NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson and More
Early in the NBA offseason, we generally see teams make trades in response to blockbuster free-agent acquisitions and incoming elite talent via the draft. Now that all of the big moves have been made, trades will continue, albeit for other purposes.
The biggest reason for a trade to take place at this point is due to salary-cap restrictions. Going over the cap limit is easy for a franchise after it gathers new players and either re-signs or extends its own talent. In an effort to get out of the red, most teams will attempt to trade away a big-money contract and potentially gain a trade exception rather than taking a hit on a buyout.
.png?w=256)
Why do other squads take on these pricey contracts? Well, there are several reasons, but one of the most common is to take on the salary—while remaining under the cap limit—for the year, allowing it to expire at season's end and immediately gain a nice chunk of spending money for the ensuing offseason.
That said, there are several teams rumored to be involved in trade talks as a result of similar situations. Let's take a look at a few of the latest rumors to surface around the web.
Jamal Crawford for Brendan Haywood?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the market for a shooting guard, and the team is also attempting to offload the $10.5 million salary of center Brendan Haywood. That puts the team in position to potentially do business with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Cleveland has been shopping Haywood actively on the open market for some time now, and according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports, the Clippers are among the teams in discussions:
Who would the Cavaliers get in return for Haywood? Well, Jamal Crawford is certainly a possibility. After all, Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal reported Los Angeles' potential willingness to part ways with the guard: "Jamal Crawford, however, remains available. Despite insistence from the Clippers to the contrary, league executives in Las Vegas believe they would be willing to part with Crawford, who has been linked to the Cavs in trade talks."
Crawford is owed $5.6 million for the coming season, making him far more affordable for the Cavaliers. The team would get its shooting guard and save roughly $5 million in the process. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 15.8 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the floor. That's not too bad of a deal for the NBA Finals runners-up.
On the flip side of the deal, the Clippers would get some depth at center behind DeAndre Jordan and wouldn't have to take on Haywood's full contract for the year as his salary isn't guaranteed, allowing him to be waived at no cost and re-signed at a more reasonable price. Haywood didn't play much last season, but the 7'0" center can be a solid rim protector and viable rotational piece.
The one thing that could potentially prevent this deal from getting done is the status of J.R. Smith. The Cavaliers are still hopeful of bringing the shooting guard back into the fold for another season, and if that turns out to be the case, there will be no need for Crawford. However, if Smith lands elsewhere, keep an eye on this potential deal.
Joe Johnson off the Market?
Joe Johnson's name was on the trade block for quite some time, as the New York Nets were looking to offload his absurd $24.8 million salary—the second highest in the league behind just Kobe Bryant—for the coming season. However, that may no longer be the case.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Nets would now be happy to keep Johnson around for another season:
How is that possible?
Rather than move Johnson, the Nets opted to buy out the contract of Deron Williams, who has since signed with the Dallas Mavericks. Williams was owed $43 million by New York, and he agreed to a buyout worth $27.5 million that will be paid to him over the next five seasons at $5.5 million per season.
That move saved the Nets a great deal of cap space and enough to retain Johnson's salary for the coming season. Now, Brooklyn is able to keep one of its biggest leaders and a player who averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 43.5 percent in 80 games last season.
Johnson was previously linked to both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cavaliers. It appears as though those squads will need to look elsewhere for help at small forward.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")