NBA Trade Rumors: Top Buzz on Andre Drummond, More as 2017 Deadline Approaches
Another big name found himself on the move Tuesday as Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Lou Williams, who is averaging 18.6 points in just 24.2 minutes per game, was traded to the Houston Rockets for small forward Corey Brewer and a first-round pick, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Here are some other names who could find themselves packing their bags before the NBA trade deadline hits on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
Andre Drummond
Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the door could be open for the Detroit Pistons to trade center Andre Drummond.
The former UConn star is averaging 14.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game this season. He is tied for second in the NBA in rebounds per game.
Detroit is in a limbo that no team wants to find itself in the current NBA landscape. Its ceiling this season is making the playoffs, and its floor is a bottom-10 win-loss record and a very remote chance at the first pick in this year's NBA draft. Therefore, the Pistons either need to go on a fire sale and trade away some assets or reload for the stretch run.
It's hard to see them doing the former given how much ground they would have to make up at this point (Detroit is 27-30), so tanking makes sense. The Pistons haven't won a playoff game since 2008, and it perhaps hit its ceiling with Drummond as the franchise cornerstone, so it might be best for both sides to part ways.
It seems like Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez has been involved in trade rumors since the then-New Jersey Nets drafted him in 2008, but this year, a move is almost certainly going to happen given that Brooklyn is firmly committed to starting from scratch.
BroLo is the Nets' most valuable trade asset. He has averaged 22 points per game in February and is shooting just over 34 percent from the three-point line.
But the Nets have been asking for a haul lately (two first-rounders). With all due respect to Lopez, that's a steep asking price for a player who is 57th out of 58 centers in rebounding rate, per ESPN.com.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported, however, that the price just dropped.
The Nets have a two-fold problem. First, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype noted that the price for big men became depressed when the Sacramento Kings didn't receive a great haul in return for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
Second, if you look around the NBA, what playoff-contending team has a clear need for a center at the moment? Is there anywhere Lopez and his game would fit?
Still, centers who score 20 points per game don't grow on trees, so expect the Nets to deal Lopez for a first-round pick in a loaded NBA draft to a team looking for some scoring punch.
Will the team that drafted Deron Williams look to bring him back? Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that it is a possibility:
Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry may be the Mavs' backcourt of the future, so moving Williams out of town to let those two develop together could certainly happen.
Williams has battled injuries all season, playing in just 40 games and averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 assists per game.
MacMahon (and Marc Stein) note that Utah's interest in Williams could stem from current point guard George Hill's own injury problems.
"Adding depth at point guard makes sense for Utah in part due to starter George Hill's injury issues. The Jazz are 23-9 when Hill plays and 12-13 when he sits.
Hill's left big toe, which sidelined him for almost all of December, continues to be an issue. He sat out Utah's Feb. 9 loss to the Mavs because of soreness in the toe but played in the final three games before the All-Star break.
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Hill has played well this season as the Jazz's record with him on the court vs. off it suggest, as he's scored over 17 points per game this year.
Utah could use more of a veteran presence in the backcourt, especially one with postseason experience like Williams. If the price is right, this could be a good match.
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