NBA

Players most likely to be dealt at NBA’s trade deadline

We’re now officially within two weeks of the NBA Trade Deadline, which will arrive at 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 and could bring a lot of action with it.

With so many teams trying to tear down their rosters this season in the interest of improving their lottery positioning for this year’s stellar draft class, as well as the usual number of teams looking to shake things up in the hopes of either making a playoff push or a deep playoff run, there are a lot of potential impact players who could be available.

So, with that in mind, here’s a rundown of 10 potential trade situations that could develop over the next two weeks, along with their likelihood of it actually happening:

Omer Asik, C, Rockets

This is the deal that, more than any other, seems inevitable. Asik hasn’t been happy ever since the Rockets turned him into a bench player after signing Dwight Howard, and making him the team’s franchise center, a year after signing Asik away from the Bulls with a back-loaded contract as a restricted free agent.

Given where the Rockets sit in the loaded Western Conference – fifth place and three games out of second – it doesn’t make sense to have a malcontent like Asik sit on the bench, as he has for months now with thigh and knee injuries. Instead, you would have to believe Rockets general manager Daryl Morey would definitely want to move him for another piece that better fits what the Rockets are trying to do to give themselves a chance to make a potential title run.

Likelihood of being moved: High

Emeka Okafor, C, Suns

The only player on this list who hasn’t actually played this season, Okafor also may be the most likely player to be moved. That’s because the neck injury he suffered during the offseason, and which likely has removed him from playing at all this season, will mean that whatever team acquires his roughly $14.5 million expiring contract will have most of it paid for by insurance.

That’s why the Suns, who are stunningly in the Western Conference race after being predicted to be among the league’s worst teams, would like to use that chip to add another piece and try to make a playoff run – particularly with potentially as many as four possible draft picks in the 2014 draft at their disposal.

Likelihood of being moved: High

Andre Miller, PG, Nuggets

This is a similar situation to the one the Rockets find themselves in with Asik. Miller had a very public falling out with first-year coach Brian Shaw, and has since been banished away from the team, making a trade deadline move seem quite possible.

Miller is under contract for next season, but that year be bought out for $2 million. That, as well as his fairly modest $5 million salary this season, should make it possible for Denver to find a taker for him, assuming the Nuggets want to get him out of their organization.

Likelihood of being moved: High

Pau Gasol, C, Lakers

It seems like Gasol has been floated in trade rumors for years now, and that’s because he basically has been. But now that he’s an impending unrestricted free agent and the Lakers aren’t going anywhere, it seems like the perfect time to pull the trigger on a deal and move Gasol for something – anything – to give them more assets to build around moving forward.

The problem? The Lakers seem to be asking for more than a 33-year-old oft-injured center, who has an expiring contract is going to be worth on the open market. This should be a “High” for likelihood of being moved, but the unwavering approach of the Lakers in going after the kind of value they’d want casts some doubt on whether the rumors will finally become reality.

Likelihood of being moved: Medium

Greg Monroe, C, Pistons

The grand experiment of putting Josh Smith with Monroe and Andre Drummond to create a massive frontcourt appears to have been a colossal failure in Detroit. The Pistons enter Friday’s action sitting two games behind the Bobcats for eighth in the Eastern Conference, with Smith – the Pistons’ marquee move of the offseason – seeing his numbers drop across the board playing out of position at small forward.

While it would be preferable to move Smith, the roughly $40 million owed to him over the next three seasons will make doing so difficult. That means Monroe, who is set to be a restricted free agent this summer but is a very talented scoring big man, will likely be the piece that gets shipped out in any deal.

Likelihood of being moved: Medium

Luol Deng, F and Dion Waiters, G, Cavaliers

Things in Cleveland are officially a mess (more on that below). But after the firing of general manager Chris Grant, assistant GM David Griffin now has a couple of weeks – along with owner Dan Gilbert – to make decisions on what the Cavaliers should do at the deadline.

Gilbert declared after winning the draft lottery last May that the Cavaliers would not be back in the lottery again in 2014, signaling a return to the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James left four years ago. So do the Cavaliers, who sit 5 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot, make another move to get another piece to make a run like they did dealing for Deng last month? Or do they consider blowing things up and admitting that the best course of action is to, in fact, make one more trip into the high lottery in the deepest draft in years?

This is a medium because there’s no way of knowing what’s going to happen in Cleveland over the next two weeks. Anything seems possible, with Deng, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Waiters, who has had issues with Kyrie Irving, the most likely candidates to go if they do decide to make moves.

Likelihood of being moved: Medium

Thaddeus Young, F and Evan Turner, F and Spencer Hawes, C, 76ers

After a hot start, things have started to go exactly according to plan for the 76ers, who now hold the third-worst record in the NBA through 50 games, putting Philadelphia right on track for the top five pick in this year’s draft they crave – as well as likely getting New Orleans’ lottery pick, as well, from last June’s Jrue Holiday trade.

