NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and More
As the NBA regular season hits the quarter mark and the trade deadline slowly approaches, trade rumors continue to pop up, usually involving the same players. Carmelo Anthony has been discussed since The Decision, Andre Iguodala's name consistently comes up, and Steve Nash rumors have been gaining a lot of traction.
Even though the deadline is a couple months away, as these rumors and updates continue to pop up, it's very realistic that a player could be traded fairly soon. Here are updates on the major players being tossed around.
Carmelo Anthony
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At this point, the Denver Nuggets have accepted that, if Carmelo does not sign an extension, they will trade him, and have been looking over offers. The Nuggets are getting old in many places, and are looking for youth, rather than a star, to plug in at the small forward position.
As a template for any teams interested, it's been reported that the best offer on the table so far was the New Jersey Nets, who put up Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and Kris Humphries, for Anthony.
Links:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/26323465
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/12/09/a_peek_at_denvers_future/
Chris Paul
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As has been mentioned frequently, the NBA is looking to buy the Hornets franchise after a deal fell through. This move, simply put, means he won't be traded. David Stern is not going to trade a team's star player when he's trying to sell the team. Yes, this likely means that the Hornets will get nothing for him in the free agent market, but that doesn't matter to the NBA.
Links:
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2010/12/6/1859418/chris-paul-trade-rumors-new-orleans-hornets-nba-takeover
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/26321256
Andre Iguodala
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It seems like every other day, the AI situation gets muddled, and today seems to be no different.
As recently as a couple days ago, most accepted that Iguodala was on the trading block, and few questioned it. However, the 76ers have now come out and said that they are not looking to shop him, instead just "trying to ascertain the value of all of our players."
What does this mean? It's a fancy way of saying that they're putting his name on the market to get an idea of what he's worth, but not outright going to teams asking them what they would trade for him.
Links:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Andre-Iguodala-is-on-the-block?urn=nba-292358
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-12-06/sixers-deny-trying-to-shop-andre-iguodala
Antawn Jamison
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Jamison has become the sixth man on the Cavs while making a top player salary. Needless to say, once the Cavs feel ready to start looking at the trade market, Jamison will be the one shopped around. Jamison doesn't necessarily want to be traded; he's just interested in playing the game, which in a way could help his standing for any teams that may want him.
Links:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view/20101206antawn_jamison_could_be_first_cav_to_be_dealt
Gilbert Arenas
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The Magic continue to be tossed around in trade rumors involving Gilbert Arenas, namely in a Vince Carter-Arenas deal.
Both sides have shot it down, and trading an expiring contract for one that has a good deal of time left with no visible improvement? I find that tough to buy.
Here's what we do know though. He's coming off the bench even though healthy, the Wizards going with John Wall and Alonzo Gee instead. That tells me that they know a Wall-Arenas combo isn't going to work, and that a trade will happen at some point.
Links:
http://www.truthaboutit.net/2010/12/poll-what-should-we-believe-about-gilbert-arenas.html
http://news-herald.com/articles/2010/12/05/sports/nh3376804.txt?viewmode=fullstory
O.J. Mayo
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Suddenly, O.J. Mayo has been struggling this year, and as a result he became the Grizzlies' sixth man. In that role, he continues to struggle. He's averaged 8.9 points a game coming off the bench, and about 12 for the year. That's way under his average.
Due to his struggles, as well as almost all the other starters being locked up, the Grizzlies may try to make a move to do better in the standings. If they do, Mayo wil likely be the one to go; he's young enough that he could fit on many teams.
Links:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/o-j-mayo-struggling-as-a-sixth-man/
http://3sob.com/archives/61-december-2010/1264-randolph-or-mayo-on-the-move
Steve Nash
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As rampant as the rumors are about Steve Nash, they seem to be slowing down now. He has tried to tune out the trade rumors and just play basketball. It seems to be working, since he's averaging a career high in points scored this year. He's not worrying about trade talk, and at this point I'm not either.
The only team whose name has been thrown about is the Knicks, but with the emergence of Raymond Felton as a threat, there's a good chance that the trade talk for Nash will continue to fizzle.
Aaron Brooks/Demarcus Cousins
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Now that Aaron Brooks looks to get back on the court, and the Kings have said they are pursuing him, rumors of a Cousins/Brooks trade will continue to heat up. Both teams are struggling, and the main question is whether or not the Rockets are willing to take on Cousins' character issues.
Links:
http://houston.sbnation.com/houston-rockets/2010/11/24/1834218/report-kings-inquiring-on-aaron-brooks
