NBA Trade Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Reports Before 2016 NBA Draft
The Philadelphia 76ers will reportedly select Ben Simmons with the first pick in Thursday's NBA draft, according to Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes. But beyond that, uncertainty seems to be the only certainty.
Rumors have been swirling of potential trades as far up as the third pick, and reports have indicated that the atmosphere could be ripe for craziness.
So with time dwindling until the proceedings get underway, here's a rundown of the latest rumblings from across the Association.
Sixers Looking to Acquire Another Top-5 Pick?
It's a new day in Philadelphia, and the City of Brotherly Love ballers are reportedly getting aggressive in their pursuit of building a title contender.
According to CSN New England's Gary Tanguay, the Sixers and Boston Celtics are reportedly discussing a trade that would send the No. 3 overall pick to the Sixers:
In return, the Celtics would reportedly target either scoring machine Jahlil Okafor or springy shot-blocker Nerlens Noel, according to CSN New England's Tim Welsh.
While other components of the rumored deal haven't been disclosed to this point, it's hard to ignore the fact that such a swap has the potential to be win-win for both sides.
First and foremost, the Sixers have a frontcourt logjam. Joel Embiid is finally on the right track and was cleared to scrimmage Tuesday, per The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, and his debut could make Okafor or Noel expendable.
The Celtics, meanwhile, could use either a dominant low-post scorer (see: Okafor) or a borderline-elite rim protector (see: Noel). Last season, Boston ranked 17th in frontcourt scoring (58.2 points per game) and blocked a 22nd-ranked 4.2 shots per game.
If the Sixers are ultimately able to secure the draft's third pick, all signs point to Providence Friars point guard Kris Dunn as the likely target, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein:
Given Philadelphia's need for quality perimeter defenders, explosive creators and primary ball-handlers, Dunn would be a seamless addition to a backcourt that's currently craving an influx of top-tier talent.
Utah Entertaining Trade Offers
The Utah Jazz are currently slated to be on the clock at No. 12 overall. But when the time comes for the Western Conference up-and-comers to make their pick, they may be doing it for another team, according to the Deseret News' Jody Genessy:
And the buzz hasn't stopped there.
"I think we're still pretty wide open," Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin said, per the Salt Lake Tribune's Tony Jones. "We've been on the phone quite a bit. I think we're still open to anything and everything. Whether that's to keep the pick, to trade up, to trade down or whatever."
But wait. There's more.
"We've been receiving interest," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said, per Jones. "We're going to have some meetings this week. I think Wednesday is going to be a little more open-ended than I'm normally used to. It definitely has the chance to be a dynamic week."
Utah's motivation for making a deal is still unclear, but if the team wants to accelerate its contending timeline and avoid having to develop another young prospect, trying to snag a more complete product in return could be enticing.
Greg Monroe on the Block
Greg Monroe inked a three-year, $51.4 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer, but the team already appears to be doing its due diligence regarding a possible divorce.
Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops has the details:
Given the parameters of Monroe's deal, it makes sense.
The 26-year-old has just one guaranteed year left on his contract, and he will be able to capitalize on a cap spike in the summer of 2017 simply by declining his $17.8 million player option for the 2017-18 campaign.
If the Bucks are of the belief that Monroe will go that route, trying to trade him and maximize the return on his remaining value would be a wise move.
| 29.3 | 15.3 | 8.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 52.2 | 21.8 |
Because if the Bucks are unable to move him this summer, their next-best opportunity figures to be at the trade deadline, when Monroe's value will have taken a hit since he'll have only half of a guaranteed season remaining on his contract.
Stylistically, it's also logical for Milwaukee to dangle Monroe as trade bait.
Although the Bucks scored 6.4 points more per 100 possessions last season with Moose on the floor, they also surrendered 5.3 points more with him roaming around the paint, according to NBA.com's lineup data.
In other words, the Bucks posted a defensive rating (107.5) that would have ranked 28th overall last season when Monroe was on the floor.
Finding equal return could be difficult given the parameters of Monroe's contract, but getting something now rather than losing him for nothing in a year's time is a move the team will need to consider.
Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.
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