NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz Surrounding Goran Dragic, Joe Johnson and More

With the Thursday 3 p.m. ET trade deadline in imminent view, we're about to solidify our view of the NBA playoff and championship races.  While no team is likely to drastically change its postseason (or lottery) fortune, enough difference-makers are on the table to enact a meaningful change in the standings over the last 30 games.

Recent trade-deadline days have been duds, but the increased championship parity this season has led to more activity, with more teams harboring lofty expectations than in recent seasons.  The Western Conference has turned into a 10-team death race among squads with varying degrees of championship viability, while the East's dilapidation beyond the top five has kept most of the conference in the playoff race.

Therefore, some of the biggest names on the market could make a real difference down the stretch if moved.  As the busiest news day of the NBA regular-season calendar approaches, check out all the latest rumors surrounding the biggest names on the block, as well as how likely these rumors are to come to fruition.

Boston in on Dragic?

The NBA's most sudden development has been Goran Dragic's disillusionment with the Phoenix Suns.  The Serbian point guard, who broke out last season as the NBA's Most Improved Player and a third-team All-NBA selection, has been the face of a Suns team on the fringes of an impossible conference the past two seasons.  But amid a backcourt crunch with Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe, the pending free agent has expressed an unwillingness to re-sign with Phoenix in the offseason, according to USA Today Sports' Sam Amick.

Teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers emerged as the early front-runners for Dragic based on his desires, per a report from ESPN's Marc Stein.  However, on Wednesday, Stein updated his report to note that the Boston Celtics had become realistic trade partners for the Suns, whose general manager Ryan McDonough was a Danny Ainge protege:

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The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are destinations at the top of Dragic's wish list, sources said, with the Miami Heat also in the mix. But sources told ESPN.com that Houston, Sacramento and Boston all remain interested in pursuing a trade for him before the deadline, confident that they could sway Dragic to consider them long-term if they added him. The Rockets, Kings and Celtics are not on Dragic's list of preferred landing spots.

Sources say that the Celtics, in particular, are emerging as a dark horse contender for Dragic, given the numerous future draft picks Boston president Danny Ainge has amassed in recent months as well as his strong relationship with Suns general manager Ryan McDonough. Boston and Phoenix already have completed one trade this season, with Ainge dealing center Brandan Wright to the Suns for draft picks last month.

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On the surface, Boston would seem like a more desirable trading partner than either the asset-deprived Lakers or Knicks.  Both Los Angeles and New York will own high lottery picks this offseason, but ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the Lakers have been unwilling to remove top-five protection on their upcoming draft pick.  Indeed, Phoenix is apparently shopping Dragic without significant consideration for his destination preferences:

The concern would be that Dragic wouldn't re-sign in a place like Boston or Houston (as the Rockets are also in on the sweepstakes).  This probably stems from personal preference; for all their cities' glamor, the Lakers and Knicks possess two of the bleakest personnel outlooks in the league.  Both will always remain free-agent destinations because of the history and location, but neither has had any recent luck in luring big names on the open market.

The Celtics could make the Suns a viable offer with their treasure trove of future first-rounders (perhaps this year's Clippers pick), Avery Bradley or Marcus Smart and a floor-stretching big in Brandon Bass.  That real talent is important for a Suns team that will be in a three-team dogfight for the eighth seed in the West.

The overachieving C's are only 1.5 games out of the Eastern eighth seed themselves, so Dragic-to-Boston would have more playoff implications than if he went to New York or Los Angeles.  The same would hold true for Houston, Indiana or Miami.  If Phoenix is looking for cost-controlled future assets rather than to maximize present talent, Boston looks like the best trade fit for its suddenly disgruntled point guard.

Johnson to Pistons?

