NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Rumblings on Andrei Kirilenko and More
Let the front offices across the NBA worry about postponing moves until the actual trade deadline in February—commentators and fans are free to discuss trade rumors in November if they so choose.
Andrei Kirilenko’s name has been a staple in recent speculation after he left the Brooklyn Nets, but finding a destination for him may not be the easiest task. What’s more, the Washington Wizards will apparently hang onto one of their young shooting guards rather than trade him this season.
With that in mind, read on for the latest trade rumors from around the Association.
Andrei Kirilenko
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports passed along an update on Kirilenko:
“The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers are two contenders with needs at small forward who’ll wait to see if Kirilenko, 33, becomes available closer to the NBA’s trade deadline in February, or after a contract buyout later in the season, league sources said.”
While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers may want Kirilenko for depth purposes, Wojnarowski noted that many feel his preference to stay in New York because of family matters will make it difficult to trade for him in the near future. He may be a trade deadline target rather than an early-season acquisition.
Kirilenko is 33 years old and well past his prime, but he was an All-Star in 2004 and cracked the First Team All-NBA Defensive team in 2006. The 6’9” forward can still bother perimeter shooters with his length and jump into passing lanes.
Coming into play Saturday, the Clippers were allowing 99.3 points per game on the defensive end, while the Cavaliers checked in at 99.5. Both have been middle of the road on defense and could use some more depth at the small forward spot for different reasons.
The Cavaliers simply need to limit LeBron James’ heavy minutes before the playoffs start. The regular season is clearly important for seeding, but it will be far more important to have a fresh and healthy James heading into critical games in May. Entering play Saturday, James was averaging 37.9 minutes per game.
As for the Clippers, they simply don’t have the talent at small forward to match other areas on floor where they boast Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders suggested as much:
"The Clippers have been searching for an answer at the small forward position for several seasons, and it doesn’t appear they’ve found the solution as of yet. The lack of consistent productivity from the position is an issue on many nights, but particularly when matching up against some of the better scoring swingmen.
Matt Barnes provides toughness and a willingness to do the dirty work that doesn’t always appear in the stat sheet, but is better suited in a reserve role as a change-of-pace player at this point.
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Kirilenko is certainly not a superstar player who would put the Clippers over the top at that position, but he would at least provide more depth off the bench. Having Barnes a bit fresher at the end of games could improve his overall productivity down the stretch as well.
Glen Rice Jr.
Shams Charania of RealGM passed along an update on Glen Rice Jr.:
“Down the roster, Glen Rice Jr.’s role has been marginal, but the Wizards front office has no plan to move the 23-year-old and believes in his ability to produce when given increased minutes.”
Entering play Saturday, Rice was averaging a measly 2.2 points and 8.6 minutes of action a night. The shooting guard/small forward area is a tough position to crack in Washington because Bradley Beal is one of the best young shooting guards in the league, while Paul Pierce is a veteran and future Hall of Famer who can play either small forward or shooting guard.
The other small forwards/shooting guards who are playing more minutes than Rice are Garrett Temple, Otto Porter Jr. and Rasual Butler.
However, Temple is 28 years old and Pierce is 37, so it’s good to have someone like Rice as a future insurance policy. What’s more, Martell Webster is still rehabbing from back surgery, which means the Wizards need more depth until he returns.
Rice impressed at times during the preseason with his ability to provide a scoring spark off the bench. He discussed his role then, via Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post:
“It is the next step—summer league, preseason, regular season. Confidence is always there for us players because we work so hard. We believe in ourselves even if nobody else does. We’re going to always believe in ourselves. When your teammates believe in you, it makes it a lot easier.”
Rice averaged 13 points per game in his final season at Georgia Tech, so we know he can score if given the opportunity. Based on this rumor, it looks like that hypothetical opportunity would come with the Wizards before it did in a trade.
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