Breaking Down the Likelihood of the Latest NBA Trade Rumors
NBA trade rumors continue to circulate wildly as Thursday's deadline looms. Among the most popular players featured in these rumors are Brook Lopez, Arron Afflalo and Goran Dragic. However, the fate of these athletes continues to look uncertain with less than 48 hours remaining before the deadline.
Goran Dragic
Speculation of a Phoenix Suns trade involving Dragic was virtually shot down Monday by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
"Sources: Goran Dragic's agent plans to meet w/ team officials Tuesday, but Phoenix's determination unchanged: Suns want to re-sign Dragic.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 16, 2015"
That was, until late Tuesday when USA Today's Sam Amick reported the player's representatives told team officials he had no intention of re-signing this summer.
Wojnarowski later reported that a list of Dragic's preferred trade destinations was delivered to the Suns. The list included the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
According to Wojnarowski, the trade preferences outlined leave Phoenix in "a difficult position to gain assets." He also suggested the other teams may choose to opt out of a trade deal altogether if they believe they could "simply" sign Dragic in free agency.
Whether Phoenix can strike the better deal with one of Dragic's preferred teams or another, it stands to lose more by not dealing him at all. Dragic has made it very clear he is not pleased with the situation, via The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro:
"Goran Dragic: "I don't feel comfortable with the situation." He said he wants to leave the Suns because his role changed.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) February 18, 2015"
"Goran Dragic on the Suns front office: "I don't trust them any more."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) February 18, 2015"
The Suns would gain the greater value by dealing Dragic to acquire other assets rather than simply losing him this summer.
Brook Lopez
Lopez could be the most popular fixture in trade conversations; however, he has the most conflicting reports. This leaves the likelihood of any trade rumors involving Lopez, well, confusing.
Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears reported Monday that the Nets are "still aggressively trying to move Brook Lopez before the deadline."
However, Sean Deveney of Sporting News quoted a league source the same day, saying:
"I wouldn't say its dead. But there has not been very much movement on it to this point. Billy King is giving off the vibe that he is fine with keeping the guy and trying to build around him. It is not coming off like they’re having some kind of fire sale out there.
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The New York Post's Tim Bontemps reported last week head coach Lionel Hollins said "Yes, I do," when asked if he thought he'd have the same roster after the deadline.
Considering the way Brooklyn bowed out of trade conversations with the Oklahoma City Thunder in January, per Wojnarowski, it wouldn't be a surprise if the flame dies again. The Nets wanted more than was offered before, and that likely hasn't changed.
Arron Afflalo
Afflalo has averaged 14.5 points per game and 33 percent shooting from behind the arc this season, but his impact is limited with the struggling Denver Nuggets.
According to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, four teams have discussed Afflalo as of Monday. These include the Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers.
For CBSSports.com's Matt Moore, Afflalo's "scoring punch" would be a "big deal" for Oklahoma City. And according to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press, the team is continuing to target him as Thursday approaches:
"Sources: Thunder continue to target Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo as the trade deadline nears and have "strong interest" as one source said.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 17, 2015"
Does the Thunder's "strong interest," as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reported, mean a willingness to meet Denver's asking price of a first-round draft pick?
If the Nuggets aren't willing to negotiate trade terms with the interested teams, Afflalo could likely remain in the Mile High City. He does have a player option next season.
