NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony to Nets, Orlando Magic Not Done and More
It's been a busy last few days of handling and sifting through gossip and hearsay at the NBA Rumor Mill, with actual, verifiable, concrete news creating even more of a frenzy for new information.
The Orlando Magic owned the weekend headlines in the NBA by trading for Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark while giving up Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards and Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickael Pietrus to the Phoenix Suns.
As big as those transactions were, they may just be the beginning, the tip of an iceberg of impending player movement sitting quietly below the surface, waiting patiently to distinguish the league's sinkers from its swimmers.
All of this comes, of course, as a cold spell sweeps the nation, leaving only the basketball hot stove to warm the shivering hearts of NBA fans everywhere.
As such, here's a fresh batch of rumors from around the league, just in time for the holidays.
Orlando Magic Looking For More Pieces: J.J. Redick May Be Next To Go
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As previously reported by, well, just about anyone with a computer, Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith shocked the basketball world this weekend by acquiring Gilbert Arenas from Washington while simultaneously shipping off most of his team's tradeable assets to Phoenix for other, less tradeable ones.
And while the additions of Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson should improve the Magic's offense, they don't necessarily make Orlando that much more of a title contender.
Which is really what all of this movement is about. Smith and his front office cohort in Florida are doing everything they can to make sure that star center Dwight Howard doesn't pull a LeBron James or, more relevantly to the Magic, a Shaquille O'Neal and bolt Orlando for brighter lights in a bigger city.
As such, Magic brass is doing everything within its power to bring an NBA title to Disney World so as to convince "Superman" himself that he can fulfill his dreams of basketball glory by staying put.
And they might not be done making moves yet.
While no one in Orlando will miss Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, the team, particularly its defense, may be left reeling without Mickael Pietrus, the Magic's best perimeter defender, and Marcin Gortat, Howard's primary back-up.
And without a defender on the wing to handle the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce, and with front court depth now an issue against teams like the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Magic now have myriad new holes to fill.
Hence, expect Smith, in his desperate attempt to keep hope alive in central Florida, to swap and shop more of his roster, perhaps even sharp shooter J.J. Redick, whose recent development has boosted his trade value significantly in recent months.
Houston Rockets: Yao Ming Out, Marcus Camby In?
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The Magic won't be the only team on the market for another big man before the February 24th trade deadline.
Word on the street is that Houston GM Daryl Morey thinks the Rockets have the requisite talent on the roster to make a run at the playoffs in the Western Conference, with a competent big man being the missing piece.
All-Star center Yao Ming is out for the year once again with yet another stress fracture in his foot, possibly forcing him into early retirement from basketball and the Rockets to look for his replacement.
Houston has proven that it can play defense with the best of them, so long as the team has an anchor in the middle capable of blocking shots and protecting the rim. As such, Morey would seemingly have his eyes set on the likes of New Orleans' Emeka Okafor, Dallas' Brendan Haywood, and Portland's Marcus Camby, assuming the Trailblazers decide to start over again in the rebuilding process.
However, Morey is well aware that teams that win in the playoffs also have franchise-defining stars, and that, as currently constituted, the Rockets need someone better than, say, Kevin Martin or Aaron Brooks to carry the load. Unfortunately for Houston, there just don't seem to be any such talents out there right now that the Rockets have a realistic shot at obtaining.
Carmelo Anthony: A Leap to the Brooklyn-Bound Nets?
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One superstar who does look to be on the move, just not to Texas, is Denver's Carmelo Anthony.
It's no secret that 'Melo wants to ditch the Nuggets for the East Coast, with his hometown New York Knicks being the prime target in all of this.
However, no team has tried harder to make a deal or has more valuable chips for the Nuggets with which to bargain than the team just across the Hudson–the New Jersey Nets.
The Nets tried desperately before the season to swing a four-way deal with Utah and Charlotte to get Anthony from Denver, but the deal ultimately fell through due to Anthony's unwillingness to sign an extension to stay in New Jersey.
That previous failure has seemingly only stoked New Jersey GM Billy King's desire to bring Anthony to the Meadowlands and coax him to stick around as the new face of a franchise seemingly on the move to Brooklyn, the borough of 'Melo's birth.
Last week's trade that sent away Joe Smith and Terrence Williams in return for more draft picks, combined with Denver GM Masai Ujiri's new stance of "listening aggressively" to trade offers, would seem to signal that serious talks may already be in the works once again.
