NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Players Who Will Be Traded Before the New Year
Although the trade deadline looms in the distant future, February 24 to be exact, already the hot stove has been fired up.
Carmelo Anthony has made his trade preferences known while the 76ers have been rumored to be shopping Andre Iguodala in an attempt to clear salary and solve the logjam at the small forward position. However, these aren’t the only players who could find themselves on a new team by season's end.
Many of the cellar dwellers will look to rid themselves of their overpriced veterans while teams with playoff aspirations will look to add talent for the stretch run.
Which teams are expected to be players in the trade market, and which stars will be having their mail forwarded to a new city? Read on to find out.
Andre Iguodala
1 of 10Many casual fans question the intelligence of trading away a young player as talented as Andre Iguodala, and they have plenty of reason. The 26-year-old guard/forward is a phenomenal athlete and playmaker that averaged 17 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists last season while playing solid defense and adding 1.7 steals per game. So what’s the logic driving a potential AI trade? It all stems from his oversized contract.
The former Arizona Wildcat star will be paid $52 million over the final four years of his contract, an exorbitant and potentially cap-crippling contract that makes it difficult for Philadelphia to make any major moves. As talented as Iguodala is, he’s not a premier player and is unworthy of such a lucrative deal.
The Sixers management has stated that they would prefer to add players around Iguodala rather than trade him, but it seems an awful lot like posturing to me. Rookie Evan Turner and Solar-favorite Thaddeus Young have been squeezed for playing time behind Iguodala, so expect a deal from a desperate team as the trade deadline approaches.
The 76ers will likely try to pawn off Elton Brand’s awful contract along with Iguodala, but I don’t suspect a single team in the NBA would touch Brand’s burdensome deal.
The Rockets could use a shot of athleticism in their starting five and could be the perfect trade partner for Philly. Houston has accumulated a slew of young players and could offer the Sixers young talent and cap relief. Jared Jeffries expiring contract plus two young players like Courtney Lee and Jordan Hill could entice GM Ed Stefanski, although he would likely request draft picks as well.
Jamal Crawford
2 of 10
Last season’s winner of the Sixth Man Award, Jamal Crawford has been a tremendous addition for the Atlanta Hawks. After being acquired for the low price of Acie Law and Speedy Claxton, the 6’5" gunner averaged 18 points off the bench while providing a tremendous spark to the Hawks bench.
Now in his last season of a contract that will pay him $10 million, Crawford has been looking to find some certainty about his future. More specifically Crawford has been seeking an extension from the Hawks.
Reportedly the 30-year-old combo guard requested a three or four-year contract extension and told Hawks management that if they wouldn’t extend his contract, he would like a trade. His alleged exchange took place back in August; however Crawford and the Hawks have yet to agree on a contract which could make the former Michigan guard a potential trade piece.
Atlanta would prefer keep Crawford this season and let him walk at the season’s end, but if Crawford’s situation begins impacting the team, he could be dealt quickly. Perhaps a three-way trade netting the Hawks Tayshaun Prince (who also has an expiring contract), and sending Crawford to a third team looking for scoring help (Cleveland or Orlando for example) would be the best solution.
Whatever the case, Crawford is a one-dimensional scorer who would be best served playing out the season with Atlanta and keeping his free-agency value high.
Tayshaun Prince
3 of 10
When I look at the chaotic state of the Pistons roster, I can’t help but feel pity for the entire state of Michigan. Their best player is a selfish, me-first point guard. Their highest paid players were overpaid when they inked their massive deals, and certainly don’t deserve their well-paid deals now that they have seen their production drop (Hamilton, Prince and Gordon). This is a team that desperately needs to make a move, and Prince seems like the most likely trade chip.
Detroit would love to rid themselves of Rip Hamilton’s contract (three-years left at $37.5 million…ouch), but that won’t happen anytime soon. Ditto for Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. One option for the Pistons is dealing away Tayshaun Prince’s massive expiring contract (valued at just over $11 million this year).
This is a team whose top players are declining with age, and whose young talent has been less than impressive. Their neither rebuilding nor are they competing right now. This listless team lacks direction, but perhaps a trade could address that problem.
The Pistons would be wise to deal Prince for another expiring contract and a young player. Of course they could pull a 180 and package Prince for an overpriced pseudo-star (Andre Iguodala, Gilbert Arenas etc…).
