinny Del Negro, the consensus around the NBA is that this first-round ouster is almost certain to cost him his job.
If Del Negro stays, it’s because Paul wants him to stay and I haven’t heard from anyone that Paul is willing to go to bat for Del Negro in that way. I only hope that over the next few months Paul doesn’t feign that he will have nothing to do with who gets the job next or del Negro not being retained. The only way that could be true is if he tells the Clippers definitively that he is not coming back; otherwise, they are assuredly going to be highly interested in who Paul thinks should run the team.
Paul stands to make more money and will have a longer financial commitment from the Clippers should he choose to stay with Donald Sterling’s franchise. It’s a selling point that will drive conversation on the issue all summer, but it’s not the only factor in play.
Young guns Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are a huge part of LA’s roster, but the rest of the current assortment of players will need replacing soon. Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill didn’t stay healthy this season. Butler is slowing down. Lamar Odom probably isn’t a long-term option. The roster needs work, to say the least, to sustain a winning franchise for the next three to four seasons.
That being said, Paul will have full control of any and all efforts if he stays.
On the flip side, there are franchises that are craving a star. Atlanta, Dallas and others would love to bring Paul in to solve their playmaking woes, and he would carry the mantle of a franchise player in whatever city for which he decides to play.
Recruiting a guy like Howard to join up in a new franchise shouldn’t be considered a farce in each of these guys’ career. Both are aging, both just suffered first-round exits in a city that doesn’t accept that kind of effort and both have expressed interest in going somewhere together before (h/t Moore).
So what will it be, CP3?
Paul has options, is a top-three NBA point guard and shouldn’t be undervalued in this process. He will drive the rumor mill and reporters will do so, too, because he’s simply too good to not be chased in free agency by other teams.
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Shane Battier Says ‘No Doubt’ We’ll See Female in NBA Amidst Griner Speculation
While he didn’t go so far as to peg Brittney Griner as the first, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier did make a pretty strong statement by predicting that the NBA would see a female player before long.
“There’s no doubt that in our lifetime, there will be a woman NBA player,” Battier said, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.
Battier then elaborated on his thinking, being careful not to single Griner out as the most likely candidate:
I don’t know if it’s Griner or if it’s someone who is 5 years old right now. But we’ll see it. It’ll happen in our lifetime. Just the law of averages…I don’t think it would be out of the realm of possibility that [one day] we’ll see a female LeBron. You could be the most skilled player in the world that the women’s game has ever seen, but that won’t cut it in the NBA. She’d have to be a physical specimen.
If we ignore Battier’s gross misunderstanding of the concepts underlying the law of averages, his statement really isn’t that controversial.
By his own parameters, the notion that a female version of LeBron James—the most dominant athlete the sport has ever seen—could cut it in the NBA is hardly a bold one. If there did exist a female basketball player who was more physically gifted than any who had ever come before her, it’d be reasonable to say that she might have an outside chance to play in the NBA.
The problem, though, is that Battier tethered a purely hypothetical situation to the declarative statement that we will see a female NBA player before we kick the bucket. For that reason, his prediction holds little weight.
Some, like renowned NBA gambler Haralabos Voulgaris, were eager to take Battier up on his proposition:
Others were a bit more vindictive in their responses:
Battier’s an intelligent, well-spoken guy. But in addition to creating a hypothetical “super woman” to make his point, he also made the mistake of conceding that skill might not ultimately be the reason a woman could someday land on an NBA team.
He, like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, recognizes the value of a publicity stunt.
“Listen, this whole thing is a sideshow,” Battier said. “What’s one more trailer?”
Backing up a bit, Cuban told ESPN’s Tim McMahon that he’d take a flier on Griner with the Mavs’ second-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But he immediately qualified his assertion by pointing out that picks taken that late rarely pan out.
He also acknowledged that financial motivations—like tickets sales—would certainly factor into his decision.
McMahon wrote:
Cuban acknowledged that Griner playing in the NBA’s Las Vegas summer league would have tremendous marketing potential.
‘It would, wouldn’t it? See how she could do?’ Cuban said. ‘That’d sell out a few games.’
There’s a massive difference between a female basketball player making an NBA team on her merits as an athlete and the same thing happening for the sake of publicity.
Either way, Griner is apparently interested in Cuban’s proposition—however serious it actually is:
Battier provides an outlandish, postulated scenario to bolster his point while simultaneously winking at the potential monetary motivations behind a female player making an NBA team.
So, if we look closely at his words, he’s really not saying much of anything at all.
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Brad Stevens remains quiet amid UCLA speculation
The young Butler coach looks to be at the top of UCLA’s list to replace Ben Howland
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Josh Smith Rumors Point Toward Trade to Nets, But Hawks Forward Has Been at Center of Speculation Before
The Atlanta Hawks have dangled forward Josh Smith in trade talks many times before. But this year, with the trade deadline approaching and Smith due to become a free agent once the season ends, the possibility looks more serious.
