NBA Rumors: Top Trade Rumblings Regarding Eric Bledsoe, Tiago Splitter and More
With the NBA's free-agent signing period set to begin soon, the trade market figures to heat up as well since many of the league's teams will look to make sweeping changes in attempts to compete for a championship in 2015-16.
Not surprisingly, some intriguing trade rumors are already swirling in the aftermath of the NBA draft. Some organizations now have surplus at certain positions or are attempting to clear space for an impactful signing, and those circumstances could pave the way for some big-time deals.
As the trade winds continue to pick up steam, here is a closer look at some of the top rumors that are currently making the rounds.
Eric Bledsoe
With Brandon Knight seemingly entrenched as the Phoenix Suns' point guard of the present and future, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding Eric Bledsoe's future with the franchise.
According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, the Suns are looking to sign Knight to a five-year, $70 million contract. If that comes to fruition, ESPN.com's Marc Stein is hearing that trading Bledsoe will become a legitimate option.
The 25-year-old Kentucky alum's numbers were down a bit in 2014-15, but he still managed to average 17 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game as one of Phoenix's top players.
Because of his effectiveness, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough has made it clear that he has no intention of trading the talented guard, per Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (h/t Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com):
"Eric Bledsoe is still a young player, in his mid-20s. He's gotten better every year he's been in the NBA. ... And he's one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. So it would take a whole lot for us to move Eric Bledsoe, and that's something we haven't even considered. It hasn't been discussed. It's just something we're not looking to do, frankly.
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Even if McDonough has a change of heart and decides to shop Bledsoe around, though, Sean Deveney of Sporting News is reporting that an anonymous general manager believes it would be difficult to trade Bledsoe due to concerns about his durability and coachability.
While Bledsoe did miss nearly half the 2013-14 season, he played in all but one game in 2014-15, so the injury-prone label could be waning.
After drafting guard Devin Booker in the first round of the draft, Bledsoe could prove to be the odd man out. Phoenix shouldn't necessarily rush to ship him out of town since Booker is far from a sure thing, but it's something worth considering if a quality wing or big can be had in return.
Tiago Splitter
After getting eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs need to make some moves in order to return to championship contention. If they are going to make a splash in free agency, they may need to part ways with Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter.
According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (h/t RealGM.com), the Spurs are willing to send Splitter packing in an effort to create enough cap space to offer Portland Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge a max contract.
Such a stance represents an about-face by the San Antonio front office as ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the Spurs did not make Splitter available to teams that inquired during the draft.
Splitter is a solid player who has given the Spurs quality minutes at center alongside Tim Duncan for the past five seasons. His 2014-15 per-game averages of 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds don't jump off the page, though, and the fact that he has missed 20 or more games in each of the past two seasons is somewhat disconcerting.
San Antonio has an older team to begin with due to Duncan, Tony Parker and presumably Manu Ginobili, so it can't afford to have its 30-year-old center on the shelf often.
Splitter will likely appeal to a number of teams due to his size at 6'11" and his 65 games of postseason experience. He's a nice guy to have during a playoff run thanks to his versatility, but the Spurs need something more substantial.
Aldridge represents that, and if trading Splitter is the only way to get him, San Antonio has to go through with it.
Marcus Smart
The Boston Celtics thought they were getting a potential stud at point guard when they drafted Marcus Smart with the No. 6 overall pick last year, and while that may ultimately be the case, his career didn't get off to an ideal start.
The former Oklahoma State standout averaged just 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a rookie while shooting under 37 percent from the field. Things simply didn't click for Smart offensively, and with Boston's backcourt getting crowded, he could be the victim of a numbers game.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, the C's are expected to gauge interest in Smart after selecting Louisville point guard with the No. 16 pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
As pointed out by Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports, the addition of Rozier gives Boston an abundance of guards, and a trade feels somewhat inevitable:
The Celtics could decide to roll with a rotation including Smart, Rozier, Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas, but considering their frontcourt needs, it would likely be wiser to attempt to acquire a big man in exchange for one of their guards.
Even so, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe is hearing that the Celtics aren't overly enthusiastic about the notion of dealing Smart:
There is no question that Smart has a ton of physical ability, so it understandable that Boston doesn't want to give up on him too soon. At the same time, he would probably fetch a better return than Bradley and Thomas since he's only 21 years of age.
Boston will have to make some tough decisions regarding its backcourt at some point, and it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Smart could find himself elsewhere if Rozier lives up to his draft status as a rookie.
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