NBA Rumors: Last-Minute Trade Buzz Surrounding Ty Lawson, Goran Dragic, More
Don't believe everything you hear, especially this time of the year.
The NBA rumor mill is flooded with buzz, chatter, speculation and the like. The trade deadline is Thursday, meaning anything can happen from now until the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 19. That doesn't mean you should take everything you read to heart, though.
Sometimes rumors evolve from a bit of opinion. Sometimes a fit is so perfect it becomes a rumor, just as a result of people talking about it. Whatever the reason, not every rumor comes to fruition.
The following rumors appear to be solid ones, so take a look at a few players who could find themselves dealt in the next 24 hours.
Point guards are all the rage these days. They are the subject of a number of the top rumors around, yet only a handful of them represent top talents. Ty Lawson certainly qualifies. He's averaging 10.1 assists per contest, a mark that is surely intriguing to teams in need of a veteran facilitator.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports that "multiple league sources told CSNNE.com on Monday that Denver is looking to trade Lawson."
There are (of course) conflicting rumors on the matter. This from The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey: "Several teams have called the Nuggets about his availability, but Denver has turned them away, intent on keeping its veteran point guard, according to an NBA source."
Lawson is doing it all in 2014-15. Aside from his gaudy assists mark, he's scoring the ball at the second-highest clip of his six-year career (16.9 points per game). The Nuggets might be struggling, but their faults cannot be pinned on the 27-year-old.
Whether or not he'll be dealt is still up in the air. We obviously won't know until the trade deadline comes and goes. But for now, every player in the NBA is available. With this being the case, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders opined that the Sacramento Kings would be a great fit for the point guard:
In regards to Kennedy's last point, Denver will most definitely ask for a hefty return for a guard on the good side of 30 who is enjoying a career season. A first-rounder would have to be in play, as well as a player capable of coming in and making a difference for the Nuggets.
It remains to be seen if an organization would be willing to part with that much for a player who is owed over $25 million through the 2016-17 season, though, per Spotrac.
Goran Dragic
Teams rebuffed by the Nuggets could quickly turn their attention to the Phoenix Suns, who have a bevy of score-first guards on the roster. Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic can score in bunches, but a guard-heavy team like the Suns might flip one to bolster their frontcourt.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that two teams in particular have shown interest in Dragic: "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."
The Rockets make sense as a destination given the inconsistencies surrounding Patrick Beverley and Isaiah Canaan. Add in the team's familiarity with Dragic (he played in Houston for parts of two seasons), and it's a natural fit.
The Lakers also need a point guard, but it doesn't make much sense to acquire one now. Tanking is usually never a reasonable option for NBA teams, but the Lakers need to. If their draft pick falls outside of the top five, it is forfeited to the Suns as compensation for the Steve Nash trade.
Then again, Dragic may not suit up for anybody but the Suns this season, as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports:
The Lakers definitely can't offer that, and the Rockets might not want to deal that much talent away. Plenty of teams could use a guard (the Boston Celtics, specifically), so there should be somewhat of a market if Suns general manager Ryan McDonough changes his mind over the course of the next 24 hours.
Phoenix could choose to deal him to ensure it gets compensation for his services before he potentially leaves via free agency this summer.
Enes Kanter
Enes Kanter is sure to draw interest on the market given his season averages. The Utah Jazz probably weren't inclined to deal him earlier in the season, but recent events have influenced their current decision-making:
During last Wednesday's five-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kanter sat the entire fourth quarter with what was described as an eye injury. Kanter's comments following the loss contradicted that report, via The Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron Falk: "It was not my eye at all. I don't know what it was, but it was not my eye at all. So we'll see what's going to happen."
| 27.1 | 13.8 | 7.8 | 0.3 | 49.1 |
He clearly isn't happy, and the Jazz could probably move him tomorrow if they wanted to. But it's not going to be easy for teams to pry him away. Utah is still treating him like an asset, and rightfully so. Wojnarowski tweeted Utah's asking price:
The ransom is not unreasonable. Kanter is relatively cheap through next season—roughly $7.5 million, per Spotrac. He's a double-double threat every night, and he converts nearly 50 percent of his attempts from the floor.
The 22-year-old has a ton of potential. On the right team, he could turn into a star. He's not content in Utah, so it could be a matter of time before he starts over elsewhere.
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
