NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler and 2015 Draft Picks
The NBA trade winds are beginning to swirl, especially as the 2015 draft nears.
As the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors continue to battle in the 2015 NBA Finals, 30 other teams are contemplating how to improve their roster to be in the same position at this time next year.
The Detroit Pistons are among the teams attempting to make a trade this June. According to Chad Ford of ESPN, Detroit is dangling the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
“The Pistons' pick is being shopped around, though Detroit might be better off just holding onto it,” Ford wrote.
This draft marks the third time in the last five years that Detroit is picking eighth. Previously, the team selected Brandon Knight (2011) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2013).
Keith Langlois of NBA.com concurred with Ford’s report, suggesting the Pistons’ six-year playoff drought might force the team to make somewhat of a splash in the form of a trade to appease the front office.
“It's pointless to speculate on speculation, but my educated guess is it was idle chatter by another team's executive guessing that the Pistons might be gripped by a little organizational impatience given their playoff drought, now at six years,” Langlois wrote.
Still, Langlois said the odds favor the Pistons staying put and using their draft pick.
In the Eastern Conference, one major move is enough to get a team into playoff contention. You can take a look at the 2014 playoff field, which included the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, teams that were .500 or worse and advanced to the postseason.
The question is which players the Pistons could add with the No. 8 pick. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are two veterans the Nuggets are reportedly shopping, but it would likely take more than that pick to land the pair of stars.
If that is not a possibility—and there are no indications it is—then the Pistons may be best suited to stand pat and make the pick.
There are quality prospects who should be around at No. 8, such as Mario Hezonja or Stanley Johnson, that could be better options than some of the other veterans to be known on the trading block at this point in time.
Nuggets Continue To Dangle Lawson, Faried; Will the Knicks Bite?
The Nuggets are looking more and more likely to be entering a rebuilding phase for the 2015-16 season.
In Ford’s most recent mock draft, he states the team is continuing its efforts to part ways with Lawson and Faried and could potentially offer even more players in an attempt to press reset on its roster.
“The Nuggets continue to showcase Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried (along with just about everyone else on their roster), so drafting for need makes little sense,” Ford said.
Denver holds the No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft, so instead of drafting for need, the team is better off selecting the best player available. If the team is successful in unloading Lawson, Faried or anyone else for that matter, it makes a whole lot of sense to begin acquiring more draft picks in order to better facilitate the rebuilding phase.
Since the news broke that the Nuggets were shopping Lawson and Faried, it’s been a quiet trade front. The Kings and Mavericks have been previously floated around as possible landing spots for Lawson, but the Knicks may be in the mix as well.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News believes the Knicks could trade for the Nuggets' seventh pick and land Faried and/or Lawson in the process.
“An idea that's been floated around is the Knicks dealing down for Denver's seventh pick, while also landing Kenneth Faried and/or Ty Lawson from the Nuggets,” Bondy wrote.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and Lawson and Faried fill major holes for the all-too-porous Knicks. Faried and Lawson are upgrades to current power forward Lou Amundson and point guard Jose Calderon, and acquiring the No. 7 pick allows New York to add another young player.
It’s perhaps the best move the Knicks could make, while Denver enters the rebuilding phase with the No. 4 overall selection.
Still, more Faried and Lawson trade talks should theoretically heat up as the draft draws closer.
Is a Jordan-for-Chandler Swap in the Works?
There have been reports about the Los Angeles Clippers re-signing DeAndre Jordan to a very lucrative deal this offseason. Apparently, there is also a contingency plan if a deal cannot be reached.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that if a deal between the Clippers and Jordan does not come to fruition, the Dallas Mavericks may target the big man. Furthermore, the Mavericks could potentially send away their center, Tyson Chandler, in a potential sign-and-trade scenario.
"A sign-and-trade swap of the centers, which has been mentioned in Mavs front-office offseason brainstorming sessions, would make a lot of sense for all of the involved parties,” wrote MacMahon.
Jordan will become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and is expected to receive a max contract from his current team, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN. The 26-year-old 6'11" center was also believed to be inclined to explore all of his options, though.
Los Angeles can deliver Jordan the biggest deal thanks to owning Jordan’s Bird rights. At the same time, the Clippers could take on a lesser contract in Chandler to free up some cap space and add even more pieces as they try to advance further in the playoffs again next year.
Dallas' defense was drastically improved by re-acquiring Chandler from the Knicks for a second stint with the team. He was an integral component to the Mavs’ 2011 NBA championship run, particularly in the Finals triumph against LeBron James’ Heat squad. In Los Angeles, he could reunite with former Hornets teammate Chris Paul and still compete for another ring.
This scenario makes sense if and only if the Clippers cannot come to terms on a deal with Jordan, who at this stage in his career is a much better player than the 32-year-old Chandler. Jordan is a superior rebounder, defensive presence and offensive contributor down low, but he remains a liability at the free-throw line.
If it’s money he’s after, then Los Angeles is the best option. If it’s challenging for an NBA title, then Los Angeles is still the best option. Dallas is merely a solid second option for Jordan.
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