NBA Rumors: Buzz Around Buyout Candidates Post-Trade Deadline
The February 7 trade deadline has passed, and while there were a number of trades, the biggest move is the one that did not happen.
The Los Angeles Lakers had made a couple of attempts to acquire Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, but in the end, the combination of players and draft choices the Lakers offered was not enough to entice New Orleans general manager Dell Demps to pull the trigger on the trade.
It seems likely that the Pelicans will move Davis after the season, when the return may be greater than what the Lakers offered. The Boston Celtics could be in the driver's seat as a result of their young talent and draft choices.
The next moves both contending and non-contending teams can make is on the buyout market. Teams and players have an opportunity to part company with each other, and it's often veteran players that have not worked out after getting traded to new teams who find themselves getting bought out.
Other buyout candidates may have just been on the trade market, but their teams did not find a suitable deal or a reliable trade partner.
Center Robin Lopez of the Bulls is likely a buyout candidate, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who also credited fellow ESPN reporter Malika Andrews for the information.
The 30-year-old Lopez is playing just 17.1 minutes per game with the Bulls and he is averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per night. It is possible that a team in playoff contention could use his services.
The Detroit Pistons could be one of the more active teams when it comes to adding players to their roster, per Wojnarowski. The Pistons appear to have an interest in guard Wayne Ellington, who was traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns are expected to buy him out of his contract, and the 6'4" guard who is averaging 8.4 points per game this season could be a decent fit for the Pistons.
The Pelicans may not have traded Davis, but they are making other moves. One of them involves Markieff Morris, whom they are releasing, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
This move will allow the Pelicans to bring in Stanley Johnson and Jason Smith for Nikola Mirotic, who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, per Keith Smith of ESPN.com.
The New York Knicks are engaged in buyout talks with 6'11" center Enes Kanter, and there was some discussion that the Celtics might be interested in his services. However, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reported that league sources have said that the Celtics don't have an open roster spot for him.
