NBA Trade Rumors, Speculation and Free Agents: Latest News & Buzz for Every Team

Now that we are fully into the NBA offseason and the NBA lockout, there is no better time for speculation.

Several trades were made on draft night while several more will occur after the lockout.

Some teams have a high priority on moving top notch talent, while others are content on their current roster.

With so much speculation and rumors flying around, no one can truly know what is going on at all times.

Let's take a look at trade speculation for all 30 NBA teams.

Minnesota Timberwolves

After the T-Wolves drafted Derrick Williams with the second overall pick, many speculated that Beasley would most likely be shipped out as a result.

With the latest incident involving Michael Beasley, it appears the Minnesota Timberwolves are stuck with the troubled forward for the foreseeable future.

Just a few weeks ago, the Timberwolves' leading scorer was cited for marijuana possession while speeding around 3 a.m. in Minnesota. If this incident didn’t destroy Beasley’s trade value enough, then I can’t imagine what will.

This scenario isn’t much of a rumor, rather the chances of a trade being completely crushed. Beasley and the Timberwolves will have to be looking for serious help this offseason.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Now that the Thunder have resigned veteran center Nazr Mohammed for one more season, the Thunder are left with a surplus of centers.

Many wonder what can and will be done with youngsters like Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens.

Aldrich was the first-round pick of the Thunder last year and will likely start the season as the third center off the bench.

However, if the Thunder aren’t pleased with his progress, don’t be surprised if general manager Sam Presti looks for other options.

Perkins, Mohammed and Aldrich are all defensive centers and have little offensive skills. Since the Thunder are in need of bench scoring, trading Aldrich for a viable shooting guard or small forward off the bench is a serious option.

Miami Heat

With a glaring need for a center, the Miami Heat could once again evaluate Eddy Curry as a possible option. Certainly, Curry will need to lose some serious weight, but the big man could still impose his will down low.

Besides Joel Anthony, Miami’s centers are very old and can’t play serious minutes night in and night out.

Curry is one of those players that never quite put it all together, and a stint in Miami with the “Big Three” would give him one more chance to do so.

With little to lose, the Miami Heat could easily sign Eddy Curry to a non-guaranteed contract once the lockout is over.

Golden State Warriors

Some of the biggest offseason buzz has come from the Golden State front office. Early rumors had Monta Ellis on the trade block with a price tag of a wing or a center.

Now that Mark Jackson is the new head man with the Warriors, it is hard to tell what direction he will take the team in.

Maybe Jackson likes Ellis and wants to keep him, or maybe Jackson thinks Ellis is a problem and needs to be shipped out? Whatever the case, teams will certainly come calling for Ellis’ services.

Names like Iguodala, Kaman and Gay might surface once the lockout is lifted.

New Jersey Nets

Deron Williams made national headlines by signing with a team in Turkey just last week. The deal goes for one year and $5 million, meaning Williams' time could be well spent overseas.

However, new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov can’t be happy about this. Prokhorov and the Nets need Williams to be the franchise player—somebody other players can depend on.

Now that Williams is ready to take his game overseas pending a long-term lockout, management has to get an uneasy sense about Williams.

Williams could just be doing this as a backup plan; all the while, he could be sending a message to the Nets front office.

New Jersey will need to tread with caution if they want to keep their star point guard in New Jersey.

San Antonio Spurs

After a season where the Spurs finished with the best overall record, handled teams in the regular season and then just flopped in the first round against the Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs could begin the 2011 season on the wrong foot.

According to an interview done by TN.com, Ginobili has hinted that retirement is a serious option.

Ginobili, nearly 34 years old, has just two years remaining on his deal. I hate to be a pessimist towards the Spurs, but it really seems like their ship has sailed.

Tim Duncan is far from the player he used to be, and with a rapid decline in minutes, will unlikely ever come close again.

While Ginobili will unlikely retire anytime soon, a lengthy lockout can only advance the problem for San Antonio.

