NBA Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on Larry Sanders, Michael Carter-Williams and More
Although the NBA trade deadline has come and gone, the rumor mill continues to chug along.
The days after the deadline are generally very active as teams part ways with players they were unable to deal.
Plenty of veteran players will be or already are available on the open market after cutting ties with their previous organization.
You'll find updates on two such players below, in addition to one player who did get moved on deadline day.
Larry Sanders
In January, Larry Sanders shot down rumors that he was walking away from basketball. While that may be the case, Sanders' time with the Milwaukee Bucks appears to have reached an end.
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that Sanders and the Bucks agreed to a contract buyout. The team then announced that it had requested waivers for the 26-year-old. According to USA Today's Sam Amick, Sanders will receive $15.2 million as part of the buyout:
This news was inevitable after Bucks head coach Jason Kidd revealed in January Sanders was out for "personal reasons," per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner. Then, the league suspended him for a minimum of 10 games after he ran afoul of the NBA's anti-drug program.
Sanders hasn't played a game for Milwaukee since a Dec. 23 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Amick added that his on-court exile doesn't look to be ending anytime soon, either, as teams aren't willing to bet that Sanders is fully committed and will stay out of trouble:
Sanders was so much fun to watch during the 2012-13 season, but things went downhill after he signed that four-year, $44 million extension.
At this point, teams are right to be a little wary of signing Sanders. In time, it might be worth giving him a shot, but that point doesn't look to be arriving in the near future.
Michael Carter-Williams
Arguably the most surprising trade at the deadline was Michael Carter-Williams' going to the Milwaukee Bucks. He's the reigning Rookie of the Year, and he's got a pretty team-friendly contract for the next few seasons.
The Philadelphia 76ers seemed especially well-positioned to hold onto Carter-Williams and iron out some of his on-court flaws.
Instead, they shipped him out after a little over a year-and-a-half.
Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler shed some light on what the team's mindset might have been:
Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie argued that the ability to get the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round pick, which is top-five protected in 2015 and top-three protected in 2016, made trading MCW palatable.
"It's almost impossible to get your hands on a pick that at least has the chance to be a high lottery pick," he said, per Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Those picks don't move around much. That made us consider [the trade] and, in the end, feel it was the right thing to do to move the program forward."
Ford then made the point that Carter-Williams' poor shooting was the deciding factor behind the deal:
"The reality is that the Sixers watched Carter-Williams for nearly two years, worked with him, coached him, and then had to decide whether the point guard would ever shoot the ball well enough to play on a championship-level team. He has a few other holes in his game, and some strong positives as well, but his shooting is the reason Carter-Williams is no longer in Philadelphia.
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"Shooting is an important part of the game, increasingly so," Hinkie said. "We talk a lot about the way teams are built. When you watch games in June, there are a lot of threes being shot and a lot of games being won in the balance of makes and misses. All the best teams are really strong behind the line."
When you take a step back and look at the full picture, trading Carter-Williams isn't all that crazy. It's nearly impossible to be an NBA title contender without a dynamic point guard who can score. The Rajon Rondos are becoming outmoded by the Kyrie Irvings and Damian Lillards of the world.
The 76ers aren't going to be competitive this year or next. If they weren't sold on Carter-Williams, the time to trade him was now, with leaves plenty of time for the front office to find a replacement and help him adjust with the rest of the team.
Andrei Kirilenko
Staying in Philadelphia, the Sixers announced Saturday that they waived Andrei Kirilenko. He had been on an indefinite suspension after failing to show up to the team's practices.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, plenty of teams would line up to potentially sign Kirilenko in the event he wants to keep playing basketball:
With the way that he's played the last two seasons, it's easy to forget how good Kirilenko was in his prime with the Utah Jazz. He earned a trip to the All-Star Game in 2004 and pulled off the rare "5x5" game on three different occasions.
At 34 years old, Kirilenko is well past his prime and no longer one of the most entertaining players in the league to watch.
However, he could be a nice veteran piece on a playoff contender as long as he's still passionate about the game. Given their lack of depth at forward, the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat might be two good options.