The Hawks, at 28-22, are sixth in the Eastern Conference as of Tuesday, but ESPN’s Chris Broussard says the team is in talks with the Brooklyn Nets (30-22, fifth in Eastern Conference) to trade Smith. Brooklyn is “aggressively pursuing” Smith, and the Nets also have their eyes on the Charlotte Bobcats’ Ben Gordon, although Kris Humphries is the key piece in both trades, meaning it’s an either/or for Brooklyn. The Nets prefer Smith, according to Broussard.
Atlanta is considering the trade offer for Smith but is setting the price rather high, Broussard reports. While Brooklyn is offering Humphries and second-year guard MarShon Brooks, the Hawks are interested in the Nets’ first-round pick. Atlanta is looking for long-term help at the center position, accordin…
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Josh Smith Rumors Point Toward Trade to Nets, But Hawks Forward Has Been at Center of Speculation Before
The Atlanta Hawks have dangled forward Josh Smith in trade talks many times before. But this year, with the trade deadline approaching and Smith due to become a free agent once the season ends, the possibility looks more serious.
The Hawks, at 28-22, are sixth in the Eastern Conference as of Tuesday, but ESPN’s Chris Broussard says the team is in talks with the Brooklyn Nets (30-22, fifth in Eastern Conference) to trade Smith. Brooklyn is “aggressively pursuing” Smith, and the Nets also have their eyes on the Charlotte Bobcats’ Ben Gordon, although Kris Humphries is the key piece in both trades, meaning it’s an either/or for Brooklyn. The Nets prefer Smith, according to Broussard.
Atlanta is considering the trade offer for Smith but is setting the price rather high, Broussard reports. While Brooklyn is offering Humphries and second-year guard MarShon Brooks, the Hawks are interested in the Nets’ first-round pick. Atlanta is looking for long-term help at the center position, accordin…
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NBA Trade Speculation: Under-the-Radar Moves the Miami Heat Could Make
The Miami Heat are quite an enigma.
They’ll get demolished by the Indiana Pacers and beat the lowly Charlotte Bobcats by just five points, but they’ll also hang with, and beat the NBA‘s best, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
You could chalk it up to “playing down to their competition,” but in all honesty the Heat have a few issues they need to work on.
Obviously their biggest issue is in the paint with their weak frontcourt. While the addition of Chris Andersen has certainly helped things out, he can’t do it alone, and neither can Chris Bosh.
The Heat need to make a move before the trade deadline that will help Bosh return to his normal power forward position.
Miami Heat send PF Udonis Haslem to Denver Nuggets for C Timofey Mozgov
One trade they could make that would solve this problem involves the Denver Nuggets and their 7’1” center, Timofey Mozgov.
Sure, Mozgov‘s 2012-13 production of just 2.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game isn’t that impressive. But when you consider his 10.4 minutes per game average, it makes a bit more sense.
Would the Heat be willing to send away Heat-lifer Udonis Haslem for a player who may be able to solidify their frontcourt on the defensive side of the ball? Probably not, because of what Haslem means to their franchise, but it would be the right move.
The Heat need size and physicality in the paint and they aren’t getting that with the undersized Haslem. Mozgov isn’t great, but the Heat don’t need great. They just need a guy who can fill the paint on defense and rebound, and that’s exactly who Mozgov is.
Miami Heat send PG Norris Cole, C Dexter Pittman and 2013 Second-Round Draft Pick to San Antonio Spurs for PG Corey Joseph and C DeJuan Blair
Another trade that could solve the Heat’s interior woes involves an inconsistent bench player from the Spurs, DeJuan Blair.
Blair is the kind of player who will go off for 22 points in 19 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks, then turn around and score four points in 18 minutes against the Phoenix Suns.
He’s not exactly an example of efficiency. But what he is, is a crafty and intelligent rebounder who knows how to attack the glass.
You could certainly argue that adding a 6’7” center wouldn’t solve anything. When you consider though that Blair is also 270 pounds and one of the most aggressive players in the NBA, this trade makes a bit more sense.
The Heat would have to give up a promising talent in Cole and a draft pick, but that wouldn’t be terrible for a physical interior player.
Aside from the above-mentioned trades, the Heat’s best move as the trade deadline approaches is just to stay still.
If they can’t get a big man who will help them rebound and send Bosh back to the power forward spot, then they just need to make something work with the talent on their roster.
Making a big move by trading players like Mario Chalmers or Bosh would be too risky, considering the chemistry that has been developed already.
Ideally, Pat Riley will make a smart move and go after a value big man before the trade deadline passes, but don’t be shocked if he doesn’t and just plays it safe.
He’s a wise man so trusting him with this decision isn’t necessarily hard to do.
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NBA Trade Speculation: Under-the-Radar Moves Houston Rockets Could Make
Big names are out there on the NBA trade market. Some of them are just a couple weeks away from shipping out to new teams.
In the case of the Houston Rockets, the prudent strategy would be to save their assets and attack free agency in the summer as the best way to improve the roster.
But while fighting for a playoff spot this season, what more subtle moves can general manager Daryl Morey make to improve the Rockets’ chances of playing in the postseason?
