NBA Trade Rumors and Speculation: Trade Chips Each Team Would Like to Deal Away
The 2011 NBA Finals are over, and after one of the more exciting Finals in recent memory, it's time to start the offseason!
With the offseason comes something that I text about more than any man should, trade rumors, speculation, and basically wild-ass guesses at who is going to be moving where over the next few months.
The NBA more than any other league has an exciting trade deadline and offseason in terms of trades and speculation, so it takes up most of my time just wondering what could be in the coming months, with or without the lockout.
There is a lockout looming that could put a quick end to the speculation and player movement, but that doesn't mean we can't still talk about it, so I've gone through the whole NBA and picked a player from each team that could or should be on the move, whether he has a bad contract, is a bad fit, or just a high value around the league.
Atlanta Hawks, Josh Smith
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Trading away Josh Smith could do a handful of things for the Atlanta Hawks, who are stuck between a rock and a hard place with the future of their team.
Smith is due $25 million over the next two years. Trading him would both open up some cap space and give them either some young players or draft picks to work with to build for the future.
Boston Celtics, Jeff Green
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It seems that Boston realized they made a pretty big mistake when they traded away Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green, who didn't do very well for the Celtics in his time there.
His contract is running out, but he'll be a restricted free agent, so Boston still has the rights to re-sign him, but trading him while he still has some value may be the best option for the Celtics.
Charlotte Bobcats, Stephen Jackson
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The Charlotte Bobcats have Stephen Jackson locked up for the next two years, giving him nearly $20 million over that time. They have no need to keep him and pay him that much money.
Jackson still has enough in the tank to add a productive offensive player to a good team, possibly giving them another offensive weapon to put them over the top.
Meanwhile, Charlotte could get a few draft picks or a young player in return, aiding them in their rebuilding effort (if you call retooling a team after getting to the first round of the playoffs rebuilding).
Chicago Bulls, Carlos Boozer
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If you say to me that Carlos Boozer has been everything the Bulls expected him to be, then I might have to personally smack you in the face.
Chicago didn't foresee how much of a defensive liability Boozer would be, and they expected him to make up for his defensive shortcomings on offense, something he really hasn't done.
The Bulls have little chance of trading Boozer for something they would consider to be a good package, but with a lot of luck, they could fall face-first into a good offer.
Cleveland Cavaliers, Antawn Jamison
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The Cavs have a number of players they would consider trading for the right offer, from Ramon Sessions to Anderson Varejao and Baron Davis, but the player they would most like to get rid of is Antawn Jamison.
Jamison has absolutely no purpose on this team. His offensive game consists of him standing over in the corner and waiting for someone to pass him the ball so he can settle for a contested jumper.
Cleveland would be fine with trading him or letting his contract expire at the end of the year, getting young players or cap space; either way, they are winners at the end of the year.
Dallas Mavericks, Shawn Marion
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Shawn Marion has been one of the most important players to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, but who knows how much longer he can keep up his good play?
Marion is going on 34 with three years still left on his contract and is owed $25 million over those three years.
If they have faith that Marion can keep this up over the next three years, then by all means they should keep him; otherwise, they should try to find a team that would want him.
Denver Nuggets, Raymond Felton
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Denver has two point guards who are both capable of starting for them, so making a choice between the two and trading the other would probably be a wise move.
Ty Lawson is younger and is currently the favorite in Denver, so trading Raymond Felton for a young player or a draft pick in the offseason would be a good move in their effort to stay afloat after the departure of Carmelo Anthony.
Detroit Pistons, Rip Hamilton
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Rip Hamilton basically has a foot out the door in Detroit and will likely be a free agent by the end of July, because whoever he gets traded to will likely buy him out of his contract.
Hamilton has most recently been linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their quest to grab another pick in the draft in a few weeks.
Getting rid of Hamilton will give the Pistons some cap space, and it will give them a push in the right direction toward rebuilding.
