NBA Trade Rumors: Highlighting Buzz on Deron Williams, Lance Stephenson and More
Go ahead, watch the NFL. Take in the Pro Bowl. Prepare for the Super Bowl. Scout via the Senior Bowl. Maybe catch the Australian Open and dabble in some mixed martial arts and college basketball, too.
Just know that the NBA waits for no fan.
Now less than one month before the trade deadline, things are beginning to heat up on the rumor mill. Veterans are for sale. Bad teams want to host fire sales that would make Dr. Tobias Funke blush.
Contenders, of course, want to capitalize on this and unearth the proverbial missing piece, but only at a cost that benefits them, of course.ย
Some of the biggest whispers around the market are important to know. That way, at least, fans who have yet to pay the Association any mind will not be blindsided.
The Pablo Prigioni Predicament
Shocker alertโthe New York Knicks, that team worse than everyone thought imaginable before the season, want to sell away older pieces in an effort to build for the future.
No kidding, right? The team has less than 10 wins, and January is about over.
Pablo Prigioni is now the latest name on the block, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:
"As they continue to reshape their roster moving forward, the Knicks are looking to deal reserve point guard Pablo Prigioni for a second-round draft pick, a league source told SNY.tv and The Knicks Blog."
As the link above points out, the Knicks moved on from Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Samuel Dalembert, so it was only a matter of time before the front office turned its attention to the 37-year-old point guard.
Prigioni averages a 5.0/2.5/1.8 slash line but sees the bench and no opportunities more often than not.
While productive when given a chance, the Knicks may find it difficult to move Prigioni, especially when it is obvious to the rest of the league that he will become available on waivers sooner or later.
Then contenders will come calling.
Lance Stephenson Will Stay Put...for Now
What a disaster for Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets.
The two joined forces on a three-year deal this past offseason, but Stephenson has meshed in an odd manner with star point guard Kemba Walker.
Instead of taking the Hornets to the next level, Stephenson has averaged a 9.9/4.9/6.2 slash line with a 10.19 PER while the team has floundered with an 18-25 record.
Stephenson continues to sit around on the trade block, although he came close to moving to Brooklyn, per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
"A trade that would have sent Charlotte Hornets shooting guard Lance Stephenson to the Brooklyn Nets has been put on hold, an informed NBA source told the Observer early Friday.
The Hornets, Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder were discussing a deal that would have sent Stephenson to the Nets, Brook Lopez to the Thunder and various parts to the Hornets.
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As Michael Lee of the Washington Post captures, Stephenson continues to feel the pressure to produce as he works his way back from an injury:
Now, Stephenson in Brooklyn as a younger piece of a rebuild makes sense. Much of the issue in Charlotte is that he needs the ball to be the focal point of the offense for him to click, as he did with Indiana.
If Stephenson lands in such a locale, the team willing to roll the dice may find itself a consistent playoff contender.
Brooklyn appeared close to the gamble. Whether any team comes that close again is tough to discern, but one thing is for sureโStephenson will not leave the trade block any time soon.
Ditto For Deron Williams
Stick with Brooklyn for a minute.ย
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets want to get rid of two of their three max contracts so that they can begin to rebuild, the three belonging to Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.ย
Much of the talk seems to center on Lopez, but it is important to point out that the team has continued to find no suitors for its veteran point guard, either: "Brooklyn has been unable lately to find any traction in talks to move Williams, league sources said."
This makes a lot of sense. The former Illinois star continues to battle nagging injuries and turns 31 this summer. There is also the minor detail about his 2015 cap hit being about $21 million, per Spotrac.
Williams still averages 13.9/6.3/3.0, but injury concerns and such a bloated contract are difficult things to digest.
Contenders will likely come calling closer to the deadline, but only at cheap costs knowing how badly the Nets want to shed the contract. Williams has plenty to offer a championship team, so he is a strong candidate to don a new jersey by the time the deadline passes.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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