Philadelphia 76ers

All the buzz surrounding the 76ers has involved Andre Iguodala and the team's willingness to shop him. After an injury-riddled season in Philadelphia, it appears the 76ers are looking to move Iguodala and his big contract.

Iguodala has seen his points per game numbers shrink over the past few years, all the while his assists per game have rose. These stat trends mean Iguodala is likely slowing down and learning how to play within himself, which indicates why his assists are up.

Draft week rumors included Iguodala being traded for Lamar Odom, a possibility that was shot down relatively quick.

While the Iguodala rumors have slowed down with the lockout, fully expect the 76ers front office to keep looking for potential suitors.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers made a very “Clipper-esque” move this season. While trading Baron Davis, the Clippers also threw in their unprotected first-round pick for Mo Williams of Cleveland.

Since the Clippers seemingly can never do anything right, it came as little surprise that their first-round draft pick ended up being the No. 1 overall pick for Cleveland.

Now that the “Paper Clips” have taken another franchise blow, they still need to move forward with their major pieces Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.

Los Angeles has widely been shopping Chris Kaman, who had a less-than-stellar season in 2010.

Expect the Clippers to target a wing, point guard, center or even more draft picks in exchange for Kaman.

Phoenix Suns

For almost the entire 2010-2011 season, all of the trade speculation involving the Phoenix Suns centered around one name. That name is future Hall of Famer Steve Nash.

While the Suns weren’t exactly shopping Nash, there was a general consensus around the league that he was available for the right price.

Steve Nash is certainly in his last few years in the league, but with his basketball IQ and toughness, he can definitely help another team out.

If Nash were to be traded anywhere this year, expect it to be to a contender that has young talent in return.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies were easily one of the most exciting teams in the NBA this year.

After pulling off an almost unthinkable series upset over the No. 1 seed San Antonio Spurs, the Grizzlies signed Zach Randolph to a long-term extension.

Since the Grizzlies were able to pull off such a great playoff performance without Gay, many speculated that Gay and his mega contract could be traded.

Potential suitors for Gay could be the Clippers, Warriors, Lakers, 76ers and Suns.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are amidst a major rebuilding project. The Pistons have a complete hodge podge of talent and experience.

Detroit has veterans like Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace. They also have youngsters like Greg Monroe, Rodney Stuckey, and newly drafted point guard Brandon Knight.

Considering their mix of youth and experience, it’s very likely that the Pistons will overhaul the roster soon.

Richard Hamilton rumors swirled nearly the entire 2010 season and will likely continue in 2011. With his expensive contract, some sort of buyout will likely be completed once he is traded.

If you’re a betting person, go to Vegas and bet that the Pistons will trade Prince and Hamilton for as much youth as possible.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are chock full of mediocre players that have never been able to live up to their potential.

For example, guys like Tyler Hansbrough, Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush were all seemingly drafted higher than their current value.

Indiana is loaded on the wing and has seven different players who can play the two or three position. Since Danny Granger takes the majority of the small forward minutes, Larry Bird and the Pacers are likely to unload some of those guys.

The Pacers don’t have any one specific need but rather need to add depth at every position.

Larry Bird has always been conservative in trade talks, so don’t expect Indiana to hit the market running right off the bat.

Milwaukee Bucks

After the Bucks participated in a three-team deal on draft night, Milwaukee may be one team that is done dealing for now.

Milwaukee shipped out John Salmons and Corey Maggette while receiving Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and Beno Udrih.

The Bucks also landed Tennessee forward Tobias Harris and Wisconsin forward Jon Leuer on draft night.

With incredible depth being added on draft day, the Bucks are now in a good position to return to the playoffs in the 2011 season.

Milwaukee runs about two deep at every position, so little tweaks may be the only action the Bucks make in 2011.

Dallas Mavericks

Like most championship teams do, the Dallas Mavericks would love to keep their core of players together for next season.

Also like other championship teams do, the Mavs will look to tweak their roster to make solid improvement.

That tweaking may have already occurred. On draft night, the Mavs traded for Portland Trail Blazers versatile swingman Rudy Fernandez.

