NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Recent Buzz on Brook Lopez, Dion Waiters and More
Whether it's because of a plethora of injuries, team-wide struggles or just the need to fill in a spot on the roster, some of the NBA's most notable names have already been thrust onto the trading block.
Some of the biggest midseason blockbusters find a way to sneak under the rug, but that's not the case for a select few who are seeing their names floating around. Greener pastures may be on the horizon for a couple of them, while other displaced players are simply looking for a landing spot.
Considering the names reported as available recently, some serious movement could take place across the league in the coming weeks.
Let's take a look at the latest out there regarding NBA trades.
Trio of Nets' Core Players on the Block?
Let it be known that the Brooklyn Nets will stop at nothing to fix their recent woes.
It appears that nobody is safe in Brooklyn. As reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk, the Nets have started notifying teams across the league that a trio of former All-Stars, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and even Joe Johnson, are now on the market.
A Nets team that has fallen from grace after attempting to build a championship contender last season is putting its trio of core players on the block. That's the proverbial waving of the white flag, right?
Maybe not, as Stein and Youngmisuk reported: "Yet sources insist that the Nets haven't abandoned their recent 'win-now mentality' and aren't merely looking to dump salary. Brooklyn's hope, sources said, is to construct a deal or two that brings back sufficient talent that enables the Nets to remain a playoff team."
It's hard to fault the Nets for opening up all options to improve an underwhelming team. After a lethargic 8-11 start, the Nets will be lucky to match the disappointing second-round playoff exit of last season—and even that's optimistic.
They're also not getting the production from their top three stars in relation to their salaries. Both Johnson and Williams average more than 15 points per game but have struggled defensively. Frontcourt anchor Lopez has missed 134 games over the last three seasons with various injuries and is currently out with a lower-back strain, per Pro Basketball Talk's Sean Highkin.
Getting a favorable deal done will prove impossibly tough for the Nets' front office considering the players' cap hits. Each of the three players own a cap hit of more than $15 million this season, including Johnson's $23 million hit, per Spotrac.com.
Unless a team is willing to give up some crucial assets in order to take on one or two of those salaries, the Nets might be stuck with what they have.
Dion Waiters and Kosta Koufos
While the Nets are desperately scouring the trade market to turn around their season, both the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers hope to make one key addition to bolster their title hopes.
And as it turns out, the two just might be able to help each other out in that regard.
Stein reported that in the Cavs' search for a defensive presence in the frontcourt, they are exploring a deal with the Grizzlies that could include Memphis big man Kosta Koufos and recently benched Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters. Here's Stein's take:
"Sources say that the Cavs are well aware landing a quality big man likely depends on selling on potential trade partners to take back polarizing shooting guard Dion Waiters. Cleveland rates Waiters' talent highly, but sources maintain that the Cavs have let a number of teams know they are prepared to surrender him if they can acquire a difference-making center in return.
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And Koufos, regarded as one of the league's more underrated interior defenders thanks to the limited minutes he gets behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, would certainly qualify.
Waiters' value to Cleveland's long-term plan was rarely in question entering the season. After all, LeBron James himself directly named Waiters as a player he was excited to help develop upon announcing his return, and he began the season as the team's starting 2-guard.
But with an underwhelming 40.3 percent shooting clip and a low 10.76 player efficiency rating opening up more playing time for others, Cleveland could see his value turn into a crucial asset in Koufos. And it's easy to see how the move would help Koufos as well.
The six-year veteran center has impressed with Memphis but remains behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph on the roster. He would be in for more run behind the likes of Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love, who are in much more need of defensive help from the bench.
The Grizzlies would get a much-needed scorer on the perimeter in Waiters, and open up more playing time down low for rookie Jarnell Stokes. Cleveland would get the rim protector it sorely needs and open things up in a Cavaliers backcourt that struggled to share the ball early on.
It seems like a win-win.
Rockets Searching for Trade Exception
The Rockets opened the season with flexibility when it came to hitting the trade market, and now the need has made itself apparent.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that Houston is "aggressively pursuing deals to use their $8.4 million trade exception before Dec. 19." That inevitably means that the Rockets can use that price to offset any incoming salary of a player acquired via trade.
Wojnarowski added some more specifics on the Rockets' intentions:
"Two teams believed that they had deals taking shape with the Rockets, but sense that Houston general manager Daryl Morey is working to find better deals. The Rockets have been pursuing a best-available-player mantra in talks, league sources said, but there appears to be a focus on wings and frontcourt players.
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There's no doubt that a recent slew of injuries has played at least a small part in Houston's plans. As USA Today's Sam Amick reported, star center Dwight Howard is out until at least the weekend, Terrence Jones is out indefinitely and even James Harden's availability has been in question due to a sore back.
That has put the Rockets in position to take advantage of the trade exception gained in the dealing of Jeremy Lin, which should result in some scoring help on the wing. Trevor Ariza has been big in his first year, but there's little help on the perimeter outside of him and Harden.
Despite proving their worth as Western Conference contenders throughout the opening 20 games, injuries have set the Rockets back. Grabbing a worthy rotation player to help fill the void at the wing position would be a wise addition.
