The NBA offseason is getting close to starting and that means trade rumors will be all over the league and this year names like Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Omer Asik, Ricky Rubio, Greg Monroe, Arron Afflalo, Josh Smith, David Lee, Jeremy Lin and Tyson Chandler all could be on the trading block for teams this summer.
Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo are the major names that will come up in trade rumors, while LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are the top targets on the free agent market. Love is the main trade target and ESPN.com reports that a number of teams are in on his trade talks, including the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. Love is going to get plenty of attention and teams like the NY Knicks, Lakers and Phoenix Suns also think they have a chance at him.
Aldridge is a very interesting player to keep an eye on as well, as he is basically like Kevin Love-lite, meaning he also is coming into the final year of his deal and could get traded. Things are not as pressing since Aldridge likely wants to stay in Portland and he has not stated that he will test the market, but recent reports have things heading in that direction. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Aldridge will not sign an extension with the Blazers since they do not have enough to give him a max contract right now and that means he likely will hit the market.
Ricky Rubio has been trying to convince Love to stay in Minnesota, but if he leaves Rubio could end up out of town as well, although that is unlikely. Rubio has been solid since coming into the NBA and the team is hoping he can become a premier point guard. Greg Monroe could be moved by Detroit since he is a restricted free agent and they signed Andre Drummond already, while David Lee could get moved in the hopes of the Warriors getting Love in a trade. Josh Smith and Arron Afflalo are also names that could get traded this summer.
Aldridge averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds last season and factored into the MVP voting and he was one of the most consistent players in the NBA. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks would be interested in making a deal and this comes after the team previously had a chance to try for a trade earlier in the season. The Knicks have Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert as trading chips and they could be options if they want to make a move this summer.
The Timberwolves will have some major questions to consider this offseason, as they have Kevin Love coming into what could be the last year of his contract with his opt out coming next summer in 2015. The Timberwolves likely will wait to see if the team is in contention heading into the trade deadline next season before making any moves with Love, but there's always a chance one team will floor them with a proposal this summer. Love and the Timberwolves are in a similar situation that Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard had with the Nuggets and Magic, as the teams had to weigh whether to trade their stars for something or risk losing them for nothing as free agents.