NBA Trade Rumors: Chatter Surrounding Brook Lopez, Nik Stauskas and More
With the 2015 NBA trade deadline fast approaching, there is no shortage of chatter and buzz regarding potential last-minute deals.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have already regaled fans with various big-time swaps, one would expect at least a few more deals to go down before Thursday afternoon. There is always the possibility of Larry O'Brien hopefuls and rebuilding squads putting together a trade package that benefits both teams and gives fans some intriguing storylines to follow in the second half of the season.
A familiar name continues to crop up in the rumor mill, while a team's recent coaching change has the potential to shakeup a moribund franchise and kickstart an overhaul of the current roster.
Here's a sampling of the latest trade chatter from around the Association.
Brook Lopez Still Reportedly Drawing Interest from Thunder
The Brooklyn Nets are going nowhere fast, and their star trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez have essentially been fixtures in the trade-rumor pipeline this season.
Lopez, a smooth operator on offense averaging 15.3 points on 50.2 percent shooting this season, is reportedly drawing interest from the Oklahoma City Thunder, per Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy:
The Thunder currently employ a two-star system on offense, with point guard Russell Westbrook and forward Kevin Durant spearheading the team's attack and trading off as the lead scorer. Lopez would make a fine low-post compliment to their offensive stylings.
The Lopez-to-OKC rumors aren't entirely new, as ESPN's Chris Broussard reported a potential three-team swap involving the 26-year-old center in mid-January:
Still, it's interesting to note that the Thunder's interest in Lopez apparently hasn't died down.
Rumors involving Lopez might have some Oklahoma City fans wondering about the future of center Serge Ibaka, but Kennedy reports that he is one of four Thunder players who can expect to remain with the team for the foreseeable future:
Assuming that is an established edict in the Thunder front office, one might wonder how well Lopez would fit on the team and whom Brooklyn would be willing to accept in return.
While Lopez would appear to be a cure for the Thunder's lack of scoring presence inside—and potentially signal the end of Kendrick Perkins' tenure in Oklahoma City—taking minutes away from Adams could hurt the team on the boards, as Lopez is a notoriously poor rebounder for a seven-footer. He's averaging just 6.2 rebounds per game this season, slightly below his career rate of 7.2 boards per contest.
Serge Ibaka's transformation into more of a stretch power forward has prevented him from crashing the boards, as Grantland's Zach Lowe has noted:
"The Thunder have always been a bit of a conundrum: a scoring juggernaut that starts only one above-average 3-point shooter and two borderline offensive zeroes. They’ve tried to change that this season by turning Serge Ibaka into a 3-point shooter, a move that has drawn predictable scorn even as Ibaka flirts with the 40 percent mark from deep.
Drifting outside has brought down Ibaka’s offensive rebounding and free throws, but the latter were never a big part of his game; Ibaka has always been mostly a pick-and-pop shooter with limited skill off the bounce or in the post.
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Ibaka's averaging 7.5 rebounds per game this season, down from 8.8 a year ago. While Adams has picked up the slack in some regard—especially on offense, where he's pulling down 3.8 boards per 36 minutes—Lopez would seemingly hurt the Thunder's inside presence. It should also be noted that Lopez isn't as accomplished at defending the interior as either Ibaka or Adams.
| Ibaka | 32.7 | 5.4 | 2.3 | 102 | 41.1 |
| Adams | 24.3 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 102 | 48.7 |
| Lopez | 27.1 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 105 | 50.1 |
All that being said, Lopez has a wider variety of post moves and a better mid-range shooting stroke than Adams, who is putting up 7.4 points per game. With Ibaka spending more of his time on offense launching treys to mixed scoring results, Lopez might allow the Thunder to accelerate the Congolese star's transformation, for better or for worse.
| 2012-13 | 13.2 | 0.7 | .351 | 2.4 | .334 | 19.4 |
| 2013-14 | 15.1 | 0.7 | .383 | 2.5 | .337 | 19.6 |
| 2014-15 | 13.8 | 3.6 | .389 | 1.6 | .198 | 15.8 |
63.9 percent of Lopez's shots come from within 10 feet of the basket.
