NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding John Wall, Russell Westbrook, More
The NBA offseason hasn't disappointed so far, and a few more twists and turns could be in store before the regular season tips off Dec. 22.
The biggest free agents are off the board for the most part, but a handful of stars have yet to change teams after being rumored on the trade market. John Wall and Russell Westbrook are two such examples, with their massive contracts likely an impediment in any deal.
Here's where things stand with the two guards, along with an update on Jerami Grant's move to the Detroit Pistons.
Wall Trade Request 'Inevitable' After GM's Comments
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During an interview on Zach Lowe's Lowe Post podcast, Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said the team is "building this around Bradley Beal" (via RealGM).
That wasn't a surprising statement and reflected the general questions surrounding Wall following his ruptured Achilles tendon. Beal also enjoyed a career year in Wall's absence.
However, Sheppard may have set in motion Wall's trade request, which The Athletic's Shams Charania said came after the five-time All-Star was mentioned in a package for Westbrook.
Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill spoke to a source who stated Wall's desire to leave was "inevitable" in the wake of Sheppard's comments. "'As soon as Tommy said it was Brad's team, you knew it was coming,' the source told Yahoo Sports."
Unless he's willing to rip up his contract, getting out of Washington, D.C., will be easier said than done for Wall. He's only in the second year of his four-year, $171.1 million supermax extension, so it's hard envisioning another team seriously pursuing him before at least first seeing him on the court post-Achilles injury.
Knicks Willing to Be Patient in Possible Westbrook Deal
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The New York Knicks have had a pretty muted offseason so far, and that's probably a welcome development for fans. Rather than trying to speed up the rebuild, team president Leon Rose and the front office is content to make incremental moves that don't necessarily help now but could serve a purpose in the long term.
That probably means we can rule the Knicks out of the Westbrook sweepstakes.
Newsday's Steve Popper wrote that "a trade for [Westbrook] remains a possibility if the price falls low enough and mostly what Rose showed right now was that he would not be panicked."
Westbrook doesn't have the same durability concerns as Wall, but the $132.6 million still outstanding on his contract is just as much of an issue.
And another problem for the 2017 MVP is his most logical landing spots are drying up.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Houston Rockets talked to the Orlando Magic about a deal that included Aaron Gordon. Negotiations "never progressed" beyond that.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported Nov. 16 the Charlotte Hornets "have emerged as the most likely team to land [Westbrook]." They've since selected LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft and agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with Gordon Hayward, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Also of note, Wojnarowski reported Sunday that New York agreed to a three-year, $10 million deal with former Rockets guard Austin Rivers.
If the Knicks are off the board, too, for the most part, Westbrook might not be going anywhere.
Nuggets Don't Leave Empty-Handed from Grant Signing
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Charania reported on the first day of free agency Grant was getting three years and $60 million from the Pistons, which Detroit made official Sunday.
The 26-year-old was an unrestricted free agent, so the Denver Nuggets weren't in a position to play hardball with teams that wanted to sign him. Still, the Denver Post's Mike Singer reported the Nuggets got a trade exception of slightly more than $9.5 million out of the move.
A franchise capitalizing on a trade exception isn't a guarantee, but the Golden State Warriors showed how the tool can be useful. The Warriors were able to acquire Kelly Oubre Jr. from the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to the $17.2 million exception they created by shipping Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Aside from Gary Harris ($19.6 million) and Will Barton ($13.7 million), the Nuggets don't have any other big 2020-21 salary-cap hits that could realistically balance out the contract of a marquee incoming star. The trade exception could also be good for adding another solid piece without having to sacrifice either Harris or Barton.
