NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Rumblings On Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Nerlens Noel And More
NBA trade rumors continue to swirl as the midseason trading period comes shortly. There had been a few noteworthy deals that already took place after the Phoenix Suns traded Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks last month and last week’s Jahlil Okafor deal between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
Here are more of the latest trade rumors around the league.
Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson Could Be Moved If Pistons Continue Slump?
The Detroit Pistons had a hot start to the season, winning 14 of their first 20 games. However, the team is on a downward spiral at the moment after losing their sixth consecutive game on Sunday, 91-81, at home to the Boston Celtics.
There are rumors that team president and head coach Stan Van Gundy is planning to shake up the roster midseason. The deadline to trade newly-signed free agents is set to be lifted on Friday, and expectations are high that the Pistons are going to be one of many teams that will test the trade market.
Fansided’s Hoops Habit reported that Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson could “find themselves back on the block if things go south” in Detroit. The report disclosed that the Pistons tried to trade both Drummond and Jackson last season.
Drummond has been in the rumor mill since last summer as numerous teams were said to be interested in trading for the 24-year-old big man.
Drummond continues to be the double-double machine that he has been throughout his career with averages of 14.4 points and a current league-leading 15.3 rebounds this season. He is also contributing 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game for Van Gundy in 25 games so far, which makes him a highly valuable trade asset should the team indeed consider changing things up.
Meanwhile, Jackson continues to flourish as well in his role as the Pistons’ starting point guard. He is currently averaging 16.4 points, 2.9 boards, and a team-high 5.4 assists.
Nerlens Noel To Lakers Next Season?
This one is not exactly a trade rumor, but some trades may have to take place before it can happen. There are speculations that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring Dallas Mavericks center Nerlens Noel in order to entice LeBron James to join them next year.
The Lakers were reportedly one of the teams who tried to acquire Noel last offseason, but Magic Johnson and company ultimately decided to trade for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope instead, according to Blasting News.
The Hollywood squad’s Noel hunt is rumored to continue next summer as the team would have the opportunity to sign him via free agency.
The Lakers were said to be “hesitant” to pursue a contract with Noel during the recent offseason because Dallas could match any offers due to Noel’s status as a restricted free agent.
However, things will be different in July of next year as Noel will enter the unrestricted free agency market after accepting the Mavs’ $4.1 million qualifying offer last August.
Noel is struggling statistically this season with averages of 4.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in only 12.5 minutes per game.
More Rumors
Amir Johnson could be next Sixers’ big man to move out of Philadelphia as recent rumors are out that the team is considering to use his contract as a “trade chip,” per Fansided’s The Sixer Sense.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown has been giving Johnson more playing time than his younger counterparts this season. The report noted that the reason could be to maximize Johnson’s $11 million salary.
However, Johnson’s production is not as good as the team’s other frontcourt players like Dario Saric and Richaun Holmes. With that, the report suggested that the Sixers could eventually trade Johnson before the February deadline arrives.