The question remains, would 'Melo be willing to sign an extension with any team other than the Knicks?
Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Jordan Looking To Blow Up the Team?
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While some poorly performing teams, like the Nets, are looking like buyers, others, like the Charlotte Bobcats, are stepping firmly into the sellers' side of the trade market.
At 9-17, the Larry Brown-coached Bobcats are looking like anything but playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference despite earning the seventh seed in the East last season. As such, owner Michael Jordan and the rest of the Charlotte's front office may be eying a serious makeover for a team devoid of realistic NBA title aspirations.
Any talk of tradeable assets with the Bobcats, then, would begin and end with Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace, two players that would, in Jackson's case, bring scoring and shooting ability as well as, in Wallace's case, defense and energy on the boards.
Look for Charlotte to be mentioned as a possible conduit in three- or four-team deals over the next few months, offering Jackson and/or Wallace in exchange for young talent and draft picks.
Portland Trailblazers: An End to the Brandon Roy-Andre Miller Experiment?
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Portland may not be quite the loser that Charlotte is at this point, but it may be in the seller's bracket nonetheless.
As has seemingly been the case every year over the last few, the Trailblazers have once again been bitten hard by the injury bug in 2010, with former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden sitting out another whole season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his gimpy knee.
Meanwhile, tensions are mounting in Portland's back court, where All-Star guard Brandon Roy is reportedly clashing with jack-of-all-trades Andre Miller to the extent that Roy came to Blazers GM Rich Cho with an ultimatum:
Either he goes or I go...in a trade.
At this point, Miller makes for a much more movable piece than Roy, who, in the first year of a new five-year, $82.3 million deal, is having the worst season of his career, averaging 16.6 points per game on just under 40 percent shooting for the 14-14 Blazers. Though still only 26, Roy has lost much of his explosiveness due to recent troubles with his knee, thereby relegating him to more of a jump shooter and depressing his trade value even further.
Combine that with Miller's experience at 34, his quality play this season—13.2 points and 7.2 assists per game—and his essentially expiring contract, and it becomes clear which of the two makes for a more attractive trading chip to title-bound teams.
Should Cho decide to move Miller, and follow that up by shipping Marcus Camby out of town, the Blazers might very well be on their way to yet another shot at the rebuilding process.
Brendan Haywood: Dallas Mavericks Big Man Made to Move
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Camby may be the best big man on the market right now, but he may not be the most likely to move.
That distinction currently belongs to Dallas' Brendan Haywood.
The Mavericks signed Haywood to a six-year, $55 million deal in the off-season after acquiring him from the Washington Wizards, along with Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, midway through the 2009-2010 season.
However, Haywood has seen a serious diminution of his minutes this season, thanks to the presence of the Mavs' other big summer addition, Tyson Chandler.
Haywood's stats are down in just about every category this season—minutes, points and rebounds, in particular—which has led many to wonder whether Dallas GM Donnie Nelson hasn't already hung a big "For Sale" sign on the big man's locker.
Teams like the Rockets and the Bulls (sans Joakim Noah) are certainly in the market for a seven-footer who can block shots and pull down double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis.
Just not one who carries with him such a hefty salary cap commitment.
Thus, Haywood may be primed to go but isn't exactly priced accordingly, which could lead the Mavs and their potential trade partners into a lot of feet-dragging up until the deadline.
Steve Nash: Whats Next for Phoenix Suns Superstar?
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While the NBA is aflutter with personnel changes, Phoenix's Steve Nash remains a constant.
Double-digit assists in every game and speculation about whether or not he's headed out of town just after the final buzzer sounds.
The Suns look once again to be moving in a different direction now that Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark are out and Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickael Pietrus are in.
The addition of Gortat, in particular, has many thinking that coach Alvin Gentry will have the Suns opt for a slower style of play now that they finally have a capable and reliable big man.
However, everyone in the organization, from Gentry to president of basketball operations Lon Babby to Steve Nash himself have been adamant that Nash isn't going anywhere, with the two-time MVP even going so far as to say that he wants to stay in the desert and that he signed a two-year deal with the Suns in the summer for that reason.
And they may all very well be right. The Orlando imports could be a boon to the Sun's up-tempo style, with Gortat and Pietrus forcing turnovers on defense to fuel Phoenix's fast break and Vinsanity on the wing as a finisher.
Then again, it could all fall apart again, a la Shaq in 2008, though Nash could be the one on the way out this time around should owner Robert Sarver signal that it's time to start over.
