NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Rudy Gay, Jahlil Okafor and More
The NFL hasn't taken over the sporting realm just yet. For now, it's all about which NBA team will make the biggest splash on the trade market.
Rumors point one gigantic finger at the Boston Celtics, where team president Danny Ainge has drummed up whisper after whisper thanks to his willingness to deal over the years and the large quantity of pieces worth moving.
Other teams remain in the fray, though. Whether it's a replaceable veteran such as Greg Monroe or a quality starter along the lines of Rudy Gay, there are a handful of deals perhaps ready to go down in the coming weeks.
Here's a look at the latest off the market.
Greg Monroe Available
Monroe doesn't sound like the biggest name on the market by any means, but he's worth a look given the impact he can have on a franchise.
Remember, Monroe is still only 26 years old and a solid presence underneath the basket. So teams in need will be happy to find out the Milwaukee Bucks still have him available after a recent move.
ESPN's Marc Stein is hooked up with sources for the revelation:
Monroe averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game last year while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor. He only averaged 29.3 minutes, but a team might like his role as a protector in certain deployments nonetheless.
The catch here, as it always seems to be, is cash. Monroe has a cap hit north of $17 million in each of the next two seasons, per Spotrac. No team will give up a monster haul for such a hit, especially when it's clear how badly the Bucks want out of it, perhaps mostly so they can give Miles Plumlee more than the 14.3 minutes per game he received last year.
Keep an eye on the team willing to make a deal here, because the front office doing so should have big plans for Monroe.
Rudy Gay Watch
Nothing has come of the rumors surrounding the Sacramento Kings and Gay yet.
Gay was an odd fit from the start with the team, never meshing well with Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins. Now the former is gone and the latter only has two years left on his deal, meaning the front office has an eye on the clock as it attempts to impress him with a rebuild.
Dealing Gay for notable assets is part of the plan, with Stein recently pointing out he's still very much available:
It's rather surprising nothing has come of this yet. Gay will turn 30 in August, but it's hard to turn away from a guy who for his career averages 18.4 points, 2.3 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game on 45.2 percent shooting. He went 17.2/1.7/6.5 on 46.3 in those categories last year.
For what it's worth, though, conflicting reports have emerged as to Gay's wishes. ABC10's Sean Cunningham provided a note going away from conventional wisdom:
Either way, it wouldn't come as a surprise to hear teams have been on the phone with the Kings about Gay. Sacramento added veteran Matt Barnes this offseason, a clear sign the team has prepared itself for Gay's departure.
A team just has to make the right offer. Sacramento has been willing to wheel and deal all offseason, and this isn't an exception. The rebuilding plan might not make sense to an outsider, but moving Gay seems to remain part of the equation.
Celtics' Top Target
The Celtics seem poised to land Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin, right?
Maybe not.
Those are the names the Celtics seem linked to as of late through sheer logical connections. The Oklahoma City Thunder might elect to deal Westbrook after already losing Kevin Durant. Griffin might be on his way out because of age and a slew of issues last year with the Los Angeles Clippers.
But through it all, Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers remains the player the Celtics are most likely to trade for, according to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.
"The consensus among league executives spoken to by CSNNE.com is that the most likely trade for Boston will be one in which they wind up with Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor," Blakely wrote.
One league official offered their opinion on the fit:
"[Okafor] would help Boston, obviously," the official said. "But it’s clear that Boston isn’t looking to just add a player who can make them better. They’re looking for a guy who can come in and make an immediate impact in a really, really big way. Okafor’s good, but I don’t think he’s that kind of guy for that team."
Don't tell Boston Okafor isn't the right guy, especially after Blakely revealed in the same writeup the two teams had almost struck a deal during the draft.
Okafor makes sense if the Celtics want to bank on upside. He's 20 years old coming off a season in which he averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game on 50.8 shooting from the floor.
Compare that to Griffin, who only appeared in 35 games last year, is 27 and doesn't offer much in the way of defense.
Boston already has a loaded backcourt, so Okafor makes perfect sense as a fit on a team that already made the postseason last year. From the sounds of this latest development, it's only a matter of time before he's donning Celtics green.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