Golden State Warriors, Monta Ellis
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For the past year, there has been a debate in Oakland over which of their smooth-moving, slick-scoring guards they should hold onto, and which they should trade away.
Well, the debate has almost come to a close as it seems the Warriors have started entertaining offers for Monta Ellis, most recently in a deal for Andre Iguodala.
Houston Rockets, Brad Miller
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Brad Miller is fat, old, nonathletic and has almost no basketball skill left in his body, but he does have two years left on his contract, giving him $10 million over that time.
Miller is still a big man, and he can hit a three from time to time, so it's not impossible to think there are teams that might like to have him out there on the floor in their second units.
Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger
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Much like the debate over the guards in Golden State, there is a debate over the future of the Indiana Pacers.
Many people think Darren Collison will be the man to wager the future of the Pacers on, and he has shown steady improvement to back that belief up.
Meanwhile, Danny Granger (who is the Pacers current star player) is probably hitting his peak right now and is at the maximum value possible.
There are bound to be a handful of teams out there that would want a borderline All-Star small forward who should be productive for the next three years or so enough to give a first-round pick and a young player or two in return.
Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Kaman
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Another man that has been involved in trade rumors in the past few weeks is Chris Kaman, who is a 29-year-old center who has hit his peak.
Los Angeles is looking to make DeAndre Jordan their center of the future, and they want to give him the starting job, making Kaman expendable.
Kaman is owed $12 million this year, and they seem to think they can get more out of trading him than they can from getting cap space from his expiring contract at the end of the year.
Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest
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It is obvious after the last few months of basketball that Ron Artest is running out of juice and doesn't realize it as much as the rest of the world.
Artest is signed through 2014 and there is very little likelihood that he will be productive until then, and he could be included in a trade for a young player if another team is willing to take on the contract.
Memphis Grizzlies, OJ Mayo
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The Grizzlies basically traded OJ Mayo at the trade deadline, they just didn't call it in in time, so they had to keep him.
He worked out pretty well for the team in the final months of the season and in the playoffs, which really caught everyone off guard, which may have made him more valuable to the rest of the league.
Mayo appears to have matured in just a few months and got back on track in terms of productivity, making him a valuable piece to move.
Miami Heat, Mike Miler, but Probably Nobody
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Miami pretty obviously spent a bit too much on Mike Miller, who is shooting just 30 percent for three in the postseason and just 34 percent overall.
The Heat would probably move Miller if the right offer came up, but they only have six players who were actually on their team this year under contract for next year.
Otherwise, they have three young, unproven players and two old dudes with player options.
Milwaukee Bucks, John Salmons
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John Salmons should be arrested for what he did to the Bucks, playing an amazing half-a-year in the second half of the 2009-10 season and then signing a five-year contract worth nearly $40 million.
There will likely be few suitors for Milwaukee and what they will offer won't be anything spectacular, but they could get a good player if they take on an even worse contract than Salmons'.
Minnesota Timberwolves, Jonny Flynn
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Jonny Flynn just had one of the worst seasons in the history of the NBA, and it may be time for them to get rid of the young guard with Ricky Rubio finally coming over to the States.
Flynn has shown that he can have a good game now and then, but he isn't worth the time or effort anymore, especially after having such a bad year on both ends of the floor.
It would be best to give another team a shot at turning him around and putting their eggs into the Rubio basket.
New Jersey Nets, Travis Outlaw
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The most Travis Outlaw had made in his career prior to the 2010 season was $4 million.
So naturally, after having what could be called the fourth-best season of his then seven-year career, he deserves a five-year, $35 million deal.
That's not to say that Outlaw is a bad player, it's just to say that he's overpaid. A good team might take a chance on him with his ability to hit the long ball in exchange for a draft pick.
New Orleans Hornets, Jarrett Jack
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Jarrett Jack has been traded twice over the past three years, so there is obviously a market for the guy out there, he just doesn't make much sense with the Hornets.
Jack can help a good playoff team off the bench, and with his decent-sized contract, some cap space could clear up for New Orleans.