This team desperately needs to make moves and Prince’s expiring contract may make him their most valuable asset.
Jason Thompson
4 of 10
Entering the league as a rookie from Rider, Jason Thompson’s excellent freshman campaign shocked many fans and experts around the league. The 6’11" forward showed the versatility to play all three frontcourt positions while displaying great mobility, athleticism and soft touch on his jump shot. In just 28 minutes per game, Rider averaged 11 points and 7.4 rebounds, looking like a legitimate NBA starter in the process.
Flash forward to 2010 and the big man has seen his opportunity wane. With the additions of Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry and DeMarcus Cousins, Thompson has been relegated to a bench role and a mere 18 minutes per game. In fact, the Kings have been so desperate that they have often times used Thompson as a small forward to capitalize on some of his guard-like skills. Not unexpectedly, it hasn’t produced results.
Sacramento can’t waste this type of young talent on their bench and will almost definitely entertain trades for their multi-talented big man. Sac-town was rumored to be interested in Houston’s Aaron Brooks, but the Rockets would likely require expiring contracts and picks if they opted to deal Brooks.
The fact that Atlanta reportedly turned down an offer of Thompson for Jeff Teague speaks volumes to the sharp decline in Thompson’s trade value, but I’m sure there are still plenty of teams enamored with JT34.
Thompson could be of great value to a young team that needs help on the boards, so don’t be surprised to see the Raptors, Bobcats and Bucks try to snag Thompson while his trade value is low. Gerald Henderson has been a bust thus far, but perhaps the former Duke standout plus a second round pick would be enough to pry Thompson away from the Kings.
Troy Murphy
5 of 10
After being acquired as part of a four-way deal that sent Darren Collison to Indiana and Trevor Ariza to New Orleans, the Nets obtained Troy Murphy. The former Big East player was expected be a one-year stopgap with the ability to stretch defenses and allow Brook Lopez to do work inside.
Instead, Lopez has seen his game become far more perimeter-oriented, and Murphy’s expected starting role has been usurped by Kim Kardashian’s new boy toy, Kris Humphries. With rookie forward Derrick Favors earning minutes with the second team, Murphy’s role on the Nets has become very uncertain.
After averaging better than 14 and 10 in each of the past two seasons, Murphy has seen his numbers plummet to 3.5 and 4.3 in just 17 minutes per game. My guess is that Murphy’s expiring contract could be dealt in a blockbuster trade (although the prospect of ‘Melo coming to New Jersey now seems to be a pipe dream), or that he’s dealt for another expiring contract.
Murphy may not have the foot speed to be a great defender, but he’s a terrific rebounder who at 6’11" can knock down the three-ball. He has value to many teams in the league, even if New Jersey isn’t one of them.
Assuming the Suns opt to keep Steve Nash and make a playoff push this season, they will need to add another big man. Murphy would provide an upgrade over incumbent center Channing Frye, and could be acquired for a bargain basement price.
Using the $5.75 million exception they obtained from the Amar'e Stoudemire deal, the Suns could offer cap relief and a young, affordable player like Earl Clark in addition to a few salaries just to make the numbers work (likely Gani Lawai and Earl Barron).
O.J. Mayo
6 of 10
After averaging 18.5 points per game as a rookie, the 23-year-old shooting guard looked like a future star in this league. An athletic two guard, Mayo had range on his jumper and one of the smoothest games in the league. This season has been an entirely different story for the former USC Trojan.
Mayo is averaging only 12 points per game in his role off the bench and reached double digits in one of his last five games. With rookie Xavier Henry adequately replacing Mayo in the starting lineup and playing far superior defense, Mayo looks to be very expendable.
Last season an offer of Mayo and Thabeet for Monta Ellis was nearly accepted by Golden State, but the market for both of Memphis’ youngsters has shrunk significantly. Mayo has a very cap-friendly rookie contract ($4.45 million this season), but does not appear to be in Memphis’ long-term plans. The Grizzlies locked up point guard Mike Conley to a regrettable contract (five years, $40 million) and overspent to retain Rudy Gay, but could look to deal Mayo.
