Anybody who signed an NBA contract prior to Sept. 16 is now eligible to be traded. And the “Most Likely” list begins and ends with Lance Stephenson … sort of.
In the NBA, you never really know when someone will have a hair trigger and pull off a deal that becomes addition by subtraction (yes, we are talking about you, Stan Van Gundy/Josh Smith). But the primary guy who fits under that subcategory is Stephenson, the prized offseason acquisition of the Charlotte Hornets — a team than has won as many games in the past month (2) as the Philadelphia 76ers.
Remember, Stephenson was not the No. 1 target of the Hornets. That was Gordon Hayward, whose max offer sheet was matched by the Utah Jazz. Hornets owner Michael Jordan was then able the secure the services of Stephenson for $9 million a year over three years, with only the first two years guaranteed. That is a pretty movable contract for a guy who led the NBA in triple-doubles last season but who has yet to record a single double-digit rebounding game this season and has scored 20 or more points a grand total of once.
Another likely trade candidate is Rajon Rondo, whose point production has fallen off a cliff in December but who still leads the NBA in assists and is the type of unique talent that can make a difference for a contending team. No, he is not an easy guy to coach. But he has championship experience, he has a movable contract ($12.9 million) and he is a threat to leave the Celtics as a free agent, leaving them nothing in return for their most valuable asset. The trick with Rondo would be for the acquiring team to secure a verbal commitment that Rondo will be willing to sign for the long term.
Two teams in the Western Conference that may look to make deals sooner rather than later are the Sacramento Kings, who just fired coach Michael Malone, and the Phoenix Suns, whose collection of point guards and dearth of effective big men is catching up with them. The Suns will play 11 of their next 12 on the road, and they have lost six straight following Monday night’s buzzer-beating loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Their prize offseason acquisition, Isaiah Thomas, also became trade eligible on Monday. The Kings are liable to do virtually anything except trade DeMarcus Cousins or Rudy Gay.
More on the NBA trade market in this interview with CineSport’s Noah Coslov:
Lance Stephenson need trades to Paul pierce, Joe Johnson, or Carter Vince please… It’s not right Buzz had lot of loses…
Actually, Lance has 5 games of double digit rebounds this season, including 4 in a row at one point.