It’s December 15 and the NBA’s real trade season is unofficially here.
Teams have been able to make trades since the offseason, of course. But starting today, players free agents who signed deals in the offseason are able to be traded. That opens up the NBA’s trade market even more. It’s why December 15 is so important.
With that in mind, there are already a ton of trade rumors swirling around the NBA. There are still a couple of months to go before the NBA’s trade deadline, so nothing really seems imminent. But there are some things swirling out there that are worth paying attention to.
Here is every trade rumor you should be paying attention to so far.
Russell Westbrook might be staying in Los Angeles
For so long, Russell Westbrook had been the prime target for trade talk around the NBA.
He hadn’t played well in his time as a Laker and seemed to refuse to be moved to the bench. But since taking on that bench role with the team, he’s been a much more productive player. So much so that he is now off of the trading block, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
According to a source with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans, Westbrook’s play this past month has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league’s Feb. 9 deadline. Since becoming a sixth man on Oct. 28, the 34-year-old, who is in the final year of his (massive) contract, has averaged 15.2 points, 7.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 turnovers and 28.2 minutes.”
We’ll see if that actually holds up. Westbrook has been good, but not that good.
Here’s the deal with this. Nobody seems to want Westbrook still. His contract is too massive and his production doesn’t come close to living up to it. Yet, he’s not playing badly enough for the Lakers to feel the need to foist him on to some other team.
So the natural thing that happens here is that he stays put. That’s probably what happens here.
Speaking of the Lakers, they're looking for Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma went from being a Laker to a Wizard. Now, the Lakers want to make him a Laker again, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Lakers have "inquired" about trading for Kyle Kuzma, per @ChrisBHaynes
(via B/R live show) pic.twitter.com/RWPcDVG9Hv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022
The Wizards have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are trending in the wrong direction. Bradley Beal has also been out for the last week with a thigh injury, so the vultures from around the league are starting to circle the Wizards’ wagon.
Kuzma is the right target. He’s averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists over the team’s last 10 games. He’s shooting 47% from the floor and 41% from deep in that span, too.
He could help a lot of teams out there.
The Bucks are eyeing Jae Crowder
The NBA has been so exciting this season that we totally forgot that a contender is missing a major rotation piece.
Jae Crowder has been on the trade block since the beginning of the year but no team has managed to pry him away from the Suns just yet. Phoenix seems content to just continue to let his market build.
But the Milwaukee Bucks seem to be hot on his trail, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
“Multiple league sources said the Suns recently engaged in three-team talks that would have sent Crowder to Milwaukee, four Bucks second-round draft picks along with players to Houston, and Eric Gordon and/or Kenyon Martin Jr. to Phoenix.”
Honestly, four second-round picks feels like a lot to be giving up for a player like Jae Crowder. But he gives Milwaukee an extra body to throw at the Celtics’ wings and they desperately need that.
We’ll see what shakes up here or if something else materializes.
John Collins may finally be on the move
You’ll be shocked to learn that John Collins is on the trade block once again for the Atlanta Hawks. This has to be the 3rd time in 3 years that this has happened.
This might be the year something actually gets done, though. Charania is reporting that the market is fairly robust and that the Hawks have interest in the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma.
“Meanwhile, the Hawks have had several teams in the Collins market, such as Utah, Washington, Brooklyn and Dallas, sources said. Atlanta has not shown interest so far in a potential framework that would contain Brooklyn’s Joe Harris, those sources said.
Washington has a piece in Kyle Kuzma that would be appealing to Atlanta, as reported in last week’s feature on the breakout Wizards forward, but there doesn’t appear to be traction on a potential framework there.”
A Collins for Kuzma swap doesn’t make a ton of sense from a Wizards perspective — the Collins and Kristaps Porzingis fit is questionable. But if the Hawks could get Kuzma back in return he’d be a perfect fit as a perimeter power forward who could space the floor and serve as a secondary playmaker.
The Hawks might feel cornered into doing something soon, too. They just fell under .500 at 14-15 and gave up a 50-point quarter to the Orlando Magic in a loss. They need to improve. Collins might be the way to do it.
Jakob Poeltl is the prized jewel of trade season
He might not be the biggest name out there among fans, but San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl is shaping up to be the main character this trade season, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer.
Poeltl is one of the best rim protectors in the league and will immediately bolster any defense. There are a number of teams looking into him ranging from contenders to teams just trying to make the playoffs, per Fischer.
On the eve of December 15, latest trade notebook for @YahooSports features a conversation with Jakob Poeltl, then rumblings from LA, New York, Chicago, Indiana, Detroit, ATL, Houston and more: https://t.co/OftwmF35lm
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) December 15, 2022
We’ll see where he ultimately lands.
Bojan Bogdanovic is drawing interest, but it's not a guarantee he'll be moved
At the beginning of the season, after the Pistons traded for Bojan Bogdanovic, they immediately signed him to an extension making it seem as though he’d be part of their long-term future.
That could still be the case. However, teams are testing the Pistons to see if they’re serious about keeping him around. Multiple teams have already called inquiring about the forward, per HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto.
Sources: The Lakers, Heat, Mavericks, Hawks, and other teams have expressed interest in trading for Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
More on trade talks surrounding Bogdanovic, John Collins, Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier, and Patrick Beverley on @hoopshype. https://t.co/LhAy02Jums
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 13, 2022
Bogdanovic’s shooting would be an asset for any team this year. But the Pistons don’t seem too eager to trade him at this point. Should the right deal surface, though, it might be hard to turn down.
Will Myles Turner actually be moved?
Myles Turner is once again one of the hottest names on the trade market this year. He even advocated for his own trade back in October. It’s pretty clear he wants to be elsewhere.
But what is unclear is whether the Pacers will oblige or not. He’s gotten interest from the Lakers, Heat and other suitors. But the Pacers haven’t actually made him available in any other deal just yet.
There was talk about him potentially landing in Atlanta from Yahoo! Sports Jake Fischer. But even this feels like a long shot.
“Another team to keep an eye on as a Collins destination is Indiana. Sources said the Pacers have told inquiring teams they’re searching for a power forward to join their rebuild that features a blooming backcourt of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana has also suggested to opposing front offices that the Pacers are open to contract extension conversations with Turner.”
Basically, no one knows what’s going on with Turner. And it’ll probably stay that way for a while.
