NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Latest Speculation on Brandon Bass and More
While NBA teams across the league settle into the early going of the 2014-15 season, front offices are deciding what is a big enough sample size of games to start making some moves.
After all, you don’t want to upset any potential chemistry before it can even develop, but if you rack up enough losses before the All-Star break, it can derail any hopes at landing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Of course, there are also those teams that are rebuilding and looking for younger assets or draft considerations in place of the veteran players on the roster.
With all that in mind, it should come as no surprise that there is trade speculation circling around the Association in November. Read on to find out the details.
Brandon Bass
Steve Bulpett of BostonHerald.com passed along the latest on Brandon Bass:
"Brandon Bass has continued to play very well for the Celtics, which means there’s a chance he may not be with the team this entire season.
Scouts and opposing front-office types have begun to speak and inquire about the 29-year-old forward, a practice that’s generally a precursor to discussing a trade.
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Bass is on the final year of a contract that pays him $6.9 million, which is a fairly attractive number for a contending team looking to add frontcourt depth. Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo commented on these rumors in that same Bulpett piece:
"If there’s a team competing for a championship and they could steal him, that’d be big. He’s one of the best mid-range shooters in the league.
He’s a professional. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s getting paid the big bucks. He does what it takes to stay at this level, and he’s playing at a high level. Regardless of whether he’s starting or coming off the bench — you know, there are nights where he may play 30 (minutes) or play 10 — he’s consistent. He’s always been really consistent and ready to go.
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The Celtics are not going to compete for a title this season and are in rebuilding mode with young pieces like Marcus Smart and Jared Sullinger on the roster.
Bass is 29 years old, so this could be an opportunity to get a solid asset or two in return for a player who won’t likely be contributing for the Celtics when the squad is ready to compete again.
He is still a solid scorer (8.9 points a game in his career) and can bang around down low if needed. What’s more, he can work in pick-and-pops with his shooting touch (as Rondo alluded to) and spread the floor for penetrators.
Bass is a playoff-tested veteran who has experience on some of the league’s biggest stages. A contender could certainly find room for that as part of the rotation off the bench down the stretch of the season.
Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com provided an update on the Cleveland Cavaliers and any potential interest in Andrei Kirilenko: “The Cavaliers are monitoring Andrei Kirilenko's state of affairs in Brooklyn, Northeast Ohio Media Group has been told - though it's more due diligence at this point than anything else.”
To say this has been a disappointing start to the 2014-15 campaign for the Cavaliers would be a massive understatement. Instead of running rampant through the league with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the team has been crippled by defensive issues and is off to a 5-7 start.
It may seem desperate to go after Kirilenko since he has taken a leave of absence from the Brooklyn Nets and has averaged a whopping 0.4 points a game in 5.1 minutes this season, but the Cavs have allowed 102.7 points a game this season. There is a glaring need for potential defenders, even if those defenders are 33 years old.
Cleveland needs a wing defender who can help James stop penetration from shooting guards and small forwards. Of course, it could also use a rim protector.
If nothing else, Kirilenko could hypothetically give James a few extra minutes of rest a night as a 6’9” stretch forward. He could also provide a lengthy body as part of the perimeter defense’s rotation and at least challenge outside shooters on a nightly basis.
It is worth noting that Haynes said the interest was diligence more than anything else, and Kirilenko is certainly not the ultimate answer to get the Cavs over the eventual NBA title mountaintop, but something may need to be done in Cleveland if James is going to win his third ring.
Even if that something is taking a flier on Kirilenko.
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