NBA Trade Rumors: Buzz Surrounding Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and More
The 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend break may serve as a nice reprieve for weary NBA players gearing up for the tough latter half of the season, but the midseason downtime doesn't necessarily mean the members of the front office get a break from their respective duties, including potential trades.
With the trade deadline looming on Feb. 19, league executives and coaching staffs are busy evaluating their rosters and examining any and all potential moves that can boost their franchise's chances of contending for a championship, reaching the playoffs or laying the foundation for a rebuild.
Naturally, this critical juncture in the NBA season leads to plenty of trade rumors. It's highly unlikely the deadline will come and go without a major deal taking place, so it makes sense to take stock of the latest trade chatter from around the league and attempt to make heads or tails of talk in the Association.
Phoenix Suns' Point Guard Dilemma
The Phoenix Suns' three-point guard rotation featuring Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas is a novel idea that has only garnered mixed results at this point in the season.
The Suns are 29-25, good enough for eighth place in the ultra-tough Western Conference, but they don't appear to be a legitimate playoff threat due to the lack of a true shooting guard and depth in the frontcourt behind Markieff Morris and emerging center Alex Len.
Bledsoe, Thomas and Dragic are the top three Suns in terms of player efficiency rating (PER) this season, via ESPN.com, and it appears the team could be set to deal from its embarrassment of riches at the position and engage in a trade before the deadline.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, a pair of teams appear to be in the market for Dragic's services this season:
"The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are among many teams expected to try to persuade the Phoenix Suns to part with star guard Goran Dragic before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, according to league sources.
Sources said that the Rockets, who let Dragic go in free agency in the summer of 2012 but have him high on their list of free-agent targets this summer, are prominent among the teams hoping to engage the Suns in serious discussions about Dragic before the league's annual trade buzzer next week.
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Houston is a more appealing situation than Los Angeles at this point, as the likes of Dragic would complement the inside-outside game of James Harden and Dwight Howard. Los Angeles has the means to turn the Slovenian into a major star, but the Lakers appear to be bereft of trade assets at this point.
They could try to dangle draft picks and the likes of Jordan Hill or Ed Davis in front of Phoenix, but the former's injury issues could prove prohibitive.
In any case, it appears the Suns are keen on keeping Dragic and trading one of their other point guard stars instead, per Stein:
Thomas is a fine player but apparently has trouble convincing the teams employing him he is worthy of keeping around for the long haul. The 27-year-old joined the Suns after the Sacramento Kings opted to replace him with Darren Collison, a fine point guard in his own right but one whose stats paled in comparison to those of Thomas.
Stein did note the potential repercussions of trading Thomas without a contingency plan in place for Dragic:
Dragic has a $7.5 million player option for the 2015 season.
If Houston does indeed have its heart set on finding a new point guard in February, it could do much worse than Thomas, as either he or Dragic would prove to be a major offensive upgrade over Beverly. Considering Dragic figures to be a highly sought-after free agent this summer, the pressure could be on the Suns to make a deal.
As for the Lakers and Thomas, well, if there is any chance this team lands a potential star point guard at a cut-rate price, it would appear to be Thomas. Stein noted in his article that the Lakers could be set to offer Dragic a max contract this offseason, which would make Thomas a bargain in the eyes of Lakers Nation:
It's quite possible the Suns hedge their bets and move Dragic in order to ensure a favorable trade package in return, although Thomas' mid-range $7.2 million base salary for this season and contract running through 2017 might make him appealing for teams looking for a player who can't bolt after a half-season's work.
The Miami Heat are 22-30 at this juncture and suffering the worst of post-NBA Finals hangovers, mainly owing to the departure of one LeBron James. Sure, the team is still in hold of the eighth and final playoff spot as of the All-Star break, but Detroit, Indiana, Boston and even Orlando could bump them from the postseason slot in the second half of the season.
Miami isn't in a terrible position all things considered, but an aging consortium of stars and no clear blueprint for future success could make the Heat big players at the trade deadline.
While the likes of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are essential to the core identity of this team, there are several other players on the squad who would seem to be tradeable in post-LeBron era. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman, swingman Danny Granger was apparently shopped alongside point guard Norris Cole in trade packages.
"And it sure seemed, based on word out of Detroit, that Riley was looking to make Granger a plus-one in any Cole deal," Winderman writes. "Granger otherwise is on the Heat's books at $2.2 million next season at his option."
Granger was an impact player as recently as the 2011-2012 season, but injuries have derailed his career, and he's been completely out of sorts since joining Miami at the beginning of the season.
| 2011-12 | IND | 62 (62) | 33.3 | 18.7 | .416 | 5.0 | 1.8 |
| 2012-13 | IND | 5 (0) | 14.8 | 5.4 | .286 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| 2013-14 | IND/LAC | 41 (2) | 20.7 | 8.2 | .378 | 3.2 | 1.0 |
| 2014-15 | MIA | 30 (6) | 20.4 | 6.3 | .401 | 2.7 | 0.6 |
Winderman was likely referring to rumors regarding the Detroit Pistons' reported interest in point guard Norris Cole in late January, per Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes.
Detroit proved to be in dire need of point guard depth after Brandon Jennings was lost for the season with an Achilles injury.
However, with D.J. Augustin and Spencer Dinwiddie in the fold and a surprisingly game John Lucas III recently joining the squad, the Pistons may not be willing to pull the trigger on a deal with the Heat. Yes, it's a small sample size, but Lucas' stats this season compare favorably to Cole's output, although the latter is much younger and could be a long-term option on the bench should he fit in well in Motor City.
| Lucas III | 6 | 13.6 | .429 | .556 | 11.7 | 1.9 | 19.7 |
| Cole | 47 | 9.3 | .386 | .265 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 9.9 |
The 26-year-old Cole also carries limited risk. He is a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
The Hornets might've found use for Cole's and even Granger's services in the absence of Kemba Walker and the disappointing play of Lance Stephenson, but their trade for veteran point guard Mo Williams squashes that opportunity.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could still be in the market for another floor general, and Cole would be an intriguing possibility considering his playing experience with James. However, the Cavs have a glut of players in Granger's spot and would likely be reluctant to take him on in any potential deal, especially with his player option on the table.
It will be interesting to see how the Heat go about the trade deadline. Moving Granger would clear up some cap space for next season, but recent comments from Pat Riley suggest he has his sights set on making bigger moves in 2016, according to a Jan. 22 report from Fox Sports' Florida's Surya Fernandez:
"I'm not so sure that what we did in 2010 is anywhere close to what we can do in 2016. The rules have changed. For a player to turn down a five-year guaranteed deal at home with major max money, he must really have to hate where he's at or love where he's going. So it's not the same deal. It's going to be approached differently.
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Neither Cole nor Granger figures to have much of an impact, if any, on the Heat's plans for that far-off date. Indeed, Riley and company could be willing to sacrifice any minimal short-term gains to be had in trading those players for the goal of storming back to relevancy next calendar year.
Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.
