The past two weeks have felt like we’ve been in the eye of the storm, with the All Star game representing an off-center halfway point in fantasy leagues, only to be followed up by Trade Deadline Week – which is normally a whirlwind of activity and fantasy value swaps. To date, though, the run up to the deadline has been relatively quiet. We’ve seen things play out like this and turn into an all-out frenzy, so owners shouldn’t let their guard down. We’re going to take you through the deadline, with Ryan Knaus giving you a list of top stashes in the next 24 hours, and then we’ll pick up with deadline-specific updates on Wednesday, Thursday morning, and we’ll bust out the winners and losers moments after the final bell rings.
You can click here to follow me on Twitter, and be sure to go to our NBA home page and follow the entire crew as the tweets will be flying a mile per minute, or so the legend goes.
TODAY IN JOSH SMITH
Josh Smith is far and away the biggest name on the trade block with the most action in the rumor mill. There are nine teams with reported interest and probably a few that I’m missing for whatever reason, and let’s get the lower likelihood teams out of the way first. Those would be the Bobcats, Wizards and Sixers, and the fact is we don’t know for sure how any of these teams stack up because it still feels like the league is in a feeling out period for Smith’s market. On the other hand, Marc Stein reported that he’s hearing that the Hawks may look to move him sooner rather than later, and though it’s less pronounced than dominos from years’ past, don’t be surprised if the trade market loosens up once Smith’s future is tabbed.
The big players here are (in no specific order) the Nets, Suns, Mavs, Spurs, Bucks, and Celtics. Each of these teams carries some advantage in the storyline, ranging from speculation to multiple reports outlining their interest.
For instance Bucks beat writer Gery Woelfel, a sneaky good source of info, has named the Celtics the primary landing spot for Smith, despite his Bucks having the best trade chips I’ve seen in the form of Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Ersan Ilyasova and Samuel Dalembert. Dalembert and Ellis are the more likely plays if the Bucks can procure a deal, but their fear is that Smith won’t re-sign with them over the summer when he’s a free agent. Still, the Hawks are reportedly looking for a young center in the deal, and though Dalembert isn’t exactly that he would give Al Horford a long-awaited move to his preferred power forward slot.
As for the Celtics, Sherrod Blakley reported that they’re not interested in a 2-for-1 sending Jeff Green and Brandon Bass to Atlanta for Smith, because as he put it they don’t have enough bodies right now as is. My guess is that if the Celtics can convince Smith to sign that they’d have no problem offloading Green’s contract to see if Doc Rivers can get through to a frustrating and talented player.
Chris Broussard reported that the Hawks may believe that the Nets’ theoretic offer of MarShon Brooks and Kris Humphries is the best that they can do, but his reports have smelled like Smoove’s agent picking the team with the largest coffers for a timely leak. Because the Nets’ tandem of mediocre players isn’t likely to cause Danny Ferry to trade Smith, the Nets are widely believed to be seeking a third team if they’re going to do this deal. That team has been rumored to be the Spurs, who may also be interested in Smith as a playoff run rental, though Yahoo! Sports reported that the Spurs may not want to disrupt chemistry with a mid-season blockbuster. On the other hand, Gregg Popovich profiles as a guy that could make it all work, and I’d call the Spurs a legit dark horse candidate to make a deal work.
Some combination of Tiago Splitter, Danny Green, DeJuan Blair, Stephen Jackson, and Manu Ginobili heading out for Smith and Al Jefferson coming in would be a dream scenario that I don’t want you guys putting a lot of stock in – that’s just my imagination running wild.
The Mavs have held internal talks about Smith according to reliable Ken Berger, who added that he had a hunch Dallas would get involved here. Indeed, Mark Cuban profiles as a guy dying to make a splash right about now. The real question there is whether or not he can put together the assets that Ferry will want to make a deal work.
The Suns have assets in Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley and Markieff Morris that would immediately best the Nets’ offer, but whether or not Smith will want to go play for a team that is so shallow is the question of the day there.
The Hawks appear more likely to trade Smith than not, and there is still some fading talk that they might use Smith as bait to lure Dwight Howard to Atlanta over the summer. There is also a theory floating out there that the team is using this trade deadline to show Smith what his true value is after he declared that he was a max player.
Fantasy owners should rank his expected fantasy value by location as follows, and keep in mind that the situation is fluid (best to worst): Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston, Washington, Dallas, San Antonio, Brooklyn.
