NBA Trade Deadline 2014: Latest Rumors and Updated Information
The 2014 NBA trade deadline is just around the corner, and the hours leading up to it promise to be a frenzy of rumors, speculation and actual deals getting done.
There is still plenty of time left until the Thursday afternoon deadline passes, meaning it is definitely not too late to catch up on the latest rumors. Knowing some of these and armed with concrete information ahead of the big day should make things much easier to follow along with.
Keep reading to find out exactly what hour the deadline will come up, what the hottest buzz surrounding it is and more.
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2014
End Time: 3 p.m. ET
Latest Rumors
C’s Not Interested in Spare Parts
The Boston Celtics are going to be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on over the next day or so. This squad has plenty of assets in the form of young talent and draft picks, potentially making it a major player at the deadline.
However, the latest from Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald indicates that this club will reportedly not be moving anything without returning legitimate pieces for players such as Rajon Rondo.
There have reportedly been discussions leading up to the deadline concerning the star point guard, as well as Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and Kris Humphries, but talks have allegedly stalled.
General manager Danny Ainge admitted that unearthing a suitable deal is tough in the current market, telling Bulpett:
"Finding trade partners is tough. Tough from not only wanting to do a deal and wanting to make it happen, but then actually being able to make it happen within the structure and within your own timeline.
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Bulpett’s sources noted that Ainge isn’t opposed to acquiring a top rotation player and potentially breaching the luxury tax barrier for the right deal. This team is always looking to strike gold and has a large volume of pieces to make a splash with this February.
Clippers Looking for a Big Man
The Los Angeles Clippers have title aspirations but aren’t done tinkering with the roster with over half the season in the rearview.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the team’s general manager and coach, Doc Rivers, is hoping to acquire a big man at the deadline:
L.A.’s frontcourt reserves haven’t been the brightest spot for the club this year. The current rag-tag group of subs includes Antawn Jamison, Byron Mullens and Ryan Hollins, which isn’t exactly the type of talent a championship contender would want to go to war with in the spring.
Rivers has been relying heavily on his starters, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, to soak minutes and anchor the team—knowing that he cannot trust his backups to keep his team in the game.
Zach Harper of CBS Sports noted that Griffin and Jordan rank No. 1 and 2, respectively, in minutes played for the Clips and that only Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have logged more minutes in 2013-14 than these two.
Saving the legs of these two star bigs is imperative not only for the short-term goal of making the upcoming NBA Finals, but also for the long-term health of the franchise. Having either of these stars break down early in their careers would be detrimental to keeping a contending product on the floor in L.A.
It’ll be interesting to see if Rivers can make something happen with the limited window of opportunity he has left.