Fernandez has the ability to impact the game in many ways and really knows how to score the ball.

Unless Dallas is unable to resign center Tyson Chandler, then you should expect the Mavs to sit tight on their roster.

Barring injuries, the Dallas Mavericks will look very similar in 2011.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are in an “in-between” stage right now. They are on the verge of playoff contention, all the while they could begin a rebuilding phase overnight.

The latest news out of Houston is that franchise center Yao Ming has officially announced his retirement.

Without Yao, the Rockets are in serious need of a center. The only centers on Houston’s roster are undersized Chuck Hayes along with overhyped Hasheem Thabeet.

Houston isn’t full of high-value trade players, but they have enough to warrant a decent center on the trade market.

Whether the Rockets decide to hit free agency or the trade market will be up to the new Houston management.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are one team with very little trade speculation going on.  Being a veteran-filled team, the Celtics don’t have a ton of holes that need to be filled.

One hole that does need to be filled is the center position. With the departure of Shaquille O’Neal, Boston is now down to just Jermaine O’Neal and Nenad Kristic at center.

General manager Danny Ainge put Boston in a tough predicament after he traded Semih Erden and Luke Harangody for a mere second-round pick before the trade deadline.

Danny Ainge needs to dig Boston out of this hole by acquiring a younger center who can handle his own down low.

Expect Boston to aquire a lower end young center who can help them down low next year.

New York Knicks

Like the Celtics, the New York Knicks are seriously looking for a legitimate center.

Outside of New York’s top three players, there is really little value in trade bait. Guys like Toney Douglas and Landry Fields have good market value, but it’s unclear if New York wants to part with these youngsters.

New York really needs a center so Amar’e Stoudemire can slide over to his more natural power forward position.

Expect the Knicks to make a hard run at any and every viable center available on the trade market once the lockout is lifted

Toronto Raptors

At this point, the Toronto Raptors are mathematically the least involved team in trade talks.

Team President Bryan Colangelo is currently in the process of finding the team a general manager to replace himself.

Colangelo did a solid job as general manager for the Raptors, acquiring young talent like Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis and DeMar DeRozan.

Whoever gets the job in Toronto has a long road of rebuilding and finding more young talent in front of them.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are probably the most interesting team on the trade circuit. They have a lot of valuable assets, while it’s unclear who exactly they want to trade.

Major names like Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have all been discussed as guys who could be moved.

During the week of the draft, rumors circulated that Los Angeles was prepared to ship out Lamar Odom for Andre Iguodala. Trade talks fell through and Odom will remain a Laker for now.

The Lakers don’t have a particular need, rather it seems they just want to shake things up.

Kobe Bryant has played a boat load of minutes, and a change of personnel to keep him energized could be in line.

Jerry Buss can be a risky owner, so the possibilities of several players being moved could very well happen.

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings have a problem on their hands that doesn’t involve trade talks.

The Kings' organization will have to figure out how one ball can be shared by Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton, John Salmons and Jimmer Fredette.

Literally every single one of those guys loves to have the ball in their hands, so finding a way to share it could be an issue.

Sacramento is loaded with young talent and seems set for a good future.

Trading probably isn’t their priority right now, but adding a veteran piece or falling into a great deal could be in the cards.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have had a glaring need at shooting guard for over a season.

Keith Bogans is an offensive liability, Kyle Korver gets exploited on defense, and Ronnie Brewer simply can’t put it all together.

If the Bulls can find a shooting guard on the trade market, Chicago could easily make their way to the NBA Finals next year.

However, putting together players to find a shooting guard could be tough. The Bulls are pretty much one or two deep at every position and don’t have a ton of wiggle room.

The bottom-line reads Chicago has to make something happen if they want to become the team they are capable of.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs are amidst a drastic rebuilding process. After the departure of LeBron James last summer, Cleveland was left with very little.

Cleveland began the process by acquiring two of the top four picks, which landed them Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.