I believe I mentioned this last week, but if not I’ll say it right now, owners can approach this situation from both sides of the equation. A sell-high offer for current owners is a strong play right now as Smith currently enjoys a freedom to play his brand of head-scratching basketball in Atlanta with little competition for touches. As he moves into scenarios with more depth, his value will swing accordingly even if his floor will remain relatively stable barring a complete meltdown over his final destination.
On the other end, as long as owners are aware of his year-to-date third and seventh round value in 8- and 9-cat leagues, which is dragged down by shooting issues and turnovers, and can convince an owner to disregard his name value and ADP – then there is room to buy low here with all of the panic out there about his future. A buy low bet here can be justified by the likelihood that his floor remains in a workable range, and there’s always a chance that he irons out the efficiency issues playing in a system like San Antonio that demands accountability.
FOUR’S A CROWD
If fantasy owners want to concentrate on one team’s trade rumblings, the Jazz and their frontcourt would be a great place to start. With two top-3 draft picks waiting in the wings in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, and two veterans in Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson that have been in the rumor mill all season long – there is an extremely good chance that this Jazz quartet turns into a trio. From the Jazz’s perspective, they would be thrilled if they could unload Jefferson as it would leave sizes small, medium, and large to round out a solid three-man rotation. Unfortunately, the marketplace for Jefferson is softer than it is for Millsap, because the former can’t play defense and costs twice as much as the latter as both are in the last year of their contracts. Jefferson is also heading into the twilight of his career as his body breaks down while Millsap, similarly aged, has no such problems and is in his prime.
The Suns have replaced the Spurs as the flavor of the day for Jefferson, as Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley have been dangled. The Suns have also expressed interest in Gordon Hayward, which is a bit of wishful thinking since the Jazz have Hayward all-but locked into their future plans. The Spurs would be a bit of a downgrade for Jefferson, and while I laid out a purely speculative scenario earlier the San Antonio News-Express moved quickly to denounce the idea that this was a possibility. A move to Phoenix would be likely be a neutral move for Jefferson, so owners can more or less play him straight down the middle until the next crop of rumors pops up.
As for Millsap, he has been linked to both the Nets and the Clippers, and both teams can be considered legitimate landing spots even if the deals have problems as of right now. The Nets have only floated an offer of Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks, which isn’t going to get the job done. That said, they are reportedly more interested in Millsap than Josh Smith, because they feel it will be easier to get done.
The Clippers reportedly have mutual interest in Millsap in a deal including Eric Bledsoe, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the Clippers are going to keep pursuing an unlikely Kevin Garnett and/or Paul Pierce deal first. They also have designs on holding Bledsoe until they can get an indication from Chris Paul about his willingness to re-sign, though this writer believes they won’t be able to have their cake and eat it, too.
Millsap might have the same problems in Brooklyn he has in Utah where touches often get gobbled up by Jefferson, as Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace are already eating into each others’ production. Should Millsap land in L.A., he would face a similar rotation squeeze but benefit from playing with Chris Paul. Millsap has picked it up as of late, and I’ll be viewing him as a hold with only slight risks of a downgrade in the current trade scenarios. Millsap also has an outside chance of landing in a new scenario that is less clogged, or staying in Utah with Jefferson on the way out. In fact, owners may be able to snag Millsap in a buy low deal if his current owner is fearful that a trade sends him the wrong direction.
Favors should be owned in all leagues right now for the chance he explodes after the deadline, and I’ve been adding Kanter everywhere I can for the chance he benefits from a trade of either Millsap or Jefferson. I’m also moving on Bledsoe for the chance he can land in a place like Boston or Utah and take over as the signal caller.
DeAndre Jordan is also reportedly clashing with Vinny Del Negro, and both he and Caron Butler would be a part of any deal with Boston. Both would stand to benefit from a move, but with that deal in the unlikely stage, owners will only want to give them added consideration if a deal gets closer to consummation.
The past two weeks have felt like we’ve been in the eye of the storm, with the All Star game representing an off-center halfway point in fantasy leagues, only to be followed up by Trade Deadline Week – which is normally a whirlwind of activity and fantasy value swaps. To date, though, the run up to the deadline has been relatively quiet. We’ve seen things play out like this and turn into an all-out frenzy, so owners shouldn’t let their guard down. We’re going to take you through the deadline, with Ryan Knaus giving you a list of top stashes in the next 24 hours, and then we’ll pick up with deadline-specific updates on Wednesday, Thursday morning, and we’ll bust out the winners and losers moments after the final bell rings.
