NBA Rumors: Analyzing Potential Deals Approaching Deadline Day
It's officially trade deadline day in the NBA, which means potential deals we've talked about over and over in recent weeks and months will either come to fruition or fall by the wayside.
And with the 3 p.m. ET deadline approaching, the rumor mill has kicked into overdrive with numerous enticing storylines and possible deals to be made in the closing hours.
While plenty of questions will still be left to answer following the closing of the trade window Thursday afternoon, clarity should be reached for a handful of players who have no idea what uniform they will be donning on the court this time next week.
Let's take a look at the latest rumors.
Thaddeus Young and Kevin Garnett
If you're looking for a deadline-day shocker, this may be it.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Thaddeus Young is being shopped aggressively by his club just months after it acquired him over the offseason. His Timberwolves are eyeing a deal that could send him to Brooklyn in exchange for, yes, Kevin Garnett's return to Minneapolis, per ESPN's Marc Stein:
That last part is the big kicker, especially since Garnett expressed to New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy this month that he's "all-in" to remain with the Nets. Stein added more on how the T-Wolves hope to sway him:
"But the Wolves, sources say, are hopeful that the chance to play out what might be his final NBA season as a member of the team that drafted him out of high school in 1995 -- and under longtime coach Flip Saunders -- could lead Garnett to re-consider. Such a trade, of course, would also mean that the hypercompetitive Garnett has to leave the Eastern Conference playoff race to join a team at the bottom of the West.
Saunders remains close with Garnett and is said to covet a reunion to bring back the most popular player in Wolves annals as a mentor to the many youngsters on the current roster, headlined by 2014's No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins.
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It would certainly be an amazing reunion for Garnett and the Timberwolves. He played 12 seasons in Minnesota, crafting his place as one of the best power forwards of all time before moving to Boston in pursuit of a championship—which he attained.
Now that he's in the twilight of his career and playing for a Nets team far from title contention in the East despite being on the cusp of playoff contention, Garnett might entertain such a move. Despite Minnesota's place at the bottom of the Western Conference, young studs Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine have shown a wealth of potential that Garnett could help them reach.
As for Young, his situation is a bit more complicated, as told by NetsDaily.com:
With a heap of uncertainty surrounding the immediate future—not to mention the long-term outlook—of the Brooklyn Nets, Young could be joining a team that he has a real chance to leave just months after signing on. That wouldn't be ideal for the Nets, who would likely have to give up more than just Garnett to get Young.
A lot of moving and shaking must be done on deadline day to make this one final, but crazier things have happened.
Arron Afflalo
With deadline day now here, the Denver Nuggets may have finally found the right suitor for Arron Afflalo.
The Nuggets traded with the Orlando Magic for Afflalo over the offseason, but it hasn't led to Denver's emergence in the Western Conference playoff hunt. They've since put their shooting guard on the trade block and are getting plenty of late offers, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
Wojnarowski targeted the 36-17 Portland Trail Blazers as the most serious suitors, which Stein doubled up on in the following tweet:
The Nuggets were building for a potential playoff run entering the season, but those hopes fled long ago with the team facing a 20-33 record following the All-Star break. Draft assets would go a long way for a club looking to find more of an identity in the long term.
But the Blazers are far from the only team involved, as Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher also reported the Kings as serious players:
It's easy to envision Afflalo fitting in with the Blazers, who could use a sharpshooting wing with a defensive identity to help out Wesley Matthews on the perimeter. They're also firmly in the playoff hunt, which should only intensify their demands.
For the Kings, Afflalo would be more of a long-term piece to build around—which might not be right up his alley. Afflalo left Orlando in pursuit of a more competitive environment and certainly wouldn't find that immediately in Sacramento.
Hassan Whiteside
Months ago, what's left of the now-defunct Big Three—Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh—proved to be the only untouchable pieces for the Miami Heat in trade talks. But times have changed.
The emergence of young big man Hassan Whiteside has not only invigorated the Miami Heat fanbase and their players but also the front office, which is wasting no time laughing off any offers including Whiteside, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported:
Of course, it wouldn't matter even if the Heat were interested in such deals, as Spears also added below:
Shocking, right?
Not really. Ever since stepping onto the court for the Heat in this his rookie campaign, Whiteside has dazzled with the league's fourth-best player efficiency rating (28.46), per ESPN.com. That ranks ahead of stars like Stephen Curry, James Harden and some guy named LeBron James.
The Heat might accrue a king's ransom for Whiteside, but is it really worth cashing in on him? Miami already looks doomed for a tougher rebuild than expected following James' departure, but a talent like Whiteside would expedite the process.
Whiteside looks locked in Miami for the foreseeable future, and few on either side of the situation should feel disheartened about it.