The Nets have a young core and could desperately use a versatile guard like Mayo. Considering their problems with Terrence Williams (who was sent down to the D-League for a three-game stretch as a punishment), perhaps a swap of Mayo for Williams, rookie Damien James and a cap throw-in (Quentin Ross perhaps) makes sense for both teams.
Memphis would add youth and an upgrade defensively while the Nets would gain a young shooting guard who is somewhat reminiscent of a young Ray Allen (38 percent career shooter from downtown).
Mickael Pietrus
7 of 10
Call it a hunch, but I think Orlando is going to make a huge splash this season. Even with Dwight Howard’s evolving post game, this is a weak offensive team. Rashard Lewis is one of the league’s most overpaid players, and has little value outside of his ability to stretch a defense at 6’10" and Vince Carter no longer resembles the superstar from Toronto or New Jersey.
Already the Magic have been rumored trade destinations for Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Gilbert Arenas. They may have had zero chance at landing any of those big names, but the fact that their name continued popping up tells me that GM Otis Smith is shopping around the trade market.
If Orlando hopes to make any significant upgrades to their lineup, Pietrus and his expiring contract will be a key cog. The French guard/forward is making $5.3 million in the last year of his contract, and will likely be the building block for any potential trade by the Magic.
There could be a wide variety of premier point guards on the trade block (Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Andre Miller to name a few), and Orlando may need to add one of these players if they hope to compete against Boston and Miami in the East.
On a side note, I still believe the previously mentioned trade of Jameer Nelson, Pietrus, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson and picks to Phoenix for Nash and Hedo Turkoglu is a win-win for both sides.
Wilson Chandler and Eddy Curry
8 of 10
Since Carmelo has declared that he will only sign a contract extension with New York, he has forced the hand of the Nuggets. No team in their right mind would deal away a King’s ransom for Anthony with the highly likely possibility that he would simply leave immediately via free agency. Denver, learning its lesson from Toronto and Cleveland, will deal Anthony to ensure that they don’t lose its franchise star for nothing.
Considering New York is the only legitimate trade partner, now it the perfect time to examine what Denver could request in return for ‘Melo.
Any trade would start with Eddy Curry’s expiring contract, and would likely require Wilson Chandler. The 23-year-old forward is having a career year with averages of 17, 6 and 1.7 blocks per game. The rest of the deal could see many possibilities (any combination of a first round pick, Anthony Randolph, Danilo Gallinari and/or Landry Fields).
A trade of ‘Melo to NY seems almost inevitable, and you can expect Curry and Chandler to be the foundation to any transaction.
Carmelo Anthony
9 of 10
As stated in the previous slide, ‘Melo’s willingness to only sign a contract extension with the Knicks has severely hindered the Nuggets trade options. Teams like the Rockets and Nets (who happen to have far more attractive assets than the Knicks) would never risk trading away top young talent only to see Anthony immediately leave for New York over the offseason.
The Knicks could wait until the end of the season to add Anthony without losing any talent, but with a 16-9 record and an eight-game winning streak, the Knicks are in a position to win right now. Expect the Nuggets to play hardball with the Knicks before eventually dealing their 26-year old forward.
With ‘Melo in the fold, the Knicks could be one of the East’s most competitive teams for years to come.
Chauncey Billups
10 of 10
Once ‘Melo gets dealt, it could be an all-out fire sale in Denver. The second Anthony is traded to the Knicks, the Nuggets will officially be in rebuilding mode, having little reason to keep aging veterans.
Although Chauncey Billups is having a down season (his scoring has dropped five points per game), his leadership and outside shot give him value to almost every team. Billups still has two years left on a contract that will pay him $13.5 million annually, and Denver could use the financial flexibility that a trade could bring…not to mention the young talent.
It may sound preposterous, but the Lakers may be one of Billups' ideal landing spots. With Derek Fisher at the point, the Lakers could have difficulty matching up with elite young point guards like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo and the plethora of other top points.
A package of Sasha Vujacic’s expiring $5.475 million expiring contract plus Shannon Brown and Derek Fisher would work financially, and give the Lakers one of the league’s clutchest shooters.
Admittedly, Billups at age 34 isn’t quite the same player as he was in his heyday with Detroit, but he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Many LA fans could be disgruntled if they deal Brown (who looks like he could be a 15-20 point per game scorer with starters minutes). But a lineup of Billups, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum looks too enticing to pass up.
