NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Buzz on Paul Millsap, Marcin Gortat and More
With free agents continuing to fall off the board at a rapid pace, NBA teams may begin looking to the trade market in order to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2016-17 season.
It's doubtful any trade will carry the same kind of consequences Kevin Durant's free-agent sweepstakes will have on the NBA. Still, a franchise angling for the playoffs can strengthen its status if it can get creative this summer.
Below are the latest rumors swirling around four players who were the subject of trade speculation.
Paul Millsap
When Dwight Howard agreed to a three-year, $70.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, per The Vertical's Shams Charania, it looked like Paul Millsap's days as a Hawk may have been numbered. The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski spoke to sources who described Millsap's trade market as "strong."
Then, Al Horford confirmed he's signing with the Boston Celtics:
As expected, ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reported Horford going to Boston has likely brought the Millsap rumors to an end.
The Hawks are still clearly trying to make a run at an Eastern Conference title; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone after Howard. Keeping that in mind, dealing Millsap at this stage of the offseason makes no sense since Horford isn't returning to the team.
The 31-year-old is coming off another strong season in which he averaged 17.1 points and nine rebounds per game. His three-point shooting fell from 35.6 percent to 31.9 percent, but that's not a valid reason to ship him elsewhere.
Millsap may be a possible trade candidate deeper into the 2016-17 regular season. He has a player option for the 2017-18 season that he'll likely void, given how much player salaries are rising.
In the event the Hawks are failing to meet expectations and have little confidence they can retain Millsap, trading him may be the best move for Atlanta's long-term future.
Marcin Gortat
On Saturday, Ian Mahinmi announced he will sign with the Washington Wizards:
According to Charania, the two parties agreed to terms on a four-year, $64 million deal. Since paying a player $16 million per year to come off the bench isn't the most prudent use of a team's cap space, many are wondering how new Wizards head coach Scott Brooks will rotate both Mahinmi and Marcin Gortat.
ESPN.com's Zach Lowe thinks Mahinmi and Gortat can work on the same team, but he didn't offer a strong endorsement:
While trading Gortat could help Brooks avoid a potential headache, CSNMidAtlantic.com's J. Michael reported Washington isn't yet considering the move.
The Wizards could likely get something of value back if they made Gortat available. He's due to earn a little under $38.4 million over the next three seasons. Whereas that financial commitment may have turned teams off in the past, Gortat's salary looks a little more reasonable in today's cap climate.
The 32-year-old will never be a great defender inside, but he doesn't have to be when he's scoring 13.5 points a night, as he did in 2015-16. Gortat nearly averaged a double-double last year, grabbing 9.9 boards per game.
Signing Mahinmi doesn't make trading Gortat a necessity for the Wizards, but it's an option they should strongly consider.
Monta Ellis and Rudy Gay
Monta Ellis and Rudy Gay have both been the focal point of trade rumors, and it looked for a time like they could be included in the same deal.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Saturday the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers have discussed a trade that would have Gay going to Indiana. USA Today's Sam Amick tweeted the Kings have a "definite desire" to move Gay, noting Sacramento had an "eternal pursuit" of Ellis.
Shortly thereafter, Amick reported the Kings' interest in Ellis had cooled to the point they didn't view him as an attractive trade target anymore.
Fitting Ellis into the rotation would be much harder after Sunday. Sacramento agreed to a two-year, $25 million deal with Arron Afflalo, per Wojnarowski, on Saturday, and the team has a three-year contract in place with Garrett Temple, per Wojnarowski.
In the same vein, the Kings would have little use for Rodney Stuckey, another player Indiana could've sent to Sacramento for Gay.
The Kings and Pacers have time to trade their veteran scorers, but a straight swap of Gay and Ellis—or any trade including the two—looks out of the question.