Joe Johnson was once one of the NBA's premier shooting guards, but as the 33-year-old has seen his skills erode, his onerous contract has remained behind as a punchline.  Now, ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk and Mike Mazzeo report that the Brooklyn Nets are in discussions with the Detroit Pistons about the former All-Star:

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The Detroit Pistons have reached out to the Brooklyn Nets to inquire about the availability of former All-Star swingman Joe Johnson, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPNNewYork.com that no deal is imminent but said the teams have had exploratory discussions in advance of Thursday's trade deadline about a trade package built around injured point guard Brandon Jennings and expiring contracts in exchange for Johnson.

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The ESPN New York report also notes that the Nets may very well stick with their veteran core of Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, though Brooklyn seems doomed to fall short of the championship expectations owner Mikhail Prokhorov has set.  Despite harboring the NBA's largest payroll, the Nets currently sit ninth in the East at 21-31, one game behind Miami and Charlotte.

The Pistons have cooled off since Brandon Jennings' devastating torn Achilles injury but still sit just two games out of a playoff berth.  Acquiring Johnson isn't the game-changer it once was, but Detroit would still be adding perimeter offense for almost nothing (essentially expiring contracts) if the rumors are correct:

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Sources confirm @pistons making pitch to @BrooklynNets for Joe Johnson for Brandon Jennings, @realtuffjuice @JonasJerebko and picks.

— Stu Jackson (@StuJackson32) February 19, 2015"

Virtually all of Johnson's stats per 36 minutes are down from last season, per Basketball-Reference.com, and his 14.5 player efficiency rating actually suggests a below-average shooting guard.  Nonetheless, the Pistons are so thin in the backcourt without Jennings that Johnson would probably become the primary ball-handler in Detroit, a strategy that comes with more pitfalls than it did when he was an isolation monster.

For Brooklyn, the motive would be to shed the final two years of Johnson's massive contract, which will pay him roughly $48 million, and hopefully work toward dipping under the luxury tax.  The Nets are a rickety team without many future draft picks, so while the rebuilding situation won't look pretty when it starts, getting rid of Johnson would lift an important burden off the payroll.

Jackson Wants Out of OKC

USA TODAY Sports

Much like eighth-seed rivals Phoenix, the Oklahoma City Thunder are facing their own backcourt jam.  The odd man out is clearly Reggie Jackson, whose emergence as a burgeoning young star has been stunted amid reduced playing time since the Dion Waiters acquisition.  Now, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Jackson has formally requested a trade before Thursday's deadline:

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The agent for Oklahoma City guard Reggie Jackson has asked general manager Sam Presti to trade his client before Thursday’s NBA deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

CAA’s Aaron Mintz made the request in the past seven to 10 days, and several teams around the league became aware as officials probed for information on potentially dealing for Jackson, league sources said.

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Jackson did not play more than 25 minutes in any of OKC's last seven games before the All-Star break, so it's understandable that the coveted sixth man would want out.  Predictably, the 24-year-old has been a hot commodity on the open market, though ESPN's Chris Broussard suggests that any team will need to make a substantial offer to pry away the promising combo guard:

As much as that would displease Jackson, the Thunder are right to sit on their prized trade asset.  A restricted free agent, some team will probably make enough of an offer to blow away Oklahoma City, which won't have the funds to pay Jackson like a bona fide starter.  But the Thunder trail the Suns by just a half-game for the final playoff spot, and with realistic championship aspirations if they reach the postseason, there's no reason to trade away a player who has proved to be a vital part of previous playoff rotations.

If OKC does trade away Jackson, the field of contenders bears a strong resemblance to the teams in the Dragic sweepstakes.  Given that Jackson still has a year of team control via restricted free agency, someone like Houston might make more sense.  The Rockets sit in the midst of a five-team battle for home-court advantage in the first round, and Jackson would address their long-standing need for ball-handling depth.

Regardless, Jackson seems destined to receive the James Harden treatment and price his way out of Oklahoma City.  While he's unlikely to blossom into the MVP candidate that Harden has become, Jackson can make a significant difference in the postseason if he lands on the right contender.