NBA Rumors: Analyzing Buzz Surrounding Tyreke Evans, Joe Johnson and More
Sometimes the NBA rumor mill can outdo itself.
So it went leading up to the trade deadline. The Blake Griffin deal seemed like the biggest story we'd get before the Association decided to offer up the majority of the Cleveland Cavaliers as a sacrifice for our entertainment.
Well, maybe not entertainment, seeing as how the new-look Cavaliers whipped the Boston Celtics 121-99 on the road despite limited practice time. But the Cavaliers morphing into a contender and perhaps an eventual champion speaks to how important budding rumors on the market can be to the entire league.
With the deadline a thing of the past, the mill now turns its attention to what could have been and a few items that need clearing up on the buyout market.
The Tyreke Evans Pursuit
Nobody was able to rip Tyreke Evans from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Evans seemed like an obvious trade target for teams looking to contend because of his 19.4 points, 4.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.
Yet even before the deadline arrived, we heard from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that contenders like those Celtics were hesitant to cough up a first-round pick for Evans given the value of picks in the league today.
Now we flip it to ESPN's Zach Lowe after the deadline, who reports the Washington Wizards wanted to make a deal go down:
Washington needing scoring help to remain in the playoff hunt isn't much of a shocker with the team missing John Wall for 6-8 weeks thanks to injury, meaning 19.4 points per game is off the table. The Wizards remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and have won six of their last 10, but going without Wall for an extended stretch could create problems.
Interestingly enough, Memphis still didn't budge despite a pair of picks reportedly on the table, hinting that it didn't really want to cough up the 2009 No. 4 pick. Now the Grizzlies risk losing the 28-year-old guard for nothing in free agency this offseason.
As for the Wizards, they'll look to make do—though swinging a move in their conference makes sense given how spotty Boston has looked and the nuclear option Cleveland took.
Derrick Rose Update
The Derrick Rose drama isn't ending yet, folks.
Rose got caught up in a three-team deal after an uneventful stint with Cleveland and wound up on the Utah Jazz. Those Jazz kicked him right back out the door into free agency.
Initially, it sounded like the Minnesota Timberwolves would be the biggest suitor for Rose's services, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein. But now? Here come those Wizards again, according to Wojnarowski:
The above still applies here—the Wizards have been forced into starting Tomas Satoransky next to Bradley Beal with Wall sidelined. The former is averaging six points and three assists per game, but it's a matter of time before good opponents exploit the problem in the lineup.
Which isn't to say Rose is an immediate fix. He appeared in all of 16 games with the Cavaliers, averaging 9.8 points on 43.9 percent shooting over only 19.3 minutes. If capable, he'd likely slowly shift into heavy usage for the Wizards next to Beal.
It'll be interesting to see what Rose decides to do if both routes remain open to him. Those Timberwolves look like contenders in their own right, though the Wizards might have more playing time available to him, at least for a short period. But Minnesota also has head coach Tom Thibodeau, who helped Rose to major production in the past.
It doesn't seem like Rose can go wrong either way, though the Wizards might be more desperate to make something happen after missing out on Evans.
Joe Johnson Commits?
Also caught up in the Rose trade was a fellow juggernaut of the rumors market for years, Joe Johnson.
After listening to the Brooklyn Nets attempt to unload Johnson's contract for years before he went on to play a clutch veteran role for Utah, it seemed like we had heard the last of Johnson on the rumors market.
Wrong.
Johnson landed with the Sacramento Kings and went for the buyout option right away, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. This immediately flipped into a report from Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix that Johnson wanted to join a team such as Boston or the Golden State Warriors.
Fast-forward a little farther along the timeline, though, and we're sitting on Johnson apparently committing to the Houston Rockets, per Wojnarowski:
Johnson hasn't looked as great as he did in a depth role for a playoff team a year ago in large part because of a wrist injury, but he's still dropped in 7.3 points per game on 42.0 percent shooting from the floor over 21.9 minutes.
Naturally, the 42-win Rockets would love to have Johnson's experience coming off the bench. His popping into a rotation with guys like Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza only makes the Rockets more dangerous, and it would also give the latter more time to recover from a nagging injury.
With so many contenders apparently interested, it could say quite a bit about the team Johnson ends up choosing.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
