The NBA offseason is starting to wind down after the summer league and exciting free agent signing period and now that all the top names have joined teams and signed deals, including names like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Monta Ellis and Josh Smith, it's time to look towards the regular season and what will go down, including possible trades down the line.
Rajon Rondo is the most obvious name to add to the list for players that will hit the trading block after the Celtics decided to deal Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, although Boston has said they want to keep the point guard. Rondo is coming off of a serious injury and the team likely wants to see if he is back to full strength first and one franchise that has shown interest is the Detroit Pistons, even after they traded for Brandon Jennings and that could happen later down the line.
David Lee has said that the Warriors are not trading him, but after putting up 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, he could end up moving later down the line depending on whether a team wants to bring on his contract. The Warriors signed Andre Iguodala in the offseason and if Lee can come back strong from his injury last year, he will be a prime candidate as well. Omer Asik is the most likely to get dealt, as he expressed his unhappiness with the team signing Dwight Howard and while the Rockets have been playing it the Celtics way, there is a chance a deal still could happen.
Asik said that he wanted a trade after the signing was announced and while Kevin McHale and Daryl Morey said they don't want to trade him, there is a good chance a team could make a nice enough offer to get them to move him. Asik played in all 82 games and shot over 50 percent from the field and averaged a double-double with 10 points and nearly 12 rebounds and he has shown that he is one of the most consistent players in the league. The Rockets are ready for a championship run this season with James Harden, Howard, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons and they likely would get a nice package for Asik if they decided to deal him. Asik is getting paid $8-plus million as a backup and that likely won't work for the money-smart Morey.
Joel Anthony is a name that could end up on the block after the team signed Greg Oden and Chris Andresen, as he wasn't used much last season and averaged less than two points and two rebounds per game and now is making over $7 million. The team has enough depth now that they could deal him to another team. Danny Granger is another obvious name after the Pacers made to the Eastern conference finals without him this past season and since he is making $14 million he could move after playing in just five games and averaging 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists.
Other players that could end up on the block include LaMarcus Aldridge and Jeremy Lin, although both teams have been reluctant to move the stars. Portland may wait until his contract is up, while the Rockets like Lin and want to see what he can do with Howard. It is likely at least one of these players will be moves next season.