NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Nerlens Noel, Ty Lawson and Caron Butler

The narrow window of NBA trade season has opened, and a flurry of buzz floats across the competitive landscape among teams hoping to set their personnel for a hopeful playoff run come spring. 

Anyone who has followed the dramatic saga of the Houston Rockets is well aware they’re ambitiously hoping to shuffle personnel after a sluggish start, while the Philadelphia 76ers are still trying to maneuver their way out of the NBA standings cellar and could offshore personnel to do so. And everyone is still chasing the defending-champion Golden State Warriors, who are locked in cruise control heading into the holiday.

No team has yet made moves on the active market, but talks linking high-profile names with potential suitors are well underway. 

Celtics Reportedly Still Interested in Nerlens Noel

Power forward Nerlens Noel hasn’t lived up to his lofty expectations as a 2013 lottery pick, but his struggles have enhanced even further playing alongside Jahlil Okafor. 

In the proper system where he’s the No. 1 big, Noel could flourish. But that’s not the case in Philly, where one NBA executive said he and Okafor simply “can’t play together,” per Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.

If the Sixers are prepared to move on, the Boston Celtics could be a potential trade suitor, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media:

Last summer, the Celtics offered point guard Marcus Smart and the No. 16 and 28 picks in the NBA draft for Noel and the No. 3 pick, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. 

But the Sixers, despite having six draft picks, weren’t willing to deal their first-rounder. They spent that pick on Okafor, who has emerged as one of the league’s top rookies. 

The Celtics, meanwhile, have an influx of guards that could certainly fill in the rest of the Sixers' starting five, and Boston could benefit from more depth down low. 

It’s certainly a logical swap that would make both teams better. 

Ty Lawson Representatives Gauging Trade Market

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Ty Lawson is a saga within a saga for the mightily underachieving Houston Rockets. 

Lawson lost his starting job and served a two-game suspension in the past week for a DUI incident from 2014, and his agents are reportedly seeking his trade value on the market, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

Lawson left a $13.2 million player option for 2016-17 on the table when accepting a trade from the Denver Nuggets in July, and the Rockets offshored four players and a future draft pick for the talented point guard in that deal. 

But even in what’s still a young NBA season, the pairing has been referred to as a “fruitless experiment,” and both parties are willing to explore other options, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

"Because Lawson has struggled to find a way to play off the ball with star James Harden on the floor, the organization and Lawson’s representatives are moving toward cutting short this experiment, league sources said,” Wojnarowski wrote.

Lawson is in the midst of his worst career season and could face another suspension, per Watkins, for a separate DUI charge. 

While at the top of his game, he’s among the league’s elite, but he brings unwanted baggage that may make him difficult to deal.

Kings Pledge to Trade Caron Butler

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Veteran Sacramento Kings forward Caron Butler wants to play a larger role, and the team is willing to grant him such through a trade, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Butler has played in just eight games and is averaging just 10 minutes in each of those contests in his first year with the Kings. 

Stein reported Butler’s hometown Milwaukee Bucks as a likely landing spot for the 16-year veteran and that a deal could be imminent:

The Bucks have plenty of personnel on the perimeter, including Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they could benefit from adding a veteran presence like Butler, who was with the team during the 2013-14 season.

The Kings don’t have much room with a slew of players to eat up minutes on the wing, such as Ben McLemore, Marco Belinelli and Omri Casspi. 

Butler is in the twilight of his career and would probably welcome the chance to return to his Wisconsin roots and contribute toward an up-and-coming Eastern Conference club.