NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Pau Gasol, Josh Smith and More League Buzz

With the NBA’s trade deadline just a shade over two months away, a number of players are rumored to be on the block and could be looking for a new home sooner than later.

Let’s take a look at some of these superstars—and lesser players—that are generating a lot of trade buzz in today’s rumor roundup.

Pau Gasol’s Market Limited

While the Los Angeles Lakers power forward isn’t a terrible player, his age (32) and contract ($19 million this season, $19.2 million in 2013-14) are a huge deterrent for potential trading partners.

According to Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld, there are only three or four interested franchises, and none are willing to pay market value for the Spaniard.

Because of this, the team is willing to wait for Steve Nash to return to the lineup and jell with the rest of the starters before making any rash decisions.

It’ll be interesting to see if Gasol can return to his All-Star form when the future Hall of Famer is back in action. If he doesn’t improve, expect the Lakers brass to start seriously weighing their options prior to the deadline.

 

Atlanta Not Actively Seeking Josh Smith Deal

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the surprisingly competent Eastern Conference teams early in the 2012-13 season, which is precisely why the organization is hesitant to discuss trading away arguably its best player, Josh Smith.

Kyler found that while the Hawks have been working the phones, they are “unengaged” in regards to making a deal. The Hoopsworld reporter went on to note that the Hawks will only pull the trigger on a home run deal and there simply aren’t any available.

This isn’t to say that the team wouldn’t be willing to deal Smith, a free agent at the end of this season, but it would take a “Godfather” offer to pry him away from ATL.

Austin Daye on the Block

The Detroit Pistons are once again off to a pitiful start, currently 7-21 with the first quarter of the NBA season well behind them.

One of their most disappointing players is forward Austin Daye, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2009 draft. He’s averaging a scant 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in just seven games of action, and has only seen the floor for an average of 7.9 minutes in those contests.

It’s no surprise that Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears is reporting that the former Gonzaga star is now openly being shopped.

We’ll keep you updated when we know more about some interested parties and Daye’s potential value around the league.