The NBA trade rumors in the NBA are already reaching fever pitch early in the season as three big men may be on the move before the trade deadline.
In varying degrees, Nerlens Noel, Anthony Davis and Willie Cauley-Stein have been tossed around in numerous scenarios. These rumors are also fueled by the fact that the Boston Celtics are looking for a big trade and they have a huge collection of assets they can use.
Willie Cauley-Stein was somewhat a late addition to the rumor mill as talks about the Sacramento Kings centered on DeMarcus Cousins. Recently, Marc Stein of ESPN has declared that the sophomore slotman is not pleased with the playing time allotted him.
"Keep an eye on Kings big man Willie Cauley-Stein. Word is Sacramento is open to moving the second-year big man, who wants more of a role than he has under new Kings coach Dave Joerger."
This is contrary to speculation that the Kings are already planning to trade Cousins and actually drafted WCS in 2015 along with other young centers in 2016 to prepare for Boogie's possible departure. There is also a theory that Cauley-Stein is being offered instead of Cousins, as a "consolation" for offers that the Kings' front office feels are not worthy of the star center. But those are still speculative at this point.
One center that's definitely on the block is Nerlens Noel. There is already a consensus that he is the first piece to go out and the Philadelphia 76ers could not deny this. Hoops Habit named him as the most likely to be traded before the deadline.
Thus, the question is why haven't the Boston Celtics made a play for Noel? He is clearly available and they have the pieces to trade for him.
It's probably because there could be another big name on the list of players who could be traded. Anthony Davis has openly expressed his frustration over the New Orleans Pelicans dismal record (currently 3-10, second worst in the West).
Hoops Habit points out that the Celtics have enough assets to tickle the Pelicans fancy. They have two possible lottery picks in consecutive years (pick swap with Brooklyn Nets in 2017 and the Nets pick in 2018) and a horde of rotation players at every position.
But Anthony Davis is seen as a once-in-a-decade player that could probably be the best player in the league once LeBron James starts to decline. There has to be a compelling reason for the Pelicans to trade him.
If the Pelicans prove unable to find supporting pieces for Davis and if the next two drafts promise superstar prospects, the Pelicans may consider. However, that's still a small step towards an actual trade.