NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Rumblings on Ryan Anderson and More
The trade deadline may not be until February, but there will be rumors and speculation all season long in the NBA.
In fact, the rumor mill has already started.
The New Orleans Pelicans may move Ryan Anderson at some point this season, and the Los Angeles Clippers could use some additional help at the small forward spot since the NBA title is their ultimate goal.Ā
With that in mind, read on to see the latest from around the Association.
Ryan Anderson
Mary Stevens of Basketball Insiders provided an interesting update regarding Anderson: āSeveral teams around the league are in search of a big man that can shoot and Anderson will be a hot commodity if he is put out on the market.ā
It is important to note the qualifying āif he is put on the marketā there, but the New Orleans Pelicans do have Anthony Davis at power forward and Omer Asik at center. That is one of the better one-two combinations in all of basketball in the paint, and there just isnāt really a spot in the starting lineup for Anderson.
He has certainly been a valuable piece off the bench because of his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, but the Pelicans need depth across the board. A potential trade involving Anderson could land them just that.
There are five players who average double-digit scoring at this early stage of the season for the Pelicans, and there is simply a lot of firepower off the bench outside of Anderson.
New Orleans is even relying on Anderson to play some small forward because it does not have enough pieces across the board. Anderson seems alright with it, via John Reid of NOLA.com:Ā āItās something Iām pretty comfortable with. A lot of people are talking about that. But Iām not expecting to be the starting three-man for the Pelicans this year. But I think during certain times that lineup can work.āĀ
Anderson is a formidable option for the Pelicans, but trading him could be the best avenue toward building up that critical depth in multiple positions.
Clippers Need Help at Small Forward
AdrianĀ WojnarowskiĀ of Yahoo Sports had some intriguing statements regarding the Clippers onĀ The Home TeamĀ radio program, viaĀ www.kfwbam.com.
āThe Clippers have to find a way to get better at small forward," Wojnarowski said. "Theyāre just not good enough there. TheyāveĀ scoured the league trying to find a small forward, but I donāt know that they have the assets or players to give up to get that kind of player back in a trade.ā
We can focus on the fact that the Clippers have absolute superstars at point guard and power forward in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and a critical piece down low in DeAndre Jordan. Throw in solid depth in the backcourt with J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, and the one spot that needs significant improvement is small forward behind Matt Barnes.
A lot of the concern there isnāt just with Los Angelesā roster, though.
Fellow Western Conference contenders Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have bright, young stars at the small forward spot in Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.
Barnes is a solid defender who can at least contain those guys in a seven-game series, but he is not going to match their firepower. Adding another small forward would improve the depth there and make it more likely that the Clippers donāt get blown out in that individual position matchup in a critical playoff series.
The Clippers are obviously not going to get a complete superstar at this point, but they are putting a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Barnes. They need to make a move if they want to hang a championship banner of their own in the Staples Center rafters.
Follow me on Twitter:
-(1).png?w=2560 "CFB Week 2 Winners & Losers š")
.png?w=2560 "Week 2 Top 25 Rankings š")
.jpg?w=2560 "Lions Clear $35.6M Cap Space")
.jpg?w=2560 "Report: Lamar, Ravens Don't Reach Deal")
.jpg?w=2560 "A.J.'s Explicit Seahawks Rant š³")
.jpg?w=2560 "Every Team's Most Important FA")