NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Russell Westbrook, Marcin Gortat and More
To trade or not to trade? With the big wave of free-agency signings over, several teams are now gauging the player-swapping market in order to assemble their best possible rosters for the 2016-17 season and beyond.
A lot of recent rumors on the trade front have concerned players not leaving their original teams, but even that news is significant. A team's decision to keep a player impacts both itself and the other squads that are looking to acquire him.
Let’s break down some recent trade buzz on Russell Westbrook, Marcin Gortat and the Boston Celtics’ never-ending pursuit of asset movement.
Russell Westbrook
Speculation of Westbrook's unhappiness in Oklahoma City with the Thunder has been running rampant ever since Kevin Durant chose to leave town for the Golden State Warriors. The buzz made pretty good sense, since Durant's departure downgrades the Thunder from title contender to presumed mid-tier playoff team.
However, according to Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman, the superstar point guard isn't discouraged with his situation at all. Slater wrote: "Westbrook has given the Thunder no indication that he currently wants out. To the contrary, one source described him as ticked off about the Kevin Durant departure, determined for this new challenge and eager for the season to start: 'He's ready.'"
This position from Westbrook actually seems consistent with his personality, since he can be the alpha dog in the absence of Durant. He still has plenty of capable talent around him for support, though, including Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Enes Kanter and Andre Roberson.
Don't be surprised if Westbrook is at the forefront of the MVP conversation next spring. With something to prove, the athletic floor general should go all out to prove a point in 2016-17.
Marcin Gortat
The Washington Wizards' biggest free-agent acquisition thus far this summer has been former Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi. Washington splurged on the defensive-minded 29-year-old in the form of a four-year, $64 million contract.
But CSN Mid-Atlantic’s J. Michael reported that the Wizards are planning to stick with the 32-year-old Gortat as their starting center: “Multiple league sources, as late as Friday night, told CSNMidAtlantic.com that it’s not in the cards to make a move with the 6'11" center because of Ian Mahinmi’s signing (four years, $64 million). Of course, it's never safe to say never but as for now that appears to be the case.”
Washington’s offseason already seemed like a disappointment, but this news makes it look even worse. The current climate of the NBA dictates that at least one big man should be able to stretch the floor and be versatile enough on defense to switch out on smaller players.
In Mahinmi and Gortat, the Wizards have two big men who can't shoot from outside of 15 feet and are more comfortable defending close to the rim. They probably won't be able to play together often, which makes Mahinmi’s big payday puzzling.
Boston Celtics
It’s hard to find the Celtics mentioned in a sentence that doesn’t also include the word “trade” these days. The team has assets galore—both players and future draft picks—and there’s a sense that Boston is just a star away from challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown.
Westbrook and Blake Griffin have been two of Boston’s biggest rumored targets, but the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett reported there hasn’t been much progress on those fronts.
Given Westbrook’s attitude presented above, it makes sense that there hasn’t been any traction on a potential trade for the Thunder superstar. However, a trade for Griffin makes sense for the Celtics, who could use more offensive firepower in the frontcourt next to Al Horford. On the other side of the trade, the Los Angeles Clippers could bolster their wing depth by acquiring Jae Crowder, and they'd also love some of Boston's draft picks.
If something does materialize with Griffin, great. But the Celtics will be good in 2016-17 whether they make a blockbuster trade or not, and there’s still plenty of time to gauge the market for deals they like.
