Trade rumor rankings: Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and more
With roughly three weeks to go until the 2020-21 NBA trade deadline, we can expect the action on the rumor market to start to pick up – and quickly, too.
Already this week, we have seen various names not previously bandied about much in trade scuttle be brought up in a variety of reports, as you’ll see below.
Scroll down to check out the five players who have appeared the most often in our Trade Rumors Page over the previous days.
Aaron Gordon (Orlando)
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon has long been rumored to be a potential target for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who likely – and rightfully – believe his defensive versatility would fit nicely alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Those rumors sprung back up this week, with The Athletic'sShams Charaniareporting the following:
Minnesota has shown interest in power forwards around the league, including Atlanta’s John Collins and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, sources said. Both players have significant asking prices in the marketplace.
Minnesota-based reporter Darren Wolfson likewise mentioned that the Wolves engaged Orlando in serious trade talks at some point this calendar year (via Skor North):
The Wolves had trade interest in Gordon last year, February-January of 2020. They talked to Orlando. They’ve been trying to trade for Aaron Gordon for a while. They view him as a really good fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. So the Wolves have engaged Orlando in numerous talks. In fact, I’ll advance it here by saying I’m told that the Wolves made Orlando a pretty nice offer before Gordon got hurt sometime earlier this calendar year. So they talked to Orlando around draft time. Then at some point after the season started. I’m told they made some sort of offer. I don’t have specifics on what that offer entailed. Clearly, it wasn’t enough to get a deal done.
Gordon is now 25 and has two seasons left on his contract at a very reasonable price for a starter-level talent (he's merely the 61st highest-paid-player this season), so it stands within reason Orlando wouldn't let him go for cheap. At the same time, Gordon is probably more attainable than a guy like John Collins, who has also come up a lot in recent scuttle connecting him with Minnesota, due to more his limited offensive game. For the latest on the Aaron Gordon trade front, click here.
JJ Redick (New Orleans)
Two more reports came out this week putting JJ Redick firmly on the trade block, with the first coming from Bleacher Report and the second courtesy of The Ringer. The former's Jake Fischerreported the following on Redick:
Redick and Bledsoe, however, still appear very much available, league sources said. [...] There’s now a widespread sense New Orleans is hoping to move Redick to a franchise closer to his family in Brooklyn. “I think they’re just trying to do right by him,” said a league source close to the situation.
While the latter's Kevin O'Connor mentioned two potential destinations for the 36-year-old sharpshooter:
Kevin O’Connor: I’ve heard two other teams that could be connected to JJ (Redick) and a potential trade and that’s Denver, and Dallas.
Redick is shooting 40.5 percent from three over his last 10 games, a solid showcase for a New Orleans Pelicans team clearly looking to deal him over the coming weeks. For the latest on the JJ Redick trade front, click here.
Andre Drummond (Cleveland)
As we get closer to the trade deadline, it's looking more and more like the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to resort to buying out Andre Drummond rather than trading him, as his salary – which pays him $28.8 million this season – is being seen as a huge speed bump in trade talks. Cleveland-based reporter Chris Fedor said the Cavs might have to get 'creative' if they want to deal with All-Star big man:
There’s a growing belief around the league that the Cavs are going to have to get creative with an Andre Drummond trade. That means three or four teams involved. It’s doable, especially because they have the contract of Cedi Osman and also Taurean Prince. But if they have to go the route of a three or four team, expect Cedi Osman to be part of that deal or talked about as part of that deal.
Meanwhile, Tom Haberstroh of TrueHoop and Charania mentioned different teams as potential landing spots for the big man: Haberstroh heard from a prominent agent that the Toronto Raptors make the most sense for Drummond while Charania mentioned the Chicago Bulls as a team that has registered interest in the 27-year-old center. Nevertheless, the financials are quite tricky here, and a Drummond trade will likely require some major salary cap gymnastics to be pulled off, as Fedor said. For the latest on the Andre Drummond trade front, click here.
PJ Tucker (Houston)
This week has brought various reports on potential landing spots for bruising swingman PJ Tucker of the Houston Rockets. Tucker, almost 36 now and averaging just 4.4 points, is still seen as a high-end, versatile defender who can cover wings and bigs alike, the type of grizzled player who could help a contender greatly off the bench. And those are the exact type of teams who are being tied to his name in the latest scuttle. Both Charania and ESPN'sAdrian Wojnarowskireported the same following teams as having registered interest in Tucker recently: the Nets, Bucks, Heat and Lakers. While TrueHoops's Haberstroh also threw in the Philadelphia 76ers as a team rival executives see Tucker ending up on. Be it through trade or not, there's little doubt Tucker ends 2020-21 in a different uniform, as he's been upset with the team for a while regarding a potential contract extension, or lack thereof, and with the Rockets sitting at 11-23 and in the midst of a full rebuild, his services don't make sense for the retooling club. For the latest on the PJ Tucker trade front, click here.
Victor Oladipo (Houston)
The same could be said for Tucker's teammate Victor Oladipo, who's almost 29 now and not a good fit for what could be an extended rebuild for Houston. There are already reports from this week, via Wojnarowski, that indicate the former All-Star turned down a max contract extension offer from the Rockets:
Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo recently turned down a two-year, $45.2 million maximum contract extension, the most the franchise could offer him before summer free agency, sources told ESPN. As expected, Oladipo is pursuing a longer-term deal, sources said, something that the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t allow the Rockets to offer him until the offseason.
What's more, not only did Wojnarowski mention the Heat and Knicks as two clubs who could be interested in signing Oladipo this offseason when he hits unrestricted free agency, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey also reported this week that many around the league expect Oladipo to sign with Miami. That scuttle could lead to something rarely seen in the NBA: A former All-Star being traded twice in one season. Oladipo's efficiency this year has been flat-out paltry – his 50.1 true shooting percentage is the fifth-worst mark league-wide among players with at least 400 field-goal attempts this year, per StatHead – but his raw averages of 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals indicate he can still be quite productive overall. As such, there would definitely be major interest in him on the trade market if the Rockets do try to move on from him over the next few weeks. For the latest on the Victor Oladipo trade front, click here.
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