Josh Smith, Paul Millsap, Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett and Andrea Bargnani are all names being bandied about as power forwards who may be available in trade talks. This space has been used several times to illustrate that the 4-spot is the position in biggest need of an upgrade in Houston.
But those names will cost the Rockets guys like Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, Terrence Jones or others. While they would gain a solid power forward presence, the Rockets would lose most of their depth and create holes in other areas.
Guys like Smith, Millsap and Al Jefferson will all be free agents in the summertime and can be had for just dollars and not talent. If the Rockets can sacrifice more short-term benefits that would come with a big trade this season in favor of added depth and more talent by going the free-agent route, it will set them up better for long-term sustainability.
Bleacher Report’s own Preston DeGarmo detailed some areas the Rockets could improve upon, namely defense, the power forward spot and ball control. Three-point shooting and even a better back-up point guard would be nice, too.
Who fits the bill without breaking the bank?
Power Forward
Minnesota’s Derrick Williams has failed to live up to expectations as a former No. 2 pick out of Arizona. Is he a small forward? A power forward?
While the Rockets wait until the summer for the big-ticket free-agent power forwards, Williams could serve as a place-holder and then get pushed to a reserve role should somebody like Millsap sign with Houston. A Williams for Marcus Morris and Toney Douglas swap might make sense.
Also in Minnesota, Lou Amundson has reportedly considered that he might be traded (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Going back to his days in Phoenix, Amundson has been a high-energy rebounder and defender who could help the Rockets inside. Pair him with Williams in a package for Patrick Patterson, Douglas and Cole Aldrich.
Marreese Speights was just traded from Memphis to Cleveland. Could he be on the move again? Since averaging 15 points and seven boards a game for the Cavs, Speights has proven useful when given minutes. Can the same Morris-Douglas package get it done for Speights?
Backup Point Guards
Charlotte point guard Ramon Sessions is an expensive option ($5 million this year and next). But with a career-high 14.9 points per game, Sessions would be an offensive boost off the bench at the point guard position. Patterson-Douglas for Sessions may help both sides.
Along the same lines, Detroit’s Will Bynum is an offensive-minded point guard. With Jose Calderon coming aboard in Detroit to join Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey, the Pistons may deem Bynum expendable. The Pistons would presumably want one of either Morris or Patterson in return or perhaps Carlos Delfino. There doesn’t seem to be as much value attached to any of those scenarios.
Phoenix Suns guard Sebastian Telfair’s career has been a disappointment when compared to the hype he garnered coming out of Brooklyn’s Lincoln High. But, he has carved himself a nice little niche in Phoenix, averaging 6.1 points and 2.5 assists in 17 minutes a game. As with Bynum, there are no great value trades that scream “pull the trigger.”
Shooters
Orlando is really struggling and J.J. Redick is in high demand. So, this may not qualify so much as under-the-radar. But Redick is no superstar. What he is, though, is a great pure shooter who is averaging 15 points a game and shooting 40 percent from three-point land.
Right now, Delfino is Houston’s only consistent long-range threat off the bench. Orlando is searching for young talent and/or draft picks. Would Marcus Morris and Terrence Jones be enough to pry Redick away?
There has got to be a fit between the Rockets and Wolves. With Williams and Amundson already noted as possible low-profile additions, J.J. Barea could add some punch to Houston’s bench. Maybe Minnesota would be interested in Williams-Barea for Morris-Douglas and a future draft pick.
Brooklyn’s MarShon Brooks is getting lost in the shuffle in his sophomore season, averaging just 11 minutes a game on a veteran-laden team. He is a natural scorer who is no longer getting an opportunity. A change of scenery in exchange for Marcus Morris might help Brooks regain some of that scorer’s mentality.
Defensive Stopper
A starter early in the season for the New York Knicks, Ronnie Brewer has only logged double-digit minutes for Mike Woodson once in the past month. A spindly-armed defender, Brewer can guard multiple positions and is on a team-friendly contract (one year, $854K).
The Knicks don’t have a lot of players they are looking to move. But maybe Brewer, Chris Copeland (three 20-plus point games in his rookie season) and James White for Patrick Patterson swap may be feasible.
None of these moves will really move the needle too much. They could bolster the Rockets’ playoff chances slightly this season and perhaps add a young piece for the future to put around a new, shiny power forward acquisition in the summer.
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NBA Trade Rumors and Speculation: Most Likely Deals to Be Made This Season
So far, teams have been active in talks but we’ve heard relatively few sources report actual deals on the table. Talk is cheap, but without any actual talk of deals on the verge of being consummated, it seems prudent to speculate on which deals have a chance of occurring before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.
There’s been speculation surrounding Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol out in Lakerland, talk that the Houston Rockets may be looking to make a big splash, and some more ethereal speculation regarding some names that have been mentioned heavily throughout the season as possible trade candidates.
Let’s evaluate some of these speculative deals and attempt to discern how much weight could be given to each particular scenario.
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Johnny Football’s courtside seat sparks wild speculation
The Heisman Trophy winner had courtside seats at last night’s Mavericks game
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