You can click here to follow me on Twitter, and be sure to go to our NBA home page and follow the entire crew as the tweets will be flying a mile per minute, or so the legend goes.
TODAY IN JOSH SMITH
Josh Smith is far and away the biggest name on the trade block with the most action in the rumor mill. There are nine teams with reported interest and probably a few that I’m missing for whatever reason, and let’s get the lower likelihood teams out of the way first. Those would be the Bobcats, Wizards and Sixers, and the fact is we don’t know for sure how any of these teams stack up because it still feels like the league is in a feeling out period for Smith’s market. On the other hand, Marc Stein reported that he’s hearing that the Hawks may look to move him sooner rather than later, and though it’s less pronounced than dominos from years’ past, don’t be surprised if the trade market loosens up once Smith’s future is tabbed.
The big players here are (in no specific order) the Nets, Suns, Mavs, Spurs, Bucks, and Celtics. Each of these teams carries some advantage in the storyline, ranging from speculation to multiple reports outlining their interest.
For instance Bucks beat writer Gery Woelfel, a sneaky good source of info, has named the Celtics the primary landing spot for Smith, despite his Bucks having the best trade chips I’ve seen in the form of Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Ersan Ilyasova and Samuel Dalembert. Dalembert and Ellis are the more likely plays if the Bucks can procure a deal, but their fear is that Smith won’t re-sign with them over the summer when he’s a free agent. Still, the Hawks are reportedly looking for a young center in the deal, and though Dalembert isn’t exactly that he would give Al Horford a long-awaited move to his preferred power forward slot.
As for the Celtics, Sherrod Blakley reported that they’re not interested in a 2-for-1 sending Jeff Green and Brandon Bass to Atlanta for Smith, because as he put it they don’t have enough bodies right now as is. My guess is that if the Celtics can convince Smith to sign that they’d have no problem offloading Green’s contract to see if Doc Rivers can get through to a frustrating and talented player.
Chris Broussard reported that the Hawks may believe that the Nets’ theoretic offer of MarShon Brooks and Kris Humphries is the best that they can do, but his reports have smelled like Smoove’s agent picking the team with the largest coffers for a timely leak. Because the Nets’ tandem of mediocre players isn’t likely to cause Danny Ferry to trade Smith, the Nets are widely believed to be seeking a third team if they’re going to do this deal. That team has been rumored to be the Spurs, who may also be interested in Smith as a playoff run rental, though Yahoo! Sports reported that the Spurs may not want to disrupt chemistry with a mid-season blockbuster. On the other hand, Gregg Popovich profiles as a guy that could make it all work, and I’d call the Spurs a legit dark horse candidate to make a deal work.
Some combination of Tiago Splitter, Danny Green, DeJuan Blair, Stephen Jackson, and Manu Ginobili heading out for Smith and Al Jefferson coming in would be a dream scenario that I don’t want you guys putting a lot of stock in – that’s just my imagination running wild.
The Mavs have held internal talks about Smith according to reliable Ken Berger, who added that he had a hunch Dallas would get involved here. Indeed, Mark Cuban profiles as a guy dying to make a splash right about now. The real question there is whether or not he can put together the assets that Ferry will want to make a deal work.
The Suns have assets in Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley and Markieff Morris that would immediately best the Nets’ offer, but whether or not Smith will want to go play for a team that is so shallow is the question of the day there.
The Hawks appear more likely to trade Smith than not, and there is still some fading talk that they might use Smith as bait to lure Dwight Howard to Atlanta over the summer. There is also a theory floating out there that the team is using this trade deadline to show Smith what his true value is after he declared that he was a max player.
Fantasy owners should rank his expected fantasy value by location as follows, and keep in mind that the situation is fluid (best to worst): Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston, Washington, Dallas, San Antonio, Brooklyn.
I believe I mentioned this last week, but if not I’ll say it right now, owners can approach this situation from both sides of the equation. A sell-high offer for current owners is a strong play right now as Smith currently enjoys a freedom to play his brand of head-scratching basketball in Atlanta with little competition for touches. As he moves into scenarios with more depth, his value will swing accordingly even if his floor will remain relatively stable barring a complete meltdown over his final destination.
On the other end, as long as owners are aware of his year-to-date third and seventh round value in 8- and 9-cat leagues, which is dragged down by shooting issues and turnovers, and can convince an owner to disregard his name value and ADP – then there is room to buy low here with all of the panic out there about his future. A buy low bet here can be justified by the likelihood that his floor remains in a workable range, and there’s always a chance that he irons out the efficiency issues playing in a system like San Antonio that demands accountability.
