NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on Russell Westbrook, Boston Celtics and More
With the NBA free-agent period largely winding down, general managers are running out of ways to improve their squads ahead of the 2016-17 season.
It's doubtful the league will see any trade on the magnitude of Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors, but GMs still have the opportunity to get better if they can get creative in the trade market.
Below are the most recent rumblings regarding three teams that could potentially move some pieces around this summer.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant's departure to the Bay Area has left Thunder GM Sam Presti in an unenviable position.
He can basically throw in the towel for this year and trade Russell Westbrook. Fans in Oklahoma City would lay siege to Chesapeake Energy Arena in that scenario, but at least Presti would be setting the Thunder up for the long term. If Westbrook is likely to follow Durant out the door, the team would be smart to get something in return for him while it can.
Presti can also gamble on the possibility Westbrook re-signs with the Thunder next summer.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Oklahoma City is opting for the latter. On the July 8 episode of The Herd, Wojnarowski said Westbrook is happy to stay with the Thunder for now and that the team isn't looking to trade him:
Few general managers are more attuned to the risk of trading a star player than Presti is. He'll never live down the James Harden trade no matter what happens to the Thunder from here. That deal will be a dominant narrative in his front-office career.
Leaving aside emotions and Presti's past history, trading Westbrook makes sense if the Thunder can get young talent and draft picks to build around for the future.
But the Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins deal is the exception to the rule when it comes to trading a marquee star and getting fair value. And the public relations hit from losing Durant and Westbrook in the same offseason would be hard to come back from for the next few years.
Rolling the dice and hoping Westbrook stays next year is Oklahoma City's best play at this point.
Boston Celtics
In the event Westbrook ever became available, the Boston Celtics would likely be one of the teams near the front of the pack trying to negotiate a deal.
The Celtics pulled out all the stops to try to sign Durant but to no avail. Adding Al Horford was smart and makes Boston one of the few genuine threats to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
Still, the Celtics lack that one individual star who can single-handedly carry the team the same way LeBron James did for the Cavs in the 2016 NBA Finals. Horford is a four-time All-Star, but he's not striking fear in the heart of the opposition during the playoffs in the same way LeBron, Durant, Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard or a healthy Chris Paul do.
At this point in the summer, it's doubtful any more significant reinforcements are on the way to Boston. The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach reported Sunday the team is keeping its options open but not finding any enticing trades:
In the current market, the Celtics don't have a ton of realistic options by which they can upgrade.
Leaving aside the fact he's an NBA champion, Kevin Love didn't look all that much better in his second year in Cleveland. Adding him wouldn't make Boston that much better.
Paul Millsap would be a great target for the team, but there's little chance the Atlanta Hawks would give him up now after signing Dwight Howard. The Hawks aren't rebuilding, so they're not going to trade one of their best players.
The Celtics swung for the fences and just missed out on the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason. General manager Danny Ainge has swung some impressive trades over the years, but even he will struggle to find a move that will drastically improve Boston's title chances in 2016-17.
Sacramento Kings
Somewhat surprisingly, given the way the last few years have unfolded, the Sacramento Kings have had a good offseason. Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple or Anthony Tolliver aren't flashy signings, but they all help add depth to the team.
According to CSN California's James Ham, the Kings may not be done, either:
"Continue to hear that the Kings have fielded multiple calls on Gay, Koufos and McLemore. Plenty of interest. Not giving them away for free.
— James Ham (@James_Ham) July 10, 2016"
Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore should all be considered expendable. The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin reported Gay has put in a trade request, which could speed things up on that front.
Gay, Koufos and McLemore are unlikely to be long-term pieces for the Kings. Gay can opt out of his current deal after the 2016-17 season, and Koufos can do the same a year later. McLemore, meanwhile, hasn't shown much improvement on the court in three years, and fresh surroundings may be the only thing that can help him fulfill his potential.
While Sacramento shouldn't offload any of the three for little to no return, they're surplus to requirements should the Kings get a good enough offer.
Note: All free-agent deals are courtesy of NBA.com.
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