NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Rudy Gay, Greg Monroe and More
There are more than two months remaining before the Feb. 23 NBA trade deadline, but the rumors are starting to pick up around the league.
Although teams might wait to make a move as the contenders and pretenders separate themselves, every front office already knows what is needed to improve its roster. Perhaps most importantly, organizations are also deciding who is available for a trade on their own squads.
These are some of the players who could be on the move in the coming weeks.
Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
There will always be interested teams when an elite scorer is available, and that appears to be the case with Rudy Gay.
Adrian Wojnarowski discussed the player's availability on The Vertical Podcast Wednesday.
"There's no question Oklahoma City. Indiana has had interest in him," Wojnarowski said, via NESN. "Houston has had some peripheral interest. I don't think they have the pieces to trade."
The Oklahoma City Thunder could be the most interesting of the potential suitors, as they clearly are missing the type of high-scoring wing they had a year ago.
Gay will not replace Kevin Durant, but he has been an impressive scorer throughout his career and is averaging 18.6 points to go with 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. While Russell Westbrook has had an outstanding season, the team still could use help in the form of a secondary option.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets have the same issue with one All-Star and a lot of role players. Adding Gay would be a difference-maker for the remainder of the season and potentially into the playoffs.
The one issue could be the 30-year-old's health after he missed Wednesday's game against the Rockets with a hip flexor strain, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Still, any interested team will make sure he is at full strength before completing any deal.
Greg Monroe, Milwaukee Bucks
Some teams are listening on potential trades, and others are doing whatever they can to force a trade. It appears as though the Milwaukee Bucks are in the latter category with Greg Monroe.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders broke down the situation:
"The Bucks tried pretty aggressively to find a trade for Monroe last year, and all through the offseason it was said the Bucks were not looking for much for Monroe, hoping to free up the cap space and a roster spot.
The problem for the Bucks, and to a certain extent for Monroe, is that his contract is a tough one to move.
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It's unlikely Milwaukee has slowed down its efforts to complete a deal with Monroe struggling to find consistent playing time this season. The center is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, averaging 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 19 minutes per game.
All of these numbers would be career lows for the seven-year veteran.
Monroe has proved himself in the past as a quality post scorer and rebounder, although his lack of shooting range and mediocre defense makes him less valuable in the current NBA. Add this to his player option of $17.9 million in 2017, per Basketball-Reference.com, and not many teams will come calling.
With that said, Milwaukee will still do whatever it can to try to find a trade partner by the deadline.
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic
While Monroe is at least still in the Bucks rotation, Mario Hezonja is struggling to even get on the court.
The second-year player has only appeared in 17 games this year, averaging 3.5 points in 10.5 minutes per game. After playing just two minutes in Tuesday's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, he never left the bench Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Upon hearing of the Magic's intention to move Hezonja to the NBA D-League, ESPN's Marc Stein argued a trade could be on the horizon:
Hezonja, who averaged 6.1 points per game as a rookie, is clearly not the type of scorer the team needs right now. His shooting has been inconsistent at best, and he hasn't been able to attack the net at this level.
If Orlando is serious about contending, moving him in a trade could be the best way to upgrade the offense for this season.
On the other hand, the Croatian is still only 21 years old and has plenty of potential. If a team is patient, trading for the 2015 No. 5 overall pick could pay off down the line.
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