One player whom the Nets could use is point guard Reggie Jackson. While the team currently has the 30-year-old Williams locked into the floor-general role, it would appear his time with the team is limited if they go into a rebuilding mode. Jackson, 24, is a high-energy scorer who could develop well alongside the likes of Mason Plumlee, the Nets' brightest young star.
Jackson becomes a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and his current salary is $2.2 million, per Spotrac, so it would take some financial finagling—the Dion Waiters deal put them over the luxury-tax threshold—and possibly a third team to push a trade through.
If getting younger is the goal in Brooklyn, the Thunder would appear to have players to offer, whether it be Jackson or anyone from their glut of young shooting guards. Lopez makes sense for this team, but with his $16.7 million salary in 2015, via Spotrac, and spotty injury record, he carries a significant risk for any team looking to make a deal.
However, with the Thunder still on the outside looking in in the Western Conference playoff chase and Adams out with a broken hand, the pressure is on to address needs inside and ensure Durant and Westbrook have another crack at an NBA championship before their window closes.
Sacramento Kings Buzz
The Sacramento Kings are in the embryonic stage of a new era with head coach George Karl and his .599 career winning percentage now at the helm. Although the Kings have yet to play a game under Karl, it seems the new hire has given the team a renewed sense of purpose—and perhaps, stability.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a coach for longer than a year and half, maybe,” said star big man DeMarcus Cousins, per The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones. “It feels good to know I’ll have one for the long haul, at least for now. That’s a good feeling in itself.”
According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, the team reportedly has plans to retrofit the roster and cater to Karl's favored high-octane style of play:
"Now that new coach George Karl is in place in Sacramento, sources told Sporting News this week that the Kings have stepped up their focus on re-arranging the roster in order to bring in the type of athletic, versatile players that suit Karl’s aggressive and up-tempo style of play.
Even before the hiring of Karl, the team has been shopping big man Jason Thompson, reserve forward Derrick Williams and—in lieu of a first-round pick—rookie Nik Stauskas.
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While no one should expect to see Cousins, Rudy Gay or Darren Collison popping up in trade rumors anytime soon, on a young team that's 18-34 this season, few other players on the roster would appear to be safe bets to stay in Sac-town.
The deadline clock is ticking on this struggling franchise, so it should be of little surprise that the likes of Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas are mentioned by name in trade chatter. On Sunday, Kennedy provided an update on Thompson and his camp's take on matters as well the potential fate of Stauskas:
Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears added: "The camp for Jason Thompson, the longest-tenured Kings player, would prefer that he is traded before the deadline, a source said."
Stauskas projects as the type of deep-shooting threat that would fare well in an offense predicated on quick ball movement, but he's yet to demonstrate an ability to shoot consistently from outside. The Michigan product launches 52.9 percent of his shots from downtown, but he is sinking them at a paltry 26.1 percent rate, which translates into a 3.4 points-per-game average.
His lack of speed and athleticism, along with his cheap rookie contract, also make him expendable in Sacramento.
The 28-year-old Thompson has played his entire career in Sacramento, but he is struggling this season despite starting 47 games and could benefit from a change of scenery.
| 2012-13 | 82 | 27.9 | 10.9 | .502 | 6.7 | 2.8 | 14.6 |
| 2013-14 | 82 | 24.5 | 7.1 | .506 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 11.1 |
| 2014-15 | 51 | 24.7 | 5.6 | .468 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 9.0 |
While his career got off to a promising start, Thompson has regressed on offense and is no longer a viable everyday fixture in the Kings' lineup. If his camp is indeed pushing for a trade, it would be wise for the Kings to move him, possibly alongside Stauskas, and try to find another solution at power forward.
Player stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
