Is Emeka Okafor done in Charlotte? Will Josh Smith find himself dawning Detroit blue next season? Have the Pistons finally had enough of Rasheed?
We've seen a lot of moves already go down this offseason, but some would argue that we haven't yet seen enough.
There are plenty of players whose names have been mentioned in trade rumors, but still haven't been moved.
So which "on the block" player would be best suited with a new team?
Let's take a look at the guys whose names we could see in deals very soon:
Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks
Josh Smith is a core piece of the up-and-coming Atlanta Hawks, so it would be very tough to envision them letting him go.
That being said, he has been mentioned in several trade rumors, most recently with the Detroit Pistons.
According to Rotoworld.com, various internet sources are spreading rumors of a sign-and-trade deal already in place with the Pistons, though nothing is confirmed.
The move would make sense for Detroit, not so much for Atlanta. Detroit would get a young and freakishly athletic guy, who could be a vital piece to their seemingly eminent rebuilding process.
The other trade rumor that was swirling around Smith was with the L.A. Clippers, but with the recent addition of Marcus Camby, that deal is not going to happen.
Smith would be well suited to remain in Atlanta in my opinion, as he is part of their young core which looks poised to make a run in the postseason for a long time to come.
Emeka Okafor, F/C, Charlotte Bobcats
Emeka Okafor is a great player stuck in a terrible situation. No matter who Charlotte puts around him, they simply can't seem to win.
Whether it's drafting a point guard in Raymond Felton, landing a big-time scorer in Jason Richardson, or failing miserably to get a fellow post player with the bust that is Sean May, Charlotte just can't seem to do anything right.
You have to put a lot of the blame on the organization's drafting: passing on Brook Lopez in this past year's draft, and landing major busts in Adam Morrison and Sean May. Okafor cannot be happy.
Okafor should be looking for a sign-and-trade deal to a contender or at least a team that looks like they could make the postseason sometime in the near future.
He turned down a five year, $60 million extension from the team last year, and that sent a powerful message. I wouldn't bank on him being a Bobcat for much longer.
It's anyone's guess where he'll end up, but he could benefit from going anywhere outside of North Carolina.
Tracy McGrady, G/F, Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady is another guy whose name has been brought up a lot around the Motor City. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reports that McGrady was, and still is, open to the option of playing for the Pistons.
If the two teams can agree on a deal, it might lead to McGrady winning the first postseason series of his career.
McGrady has a good thing going in Houston, but wherever he goes, he'll play at his normal superstar level.
Ron Artest, F, Sacramento Kings
Ron Artest has been shopping himself around the league, now acting as his own agent, and the only team out of the running seems to be the Denver Nuggets.
That's not to say Denver ever wanted him, they've just had their Ron-Ron invitation revoked after Artest said "I cannot play in Denver because they question my drive to finish my career off strong and not embarrass my family."
Well, it's still unclear where he'll end up, but rest assured he won't be sporting the Kings' purple this upcoming season.
The teams with known interest in Artest's services right now are the L.A. Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, with only the Mavericks having made an offer to the Kings so far.
Rasheed Wallace, F/C, Detroit Pistons
Sheed is a walking, talking headache. But he is also a very good player.
When he wants to be, Sheed is All-Star caliber, but how often does that happen?
His technical fouls, and subsequently his suspensions, drive coaches, GMs, and fans all crazy. Only until he hits one of his trademark three-pointers leaves everyone content for the time being.
There is no denying Wallace's talent, only his work ethic. Joking around with Kevin Garnett during the Eastern Conference Finals didn't help his case. He seems to be one of the most likely faces in Detroit to be moved, along with Chauncey Billups.
Wallace may be more attractive due to his expiring contract, versus Billups' contract which pays him $36.3 million over the next three years, with a team option for the 2011-2012 season.
After he spent all of one game with Atlanta during the 2003 season before being traded again to Detroit, Wallace is no stranger to being moved around.
All of these players could see their names in the news shortly, and it would be interesting to see how they do should they be traded.
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about 1 month ago
Problem is, the Pistons WILL NOT take themselves out of contention by trading Rasheed without getting a very good player who can play center either in return or a separate deal.
Look for Rasheed to remain a Piston. Of the starting five, the most likely to be traded go in this order.
1. Billups (because of Stuckey)
2. Prince (but only if Pistons have to in order to get better)
3. Hamilton (Pistons will not move him unless they get a superstar)
4. Wallace (not likely to get a center nearly as good)
5. McDyess (probably worth more to Pistons than to other teams)
about 1 month ago
On Josh Smith, I don't think the issue for him is where the team is headed- though their outlook isn't as rosy as you seem to make it, as they still were only the 8th seed last year and it sounds like Josh Childress is seriously considering jumping to Europe next year, while most of the teams in front of them (Orlando, Toronto, Washington, Philly) got better this offseason. His issue is with coach Mike Woodsen; he's tired of playing for him, so even if he thinks Atlanta's team may be on the rise, he might force a sign-and-trade to get a new coach.
As for Emeka Okafor, I think it's too early to label Adam Morrison and Sean May busts. They missed all of last season with injuries, so that certainly set their development back, but I wouldn't totally count them out yet. Charlotte's core is still young and promising, and we won't know for sure what they're capable of until they spend an entire year healthy.
from 29 days ago
I agree
about 1 month ago
i say sean may is a bust but i still think adam morrison has bigger and greater days ahead of him hopefully his diabetes wont get too worse but he looks strong enough to deal with it
29 days ago
Mcgrady needs to stick around at least one more year. If him and Yao finally team up for one season where one of them doesn't get injured, he's bound to get out of the first round. They finally have players surrounding them in Luis Scola, Rafer Alston, Luther Head and Carl Landry to back them up.
28 days ago
I got a double trade for the pistons i like. Tell me what you guys think.
Prince and Amir Johnson for Josh Smith
Billips for Andris Biedrins
That would give us these starters
Stucky
Hamilton
Josh Smith
Rasheed Wallace
Andris Biedrins
Finals here we come
Another Double trade i like is Prince and Amir Johnson for Josh Smith, and Wallace and Billips for Emeka Okafor
Stucky
Hamilton
Josh Smith
McDyce
Okafor
from 28 days ago
I like those trades, but I would much rather put in McDyess or Maxiell than Amir Johnson.
Johnson has stud written all over him and the man is only 21, whereas McDyess is aging and Maxiell is an energy player who could be more easily replaced.
Otherwise, I like those trades
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