That means that general manager Sam Hinkie has a choice to make about what to do with his three veteran trade chips on his roster: Young (the best talent), Turner (restricted free agent) and Hawes (unrestricted free agent). It seems likely that at least one of those players will no longer be in Philadelphia by the deadline, and potentially more than one. It seems very likely Hinkie and the Sixers will be at the center of most rumors leading up to the deadline.

Likelihood of being moved: Medium

Kyle Lowry, PG, Raptors

When the Raptors dealt Rudy Gay, it was expected that Lowry would be the next to follow him out the door. But a funny thing happened on Lowry’s way out the door: The Raptors got hot, and he didn’t go anywhere.

Instead, Lowry became a crucial piece for the Raptors as they’ve surged into first place in the Atlantic Division, where they currently maintain a three-game lead over the Nets. Lowry was probably the most notable All-Star snub in the East, as his prickly personality probably caused coaches to overlook his production (16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists).

While it still seems possible that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri would consider moving Lowry for the right price – namely a first round pick – even with as well as Toronto is playing, it seems more likely than not that the impending unrestricted free agent will remain in Toronto until the end of the season.

Likelihood of being moved: Low

Rajon Rondo, G, Celtics

After Celtics general manager Danny Ainge oversaw the tearing down of the recent Celtics run by getting a first round pick for Doc Rivers to go to the Clippers and four first rounders for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the next logical question was what was going to happen when Rondo returned from his torn ACL.

While many expected Rondo to be traded, the Celtics went on to name him the team’s ninth captain in franchise history, taking the mantle from the since-departed Pierce. For some organizations that might not mean anything, but Boston thinks about its history as much as any team. It’s hard to see the Celtics moving Rondo now, instead making him a cornerstone of their rebuilding effort. Like with Lowry, Ainge could potentially pull the trigger if the right deal presents itself, but that seems unlikely.

Likelihood of being moved: Low

Carmelo Anthony, F, Knicks

There is a minuscule chance of this happening for a whole host of reasons, but the easiest one to spell out is the Knicks have done everything they could to appease Anthony over the past few seasons. CAA – Anthony’s powerful agency – has slowly become involved with every level of the organization, and Anthony has become the franchise’s unquestioned marquee star.

But as the Knicks continue to be a picture of dysfunction – with a series of reports questioning coach Mike Woodson’s job status and Anthony’s looming unrestricted free agency this summer leading to a possibility he could look for other options – there’s at least some chance, even if it’s smaller than one percent, that Dolan and the Knicks could explore some kind of Anthony trade in the next two weeks. Don’t count on it, though.

Likelihood of being moved: Extremely low


There’s clearly a long list of things going wrong in Cleveland right now, which is why Gilbert chose to fire Grant Thursday. But if you’re looking for one reason why Grant is on the unemployment line at the moment, look no further than the draft.

After taking Kyrie Irving first overall in 2011, the Cavaliers picked fourth in both 2012 and ’13, before having the first overall pick again in 2014. Those three picks netted the Cavaliers Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett. All three raised eyebrows at the time of their selection, and all three have proven to be worse players than other potential options at the time – Jonas Valanciunas and Harrison Barnes in 2012 and ’13, and virtually any rookie this season.

If the Cavaliers had Valanciunas and Barnes instead of Thompson and Waiters, it seems likely Grant would still have a job. He’s had other positives during his tenure – he’s done particularly well in trades, for example, and taking Irving was far from a sure thing at the time – but that’s the way general managers are evaluated.


In the retrospective on David Stern’s 30 years in charge of the league, the one personal moment I had with the one-of-a-kind commissioner was left on the cutting room floor, and thought I would include it here.

Along with the other dozen or so reporters who waited for hours to see what the resolution of the labor negotiations were on Black Friday in 2011, we finally were let into the building and up into a conference room well after 4 a.m., when the deal was announced by Stern and then union head Billy Hunter.

As luck would have it, I wound up leaving at the same time as Stern and his successor, Adam Silver, and shared an elevator ride down to the lobby and a walk out the door with them. Beyond thinking it was pretty cool to be in the middle of a historic moment – the lockout had just ended, which also meant the NBA was about to return – it also seemed like a fitting final act for Stern as commissioner, who was then approaching 30 years on the job, and had said multiple times he didn’t think he would be around for another labor negotiation, which couldn’t come until 2017.

It turned out that there were a couple of other items left on his agenda – namely the Kings saga, which eventually ended with Sacramento keeping its team – but that very nearly was it. And the fact I can say I was there when it happened is something I’ll appreciate for a long time.