NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Deron Williams, Cavaliers and More
Though Christmas has passed, most NBA contenders are just scratching the surface of their holiday shopping lists. The Dallas Mavericks provided an impetus for action by trading for Rajon Rondo, while the Houston Rockets had Josh Smith fall into their laps (a transaction that could turn out to be more of a mixed blessing).
Those moves have spurred more trade talks in recent days, even with the trade deadline still two months away. This is perhaps the most interesting period to analyze trade talk, since neither side holds clear leverage—the buyers would like time to integrate their new acquisitions into their lineups, but the sellers may seek to hold out and extract a larger bounty from increasingly desperate organizations.
This week's rumor search turns up a couple former All-Stars on the block, as well as one major Eastern Conference contender looking to fill a significant hole. Read on to see the likelihood of these developments actually occurring, as well as what they would mean moving forward.
D-Will Talks Cool Off
With the Brooklyn Nets disappointing for the second consecutive season, it appeared as though the organization was on the verge of changing its all-in philosophy and dealing away its veterans. Former All-Star point guard Deron Williams was at the head of the chopping block, with his name previously at the center of trade talks with the Sacramento Kings.
However, with Williams' stock having declined significantly since his Utah days, the Kings also wanted budding young Brooklyn center Mason Plumlee in the deal. According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Plumlee has come to represent a stumbling block in the deal, effectively killing off current talks:
"The Sacramento Kings' insistence on a trade package for Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams that includes center Mason Plumlee has pushed talks into a hiatus, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
After the teams' front office officials again talked on Wednesday, both sides insisted they weren't budging on Plumlee's inclusion into a proposed trade and agreed there was no use discussing the deal further in the near future, league sources said.
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Big men are already an extremely scarce commodity, especially cost-controlled ones like Plumlee with projectable upside. The second-year center has quickly become a solid second-tier center in the league, with his 19.43 PER currently ranking ahead of more established centers like DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. Indeed, Plumlee has earned a larger role in the Nets offense with Brook Lopez injured:
Apart from the currently ill DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings frontcourt is almost totally barren. But if the Nets continue to look for ways to disassemble the team, Plumlee represents the best young foundational talent currently on their roster, making the former Duke center one of the few assets Brooklyn might label untouchable.
Cavs Want Lopez Twins?
The news that Anderson Varejao suffered a season-ending Achilles injury is absolutely devastating for a Cleveland Cavaliers frontcourt that was already perilously thin. While it shouldn't be hard for the Cavs to find a cheap big man who can eat up minutes, FoxSports.com's Sam Amico suggested that Cleveland could actually be after bigger fish, even if no deal is imminent:
"League sources say the Cavs have an interest in both Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (clearly on the market) and Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (Brook's twin brother). But salaries would make any sort of move involving the Cavs and either Lopez brother unlikely.
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The elder Lopez is the more intriguing option on the surface because of his All-Star resume. However, coming off a broken foot, he has also missed time this season with a lower-back strain. Though Lopez essentially replicated his All-Star campaign last season in limited reps, his production had fallen off a cliff earlier this season:
| 2012-13 | 19.4 | 52.1 | 24.7 | 1.6 |
| 2013-14 | 20.7 | 56.3 | 25.4 | 0.3 |
| 2014-15 | 15.5 | 49.1 | 17.6 | -0.3 |
Besides, with $15.7 million this season and a $16.7 million player option for next season, Cleveland doesn't really have the pieces to make the math work. Twin Robin Lopez has a 2014-15 salary of just $6.1 million, but it doesn't make much sense for the contending Portland Trail Blazers to trade away one of their few frontcourt complements to LaMarcus Aldridge.
Instead, Amico and other sources have suggested that Cleveland could look toward not only the Lopez twins but also a young lottery-ticket big:
Again, though, Kosta Koufos is a valuable bench big for the surprising Memphis Grizzlies, while Amico reports that the Cavaliers have not discussed Timofey Mozgov with the Denver Nuggets "for a while now." Cleveland is certainly not in want of options to replace Varejao, but it will likely need to pony up at least its protected Grizzlies first-rounder.
Nuggets Shopping Around?
The Denver Nuggets have stalled since basking in the initial wake of their Carmelo Anthony trade and are on the verge of missing the postseason for the second straight year. With that in mind, The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey suggests that the Nuggets could look to offload productive veterans such as forward Wilson Chandler:
"The Nuggets aren't actively trying to trade Wilson Chandler, but a number of teams have inquired about his availability. He's having the best season of his career so far, is probably their best two-way player, and has been arguably the most consistent player on the roster.
The Nuggets' preference, actually, is to hold onto Chandler, and my understanding of the situation is they've told him so. And yet, I think it would be naive to think it means a trade wouldn't occur — especially if the Nuggets are getting attractive offers and they are slipping down the Western Conference standings.
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Chandler is not only averaging his most points per game since his second season back in 2008-09, but he's also seen big upticks in his rebounding rates and a small bounce-back in his shooting percentages. CBSSports.com's Matt Moore reported two weeks ago that the Oklahoma City Thunder had interest in Chandler, but no further talks have materialized since that point.
The eight-year veteran would also make sense for contenders in need of swingmen like the Toronto Raptors or New Orleans Pelicans, or even a team like the Dallas Mavericks in simple need of depth. Given Denver's direction, it makes more sense to rebuild around young assets like Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried and cash in Chandler while his value remains high.
All stats via Basketball-Reference.com.