FOUR’S A CROWD
If fantasy owners want to concentrate on one team’s trade rumblings, the Jazz and their frontcourt would be a great place to start. With two top-3 draft picks waiting in the wings in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, and two veterans in Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson that have been in the rumor mill all season long – there is an extremely good chance that this Jazz quartet turns into a trio. From the Jazz’s perspective, they would be thrilled if they could unload Jefferson as it would leave sizes small, medium, and large to round out a solid three-man rotation. Unfortunately, the marketplace for Jefferson is softer than it is for Millsap, because the former can’t play defense and costs twice as much as the latter as both are in the last year of their contracts. Jefferson is also heading into the twilight of his career as his body breaks down while Millsap, similarly aged, has no such problems and is in his prime.
The Suns have replaced the Spurs as the flavor of the day for Jefferson, as Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley have been dangled. The Suns have also expressed interest in Gordon Hayward, which is a bit of wishful thinking since the Jazz have Hayward all-but locked into their future plans. The Spurs would be a bit of a downgrade for Jefferson, and while I laid out a purely speculative scenario earlier the San Antonio News-Express moved quickly to denounce the idea that this was a possibility. A move to Phoenix would be likely be a neutral move for Jefferson, so owners can more or less play him straight down the middle until the next crop of rumors pops up.
As for Millsap, he has been linked to both the Nets and the Clippers, and both teams can be considered legitimate landing spots even if the deals have problems as of right now. The Nets have only floated an offer of Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks, which isn’t going to get the job done. That said, they are reportedly more interested in Millsap than Josh Smith, because they feel it will be easier to get done.
The Clippers reportedly have mutual interest in Millsap in a deal including Eric Bledsoe, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the Clippers are going to keep pursuing an unlikely Kevin Garnett and/or Paul Pierce deal first. They also have designs on holding Bledsoe until they can get an indication from Chris Paul about his willingness to re-sign, though this writer believes they won’t be able to have their cake and eat it, too.
Millsap might have the same problems in Brooklyn he has in Utah where touches often get gobbled up by Jefferson, as Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace are already eating into each others’ production. Should Millsap land in L.A., he would face a similar rotation squeeze but benefit from playing with Chris Paul. Millsap has picked it up as of late, and I’ll be viewing him as a hold with only slight risks of a downgrade in the current trade scenarios. Millsap also has an outside chance of landing in a new scenario that is less clogged, or staying in Utah with Jefferson on the way out. In fact, owners may be able to snag Millsap in a buy low deal if his current owner is fearful that a trade sends him the wrong direction.
Favors should be owned in all leagues right now for the chance he explodes after the deadline, and I’ve been adding Kanter everywhere I can for the chance he benefits from a trade of either Millsap or Jefferson. I’m also moving on Bledsoe for the chance he can land in a place like Boston or Utah and take over as the signal caller.
DeAndre Jordan is also reportedly clashing with Vinny Del Negro, and both he and Caron Butler would be a part of any deal with Boston. Both would stand to benefit from a move, but with that deal in the unlikely stage, owners will only want to give them added consideration if a deal gets closer to consummation.
RIDNOUR HOUR
Luke Ridnour is about as close of a lock to get traded that we have on the docket, as two separate reports have the Knicks interested, joining the Jazz, Celtics, and Sixers as teams that could use the services of the combo guard. I’m considering him a ‘hold’ or a player to target, even if a move to the Knicks would resemble his current role with the Wolves, albeit without the offensive system he currently enjoys under Rick Adelman. A move to the Sixers would resemble a theoretic move to New York, but moves to Utah or Boston would be a boon to his value.
Back in Minnesota, the likelihood that Ridnour gets traded puts both Alexey Shved and J.J. Barea firmly on fantasy radars, as the four-man backcourt will turn to three. Barea might have the more immediate upside with his knack for putting up numbers quickly, but his tendency to get injured and the Wolves’ clear desire to develop Shved make him the player to own between the two in my book. The only thing that could derail a solid bump in fantasy value for both guys would be if the Wolves take back another guard in the deal (Raja Bell has been a rumored component in the Utah deal). The Wolves have also expressed interest in the Knicks’ Ronnie Brewer, who they targeted in free agency. Neither guy figures to be big in Minnesota’s plans if they land there, but they could certainly muddy the waters.
