NBA Rumors: Updates, Speculation for Week of Jan. 12: It was a busy week of on-court action in the NBA that included the return of LeBron James, but off-court rumors drew plenty of attention as well. After all, player movement in the middle of the season can set the stage for the playoffs in 2015 or beyond, and there were plenty of whispers from around the Association. With that mind, here is a roundup of some of the biggest rumors from the week that was in the NBA. New York Knicks Marc Stein and Ian Begley of ESPN provided an update on the New York Knicks’ rebuilding efforts: The New York Knicks are actively trying to trade veterans Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani as part of their ongoing roster clear-out, according to league sources. But sources stressed to ESPN that trying to trade away Amare Stoudemire is not part of the clubs current plans. The Knicks took their losing to an international audience Thursday when they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in London. The defeat dropped their record to an abysmal 5-36, so it is really no wonder the team is in full-blown rebuild mode, especially after trading J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert and waiving Samuel Dalembert. Interestingly, New York is apparently not looking to move Stoudemire, which Stein and Begley speculate could be in an effort to re-sign him cheaply in the offseason. It makes more sense to trade Jose Calderon, because he would likely net more future assets as a playoff-tested veteran who could provide some much-needed depth for a contender at the point guard spot. However, Calderon also has two years and $15.1 million remaining on his contract, which makes a potential move much harder to make. That is a large sum of money for a 33-year-old point guard averaging fewer than 10 points and five assists per game. As for Andrea Bargnani, he has barely played this season due to injuries and could be waived if nobody trades for him. At least he has an expiring contract, which could entice teams looking to make moves for financial reasons. Nate Robinson Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports noted that the Cleveland Cavaliers may be eyeing guard Nate Robinson: No team in the NBA has been busier than the Cavs in recent weeks after trading for Smith, Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov and giving up Dion Waiters and multiple draft picks. Some may call the total roster revamp something of a panic move because of their early struggles, but James is 30 years old with plenty of NBA miles on his legs. Even though he is still one of the most dominant players in the league, James’ window to win a ring for Cleveland is not limitless. Playing for today makes sense. Robinson is an intriguing option because of his postseason experience. He averaged 16.3 points per game for the Chicago Bulls in the 2012-13 playoffs and would be an immediate scoring spark off the bench behind Kyrie Irving if and when the Cavaliers are in a tight postseason battle with the likes of the Bulls, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors or Atlanta Hawks. Considering stars Irving and Kevin Love have never been to the postseason, adding playoff-tested veterans like Robinson could help the Cavaliers challenge for a title down the line. Andrew Wiggins and the Toronto Raptors Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail passed along an update on the Toronto Raptors’ long-term plans for Andrew Wiggins: The real target will not rise into view for more than six years – Andrew Wiggins…And the Raptors have their sights set directly on him once he becomes an unrestricted free agent, as early as 2021. That’s a long time from now, but a great deal of what the Raptors are building is being constructed with Wiggins in mind. The Canadian Wiggins experienced a whirlwind start to his NBA career when he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and promptly traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he is settling into his role as a swingman with a sky-high ceiling. He is averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, but he has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 contests. In theory, Wiggins would be smack in the middle of what could be a special prime in 2021 and could be the face of the Raptors franchise. The pull of home was apparent with James and Cleveland this offseason, and Toronto is likely hoping that Wiggins will be pulled back to his home country in a similar fashion. For now, the Raptors will focus on challenging for an Eastern Conference crown, but their fanbase will be happy to hear that the team is thinking long-term as well. Tobias Harris Zach Lowe of Grantland discussed Tobias Harris and his future with the Orlando Magic: “Executives around the league are divided on whether Orlando would match a high-end offer sheet, and the Magic are probably divided among themselves.” There will be a number of teams with max-contract availability this offseason, and Harris will draw plenty of interest. Perhaps the Knicks could pair him with Carmelo Anthony and/or Marc Gasol, or another team could swoop in and land the forward. Harris is averaging career highs in points (18 per game), three-point percentage (40.5 percent) and field-goal percentage (47.1 percent) at the right time. What’s more, Lowe noted that Harris’ defense has improved. Someone will give him a lot of money, especially since he is only 22 years old. Orlando has a plethora of young talent on the roster in Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton and could build a contender a couple of years down the road in the watered-down Eastern Conference. If Harris is going to be a part of the future, the Magic may have to pony up some serious cash and match a hefty offer sheet. At least they know he still has plenty of productive years ahead of him at 22. Nik Stauskas Ken Berger of CBS Sports passed along an intriguing update on Nik Stauskas and the Sacramento Kings: “Determined to find an upgrade to complement inside force DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings are seeking frontcourt help in a trade and are willing to discuss first-round pick Nik Stauskas in the deal, league sources told CBSSports.” Berger noted that the Kings are interested in giving DeMarcus Cousins another big to play alongside who can either stretch the floor on offense with outside shooting or play above the rim on defense. Since Ben McLemore is seeing much more time than Stauskas, it only makes sense that Sacramento would at least entertain some offers in an effort to land that type of player. McLemore’s separation from Stauskas follows an offseason quote from recently fired coach Michael Malone, via Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA: I told him, listen, we drafted Nik Stauskas. That’s not any slight on you. We still believe in you. You’re still our guy and we still expect great things from you from Year 1 to Year 2. I think he came out to Summer League after one year in the NBA thinking he had to score 20 points a game. It’s not about that. It’s playing the right way as we try to instill more ball movement. This is not exactly how the first season for an eighth-overall pick is supposed to unfold, but Sacramento would likely land a solid return for the sharp-shooting Michigan product. He is only averaging 3.6 points per game in 14.1 minutes of action, but the most disappointing thing about his start is the 27.2 percent shooting clip from three-point range. Of course, he is only a rookie, which is why there will likely be a number of teams still interested in his services. For their sake, Stauskas will need to improve as he picks up more experience at the NBA level. Follow me on Twitter: Follow @ScottPolacek Read more NBA news on BleacherReport #NBA #NateRobinson #NBARumors #Opinion #fantasybasketball
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 16:22:16 +0000
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