On January 3, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. Earlier today, Brett Siegel wrote about some of the current trade rumors in the NBA, including the Celtics, Rockets, and other teams, as well as Siakam, Cunningham and many other stars.
Celtics president Stevens has been looking to bolster his roster. According to reports, many in the league believe the Green have been trying to use up the $6.2 million trade exception they received by trading Grant Williams last offseason. In addition, the Celtics have been hesitant to add Pritchard in trade talks, and a roster boost could force the Green to send Horford away, something Green management is unwilling to do.
Markkanen has been featured in a number of trade rumors lately, but the Jazz still see the young forward as part of the team's plans for the future, and Markkanen won't be traded unless they are impressed by an offer. Clarkson's situation is quite different, as he can be both a starter and a bench firepower, making him an excellent option for a quick roster upgrade for any playoff team. The Celtics have reportedly expressed interest in Clarkson, but unless they pay Derrick White or Horford, it's hard to get Clarkson. The 76ers are also a possible next home for Clarkson, and their chip may be Melton in a contract year.
Executives on some teams in the league are expecting the Pistons to trade Cunningham. While that may seem unlikely, Cunningham does get a lot of future assets back for the Pistons, and he's marketable. The Magic, Spurs, 76ers and Bulls could make a bid for Cunningham, and they need to improve their backcourt talent.
The Pistons are not expected to trade Bojan Bogdanovic in the coming weeks. But they're interested in sending away Joe Harris, who has barely played with the Pistons this season, and the Pistons are expected to ask for 1-2 second-round picks. So far this season, Bojan has averaged 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game, shooting 37.6% from three-point range. Harris played in just 12 games, averaging 2.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 11.5 minutes per game, while shooting 29.2 percent from three-point range.
The Rockets want to use Oladipo as the subject of a trade to bring in an influential veteran with playoff experience before the deadline. So far this season, the Rockets have found that the team has what it takes to compete for a playoff spot this season, and they are expected to be buyers before the trade deadline and will not send any young core to the team. The subject of the transaction will be Oladipo, with a contract value of $9.4 million.
The Wizards are likely to send Kuzma away, if there are multiple first-round picks. One team in the league has reportedly been eyeing Kuzma for some time. In addition, Tyus Jones is more popular in the market than Kuzma because he is only making $14 million a year this season, which is easy to eat for most contenders in the league.
Siakam is currently favored by most teams. One executive put it this way: "The Raptors always offer extremely high asking prices for their players, sometimes so high that they make you laugh. They always want to trade their players for as many assets as possible, and that's the nature of the business. But at some point, if you want to negotiate a deal, you have to make concessions, and the real negotiation is not a fixed price, but for years, the Raptors' trade negotiation model has been 'this is our price, take it or say goodbye.'" ’”
Mitchell also appeared in the trade rumors. However, recent rumors that the Cavaliers may trade Mitchell have reportedly been overblown, and Mitchell is having a good time in Cleveland, and the Cavaliers also believe that Mitchell will not want to leave anytime soon. The Knicks have been interested in Mitchell before, but according to the latest reports, the Knicks seem reluctant to spend the remaining chips on Mitchell after getting Anunoby. According to sources, the Heat are another team interested in Mitchell.
How many of these potential deal rumors will ultimately come true?