Also in Minnesota’s rumor mill is Derrick Williams, who the Wolves would love to trade but is probably worth more during the offseason, and Nikola Pekovic is a dark horse to get moved if the team decides he’s not in their future plans. Pek would represent one of the better trade chips during this deadline, as he would only cost $6 million to keep around for another year (Writer's Note: I totally blew this one. The site I used, which will remain nameless, listed the $6M as a team option and not a qualifying offer. As a reader correctly points out, he will get a substantial offer as a restricted free agent this offseason). Until there’s more smoke on that front, though, owners can hold off on sell-high offers that bet against negative system impact in a new location for Pekovic.
BUCK SHOTS
The Bucks are teetering on the playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference, and just about everybody on the roster is for sale outside of Larry Sanders and John Henson. Brandon Jennings has been under scrutiny for his agent change and the fact that neither he nor the Bucks know if they want to be dancing partners going forward. Jennings is a restricted free agent next season and is likely to get a big offer from somebody, and if the Bucks decide they don’t want to match then he will fetch a healthy return on the market.
Still, all reports have Monta Ellis and Samuel Dalembert as the more likely Bucks to get sent packing, as Ellis has an $11 million player option and is a bad fit if the team is going to wrap its future up in Jennings. Dalembert is a duplicate part with the ascension of my Defensive Player of the Year vote in Sanders, with Henson waiting in the wings, too, so unless the Bucks are understating Sanders’ back issue I can’t see him sticking around after the deadline. If you recently added Dalembert, who should be held until Sanders’ (day-to-day) issue is completely cleared, you’ll want to hope the Bucks can somehow get into business with the Hawks or another big man needy team.
Beno Udrih’s name has been mentioned in the rumor mill, and his $7 million expiring deal and serviceable game could help any number of teams, though none have been identified to date. I like him as a sneaky pickup in advance of the deadline with the starting backcourt possibly getting broken up. Jennings has drawn interest from the Mavs, but anywhere he goes he will be given the car keys and it’s hard to imagine his overall value proposition changing too much in any theoretic trade.
Somewhat surprisingly Ersan Ilyasova’s name has come up a few times, once in a potential deal for Josh Smith and also in Toronto, who has expressed interest. I think it will take a big ticket trade for any team to want to take on his contract, and likewise for the Bucks to give up with the big man starting to return to form. Jennings has also been playing horribly, and with reports of dissatisfaction in Milwaukee and the overall stress the trade deadline causes players, I like him as a buy low candidate right now.
REDICKULOUS
J.J. Redick’s situation hasn’t changed too much since we broached the topic last week, other than a few more teams expressing interest to go with an equal number of reports suggesting the Magic will lean toward keeping him. A report also emerged that the Magic may want him to give them a hometown discount in free agency this summer, which isn’t an impossibility given how much Redick enjoys playing there, but money issues tend to become more important when signing on the dotted line.
If the Magic learn that they’ll have to match an over-market deal, then I think we’ll see these tepid reports turn real hot, real quick. It doesn’t hurt that the Magic are tied into Arron Afflalo going forward, either. The Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Celtics, and Nuggets are all in the mix, and none of those teams would provide the type of touches and stability he currently enjoys in Orlando. I think owners have to strongly consider selling high here at a slight discount, as the risk of a severe hit is worth mitigating when owners can sell the numerous reports that suggest he isn’t going anywhere. For now.
It’s worth noting that Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin were offered by the Pacers for Redick, and I don’t think that’s enough to get a deal done, but owners will want to be ready to move on whatever gets sent back to Orlando in a potential deal. Assuming the player can play, they’ll have an excellent chance to produce in the Magic’s shallow rotation.
THE NBA’S TALLEST TWO-GUARD
Andrea Bargnani has been rubber stamped for trade for at least a year, but given his injuries and reputation for being soft his market has softened considerably. He’s only drawing ridiculous offers like the standing offer by Chicago to take on Carlos Boozer’s albatross of a contract, which has been deemed a non-starter now, and offers like a potential deal with the Sixers for Spencer Hawes. Bargnani would work great in either Chicago or Philadelphia as a much-needed stretch four, and if the Philly deal cannot be worked out then I’d expect to see Bryan Colangelo start to look at creative ways to unload the former No. 1 pick.
