NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on the Houston Rockets, Will Barton and More
There are plenty of potential reasons behind players finding their way into the NBA's trade rumor mill. Three different ones are on display this week.
For the Houston Rockets, an injury to starting center Clint Capela has necessitated their perusal of the big-man market.
Discord may force the Sacramento Kings to explore their options with Arron Afflalo (as they might with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay as well).
And finally, solid play may have some teams calling upon the Denver Nuggets to see whether Will Barton might be available for the right price.
Whatever the reasons, the rumor mill always seems to churn on. We'll see if it picks up enough speed to actually get any of these guys moved in the coming weeks.
Rockets in the Market for a Big Man?
Starting alongside assist machine James Harden, Capela was having a career year in his third season in the NBA.
Before suffering a broken fibula, he was averaging 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks (17.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes) while shooting 64.0 percent from the field.
His loss opens up a big hole in Houston's rotation, one it may look to fill with a trade, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:
Nene and Montrezl Harrell are solid options, but if the Rockets can shore up their rotation with a trade that doesn't cost them too much, they may have to pull the trigger.
Does Afflalo Want Out of Sacramento?
Afflalo's teammates, Cousins and Gay, have found themselves in this space multiple times this season, so it seems right that Afflalo would join them.
One wonders how long it will be before every veteran player on the Kings is attached to some kind of trade rumor.
Afflalo's here seemingly of his own volition. At least that's how Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler tells it:
"Speaking of the Kings, there is a growing rift brewing between Arron Afflalo and the coaching staff. He is also growing unhappy with his role in Sacramento, and there is a belief he has joined a few other Kings players in asking for a trade. Afflalo became trade eligible on December 15, so it’s a situation to watch.
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The Kings are a mess right now. Despite a 126-121 come-from-behind victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, they're still a ways out of the playoff picture.
Now feels like as good a time as any to blow it up and start fresh. But can we trust this organization to effectively conduct a rebuild?
Multiple Teams Interested in Barton
In sharp contrast to the Kings, the Nuggets are already loaded with tons of young talent—so much so that it's difficult to get all of it on the floor.
Perhaps that's why more than one team has contacted the Nuggets to see if they are willing to move Barton, according to ESPN.com's Chris Haynes:
Barton's missed nearly half of his team's games with injuries this season, but he's averaging 14.3 points with a decent effective field-goal percentage of 49.7, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Interest from the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans makes sense, given both teams' need for extra scoring punch.
