NBA Rumors: Buzz on Possible John Wall Trade, Blake Griffin and More
The NBA trade winds are ramping up as the initial frenzy of free agency begins to take shape. While there are plenty of deals being signed and mulled over, several teams are looking to deal some big names before the NBA season tips off in a little over a month.
With teams looking to either improve their roster or cap situation, the time to swing a trade is now, and that has resulted in some big names entering the rumor mill.
The Washington Wizards and John Wall are apparently not getting along. The Detroit Pistons are down a suitor for Blake Griffin as they continue to rebuild their frontcourt, and John Collins could be the odd man out in Atlanta.
Whether any or all of those players wind up getting traded remains to be seen, but it's the trade talk that makes the NBA offseason the best in pro sports.
John Wall Pushing for Trade from Washington
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Details are emerging from the John Wall situation in Washington, and they aren't pretty.
The beleaguered point guard has one of the most difficult contracts to trade, but he is making it clear he wants out of Washington. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported that many believe the Wizards' choice to build around teammate Bradley Beal is what has "set him off."
Goodwill also noted "teams like the Denver Nuggets were inquiring about Wall" leading up to Wednesday night's draft.
The Wizards finding a trade market for the 30-year-old would be a coup for the franchise. He's owed around $133 million over the next three seasons in addition to a 15 percent trade kicker, and he's only played in 73 games since the start of the 2017-18 season.
A torn Achilles forced him to miss the entirety of 2019-20. A willing to trade for him would be getting a point guard who relies heavily on his athleticism coming off a serious injury and getting paid a ton of money.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported that trade talks with the Rockets surrounding a Russell Westbrook-for-Wall deal have stalled.
Nuggets Not Trading for Blake Griffin
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The Detroit Pistons frontcourt is starting to get a bit crowded.
The team signed both Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee from the Denver Nuggets, according to Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski respectively. They also drafted center Isaiah Stewart with the 16th pick in the draft.
It's logical to conclude that Blake Griffin's time in the Motor City could be coming to an end. John Hollinger of The Athletic noted the reported salaries of Grant and Plumlee's new deals perfectly aligned for a sign-and-trade that could send Griffin to the Nuggets.
However, former Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns executive Ryan McDonough reported that deal won't be happening. The Nuggets are reportedly focused on Michael Porter Jr. and bringing back Paul Millsap. The veteran forward is a free-agent who figures to have plenty of interest from contenders looking for experience at the mid-level exception.
Like Wall, Griffin could be difficult to trade based on his age, health and money. The 31-year-old has two years left on his contract, including a player option for the 2021-22 season in which he carries a cap hit of $38.9 million, per Spotrac.
Still the swap makes some sense, and the teams could change their minds before contracts are finalized if negotiations with Millsap fall through.
John Collins' Potential Trade Suitors
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The Atlanta Hawks were one of few teams with significant cash to spend this offseason, and they committed a large portion of that money to Danilo Gallinari. The club signed the forward to a three-year, $61.5 million contract, per Wojnarowski.
It's a move that leaves the Hawks with a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt. Gallinari can play the same role currently filled by John Collins. With the team drafting Onyeka Okongwu and with Clint Capela also on the roster, the Hawks don't have much balance in where they are spending their money.
That might make John Collins—who is due for an extension before hitting restricted free agency next season—the odd man out. The Hawks have a need for guard help and wings. Collins would figure to be a fairly valuable trade chip to acquire one.
Hollinger believes Collins would have a litany of teams interested in his services.
"Collins certainly won't lack for suitors if he's made available," Hollinger wrote. "One can imagine teams such as Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix, Charlotte and New York all being interested, in addition to several others that could be involved if the right set of circumstances came along. If he can play center Detroit will want him too."
Unlike the other players on this list, Collins is relatively young and should have plenty of productive years ahead of him. In just his third season in the league, he averaged 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while offering some rim protection with 1.6 blocks per game.
While deals involving Wall and Griffin would make the headlines, a Collins trade would actually be the most significant.
