NBA Rumors: Pre-2016 Deadline Trade Buzz on Dwight Howard and More
As Tuesday's flurry of moves proved, NBA trade season has officially arrived. And with just hours remaining until it's time for general managers to put their pencils, spreadsheets and calculators down, rumors are flying at a fast and furious pace.
So before the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, here's a look at which players may and may not be on the move based on the most recent reports.
Nothing Brewing Between Hornets, Rockets
Dwight Howard's name has been floating around in rumors for weeks, but don't expect him to be dealt to the Charlotte Hornets anytime soon.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported the Hornets and Houston Rockets "discussed a potential Dwight Howard-to-Charlotte trade," but he added the two sides "have not managed to find [a] workable deal."
Shortly thereafter, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Hornets have shown "no interest in cashing assets" to acquire Howard.
As if a clearer picture needed to be painted, the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell chimed in with his thoughts on the Hornets potentially acquiring a big man:
Making a play for Howard is intriguing on the surface, but the Hornets simply can't risk selling off valuable assets in exchange for a three-month rental that could propel them into one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spots.
According to Stein, "the Rockets are believed to be seeking at least one future first-round pick for Howard," which in and of itself is not a steep price. However, combine that pick with some other compelling assets, and the Hornets would be staring at a major gamble.
Howard has the power to decline a $23.2 million player option for next season, and exercising that power would allow the 30-year-old to chase more long-term security as the salary cap rises.
Detroit Searching for a Jennings Replacement?
The Detroit Pistons made a splash Tuesday when they acquired Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic for veterans Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, but Stan Van Gundy and Co. may not be done wheeling and dealing.
According to the Detroit Free Press' Vincent Ellis, the Pistons "could seek [a] reunion" with Oklahoma City Thunder point guard D.J. Augustin, who played for Detroit last season before he was dealt in the Reggie Jackson blockbuster.
Ellis also cited Sacramento Kings point guard Darren Collison and Cleveland Cavaliers floor general Mo Williams as potential targets.
"We'll continue to investigate and talk to teams and discussions in other areas," Pistons general manager Jeff Bower said about the point guard search, per the Detroit News' Rod Beard.
While dealing Jennings as part of a package for Harris was a no-brainer since the 26-year-old is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, finding a reliable backup for Jackson should be of the utmost importance as Detroit makes a playoff push.
Steve Blake is currently penciled in as the Pistons' backup floor general, but his deal also expires at season's end.
And as Sean Corp of SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys noted, Blake isn't the most stable option behind Jackson: "The Pistons outscored opponents by 4.4 points per 100 possessions with Jennings on the floor this season while being outscored by 5.7 points per 100 possessions with Blake. If Detroit wants to solidify its place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, it can't afford to rely on Blake for the rest of the season."
Since Augustin is on an expiring deal—Williams has a player option for next season worth just under $2.2 million—he could be the easiest to pry away as Oklahoma City leans more heavily on rookie Cameron Payne.
Conflicting Reports on MCW's Future
This time last year, point guard Michael Carter-Williams was on his way from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deadline deal that sent the NBA world into a deadline-day frenzy.
But don't expect an encore Thursday.
According to a Tuesday report from Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, "Michael Carter-Williams has been told by the Bucks that he would not be traded."
However, Spears' report came on the heels of a piece from Stein and Brian Windhorst that noted Carter-Williams "is undeniably gettable."
Carter-Williams is in the midst of the best shooting season of his career (45.3 percent from the field, 28.9 percent from three), but he's still far from a complete product.
According to Synergy Sports play-type data provided to NBA.com, MCW is in the 37th percentile when it comes to efficiency as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Considering those possessions account for nearly one-third of his entire product, that's a cause for concern.
Carter-Williams has also been plagued by a shaky mid-range jump shot that has allowed defenders to consistently go under screens without fearing they could get burned by the third-year floor general's stroke.
According to SportVU player-tracking data, Carter-Williams is shooting 36.1 percent on pull-up jumpers—shots that account for just 1.8 points of his 11.5 point-per-game average.
There's still time for the former lottery pick to salvage his jumper and develop the skills necessary to operate as a dual-threat point guard, but the results to date haven't been pretty.
Should the Bucks choose to part with Carter-Williams following a one-year trial period, it would be hard to blame them.
All contract information courtesy of Spotrac. All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
