NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Chatter Surrounding Tony Wroten, Jose Calderon and More
The Cleveland Cavaliers have certainly been busy in early January, completing a a pair of notable deals that not only revamped their roster but also ignited plenty of trade rumors and chatter throughout the NBA.
The Cavs acquired Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks in a three-team deal on Monday that also sent shooting guard Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cleveland then worked a trade with the Denver Nuggets for rim protector Timofey Mozgov, a deal confirmed by the organization's Twitter account on Wednesday:
Cleveland addressed team needs (rim protection, wing depth) with these deals, which could serve as inspiration for some other squads ahead of the looming Feb. 19 trade deadline.
No championship contender wants to look back at the end of another trophy-less season and think about what might have been had they made a bold move or two.
Of course, some of the NBA's underclass still need to retool for the long-term, and it's quite possible the Cleveland trades leave at least one of the teams involved with a little more work to do.
Here is a look at three of the latest trade rumors from around the Association.
Tony Wroten, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
Perhaps it was the Philadelphia 76ers' Tony Wroten who broke the Cavaliers' back and led them to push the Mozgov deal through.
Wroten went straight to the rack for a game-winning layup in a 95-92 Sixers victory over Cleveland on Monday.
It exposed one of the Cavs' biggest team weaknesses and also served to burnish the growing reputation of this fiery, attacking guard who also happens to be involved in a trade rumor of his own, per CSNPhilly.com's John Gonzalez:
Wroten is averaging 17.2 points and 5.2 assists in 30.2 minutes per game this season. The Los Angeles Clippers already have a capable backup point guard in Jordan Farmar, but the 21-year-old Wroten would add a nice dose of athleticism off the bench. The Clips are missing speed in the backcourt without Darren Collison, who signed with the Sacramento Kings prior to this season.
Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman raised a couple of important questions regarding Wroten: "But how valuable is Wroten? Has he truly broken out, or is he just putting up numbers on a tanking team with few other options? After all, Evan Turner was scoring at a similar clip in Philadelphia last season, and he totally fell off after the Pacers traded for him."
Wroten could indeed be raking simply because, yes, someone has to score no matter how little talent a team has, but his stats per 36 minutes show he hasn't taken a completely ridiculous leap from one season to the next:
| 2012-2013 | 7.8 | 35 | 12.0 | 5.7 | 3.7 | 1.1 | .250 | 9.3 |
| 2013-14 | 24.5 | 72 | 19.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 1.6 | .213 | 12.9 |
| 2014-15 | 30.2 | 27 | 20.5 | 6.2 | 3.5 | 1.9 | .262 | 14.8 |
Then again, this could just reinforce the idea that Wroten is simply in the right position to flourish, as the Sixers were pretty much just as awful last year as they are this season.
Still, Wroten's competitive spirit would likely be welcomed by a player like Chris Paul and an intense coach like Doc Rivers. Sixers coach Brett Brown commented on Wroten's intensity, per the team's official Twitter account:
This could be a good bit of business for the 76ers if they can fleece another team for draft picks, but one would think a rebuilding squad would like to keep one of their youngest and most productive players in case he indeed develops into a true gem of a guard.
Jose Calderon, PG, New York Knicks
Clearly, the Knicks have punted on this season. Nobody will blame them. The Knicks set a dubious franchise mark on Wednesday, losing their 13th straight game 101-91 to the Washington Wizards. All moves from this point forward are made with an eye toward the future, just like the deal with the Cavs and Thunder.
Getting rid of Smith and Shumpert goes a long way toward clearing the Knicks' cap space and gearing them up for a run at a top-of-the-line free agent in the next year or two.
With cap space cleared, bringing more youth to the team could be in order. It appears the Knicks aren't finished in this trade market, as they are looking to deal point guard Jose Calderon, per ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley:
"The Knicks also might not be done. Several reports stated that the team is shopping Jose Calderon, who has underperformed since coming over from Dallas.
Calderon is under contract for two more years. The only other players under contract for the Knicks after this season are Carmelo Anthony, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cleanthony Early.
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Calderon's age and contract make him undesirable for a depleted Knicks squad, but those same two traits could also make him very difficult to trade. The 33-year-old is owed approximately $15 million over the next two seasons, per Spotrac, and he certainly isn't helping his trade stock any with his play this season.
| 2013-14 | Dallas | 30.5 | 11.4 | .456 | .449 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 15.2 |
| 2014-15 | New York | 31.3 | 9.7 | .417 | .424 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 12.0 |
That being said, SB Nation's Jon Bois has noted Calderon does seem capable of getting the troops in some sort of order out on the court:
Begley noted that the Knicks could be looking for big men to soak up minutes in the place of the ailing Amar'e Stoudemire and oft-injured Andrea Bargnani. Calderon would make sense on a team making a championship run, but that extra year on his contract could scare away teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, who could use greater point guard depth behind all-world Damian Lillard.
Lance Stephenson, SG, Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets can't get their season together and can't seem to catch a break either, so the steady drumbeat of Lance Stephenson trade rumors goes on. According to CBS Sports' Ken Berger, Charlotte is still looking to offload their high-profile, low-yield (so far) summer signing:
"The Hornets continue to explore trade possibilities for Lance Stephenson and are looking for frontcourt help, sources say. While the Nets might seem on the surface to be a team willing to gamble on Stephenson -- especially if it means unloading one of their big contracts -- Brooklyn has yet to signal any willingness to take on salary beyond next season.
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The groin injury to Al Jefferson—which the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell noted on Dec. 31 could cost him four weeks—might force the Hornets' hand here. Charlotte is 13-24 overall (5-5 in their last 10 games) and the players have been struggling for cohesion this season.
Center Bismack Biyombo and power forward Cody Zeller haven't fared well in their increased roles in the wake of Jefferson's injury. Rookie power forward Noah Vonleh has struggled to establish himself this season. This is certainly worrying for the Hornets, but they are getting to the point where a frontcourt boost might not be enough to turn this season around.
Stephenson's stock is likely at an all-time low at this point, making mutually beneficial trades potentially hard to come by for Charlotte. The 24-year-old guard is averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season, but hasn't played since Dec. 17 due to a pelvis injury.
The Hornets might see Stephenson as increasingly expendable considering the resurgent play of Gerald Henderson and the presence of a healthy Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
| October | 1 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| November | 15 | 23.6 | 7.3 | .436 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| December | 15 | 27.7 | 10.9 | .508 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| January | 4 | 31.3 | 13.0 | .382 | 5.8 | 4.8 |
Stephenson's injury, the team's increasingly desperate situation and the presence of Henderson could mean the Hornets field some low-ball offers for their mercurial guard. Unless another team is notably bullish on the shooting guard's future, the Hornets might be better off standing pat and reassessing in the offseason.
