Every season, there seems to be big-name players being shopped around. Whether it's the player unhappy with his role, or his contract, or if the team just wants to gauge the type of value they possess, there are star players to be had for the right price. We look at which players could be dangled as trade bait as early as next month.
Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers (1 yr, 15.5 mil remaining)
I'm not sure if you could classify Roy Hibbert, former Eastern Conference All-Star as a star anymore. His 2014 playoff numbers were beyond terrible, and although he picked back up this past season, his numbers were still subpar. He only played 25 minutes per game and shot just 44% from the field.
In a piece from Candace Bucker of the Indianapolis Star, Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird had some interesting comments:
"We assume he's going to be back and if he comes back, we're probably going to play another style, and I can't guarantee him anything. He's going to have to earn it."
Head coach Frank Vogel, in the same interview later added:
"We'll have to see how it all plays out and what the roster ultimately looks like, but there's a possibility that Roy's role will be diminished, if we're trying to play faster and trying to play smaller, but a lot of stuff is going to happen this summer."
I'm not sure what the Pacers can get in return for a player with such a diminishing role in this league, but based on the comments made, we can assume they are ready to part ways.
DeMar DeRozan, SG, Toronto Raptors (2 years, 19 mil remaining)
Toronto got a favorable match-up with the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs. They had home-court advantage in that series. They won a franchise-record 49 games during the regular season. They ended up getting swept and were sent home in round 1 for the second straight year. Change is coming in Toronto, especially with such an aggressive General Manager in Masai Ujiri. Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry just signed a 4 year-48 million dollar contract last summer so he is likely to stay put. The All-Star swingman, however, may not be so safe.
Trade rumors have started swirling with DeRozan's name right in the thick of things. Reports have come out that the Raptors would like to give Terrence Ross more room to grow. Many analysts do believe Toronto could move DeRozan if the right offer comes along. Don't be surprised if this pairing comes to an end soon.
Lance Stephenson, SG, Charlotte Hornets (2 years, 18 mil remaining; team option for final year)
Lance Stephenson was on the trade block a mere two months after his tenure with Charlotte started. In December of last year, reports came out that the Hornets were actively shopping the polarizing two-guard. Come February, and a deal was almost struck sending Lance Stephenson back to his hometown Brooklyn Nets, but that fell apart.
The 2014 league leader in triple-doubles just has not found his niche playing under Michael Jordan. He averaged just 8 points per game and had a jaw-dropping (in a bad way) 8.8 PER. He shot just 37% from the field and 17% from three. He fell out of the rotation near the end of the season. Maybe Indiana Lance is still alive somewhere, and just needs to don a new uniform to show himself again.
Joe Johnson, SG (1 year, 24.8 mil remaining) & Deron Williams, PG (2 years, 43 mil remaining) Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are in a position most NBA franchises never want to be in. They fight for a 7th or 8th seed out East, are capped out financially, and have traded away multiple first-round picks for these coming years. It turns out, they finally want to tear down and build around its younger pieces.
In a letter sent to all season ticket holders by general manager Billy King and CEO Brett Yormark, the two claimed that they visited team owner Mikhail Prohkorov in Moscow, Russia and discussed the team's plans.
They mentioned building around young talent and brought up players such as Markel Brown, Sergey Karasev, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mason Plumlee. They also said that they would keep their two picks in this years draft, while also trying to acquire one more. They did not mention veterans Deron Williams or Joe Johnson once in this letter.
The two former all-stars were reportedly being shopped at last season's trade deadline and seem to be inching closer to being shipped out soon. The Nets will be hard-pressed to find a franchise willing to take the massive salaries of these declining veterans off their hands, but that does not mean they won't try. Expect one, if not both of these players to be shipped out as early as this offseason.
Brandon Jennings, PG, Detroit Pistons (1 year, 8.3 mil remaining)
At last year's trade deadline, the Detroit Pistons struck a deal with Oklahoma City to bring over disgruntled guard Reggie Jackson, and make him the teams starting point guard. The Pistons needed a guard as Brandon Jennings had been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn achilles, but Jackson was not brought over for just a few months, the team has the soon-to-be restricted free agent in their long term plans.
Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson are both ball-dominant point guards and the doubt of them being able to coexist is there. Jennings averaged over 15 points per game and nearly 7 assists with Detroit last season. Considering he is only 25 years of age, the Pistons should be able to find a trade partner quite easily.
Ty Lawson, PG (2 years, 25.6 mil remaining) & Kenneth Faried, PF (4 years, 50 mil remaining) Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a bit of a mess right now. They won just 30 games this past season, which is the franchise's lowest win total in the past 13 years. They fired head coach Brian Shaw after a short two-year tenure. They have too much talent and depth on their roster to be producing at this rate, and some players, two in particular have had enough.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
"Sources close to the process say Lawson and Faried have kept no secret of their discontent and unless the Nuggets can pull off something major on the coaching front or make a significant trade, both have indicated they’d rather see a trade instead of sticking around for a long rebuild."
I'm not too sure the Nuggets can pull off a significant trade if they were to keep Lawson and Faried. It is tough to imagine a scenario where both players would be happy staying in Denver, but this should come as no surprise as both players were being shopped around in February. Lawson has already been linked to the Mavs, Lakers, and Kings, and Faried just might be thrown in with Lawson in any deal that goes down.
Demarcus Cousins, C, Sacramento Kings (3 years, 47 mil remaining)
You do not trade a player of Demarcus Cousins caliber. You just don't. Cousins has been putting up monster numbers since arriving in Sacramento and has emerged as arguably the league's second best big man behind only Anthony Davis. He averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks on 46.7% shooting this past season. However, there is one problem, Cousins' Kings have missed the playoffs in all five seasons he has played there. Questions are arising whether Cousins is a winner, or if he just puts up stats on a losing team. There's also the whole rumor that he is unhappy with the front office for not informing him on the major moves the team plans on making.
From Bill Herenda of CSNBayArea.com:
“I’ve had some great players and I’ve never had one player that I have said is untradeable,” Karl added. “You always got to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that could come your way.”
Boston has been heavily rumored to be gathering assets to strike once Cousins is available. The Lakers, since they now have the second pick in the draft at their disposal, have no shortage of assets to deal for Cousins. The Kings do not want to trade their franchise cornerstone, but if they do not play their cards right, Cousins may be the hottest name the NBA has seen on the trade block in a really long time.
Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (1 year, 21.2 mil remaining)
What would be arguably the most shocking scenario the league has seen since Lebron's "Decision" in 2010 could come to friction next season. 2014 league MVP Kevin Durant is set to hit free agency after next season and after seeing Lebron James return home to Cleveland, he may be feeling a little bit of pressure from Washington, DC. Oklahoma City has been a threat to win the NBA title over the past five years but have been unable to overtake the brutal Western Conference. Russell Westbrook is also waiting to make the Thunder his team, and he proved he could do that almost single-handedly leading the team to the playoffs this past season.
Thunder GM Sam Presti has shown he does not like to lose players for nothing when he dealt James Harden a year before he hit free agency, and if Kevin Durant does not show some sure fire signs of re-upping with OKC, he could be the next star dealt next year.
Last year, Britt McHenry of ESPN tweeted that the Lebron 'coming home' Beats commercial would be better if it was Kevin Durant coming home to DC, and he replied to that tweet saying "just wait on it." Sure, that could mean absolutely nothing, but why wouldn't he jump ship to the East? It is lightyears easier to advance in the East than it is out West, he could be playing with all-star John Wall, and young rising star Brad Beal. They do have the cap space as well.
In an interview with Basketball Insiders, an anonymous NBA player said:
"It wouldn’t be a bad idea [to join an East team]," added another NBA player. "I’m pretty sure Kevin Durant is going to start it off and go home to [the Washington Wizards in] D.C."
Kevin Durant will likely play the season through with Oklahoma City and even likely re-sign there, but there is lots of thought going around the league that Durant has his sights set on going back home. Do not be surprised if ultra-aggresive GM Sam Presti at least entertains offers from other teams should he get the sense Durant has one foot out the door.