Still, it’s a bit disconcerting to think of the prospects that Colangelo would end up keeping the big man because he can’t get a decent return, as Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson would suddenly be operating in a crowded rotation, assuming Bargs can stay healthy. I have Bargnani not as a must-stash guy in advance of the deadline, but rather a guy that owners will want to move on if a realistic trade scenario starts to unfold that has merit. If the Raptors were to have a change of heart with Boozer, Nate Robinson would swap places with backup PG John Lucas, and Lucas would be somebody to consider taking a flier on given Kirk Hinrich’s health issues.
FLASH IN THE PAN GORDON
Eric Gordon’s agent clearly leaked a report when Chris Broussard said this week that the Warriors, Mavs and Rockets were interested in his services. After all, who doesn’t want a broken down and freshly extended malcontent? Broussard couched his report by saying there’s a 10 percent chance of this happening, and it’s going to take some serious backroom magic to get another team to take on that risk.
DON’T DRIBBLE WHILE COACH IS COACHING
There is nothing more annoying than a teammate that dribbles while the coach is talking, and Ben Gordon was that guy the other day and when Mike Dunlap took exception to it, Gordon told Dunlap to “humble himself.” Maybe Gordon is trying to force the issue of a trade, as he’s clearly unhappy about playing time, but he’s not doing himself any favors by adding ‘malcontent’ to the brochure at the last second.
A deal between the Bobcats and the Nets swapping Gordon for Kris Humphries has died down, presumably as the Nets wait to see what they can do on the Josh Smith and Paul Millsap fronts. Reports have suggested the Nets believe they can get more for Humphries on draft day, too, so the convenient 1-for-1 swap being discussed last week may have missed its window.
There was dismissive talk about the Raptors’ interest in swapping Andrea Bargnani for Gordon, but as beat writer Doug Smith points out there is no real need for another wing in Toronto and they’ll likely want more in return for Bargs, anyway. Humphries is being dangled in the aforementioned Smith and Millsap deals, and probably many more, but the bottom line for both Humphries and Gordon is that owners can watch this action from the wire in reasonably sized leagues.
FOUR QUARTERS OF FURY
FIRST QUARTER: The Nets are interested in J.J. Hickson and every other quality PF in the league, but Hickson needs to protect his Bird Rights and can refuse any trade. Nothing to see there. The Nets Daily sees MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic as likely trade candidates because other GMs will believe they’re undervalued due to their limited use in Brooklyn. Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Bass are all on the block as the Celtics seek to get under the tax. The Grizzlies have expressed interest in Lee. The Spurs have tried to trade DeJuan Blair to the Pistons, Celtics, Heat, and Blazers, and each of those landing spots would be worth a very speculative add and also represent a good fit.
SECOND QUARTER: Anderson Varejao’s name has died down in the rumor mill since his season ended prematurely. The Rockets aren’t expected to be the big players that they often are at this time of year, as they’re expected to wait and make moves over the summer. Danny Granger is not likely to be traded as his value is at a low point. As mentioned before the Pacers are willing to move Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin, and you can add Gerald Green to the list, too. The Raptors may still be interested in Pau Gasol, but I’d expect to hear more about it if there was a lot of weight to the rumor. Teams are calling on Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies are saying he’s not available, but we can’t rule out John Hollinger and Robert Pera cleaning house.
THIRD QUARTER: Rick Carlisle has said that Vince Carter won’t be traded, but despite similar comments made about Shawn Marion he has a chance of being moved. The Nuggets sound like a team that doesn’t want to make moves, but they have players in Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, and Andre Miller that are garnering interest. Will Bynum, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Charlie Villanueva are all squarely in the rumor mill, as the Pistons would love to get rid of any of them if they can get relatively equal value. Of the group Bynum and Stuckey will be the easiest to move. Rumors of a Jared Dudley for Iman Shumpert trade never had a real chance, and they’ve all but been refuted since we last checked in. Josh McRoberts is in the last year of his deal and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him dealt.
FOURTH QUARTER: Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes are being dangled as trade bait, but the Sixers are more or less paralyzed by Andrew Bynum’s situation. They’re going to be very picky with any deal until they know what they have in Bynum, and it doesn’t look like clarity is coming anytime soon. Unless an order comes from both ownership groups in Seattle and Sacramento to shed salary, I can’t see them making any deal of consequence as Sacramento battles to keep its team from being stolen by Chris Hansen and Co. Jordan Crawford is being served a helping of humble pie, but he is a sneaky watch list guy for the chance he gets unloaded on a team that needs scoring. It’s somewhat sad to say, but his defensive issues and shot selection have stalled his career and he has some soul searching to do on that end.