New York Knicks, Chauncey Billups
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Chauncey Billups has a large expiring contract ($14 million), and if they are willing to give that up, they could get their hat into the ring for either Chris Paul or Dwight Howard if they end up going onto the trade block.
Otherwise, they could trade Billups for some youngish emerging players from a team looking to start rebuilding (some sort of Ramon Sessions and Anderson Varejao package from Cleveland would be moderately priced).
Oklahoma City Thunder, Byron Mullens
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I mostly just want to see this guy out of the league, but if the trade Houston made for Hasheem Thabeet has shown the league anything, it's that size sells, no matter the talent or relative "soft-ness" of the player involved.
Mullens could be included in some sort of package for another young player to add to their roster or a draft pick down the line.
Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard
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He doesn't seem to want to come back, and there is a huge amount of interest out there for the big man, so there is no time like the present to trade Howard.
They can almost certainly get Andrew Bynum and a nice package of draft picks and cap relief for Howard, or they could start a bidding war between the Lakers and Knicks for his services.
Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala
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There is a lot of interest out there for Andre Iguodala now that he has transformed himself into a stellar defender to go along with his ability to get to the basket.
Rumors have been abounding that they could ship Iggy to California in a deal for either Monta Ellis or Chris Kaman, either of which would be a nice play for the Sixers.
Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash
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Steve Nash has been unbelievably loyal to the Suns, and now they need to do a solid for him and trade him to a contender.
Nash is the only thing holding the Suns together at this point, but keeping him is doing nothing for the future of their team, especially compared to what trading him could do for them.
For Nash they could easily get multiple draft picks and a young player or two that would jump-start their rebuilding period.
Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden
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The most popular and diverse trade scenario out there has been what the Trail Blazers could do in a sign-and-trade with Greg Oden.
It's hard to find a team that wouldn't like to take a crack at the big man with ailing knees, but the Blazers just need to decide whether they want to give him yet another chance or give him a fresh start somewhere else.
He needs a fresh start, and he needs to go to a team with a better history of big men, as Portland probably has the rockiest past when it comes to big men.
Sacramento Kings, Beno Udrih
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Beno Udrih is a decent point guard, and he could be a serviceable backup on a playoff team, but while he is on Sacramento, all he is doing is taking up cap space.
Sacramento could deal him and his $14 million over the next two years (the second year is a player option, which I guarantee he takes) in a package for a first-rounder, or just ship him off for a second-round pick.
San Antonio Spurs, Richard Jefferson
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The Spurs have a major need to get young, and fast, but having Richard Jefferson under contract until 2014 won't help solve that problem at all.
They could easily move him to a young up-and-coming team in need of a veteran presence, either starting for a few years or off the bench for that whole time, for a first-round draft pick or a few young players.
Toronto Raptors, Linas Kleiza
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Linas Kleiza is a decent player and could turn into a good role player for a contender, but right now he is just eating up cap space for the Raptors.
It may not be a sexy move, but moving him could clear up some cap space, or they could send him away in a package deal for a few players or a draft pick.
Utah Jazz, Devin Harris
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Devin Harris is not the point guard everyone thought he could be a few years ago, and he is probably never going to get back to that peak.
New Jersey noticed that and decided he was expendable; now Utah needs to do the same.
They need to move him to a playoff team before his value dips too low, and they could potentially get two draft picks out of him or a few young players with some great potential.
Washington Wizards, Andray Blatche
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Ladies and gentlemen, my least favorite player in the NBA!
Andray Blatche is everything I hate in the NBA. He is a stat chaser, he rarely gives his all on defense, and he is overpaid (over $29 million for the next four years), yet there is still a market for the guy out there.
Maybe it's because he's still relatively young, maybe nobody watches Washington play, but teams still seem to have a non-negative view of ol' Andray.
They could potentially send him away for a couple second-round draft picks, maybe a first-rounder or a young player with some potential.
