NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jamal Crawford and Brendan Haywood

Free agency is fun and all, but players are expected to move around when their time comes: It is part of the modern NBA.  

With a rare exception or two—Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki come to mind—players, especially stars, just aren’t likely to stay with a single team their entire career, and free agency is usually when they leave.

But every once in a while, the NBA is graced with a big trade or two to really stir the pot. Sometimes these are expected too, but more often than not they can come out of nowhere and surprise us all, making the trading block just as entertaining, if not more so, than free agency.

Which players could soon find themselves on the move, in spite of not hitting free agency this season? Here are some of the latest trade rumors from around the NBA.

Brendan Haywood's contract might not be on the move

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Who would have thought that one of the most talked about players of the NBA offseason would have been Cleveland Cavaliers big man Brendan Haywood?

Despite being a former NBA champion, Haywood was largely irrelevant on the court for the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game in the regular season with only one appearance in the team’s postseason run.

It is his non-guaranteed contract worth $10.5 million, though, that makes him one of the most sought after players in the league, even if it is only for the purpose of clearing a ton of cap space.

To this point though, no deal has been made for Haywood’s contract and, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, there might not be a trade coming.

"Despite reports of trade talks with the San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, the emerging reality is the Cavs probably won’t make a big move with the contract at all," Lloyd said.

While the trade exception is always a possibility for the Cavaliers—and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if that was the direction the team took—getting back another piece for Haywood’s contract would add to Cleveland’s already stellar summer, and general manager David Griffin hasn't completely ruled out the possibility if the right player is involved:

Having re-signed LeBron James and Kevin Love and added Mo Williams, Cleveland looks to be going all in next season having come so close last year against the Warriors before plans were derailed because of a couple of untimely injuries.

Bringing in a contributor for Haywood wouldn’t necessarily guarantee James can bring the Cavaliers their first title, but it would be yet another step in the right direction.

Jamal Crawford still on the trade block

David Phillip/Associated Press

While Haywood is a hot topic in the trade market for financial reasons, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Jamal Crawford has been catching a number of teams' eyes because of his ability on the court.

But after acquiring Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce early in the offseason and re-signing DeAndre Jordan, a trade of Crawford that once seemed inevitable has since cooled with the Clippers looking to keep the team that nearly made it to the Western Conference Finals last season together.

According to the report from Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal though, many around the league still believe the Clippers are willing to deal for Crawford.

“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 with the Cavs in trade talks,” Lloyd reported.

Even if it isn’t with the Cavaliers, having Crawford still as a trade possibility changes things for teams around the league looking for a veteran leader off the bench who can bolster any second unit in the league:

As one of the few players to earn significant minutes for the Clippers last season, Crawford averaged 15.8 points and 2.8 assists per game and, as a two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, has proven his ability to taken on a lesser role with great success.

Los Angeles won’t be eager to let him go, but if the right offer comes up, don’t be surprised to see Crawford in a new jersey come the start of the season.