NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Speculations On Ed Davis, Dennis Schroder, And More
The NBA trade deadline is exactly a month away and the rumor mill has been churning stronger than ever with a few new names reportedly added to the trade block. Just recently, players from the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks have been mentioned and here is a quick breakdown of the latest trade rumors from around the league.
Spurs, Warriors Might Be Interested In Blazers’ Ed Davis
The Blazers are having a mercurial season so far with a 21-18 record, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the sixth and seventh spots in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard’s injury problems and the trade chatter surrounding C.J. McCollum have prevented the team from becoming more consistent on both ends of the floor.
Some analysts believe that Portland needs some reinvention when it comes to their current “odd” roster mix to improve stability and a trade could come soon before the deadline.
According to SB Nation’s Blazer’s Edge blog, the Blazers might look to trade some of their “relatively-minor players,” specifically those who would enter the free agency market in the summer. One of the players listed in the article was eight-year journeyman Ed Davis.
Davis has only played 17.9 minutes per game this season, one of the lowest in his career. However, he managed to average 5.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game as an undersized center/forward and brought the energy and veteran presence that Portland needed each night he played, the blog said.
Davis’ contributions have made him a potential trade target, especially that he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The report said that the Blazers are willing to trade Davis than lose him for nothing in the summer, and the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are rumored to be the top two suitors for the former North Carolina standout.
Hawks Make Dennis Schroder Available
Basketball Insider’s Steve Kyler reported that the Hawks have “at least listened to the idea” of trading their main man, Dennis Schroder, with the team currently in the bottom of the NBA standings with a 10-29 slate.
Soon after the team dealt former stars Al Horford, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, and Paul Millsap, it has become clear that the Hawks are planning a major rebuild. Schroder replaced Teague as the starting point guard and is now leading the squad, but at the same time turned into Atlanta’s number one trade asset.
Kyler said that the Hawks are “not turning away conversations” regarding Schroder and could pull the plug on the German international sooner than expected.
Other Rumors
Speaking of the Hawks, three role players of the squad were also mentioned in the latest trade rumors, namely Ersan Ilyasova, Marco Belinelli, and Luke Babbitt, as per FanSided’s Soaring Down South.
The report suggested trading any or all three players before the trade deadline since every one of them “do not match the youth movement” that the club is trying to apply. It also said that the Hawks should “get a potential draft pick in return” for any one of those players to expedite the team’s rebuilding timetable.
Ilyasova, Belinelli, and Babbitt would be valuable contributors, especially for playoff-contending squads that needed a bench upgrade.