After loading up in the draft, Cleveland decided to part with JJ Hickson for Omri Casspi and Sacramento’s 2012 first-round pick.

If there is any indication for Cleveland’s immediate plans, it appears as though they are getting draft ready.

The 2012 draft should be loaded with talent, so Cleveland might load up with even more draft picks.

New Orleans Hornets

There is literally and obviously only one big trade rumor going on in New Orleans these days.

That rumor involves the impending departure of Chris Paul.

Chris Paul has all but indicated that he will leave town and likely follow the trend of Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony.

New Orleans has very few assets that will keep Paul around after this season, just another indication he will leave.

The only thing left to figure out is what exactly New Orleans will get in return for Paul.

Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta is one of the Eastern Conference teams that are one big step behind the Celtics, Bulls and Heat.

They have many good pieces, but no elite all world players like LeBron James or Derrick Rose.

A major trade would have to occur for any of Atlanta’s major parts to be moved.

If the Hawks are able to move Josh Smith for a guy like Lamar Odom or Andre Iguodala, they may have themselves in the top East conversation.

Atlanta might become desperate during this year, which would warrant a big-time deal that could shake up the NBA.

Charlotte Bobcats

With Michael Jordan as the owner, who can really know what Charlotte is going to do?

The Bobcats traded away easily their best player on draft night in Stephen Jackson and made out with just Corey Maggette.

Now that the Bobcats have put themselves in a big hole, it will be interesting to see what they do next.

The Bobcats selected point guard of the future Kemba Walker and the offensively inept defensive specialist Bismack Biyombo.

Anyone saying they know what Charlotte will do next is pure speculation.

Charlotte is strong at no position, so at this point, don’t be surprised if everyone is available via trade.

Orlando Magic

Just like the New Orleans Hornets, the only speculation coming out of Orlando revolves around one person.

Unless you have been living in a cave over the past year, you know that Dwight Howard has been the topic of many trade talks.

Though Dwight Howard is the main person of discussion, virtually any other member of the Magic is up for grabs.

Orlando needs to get desperate to keep Dwight Howard long term, and it all starts with becoming creative in trade talks.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have done a great job of developing their roster over the past two years.

After acquiring the first pick in 2010, the Wizards selected super fast point guard John Wall. This year, Washington selected Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton in the first round.

With a bright looking future, Washington may decide to part with some troublesome players.

One of the more surprising players to stay in the nation’s capital over the past few years is power forward Andray Blatche.

Blatche plays the game at a very high level but doesn’t appear to be the most mature person in the NBA.

If Washington can land a decent offer for Blatche, they will likely pull the trigger and continue to look towards the future.

Denver Nuggets

Just one offseason removed from the biggest trade in franchise history, it would easily sound like the Nuggets would lay low this year.

They have good young pieces like Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov and Arron Afflalo.

Denver also possesses veterans like Kenyon Martin, Chris Anderson, Al Harrington and Andre Miller.

The one thing Denver does not have as of now is Nene. The big man from Brazil opted for free agency, and Denver could have a tough time resigning him.

If Denver is able to resign Nene they would be left with very little financial room, which means they are one team unlikely to hit the trade market.

Portland Trail Blazers

Unfortunately for Blazers fans, Portland has been one of the most injury-riddled teams in recent memory.

Guys like Greg Oden, Marcus Camby and Brandon Roy have all sustained major injuries over the past few seasons.

Now that Oden and Roy appear to be far from the players they were supposed to be, Portland will have to make the most of what they have.

What they have is LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton.

Portland will continue to build around those pieces in 2011 while also look for available steals in the trade market like Gerald Wallace was last year.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are one of the most underachieving teams in the NBA. They are chock full of talent and couldn’t do anything with it last year.

After undergoing a transition at head coach, the Jazz lost their star point guard Deron Williams in exchange for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and draft picks.

Now that the Jazz landed Turkish prize Enes Kanter and Colorado stud Alec Burks, Utah should be serious about results in 2011.

There are no serious trade rumors now, but with so many talented players on the roster, anyone could be moved.