Ever since December 16th, NBA fans and executives have started to ponder about the possibility of different trade scenarios. Though this may be a mind rattling time for certain players who are amidst of these rumors, as the saying goes “it’s strictly business.”
There are quite a few teams who are looking to strike a deal prior to the NBA trade deadline. Many reasons will surface for why teams would decide to shake up their roster. The most obvious of reasons is because the team is rebuilding or is in a losing situation. Teams like the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Kings, Nets, Knicks and Hornets are all likely candidates to make a move.
The Nets, Kings and Hornets are more likely trying to remain competitive so only a trade or two would be in the works. The Nets have been rumored to be shopping virtually everyone on their roster which includes Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. Brooklyn hasn’t had much success with their previous rosters and paid an enormous amount of luxury tax last year for having too much salary. They weren’t able to capitalize on the roster they put together, but were also plagued with injury.
Nets will likely trade 2 pieces in the hopes to improve on their roster. If you watch them play live, you can sense that they have given up on the season. Joe Johnson has repeatedly bashed his teammates for their selfish play and he may not be so far off to say that. With a losing record, the Nets desperately need to shake things up.
One other team rumored to moving some pieces are the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have two pieces who are of interest to NBA executives in Green and Rondo. Both these players are more than capable to play at a high level and could be a valuable add to a team looking to contend for the Championship. However, they are rumored to be asking too much for either one of these players. Rightfully so, the Celtics are demanding high draft picks in order to sway them to trade one of these players. The Clippers, Grizzlies and Rockets are all rumored to be in talks for Green, while the Lakers, Rockets and Mavericks have inquired about Rondo.
If any of these teams were to acquire these players, they will position themselves closer to the illustrious title.
The Knicks are having an abysmal year to say the least. After signing Melo, Fisher and Jackson to the team, they have been struggling to create success under the triangle offense. They did not have a great team to begin with so there really isn’t much to fathom. Melo cannot do it all by himself and Fisher just doesn’t have the right roster or players with the right work ethic to make things right. New York is rumored to be shopping everyone on the team with the exception of Melo. Perhaps Anthony is now realizing that he probably should have gone to the Windy City instead.
New York does have some expiring contracts that they can use as bait and will most likely try to include JR Smith in the mix. If they can unload a few players and get some value in return, it could be enough to convince future free agents to sign with the Knicks this upcoming summer. The Knicks have a lot of work to do and it starts with shaking up the roster.
Another team who is struggling to make things work are the Detroit Pistions. They do have some talented players, but perhaps the chemistry and work ethic just isn’t there. Brandon Jennings is as inconsistent as ever and the Pistons have a terrible situation with a lock-jam in their frontcourt. They are most likely trying to trade Smith, Jennings and Monroe and will build around Drummond. Drummond is definitely the future of Detroit and it just makes sense to build around their potential superstar center.
