The NBA season is finally off to a full start and with games on the schedule for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, it's never too early to look ahead and this season there are a number of players that could end up on the trading block during the year and some names include Omer Asik, Danny Granger, Thaddeus Young, Luol Deng, Kenneth Faried, Pau Gasol as well as Derrick Williams and Jameer Nelson.
Some of the names on the list have already been mentioned in trade rumors over the summer and last season, including Asik, Granger as well as Young and Gasol. There were reports after Dwight Howard signed with the Rockets that Asik wanted to be traded and while that obviously has not happened, the team likely will be getting calls for him throughout the year and Daryl Morey could end up pulling the trigger closer to the deadline. The Rockets are not afraid to move players when the situation is right and if for whatever reason Dwight Howard and Asik don't mix well, another move like the Thomas Robinson trade or the James Harden deal could be in the mix.
Asik played in all 82 games last season and was one of the best centers in the league while averaging a double-double in his first full season starting and now the Rockets have two of the premier players at the position. Last season Asik averaged over 10 points and 11 rebounds for career best numbers and coach Kevin McHale said the team will work on using both Howard and Asik on the court at the same time and while both McHale and Morey dismissed the trade reports about Asik, that doesn't mean it won't happen down the line. At 27-years-old, the center should be a coveted player by a number of contenders and ESPN.com posited that the Heat or Warriors could be options.
The Sixers are likely to be pretty bad this season and Thaddeus Young could be an option to get move and the young star admitted that much during the preseason to reporters. Philly is a team that could end up with the worst record in the league and that could mean the former top 15 pick from a few years ago could be moved and as a 25-year-old he should have a number of teams targeting him. The contract for Young is manageable with three years left and less than $30 million and there is also an opt out in the final year that could make the contract less of an issue for the team.
Last season Young averaged just under 15 points and eight assists per game and while the Sixers will be bad, he should get the chance to show off his skills after hitting over 50 percent of his shots from the field last season. Faried reportedly was shopped around already by Denver and with the team losing Andre Iguodala and also changing up the coach, there is a chance they could be in the middle of a rebuild soon. Gordon and Gasol have come up in rumors over the past two years and even if they don't move that's sure to continue and with Danny Granger returning, depending on how things turn out for the Pacers he could be an option to get moved. Deng is heading into free agency and with contract talks tabled, it could be it.
