NBA Rumors: Breaking Down Buzz on Tobias Harris, Norris Cole and More
Similar to the painful ride that is the New York Knicks' campaign, the trade deadline cannot arrive soon enough.
There are a number of alleged deals in the works, but as fans surely know, most of the transactions only happen right at the deadline. That is when contenders offer more than ever to land a key contributor or when pretenders decide to sell lower than normal in the hopes of a brighter future.
A Rajon Rondo trade already highlights the current environment. A few more notable deals may go through, while the usual free-agency rumblings remain as prominent as ever.
The best of both worlds rests below.
Detroit on the Hunt for Help
The Detroit Pistons need some reinforcements.
According to ESPN.com's Bradford Doolittle, star point guard Brandon Jennings will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.
For a team just on the outside of playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, the loss of 15.4 points and 6.6 assists per game is tough to overcome.
Not all hope is lost, though, as Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports that the Pistons may reach to their D-League team, the Grand Rapids Drive, for help:
If that does not work out, ESPN's Marc Stein outlines another option:
The 37-year-old Pablo Prigioni makes sense for the Pistons. His 4.8/2.5/1.8 slash line does not jump off the page, but at this point, the Pistons could use a veteran presence to help lead the locker room.
Regardless, one thing is for sure: The Pistons do not seem content to just sit on their hands after a critical injury.
The same holds true for another Eastern Conference hopeful.
Norris Cole, Others Impacted by Kemba Walker Injury
The other hopeful is the Charlotte Hornets.
Michael Jordan's team lost star point guard Kemba Walker for the season due to injury, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
Similar to the loss of Jennings, the Hornets must now replace 18.8 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the front office will look to do that by way of a few unexpected names:
The Miami Heat's Norris Cole is an interesting name to see on the block.
Cole, known for his timely bull’s-eyes from long range, shoots just 24 percent from deep this year as he continues to struggle in a rotation with Dwyane Wade and others.
A change of scenery may do the 26-year-old guard wonders, something perhaps the brass in Charlotte believes. The same applies to veteran Ramon Sessions, who did spend the 2012-13 season with the team.
The interest in Cole seems to reveal what the Hornets are thinking. If the team does not have the assets to go out and acquire a player of Walker's caliber, it can at the very least create a platoon to make up the difference.
Tobias Harris' Future Team
Tobias Harris is one of the sneakier players headed to free agency this offseason.
Not in a poof and he is past defenders on the way to the rim kind of sneaky but in that he is a great, budding talent as just 22 years of age.
Harris currently suits up for the Orlando Magic and posts a 17.4/1.9/6.6 slash line with a 16.74 PER, according to ESPN.com. He also shoots 47 percent from the field and a career-high 39 percent from long range.
Chatter that centers on his future team of choice is underway, per Marc Berman of the New York Post: "Harris has a big summer ahead, electing to become a restricted free agent rather than signing Orlando's four-year, $36 million extension offer. A source told The Post in November the Knicks are tops on his list. Thursday night, a close friend of Harris told The Post, 'He wants to win a championship with the Knicks.'"
His decision to turn down an offer speaks volumes to his intent to test the waters of free agency.
There, it is not out of the question that the reeling Knicks come calling. Smack dab in the middle of a rebuild, the rotation could use a player of Harris' talent to turn things around.
The caveat is, New York has won all of eight games this year (Orlando, 15). One destination is sexier than the other, but how other factors come into play this offseason will be quite a thing to monitor.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
